Filming with Monty Halls
Andy has always advocated adventurous snorkelling
Ten years ? When the Editor told me we were approaching SCUBA ’ s 10-year anniversary , I had to pause and check his calculations . But it appears I have indeed been penning this column for a decade . What have I learned along the way ?
I ’ ve learned a great deal , but since this is a snorkel column I ’ ll try and keep it onbrand . One thing that has surprised me is that for all my technical diving exploits this , the simplest form of diving , has served me better in terms of column space then all the other forms of diving I employ to get the job done .
I ’ ve written more about snorkelling than all the films , articles , book chapters and talk about cave diving , rebreather , deep wrecks , mixed gases , one-atmosphere-diving-suits and submersibles . And this prolific media output is matched by this part of our sport by its mass appeal to us as humans .
This is an activity I have seen undertaken
by four-year-olds and octogenarians , and the latter is of significant comfort to me . One day , my poor body , bashed and abused by years in the military , on expeditions and performing stunts , will eventually be unable to cope with the rigors of expeditionary cave diving , deep exploration and 12-hour dives , the majority of which have been spent freezing my backside off in deco . If it all goes to plan , it ’ ll be a long , long time after that before I ’ m forced to hang up my snorkel .
Snorkelling around Britain has opened my eyes to the variety of underwater worlds we have . This column was initially agreed between myself and the editor as a limited run . One hundred and twenty months on and we ’ re still going . This alone is testament to the places and ways one can snorkel and use snorkelling . I ’ ve snorkelled rivers , waterfalls , rapids , mountain pools , ponds , wells , lakes , lochs and llyns . I ’ ve snorkelled sea caves and sea lochs , mines ,
shipwrecks , plane wrecks , submarine wrecks , quarries , beaches and bogs . I ’ ve snorkelled with barrel jellyfish , basking sharks , blue sharks and grey seals , on reefs and through seagrass and kelp gardens .
The key to many of these locations is that snorkelling is often the best , if not only , diving option . Lugging my rebreather up the side of the fourth highest mountain in the UK to dive a four-metre-deep mountain pool would not have been a smart move . The lightweight nature of snorkelling makes difficult places that bit easier , and this in turn has meant my snorkel has become just as much a key element of exploration as the more tekkie ( and expensive ) pieces of kit .
I have learned that snorkelling is more popular than I ever thought . I initially had some doubts about the viability of a snorkelbased column , perhaps wondering if it would hold the interest of SCUBA ’ s readers . However , the feedback I ’ ve had over the years has shown me that the majority of dive public were more open to the idea of snorkelling than I had anticipated .
Tales of cave diving are all very well , but the activity doesn ’ t exactly hold universal appeal for most divers . We may as well be talking about forays into outer space ! Snorkelling , by contrast , is a gateway to the aquatic realm that anyone can adopt as a first step . I ’ ve converted many more to a love of the aquatic life via snorkelling than through technical diving , though that should come as no surprise . After all , I started my three-and-a-half-decade journey in diving , which has touched and influenced every part of my life , as a BSAC Snorkeller . �
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
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