Welcome
As I write , the first signs of Spring have come to life - a week of actual real sunshine , followed by the inevitable karmic comedown of white skies and drudge . Never mind , from this point onward the only way is up , or in our case , down ... hopefully onto the dive site of your choice .
On a note of warning , masks may be voluntary but incidents of Covid infection are still high . Right now , more of my friends seem to have the virus than ever before . While the effects of today ’ s variants are not as severe , you never know if it may impact your long term respiratory health . Put simply , with the diving season upon us , this is no time to be blasé . Take the usual precautions , stay safe , keep diving .
As a Spring issue , this magazine ’ s theme is really all about optimism and positivity . Our centrepiece feature tells the story of a brilliant diving project that unearthed a wealth of information about a little-known aeroplane wreck off the South Coast [ Mystery Messerschmitt , page 45 ]. Meanwhile , Travel Special follows a Maldivian dive guide who spent a gruelling two days underwater to celebrate 50 years of diving tourism in the Maldives [ page 52 ]. If you think it ’ s easy to float around in tropical water for 50 hours , have a read and think again !
What else ? Well , we have our in-house marine biologist , Paul Naylor , helping you to identify the bizarre and beautiful egg clusters that appear this time of year [ Critter Confidential , page 18 ]. And we have the inspirational story of a paraplegic diver , Dan Metcalfe-Hall , who recently participated in one of BSAC ’ s best courses , the Instructor Foundation Course [ Learning Curve , page 38 ].
Dan is a very determined guy ; he ’ s hatched a plan for an endurance dive of his own , a 5k foray around the perimeter of Stoney Cove under his own arm-power - you can find the details in this issue ’ s HUB [ page 17 ]. Of course , it is a fundraising exercise for a collection of excellent causes , and I commend the venture as a worthy investment for anyone willing to sponsor Dan .
To everyone , have a safe and enjoyable start to your diving season . Fettle that kit , make sure you ’ re fit to dive and please keep in touch with your friendly neighbourhood dive magazine . We always want to hear from you .
Cover photo : Common cuttlefish under Swanage Pier , by Saeed Rashid
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
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