Opening window on watery world

From the archive, first published Friday 26th Aug 2005.

Anita Sherwood has travelled thousands of miles and descended to more than 200 dive sites to open a window on an underwater world.

Anita, 34, from West Malvern, has just released a natural history DVD, British Sea Life, having edited hundreds of hours of film shot from Cornwall to the Scottish Isles.

Having been diving for five years, Anita is a leader with the Worcester British Sub-Aqua Club, where husband Mark is an instructor. She has spent the last 18 months on the project and the DVD already has a distribution deal with diving outlets.

More than 170 species are captured on film. To get many, she has had to face the complete dark of a night dive.

At 5ft 8ins, part of the challenge for Anita has been the mass of equipment she has had to carry. As well as her dive gear, she has had to take a huge camera housing and lighting rig.

"This is by far the most exhausting project I have every undertaken, at many points I thought I would never finish it," she said. "I thought about giving up many times. Would I do it again? Ask me in another few months - I'm still recovering.

"During one dive on a wreck off the south coast, the currents were so strong I was pinned up against the keel, trying to film a passing shoal of mackerel. It took all my strength just to detach myself from the wreck with my buddy."

On another occasion she felt a tug on her fin, which she thought was her dive buddy - bored - asking her to hurry up.

"The tugging started again and I turned around to ask for five more minutes, to see a seal with my fin between its teeth, playfully pulling away at it."

Anita is art director and co-owner of Hedgehog Marketing Company and fellow co-owner Chris Redmond has provided narration for the DVD.

She has been diving in the Red Sea this week and will shortly travel to Africa to dive.

British Sea Life is published on Thursday and is available at dive shops and www.britishsealife. co.uk, priced £14.95.

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