I’ m writing this on the last day of April, two weeks before you are due to receive this issue of SCUBA. Right now, the weather is incredible – blue skies, a gentle wind, tee shirt warmth. If this could remain unchanged for the next four months I’ d be greatly obliged, with perhaps a spot of evening rainfall to keep the farmers in business.
Kirsty Andrews writes in her column this month that this is her favourite time of the year. It’ s a period of transition in our seas, an unfolding in which the bleakness of the off-season is made glorious summer. You can read Kirsty’ s story on page 18.
Of course, you can have an amazing time diving the UK at any point on the calendar, a theme writ large in the first tranche of entries from our competition, A Dive to Remember( page 34). We have six stories exploring the diversity of underwater Britain, from the alien seascapes of Loch Sunart to the deep wrecks of the South Coast, via the thriving marine reserve of St Abbs and the murky treasures of a lake in Bedfordshire.
If you have entered but your essay hasn’ t been included, please don’ t worry... my plan is to publish all the stories I receive, and we are a long way from choosing a winner. I have extended the deadline to Friday 27 June, the idea being to mop up entries from those who were previously too busy. It also gives you a chance to check out the first entries, and how we present them in the magazine. Remember, there’ s an O’ Three 90 Ninety Trilaminate dry suit up for grabs, so don’ t be shy.
Speaking of shyness, our Travel Special this issue is an overview of global opportunities for swimming with dolphins, written by Your Editor. I’ m aware that entering the water with dolphins is a sensitive topic. There are those who believe, with some justification, that they should be left entirely alone. However it’ s a fact that all over the world, people go diving or snorkelling in places frequented by dolphins, so I wanted to discuss ways of doing so without having a negative impact.
There was no place for captive or deliberately habituated dolphins in this feature. Instead, I wanted to look at the places where the dolphins and humans can safely interact, and the factors that govern these fleeting, precious moments. Please let me know what you think.
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine. co. uk
Cover photo: Spinner dolphin in shimmering sunlight, Sataya Reef, southern Egypt, by Alex Tattersall
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