TOP SITES TO TRAIN FOR + TIPS TO GET YOU THERE
PAG E S O F
SCUBADIVING.COM MAY 2016
A g g r e s s o r F l e e t® W o r l d w i d e S c u b a
31 ITINERARIES, 20 YACHTS, 17 COUNTRIES.
:HOFRPH $ERDUG <2XU Š RDWLQJ GLYH UHVRUW Since 1984, discriminating adventurers have trusted Aggressor Fleet’s worldwide dive yachts for the most thrilling underwater encounters and pampered topside service. From Cayman’s pristine reefs to Thailand’s dazzling soft coral walls and many exotic destinations in between, Aggressor Fleet offers an expedition for every explorer’s quest for adventure and travel budget. Scrumptious chef-prepared meals and snacks
Deluxe accommodations
Around-the-clock service from a professional staff
Photo Workshops and Unique Trips
· Alor · Bahamas · Banda Sea · Belize · Caño Island · Cayman Islands · Cenderawasih Bay · Cocos Island · · Cuba Travel Program · Dominican Republic · Fiji · Galapagos · New Guanacaste & The Bat Islands ·
Diving and Tr avel Adventures Belize Aggressor III moored at the Blue Hole sunken cave.
ONE FLEET, ONE MISSION.
&RPH DERDUG DQG GLVFRYHU ņ7KH 8OWLPDWH LQ /LYH$ERDUGVo Ň
Save 25% during Dive the World Weeks!
· Hawaii · Komodo · Maldives · New Myanmar · Palau · Raja Ampat · Red Sea · New Sri Lanka · · New Tented Safari Lodge · Thailand · Tiger Beach · Triton Bay · Turks & Caicos · Wakatobi ·
ON THE COVER
DPV diving at the Ray of Hope in New Providence Island, Bahamas. PHOTO BY TIM CALVER
CONTENTS M AY 2 0 1 6 // V O L . 2 5 I S S U E 0 3 // S C U B A D I V I N G . C O M
GO DEEPER Ready to push your limits? Take your skills up a notch with these abyssal wreck dives. P16 M E TA L MADNESS Get personal with the wrecks you love — and some you may not yet have met — through the lens of six of the world’s best underwater photographers. Starting on P22 ADVANCED ADVENTURE Dive into Malta’s maritime history at this massive war graveyard in the Mediterranean. P46 W H AT I T ’ S LIK E Kittiwake’s former executive oicer revisits his beloved ship. P55 TRAINING Ego kills in Lessons for Life. P40 Dive the Mighty O like a local. P30 PROFILES ArtToMedia’s dynamic duo. P18 Key West’s Man of Steel. P56
THE WRECK ISSUE
DRI V E A N D D IVE Thunder Bay’s remarkably preserved sunken fleet. P36
It’s an addiction: That buzz that takes hold each time a ship materializes in front of you is a high like no other. And when recreational limits no longer satisfy the craving, advanced training is the only option. We get it, and to help you get your ix, we’ve dedicated this issue entirely to the wrecks we love and lust ater.
SCUBALAB Check out the results of our dive light test. P63
Scuba Diving (ISSN 1553-7919) is published eight times per year (J/F, M/A, May, Jul, S/O, N/D, with bonus issues in June and August) by Bonnier Corp., 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789. Vol. 25, No. 3, May 2016. Periodicals postage paid in Winter Park, FL, and additional oices. Subscription rate for one year (eight issues): U.S., $21.97; Canada, $30.97; all other foreign countries, $39.97. U.S. funds only. Contents copyright 2016 by Bonnier Corp. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scuba Diving, P.O. 6364, Harlan, IA 51593-1864. CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: IMEX, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. For subscription questions, email: SCDcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 4
NOAM KORTLER
LIVEABOARD A fierce WWII battle creates an extraordinary dive experience in Truk Lagoon. P12
scubadiving.com // edit@scubadiving.com EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Patricia Wuest Deputy Editor Mary Frances Emmons Managing Editor Ashley Annin ScubaLab Director Roger Roy Assistant Editor Robby Myers Copy Chief Cindy Martin Editorial Interns Noelle Campbell, Paige Wilson CONTRIBUTORS Erica Blake, James L. Caruso, Eric Douglas, Michael Gerken, Steven P. Hughes, Steve Jones, Miko Maciaszek, Travis Marshall, Eric Michael, Andy Morrison, Brooke Morton, Erin Quigley A RT A N D PHOTO G R A PH Y Art Director Monica Alberta Photo Editor Kristen McClarty D I G I TA L Senior Online Producer Martin Kuss Digital Editor Becca Hurley SALES Group Publisher Laura Walker laura.walker@bonniercorp.com Associate Publisher Jef Mondle jef.mondle@bonniercorp.com Territory Manager David Benz 850-934-3173; david.benz@bonniercorp.com Territory Manager Linda Sue Dingel 407-913-4945; lindasue.dingel@bonniercorp.com Director, Marketplace Raquel Chilson 407-571-4662; raquel.chilson@bonniercorp.com Advertising Sales Coordinator Melissa Tone 407-571-4588; melissa.tone@bonniercorp.com
P R O F E S S I O N A L F I LT E R S F O R G O P R O
COMPATIBLE :
MACHINED ALUMINUM FUMBLE-FREE FLIP DESIGN PERFECT UNDERWATER COLOR PROFESSIONAL +15 MACRO LENS
VP, Director of Brand Strategies Matt Hickman Editorial Director Shawn Bean Creative Director Dave Weaver Consumer Marketing Director Leigh Bingham Group Marketing Director Haley Bischof Marketing Manager Oriana Agudelo Marketing Manager Dive & Travel Group Holly Pulcher Business Manager David Erne Group Production Director Michelle Doster Production Manager Andrew Prasad Graphic Designers Julia Arana, Jennifer Remias Human Resources Director Sheri Bass
Chairman Tomas Franzén Chief Executive Oicer Eric Zinczenko Chief Operating Oicer David Ritchie Chief Marketing Oicer Elizabeth Burnham Murphy Chief Digital Revenue Oicer Sean Holzman VP, Integrated Sales John Graney VP, Consumer Marketing John Reese VP, Digital Operations David Butler VP, Public Relations Perri Dorset General Counsel Jeremy Thompson All contents copyright 2016 Bonnier Corporation. No use may be made of materials contained herein without express written consent. For inquiries, please contact us at Bonnier Corporation, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789. Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40612608 Canada Post Returns: IMEX Global Solutions, P.O. Box 25542, London ON N6C 6B2 Canada Printed in the USA Employment opportunities at bonniercorp.com
For customer service and subscription questions, such as renewals, address changes, email, billing and account status, go to: scubadiving.com/cs. You can also call 800-666-0016 or 515-237-3697, or write to Scuba Diving, P.O. Box 6364, Harlan, IA 51593-1864.
WWW.FLIPFILTERS.COM
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 6
This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources.
SHIPWRECK REEFS, TOWERING SEA WALLS, AND SUBMERGED MOUNTAINS. ( WITH CORAL GARDENS FOR AN ENCORE. )
Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman GRAND CAYMAN
LITTLE CAYMAN CAYMAN BRAC ONLY 1 HOUR FROM MIAMI
FIND YOUR CAYMANK
ND
www.divecayman.ky
TA L K GATEWAY DRUG You never forget your first. I’ve dived a number of baby- and monster-size wrecks over the past 23 years, but the Hilma Hooker started it all. It was a dive my colleague Laura Walker — now group publisher of Scuba Diving and sister mag Sport Diver — really wanted to make. I don’t recall Laura’s exact words, but she said something like: “Let’s swim out to the mooring and then drop down on it. I want you to experience what it’s like to see a wreck materialize out of the blue.” I was blown away. First, it’s not really what I would define as a baby wreck. The ship lies on its starboard
side in 100 feet of water, and stretches for nearly 240 feet. You can stay around 60 to 70 feet and explore the hull and prop, but it’s very tempting to dive deeper to peek into openings and even drop into its holds. Second, Hilma Hooker is plastered in marine life — the day we dived it, feisty sergeant majors with a “don’t mess with me” look in
their eyes were desperately protecting their purple smears of eggs, and a busy bevy of cleaner shrimp had advertised its housekeeping services. The ship’s wheel and prop are coated by corals. And then there’s the
story: In 1984, the Hooker, a Colombian cargo vessel, navigated into Bonaire, concealing a shipment of marijuana in an external compartment on the hull. It was seized by the Bonaire government; authorities Bonaire's Hilma Hooker
MARTIN STRMISKA/ALAMY. OPPOSITE, FROM LEFT: JON WHITTLE; JOHN MICHAEL BULLOCK (2)
S C U B A D I V I N G . C O M // E D I T @ S C U B A D I V I N G . C O M // @ S C U B A D I V I N G M A G
SHAKE IT ONCE & IT‘S DRY exclusively and only from CAMARO
;/, 5,> ;0;(50<4 :,90,: available in 1-, 3-, 5- & 7mm, & great new colors
]PZP[ \Z H[ ^^^ JHTHYV H[ or CAMARO USA phone: 253-867-57 35 · mhanson@komperdell.us
removed 25,000 pounds of pot stowed between a real and false bulkhead. The ship’s reputation was tarnished, but as Bruce Bowker writes on Carib Inn’s website, “With the Hilma Hooker, what began as a bad idea for someone turned into a lucky break for Bonaire and its divers.” Suice it to say, I was hooked — pun intended. I have now dived wrecks all over the world, and I have loved my time exploring every one of them. Many of the wrecks we’ve included in this issue are on my bucket list. We’re sure you’ll find at least one to add to yours. —
FOLLOWING
/
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO In February, the ScubaLab team, including assistant editor Robby Myers (at right), traveled to Blue Grotto in Williston, Florida, to test dive lights at night. In addition, ScubaLab Director Roger Roy traveled to Wilger Testing Co. — an accredited, independent facility in Sarasota, Florida — where an integrating sphere, a standard testing device, was used to measure each light’s total lumen output, regardless of beam angle. (Results on page 63.) For more behind-the-scenes shots, follow us @scubadivingmag and use #ScubaLab.
PATR ICIA W UE S T, ED I TO R-IN - CH IE F
The Boutique Liveaboard
www.thearenui.com
PETE MESLEY
THE WRE
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 10
ECK ISSUE ACROSS THE GLOBE Great Britain to Palau, the Baltic to the Red seas, Truk Lagoon to Thunder Bay — wherever you find divers, you'll find agreement on this: Wreck diving rocks. From a Canadian duo responsible for the coolest wreck maps on the planet to the man who has sunk some of the best artificial reefs in North America to a former sailor diving the ship on which he served, the following pages will show you why we can't get enough of this magnificent metal madness. »
A B-25 Mitchell PBJ-1H bomber sits upright at 100 feet off Kwajalein Atoll, where hundreds of planes were dumped after WWII.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 11
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 675-725 BCE |
THE ODYSSEY: Set 10 years after the fall of Troy, Homer’s epic poem follows
Clockwise from top left: Sankisan is littered with ammo; reef sharks; the Mitsubishi bomber “Betty” rests at 65 feet.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 12
hero Odysseus during his 10-year maritime journey back to his wife, and the struggles he faces along the way.
LIVEABOARD
LEGENDS OF THE FALL Truk Odyssey gets you up close to some of the most famous World War II wrecks on the planet T EXT A ND PHOTOS BY MIKE GERKEN
n just two days in February 1944, more than 500 planes launched from U.S. aircraft carriers sank nearly 50 Japanese ships in Micronesia’s Truk Lagoon, many of them sitting helplessly at anchor. No one could have predicted it then, but horrific Operation Hailstone would give rise to a wreck-diving paradise, a single location with more than 50 wreck sites steeped in history and rich in marine life.
I
FALKENSTEINFOTO/ALAMY (INSET)
DIVING THE GHOST FLEET Known today as Chuuk, in the Federated States of Micronesia, Truk Lagoon is a large atoll that stretches nearly 150 miles in circumference, encircling dozens of small islands along with the wrecks. Warm, clear tropical waters within the sheltering reef create an ideal dive location. Many of the wrecks are intact,
multilevel dives — whether you prefer shallow sections or want to explore deep inside engine rooms, there’s something here for all skill levels, from novice to technical deep diver. Since it’s illegal to remove artifacts, the wrecks of Truk Lagoon form an underwater museum that is tantalizing to anyone who has even a slight interest in WWII. Rows of portholes, nautical equipment, munitions, deck guns, and thousands of beer and sake bottles are all here. Yet divers expecting only rusted hulks and historical artifacts will quickly find they have penetrated an underwater Eden. The marine life that now makes these wrecks home will leave most divers in a state of awe. Large, magnificent sea anemones, healthy schools of trevally, inquisitive sharks, giant sea fans and the occasional nudibranch now SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 13
and again, will captivate marine-life enthusiasts. The MV Odyssey has been bringing divers to the wrecks of Truk since 1999. The 132-foot luxury liveaboard carries up to 16 passengers in spacious staterooms on seven-day dive excursions to all the top wreck sites. Premier dives such as the Fujikawa Maru, with Japanese Zeros in its cargo hold, and the stunning, coralencrusted Shinkoku Maru are on most itineraries. During a typical charter week, Odyssey will visit up to 15 dive sites, with an opportunity to make four dives plus a night dive each day. Technical charters and 10-day trips are available on request. Excursions begin on Sunday evening when guests arrive at the Chuuk International Airport on the main island of Weno. After a short transfer to the boat, passengers settle down
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
for the evening before setting out the following morning.
CHUUK DIVE GUIDE The diving in Truk is centralized inside the lagoon, with no rough crossings required. Commonly, the first stop is only 20 minutes from the home mooring, at the wreck of the Heian Maru. In its heyday, Heian was a luxury liner, before the Japanese imperial navy requisitioned it for wartime use as a submarine tender, evident from the many periscopes, torpedoes and
| 1601 |
TWELFTH NIGHT: Shakespeare shows his comedic side as a shipwreck leads Viola, a young,
munitions within its holds. Later in the week, divers get a chance at Japanese destroyer Fumizuki, as well as the antique trucks and heavy machinery inside of Hoki Maru. If you’re up for a 160-foot dive, the opportunity to see San Francisco Maru is offered on the last day of most charters. Also known as the Million Dollar Wreck because of the supposed estimated value of its cargo, the San Francisco Maru is fully loaded with bombs, bullets, depth chargers and three Japanese battle tanks propped up on the forward deck. If you don’t
NEED TO KNOW WHEN TO GO Water temperatures are a balmy 80 to 84 degrees F yearround. Winter yields steady trade winds; summer might produce more rain and variable winds. DIVE CONDITIONS A rash
guard and boardshorts are often the choice for dive wear; a 3 mm wetsuit will do the trick if you prefer. Visibility varies from wreck to wreck, averaging 70 feet but peaking in excess of 100 feet many
days. There is little current inside the lagoon. OPERATOR Truk Odyssey (trukodyssey.com) PRICE TAG $3,195 for a seven-day charter, not including 5 percent tax and a $50 dive permit
Suddenly, you’re in a whole different state of “Ship Ahoy!” “Buried treasure” “Surprise!”
You’re swimming peacefully along underwater when suddenly, out of nowhere, there appears the 271-foot long freighter, Lulu. It’s almost as if someone had put her there simply for your diving enjoyment. Which, actually, we did. See, down here, it’s a whole different state.
want to go to 160, there’s always the Nippo Maru, which has a single battle tank lying neatly on its deck and is within recreational limits. In addition to ships, there are numerous Japanese aircraft on the bottom of the lagoon. Each charter, Odyssey dives a twin-engine long-range Japanese attack bomber code-named “Betty” by the Allies. The condition of the plane is remarkable considering it crash-landed in water more than 70 years ago. Swim through the fuselage past hundreds of tiny baitfish and get the feel for what it would have been like inside a genuine WWII Betty bomber. If it weren’t for the wrecks, Truk might have fallen quietly into obscurity at war’s end. Instead, this isolated part of the Pacific is now one of the top wreck-diving destinations in the world. Many find that one trip to Truk isn’t enough and return year after year to explore further the vast remains of these underwater relics from the past.
aristocratic-born woman, to wash up on the Illyrian shore and disguise herself as a man, which later creates a complicated love triangle.
