AfricanDiver Oct/Nov 2010 Issue 13
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The lost South African Spider Crab Georgina Jones
Oh Brothers! Christopher Bartlett
East Coast Epic Expedition Cormac McCreesh
Featured Photographer Mike Fraser
Small Boat Diving Asser Salama
Editorial
by Cormac McCreesh Published by: African Diver Magazine cc
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Between 250 and 80 million years ago a vast ocean called the Tethys sea had a profound impact on the world as we know it today. This sea (or more correctly in its latter stages, ocean) was a fecund playground for evolution to experiment and shape the creatures that populate our oceans today. Life forms came and went and evolved and multiplied and plankton was the life-sustaining force. Today we marvel at our oceans’ and the myriad life forms it sustains. This issue celebrates the beauty we have within our reach if we but only venture to visit the sea. Wherever possible we have let the images in this issue do the talking. Yes, there’s doom and gloom and our oceans are in desperate need of conservation and respect. But there’s still lots of life out there to protect and preserve. As a species, we humans are indifferent to what we’re doing to our planet yet never more has it been more important to focus our efforts on preserving what’s left. Like Tethys, African Diver is evolving. Paul and I started the magazine 2 years ago without a business plan or roadmap. We simply wanted to get the word out about the fantastic diving Africa has to offer. Two years later, we celebrate the second anniversary issue of the magazine and Paul’s first child, Dylan. Mazel Tov, Paul. Today the magazine has built a small and loyal, but growing, following of individuals who care deeply about marine conservation and the marine environment but who also just love to dive and love the beauty of the sea.
And so we evolve. We’re building a new website, revamping our image and getting involved – we have to, we want to. By following us and supporting the magazine you become part of a greater community of “sea-lovers” who care and want to make a difference. Our connectedness unites us and the power of the internet delivers this connectedness. Long may this continue. We still don’t have a plan and we like it that way. We want to be responsive to what we see going on around us. When divers talk of new dive sites we want to know about it. When scientists talk of marine threats we want to know about it. When people treat the sea and life disrespectfully we want to know about it. And when we know about it we want you to know too. But we also want to be part of the solution. We want to find ways to make it all work. Human beings have to learn to coexist with the rest of the planet and its inhabitants. So, we just want to get on with it and we hope you will too. Let’s evolve together. I once read that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and that the next best time is right now, and so it is with everything. This is an exciting time in the history of our world. We have such power to heal and nurture, if only we try. We look forward to your continued support and we salute your efforts and we resolve to do more each year. May your bubbles always be free and your breath-hold relaxed.
Editors: Cormac McCreesh & Paul Hunter Subscriptions subscribe@africandiver.com Adverstising sales Cormac McCreesh cormac@africandiver.com Editorial enquiries: editor@africandiver.com Cormac - 082 552 0770 Paul - 083 391 8961 Fax: 086 503 7177 PO Box 67779 Bryanston 2021 Published by African Diver Magazine cc, PO Box 67779 Bryanston, 2021, South Africa, Tel 082 552 0770 or 083 391 8961, fax 086 503 7177 email editor@africandiver.com. www.africandiver.com Africandiver.
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Oct/Nov 2010
Contents Page 4 Oh Brothers! by Christopher Bartlett
Page 49 Small Boat Diving by Asser Salama
Page 11 Helping Ponta by Meg McDonald
Page 52 Fitness to Dive by DAN
Page 18 East Coast Epic Expedition by Cormac McCreesh
Page 54 Featured Photographer Mike Fraser
Page 33 The lost South African Spider crab by Georgina Jones
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Cover by Cormac McCreesh
Page 37 Hadicap Scuba Association S.A Page 42 Moving Sushi in Tanzania by Moving Sushi Team
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Oct/Nov 2010
Oh, Brothers! A Red Sea Liveaboard to the middle of nowhere
Text and images by Christopher Bartlett
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After six years of almost only diving from RIBs and spreading my clothes around my house, villa, or hotel room I’d decided it was time to see if I’d enjoy a week on a boat with a bunch of strangers. As a frequent solo traveller, I wondered whether the close confines of a cabin with a random snorer would see me sleeping on the deck by the second night. The allure of remote dive sites, unreachable by day boat, was strong enough for me to give it a go.
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Oct/Nov 2010
42 miles off the Egyptian coast, The Brothers Islands rise up from the floor of the Red Sea, 800 metres below, forming two small flat tabletops surrounded by steeply sloping fringing reefs. The larger of the two sea mounts, the cunningly named Big Brother, is approximately 300 metres long, is one kilometre from its sibling, has a lighthouse, a 12-man army garrison, and would be a great location for a back-to-basics series of the “reality” TV show of the same name. As the only reefs around, and washed by strong nutrient-rich currents, I was attracted by their reported combination of soft corals, pelagics, sharks and two goodcondition wrecks. Arriving last at the harbour in Hurghada the night before departure, and after the other guests had gone to their cabins, I was greeted by the shining pate and wide smile of Mimo, one of the dive guides. Over a welcome glass of fresh fruit juice, he explained where to stow my dive gear, and gave me some even more welcome news: the 20-guest boat only had 12 passengers and so I would have a one of the eight belowdeck twin cabins to myself. No sooner had I littered the spare bed with camera bits, books, and t-shirts, I was introduced to Karim who kindly informed me that some dinner had been kept for me and was awaiting me in the dining area. Splendid. Covering six metres of the eightmetre width of the MY Blue Pearl, the mid-ship dining area was an open plan affair adjoining the lounge that led onto the outdoor dive prep area at the stern. In the wall towards the bow was a magic hatch through which Karim or his brother Karemi, the other steward, would receive platter after platter of food from chef Wael
in the kitchen. Before the bow on the 36-metre long main deck were the crew quarters and rope storage area, and a small deck used at prayer time. After reading the safety notices and emergency action plans pinned up next to the flatscreen TV in the lounge, I went outside and up the stairs to the shaded rear “chillout” deck, did a circuit passing the portside double cabin, the bridge, the front sundeck, the starboard double cabin, back astern and then further up to the flybridge. Even if I had had to share, there was actually plenty of room to find some personal space. As Karim enquired as to how I would prefer my breakfast eggs the next morning, I took in my fellow shipmates, all liveaboard veterans and mostly return customers. We were an eclectic, if slightly Germanic bunch. A German-Dutch couple, two German father-and-son combos, an Austrian quartet made up of a father, his son, the son’s wife, and a friend. The 12th man was James, a middle-aged, Libyan-based Scottish teacher and naturally my buddy.
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Seated in the lounge, Pia, the trip leader and diving instructor, took us through the boat and dive safety briefings. Given that we’d be at least five hours from the coast, the equipment was reassuringly plentiful and in good condition, the briefings friendly but to the point. Pia laid out the itinerary in her “best Bavarian English, Ja?”. It was simple: Today would be spent on the coast diving at Gota Abu Ramada to check our gear, buoyancy, and to get to know our buddies, as habitually strong currents off the isolated Brothers would be no place for faffing, and to do a night dive before heading east overnight. Contents
Oct/Nov 2010
Gota Abu Ramada is a shallow site, no deeper than 13 metres, with a large Australia-shaped reef with two large bommies off what would be the Perth coast (to the WSW). It was ideally suited to its purpose with no current, clear waters, small schools of blackspotted sweetlips and spotfin squirrelfish, morays, crocodile fish, and a large school of yellowtail barracuda and goatfish to get reacquainted with camera settings. An artificial shark stuck on a knife as part of HEPCA’s (Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association) shark protection awareness campaign, five metres below the surface, also amused the divers, who took turns to sit on its back during the safety stop once we had all demonstrated our ability to use an SMB competently. The night dive was my first from a liveaboard and was enhanced by the deck lights on the boat creating a full moon effect underwater, illuminating the bommies and the shark, and thus providing visual markers. After a warming shower to wash away the goose bumps from a third hour-long dive in 24C water, we were greeted by the aromas of a giant buffet. Once dinner was over, the captain set a course eastwards, as some sat on the top deck watching the stars, and Karim and Karemi did a few card tricks in the lounge. 6
I awoke to the sound of water lapping gently on the hull below my open cabin portholes, the early-morning light peeping in. From the deck Big Brother and its Victorian lighthouse took on a red-brown hue as we boarded two RIBs and headed to the northern tip of the island. The legendary currents appeared absent from the surface, but we did a negative buoyancy entry and went straight down to 10 metres, meeting up above the beginning of the wreck of the SS Numidia, claimed to be one of the best wrecks in the Red Sea. She certainly looked huge and in good condition, given that she had spent more than a century exposed in her current-washed resting place. Built in Glasgow in 1901, the 140-metre long, 6,400-ton Numidia was on her second voyage out of Liverpool bound for Calcutta with 7,000 tons of railway and general cargo when in the early hours of July 20th Big Brother’s lighthouse was sighted off the port bow and the Captain ordered a slight change of course to continue south passing alongside the island before retiring to his cabin. Fortunately for us, his orders were misinterpreted and the ship ploughed straight into the northern tip of the island. No lives were lost, much of the cargo was salvaged, but the ship went down, her keel digging into a rocky ledge. Now she sits on a steep slope, her bow melded into the top of the reef, her stern some 72 metres below.
