AfricanDiver Issue 16

April / May 2011 | Issue 16

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Yo u r F r e e O n l i n e D i v i n g M a g a z i n e

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Contents C O N S E R VAT I O N

REGULARS

5

Ed’s Logbook

15 Chasing Giants - Whale sharks

F E AT U R E S

34 Cape fur seals

Wrecks

24 The wreck of the Klipfontein

Cover Photographed by Pau l H u n te r

Editors:

Published by:

Cormac McCreesh & Paul Hunter

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6 In memory of Witold Smilowski

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49 Geoff Spiby Pa g e 3 | www.africandiver.com Contents

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E

d’s Logbook Is the diving industry in decline? Dive Centres complain about competition from online shopping, diver churn and cheap training pricing from competitors and start-up instructors. Dive operators complain about poor training standards and the quality of divers’ diving abilities.

And then there is the question of the “legends of diving”. Where are they these days? Legends provide the grease that keeps the wheel turning, the diving tales that inspire other people to dive and experience our oceans. Legends are people with presence, passion and a mission to take the world with them. Where have they gone?

And while training organisations have taken huge steps to make the process of learning how to dive more affordable and facilitated by technology, it seems that the number of people diving, learning how to dive and staying diving is declining. Of course competition from other sporting activities has a huge influence on how people allocate their time – mountain biking, hiking, surfing, team sports, running, sky diving to name a few.

But I’m encouraged by the growth in digital photography. Compact cameras and camcorders coupled with affordable housings bring it all alive again. I’ve seen jaded divers get a new lease on diving life by buying a simple compact camera to take underwater photographs. They show me their collections of photographs and spend hours looking up (and learning about) the creatures they shoot on their dives. Which is why, we at African Diver wholeheartedly support photo competitions in Southern Africa, and why we’re excited to promote three competitions in this issue.

Affordability and family time is also an issue.

The average Joe with a family of two children and a wife who dive can find the whole exercise of going diving quite an expensive affair.

And if Joe average is the only diver in the household then diving takes away from family time. Compare this with kitting the family out with mountain bikes and spending a Saturday morning cycling as a family. Also, some of our dive sites in South Africa can be extreme at times, not to mention very unpredictable, and can frighten off new divers from pursuing the sport.

And speaking of legends, it was with great sadness that we heard of the passing on of Witold Smilowksi on Tuesday. Witold became a legend here in South Africa and then the world. He will be sadly missed by everyone whom he touched and we dedicate this issue of African Diver to his memory and legacy.

May your bubbles always be free.

Cormac and Paul

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This article was compiled from images and words graciously sent to me by Witold’s closest friends and colleagues.

I want to acknowledge the contribution the following people went out of their way to provide me with on very short notice and against huge time constraints.

Charmaine Smilowski Peter Herbst Deborah Sutton Suzanne Pleydell

Witold Smilowski in memoriam Compiled by Cormac McCreesh Pa g e 6 | www.africandiver.com Contents

News travels quickly these days. Email, SMS, BBM, Facebook, Twitter … if something happens it gets out there, fast. Tuesday morning, 29 March was one of those days – Witold Smilowski had passed away, of natural causes and in his sleep and the digital news was moving … quickly.

When news like this travels quickly, it has no respect. It slaps you then moves on to find its next victim, leaving you stupefied and in shock. And it is emotionless. No SMS, email or similar can express the emotions, turmoil and shock that people feel when hit with such news. It takes days for the full import to sink in, for the tears to come and the memories to come flooding back.

Witold Smilowski, scuba god, mentor, friend, father and legend … passed away of natural causes. Questions hang like bats in a cave waiting to be answered – how, why, when, can it be true? Regrets crawl like roaches in our conscience – should we have spent more time with him, should we have sent him that email thanking him for all he gave us … the list of regrets is long. But fond memories slowly win the battle and we fill our souls with all that made him good and what he was. Our cups slowly fill and begin to over flow.

Witold came to South Africa in 1982 - a refugee from a Poland that was undergoing turmoil and upheaval. Crossing the border between Poland and Austria in 1981 … running for his life, scared witless by the prospect of being caught and shot on sight

by Polish soldiers – he ended up in a refugee camp in Gotzendorf, Austria with his good friend Krzysztof Potrawiak.

In Krzysztof’s words:

“We were 6 people together in a room in the refugee camp – in an army barrack.

Difficult conditions (rough and tough), conditions whereby you needed to be very proactive and psychologically strong and resistant.

It was hell; the room was cold, miserable and we were fed bad army food. The camp was surrounded and guarded by the Austrian army and almost every night they checked our room. It was very difficult to understand why we were treated this way and I find it difficult to talk about. It was humiliating. The Polish government had declared war in our country and we could not go back or communicate with our families. Sometimes we had a little work

to do – for example, cleaning the streets of Vienna of snow and dog droppings. Can you see Witold and me doing this? Austrian society did not accept us and we felt like second-class humans. But we were so happy to be out of and away from the Polish regime.

I arrived in Austria before Witold and so helped him when he arrived. From Vienna, we were transferred to a camp in the Austrian Alps, which was better – almost normal. We were young then and so laughter came easily and we remained positive.I arrived in Vienna in September 1981, Witold in December of the same year.

The Polish government closed its border on 16 December 1981. Witold made it out by 15 days and I cannot imagine how different his life would have been had he been forced to stay in Poland.

