Bubbles Annual 2012

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE

page

• Note from the Editor 2 • Events 2 • Globe Divers - Galapagos Islands, Paolo Marino 3/6 • Species of the Month - Lobsters, Edward Vella 7 • Maori wreck - 70th Anniversary, Edward Vella 8 • Zenobia Wreck - Cyprus, Philip Camilleri 9/10

www.atlam.org

Photo by: JOE FORMOSA

info@atlam.org

Editorial Note Welcome to the January / February issue of Bubbles, Atlam’s e-newsletter, the first issue of the year , a year which we hope will prove to be as successful as the previous.

So far this year has been particularly cold. Notwithstanding, this did not de-motivate a good number of Atlam members which could be seen around the various dive sites challenging rain, wind and the very low temperatures to venture underwater. Some in comfortable dry suits, others in semi-dry and a few in their wet suits! In the absence of the weekly boat dives, we are all looking forward to shore dives organised by the club. It’s always great to meet up and share experiences. Will keep you updated with any developments.

In the coming months Atlam will be organising a number of events which we hope will be of interest to all. The first event will be a blood donation event. I think we all agree that our small contribution can go a long way in helping other people in serious need. So we encourage all to send in their details and encourage friends and relatives to participate so this event can be a success!

As you might have noticed Bubbles is now being issued on bi-monthly basis partly due to the absence of boat dives being organised by the club. To date most contributions towards this newsletter, be it articles or photos, have come from a particularly small group of members. We hope you have so far found it of interest. The aim of this magazine is primarily to share experiences between members and it is thanks to your contribution that we can keep the newsletter interesting and vibrant. So we would appreciate if you would like to share an experience with fellow buddies be it a dive, a dive site, photos, books or even a good web site, we look forward to hearing from you. We need everyone’s contribution to keep club and the newsletter alive and kicking.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a BIG THANK YOU to one of the newsletter’s regular contributor, who since the conception of Bubbles has always helped with ideas and regular interesting articles. Thanks Dorian for all your help. We hope to avail of your contributions in the future issues.

Enjoy

Edward Sultana

SAVE A LIFE Atlam is going to organise a Blood Donation Event.

Everybody is welcome: members, family and friends. Kindly send the names of those intending to participate to: evella@onvol.net JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info the President Nader Bassily on 99499101 All past issues can be downloaded from the Atlam web: www.atlam.org/

Galapagos Islands:

the kingdom of sharks Article & photos by Paolo Marino There are some places in the world where the shark enthusiast can have his fill. One of these places is the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, one of the few places where is it consistently possible to see sharks in their dozens and often even in their hundreds!

Though sharks of various species can be spotted almost anywhere in the Galapagos the real Mecca for shark watching are the two tiny rocky islands of Wolf and Darwin.

They are located 60 miles north of the main group and their remoteness is likely the cause of such abundant shark population.

All year around you can dive with scalloped hammerheads and Galapagos sharks and during the summer/autumn months you can experience close encounter with the biggest fish in the world, the whale shark.

The Galapagos can be reached flying to Guayaquil in Ecuador and then to the island of San Cristobal.

To reach Wolf and Darwin you have to board one of the diving liveaboards in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the island of San Cristobal.

We boarded the diving vessel Galapagos Sky as soon as we arrived from the airport.

The boat accommodates sixteen divers in 8 double cabins. Nitrox is provided at extra cost, but is recommended due to the dive profile. The diving is done from two ribs, that can carry eight divers and a guide each. At the beginning of the cruise the divers are split in two groups and they will normally stay in the same group for the duration of the trip. Each diver is assigned a place on the aft deck of the boat where all his/her gear is stored.

The boat left port as soon everybody was on board for a quick trip to the location of the check dive.

Considering the purpose of it, this was an exiciting dive anyway with several stingrays sleeping on the sandy bottom and three sealions coming around to play with the divers.

As soon everybody was on board we sailed out to the North during the night. The next day we stopped for two dives at Cousins rock where we dived with maybe 20 green turtles, a big group of barracudas, some eagle rays and white tip sharks.

Visibility was not the best at this time of the year, just around 10m. This will be a constant drawback during the whole week.

Next day early in the morning we arrived at Wolf island, 45/50 minutes dives you see a continuous passage the southernmost of the two “sharks rocks�. of scalloped hammerhead, Galapagos sharks and occasionally yellow fin tuna. The Galapagos sharks are The island is also a sanctuary for blue footed boobies particularly curious and will often swim just a couple and frigate birds, that will fly around all days in their of meters or even closer next to you. A band of five/ hundreds. six eagle rays is normally around flying back and forth The dives here are mainly done on the south-eastern by the reef. side at Landslide, Shark bay and Las Cuevas (The At the beginning of the first dive, still swimming down caves). from the surface, a pod of about 30 dolphins passed The first two dive sites are very similar. You get down right on top of us. to a edge on the reef in about 20m of water; hold Las Cuevas has several small caves where you can fast to the rocks as the current is normally strong and always find sleeping white tip sharks. Stingray and just enjoy the fish passing in front of you. During the green turtles often share these caves with the sharks.

There is normally little current in front of the caves, but if you go further the current picks up wildly and will take you past a pinnacle where you can see more hammerhead and Galapagos sharks shooting past you.

Beyond the pinnacle the current will die quickly and this island to feed on plankton. They are mostly adult there the rib is waiting to pick you up. females up to 15m long.

During the night we made the passage to Darwin island. All diving is done along the eastern reef by the Arch. This is a well known landmark often seen in pictures and resemble closely to the Dwejra arch with the difference that is sticks alone out of the water.

We made a total of 7 dives over 2 days.

We met 3 big whale sharks between 11 and 13 m and two smaller ones of 4/5 meters. The big whale sharks tend to swim very slowly and if not disturbed, will keep their course. On all occasions we managed to spend The fish life includes scalloped hammerheads and several minutes swimming alongside these beautiful Galapagos sharks as in Wolf, but the big plus here is creatures. that between June and October whale sharks visit

Another highlight was the presence of the resident solitary bottlenose dolphin. This dolphin has been seen in this area for several years and normally comes to swim by the divers before zooming away in the blue.

Then of course you have the usual complement of dozens of scalloped hammerhead and Galapagos sharks. On one dive we had also three eagle rays that are not commonly encountered in Darwin. Morays are also easily spotted on the reef, provided you are not distracted by the bigger fish passing by‌..

We were lucky not find strong currents in the area that week although the rough sea made the transfer from the ribs to the boat a bit difficult It was the time to head back; we would have liked to stay

longer, but the park authorities impose strict schedules to each boat as no more that two dive boats can be in a dive area at anytime. All boats are controlled by satellite via an onboard beacon.

Humboldt current. Water temperature was down to 15 deg!!

This is the coldest area of the Galapagos b e i n g exposed to the

We were also lucky to see two sunfish on a cleaning station down deeper.

We found seahorses, cleaner shrimps, octopus, horn sharks, ever present sealions and even a hunting cormorant.

Anyway the fun was not over yet They have short wings and cannot fly, but because on the way back we had to more are excellent free divers. stopovers.

This is also the place where the red-lipped We dived twice on Vicente Roca point on batfish is common. This is a unique fish the north-western side of the island half way between a frogfish and a flying of Isabela. gurnard.

After the second dive we made a surface tour of the coast with the rib to photograph the local colonies of penguins and a colony of Galapagos cormorants, frigate birds and blue footed-boobies.

After a night cruise next morning we anchored on the eastern side of Isabela close to Cape Marshal. We did three dives here in different places of the coast. The main attraction here is the abundance of small fish often being hunted by resident sea lions.

We also came across three manta rays, although this is not the best time of the year to see these gentle giants. A few big yellow fin tuna also made a fast appearance chasing fish along the reef edge.

One more night passage brought us back to Puerto Baquerizo where we packed our bags and caught the bus to the airport for our flight back home.

Species Page Research by:: Edward Vella

LOBSTERS

Similar to most land based insects, Lobsters have an no internal skeleton, but their body is structured around an external shell or exo-skeleton. This makes them Arthropods, but then other characteristics distinguish them to make them belong to the sub-phylum Crustacea (along with crabs, barnacles and shrimps).

One characteristic feature of crustaceans is that in order to grow, they must molt (change of skin, similar to what snakes do), in other words at certain times the lobster’s shell becomes too stiff for it to grow any larger, and so it must change it. I do not think that I ever stopped to think about how lobsters grow, but recently during a dive at Crocodile Rock, I had an occasion to discover how, and it really blew my boots (I mean fins) away! Towards the end of the dive on the reef top right below the Croc, buddy Tano pointed at a spiny lobster (awwista) totally out of its hiding place and standing still. Closer inspection showed that there was no life - it was just an empty shell. First thought was that an octopus probably made a meal here, but then how could it be that the shell (called carapace) complete with all limbs, was so intact and with absolutely no damage. There was no lobster inside, and it was really cleaned out.

So this was really a discarded carapace, but I was still intrigued as to how the

lobster managed to get out of the shell!

The big mystery to me however, was how on Earth did this lobster manage to get its legs out of their shell??? So I went to my good friend the Internet, and all was revealed – the lobster grows new feet inside its old shell!! You do not believe it? – have a look here: http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=h6M2xIgoD6E During our local dives, the most common encounter is surely the previously mentioned Spiny Lobster (Palinurus Elephas). Palinurus Elephas is I think most commonly found in its ‘hole in the wall’, during wall dives. I also recently learnt that Spiny Lobsters are able to make a grating sound by rubbing the bases of their antennae together.

Contrary to what the word “lobster” conjures up in the popular psyche, the Spiny Lobster has no oversize claws, the lobster with the big claws to be found locally, is the European Lobster (Homarus Gammarus) – Iljunfant talBahar – Maltese. According to the book “Wildlife of the Maltese Islands” – this lobster is scarce. Well I have never seen one of these yet!

The other lobster type which is also frequently encountered is the Slipper Lobster (also called Paddle Nosed Lobster– Scyllarus Latus) – Ckal in Maltese, but more on this one in a future Bubbles…

Photo by Joe Formosa

Photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Alan MIzzi

March-April SPECIES

Amberjacks

Accjol - P L E A S E S E N D P H O T O S

HMS MAORI - 70th Anniversary

Article Edward Vella

hand so this made these duties extremely hazardous. Malta was a dangerous place to be in at that time!

After the war in July 1945, the remains of her wreck (she was hit again in subsequent raids), was made buoyant, and removed.

Now this part has always raised a question with me- the rearmost part was towed out and sunk in deep water outside of Grand Harbour, and a section of the bow sunk where we know it today – just beneath the bastions below the West side of Fort St Elmo. Why would anyone dump a hulk in just 14m is beyond me. Granted that the site is not in the path of heavy maritime traffic, but I would not be surprised if this was an unplanned conclusion. Would really like

This month seventy years ago, or to be more exact on the 12th February 1942, a German bomb with Maori written on it found its way into her engine room, and blew her up. At that time, she was moored near the entrance to Dockyard Creek. The explosion was so violent that the Maori sank immediately with the loss of one life – it was at two in the morning – and the crew were billeted ashore for comparative safety.

Her forward gun turrets remained above the water, and were salvaged and added to the coastal defences on the Ricasoli side of the breakwater – so when you next see the empty gun tracks on her wreck, you now know where the guns ended up.

The Maori was one of the ‘Tribal’ class of destroyers. The ships of the Royal Navy (not just the RN) were built in ‘classes’, or in other words ships of similar design were

named on a theme – in this case, ships of this model were named after tribes. The Royal Navy had sixteen of them, amongst her sister ships were for example, HMS Zulu, Gurkha, and Cossack.

HMS Maori was commissioned in January 1939, so it was just eight months later that the ship found itself at war. When war did break out in, she was in Alexandria, but was recalled to England where it saw action in Norway (before its fall), and took part in the search for the famous German battleship Bismark, amongst other operations. In late 1941 she was dispatched to the East Mediterranean, but ended up in Malta where she was involved in several engagements with the Italian Navy. Her primary duties in Malta were to defend supply convoys. At that time, the Axis forces were gaining the upper

to know this story if there is a story.

Most of us get to know the Maori, more than likely in winter, when there is a SW blowing, since the site is sheltered from this wind. So next time that you visit her remember that you are looking at a relic which is a true part of our country’s history.

Treat her with respect.

DIVING THE ZENOBIA- LARNACA, CYPRUS The Zenobia was a Swedish built roll-on, roll-off ferry boat which sunk on its maiden voyage. The cause of its sinking is not yet sure, however, it seems that it was due to computer problems in the ballast tank system that could not be repaired. It took two days for the ferry boat to sink, cargo and all and, since then, no salvage was allowed. The ship is now resting on its side at 42 metres - about 15 minutes by boat from Larnaca Harbour - with over 200 trucks still carrying goods on board.

Most interesting are the bones of the livestock that sunk along with the ferry and a full cargo of eggs that lies on the sea bed.

The dive profile can be an easy one at 16m or one at 42m for the more experienced divers.

The wreck can only be dived by boat. It is impossible to explore the whole wreck in one dive and some say that no matter how many times you dive on it, you will always find something new to explore. Marked lines are available to follow for easy safety stops.

Article Philip Camilleri

It’s been some time since I did this dive back in 2004, however, I can still remember it very clearly. It was the day before a Greek wedding that me and my friend were invited to, and we booked our dive in one of the many dive shops all over Larnaca. We took a boat from the harbour and in few minutes were in the water. We entered through the gap between the double doors at the rear end of the ferry to find ourselves in an enormous car deck at the bottom of which lay an endless amount of cars and trucks. Since we had only one dive, we just swam through stopping to see the inside of some trucks and what they were carrying. For the rest of the dive, we circled the wreck watching the many barracudas and groupers while checking out the ferry itself.

Notwithstanding that the site is protected, that same morning during our dive, some divers were seen spear fishing, this fact made the fish keep their distance even though plentyful. We were told that on that day the amount of fish was much less than usual. Pity …. but still a great dive. Many insist that it is the best wreck dive in the Mediterranean.

Hmmmm! I wouldn’t be too sure. Our wrecks are pretty high on that scale as well. Cyprus being so close to Malta with 2 flights a week, I recommend this dive to all.

To me it felt like Cyprus is a much bigger Malta with many beaches and a mountain and the people are very friendly and Mediterranean.

Rent a car and go off exploring it. Food is great and so is the summer weather. Places I visited besides Larnaca were Aia Napa, Nicosia and Trodos Mountain and I would gladly go again any day!

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

MARCH - APRIL 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE page • Note from the Editor 2 • Safety at Sea - Costal Navigation - Dorian Law 3/4 • Photo Gallery - Alan Mizzi 5 • Bristol Blenheim - Edward Vella 6 • Dived Where? - Migiebah Selmun 7 • Species Page - Amberjacks - Edward Vella 8 • Dive Logs - Blata Tal-Melh to Ghar it Trozz - Tano Role 9 - Pinu Point to Forna - Tano Role 10 - Reqqa Point - Tano Role 11 - Corcodile Rock - Edward Vella 12 - Location Map 13 • Website of the month - Dorian Law 14 • Spot the Jellyfish 14

www.atlam.org

Photo by: ALAN MIZZI

info@atlam.org

Welcome to another issue of Bubbles.

Summer is quick approaching and even if the bad weather is still lingering on, the boat dives have finally commenced. With dives at Reqqa point, Pinu Point and Blata tal Melh the summer boat dive season has started on a high note, setting the tone for more to come.

For those still undecided on whether to take the plunge, Avertano Role’s novel suggestion on how to keep warm can be of interest... read through his articles for further information!

We hope his suggestion will help persuade more people to put their kits on and attend these events During the winter season, quite a few jellyfish could be seen floating around the various dive sites. Not a very encouraging sign. As in the past few years the University of Malta is again launching the Spot the Jelly fish campaign. Sending a report is quite easy and can be done by e-mail of SMS. As divers, our support would be greatly appreciated. If you come across any other jellyfish not indicated in the poster, Dr. Alan Deidun would be interested in hearing from you!

It’s with great sigh of relief that Dorian Law has resumed his contributions towards the newsletter. Thanks for all the effort you put into helping out! Hope to see you in the water soon!

Enjoy!!!

Edward Sultana

SAVE A LIFE Atlam is going to organise a Blood Donation Event.

Everybody is welcome: members, family and friends. Kindly send the names of those intending to participate to: evella@onvol.net JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience

Dorian Law All past issues can be downloaded from the Atlam web: www.atlam.org/

Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info the President Nader Bassily on 99499101

Safety at Sea - Costal Navigation Dear Atlam divers, A couple of weeks ago, during my fulfillment of my New Year’s resolution to clear my computer room of any items or documents, ok, magazines and papers, an old leaflet got my attention and I said to myself that this subject was very interesting and important to discuss especially that the summer season is approaching.

I am talking about the leaflet regards the Safety at Sea Campaign launched by the Malta Maritime Authority now Transport Malta. This campaign is normally launched in the months preceding summer and it will be celebrating its seventeenth birthday this year. How the message is delivered and enforced is a matter of debate. Observing what happens around the coastal waters of our islands will give you a clear picture of how well educated and considerate some boat owners or drivers are. The leaflet can be downloaded at the following address www.macgregormalta.info/MMA_Safety_at_Sea_Guide_v6[1].pdf.

Guide for safe coastal navigation.  All vessels must have a valid operational Certificate of Registry and shall be marked as required by law. Moorings shall be covered by a permit issued by the authority and the official registration number must be shown on the mooring’s marker buoys.  No vessel can be driven in a dangerous or reckless manner or under the influence of alcohol.  A nautical license is required if driving a vessel of 30HP capacity or if towing a person as in water skiing.  An insurance cover is required for the driver of vessels of 30HP capacity or more.  All vessels shall not proceed at a speed in excess of 10knots and no water skiing is permitted inside or within any harbour, within 300metres of a sandy beach or within 200metres of any part of the foreshore.  Apart from the driver an observer being 18years or over must be on board keeping constant watch of the skier. Skiers must take off clear of any boat, slipways, quays, moorings, shipping lane or approach to harbours.

The Malta Maritime Authority Act Cap 352 and its subsidiary legislation together with the notices to mariners as found on the Transport Malta website or the Government Gazette should provide all the required information and clarification of the regulations regards coastal navigation in Malta. These are available as follows: MMA Act Cap52: www.commonlii.org/mt/legis/consol_act/mmaa271.pdf

PDF format file.

Notice to mariners: www.dca.gov.mt Transport Malta website. Go on Maritime tab and click on official notices from the drop down menu, then click Notice to Mariners. www.doi.gov.mt/en/gazetteonline Government Gazette online site.

Select issue and Notice to Mariners pages.

Recommended items to keep on the boat.  Safety equipment: personal buoyancy aids / life jackets, VHF radio, flares, fire extinguisher and first aid kit.  Certificates of registry and insurance coverage.  Nautical license.

