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Iolo's Wildlife - BBC1 Wales

Iolo Williams BBC television wildlife presenter took PADI Diver training in June 2006 with Celtic Diving in order to observe marine wildlife, particularly seals in his new "Wildlife" series. Broadcast on BBC1 Wales 04/09/06, Mark Deane filmed all the underwater footage. Celtic Media Services supplied the marine craft and crew for the project.
	"I now realise that I have been walking around with one of my eyes closed, having ignored the underwater environment for so long. Diving off the Pembrokeshire coast was a fantastic experience and the variety of wildlife was absolutely incredible !"
The intro from this film is streamed here: Broadband version 56k version

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Small Country (Working Title)

Celtic Media Services provided safety boat cover for the in water shots for this Green Bay Media/S4C production.

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July 2005:

Members of Fishguard BSAC discover possible Napoleonic shipwreck from 1797 invasion attempt off Strumble Head...

Filming now completed; Pop1 Documentary film crew, Fishguard SubAqua Club and Wessex Archaeology have been working together to uncover mystery shipwreck off Strumble Head. Celtic Media Services were engaged to supply boat charter and the underwater camera unit. This production called "Llongddrilliad Jemeima" should be broadcast in 2006.

Richard Hughes, the club's diving officer, had told us: "The chap we're dealing with is Steve Webster of Wessex Archaeology, we have had much discussion on the era of the wreck and until recently it was looking doubtful whether it was from the era of pre 1797 ... but we have now discovered in parallel but unconnected research that the French were using this type of iron technology in ship building as early as 1670 .... it seems we are back on the tracks of a possible French vessel"

( Fishguard is the site of the last invasion of the British Isles 1797, for more information on our fascinating history please check this link; French Invasion )

The divers recovered artefacts from a wreck site they had discovered in 30m off Strumble head. This find has been reported to the Receiver of Wrecks and Fishguard Subaqua Club are now the licensed custodians of the site.

Copper drift pins, large pieces of iron, a swivel gun and three cannons that possibly date back to the Napoleonic era have so far been found.

Four ships were involved in the invasion; two frigates, Vengeance and Resistance, each with 40 guns, the corvette Constance and the lugger Vautour; there were however no ships reported sunk.

While the the events of the invasion are local common knowledge, not much is known about what happened to the vessels after the French surrender.

Richard and Rebecca Hughes first found the wreckage towards the end of a drift dive. Richard spotted large piles of ballast stones, shapes and debris which suggested the remains of a shipwreck. In the short dive time remaining, they recovered some 17 1/2 inch-long keel pins attached to oak timber and this was enough evidence to persuade the club to investigate further.

The dive site is exposed to strong tides, two divergent currents meet and visibility is not good making diving quite difficult. The club have continued to meticulously examine the site over the past year, conditions permitting.

Their hard work has now paid off as the likely historical value of the site has generated great interest, with Cadw, the Welsh historic monuments agency and the Nautical Archaeological Society, both of whom are now involved.

The site is to be surveyed in detail and three cannon will be raised to help identify the wreck.

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August 2004 - We completed the work for the Countryside Council for Wales Intertidal Survey in Pembrokeshire.

The Pembrokeshire survey has had to be spread over a number of years as the bird-breeding season at the beginning of the summer and the seal-breeding season at the end of the summer limit the survey to the middle months.

A couple of marine biologists	Archidoris pseudoargus Sea lemon?? Sea slug

The intertidal team has experience of many different habitats in Pembrokeshire as it is one of the most varied areas in Wales. There are steep rugged cliffs of North Pembs, off-shore islands of Ramsay and Skomer, long sandy beaches such as Newgale and Whitesands, the deep muddy inlet of the Milford Haven and the Limestone cliffs of South Pembs, all of which support rich unique communities of life. 

Hymeniacidon perleve with Palmaria palmata Dulse on jetty piling	Ciona intestinalis Sea squirt

North Pembrokeshire is dominated by steep cliffs, exposed rock on headlands and cliffs are often populated by wide bands of yellow lichens and black lichens, which often get mistaken for oil. Barnacle and small mussels cover much of the rock with kelps such as dabberlocks on the lower shore. In more sheltered rocky bays there is a wider variety of red algae including dulse (which is edible), fucoids and kelps, including thongweed which can occur as small buttons on the rock which later grow into long strands of seaweed. Also serrated wrack and the kelp Oarweed can be found. Rockpools and boulders within the bays increase the biodiversity of the areas with numerous crabs, anenomies and fish.

