Issue 22 $9.99
See The Seven Seas | The Scuba Diving Issue
THE FATHER OF SCUBA DIVING JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU: THE HISTORY OF THE AQUA-LUNG
CASTAWAY
NEST
DEEP LOVE
Discover wrecked ships and
The hauntingly beautiful
Be one of many to be
planes off the coast of Florida.
underwater sculptures.
wedded underwater.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IN THIS ISSUE 5
EDITORS Subaquatic Talk One on one with the editor in chief.
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BEGINNER Apprentice Learn how to be a certified scuba diver.
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ENDANGERED Marine Habitat Help protect the marine life from harmful chemicals.
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ICE DIVING Deep Freeze Laurent Ballesta explores the Antarctic Ocean.
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HOLIDAY Christmas Cruises Celebrate the holidays out at sea this year.
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TALL TALES Haunted Tales of Black Beard Dare to sail the seas with haunted ghost stories.
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TREACHEROUS DIVES World’s Most Dangerous Dives Stay clear of the treacherous diving spots near you.
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EXPLORE Notorious Destinations Remarkable and unbelievable diving sites.
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HISTORICAL Iconic Goddess Visit the famous mermaid statue in Copenhagen.
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C A S TAWA Y
Shipwreck City
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Discover wrecked ships and planes off the coast of Florida. You’re surrounded by colored creatures, fifty feet fans, and all sorts of other things you’ll never see above the surface
T H E FAT H E R OF SCUBA DIVING
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Jacques Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the amiable Frenchman known for his endless thirst for exploration and unique storytelling, and of course inventing the Aqua–Lung.
DEEP LOVE
Underwater Wedding
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Be one of the many to say “I do” under the sea. This intriguing concept is perfect for couples who want something unique and memorable. So, how deep is your love to plunge under the waves?
IT’S
SA LT Y
A Diver’s Life
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What could be better than the life of warm tropical seas, the cool ocean breezes and sharing your love for diving? Follow these steps, and become an instructor today!
NEST
The Hauntingly Beautiful Underwater Sculpture
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The world’s prominent and known underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has completed one of his most ambitious and works yet called Nest.
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See the Seven Seas Issue 22
EDITOR AL EDITOR IN CHIEF Alyse Ryan SENIOR EDITOR Kristen Costello MANAGING EDITOR Ty Schoffstall RESEARCH EDITOR Dylan WIngrove ASSOICATE EDITOR Brett Santos PUBILISHERS Kasey Jeffery
ART CREATIVE DIRECTOR Vicki Meloney ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Josh Miller DESIGN DIRECTOR Summer Doll-Myers ART PRODUCTION Gary Ryan SENIOR DESIGNERS Jess Paley PHOTGRAPHERS Rachael Wolfe
We strive to provide as much information for our ocean lovers. We deeply appreciate any feedback to continue making creative and new magazines. oceanliving.com 55 Harrison St, Oakland, CA 94607 (510) 858-3400
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EDITOR
SU B AQ U ATI C TA LK A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Photography by Rachael Wolfe
This year marks my fiftieth year of scuba diving. Growing up I was lucky enough to go to the beach once or twice a year, but the closest body of water was the creek behind my house. I took all the chances I got to swim under water. My mom even told me if there was another life, I should have been born as some sea creature. On my tenth birthday, I was a signed as a member at PADI which is the Professional Association of Diving Instructions. Over my years, I have dove in remarkable and dangerous dive spots. I am also certified to teach. Being part of the Descent issue for Ocean Living magazine is an honor. For those who are as experienced as me, or even more, they can learn or reminisce on some of their favorite locations. My personal favorite is the history and looking back at how scuba diving started and developed over the years. The best part about diving is there is no age limit. I was lucky enough to start young, but it is never too late! It also mentions how and where to get the best lessons as well as being equipped with the top gear in the industry. I hope that this issue will spark your interest as it did for me, intrigue you to be certified, and experience the depths of the ocean. It is such an escape from the hectic world and being able to enter into an ultimate quiet area of peace only hearing the waves. It is an entry into the unknown waters, never knowing what to expect. Alyse looks out into the ocean after her morning lessons.
Alyse Ryan Editor in Chief
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BEGINNER
APPRENTICE
PROFESSIONAL DIVING CERTIFICATION Article by PADI ASSOCIATION | Photography by Steininger
The PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructions) Scuba Diver course is a branch of the Open Water Diver course. If you’re short on time but want to become a diver, the PADI Scuba Diver rating might be right for you. Only if you expect to go scuba diving primarily with a dive guide. To enroll, you must be at least ten years old, have swimming skills, and be in good physical health. This course is an intermediate three step of Academic, Getting Started, and Equipment. The full process for earning your own diver certification will only take a year with effective and proper training. PADI Scuba Divers are qualified to dive under the direct supervision to a maximum depth of 12m./40ft. Obtain air fills, rent or purchase scuba equipment and participate in dive activities as long as properly supervised. The course is made up of three main phases: Academic Learning, Equipment, and Getting Stared. The Academic phase is for
Amy Shringe swims in a pool to dive through PADI’s three course training.