FIVE REASONS TO DIVE TRUK ODYSSEY
01 ON THE SPOT Twenty-five of the premier wreck sites have individual moorings adjacent to the wreck, allowing great freedom to come and go as you wish — as long as you are back in time to depart to the next wreck.
02 SPREAD OUT Staterooms are spacious and luxurious, each with king or twin beds, entertainment system, private bathrooms and individual climate control.
03 GO NATIVE Odyssey uses experienced local Chuukese dive guides who know every facet of the wrecks inside and out.
04 TEC SAVVY Twin tanks, nitrox, pony tanks, custom oxygen blends and even trimix are all available, as well as CO2 absorbent and bottles for rebreather divers (additional fees might apply).
SHUTTERSTOCK (INSET)
05 BELLY UP Bring a hearty appetite: Meals and snacks will impress — and keep you charged up for the diving. Soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits are included.
San Francisco Maru — the Million Dollar Wreck — is Truk Lagoon’s blue-chip deep dive.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 15
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 1726 |
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS: Jonathan Swift’s adventure parody details a journey of maritime mis
TRAINING
GO DEEPER STEVE JONES. BRENDA WEAVER (ILLUSTRATIONS)
ARE YOU READY FOR THESE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES? BY BROOKE MORTON Training to go ever deeper can seem like a dare — a challenge driven by ego, not purpose. But these wrecks and their stories, artifacts, and bygone beauty compel us to redraw our comfort zones. To train to become proicient with a new gas mix, or perhaps a rebreather. To work until we are mentally and physically ready for tasks at depth. Further still, those who penetrate expose themselves to another set of challenges, and another set of rewards. The result of any such training, and the subsequent successful wreck dive, is not only the sense of accomplishment when beholding your quarry, but also of becoming part of that wreck’s next chapter. Beginning on the opposite page — and continuing on pages 19, 31, 34, 37, 55 and 57 — you will ind 12 wrecks guaranteed to test your mettle, skill and discipline, to entice you to go deeper. These are the dives that will make you say, “Challenge accepted.”
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 16
haps that lead Lemuel Gulliver to end up on a variety of unknown islands. It has never been out of print.
SS Andrea Doria Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA LOA 701 feet DEPTH 250 feet The 1956 collision of this ocean liner with the M/S Stockholm was one of the most epic maritime disasters ever; now it remains diving’s most infamous wreck, claiming 16 divers’ lives. The ship has largely disintegrated, making it anything but a clean dive. Divers today are best advised to explore the top deck and its three swimming pools.
Queen of Nassau Islamorada, Florida, USA LOA 200 feet DEPTH 225 feet This former patrol ship served in the Royal Canadian navy; it remains relatively intact save for damage to its stern and a collapsed mast. Thanks to the depth, marine-life sightings can be mind-blowing, including scalloped hammerheads and sawfish. DO -OVER The debris field includes portholes and china.
GO DEEPER PAGE 19
» SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 17
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 1833 |
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE: Edgar Allan Poe uses this short story to recount an unnamed narra
Q & A
ArtToMedia’s Masterminds
RAYMOND POUDRIER & OTTO WAGNER THE CREATIVE DUO BEHIND ARTTOMEDIA IS MAKING WRECK DIVING SAFER, ONE MAP AT A TIME BY MA RY FRA N CE S E MMO N S
o divers who love wrecks, Otto Wagner and Raymond Poudrier are rock stars. They are the force behind ArtToMedia, which since 2006 has produced detailed card maps of wrecks and dive sites the world over, each with a distinctive look and thorough approach that immediately identifies it as an ArtToMedia creation. (Credit the look of the brand to Wagner, the art director.) Scuba Diving spoke to the pair about how it all began and what divers can expect next from the duo, based in Canada.
T
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 18
What’s the process? Raymond Poudrier: The first thing we do before we make a card is validate the value and the need for it. We do our research, then we involve local dive shops and dive communities. Otto Wagner: It takes from one to six months — sometimes more — before a card goes to print, depending on the complexity of the site and the time it takes to gather all the right information. Once we have decided on a new site, we do our preliminary research — Internet, dive shops,
ILLUSTRATIONS, FROM LEFT: COURTESY ARTTOMEDIA; BRENDA WEAVER (2). RICCARDO CELLERE
Catalina, California, map by ArtToMedia’s Poudrier (left, at left) and Wagner.
tor’s voyage; the horror tale soon goes dark when the ghostly ship capsizes from rough weather — and worse.
RMS Lusitania Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland LOA 787 feet DEPTH 306 feet Ireland holds a tight grip on the permits shrouding “Lucy” in red tape. Even Gregg Bemis of New Mexico, owner of the British passenger liner sunk in 1915, needs Ireland’s OK to recover artifacts, including paintings by Monet rumored to be inside. Another push to explore the site, as cited by tec diving club Cork Sub Aqua, is to learn why it sank in just 18 minutes. DO -OVER Also yet to be recovered: the captain’s safe, the bridge telegraph and the triple-chime steam whistle.
MS Franken Gdansk, Poland LOA 581 feet DEPTH 236 feet
ministry of tourism, or any contact that can help us with information. Then we try to identify more sites in the same location. We made a template with a detailed description of what we need to create a map, which is sent to those who collaborate with us. We have developed techniques to achieve the precision and accuracy we present in our dive maps. We need specific information, photos and/or videos, shore pictures, distance from the shore, etc. We sometimes have access through ship plans, and
based on all of the information, we construct the ship in 3-D software that’s adapted to our specific needs so the measurements are accurate. The dives are done mostly to see how preparation for sinking of the vessel, time and hurricanes have afected the wreck. For Grand Cayman’s Kittiwake we took notes, pictures and HD video for measurements while the vessel was prepared for sinking in Norfolk, Virginia. Based on that new information, we built the 3-D model to match. In situations where models or SCUBADIVING.COM
measurements of the ship are unavailable, we will send the model to dive shops for corrections before applying texture and rendering the image. Then the 3-D model is prepared for its final rendering. (If the information is available — via a government agency or an artificial reef organization — we don’t need to send the models for correction.) Over time we have developed our own textures to reproduce as much as we can the feeling of an underwater scene. We use
MAY 2016 / 19
In 1945, the Soviet Air Force downed this armed oil tanker that supplied vessels, including the German cruiser Prinz Eugen. Thanks to the low salinity and low oxygen levels of the Baltic Sea, the Franken, though split in two, has stayed well preserved; find it starting at a depth of 154 feet.
GO DEEPER PAGE 31
»
THE WRECK ISSUE editing software to insert logos and text, and the next step is print.
RP: When Otto moved to Canada, he worked for me at my automotive company and taught me everything I know about Photoshop and 3-D imaging. The company sufered after 9/11 because of the restrictions on importing products, so during that time we
went our separate ways. But after Otto came back from diving, he reached out to me and said: “The way these shipwrecks are mapped is archaic — the people at the dive shops are great instructors but poor artists. We’ve got to do something!” He told me his idea, and after some brainstorming, we decided to become partners.
places with the most dives a year. Once we started to become known, dive shops, shipwreck associations, government agencies like NOAA, and tourism agencies were asking for specific sites. For our first DEMA show we had both wrecks and coral reef sites, but we realized people wanted more wrecks. Which of your maps was the hardest to execute? OW: Probably the set of Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District maps for Oahu,
How do you choose the wrecks or sites? OW: At the beginning, it was a marketing decision — the
Creating accurate 3-D renderings of wrecks and dive sites like BVI’s Rhone can take months — and some have taken over a year. Hawaii, due to the complexity of the terrain: volcanic rocks, tubes and caves. RP: There are two wrecks that come to mind: The first was Bentwood — that took us three years because we needed to get the facts right. So we had use underwater video cameras and go
ArtToMedia Through the Years First maps created, of Spiegel Grove and the Duane (both Key Largo, Florida). First animated map, of the Duane.
First map on synthetic paper, of the Florida Keys. Caribbean Fish Card debuts, with 3-D lenticular technology.
2006
2011 2008
2016 2013
First large-scale paper maps, of Duane and Yukon (San Diego); all maps become waterproofed.
SCUBADIVING.COM
Pending virtual tours for iPhone and iPad of Duane and Spiegel Grove.
First virtual maps created for dive computers, for the Mares Icon dive computer.
MAY 2016 / 20
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM RIGHT: RICCARDO CELLERE; COURTESY ARTTOMEDIA (5)
How did ArtToMedia get started? OW: In 2005, I was vacationing in the Keys and at the dive shop they told me about a wreck called Spiegel Grove. When we arrived at the site, I saw just the blue sea and a few buoys — I had no idea where I was going and what I should look for. After the dive, I said to myself that divers are missing pertinent information about the site. (The captain told me divers often take the wrong ascending line and come out at another boat.) The same year, in Egypt, I had a similar situation — maps with archaic illustrations of the sites we had just dived. That was it.
through the wreck from top to bottom. The second was the Empress of Ireland, which took more than a year and required a team of seven archeologists and a group of divers. What would you most like to cover in the future? OW: As a personal challenge, we are hoping to do the famous cenotes like the ones in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
FOR OUR FIRST DEMA SHOW WE HAD BOTH WRECKS AND CORAL REEF SITES — BUT WE REALIZED PEOPLE WANTED MORE WRECKS.
Dive into our website for more packages in Cozumel, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman, Turks & Caicos, Curacao and Honduras!
Hotel Cozumel
Best Deal In The Carribean! 7 Nights Hotel, All Meals And Unlimited Bar, 5 Days 2-Tank Morning Boat Dives, Tax
COZUMEL 939 $
only
p.p.
Valid for travel 3/28/16 - 8/14/16. Single travelers add just $25/night!
BONUS! ADD 3rd TANK BOAT DIVES
Only $16 Each
bayadventures.com 888-599-3483 Rates are US dollars, per person, based on dbl. occ. unless otherwise stated. Please call or email for airfare, for single/triple/other occupancy, non-diver rates, kids rates and prices for dates other than specified. Taxes are included. Rates subject to availability & subject to change; other restrictions may apply. Not responsible for typographical errors. Call for group, dive club and dive shop rates!
What’s your favorite part? RP: The human interaction is the best part. Getting to work with passionate people who see the need and directly benefit from this kind of resource and want to participate. We realized that even if we dove every single wreck ourselves, it would be too costly and too time-consuming — working with local pros was the best solution. A lot of people photograph their dives, but you can’t get the overall scale of the wreck that way. This is a souvenir of your whole dive: You can say, “I was right there.” I love it at DEMA when divers and instructors tell us how valuable the maps have been for their dive planning and briefings. The maps reduce anxiety for divers; with a map, they concentrate diferently on the briefing. Instead of trying to remember just a sketch, they have a better idea what they’re going to do. It’s like going to a new city — if you have a map, it makes you more secure.
LED VIDEO/ NEW! FLASHLIGHT
12°
Lifetime CREE LED Slide Zoom Head Adjustable beam from 12° to 100°
Aircraft Grade Aluminum Magnetic Slide Switch 3 power levels Versatile Battery Options TRADE IN
TRADE UP Fusion Light Program
Accepts either standard Alkaline, NiMH or Lithium-ion (included) rechargeable battery
Pressure Safety Valve Promotion starts May 27... see participating dealers at TOVATEC.COM
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 21
100°
THE WRECK ISSUE
Tunnel Vision BA E 1 4 6 A IRCRA FT T I D E N H A M Q UA R RY, CH E P STOW, E N G L A ND
On this cold winter’s day, I was carrying out some tests of the Orcalight Seawolf lamp in an overhead environment; the gloomy hull of this BAe 146 aircraft was perfect. Use of rebreathers prevented any silt coming down from above, keeping the water clear inside the wreck. With two lamps at 22,000 lumens each, it felt like someone had turned on the lights inside the aircraft. PHOTOGRAPH ER
Steve Jones CAMERA GEAR Nikon D4; Seacam housing; Nikkor 16mm fisheye lens; two offcamera Orcalight Seawolf 22,000-lumen lamps S ET T I N GS f /8, 1/60 sec, ISO 3200
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 22
M E TA L M A D N E S S
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 23
THE WRECK ISSUE TRAINING
FIVE TIPS FOR SURVIVING SILT-OUTS 7 nights + 5 dive days
BY TRAVIS MARSHALL
Few situations underwater are more terrifying or dangerous than being in the overhead environment of a wreck and suddenly losing visibility in a silt-out. Wrecks tend to collect fine sediment inside holds, cabins and hallways, and a single misplaced fin kick can be enough to plunge a diver into blindness. Here are five tips for surviving this zero-viz scenario.
Scuba Club Cozumel All meals + Unlimited shore diving from $944
Hotel Cozumel + Dive Paradise All-Inclusive from $952
Sunscape Sabor All-Inclusive from $1,017
Cozumel Palace + Aqua Safari All-Inclusive from $1,307
GET THE TRAINING Exploring the interior of a shipwreck requires specialized, advanced training that covers everything from proper ďŹ n kicks to laying a guide line that acts as a pathway back to the entrance.
1
Allegro Cozumel Pro Dive Mexico All-Inclusive from $1,396
Occidental Grand Cozumel Pro Dive Mexico All-Inclusive from $1,654
STOP AND ASSESS As soon as the silt rises, stop moving and hover near the bottom, or hold onto something to stay stationary. Take long, deep breaths and assess the situation: Does the silt seem to be settling? Can you see anything beyond the cloud? Where is your dive buddy?
2
Fiesta Americana Dive House All-Inclusive from $2,528
3
LOOK FOR THE CLOUDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EDGE Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve composed yourself, try to ďŹ nd the edge of the silt cloud. Start by looking all around to see if the cloud thins in any direction. Then adjust your buoyancy to rise off the ďŹ&#x201A;oor, and cautiously continue the dive. CALL THE DIVE If the silt-out doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t improve, you might need to call the dive and turn around.
4 5
800-328-2288 caradonna.com Rates are per person, double occupancy, include 7 night stay, 5 days, at least 1-tank boat dives, roundtrip airport transfers, hotel taxes and service charges and are subject to availability and standard terms and conditions. *:6;
>:6; -:6;
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 24
MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH LINE The guide line is literally your lifeline to the exit, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital to maintain physical contact with it until visibility returns. The best technique is to swim either slightly above or to one side of the line, with your thumb and foreďŹ nger encircling the line like an OK sign. Point your dive light along the line so you can spot any obstacles.
OCEAN ACTION
Save Ontario Shipwrecks IN SEARCH OF A WORTHY CAUSE? HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP BY ROBBY MYERS
JO-ANN WILKINS
MISSION To further public knowledge and appreciation of Ontario’s marine heritage HQ Ontario, Canada YEAR STARTED 1981 CONTACT saveontarioshipwrecks.ca; president@saveontarioshipwrecks.ca PROJECT In order to give our past a future, SOS works to preserve shipwrecks through research, education and public outreach. “We want our history to have life,” says provincial president Bryan Thomas. “Everybody who does this, does it because they love the history, and they care about the environment and the wrecks.”
OH BUOY!
DIVE TO PRESERVE
ALL HANDS ON DECK
It’s common to drop anchor or tie off directly to a wreck, but that can be very damaging to a ship over time. “The strain and the chain and the rubbing all make a big difference,” Thomas says. You can protect wrecks by taking a class with SOS that will teach you how to lend a helping fin. “You do a buoy workshop so you understand what you need to do, and then we take you out with us and go do it.”