In July of 1982, we both signed employment contracts with Ellenby Motors (Mercedes Benz) and left to start work in Pretoria, South Africa. A new life had started.”

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For Witold, this new life was the elixir he needed; a tonic to build and grow and develop. Always the perfectionist and entrepreneur, he set about developing the character that we have all come to know and love.

In the words of his ex-wife, Charmaine “I met Witold in the year that he came to South Africa. He spoke very broken English. I used to cut his hair and he was very specific about his hair cut. After a few visits, we dated and were married in June of 1984. Witold was a very shy and good man and had impeccable manners. For many years, he would have nightmares of his escape from Poland and many a night I woke with him screaming next to me. It was a very hard time for him.

By then, he was working as a mechanic for Ultra Alfa and positions at BMW Rosslyn and later Nissan Rosslyn (as an engineer) followed.

In 1986, he opened his Tae Kwon Do school in Wonderpark Centre - an after-hours dojo. He

Early days in Poland and in South Africa

We started a hair salon in the Momentum

During this time he got into diving and shortly

was trained by and received his black belt from

Building in Pretoria Central – he just called me

after we established Hair Prestige, he opened Reef

Master Chung of Korea. He was excellent with

one day and told me to resign my job as I am to

Divers. This too was an instant success and Reef

his training and students and in no time his

start my own business the very next week! I was

Divers went on to become the de facto standard in

school grew out of all proportion. Master Chung

in a state, yet Witold was never afraid of risk and

South Africa for Dive Centre businesses. He took

was very proud of Witold and helped him a lot

so Hair Prestige opened its doors for business.

diving and diver training where no-one else had.

with his school.

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Contents

Our son Enzo, named by Witold after the character in the movie Big Blue, was born on 17 September 1990. Witold was a man who taught me all I know and have today. He taught me how to run my own business and live life as only he knew how. He was a tough task-master and nothing was good enough until it was perfect for him. He lived his life with much passion and self-discipline. He left us all a legacy and one my son and I will never forget.�

And so began a life-long, passionate love affair with diving. Reef Divers grew from simple beginnings to become the pre-eminent diver training, dive centre in South Africa. Some years, Witold certified more divers from Reef Divers than the rest of South Africa combined.

And in between all this, he learned to skydive.

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Peter Herbst, aka Big B takes up the story: “I met Witold in April 1995 when I took my Open Water course. It took me two days to understand his very strong Polish accent. I had just stopped skydiving and was one of Witold’s and Cobus’ (his partner in Reef Divers) early students. I will never forget my second pool session after I’d just helped the guys next to me kit up when he told me ‘hey buddy, you will make a good instructor one day’.

On our last open water qualifying dive we all discussed (in Afrikaans) staying on the boat after the skipper had completed the count down for the backward roll … Witold ended up in the water on his own and it was the beginning of a life-long friendship.

He coined my nickname, Big B. When I started diving it was with my sister, who was referred to by Witold as ‘Little Sister’ and I was referred to as “big Brother’. The name has stuck and Witold’s legacy to me is that I’m now known as Big B. Shortly after I completed my Dive Master course we celebrated Witold’s 40th birthday at a restaurant in Rivonia. It was a raucous affair and gave rise to another tale – Willie checked Witold’s identity book and discovered that he

was in fact still only 39 and not 40. Needless to say, he was teased endlessly after that.

Witold sold his share in Reef Divers to Cobus during 1988 and I became Cobus’ partner. I had been instructing for Reef Divers since 1996 by that stage. Witold now pursued a career as a Course Director and was Reef Divers’ Course Director until I became a Course Director 3 years later.

From 1998, Witold kept returning to Poland, exploring opportunities in the country of his birth. Eventually, he returned to Poland full time, married Kasia and concentrated on growing diving in Poland.

Witold never did anything in half-measures.

When he skydived, he went all the way – freefall, sky surfing … always striving to do better and go faster. For example, I started my Tek training long before Tek became popular, yet when Witold started almost 5 years after me he progressed so fast and far that he became one of PADI’s top Tek instructors in a very short time.

He always believed in doing things right! He followed standards rigourously not just with his heart but also with his head – he had a legendary

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issue with drinking at dive sites: divers with hangovers don’t dive the next day and this translates into lost money. Reef Divers’ staff adhered to strict guidelines – no drinking after 10pm. Wake up calls were 4am in order to be on the beach at 5am, with first dives set for 6am.

Most training weekends there were at least 100 open water divers yet standards were strictly adhered to.

Witold was adamant that for every 8 divers there should be one Instructor and one Dive Master. Reef Divers’ training standards remain exceptionally high, all thanks to Witold. I remember being sick once, yet I still had to go to Sodwana for a training weekend – if I couldn’t dive, well I could do dive planning! With over 100 students and 25 staff, we took over Coral Divers in those days.

about me. I couldn’t go because of other work commitments – the latest being in Zimbabwe.

The last SMS I received from Witold this Saturday past was in typical Witold fashion.

It went: ‘Big B, where the fuck are you buddy? ’ So now it seems I’ll be going to Poland after all …

I could go on for hours about Witold: mentor, teacher, friend, but to me he was just ‘Witek’.

Money was important to him. Looking good was too. He dyed his hair when he went gray. He was in the gym every morning.

