Wrecks and reefs of Southeast scotland has been receiving great reviews since it was released in October 2010. Now the editors of 2 of the biggest UK Diving Magazines had their chance to review the book. Here is what Simon Rogerson of Dive Magazine and Steve Weinman of Diver Magazine had to say about the Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland
Simon Rogerson Editor Dive Magazine published june 2011
WRECKS AND REEFS OF SOUTHEAST SCOTLAND
by Mike Clark
Whittles Publishing
The best of this month's batch of dive site guides comes from the Pen of Mike Clark, a Prolific scuba
journalist who specialises in this corner of his native Scotland. lt follows the Firth of Forth from west to east, taking in 100 sites
(apparently the obligatory figure for books of this sort) along
the way. Mike's site descriptions are incredibly detailed' and
speak of a diver who takes his logbook very seriously indeed'
Many visitors to Scotland tend to head for Oban and the
Hebrides, but Mike is on a mission to show that there's plenty
of meat on the east coast. His book is divided into five sections
covering Burntisland, North Berwick, Dunbar' St Abbs and
Eyemouth. So, not a massive area
but as the book demonstrates, there's plenty of substance to the local sites'
Each dive is treated with a general descriptive passage of
about 4OO words, neatly laid out with location photographs
and essential information. Mike's photography is excellent and
is used to good effect throughout' Overall' it's a very nicely
produced Guide that should be a must-buy for anyone with
an interest in diving this overlooked corner of Scotland' SR
Steve Weinman Editor Diver Magazine Published October 2010
Wrecks & Reefs of Southeast Scotland, by Mike Clark
The author of this guide to dive sites in the Firth of Forth and further east was at 0ne time a regular contributor to Diver. His style then was very much "wreck tour" (or reef tour), in that he liked to guide the reader around mainly Scottish sites in blow-by-blow detail. Mike Clark's first book takes a more general approach to each of his chosen locations, with the words backed up by sound underwater photographs. Anyone looking to dive what is in effect the Edinburgh author's underwater backyard can be sure that the information offered here is based on first-hand and often repeated experience. The Forth contains a number of interesting wrecks, from warships such as SMS Munchen and HMS Saucy to the liner Campania, aircraft and even midget submarines. The port of Leith and Rosyth dockyard gave rise to heavy river traffic, and the casualties may have run into storms, wartime attacks or each other.
The action starts at Burntisland (on a shark dive at the local aquarium) and moves east through North Berwick and Dunbar in the Firth estuary. Lesser-known wrecks lie in the deeper waters here, including steam-powered submarines off the isle of May. Wreck-divers should note that only about 40 of the 100 sites in the book are in fact wrecks, and scenic dives predominate as Clark moves out of the Firth and down to St Abbs and Eyemouth, an area already well-covered by diving guides.
This is a well-written and useful addition to the UK dive guide canon.
Steve Weinman
Whittles Publishing
ISBN 9781 8499 SO1O724O, Softback 224pp, l8.99