Swimmers’ zones.

The listed areas or bays are the official designated swimmers’ zones in Malta. It is prohibited for any vessel to navigate within these zones or to use the buoys and tackle marking these zones for mooring purposes. Vessels shall proceed at ‘dead slow’ speed in the launching lanes that have been installed to access the beach or quay for loading and unloading purposes.

Red and yellow buoys delineate swimmers’ zone.

Malta: Anchor bay, Armier, Birzebbuga – Bay & San Gorg, Bugibba - main square & perched beach, Delimara ­- Kalanka, Ghajn Tuffieha, Gnejna, Golden bay, Kalkara – Rinella, Marsascala – Germa, Zonqor & St. Thomas bay, Marsamxett - waterpolo pitch, Mellieha – Ghadira & Tunnara, Mgiebah, Paradise bay, Qawra, Salina, Selmun, Sliema – Exiles & Fond Ghadir, St. Julians – St. George’s, Spinola & Cavllieri, St. Paul’s Bay – Fekruna, Ghazzelin, Veccja & Xemxija, St. Paul’s Islands, Ta’ Xbiex and Xrobb l-Ghagin.

Gozo: Hondoq ir-Rummien, Ramla l-Hamra, Marsalforn, Mgarr ix-Xini, Qbajjar, San Blas and Xlendi.

Words of wisdom from Transport Malta.

If you are going on a boat trip, remember to take your VHF radio with you. Always use it responsibly. Before setting off in your boat, leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore and always check the condition of your boat and its equipment. Act wisely when on board, don’t drink and drive. Dial 119 to report any abuses at sea. Drive safely and responsibly. Let us all enjoy the sea safely.

Unfortunately there are reckless individuals who drive their sea vessels without consideration for swimmers, snorkelers and divers. These vessels include commercial and pleasure boats, yachts, wind surfers and jet skis. Abuse should be reported if we hope to make our sea safer. Do not wait until you or someone you know is hurt to report any abuse or breaking of the law.

Comino: Blue Lagoon, San Niklaw and Santa Marija.

Important Notices.  A line of red and yellow buoys delineate swimmer’s zones. For your own safety it is advisable that you remain within these zones while swimming.

Care should be taken while swimming around your boat at anchor.  Although every vessel should always proceed at a safe speed, speed marker buoys along the coast, assist mariners to observe the speed limit of 10knots within the 200 / 300metre zones.  Anchorage and fishing (except surface fishing) are prohibited in Conservation Areas around wrecks (Notice to Mariners 5/2008)

Useful Telephone Numbers.

Emergency

112 Police (report contraventions) 119 Rescue Armed Forces Malta 21809279 Transport Malta

21222203 Useful VHF Channels.

Navigation warnings / Weather Ch 11 Port Control

Ch 12 Terminal / Marinas

Ch 13 Distress & safety messages

Ch 16 Emergency operation / oil pollution Ch 22

10 Knots Speed Limit Marker Buoy.

Typical Notice to Mariners chart.

Kemmuna.

So if you are preparing your boat for the coming summer or you go around with someone else, take note of these few basic points mentioned above. Remember that the boat handling or yacht master course do not only give you the license to drive a sea going vessel. It teaches you how to be a safe Captain.

Enjoy safe diving.

Dorian Law

Photo Gallery Alan Mizzi My interest in photography started around twelve years ago, while on a trip abroad I stumbled upon a fantastic deal on an SLR camera, to which I could not resist. There it was my very first camera, an SLR and no idea how to use it! I still remember the excitement, at the sound of the shutter release during my first shots and astonishment, how quickly a film could be exhausted. Later on I upgraded to a Digital SLR, which made life a lot easier and affordable.

Around 18 months ago I decided that it was time to realise one of my childhood dreams, follow my father’s footsteps and become a diver just like he was more than forty years ago. Shortly after joining Atlam a year ago, I have started tinkering about photography again and after some research and some questions here and there, I acquired a Sealife DC1200 underwater camera. I soon realised that underwater photography is totally different to what I was used to and a lot depends on light, therefore I added a strobe to my gear, which was shortly followed by a wide angle lens. To me underwater photography means a great way to share with others some of the wonderful experiences diving gives us. I am still a novice but thanks to great advice from experienced buddies, sometimes I manage to get some good shots which give me great satisfaction and more motivation to learn.

Safe Diving to All!

BRISTOL BLENHEIM Plane wreck at Xrobb l-Ghagin – Delimara

Parked on a sandy sea bed among tufts of posedonia under 42m is one of the many actors that played out Malta’s history when the tide of war washed over in the Nineteen Forties - a Bristol Blenheim twin engined light bomber. This was a Mark IV, the long nosed version and perhaps the more aesthetically pleasing Blenheim version.

The Bristol Blenheim was not one of the best fighting aircraft in the Royal Air Force’s arsenal, it was deemed to be underpowered, and no match for the nimble German Messerschmitt 109s.

The Blenheim was in fact, retired from service in 1944.

Article Edward Vella

The Blenheim survived the Messerschmitt’s attack, and managed to get away, but it was mortally wounded. Sgt Jury the pilot, nursed the stricken aircraft as close to Malta as he could get, and then decided to attempt a landing on the sea rather than on land. It is however a well known fact to pilots, that hitting the sea at the wrong angle and velocity, is just as As far as I could determine from what fatal as crash landing on is available on the internet, it was a land. Just before landing, Sgt Messerschmitt 109 (Me 109) – probably Jury sent a distress signal to the the E or F version - that sealed the fate air/ sea rescue unit in Malta. of Blenheim serial no Z7858 on the 13th When reading this, I can December 1941. imagine what the pilot was It was during a raid which the Malta going through at that time, based Blenheims of 18 Squadron were the shuddering aircraft trailing carrying out on enemy shipping in the smoke, coming in low over port of Argostoli in the Italian held island the sea, and Malta looming of Kefalonia in Greece, when Z7858 larger through a shattered piloted by Sgt Frank William Jury (Pilot), windscreen. Landing on the Sgt Tom G Black (Observer) & Sgt Denis sea is a very tricky business Ivan Mortimer (Wireless Operator/Aerial due to it being difficult to judge Gunner) was attacked by an Me109 one’s height over its surface. In piloted by Lt Herbert Hass of I/NJG2 the last moment the pilot has to time squadron – this was a night fighter unit. the exact moment when to pull up the

nose – too soon, and the aircraft will stall, too late, and the nose will dig into the waves… Anyway this one had a happy ending – all three crew members survived the sea landing.

When the air/sea rescue launch got on the site, 25 minutes after leaving its base, the Blenheim sank for ever beneath the waves, but no sign of the crew - they had already been rescued by a local fisherman in his dghajsa and were being taken ashore.

Meanwhile, the Blenheim sank silently to the twilight depths awaiting its discovery half a century later…….

Squadron badge of I/NJG2 night fighter squadron Luftwaffe

“Dived Where"!!!

Unfrequented dive sites of the Maltese islands, where you will ask your buddy ”Where’s everybody?” — Article by Dorian Law

MÌIEBAÓ (Selmun) Bay.

Type of dive: Shore dive. Air or Nitrox. Day or night dive.

Location: Mgiebah Bay lies on the North side of the Selmun promontory, Northwest of Ghajn Hadid Tower and on the East side of Ras il-Griebeg point. If diving by boat, the bay is the last inlet before turning to Mellieha Bay (Ghadira). To shore dive the site, from Mellieha drive towards Selmun Palace via Selmun Road. When you reach the opening near Our Lady of Mercy ‘Selmun’ Chapel, turn left. This 1.5km secondary road leads you down to an opening, normally used for parking in summer, just a few meters from the beach. It is recommended to park near the church and to explore this road for accessibility especially after heavy rainfalls before trying to reach the bay.

Access: From the sandy beach or boat.

When Not to dive: When winds blow from North (Trammuntana) to East (Lvant).

Depth: 6 to 20+ meters offshore. Averaging 10 meters outside the bay.

Current & Visibility: No currents expected. Visibility up to 30 meters.

The Dive From the beach, take a bearing North to Northeast going out of the bay to reach the planned depth. The dive can be continued heading Southeast towards Selmun and St. Paul’s Islands or West around Ras ilGriebeg point towards Mellieha bay, before returning back along the coastline on the way back to the shallower part of the bay. The Northwest side off the bay provides the diver with a steeper drop off. Depending on the weather, the ideal anchor spots if diving by boat are a few meters off the promontories of Ras ilGriebeg and Ghajn Hadid Tower. Boat traffic is a constant hazard especially in summer when boats have to turn around Ras il-Griebeg point to reach Mallieha bay.

A surface marker buoy is recommended.

Mgiebah bay is also frequented more in summer.

Important Notice: The information contained might not be accurate or reflect the conditions found daily at the site. More accurate information should be obtained prior to planning to dive these sites.

Species Page Research by:: Edward Vella

AMBERJACKS AÇÇJOL

Amberjacks (Maltese: Accjol) are locally a common sighting, especially on artificial reefs – meaning wrecks, obviously because a lot of small fish like damsel fish (Maltese: cawl) like to inhabit these places, and for the amberjacks, damsel fish mean food.

Personally, I find the amberjack a very aesthetically pleasing fish with its profile and its silvery streamlined shape. Then that brown band going over its eyes makes it look as if it is wearing a mask.

It is immediately evident that this is a powerful fish, and I do not think that it is a wrong impression either – ever seen the burst of speed it builds up from nothing, when dashing in after prey? It is just one bundle of muscles!

The amberjack which we more commonly encounter is the Greater Amberjack (seriola dumerili). This is a pelagic fish, that is, a type of fish that spends its life swimming in the oceans within certain depths, and is not bound to spend its life in one location, like for example the Grouper and other territorial fishes.

The greater amberjack can be found in many locations around the world, and sure enough it is widespread all along the Mediterranean. It prefers outlying reefs typically at depths of 20 to 70m.

Lately there was a good shoal of them milling about the Um El Faroud wreck at Wied iz-Zurrieq. It seemed to us that these individuals were of a good size, estimated at about 45 cm, but now realise that amberjacks of this size are actually juveniles! The fact that they were in a shoal is also a characteristic of juvenile amberjacks, the fully grown individuals are more solitary , and can forfeit strength in numbers, because they can grow to 2 metres in length and can weigh in at 70 kilos!

Perhaps some of you will recall, when we visited the aquaculture centre at Fort St Lucian at Marsaxlokk, that there was a project on to breed amberjacks for fish farming purposes. Among the qualities that make studies on whether this fish may be bred in captivity worthwhile is that the greater amberjack grows fast, and also because, it fetches a good price on the market. This is a long and delicate process, and it is understood that this at the moment research on this project is still progressing.

May-June SPECIES Photo by Edward Vella

by Joe Formosa Photo by MarioPhoto Micallef

Sea Urchins

Rizzi - P L E A S E S E N D P H O T O S

Blata tal-Melh

to

I had been looking forward to this dive for several weeks. It marked the opening of the boat diving season and Guzi’s choice of dive site made it even more enticing. A southerly wind meant that we could safely tackle dive sites along the northwestern coast and we were hoping to have decent conditions at our destination. In any case it would have been possible to divert to Fomm-ir-Rih bay if we were not satisfied with the site.

The Blata tal-Melh is a very interesting geological formation where a section of down-faulted lower coralline limestone had been, subsequently, raised to just some five metres above sea level.

This forms a flat, wave-cut, platform which has been shaped over the centuries into productive salt pans. The site is also attractive to shoreline fishermen and these were out in force during this Sunday morning.

We decided to keep away from these fishermen so as not to disturb their activities and kept to the northern part of the cliff-face. Our intention was to carry out a drift dive with Joseph, our intrepid boatman, picking us up by the mouth of Tat-Trozz cave. We were only about nine divers on this trip and we had room to spare; no problem with bringing dive boxes aboard! Mario Micallef and I were the only two divers that had cameras and we decided to team up and go in search of nudibranchs.

Of course, as luck would have it, we found none of these but we were rewarded with a couple of spiny lobsters (Awwist). These proved to be reluctant photographic models but Mario managed to persuade one of them to come out of its hiding hole and pose for a few shots.

Larger fish were remarkably absent along this stretch of coast and I was wondering whether

Ghar it-Trozz

Drift Dive - Malta 25/03/12

all the fishermen we had seen earlier had any responsibility for this. Evidence of fishing activity was abundant with lost fishing lines, weights, and some remnants of nets.

Far more abundant were large specimens of the poisonous jellyfish Pelagia. These seemed to be everywhere and many of them trailed long streamers of stinging tentacles. I estimated that some of these must have been about two metres in length. I swam through these nasty congregations of jellyfish with my hand covering my mouthpiece.

This is because I had a rather painful experience some years ago where a jellyfish wrapped its stingers around my second stage and my lips swelled to three times their normal size. This probably explains why I find that cosmetic surgery on the lips rather puts me off!

We managed to reach Tat-Trozz cave without mishap and Mario even spent some time photographing the jellyfish. Of course, I would have liked to explore the cave but our air supply was getting too low so we were only allowed a quick foray and then we went out to board the boat.

This was a very pleasant dive and the bonus was that I did not feel the cold which I had been experiencing previously. Here’s something to share – wear two hoods on your head and you will stay much warmer. I was still pretty comfortably warm by the end of the dive – even after some seventy minutes underwater – and I could easily have stayed in the water for another half hour. We tend to lose a lot of heat from our head and neck and preventing such heat loss makes your dive a far more pleasant experience at this time of the year

Article & PhotosTano Role

Pinu Point to Forna

- Gozo 01/04/2012

Article & PhotosTano Role

This rendered diving at this site somewhat difficult.

In addition to this, a rather milky sea at the mouth of the valley, indicated that we would have been in for a low-visibility dive; something which we were not too keen on doing. The cloudy water originated from the clay and marl sediment that had washed down the valley a day earlier.

Louis Debono was an excellent dive buddy and we had planned, in minute detail, how he would pose We were meant to dive at Cathedral cave on Gozo’s for a series of silhouettes inside Cathedral cave. I north-western coast but we had to relocate this dive managed to get several good pictures on my previous further west. Contrary to most weather predictions, visits to the cave and I wanted to experiment with a north-westerly wind had persisted for some time some new angles. Of course, this was totally undone so we still encountered a substantial swell at Wied il- by our change in dive site but I was not disappointed Ghasri (Cathedral Cave). about the change.

The stretch of coast from Pinu Point to Forna Point presents a series of sheer cliffs with some interesting caves. This type of landform is quite common in this area where the Lower Coralline limestone cliffs extend underwater to some 50 metres depth. Characteristic boulder fields are found at the base of the cliffs where a few saupe, grouper, and parrot fish, find refuge.

The most notable feature of this dive was the frequency of sightings of the Dorid nudibranch (Discodoris atromaculata); often called baqra in Maltese. Even more notable was the sorry fact that I could not get a single decent photo of any of these.

All of my shots were out of focus and the composition was equally poor! The pictures looked reasonably good on the camera display but pretty awful by the time I downloaded them on the computer. I fared somewhat better with a couple of small spiny lobsters which we found in tiny cubby holes on the cliff face.

Much as in previous visits to this site, the caves were teeming with Antheas; a small red fish found in semiobscure habitats. On this occasion, however, I could not see any tiny juveniles of the species. Newly hatched cave shrimps were abundant and these congregated in deep depressions on the cave rocky floor where, it seems they were feeding on remnants of Pelagia jellyfish.

We eventually reached the cave at Forna Point but we were too low on air to enable us to tackle a decent foray into the cave. I had used up a fair amount of air during this dive since I was too negatively buoyant.

This is because I had originally thought of weighing myself down for a photographic session inside Cathedral cave but stupidly forgot to remove the excess weights for a drift dive.

Still, I am happy to report that wearing the extra hood gives real protection from the cold. I was still comfortably warm by the end of the dive despite the 16oC of the water at this time of year.

Reqqa

- Gozo 22/04/2012

Article:Tano Role Photos Joseph Azzopardi Falzon We had perfect weather for this boat dive – a calm sea which was surprising considering that the previous few days were rather windy. The drive to Marfa was also quite pleasant despite the fact that the current road works around Malta make it feel like Beirut shortly after the civil war.

We were only some nine divers on this trip so we had room to spare; no problem with dive bags and boxes. I could have taken the kitchen sink! It is good to enjoy these boat dives bearing in mind that it would be considerably more cramped during the summer peak season. Keep that in mind folks and make the most of it while you can.

We decided to re-visit Reqqa Cave and take some measurements.

Incidentally, it really annoys me to hear divers refer to this cave as Billingshurst after Ned Middleton labelled it so in his dive guide.

The story he recounts about some dive group from BSAC Billingshurst who claim that they discovered this cave, and named it after their club, is unpleasantly patronising and frankly insulting. The first time I dived that cave was some forty years ago and I was taken there by other divers who knew about it long before I did. We needed no one from Billingshurst, or any other dive club, to tell us that there was a cave located there!

Anyway, I was all kitted up and set to dive off the boat when the o-ring on my first stage regulator decided to spring a leak. Of course, this meant that I had to get all my gear off and replace the O-ring hoping I had not lost too much air in the meantime. I would like to thank Guzi and Steve who helped me with getting seaworthy again.

Once in the water, the visibility turned out to be very good and Guzi (Azzopardi Falzon) and I made our way inside the cave. This cave never ceases to amaze me. It has got to be one of the largest marine caves in the Maltese Islands and consists of a large oval-shaped outer chamber (about 90 metres across) and a smaller, circular inner cavern which is about 60 metres in diameter. It is easy to surface inside this inner cavern and remove your regulator for a chat with your dive buddy. One has to realise that surfacing inside this inner chamber is similar to surfacing outside and decompression protocol has to be strictly observed.

I invited Guzi to switch off all our lights while we were near the exit of the inner chamber and, once our eyes adjusted to the dark, we could make out the blue glow coming from the large cave mouth. Those shades of blue defy description!

Cave life, in this location, is remarkably prolific for an ecosystem which is poorly illuminated.

Of course, most organisms depend upon food carried in by currents so they are either filter feeders or scavengers. A few tube anemones (Cerianthus membranaceus) were encountered on the cave floor where the sediment consisted of finer mud. The most visibly numerous organism, however, were millions of shrimp juveniles all some 1cm in length. These were so numerous that they formed virtual clouds but they were largely confined to the outer chamber of the cave.

The most impressive specimens we saw were a pair of Squat Lobsters (Scyllarus latus) which must have been the largest I had ever seen.

Guzi spotted them first and waved his torch vigorously so I could see them too. I just hope nobody else finds them and decides to take them home for the pot; they would be far more useful regaling visitors to the cave with a lovely dive experience. The added benefit of conservation is that they would repopulate the cave with juveniles.

