Image courtesy of Nicole Larkin, ‘The Wild Edge‘
The Sea Pool
Tidal sea pools are a wondrous way of harnessing the sea and making it accessible throughout the year. Often they are built on rocky ledges, although some, like Walpole Bay Tidal Pool in Kent, are on sandy beaches.
Since the pandemic, the world has rediscovered the joy of being at one wth the sea. These sheltered sea water gems (many lost to the public for decades) are being restored, with others built from scratch.
Our pool will be the first new tidal sea pool to be built in the UK for almost a century.
Designed as a pool for the 21st Century, it will be a community asset/destination.
It will make a significant contribution to the health, well-being and prosperity to the Isle of Wight.
Location
Our proposed site is within the sea defence system at Yaverland. It is in close proximity to three existing tourist attractions – Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Dinosaur Isle, and Brown’s Golf Course. It is perfectly placed to contribute to regeneration and show how sea defences can have a multifunctional purpose.
Sandown Bay has quite rightly won accolades for its wonderful beaches of golden sand and as an idyllic place for sea swimming, an increasingly popular activity, particularly since Covid-19. Popular as a holiday destination since Victorian times, it still fulfils all the elements of a typical beach holiday as well as hosting a wide range of water sports including the annual Pier to Pier swim in the summer, kayaking and paddleboarding and more.
The pool would be within a “compartment” of the sea defences that is 70 metres wide and has dry sand for most of the year beneath the existing sea wall.
Our aim is to merge the existing groynes with the side walls of the pool, build a new sea wall to join them and align our plan with the Environment Agency and Isle of Wight Council’s joint project to refurbish the coastal defences at Yaverland.
Our Challenge:
To show that building a tidal sea pool on Sandown Bay’s long, shifting, sandy beach, within the sea defences at Yaverland, in an area bordered by heavily protected marine environments is technically, environmentally and economically feasible and sustainable.
This is the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
The Pool project aligns with 3 of its challenges:
- Change humanity’s relationship with the ocean.
- Understand & beat marine pollution,
- Protect & restore eco systems & biodiversity
The pool will be funded and run by the community: a public amenity/destination that can make a significant contribution to the health, well-being and prosperity of the Isle of Wight and its residents. A mecca for sea swimming & water sports for residents and visitors alike; a GO TO destination all year round for action, adventure and extreme sport.
Olympic sized and accessible, the sea pool will provide new habitats for marine life on its seaward facing walls and a revitalising salt water oasis within for all ages:
*Sheltered from waves & currents
*Refreshed by the tide
*Designed to protect & enhance the environment
*Enhanced with habitats for marine life
*Accessible for all
*Family friendly
*FREE & open all year round
*A blue space enriching our connection to the natural environment