Welcome
We’ re at one of those‘ between times’ periods of the year. Useful weather is on the wane, though the water still retains a little warmth. While you should receive this issue around mid- November, winter’ s tendrils are unfurling around its pages.
In the first instance, we’ ve got two overt references to Christmas. I know – bah humbug It is a little early for all that. But Kirsty Andrews wanted to get her Christmas list filed in time for BSAC members to contribute to her yuletide haul. I’ m joking of course, though Kirsty’ s page does feature a few none-too-subtle hints for her nearest and dearest. Still, we all know her greatest gift has been her domination of the photo competition circuit this year; she makes Alexander the Great look like a stay-at-home kind of a guy.
We also have a whiff of Sustainable Santa in Kerry MacKay’ s column,‘ Merry munching maggots’, in which she looks at enzymes and caterpillars that can break down plastic at a molecular level. Find out more in Protect our Seas, page 52. Working in his own winter wonderland is our kit guru Neil Hope, who provides advice on maintenance and storage of your boats and kit during the off months( Kitted-up, page 44).
I can almost hear the hardier of our divers with their mantra,“ there’ s no such thing as diving seasons”, and that the easiest way to store your dive kit is on your back while you’ re diving through the cold months. Well, fair play to you. Winter is an excellent time for training, and with that in mind I asked the Two Sophies to offer a primer for teaching BSAC’ s classic rescue skill, the Controlled Buoyant Lift( page 22).
The centrepiece of this issue is SCUBA’ s gift to you all, a photo-essay on Underwater Ireland based on the remarkable new book by photographer Nigel Motyer( page 28). Nigel is a generational talent; he’ s done so much to reveal the beauty of temperate seas, over 40 years of underwater exploration. I commend his magical book as a worthy gift to grace any diver’ s bookshelves.
Arrgh – Christmas again! See you next issue.
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine. co. uk
Cover photo: Pinnacle with jewel anemones and crawfish, Malin Beg, by Nigel Motyer
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