knowledge development of scuba diving. It is required to be taken online, independent study or taking it in a classroom. Divers learn to understand the basic principles of scuba diving. The first three of five sections of the open water diver course are confined strict water dives. You will learn basic scuba skills. The purpose is to use your skills and explore of the two of four dives. In the Equipment phase, you learn to use
“ You only need to complete the first three sections, but have a year to complete the whole program.”
basic scuba gear, including a mask, snorkel, fins, regulator, buoyancy control device and a tank. The items will vary, depending upon the temperature of the water. Whether you’re diving in tropical or cold water. Your PADI Instructor explains the equipment you need and may suggest additional materials, such as the required logbook. To begin, you can register online at PADI’s ELearning. The web system will give you the proper safety instructions and allows you to study at your own pace through an effective interactive program. You only need to complete the first three sections, and then have a year to complete the whole program. Descent Magazine Issue 22
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“ The waters under the ice are like Mount Everest: magical, but so hostile that you have to be sure of your desire before you go.� Photos from top left to right: Ballesta waiting to plunge into the Antarctica ocean. An orange sea spider spans its legs on sea ice. Ballesta’s team swims below under a lush of snow. A weddell seal accompanies her pup. Divers testing the water before hours of research. Incredible glaciers balance next to one another. During night dives, water proof flash lights are best for the giant glacier as the diver floats in disbelief. A triangle is cut to allow easier entry and extraction. Ballesta explores an ice cave searching for plant life. An anemone lets its tentacles dangle freely. A diver surrounded by pieces of tiny ice glaciers.
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ICE DIVING
DEEP FREEZE
A NTARCTIC DIVING Article by Casey Smith | Photography by Ballesta
In the deepest dive ever beneath the icy Antarctic, plants and animals are captured on camera. In an expedition unlike any other, National Geographic photographer, Laurent Ballesta, took a cold, harsh plunge below the sea ice in the deepest dive ever under Antarctica. In October 2015, Ballesta and joined a small team for a 36-day excursion. The journey’s process wasn’t a simple one, it took two years to prepare. The trek took place at Adelie Coast off the East Antarctica sea. The ice began to break up that allowed Ballesta and his team to break through ten foot thick ice and dive down as deep as two hundred and thirty feet. Once in Antarctica, it took an hour to get into the diving suits, and once equipment was secured, the divers carried up to two hundred pounds below the ice. “The weight makes swimming seem almost impossible,” Ballesta says, “but without dry suits, divers would die in as little as ten minutes.” The five hour dives into the sub twenty–nine degrees Fahrenheit water, which can be severely painful. But what Ballesta captured on the ocean floor, he compared to as “a luxuriant garden.” “The waters under the ice are like Mount Everest: magical, but so hostile that you have to be sure of your desire before you go,” he said. An intense trip according to Ballesta.
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Photo taken by Philippe Tailliez of Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1981.
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THE FATHER
OF SCUBA
DIVING Story by Ryan Patrick Jones | Artwork by Alyse Ryan
JACQUES COUSTEAU Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the amiable Frenchman known for his endless thirst for exploration and unbridled curiosity. He arguably did more to popularize scuba diving and shepherd its development than any of his predecessors and many of his successors. Often referred to as the Father of Scuba Diving, Cousteau is a true diving legend. Diving has such a long history that its true origins are virtually impossible to trace.
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1610 John Smeaton: Diving Bell
1715 John Lethbridge Underwater: Diving Machine
Photos by Baltimore Sun and DeepBlu
SCUBA DIVING HISTORY Many not think, people have been diving for many centuries. Egyptians engaged in freediving to collect pearl oysters for jewelry, sponges for cleaning, and seafood for nutrition. At that time, methods were used to enhance diving abilities, such as holding on to a heavy rock to sink or being tethered to a rope that would haul a diver back to the surface. Diving technology did not begin to fully develop until the dawn of Renaissance in Europe. The first underwater device had limited success, the diving bell, which was a chamber used to transport divers. It was either fully enclosed or open on the bottom.
“ The helmet was not attached to the suit so it would flood if the diver turned their head at an angle.�
1864 Auguste Denayrouze
At first, these devices were terribly inefficient. Early models would only carry the amount of air that could fit in the chamber. Finally, English engineer John Smeaton invented a diving bell made from cast iron that had a more efficient hand pump. An alternative diving system was the diving dress, which was created by John Deane in 1828. Originally meant for firefighters to enter smoke-filled buildings. Deane and his brother, Charles, modified it to be used underwater. Deane’s Patent Diving Dress consisted of a copper helmet that would cover a diver’s head, attached to a cloth body suit to protect from cold water, and weighted shoes to counteract the positive buoyancy created by the air
“ The creation of the Aqua-Lung was only the beginning of the long and varied contributions to scuba diving.”
in the suit. Air would be supplied from the surface using an air pump design.
