Bracelet Bay

This is one of my favourite places to visit!

Why do I like it?

The first time I ever went here was the one of the first outing events I went with Swansea University! It was also the first time I properly got taught something Marine Biology related at university. It was also got to know loads of random facts from the lecturers (and to be honest I didn’t know half the stuff they were talking about). Since then,  I really had a goal to learn as much ID knowledge as possible, so I could confuse the hell out of people too! Why else would you learn the latin names for species?

But bracelet bay for me is a really nice place to go rock pool, see some awesome species and relax!

Why is Bracelet Bay such a good site to visit?

Bracelet Bay is about 1 1/2 hour walk from Swansea University or a 15 minute bus ride! It is the other side of Mumbles Head, which can be seen from everywhere in Swansea Bay. Its really the only place close to here it possible to walk to and rock pool!

Walking to Bracelet Bay along the sea wall up to Mumbles Head.

With a few steps down the cliffs you have loads of rock pools to root around in right from the upper shore zone to lower shore. There is also a really lovely cafe up on the cliff to go get a hot chocolate in afterwards (a rock pooling must!)

Right side of Bracelet Bay (lighthouse on your left), is the best place to rockpool here!

What can you see there?

On the upper shore you can safely see loads of species, beadlet anemones, crabs, limpets, barnacles etc. Its not too slippy and are not too many rocks to clamber over. Which for a short person is an under rated bonus!

You can find some really beautiful rock pools!

But as you walk down and get into deeper rock pools you can find some really really cool stuff! In summer I recommend a small fish net and a bucket, we have seen lots of small juvenile fish that stay n the rock pools including blennys and rocklings!

Right down the bottom on a very low tide you can see kelp beds  of Laminaria digitata and Laminaria hyperborea. You have to be careful getting to these on only the low tides and its a bit slippy. Kelp beds are very cool though and ecologically very important as they provide protection for lots of species and reduce wave power so shelter other species. Its also a good place to see them inter-tidally not sub-tidally.

Laminaria hyperborea, the start of the kelp beds at low tide.

Any rare species?

You can reef forming worms from the Sabellaridae family. However you have to be careful not to walk on it or it will be damaged.

Reef forming worms from the Sabellaridae family. Create a honeycomb substrate on the rock floor.

Favourite species to see there?

My absolute all time favourite UK species is the Devil Crab (Necora puber). On my first rock pooling session there I didn’t even realise this crab existed or there was anything special about it! Until I caught one and put it in a bucket with the other species I had found and it instantly started to kill everything in sight! After removing the crab from the bucket and it trying to kill me too, I knew something so small and feisty was an amazing species. It also looks amazing, it has bright red eyes and bright blue stripes on its legs. I highly recommend trying to find one but always hold it from behind because they are aggressive and will pinch you!

When should you go?

Rockpooling here can be massively hit or miss! You are always guaranteed to always find the normal, most of the seaweeds, crab, barnacles, anemones etc. But I have only ever caught small fish, seen blue rayed limpets or some crab species later in the year from Easter onwards! This doesn’t mean there not there, it might just mean in summer you have nicer weather and a bit longer to look before freezing to death!

Hopefully you will get chance to visit this gorgeous bay for a few hours! I have lost count how many times I have visited. I will be posting more photos from species I have seen down there in the next few weeks.

Any questions email me at marinemumbles@gmail.com or comment below! Happy rockpooling!

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Bracelet Bay, a nice cafe to get hot chocolate in is directly opposite (white building).