0:00:40 > 0:00:44When we've such a spectacular coastline,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46it seems a shame to leave it behind.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54For some, the Channel isn't a way out, it's a way round.
0:00:54 > 0:01:01These are outdoor swimmers, a hardy breed, experienced in the water.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I'm Kate Rew, and I'm an outdoor swimmer.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06There is nowhere more exhilarating than the sea.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Whatever mood I'm in, whatever kind of day I've had,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13however many spreadsheets, worries, or just tedious traffic jams,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16if you go for a swim, your day is made.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I always make a point of talking to locals before I get in,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and if I'm doing a sea swim
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I generally tell the coastguard where I'm going,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28because they're unused to the idea that anybody might swim
0:01:28 > 0:01:31along a length of coast. They'll try and rescue you
0:01:31 > 0:01:33unless you forewarn them.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35You just go along a length of coastline
0:01:35 > 0:01:39and you get to see everything from a very different perspective.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Swimming at the bottom of the cliffs
0:01:41 > 0:01:45is just a wonderful experience because they look so majestic
0:01:45 > 0:01:50when you're bobbing along beneath them, 300ft of pure chalk above.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Most outdoor swimmers around here
0:01:54 > 0:01:57would be heading off across the Channel, which I find remarkable,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01because like most people I share this universal fear of deep water.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I get a feeling as I get further and further from the shore
0:02:04 > 0:02:07that something awful might be under the water.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10So, for me, I'm going to do two miles along the coastline
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and stay quite close to shore.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20I love the fact that it makes you fit, that it gets you outdoors,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23but I mostly like its psychological effects,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26that whatever mood you're in, by the time you get out,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29you feel you've had a really good day.
0:02:40 > 0:02:4225 miles on from Dover,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46and the chalk cliffs have temporarily run their course,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50although their presence is still felt at Romney.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Ten centuries ago, this was a sandy bay,
0:02:55 > 0:03:01but flint pebbles washed out of the nearby chalk formed a huge barrier,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06drying out the land behind and creating the Romney Marshes.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16Across the sparse terrain, a strange chorus rings out.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18CHIRRUPING AND CROAKING
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Like so many of us on these islands,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30these noisy little frogs can trace their ancestors to foreign shores.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36The local story says they were brought to Romney in the 1930s
0:03:36 > 0:03:38by a Mrs Percy Smith.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42She'd acquired them in France, intending to eat them.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Unfortunately for Mrs Smith,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49they weren't the edible variety of frog.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52In fact, they weren't even French.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57They're actually Hungarian marsh frogs, not very tasty,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01but right at home in the wetlands of Romney.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06When Mrs Smith thoughtfully released them into her garden pond,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08they wasted no time escaping,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12and they've been making themselves heard ever since.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Despite being Europe's busiest seaway,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24the Channel is rich in wildlife,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and people take every opportunity to land a catch...
0:04:30 > 0:04:34..although sometimes it can be a frustrating business.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41The cliffs make it impossible to launch fishing boats.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Even when there is a gap, nature doesn't make things easy.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01In Hastings, the efforts to build a harbour have either been washed away
0:05:01 > 0:05:02or run out of money,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06so the fishermen were forced to think again.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Miranda Krestovnikoff wants to discover their ingenious solutions.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17When you don't have a harbour to launch your boat from,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20there's only one place you can go, the beach.
0:05:25 > 0:05:31Hastings is home to Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33They've had to modify their boats,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37but for centuries they've also adapted their fishing techniques
0:05:37 > 0:05:40to suit the seasons and the different catches they bring.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44In winter, it's cuttlefish,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48a creature I've had a few encounters with myself off Selsey Bill.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It's very big, couple of feet long.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56They're a popular dish in Italy and Spain,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and for Paul Joy, who reckons his family have been in Hastings
0:05:59 > 0:06:03since William the Conqueror, it's a relatively new catch.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08These are cuttlefish pots, and we've worked with these generally
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- for the last 15-16 years. - How does it work, then?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Well, you put a female cuttlefish in,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18then the males and females go through and they congregate.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Next morning you pick it up, pour the cuttlefish out
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and put a fresh female back in, and so on the next day.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26What I find ironic about cuttlefish nets
0:06:26 > 0:06:29is that cuttlefish really like to lay their eggs here,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and it seems a shame that those eggs are wasted.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35No, they're not wasted, we get them back in the sea as soon as possible
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- for our next generation.- Great stuff.
