Do you know what it sounds like in the sea?

Do limpets make sounds? Is there underwater noise-pollution?

Hear Us: Sounds of the Sea is a five-year project exploring sounds in Manx waters, which make up a surprising 85% of our island nation.

By listening to sounds beneath the surface, we can gain a new appreciation of the Island’s rich and varied marine life — and a deeper awareness of the human-made sound pollution that threatens it. 

Inspired by Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry, who visited the Isle of Man as a child and later wrote about its natural beauty and the need to care for our seas, Hear Us: Sounds of the Sea was named after his 1950s’ short stories, which themselves were inspired by the Manx fishermen’s hymn ‘Hear Us O Lord From Heaven Thy Dwelling Place’.

Bringing together artists, musicians, researchers, and members of the public to make underwater recordings around the Isle of Man, the project started in 2020 and culminated in an exhibition in early 2025.

On their final visit for the exhibition, project leads Dr Alan Dunn, of Leeds Beckett University, and Dr Helen Tookey, of Liverpool John Moores University, spoke to Howard Caine for the Biosphere Isle of Man podcast. 

Listen here or search ‘Biosphere Isle of Man’ wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe to hear future episodes. You can also visit the project website to hear the underwater sounds recorded during the project.