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Oct/Nov 2010
Hanging back, I let the others descend to try to add some scale to my pictures, capturing the lifeboat davits and the remains of the foremast in the centre of deck with a wide-angle lens as the group inspected the remains of the bridge and the engine room. Yet no image can convey quite how impressive this wreck is, dropping into the deep blue depths. Descending to join the group, going close to the wreck, I saw it was covered in soft corals and awash with burgundy and white striped Red Sea anthias and lionfish, accustomed to strong currents, sheltering inside. On this day there was no need, with no current and good viz, conditions were ideal, and we spent the whole dive there, ascending past some coral-encrusted rolling stock bogies at 10 metres, before being picked up by the RIBs and taken back for breakfast. After catching a few rays on the sun deck, Pia and Mimo said it was time for a shark hunt on the southern plateau. As we were moored off the southern tip and in the absence of current, we would giant stride off the rear deck and return to the boat at the end. The plateau starts at a depth of 20 metres and slopes down to 40 metres, and is a hot spot for thresher sharks. As we reached 25 metres, Mimo’s arm shot out, finger extended towards the unmistakable scythe-like tail of a thresher shark swimming through a school of fusiliers. It stayed within view for a couple of minutes before we lost it. We hung around 28 metres as long as our 30% nitrox mix would allow us, spotting a distant Thresher twice more, before ascending to the top of the reef and chilling out with the sohail surgeonfish, before being invited to stuff ourselves again.
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The next five days followed the same pattern: Dive – breakfast – relax – dive – lunch – relax- dive – dinner – relax. Due to the normally strong currents, the isolated nature of the location, and the considerable presence of sharks, there is no night diving on the Brothers. In fact, on most nights we didn’t need to get in the water to see them anyway. Whether you agree or not, it is accepted practice on liveaboards to throw organic waste overboard in the evening, and the sharks seemed to be in on it, especially at Little Brother. Leaning on the side rails with the crew after dinner, we often saw oceanic whitetip and silky sharks patrolling around the boat. Contents
Oct/Nov 2010
Big Brother’s other iconic dive site is the wreck of the Aida, a 75-metre supply vessel built in France in 1911 that sank on 15 September 1957 when resupplying the lighthouse and Egyptian army garrison stationed there. Approaching the jetty in heavy seas, she was slammed onto the rocks and abandoned immediately. After drifting north slightly, she went down south of the Numidia, just past the end of the island. Her bows no longer exist, but from her midships at 25 metres to her stern at 60, she is in excellent condition, adorned with purple soft corals and hard corals, anthias, morays, and the usual reef dwellers.
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Oct/Nov 2010
She was the last dive of the second day, and the first dive the next morning when a gentle current helped us onto the Numidia and then along the wall past a large school of black snapper hanging on the corner of the reef. The walls of Big Brother were also home to a friendly, 90-centimetre female Napoleon wrasse called Mousie. After another successful Thresher-spotting trip over the southern plateau, Mousie and I flirted gently for a few minutes, as if eyeing each other across a bar, until she sidled up, posing, tilting onto one side like she wanted to be petted. Our 15-minute infatuation was sadly cut short by my dive computer and my buddy’s air consumption, but I reckon I’d scored. On our last Big Brother dive we had a slightly stronger south to north current, and no sooner had we dropped in we were greeted by a juvenile giant manta, approximately four metres across, riding the current and flanked by a barracuda, closely followed by three grey reef sharks. The action wasn’t over; as we loitered expectantly a 1.2-metre male Napoleon came amongst the divers creating a scene akin to a publicity-starved celebrity (quite appropriate given the location) willingly posing for the paparazzi. He left abruptly, diving fast, to chase off a small grey reef shark sniffing around his patch. Moving north slowly, cornet fish hugged our tanks, using us for streamlining and cover as they looked for prey to ambush amongst the schools of anthias whilst we found pipefish amongst the gorgonians. As we moved closer to the surface, a manta, possibly one, cruised along below to bid us farewell. Big Brother had been excellent – could Little Brother follow suit?
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It had two days to outdo its sibling and did not disappoint. After an uneventful 15 minutes deep in the blue looking for sharks we moved closer to the wall. A quarter of an hour later we had seen a male grey reef shark, two threshers, a curiously un-shy silky shark, and an obviously pregnant grey reef shark, and had been entertained by an even bigger male Napoleon wrasse. Contents
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The last four dives were just as impressive. The male napoleon wrasse was often under the boat waiting to tag along on a dive, the pregnant reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) seemed to live near the mooring site, threshers milled around to the south below a magnificent gorgonian forest, home to a longnosed hawkfish, round the corner from a section of wall festooned with broccoli-like soft corals. In the normally washing machine-like shallows, we off-gassed with black-tongue unicornfish having parasites removed by cleaner wrasse, pufferfish, moray eels, orangespine unicornfish, barracudas and an octopus, thanks to the remarkably still waters. The icing on the considerable cake was provided by an oceanic whitetip and its accompanying pilot fish that came by to say hello. It would’ve been unfair to expect the final day’s diving in Safaga to compare, but Panorama reef had interesting seven-metre high, mountain-like dome coral formations, anemonefish and two turtles. The snorkelling boats at Tobia Arba’a
(a.k.a. The Seven Pillars) also provided much amusement from above and below the surface, and the shallow waters of the goldie-covered coral bommies were also home to blue spotted stingrays and lionfish. Rather than being a letdown, these two sites, two of the best in the area, served as a reminder of how spoilt we had been. The whole experience had been excellent. There was plenty of room on the boat and I spent so little time in my cabin awake that sharing would have been no problem. The constant sound of the ocean was soothing and we never had to share a dive site with another group. In fact, each buddy team often went at its own pace and James and I were frequently alone at the end of a dive, hanging out with the fish. In short, I can safely say that I am a liveaboard convert and would thoroughly recommend a trip to the Brothers.
Christopher travelled with Oonas Divers and sailed with Blue Planet Liveaboards. Contents
Oct/Nov 2010
Ponta do Oura, or simply just Ponta, is the favourite hunting ground of many a recreational scuba diver and is fast becoming a magical holiday destination for divers, non-divers and water sports fanatics. Many recreational scuba divers boast of doing their qualifying dives at Ponta and many a romance has blossomed there. Ponta’s rustic yet exotic vibe is a huge attraction for South Africans who love to “get away” and exercise their 4 x 4 and camping skills. And the legendary parties at Ponta often go right though the night. But on the 19th of June, this year, the laid-back, island-style, happy-go-lucky vibe was turned on its head as a devastating fire raged through the campsites and dive centres. There were no injuries but many holidaymakers escaped the fire with only the clothes on their backs. Most of the local residents lost all of their possessions, equipment and homes. As news filtered out, the diving community rose to the occasion and an amazing support group of committed people emerged to help re-build Ponta. This is the story of that communal tidal wave of support. African Diver spoke to Meg McDonald to get the inside story.
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Oct/Nov 2010
African Diver: Meg, tell us how you became aware of the devastation. Meg: On the morning of the 19th of June, I was awake really early and with time to spare I launched Facebook and came across pictures posted by a friend that was at Ponta Do Oura in one of the camps that had burnt down in the early hours of the morning. I quickly sent messages to find out if this was a hoax and soon received SMS’s that confirmed my horror. African Diver: It was indeed shocking news. How did you feel when it was confirmed to you? Meg: Well, I was horrified. You see, one of the campsites had once been my home for two years and I have very fond memories of my time spent there. The fire devastated the campsites of Simply Scuba, Dolphin Encounters and The Whaler. Everything was lost but fortunately no one was hurt or injured. Where once businesses had thrived, charred wreckage remained. African Diver: Tell us what it’s like to live and work in Ponta Meg: It is a lifestyle choice that is full, rewarding and hard work. Many guests would say, “Oh I wish I had your job” but it is not always sunshine and roses. We were always the first ones up, and mostly up at the crack of dawn (around 4am), and the last ones to bed; closing the office at 11pm. This was all done for a small salary. One of the most demanding aspects of the job was using a communal bathroom every day. So, as much as can make your room your home, you never have the luxury of having a wonderful relaxing private bath. There are days when you wish you could just hideaway but you 12 have to be on duty with a smile on your face. Regardless of the hard work though, the locals form bonds akin to that of a family like sharing the catch of the day or attending staff-only parties or just hanging-out together. And even though I have not lived in Ponta for a while, these people are my friends and when I heard what had happened I felt compelled to help. African Diver: The fire was hugely devastating and from what you’re telling us, everything was lost. Where did you start in your mission to help out? Meg: The obvious start was a Facebook page called “Lets help rebuild Ponta Do Oura Campsite” and I opened it with the following post: “19th June 2010 is a sad day to all that have enjoyed many dive and dolphin Holidays At Ponta Do Oura Campsite as Dolphin Encounters, The Whaler and Simply Scuba burnt to the ground in the Early hours of the Morning”. At the time I didn’t think that it could get big but I was motivated to let my friends in the Dive industry know what had happened and to spread the pictures of the devastation. The picture that hit me the hardest was the one of Petro carrying out dive cylinders. The thought that went through my head was that she was helping to save the business and her clients’ possessions whilst her home burnt to the ground. And, of course I kept asking myself “where were her 3 girls”, “were they safe”? You need to understand that clients, generally, only visit bringing a small bag of clothes and their dive equipment, all of which is most probably insured. Yet here was a local who together with Wayne (aka Maddog) was losing everything that they owned while they looked after their clients. I was swamped by memories of Maddog in his room, sharing his vast music collection with clients and us. This really got me going, as I knew that none of the camps had insurance to cover their losses. Contents
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African Diver: Ok so you launched the Facebook page. How quickly did people respond? Meg: Fantastically! The dive community rose to the occasion and by the end of Saturday we had almost 1 000 people supporting the Facebook page and messages of concern and offers to help came pouring in. Many people wanted to jump in their cars and start taking stuff to Ponta. African Diver: So it all took off within the space of a day. That’s fantastic. But you didn’t stop with just the Facebook page? Meg: No, many splinter ideas to raise funds were mooted and so I set up a meeting to try and combine all the efforts. At the same time Conrad Lamont came on board and he created a sister website www.help-ponta.co.za because some people could not log onto Facebook owing to corporate policies of limiting access to social media
websites during working hours. At the meeting many people ranging from dive schools to clients arrived, all with the intention of helping out. The meeting ended up lasting in excess of three hours and sub committees were formed to get things going. Conrad went to friends and a logo was designed and used from that point forward. Tarryn Steyn made her bank account available to collect cash donations for local staff and this information, as well as the campsite owners’ company bank accounts was published to receive cash donations. People contacted us offering space in their Dive shops and companies, for drop-off points for donations. I then contacted the people that had lost everything, the staff especially, and asked them for a wish list. They all asked me what a wish list was and I said that they needed to let me know what they had lost and what they needed Contents
to replace. But I made it clear that I wasn’t asking for a necessity list, but rather a wish list - a wish list would include many non-essential items. In essence, we wanted to put together a list of suppliers who would be willing to replace items at a discounted or cost price. These lists were published on the Facebook page and the Help-Ponta websites. African Diver: Okay, so the lists were published on the websites and bank accounts were opened to collect cash donations. Take us through what the response was. Meg: The “awesomeness” started, People from all walks of life came forward, arriving with clothes and crockery and many items that were on the lists. Friends and clients of Angie (Dolphin Encounters) sent her many of the items on her wish list. This was such an awesome feeling. Staff from all three of the campsites affected kept sending thanks and people from far and near kept offering help. Oct/Nov 2010
One of the items that brought tears to my eyes was a Barney Dinosaur doll for Teagan, Petro and Wayne’s 3 year old. I received gifts from people that had never been to one of the camps but they went and bought stationery for the girls to continue their schooling as well as a sound system for Wayne and Petro. Donations poured in and people like Anke Storm, Debbie Holroyd, Chris de Klerk and many others jumped into their cars and took donated supplies and necessities to Ponto. Chris supported Dolphin Encounters by helping them with a boat whilst Avalon (their Boat) was being repaired.