He dressed smart, wore a Rolex on his wrist, had the biggest Harley back in 1997/98. Witold grew

I visited him in Poland last February and met his children for the first time (I had met Kasia in South Africa before) and spent a great 3 days with him. We reminisced, drank beer and played with the children. He bought me a Ramstein

up poor, was treated like scum and never fogot

DVD – and Witold did not like to buy things for

died the way he would have wanted to … only 20

other people (you have to know him to understand this).

years too soon.”

that. His image was important to him but so was being respected. He was always scared of dying with someone wiping the drool from his face. He

This year he called me in February and invited me to visit Poland again as Tomek was asking Pa g e 1 1 | w w w. a fr i c a n d i ve r. c o m Co n t e n t s

I met Witold when I enquired about becoming an Open Water Instructor in 1997 or so. I called him up having read one of his adverts in Divestyle Magazine. He answered his phone immediately and on hearing about my interest came over to my office to discuss it with me. He signed me up right there and then. Who does that these days? Who would bother to drive from Pretoria to Johannesburg in peak traffic to possibly sign up a student/ client.

During my training with him, I learned professionalism and passion. He lived these values every single day. He made sure the slower students in the class got extra attention, he arranged accommodation for out-of-town students. In short, he went further than the extra mile, and we all passed our IDC. In an industry that is notorious for ignoring standards, price cutting and short-cuts, Witold stood out. He exemplified professionalism and, boy did he love diving. The man had a sense of humour too. Looking at photographs of him on his Facebook profile, I am struck by the number that show him beaming with a smile or roaring with laughter.

The world is a smaller place today … a little bit of energy has slipped back to the Universe and we’re all poorer for losing him. But deep down, we’re rich. His legacy lives on in all of us and it’s up to us to carry the torch now.

And if you ever wonder or doubt about Witold you only need read Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” … generations separate the two men, but the words connect them.

RIP Witold.

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If

By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And - which is more - you’ll be a Man my son!

A closing word from PADI UK Witold passed away during the night 28 March 2011. He was in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and was present at the request of a Polish speaking candidate, acting as his translator on the PADI Course Director Training Course.

Already a successful dive instructor and businessman, Witold became a PADI Member in July 1994 in South Africa. He shone at the PADI Course Director Training Course in 1996, immediately becoming a hugely active PADI Course Director, and further developing to become a PADI Platinum Course Director. Witold has issued over 5,000 instructor level certifications in his career as a PADI Course Director, something achieved by less than a handful of Course Directors around the world.

PADI has specifically recognised Witold’s outstanding achievements on several occasions: • In 2010, for his outstanding contribution to Instructor Development in certifying over 5,000 professional level candidates.

• In 2003 in recognition of his special contribution to the growth of the diving industry in Poland. Witold assisted PADI in developing the Polish diving market and assisting negotiations with the government.

Witold, as well as being as a hugely successful trainer, educating and influencing new instructors from all over the world, has worked directly with the PADI team in dive market development, government relations, translations, assisting the instructor examination process, reviews and beta testing of new PADI programs. He has been massively influential in shaping PADI’s instructor programs.

Suzanne Pleydell, Training Director PADI EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) stated, “On behalf of PADI, I’d like to share how deeply shocked and saddened we are by the death of Witold Smilowski. Witold has made an outstanding contribution to the dive industry over the years, not just in Southern Africa and Poland, but across the world as he touched the hearts of so many divers and dive professionals. He was the consummate professional, one of the most successful Course Directors, a friend to so many, always stepping forward to help, always a smile….The exemplary PADI ambassador, one of our team and one of our dearest friends. Our condolences go out to all his family and friends. “ Pa g e 1 3 | w w w. a fr i c a n d i ve r. c o m

Co n t e n t s

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Chasing Article by: Aaron Gekoski

GIANTS

Photograph by: Andrea Marshall Photographic Pa g e 1 5 | www.africandiver.com Contents

Six years ago, Dr. Simon Pierce had never even seen a whale shark. Now, he has spent more time in the water with this enigmatic giant than anyone in history.

Aaron Gekoski speaks to a man whose job involves firing lasers and shooting satellite tags at the biggest fish in the sea.

Photograph by: Aaron Gekoski

Dr Simon Pierce with plankton

Chasing Co n t e n t s

GIANTS

“Dr. Pierce, you must have one of the best jobs on earth?” is my opening question to the lead scientist at the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMA) in Tofo, Mozambique.

“Yeah, I must admit, it is pretty cool. Though it’s not always as glamorous as you may imagine”. Dr. Simon Pierce is king of the understatement, the quintessential modest scientist and Kiwi.

In fact, being referred to as “Dr. Pierce” makes him shift uneasily in his seat.

“Please, call me Simon”.

The whale shark is an iconic species; a tourist trump card that attracts people from all over the world desperate to snorkel or dive with this placid pelagic. The whale shark’s popularity with divers is mirrored within the scientific community. On a daily basis, Simon in inundated with applications from students and marine biologists, begging him for a work placement or job.

Have a glimpse into his life and it’s easy to see why. This is no ordinary job. Luckily, Simon is no ordinary guy.

Map of Mozambique - Tofo

Conservation Status

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Chondrichthyes

Subclass:

Elasmobranchii

Order: Family:

Orectolobiformes Rhincodontid (Müller and Henle, 1839)

Genus: Rhincodon Smith, 1829 Species: R. typus Pa g e 1 6 | w w w. a fr i c a n d i ve r. c o m

Yet his story begins, like so many great adventures, with a simply telephone call.

