Seashore

VHS cover

*Seashore* is the eighth episode of the second season of Eyewitness. The topic is about the intertidal zone, the animals that inhabit it and the different human uses of this environment. The episode first aired on 3rd June 1996.

*Seashore* is based on a book that was first published in 1989, and has been republished on several occasions including in 1993, 2004 and 2014.

## Episode

### Introductory sequence

A rocky beach with crashing waves is shown. The camera zooms out and shows that this scene is being reflected in the eyes of a brown land crab; the crab then fades away to leave a white background.

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Seashore.

The seashore, or intertidal zone, is defined as the place between the highest of high-water marks and the level to which the lowest tides fall.

Human use of the seashore as a place to find food is briefly explored, as are some of the myths related to the seashore. The Greek moon goddess Diana was often represented by a sea crab, which introduces the hero for the episode.

Crabs are one of the few creatures that can travel anywhere along the seashore. The different levels of the seashore environment are the spray and splash zone, tidal pools, the lower tidal zone and the subtidal zone.

The spray and splash zone is a perfect breeding ground for seabirds, which choose this location for its closeness to the sea and its bountiful food. Plants of the spray and splash zone have cacti-like adaptations for holding water, as most water in this zone is unusable. Seashore plants have been consumed by people for their vitamins or by time, which results in the formation of chalk.

The wind and waves also sculpt the seashore, carving away rocks to create caves and natural sculptures. The use of sea caves by smugglers in Hastings, England during the 1700s is explored.

The tidal pool zone is home to animals that can survive exposure to air but still need water to survive. One of these creatures is the barnacle, which were once thought to grow into geese.

The formation of the tides is explored in this section. These movements of water are mainly caused by the gravitational pull of the moon, although many cultures have their own myths to explain the tides.

Many creatures are in the tidal pool to feed, such as crabs, brittlestars and sea slugs, which dine on toxic sea anemones. Humans visit the seashore to relax, but many seashore animals do not have that luxury. Hermit crabs must fight for access to old shells. Crabs must wait for a female to moult before they can mate with her, and have a genetic trick that allows them to regrow lost limbs. A bigger threat to tidal pool creatures is the rising temperature.

More myths and historical stories about the causes and effects of the tides are explored. In the Middle Ages, people were said to be born with the incoming tide. Horseshoe crabs use the tide to dictate their breeding cycle, and lay their eggs high up the seashore.

The seashore has been the gate to new worlds for human explorers, with many adventures departing from or arriving at a seashore environment. The lower tidal zone is sometimes called the holdfast habitat, as many of its inhabitants have adapted to cling to rocks. This area is home to kelp, a giant seaweed that forms forests which provide a place of safety for many creatures. The warm-water equivalent of the kelp forest is the mangrove bed, which serves as a nursery for lemon sharks.

Just as seashore animals try to ensure their survival, so do humans. Lighthouses have long been used to protect ships from the dangers of the seashore. The sea’s treachery and beauty have long been personified by the mermaid.

The subtidal zone is constantly submerged. It is here that many shipwrecks come to rest. Shipwrecks may happen because of the hand of nature or sometimes by the hand of man. Scavenging lobsters hunt the subtidal zone, while wreckers on the Scilly Isles tried to lure ships onto the rocks. In tropical waters a ship is more likely to sink on a coral reef, a living habitat that supports a stunning array of life.

The crab continues its journey along the seashore, dodging predators and the crushing power of the waves. Myths about the origins of life from the seashore are included here. Perhaps we build sandcastles to pay homage to the place we came from. The seashore always holds out the promise of secret treasure. For the amazing array of creatures that make their home where land and sea collide, the seashore will always deliver the renewable treasure of life.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Brown land crab, *Cardisoma carnifex*
* Long-snouted seahorse, *Hippocampus guttulatus*
* Spiny starfish, *Marthasterias glacialis*
* Beadlet anemone, *Actinia equina*
* Thornback ray, *Raja clavata*
* Common shore crab, *Carcinus maenas*
* Snakelocks anemone, *Anemonia viridis*
* European edible sea urchin, *Echinus esculentus*
* Greater pipefish, *Syngnathus acus*
* Common prawn, *Palaemon serratus*
* Common cuttlefish, *Sepia officinalis*
* Common hermit crab, *Pagurus bernhardus*

