Welcome
Here we are in mid-August , with UK diving activity at its height . June was a cauldron , and July saw some annoyinglytimed easterlies , but as we move into August the optimist in me believes the best is yet to come . Well , I have to say that , as my annual Lundy trip takes place across the bank holiday , and we ’ re camping !
For many of us , that ’ s the essence of a BSAC summer . A beautiful location , reefs , wrecks and seals on tap , a smattering of mild discomfort and damp to spice things up , then finally a drive home accompanied by the unmistakable musk of a well-used undersuit .
That final part of the routine is one I could do without , so I look at coastal divers with a degree of envy ; they can be home in 10 minutes , hosing their kit off in the garden while I ’ m stuck with the bank holiday migration . One such club is Ilfracombe BSAC , which offers some wonderful exploratory diving alongside the wonders of the North Devon coast . I asked Ilfracombe ’ s Chair , Maggs Ashton , to write about a hitherto unnamed wreck the club have been investigating ; you can read all about the mysterious Toilet Wreck on page 36 .
BSAC diving comes in many guises , however , and as we approach the club ’ s 70th anniversary , it is only fitting that we continue to celebrate our overseas centres and branches . In this issue , you can learn all about BSAC Japan ( page 28 ), the friendships and shared ideals that have resulted in a fruitful partnership with a sizeable , active group of divers on the other side of the world . We also have another update from our cousins at BSAC Korea , who have been trying out a new deep pool , complete with its own baobab tree ( page 34 ).
I hope you enjoy this September issue of SCUBA . We ’ ve got all manner of treasure awaiting you : Dom Robinson dives the cannon-fest of the Klein Hollandia ( page 41 ); Yo-Han Cha has a paddle around the Iona II ( page 22 ); Kerry MacKay sets out the advice for an underwater litter picking ( page 50 ) and Kirsty Andrews has a surprise run-in with a great white shark ( page 21 ). I ’ d love to hear the shark ’ s side of that story ...
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Cover photo : Stalked jelly at Kimmeridge Bay , by Simon Rogerson
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