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African Diver: That’s a fantastic response Meg, but you guys didn’t stop there? I know the team has been raising awareness in many other ways too. Meg: That’s correct. Our first fund-raising event took place the next week at Trotters in Impala Park, Boksburg. Sacha Koster was instrumental in setting this up. The venue was sponsored and the band, The Smoots, gave up their time to play for free. Chantelle and Charles from Travel/Dive with Options and Rose from Travel Bug sold raffle tickets like demons. You see, we had been given some amazing gifts to give away - from Spa vouchers, hair vouchers, dinner vouchers and vouchers from some of the dive schools. People from all walks of life came and supported this event, divers and non-divers alike. The event was a huge success and a total of R6 000 was raised with R2 000 deposited in each of the camps bank accounts. Morne Pheiffer and a team then organised an event for The Whaler at Cool Runnings, in Fourways, and managed to raise R27 000. Conrad then asked me what I thought the chances were of getting a stand at the Dive Show at the Dome. I really thought that this was way-out but I contacted the NBS team and was thrilled when they came back offering to sponsor a stand for us to raise funds for the cause. Again the team met at Africa Diving in Alberton, and got planning. Conrad took hold of the reins whilst I was on a trip to the Red Sea because I only returned from my trip a day before we had to set up our stand. Whilst I was away, Kim organised the printing of raffle books and Conrad sorted out the raffle post boxes and the furniture for the stand. Many people, companies and dive schools came forward and offered prizes to raffle. Mike Thompson offered to print T-shirts for us to sell and wear. The support from the industry was amazing. A roster was set up and people donated their time to come and help. On the stand we had Conrad, Rose, Fiona, Louis, Amanda, Chantelle, Charles, Kim, Kevin, Elaine, Raymond, Shani, Angela, Tyronne and myself. We eventually managed to raise R9 000 but we still have T-shirts and wine to the value of R8 000 that we are still continuing to sell to be able to give more. The vibe at the show was incredible and the support that was received was spectacular. It was an awesome feeling to be involved. African Diver: So, is that it Meg? Do you have further events planned? Meg: We still have two events to go. Kim and Kevin McGuirk of African Diving have organized a fun day at Miracle waters on the 17th of October, and Rose has arranged a show at the Broadacres Barnyard on the 28th of October. Our Facebook group has grown to 3 085 people and the support has been incredible.
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Here are some of the comments from the Facebook group: Ross Anderson - I am devastated seeing these photos guys, one because these camps were part of my past. I have been going to Ponta since “94 and the changes since then have been subtle. And two because I fear that it will lead to over development in the camps. Please don’t let this happen! My heart goes out too all residents of Ponta. I hope you’re all doing you can to re-build Ponta to what she deserves! Bryan Coetzee As divers we are known to stand together and help out friends in need. Ponta do Oura has always been a holiday destination to us and we trust that once again divers will unite!!! Carol Irwin This just goes to show what wonderful, amazing people enjoy time at these life changing camp sites. My life was changed when I went swimming with the dolphins. The generosity of everyone is truly amazing, and I will be doing what I can to help rebuild. I pray that the camp sites will soon be better, bigger and busier than ever. God bless you all. Carol Irwin
Brent Abrahamse I have a gas installation company and have offered to do all three camps’ gas installations free of labour charges, however I’m sure that Simply Scuba, The Whaler and Dolphin Encounters could use any financial assistance for the materials needed, which I am also happy to source and supply at cost price. I can be contacted on 083 655 6972 or ncgi@telkomsa.net. Let’s do our best for our home-away-from-home! Teresa Coertzen Hi all!! Those of me, who know me, will know, how much the Dolphins and Ponta Do Oura and Angie mean to me... The fire that ate EVERYTHING Angie had, had started as a small tear inside my heart, but it ended in a FEELING of “We MUST DO SOMETHING!” Please guys..... Let’s jump in and help.... Fanus Wjs Bruwer Every year in August since 1996 we “Capies” have trekked from our snowy Boland farm to have a ‘kopoopskietertjie’ at Simply Scuba for a few days. What utter shock to see that a place where we had some of the best memories of our lives destroyed in an eyewink. We just hope it will be rebuilt to its former glory.
Brent Abrahamse To Meg and the rest of the committee. Thanks for the effort and willingness to co-ordinate this - it Olivia Symcox This is devastating, I am really sorry and is not easy to to remotely organise such a task and you’ll will do everything I can to assist in getting more stuff have your work cut out for you, but I’m sure you will do a through to those that need it. Please keep me posted. I great job. At least with someone (read as all of you on the mentioned this on East Coast Radio this morning so please committee) organising things, we’ll all be pulling together send me updates. Thanks. OJ in one direction instead of many little factions (with the Contents
best intentions) all pulling in different directions! Petro Shaw - Once again I speak on behalf of us all when 15 I say that words r nothing in the gratitude that we all feel. THANK U. THANK U. THANK U. EVERYBODY. X Hannes Greyling To everybody out there helping in any way they can, a BIG shout out to you all of you girls and guys. Let’s show the world that we care about our people and the planet we live in. Let’s move along and make our world a better place!! Remember – if there was no change in the world, there would be no butterflies!! Petro Shaw OMG we cannot get over the amount of stuff delivered today by Stoffel and Zorba. Thanks friends family strangers etc. Guys pls stop sending clothes now. We don’t mean to sound ungrateful we just have so so much. I personally am in shock at the response. Now if anyone has spare building materials etc they would be so appreciated. We at Simply want to be at ur service as before. Obrigado to u all again. Mwa mwa mwa Petro Shaw Wow South Africa, if everyone thought the soccer fever was big...well it has nothing on the support we have had here in Ponta. I am tearful in writing this. You are all true angels. We could not have asked for more beautiful people in our lives. I am still in total awe at the response. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Just so you all know, we are spreading your love to the poor and homeless here in Ponta. Thank you all again. Words certainly cannot express how much this means to us. Oct/Nov 2010
Petro Shaw On behalf of the campsite we all salute u. Thanks. As soon as we can get the camps up and running we can all carry on forward. Simply have launched every day short of a few nasty weather days since the incident. We are extremely grateful for the business and all the wonderful people sending us donations etc. We have had so many from people we don’t even know. God works in truly wonderful ways. Thanks u all. X Angie Gullan Thanks everyone for all your efforts. They are not going unnoticed. Life is chaotic as we re-establish ourselves. Morne Pheiffer Hi guys, I’m immensely proud to announce that we’ve managed to raise R27 000 for the Whaler with our fundraiser on Friday night, final moneys have to be collected but it was a great evening out and a huge success, thank you so much for everyone who helped organize the evening and those who arrived to support the cause. Angie Gullan Wish I was there to help! Thanks again to everyone who has been of support to us. It is all your support that keeps us strong. African Diver: Meg, from everyone who has ever dived at Ponta and from those who haven’t yet, a big thank you to the team and your efforts are hugely appreciated. It’s fitting to let Angie from Dolphin Encounters have the last word … “Dear Al 16 Dolphin greetings from Ponta. Many thanks for your kind words, offers, support and
love.
It has been the most trying time in Dolphins existence and the week of the 19th June 2010 will certainly go down as one of the most memorable of our lives. It all started with a newborn bottlesnose dolphin that was delivered to us by the marine guards, the very next day our boat capsized and then two days later we burned to the ground. Although very emotional we are feeling optimistic that good things will come out of our heartache. As so many people have said ‘the Phoenix shall rise out of the ashes’. We cannot give up on our vision as this is what we are meant to be doing. All the signs are there. We managed to get out our boat, car (although damaged but insured), underwater video camera and research computers - the very next day I found my dolphin ball perched on top of the ashes - this for us was a sign from the Gods that we have to carry on - so thanks for your support! We are in the process of going through hundreds of mails so we do apologize for the delayed reply. We will re-establish the Dolphin Care Base Camp in the not too distant future however are still waiting for final confirmation from government. We have been occupying the space permanently since ‘97 without being able to build permanent structures due to pending hotel and casino developments. We continue to operate and are currently using alternative venues in town (mmm...nice on-suite!) for now. Contents
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A small tent has been set up in front of the Dolphin Site for briefings and bookings. We will keep you posted as to our developments.� Angie� Meg: This has been an incredible time in my life, When growing up I once read an article in a magazine that said the world revolves around a circle and everything you see and do in life can be related back to a circle. What you give comes back to you and the wheel turns. When staying in Ponta these people were my friends, my family and always around when I needed help. It is great to be able to give what I can back to these wonderful people. Seeing the community let all the politics slide and all climb in to give of their time or their worth or just their prayers has been something that has made me proud to be part of a community that cares.