We also came across a poignant memorial to a loved person who, I assume, must have been a keen diver but I cannot recall whether anyone has ever died inside this cave. The inscription on a stone and the plastic flower, covered in silt, is a touching, sad sight but I cannot help thinking whether it is out of place.

The underwater world experienced by divers owes much of its beauty to the fact that it is relatively free of the all-pervasive human footprint. Some may argue that we should try to keep it that way.

Once outside the cave, we could see quite a few comb jellyfish. These were very large in size, well-formed and seemed totally undamaged.

Unlike other dives, these jellies did not look like they had not been thrown by the waves against a rocky coast.

Crocodile Rock

- Gozo 29/04/2012

Set in the prime Gozo diving area of Dwejra, Crocodile Rock – so called because with a bit of imagination it reminds one of that aquatic reptile – is set on the edge of the drop off in the reef that runs from the direction of Fungus Rock to the Blue Hole, that is, from the SE to the NW. With perfect conditions, and conditions have to be perfect here, this is a very nice dive, and much looked forward to by most members. This time conditions were perfect, the wind was a moderate NE, which then turned towards the SE, so the site was very much sheltered. The Atlantis II dropped anchor a few metres away from the Crocodile in flat calm conditions.

One of the attractions of this site, is that there are many ways in which a dive may be planned. The topography essentially consists of an underwater cliff, which is the reef, at the base of which there is a boulder slope, which descends into very deep water. There is also an interesting cave, which the tourist diving literature has named Roger’s Cave (wonder who this Roger was?), but the greatest attraction is surely the reputation of this site for the frequent encounters with sizeable fish like large groupers, barracuda and /or dentex.

This time our group planned our dive to spend some time better exploring Roger’s Cave. In most of the previous dives, we normally go over the drop off, then descend on the slope among the large boulders to a depth of 40 to 45metres, and heading NW along the reef wall start our ascent.

The problem with this profile is that by the time one arrives at Roger’s, decompression would have set in, which would reduce significantly the available exploration time.

Lace coral bryozoan (Sertella septentrionalis)

Article & Photos Edward Vella With this in mind, we planned to keep around 35m – so by the time we got there – it took us about 21 minutes (with very relaxed finning!), and with the cave floor at about 23m, our dive computers were not indicating any decompression times yet. This gave us a good couple of minutes in the cave. Since it is not deep enough to exclude light, the walls are covered with sponges of various colours and other growths. Here however, one must use silt conditions finning techniques, since one false step (I mean fin stroke), and that will be the end of your cave photography for the day!

Once out of the cave, we re-traced our steps along the reef, but keeping at about 12m. This time, we did not encounter any significant sea life, but other divers, who opted to head deeper down along the boulder slope, came back with sightings of large groupers and dentex, so perhaps next time, we will go for a different dive profile.

Crocodile Rock is among my personal top five dives – not to be missed!

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

by Dorian Law:

Name of website: Maritime Directory (Malta) Access to website: Other access: Facebook, SearchMalta and Maltese marine related sites.

Purpose of site: To provide detailed information of marine related news, notices, events, companies and services in Malta.

Features: The header features the name and logo of the website on the left, with a quick link to the current weather report on the right. By moving the mouse on the main picture, a helm wheel provides a 360 view of the Grand Harbour . Marine related articles, boat and equipment tests and reviews, press releases, news and events and the very important notice to mariners are also easily accessible from the front page. Further down on the right hand side, search options include companies, services, brands and equipment. This is followed by links to the Facebook page, stolen boats information and option to join the mailing list.

The most important feature or service provided by this website is found in the menu under the web site’s logo and is full of information about people, yachting, shipping, charter, brokerage, cargo, shipyards, yacht yards, repair, maintenance, equipment, events, regattas, diving, and any other services a sailor, yachtsman or boater will need. The most important features are: Directory of Services: Provides links to Maltese government, companies, services and professionals.

Seaman’s Handbook: Provides very detailed information regards the Authority for Transport Act, Maritime pilotage, Navigation rules and the Commercial Yacht Code.

Cruising Guide: Provides the user with an option for viewing and planning approach and anchorage points for his trip. The viewer can use the X and Y-Axis arrows to pan around the map, zoom or click on any of the marked sites. When choosing a site, a window opens providing detailed information of the site. This includes a marine chart, GPS and chart bearings, location information and icons showing the usage and important features and services available on the site. A menu on the left named Anchorages provides the user with an option to get the needed information regards a preferred site with a click of the mouse.

Why visit this website: If you are looking for any marine related information in Malta, then this is a must site to visit. This informative site contains full information on Marine related companies and items in Malta.

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

MAY-JUNE 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE page • Note from the Editor 2 • Diving Boats - Part 1 - Dorian Law 3/6 • Photo Gallery - Pierre Mallia 7 • Book & Website of the month - Dorian Law 8 • Species Page - Sea Urchins - Edward Vella 9 • Dived Where? - Benghajsa Point - Dorian Law 10 • Dive Logs - Forna Point - Edward Vella 11 - Ras ir-Raheb - Edward Vella 12 - Wied il-Mielah - Tano Role 13/14 - Il-Qaws- Edward Vella 15/18 - Dives Location Map - Joe Formosa 19 • Discover! & Spot the Jellyfish 20

www.atlam.org

Photo by: RUEBEN BORG

info@atlam.org

Welcome to another issue of Bubbles. The early months of summer have literally flown past thanks to some glorious weather which was simply perfect for diving . The Sunday morning boat dives are now in full swing and in the capable hands of Guzi Azzopardi we visited some favourites such as Wied il Mielah and il-Qaws. Il-Qaws proved to be a such a success with its combination of caves and intricate cliff wall, that a return was planned for the following weekend. The highlight definitely must have been the mesmerising amount of nudibranchs of all sizes and patterned bright colours which sent the photographers in a frenzy. Amazing! I am sure most would welcome another return in the near future.

Talking about caves, a special mention needs to be made to our regular contributor, Mr. Avertano Role, an avid diver (and instructor!) but also a University lecturer with a strong passion for geology and the environment. His enthusiasm is so positively contagious! His availability to share his knowledge and experience is truly admirable. His recent endeavour to study and log caves found around the coast of Maltese islands is an ongoing project which irrespective of all obstacles he is still willing to take on. His detailed contribution on the cave found at Wied il Mielah is truly outstanding. Well done Tano and good luck on your project. We hope to organise a presentation in the club house in the coming weeks.

Participation to the Sunday morning boat dives has been encouraging. Now that the football fever is over, just a quick reminder that the club still organises night dives every wednesday evening. For more information please contact Guzi.

In the coming months Bubbles will once more be circulated on a monthly basis.

A lot of effort goes into each and every issue to try to keep it varied and most of all, interesting to all.

This could only be possible thanks to the effort of a very dedicated group of people which week in, week out pen down the articles and through photos capture the beauty down under. Through the able skills and acute eye of Mr. Ivo Caruana it all takes shape. Well done all. Thanks for your time effort and dedication. Any other members willing to contribute please feel free to contact us!!!

Edward Sultana

FILFLA DAY OUT with double dive

Sunday 29th July, ATLAM boat trip to Filfla including double dive.

Contact Guzi for more info and booking.

Book early to secure a place.

Call or sms GUZI 79493275 Photo by Edward Vella

JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience

Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info the President Nader Bassily on 99499101

Diving Boats - Part 1: Choosing the Boat Dear Atlam divers, Being able to dive and explore all the coastline of the Maltese islands requires the use of a dive boat especially if access from the shore is not possible as is the case of the coastline on the West to the SouthEast of the main island. This is also the case when diving in Gozo, where it is practically impossible to access 75% of the coastline for diving purposes. Also true, in the case of diving offshore wrecks and reefs or when diving the islands of Comino, Filfla and Saint Paul’s.

So, what are the options? “Buy a diving boat”, you might say. How should you choose the right boat? What equipment is needed to outfit a diving boat? In this first part of this series, we will be looking at the various options and choices available and what to consider prior to buying a dive boat. In part two, we will go into detail regards the material and equipment needed to outfit your dive boat.

Boat Types There are mainly two boat types to consider for diving purposes. The first types are the rigid or rubber inflatable boats, more commonly known as RIBs and their close relatives, the rigid-hulled inflatable boats or RHIBs. The second types of boats are the hard hulled boats. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages as will be described further on.

Flat bottomed RIB with transom fixed to tubes and deck.

V-Shaped hull of RHIB with inboard engine and Z-drive.

RIBS & RHIBS. RIBs are lightweight boats having the bow and sides constructed of flexible tubes (aka sponsons or collars) containing pressurized air. Modern tube designs include the foam-filled air holding tubes, where high-density non-absorbent foam is packed into each chamber replacing 90% of the air volume, thus providing redundant flotation in the event of puncture. Another design makes away with the possibility of deflation by replacing all the air with a high-density foam collar enclosed in a polyurethane sheet.

Air inflated tubes are made of rubberized, synthetic sheets of uPVC Hypalon or Polyurethane. uPVC (Plastic Coatings) is a vinyl polymer chemically known as polyvinyl chloride. It is used as a coating on polyester or nylon to increase the strength and tear resistance. The seams of uPVC-coated inflatables can be glued, thermo bonded or fused together using either high heat pressure, radio frequencies (RF) or electronic welding and come in a larger array of colours than Hypalon. Hypalon and Neoprene Coatings (Synthetic Rubber Coatings) is a synthetic rubber material with excellent air holding capabilities and oil resistance. Hypalon coated onto polyester or nylon fabric with an interior coating of neoprene is a very reliable and durable inflatable boat fabric and comes with warranties of up to 10 years. Hypalon seams are either overlapped or butted, and then glued. Butted seams produce an aesthetic, flat, airtight

seam, without the ridge or air gaps left by some overlapped seams. The best inflatables will have double-taped seams and are glued on both sides. Hypalon and neoprene glued seams are strong and reliable and in stress tests the fabric will fail before the seams.

Most RIBs today are manufactured with Hypalon tubes. However a lot of smaller sized RIBs are manufactured with PVC mainly to keep retail costs down. The advantages and disadvantages which are still a matter of debate are summarized below from the buyer’s point of view: • PVC has better UV resistant characteristics. This can be an advantage if you don’t have a cover, or have colours that are likely to fade like red or yellow.

• PVC is more difficult to repair, as it requires more than ideal atmospheric conditions.

• Hypalon has better rub wearing characteristics.

• Hypalon is very easy to repair and an emergency patch can be carried out by a competent DIY enthusiast.

How do you recognize if the tubes are uPVC or Hypalon? This is a silly question if you are buying a new RIB because the salesman will normally provide this information when you go to the shop. Be sure to ask if this information is left out. When buying a second hand RIB which requires repairing this information is a must to know. In both cases, if you want to repair your tubes with patches or to replace any valves on your RIB, it is essential to know what fabric your inflatable sponsons are made from as it’s very important to use the correct adhesive for the material. The following are three basic tests which will help the owner identify the type of material used in the construction of the RIB tubes.

• If you can see the inside of the tube, through the valve, Hypalon is a dark grey or black on the inside. uPVC is the same colour on both sides.

• Sand the material. Hypalon will matt down and produce dust. uPVC will just scratch, There will be no difference in colour.

• Wipe over lightly with MEK (methyl ethyl ketone - sold as a cleaner for uPVC pipes or lacquer thinner) or Acetone. Hypalon will leave oxidization and maybe some colour on the cloth. The material will not be affected. For uPVC you will have some colour on the cloth but, the surface of the material will feel tacky. It is important to use the correct solvent on this solvent test If the above tests cannot be carried out, the following is a guideline of the material used by the most known RIB manufacturers.

Hypalon: Avon, Delta, Eurocraft, Humber, Lomac, Novamarine, Osprey,

Selva and Zodiac (some pre 1968 leisure models and their commercial range is probably Hypalon). uPVC: Bombard, Compass II, Honda, Maxxon, Quicksilver, Tohatsu,

Typhoon, Valliant (some larger ribs are PU), Waveline, Zed and

Zodiac (some pre 1968 leisure models).

Polyurethane (PU): Tornado and Valliant (larger commercial ribs) The deck of RIBs can be made of either the same material as the tubes or wood, generally plywood. In some designs, the deck has a central tube that can be inflated to provide some form of a keel, giving the RIB additional stability especially when driven at speed in not so calm sea conditions. Plywood decks provide a more stable deck from which to operate and store equipment.

RHIBs are the midway between a V-shaped sea craft and a RIB. The main advantages of this design over a standard RIB are, better planing capabilities at slower speeds with a decrease in fuel consumption coupled with a more loading capacity while keeping the same advantages of a RIB like stability in choppy waters. Due to their glass reinforced plastic (GRP) hull, RHIBs provide a more stable deck with better seating capabilities and more space below deck for the placement out of the way of batteries and fuel tank. In comparison to a flat bottom, the V-shaped hull of RHIBs will also reduce the impact on the divers when going over from one wave to another. This also results in a smoother drive for both the divers and their equipment. The transom (the aft section for mounting the outboard motor, in Maltese ‘cappa’) of RHIBs forms part of the GRP hull and is thus stronger than that of RIBs which is attached to the tubes and / or to the plywood deck. This allows RHIBs to use bigger motors than those used on RIBs. The added space created under the deck with the use of a hull on RHIBs is generally used to install an inboard engine and remove bulky items from the deck like the batteries and the fuel tank. Due to these considerations, it is better buying a RHIB with a V-Shaped glass reinforced plastic hull than buying the flat shaped RIB.

Rigid Hulled Boats.

There are many variations of the two main hull designs which are the displacement and the planing hulls. These go from the largest oil super tankers displacement hull design on one side, to the FI offshore power boats with their planing hull designs on the other side. In between we will find all kinds of sea craft, like the trawler, ‘luzzu’, ‘kajjik’, dinghy, speed boat and ‘lanca tas-sajd’.

Displacement hulls are designed to move through the water with a minimum of propulsion. They will have a large underwater profile with a rounded like hull form. Examples of displacement water craft include trawlers, sailing boats and the Maltese ‘luzzu’ and ‘lanec tas-sajd’. This hull design produces slow cruising speeds and is particularly known for providing a comfortable ride.

Planing hulls are designed to actually rise up and ride on top of the water when power is applied. Compared to displacement hulls, the underwater profile of planing hulls is smaller with a V-shaped hull form, flattening out towards the transom area. Speed boats, RHIBs and the smaller fast fishing boats are examples

of planing hull designs. These require considerably more horsepower to get the boat up but they can attain much higher speeds from the reduced friction of moving on top of the water rather than through the water.

When choosing the type of boat for diving purposes, one has to consider many issues. These include the deck space needed and available as per boat design, and stability on the water. A displacement hull will provide ample deck space with very good stability even in choppy waters, but the rounder the bottom the more rocking effect will be felt especially when the boat is not travelling forward, like when at anchor or when stopping the boat to pick up divers. Planing hulls will also provide ample deck space and stability in the water is better achieved the bigger the boat and the flatter the aft part of the hull is.

The chart below ‘Diving Craft Comparison’ makes a comparison between inflatables and hard hulled boats. It takes into consideration the most important features and subjects that the buyer has to consider when buying a boat that will be used mainly for diving purposes. Other aspects like fuel consumption, cost, daily or winter storage and maintenance and other uses for the boat have to be given their due consideration prior to buying the boat. As an example, a 7meter RHIB would be considered an ideal choice for a six men diving party and could also serve as a small fast inshore cruising boat for the owner’s family. If apart from this, the owner would want to use his boat for some offshore fishing or sleep over for the night on his boat, then a 7meter hard boat would be a better choice since this would provide more deck space from which to work apart from providing some form of kitchenette, bunk bed and toilet arrangement below deck which would make a longer stay aloft much more comfortable.

Diving Craft Comparison.

So if you are considering buying a boat for diving and/or recreational purposes, the information given above will surely help you to put your mind in the right direction.

In the next issue, we will have a look at equipping the boat, starting from the engine going through navigation and safety equipment, ending with amenities and commodities.

RIBs & RHIBs.

Hard Boats.

Size

4 to 10 meters

6 to 20+ meters

Weight

Light

Heavy

Transport

Ideal and easy

Very difficult if longer than 7 meters.

Deck Space

Limited

Open allowing walking about.

Deck Stability

Unstable for flatbottomed

Very stable.

Speed

Very Fast up to 30Knots

Slow to Medium Fast up to 15Knots.

Weather exposure

Very exposed

Can be exposed if cabin/ canopy is not installed.

Space

16 maximum

Over 30 possible

Weather permitting the club’s boat is always available on Sundays as a platform to discovering the inaccessible dive sites of the Maltese Islands.

Spectacular dive sites are explored every weekend. This is only possible with the help of Atlam’s Executive Committee. We must thank the Activity organisers, Anton Debattista and mostly Guzi Azzoppardi for his patience in organizing the boat and informing us by e-mail and sms of this weekly activity. We should also thank Mary for her patience with Guzi and us all. Thank you for your help and service to us all. If anyone has any new site for the club to visit or wishes to dive any particular site or wreck, please let Guzi or the committee know so that a suitable plan can be made to accommodate everyone’s wish. Please remember that the boat is there every Sunday, all that is missing is you.

So get up from that couch and help us fill the boat to its maximum capacity.

Dorian Law

Photo Gallery Pierre Mallia 20 years on , I still never tire of diving.

When I was introduced the sport in 1992, I was instantly addicted and I still remember my very first time with a tank on my back down at Il-Hofriet in Delimara, extremely clearly.

Diving not only became one of my main hobbies, but it introduced me to several new people and brought pleasures untold in my life.

My very first underwater camera was a Sea & Sea MX10 , film based camera which my sister bought me during a trip in Australia. Since the day I first took it underwater, I’ve never looked back and three cameras later, I still feel that surge of anticipation when I dip below the surface, expecting to see that unique picture composition.

I was never quite gifted with the knack and eye of some of you photographers out there, but I am still snap happy. I will spend more time than I should , sometimes driving to the limit on the deco , just to spend time shooting whatever comes across my field of fire.

When people , non-divers, meet me and ask me about diving and ask me whether I catch anything, I always smile and give what is now a standard answer - “nope , the only shooting I do is with a camera”.

This generally brings a strong degree of disbelief to their faces.

I’ve been lucky to have had the opportunity to travel quite a bit due to the jobs I’ve had and the most unique experiences I’ve had whilst diving have to be my two visits to the Florida Keys in the United States.

If ever you want to spend a few days chilling out, living a good life on a tropical island , the Keys has just got to be one of your candidate venues. Just a sprinkle of islands off the panhandle of Florida , laid in the direction of Cuba, tropical waters, coral reefs, Goliath Groupers, nurse sharks - what more can you want?

Underwater photography for me , has never really been a competitive hobby. For me its about capturing memories and experiences and being able to show some of what I see to my kids. Of course, this worries their mother , whose worst nightmare is if they take up the mantle one day and become like their dad !

