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Education · Explore The Shore
Explore The Shore
The series
A guide to life on the South African shore.
The series documents the animals, the behaviours and the features of the marine world hidden along our coastlines. We partner with Explore The Shore because it takes the intertidal zone seriously and puts it in front of a global audience.
Emeritus Professor of marine biology Charles Griffiths introduces his son Matthew, along with viewers, to the natural world of our coastlines. Together they visit different shores and work through the habitats and organisms that live there — from limpets that farm the rocks to solar-powered corals and five-sided, hydraulically-operated starfish.
Each short episode covers one animal group, or one aspect of a hidden world most of us never realised was on our doorstep. The series began with a simple observation: the retiring Prof. Griffiths held a body of knowledge — anecdotes and field experience included — that had never been written down or recorded.
Explore The Shore launched on YouTube in December 2021. Every episode is free to watch, and the archive now serves schools, university students, naturalists and anyone who stumbles across it.
144
Videos on YouTube
200+
Research papers published
100+
Species new to science
50+
Years of coastal marine biology
Episodes
Watch by playlist.
Every Explore The Shore video, free to watch and grouped exactly as the channel curates it. Open a playlist, then click any video to play it here.
Episodes
The full series, in order.
53 videos
Gardening Limpets - they grow and harvest their own algae!
Starfish - the most bizarre and amazing regenerative animals
Barnacles - actually animals related to shrimp that catch food with their feet!
Tides - how they work and when to explore the shore!
Chitons - ancient armored molluscs
Sea Urchins - spiny 5 sided echinoderms that are related to starfish
Granular Limpets - that's not a patch of seaweed it's a limpet!
Edible Seaweeds - discover how to forage, harvest and eat nori, kelp and ulva
Feather & Brittle Stars - Beautiful underwater animals you can spot in rockpools
Marine Biodiversity - more animals on land or in the sea?
Mussels - Mostly reproductive organ!?
Cushion Stars - tiny starfish that lay eggs!
Intertidal Zonation - where to find what on the rocky shore!
Marine Education - Why teaching ocean knowledge to youth is so important! (Youth Day Special)
Sea Cucumbers - strange echinoderms that breathe through their bums!
Rock Oysters - pearls, filter feeding and hanging out on the rocks!
Zoanthids - colonial organisms - a whole new type of animal!
Ghost Crabs - what's down that hole in the sand?
Fragile Shells - Sea Hares and Bubble Shells - the cutest sea creatures
Whelks - scavengers that can drill into mussel shells!
Kelp - The fast growing sea forest that support so much of marine life!
Naming A Species
Nudibranchs - from toxicity to terrific camouflage
Isopods and Amphipods - nature's cleanup crew
Rock Pools - survival of the fittest!
Sea Anemones - not a plant! actually an immortal predator!
African Sea Forest - a magical underwater wonder
Invasive Species - the aliens reshaping our shores!
Polychaete Worms - astonishing ocean worms you never knew existed!
Beaches - shifting sands, elusive animals and surfing snails!?!?
Spiders - that survive in the sea? and a creepy creature from stranger things
Beachcombing - solving murder mysteries on the shoreline
Abalone - from thriving to threatened-poaching, predators-perlemoen
Beachcombing (Two)- exploring a bounty of finds with Sentinel Ocean Alliance
Winkles- the tough life of marine snails - survival and adaptations
Rock Lobster - walks out the water to be filmed while carrying a strange (new?) species!
Otters- incredible close-up experience of a Cape clawless otter!
Sucker Fish- freaky fish that climb rocks and snack on limpets!
Seaweeds- amazing underwater plants, glowing weeds and seaweeds pretending to be a rock!
Sea Fans, Sea Pens, and Soft Corals: The Fascinating Life of Colonial Organisms
Klipfish – The Fish That Walks!
Octopus, Cuttlefish, and Squid – The Masters of Disguise!
How To Explore The Shore
Flatworms - When We Thought The Ocean Couldnt Get Any Weirder... WTF-latworms
Bryozoans-Tiny Architects That Build With Clones!
Sea Squirts (Ascidians) – How Is Red Bait Related to Humans?
Hydroids – The Tiny Tentacled Forests of the Sea
Sponges – The Simplest (and Strangest) Animals on the Shore
Crabs – The Armoured Scavengers of the Shore
Hermit Crabs: Life Inside a Borrowed Shell | Episode 50!
Boulder and Cobble Shores
Limpet Allies — Keyholes, Slippers & Fakes of the Shore
Marine Pollution - You're Swimming in it!
Creatures
Deep dives on individual animal groups.
38 videos
Limpet Allies — Keyholes, Slippers & Fakes of the Shore
Hermit Crabs: Life Inside a Borrowed Shell | Episode 50!