Back in 2005, Simon was studying for his PhD at the University of Queensland in Australia. His doctorate was on sharks and rays; animals Simon had grown up fascinated with - at age 8 he was already penning letters to famous marine biologists from his home in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

The telephone call was from his good friend Dr. Andrea Marshall (star of the BBC documentary: Andrea – Queen of the Mantas) {to view please click here}

She was studying manta rays in Tofo, a small village in the Inhambane province of Mozambique. Tofo lies nearly 400kms from the capital Maputo, though over 12 000kms away from Queensland.

“Forget the distance” Dr. Marshall told him. “You won’t believe the diving here”.

She went on to describe seas brimming with behemoths – mantas, humpback whales, giant stingrays, dugongs, and most notably, whale sharks. Andrea was witnessing unprecedented congregations of up to 50 strong. “She had my attention” smiles Simon.

Photograph by: CJ Coetzee / Moz Images Pa g e 1 7 | www.africandiver.com Contents

Dr. Marshall wanted Simon to join her, though she was frank about the frustrations of conducting research in a third world country. As recently as the mid 1990’s, when Mozambique was recovering from a civil war, it was officially the poorest country on earth.

Although slowly recovering, it remained a work in progress. The internet - when it worked - was painfully slow. The country only possessed one motorway, which was strewn with potholes. Malaria was rife.

Yet Simon remained intrigued. “Even though I’d never actually seen a whale shark before, Tofo sounded magical and Mozambique fascinated me. I actually believed I could make a difference there if I could avoid being eaten by lions,” he jokes. Thankfully, Tofo’s only lions are the lionfish that parade their flamboyant fins around these fabulous reefs.

Simon took the plunge and booked his ticket. Now, after only six years, Simon is a world-leading scientist who has identified more whale sharks than anyone - over 580 that’s 19% of the world’s known population

Thankfully, due to their immense size, whale sharks pose no threat to humans.

You are more likely to get gnawed to death by a fluffy bunny than eaten by a whale shark. They are the gentle giants of the sea big, zooplankton-filtering softies. Their diet consists almost entirely of small organisms such as krill, fish eggs and crustaceans.

Somehow, this nutritious diet propels the biggest sharks to over 18 metres long and 40 tonnes in weight.

For a 40-tonne mass of conspicuousness, the whale shark is shrouded in mystery and myth. The first myth is one regarding categorisation. Whale sharks are not hedging their bets by being both ‘whales’ and ‘sharks’. They are most definitely sharks - filled with cartilage - rather than bones, like whales. The ‘whale’ part of their name is simply in reference to their gigantic frame.

African legend has it that God was so pleased with himself when he created this beautiful fish, that he gave his angels coins to throw down from heaven onto its back. So when whale sharks swim near the surface, catching the sun on their backs, it’s their way of saying thank you to their Maker.

Zooplankton - are heterotrophic (sometimes detritivorous) plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water.

The word “zooplankton” is derived from the Greek zoon, meaning “animal”, and planktos (πλαγκτος), meaning “wanderer” or “drifter”.

Individual zooplankton are usually too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Photograph by: Andrea Marshall Photographic

Whale shark feeding Pa g e 1 8 | w w w. a fr i c a n d i ve r. c o m Co n t e n t s

The answer as to why they are covered in spots is more likely a case of simple biology. Yet many real sources of mystery remain, which Simon and his team of scientists are dedicating their careers to solving. For instance, the whale sharks that pass through Tofo are predominantly juvenile males – over 70%.

Which poses the question - where are the females? Or the bigger males? Or the babies? Or the pregnant females for that matter? To this day, only one pregnant female has ever been studied. It’s safe to say there’s still a lot to learn.

To help solve the bigger questions, Simon has reached for the stars and enlisted the help of NASA, no less. The US space agency is supplying Simon and his team with satellite imagery to help them track satellite-tagged whale sharks. This helps him pinpoint the shark’s location and feeds back information on how far it has travelled and how deep it has dived. This method has helped Simon understand the sharks’ migratory patterns and provided other, unexpected insights. We now know that the sharks dive much deeper than previously thought – one tagged male plunged nearly 2kms on one of its descents, making whale sharks the deepest-diving fish in the world.

Photograph by: Aaron Gekoski

Photograph by: Aaron Gekoski

Photograph by: CJ Coetzee / Moz Images

Top Left - Simon with satellite tag from NASA Top Right - The Team Middle - Measuring a Whale shark using lasers Bottom Left - Map showing were Whale sharks can be found in the world

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“The lasers have been a revelation.

It’s not easy to estimate the size of a 10 metre long shark just by eye-balling it”.

Photograph by: Andrea Marshall Photographic

Worldwide, whale shark populations have been decimated: the species is officially listed as globally threatened. A whale shark’s huge dorsal fin is highly sought after in China, where it is used as a vulgar display item at the front of shops. The biggest fins have been known to fetch $75 000. Whale sharks are also hunted for the oil in their livers, which is employed to coat boats, as well as for their meat.

Luckily, Mozambicans don’t particularly enjoy eating whale shark meat due to its spongy, oily texture. However, whale sharks are occasionally – and completely legally – hunted here.

Studying these giants is a surprisingly high tech job, requiring high tech equipment. Along with satellite tags, Simon and his team have been

The device works by mounting two lasers to a camera, 50cm apart. The lasers project small dots onto the shark, which provide a fixed scale so the photographs can be analysed with greater accuracy. Along with

using lasers, to provide more accurate

providing more precise estimates of size, it

measurements of the sharks than ever

is hoped that the results will reveal more

before.

about the lifecycle of whale sharks.