Adhere to SOS’s philosophy of low-impact diving. “Check out the wrecks, take lots of pictures, and bring home your memories and stories, but leave it for future generations to see it too,” Thomas says. Want to go a step further? Take a course with Nautical Archeological Society to learn how to conduct research, and take part in underwater fieldwork. Contact training@saveontario shipwrecks.ca.
SOS has hands-on volunteer opportunities for divers, dive groups and even nondivers — from coordinating events and shooting underwater videos to sending newsletters. And you’re not just limited to rescuing Ontario wrecks. “We’ve helped set up organizations similar to ours,” Thomas says. “If anyone anywhere wants to start an organization like this, we’ll gladly help them, and give them the tools and resources.”
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 25
THE WRECK ISSUE Default Black-and-White Conversion
>> Edited Black-and-White Conversion with black points and white points
as you see some white, back off until there’s just a tiny speck. Release Opt/Alt to set the white point. Go to the Blacks slider and hold down Opt or Alt as you move it to the left. The clipping preview will be completely white. As the slider moves left, small areas of black will appear. When you start to see black, back off until there are just a few black pixels showing. That’s your black point. Build drama by using the rest of the tools at your command; readjust the black and white points as a final step in the conversion process.
2 TRAINING: IMAGING
WRECK TECH IN POST THREE TIPS FOR EDITING WRECK PHOTOS TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ERIN QUIGLEY reck photos are rich with all kinds of form, texture and gritty, scratchy detail, and they hold up surprisingly well in less-than-ideal conditions. Use these tips to make your wreck images pop in post.
W
1
Do black-andwhite right. Wreck photos shot
with ambient light are excellent subjects for black-and-white images. Unfortunately, the default grayscale conversions in Lightroom and Photoshop produce lackluster results. A dramatic blackand-white photo must have clean black and pure white somewhere in the picture. Add punch to your shot by SCUBADIVING.COM
setting real black and white points using the clipping previews in Lightroom or ACR (Adobe Camera Raw). In the Basic Panel, hold down Opt (Mac)/Alt (PC) while moving the Whites slider to the right. At fi2 rst, the clipping preview will be completely black, but as the slider moves right, areas of white will appear. As soon MAY 2016 / 26
Add contrast and texture using Clarity and Dehaze. Clarity is a slider that when applied in a positive amount, makes images appear crisper and more dimensional. Applied in a negative amount, it creates a soft-focus effect. Unlike the Contrast slider, Clarity targets only the midtones, increasing contrast in the big juicy middle of the image while protecting the brightest and darkest parts of the photo from clipping. A heavy hand on the Clarity slider can result in a noticeably “crunchy” picture, so use a light touch when applying it globally from the Basic panel. Clarity applied selectively to the image by using multiple brushes and/or filters is
LOGBOOK
| 1843 |
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN : This Gothic opera follows a cursed sea captain on a never-ending voyage.
Dehaze creates a fadinginto-the-gloom effect.
SHUTTERSTOCK
3
often more effective than a single, big global pass. The Dehaze slider in the Effects panel of Lightroom CC and ACR adds or removes atmospheric haze. Before using Dehaze globally on a color image, set the white balance since Dehaze tends to exaggerate undesirable color casts in underwater images.
Another way to use Dehaze is selectively. It can be applied locally with an Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter or Radial Filter to add emphasis and intensity where it’s needed. Try using both Clarity and Dehaze on the same brush or filter to super-texturize a blackand-white wreck shot. Applied in a negative amount,
SCUBADIVING.COM
Add Grain to unify the image ater editing. Photographers don’t usually add noise to their images, but adding grain helps to unify texture. The Spot Removal Tool in Lightroom and ACR can leave behind telltale edge artifacts. Likewise, the Healing, Cloning and Content Aware Fill tools in Photoshop can blur, smudge or granulate pixels. Adding a small amount of grain camouflages clunky edits and increases apparent sharpness for printing. Three Grain sliders are in the Develop Module Effects Panel of Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. When the Amount slider is set to zero, the other two sliders are inactive,
MAY 2016 / 27
so decide how much grain to add by first moving the Amount slider to the right. Zoom into an edited area and add just enough grain so the edits aren’t disrupting the texture. The Size slider controls how big or small the individual grains are, while the Roughness slider varies the virtual texture of the grain. You can toggle the Grain effect on and off by clicking the small “switch” in the upper left corner of the Effects panel. I find that Grain settings Amount 9, Size 9 and Roughness 10 often work for me. Don’t ask me why, they just do. » Erin Quigley is an Adobe ACE-certified digital-imaging consultant and an award-winning shooter. GoAskErin.com provides custom tutorials and one-on-one instruction for the underwater photographic community.
THE WRECK ISSUE
M E TA L M A D N E S S
Rest in Peace SALEM EXPRESS SAFAGA , R E D S E A , E GY P T
It’s always sad to do a dive in this wreck, a ferry that sank in 1991 with nearly 500 passengers aboard. Once you swim around the wreck and see all the personal belongings, it gives you a chill. This shot was taken from the bridge, using only natural light to capture a diver swimming by outside, exploring the wreck. PHOTOGRAPH ER
Noam Kortler CAMERA GEAR Nikon D2X; Seacam housing; Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom lens set on 10mm S ET T I N GS f /8, 1/50 sec, ISO 100
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 28
RG
LA Y
KE
The Florida Keys Wreck Trek is a series of challenging dives on some of the most amazing shipwrecks in the universe. From the 510’ Spiegel Grove off Key Largo to the recently scuttled 524’ missile-tracking USS A Vandenberg in Key West, it’s a must for any AD OR AM L IS diver’s (or captain’s) log. N THO A fla-keys.com/diving/wrecktrek K E Y W E S T R A M S
O
Wreck Trek. The final frontier.
BIG PINE KEY & THE LOWER KEY
Dive Key West, Inc. Keys’ Premiere Dive Center. Our 45th year. Dive “The Vandenberg”! Custom dive and lodging packages. 800-426-0707 or 305-296-3823 divekeywest.com
Marina Del Mar Resort & Marina, Key Largo Pet friendly room & suites on deep water marina. Free light cont’l breakfast. 800-451-3483 or 305-451-4107 marinadelmarkeylargo.com
Florida Keys Dive Center, Islamorada PADI 5 star CDC. Diving REEFS & WRECKS of Key Largo, Islamorada & Pennekamp park. 800-433-8946 or 305-852-4599 floridakeysdivectr.com
Dive Into History, Islamorada Join the Diving Museum for TREASURE & family fun June 11-12, details on website. 305-664-9737 divingmuseum.org
Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, Key Largo Waterfront rooms, pool, beach, scuba/snorkel instr. & boat charters. 3nts/2dive pkg from $345 ppdo. 305-451-3595 or 800-426-6729 amoray.com
Postcard Inn Beach Resort and Marina at Holiday Isle, Islamorada A newly refreshed, 143 room resort offering a nostalgic beach vacation feel. 800-667-2510 or 305-664-2321 holidayisle.com
Key Largo Bay Marriott Beach Resort Escape to paradise featuring endless blue skies, fishing, diving and more! 855-410-3911 keylargobaymarriott.com
Hall’s Diving Center & Career Institute, Marathon Beautiful Wreck and Reef diving. Lessons for starters and Career Training for professionals. Great fun at Hall’s. Come see us. 800-331-4255 or 305-743-5929 hallsdiving.com
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 1980 |
THE BLUE LAGOON : Stranded on an island after a shipwreck, two children must learn the
TRAINING: DIVE HACKS
BIGGER IS BETTER TO BEST EXPERIENCE ORISKANY, TAKE ADVICE FROM THE LOCALS BY ERIC MICHAEL
SHIP LIFE Robert Turpin, manager of Escambia County’s Marine Resources, surveys the marine life clinging under a radar mount that’s found at 99 feet.
SAFETY STOP
INSETS: DAVID BENZ (5); MARKA/ALAMY. ILLUSTRATIONS, FROM LEFT: ARTTOMEDIA; BRENDA WEAVER (2)
Divers ascend from exploring the 62-foot control tower, or Island. The openings below them are the top of the ship’s exhaust stack, which is in roughly 95 feet of water. Oriskany was the last of the WWIIera Essex class of carriers.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 30
lessons of life and love on their own in this coming-of-age tale.
U-869 Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA LOA 252 feet DEPTH 230 feet
TOP O’ THE WRECK The top of the Island is in approximately 84 feet of water (the flight deck is at roughly 145 feet); in the bottom foreground is the radar mount, pictured at left.
Wreck expert John Chatterton uncovered the knife that proved the “U-Who” was the U-869; his book Shadow Divers details a ghostly veil of silt shrouding the control room, captain’s quarters and oicers’ quarters. He finds evidence including torpedoes lying in storage and china detailed with swastikas and eagles. Divers should beware of entanglements here.
HIDEY-HOLE Oriskany’s mast was shorn to avoid it being a navigational or diver hazard. It took only 36 minutes for the Mighty O to land on its keel on the Gulf of Mexico sea bottom (212 feet).
SS Gunilda Rossport, Ontario, Canada LOA 195 feet DEPTH 262 feet
he superlatives don’t even come close: the world’s largest artificial reef, the Mighty O, the Great Carrier Reef. The USS Oriskany — the 911-foot granddaddy of purpose-sunk wrecks — is a national treasure for American divers. Scuttled exactly 10 years ago, in May 2006, the former Essex-class U.S. Navy aircraft carrier was launched in 1945, and survived action during the Korean and Vietnam wars before finding its final berth in 212 feet of water 22 miles south of Pensacola, Florida. It’s one of three divable aircraft carriers in the world — along with the USS Saratoga at Bikini Atoll and the HMS Hermes in Sri Lanka — but unmatched in size and history. Oriskany is a bucket-list dive for wreck lovers, but due to its immense length (the main deck is >
T SWIM FOR IT Some openings were cleaned of potential hazards, making excellent swim-throughs. The Navy spent more than three years and $20 million preparing Oriskany to become an artificial reef.
Named one of the world’s best-preserved wrecks, this 1897 steelhulled ship was the era’s equivalent of a personal jet, serving the Harkness family in luxury until it hit McGarvey Shoal. Upright, it’s intact, with masts, skylights, rudder, portholes, anchor booms, and gold-leafing on the bowsprit and scrollwork. DO -OVER Even the wiring of the mast light remains.
GO DEEPER PAGE 37
» SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 31
THE WRECK ISSUE At 911 feet long, Oriskany is one of the world’s largest artificial reefs. A veteran of two wars, the aircraft carrier served for 26 years.
FP01SUMI
BLACK
BLUE
WWW.ISTSPORTS.COM 1 800 298 2688 info@istdivingsystem.com
Prepare to be amazed For Price, the experience is equal parts awe and joy. “One’s first dive to the control tower, called ‘the Island,’ is unforgettable,” he says. “For recreational divers it can be intimidating, but for most, once they are on the wreck itself, that gives way to wonder. Watching it materialize out of blue water on the way down is breathtaking.” “The superstructure was prepped for divers,” Freeland says. “The vast
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 32
majority of insulation and wiring were removed so as not to create entanglement hazards. Many doorways were welded open, and some additional egress points were cut into many of the rooms of the superstructure, all in an effort to make the superstructure safer for divers.” Oriskany has also become a beacon for marine life, which frequents the wreck in large numbers — and sizes. “I knew even before it went down that the sheer size of the wreck would lend itself to becoming its own ecosystem,” says Freeland, who watched the ship sink and was one of the first divers to explore it. “The wreck was immediately populated with bottomdwelling and reef fish, and it wasn’t long before the pelagics found it. It is not uncommon to see whale sharks and manta rays.” Plan an appropriate proile Because of Oriskany’s massive scale, regional operators from Pensacola to Alabama have created and adhere to specialized dive plans to ensure safety. “We treat the wreck as you would a wall in the Caribbean — bottomless diving,” says Freeland. “Unless you’re properly trained and equipped, you just don’t go to the bottom.” “Using the control tower to orient oneself is key,” says Price. “It is a large structure, but with the consistently good visibility, you can usually see most of it all at once.”
ARTTOMEDIA
NEON YELLOW
over three football fields long), towering profile (the tower alone is 62 feet tall) and serious depth (even the flight deck is beyond recreational limits), it’s not an adventure to be taken lightly. You wouldn’t climb Mount Everest on a whim. And you shouldn’t attempt the Mighty O without specific practical and time-earned advice from those who know it best: the locals. “It is massive,” says Kerry Freeland of Dive Pros Pensacola. According to the veteran instructor who has made more than 60 dives on the wreck: “The most common reaction for first-time Oriskany divers is awe. Most have never been on a wreck so large, and with so much to see, it never gets old.” “I love its scale,” says Florida Department of State underwater archeologist Franklin Price. “It is larger than life, and there is a special excitement that comes with seeing something that is one-of-a-kind.”
“We suggest people do not leave the superstructure so the wreck is easy to navigate,” Freeland says. “Probably the biggest challenge for rec divers, aside from managing their depth, is managing air consumption. The visibility is usually from 60 to 100 feet, so it’s easy to exceed your planned depth. The flight deck is at 145 feet, and it seems like everyone wants to go there, but any time you dive to these depths, gas management is imperative.” Price’s favorite route is a tour around the Island, which includes “a great swim-through into the primary flight-control room, then continuing down the structure to my maximum depth below the flag bridge before returning up the outside of the Island.” According to Freeland, the Island harbors enough attractions to keep divers enthralled for multiple dives. “As you drift down the mooring line, the first thing to come into view is usually the distinct grated covering of the smokestack. Follow it forward to a rectangular antenna platform, and
on the starboard side hanging from the signal yard arm, you will see an American flag above a POW/MIA flag, which are both usually swaying in the current. From there, descend down to the pilothouse canopy, where you can peer into the odd-shaped windows. If you penetrate here, you can follow a stairwell down to the next level or the flag bridge, where you have an unobstructed view out the windows to the flight deck below. Swim outside these windows and circumnavigate the superstructure. Look for mementos left by other divers. There is a sculpture of a sea turtle, a fireman’s helmet, a ship’s bell and numerous caches of offerings to King Neptune.” Resist the urge Maintaining a sense of caution is Freeland’s best advice. A wreck of this size and depth means you can get yourself into trouble. “I believe the depth has been a deterrent to many who consider penetrating and no doubt has saved
some lives,” he explains. “The hangar-bay doors are a mere 30 feet beyond the flight deck, but as you look into this massive, cavelike maw of an opening that beckons you into the interior of the hull, you realize you are 175 feet under the ocean on your single aluminum 80, and it is probably not a good idea to go inside. “Probably the biggest challenge is a penetration of the hangar bays,” Freeland continues. “These spaces were not cleaned of insulation and wiring, so there are many entanglement opportunities inside the hull. Exhaust bubbles alone are enough to loosen rust from the ceiling and create a silt-out, so lines are a must.” For Price, the inherent dangers of this advanced wreck dive are worth the mitigated risks. “This dive should be on every diver’s bucket list,” he says. “When you finally get there, take the time to savor the experience, because it really is beautiful down there. Where else can you dive on a 911-foot-long aircraft carrier?”
