The Ocean Studio

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The Ocean Studio

She is a multi-award winning-photographer and author and loves to chat to guests and passers-by about all things ocean and conservation issues.

A place where guests can learn about our seas and discover a world of wildlife, sustainability and conservation projects plus unique handmade ocean gifts

New FREE Ocean Art Discovery Sessions and Ocean Discovery Walks in Swanage, plus Summer Snorkelling. Maria, the founder of The Ocean Studio has been passionate about all things ocean since 1994 and has travelled to many unique places to learn about shark, whale, dolphin conservation projects. The studio is the first of its' kind in the UK and is also a place of education and sustainability, where guests can learn how everyday items can be repurposed and upcycled, as well as discovering more about our local ocean marine life. Prints, Canvases and Hand-made Ocean Gifts of Glass and Ceramic are designed and crafted with the utmost care here in the studio and are sold to help raise money for ocean conservation causes. Maria has raised over £4,000 through sales of her work to help Biteback Shark Conservation, The Shark Trust, Sea Shepherd, British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society. Open from Wednesday to Saturday 12-5 pm, it would be lovely to welcome you too and chat oceans.

30/09/2026

"It was such a crazy idea 😃"

Happy National Podcast Day!

I'm so sorry that I've been so quiet on this page as I've literally been so addicted to exploring our Dorset Coast that I haven't had time to post. You can see my work on my other page at Dorset Underwater ☺️. I promise I'll start catching up on this page this week.

Today's a day to say thank you to the incredible team of Gemma and Ian from The BIG Scuba Podcast for inviting me on their show back in 2023.

If you've ever wondered about my ocean journey and how I got so lost in it all snorkelling, diving, then snorkelling again, well here it is.

Start at 16 minutes and you'll hear my crazy idea of following whale sharks and heaps of giggles which carry on right through .....

I really hope that it inspires someone that they can get over their fear of exploring our oceans too 💙

Thanks so much Gemma and Ian, and tune in to their other episodes too, there's so many more awesome stories from incredible humans to listen to 🙌💕 xx

30/08/2026

"Happy Whale Shark Day"

Did you know that each whale shark has a unique set of spots and patterns just behind its left gill which makes them identifiable to researchers?

Finally I'm back in the studio and it's been a busy few months exploring our Dorset Coast. But today was such a special day showing youngsters our underwater world of Swanage on the TV as well as learning about what we can find on our beaches, learn about sharks, snorkelling tips and chats to both snorkellers, divers and future divers 🙌

The hughest thank you to everyone who's come along and I'll be open again tomorrow from 11 am to 4 pm.

Hope you all have a great Bank Holiday x

08/05/2026

Happy Birthday to Earth's greatest storyteller!

Dear Sir David,

You gave the oceans words to sing,
And taught so much wonder in everything.
You made the silent wildness speak,
It's beauty strong, it's future weak.

In your voice both calm and true,
You sparked a passion in something new.

Thank you for the paths you've shown,
For making this earth feel known.
For every life you helped us see,
You inspired the world, thanks so much for inspiring me - Maria 💙

PS. Still so proud I helped Erick Higuera learn underwater photography back in 2004 who is now part of the Blue Planet Film Crew.

05/04/2026

Happy Easter All!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend!

Just in case you're wondering why I'm so quiet, it's because I'm too much in love with showing the world how beautiful our underwater world is here in Dorset on my other page.

I'll be posting more regularly here very soon, I promise.

Thanks so much for all your support x

22/03/2026

"World Seal Day"

Who else celebrates these ocean cuties every day?

But did you know that the UK is home to a whopping 40% of the world's population of grey seals? There's a whopping 120,000 approximately around our coast!

There are both grey and harbour seals around our coast. This is a grey seal. They can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes and dive up to 300 metres. Their whiskas are super sensitive to water vibrations and are used to detect food. They don't eat just fish though, they have been known to hunt seabirds and even dolphins.

During the breeding season females can fast for up to 20 days, whilst males will fast for up to 50 days whilst protecting their area. Even more reason to make sure we all keep a safe distance away to keep them safe from harm.

Rest is super important for a seal. They can even sleep in the ocean in an upright position known as bottling. On land they can often be seen holding their head and tail in the air in a banana like position to keep their extremities warm.

