Welcome
Hello and welcome back after SCUBA ’ s summer recess . I hope you ’ ve been diving , even though the first part of the season hasn ’ t exactly been balmy .
All the same , my social media has been buzzing with busy divers . Kernow Dive Fest put in a conditions-defying effort down in West Cornwall , raising £ 7,350 in the process for DDRC Healthcare ( see HUB , page 8 ). We ’ ve finally started getting some decent conditions down in the South Coast , and I ’ ve seen some lovely posts from the Farnes and , further north , St Abbs and Eyemouth .
Expedition diving has been going well . The deep wrecks of Donegal are still very much in fashion with our technical divers , and Bob Anderson ’ s Clasina liveaboard has enjoyed another successful stint up in Norway . Meanwhile , Helen and Hazel of the MV Valhalla liveaboard have ventured north like true Vikings , making the 30-hour steam to the Faroe Islands , an autonomous region of Denmark . What ’ s the diving like up there ? We hope to find out in a future issue .
Back to the present , this issue ’ s centrepiece feature showcases the work of devoted photographers Sandra and Ryan Stalker , who specialise in their local waters around Weymouth , Portland and Swanage . They ’ ve both been cleaning up in the competitions recently , but what I really admire is their skill in showing familiar places in a new light . They are proud of the sea on their doorstep and they want to share both its beauty and fragility with the public . You can read the feature , Stalkers of the South Coast , on page 31 .
Now , we find ourselves with a new government in the United Kingdom . Whatever your political persuasion , I ’ m sure every SCUBA reader would encourage them to take a concerted look at the scandalous pollution of Britain ’ s waterways .
This issue must be addressed urgently , before we poison our country beyond repair . I am pleased to learn that BSAC has joined the Clean Water Sports Alliance to call for improved water quality , as reported in this issue ’ s HUB pages . It seems little can be achieved in British politics without concerted lobbying ( or a persuasive television drama ), so we need to raise our collective voice to turn up the heat on the water companies .
Simon Rogerson – Editor simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk
Cover photo : Bobtail squid investigating a sparkle board , by Ryan Stalker
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