Welcome
Right now , we are facing the most dangerous phase of the pandemic . There ’ s no option but to hunker down , minimise all contact and hark back to the first lockdown , when people adhered to all the guidance and weren ’ t looking for convenient get-out clauses .
If we can get through these months with the minimum of contact , there ’ s every chance we will be able to enjoy a ( mostly ) full UK diving season in 2021 . Our industry needs it , our clubs need it and we need it – to meet our friends , go out in boats and do all the things we have taken for granted since 1953 .
Right now , that freedom seems a long way off . But as I write , the first mass vaccination centres are being set up ; keyworkers I know are getting their jabs ; there are signs we are beginning to claw our way out of the pit .
So , what to do , aside from keeping safe and sticking to the rules ? I believe we have to continue looking out for each other as best we can , and that means protecting our collective mental health . For most of us , being a diver is a big part of our identity , and not being able to dive becomes a bigger problem than simply not venturing underwater .
Much as we can suffer ‘ Zoom overload ’, there ’ s little doubt that online nights have worked wonders in preserving the club spirit , as has BSAC ’ s impressive eLearning offering , which was rolled out with commendable efficiency . People have been able to interact with their clubs and continue their training ( or instructing ), and that ’ s no small thing in the current climate . It has allowed us to regain a sense of self .
We must all hold on a while longer . Keep doing your exercises ; put an end to post- Christmas dodgy food choices and start getting some exercise , because in a few months I think we ’ re going to be back in the water .
The next issue of SCUBA will return to its muchloved print format ; you will continue to receive it on a bi-monthly basis , alternating with the digital iSCUBA . I would love to hear how you have been coping with the winter lockdown , so please send me photographs ( high resolution , please ) of your walks , exercising , fettling kit , reading , doing e-learning ; whatever you ’ ve been up to . I want to create a portrait of a resilient BSAC that is primed and ready to dive in 2021 .
Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Cover photo : Oceanic manta ray by Simon Hilbourne / Manta Trust . Basking shark in Coll , by Simon Rogerson
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