THE WRECK ISSUE
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 34
M E TA L M A D N E S S
Living Bull’s-Eye IR O M A R U PA LAU
Toward the end of our dive, my buddy descended on this school of jacks as they began circling the Iro Maru. Instead of trying to get a picture, he decided to sit back and enjoy the show. This is what I’ve always believed: Don’t spend your time trying to get a picture if it means missing the moment. Don’t force it. If you are calm and relaxed, nature will come to you and show you the best it has to offer. P H OTO G RA P H E R
Aaron Wong CA M E RA G E A R Nikon D3;
Seacam housing; 16mm lens S E T T I N G S f /8, 1/80 sec, ISO 200
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 35
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 1997 |
TITANIC : With his story of star-crossed lovers set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of this
DRIVE AND DIVE
THUNDER BAY U.S. preserve in Michigan boasts dozens of accessible wrecks BY ER ICA BL A K E // P HOTO S BY A NDY MORRISON
panning 4,300 square miles from near the tip of Michigan’s “mitten” down to its “second knuckle,” Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary & Underwater Preserve is the largest federally funded effort in freshwater shipwreck preservation. It wasn’t always that big. The first time I visited Thunder Bay, it was 448 square miles of scuba diving adventure. It became one of my favorite Great Lakes dive sites because of the variety and quality of shipwrecks. Years later, on a recent return visit, I was greeted with diving that was just as I remembered — spectacular. And because there are dozens of shipwrecks within recreational limits, as well as many that fall within technical range, any level of diver will have plenty to see. Be warned: You’ll likely not have nearly enough time to take in all that Thunder Bay has to offer.
S
SHIPWRECK ALLEY Our first day aboard Blackdog Diving Charters was a rainy one. But as we told the patrons in John Boy’s Diner, “We’re going to get wet anyway.”
We made our way out to the Grecian, a steel bulk freighter that sank in 1906 while being towed for major repair. Visibility can reach as far as 80 feet in Thunder Bay, but on this morning, it was significantly less. What was lost in visibility was more than made up for in the 61-degree temperature, downright balmy for a Great Lakes dive. The first view of the Grecian is of its bow, with its signature anchor davit hanging empty. After some brief exploring, including the intact windlass, we swam over the mostly collapsed body of the 296-foot ship toward the stern and its propeller. Toward the stern, the Grecian regains some of its structure and offers divers an opportunity to drop down into some of its cargo holds. While penetrating the holds brings you closer to Grecian’s 105-foot resting depth, divers can easily enjoy this wreck hovering above the deck at about 70 feet. At either depth, the Grecian is a must-see wreck in Thunder Bay. Designated in 2000, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of 14 sites managed by the National
NEED TO KNOW
PRESQUE ISLE
WHEN TO GO The dive season in the Great Lakes usually begins in late May ALPENA Monohansett and lasts through early Monrovia October. Grecian THUNDER BAY DIVE CONDITIONS There NATIONAL are nearly 100 known LAKE MARINE HURON SANCTUARY Nordmeer
SCUBADIVING.COM
shipwrecks and dive sites in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, ranging from novice to technical level. The water is cold — it fluctuates between 35 and 65 degrees — so a drysuit is highly recommended. Visibility can range from 20 feet to 80 feet and beyond.
MAY 2016 / 36
OPERATORS Blackdog Diving Charters is run by Capt. Brian Anderson (CaptBrianAnderson@ yahoo.com). Air and nitrox fills and dive-gear rentals are available at Thunder Bay Scuba located in Alpena, as well as through Blackdog Diving Charters.
British cruise liner, James Cameron broke box-office records and the hearts of audiences worldwide.
M/S Zenobia Larnaca, Cyprus LOA 584 feet DEPTH 138 feet A glitch in the software sunk this Challengerclass car ferry on its maiden voyage in 1980. Water was pumped into the portside ballast tanks instead of pumped out. It’s an easy site to reach, lying less than a mile from shore and starting at 60 feet deep. It sunk with its entire cargo, mainly trucks, several of which remain on the top deck. DO -OVER A truck filled with oncefrozen animal bones lies on the lower car deck.
HMCS Saskatchewan Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Purpose sunk in 1997, this Mackenzie-class destroyer served the Royal Canadian navy amid threats of atomic bombs. Now, divers who cruise the interior will notice the roundedged walls designed for easy scrubbing should a nuclear event have occurred. DO -OVER A bowto-stern swimthrough can be done on a DPV.
The New Orleans (2) is broken in half, but otherwise mostly intact, in about 150 feet of water.
GO DEEPER PAGE 46
» SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 37
AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY (INSET); BRENDA WEAVER (ILLUSTRATIONS)
LOA 366 feet DEPTH 130 feet
THE WRECK ISSUE
Adventure awaits. 5 nights + 3 days of diving RIO GRANDE
Wyndham Rio Grand Mar Beach Resort
Monrovia is so large, it requires several dives to explore.
Rain Forest Adventure from $1,277 VIEQUES
W Retreat and Spa Bioluminescent Bay Adventure from $1,354 FAJARDO
El Conquistador Catamaran to Private Island from $985 LA PARGUERA
Parador Villa Parguera Snacks Onboard Boat from $514
800-328-2288 www.caradonna.com Rates are per person based on double occupancy and include roundtrip airport transfers (except for Parador Villa Parguera), hotel taxes and service charges. Rates do not include airfare, TH` YLX\PYL ZWLJPĂ&#x201E; J X\HSPĂ&#x201E; JH[PVUZ HUK HYL Z\IQLJ[ [V H]HPSHIPSP[` currency exchange and standard terms and conditions. Blackout dates, holiday surcharges and other restrictions may apply. *:6;
>(:6; -:6; :;
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Although at the time we visited it was the only sanctuary in the Great Lakes, Thunder Bay will likely be joined by a second designation in Lake Michigan off the coast of Wisconsin. The new 875-square-mile preserve would run between Port Washington and Two Rivers, Wisconsin. The areas were chosen because of their variety and sheer number of shipwrecks. In Thunder Bay, they range from ocean-faring freighters to wooden schooners â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all ships that met their fate in an area known as Shipwreck Alley. Of the bevy of wrecks in the preserve, two share a name. The ďŹ rst New Orleans is the oldest known shipwreck in Thunder Bay and lies in just 13 feet of water. The wooden paddle-wheel steamer ran aground in 1849, and local ďŹ shermen were able to rescue the passengers and crew. Little remains of the preserveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s matriarch ship, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a dive that canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be missed. Conversely, exploring the New Orleans (2) is exclusive to advanced divers. Located 10 miles off the Thunder Bay coast and 150 feet below the surface, this 230-foot bulk freighter joined Shipwreck Alley in 1906 after a collision with a steamer. The steamer survived, but left the New Orleans (2) split in half. Other than this battle wound, the ship is mostly intact. A steel freighter that spent much of its time in the oceans, the Monrovia sank in 1959 after a collision in dense fog while making its ďŹ rst â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and last â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 38
trip into the fresh waters of the Great Lakes. All crew were rescued, but the ship and its cargo of steel dropped about 140 feet to Lake Huronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bed. The ride to the Monrovia is lengthy, so we decided to spend two dives at the site. The vessel is 448 feet long, so we knew we had lots to explore. We descended on the ďŹ rst dive at midship and made our way toward the bow. The temperature on this wreck was about 41 degrees, much chillier than the Grecian but more in line with typical Great Lakes diving â&#x20AC;&#x201D; making me thankful I had on a drysuit. After exploring the cabin and crew quarters, we made our way up the line, a moment we shared with a school of lake trout. Although the Great Lakes are certainly teeming with ďŹ sh, the site of several hanging around the wreck was something new. On our second dive, we dropped down to the deck â&#x20AC;&#x201D; about 90 feet deep â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with a plan to drop into the engine room to see some of the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mechanics. Although a deck hatch allowed us in and several doorways led us out, only experienced divers should penetrate Monrovia. Sitting upright and mostly intact, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is a popular wreck in Thunder Bay and certainly lived up to its reputation.
SHALLOW TREASURES The next day, we decided to make the trek to the Nordmeer, which rests about 7 miles off Thunder Bay Island in 40 feet of water. I remember my ďŹ rst visit to the 470-foot steel
freighter nearly a decade earlier, when portions of it still could be seen above the water’s surface. When the ship was mistakenly run aground in 1966, much of its structure could be seen from land as it lay stranded. Although once a place for locals to picnic and Boy Scouts to camp, Nordmeer eventually succumbed to nearly five decades of harsh winters and layers of ice, and in 2009, the Nordmeer finally sank below the surface. Although there’s no more view of the ship from land, it is still a playground of mangled shapes covered in a carpet of algae underwater. Another of Thunder Bay’s shallow treasures is one that can be enjoyed just as much by a snorkeler or glassbottom-boat visitor. Although we were outfitted in our dive gear, we almost didn’t need to be; the Monohansett rests at a depth between 14 and 20 feet. In fact, by saving a little air on one of our deeper dives, we were able to squeeze in a lengthy dive — the third of the day on the Monohansett. Once a wooden steamer measuring nearly 165 feet in length, the Monohansett was all but destroyed in a 1907 fire. What remains — a colossal boiler, its propeller and the bottom portion of its hull, with nails clawing out of the wood — is truly a diving treat; most intact wrecks here are too deep to see in natural light. There is so much to explore in Thunder Bay, on land and under the waves. Whether getting wet or staying topside, both divers and nondivers will come away with a true appreciation of Great Lakes maritime history and this national treasure.
THUNDER BAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE Stop in Alpena at John Boy’s Restaurant for a breakfast buffet fit for a seaman. Keep the adventure going after diving by snorkeling a few of the wrecks right offshore, or stay dry and kayak over them.
DAY TWO A trip to the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center offers 9,000 square feet of exhibits, and an archaeo-
Blackdog at anchor just above the shallow remains of the wooden steamer Monohansett.
logical conservation lab and artifact gallery. Hosting about 60,000 visitors yearly, the center is open year-round except major holidays; hours vary by season. Afterward check out Burgies, where you can order a craft beer and a tasty side of crispy Brussels sprouts with mustard dipping sauce to go with signature burgers like the Taco Salad Burger or the Reuben Burger. (Burgies has plenty of turkeyburger options and other alternatives too.)
SCUBADIVING.COM
DAY THREE
NOW IN 3-D
There’s lots to explore on land here as well. In addition to the beaches lining Lake Huron, there are several state parks in the area. Island Park & Wildlife Sanctuary is a serene area within Alpena city limits where you can hike. Or drive a few miles north to Presque Isle, which has two historic and truly picturesque lighthouses. Take the time to seek them both out. You won’t be disappointed.
If you don’t have the chance to dive all of Thunder Bay’s awesome wrecks — and chances are you won’t — take a virtual tour on the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary website (thunderbay.noaa.gov). Managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the site has a plethora of information and includes 3-D tours of some of the preserve’s most popular shipwrecks.
MAY 2016 / 39
LOGBOOK
| 2003 |
GHOST OF THE ABYSS: James Cameron dives back into maritime history with his second film
TRAINING: LESSONS FOR LIFE
SAVE YOUR SELFIE TOO MUCH CONFIDENCE AND TOO LITTLE TRAINING END IN DISASTER FOR THIS ADVENTURE-SEEKING DIVER BY ERIC DOUGLAS
ill had lost sight of his dive buddy, but he wasn’t worried about it. He had finally reached the cargo hold of the wreck they were diving, and he was stoked to take a selfie to prove he had been there. Bill knew of only one other person who had been in that part of the wreck, and that diver was a legend. Bill wanted to be a legend too. He got the photo, but there was one problem: He wasn’t sure how to get back to the surface.
B
THE DIVER At age 33, Bill had been certified for a decade and tried to go diving a couple of
times a year. He hadn’t taken any advanced training courses, but he constantly read articles about diving and explorations. He dreamed of diving alongside those adventurers and was certain he could earn his spot on an expedition by proving he had “been there, done that.” He was in generally good health. THE DIVE The morning dawned cloudy and cool with light seas, but the charter boat was stable enough to handle the waves. It took a little more than an hour to reach the dive site, and Bill and his buddy, Tony, SCUBADIVING.COM
were the first team geared up and ready to enter the water when the boat crew gave them the go-ahead. The wreck rested in 120 feet of water, but Bill and Tony had no intention of descending all the way to the sand. They planned to penetrate the wreck from an opening on the main deck and make their way into the famed interior cargo hold. For them, it was like reaching Mount Everest. They were going to have to move quickly. They were both using a standard recreational diving setup, with a single aluminum 80-cubicfoot tank each. Because of MAY 2016 / 40
the limited bottom time, they planned to get in, take their selfies, and head back to the surface. THE ACCIDENT The dive began with no problems. After a brief buddy check, Bill and Tony descended quickly along the anchor chain, doing their best to control their breathing. They wanted to conserve their air so they had enough time to get their photos and return to the surface. They reached the wreck and quickly found the entrance to the inside passage that would lead them to the cargo hold. With a final OK, they took off inside the wreck. Bill was in the lead. Within moments, Tony lost sight of Bill. Tony had stopped to look down a passageway for a moment, and when he looked back, Bill was gone. Tony searched around for a few minutes, but he wasn’t willing to explore the wreck on his own, so he turned around and made his way back out of the ship. He waited several minutes near the passageway for Bill, and then made his ascent. Tony kept an eye on his watch at the surface. When Bill hadn’t ascended within the time they had planned, Tony alerted the captain that there might be a problem. Recovery divers were called in to help search for Bill. They finally found his body in the cargo hold. His tank was empty. ANALYSIS Bill’s oicial cause of death was drowning due to insufficient air, but the cause of the accident started several steps earlier, before the divers ever got in the water. Bill and Tony’s first mistake was planning a penetration dive without
MIKO MACIASZEK. OPPOSITE: SHUTTERSTOCK
THE WRECK ISSUE
based on the famed RMS Titanic — but this time, he ventures deep in the Arctic Ocean to give viewers a close look at what remains of the ship.
suicient breathing gas to do so. A basic rule of planning a dive like this is to use the Rule of Thirds: One third of your air is for the penetration; the second third is for your exit; the final third is held in reserve in case there is a problem. In a typical 3,000 psi scuba cylinder, that means turning a dive when the submersible pressure gauge reads 2,000 psi — at a minimum. The second mistake was neglecting to use any sort of line to help them find their way back out of the ship. Neither diver had any formal training in wreck penetration or entering overhead environments. Even though Bill read avidly about diving adventures, he didn’t know to leave a clear path to guide him out of the ship the same way he entered.
The third mistake was not aborting the dive when they became separated inside the wreck. Basic open water divers know that when buddies become separated, they should search for no more than a minute and then safely head to the surface to reunite. If it’s not practical to resume the dive after reconnecting because of time or depth, then it’s time to call the dive. We’ll never know why Bill didn’t abort the dive when he realized Tony wasn’t following him any longer. However, it is easy to imagine that Bill was so focused on his goal and getting a selfie that he didn’t even consider going to look for his buddy. Getting the photo was his primary concern. There are those who could safely make this dive
LESSONS FOR LIFE
1 PLAN ACCORDINGLY Plan for the dive you are doing, or make a dive you are prepared for. Entering an overhead environment without the proper equipment is a great way to get in trouble. 2 LEARN THE SKILLS Seek out the required training for diving in overhead environments before you attempt a penetration. 3 USE A SAFETY LINE Any time you are making a penetration dive, use a safety line attached to the outside so you can easily find your way out. 4 MIND YOUR BUDDY Agree with your buddy on a course of action should you become separated. Typically, that means searching on the bottom for a minute, and then making a controlled ascent to meet at the surface. 5 IGNORE YOUR EGO Don’t let aspirations of greatness cause you to take unnecessary risks. You can always make another attempt — as long as you survive the first one.
without a buddy, but those people have specialized training in solo diving techniques and carry along additional air to successfully complete the dive. Even if they were with a buddy, those divers would also have had a plan in the event that they became separated underwater. Bill and Tony were not these divers. Any time a goal becomes so important that you are willing to put aside accepted safety procedures and techniques — or it makes you unwilling to back off and try again later — you put yourself and your buddy at risk. » Eric Douglas co-authored the book Scuba Diving Safety, and has written a series of adventure novels, children’s books and short stories. Check out his website at booksbyeric.com and keep up with him on facebook at facebook.com/ ericdouglasauthor.