It remains an astonishing fact that given the beauty, rarity and popularity of this species to tourists, the government still hasn’t granted them protected status. In the Philippines, the whale shark is not only protected, but revered by its people. Every year, thousands of people attend a carnival in Donsol in celebration of this beautiful leviathan.

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Co n t e n t s

Photograph by: Aaron Gekoski Pa g e 2 1 | www.africandiver.com Contents

Education remains integral to the survival of this species. At a local level, Simon and his team give talks to the community on whale sharks and other marine animals.

“Unfortunately there is very little education surrounding the ocean here. I want to show people that a gigantic shark is actually pretty cool and not something to be scared of”.

On an international level, whale shark tourism remains the best solution for raising awareness of the sharks’ plight. Though this must be well regulated.

“I would hate to see Tofo turn into Holbox in Mexico, where there are over 250 licensed whale shark tour operators. At the moment less than 10 operate here. If expansion happens, we need to make sure it’s managed to ensure we don’t love this species to death”.

Simon has been at the forefront of efforts to protect the sharks in Mozambique, applying pressure on the government to make fishing illegal. He is edging closer to this goal every day.

“I don’t want to leave until whale sharks are effectively protected in Mozambique. The great thing is that, by protecting the whale shark, we’ll also be helping the other species that share its environment.”

Let’s only hope he succeeds, as the world’s oceans are in a mess: warming, rising, polluted and catastrophically overfished. Plenty more species could do with the help of a dedicated and humble scientist like Simon.

Photograph by: CJ Coetzee / Moz Images Pa g e 2 2 | w w w. a fr i c a n d i ve r. c o m

Co n t e n t s

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Discovering the

wreck of the Klipfontein in Mozambique

Written by: Jon Wright and images courtesy: Moz Divers Pa g e 2 4 | www.africandiver.com Contents

Looking back in time

Built by P Smuts Jr in Rotterdam and launched on 4 March 1939, The Klipfontein was a 160 meter long, 10 544 ton cargo and passenger ship. At the time of her sinking she was part of the VNSM Holland Africa Line and was en route from Cape Town to Rotterdam via various ports along the way.

She was one of three “Fontein” sister ships built in the years just before the Second World War - the other two being the; MS Jagersfontein and the MS Oranjefontein.

Later a fourth “Fontein” ship was added - the MS Randfontein.

The “Fontein” ships were characterized by understated luxury, which endeared them to Dutch, British and South African travelers who favoured the personalized Dutch service and fine cuisine.

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The MS Klipfontein was the first of the

She survived the war and after her duties

On a calm January 8 1953, around 11:18

“Fontein� sisters built between 1939 and

were completed she was returned to the

GMT, she struck an object off the coast of

1940. Her career travelling between the

VNSM Holland-Africa Line in 1946. After

Zavora, Inhambane Province, Mozambique

Netherlands and South Africa prior to the

a comprehensive refit, she recommenced

and sank within three hours. Captain

Second World War was short-lived, as in

her Netherlands, UK, South Africa and

Oosterhuis, realising the ship was badly

1942 she was taken over by the US War

Mozambique service, which continued until

damaged and doomed, immediately called

Shipping Administration to be used as a

a dramatic day in 1953.

for the ship to be abandoned.

trooper.

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Passengers and crew remained calm and went about the evacuation with great efficiency, which was aided by the calm seas, and the knowledge they were close to the shore. Barra Station and the nearby Bloemfontain Castle received the call for help.

The Ocean liner Bloemfontain Castle, under the command of Captain JHF Ferguson, saved all 234 passengers and crew. The ship sank at 14:22 GMT, with 6 lifeboats having been deployed.

She now lies in 53 meters of water on a sand bottom 6 kilometers off Zavora point, and forms a stunning deep-water artificial reef system. The stern is largely intact, lying on its starboard side and separated from the rest of the ship. Most of the hull is inverted or “turned turtle�, lying on its decks, whilst the bow is also broken off and is pointing towards the surface.

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There is much controversy surrounding her sinking as all available eyewitness

Life on the Klipfontein

testimonies, the Captains log and the findings of the tribunal that followed contain conflicting accounts. Whilst the tribunal and at least one passenger account of events conclude that she struck charted rocks about one mile off shore and drifted to her present position before sinking, this now seems unlikely for two reasons.

Firstly, the rocks in question are part of a very long reef which slopes down from six meters to more than twenty, so a vessel traveling at cruising speed would be more likely to run aground and stay trapped on the spot rather than drift away after the collision.

Secondly, the rocks appeared on the maritime charts available at the time, so why would the Captain sail so close to these objects when it offered no navigational advantage whatsoever in terms of distance or time? There is damage visible on one blade of the port propeller, consistent with striking an object whilst under power, though if she was run into such shallow water could we not expect more propeller damage?

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The wreck was salvaged for her valuable cargo of electrolytic grade copper, (she had on board 1000 tons of copper and manganese ore as well as 100 bales of wool) which involved blowing open large sections of the hull on the port side. This makes the detective work all the harder when looking to see what sort of injury sank her. Many more dives must be made to closely examine the bow and forward parts of the hull.

The Portuguese authorities surveyed the area shortly after the sinking; looking for uncharted rocks, but found none. In the 57 years since, sport fishermen have also drawn a blank with regards to a mystery pinnacle, leaving the question, “what did she hit?�.

