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Did you meet many other snorkellers during your research?
Yes. One of the unexpected joys of the last two years has been the people we have met along the way. A real highlight was my trip to Orkney where I linked up with Elouise Dalziel, Living Seas Engagement Officer for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, who was researching for a new snorkel trail. We spent a fantastic week exploring the islands together and met so many wonderful local snorkellers along the way. All the people we have connected with feel like a big part of the Snorkelling Britain team- I really hope we can catch up with some of them this year for a post-publication snorkel.
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What impact have snorkel trails had on the British public?
There is so much fantastic work going on to develop snorkel trails across Britain- particularly in Scotland, headed up by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, but also in other areas such as Kimmeridge( Dorset) and Sheringham( Norfolk). These trails are great
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for people who are unsure about where to safely snorkel, or who want to understand what it is they can see. I’ m really hoping they are going to be a feature of many more stretches of coast in future.
What snorkelling gear do you use? Thick wetsuits, or a more‘ refreshing’ experience?
A bit of both. On some days I head in wearing as much neoprene( or these days Yulex) as I can lay my hands on but on other days I take a more minimalist approach. It definitely depends on how long I want to stay in the water for. Some research days we would be snorkelling three times a day so it was always a tossup between putting on a wet wetsuit and just taking a dip in my cossie and vest.
Any surprises along the way?
Once, off the south coast in Dorset, I snorkelled over a sleeping seal, which was a big surprise. The visibility wasn’ t great so I thought it was a rock until I was directly overhead and he opened an eye!
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PHOTO: JETHRO HAYNES |
Kelp and sunshine at Roskilly |