Finally did you know that researchers think that they clap underwater as a way to communicate? Each seal even has a unique fur pattern which is identified by the Seal Research Trust 🦭

Don't forget to report any sightings to the Dorset Wildlife Trust who keep a record of all our seals here in Dorset 🦭

15/03/2026

Happy Mother's Day 💕

Today's a day to celebrate ocean parenting's BIGGEST plot twist where seahorses changed parenting forever 😱

Female seahorses definitely know how to delegate, with mum making the eggs and dad carrying and looking after them in his brood pouch between 9 to 45 days. Labour can last up to 12 hours, releasing up to 2,000 baby seahorses in just one birth.

But did you know that Dad actually regulates the salinity of the water inside the pouch too to prepare the babies for their life at sea? He also protects them from bacteria and disease as they grow.

They are independent as soon as they're born but only 0.5% survive. Males have been known to even eat their own young if there are no other food sources.

Did you know that seahorses don't have teeth and feed using their long nose?

📷 Seahorse image captured in Indonesia 🇮🇩

21/02/2026

It's been an amazing few days chatting to youngsters about sharks, manatees, turtles and what we can find on our local beach here in Swanage.

Yesterday we learnt about saltwater and freshwater turtles, how temperature determines whether their eggs will be male or female and created some cool crafts with air clay and wood.

I then went for a mini-walk on the beach, found a whopping 10 small spotted cat shark/lesser spotted dogfish Eggcases all huddled together and chatted to more youngsters about them.

The hughest thank you to Rebecca, Annabelle, Alex and Sam, Jack and Tom for returning yesterday 🙏

I'll be at the The Ocean Studio in Swanage from 12-2 and then on the beach next to the Mowlem from 3 pm if anyone wants to chat oceans 🌊

Have a great weekend 💙

05/02/2026

"Ocean Discovery Art - National Green Week"

I'm not going to lie, Tuesday was absolutely terrifying running my first Ocean Discovery Art Session for a group of mums and youngsters who were all super keen to learn about sharks and mermaids purses 🦈

It was the best feeling showing them all the marine treasure that we can find on our beaches at this time of year, watch a Shark Movie, observe a mermaids purse re-hydrate and identify it using The Shark Trust's Sharks, Skates & Rays ID Guide and then create some sustainable shark art as part of National Green Week 💚

I was choked to see Sam return with her sons yesterday and receive beautiful feedback with thank you cards ☺️

The hughest thank you to them all for coming along 🙏

These mini-sessions can be run on any day but booking must be made in advance. All marine subjects can be covered.

"You were so knowledgeable and passionate and had organised a craft for the children to do which they loved. You were incredibly kind and welcoming, we look forward to coming back again soon ☺️"

04/02/2026

Yesterday was an incredible day helping children to learn about our seas and just when I thought my day was finished, I had an alert from Kelly (thanks so much again Kelly) that there was a ghost net on the beach.

Ghost Nets, fishing ropes and fishing line are a nightmare for marine life. It's not just seals and birds which can become entangled, cetaceans can easily get wrapped up in it too, with some whales known to drag it along on their tails or around their faces for months 😞

As nets break down (which can take hundreds of years), they release microplastics into the environment which enter the food chain, plus potentially toxic chemicals.

They also pose a danger to marine vessels, so it meant a lot to me to go and get it.

There's a huge amount of bits of fishing rope and plastics washed up and despite being soaked, cleared the beach area next to Banjo Pier.

On another note, it was so sad to see large areas of seagrass washing up too 😞

Please, please, please even if you see just ONE piece of plastic or rope, please take the time to pick it up. It really can help to make a HUGE difference for our marine life.

Thank you as always to everyone who cares for our seas 💙

02/02/2026

It's Marine Life Monday 💙

And it was great to see that whale sharks were also a topic of chats on Saturday 🙌

Whale Sharks are the gentle giants of our oceans, feeding on the tiniest plankton and are the largest shark in the world. They can grow up to the size of a school bus and weigh as much as 19 tonnes 😱

Females are larger than males and are ovoviviparous, meaning that their eggs hatch inside them. They can give birth to up to 300 live young at a time.

Did you know that each one has a unique pattern or spots which can be identified by scientists?

Or that as well as dermal denticles covering their skin giving it a rough texture, that they also have it covering their eyeballs which is not seen in any other invertebrate.

Whale Sharks are why I'm here today after falling in love with them at the start of my journey 💙

Who else loves them too?

Address

5 Daisy Mays Arcade
Swanage
BH191ES

Opening Hours

11am - 5pm

Telephone

+447901395807

Website

http://theoceanstudio.co.uk/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002pb00?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

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