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Advances in sonar technology have given us better tools with which to map the seabed, however, we have yet to conduct a full side-scan survey of the area. It is possible that this could find our suspect rock?

Of the many theories surrounding the sinking, my personal favorite is the submerged submarine. Some would have us believe that the Klipfontein struck a ‘dead’ German U-Boat floating just under the surface.

To experience diving the wreck of the Klipfontein, please click here To dive with Jon and Moz Divers, visit their website and make contact Moz Divers

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The Sisters Fontein The Klipfontein was one of three sister

Fortunately she survived this and was

ships that were unfortunately planned, built

commissioned to transport refugees from

andlaunched at the commencement of the

eastern German territories during 1945.

Second World War for the VNSM Holland

During this period she was briefly renamed

Africa Line.

“Pioneer”. She was returned to the VNSM Holland Africa Line on 12 July 1945 and

Conceived originally as understated luxury

sent to Newcastle for a comprehensive refit

passenger ships with limited cargo capacity,

after which she was used to repatriate Dutch

the German invasion of Europe and, in this

citizens from the Dutch West Indies.

case, Holland meant the three sisters had beginnings quite unlike the original plans for them.

On completion of her mission, she returned to active service on the Netherlands, UK, Mozambique, South Africa route. In 1967 she

The original Fontein sisters were; The Jagersfontein, The Oranjefontein and The

was sold to a Spanish ship breaker, arriving in Bilbao’s breakers yard on 11 August 1967.

Klipfontein.

The Jagersfontein was laid down as The The Klipfontein was replaced by The

Reitfontein but renamed The Elandsfontein

Randfontein in 1953, after the former’s

on launching on 30 March 1940. Within

demise in Mozambique’s waters.

weeks she was seized by the German Navy while she was being completed. She was

The Oranjefontein was launched on 21

damaged by artillery fire and partially sunk

March 1940 but seized by the German Navy

near the mouth of the Vistula in March 1945

on 17 March 1941; just three months after her

where she lay until the end of the war and

final completion. She was damaged by bombs

was raised on 20 March 1947.

that fell nearby some five months later and was also used by the Luftwaffe and German UBoats as target practice.

During the rest of the year and a bit of the next she was repaired and completed and

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The Sisters Fontein renamed The Jagersfontein. She commenced

She was eventually sold to the Peoples

her career on 11 March 1950 upon her return

Republic of China and renamed Yu Hua

to the VNSM Holland Africa Line doing the

where she remained in service on the China

Netherlands, UK, Mozambique, South Africa

Hong Kong route for another 10 years. She

route. In 1967 she was sold for scrap to Greek

was finally laid-up in 1991 and sold to Indian

breakers.

ship breakers in 1996.

Following the sinking of The Klipfontein, the VNSM Holland Africa Line commissioned a larger, updated version of the Fontein ships to join the Jagersfontein and Oranjefontein on the Netherlands, UK, Mozambique, South Africa route. She became the largest VNSM Holland Africa Line ship built and plied her trade on the route for 11 years post her maiden voyage in January 1950.

The route was terminated in 1971 following increasing competition from air travel and she was sold to Royal Interocean Lines who renamed her Nieuw Holland. Based now in Hong Kong she did service on the Japan Australia route for a while. But the ocean liner business was dying and various options were tried unsuccessfully to keep her going.

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South African Fur Seals Article by: Georgina Jones and Photographs by Geoff Spiby

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Moving triangular shapes protruding from the water around Cape Town tend to be accompanied by a mental replay of the Jaws soundtrack.

Undeservedly. Usually, that menacing dark triangle belongs to a seal, taking its ease on the surface, cooling down or playing around, occasionally coming in close to the dive boat to check it for free fish. Other times, a dark seal head might break the water and shake violently from side to side, flinging a stilltwitching octopus several metres and then retrieving the semi-corpse only to shake it and fling it again.

The regal gaze of a fur seal, sleek from diving

It can be hard work, being a seal.

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The South African fur seal (Arctocephalus

Seal Facts

pusillis pusillus) is a subspecies of fur seal found only around Namibia and along the South African coast as far as Port Elizabeth.

It is distinguished from the Australian version (Arctocephalus pusillis doriferus) only by the fact that there is the whole of the Indian Ocean between the populations.

Despite its Latin name, which means ‘little’ owing to the species originally having been described from an illustration of a pup, these are the largest of all the fur seals, and the Namibian ones, living undisturbed as they do in a diamond concession area and on the edge of an immensely fertile sea, are the largest of all. Males, which are much bigger than females, may weigh up to 360 kg and measure

Distribution of fur seals referred to in the text

Fur seal basking on the rocks

2.3m in total length. The females are relatively dainty at 120 kg and 1.7m.

Fur seals have hind limbs which can turn forwards, so that all four limbs can aid in movement on land. This means that they can move rather like a bear does, and slightly less comically than their true seal relatives, which

Conservation Status

must creep on land, rather like furry leeches.

Kingdom: Animalia

Order: Carnivora

Underwater, fur seals use their fore flippers

Phylum: Chordata

Family: Otariidae

and powerful chest muscles to get around,

Class: Mammalia

Genus: Arctocephalus

rather than their hind limbs.

