Heavy Metal Marine Biology

Tom 'The Blowfish' Hird brings his Heavy Metal Marine Biology session to the National Waterfront Museum on Saturday 31 October, part of the Swansea Science Festival 2026. Hird bills himself as the world's only heavy metal marine biologist, and the session lands his 'Top of The Rocks' parade of marine creatures before an audience of adults and children, both of whom need a ticket.

He talks about the wonder of wildlife and the importance of conservation, drawing on years of hands-on experience with dangerous animals: free-diving with sharks, wrangling snakes and dancing with scorpions. It's a good place to start if you've ever wondered what actually goes into working with the wilder end of the animal kingdom, rather than just watching it from a screen.

His credits run from All The Sharks on Netflix and Ocean Wonders on Earth X TV to Blowfish's Oceanopedia from Atlantic Books, Shark Week on Discovery, Fishing Impossible on BBC Worldwide, Sunday Brunch on Channel 4, Blue Peter on the BBC and Absolute Genius with Dick and Dom. It's a broad run of TV and publishing, and the session pulls from that background.

The talk is part of the Swansea Science Festival 2026, the university's annual research event, which celebrates its 10th year and claims to be Wales's largest science festival. It starts at 3pm and runs for 45 to 60 minutes, with tickets costing £5 per person.