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Please keep submitted letters to no more than 200 words
Each month we feature a selection of your letters
We ’ re still looking for a new prize for a Star Letter , so please bear with us for a while longer . It ’ s a difficult time for the diving industry , so sponsorships are a tricky proposition at the moment .
Woolley wraps up
I READ WITH INTEREST ANDY TORBET ’ S article in the February edition of the iSCUBA magazine . I was particularly intrigued that he was swimming in his summer wetsuit in 10 ° C water .
I am fortunate to have access to an outdoor pool in Norfolk , UK , and have been maintaining swim-fitness over the winter using my 5mm diving wetsuit for half an hour in water temperatures down to 3 ° C . I literally had to break the thin layer of ice last time !
It ’ s the fingers and toes that feel the cold , but that can be tempered by wearing neoprene socks within boots and two pairs of gloves . The integrated neoprene hood keeps my head warm and pouring 2L of warm water ( 40C ) into the wetsuit before I get in the pool greatly helps .
If my body felt cold , I would wear a neoprene vest under the wetsuit , but I haven ’ t needed that so far . So , in agreement with Andy , it is indeed possible to use a summer-weight neoprene suit throughout the year . You do need some weights to enable a good swimming / snorkelling position to offset the buoyancy effect of the neoprene ( see photo ). KEN WOOLLEY , Lowestoft BSAC
Scallops claim dredger
THE LOSS OF THE SCALLOP DREDGER Polaris off the Isle of Man in November 2019 provided the island with a new wreck site . Barnacles quickly colonised the wreck but this was the only life to see on early dives . A return to the site during August 2020 , however , saw the wreck covered in new life , and ironically it seemed to have become a bit of a scallop nursery . Seasearch surveyor forms have been completed for the dives done so far on the wreck and we look forward to diving it again when conditions allow to see how things have changed in the last few months . KATHRYN FOWLER , Discover Diving , Isle of Man
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