Halichondria panicea breadcrumb sponge	Botryllus schlosseri Star ascidian on Fucus serratus frond

Off shore islands, both large and small, stacks, arches and other interesting geological features can be seen around the coast of Pembrokeshire. These are a haven for seabirds but also provide an unspoilt habitat for other sea creatures. There are numerous caves around the cliffs and islands of Pembrokeshire which not only provide excellent shelter for seals but also the surge within the caves encourage many different sponges, sea squirts and encrusting coralline algae.  Areas of strong currents cause tidal rapids, which create a unique habitat in Wales. Here the fronds of fucoids and kelps are encrusted in colonial ascidians and bryozoans.

Sea sponge, not sure which ???	Hymeniacidon perleve again

The survey has been an extremely interesting and educational experience for all of us, special thanks to Natasha, Monica, Gabrielle and Paul for making this such an enjoyable project.

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July - We provided safety/press boat cover and were the official photographer for the Atlantic Challenge. This is the first time the international event has been held in the UK.

After the storms that threatened the whole event, the weather improved and we saw some very exciting competitions.

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January - Underwater filming for Videotel at the Fleetwood Offshore Training Centre.

We took the underwater shots for a FRB (fast rescue boat) training video. The facility at Fleetwood is great, they have wave machines, rain, smoke etc.

  

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2003
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September

We filmed the Jazz Suite inspired by Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, written by Stan Tracey. The Cenfyn Evans Quintet performed this live in Fishguard, the original location for the mythical town of Llareggub in Milk Wood.

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August

Engine lifted from sunken aircraft holds key to riddle.

An engine was recovered from the wreckage of a crashed seaplane found by the diving club Celtic Divers in Milford Haven.

  

Nicky Hammond President of Celtic Divers stands proudly in front of his club's significant find.

Navy clearance divers check for ordinance before Wreck Detectives unfold mystery sunken aircraft.

The wreckage of a suspected 4 engine Sunderland flying boat in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire is the centre of much excitement. The story behind the aircraft, recently discovered by the local club, Celtic Divers, and now the subject of a Channel 4 television documentary, may not be as straight forward as was first thought. Conflicting local opinions hint that the wreck may actually be an American twin engine Catalina. Permission from the MOD was granted for the excavation and the Royal Navy checked for any dangerous ordinance to be disposed of.

  

  

  

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March - We arranged boat cover and stand in actors for the motion picture "Baltic Storm", this included  two tug boats for generators and lights, one 12 mtr RHIB as camera boat and a small safety boat that was filmed in the action.

  

Multinational film uses Welsh location

The Fishguard-Rosslare ferry has proved the perfect location for the latest blockbuster to be filmed partly in Wales. 'Baltic Storm', starring legendary Canadian actor Donald Sutherland and co-star Greta Scaachi, is being produced by an international team brought together by Cardiff based Aquarius Films. The filmmakers have also worked closely with the Wales Screen Commission on the project, and are delighted with the choice of West Wales for a major part of the filming of this $6 million production. Terence Potter, Chief Executive of Aquarius, said: “We are very grateful to Stena Line Ltd for allowing us to use the ferry. The scenes we shot will be a very important part of the film, and it can only add to Wales’ reputation as a place where the art of film making can flourish.” The film, a suspense-filled thriller, tells of the search for truth by a German television journalist (Scaachi) and a Swedish lawyer (Jurgen Prochnow) in a world of intrigue and lies. It is cast against a real life tale of the export of weapons from Russia, and the tragedy and drama that unfolded as a result. Baltic Storm has also been shot in Goslar, Cuxhaven and Berlin in Germany. The shooting of key footage in Fishguard and off the coast of Wales is another success for the Wales Screen Commission, who have been attracting increasing numbers of international film makers to Wales.

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info@mediadiving.co.uk