Suborder: Pinnipedia

Species: Arctocephalus pussillus

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“These are animals superbly adapted for the ocean.�

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Watching seals flopping around on their

In addition to breath hold, seals can hear

rocky home bases in no way prepares a

well underwater and have eyes which are

diver or snorkeller for their sheer grace

well adapted to seeing underwater. They

and explosive power underwater. These are

have flattened corneas and their pupils can

animals superbly adapted for the ocean.

Lactating females have been observed diving: much to the envy of many human freedivers, their average breath hold is 2.1 minutes to an average depth of 45m, with a max time of 7.5minutes and 204m in depth.

expand enormously to aid vision in dark water. Should it be too dark even for seal eyes to see, they use their whiskers. Recent research has shown that seal whiskers function as echolocators. They detect the small disturbances a fish makes in water as much as 30seconds after it has passed, a great help when hunting in murky water.

Impressive stuff. They are helped in doing this by their high tolerance for carbon

As if that wasn’t enough, special adaptations

dioxide and lactic acid, both of which build

in the shape of their vertebrae make them

up under anaerobic exertion.

more flexible than most mammals, able to

Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

bend backwards or suddenly change direction It also helps that seals exhibit bradycardia: a condition seen in diving mammals whereby the heart slows down when underwater. Before diving, seals exhale, and their hearts slow to one-eighth of their normal rate which considerably improves use of available oxygen. Also, peripheral

underwater so as to hunt agile prey – and not unimportantly, elude their shark predators.

Great whites, cow sharks and killer whales are seals’ most significant predators, apart from humans. Humans have usually hunted them for their dense underfur, which was highly valued, as well as for their meat and

blood vessels constrict, so that blood is kept

fat. These days seals are mostly left to their

circulating only in the heart, lungs and brain,

fish and cephalopod hunting, though many

further extending dive time.

fishermen might like to take issue with that.

Spotted sevengill cowshark (Notorynchus cepedianus)

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For breeding, male seals haul out onto their preferred rocky beach or island come October and begin to establish their harems, which may consist of up to 50 females.

Pregnant females arrive from November onwards and mostly give birth from late November to mid December to a single pup weighing 5-12 kg, mating again about a week later. The females intersperse feeding their pups with short 4 day foraging trips to feed themselves. The pups grow unsurprisingly rapidly, given that the milk they feed on is 50% fat, and are weaned at between four and six months, though some may still be feeding from their mothers as much as two years later.

The annual clutch of just weaned pups setting out to sea for the first time around June is a big moment for the great white sharks of False Bay. They wait on the ocean bottom for unwary first timers to swim overhead.

Then they strike, speeding upwards as fast as they can, breaching spectacularly in the process. But if they don’t get their victim on their first attempt, their chances of a tender meal of sealmeat diminish rapidly. The seals, once warned, use all the effort of their agile, supple, powerful bodies and usually escape to startle humans another day

A fur seal twirls happily through the kelp forest

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Fur seals spines are unusually flexible, allowing them to bend or change direction with ease

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Seals use their whiskers for ecolocation and can sense the minute disturbances left by a fish more than 30 seconds after it has passed

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DAN Southern Africa announces the

DAN Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Programme for scuba diving Article by: Morné Christou Images by: Cormac McCreesh

The primary mission of DAN is to

The DSP Programme recognises diving

offer assistance to injured recreational

operations that self-report compliance with

scuba divers. An important secondary

essential diving emergency preparedness –

mission is to prevent diving injuries.

Recent events have reinforced the importance of a pre-emptive approach to safety – the DAN Diving Safet Partners – Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Programme (DSP-HIRA). A major step in this

appropriate first responder training for all staff, pre-dive briefings, a practical emergency assistance plan, and an effective

direction was the creation of the basic

lost diver recovery procedure. However, this

DAN Diving Safety Partners (DSP)

needs to be taken one step further – towards

Programme.

preventing diving injuries!

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Building on the success of the DSP Programme, DAN has undertaken the important mission of promoting and supporting a culture of safety amongst divers and participating diving service providers.

Goals and objectives • To initiate and then grow participation by all diving service providers.

• To provide risk and safety awareness education to all participants.

• To offer risk mitigation and control education courses, based on actual

The expanded Diving Safety Partners Programme will include Hazard

operational aspects.

• To have an accident and incident

Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA)

monitoring programme in place to

components to actively prevent diving

continually assess the status of progress

injuries. This will empower dive operators

towards the vision.

to ensure that their activities are undertaken with the appropriate awareness, control and mitigation of relevant health and safety risks, whether these affect dive clients, instructors or support staff.

The programme Starting from the entry level DSP, the new DSP-HIRA Programme expands the philosophy behind the current DSP Programme into three levels, with an Assessment (HIRA) component.

Programme vision a culture of safety at all scuba diving schools, charters and operations around the world.

The service provider should be able to effectively deal with emergencies that have occurred. The service provider should typically: • be able to rescue injured persons (including diving emergencies, but also other nondiving- related injuries); • be able to provide life support and basic first aid; • be able to administer oxygen and have sufficient oxygen supplies;

associated Hazard Identification and Risk

To create, promote and build

DSP: Silver HIRA Level 1

• be able to conduct a neurological examination of an injured person; • be able to contact emergency service providers (including DAN); and • have a feasible emergency assistance plan in place (for lost divers, diving emergencies and non-diving emergencies).

The provider should have appropriate

The division is based on size and nature

oxygen, first aid and emergency equipment

of the dive operation, each providing

available and the staff members of the facility

recognition of the participants as a DAN

should have the following qualifications

Safety Partner.