0:06:37 > 0:06:44Equal care and stealth is required for the summer catch, Dover sole.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48These flatfish live on the seabed, burying themselves for protection,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and so require a very specific kind of net.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- This is one of your trammel nets then.- Yes, this is a trammel net.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- How does it work?- Effectively, visualise a tennis net
0:06:58 > 0:07:01sitting on the bottom of the sea and the lines are tied.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04It only stands about four foot high at most in the slack water,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07and when the tide is running, it's very low.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The fish comes swimming along near the bottom. It hits,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14goes through the larger outer mesh, hits the inner mesh,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18then forms a pocket behind the fish, like a system of traps.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Where does this net originate from?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23We believe it originated from France,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25but it could have come from the Mediterranean
0:07:25 > 0:07:28where they've used this type of net, but much smaller mesh,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32- for many generations. - So it's a very ancient tradition.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Trammel nets are an ancient fishery.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Flatfish are most active when it's dark,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40so the trammel nets have to be left out overnight.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47It's the crack of dawn, and it's a real struggle
0:07:47 > 0:07:50just getting the boats down the beach into the water
0:07:50 > 0:07:51so they can go and catch fish.
0:07:54 > 0:08:00We're off to check the nets for Dover Sole, and it takes a while.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Each boat is painstakingly launched using ropes, winches and bulldozers.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Most of the craft are less than 10 metres long.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Any larger and they couldn't get off the beach.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21And we're off, it's an absolutely beautiful morning.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24We've got about 2.5 miles to sail out to sea to check the nets
0:08:24 > 0:08:27and see if all that hard work's really going to pay off.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40For Graham and his crew, the first haul is always an anxious moment.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47There are no guarantees with this method of fishing,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50even with their years of experience.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53It looks as if they've hardly caught anything.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55In fact, with their trammel nets,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59they've managed to target exactly what they were after, flatfish.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04This is average for this time of the year, not bad, just average.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08I'm amazed at how selective the nets are here,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10very little's coming up that's not a flatfish.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12No, these are a selective way of fishing.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15What's the smallest size you're allowed to take?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Cos there's a measurement, isn't there?
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- 9.5 inches.- 9.5 inches. - Just under three years old.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- So you're not catching fish so young they haven't bred yet?- Yes.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Understanding the behaviour of the fish and their lifecycle,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30- how important is that when you're fishing?- Very important.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35We've had scientists onboard doing surveys with us, and they said
0:09:35 > 0:09:39it is the most eco-friendly way of fishing that can be devised.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Working with the rhythms of nature in small boats with specialist nets
0:09:44 > 0:09:49doesn't bring in a huge catch, but it has brought other benefits.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59Fish stocks here have remained healthy, in some cases increasing,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01which means the ancient beach fleet of Hastings
0:10:01 > 0:10:04could be here for the long haul.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13A stone's throw from the shingle beach
0:10:13 > 0:10:16is a miniature Battle of Hastings.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20There are golf courses all along this coast.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25Even the smallest ones attract players from foreign shores.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30It may seem crazy to us, but it's a serious business for them.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35My name is Jouni Valkjarvi,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I come from Finland.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I came over here to Britain to play miniature golf.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45I'm here in Hastings to prepare for the British Open.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Now that I've warmed up at the crazy golf course,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I'm going to try out this adventure golf course.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04Adventure golf is more about the surroundings than the course itself,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06with waterfalls and stuff like this.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11When I approach a new hole I haven't played before,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16I take many practice shots, I make a note of where I placed the ball,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20where I tried to aim to find the best line.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Oh, dear!
0:11:22 > 0:11:26We do have a lot of different balls we are allowed to use.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Those balls have different properties
0:11:29 > 0:11:32in jump, weight and hardness.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37If I think I need to play a rebound shot, or go straight to the hole,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41I choose the right ball for that particular hole.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46I've been coming to England for this tournament...this is my fourth time.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I hope to win. It won't be easy,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54but I just hope I'm happy with my own game.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03NEIL OLIVER: And if you're wondering, Jouni finished the British Open
0:12:03 > 0:12:07in a creditable third place, beaten by two Swedish players.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Selsey Bill.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37Its shallows and riptides have made it treacherous for shipping for centuries.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43As a result, much of the history of this headland lies at the bottom of the sea.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50But these divers from Southsea Sub-Aqua Club aren't hunting for shipwrecks,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55they're in search of shells,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58World War II shells.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04And the tanks that never got to fire them.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10There are two tanks and two bulldozers from D-Day,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13they didn't actually make it across to the Normandy Beaches, and
0:13:13 > 0:13:17we're trying to find out the types of tanks they are,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20and also how they ended up lying on the seabed.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27There are around 20 officially protected wreck sites along this stretch of coast.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Much of the initial measuring and recording is done by amateur divers.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Most recreational divers, they go down to dive
0:13:35 > 0:13:37to just have a pleasant time,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40to enjoy themselves, and hopefully come back safe and sound.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42These divers have actually challenged themselves
0:13:42 > 0:13:46to do a job of work, and they're doing it really well.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And finally they find those shells.
0:13:51 > 0:13:58Intended for D-Day, they've been at the bottom of the sea for more than 60 years.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04Just coming up should be the metal round plates which says that they're Centaurs.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07There it is, there you go, definitely.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09So there's your identification.
0:14:09 > 0:14:16These Centaur tanks are pinpointed, recorded, and put on the map of the British coastline,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19to become part of our maritime history.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:14:27 > 0:14:30E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk