Iolo’s Welsh Sea

In a four part series for BBC Wales, host Iolo Williams goes on a sea journey of Wales to meet people who work on the sea and those who have a passion for the sea.

In the first episode Iolo visits the second largest wind farm in the world off the north Wales coast. He goes fishing for lobsters and crabs near Llandudno and gets a surprise visit from dolphins. He dives to explore the wreck of the old battle ship HMS Conway in the Menai Straits. He goes rowing in Bull Bay, Anglesey where he discovers Harbour Porpoise. He visits one of the biggest ferry terminals in the UK at Holyhead and he dives to find Sea Hares off the coast of Anglesey.

In the second episode Iolo sets off from the beautiful harbour of Trefor on the north Llyn coast on one of the best sea kayaking journeys in Wales. He dives to discover a 150 year old wreck near Nefyn with its slate cargo transformed into a reef full of sea life. He sets sail on a fast off-shore racing yacht from Pwllheli Marina to the islands of St Tudwal. He finds an extraordinary Mediterranean Mantis Shrimp living off the coast of Abersoch. He goes night diving near Criccieth to find pipefish and sea mice, and goes fishing from Aberystwyth harbour.

In the third episode Iolo explores Cardigan Bay. He finds one of the biggest resident Bottlenose Dolphin populations in Europe near Newquay. He travels 15 miles off the Pembrokeshire coast to the Smalls, a collection of rocks where Atlantic Grey Seals congregate. He goes lobster fishing in a traditional wooden boat from the coastal village of Llangranog. He discovers a church lost to the sea and learns how energy will be harnessed from the sea using the powerful tides in Ramsey Sound.

In the final episode, Iolo goes to the Celtic deep, 20 miles off the Pembrokeshire shore, in search of sharks. In Milford Haven, he has a surprise encounter with a pod of Risso’s Dolphins. He heads into murky water in Pembroke dock to investigate a sunken WW2 Sunderland seaplane. He tries his hand at paddle boarding off the Gower peninsula. Joining a commercial diver working on the Swansea marina lock gates he discovers that sea life has taken hold, some from as far as the Indian Ocean. Along the Glamorgan Heritage coast he goes sea angling. He patrols the coast line near Cardiff with special police team and goes out with Sea Rescue crew under the Severn Bridges.