Visit a colourful, vibrant and beautiful world by snorkelling this summer

Popping on a snorkel mask is a great way to experience and appreciate our diverse water world says ecologist Pádraic Fogarty who has some handy tips for getting the most out of your next snorkelling trip

From top left: compass jellyfish, pollock, common starfish, flounder, pollock hole, sand eels. Pictures: Pádraic Fogarty

Irish people love the sea and most of us live very near it but how many of us have ever seen what it looks like from under the water?

The coast around Ireland is home to a stunning array of marine biodiversity, much of which is in shallow water close to the shore. Although much depleted of fishlife in recent decades, it is still quite easy to see forests of kelp and other seaweed, meadows of seagrass (yes, an actual flowering plant) and fish such as wrasse, dog fish (a small shark) and flounder, as well as an array of smaller critters. The underwater world is colourful, vibrant and incredibly beautiful.