Britain by paddleboard
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND MARINE conservationist Lisa Drewe is embarking on an ambitious paddleboard tour of the British coastline – and hopes to meet up with some of BSAC’ s clubs and members along the way.
As a Royal Geographical Society’ s Neville Shulman Challenge Award 2026 recipient, Lisa recently set off on her‘ Attention All Shipping: Journeys Along Britain’ s Fragile Island Edges’ expedition. Over 10 months, she will be paddleboarding around 17 British islands, each representing one of the Shipping Forecast regions that frame our shores. Her aim is to explore visible indicators of ocean change and how these shifts are affecting coastlines, ecosystems and communities.
During her expedition, she will also be recording the presence of seagrass meadows as part of BSAC’ s Great Seagrass
Snorkelling Festival for Swanage
Survey as well as observing kelp forests. Lisa, who is also Chair of Whale and Dolphin Conservation( WDC), has now issued an invitation for BSAC members to meet up with her on route.
“ One of the most valuable perspectives so far has come from local scuba divers, whose long-term knowledge of underwater species, habitats and ecological change offers important insights into how these marine environments are changing,” Lisa explained.
“ It would be wonderful to meet up with just some of BSAC’ s Marine Champions, members and BSAC clubs to gather their first-hand observations.”
Starting back in June, Lisa has already paddled her way around key sites in the Outer Hebrides, Northumberland, Sussex and Dorset. Between August 2026 and April 2027, she will be taking her paddleboard to:
■ August Lundy( Devon), Drakes( Plymouth)
■ September Holy Isle( Anglesey), St Mary’ s( Scilly)
■ October Mersea( Essex), Scolt Head( Norfolk)
■ April 27 Foula( Shetland), Fair Isle( Shetland), North Ronaldsay( Orkney)
If you and / or your club would like to meet up with Lisa during her island tour, or have observations on any of the islands she has or will be visiting, please email her directly at lisa @ islandeering. com
For more information on Lisa and her work, go to www. islandeering. com
SWANAGE WILL BE THE LOCATION FOR BSAC’ s new Snorkelling Festival on Sunday 23 August, with snorkellers of all ages and experience invited to join in the fun. The BSAC Snorkelling Festival promises a relaxed, fun-filled day exploring one of the UK’ s favourite snorkelling destinations. The festival will bring together BSAC members from across the country to enjoy casual snorkelling, meet fellow enthusiasts and celebrate everything that makes snorkelling such a rewarding activity. The day has something for everyone, including snorkelling for all experience levels, optional training sessions, a familyfriendly beach day and the chance to connect with the wider BSAC snorkelling community.
Clubs are welcome to organise their own snorkelling activities throughout the day and will be responsible for planning sessions for their own members. Snorkelling Festival Organiser, Thomas Hawksworth said he was excited to welcome BSAC snorkellers from across the UK for a fun, relaxed day in Swanage.“ Come along, enjoy the water, meet fellow members and help make our biggest snorkelling gathering yet. Register your interest today— we’ d love to see you there!”
Register your interest
To help plan the festival – and any optional training sessions – the BSAC team is asking everyone who hopes to attend to register their interest in advance. You can complete the short registration form at bsac. com / festivalofsnorkelling /
13