### Stock footage

* Moorish idol, *Zanclus cornutus*
* North Pacific giant octopus, *Enteroctopus dofleini*
* European herring gull, *Larus argentatus*
* Jellyfish, Medusozoa
* King angelfish, *Holacanthus passer*
* Black-browed albatross, *Thalassarche melanophris*
* Eurasian shag, *Gulosus aristotelis*
* Common guillemot, *Uria aalge*
* Black-legged kittiwake, *Rissa tridactyla*
* Atlantic puffin, *Fratercula arctica*
* Northern fulmar, *Fulmarus glacialis*
* Southern rockhopper penguin, *Eudyptes chrysocome*
* Imperial shag, *Leucocarbo atriceps*
* Brown pelican, *Pelecanus occidentalis*
* Acorn barnacle, *Semibalanus balanoides*
* Barnacle goose, *Branta leucopsis*
* Goose barnacle, Thoracica
* Periwinkle, *Littorina littorea*
* Common limpet, *Patella vulgata*
* Beadlet anemone, *Actinia equina*
* Snakelocks anemone, *Anemonia viridis*
* Cushion star, *Asterina gibbosa*
* Sea urchin, Echinoidea
* Common shanny, *Lipophrys pholis*
* Brittlestar, Ophiuroidea
* Common grey sea slug, *Aeolidia papillosa*
* Common hermit crab, *Pagurus bernhardus*
* Velvet swimming crab, *Necora puber*
* Atlantic horseshoe crab, *Limulus polyphemus*
* Southern sea lion, *Otaria flavescens*
* Killer whale, *Orcinus orca*
* Harbour seal, *Phoca vitulina*
* Giant kelpfish, *Heterostichus rostratus*
* Magellanic penguin, *Spheniscus magellanicus*
* Sea otter, *Enhydra lutris*
* Lemon shark, *Negaprion brevirostris*
* Cuckoo wrasse, *Labrus mixtus*
* European lobster, *Homarus gammarus*
* Convict tang, *Acanthurus triostegus*
* Purple sea urchin, *Strongylocentrotus purpuratus*
* Dead man’s fingers, *Alcyonium digitatum*
* Common shore crab, *Carcinus maenas*

## Stock footage sources

* The Trials of Life
	+ Hunting and Escaping (1990) – Killer whale and sea lion
	+ Continuing the Line (1990) – Velvet swimming crabs

## Credits

* Director - Bonni Cohen
* Producer - Richard Thomson
* Writer - Brian Meehl
* Music - Guy Dagul
* Graphics Director - Dean Stockton
* Graphics Design - Stan Peplinski
* Camera - Sean Bobbitt and Matthew Poynter
* Set Design - John Brace and Mark Dadswell
* Production Co-ordinator - Nicola Melluish
* Production Assistants - Tilly Colaco and Quin Jessop
* Researcher - Alex Robinson
* Archive Researchers - Rebecca Cody, Philippa Graves and Anuschka de Rohan
* Graphics - Simon Kilroe, Kim Aldis and Kate Hood
* Editors
	+ Offline - Mark Fox
	+ Online - Richard Wilding
* Dubbing Mixer - Steve Cookman
* Special thanks to:
	+ The Philosophical Research Society

## Making this programme

The crew went to the beach for some shots used in Seashore, but also had to build a beach back in the studio. The sandcastle was easy for the model makers to create. The filming of the sandcastle starts high overhead, using a remote operated jib. The motion is controlled by the grip, a camera movement specialist. Final touches were added to the castle before the camera swung into action. The interior shots needed another model, made and filmed in another studio. The camera is operated by a computer, which can track a path through the maze of passageways with great precision.

## Home media releases

As well as being released on VHS, Seashore was released as a DVD in the USA and as one of the free DVDs provided with the UK's Daily Mirror newspaper.

Seashore America-release DVD coverEyewitness Seashore Daily Mirror DVD cover

**Writing staff**: Anne MacLeod • Ben Southwell • Ben Steiner • Brian Meehl • David Hanson • David Stafford • David Helton • George Bloom • Lynette Singer • Mike Tomlinson • Paul Thomas • Stan Cullimore
**Directors**: Gavin Maxwell • Justine Kershaw • David Hutt • Andrew Jackson • Justin Hardy • Ludo Graham • Jerry Foulkes • Derek Hall • Sanjida O'Connell • Caius Julyan • Bonni Cohen • Leanne Pooley • Edwina Vardey • Alexandra Beazley • Sam Hodgkin • Karen Walsh • Jack Weber • Richard Simkin • Alex Hearle • Brian Cummins • Ben Southwell
**Composers**: Guy Michelmore (season one) • Guy Dagul (seasons two and three)

**Season One**: Cat • Fish • Horse • Dog • Jungle • Bird • Amphibian • Insect • Shark • Elephant • Reptile • Dinosaur • Skeleton
**Season Two**: Desert • Tree • Ape • Mammal • Butterfly and Moth • Volcano • Rock and Mineral • **Seashore** • Pond and River • Weather • Arctic and Antarctic • Prehistoric Life • Shell
**Season Three**: Flight • Bear • Sight • Island • Survival • Mountain • Monster • Human Machine - Plant • Ocean • Planets • Life • Natural Disasters