Yesterday morning I was listening to the radio, and the commentator was saying that there were more sharks around because of the “exploding seal population.” Just for a quick second I thought that there was a problem with exploding seals but then I realized my pre-caffeinated mistake. I do need to keep an eye out for seals but not because they explode.

I like swimming small distances in the ocean so I am not going to stop because of a few shark sightings twenty miles away. There is a rocky island off the shore near my house that I swim to and from at least a few times each week. Mostly, cormorants and sea gulls populate the island, and even though people sometimes stay in a red-shuttered stone house there, the birds get loud and angry when I swim too close.

I asked a man who lives directly on the beach I swim from how the currents were before I tried the swim, and he told me that the currents were not dangerous, to watch out for the speed boats, and why (he had researched this) the water is warmer on some days than others. The first and last points were new and very valuable information.

Think of NPQ as the guy on the coastline. It is important to get some sense of what you might be diving into before you take off, and then, of course, you have to make yourself responsible for letting the next guy know what you have experienced and heard. (For instance, the water was full of jellyfish the week before last—but they weren’t the stinging kind. Still no seals.)

This combination of up to the moment research and experience based knowledge is just what NPQ aims to provide for our readers, we want you to know where there is the occasional rip tide and when the water might be warm enough not to make your internal organs seize up but we need you to help us track what is going on in this big environment we have all dived into. You can help write newswires for instance, or contribute a periodic article.

Let us know how you’d like to contribute and enjoy the remainder of August!