Crabs – The Armoured Scavengers of the Shore
Hydroids – The Tiny Tentacled Forests of the Sea
Sponges – The Simplest (and Strangest) Animals on the Shore
Sea Squirts (Ascidians) – How Is Red Bait Related to Humans?
Bryozoans-Tiny Architects That Build With Clones!
Flatworms - When We Thought The Ocean Couldnt Get Any Weirder... WTF-latworms
Octopus, Cuttlefish, and Squid – The Masters of Disguise!
Klipfish – The Fish That Walks!
Sea Fans, Sea Pens, and Soft Corals: The Fascinating Life of Colonial Organisms
Seaweeds- amazing underwater plants, glowing weeds and seaweeds pretending to be a rock!
Sucker Fish- freaky fish that climb rocks and snack on limpets!
Otters- incredible close-up experience of a Cape clawless otter!
Winkles- the tough life of marine snails - survival and adaptations
Rock Lobster - walks out the water to be filmed while carrying a strange (new?) species!
Abalone - from thriving to threatened-poaching, predators-perlemoen
Spiders - that survive in the sea? and a creepy creature from stranger things
Polychaete Worms - astonishing ocean worms you never knew existed!
Sea Anemones - not a plant! actually an immortal predator!
Isopods and Amphipods - nature's cleanup crew
Nudibranchs - from toxicity to terrific camouflage
Kelp - The fast growing sea forest that support so much of marine life!
Whelks - scavengers that can drill into mussel shells!
Fragile Shells - Sea Hares and Bubble Shells - the cutest sea creatures
Ghost Crabs - what's down that hole in the sand?
Zoanthids - colonial organisms - a whole new type of animal!
Rock Oysters - pearls, filter feeding and hanging out on the rocks!
Sea Cucumbers - strange echinoderms that breathe through their bums!
Cushion Stars - tiny starfish that lay eggs!
Mussels - Mostly reproductive organ!?
Feather & Brittle Stars - Beautiful underwater animals you can spot in rockpools
Granular Limpets - that's not a patch of seaweed it's a limpet!
Sea Urchins - spiny 5 sided echinoderms that are related to starfish
Chitons - ancient armored molluscs
Barnacles - actually animals related to shrimp that catch food with their feet!
Starfish - the most bizarre and amazing regenerative animals
Gardening Limpets - they grow and harvest their own algae!
Features
Longer looks at the shore and the people who study it.
15 videos
Marine Pollution - You're Swimming in it!
Boulder and Cobble Shores
How To Explore The Shore
Beachcombing (Two)- exploring a bounty of finds with Sentinel Ocean Alliance
Beachcombing - solving murder mysteries on the shoreline
Beaches - shifting sands, elusive animals and surfing snails!?!?
Invasive Species - the aliens reshaping our shores!
African Sea Forest - a magical underwater wonder
Rock Pools - survival of the fittest!
Naming A Species
Marine Education - Why teaching ocean knowledge to youth is so important! (Youth Day Special)
Intertidal Zonation - where to find what on the rocky shore!
Marine Biodiversity - more animals on land or in the sea?
Edible Seaweeds - discover how to forage, harvest and eat nori, kelp and ulva
Tides - how they work and when to explore the shore!
Bonus Content
Extras, interviews and behind the scenes.
8 videos
Cooking & Eating Seaweeds with Roushanna Gray (Veld & Sea)
Q&A - Explore The Shore answers your questions.
Kwa-Zulu Natal Coast Features - that's right we're doing episodes in KZN!
Kommetjie - Amazing spot to rockpool and discover marine life
Kalk Bay - Rock Pools Brimming with Marine Life!
Sea Point - Sea life along the edge of a city!
🎉 Episode 50 Special: Celebrating Explore The Shore + Hermit Crabs + Exciting news!
Explore the Shore, The Ocean’s Weirdest Life Is Hiding in Plain Sight
Shorts
Quick bites from the shore.
84 videos
This shore creature has a garden. And it will defend it.
Strange Creatures Live Right on Our Coast | Explore the Shore
Billions of Nurdles on a beach near you - What are they?
Microplastics: Small Pieces, Big Consequences
Sewage in Cape Town’s Swimming Water
20 People Per Metre? Shocking Plastic Stats on SA Beaches
You Walk Past These Every Day Without Realising
The Limpet Species You Walk Past Every Day
Limpets with a "POOP" Chimney on Their Shell
You Think This Beach Is Empty but Watch This
Tiny Creatures Are Hiding Right Under Your Feet
Best Stay for Nature Lovers in Langebaan
Hermit changing shells
Rare Sighting: Red Hermit Crab Without Its Shell
The Housing Crisis No One Talks About — In Tide Pools
Solar Powered Sea Slugs? Yes. They Steal Sunlight
Millions Of Eggs At Once? Mussel Spawning Is Wild
We Zoomed In On Starfish Feet And It Is Wild
We Found The Weirdest Worm On The Shore
Natal Lightfoot Crab
Female or Male Crab? Flip It Over and See 🦀
Why Is This Crab Wearing a Sponge?!