So folks, hope this little musing has not bored you too much and I wish all of your readers out there happy & safe diving!

Book of the Month

www.

Website of the Month. com

Name of Book:

Il-Molluski ta’ Malta.

Author: Charles Cachia.

Publisher: Pubblikazzjoni Indipendenza - PIN. Pjeta’. Malta.

ISBN Number: 99909 – 41 – 56 – 4 Book in short: The book is written in Maltese and describes with great detail the origins, life and diversity of the different Molluscs that inhabit the Maltese shores and waters. The chapters of this book include: Chapter 1: Life, history, nomenclature and terminology.

Chapter 2: Caudofoveata, Solenogastres and Polycophora classes.

Chapter 3: Gastropoda class, including the sub-classes Prosobranchia and Heterobranchia. Super-orders include Archeogastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Heterostropha, Opistobranchia and Pulmonata.

Chapter 4: Bivalvia class, including the sub-classes Protobranchia, Pteromorpha, Heterodonta and Anomalodesmata.

Chapter 5: Scaphopoda and Cephalopoda classes.

Chapter 6: Conclusion, bibliography, glossary and index.

Chapter 3 and 4 are the longest chapters and include, but not limited to, the most famous or sought after subjects by shell collectors and underwater photographers better known in Maltese as ‘nudibranki’, ‘arzell’, ‘bronja’, ‘gandoffla’, ‘nakkra’ or ‘zigromblu’. Chapter 5 is ideal for those whose interest in molluscs is simply culinary as this section describes subjects like ‘frajjel’, ‘klamari’ and ‘qarnit’.

The quote in the introduction, from the words of author Robert Louis Stevenson, gives the reader a better view of why there are so many shell collectors and enthusiast worldwide and makes this the book of the month: ‘It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny for a man to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire’.

Availability: Malta Public Library.

Floriana.

Photo by Veronica Busuttil

Name of website: Sea Shepherd Access to website: www.seashepherd.org Other access: Facebook, Twitter, G+, Linkedin and YouTube.

Purpose of site: To provide detailed information of the missions and campaigns of Captain Paul Watson and his team in their search for the protection and conservation of marine mammals like seals and whales and fish like tuna.

Features: On the left side, the header features the famous logo with the skull and crossed trident and shepherd’s crook underneath with Sea Shepherd written at the bottom. Just center off the left side, a blue button featuring the globe is a link to the other global sites of this website. On the right, a ‘My Sea Shepherd’ button is a quick link for new members who wish to join the site and receive e-mails with news and information. The header also features an 8 option drop down menu providing the following information: Who are we: The history, mission and mandate, Captain and crew, the fleet and employment opportunities.

Support us: Links to giving donations and support.

Campaigns: This is the most important part of the website providing links and information on the current campaigns like protecting sharks, whales, seals, bluefin tuna, Galapagos and Gulf rescue oil spill campaigns.

Get involved: Crewing at sea or volunteering offshore, rewards and events.

News and media: Newsletter, videos, various news and media regards the Sea Shepherd.

Events: Current and past events.

Shop: Link to the shop to support the campaigns.

Contact us: Access to make contact for the general public and the media.

The next section of the website features a ‘photo and headline’ slide show regards the latest issues like S.O.S. (Save our skipper) and the seals campaign. The middle section provides quick links to the current features like news, featured campaigns, shop to support, donate now, captain’s quarters and e-newsletter. The bottom section is dedicated to archives, commentary and editorial, upcoming events and featured videos.

Why visit this website:If you are interested in the protection and conservation of marine mammals like seals dolphins and whales, or the Mediterranean Bluefin tuna that also concerns Malta, then this is a must site to visit.

Species Page Research by: Edward Vella

SEA URCHINS

In previous issues of Bubbles, we have taken a look at a wide variety of sea life which can be found locally, but with an accent on those creatures which we come across while we are diving. The subjects chosen are mostly what are perceived as being the chief actors, like fish and molluscs -octopus and nudibranchs. This month it is the turn of a more unobtrusive inhabitant; the Sea Urchin, which is locally so common, that in most cases our prime concern with this creature, is to watch out where we are putting our hand to avoid touching its spines!

Sea Urchins belong to the subdivision echinodermata, which means spiny skin.

Along with the sea urchins, this subdivision includes starfish, sea cucumbers and brittle stars (starfish with tentacle like arms). The major feature which is common to these creatures is that their body is divided symmetrically into five sections.

This is most apparent in the starfish, but if one looks at the skeleton of the sea urchin (called test), one can see a five pointed pattern showing the five divisions.

Locally there are several species of sea urchins, but the most common (since they may be found even along the shoreline) are surely the rock urchin - Maltese: rizza (paracentrotus lividus), and the black sea urchin – Maltese: patri (arabacia lixula).

The rock urchin is edible, or rather, what is eaten, raw or with spaghetti are its ovaries or testes (just in case you did not know).

The black sea urchin is not edible – apart from the black colour of this sea urchin, the other marked difference to the rock urchin is its test (skeleton), which has a large

opening on its underside. The rock urchin has a much smaller diameter opening.

One feature that has always intrigued me while observing rock urchins is their practice of covering themselves with a piece of debris, like a bit of shell or seaweed (or even bits of plastic!). During the research on this I article, I found stated that it is thought that this is done to reduce its exposure to light – a sort of an underwater umbrella!

Another sea urchin found in deeper water is the violet sea urchin – Maltese: rizzun (sphaerechinus granularis). This sea urchin is immediately identified, since it has a bigger diameter, and it is violet in colour with white tipped spines.

The long spined sea urchin (Centrostephanus longispinus), also normally found at depths below 10m, is a sea urchin which demands respect. Its sharp looking long spines (about 15cm), also poisonous, immediately banish any

RIZZI

idea of handling! It reminds me of the days of hand to hand combat where on the battlefield, the front ranks used to carry long pikes to ward off cavalry charges!

The last sea urchin being described must surely be the weirder looking of this selection. I have heard divers describing them as ‘sputniks’ owing to its similarity to the early satellites – this is the red lance sea urchin – Maltese: Raddiena (stylocidaris affinis). Its spines are few and stubby, which prevent it from getting stuck in sand or soft sediment. By coincidence, I came across one of these a few days before preparing this article. These are not so common.

Photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Edward Vella

July-August Species STARFISH Photo by Joe Azzopardi Falzon

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS

“Dived Where"!!!

Unfrequented dive sites of the Maltese islands, where you will ask your buddy ”Where’s everybody?” — Article by Dorian Law

Beng˙ajsa Point. (Kalafrana – BirΩebbuga).

Type of dive: Shore dive. Air or Nitrox. Day or night dive.

Location: Benghajsa point lies on the South Eastern side of the Kalafrana promontory. If diving by boat, the rocky bay is the first sheltered inlet past the Marsaxlokk Port breakwater due South towards Filfla.

To shore dive the site, drive from Pretty Bay (Birzebbuga) towards the Freeport Terminal, turning right on the roundabout in front of the terminal’s main gate, driving towards Hal-Far on Hal-Far road. Take the first turn left after the parking area of the terminal, passing in front of the terminal’s main building. Keep driving on this road parallel to the container depot till the end of the road, then turn left towards the Oil Bunkering Terminal’s big white tanks. The parking is between the entrances to the oil bunkering terminal and the Liquigas main gate.

Access: From the rocky bay or along the shoreline on the South side or from the boat.

When Not to dive: When winds blow from NorthEast (Grigal) to SouthWest (Lbic).

Depth: 12 to 30+ meters on both sides of the offshore reef, averaging 10 meters outside the bay.

Current & Visibility: Surface and underwater currents expected further offshore. Visibility up to 30 meters.

The Dive

Entry is made from the beach or from any safe point along the southern shoreline. The first option is to follow the shoreline towards Benghajsa Fort due SouthWest or towards the breakwater due NorthEast with the reef sloping down to a 30meter maximum depth on both sides. Another option is to explore Benghajsa Patch. This reef is 200 meters wide and goes out about 300meters offshore at an average depth of 15meters. Further out, Benghajsa Reef lies due SouthEast towards the fairway buoy and is preferably and more safely done by boat. With the boat anchored on the reef, the divers drop down to about 15meters on top of the reef then follow the reef towards the shore with the boat following the divers. The Northern side of the reef averages 30meters in depth while the Southern side provides depths in excess of 40meters. A surface marker buoy is used to show the diver’s position to the boatman when diving this offshore reef. Consideration to the currents in this area is a must. It is very important to decide on the exit point prior to diving the site. The rocky bay provides the safest exit point.

Important Notice: The information contained might not be accurate or reflect the conditions found daily at the site. More accurate information should be obtained prior to planning to dive these sites.

Forna Point

- Gozo 06/05/2012

Article Edward Vella

Forna Point (Ras il-Forna) is the first headland beyond Wied il-Ghasri on the North facing coast of Gozo. From here onwards until it runs out of land at Cape San Dimitri (Kap San Dimitri), the North facing coast line becomes a bastion of sheer cliffs, the base of which is riddled with sea caves.

So this was the scenario which we knew was awaiting us at Forna Point as we boarded the Atlantis II anticipating this dive. Weather conditions were excellent, with just the lightest of SE ruffling the surface.

With this dive site, and these conditions, more divers were persuaded to join the boat dive, and this time there was an encouraging number of tanks strapped to the Atlantis’ sides.. (Ok so there were a couple of twins!)

Once Forna Point is rounded, there is a cave with a huge entrance – l-Ghar tal-Margun, translates into Cormorant Cave – and the dive plan was to initially, have a look inside this cave, then follow the cliff face which becomes a sheer wall, heading West (keeping the wall on the left), and explore any other caves which might be encountered along the way. Since there is nowhere that the Atlantis could anchor, this was to be, as might be guessed, a drift dive.

Margun Cave bottoms out at about 24m, but we could see that we were on a sort of ledge at a lower level than the proper cave floor – we could have gone up that ledge to enter the cave proper, but it was evident that if we did so, we would have spent a considerable

amount of time at a depth of about 15m, which would have meant that we would have to spend the remainder of the dive at a low depth. This time we opted to explore this ledge, and then once out of the cave we descended to a maximum depth of 32m, after which we started a gradual ascent along the wall.

We maintained a relaxed pace, explore the cliff wall, which is literally covered with sponges, spiral worms, calcareous growths and orange hydroid colonies on the undersides of ledges and boulders. We were really enjoying ourselves – and the slow pace enabled us to really stretch the dive – then in the 60th minute we came to a cave entrance.

The cave had a recess on the left hand side, into which we went. This part of the cave goes in for about 20m I would estimate. Since the entrance is facing north, and not much light penetrates, so the inner walls are quite bare, but the outer ones are simply covered with orange hydroids and multi coloured sponges. The presence of fresh water was detected. Here I had a look at my pressure gauge, and it was now just inside the red zone, so I kept at about 6m.

Sea life: just as soon as we entered the previously mentioned Margun Cave, we came across a bright orange nudibranch about 35mm in length – it was later identified as berthella aurantiaca. Further on along the wall we came upon a ‘cow’ nudibranch (Discodoris Atromaculata), and then in the second cave, we saw a forkbeard (lipp), and a large conger eel (gringu).

And to top it all, we got good value for money, since we managed a 72 minute dive!

Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon

Photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon

Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon

Ras ir-Raheb

- Malta 19/05/2012

Article by Edward Vella & Photos by Joe Formosa

The day lived up to its weather forecast: low cloud base and a strong South Easterly. I was half expecting a cancellation call, mostly because our intrepid skipper Joseph has to cross the exposed Gozo Channel, but this was all in a day’s work for him – no call came, and the dive was on!

Ras ir-Raheb was chosen because it more or less faces West, and so on the day sheltered, but even so, all along the way at every indentation in the coast, the wind was ruffling up the surface, but very much within limits for the Atlantis II. When we arrived at the dive site, it was decided to commence the dive in front of the cave at the base of the headland, and then proceed along the cliff in a Southerly direction (wall on the left) with the collection point in front of another cave – Ghar it-Trozz. So a wall dive with two caves at each end!

The cave below Ras ir-Raheb consists of a roughly circular cavern with a sunken floor. This time there was a bit of surge at the entrance, but once inside, it was ok. As soon as we were in we started looking for the vertical shaft which we knew would lead to a passageway at a lower level leading out to a cliff wall exit.

This time for some reason, we took our time to find the shaft, but after a couple of goldfish in a bowl type circling we located it, and down we went..

Now this one of the sights that never fails to impress.

As soon as one arrives at the base of the vertical shaft and looks out, towards the exit, one sees such an intense electric blue framed by the dark rock frame, that for me at least, it is almost a mystical experience. So very nice!

The passage exits the cliff at about 22m, and once out, we were still high above the base of the cliff which I would estimate to be in the region of 60m at this point. We descended to about 30m and then started a slow ascent, because we wanted to spend some time inside the second cave, which is quite a bit of a distance away. In fact it took us about 45 minutes of constant fining along the wall to get there.

No significant sea life sightings were made along the way, except for a large slipper lobster spotted on a boulder underside and a small group of barracuda further on.

Finally the second cave’s dark entrance appeared.

The entrance is very wide with a floor that starts off at about 19m. A large boulder sits right at the entrance. The floor then becomes sandy and starts to slope upwards, and the cave becomes narrower.

Since we were towards the end of the dive, and the pressure gauge needle was just entering the red zone, we kept at about 8 – 10m.

The first bit is not rock enclosed, and one can surface at any point, but then at its end, it has a large chamber that goes into the rock. While we were in this section, I noted that there was an air pocket above, and so this is for sure something to be explored at the next opportunity.

Once back on the boat, we were immediately made aware that the wind had become stronger, and so we had a bit of a rough ride on the way back, but we were in such good spirits after such a nice dive, that we actually enjoyed it!

Wied il-Mielah

Photo by Edward Vella

- Gozo 03/06/2012

Article Tano Role

Photo by Joe Formosa

This was a great choice for a dive site – one of Guzi’s finest choices – and it was eagerly anticipated. We had ended up at the arch at Wied Mielah sometime ago last year but we had just finished another demanding wall dive and we were rather low on air. Because of this, we could not give the cave the attention that it rightly deserved last year, but we decided to make up for it this time ‘round. We also had perfect weather conditions for the dive – a flat sea without even a hint of a swell.

The main reason why I like this area is that the geomorphology is just superb. I ask you to forgive me for indulging in my academic area but I cannot help telling you just how captivating this place is from a geological perspective. This stretch of the Gozo coastline is dominated by a raised platform of resistant lower coralline limestone.

The seaward margin of the platform presents a line of cliffs dissected by narrow steep-sided dry valleys (widien). Such widien develop through preferential erosion along joints and minor fault lines but these also serve to channel surface water flow into linear locations. It is within these locations that karst solution processes develop intricate cave systems exhibiting phreatic flow features which have now been ‘fossilized’ underwater. One has to keep in mind that the marine caves found around Maltese waters were not formed underwater but under sub-aerial conditions. Sea levels were about 100 metres lower during most of the Pleistocene (the latest Ice Age) and this allowed Karst fresh water cave systems to develop well above the sea level of the time. The Pleistocene ended just 10,000 years ago and, with the melting of the ice sheets on land, sea levels rose to, roughly, the level that we have today. In addition to these karst processes, wave action contributes significantly by widening caves and collapsing some parts to form large, somewhat rounded, boulders lying on the sea bottom.

Wied il-Mielah - Gozo 03/06/2012

Article Tano Role

CONTINUED

Wied il-Mielah complex is a perfect example of this combination of factors. The area is somewhat reminiscent of Dwejra, located further to the south-west; especially because of the presence of a beautiful marine archway. This archway is the last remnant of the collapse of a large cavern roof which now forms a rectangular area, some sixty metres at its widest, just outside the cave entrance. I recommend divers to snorkel through the arch and head south towards the cave. The ante-chamber is brightly lit during the morning as shafts of sunlight penetrate through the collapsed roof and shine on the white pebbles and sand which make up the sea floor of the area.

The cave is 50 metres long and 15 metres wide with a maximum depth of just 13 metres.

The western wall of the cave is quite straight extending into the inner recesses of the cave, and remains straight right down to the cave floor.

Š A. Role 2012

Photo by Joe Formosa

This indicates that the cavern owes much of its origins to a normal fault which strikes along a northsouth axis. The eastern wall is more concave in shape and is quite irregular. A series of horizontal bedding planes can be recognised along this side of the cave and these have been eroded into a series of shelves. A very prominent shelf is found at 5 metres and this shows abundant evidence of erosion by running water. Several pot holes and channels could be seen and these provide a good microhabitat for cave shrimps and other organisms.

The floor is mostly composed of marine-derived sand and globigerina pebbles which, being light in colour, reflect a fair amount of sunlight into the cave. Wave ripple marks can be seen right into the inner parts of the cave revealing that it is often subject to the full force of a Majjistral or Grigal gale. There are also quite a few large boulders which are obviously a product of partial roof collapse.

Wied il-Mielah was subjected to a fair amount of environmental abuse up to a few years ago. Raw sewage ran down the valley while dumped refuse made its way down to the sea at this point. Relics of this refuse can still be seen on site but, at least, the sewage outfall is no longer in operation after the construction of the new sewage treatment plant for Gozo. It is sincerely hoped that the valley is cleaned of any remaining refuse residue and that the site is allowed to recover its former glory.

Il-Qaws

- Malta Boatdives 1 & 2 -17/06/2012 & 24/06/2012 Actually this was a repeat of what had happened in June of the previous year – two dives in the same month in the same area known as il-Qaws. For the geography challenged, il-Qaws is located just beyond Migra l-Ferha.

Well to be more specific as I was to learn from the Maltese coastline expert Alex Camilleri, the inlet where the first dive was held is called Ghar id-Dwieb – I was under the impression that this was the inlet called Il Qaws – but this is actually the next recess going Eastwards, and it was here that the second dive took place.

The first dive at Ghar id-Dwieb was held in flat calm conditions, well there was a light Easterly along the way, but once at the site, conditions were ideal. The plan was to discharge the divers at the headland (known as Ras id-Dawwara), and then proceed along the South West facing wall into the inlet, in other words, keeping the wall on the right hand side. The sea surface has now warmed up nicely, and greets you gently upon entry – well this time also, the visibility was fantastic - not very often does one find these conditions.

Photo by Edward Vella

Article by Edward Vella

Even though the visibility was excellent, the sea bed here lies at a considerable depth, and apart from a couple of shelves protruding from the cliff face, the bottom disappears into the blue. And so off we went, a smooth uninterrupted descent up to about 30m. Very soon the crinkly spine of the reef where Ras id-Dawwara turns into the Ghar id-Dwieb inlet appeared. Once rounded the bend, the wall comes into the cliff’s shadow, but it was not gloomy – perhaps because the sea bed here is sandy and reflects.

