Each month we feature a selection of your letters
Something better change
WOODY GUTHRIE WROTE IN 1935 HIS famous song about the hardship caused to small farmers in the USA by environmental destruction and evictions . It had the chorus line : ‘ So long , It ’ s Been Good to Know Yuh ’. If things go badly , one could sing the same words about coral reefs . Global heating is killing this ecosystem , which is one of the most fragile on planet earth .
Such reefs are built by tiny polyps , hundreds of which are shown on the front of the accompanying image . They made their
Each month we feature a selection of your letters
red communal skeleton , much prized by jewellers for millennia . Thousands of marine species depend on reefs for their livelihood , Conglomerations of these outcrops can be so vast that they can be seen from space , such as the great Australian and Belizean barrier reefs .
Monitoring the health of coral reefs is akin to the old system of taking canaries into coal mines to assess danger . If they die , the general conditions are perilous . We know what to do to avert disaster for the world ’ s biosphere , but much more action is needed to stop global temperatures reaching catastrophic levels . There is still time to avoid such destruction - but only just . If we fail , life on earth will be diminished , much of it to the point of extinction . TERENCE DORMER , London No . 1
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 .
ChatSend your letters to simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Celebrating in style
RAS AL HAMRA SUB AQUA CLUB KICKED OFF BSAC ’ S 70TH Anniversary month ( November 2023 ) with an exploratory trip to the Saudi Red Sea . For most of the 13 divers this was the first time to visit Saudi , and we received a warm welcome . The diving was warm with good viz and big wall . We then realized that we had very special birthdays around this time of a 40th , 50th and 60th birthday for dive club members and tried the obligatory group photos in Muscat ( this took several attempts ). Finally , we topped off the celebrations with a BSAC 70th BBQ , Omani National Day and more birthdays . Fiona Lemaire , RAH SAC
PHOTO : TINA BURTON
Classic Scapa
ELEVEN ENTHUSIASTIC DIVERS , FROM around the UK embarked on an unforgettable trip last October to explore the historic
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Inside the Tabarka , a blockship wreck in Burra Sound
German fleet , scuttled in Scapa Flow at the end of the First World War in June 1919 .
The team comprised of six different BSAC clubs coming together under the organisational guidance of John Armstrong . This was John ’ s 15th trip to Scapa , eight of which he personally organised . We were all in good hands .
The team members and their respective clubs were as follows :
■ Mark from Rhondda
■ Tina from Surrey Uni
■ Iain , Jim , and Chris from Stingray Divers
■ John , Dave , and Tony from East Durham
■ Nic and Dave from Dudley Dolphins
■ Jake from Leeds Uni
Scapa Flow Charters , guided by Skipper Andy Cuthbertson and aboard the dive vessel Jean Elaine , hosted our expedition . Our wish list included many of the Scapa classics such as Coln ; Dresden ; Tabarka ; Konig ; Kronprinz Wilhelm ; Brummer ; Karlsruhe V-83 and F2 .
The trip was very well organised , with exceptional diving , delicious food , and great company . We are already looking forward to next year ’ s trip . Mark Davies
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