…AND SMALLER
Powerful
Simple
Reliable
THE WRECK ISSUE
Lighting The Way ROYAL NAVY WESSEX M K3 H ELI C O PT E R T I D E N H A M Q UA R RY, CH E P STOW, E N G L A ND
The water was clear on this day, having a bluish tint rather than the normal green. I was practicing offcamera remote-strobe lighting techniques and rigged up a strobe to the diver’s equipment that automatically triggered when my own flash went off. I liked the way the powerful beam reflected back from his mask. PHOTOGRAPH ER
Steve Jones CAMERA GEAR Nikon D700; Seacam housing; Nikkor 16mm fisheye lens; two Inon Z220 strobes connected to a remote slave trigger S ET T I N GS f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO 1600
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 42
M E TA L M A D N E S S
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 43
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 2005 |
THE DEEP : Diving for treasure leads to deep trouble in this action-packed thriller.
3 1
3 2
5
4 WRECK ROUNDUP
Sunken Stories NEW WRECKS SINK AND SURFACE AROUND THE WORLD BY NOELLE CAMPBELL
2 / URIBE 121
3 / RUSSIAN SOM
Location: Fourni Archipelago, Greece Type of Ship: Merchant vessels Depth: 10 feet to 180 feet Access: Not divable
Location: Baja California, Mexico Type of Ship: Patrol vessel Depth: 95 feet Access: Divable
Location: Baltic Sea Type of Ship: Submarine Depth: Undisclosed Access: Not divable
Archaeologists discovered a shipwreck museum of sorts last September: 22 ships within a 17-square-mile area. The earliest wreckage dates back to the Archaic Period (700-480 B.C.), and the latest comes from the Late Medieval Period (1500-1600 A.D.). While the ships themselves have disintegrated over the years, Greek and American archaeologists found clay jars that might yield information on Eastern Mediterranean trade routes of the time. The researchers will continue to explore the area, searching for more historical ships lost in the Aegean Sea.
Purpose-sunk to become an artificial reef, this former Mexican patrol vessel was downed of the coast of Rosarito Beach — the filming location of the blockbuster Titanic. After eight years of preparation and a successful sinking in November, the ship became the first artificial reef in the North Pacific, and the first addition to Rosarito Underwater Park’s artificial-reef system. The Mexican government is planning to add underwater sculptures and more purpose-sunk vessels near the Uribe, with a goal of promoting healthy ecosystems as well as ecotourism. Where the 220-foot warship once supported helicopters, it will now serve as a playground for divers and a coastal ecosystem to fish, coral and other marine life.
Swedish diving group Ocean X Team discovered the Russian “Catfish” submarine. The team located the sub after receiving the coordinates from Icelandic dive company Ixplorer. The Swedish military believes it was a WWI-era submarine that sank with its 18 crew members in 1916 after colliding with the Swedish steamship, Ångermanland. Som measures 66 feet long and 11 feet wide, completely intact, but the Swedish government is withholding the exact location and depth of the wreck.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 44
4 / USNS MISSION SAN MIGUEL Location: Maro Reef, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Type of Ship: Tanker Depth: 80 feet Access: Divable After years of searching, researchers at NOAA discovered this 524-foot U.S. Navy tanker in August 2015. The Mission San Miguel transported fuel during WWII and the Korean War, but its journeys ended in 1957 after hitting Maro Reef at full speed. All 42 crew members were rescued, but a lack of coordinates made it diicult to locate the tanker afterward. The ship is nestled in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
FROM LEFT: V. MENTOGIANIS; COURTESY NOAA
1 / FOURNI SHIPWRECKS
DIVE DEEPER
Take your skills to the next level with NAUI Worldwide, a leader in underwater education since 1960. Offering courses in free diving, nitrox diving, technical diving, wreck diving, search and rescue, and more, NAUI makes it easy to define your diving beyond the basics. Are you ready for your next challenge?
naui.org
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 2008 |
DIE GUSTLOFF : Joseph Vilsmaier’s two-part TV movie depicts the events of the sinking of
A DVA N C E D A DV E N T U R E
BATTLE STATIONS Still-loaded torpedoes on S-boats capable of screaming speeds, hulking ocean liners conscripted for war, and the daring exploits of cheeky destroyers — each wreck in the underwater panoply of battered but unbowed Malta has a riveting story to tell TEXT AND PHOTOS BY STEVE JONES
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 46
In the heat of WWII battle, the destroyer HMS Southwold was ripped in half by a mine explosion.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 47
A stream of water trails behind the bright orange buoy that marks our descent line: There will be current. We jump far upstream, yet any haste is made impossible by the 200 pounds of gear Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m carrying, and the buoy rushes past before I can grab it. Without wasting another second, I squeeze the trigger and my Suex Diver Propulsion Vehicle surges to life, powering me back to the line. A long handover-hand descent begins as the danger of overexertion lingers in my mind. Minutes later, we touch down on the seabed at 215 feet; before me, I see only a trail in the white sand where a massive shot-line weight has been dragged. There is no sign of the wreck. We attach a cave line to the rope and power up the DPVs, following the rut in the sand. Soon a colossal shadow reveals the SS Le Polynesien, one of Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most spectacular wrecks. Le Polynesien was a 6,373-ton French liner sunk by U-boat UC-22 on August 10, 1918, during the closing stages of World War I, killing 10. It was carrying Serbian troops at the time.
COURTESY WILHELMGUSTLOFF.COM (INSET)
Wilhelm Gustloff , a German passenger ship that suffered a Soviet submarine attack at the end of World War II.
THE WRECK ISSUE
Some 7 miles from Malta’s capital, Valletta, this large wreck lies on its port side with an intact hull. We’ve arrived on the wreck amidships and scooter toward the bow, viewing its spectacular superstructure on the way. A solitary gun stands upright among deck machinery, encrusted in marine growth. We loop around and head back toward the stern, where open holds and shafts beckon on this 498foot ship. In what seems like no time, we’ve reached our limit — even with 50 minutes at depth, we’ve explored only a fraction of the wreck. We head back to the line on which we’ll make our long decompression stops, drawing to a close a dive that has truly earned the description “epic.”
An Island Under Siege During World War II, Malta became one of the most bombed locations in history. Its position allowed the British Royal Navy and RAF to disrupt supply lines of Axis armies cutting their way through North Africa. Initial attacks from Italy were met with resistance, but the Italians were soon reinforced with highly capable German forces with a clear agenda: Neutralize Malta once and for all. As the siege intensified, the population starved. Short of ammunition and fuel, outnumbered Allied fighters took on hordes of enemy aircraft in a ferocious and unrelenting air war. Malta — one of the most bombed locations in history — has a host of WWII-era shipwrecks, including the S-31 Schnellboot (top) and the HMS Stubborn (right).
A DVA N C E D A DV E N T U R E
NEED TO KNOW When to Go Malta is divable year-round, with the weather more stable in the summer months. Dive Conditions Surface water temps climb to above 70 degrees in summer but remain cooler below the thermocline. Drysuits are essential on technical dives. Getting There Air Malta (airmalta.com) caters to divers, with very reasonable excess-baggage fees. Operator DiveWise (divewise.com.mt), TechWise (www.techwise .com.mt) Price Tag Four-dive packages start at $165, and TechWise offers packages for up to 10 dives. Gas and boat fees are added based on dive sites.
WHAT IT TAKES The wrecks of Malta lie at depths up to 235 feet, so advanced trimix certifications are needed. Divers must hold suitable recognized certifications. The best way to dive these wrecks is with technical dive centers, such as TechWise, which offer full support and training.
The key to Malta’s survival lay in getting supplies through; convoys were the lifeline. British and U.S. aircraft carriers made dangerous passages through the Axis-dominated Mediterranean to get within range to fly fighters onto the island. Cargo ships carrying food, fuel and ammunition were under constant attack that continued even after they made it to the harbor. Much of the legacy of the battle for Malta now lies in the clear blue waters that surround this island. In March 1942, with the siege at a peak, convoy MW10 steamed toward
Malta. It was spotted by an Italian battleship; rather than retreat, the vastly outgunned escorts attacked and, despite taking heavy damage, prevented the cargo from being intercepted. As a consequence, however, the convoy’s arrival was delayed until daylight hours, exposing it to air attack. HMS Breconshire was hit, and while the destroyer HMS Southwold attempted to tow the stricken tanker away from a British minefield, a mine exploded, killing five. Southwold’s hull then split in two while it was under tow. The two halves of the SCUBADIVING.COM
Southwold today make two separate dives nearly 1,000 feet apart. The bow lies on its starboard side in 225 feet of water; we start our exploration near the area where the ship was torn in two, a scene of complete devastation. We scooter ahead, passing the top of the recognizable bridge. The whole forward area of the ship is intact, with the main guns pointing straight toward the bow. A few days later we venture to the stern, which, at 235 feet, lies slightly deeper and is upright. Aside from the damage at the break, it’s in very good condition; our MAY 2016 / 49
first sight is the rear guns, still angled upward ready to fire, reminding us that this ship was at battle stations when it went down. Neatly arranged depth charges can be seen in their racks — amazingly, even the nameplate of the ship is still there. Dropping over the stern to the seabed, I arrive at the huge propellers, still attached, before our time constraints at this depth draw our visit to a close.
Dragon or Dinosaur During the massive renewed assault on Malta in 1942, the country’s fate hung in the balance. The surrender date — that day when fuel, food or ammunition would run out — was at times only weeks away. But as increasing numbers of deadly Spitfire fighters made it through, the air battle swung in favor of the defenders. As Axis aircraft losses increased, they concentrated their efforts on stopping the convoys. HMS Welshman was targeted by the Axis due to its success on supply runs to Malta. In May 1942, a flotilla of seven Schnellboots — fast torpedo boats — set off to sink the Welshman. While laying a minefield, the S-31 Schnellboot exploded, probably after detonating one of its own mines. Half of the crew of 26 lost their lives. A current-free descent reveals a wreck like no other I’ve seen, more like a dinosaur skeleton than a torpedo boat. The S-boats were built for speed, constructed of a mahogany outer hull and light metal frame, but the wood has long since rotted away, giving this one its distinctive appearance. It’s small — 115 feet — but at 215 feet
THE WRECK ISSUE
A DVA N C E D A DV E N T U R E
of depth and plenty to see, there’s no time to waste. Swimming down from the bow, we soon come across the huge portside torpedo tube, where an open door reveals a loaded torpedo. S-boats each had two of these 21-inch-diameter torpedo tubes, packing a mighty punch. Slightly aft of the torpedo tubes, we come to the scene of that catastrophic explosion. Ammunition cases lie scattered among numerous artifacts; we swim past barrels that are either oil drums or depth charges before coming to the engines. This craft had not one but three huge Daimlers, which provided 3,960 bhp to a ship that weighed only 102 tons, propelling it up to 38 knots. My buddy places my high-powered light inside the hull, making the wreck resemble a dragon’s head, breathing fire one last time.
Against All Odds The statistics say it all — 52 U.S., 79 British and a staggering 784 German submarines were lost in WWII, with little chance of any crew surviving a sinking. It’s a somber thought as we descend onto HMS Stubborn, a British S-class submarine, scuttled after the war. In the crystal-clear
An upside-down Beaufighter strike aircraft (opposite); divers used DPVs to explore the 498-foot wreckage of Le Polynesien (above).
water, we can see the deck stretch away to the bow — it’s easy to imagine the view the captain once had. Swimming forward along that deck, we come to the hydroplanes, which control a submarine’s pitch, or angle of the dive, in the water. In 1944, problems with the rear hydroplanes nearly brought about the end of this ship. Following an unsuccessful attack on a German convoy in Norway, its escorts retaliated with
36 depth charges, jamming Stubborn’s rear hydroplanes and sending it more than 390 feet down. It resurfaced twice, still under attack, before a third uncontrolled dive sent it beyond 490 feet, 190 feet past its maximum depth. It bounced off the seabed four times as 16 more depth charges exploded nearby. The attackers broke off, and the crew just managed to get the sub back to the surface, heavily damaged. As it made for home, its rudder disconnected, but Stubborn was true to its name and made it back. Now, 72 years later, we drop to the seabed at 180 feet, and the sleek,
5 TIPS FOR SHOOTING THE WRECKS OF MALTA 1 / Go wide These spectacular wrecks lie in clear water, so a fisheye lens such as the Nikkor 16mm or Canon 15mm is ideal. 2 / Use models Big wrecks need divers in the shots to give them scale. Coach your buddy before descent.
3 / Balance your lighting Strobe light has a range of only 10 feet, so wrecks are too big to illuminate fully with artificial light. Ensure you balance your lighting so the rest of the wreck is lit with natural light and not underexposed. 4 / Higher ISOs When
balancing natural light at these depths, a higher ISO setting will ensure the sensor is receptive to the lower levels of ambient light. 5 / Make a plan Time at depth is limited, so do your research beforehand and work out what you want to shoot.
SCUBADIVING.COM
WANT THE COMPLETE PACKAGE? Steve Jones used a Seacam housing and Nikon D4 with Nikon RS 13mm lens converted by Seacam. His model used the Orcalight; at 30,000 lumens, it’s among the most powerful battery-operated dive lights in the world.
MAY 2016 / 51
knife-edge bow comes into view, along with the forward torpedo tubes, three on each side, giving the wreck an aura of menace. It lies nearly upright with a slight list to starboard, which allows sunlight to bathe the port side, illuminating this well-preserved wreck. Stubborn’s career ended in Malta, scuttled as an anti-submarine-warfare target in 1946. Though the royal navy knew its location, it wasn’t until 1994 that it became known to divers. Malta’s siege ended in November 1942, as enemy air forces were diverted to support the North Africa campaign. If Malta had fallen, the Allies would have faced a much stronger, well-supplied opponent — these waters preserve the legacy of their little-known yet pivotal battle. The Maltese and their defenders stood against overwhelming odds at a time when all hope seemed lost. In 1942, Malta was awarded the George Cross by the United Kingdom, its highest civilian award for bravery — the only time the award has been given to an entire country.
THE WRECK ISSUE
Plumose Parade HM C S SASKATCHEWAN N A N A I M O, B R IT IS H CO LU M B I A
The Saskatchewan has long been one of my favorite dives in B.C. I was there for its sinking in 1997, and I’ve been back often. Though we’ve photographed the bow many times, this whimsical shot came to me on a rainy day in October 2015, when my wife, Melissa, emerged through a hatchway into the emerald gloom with impressive guns looming overhead. PHOTOGRAPH ER
Brandon Cole CAMERA GEAR Canon 5D Mark III; Seacam housing; Canon 8-15mm f4L fisheye lens, two Ikelite DS161 strobes S ET T I N GS f /9, 1/80 sec, ISO 1600
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 52
M E TA L M A D N E S S
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 53
THE WRECK ISSUE
M E TA L M A D N E S S
Gone Tomorrow FUJIKAWA M A R U TRUK LAGOON , C HUUK
This interestingly shaped compressor — appropriately nicknamed R2-D2 — is deep inside the engine room of the WWII shipwreck Fujikawa Maru. Silt and particles dislodged by bubbles are always a problem when shooting wrecks on open circuit, so I worked as fast, yet as carefully, as I could. Unfortunately, there is a lot of collapsed debris now on this wreck, and it is probably unwise to penetrate to R2-D2 today. P H OTO G RA P H E R
Todd Winner CA M E RA G E A R Nikon D2X; Nexus housing; Tokina 1017mm fisheye set on 13mm; two Ikelite 200 strobes S E T T I N G S f /4, 1/125 sec, ISO 100
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 54
THE WRECK ISSUE HMS Hermes Batticaloa, Sri Lanka LOA 600 feet DEPTH 174 feet Only when Sri Lanka’s civil war subsided in 2009 was this aircraft carrier open to divers, leaving it relatively unexplored since the 1942 bombing that led to the loss of the ship and 307 lives. Now on its port side, it retains details like intact glass in the control tower, bow guns still aiming skyward, and anchors. DO -OVER Shell casings still lie near the bow guns, evidence of the final struggle.
