Welcome
One of the consequences of last year ’ s curtailed dive season was an apparent lack of diving with a purpose . With boat places in short supply and fewer opportunities for build-up dives , it seemed at the time that simply getting wet was a triumph of sorts .
When BSAC ’ s Expeditions Coordinator Andy Hunt realised what was happening , he encouraged everyone to redefine their notion of expedition diving . Instead of planning logistically complex forays to outlying sites , he showed how we could find a new challenge in revisiting overlooked shore dives that may have been dived in a club ’ s past , but are now neglected .
So it was that Everyday Expeditions started with a survey of his own club ’ s shore dives around the Isle of Wight [ September 2020 ]. On the other side of the country , members of Shetland BSAC were engaged in a similar project , surveying a cannon site that could be dived from the shore [ April 2021 ]. And in this issue , we have a report from Pippa Hardisty on Southsea SAC ’ s visits to Selsey , where they have been revisiting the site associated with the now demolished lifeboat ramp [ The Selsey Solution , pages 36-41 ]. Looks to me like it ’ s still one of the UK ’ s mustdo shore dives , especially for critter devotees .
Now , Andy is launching a new project , Operation Oyster , in which UK divers are being invited to contribute data to a study of highly endangered beds of Ostrea edulis . It is just one species , but it plays a key role in the marine ecosystem , providing a habitat , storing carbon and filtering vast quantities of seawater .
We need to know more about this important species , and that means eyes in the water . If you ’ d like to know how you can help , check out the news story in this issue [ SCUBA HUB , page 10 ]. To register your interest contact Andy Hunt via email at expeditions @ bsac . com or to read more go to bsac . com / operationoyster
Cover photo : London arch , photo by Dan Bolt
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