A few minutes later, we sighted our first nudibranch – the biggest Discodoris atromaculata that I have seen to date – ok Baqra - translates into Cow (because of the white and black spotted coloration!). Then all along the way as we progressed, we came across at least another two of this type, but then lots more of the purple with yellow frilled border type – the Chromodoris purpurea. Conditions must really be ideal for the nudis, because we really found a large number of this type.

1.

Photo by Edward Vella

4.

Photo by Joe Formosa

3.

Photo by Veronica Busuttil

We also found an intriguing white spiral formation, which reminds one of a white rose, also because it is the same size of a small rose. The white was brilliant enough to make it stand out against the dark wall background. Later, while exchanging photographs, it was noticed that the purple nudis, seemed to like it, so at that point it was not clear what was happening, if that was a sponge on which nudis were feeding, or whether it was a nudi egg mass. Further research however confirmed that the spirals are in fact nudibranch egg masses.

In about the dive’s 40th minute we came to a small cavern which we chose to just look in superficially, because given the late dive time, and the fact that we saw a much larger cave with a sloping silty floor a few metres further along the cliff face was more tempting. The depth here was about 20m, and much as we would have liked to stay and explore, our air gauges dictated otherwise, and so we had to bring this excellent dive to a close.

Fired up by the unanimous agreement that we should do this dive again, the following week we were back! This time however, we went past Ras id-Dawwara, and came to next inlet – il-Qaws. Living up to its name –Il-Qaws, translates into The Bow – is a crescent shaped recess shaped by towering cliffs.

Weather conditions on the site were ideal. On the way going we got a bit of a rolling swell from the NW, but once on the site, it was nice and sheltered.

Photo by Joe Formosa

Again, this was to be a drift dive, with the divers heading West, that is, keeping the cliff wall on the right hand side. Once in the water, an excellent visibility greeted the divers once again. The weed clad cliff wall against the deep blue immediately set the scene and mood for a good dive.

Similarly to the previous week’s dive, we free descended up to about 30m and more or less held that depth for some time, before starting a very gradual ascent. Again we scoured the cliff wall for nudibranchs, and we were not to be disappointed. First sighting however, was a large hermit crab found under a hydroid encrusted overhang. This crustacean was housed in giant tun shell, to which were stuck three large sea anemones – protection comes at a heavy price! Soon we came across several nudibranchs, but again as far as I could determine, we only found two species – the Cow (Peltodoris atromaculata) and the purple Chromodoris purpurea.

4.

Photo by Joe Formosa

5.

Photo by Joe Formosa

Presently however, we came to what was to be the highlight of the dive – a really huge cave. We went in close to top of the huge U shaped entrance which was at about 24m, and I would estimate that the floor was at about 40m. Once inside, the ceiling goes higher up than the entrance, so once inside, it is really like being in a large cathedral, with walls covered with sponges, lace bryozoans, false coral etc. It does not go in very deep, so this allows a degree of light to penetrate, and allow the previously mentioned growths. In my opinion, this cave would have almost warranted a dive on its own!

Once out, we ascended to a shallow depth, decompressing while following the wall. Then there comes a point in every dive however when the air gauge needle goes to the left and into the red zone – so time to surface!

Even this phase of the dive made its impressions, because there with an inflated stab jacket while waiting for the Atlantis II, floating on the gently heaving deep blue sea, hearing the noise of the waves breaking against the cliffs, and then looking up at the huge cliffs towering above, gives one such an incredible experience.

So two very very nice dives, I am sure nobody would be sorry to visit Il-Qaws again soonest.

Photo by Edward Vella

6.

Photo by Edward Vella

1: Nudibrach Chromodoris purpurea egg mass.

2: Nudibrach Chromodoris purpurea on egg mass.

3: A couple of Chromodoris purpurea nudibranchs 4: Spiny Lobster – Palinurus elephas 5: A couple of Discodoris atromaculata nudibranchs 7.

Photo by Veronica Busuttil

6: Nudibrach Chromodoris purpurea laying egg mass?

7: Discodoris atromaculata 8: Hermit Crab in Giant Tun shell

10.

Photo by Tano Role

11.

Photo by Tano Role

9: A couple of Chromodoris purpurea nudibranchs 10: Berthella aurantiaca nudibranch 11: Myriapora truncata (False coral) and

8.

Photo by Edward Vella

9

Photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Joe Formosa

Retepora cellulosa (Lace bryozoan)

GUZI on the discovery of the wreckage of an alien ship from outer space. Location cannot be disclosed due to secrecy act with the CIA. But if you want to know more just ask REUBEN as he shot the photo.

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

JULY 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE page • Note from the Editor 2 • Book of the month - Dorian Law 2 • Diving Boats - Part 2 - Dorian Law 3/5 • Website of the month - Dorian Law 6 • Species Page - Sea Urchins - Edward Vella 7 • Dived Where? - Crystal Lagoon & Alex’s Cave 8 - Dorian Law • Dive Logs - Xlendi Reef - Edward Vella 9 - Double Arch - Joe Formosa 10 - Ras il-Wardija - Tano Role 11 - Tac-Cenc Caves - Tano Role 12/13 - Dives Location Map - Joe Formosa 14

www.atlam.org

Photo by: Veronica Busutill

info@atlam.org

Welcome to the July issue of Bubbles, Atlam subacqua club’s newsletter another month has gone by and August is around the corner.

The locations for this months boat dives have been varied as always taking us from the North East coast of Gozo down to Filfla.

I must admit that I have been missing out on most of the Sunday’s dives. This month but am so glad to have attended the Hekka point (ta’ Camma caves) dive. The trip up to Gozo is amazing in itself, the sheer cliff walls and the caves where absolutely fantastic!! What an amazing experience it is to be able to access these places by boat and get the opportunity to dive in these otherwise inaccessible places. Well done Guzi and all at Atlam. These boat dives are a great break from the routine shore dives and sincerely I encourage all experienced divers not miss out on these unique experiences. The shore line around the Maltese islands is just breath taking and abundant with prime diving areas. So get your kit ready and contact Guzi on mobile nr 7949 3275 to get to know more about next Sundays dive.

It was a great surprise and with some disbelief that after an absence of 40 odd years a sea turtle actually returned to lay its eggs on the Maltese shores. Amazing story! The eggs where quickly protected by volunteers who set up a continuous surveillance. Considering how busy the beaches are at this time of the year, such protection was fundamental. Well done to all involved! This news created a great sense of curiosity and has inspired Dorian to lead us to a web site dedicated to sea turtle preservation.

Hoping to see you all at next Sunday’s boat dive Enjoy

Edward Sultana JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience

Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info contact the President Nader Bassily on 99499101

Book of the Month by: Dorian Law

Name of Book: To the bottom of the sea.

Author: John Protasio.

Publisher: Robson Books Ltd. London .

ISBN Number: 0 86051 738 1 Book in short: The book is divided in 19 Chapters describing the last voyages ending in disaster of very famous ships.

These stories start with the sinking of the transatlantic steamer Arctic in September 1854 ending with that of the Dover to Zeebrugge ferry, the Herald of Free Enterprise in March 1987. Other stories include, but are not limited to, that of the battleship Maine, the liners Lusitania and Andrea Doria and probably the most famous sinking, that of the R.M.S (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic.

The quote from the foreword of the book is the ideal introduction for a book of this sort, and makes this the book of the month: ‘In 1911, James Bisset, an officer in the Cunard Line, overheard two old seamen discussing the new twin luxury liners of the White Star Line. One was impressed by the ships while the other was skeptical.

“She’ll be a floating palace,” the one said.

“Floating boarding house, you mean,” the other replied. “ Not like going to sea at all.”

“But think of all the work and wages – a thousand men working for two years building her.”

“That’s in Belfast, not here. A waste of money.”

“And think of all the work for her people.

She’ll carry a crew of a thousand – seamen, firemen, trimmers, stewards.”

“They’d be better on shore. She’s so big she’ll bump into summat.”

“She’s unsinkable.”

“My eye and Betty Martin! No ship’s unsinkable!”

A year later, on April 10, 1912, one of the twins embarked on her maiden voyage. On the way over, that ship, the R.M.S Titanic, struck and iceberg and sank with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. The following are accounts of her sinking and of the sinking of other ships that have plunged to the bottom of the sea.’

Availability: Malta Public Library. Floriana.

Diving Boats - Part 2: Powering the Boat Dear Atlam divers, The first part of this write up was dedicated to the choices of sea craft available for the prospective dive boat owner. The points to consider prior to buying the boat of your choice were also given due consideration. These points should be amalgamated with the contents and information contained in this second part, so that a good picture of the finished boat is made clear in the buyers mind before the actual purchase.

In this second part we are going to look at powering the diving boat. Although a more detailed and technical approach is required for various items of boat equipment like inboard engines, outboard motors, GPS, etc., the information provided will surely help in making the right choice for the particular requirements of the prospective buyer. Technical and detailed information regards various items for the boat will be available in future issues of the Bubbles newsletter.

inboard /outboard engine

Powering the boat.

It is widely known that there are two types of engine to power the boat, the inboard engine (IE) and the outboard motor (OM). This is not at all correct because a combination of the two types will produce what is known as an

inboard engine

inboard/outboard engine (I/O E). This surely needs some explanation. When the motor is attached to the transom of the boat and is clearly seen out of the water, then this is an OM. When the boat’s engine cannot be seen because it is fitted in the bilge and amidships (towards the mid-section) and drives a propeller shaft that passes through the bottom of the boat, then this is an IE. An I/O E will have the engine fitted as an IE but more towards the stern with a shorter drive shaft passing through the transom. The stern drive is attached to the transom and this is sometimes hidden out of view with the installation of a bathing platform.

weight are not appropriate for mounting at the aft end of the hull.

Inboards are less common in smaller recreational boats because they require a large box right in the middle of the boat to house the engine, are more costly to produce, and are more difficult to load on a trailer. It is not common to find inboards on RHIBs shorter than 10meters. A true inboard system will rely on a separate rudder to enable steering using a steering wheel operated hydraulic, chain or steel cable system.

RIB with outboard engine Outboards are popular because they are less expensive, lighter and their mounting position high up on the transom makes them easy to access and they can be tilted completely out of the water when not in use. Their light weight makes them ideal to be mounted at the stern. There is the ease of swapping to a bigger motor if more power is needed. When it comes to reliable service, the outboard is simply tough to beat. A drawback is that to get the power that the IE or I/O E has, may take multiple outboards. The outboards also leave less room at the rear of the boat for entry/exit and a side ladder would be a preferred choice.

Outboards are generally used on RIBs, RHIBs and hard boats up to 8meters in length. Steering is achieved by turning the motor. This is done by hand or by a steering wheel operated hydraulic system.

Inboard/outboards are engine heavy and as thus the engine has to be mounted forward of the transom so that the boat keeps its waterline plumb level. Sometimes trimming under power is required to offset a badly positioned engine. With the motor at the stern, the rest of the boat is left open for seating and additional amenities like toilet and storage lockers. The transom leaves room for a full width swim platform. This design may vary depending on the manufacturer and owner’s preferences. An area that may vary is the engine drive where the length of the drive shaft will affect the engine’s position and boat trim. Steering is also another issue that varies. On some boat drive designs, the drive can be used as a rudder like an outboard motor with a hydraulic steering system, while in another design the drive part is fixed and steering is achieved with a rudder. In the latter design it is common to have a rudder for every drive, positioned in the drive stream to aid or increase the boat’s maneuverability.

Others prefer to have a single larger rudder instead of multiple smaller ones.

The power system you choose will have a direct effect on how you control your boat at low speeds. An outboard with its integral skeg (rudder) and directional thrust enables effective maneuvering with Inboards are the heaviest of the three choices but produce the highest or without power. Where an inboard and I/O have a drawback is that horsepower and torque, and are thus the preferred choice for bigger they do not steer effectively unless thrust is applied, and docking can boats where the power to weight ratio and the space available are be more challenging as a result. Choosing an inboard or outboard motor not a concern. Due to their weight, inboards are best used on hard for your boat is simple once you are familiar with how your needs affect boats longer than 8meters. Small inboards are also found on small hard the decision. Inboard motors offer greater stability while outboards are boats especially fishing boats like the ‘luzzu’ or on smaller fishing boats general purpose and offer easy control, maintenance and replacement. that work in heavy seas because of their low center of gravity. An inboard There are no hard-and-fast rules, however, and personal preference will affect system is required on heavy vessels requiring larger motors where the size and your decision.

Maintenance.

Outboard engines are perhaps the easiest to maintain. From inside the boat or on a trailer, the entire system is within easy reach. The factory engine housing provides a fully integrated seal and protected environment for the engine electronics and mechanics.

An inboard or I/O has the motor located in the bilge of the boat where it is susceptible to water damage and moisture vapour. Access will sometimes be limited to a hatch in the floor. There is a drawback to I/O and outboards in that since their drive gears are always in the water it will cause other repairs that you will not see with an inboard boat were the whole drive components are inside the boat. The inboard and I/O motors are like servicing a car engine. If sufficient care is taken when it comes to greasing, oiling and washing an outboard when out of the water, it would need a major overhaul after about 700hrs of service. The inboard and I/O petrol engine would require an overhaul after 1500hrs and for diesel engines after 3000hrs.The outdrive of I/O engines will need an overhaul or change after 750hrs, while the transmission of inboard engines after 3000hrs.

The table below ‘Boat price’ gives a clear view of the price variation between the different boat types and the changes in their length and power. These are local prices for new boats with engines and including some extras.

Boat price.

Length (in Metre).

Power (HP – not max.).

RIB

4

20

8000

RHIB

5

40

11000

RHIB

6

75

15000

Open boat w/Outboard

5

40

14000

Open boat w/Outboard

6

60

20000

Cabin boat w/Outboard

6

60

23000

Cabin boat w/Outboard

7

115

30000

Cabin boat w/Inboard

8

225

50000

Cabin boat w/Inboard

10

2 x 200

85000

Type.

Cost €.

Inboard/outboard engine with twin propeller This concludes this topic regards the different powering options available for your new boat. It is worth taking the advice of an expert person in the field of marine inboard engine and outboard motor servicing before buying any new or used engine or motor. The salesman is not the ideal person to ask for advice since his job is primarily to sell. A marine engineer or a marine engine mechanic are the ideal persons who to ask for advice when it comes to inspecting a used item or when buying new.

In the next issue of the Bubbles we will conclude this series with a look at the ancillary equipment needed to be ready for diving, fishing or just cruising around the Maltese islands. Until then, just contact Guzi Azzoppardi to join the club’s boat that is organized every Sunday for your diving trips.

Enjoy safe diving.

Dorian Law

www. Website of the Month.com

Research by: Dorian Law

Name of website: Tartanet.

Access to website: www.tartanet.it Other access: Links from various Italian nature, sport, fishing, regional and governmental sites.

Purpose of site: Tartanet is an Italian initiative for the conservation of the common sea turtle Caretta caretta in the Mediterranean. Run under the European Commission Life Natura program, it is led by CTS Ambiente and involves 31 different partners. Its main objective is to create a network of researchers and those involved in the study and conservation of this internationally protected species.

Features: The header features the logo and name of the website on the left hand side. Just under the header, a photo of a turtle with the welcoming note, ‘Welcome to the Italian portal dedicated to the marine turtles’, leads the user to a search box on the right hand side. A three option yellow background bar guides the user through the various information contained in the site. These options are as follows and open upon clicking on: Tartanet: This gives the user all the information regards the scope and process of the organization. The information is obtained by clicking on the options on the left and include the following subjects; Project, Objectives, Actions, Friends of the turtles, Tartanet centres, News and Results.

Rehabilitation Centres: This opens a window with a map of Italy showing the names of areas where rehabilitation centres are situated. Upon clicking on the names that appear on the left further information per area is provided. The map also shows the main nesting areas, and like Malta they all happen to be on the southern side of Italy. These include Lampedusa, Linosa, Eraclea, Comiso and Brancaleone.

Conservation: This option gives information and quick links to several projects funded by the European Commission under the LIFE Natura program, aimed at the study and preservation of the most common marine turtle in the Mediterranean Sea, Caretta caretta.

Tucked at the bottom right hand side, a seven option menu is full of very important documentation and information and include, TurtleNews, Tartalink, Documents, Adopt, Gallery, Voluntary work and Kids.

Why visit this website: If you are looking for information as regards to how our neighbouring country, Italy, manages and conducts the nesting and rehabilitation of marine turtles, mainly the common sea turtle Caretta caretta, then this is a must site to visit. Pass this info to anyone involved in the protection of the marine turtles in Malta especially the new arrival at Gnejna Bay.

Species Page Research by: Edward Vella

Of course starfish are not real fish at all.

They belong to the same animal subdivision as the subject in the previous species page of Bubbles, where we spoke about Sea Urchins. Both Sea Urchins and Starfish are in fact echinoderms.

Echinoderm comes from the Greek and means ‘spiny skin’. Perhaps this is more adapt to Sea Urchins, but a common theme in both of these sub-divisions is that their anatomy is symmetrically divided into five sections. From this aspect, this is more readily evident in Starfish and their close relatives the Brittle Stars due to their five pointed star shape.

As often happens whenever writing these articles, I end up learning new facts.

For example, Starfish breathe through their skin, also on each of their ‘fingers’

Common Starfish (Echinaster sepositus) Photo by Joe Formosa

S TA R F I S H they have a light sensitive organ called ‘eyespot’ by means of which, although it cannot be termed as vision, the Starfish can get an idea of light and shade.

In many starfish, their skin is covered with pincer like organs which help to keep the creature free from parasites and similar invaders.

Most starfish tend to feed on barnacles, sea urchins, clams, and mussels. Their feeding methods are also unusual to say the least. Clams and mussels for example, are pulled apart by means of a good grip, and then in the tiny gap, they actually introduce their equivalent of a stomach, where they proceed to disintegrate the poor victim in its own shell!

Locally, the most common starfish is the – wait for it – the Common Starfish (Maltese: Stilla Hamra) - (Echinaster sepositus)! This easily recognisable due to its reddish orange colour. As its name states, locally it happens to be the commonest and is found in all environments normally a few metres away from the shore. This Starfish can grow up to 20cm. So quite noticeable when you come across a fully grown example – there is however a much bigger one – the Violet Starfish (Maltese: Stilla Hamra Kbira).

The Violet Starfish (Ophidiaster ophidianus) can grow up to 30 cm. I remember being struck by the size of this starfish with its large swollen looking fingers. All in a rich velvety deep violet colour.

