Students on Sea Patrol UK

Marine science students from Falmouth are to appear in an episode of Sea Patrol UK after a chance meeting with the series’ director on a Cornish beach.

The students, from Falmouth Marine School, returned to the site where a fin whale was beached last month to be filmed for the National Geographic Channel and Channel 5. Series director David Howard went to Porthtowan when he heard about the whale from the local coastguard.

While there, he met Dr Claire Eatock, marine science tutor at the college, who told him about her students’ work, and he decided to feature them in the first episode of Sea Patrol UK.

Students on the marine science foundation degree and marine biology and ecology national diploma went to see the whale when it first beached and earlier this month they returned to meet David and re-enact the activities they carried out when studying the whale and collecting sample bones.

After an interview with Claire, the crew filmed the students as they worked with the bones while also finding more evidence of the creature among the rocks.

One such discovery was a disc from the whale’s back found by Jake Tregunna, which matched a bit of bone they had already found.

“It was really sad to see the whale when it was dead, but it was also quite cool to be so close to it and really see its size,” said Jake.

After filming, the students brought the bones back to college where they will be buried for six months to rid them of the flesh- eating bacteria they carry.

They will then be returned to the marine science lab for future students to study.

Katie Sambrook, on the first year of a marine science foundation degree, said: “It was an incredible opportunity to occur as part of the course.

“It is not possible to ever study these huge mammals up close.

“It was also great to see that so many local people were interested in the work we were doing and the whale itself.”

The episode of Sea Patrol UK is scheduled to be screened on the National Geographic Channel in June and on Channel 5 in October.

Falmouth Marine School