ECOLOGISTS, artists and nature lovers all made their way to a summer celebration of unique marine life.

The Under the Pier event, run by Arc, Artecology and The Common Space, was founded six years ago and was more popular this year than it has ever been.

Every year at Ryde Pier, when the tide is low, hundreds of people come together for a mad, magic outdoor adventure.

On Friday, the firm fixture in the Island's calendar saw amateur ecologists discovering crabs, sea scorpions, urchins, baby cuttlefish and many more sea creatures.

Claire Hector, from Arc and Artecology, said: "This was probably the best year we have ever had in the six years we have been running.

"We think about 600 people turned up all in all, but we lost track pretty early on after we passed 400.

"For me the absolute highlight was discovering the baby cuttlefish, or even when we found our first ever scorpion fish at the event.

"The was the first Under the Pier event to be held in an official biosphere — after the Isle of Wight secured UNESCO biosphere status — and that made it feel like a very special occasion."

Ian Boyd, Arc and Artecology lead ecologist, said: "We love to have this event every year as a kind of finale to the summer on the Island.

"Everyone knows Ryde Pier, but at this event people got to know it in a whole new kind of way, showing people that there is just life everywhere under there, clinging to the stones and pillars.

"This year we found some creatures we have never found before like a sea scorpion and at least ten different pike fish.

"We just discovered such a tremendous amount of diversity of life sea life, and it has pretty much been our best year so far, thanks to all the people we had out there looking."

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.