Stilla tal-Bahar Another large Starfish is the Spiny Starfish Maltese: Stilla tal-Felul - (Marthasterias Glacialis) which can grow up to more or less as the Violet Starfish – that is about 35cm. The overall colouration is greenish brown and covered with short white spikes, each spike surrounded at its base with a white wart like growth. Personally Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon this star reminds me of a birthday cake we once made for one of our boys’ birthday which are the Cushion Star Maltese: Stilla party!

Hadra (Asterina gibbosa), and the Red There are other Starfishes which can be Comb Star Maltese: Stilla tar-Ramel Kbira found locally, but which I do not think (Astropecten aranciacus). that I have yet encountered, among And finally – of course Starfish being more or less static, make excellent subjects for macro photography!

Violet Starfish - (Ophidiaster ophidianus) Photo by Edward Vella

Stilla ta’Hafna Swaba - (Coscinasterias tenuispina) Photo by Veronica Busuttil

August Species ­- Paddle Nose Lobster (Ckal) P L E A S E S E N D P H O T O S

“Dived Where"!!!

Unfrequented dive sites of the Maltese islands, where you will ask your buddy ”Where’s everybody?” — Article by Dorian Law

Crystal Lagoon & Alex’s Cave. Comino Type of dive: Boat dive. Air or Nitrox. Day or night dive.

Location: Crystal Lagoon is the inlet North of St. Mary’s Tower and to the NorthWest of the area known as Taht il-Mazz in Comino. To reach by boat when coming from East through the channel between Malta and Comino, turn NorthEasterly around Lantern Point going on for a further 800meters. If coming through the channel between Gozo and Comino turn SouthEasterly around Comminotto, past the rock known as Islet in the Comino and turn left around the headland to enter the lagoon. It is the only inlet in the area with a shore-landing concrete jetty.

Access: From the boat.

When Not to dive: When winds blow from NorthWest (Majjistral) to South (Nofsinhar).

Depth: 5 to 18 meters, averaging 12 meters outside the lagoon.

Current & Visibility: Non to slight NorthWesterly currents expected. Visibility up to 30 meters.

The Dive With the boat anchored at Crystal Lagoon, the dive begins with the divers passing through a 30meter long tunnel on the West side of the lagoon, with entrance at 5meters and exit at 8meters. The tunnel is easily located from the surface and some attention has to be made to small boats entering the area. The exit slopes down to about 13meters and this has to be taken into consideration if planning to go back through the tunnel on the way back. Going in a Westerly direction the dive continues towards a 10meter high pinnacle that juts out of the surface, known as Mushroom Rock due to its appearance on the surface. On reaching the sandy bottom at about 16meters the divers turn right towards NorthWest and the rocky ‘island’ known as Islet in the Comino. The cave entrance is just behind a big boulder at 16meters. The light from the outside penetrates the first part of the cave rising to 12meters, until the divers have to make a dog leg turn to the left when they come in complete darkness at a depth of about 10meters. Here with the torches on, the divers swim for about 20meters in this 3x3meter chamber until light from the top is visible. The divers can ascend slowly to reach the upper open part of the cave with breathable air. On the way out of the cave, it is best to switch off the torches when light can be seen so as to admire the wonderful blue of the sea in contrast with the arch that marks the exit. The return back can be made by following the sandy bottom with the reef on the left, first SouthEasterly then turning NorthEasterly towards the lagoon. Another option is to turn left once out of Alex’s Cave going East towards Blue Lagoon where a shallow tunnel at 8meters, a curious overhang and various boulders can be explored before passing back through the tunnel to Crystal Lagoon at 8meters. If the tunnel is not found, the other option is to swim around the headland at about 10meters before returning to the boat. Important Notice:

The information contained might not be accurate or reflect the conditions found daily at the site. More accurate information should be obtained prior to planning to dive these sites.

Xlendi Reef

- Gozo 01/07/2012

The Xlendi Reef dive is one of the more popular dives, and with the persistent calm weather there was a good turn-out of divers. The well laden Atlantis II left the quay at Marfa at good speed, and some forty minutes later, its anchor was rattling down on the Xlendi reef.

Once in the water, we noted that there was a surface current heading South, so we were a bit apprehensive, that we would find it against us on the way back, but then judged that it was not that strong, and also since we had decided to dive along the landward reef, there really was no option, so we decided to proceed.

As it turned out, it was just a surface current, and actually a few metres beneath the surface, the current was going in the opposite direction, so it turned out that it then helped us on our way home!

Usually we descend on the reef top, and after a short swim we get to the edge of the reef on the South side, but this time, as soon as we went down, we could see the drop off almost directly beneath us. So down we went, and very soon the saturated blue at the reef’s edge appeared. We all knew what waited beyond that edge.... a fantastic free fall skydiver style descent. We were at about 12m, and the sea bed was too far away to be seen – it was a descent into the blue...

Photo by Edward Vella

Article Edward Vella

To me this is the highlight of this dive. It is always a buzz to watch the reef wall rush by on its way up as you go on your way down! My descent stopped at about 41 metres, about 15 metres from the seabed, I would estimate. Water clarity was good. To the West we could see the reef heading out and disappearing into the blue, while to the East, the reef butted into the landward slope. As in the previous time at this site we headed East.

The water temperature is definitely warm now (save of course if there is a thermocline), and was a nice 26 degrees on the surface – at max. depth it became 24 deg, even though it felt a bit cooler than this. Will consider removing the hood next time!

The landward slope is quite steep, I would say at about 45 degrees, and is littered with small to medium sized boulders. We stayed at this depth for a few minutes, and then started a slow ascent heading South along the steep wall under the Sanap cliffs. The slope then becomes a perpendicular cliff, and the dive here becomes a classic wall dive, only the wall is far from featureless, and is full of vertical cracks and recesses which are too tempting not to explore.

The torchlight makes the oranges of shade loving hydroids and the yellows, oranges and reds of the sponges, stand out.

On the way back we came across a very interesting swim through cave – and here I remembered that during the previous visit to this location, we had resolved to explore this cave better. It was therefore a real pity we entered it again towards the end of the dive, when we could not linger due to insufficient air left. Also this would have necessitated an increase in depth towards the end of the dive, which is not recommended. Next time we will certainly be watching out for it!

One disappointment was the lack of sea life encountered. Great rock formations but that was it… Another group who went towards the seaward side of the reef encountered a group of barracudas hunting on the reef’s edge. It looks like next time we may be heading towards that direction.

A very nice dive!

Photo by Joe Formosa

Double Arch

Article & Photos by Joe Formosa

- Gozo 08/07/2012

The double arch is a very particular reef with interesting features formed by two natural arches on top of each other; the weather conditions were excellent with a very calm sea and a hot summer sun. It was therefore by no chance to have a full boat.

Arriving on site at Qbajjar Bay at Marsalforn, we were dropped on the reef close to the shore; the arches were hidden behind the protruding T-shaped reef. We approached the double arches from behind descending to the lower arch at 45m, then proceeding along the outer reef inspecting the numerous cracks in the rock face encountering a large grouper. After a while, it was time to turn back ascending slowly entering through the upper arch at 25m coming across colour soft coral on the underside of the arches.

Most of the dive was done at depths between 45-25m building a long decompression time on air. Ascending on top of the reef at 17m, there was a strong current and a large group of barracudas and two large amberjacks having lunch on the numerous damselfish.

We approached the surface with care dur to the presence of a large number of jellyfish.

Ras il-Wardija

- Gozo 15/07/2012

Article & Photos Tano Role

We had a very sunny and hot day for this boat dive with hardly any wind. In fact it was so hot that most of us had a swim at the Marfa jetty in order to cool down before we set off. Once at the dive site, we decided to head north of Wardija point instead of turning south towards Xlendi. This proved to be an unfortunate choice for me since I was disappointed by the fact that we did not run into any caves along the stretch of coast which we dived. This absence of caves is somewhat intriguing since most of the conditions needed for cave development are present and I had been hoping to discover some new caverns.

Wardija Point is located just northwest of the Xlendi inlet and consists of a series of sheer lower coralline limestone cliffs which extend underwater to a depth of about 50 metres. The base of the cliffs is dominated by several large boulders which had been broken off the cliff face and had fallen underwater to accumulate in large screes. This area is typical of this stretch of coastline, from a geomorphic perspective, and the microhabitats offered by the boulders should have ensured a healthy presence of grouper, sargi, and gurbell. It was very disappointing to note that the area seemed devoid of any notable fish life.

Far more noticeable was evidence of fishing activity in the area and this may account for the lack of fish but, more tragic, were the abundant remains of lost fishing nets and traps. Much of this gear seemed quite old since they were encrusted with marine growths but others seemed to be quite recent. This has become a common problem in our marine environment since fishing gear is made with long-lasting polymers which are not easily perished underwater. Of course, while underwater, such lost gear keeps ensnaring fish and other marine organisms – a phenomenon called Ghost Fishing. Divers need to be particularly wary of lost nets and lines since they can be easily entangled and any efforts made to remove this material must follow set safety procedures. We should consider organising such an event and this may be more rewarding to the marine environment rather than the numerous cleanup efforts directed at the removal of garbage.

At least I did manage to see a sizable squat lobster peacefully feeding in the shade of a boulder. I took a few pictures and saw Richard approaching so I gestured to him to come over to take a few pictures as well. It was unfortunate that, at that point, the lobster decided it had enough of photography and retreated further under the boulder. By the time Richard got to me, it had gone and I had a difficult time trying to explain to him, through sign language, what the fuss was all about. I got the distinct impression that Richard thought I was narked!

Despite the poor fish life, the dive was still enjoyable and, of course, the best part was the return trip. It was Guzi’s birthday and a sumptuous spread of galletti and dips were laid out crowned by a tasty chocolate cake. I was introduced to galletti dipped in a chocolate-hazelnut sauce by Ruben which, despite my initial misgivings, turned out to be very good although not so good on the waistline!

Ta Cenc Caves

- Gozo 22/07/2012

Ta’Cenc is undoubtedly one of the best dive sites on the Gozo coastline and its location affords protected diving conditions during the prevailing northwesterly winds. For this reason, we keep Ta’Cenc in reserve for a windy Majjistral day but this should not be interpreted as this being a second-rate dive site.

We normally conduct a drift dive in this area as the boat drops us off just under the majestic cliffs and we make our way underwater towards Ta’Cenc inlet or into Mgarr-ix-Xini valley. Some of the groups on our boat decided to dive deep under the cliffs reaching the large boulders at the base of the cliff which took them down to some 50 metres. They subsequently progressed into shallower water at Ta’Cenc inlet where they could decompress safely. On the other

Article Tano Role

hand, our group of troglodytes preferred to dive the caves in the area so we kept our dive at shallower depths. This allowed us to do some serious exploring without worrying about air consumption.

Cave 1 - The first cave we went to is a shallow cave, about 12m deep, and is located at the cliff face, relatively close to Ta’Cenc inlet. It is characterised by two entrances/exits; with the lower entrance requiring divers to dive under a large overhanging rock. This is not a tight entrance but, once inside, the chamber opens up and it is possible to proceed along an enlarged vertical fissure which slopes upwards towards sea level. This lower opening is characterised by white rounded pebbles which reflect a fair amount of light into the outer chamber and create a stunning view if one were to turn round and gaze back towards the open sea.

Base & Above Photos by Tano Role

This cliff-cave was quite rich in species diversity and I was surprised by the relatively abundant small colonies of sponges found even further into the deeper recesses of the cave. A few small black sea urchins (Arbacia lixula) were also present; probably grazing on photophilic algae swept inside the cave. Other opportunists of this sort included the ubiquitous bristle worm (Hermodice carunculata) feeding on dead jellyfish while a few specimens of sea-cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa) could also be seen. There were also several small “clouds” of crustacean larvae and small newly-hatched red cardinal fish (Apogon imberbis). An interesting organism was a type of large anemone (about 20cm in diameter) which I could not identify. I even managed to get some pictures of a pair of Dorid nudibranchs (Discodoris atromaculata) which were located in the shaded parts just outside the cave. I believe that there are several reasons for the richness in biodiversity of this cave but, foremost amongst these are: 1) its exposure to periodic rough seas facilitated by the two openings 2) the sump-like shape of the lower cave and the abundant algae growing outside the cave entrance which occasionally get swept inside 3) the presence of freshwater seeps in the innermost parts, 4) the fact that the cave roof rises slightly, in some parts, above sea level ensuring better oxygenation and 5) the south-westerly compass orientation of the cave entrance which allows a relatively higher penetration of sunlight.

Ta Cenc Caves - Gozo 22/07/2012

(continued)

Cave 2 – The other two caves we visited were located within Mgarr-ix-Xini inlet. These developed from the widening of vertical joints cutting across the valley side by running water; probably when the sea level was much lower than at present. The outermost cave is 13 metres deep and has a sandy floor which is prone to getting stirred by divers’ fins. This cave evidently experienced a considerable collapse at some time during its development. The resultant boulders render deep penetration impossible and one can only enter up to a few metres from the large entrance. It is interesting however, to explore the walls of this outer chamber which have been colonised by a rich variety of sessile organisms; many of them filter feeders.

Cave 3 – The inner cave is located just a few metres further up the inlet on the same side of the valley. This would be to the left if you are looking towards the beach. It is only 9 metres deep and, similar to Cave 2, it has a sandy floor which is even siltier. This can reduce visibility drastically if some herd of tourist divers visit

Photo by Tano Role

the cave just before you do. The outer chamber of this cave has quite straight sides and gives one the impression of entering a tunnel. The straight side also highlights the fact that this cave developed through preferential erosion at a joint or minor fault line.

Some twenty metres inside, the passage makes a left turn and gets narrower and darker. At this point, the roof of the cave extends just above sea level and it is possible to surface here but do not expect anything like Reqqa! The sheltered nature of Cave 3 is reflected in its inhabitants. We came across some beautiful specimens of lace corals (Retepora cellulosa) which have survived the destructive habits of some idiotic divers. Perhaps equally beautiful were the tube anemones (Cerianthus membranaceus). These are found in the fine silt of the inner parts of the cave and are the classic filter feeders. One word of caution; this cave has a distinct halocline and needs to be tackled by experienced cave divers. The interface between fresh and salt water often plays visual tricks on divers and, once disturbed, it may cause some disorientation.

Base & Above Photos by Edward Vella

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE page • Note from the Editor 2 • Website of the month - Dorian Law 2 • Diving Boats - Part 3 - Dorian Law 3/6 • Species Page - Sea Urchins - Edward Vella 7 • Book of the month - Dorian Law 8 • Dived Where? - Kantra Valley Xlendi - Dorian Law 9 • Dive Logs - Camma Caves - Tano Role 10/12 - Migra il-Ferha- Edward Vella 13 - Crocodile Rock - Edward Vella 14 - Ras il-Hobz- Edward Vella 15 - Double Arch - Edward Vella 16 - Fessej Rock - Edward Vella 17 - Santa Maria Caves - Edward Vella 18 - Reqqa Point - Edward Vella 19 - Dives Location Map - Joe Formosa 20

www.atlam.org

Photo by: Joe Formosa

info@atlam.org

www. Website of the Month.com Research by: Dorian Law

This issue of Bubbles comes following the peak summer months of August and September with most of us enjoying the benefit of diving in cool waters. Boat dives were very well attended with old members and new faces. A boat dive for all family members was organized at Sta Maria Caves on the 21st September public holiday; followed by a ‘majjalata’ on the following day.

At the moment, the sea visibility is very good and usually there is lot of sea life in the months of October and November. We hope that the weather remains favourable so that boat dives remain uninterrupted. The annual BA photographic competition is going to be organized in October and hope to have a good participation from Atlam underwater photographers.

Name of website: Dive Fitness.

I have taken the task of writing this issue’s editorial since the current Bubbles’ editor – Edward Sultana has decided to retire from this position. Whilst thanking Edward for all his past work, the sub-committee will now be assigning these duties to his replacement; but more on this in the next issue.

Purpose of site: To promote the book,‘Fitness for Divers’ by author Cameron L. Martz, dedicated to the fitness requirements of divers. To learn about dive fitness through medical, sport and scientific research.

I take the opportunity to invite members to contribute and submit material to be included in the Bubbles e-magazine. Material may be a descriptive account with photos of a diving vacations or exciting dives locally and abroad. Members may also submit photos taken during boat dives to be included in our regular log accounts.

Kindly email material to joeformosa@onvol.net Safe diving to all,

Joe Formosa

on behalf of the Bubbles Editorial Group

JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience

Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info contact the President Nader Bassily on 99499101

Access to website: www.divefitness.com Other access: N/A.

Features: The header features the name and logo of the website with its meaningful motto ‘Better fitness means better diving’.

Just below the header and the current date, on the left hand side, the user has a ten option menu to choose from. These options appear also on the main page along with some further information on the subject. These options are as follows: Home: Returns user to the home page.

Book: Description of the book including excerpts and reader reviews. Quick links to the preferred purchase method are available here. The price per information given makes it very affordable and worth having a copy of this book. The electronic edition is at US$20 or softcover at US$30.

Meet the author: Information regards the author and his educational and sports background.

Articles & Tips: Maybe the most important section apart from the book itself, providing very useful information and tips on how you can improve your diving experience. These include subjects like age, fitness, nutrition, exercise and topics just for divers.

News & Research: A ‘library’ of informative research and documentation on all the aspects of health, nutrition and injury prevention and recovery are gathered under one roof. Well worth a look at this option.

Weekly workouts: The schedules provided are tailored for the couch potato diver, ‘Zero to Hero’, for the regularly exercised diver, ‘Intermediate’ and also for those who wish to reach their peak performance, ‘Advanced’. These options provide a seven day exercise program as pdf downloads.

Links: Quick links to other health related sites. Quackwatch is a guide to health or diet fraud and scams.

Photo credits: As the name implies.

Readers’ reviews: Provides reviews of the book by previous readers.

Contact us: Quick e mail link to send to justask@divefitness.com.

Why visit this website: If you are looking to improve your diving experience by improving your health or simply purchasing the book, then this is a must site to visit

Diving Boats - Part 3: Equipping the Boat Dear Atlam divers, In this third part on the subject of diving boats, we will be looking at the ancillary equipment needed to make the boat, the boat trip and the passengers safe.

These items will be divided into three main categories, with their respective subjects as listed below: Boat safety: Anchors, fenders, fire extinguishers and Vhf radio.

Navigation: Compass, GPS and echo sounder (depth sounder or fish finder).

Passenger safety: Buoyancy aids, first aid kit and equipment storage.

It is very important for the new boat owner to be, to realize the importance of the statement below ‘BEFORE’ buying the boat: ‘The owner or operator of a sea going vessel (boat or RIB) is responsible to carry, store, maintain and use the safety equipment required by the Law’.

Boat Safety: Anchors.

