The Editor's bit
Hi again and a belated Happy New Year to you all.
After the last WB was a bit thinner than usual, you will notice that this one's a bit of a bumper issue with lots of reading. The reason is that I am leaving my 'day' job at the end of May, which means that I will no longer be able to get the photocopying done for nothing. So, I have taken the opportunity to include all those items I have been 'putting to one side' for use in later issues. I've also taken another look in the WB archives, going back ten years to 1993 - a year that started off pretty much like any other but soon got very exciting.
This is also why some of the regular items and reports are near the back rather than up front and the Club News is scattered around a bit. I needed to get some copying done well in advance and the bits that were ready got copied as soon as possible.
With all my changes I do hope the newsletter is able to continue. I think it is a valuable way of maintaining contact with members, especially those who cannot often make it on Monday evenings. And, after all, what would Moley do? E-bubbling is great, but of course, not everyone has e-mail.
At the moment I am not sure what I will be doing once I become a 'free' man. I am considering a number of options, some of which are very exciting and a bit scary all at the same time. All this means that, as things stand and if the newsletter does continue, a new editor will be needed. It will be sad to stop after 12 years and 46 issues, but I'm sure someone else will pick things up.
As I suspected my trip to Taiwan did not include any diving. Actually the Pacific did not look particularly inviting. Think of the English Channel on a grey 'off day' and you will have some idea what it looked like. I did pick up some information on diving there though and it does look pretty good, especially in the south. One thing you don't do though is dive very far offshore on most of the east coast. A maritime museum I visited had some charts on display. In places the depths started to hit 1000m plus around 2km from shore.
It was good to hear that the first coastal trip of 2003 went so well. Apparently the RIB went superbly well, the diving was great and a good time was had by all. Let's hope it continues for the rest of the season.
While down in Dorset recently I took a trip down to Kimmeridge, the launch spot for several successful trips a few years ago. According to the guy in the Dorset Naturalists Trust Information Centre the slip was repaired a few years ago but still has that nasty step where the concrete ends. It was high tide so I couldn't really tell how much work had been done, but it could be a good spot for a trip some time. It is of course one of those places where tide times are more important that spings/neaps and where that sneaky double low tide catches everyone out. As you see we have a bit of a bumper issue this time. Bob has explained that I've been trawling through my files but I've also had lots of input from you, the members. Thank you all, not only for this issue but for all those that have gone before. Without your input the mag would not exist.
Anyway, enough from me! So, get planning; support those trips and make 2003 and good year.
As ever, may you bubbles ever upwards go.
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