The idea came to Malcolm after retirement from a career in research and a further 14years in unpaid research on squids, cetaceans and other squid predators such as seals, sea birds and fish. All together Malcolm has spent 50 years doing research on oceanic animals and has enjoyed the friendship of many biologists who have been at the forefront of research in biological oceanography and physiology over more than half a centuary. Many exciting discoveries have been made in this period but much more remains to be discovered. Here we touch on the unknown and describe some of the controversial theories which still await proof.

In an enjoyable environment on cliffs overlooking the deep sea we hope to provide an insight into the complexity of the environment and show how three different animals have evolved to cope with it. We hope that this glimpse of species diversity will encourage people to protect the species they have inherited whatever their looks and life styles. Even the poorest known squids are essential to the whales and have their own complex ways to cope with the deep sea, ways that we are only beginning to understand and, in some cases, use ourselves.