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Shore EntryField notes on reef life, shore entries and the topside of a dive island

Field notes on reef life, shore entries and the topside of a dive island

Shore Entry

An independent diving journal on reef life, shore entries and the dry-land half of a dive trip: what to look for in the water, how to plan the dive, and what an island offers when the tanks are empty.

Every entry on this desk takes one question about diving and answers it: how a coastal ecologist reads a shoreline before a shore dive, what light on water does to a photograph, how the palms and coastal scrub of a Mediterranean shore are planted, how a remote trip is planned around a weather window and a weight limit, what has to be cancelled, shipped and insured in the last three months before a move overseas, and how to plan a dive week so that the day the water is blown out is not wasted. Each entry is written from the standards, the marine park and fisheries publications and the field guides it names, then filed under one of four sections: the reef, shore diving, skills and safety, and islands and topside. Nothing here is for sale.

A dive bag and a folded wetsuit drying on a wooden rack in strong high-altitude sunlight, with a dry stone wall and pine trees behind, shot from the side at mid-morning.
A dive bag and a folded wetsuit drying on a wooden rack in strong high-altitude sunlight, with a dry stone wall and pine trees behind, shot from the side at mid-morning.

Latest entries

  1. A dive bag and a folded wetsuit drying on a wooden rack in strong high-altitude sunlight, with a dry stone wall and pine trees behind, shot from the side at mid-morning.
    A dive bag and a folded wetsuit drying on a wooden rack in strong high-altitude sunlight, with a dry stone wall and pine trees behind, shot from the side at mid-morning.

    The Blown-Out Day: Planning a Dive Week

    How to build a contingency day into a dive week, what altitude and dry air do to a diver on land, and what to book before the season starts.

    SK-001Skills and safety

  2. A dive regulator, computer and torch laid out on a folded wetsuit beside an open suitcase on a bare apartment floor, with a cardboard shipping carton and a roll of tape behind them, lit by low afternoon window light from the left.
    A dive regulator, computer and torch laid out on a folded wetsuit beside an open suitcase on a bare apartment floor, with a cardboard shipping carton and a roll of tape behind them, lit by low afternoon window light from the left.

    Dive Kit and Paperwork in the Last Three Months

    What to cancel, ship and carry in hand luggage during the final three months before moving overseas, including a full set of dive gear.

    IT-003Islands and topside

  3. A soft duffel bag on a luggage scale in a hallway at dawn, a folded gear list and a passport beside it, low window light from the left, close framing on the scale dial and the bag handle.
    A soft duffel bag on a luggage scale in a hallway at dawn, a folded gear list and a passport beside it, low window light from the left, close framing on the scale dial and the bag handle.

    Planning a Remote Trip Around Weather and Weight

    How a remote trip is planned around a weather window, a strict baggage weight limit and a delayed flight out, and what a dive trip borrows from the north.

    IT-002Islands and topside

  4. A shallow reef flat at 07:00, low sun raking across a sand channel bordered by seagrass, a diver's fin entering the frame from the left, shot from knee height at the waterline.
    A shallow reef flat at 07:00, low sun raking across a sand channel bordered by seagrass, a diver's fin entering the frame from the left, shot from knee height at the waterline.

    Reading Light on Water Before a Shore Dive

    The hour after sunrise decides what a diver sees on sand, seagrass and coral. A look at sun angle, water colour and framing borrowed from landscape

    RF-001The reef

  5. A row of tall Washingtonia fan palms and low oleander bushes along a coastal road in Hisaronu, Fethiye, late afternoon sun from the sea side, brown scorched leaf tips on the windward face, shot from the pavement with the road edge and a stone wall in the foreground.
    A row of tall Washingtonia fan palms and low oleander bushes along a coastal road in Hisaronu, Fethiye, late afternoon sun from the sea side, brown scorched leaf tips on the windward face, shot from the pavement with the road edge and a stone wall in the foreground.

    Reading Coastal Palms After a Shore Dive

    How to tell fan palms from feather palms on a Mediterranean shore, what salt and wind do to coastal planting, and what the roadside garden strip reveals.

    IT-001Islands and topside

  6. A rocky New England shore at low tide in flat morning light, exposed eelgrass and dark seaweed marking the waterline, a marsh edge with a low erosion scarp behind it, a metal stormwater outfall pipe visible at the left of the frame, shot from knee height with the water filling the lower third.
    A rocky New England shore at low tide in flat morning light, exposed eelgrass and dark seaweed marking the waterline, a marsh edge with a low erosion scarp behind it, a metal stormwater outfall pipe visible at the left of the frame, shot from knee height with the water filling the lower third.

    Reading a Shoreline Before a Shore Dive

    What a coastal ecological assessment measures, and which surface signs, eelgrass, marsh edge, sediment and outfalls, tell a diver what to expect below.

    SD-001Shore diving

The desks of this journal

The sections

Each section holds one part of this journal: how many entries it carries, its latest date, and what it covers.

  • A shallow reef flat at 07:00, low sun raking across a sand channel bordered by seagrass, a diver's fin entering the frame from the left, shot from knee height at the waterline.
    The reef     1 entry · 08/09/2026 Coral, fish, night dives and the small animals a shore dive actually shows, how to find them, how to name them and how to leave them alone Open
  • A rocky New England shore at low tide in flat morning light, exposed eelgrass and dark seaweed marking the waterline, a marsh edge with a low erosion scarp behind it, a metal stormwater outfall pipe visible at the left of the frame, shot from knee height with the water filling the lower third.
    Shore diving     1 entry · 02/09/2026 Entries, tanks, weights, navigation, currents and the logistics of diving from a beach or a dock without a boat Open
  • A dive bag and a folded wetsuit drying on a wooden rack in strong high-altitude sunlight, with a dry stone wall and pine trees behind, shot from the side at mid-morning.
    Skills and safety     1 entry · 16/09/2026 Courses, nitrox, buoyancy, dive medicine, rescue and the path from a first certification to a divemaster Open
  • A dive regulator, computer and torch laid out on a folded wetsuit beside an open suitcase on a bare apartment floor, with a cardboard shipping carton and a roll of tape behind them, lit by low afternoon window light from the left.
    Islands and topside     3 entries · 05/09/2026 to 14/09/2026 What surrounds a dive, kayaks, trails, parks, town logistics, weather windows and the surface interval on an island Open

Elsewhere on the dock

Desks kept elsewhere that answer a question this journal only touches on. Each one was read before it was listed here, and each is named for what it holds.

  • mamlj.org

    The Cartographer's Folio examines landmark antique maps and atlases plate by plate, recording who made each one, when it appeared, what it shows and why it matters, with guides on collecting, authentication, preservation and public collections, including antique charts of the Caribbean.

  • cpie-troncais.com

    The Aubier, a French-language magazine about the Tronçais state forest in the Allier, explains the oak grove: the 1670 decision to grow high forest, the difference between sessile and pedunculate oak, named oaks, felling marks and drought effects, a model for reading a forest without touching it.