The choice of anchor depends mainly on the type of seabed where the anchor will be deployed. As the name implies, for this equipment to operate properly it needs to anchor to the seabed. The weight of the anchor makes little effect on anchorage, but the type chosen does. For this reason, a sand anchor works best on sand and poorly on a rocky seabed where a simple grapnel might hold the boat fast even under strain from wind or current. There exist

Claw Anchor

many different anchor designs like the plough, delta or fluke styles but the claw (Bruce) anchor has the best properties for a suitable anchor to be used on any kind of seabed. It is advisable to have at least the first 5 to 10meters made of chain attached by means of shackles to the anchor on one side and to a suitable thickness rope on the other. Apart from avoiding chafing and damage of the rope on rocks, the chain helps keep the anchor rope low in the water especially when on sand where a longer anchor rope length (Maltese ‘aktar kalun’ or ‘aktar kalar’) helps to avoid frequent unsnagging of the anchor. Other items to consider if space permits are spare anchor and rope, tow rope, knife or rope cutter and a sea anchor or drogue.

Boat Safety: Fenders.

The primary use of fenders is to protect the boat’s hull against the ‘occasional’ abrasion, knick or bump against much harder objects like a jetty, quay or other boats. Although not designed for this scope, another use of fenders is as buoyancy aids in emergencies. Attached to a long rope from the aft of the boat, a small fender can also be used as a surface line marker on which divers can hold when surface current is present. Bigger fenders are used as the floatation part of a decompression stage assembly. The bigger the fender the more cushioning is provided for the boat. This is desirable if the size of the fender does not make boarding the boat a hazard by having the boat pushed out too much from the quay side due to the fender’s physical size. Although RIBs have an inherent, fender ability due to their flexible tubes, it is advisable to use fenders of appropriate size to protect the RIB from abrasion. Size and placement of fenders are to be evaluated depending on the chosen place for mooring. Suitable mooring lines are also a must have and thin nylon lines are to be avoided. Other must have items of importance to boat handling and safety include a boat hook, pump and puncture repair kit (for RIBs), a waterproof torch, engine power cut off cords, tools and spares, spare battery and fuel and a suitable boarding ladder that is preferably permanently fixed to the boat. For emergency situations a tiller is ideal for wheel steering boats, while a bailer, bilge pump or bucket are the ideal equipment to deal with water ingress. An alternative means of propulsion like oars or an extra motor are to be always carried on the boat.

Boat Safety: Fire Extinguishers.

Fire extinguishers are made to deal with one or more different types of fires.

These are categorized as follows; A for solids, B for liquids, C for gases, D for metals and F for cooking oils and fats. When dealing with electrical fires that might have ignited one of the categories above, it is advisable to isolate the electrical power and then threat the combustible material with the appropriate class type fire extinguisher. There are four types of fire extinguishers and their use is as follows; Water – class A only, Dry Powder – class A, B, C & D, Foam – class A & B and CO2 – class B. The most common type of extinguisher found on boats is the dry powder type. Halon was once used as a fire fighting media but since it has ozone depleting properties it has been banned since the end of 2003.

It is advisable to have a fire blanket for boats with a galley (cooker). The ideal number of fire extinguishers is one for a small open boat, two for boats up to 10 meters and at least three for boats of more than 10meters in length. Ideally a dedicated fire extinguishing system is installed in the engine compartment to avoid opening the hatch and allowing more air to fuel the fire. Flammable and combustible material should be locked in a suitable container or preferably removed from the boat when not in use.

especially if the boat is being used at the later hours of the day. Other items to consider having on the boat are binoculars, sound signaling equipment like a horn or whistle, emergency flares (night, day and collision avoidance types) and a powerful light source for night signaling. For bigger boats going further offshore, a radar reflector especially if operating in the merchant vessels’ route and an SSB (Single Sideband Radio) or a satellite phone are to be considered.

Navigation: Compass.

A reliable permanently fixed compass must be installed on the dashboard, ideally in the central position and away from magnetic interference from metal objects. Although new advances in technology have made the use of compasses ‘obsolete’, it is in cases of emergency or navigation equipment malfunction that this piece of equipment is really appreciated. Coupled with a marine chart, almanac and pilot’s handbook, these items will make navigation and the way back to port easier and safer in all situations. For costal navigation, the use of landmarks is ideal. The ability to identify and navigate successfully using these landmarks is gained by experience. So the more time you spend on the water the more experience you get regards navigating inshore. There is no equipment to replace this. It is important to plan at home your boat trip.

Boat Safety: VHF Radio.

Navigation: Global Positioning System (GPS).

Vhf radios, permanently mount or handheld are a mandatory piece of boat equipment that transmit and receive at very high frequencies in the range of 156 to 162MHz. Some important features to look for when buying a Vhf are; Digital Selective Calling (DSC) which allows a distress signal to be sent with a single button press, battery monitoring and a NOAA 1050Hz WX weather alert to receive the latest weather report. The most important Vhf channels are Channel 16 (156.8MHz) for international distress, safety and calling and Channel 12 (161.2MHz) for the Valletta port control. Other means of communication, like cell phones, are to be considered as a secondary means of communication and the boat owner must not go to sea without a fully functioning Vhf. Suitable covers and protection against water ingress should be applied to Vhfs and phones if they are to work properly. Permanently mount Vhfs and their antennas have a wider transmit / receive range and should be considered as the first preference over handheld units. Removal of the Vhf unit, GPS and echo sounder from the base is a must do to avoid the item being stolen from the boat while unattended.

It is very important to check the correct operation of the navigation lights

This equipment is essential for the boat owner to know exactly his position and also to guide him to a known position, generally termed as a waypoint.

GPS

This might be a wreck, his favorite fishing spot on a reef or his berthing place. Invented by the United States Department of Defense, this system uses twenty seven earth orbiting satellites to provide GPS receiver units with global position coordinates using a ‘triangulation’ like system. Modern units provide the user with real-time position, speed and direction, course correction, onboard rechargeable backup battery and personal computer interface connection for upgrading with the newest software versions.

Passenger Safety: Buoyancy aids.

Navigation: Echo sounder (Depth sounder or Fish finder).

In principle one might be right in saying that they are both echo sounders and that the depth sounder marks only the bottom and does not mark any fish, while a fish finder marks the depth and ‘size’ of fish and also the bottom, depending on the depth range selected. The fish finder uses modern tuned transducers that can detect the air within the fish’s swim bladder. Technological advances have narrowed the difference between the two and many features are common to both, to the extent that people might be referring to the same echo sounder design or model with both names. Dual frequency sonars can show high and low frequencies on a split screen, modern TFT LCD screen, where lower frequencies are ideal for greater depth and high frequency is used for a narrower cone angle of transmission for a better definition and less noise. Other items to look for might include the unit’s ability to function as a GPS or chart plotter.

Gps and fish finder combined.

Split-screen dual frequency fish finder.

All vessels are required to have onboard a wearable personal flotation device (PFD) for each person. The word ‘wearable’ means that in emergencies any person onboard will be wearing a PFD and not relying on a fender for buoyancy should he go in the water. PFDs must be of the appropriate size for the intended wearer, be in serviceable condition, and within easy access. In the case of a fall overboard, a throwable Type IV PFD is to be immediately available, although one must say that anything that floats works well in this situation. Children must wear a Type I, II or III PFD while onboard a vessel that is under way (anytime, except when the vessel is anchored, moored, made fast to the shore or aground). This is also true for all persons who are unable to keep afloat in the prevailing sea conditions should they fall overboard.

Passenger Safety: First aid kit.

You might have the biggest, the most full and up to date first aid kit but when in need it becomes more of a liability than an asset if you do not know when and how to use it especially combined with the proper administration of the basics of first aid. For this reason, it is recommended that the boat owner and those accompanying him should take a First Aid Course with a recognized organisation like the Red Cross or the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what to do in an emergency, so a good comprehensive first aid guide that is easy to understand should be part of the first aid kit. This first aid manual comes in handy, taking you step-by-step through first aid care. Become familiar with the manual’s layout; ‘Read it before you need it’. Apart from the basic items like band aids, triangular bandage and tweezers, other items to have in a first aid kit are antibiotic ointment or powder, non-prescriptive drugs such as pain relievers, antiseptic solution, wipes, gel and swabs, and burn, cold sore, stings, bites and hydro-cortisone creams. When the boat is used for diving it should always carry an Oxygen Administration Kit.

Passenger Safety: Equipment storage.

Depth finder.

Fish finder

All non-dive related equipment has or should have its own proper stowage place.

Fenders, ropes and anchor should be stored in a plastic box while the first aid kit and items that should not get wet are to be stored in a dry compartment or a water tight box. Every item’s use must be taken into consideration when planning storage and emergency equipment has to be within easy reach should they ever be needed.

Diving equipment storage comes in many forms. Many boat owners, especially on RIBs and smaller boats, still prefer to leave the equipment on the deck (floor) with only the weight belt preventing the equipment rolling about. RIBs are sometimes equipped with a ‘cylinder hole setup’ where a glass reinforced fiber or rubber lined stainless steel or wooden structure, has holes in it where the cylinder’s boot (lower part) is inserted in these apertures. The quantity of holes determines the number of cylinders that can be carried. Normally this setup is to cater for single cylinders.

On larger boats, equipment is either put below decks, on the seating or deck but tied to the handrail or using purpose made clamps or a cylinder hole setup. The type of cylinder storage chosen will provide safe stowage preventing movement or the moving about of equipment. When this is done right, more deck space is created leaving room for moving about especially prior to getting the kit on.

Since the information contained in this series is to be used as a general guidance for the owner to be and hence might not be legally correct at the time of writing, it is advisable to contact Transport Malta for any clarification regards the minimum equipment requirements for your type of boat, since this depends on the length, power and intended use.

This concludes this series on choosing, buying, equipping and using your boat.

Whether new or used, with great care in use and a suitable servicing routine it should last many years and provide the owner with unforgettable experiences onboard along with family, friends and diving or fishing buddies.

Further information regards boating and boat equipment will be available in future editions of the Bubbles newsletter. Until then, keep filling up the club’s boat for the best diving experience around the Maltese islands. Just call Guzi Azzoppardi or Anton Debattista to reserve your place on the next Atlam’s boat diving adventure.

Enjoy safe diving.

Dorian Law

Species Page Research by: Edward Vella

Mediterranean slipper lobster – Ckal Whenever we come across a slipper lobster (Scyllarus latus Maltese: Ckal), I get the impression that I am looking at a living fossil - a survivor from a bygone age. Its wrap around external armour (since this is a crustacean – like lobsters and crabs) makes it look like like an armoured car, personally they remind me of the ‘testuggine’ formation used by the Romans when laying siege to fortresses!

Slipper lobsters are nocturnal, and spend the day in relatively secure surroundings such as burrowing into mud, or staying on the underside of boulders or in caves, since apart from its wrap around armour, it has no defences whatsoever. I learnt that its

Photo by Edward Vella

Slipper Lobster most significant predator is none other than the Triggerfish (Maltese: Hmar) along with groupers and octopus. Well triggerfish are not so common locally, so from these three, I would imagine that here at home, octopi would be their prime nemesis - although for a fully grown slipper lobster (rarely more than 30cm, although exceptionally 45cm have been recorded), the octopus would have to be a big one….

One characteristic of the slipper lobster is that it does not swim, but gets about by actually walking on the bottom of the sea. It uses it front paddle shaped antennae (this is why it is also known as the paddle nosed lobster), to dig itself into the sand during the day. At night it is out hunting for molluscs, small shrimps, crabs or sea urchins, but of course….so is the octopus!

One good reason why I enjoy writing these articles, is that during the course of looking up facts from various sources, I get to learn new things about the species in question. Did you know for example, that the slipper lobster lives for about 10 years? After fertilisation, the eggs are not released, but carried for two weeks on the female’s underside, so that they can grow a bit more – but then comes the day when they are released into the currents. The eggs go about drifting with the currents developing, until they become larvae.

After various stages, they drop to the

Photo by Joe Formosa

Ckal

sea bed – at this point they would have been drifting for anything up to 10 months, and as in most cases in the sea, the survival of the species is left to the improved probabilities - in other words, the larger the numbers, the more chance there is of more survivors.

In this case, it is estimated that out of the original 100,000 eggs, less than 100 survive the first stage, and from these only one or two make it to adulthood – the sea is a dangerous place!

Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon

October Species ­- JELLYFISH (BRAM) PLEASE SEND PHOTOS

Book of the Month Name of Book: The History of Pirates.

Author: Angus Konstam.

Publisher: The Lyons Press. New York United States of America.

ISBN Number: 1 – 55821 – 969 – 2 Book in short: The book starts with an explanation of the terms privateer, buccaneer, pirate and corsair and pirates in popular fiction. The eleven chapters that form the main body include the following: Piracy in the ancient world starts with the Bireme and the sea people until the period of the Byzantine pirates and those of Northern Europe.

The Barbary pirates includes detailed information on the Galley, Murat Rais and the Knights of Malta The Spanish Main and the New Americas takes the reader through a 350year journey from the 15th to the late 17th century. It includes details of ships like the Sloop and the Galleon, with the exploits of, but not limited to, those of famous pirates or buccaneers of the era like Sir Francis Drake, Sir Henry Morgan and Edward Teach ‘Blackbeard’, all flying their notorious flag, the Jolly Roger, and pirate hunters like Woodes Rogers. Also detailed are the famous pirate bases of Tortuga and Port Royal.

The quote from the book cover, introduces the reader to the real life of pirates, and makes this the book of the month:

Piracy in the Indian Ocean includes the pirate base of Madagascar and the exploits of pirates like Henry Every. The bringing to justice, trial and execution of pirates by the British Admiralty leads the reader to the end of the pirate era in the mid-18th century.

Piracy in the Far East takes a look at the pirate ship the Junk used by Asian pirates like Ching Yih in the Indonesian Archipelago. The book ends with a look at modern day pirates, the pirates’ code and their legacy.

The History of Pirates traces piracy from the seas of antiquity to the New World and beyond. It is a through, authoritative, and memorable portrait of the fascinating world of pirates. Detailed maps bear vivid testimony to the far-ranging exploits of these capricious, sometimes charismatic and frequently bloodthirsty seadogs and highwayman of the seas.… a full-color chronicle of thievery, murder, and torture of the high seas.’.

Availability: Malta Public Library.

Floriana.

“Dived Where"!!!

Unfrequented dive sites of the Maltese islands, where you will ask your buddy ”Where’s everybody?” — Article by Dorian Law

Kantra Valley & Ras il-Bajda Reef - Gozo Type of dive: Shore or boat dive. Air or Nitrox. Day or night dive.

Kantra Valley, or as it is known by the Gozitans, ‘Il-Kantra’, is situated on the Southeastern side of the entry to Xlendi bay. Ras il-Bajda Reef, or as it is known, ‘Is-sikka ta’ taht it-torri tax-Xlendi’, is situated on the Southwestern side of the entry to Xlendi Bay. When you reach Xlendi Bay, drive past the parking and St. Andrew’s Divers Cove, uphill on San Xmun street and park in the parking on the promontorio where this road bisects in Il-Qsajjem and Il-Kantra streets. A stepped walkway through the restaurants leads to the last concrete jetty on the walkway, which serves as the entry / exit point.

Location:

Access: From the rocky shoreline, off the concrete jetty underneath the restaurants and

walkways.

When Not to dive: When winds blow from South (Nofs in-Nhar) to Northwest (Majjistral).

Depth: Maximum 12meters in the valley, 10meters on the reef and 30meters on the Northern side of the tower.

Current & Visibility: Some current or choppy surface on the reef. Visibility up to 30 meters, less

in the valley.

The Dive

From the entry point which is at the ‘mouth’ of Xlendi Bay, take a bearing West-Southwest towards the Western promontory off Xlendi Tower, descending along the sloped bottom to approximately 25meters, always keeping the landward wall on the left. When you start turning South, this means that you are on the outer side of Ras il- Bajda Reef. At this point decide when to turn back and start ascending slowly while exploring the reef. The bigger fish are expected in this area. Turning back, keep the reef on the right at a depth of about 10 – 15meters heading back towards the bay.

After about 150meters the reef starts turning Southeast towards Kantra Valley. Following the wall on the right, the dive ends at the entry point with the exit done using the ladders installed on the concrete jetty. When the sea is choppy, exit can be done using the next ladders further inshore towards the bay. Sea traffic is a hazard in the area especially towards the entrance to Xlendi Bay and the valley.

The information contained might not be accurate or reflect the conditions found daily at the site. More accurate information should be obtained prior to planning to dive these sites.

Hekka - Camma Caves I have often said that this stretch of coast is one of my favourite dive sites and these two particular dives reinforced my liking for this area. The coastline here is a series of sheer cliffs which tower above the sea to a height of about 80 metres while extending underwater to a depth of some 50 metres. This sheer wall of Lower Coralline Limestone is extensively jointed. For those who may be unfamiliar with geology, joints are cracks in rock formations which show up as fissures and crevices and have nothing to do with suspicious-looking cigarettes!

These geological joints have been widened by erosion into long vertical crevices and some of these crevices have even developed further into a series of full-blown marine caves. Cave formation often reflects surface topography despite the fact that the marine caves are much lower in elevation. In the case of northern Gozo, most caves form where valleys, on the surface platform, allow water to periodically flow during the wet season.

This, fresh, rainwater seeps underground and collects in the pore spaces of the rock very near to the sea level.

One must keep in mind that the rocks which are currently below sea level also have pore spaces filled with water.

In their case the water is salty since it comes from the surrounding sea. Fresh water is less dense than salt water and, instead of mixing, fresh water collects on top of the salt water contained in the pore spaces of coastal rock formations. This build-up of fresh water creates an aquifer which continues to rise until a hydrostatic pressure (or head) is created. This water then flows out towards the sea exploiting weaknesses, like joints or crevices, which facilitate its movement. It is precisely this flow of water near to the current sea level which is primarily responsible for the erosion of marine caves.

At this point, some people would ask – “But why are some marine caves found deep underwater; even at 60 metres or more?” The answer is simple – because sea level changed considerably during geological time. In fact, during the last Ice Age, it dropped by over a hundred metres. Just think of the tunnel which links Dwejra’s Inland Sea to the open sea. That was formed by a stream which cut through

- Gozo 05 & 12 /08/2012

Article Tano Role

the rocks of the cliff face and allowed water to drain out when sea level was much lower than at present. In fact, the tunnel is just about 4 metres at the Inland Sea side while the other end reaches a depth of about 30 metres.

That tunnel must have been carved by a torrent of water forming a river which carved pot holes (circular hollows of varying depths) in the river bed. These pot holes are still there to be seen.

This is why marine caves hold such a fascination for me – and some other nutty geomorphologists like myself! This is why I like to spend time measuring and mapping such caves as well as taking note of the peculiar formations which occasionally show up in some caves. I try to see the landscape not merely as it is at present, but as it was hundreds of thousands of years ago. The clues are all there if you know where to look.

