Dinosaur Dreaming

Removing the cover

After the sand that washed in over the cover at high tide is removed by shovelling, the anchoring sandbags are dragged clear of the steel spars and wire mesh.

The cover itself consists of layers of steel mesh, plastic tarpaulin and steel spars. The spars are unbolted from the 1.5 metre steel pins that hold them to the underlying rock. The pins are removed completely at the end of the dig season.

Once the spars and mesh and top layer of tarpaulins have been removed, the rest of the sand that washed in at high tide is shovelled away. This can be an exciting time, as there are many different types of shells that are also washed in, and some of the crew are avid cowrie collectors.

Uncovering the hole | Pumping the water | Sweeping out the hole