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There are many people that I have not managed to name however your contributions have not gone unnoticed and I appreciate all that you have individually contributed to make a terrible event into an incredible standing in the Community that supports Ponta do Ouro. I could not have achieved any of this without the superb backing of the entire committee but especially that of Conrad Lamont and Rose Bilbrough. Thank you everyone, as although this started with no intention at all, I am proud of what it has already produced and what it’s still to produce in means of support for these people of Ponto. Lets help Rebuild Ponta Do Oura Campsite www.help-ponta.co.za
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Oct/Nov 2010
The East Coast Epic Expedition By Cormac McCreesh
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Bottlenose Dolphin at dawn
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Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns A photographic essay
Take one slightly mad but passionate diver, an equally nutty German tour operator with a penchant for innovation and entrepreneurship; put them together and the result is always going to be unpredictable.
I met Rainer Schimpf of Expert Tours last December on a trip to Ponta Mamoli. We hit it off immediately – well we must have because I seemed to be the only one who got his obscure German sense of humour – and what followed was a series of trips to his base in Port Elizabeth where I was exposed to the attractions and environmental issues in that forgotten part of South Africa. From the first time we met, Rainer told me of his dream of an exploratory trip from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns using his RIB and a land-based support crew. Now this was exactly the sort of thing that got me excited and I encouraged him relentlessly with emails, telephone calls and SMS’.
Fortunately for me he didn’t really need much encouragement and slowly the dream began to take shape. It acquired an identity – for Rainer: “The Trip of a Lifetime” and for me “The East Coast Epic Expedition” (or ECEE for short). Once the dream had an identity it developed a life of its own and inexorably it infused our daily life dramas. Rainer became obsessed about the trip and bounced ideas and logistics off me daily.
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The route - approximately 480 kms as the crow flies
And then suddenly, one day, it was on. The dream became a reality and we were off to explore the Ocean from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns over a 6-day period. The plan was simple – 5 people in the boat, 2 in the land-based support vehicle. Head out of Port Elizabeth and see what happens.
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We had a vague route in mind and planned to stay as long as possible out at sea each day. Our route took in Port Alfred, East London, Mazeppa and Coffee Bay and ended at Port St Johns and would include sections of the Eastern Cape and Transkei coastlines.
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We planned to overnight in Port Alfred, East London and Coffee Bay and spend two nights in each of Mazeppa Bay and Port St Johns. This meant experiencing three harbours (Port Elizabeth, Port Alfred and East London), two beach landings (Mazeppa Bay and Coffee Bay) and one silted-up and defunct harbour (Port St Johns). Along the way, we planned to visit the St Croix islands and Bird Island both of which are situated in Nelson Mandela Bay (once known as Algoa Bay). 20
Our objectives were simple: • to see if it could be done; • to raise our own awareness of marine diversity along the Eastern Cape and Transkei coastlines; • to gain an understanding of the human impact on the environment; and • to have fun.
Top left: Port Elizabeth harbour Top right: Port Alfred harbour Centre left: East London harbour Centre right: Mazeppa Bay Bottom left: Coffee Bay Bottom right: Port St Johns harbour Contents
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For the next six days our daily home was to be Rainer’s RIB suitably equipped with a viewing chair, cylinder racks and ample petrol. Our hope was for calm and flat seas in an area notorious for quite the opposite. Neptune must have heard our prayers though because each day, apart from the last, we skipped over the ocean on a gloriously lake-like sea. Above: launching our RIB
They surfed our bow wave repeatedly while going on their business of searching for food. No sooner had we left the bottlenose dolphin behind when we spotted a Bryde’s whale spouting as it surfaced. Sadly, for us, it was in no mood to hang around and we only caught fleeting glimpses of it as it snorted and dived.
Bryde’s whale abandoned we headed We left Port Elizabeth harbour at on our journey towards the St Croix dawn and were escorted out to sea by islands near Coega harbour but were a resident pod of bottlenose dolphin again distracted as a Southern Right (see cover photograph). Whale surfaced and began to cavort, roll and splash.
Above: our RIB and Skipper
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Above, left and right: Southern Right Whale
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Our path towards our destination for the first day took us out of Port Elizabeth harbour, towards the St Croix islands near Coega and then onwards to Bird Island, home of the Cape Gannet and African Penguin. Coega harbour and the Coega Industrial Zone is built within close proxity of the St Croix islands (so named for a replica of the Diaz cross erected on the larger of the three islands). These islands used to be densly populated by African Penguin but these days the penguins are slowly abandoning the islands in favour of better nesting grounds. Industrila activity notwithstanding, 22 the penguins travel significant distances (owing to depletion of the fishing grounds) to find food for their growing chicks, It is speculated that
by the time the parents return home, the food in their crops has digested because of the energy requirements to travel the vast distances they have to travel. The African Penguin is now listed as a vulnerable species as habitat encrouchment, over-fishing and climate change impacts on the population. The St Croix islands still support a small population of African Penguin as well as a sizable population of various Cormorants and Gulls. I’m told by recreational sailors that Great Whites patrol these islands but we didn’t see any during our time there.
Above: Cormorants on St Croix
Coega harbour and the St Croix islands
Above: African Penguin Contents
Above: African Penguin Oct/Nov 2010
Bird Island, along with the similarly named island at Lamberts Bay along the Western Cape coast, is home to a significant population of Cape Gannet - 100 000 breeding pairs, so I was told by the SANParks rangers resident there. The island is perfectly suited to breeding sea birds with its flat landscape and easy access to the sea. African Penguin breed there too and Cape Fur seals occupy a nearby island. It’s a magical, noisy, windswept place and bird photographers’ dream. The island boasts a cute red light house which, had it been around when explorers first shipped these waters would have saved many a life. There are gravestones on the island dating back to the 1800’s. When we arrived at the island, the rangers estimated that there were only 40 000 birds resident with most birds following the sardine run in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Gannet, African Penguin and Cape fur seals dominated our 3 hour visit and I rued not getting a permit from SANDParks to dive with the seals (we’d only obtained a permit to photograph the birds on the island).
23 Bird Island and Seal Island above it and to the right
Our arrival at Bird Island
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The seals of Seal Island
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African Penguin
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Cape Gannet
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Each day we were followed for hours on end by various Antarctic Skua (Catharacta MacCormicki). These birds, sometimes referred to as pirates, regularly rob Gulls, Gannet and other sea birds of their food. Mighty in the air, they followed our RIB even when at speed and settled unafraid next to us when we stopped to rest, dive or eat. They winter in the Antarctic and migrate northwards for summer. Opportunistic predators they will eat anything and tried often to encourage us to share our cheese and tomato sandwiches with them although they were less than partial to Mike’s curry pie when did he decide to test their appetite. Their ability in the air is phenomenal and we were entertained for hours watching them ride the sea airs while following our RIB.
Antarctic Skua
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Oct/Nov 2010
Commons “on the run”
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Although there are several species of dolphin that frequent our coastline, the most commonly seen are the Bottlenose and Common dolphins. We encountered Bottlenose dolphin each morning and late afternoon when we returned closer to shore. They tend to forrage in the coastal zone and we delighted in watching them leap out of and surf the waves.
However for pure excitement and joy, following great pods of Common dolphin was exhilerating and adrenalinfilled. Each day we encountered pods of Commons (as they’re more commonly referred to) and we delighted in their antics as they surfed our bow wave or challenged us to keep up with them.
Photographing dolphin is an exercise in patience, timing and luck. Bottlenose dolphin tend to porpise with only their blow holes showing while Common dolphin will “spy-hop” often to take a peek and tease.
Below: a rare shot of a Bottlenose dolphin spy-hopping
Below: Bottlenose dolphin in the shoreline on the Transkei coast
Above: Common dolphin taking a peek Contents
Oct/Nov 2010
Each day we were privileged to spend hours following way north. Easily spotted by their double-blow or by Humpback Whales. The East Coast of South African their splashing behaviour they transform the sea into a is like the N2 highway with mighty 30 ton whales and gigantic road way. their calves migrating northwards. We watched them sail-finning, lob-tailing and breaching These giant animals never ceased to inspire awe and displacing huge mountains of water as they luxuriated joy as they huffed, puffed, splashed and breached their in their watery environment. On several occassions
we were treated to deeply spiritual encounters as these magnificent creatures investigated our stationery RIB, just checking us out. And on one occasion, a mother brought her calf within metres of our RIB, mesmerising us - five photogrpahers and not one of us took a photograph of it.
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Humpback whale behaviour
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Humpback whale breaching
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Oct/Nov 2010
We ended our “trip of a lifetime” at Port St Johns. Sadly, the wind came up and scuttled our plans to head up to Waterfall Bluff to look for sardines. But we’d proved the trip could be done and that having fun doing it was an understatement. We learned that our coastline is blatently bloating with biodiversity and seeths with life. Our own knowledge of the area, the ocean and its inhabitants was vastly enriched but we were made painfully aware of how little we know. The trip was a “Sea-fari” that surpassed our wildest dreams. And we’ll be back for more next season when to do it all over again.
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If you’re keen to do this trip contact Rainer through his website at http://www.expert-tours.com/ Contents
Oct/Nov 2010
The lost South African Spider Crab text by Georgina Jones
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Much like Machu Picchu, the iconic lost city of the Incas, where the locals took their llamas to graze for centuries, the ‘lost spider crab’ was never lost to us in South Africa. It’s been here all along, stalking its angular way across sea fans and reefs from False Bay to East London, observable by anyone who cares to dive on reefs deeper than 15m with a yen for the smaller stuff. To the international scientific community, however, it vanished more than a hundred years ago. So this is, in part, a story which happened in the reasonably remote past.