W H AT I T ’ S L I K E
BY CMDR. XERXES HERRINGTON II, EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF KITTIWAKE AS TOLD TO BROOKE MORTON
hadn’t anticipated my nerves. Not since her 1994 decommissioning had I laid eyes on Kittiwake. I fear I won’t recognize her, now underwater in Grand Cayman. So many mothballed ships are cut and sold as scrap metal. How much of Kittiwake would be missing? I swim irst to the mess hall. The tables are gone, and yet I see a Thanksgiving dinner from decades past with my other family, my crew family. Because it was the largest room, we also held trainings and lectures here. Now onto the wardroom, aka the oicers’ mess, home to morning meetings. I also remember hosting commanding oicers from the squadron, setting out place mats with embroidered submarine dolphins. We’d
I
wanted to show those guys that we knew how to live. Ah, my stateroom. They didn’t leave my rack. (That’s what we called our beds.) I’m not able to lay down and take a nap! That’s upsetting. But my mirror is still here. I in through hallways, overcome by memories. I passed through these corridors every day at 2 a.m. for walk-throughs. Now I’m doing it alongside angelish and silversides. What’s most surprising is seeing the hyperbaric chamber. Those are extremely expensive. Maybe it’d gone past its life and that’s why it remains on board. The diving bell! A big bell like that can withstand pressure very deep when sealed. We’d lower it all the way down on top of a submarine, our guys would pump SCUBADIVING.COM
out water, and men could exit the submarine into the diving bell. Then they’d flood the bottom and lit it with the men inside. The real diving bell is gone; what we see here is a substitute. As I take a inal lap on Kittiwake, I’m struck by a familiar feeling. I recall running one night through fog from Nova Scotia, Canada, to Connecticut. On deck, I looked out across the sea — I can see as far through this water as I could through that fog! Time is up. During my ascent, I watch the ship recede from view and realize I’m proud. She sailed her whole life. Now she has a second life — one where people will learn her story. I’m thankful. She is extremely recognizable. That’s Kittiwake. She looks just like I remembered.
MAY 2016 / 55
USS Perry Angaur island, Palau LOA 314 feet DEPTH 240 feet The water surrounding this Clemson-class destroyer sunk in 1944 is so clear that the ship is visible from the surface — a boon to its discovery by one of the survivors in conjunction with a local dive shop. It lies on its port side, ripped in two thanks to a mine collision. Otherwise, it’s in prime condition: Bow guns, propeller and minesweeping gear remain.
GO DEEPER PAGE 57
»
FROM TOP: WILLIAM STOHLER; COURTESY XERXES HERRINGTON; BRENDA WEAVER (ILLUSTRATIONS)
To Dive the Ship You Served On
THE WRECK ISSUE
GET TO KNOW JOE BORN: Avalon, N.J. LIVES: Key West, Florida DAY JOB: President, Artificial Reefs International (arireefs.com) SHIPS SUNK: Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tug, Key West; Vandenberg, Key West; Mohawk, Lee County, Florida; Annapolis, Gambier Island, BC MOONLIGHTING: Wreck Racing League, The Sinking World of Andreas Franke, Wicked Dolphin Sunken Barrel Rum STUNTMAN: Sailed from Key West to Cuba in a catamaran seven times BUCKET LIST: Bikini Atoll, Antarctica, Zanzibar
Weatherby aboard the Ingham, a floating museum and National Historic Landmark.
SS Maidan Marsa Alam, Egypt PROFILE
LOA 500 feet DEPTH 394 feet
BY ERIC MICHAEL PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE KAMPER
J
oe Weatherby is the P.T. Barnum of wreck-makers. Not only does the president of Artificial Reefs International transform retired military ships into thriving ecosystems, but he knows how to keep them alive in the minds of divers with creative events and promotions. “People spend money to sink an artificial reef, and then they never advertise or market it or do anything with it,” says Weatherby. “That’s why we get into the art projects, the DPV racing, the underwater rum and all the crazy, wacko stuf that we’ve been doing all these years. It keeps people interested in coming down to our projects and having a little fun — and the results speak for themselves.” Successful sinking projects such as Key West’s Vandenberg, Mohawk of Fort Myers, Florida, and Annapolis in British Columbia are testament to Weatherby’s prowess at saving historic vessels by preparing them with diver access in mind, and his success at preserving historical elements such as propellers, guns and radar dishes. “Fish can’t tell the diference between a ship or a shopping cart, but people can,” says the longtime resident of Key West. “People won’t come to Florida from England to go diving on shopping carts, but they will to dive on a cool, famous ship. If you’re not going to make it interesting, you might as well be sinking shopping carts.” Since his introduction to the artificial-reef-making process
from the ’80s through the hard-won 13-year Vandenberg project, Weatherby has been steadily improving his craft and expanding his scope with one goal in mind. “My job is to make sure that there’s lots of fish, lots of recreational fishing, and lots of scuba diving,” he says. “I see artificial reefs as proactive environmentalism. I drank the KoolAid, man. I’m a true believer.” Part rabble-rouser, part peacemaker and all-around motivating force, Weatherby’s progress from dive-boat captain
I SEE ARTIFICIAL REEFS AS PROACTIVE ENVIRONMENTALISM. I DRANK THE KOOL-AID, MAN. I’M A TRUE BELIEVER. to world-class reefer hasn’t been nearly as direct as the path the ships he sinks take to the bottom. DESTINED TO DIVE Fueled by TV heroes such as Jacques Cousteau and Mike Nelson, Weatherby dreamed of discovering lost shipwrecks as a boy, but his dad wouldn’t spring for scuba lessons. “I moved to Key West in October 1985, about five months after Mel Fisher found the mother lode. I was in my early 20s, so this was the stuf of wild imagination, and I landed right SCUBADIVING.COM
in it,” says Weatherby. “The first thing I did was buy 50-dollars’ worth of scuba-diving equipment. It was an old Conshelf brass regulator, a steel 72 with a K valve, and a backpack with traditional webbing — no horse collar though.” The transaction was followed by his first breath underwater, in the pool at the Key West Ocean Key House. “I remember putting my face in the water, but I just couldn’t make myself take a breath out of the regulator,” he recalls. “When I finally breathed in, I swam to the bottom, and I’ve been at the bottom of the pool ever since. Never looked back.” Weatherby eventually turned his passion for diving into a day job captaining dive and snorkel boats, and soon opened his own operation, which provided his introduction to reef-making. “One day, we ‘found’ a wreck out there on the reef. It’s now called Joe’s Tug,” Weatherby says with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “We kept it secret for about a year, but soon people saw pictures of the wreck and they started following our boats. Very early on, I recognized the economic activity and the positive environmental impact from artificial reefs. It’s nothing short of profound.” The fuse had been lit.
DO -OVER No penetration required to witness the name on the bow, lifeboats and a 10-ton anchor.
THAT SINKING FEELING The Vandenberg project took 13 years to complete. In 1996, Weatherby started with a menu of nearly 400 decommissioned
WANT MORE WRECKS TO BOOST YOUR ADRENALINE? GO TO SCUBADIVING.COM/ TEC-WRECKS
MAY 2016 / 57
RMS Empress of Ireland Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer, Quebec, Canada LOA 570 feet DEPTH 40 feet
Don’t let the 40-foot depth fool you. Start with frigid waters, and add swift and unpredictable currents in the Saint Lawrence River. This 1906 ocean liner holds infinite possibilities for penetration. But the vessel, now on its starboard side, is deteriorating; visit with a local guide.
GO DEEPER
BRENDA WEAVER (ILLUSTRATIONS)
MAN OF STEEL
RABBLE-ROUSER, PEACEMAKER, FOLKSY CHARMER AND IRRESISTIBLE FORCE OF NATURE, JOE WEATHERBY HAS A PASSION FOR SINKING SHIPS AND SAVING OUR SEAS
This 1912 steamer, a troop transport vessel in World War I, wasn’t on the dive map until 2003. At its location of Rocky Island’s south side, it enjoys some of the clearest water in the Red Sea, making it easy to inspect the wire coralcovered bow and inside the hull. Only a few tec divers visit the site each year, making it among Egypt’s leastdocumented wrecks.
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOGBOOK
| 2013 |
Ang Lee’s Life of Pi — the story of a boy and a Bengal tiger discovering the nature of belief
Explosives heralded Vandy’s journey to the bottom May 27, 2009. The sinking created a temporary mirage of its own atoll (bottom).
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE A Florida Keys local for more than 30 years, Joe Weatherby says Key West’s bestkept secret of interest to divers is the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham. Now a floating museum and National Historic Landmark, the Ingham is a sister ship to Keys wrecks Bibb and Duane, and offers an unparalleled dry-run preview for divers who want to challenge those renowned Key Largo artificial reefs. Plus, it offers experienced fans of those ships a chance at a whole new perspective on them. For information, go to uscgcingham.org.
Campbell, marine project manager for Lee County. “It’s a great fishery habitat and a great place to dive. Plus, it’s a historic monument that is going be in our waters forever.” Most recently, Weatherby contributed to the sinking of the 370-foot Annapolis of Gambier Island in British Columbia, Canada. There’s always a next project in the works for Weatherby, but he isn’t a “sink ’em and leave ’em” type. His current endeavors revolve around creating continued interest — and tourism traic — for his wrecks in novel ways.
Artificial Reefs International was launched more than 30 years ago to create a cross-functional team approach to sinking ships. The team has handled project design, operations management, fundraising, environmental remediation, media relations, marketing, deployment and risk management for landmark ventures, including Vandenberg, Mohawk and Annapolis, since its founding. In addition, ARI has received a number of awards, including the Society of American Travel Writers Phoenix Award and the 2013 Region 13 Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Most recently, ARI launched its nonprofit arm — Artificial Reefs International Preservation Trust. For more information, go to arireefs.com.
ships. The Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a former troop transport and then missile-tracking ship, ofered compelling features such as two massive radar dishes and more than 13,000 tons of potential. What Weatherby describes as an “odyssey” of fundraising, troubleshooting, hand shaking and house cleaning culminated with the crack of 42 explosive charges in 2009. “I learned a lot of big, expensive lessons,” he says. “First of all, I learned a lot about methodology and management — about how you do these things the right way. I learned the value of quality artificial reefs, and what that means for economic return.” “Joe was able to execute a much more technical sinking plan that required him to be innovative, to develop SCUBADIVING.COM
a technology that had never really been done before to place that ship in a surgical way at the bottom of a marine sanctuary,” says Dave Sirak, an Orlando, Florida, TV news producer and Vandenberg volunteer. “Everything from the streamlined cleaning of the ship to the testing of the scale model that was sunk hundreds of times — his innovation is of the chart.” Weatherby soon took those hard-earned best practices to Lee County, Florida, where he led the preparation and 2012 sinking of the 165-foot World War II veteran Mohawk, 28 miles west of Fort Myers Beach. In very little time, each of these reefs has become a lucrative draw for travelers and locals alike. “The Mohawk is definitely a success,” says Mike MAY 2016 / 58
THE GREATEST SHOW BENEATH THE SEA According to Weatherby, “sink it and they will come” is true only for fish. To maximize massive investments, artificial reefs must be marketed and promoted after they are created to generate sustained economic benefit. “I firmly believe that artificial reefs need to be looked at as pure economic development,” he says. “My motivation is to help the oceans and promote tourism.” To continue the momentum created by the wellpublicized sinking events for Vandenberg and Mohawk, Weatherby and his cohorts got creative. The Wreck Racing League, which began with the Vandenberg Underwater Grand Prix in 2009, has hosted DPV races across Florida and in Italy, and has spawned a moving annual event at Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs to benefit wounded veterans learning adaptive scuba. The Sinking World, a series of installations on
FROM TOP: STEPHEN FRINK COLLECTION/ALAMY; DAVID DOUBILET/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE. OPPOSITE: AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY
TEAMWORK
while stranded in a lifeboat for 227 days after a shipwreck — takes four Academy Awards, out of 11 nominations.
artificial reefs by Austrian artist Andreas Franke, has adorned Vandenberg, Mohawk and Stavronikita in Barbados; new installations are planned for a decommissioned oildrilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico and to-be-determined wrecks in North Carolina. And then there’s Weatherby’s most over-the-top stunt to date: sinking barrels on wrecks to make rum. “You’ve heard of the Angel’s Share, or the Devil’s Cut. It’s the product that soaks into the barrel while they’re aging whiskey,” he says. “Well, this is Poseidon’s Part. We take used rum-aging barrels, fill them up with distilled water, swim them down to the wreck, and hide them in there for a little while. The pressure squeezes the residual rum out of the wood and into solution in the distilled
are very good at doing artificial reefs, and they’re also very necessary to make sure they’re done right,” Weatherby says. “But you know who’s missing? A salesman. That’s what these things need to be more successful. No other business would spend money on an asset and then just not market it.”
water in the barrel. Then, we bring it up and make Vandenberg- and Mohawk-flavored rums. We worked with Fort Myers’ Mike Campbell and Wicked Dolphin Distillery and made hundreds of bottles. People lined up around the block, and they sold it all in 45 minutes for the benefit of artificial-reef programs.” “Anybody who works with Joe on a project should know that it’s going to be successful and that it’s going to be a lot of fun,” says frequent conspirator Sirak. “He negotiates relationships and friendships seamlessly, and brings people in just by his quick wit and engaging personality. It makes you want to do whatever he’s doing.” “A typical artificial-reef project is run by a fisheries biologist and a state environmental regulator. These guys
RETURN ON INVESTMENT The future of the reef is metallic, in Weatherby’s mind. Besides the proven economic benefits, reefing ships ofers hope for struggling marine environments around the world. “There’s no good news coming from the reef, man,” he says. “This isn’t theory anymore. The jury is not out. The results are in. We’ve been studying artificial reefs for 50 years. It’s time for more of them.”
Weatherby’s relationships with environmental groups such as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are helping to encourage more research on the ecological benefits of artificial reefs. Recreational divers ofer anecdotal evidence every time they spot a whale shark on Mohawk, or a manta ray on Vandenberg. “Every single bit of research that I’ve seen says that artificial reefs are good medicine for the ocean, especially properly conceived ones,” Weatherby explains. “I think that if people can be exposed to marine life in this kind of way, it’s something that impacts them and changes their thinking. That moment when the light comes on. I see that look on people’s faces — that’s what we’re going for.”
Behold! It’s BIGGER Down Here! EXUMA CAYS FROM $995
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DIVING
WRECKS, REEFS & WALLS FROM $592!
3 DAYS/4 NIGHTS UNLIMITED BOAT DIVING 4 nights waterside room at Pelican Bay Hotel All scheduled dives-2 tank, 1 tank, shark, dolphin and night dives. $749 pp *Dbl occupancy only/VAT of 7.5 % not included Valid: Now – June 1st, 2016
Book now to enjoy all inclusive diving, hotel, meals and drinks at the beautiful Melia Nassau Beach Resort, located on famous Cable Beach! Book 4 days, 3 nights and and 2 days of AM 2-Tank dives at Stuart Cove’s from ONLY $966 pp/dbl. Oct 31st to Dec 22nd, 2016. Conditions & black-out dates apply. Email: info@stuartcove.com
Adventure Live-Aboard Up to 19 dives per week Including Shark Dive! 6 nights all inclusive Great Camaraderie.
