Welcome
I write as autumn’ s tendrils envelop the country, the named storms coming thick and fast. Right now, some of my friends are on a liveaboard trip up in Scapa Flow, squeezing in some weather-defying dives between the fronts.
It has been another strange season, at times the air was so hot that getting into a drysuit was a daunting prospect. Still, the lure of diving is an undeniable force, so we donned our suits and sweated profusely until the relief of a giant stride into beautiful cool water. Bliss!
So, to this month’ s SCUBA magazine. With the launch of BSAC’ s
Annual Incident Report, we’ re looking closely at what can be learned from its analysis. First we have the Two Sophies explaining what BSAC has learned from recent reports – and there is much to discuss( page 20). Their article goes well beyond a basic list, but if you ever wanted a set of‘ factors to avoid’, it’ s all there.
Then we have a piece by Safety Advisor Jim Watson explaining how we learn from the report( page 22). Jim highlights specific subject areas including Immersion Pulmonary Oedema( IPO) and drysuit inversion before considering the detailed descriptions of incidents. Both articles are important reads for any diver who wants to stay safe.
There’ s a lot of variety in this issue. I have great pleasure in welcoming my old friend, expedition veteran Graeme Bruce back to the magazine, with his story about technical diving in Norway( page 32). His love for the fjords is evident in his feature, which encompasses intact wrecks and deep water corals.‘ Diving with a difference’, Graeme calls it.
Thinking outside traditional dive magazine norms, we invited Dr Conor Pharoah- John( a BSAC member) to explain his work with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds( page 42). His specialty is‘ disturbance’, which refers to the impact we can have on the natural behaviour of marine wildlife, sometimes without even knowing it.
It’ s a thought-provoking topic. While I think a sense of proportion is always a good thing in such discussions, there’ s certainly no harm in exercising due care on our visits to the underwater world.
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine. co. uk
Cover: Grey seal pup at Lundy Island, by Simon Rogerson
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