Top - long fragile legs and an arrow-shaped body make this spider crab tricky to catch without damaging it as a specimen - Andrew Taylor Bottom - a close-up of the Cape long-legged spider crab showing the long beak structure on its head which differentiates it from the European species - Andrew Taylor
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There was once a man called William Stimpson (1832-1872), who was a scientist. He was mostly interested in marine biology, and especially in invertebrates, and during his short life, he described an enormous number of species. In Latin, as was the custom in those days. Scientific descriptions, up until fairly recently, often simply involved a short paragraph giving details of the creature’s physical appearance and any sexual dimorphism, plus any natural history that the collector might have added. Currently descriptions may include much more detail: DNA, electron microscopic investigations of various internal or external features, even biochemical determinations of characteristic enzymes or toxins produced by the creature.
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In 1857, Stimpson got hold of a specimen of the South African spider crab, known to us these days as the Cape long-legged spider crab (Macropodia falcifera) and described it as being a separate species from a close cousin, the European spider crab. Exactly how Stimpson got to be describing a South African species is a bit of a puzzle, but presumably, rather like today, when an expert on a particular family works, in, say, Singapore, all members of that family are routinely sent to said expert for verification and description. Or possibly an American collector was passing through South Africa at the time and on returning home, brought Stimpson the spoils of his journey. Probably the most perplexing part of the story is how the collector managed to get hold of the spider crab. These are animals with arrowshaped bodies about a centimetre across and maybe 1.5cm high and which have ungainly slender legs, rather like bulky daddy-long-legs. They are usually found on sea fans, and usually only in water deeper than 15m. They must have dredged for them because scuba was unknown then, and one wonders just what condition such a fragile animal can have been in by the time it reached the surface. Top - a pair of Cape long-legged spider crabs, all long legs and camouflaging hydroid growth Guido Zsilavecz Bottom - angular regulars on sea fans, these spider crabs live only in water deeper than 15m Guido Zsilavecz
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In any event. Stimpson took a considering look at the creature when it reached him, and decided, on the basis of its arrow-shaped body, to include it in a genus of arrow crabs known as Stenorhynchus. He decided it was a distinct species from the European spider crab: at that time going under the scientific name Stenorhynchus rostrata, mainly because of the beak-like structure on the top of its head, which the European spider crab lacked. Stimpson then took a post as director of the Academy of Science in Chicago, and transferred the bulk of his collection there. The entire academy and the bulk of Stimpson’s specimens were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Stimpson died the following year of tuberculosis, but perhaps it was really a 35 broken heart. The problem with all these specimens being destroyed, to the scientific community, is that when a species is described, the specimen used for the description, known as the type specimen, is lodged in a museum and all subsequent members of the species are (or can be) compared with the original type. So the type was lost. Subsequent changes in scientific insight led to both the Cape and the European spider crabs being moved out of the genus Stenorhynchus and into the genus Macropodia, and various collectors and naturalists took the time to collect and detail physical structures of the South African spider crab. But because the type was lost, their descriptions didn’t carry enough weight, and the species was dropped from an expert review of the genus in 2008. A marine daddy-long-legs, a Cape long-legged spider crab spreads out over a field of sea cucumbers - Guido Zsilavecz
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This was despite the spider crab being referred to in no less than five references, although to be fair, the most recent is a publication of the Annals of the South African Museum from 1950, non-edible crustacean research in South Africa not being a notably dynamic field. So what changed? It was the Wikipedia, really. Uploads of our local spider crab were being persistently deleted, on the grounds that Macropodia falcifera was not a valid species and must therefore be a synonym of some other, properly 36 described and typed species. Further research uncovered the history above, with the result that the Cape longlegged spider crab, after languishing in obscurity for decades, is now being hunted so that a specimen can be accurately described by the current world expert (who works, yes, in Singapore) and officially labelled as the neotype. For the spider crabs concerned, there is little doubt that they would prefer obscurity.
Background - hydroids growing on this spider crab partly camouflage its long legs - Andrew Taylor
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HANDICAP SCUBA ASSOCIATION S.A. 37
Almost anyone with a disability can dive ... IF YOU CAN BREATH … YOU CAN DIVE …
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Oct/Nov 2010
“When I heard about scuba diving and how free you feel in the water this was something I wanted to pursue but it was not possible in South Africa as diving schools were not certified to dive with handicapped people. This made me very frustrated and people told me I would never be able to do it. This made me want it even more. I got myself very healthy and managed to get through the doctor’s health requirements but still nobody would dive with me. I was so frustrated that I got to the point of thinking about employing someone off the side of the street, getting them trained and going diving any way. Then I heard about the Handicapped Scuba Association coming over from America to instruct dive instructors to dive with handicapped people in South Africa. In the beginning I thought that this was a joke but it was to become a reality.” Andrew Du Toit C5 Quadriplegic Earlier this year, the Handicap Scuba Association of South Africa (or the HSASA) was formed. An ambitious project with high ideals, the HSASA is dedicated to assuring that people with disabilities are given the same opportunity to scuba dive as able divers are. Zelda Norden, along with Lynn Retief are the driving force behind the HSA in South Africa. Zelda, qualified as an HSA instructor in 2006 in the Cayman Islands and worked with disabled divers whilst she was living there. When she returned to South Africa she saw the potential for the HSA in South 38 Africa - after all, our climate and outdoor lifestyle is perfectly suited to establishing the HSA in South Africa. She is not only passionate about teaching disabled divers but also believes strongly that diving is the best rehabilitation program for people living with a disability. Lynn suffered an accident and broke 2 vertebrae in her back. This made her realise how her life would have changed if there had been any spinal cord injuries. Her biggest concern was whether she would be able to dive again. But dive she did, and once she heard about the HSA from Zelda she was sold on the possibility of being part of something new. The project launched when Jim Gatacre, President & Founder of the Handicap Scuba Association (HSA), visited South Africa to conduct the first Course Directors course in Africa. Jim founded the HSA in 1981. Working with PADI & NAUI he developed the Physical Performance Requirements and Multi-Level Certification to enable Scuba instructors to safely train and certify divers with a wide range of disabilities. HSA has since become the worldwide leading authority in this field with over 3 000 underwater instructors, scuba divers with disabilities and supporting members, located in over 45 countries During Jim’s visit, Zelda became the first HSA Course Director in Africa with the responsibility of training HSA Instructors. This naturally led to the idea of doing a project that encompassed Course Director training, Instructor training and then student (with different disabilities) training. This project launched the formation of the HSASA. Contents
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Once Zelda had completed her Course directors course with Jim, the following Instructors were identified and qualified: Lynn Retief, Hayley Dill, Braam le Roux, Jana le Roux, Le-Roy Pretorius, Jacobus Pieterse and Roger McIntyre. They had to learn new procedures, about the different types of disabilities and new terminology, to name a few. They were blindfolded while diving, had to remove and replace masks using only one hand, dived with their feet tied up and were not allowed to equalize themselves – learning to trust their dive buddy or instructor to do so for them. They learned to look beyond the wheelchair and see the person. All the instructors passed with flying colors and went on to the next phase: qualifying students. The students selected were Andrew Du Toit (C5 Quadriplegic), Frank Juskievitz (C7 Quadriplegic), Koos Coertze (T10 Paraplegic), Versha Rowjee (Spina Bifida), Stanley Maloka (Hearing-impaired), Laiken Hendricks (Hearingimpaired) and Philluppus Korff (Amputee above knee left & loss of usage on left arm). Not everyone with a disability is able to dive. People who have cognitive impairments (brain injuries) or are epileptic will not be passed to dive, but most mobility, visually and hearing impaired people are able to dive. Persons with disabilities that, generally, can dive are: • Quadriplegic: term generally refers to all four limbs being involved. Spinal chord injured in the cervical area, C7 through C1;
• Paraplegic: occurs with injuries at the T-1 through L-2 area of the Spinal chord (2 limbs involved); • Spina Bifida: defect in the vertebral union, usually the failure of two vertebrae to close completely in the lumbar region; • Hemiplegia: refers to one side of the body being affected; • Polio; • Cerebral Palsy; • Amputees; • Hearing and sight impaired; • Multiple Sclerosis; • Muscular Dystrophy; • Diabetes Mellitus; • Cancer Patients; • Asthma; • and soon the FIRST EVER “Locked in Syndrome”. Of course, all potential students do need to get medical clearance from a diving doctor before learning to dive. For the students to qualify they had to work through the PADI Open Water Manuals and meet performance requirements according to their HSA level. HSA certifies divers according to three different certification levels based on various performance standards. These certification levels are:
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Level A
Certified to dive with any other scuba diver.
Level B
Certified to dive with TWO dive buddies who are certified OW, level A or above
Level C
Certified to dive with TWO dive buddies, ONE certified Level A, OW or above, and ONE Assisting Buddy, certified at the minimum level of a Rescue Diver. (Also recommended to do the H.S.A. Certified Dive Buddy qualification)
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For level B and C divers, dive buddies are divers that are HSA trained. The entry requirement for this training is, at least, trained as a Rescue Diver (any agency). The HSA Buddy course is a three-day course where the dive buddy is taught different types of disabilities and how to dive with them.
