Hello and welcome to this autumnal issue of SCUBA magazine. We editors are always looking for a seasonal tie-in, and this month’ s feature by the Two Sophies gave me just that opportunity. What finer time for night diving than the Halloween season?
This month, our Head of Diving and Training, Sophie Heptonstall, leads with a thoughtful piece on night diving in the UK, backed up with some valuable advice from National Diving Officer, Sophie Rennie( Two Sophies, page 22). I found myself enthused by their take on the subject, so I expanded their section into a five-page feature and bought in some atmospheric night diving photographs from Dan Bolt to set the scene.
Perhaps we don’ t sing the praises of UK night diving loudly enough, but it can be amazing. The problem lies in the siren call of the pub, evening meals and the possibility of an early start to catch the next day’ s tide. One solution is to look at the weather and the tides, and prioritise everything around your night dive. I did just this at Weymouth a while back, and spent 90 minutes diving with squid and other night beasts in five metres of water.
UK night diving experiences can be on a par with anywhere in the world, a point Kirsty Andrews makes in her column( page 18). This time of year is ideally suited to seeking out cephalopods – octopus, cuttlefish and squid – that are generally more active at night.
Moving away from the darkness, I’ d like to commend this issue’ s centrepiece feature, The Tope of Tiree( page 36) which brings to light one of our lesser-seen( as opposed to lesser-spotted) sharks. I was hugely impressed with this expedition story from Rob Mason and Dearne Valley Divers, a persuasive showcase not just for the club but also for the beautiful island of Tiree.
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine. co. uk
Cover: Bobtail squid on a night dive, by Dan Bolt
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