Pink tentacles and fluorescent anemones in Kimmeridge Bay – in pictures

Blue-green magic seaweed, tall Japanese seaweed, dark blades of kelp and many more flourish in Kimmeridge Bay due to the firm hold available on the rocky sea floor Photograph: Christine Roberts/Alamy

Damian Carrington (right) and Dorset Wildlife Trust's Julie Hatcher set out on the snorkel trail in Kimmeridge Bay in July 2013 Photograph: Peter Willows/BNPS

Cuttlefish are fierce predators and follow divers in Kimmeridge Bay hoping they will dislodge a fish or crab to attack Photograph: Steve Trewhella/Alamy

Snakelocks anemones, here showing fluorescence, are common in Kimmeridge Bay and will grasp at swimmers' fingers Photograph: FLPA/Alamy

The Wildlife Trust's marine centre at Kimmeridge Bay has raised lesser spotted catsharks in tanks from eggs washed ashore, before releasing them back to the sea Photograph: Paul Kay/Getty Images

Sea hares - a type of sea slug - produce bright pink egg strings that look like the silly string squirted at parties Photograph: Paul Aldersley/The Wildlife Trusts

Tompot blennies like to hide in crevices in the rocky sea floor Photograph: Christine Roberts/Green Shoots/Flickr

Limpets, here on an ammonite fossil in Kimmeridge Bay, hold fast during the day, but graze at night on algae growing on the rock Photograph: Steve Trewhella/Alamy

Ballan wrasse are among the biggest common fish in Kimmeridge Bay, measuring up to 50cm long Photograph: Peter Bardsley/Green Shoots/Flickr

Pipefish can be seen in Kimmeridge Bay and are closely related to sea horses Photograph: Julie Hatcher/The Wildlife Trusts

Brittlestars move over the sea bed using their flexible arms Photograph: Paul Kay/Getty Images

Hooded shrimps can be speckled red, green-blue, or transparent in colour Photograph: FLPA /Alamy

Sandy patches in Kimmeridge Bay attract schools of sand eels Photograph: Chris Roberts/The Wildlife Trusts

The velvet swimming crab's red eyes serve as a warning of its aggressive nature Photograph: Kirstie Harris/The Wildlife Trusts

Stalked jellyfish spend their entire lives attached to rocks and live near to shore Photograph: Christine Roberts/Alamy

Spider crabs, along with harbour crabs and brown crabs, are common in Kimmeridge Bay Photograph: Dan Bolt/The Wildlife Trusts

Kimmeridge Bay was one of 127 marine conservation zones proposed by a two-year consultation that ended in 2012, but is not among the 31 that ministers have said they may designate in 2013 Photograph: touie2/Green Shoots/Flickr