30 April 2025.
Sussex Underwater.
With love for Sussex Bay. Why We Became a Charity.

Welcome to our sixth blog.  At Sussex Underwater, everything we do starts with love—for the sea, for our community, and for the belief that change is possible when people come together with purpose. We are a small group of volunteers who give up our free time to reconnect people with the sea, sharing the story of our founder, Eric Smith, and the difference just one person can make. 

We dive, we document, we share stories, and we talk—at schools, in village halls, at events and festivals—because we believe that if people can see what’s under the waves, and the positive impact it has on the rest of the world, they will care enough to protect it. Over the past four years, Sussex Underwater has grown into something bigger than we ever imagined. From our small Facebook group, we have reached thousands of people. We’ve been featured by the BBC, contributed to documentaries, and been invited to speak at all kinds of places. But what matters most to us are the moments when someone sees underwater footage of Sussex kelp for the first time, or a young person tells us they want to become a marine biologist after our school talk. That’s why we do this.

But alongside the joy and growth has come a very real challenge: we’ve been doing all of this in our spare time, funding it out of our own pockets. And that’s not sustainable—not if we want to keep going, and definitely not if we want to grow.

That’s why we made the decision to become a registered charity. Not to become a big organisation. Not to take donations from our followers. But to give ourselves a fair chance of continuing this work in a way that’s sustainable, transparent, and true to our values.

Our dream is simple:
We want to be able to cover our core running costs, support one full-time salary (shared between a few of us if needed), and—most importantly—offer our school talks completely free of charge.

Right now, it costs us around £1,500 to deliver a single school talk. We charge just £100 to cover some of our costs because we believe every child deserves the chance to learn about the sea on their doorstep, no matter what school they go to or what budget their school has.

We don’t want money to be a barrier—not for a single child.

Becoming a charity allows us to apply for grants and funding to make that happen. We are not asking our followers for donations. We are asking for help in a way that feels right for us—through funding that will allow us to:

  • Buy the equipment we need to tell our story well

  • Visit more schools and community groups without worrying about our volunteers being out of pocket

  • Film underwater footage that helps people fall in love with the sea

  • And finally, pay someone to do the essential admin that keeps our work moving—responding to schools, planning events, and managing the many behind-the-scenes tasks that keep a small grassroots group going

We’ve always said we want to stay small. Sussex Underwater isn’t about building a big brand—it’s about local people working for local people. That personal touch is who we are, and it’s who we will always be.

But now, we need to take this next step.

If you’ve followed our journey, shared our posts, or invited us to speak—we are so grateful. You’ve helped us come this far. And now we’d love your help again. Please share what we do with your local school, your community group, or anyone who might want to hear our story.

We want to show the world what happens when a few people come together and decide to care. And we believe, deep down, that if we can help just one more child fall in love with the sea, it’s all worth it, bringing a window beneath the waves to everyone.

We are very grateful to our friends from Sussex Underwater.  On behalf of nature, thank you.

Our next Blog will be written by the Shoreham Port team.