It’s February, the month of love and there’s love in the deep ocean too.  

We talk reproductive strategies in the deep sea with Professor Craig Young, Dr Autun Purser and Dr Mike Vecchione. How do you find a mate in the sparsely populated deep ocean? How can egg and sperm meet when you are fixed growing on a rock? How can your babies disperse and find a suitable habitat, especially if you live in a rare habitat like a hydrothermal vent? We find the solutions to all these problems and more.

We also have our regular contributors. Dr Don Walsh shares how a dolphin entourage isn’t a good thing if you’re trying to be a quiet and sneaky sub. Larkin also shares how it’s difficult to keep romance on the DL when you live in the tight confines of a ship, people do love to gossip.

In recent news, we announce the launch of Alan’s Deep-Sea Research centre but get distracted by the retired yob of a bird, the Kookaburra. Consider starting a side-hustle selling dirty deep-sea bottled water and discuss a massive icefish nesting ground found in Antarctica.

We answer Maya’s listener question, ‘are there deep-sea-sons?’. Do they even know it is the month of romance?