THE CREATION OF THE AQUA-LUNG In the mid–1930’s, Jacques-Yves Cousteau first developed his keen interest in the ocean while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. He helped recover from a near-fatal car accident that broke both of his arms. A friend had lent him a pair of goggles that opened his eyes to the underwater world, and he immediately became curious about this unexplored part of the natural world. However, Cousteau was frustrated with the limited bottom times which inspiried him to test with existing scuba technologies. He tried and abandoned the closed-circuit rebreather devices after suffering convulsions on two occasions, likely caused by oxygen poisoning. He also quickly dismissed the Le Prieur open-circuit scuba set. He stated it was impractical because of the constant flow of air drained the cylinders too rapidly. Cousteau 1943 Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan: Aqua-Lung
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Article by Jessie Voigts | Artwork by Alyse Ryan
HAUNTINgLY BEAUTIFUL UNDErWATEr SCULpTUrES The world prominent and known underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has completed one of his most
ambitious and works yet. A man made reef in the shallow waters of Indonesia. The famous British-born artist has
made hauntingly beautiful sculptures in waters from the Caribbean to the Canary Islands and the River Thames.
Read our early interview with him as we talk about his work. The Museo Atlantico off the Canary Islands, Lanzarote, and
the museum, Museo Subaquático de Arte (MUSA) in Mexico.
His latest work, at Thames, entitled Nest, is of forty–eight life-size human figures set in shallow water. A short swim
from the soon to be completed beach club at BASK Gili Meno, a sustainable resort being developed on one of Indonesia’s most unspoiled tropical islands.
“The world renowned underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has completed one of his most ambitious works yet.”
Sculpture created by Jason deCaires Taylor. Photography by BASK in the waters of the Indonesian Islands displays the incredible, Nest.
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NOTORIOUS DIVES TOP DIVING SPOTS IN THE WORLD
Article by Torben Lonee | Artwork by Alyse Ryan
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BIG BROTHER EGYPTIAN RED Divers must have 50+ open water dives. Wild currents with sharks and steep sided volcano dives.
PACIFIC OCEAN
GREAT BLUE HOLE BELIZE Incredible drop off of 143 meters deep, edged with coral reefs, makots, and sharks in perfectly crystal clear water.
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“ Great Blue Hole located in Belize is the largest sea hole in the world.”
EXPLORE
There is a world some see only in pictures, the underwater world filled with the wonder and mystery of the unknown. The bright reef, the fish, and the pure enjoyment of discovery are only some of the reasons why people scuba dive. Scuba divers have a hungry for adventure, and below are a few of the top dives in the world from the Red Sea in Egypt to the Blue Hole in Belize.
ARCTIC OCEAN
PACIFIC OCEAN
BARRACUDA POINT SIPADAN ISLAND The world class Malaysian dive site of 800 meters drop off. A broadly diverse sea life such as turtles, buffalo fish, and crab.
S&K REEF EGYPTIAN RED Shark reef rich in anemones. Mixture of a wicked drop off and ship wreck. One dive has three reefs.
INDIAN OCEAN
“ Egyptian Red is voted the most popular diving spot in the world.” Summer 2020 Issue 22
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ARTIFACTS
I C O N I C G O DD ESS COPENHAGEN’S BRONZE STATUE Article by Benjamin Radford | Photography by David Volgyes
The most famous mermaid statue of them all, with a number of copies around the world, is the statue of The Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. The statue sits on a rock at Langelinie in the harbor of Copenhagen, Denmark. It recently had its one hundred year anniversary on August 23, 2013, with celebrations in Copenhagen and around the world. The mermaid statue was created in bronze by Edvard Eriksen, and was unveiled in August of 1913. Edvard Eriksen was commissioned in January 1909 by Carl Jacobsen of Carlsberg Breweries to create the statue. Carl was fascinated by a ballet at the Copenhagen Royal Theatre based on the fairy tale about the mermaid, and asked the star of the ballet, Ellen Price de Plane, to model for the statue. Price declined the idea of modeling in the nude for the sculpture, and Eriksen enlisted his wife Eline Eriksen (who modeled for several other of his works) to model for the mermaid statue. A popular story has it that Price modeled for the face and Eline Eriksen for the body, but in actual fact Eline Eriksen was the model for the entire sculpture.This is easily seen when comparing the statue’s face with photos of Eline Eriksen, and the faces of Eriksen’s other statues. This mermaid statue is one of the top tourist attractions in Copenhagen, and has become an icon and a symbol of both Copenhagen and Denmark. While the story by Hans Christian Andersen was more than enough to make this mermaid statue known around
“ This statue is one of the top tourist attractions in Copenhagen, and has become an icon and a symbol.” the world, the Disney movies have only added to the fame and the appeal of this statue. There are copies of her with some differences in a number of locations around the world, which in some cases are authorized by Eriksen’s heirs, and in other cases have been allowed to remain without the specific authorization from the heirs. The mermaid statue on display in Copenhagen is the original, but other copies and sizes were made as well which is a good thing, as the original has been vandalized several times, and then Edvard Eriksen’s The Little Mermaid statue in Cophenhagen.
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lovingly restored using the copies.
F OR E DUC AT ION A L PU R P O SE S ON LY.