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 .
ChatSend your letters to simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Torbay Splashin for June
ON SATURDAY 18 JUNE 2022 , TORBAY BSAC will hold its 6th annual Splash-In , a one-day underwater photography competition attracting enthusiasts from across the South West region . Entrants must take their underwater photographs on the competition day before 5:00pm , and within the Torbay area .
There are four classes of entry : wide-angle , macro , compact camera , and beginners ( not won a previous competition ), as well as a Popular Vote prize . This year , the Beginners ’ Class prizes have been sponsored by O ’ Three , the Dorset-based manufacturer of high quality drysuits and wetsuits . Regular SCUBA contributor , Paul Naylor , has also offered two signed copies of his outstanding book Great British Marine Animals as prizes .
The competition is open to anyone with an interest in underwater photography and photos can be taken while scuba diving or simply snorkelling . Details on how to enter the competition can be found on the Torbay BSAC website at torbay-bsac . co . uk , where you can also see previous winning photos .
Prizes will be awarded at a dinner taking place that evening at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club in Torquay . Peter Rowlands , the editor of Underwater Photography Magazine has again kindly agreed to be the competition judge . RICHARD BLAIR , Torbay BSAC
Last year ’ s close-up winner by Terry Griffiths ; the wide-angle winner was Dan Bolt ’ s atmospheric night scene
Ruislip ravers
I ENJOYED READING THE RECENT article by Andy Torbet , which combined hiking and snorkelling [ The snorkel-stroller , January 2022 ]. I ’ d like to make a clarification ref the first paragraph of the article , which asserts that snorkelling is a ‘ gentle ’ form of exercise . I belong to Ruislip Snorkelling Club in Middlesex , one of only two snorkel clubs ( that we know of ) in the UK for both adults and children , and the activities we do in the pool and open water are far from gentle .
In fact , many of our members are both snorkellers and scuba divers and all agree that snorkelling does in fact requires more physical exertion than scuba . We see it more as a form of free diving . We don ’ t just float about on the surface of the water , but spend most of our time below the water . The continual up and down , and need for breath holding is more challenging than using scuba kit to get up and down or floating around under water . If you would like see why please come along to our club ! GRACE EMINTON , Ruislip Snorkelling Club
Editor notes : I look forward to attending a Ruislip Snorkelling Club pool night and witnessing this hive of activity for myself !
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