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all there is to know about the underwater corners of our planet. Corners which, actually make up the vast majority of the Earth. The giant squid, Architeuthis dux, theorised since ancient times, was accepted as the largest invertebrate species in the mid-19th Century … until 1981 when a heavier species was discovered and named the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni.
In the first 18 months of the Ocean Census, begun in 2023, 800 new species were discovered, from carnivorous sponges to glowing nudibranchs living 2,000 metres down. And it’ s not just specific species that are being discovered. Our understanding of the deeper parts of the oceans is expanding with new deep-sea coral reefs existing almost a mile down, and continued revelations from abyssal hydrothermal vents, where life on Earth may have begun.
Fascinating as all this is, how does it connect to the world of the humble snorkeller? After all, even the most impressive duck-diver will struggle to pop down to a hydrothermal vent. Although the examples above are all deep ocean, we also still have huge gaps in our understanding of shallow seas, littoral zones and freshwater habitats.
Even in the UK we have around 25,000 miles of coastline, 10,000 lakes, lochs and llyns, and 12,000 miles of rivers( depending on how you classify and measure all these). Most of this has never actually been observed with the human eye, despite being just a metre or two deep. Needless to say, these depths are comfortably within the comfort zone of most snorkellers.
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Scooter snorkelling helps to cover more ground
I’ m writing this column the day after the Go Diving Show, the busiest one so far. I hosted the Main Stage and fielded questions all weekend. One query from a young boy was“ Why did I become an underwater explorer?”. My answer, perhaps seemingly flippant initially was“ because it’ s easy”.
The crowd laughed, having just seen some of my deep, cave, expeditionary and technical antics. But I emphasised that I was not being funny. It is easy. I quoted the figures above, used some of the same
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examples to make my point. To be a genuine explorer, in the old fashioned and truest sense, to go to somewhere no one has been before, to see something no human has seen before, can be as simple as jumping in a lake a few miles from your home with nothing more complicated than a mask, fins and snorkel( although a wetsuit is often advisable if your home is UK-based).
By the time this issue is published the 2026 dive / snorkel season will be gearing up in earnest. Go out there, anywhere, and explore. �
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PHOTO: DAAN VERHOEVEN |
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For more information on snorkelling with BSAC go to bsac. com / snorkelling Looking to introduce snokelling into your club? Find out more at bsac. com / snorkellinginstructor |
PHOTO: DAAN VERHOEVEN |
Preparing for another snorkel adventure |
PHOTO: DAN BOLT |
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