(DAN or equivalent):

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• Oxygen first aid for scuba diving emergencies • Basic life support • First aid for hazardous marine life

DSP: Gold HIRA Level 2 In addition to the level 1 requirements, the provider trains others to deal with

• Oxygen first aid for scuba diving emergencies

injuries (if these injuries can be caused in

emergency situations, emergency

• Basic life support

the region the provider operates in)

exercises are carried out on a planned or

• First aid for hazardous marine life

• On-site neurological assessment for divers Assessment: DAN provides interested applicants with guidance on how to meet the requirements to achieve this level.

Depending on the degree of in-house expertise and knowledge concerning dive safety, either a DAN-led risk assessment will be conducted, or a self-assessment may be done by the facility or service provider. A standard reporting document is utilised and a final, completed report is

regular basis, and there is an increased

injuries (if these injuries can be caused in

awareness of safety.

the region the provider operates in) • On-site neurological assessment for

The service provider should typically: • be able to deal with emergencies (diving, non-diving, neuro-assessment, etc);

divers • Automatic external defibrillators for scuba divers • First aid

• train others in emergency management of related injuries and illnesses; • continually log and maintain the competency of their staff members; and • use standardised safety systems (e.g., checklists).

Assessment: As with the previous level, the assessment may be carried out by means of a risk assessment led by DAN or through selfassessment with a final report submitted to DAN for consideration.

submitted to DAN for consideration.

Apart from the equipment and facilities Recognition: Service providers and facilities

Recognition: Service providers and

available for level 1 recognition, the

facilities that are committed to this

that are committed to this level of safety and

provider should have a training facility

level of safety and meet the minimum

meet the minimum requirements will be

available. The facility should also have an

recognised by DAN as a Silver Diving Safety

requirements will be recognised by DAN as

active (current status) instructor available,

a Gold Diving Safety Partner.

Partner.

who can provide the following DAN (or equivalent) programmes:

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DSP: Platinum HIRA Level 3 This level of recognition is provided only

Assessment: In order to assist these facilities in their quality assurance programme, DAN will make a risk assessment expert available

to a limited number of facilities who show

to these facilities. The expert will assist the

an exceptional commitment to diving

facility in the risk assessment process in a

safety.

mor structured and formal manner. A final

The service provider will typically: • Be previously recognised as a Silver or

report is then forwarded by DAN to the facility, which can be used for reference and

Gold Diving Safety Partner and have

advice on further improvements of their

maintained a good safety track record

safety practices.

with clear and traceable records.

• Have logs available which reflect all

Specific critical control points will be

incidents and “near-misses”, including

identified, with specific suggestions on how

denominator data (number of persons

these risks could be controlled in practise,

trained, number of persons taken on

how these may be monitored and what

dives, number of boat launches, etc.),

appropriate safety targets could be set.

provide an analysis of this data on a continuous basis, and show a clear commitment to improving safety.

This is typical of an organisation that has an effective, recognised quality assurance programme in place.

Recognition: Service providers and facilities that are committed to this level of safety will be recognised by DAN as Platinum Diving Safety Partners. Details of these safety partners will be published by DAN in Alert Diver.

• In addition to the facilities and equipment required for the Gold level, have an active instructor trainer on-site offering all the DAN (or equivalent) training courses.

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Typical risk areas The following are examples of the critical areas providers should include: • Ladders and stairs

• Lifting of heavy equipment

• Avoiding DCI • Safety in diver and staff training courses

• Entries and exits, and emergency escape routes

• Noise-induced hearing loss

• Risk of fires and/or explosions

• Boat propellers and boat operations

• Compressors, gas quality, cylinder filling, cleanliness

• Links with medical facilities and personnel

• Slippery surfaces

• Briefing of staff and divers, and keeping control of divers in the water

For more information, contact Morné Christou at DAN Southern Africa on 0860 242 242 or

To find out more please click on the email address

morne@dansa.org

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Featured Photographer

Introducing

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Geoff Spiby

Contents

Featured Photographer

He got a crash course on the potential pitfalls of underwater photography such as backscatter in the plane from a few old hands en route to Malé, and, once there, jumped in the water with the camera and was promptly hooked.

Fortunately for the success of the honeymoon, not to mention the marriage, his wife Lyn is as enthusiastic about the ocean as he is.

He’s a Cape Town local and so has spent much of his underwater time developing methods for getting decent wide angle shots in the often murky Cape waters, although he also likes macro work, experimenting with two times converters, snoots and the like.

The late Patrick Wanger was a major influence on his photography, showing him how much effort has to go into getting the great shots and how to work towards getting that perfect shot.

Geoff Spiby started taking photos on school holidays in the Karoo. It was perhaps in these huge spaces that his love of wide angle photography began.

He started taking underwater images while on honeymoon in the Maldives in 1984. Back then, getting to the Maldives involved a (shopping) stopover in Hong Kong and since the Rand was super strong it seemed like a good idea to buy an underwater camera and try it out.

Pat also gave him guidelines on what makes a great shot, both in composition and colour balance. Lyn, Geoff’s primary model, knows to choose her dive gear and bikinis primarily for how they will look in photographs.

He loves the challenge of underwater photography, and the thrill of getting under water and finding new ways of showing subjects. Above all, it’s about capturing the beauty he sees underwater to show to others.

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Featured Photographer

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