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Some of the challenges the instructors faced and dealt with are difficulties the average diving instructor wouldn’t dream of. For example, when training Andrew (Quadriplegic) the instructors had to be very careful ensuring that water did not enter his lungs. Andrew has no cough reflex and if water were to enter his lungs he would not be able to cough it out himself. So Andrew always dives in a more upright position, which is also easier for him to breath. Another example is to do with kitting up on the boats. Once Andrew was kitted up and ready to dive the instructor had to get ready whilst holding on to him. This problem was solved though when one of the Instructors, Koos Pieterse, designed a boat chair that kept the disabled divers in place once kitted up. (see photo) The HSASA is life changing. Life-changing for the disabled persons that learn to dive but also for the instructors that share the experience with them. African Diver asked Lynn and Zelda what impressions they were left with from this first group of divers to qualify. In their words: 40
“… when one of my quadriplegic students had his first dive in the ocean, he was speechless and started crying, to see this guy that had to overcome his disability and do something with his sisters for the first time after his accident … also seeing a black man who can not even swim qualify as an HSA Level C diver, cry…” “When I taught Dr. Cival Mills, who has “Locked in Syndrome” the E=RDP. He can only use his one finger to communicate through a machine that he uses to type words. He has tunnel vision … for him to just master pressing the buttons was such and accomplishment. Life changing ... these words means nothing if you have not experienced what an impact something so small can have on one person’s life. This is what some of the participants had so say about their scuba diving course: Frank Juskievitz - C7 Quadriplegic “Over the years my motorised wheelchair has become my comfort zone and the place I learned to adapt to life, to learn and to spend up to 15 hours a day. Take me out of this comfort zone and I feel totally helpless and insecure. Let alone this, you are still being placed in a heated pool without a lifejacket! I must be undergoing shock therapy ... and I’m glad I did. Contents
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Placing my life, my trust and my fears into the hands of my diving instructor is all part of the communication and challenges that are necessary to transform my life to a new comfort zone. The training is intense, scary yet exciting. Every skill learned in the confined water space is an achievement, a small step of victory in qualifying for the open water dives and the ultimate certification as an HSA scuba diver. Each step of victory is a tribute to the professional instruction, dedication and passion of my instructor to teach me to dive and to dive safely. The HSA training I received provided me with the confidence I needed to boldly face the open water dives with ease. What a breeze and pleasure. As challenging as the training seemed at the time, it now seems so absolutely insignificant in relation to my first underwater glimpse.” Versha Rowjee - Spina Bifida “Down I went, with my instructors – just breath, just breath, just breath – equalize, equalize, equalize … and then it happened …. all my worries dissolved – were taken away by the mighty ocean. Wow, I thought, this is it – this is magic – that’s all! Yet it was everything – it was perfect. I felt like the mermaid – swimming with the fishes. They swam past me; almost as though welcoming me to their beautiful world. It was so friendly, calm and peaceful. I wanted to laugh – to cry – I thought to myself – what did I do to deserve this? I was seriously traumatized by a robbery in June last year. My life changed after that – I never laughed again, I gave up on who I was. Last night I met friends who I have not seen in a few months, and they said to me, what happened – you look great – you are back! This experience has brought me back. The ocean dissolved my trauma, the fish welcomed me, and my friends and dive instructors showed me so much of love. I started to believe again that I will be ok. Thank you, thank you and thank you to everyone”
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Lynn Retief - H.S.A. Instructor “I have never in my life felt so emotional about anyone achieving what seemed to be the impossible for him. I have also not experienced the courage of any other human so unconditionally. This is when I knew I had found MY purpose in life.” Zelda Norden Course Director H.S.A. “This experience changed my life as well as all the people involved and I truly believe that this is one of the BEST rehabilitation programs for anybody living with any form of disability. You should take a leap and join us and become a part of this is life changing experience.” For more information contact: Zelda Norden Tel. 0848581025 or Lynn Retief Tel 083 260 7245 H.S.A. – S.A.
“Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.” Christopher Reeve Contents
Oct/Nov 2010
Moving sushi in Tanzania Text and images by Mike Markovina After driving though 40 countries in 21 months, all that was left for the Moving Sushi Marine Expedition was to traverse through Tanzania and Mozambique. Our goals in Tanzania were to visit Sea Sense, the only active NGO in Tanzania working on marine conservation issues and to visit Chumbe Island, a private Marine Protected Area (MPA) which boasts arguably the most intact 42 coral reef system in East Africa. It has been suggested that working in fisheries related fields in Africa is depressing, and during this expedition, I have caught myself starring down the barrel of negativity, unfortunately our first impressions in Tanzania were no different. In 2006 the population of Tanzania was estimated at 38.5 million, with an annual growth rate of 2%. The country’s population is unevenly distributed. However the largest proportion of the population converges along the coastline around the capital city, Dar El Salaam. Tanzania is probably one of the oldest known continuously inhabited areas on earth, with fossil remains of human and pre-human hominids found dating back over 2 million years. Tanzania is rich in natural resources, including gold, tanzanite, iron ore, uranium,
coal, diamonds and marine resources, amongst others. The coastline of Tanzania is approximately 1430 km long. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends for 200 nautical miles and is dominated by industrial fishing, mainly focusing of pelagic fishes such as tunas, while artisanal fishers using an array of gears and boat designs dominate the inshore territorial waters. With respect to the management of marine resources, Tanzania falls far short of the bar, so to speak. And, as is common in Africa, the Tanzanian government has conflicting statistics as to how much marine fish is caught annually, reflecting a range of 50 000 to 70 000 tones . Furthermore there is little resolution pertaining to how many active marine-going fishers there are in Tanzania. Counts estimate anything between 10 000 to 43 000. What is certain, and of increasing concern, is that of the estimated number of fishers in Tanzania, 90% are involved in the artisanal sector. Despite Tanzania been an active member in numerous regional and international fishing management agreements, the sector still fails to achieve effective management and control of marine resources. Contents
Boat at Chumbe Island Oct/Nov 2010
Small scale pirogue using hessian sacks for the sail
Ring netting boat, a big problem as the damage on the reef after they have finished is prolific. This fleet is common in Tanzania and Kenya
Boats returning to with the day’s catch
Reasons being; lack of capacity, coordination in management targets, compliance and political will, despite the Tanzanian government recognizing the importance of the environment and the use of natural resources as tools for alleviating poverty and increasing the general standard of living.Arriving in Pangani and discussing with local expats the extent of artisanal fishing in northern Tanzania, I was met with cynicism towards governments commitment to marine resource management, control efforts and despair with respect to the re-insurgence of blast fishing. The use of dynamite as a fishing method has been used in Tanzania since the 1960’s. The practice peaked in the 1980’s and 1990’s with up to 100 blasts witnessed within 6 hours. Currently in 2010, local residents suggested that on any given day one could hear or witness between 2 and 5 blasts on the shallow reefs. Dynamite fishing stuns fish by rupturing their swim bladders. A small proportion of the damaged fish float to the surface, the rest sink. Divers try find dead
fish in amongst the reef, but it is estimated that 40% of the fish killed using dynamite is never recovered. Dynamite seriously
the waters off the west coast of South Africa, where upwelling drives a nutrient rich system of high productivity but low
port
by the complexity of the coral reefs, high biodiversity, and low biomass. If the reef dies, so do all the fish and natural resource associated with the system. Dynamite is therefore a method of fishing that serves to destroy the very livelihoods of the fishers 43 partaking in the practice. Ironic. The problem deepens somewhat, when one looks at politics. I asked a question to a person who wishes to remain anonymous (for her own security reasons); “what would it take to save Tanzania’s marine resources?” Without hesitation the answer was to cut aid to Tanzania by 80%.
Dar El Salaam fish market and landing site, absolute messy chaos
affects fish populations, but more so the coral reefs that support fish life. The Indian Ocean is likened to a desert; the waters are devoid of nutrients and minerals, unlike
biodiversity, which is arguably more resilient to industrial fishing. The biodiversity in the Indian Ocean along the Tanzanian coast however is driven
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The rationale was simple, the Tanzanian government last year received the first of two 60 million Euro aid installments for upliftment and improved marine management practices within coastal fishing communities. The main issues are that after a year, literally not a single cent has been invested with the communities; the money has disappeared and is unaccounted for. Oct/Nov 2010
Despite the clear corruption in managing the finances, the second 60 million Euro tranch is about to be paid over to the government. If the government actually spent the aid money on the communities and policed the fishery effectively, it would mean the end of the “aid line”, which is not in the interest of government. Unfortunately this is not an isolated incidence we heard about, clearly there is a disincentive to uplift fishing communities, so the plunder and shortsighted fishing practices are set to continue. According to a recent news article written by James Mwakisyala, Tanzania has signed a 1-year fishing agreement with Japan for tuna. The argument is that the national income will 44be beneficial for Tanzania, which loses millions though illegal fishing each year. According to the agreement, the Japanese will deploy 30 tuna vessels in Tanzania and pay the government US$ 200 million. Speaking at the signing, the Minister of Livestock Development and Fisheries, Mr. John Magufuli, said the agreement marks the start of “obliging foreign trawlers to follow the country’s fishing laws”. This agreement has opened the pathway for new agreements with other countries, which are already under negotiation. Given the history of missing aid, the agreements are more likely to be set for government benefit and fishing rights will be used as a bargaining tool for self-fulfillment. Sad really. For us, it was important to get community members perspective about dynamite fishing
and how the locals viewed the importance of the coral reefs. The answers were somewhat interesting yet not a surprise. We meandered our car though the tight roads of a fishing village which had been evicted by the government from their traditional land along the coastline - as the government plans to construct a new deep water harbour (which just for interests sake will require 2 km of dynamite blasting though a Marine Park that was gazetted to protect the coelacanths in the area). The village elder spoke of the dynamite fishermen “destroying and breaking the stone houses that the fish live in”, and according to him, “if the dynamite continues, we shall have no more fish to eat or sell, our livelihoods depend on them stopping this type of fishing”. The village elders refuse to report the dynamite fishers to the authorities, as they maintain the government is involved and are scared for their lives. Local fisheries officers are said to supply the explosive ingredients for a cut in the profits of the fish sales. Again this was not the first, nor the last time that we would hear that the government was behind the increased dynamite fishing activity in Tanzania.