1-800-992-DIVE(3483) info@unexso.com www.unexso.com
800-879-9832 www.stuartcove.com
blackbeard-cruises.com 800-327-9600
EXUMA CAYS in Style
LIVEABOARD DIVING AT ITS BEST
Spacious Private Cabins Gourmet Meals Up to 26 dives per week Including Shark Dive Eco Adventures Daily
6 days of diving, 7 nights, 4 dives per day + night dive, all meals, 8 guests in 4 double Cabins. Exuma Cays (Sep-May), Conception Island (Jun-Aug) 6 & 10 day Excursions are available
SEA DRAGON
www.bahamas.com/scubadiving
Bahamas aquacatcruises.com 888-327-9600
The Islands Of The Bahamas.
954-522-0161 www.seadragonbahamas.com seadragonbahamas@hotmail.com
Photo: David Benz ©
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 59
THE WRECK ISSUE
Paint It Black GIA NN IS D S H A’A B A B U N U H A S , R ED S E A , E GY P T
It was my second dive of the day, so the sun was too high for the shot that I had in mind. There were a lot of divers on the scene too. Finally, after an hour diving around the wreck, I found this point of view that spoke to me. I decided to use blackand-white for this to get more contrast between the shadows of the wreck and the sun’s rays. PHOTOGRAPH ER
Jordi Benitez CAMERA GEAR Canon 7D; Nauticam housing; Tokina 10-17mm lens set on 100mm; and 4-inch Saga Dive dome S ET T I N GS f /8, 1/30 sec, ISO 160
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 60
M E TA L M A D N E S S
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 61
The Islands of Hawaii
DON’T MISS THIS
THE NASHUA OAHU, HAWAII The Navy Tug Boat, Nashua, sits alone on the sand in 65-feet of water off the coast of Oahu. It was purposely sunk in 2012 to form an artificial reef, and has since become an active training site for the US Navy. Locked bins storing Naval supplies can be seen outside the ship along the sea floor. It’s also home to numerous species of marine life, including enormous puffer fish and reef sharks who can be spotted through port holes and holes in the deck. Small coral blooms and polyps speckle the hull and deck, while various soft corals fan beneath the ship’s rudder. At 109 feet long, the ship’s holds provide ample swim-throughs and penetration.
Dive Oahu offers premier charters to Nashua from Waikiki. Visit http://diveoahu.com/divenew to book your next dive.
Jack’s Diving Locker Join the friendly crew of Jack’s Diving Locker on the Kona Coast of Hawaii with healthy coral reefs, lava formations, and big animals – dolphins, whales, sharks, and manta rays!
808-329-7585 dive@jacksdivinglocker.com www.jacksdivinglocker.com
Dive Oahu
Dive Maui
PADI 5 Star IDC Gold Palm Resort. Do Your IDC in Hawaii! Daily Boat Charters to Shipwrecks: Sea Tiger/YO-257/San Pedro. Three minutes from Waikiki. ScubaPro, Tusa, Aqualung. Rebreather Friendly. Mark 6 rentals.
Full service Lahaina dive shop, great deals on Dive Gear, sales and rentals, two tank Lanai boat dives from our custom built 37’ RIB Hoku located at 1223 Front Street in Lahaina, GoPro Dealer and Underwater Camera systems for sale.
808-922-DIVE DiveOahu.com
808-661-7333 Toll Free 1-866-529-2544 goscubadivemaui.com facebook.com/HawaiianRaftingAdventures
KAUAI
OAHU
MAUI THE BIG ISLAND
Seasport Divers
Kona Honu Divers
Full service dive shop specializing in SCUBA tours and Certification Courses. We are located on the south shore of Kauai. We offer 2 dive charters 365 days a year while also running seasonal trips to the Forbidden Island of Niihau.
Join our expert crew for the best diving in Kona. Spacious 46’ Custom dive boat running 2 Tank morning charters and Evening Manta Dives. Advanced diving including the world famous Black-Water Dive. All levels of instruction available. Photographer friendly.
808-742-9303 seasportdivers.com
888-333-HONU (4668) 808-324-4668 konahonudivers.com
H E A D -T O -H E A D T E ST I N G
PART 1
WE
LARGE LIGHTS MORE THAN 6 INCHES LONG OR 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER
LUMENS
light was tested twice; once with a fully charged (if rechargeable) or new battery (if disposable), and again after discharging for a continuous 60 minutes. Because dive lights are designed for use in water, many will electronically reduce their
ROGER ROY
HOW WE SCORE
572
433
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
TOVATEC F U S I O N 530 PRICE $114.95 CONTACT tovatec.com
The race doesn’t always go to the swiftest, and choosing a dive light isn’t only about how much light it pumps out. Intuitive operation, a practical choice of power levels, comfortable ergonomics, convenience, flexibility: These are all part of the equation of the right dive light. In our test, that math led to the Fusion 530. Its beam is plenty powerful, and the sliding zoom head lets you adjust it to any width from 100 degrees to
12 degrees. The magnetic switch couldn’t be simpler, and while its size put it in our larger category (by a fraction of an inch), it fits in anything but a very small BC pocket. The textured rubbery coating over the aluminum body makes it comfortable in the hand, and the rechargeable Li-ion battery is a practical and convenient power solution. The Fusion 530 is our Testers Choice in this category. EASE OF USE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
The lumen graph shows light output with a full battery charge and after 60 minutes running in water on high power (an asterisk indicates the light would operate only on a lower setting after an hour). The bar graphs show each light's combined scores from test divers for ease of use and beam size and shape, with scoring as follows: 1=poor; 2=fair; 3=good; 4=very good; 5=excellent.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 63
LARGE LIGHTS MORE THAN 6 INCHES IN LENGTH OR 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER
SCUBAPRO N OVA 72 0 PRICE $162 CONTACT scubapro.com
The Nova 720 is a mix of simplicity and sophistication. It’s powered by three C batteries — the housing for which makes it the longest light here at a shade over 9 inches — and operates with a simple twist-on, twist-off light head. But it also has a nicely finished all-aluminum construction that’s rated waterproof to 300 meters and an impressively powerful, concentrated spot beam. (There’s also a wide version available with an 80-degree beam.) Divers gave very good ratings for the beam’s output and usefulness, and also for the Nova 720’s ease of operation and comfort, although those with smaller hands found it a little on the bulky side. One thing divers wanted more of was options in power levels (plus a flash mode), finding the choice of full or half power of that bright beam a little too much for close-up work.
LUMENS
711
578
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
EASE OF USE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
SEALIFE S E A D R AG O N M I N I 6 5 0 PRICE $159 CONTACT sealife-cameras.com
The Sea Dragon Mini 650 has refined the essential elements that we like in a light: intuitive, one-handed operation, rugged design and construction, a comfortable grip, and plenty of light in a practical, 15-degree spot beam (a 120-degree flood version is also available). And while it fell (by about a quarter inch) into our admittedly somewhat arbitrary “large light” category, the truth is, it still fit easily in our BC pockets. No surprise test divers rated the Mini 650 very good for ease of use, light output and ergonomics. In fact, the only category where its rating dropped to good was in the ability to tone down its light: It’s so bright that some test divers felt it could use more than its two available power levels. Otherwise divers loved the Mini 650’s simple operation and appreciated touches like the lighted switch that changes color to indicate battery level — a simple, elegantly effective solution.
LUMENS
595
EASE OF USE POOR
479
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
PART 2
HOW WE TEST
ERGONOMIC TESTING was conducted by a team of test divers at Blue Grotto Dive Resort in Williston, Florida, using the lights underwater with test scoring sheets. Divers rated each light on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for six factors: EASE OF USE — Are switches and controls intuitive and easy to operate; ease of selecting power levels, emergency flash, etc. COMFORT/SECURITY OF GRIP OR MOUNT — Size and shape of grip or mount; weight, balance and ergonomics of
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 64
DIVE RITE LX20 PRICE $699 CONTACT diverite.com
While it’s a little beefier than most of the lights here, the rugged LX20 still weighs less than 1.5 pounds with its (very comfortable) hand mount and is not much bigger than a can of Red Bull. That turns out to be an apt comparison because the LX20 has boatloads of energy, thanks to its four rechargeable Li-ion batteries. In fact, after burning on high for an hour in our lab test, the LX20 was putting out even more light than when the batteries were fresh, as though it were just getting warmed up. Test divers wished it had more than two power levels, and some found that the magnetic ring switch took some getting used to. But its intense, very concentrated, 6-degree beam produced a penetrating light that sliced through even murky water, earning the LX20 the top score from test divers for the quality of its beam. EASE OF USE POOR
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
621
634
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
LIGHT & MOTION SOLA DIVE 1200 SPOT
JOHN MICHAEL BULLOCK
PRICE $300 CONTACT lightandmotion.com
Light & Motion has basically taken a video light, given it a 12-degree spot beam, and installed it on a very good hand mount (a pistol grip is also available). The result is a light with the sort of design and build quality that reminds us of the space program. The sliding switch with integral lock (twist it 90 degrees), the three indicator lights that change colors to display power and battery levels, the external ports that let you charge the factorysealed Li-on battery by simply plugging in the charger — it seems like it could travel to Mars and back. Some divers felt an even tighter beam would cut through murk better, and a few thought it could have used an even lower minimum-power setting. No dive light we tested put out more light; its output was slightly higher after an hour of running; and its controls and indicators were thoroughly intuitive. EASE OF USE POOR
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
the light BEAM SIZE AND SHAPE — Usefulness of the beam underwater LIGHT OUTPUT — Brightness, color and quality of the beam POWER LEVELS — The ability to regulate brightness in useful increments USE AS PRIMARY LIGHT — The light’s usefulness as a primary light for night dives. Divers were also asked to record their comments about the six test areas as well as any other observations about the performance of a light.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 65
1241
1250
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
LARGE LIGHTS MORE THAN 6 INCHES IN LENGTH OR 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER
UK SL3 ELED PRICE $67.99 CONTACT uwkinetics.com
A couple of divers cracked that the SL3, with its black plastic construction and basic appearance, looked like the kind of light you’d carry in your glove box to change a tire. But our test found that the light’s capabilities were nothing to sneer at. In the lab, the SL3’s light output was well above its advertised 425 lumens, even after an hour of operation — and even if it hadn’t been, this light would easily win a most-lumens-per-dollar competition. It’s true that lights don’t get simpler than the SL3, with its single power level, twist-on operation and lack of flash mode. But that plastic housing is rated waterproof to 500 feet. And while it’s billed as a backup light, most test divers felt the SL3 could serve as a suitable primary light for most general dive use.
LUMENS
EASE OF USE POOR
502
429
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
SPECIALTY LIGHTS WE ALSO TRIED SOME OF THE LATEST CLEVER GADGETS IN UNDERWATER-LIGHTING ACCESSORIES
SCUBAPRO
SCUBAPRO
UK
FLASHY LED FLASH
N OVA L I G H T 2 2 0
AQ UA L I T E- S U V-3 9 5
PRICE $16 CONTACT scubapro.com
PRICE $77 CONTACT scubapro.com
PRICE $214.99 CONTACT uwkinetics.com
This mini flashing marker light makes it easy to keep track of your buddy — and vice versa — on night dives. It twists on and burns for 12 hours on userreplaceable CR1220 batteries. It comes with a key ring and a plastic clip to attach to your gear, and operates to 100 meters.
Just 3.5 inches long, this subcompact fits in a pocket and puts out 220 lumens of light. It has full- and half-power settings and an emergency flash mode. Powered by a single CR123 battery, it’s made of rugged aluminum, has an overpressure valve and is waterproof to 120 meters.
UV dive lights aren’t new, but this one has a new twist — an interchangeable light head. The “395” refers to the wavelength of the light; it’s nearly invisible to the naked eye but still causes marine life to fluoresce. That means you can see the effect without needing a yellow filter.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 66
POCKET LIGHTS LESS THAN 6 INCHES IN LENGTH OR 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER
LIGHT & MOTION
SCUBAPRO
PRICE $130 CONTACT ikelite.com
G O B E 500 S E A RC H
PRICE $156 CONTACT scubapro.com
Sometimes the shape and feel of a piece of gear — especially one that spends a lot of time in your hand — hits a sweet spot, and that was the definitely the case with the Ikelite Gamma II. Its narrow, concave aluminum housing seemed to fit well in hands large and small, with or without gloves. “I really like the shape, weight and feel of it,” was a typical test-diver comment. Not surprisingly, the Gamma II tied the top score in its category for comfort and security of the grip. It was also rated very good in the ease of operation category, with its mechanical tail switch that turns it on when partially depressed and locks it when pushed fully. Designed primarily as a backup light, it’s not as bright as some of the other lights we tested. But its easy operation, smooth, no-snags finish and trim design make it a very handy backup light.
PRICE $200 CONTACT lightandmotion.com
Small and powerful, the GoBe has a penetrating 8-degree spot beam. It has four power levels; the lowest, a 35-lumen extended operation mode, is rated to burn 36 hours. The magnetic switch lights to double as a battery indicator that changes from green to yellow to red, and then blinks as the battery level falls. Divers rated the GoBe very good for light output and ease of operation, though it took some a few times to remember the sequence (press for on/off and main power settings; hold down three seconds for extended operation and SOS flash). It tied the top score in its category for comfort, thanks to the rubbery pads that provide a firm, comfortable grip. It recharges its factory-sealed battery with a no-fuss clip-on charger, and it’s threaded to attach a ball or other photo mounts.
The Nova 720R is both similar to and different from its bigger brother. It shares the twiston operation with two power levels, and despite its smaller size, it put out even more light than the larger Nova 720. Since the light heads of the two models appear to be identical, we suspect any performance difference has to do with their power sources; the 720 uses three C batteries, while the 720R uses a single 18650 Li-ion rechargeable. That also explains their size difference: The 720R is more than 3 inches shorter, at just 5¾ inches, and only about an inch in diameter at its narrowest point. As with the larger model, we wished it had more than two power levels, and perhaps a flash mode, but we were impressed by its brilliant, tight beam, high build quality and simplicity of operation. It squeezes a surprising amount of useful light into a very compact package.
EASE OF USE POOR
EASE OF USE POOR
EASE OF USE POOR
IKELITE GA M M A I I
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
N OVA 72 0 R
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
265
266
480
436
888
665
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
NARROW VS. WIDE
Which is best: narrow beam or wide? It depends on the type of dive and the water conditions. For wreck diving, a tight spot beam better illuminates long, dark corridors, and reflects less glare off surroundings. A tight beam will also penetrate better in cloudy water. For clear-water reefs, a wider beam will bring out the most vibrant colors — especially important for video and wide-angle photography.
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 67
VIDEO/PHOTO LIGHTS
XS SCUBA
UK
LT 3 6 0
AQ UA L I T E S 2 0
PRICE $170 CONTACT xsscuba.com
PRICE $199.99 CONTACT uwkinetics.com
SIDEKICK DUO
Many new dive lights are so powerful that without multiple power settings, they’re simply too bright for comfort in close-up work, such as checking your own gear or writing on a slate. The LT 360 solves that problem with a novel magnetic dimmer switch that’s totally intuitive and offers the widest possible range of power settings. Operation is simplicity itself — slide it forward for on, and the more you slide it, the brighter it gets. And the LT 360 is very bright. Our lab test showed results a bit below the claimed max output, but the reason is that the switch slides back just a bit from its farthest-forward setting when you remove your thumb (necessary for our lab testing, which required putting the light inside a sealed sphere). Taking high scores for ease of use, beam quality and light output, the LT 360 is our Testers Choice in this category.
The Aqualite S20 is among the most compact lights here, but it’s powerful enough to be a primary. It can be used as a handheld, clipped to a hand mount or bolted to an assortment of camera mounts with its two threaded attachment points. You can change it from spot to flood or even UV beam by screwing on an accessory light head. We tried it with the standard 20-degree spot beam and the included rubber hand mount, which took some fiddling around to adjust and fit, but once in place was quite comfortable and secure (the quick-release features that allow the light to snap off is very convenient). The tail switch is easy to operate and toggles between wellspaced power levels (100, 50 and 15 percent) that earned a top score for ability to regulate output. Test divers found the Aqualite S20 powerful, compact and versatile.