This Creature Turns into a Jellyfish—and Back!
This Animal Turns Into a Jellyfish—and Back Again
Mobile Homes for Sea Creatures?
This Plant Is Actually a Colony of Animals
This Creature Has Many Mouths—but One Body!
A Creature So Strange, It’s Barely Studied
Redbait: The Sea Creature That Lives Solo, in Colonies… or as Clones
This Sea Blob Is More Advanced Than You Think!
Sea Squirts With a Heart That Beats Two Ways!
Guess the animal!
The Tiny Creatures You’ve Probably Walked Past a Hundred Times
How These Tiny Creatures Colonise the Coastline
Free Ride, No Complaints: The Whelk & Bryozoan Deal
Flatworms Move Like No Other Animal
Flatworms FIGHT to Avoid Motherhood?!
The strangest animal you've never heard of
Limpet & Flatworm: Nature's Ultimate Roommates!
Argonauts - The Weird Relatives of Octopus
Octopus Arms Have Minds of Their Own! #cephalopods #marinelife #octopus
Herbivores or Hunters? The Secret Life of Sea Snails
Rock Lobsters Have Teeth?! Find Out How They Eat!
This Fish WALKS! You Won’t Believe It Exists!
The Fish That Survives Without Water!
Can a Fish Walk?
Soft Corals: The Secret Garden Beneath the Waves!
You Won’t Believe What This ‘Sea Pen’ Actually Is!
Sea Fans: Underwater Forests That Live for Centuries!
Did We Just Discover a New Species? Meet 'Snot Weed'!
Kalk Bay - Rock Pools Brimming with Marine Life!
Why Are Seaweeds Green, Brown, and Red?
Meet Porphyra: The Seaweed You Should Know
Pink Paint or Seaweed? Coralline Algae’s Secret
We Found a Secret Underwater Nursery!
You’ll Never Believe What We Found in a Rockpool!
The Fish That Sticks (Literally!)
Unexpected Beach Finds: Why Are Lobster Shells Washing Ashore?
How to Become a Taxonomist: Journey to Discovering New Species
From Passion to Professor: Charles' Journey in Marine Biology
Spiders Using Air Bubbles to Survive High Tide!
Sea Spiders: The Creepiest Ocean Creatures You Didn’t Know About!
Think spiders are just land-dwellers?
Meet the Cape Clawless Otter: An Otterly Fascinating Species!
Otter Secrets Unveiled: How They Claim Their Turf!
Discover Where and How to Spot Otters
The Sad Fate of Lobsters: Slow Growth & Easy Catch
Ever Seen a Shell with a Door? Discover the Giant Turban!
Lobster: From Prison Food to Luxury Delicacy!
Sea Snail Shell Secrets: Herbivores vs. Carnivores!
Weird looking rock found on beach?!
Rockpool - Uncovering Mini Marine Worlds! #marinebiodiversity #marinespecies #nature
Toxic Seaslugs? #marinebiodiversity #marinebiology #ocean
The Hidden Life of Nudibranchs! #marinebiology #shorts #seaslug #oceanfacts #nudibranch
Nudibranch Safari: A Close-Up Look at Sea Slug Marvels
Naming A Species Trailer - A Tale of Love & Discovery
1000 Explorers!
Giantic polychaete - Meet the Wonder Worm!
Lights, Camera, Ben! - DSTV trailer
Kelp - Watch the full episode on our channel!
Whelks eating an urchin - Carnivorous predators, the vultures of the rock pool.
Ghost Crabs - What's down the hole?
Zoanthids - The anemone clones!
Explore The Shore Trailer #Shorts
The team
Behind the series.
Charles Griffiths
Emeritus Professor of Marine Biology · presenterAn expert on South African coastal marine biology with a career spanning over 50 years. Charles taught at the University of Cape Town for decades, and it shows — he explains a shore the way a good field guide reads.
He wrote the best-selling Two Oceans guide to marine life, and has described over 100 species new to science.
Matthew Griffiths
Filmmaker & artistA filmmaker and artist across several mediums. Matthew ran a production company for ten years and now works independently.
He writes, directs, films and edits the series, and handles the motion graphics, graphic design and illustration — alongside writing children's books.
Gallery
Life on the shore.