A selection of fish caught using dynamite. Bloated bellies, bulging eyes and soft flesh to the touch are the tell-tale signs
What intrigued me was that the elders did associate the reef as a “house” or refuge for fish, but what was not realized was that the reef was a living entity. If the “fish houses” are broken, it does not mean that fish will return to the system if dynamite fishing stops, one needs to revive the food chain, the reef has to regroup and establish itself, before fish communities can be supported, a concept that did not resonate deep amongst Contents
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the villagers. Sadly the villagers I met and discussed dynamite fishing with were about to be evicted from their land for a second time by government officials. Their livelihoods depend on fishing, but now their village is over 2 km from the waters edge. Yet their next statement sums up the challenges of fisheries managers to come, “there are fewer fish, and dynamite has contributed to this, we need to make a living, so we need better nets, new tools so we can fish more effectively,” again ironic that those very actions will serve to increase their despair. Sea Sense, an NGO working mostly on turtles, as they represent an iconic species though which funding can be obtained, work tirelessly and passionately in villages on education and fishing practice awareness campaigns. Sea Sense is a totally Tanzanian initiative, and those who undertake the daunting tasks of getting villagers to respond to more responsible fishing practices are truly inspiring.
When asked how do we save the Tanzanian marine resources, again cutting aid was at the top of the agenda. Tanzania is a rich country. Foreign aid only serves to make the government greedier, lazier and less likely to make any positive contribution to the social revamp required to save Tanzania’s marine resources. What was positive was the stress on social revamp, as it is only possible to change a system if communities benefit, as they are the ones pushed to fish irresponsibly through social decay. Sea Sense has a daunting task, as every village they work with expects miracles and thinks that hand outs will come their way. The greatest challenge is gaining buy-in from communities that understand there is no easy solution and that for a positive outcome to be a reality, they have to empower themselves through the accurate information supplied to them and act accordingly, as according to Sea Sense, “information is key to building social participation and trust,” I could not agree more. A little over 10 years ago, I had the privilege of working in Zanzibar as a dive instructor, packing in a few hundred dives on incredible reefs. Returning with the knowledge that I had gained and so naively disregarded back then, a sense of despair come over me, as I watched nets been dropped from pirogues, my main
Fishing community about to be evicted for the second time due to the proposed development of a new deep water harbour
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Dar El Salaam fish market, the man on the bicycle is the knife sharpener.... he is brilliant
Chief of the community and gentleman I interviewed about dynamite fishing Contents
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Local community employed eco-guard on Chumbe Island
realization being that we have no clue as to how badly we have damaged this system, and 46 the government seems to not care. I was on my way to Chumbe Island; a slither of hope in that Chumbe Island is possibly the only truly private Marine Protected Area in the world. Marine Protected Areas are essential for the redevelopment of many of our overexploited marine resources, yet many MPA’s fall far short of their mandate in effectively protecting the biological integrity of the system. So how does a private MPA live up to the task? Government buy-in to the concept was essential, so although Chumbe Island represents a private MPA, government is a silent stakeholder in the system. The island, which is just 3 km off Zanzibar, offers a totally eco-friendly experience, it produces literally no waste. From compost toilets, solar
electricity, to all used water been filtered and recycled, the island boasts a magnificent natural forest, and only accommodates at most 16 people.
Small swordfish the catch of the day in Dar El Salaam fish market
The resort employs only local staff from Zanzibar. Marine biologists, who continuously conduct research and educate locals as to the importance of coral reefs for communities, manage the Island. Activities are strictly controlled, for example no scuba diving is allowed on the reef, which extends from 2 to 20 meters. Despite scuba diving offering a good chance for people to appreciate a system in excellent condition, divers continuously destroy corals though poor diving practices, so the reef is only accessible by snorkeling. The MPA is only 700 meters long, and its demarcation was discussed at length with local fishing communities. Their involvement in the structuring of the MPA was vital in gaining their compliance with the rules. Local community members are taken snorkeling to observe the difference between a healthy system and a destroyed system. Incredibly the local fishers favor the MPA as a “good nursery� for fish. The benefits of a private MPA are becoming apparent, they include: working as a non-profit enables all Contents
Pangani coastline, site of intense dynamite fishing, northern Tanzania
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Aerial shot of Chumbe Island showing eco bungalows overlooking the MPA
Fish in net... stating the obvious am I not?
proceeds of the resort to be directed into community benefiting activities without any chance of corruption. There are no political appointments pertaining to the management of the system, the best people for the job are there working on the job. Salaries are higher than average for all employees when compared to the average wage in Zanzibar. The reef is constantly monitored, patrolled and enforcement is immediate and effective. Chumbe Island has been successful for the past 10 years, but there is a brewing concern about the sustainability of the project - once again the government is involved. The government does not really endorse eco-friendly buildings, as they do not see the value of sticks and bamboo, compared to a hotel construction like the Sheraton, for example. The government prefers a financial investment into the construction of resorts, because when resorts start to make a profit, they are often taken over by the government - a forced take-over, Chumbe is currently facing this very problem. A forced take-over would result in the profits been sucked out of the project inflating the jacket pocket of a minister instead of empowering a community though dedicated information sharing and action. Chumbe Island is an example of marine conservation excellence, but will it last?
47 Chumbe Island eco-guard returning a confiscated sea cucumber back into the MPA
Article 61 of the UN Convention on the law of the Sea (UNCLOS) states, ‘the coastal state, taking into account the best scientific evidence available to Contents
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it, shall ensure through proper conservation and management measures that the maintenance of living resources in the EEZ is not endangered by over-exploitation.� This places the responsibility for fisheries governance and the sustainable utilization of marine resources squarely on the state. The problem is what are the intentions of the state. A lecture I attended on marine conservation advocated that we must stand together and challenge 48 political authority towards the sustainable use of our marine resources. I do agree with this sentiment, but underline one vital assumption that I feel is incorrect, the majority of developing countries are not democratic, this is particularly evident in Africa where governments strive for self for betterment, the question should be how to we challenge dictatorial selfindulging systems where community welfare is not 1st on the list of things to do. Contents
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Georgina Cole
Small Boat Diving By: Asser Salama
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Small boats open new horizons for divers. Nowadays, more divers with non-diving partners/families/children are trying to split their vacation time so that all family members are satisfied. As the operational cost of small boats is fairly lower than that of bigger ones, they are ideal for small groups and short excursions. Moreover, small boats are particularly useful when used for shore drift dives or diving in rough sea conditions. In choppy seas when traditional dive crafts fear collision with the reef, small boats are used for divers’ pick up. In addition, due to their increased mobility, small boats provide additional safety. They are commonly used to recover separated and
lost divers, and in at least one incident in the Red Sea they were used as life rafts to rescue divers when their main 30 meters (100 feet) dive vessel sank. The main types of small boats are rigid inflatable boats (RIBs, sometimes referred to as zodiacs), fully inflatable boats and small fiberglass boats. The size of these boats usually varies from 3 to 9 meters (10 to 30 feet). They are normally equipped with one or two engines ranging from 15 to 225 horsepower. They are either moored at water or transported on land by trailers. Actually some small-size fully inflatable boats fit in car trunks. Contents
Dive planning Small boats are seaworthy, stable, buoyant and - depending on the installed engine(s) - fast. They have a good loading capacity and a low freeboard (height above the water), which provides easy water entry and exits for divers. Inflatable boats are difficult to sink, even if filled with water or if a floatation chamber is ruptured. However, they can easily roll over. That’s why divers should sit on opposite sides so that their mass is evenly distributed. Divers should assemble their equipment beforehand, put on their suits and boots, hang the masks on their necks and get done with putting on the rest of their equipment when they reach the dive site. Oct/Nov 2010
Haitham Aziz
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In rough sea conditions, putting on all the equipment beforehand is highly recommended. They enter the water from opposite sides either by dropping over the side or using the backward roll technique. It is worth noting that in choppy seas a negative water entry is advisable. To achieve that, some divers feel comfortable adding a little more weight to overcome the water’s upthrust force. Others prefer emptying the BCD completely onboard by orally sucking all the air out through the power inflator and exhaling while descending. A “divers down” flag should be raised on the small boat as long as there are divers in the water. After the dive and upon reaching the small boat, the diver should hold the boat’s side with one hand, remove the weight belt with the other, hand the weight belt to the coxswain, remove the equipment (tank, BCD and regulator) while still holding the small boat, hand the equipment to the coxswain, fin upwards with the body in vertical position and climb to enter the boat. Removing the fins before entering the small boat is not a wise idea. On the way back, divers should again sit equally on opposite sides. Small boat handling Small boat diving requires extra planning. When the small boat is loaded on a trailer, it is either lifted off the trailer and carried to the water or launched from the trailer directly to the water. In the first case it is launched bow first while in the second it is launched stern first. It is worth noting that if the boat is launched from the trailer directly into the water, special attention should be given to the engine in order not to hit something (seabed, rocks, etc…). Also take into consideration that small boats are easily vulnerable to damage so they must be handled with care. It is worth noting that the small boat should never be left unattended. Never attempt to act as a coxswain and a diver at the same time. Having a dedicated coxswain onboard is mandatory. Since the small boats’ low position in water sometimes inhibits the sighting of objects Contents
such as rocks or coral pinnacles, divers should always help the coxswain and watch for hazards. Throughout the dive, the coxswain should follow the divers’ bubbles or look for DSMBs while moving around for divers’ pick-up. Take into consideration that tying the small boat to the reef or anchoring it in a dive site is not a brilliant idea, as it hinders the operation of divers’ pick-up. Moreover, being free ensures maximum speed in case of rescue. When diving out of shore and based on the dive plan, the coxswain should estimate the total excursion time and give an estimated time-ofreturn to the shore-based personnel. This saves invaluable time if a rescue operation is to be initiated. Equipment, care and further considerations Small boats should be regularly inspected and serviced. The floatation chambers of inflatable boats should be pumped to the manufacturer’s recommended capacity. The engine(s) should be trimmed correctly and the maintenance should be carried out regularly on a scheduled basis. If used to reach dive sites far off shore, small boats should be equipped with a portable VHF radio to maintain contact with other boats and/or shore-based personnel. A first aid kit, an oxygen kit, fresh drinking water and suitable lamps in case night diving is considered are also mandatory. Flares should be added to the list, local laws and regulations permitting. It is recommended that the travel time to the dive site should not exceed 30 minutes, especially in rough sea conditions. Take into consideration that small boats are uncomfortable and a bumpy ride could easily cause motion sickness. They also lack deck space and are usually unsheltered so divers are subject to wind chill. Appropriate thermal and wind protection should be considered, to account for the sea conditions, while planning the dive. Hot drinks could be provided accordingly. If you know that you are vulnerable to motion sickness, use appropriate medication 30 minutes before the ride.