PRICE $150 CONTACT lightandmotion.com
The Sidekick Duo seems too good to be true: It has 600 lumens, spot and flood beams, and it’s smaller than a GoPro. But good things can come in small packages, and the 90-degree flood and 23-degree spot beams are perfect for POV camera work. It took a few tries to master the two-button operation (one for on/ off and one to toggle between spot and flood) but it’s easy once you get the hang of it. The Sidekick comes with an adapter that bolts to the bottom mount of any model GoPro Hero, but even better is the available Dive Arm Kit ($30) with a short flex-arm mount. Nicely made with an aluminum housing rated for 60 meters and a factory-sealed Li-ion battery, the little Sidekick is powerful, handy and affordable. It’s our Best Buy in this category.
EASE OF USE POOR
EASE OF USE POOR
EASE OF USE POOR
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
LIGHT & MOTION
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
806
690
559
532
572
447
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 68
SEALIFE
SEALIFE
S E A D R AG O N 1 500
S E A D R AG O N 2 5 00
SOLA VIDEO SPOT/FLOOD 2500
PRICE $299 CONTACT sealife-cameras.com
PRICE $499 CONTACT sealife-cameras.com
PRICE $699.99 CONTACT lightandmotion.com
Outwardly similar to the Sola Dive 1200 Spot, this model adds a video flood mode that pumps out a whopping 2,500 lumens. In clear water on a night dive, toggling between the 12-degree spot and 60-degree flood beams prompted test diver comments like, “Insanely bright.” Test divers also rated it excellent for beam size and shape and for light output. Easy to operate, the Sola Video Spot/ Flood has an intuitive sliding switch that toggles between power levels, spot and flood beam, and SOS flash that twists 90 degrees to lock. A multicolored, three-light indicator on the top shows power and battery levels, and doubles as a charge indicator. While a little power-hungry in top-output mode, it will run for hours on more-modest power settings, and is an incredibly versatile option for video, camera or straight dive use.
Designed for photo and video use, the Sea Dragon 1500 uses SeaLife’s Flex-Connect system for easy attachment to a selection of grips, arms and trays (it comes with a grip and a tray for a small camera and a GoPro camera adapter). Simple to use, it has a big red button on the top that toggles between 100, 50 and 25 percent power, and strobe and SOS flash modes, while three power indicator lights along the top display battery level. Like its stablemates in the Sea Dragon line, the 1500 has a well-built feel, with an anodizedaluminum light head and a built-in swivel mount that adjusts easily and stays in place. Though smaller than a soda can, this light put out well above its advertised output in our lab test — even after burning for an hour on its rechargeable Li-ion battery. Testers awarded it excellent scores for ease of use, light output and offering a useful range of power levels.
The Sea Dragon 2500 is what happens when you take the Sea Dragon 1500 and squeeze in another 1,000 lumens. The result, as one tester noted, is “like the sun.” It shares with the 1500 the same intuitive single push-button switch, three-light battery-level indicator, and three power levels with strobe and SOS flash. So it was not surprising that the 2500 also received excellent ratings from test divers for ease of use, light output and useful power levels. It put out well over its rated 2,500 lumens with a full battery, and was able to burn as claimed for 60 minutes on high power before the battery-level indicator blinked a low-power warning and would operate only at reduced power; at half power it puts out 1,200 lumens for two hours. While its 80-degree (underwater) beam is aimed at photo or video use, more than one test diver noted that with a pistol grip or hand mount, it'd make a killer broad-beam dive light.
EASE OF USE POOR
EASE OF USE POOR
EASE OF USE POOR
LIGHT & MOTION
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
BEAM SIZE/SHAPE POOR
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
EXCELLENT
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
LUMENS
2526
887*
1614
1577
2588
839*
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
FULL BATTERY
AFTER 60 MINUTES
*REDUCED POWER
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 69
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY Atlantic Caribbean and Latin America Bay Adventures - Offers one-stop shopping for air, lodging & diving in Cozumel, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman, Curacao, Turks & Caicos, and Roatan. P. 21 www.bayadventures.com Caradonna Dive Adventures Professional dive travel services to help you experience and encounter new wonders in another world. P. 24,38 www.caradonna.com Cave Training Mexico - Riviera Maya’s experts in cenote/cavern, cave & MKVI Poseidon rebreather diving & training. P. 71 www.cavetrainingmexico.com Clearly Cayman - Discover three ways to experience the world’s best diving - Cobalt Coast Grand Cayman Resort, Cayman Brac Beach Resort, and Little Cayman Beach Resort. P. 7 ClearlyCayman.com Coco View Resort - The most returned to dive resort in the world! The best in boat and unlimited shore diving. P. 72 www.cocoviewresort.com Divetech - 21 years of adventurous dive & room packages/ variety of accommodations. North wall boat/shore diving, training, rebreathers, freediving, kids diving, tek diving. P. 6 www.divetech.com Eden Beach Resort - Enjoy the Caribbean Atmosphere at Eden Beach Resort on Bonaire. P. 73 www.edenbeach@ travelmarketing.com Out-Island Oceanics, Sea Dragon Bahamas Diving - “SEA DRAGON” Bahamas live-aboard Diving for eight guests - Conception Island and Exuma Cays. P. 59 www.seadragonbahamas.com Scuba Club Cozumel – Mexico Spanish colonial-style, located on the waterfront one mile south of downtown, built by divers for divers. P. 71 www.scubaclubcozumel.com Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas - So much more than Sharks! Walls, Reefs, Wrecks, Movie Sites & Sharks - We have 17 Wrecks! P. 59 www.stuartcove.com
UNEXSO Grand Bahama - When you dive with Unexso, you dive the Best! Experience diving and dolphin adventures on Grand Bahama! P. 59 www.unexso.com
Hawaii Dive Oahu - PADI Gold Palm Dive Center just 3 minutes from Waikiki. We dive all the major wrecks. P. 62 www.diveoahu.com Hawaiian Rafting Adventures - The best Maui has to offer with dive shop in Lahaina offering a range of tours and services. P. 62 www.hawaiianrafting.com Jack’s Diving Locker - Kona, Hawaii - Jack’s Diving Locker is the right place to take your IDC training. P. 62 www.jacksdivinglocker.com Kona Honu Divers, Inc. - Kona, Hawaii - Committed to providing the highest-quality experience and value. P. 62 www.konahonudivers.com Seasport Divers - Full-service dive shop specializing in local Kauai scuba diving tours, snorkeling tours and scuba certification courses. P. 62 www.seasportdivers.com
Pacific and Exotic Beqa Lagoon Resort - Leading dive resort in Fiji offers combination of great diving, luxury resort and rich culture experience. P. 27 Sam’s Tours - Palau’s #1 ranked dive operation, we specialize in amazing diving. P. 71 www.waikikidiving.com
United States Florida Keys and Key West - The 120 miles of beautiful islands that you can drive to just off the coast of Southern Florida. P. 29 www.fla-keys.com Gulf Shores Tourism & Orange Beach Tourism - Dive and discover Alabama’s Gulf Coast on the area’s newest reef wreck, The LuLu. P.14 www.gulfshores.com
SCUBADIVING.COM
Camps/Events
Photography/Video
Central Caribbean Marine Institute CCMI is the leading Education, Research and Conservation facility in the Cayman Islands. P. 73 www.reefresearch.org
Backscatter East & West Underwater Video and Photo - Now with 12 locations & the most experienced staff to serve your underwater imaging needs. P. 6 www.backscatter.com
Kids Sea Camp - Scuba Vacations for the Whole Family: Bonaire, Fiji, Grand Cayman, Indonesia, Palau, Philippines, Roatan: Bay Islands, St. Lucia & Yap. P. 71 www.familydivers.com
Instruction/Training NAUI Worldwide - World’s largest non-profit dive training agency, offering high-industry scuba diving standards and educational programs. P. 41 www.naui.org The Ocean Corporation - Offering commercial diver training, underwater welding, ROVs and NDT weld inspector training since 1969. P. 75 www.oceancorp.com
Live-aboards Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet – The largest fleet of live-aboards in the
world serving 15 yachts. Providing professional service for 25+ years. P. 2-3 www.aggressor.com Aqua Cat Cruises - Weeklong All Inclusive Luxury Liveaboard Diving Adventure Cruises Depart Nassau, Bahamas to the Exuma Cays. P. 59,73 www.aquacatcruises.com The Arenui: The Boutique Liveaboard - Raja Ampat, Komodo, Alor, & Maluku. Dive Indonesia in a whole new style with Arenui! P. 9 www.thearenui.com Truk Odyssey- Live-aboard in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia. 132’ vessel for 16 divers. Nitrox included. World’s finest wreck diving. P. 72 www.trukodyssey.com Worldwide Dive and Sail - Luxury liveaboards diving Indonesia, Phillipines, Fiji, Palau, Thailand, Galapagos, Truk, French Polynesia and many more coming soon! P.25 www.worldwidediveandsail.com
MAY 2016 / 70
Brytor Designs - Brytor Designs engineers innovative underwater LED lighting products and systems. P. 72 www.bebrytor.com/shop.html SeaLife Cameras - Underwater cameras and accessories to help you explore the underwater world. P. 5, 72 www.sealife-cameras.com Ultralight Control Systems – Manufacturers of trays and arms for your cameras, lights & strobes for digital, video or film. P. 73 www.ulcs.com
Scuba Accessories Camaro - Innovative dive suit manufacturer with highest quality and outstanding materials such as the new titanium series. P. 8 www. camaro.at Salt Life - An authentic, aspirational & lifestyle brand that embraces those who love the ocean & everything associated with living the “Salt Life”. P. 33 www.saltlife.com
Scuba Equipment IST Sports - Manufacturing and wholesaling of innovative and technologically advanced dive gear. P. 32 www.istsports.com Oceanic Worldwide - Innovative diving products sold through more than 600 U.S. dive retailers and worldwide through more than 25 international distributors. P. 76 www.oceanicworldwide.com Shearwater Equipment - Simple to use dive computers featuring a highly readable large display, intuitive user interface, solid reliablity, supported by excellent customer service. P. 45 www.shearwater.com Tovatec, a division of innovative Scuba - Tovatec professional LED dive lights are built to excel in even the harshest underwater environments. P. 21 www.tovatec.com
S C U B A D I V I N G MARKETPLACE
“GIVE THEM A WEEK THEY WILL REMEMBER FOREVER.”
Photo courtesy of Brad Holland shot during a Kids Sea Camp week at Manta Ray Bay Resort in Yap.
CAYMAN DiveTech
Buddy Dive
PHILIPPINES Sea Explorers Amun ini
DOMINICA Fort Young Buddy Dive
ROATAN INDONESIA Mayan Princess Wakatobi Turquoise Bay
PALAU Sam’s Tours & Palau Royal
YAP FIJI Manta Ray Bay Beqa Lagoon & Yap Divers Resort
KIDS@FAMILYDIVERS.COM 803-419-2556 WWW.FAMILYDIVERS.COM
Quiet. Unpretentious.
In the true Mexican sense. All diving services in one convenient place. See the difference a dedicated dive resort can make.
800.847.5708 www.scubaclubcozumel.com Isla de Cozumel, México
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 71
ST. LUCIA Anse Chastanet Jade Mountain
S C U B A D I V I N G MARKETPLACE
bebrytor.com capture The REACH is a high performance dive light that combines an exceptionally wide beampattern and an innovative formfactor. This light will enhance your dives and equip you to Capture Everything.
,QFOXGHV DOO PHDOV EHYHUDJHV DQG transfers )UHH Nitrox THFK GLYLQJ available 1LQH VSDFLRXV suites
Sea Dragon 2000 Powerful 3-in-1 light for photo, video and dive
Flex-Connect Flex Arm Directs light where ever you need it with 100-degrees of bending motion
Flex-Connect Grip Provides comfort and improved handling
Upgrade your dive with lights, trays, grips and accessories that are universal to all underwater cameras, including GoPro. Flex-Connect allows you to expand your camera set from compact to full-featured in seconds with just a â&#x20AC;&#x153;clickâ&#x20AC;? the quick and easy way to adjust to any dive environment.
Just a Click Build or change your set-up in seconds
Flex-Connect Tray Expand your camera set: Micro, Single and Dual Trays available
SCUBADIVING.COM
sealife-cameras.com /SeaLifeCameras
MAY 2016 / 72
S C U B A D I V I N G MARKETPLACE
FROM THE MAKERS OF THE MOST VERSATILE, LIGHTEST WEIGHT, ALUMINUM ARMS ON THE MARKET EXPERIENCE THE ADVEN TURE Bonaire has to offer both above and below the sea. 7 night dive package starts at $690 pp/dbl! For reservations and information please call 1-855-228-4644.
www.edenbeach.com
MADE IN USA
A Summer of Adventure, Research & Fun All set in a tropical paradise!
Our Citizen Science: “Dive on the EDGE” is a unique opportunity for recreational divers (and particularly underwater photographers) to help CCMI scientists in an actual research programme, exploring and recording previously unknown reef locations where endangered corals thrive.
21 A
We make adapters for all housings, strobes, video lights and spotting lights. The original arms with o-rings in the ball for ease of use. Don’t be fooled by all the copycat brands that look like ours. Ask for genuine Ultralight parts Made in the USA.
CCMI is a world renowned education and research facility situated on the paradise island of Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands. This summer we are running our citizen science and Sea Camp programs at the idyllic Sunset Cove Resort and we want you to be the first ones to experience our exciting programs. Sea Camp is open to anyone from 14 – 18yo and you will be working alongside our experienced scientists exploring the stunning tropical reefs. Field trips onto the reef, into the mangroves and lectures from our scientists will see that no two days are the same. And there will be plenty of fun for all!
B R AT I
C
Lots of GoPro accessories available!
Summer dates for these programs are: Sea Camp: 2nd – 8th July & 23rd – 29th July EDGE: 18th – 24th June and 1st – 7th August There are strictly limited spaces available for these programs so make sure you book now! Email Peter at pquilliam@reefresearch.org for more information. You can also check out our website reefresearch.org to discover all that CCMI is doing.
Visit us at
reefresearch.org
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 73
(805) 484-3334 www.ulcs.com
NEW CLAMP AC-CSF-28 NEW CLAMP Made with a finer thread bolt, allows more precise tension on the ball, New style T-Knob design
THE WRECK ISSUE
LOOK
PHOTOGRAPHER Jennifer Idol LOCATION Grand Cayman ABOUT THE SHOT I first explored the USS Kittiwake in Grand Cayman with photographer David Doubilet. After circling the ship, we entered through a side door into a small room. I saw broken mirrors on my right and a series of doorways in front of me, which Doubilet headed toward. To get the shot, I used a Nikon D610 camera, 14-24mm Nikkor lens, Nauticam D600 aluminum housing with acrylic dome, and two Inon Z-240 strobes; the camera settings were ISO 640, 14mm, f/5, 1/60 sec. GO NOW divetech.com
SCUBADIVING.COM
MAY 2016 / 74
you’re not like everybody else, so why work like it? JOIN THE ELITE AT OCEAN CORP.
POST-9/11 GI BILL ACCEPTED
LEARN MORE NOW! www.oceancorp.com Houston Texas
VTX The VTX is the first dive computer to feature an ultra-bright, full-color OLED display, Bluetooth 4.0 technology, wireless air intregration, and Oceanic’s patented Dual Algorithm®
© 2015 AUP American Underwater Products
To learn more about the VTX, or to find an authorized Oceanic dealer near you, visit oceanicworldwide.com.
FREE BUNGEE WRIST MOUNT Visit oceanicworldwide.com for details
oceanicworldwide.com