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Diving in Southern Africa, and particularly South Africa and Mozambique is conducted from RIBs of 7 to 9 metres predominantly. Most of our launches are from the shore and are generally exciting adrenaline-filled affairs. There are some notorious launch places in South Africa (Umkomaas for example) that will get your heart rate bouncing far quicker than any Virgin Active spinning or aerobics class. In the main, our skippers are highly experienced and very competent at handling their boats in the surf zone and it is very seldom that you hear of a RIB overturning in the surf. If you’re new to launching to sea in South Africa here are a few guidelines to follow: • Your skipper will give a boat and launch briefing before the launch. Listen carefully to what he has to say and follow his instructions fully. • Let your skipper know if you’ve a bad back or neck or similar ailment so that he can take account of your safety and comfort when he launches and is at sea. • If you’ve got spinal or similar problems try to sit at the very back of the boat as this is where there is less movement and action. • Hook your feet into the footstraps provided and hold onto the side ropes (on the pontoons) firmly but without wrapping your hand in the ropes. • Put your life jacket on and adjust the straps firmly – if the RIB does roll and your knocked out, the life jacket will keep your head above water. That’s what it’s designed to do. • Help to push the RIB out into the water so that the skipper can get the motors rolling and help keep the nose pointing into the waves while the skipper is getting ready. • Jump onto the RIB only when the skipper gives the command. Until then keep the RIB’s nose pointed into the waves. • While the skipper is moving through the surf zone watch the waves coming towards you. This way you will be able to anticipate any bouncing from punching or getting through the waves. • And finally, enjoy the launch. It’s normally great fun.
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DAN Fitness to Dive
Diving often is not a physically demanding potentially dangerous rescue. If you have sport. There are challenges to it, to be any questions about your fitness to dive, sure, but for the most part we dive slowly or how certain medical and easily, exploring wrecks or reefs. conditions affect diving fitness, call DAN There are times, however, when we need for more information or for a referral to a to be able to call upon our reserves: to dive physician. swim harder and fin faster to react to a Fit ‘enough’ to dive situation. Water conditions may become Our fitness to dive status changes daily. more demanding — currents or winds Lack of sleep, colds, fevers and allergies may increase and cause rough surface all influence our ability to dive. Simply conditions — or an emergency, topside or underwater, could occur. It’s at such a point we need to respond responsibly and well. The concept of fitness to dive comes in two parts. One is being generally fit enough for diving. This includes carrying equipment to the dive site as well as responding to those unexpected situations.
First, let’s note that there are very few medical conditions that are absolute contraindications to diving. The concern with most medical conditions lies with determining whether they will affect a diver’s ability to respond to those more demanding circumstances.
Fit ‘enough’ to dive?
The heart, lungs, ears and sinuses are all involved in diving. Any condition that affects these systems can impair a diver’s ability to dive. A true assessment of a diver’s fitness to dive needs to consider several questions. • First, can you successfully equalize all gas-filled cavities, naturally or otherwise? This includes your ears and sinuses, but also air spaces like masks and hoods. • Next, ask: Does the diver have any conditions that may cause him to become suddenly incapacitated? This includes neurological, cardiac or pulmonary conditions. Is the diver fit enough to respond to the needs of the dive? This includes handling strong currents, high seas and long surface swims and is doubly important if you know before the dive that any of these things is a possibility.
The second part of fitness to dive includes evaluating specific medical conditions that may influence your ability to dive.
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automatically mean a diver is fit to dive at that particular moment. That’s why it’s important to listen to what your body is telling you.
In addition, some of the specific contraindications make it more dangerous for the diver and for his buddy. For example, a person with a seizure disorder, controlled or not, should not dive. The possibility of having a seizure underwater puts the diver in great jeopardy; it also increases having been declared medically fit to the risk to the dive buddy since that dive once (often only by self-declaration) buddy may be called upon to perform a days, weeks or even years before does not
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• Finally, does the diver have any conditions, including age, maturity, psychological, physical strength, swimming skills or coordination and balance problems, that are incompatible with the stress of the planned dive? There are a number of ways to evaluate general fitness to dive and gauge whether a diver is fit enough to make the dives he plans to make. Unfortunately, none of these tests are considered foolproof or exact.
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Physical fitness is important When divers are physically fit, they have greater reserves to handle the unexpected physical demands that may occur on dives. Being physically fit won’t keep divers out of trouble or prevent medical emergencies in the water, but it definitely compensates for some of these challenges. For example, a strong heart helps the diver respond to greater workloads.
In general The following general statements are the basis for any medical evaluation form. This list was complied by DAN directors and medical directors. MEDICAL STATEMENT The following conditions or illnesses may pose a serious risk to prospective divers/ students, and examination by a physician trained in dive medicine is considered mandatory: • you are pregnant or you suspect you may be pregnant • you regularly take medications (with the exception of birth control) • you are older than 40 and are not exercising regularly at a level greater than walking
If you suffer or have suffered from: • asthma, or wheezing with breathing, or wheezing with exercise, cold or stress • any form of lung disease • pneumothorax (collapsed lung) • history of chest surgery • head injury with unconsciousness or brain surgery • claustrophobia or agoraphobia (fear of closed or open spaces) • epilepsy, seizures, convulsions or take medications to prevent them • blackouts or fainting (full/partial loss of consciousness) • diving accidents or decompression illness • diabetes • high blood pressure or take medications to control blood pressure • high blood cholesterol • any heart disease • ear disease, hearing loss or problems with balance There are also some very preliminary data • thrombosis or blood clotting that show elevated aerobic fitness may • psychiatric diseases help reduce bubble formation in animals • problems equalizing (popping) ears and humans. Additionally, evidence also • acute gastric ulcers indicates that aerobic exercise 20 hours before diving may reduce the amount of bubble formation.
You should not dive if you are currently suffering from any of the following conditions: • cold, sinusitis, or any breathing problems (e.g. bronchitis, hay fever) • acute migraine or headache • fever, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea • any kind of surgery within the past six weeks • you are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medications affecting the ability to react ‘Cleared to dive’ doesn’t always mean you’re fit As we noted earlier, fitness to dive can change daily or even hourly depending on a number of factors: Colds and congestion, dehydration, rest and mental attitude or distraction all play a part in a diver’s readiness to dive. Additionally, there are stories of divers passing a diving physical one day only to succumb to cardiac arrest the next. Additionally, asthma and diabetes were long considered absolute contraindications to diving. But we know many people with these two chronic conditions dive regularly, and they do it safely.
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So should we bother with a diving medical examination at all? Most experts agree that we should. While nothing is foolproof, taking the extra steps can help ensure your safety. In the case of cardiac arrest, there is generally no easy way of knowing whether a diver has cardiac concerns without a full stress test.But these examinations and tests do help us keep people with clearly disqualifying conditions out of the water. Recreational scuba diving is simply that, a recreation: Remember, we do not have to dive, and keep in mind that nothing underwater is worth dying for.
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Featured Photographer - Mike Fraser
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I grew up on the KZN coast and salt water runs in my family’s veins. Tales of the ones that were landed and the leviathans that got away, echo in my childhood memories. My parents gave me a green Champion mask for my 6th birthday and when I put my head under water I knew for sure that this was my realm. The allure of the last great wilderness still beckons me and I have planned my life around it ever since. In my teens I enjoyed spear fishing and first experienced scuba diving when I went to university. In those days BC’s were a rarity, contents gauges had not prevailed over j-valves and dive computers were a distant dream. Any form of underwater photographic equipment was way beyond my reach and I stuck to spear fishing until the floods of 1988 put a halt to my predation. Friends persuaded Valda and me to join them on a scuba diving course. After the qualifying dives at Sodwana, the hook was set beyond extraction, spear guns gathered dust in the garage and we began to make lasting friends in the deep. Big creatures potato bass, sharks, morays - are my passion while Valda fancies the macro stuff. This makes dive planning, let’s say, interesting. Our first venture into underwater photography was in the early ‘90’s, when we managed to buy a 2nd hand Nikonos V and Ikelite strobe. Those were the days of extension tubes and framers for macro and guesswork for wide angle. I moved into video in the days when we were pioneering shark diving on Protea Banks. While the picture quality was not much better than on our current cell phones, it was great to let others share the dive at home on the TV set. I think it’s the instant gratification that does it for me.
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My interest in stills photography blossomed with the advent of the digital SLR. We started out with a D70 late in 2004 and the ability to see underwater what I had bagged, appealed to me. I must say, it was quite a steep learning curve in the transition from video, where you have numerous frames to weave a story. Freezing an instant in time so that it makes a clear and appealing statement, can be quite a task. I’ve never been particularly motivated by competitions. As I’ve progressed I’ve become more discerning and demanding of myself. The challenge is like a staircase spiralling upward forever. We love to explore un-dived reefs and fortunately there are many in our wilderness. We have recently acquired re-breathers and this adds a new dimension to exploration and photography. You get that smug feeling when bubble-blowing buddies head for the surface with a heap of deco, while the re-breather’s computer gives you several hours of additional quiet time. There’s still so much to experience and learn, so it’s time to load the gear and go diving again. Contents
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