We started surveying two caves at the Hekka-Ċamma dive site. Such surveys require multiple dives and we often have to produce maps which may need to be checked again on later dives. These two cave surveys were carried out on two successive Sunday dives – 5th and 12th August 2012.

Photo by Joe Formosa

Photo by Tano Role

There is some confusion regarding the names of the five caves found in this area. Some caves extend above the sea level and may have names which are used by local fishermen but these names are largely unknown amongst the diving fraternity. Alex Camilleri has done some sterling work in collecting known cave names but the main problem lies with those caves which are well below the waterline and have only been discovered after the advent of scuba diving. Some dive schools have now taken up the practice of numbering Ċamma caves starting from the westernmost cave. Therefore the cave which lies below the watercourse at Taċ-Ċawla is referred to as Ċamma 1.

Base photo by Edward Vella

Hekka Deep Cave (aka Ċamma 4)

5th August 2012 I had written about Hekka Deep Cave (sometimes referred to as Ċamma 4) in a previous issue of Bubbles and I had said that this must surely be one of the deepest and longest marine caves in this part of the island. We have now measured the cave and have established that, at a depth of 15 metres, it is 155 metres long. Of course, this is the distance that can be safely navigated by a fully-kitted diver. The passage narrows to a very tight squeeze and it is very unlikely that the passage widens further inside.

The cave presents sheer vertical sides with just a few signs of lateral collapse. It also seems to have been formed through the widening of a vertical fault or joint. Hekka Deep cave is exceptionally deep cutting through the entire length of the cliff face and extends above the current sea level. It would be interesting to surface inside the inner part of the cave and see whether it would be at all possible to explore the dry sections.

The cave floor is more than 30 metres deep and was quite sandy in some parts but, contrary to my first description, there were quite a few significantly large boulders at the bottom of the cave. We had not explored the cave floor at

that time and we could only catch the occasional glimpse of the floor by the light of our torches. It is evident that cave widening and deepening involved some collapse during parts of its development. A longitudinal profile of the cave is included in this article. One interesting feature of this cave is the basin of “dead water” found at the bottom; on the outer part. The water here was significantly colder than the rest of the cave and shows that there is little mixing. This should be significant for cave life but we would need to take water samples to determine this.

The deep innermost part of the cave is very interesting and challenging. An intriguing find here were the numerous potato urchins which seem to thrive in this sort of habitat.

The cave floor is covered with a fine layer of silt and is just wide enough for a single diver to enter. One has to be extremely careful and avoid kicking up the sediment at this point. This is easier said than done because even the walls have fine silt – globigerina dust probably brought down by stormwater after a heavy downpour. NEVER allow more than one diver to go inside this section and this diver MUST be carrying a lifeline.

Divers should stay at least 1.5m above the cave floor and practice lateral finning action which is often employed during cave diving. Even with these precautions, it is very possible that the silt which is inevitably stirred up will reduce visibility to zero.

Photo by Tano Role Top photo by Edward Vella, Bottom photo Tano Role

I feel that I need to express some words of caution here – I am not encouraging anyone to casually attempt cave exploration. Cave explorers have to be properly trained in speleology and cave exploration before attempting any serious cave penetration and they have to possess the right equipment and infrastructure. Those divers, who have none of these pre-requisites, would be playing a form of Russian roulette – something which I also discourage! Cave diving has already, regretfully, claimed some lives in the Maltese Islands and I fervently hope that this never happens again.

Another plea is for the preservation of cave flora and fauna. I have seen harrowing sights of wholesale destruction of fragile marine cave organisms. A recent visit to Ghar il-Kbir at Reqqa revealed that extensive colonies of Retepora cellulosa (Lace Coral) had been dislodged from the cave roof by divers’ exhaled bubbles. These are now dying at the cave floor. We are destroying organisms which have taken thousands of years to be established. It is supremely ironic that cave diving is being marketed as a form of eco-tourism

Tac-Cawla (aka Ċamma 1) 12th August 2012

This is probably one of the most impressive caves in the Ċamma series. It is also the westernmost cave and, therefore, it is also known as (aka) Ċamma 1. This large cave is characterised by a large opening at the base of the cave and another, smaller opening at a shallower depth.

Seen from deep inside the cave, this lower opening forms a beautiful arch with an almost straight lintel. This arch is 14 metres wide at the base and extends from a depth of 32.5 metres to 22 metres. The upper opening is quite different in shape appearing as a more elongated vertical gash.

This cave developed along a joint or fault line and the eastern edge forms a vertical wall which curves slightly to the east. The western wall shows a far greater degree of collapse and is characterised by several bedding planes. The outer chamber is quite large averaging 10 metres in width

while an inner chamber narrows down considerably from 5 metres down to a narrow passageway which can barely accommodate a diver. Cave collapse is very prominent in the outer chamber where several boulders reduce the cave depth from 30 metres to 26 metres. Measured at a depth of 5 metres, the entire length of the cave is just over 65 metres.

Unlike our previous forays inside this cave, the marked halocline was not present in the upper parts of the inner chamber. This may be due to the change of season but it may also be due to the larger number of tourist divers who are frequenting this cave. The exhaled bubbles have a tendency to disrupt haloclines – even if temporary. It is possible to surface in several parts of the cave.

Base photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Tano Role

Migra l-Ferha

- Malta 19/08/2012

Article & Photos Edward Vella

Sunday’s boat dive site selection is in most cases based on the weather forecast, and this week it was as the Americans say, a no-brainer! The wind direction had settled Easterly for most of the week, and the weathermen said that it would not change during the weekend, so it had to be West facing.

Migra l-Ferha was an excellent choice.

Migra l-Ferha is the place where in popular legend, the fabled Norman, Count Roger landed with his troops to begin the end of the occupying Arabs way back in 1090. Two things may be deduced on what happened on that fateful day – the first is that the weather must have been like last Sunday 19th – otherwise no landing would have been possible, and second that those worthies must have been cursing Count Roger to hell when they realised that they would have to carry themselves in their armour, and whatever else they had up that steep gorge!

The intention was to anchor the heavily laden Atlantis in the first inlet after the ‘Count Roger’ cove, but it was not to be - there was a lot of nylon hanging from the cliff anglers, and it was obvious that we were going to spoil the Sunday for good number of people, so the decision was taken to drop anchor just outside of ‘Count Roger’ - on its Easternmost side.

The plan was to cross to the other side of the cove and there encounter a tongue shaped reef, on top of which at the base of the cliff, there are a series of overhangs and caverns.

We descended onto the first platform, and then over the edge of the second one which leads to a large plateau at about 30m depth. We followed the wall on our right hand until we came to a steep incline, at this point we were at about 40m, and here we started the ascent up the slope. In most cases, the seabed in proximity to cliff faces, one finds boulders, here however, the ‘boulders’ looked very much man-made! Car wreckage was everywhere – all in various stages of disintegration – but an unusual sight none the less!

A painted comber – burqax, swimming upside down for quite a bit of time eh

What seemed to be luminescent patches on the roof of an overhang – photo is bad quality, but shows the patches.

There were at least three or four other such groups.

After a short while, we were on the reef top which forms a plateau at about 18m. To our right there loomed the dark shadow of the cliff face, and we went towards it. Here at the base of the cliff, there are deep overhangs, whose ceilings are simply covered in sponges and orange hydroids. While under one of the deeper overhangs, which I would estimate to be somewhere close but to the West of the accessible shore area, I saw on the ceiling, a group of what appeared to be five circular saucer sized patches, which in the darkness appeared to be faintly luminescent? There must have been at least four or five more of these ‘groupings’ - I wonder what these were! As we headed back towards the Atlantis II the overhangs were with us for most of the way. It would be interesting to learn what caused them.

One common comment however heard on the boat as the divers were securing their tanks, was that in spite of the environment would have seemed ideal, for territorial fish like groupers for example there seemed to be an absence of fish here – we wondered what all those fishing lines were there for… or perhaps it was a bad day for fish! Apart from this, a truly excellent dive site which can take much more exploration.

Crocodile Rock This dive is one of the firm favourites with many of Atlam SAC’s members, as the fully laden Atlantis II could testify – and with good reason – it is an easy dive (well as easy as you want to make it!), the scenery is spectacular, and the sea life is here!

Initially, the wind direction was casting a shadow of a doubt that the site could perhaps not be suitable, and this was sustained along the way since the North West was freshening up a bit, but it was business as usual once we got there, with just a harmless surface ruffle. The sea has become incredibly warm – the computer was indicating 27 deg on the reef. Down below however, beneath the thermocline the temperature dropped to 22 deg.

We descended along the small recess in the reef immediately to the South of Crocodile Rock. This forms a natural ‘step’, beyond which is a slope littered with boulders which have fallen off the reef during the years.

The depth here is about 40m. As we had previously planned, we stopped at this level, but clearly visible was yet another reef wall the top of which starts off at about 45m at this point.

As it turned out, we made the right decision – here we saw the first black grouper (Cawlun), this was a big one – it went right past us not too hurriedly – and headed toward the lower reef. No sooner had this one distanced itself than another two black groupers were seen. At the same time three or four large dentex appeared. To date we had never seen large groupers and dentex (Denci) right next to each other – and these were large fish – I would estimate about 60cm. We also saw a large dusky grouper (Cerna) close to the reef wall on the way towards the cavern. So finally we saw some action!

Visibility could have been better- but it was not uniform, some places were better than others – but the worst was near a silty patch in proximity to the previously mentioned cavern! Here it seemed to me that we were in the middle of a Saharan Gibli – a veritable sand storm was stirred up by divers flapping about indiscriminately.

- Gozo 26/08/2012 Article Edward Vella & Photos I am sure that everyone would benefit, if more divers would look up in the internet and then master particular finning techniques that will avoid such situations.

This cavern at about 18m was our turning point, and so we proceeded back keeping the reef wall to our left. This time we stayed a bit deeper than the reef rim, and eventually we arrived back at the recess in the reef under the Crocodile Rock.

Then following this fantastic dive, we were treated to a birthday celebration of Atlam’s PRO, Simon Ciantar complete with chocolate cake, and other goodies. Pity birthdays only come once a year!

Photo Joe Formosa

Base Photo Edward Vella Base Photo Edward Vella

Ras il-Hobz

- Gozo 02/09/2012

Ras il-Hobz is one of the remaining available sites when the North West is blowing. The Maltese Islands’ orientation is such that whenever this wind is blowing, both the popular and the exotic dive sites are ‘wiped out’. This normally means that the choice falls on Gozo’s sheltered South facing sites: Ta’ Cenc, Fessej Rock, Ras il-Hobz, and the Wrecks. In my opinion, Ras il-Hobz is the best of this lot.

Actually on the day, the forecasted force 4 -5 winds not only did not materialise, but actually died down.

This prompted a temptation to divert the dive to the Double Arch reef on Gozo’s north coast, but was then discarded due to the considerable NW swell, that would have made anchoring problematic, so on to Ras il-Hobz it was!

This meant that the Atlantis II was securely anchored in a small cove in a spot where not so long ago, you would not even have considered to pass by let alone anchor, for this was the exact place where Gozo’s stinking brown sewage flowed into the blue Med.

Article & Photos Edward Vella Today, the sewage pipes are still there, but the sewage is purified, and the exit is so many metres out – with the net result that the sea is clear, the smells gone, and divers can now enjoy this site in all its intended deep blue glory! In the diving tourist brochures this place is now also known as ‘The Middle Finger’!

The dive is very simple – once out of the cove, where the Atlantis II was anchored, the diver comes to a sheer drop off, the base of which is I would estimate to be about 25m.

Outwards from the drop off wall, the sea bed slopes down, and from a previous dive I know that there is a second drop off the top of which is at about 35 -40m, and the bottom in very deep water, which then slopes off even deeper.

As soon as we went over the drop off we descended slowly, keeping the reef wall on our left until we settled at about 30m. After about 8 minutes into the dive, a dark shadow appears to the right. Yes you must have guessed, it was the middle finger! Looking up from its base at about 35 – 37m this tower of rock is truly impressive. On its northern side, it is quite close to the cliff wall, so it seems evident that the pinnacle must have in the past been joined by a softer rock which in time dissolved away leaving it standing on its own. We spiralled up slowly around the tapering column, until eventually we came to its top which is around 12m beneath the surface.

In past dives groupers and moray eels had been sighted in the columns recesses, but this time we did not come across any, but there was a pleasant surprise waiting at the top – a sizeable shoal of two banded sea bream (Xirghien), which did not seem to be afraid of us divers at all, and allowed those equipped with cameras to get a couple of good ones.

Of course apart from the column, this site offers the opportunity for deep dives – and how! The tec divers had a field day and came up raving about walls thick with lobsters etc..

Slowly the divers gathered back, and even at a leisurely pace, the Atlantis II took us home earlier than usual.

Double Arch Reef The Double Arch reef dive at this time of the year is normally guaranteed to result in a full house dive boat, and this time it was no exception.

The dive briefing by dive master Guzi was simple – memorise the anchor point, and note any features close by to assist finding it again and also advised to take a bearing on the shore, so that in the event that the anchor was not located, the divers could make their way towards it, some 200 metres away. Surfacing to the seaward side was to be avoided due to boat traffic.

Following the heavy rains of the previous week, I had my doubts about water clarity, but these proved to be unfounded, since a typical Gozo north coast visibility awaited below! As soon as we were in the water, it could be seen that the Atlantis II was anchored exactly on the reef edge. The depth on the reef top is about 17m, and the drop off goes down at this point to about 30 – 35m. We had to find the point where the reef makes a right angle bend, and then resumes its original direction. At this bend the reef back tracks and goes parallel to the shoreward reef forming a headland pointing west for about 40 – 50m. The Double Arch lies at the point where this headland emerges from the reef.

- Gozo 09/09/2012

Article Edward Vella

We passed beneath the orange hydroid encrusted underside of the lower arch and turned West keeping the headland on our left hand. Then looking up at the reef top we saw a shoal of barracuda, which slowly drifted out to sea, a brief but nice encounter. (est.70 - 80) We circled the headland twice, and finally ascending to the reef top. Other divers sighted huge groupers that are often seen at this site. These groupers were of a size where they are convinced that they have no more predators!

Due to the reef top being at 17m this is considered as a deep dive, where a degree of decompression time is almost inevitable, but a watchful eye on the depth gauge can keep it to a minimum, or according to plan.

Beneath the Atlantis ll at one time there must have been at least fifteen divers counting out their decompression times.

And so back to Marfa – concluding another nice Atlam diving adventure.

The reef here is actually an extension of the cliffs one finds on Gozo’s Northern coast. Starting at Kap San Dimitri, the cliff slopes down, goes underwater round about at Reqqa Point, and then half way to Xwejni Bay, the edge turns 45 degrees, and heads out to the North East.

The plan was to descend along the anchor chain, and survey our position with the first priority to look for the ‘bend in the reef’. As it was, we did not have to look for long – we were standing on it! The ‘amphitheatre’ formed between the main reef and the headland was unmistakable, so following the edge we came to our target in a couple of minutes…

This Double Arch feature never fails to impress, and it seems to me that it would not have looked out of place as Middle Earth scenery in the Lord of the Rings! Add to this, the blue of the depths here (about 42m) and the whole place takes on an unreal feel.

Base Photo: Joe Formosa

Fessej Rock

- Gozo 16/08/2012

Article Edward Vella

Il-Blata tal-Fessej The massive Ta’Cenc cliff bastion tapers off to Ras in-Newwiela (Newwiela Point) and then turns to face South still descending until it meets the exit of the meandering valley at the Mgarr ix-Xini inlet. Situated about 300m perpendicular to the mouth of this inlet is Fessej Rock. Fessej is a tantalising site - it seems to be within reach from the shore, but the truth is that it is too far away to be reached by a surface swim from Mgarr ix-Xini, so this remains a boat dive.

Photo: Edward Vella

As it must have been surely mentioned in previous Atlam dive logs, this site is chosen in most cases because it remains diveable when there is a fresh North West blowing, and this time it was almost that case. It had been blowing from that direction for the best part of the week, but on the day, the wind turned NE. The sea surface however, was still feeling the effects of this NW, so there was a moderate swell coming from that side, which subsided the closer we went into the lee of the land. If it was just the NW, the Atlantis II would have moored to the Fessej’s SE corner, but this time, the wind would have swept her onto the Rock, so the anchor was dropped on its North side.

The dive here consists of circumnavigating Fessej, in whatever rotational direction is preferred, the only snag here is that on the seaward side, the wall drops to 50m plus, while on the landward side, there are only about 10m.

In other words, this means that any subsequent circuit will have to be kept at about this depth.

Photo: Joe Formosa

This time the plan was to circle it in an anticlockwise direction, keeping the wall on the left, and descending to about 40m. As soon as we entered the water, it became

immediately evident that the visibility was going to be on the low side for this site – no doubt this was due to the rain earlier in the week – but we hoped that it would improve at depth.

So a brief surface swim to get closer, and then we went over the ‘shoulder’ exploring under the boulders, and taking it really easy! Visibility did improve at depth – we stabilised at about 35m – but the temperature here fell to about 20 deg C from the surface’s 26, which made it feel quite cold.

Just as I was saying to myself that we had not encountered any significant sea life, a large mottled grouper (Maltese: cawlun), swam out from under an overhang – nice. Other grouper sightings were reported by divers who ventured deeper. Of course, and this is something which we perhaps sometimes fail to notice, the whole rock was surrounded by thousands of damsel fish – too many to count anyway!

One by one the divers assembled to decompress beneath the Atlantis ll anchored on an ideally placed rocky platform, and quite soon we were sharing our diving experience on the way back to Marfa.

Base Photo: Joe Formosa

Santa Maria Caves

- Comino 23/09/2012

This was a dive with a difference, not just because it comes up very seldom on the Atlam dive lists, but mostly because this time, the divers family members were there as well. So it was a more than usually laden Atlantis II that left Marfa for the short trip to the Santa Marija Caves.

The site at Santa Marija Caves is rarely dived, perhaps because it is considered to be too shallow and too near to home? The depth inside the inlet is no more than 12m, and this might not satisfy everyone’s expectation of what the Sunday dive should be… not the ideal place for twin tanks and deco cylinders.. Anyway certainly not a site which cannot be seen in one dive, so perhaps it is better this way – absence makes the heart grow fonder!

There was a light becoming moderate South Easterly blowing which was roughing up the surface, but nothing which would make the crossing uncomfortable, however given these conditions, it was decided that the ladies and the children would be put ashore at Santa Marija Bay which is a short distance away from the dive site. The Atlantis II then back tracked to the dive site and dropped anchor – the silvery sea bream were already gathering beneath her keel!

Locally this must be a unique feature, at least I have never come across it anywhere else… one giant step in and the first thing that one notices are the sea bream - one of the highlights of this dive is driving these insatiable fish into a feeding frenzy – and we had brought enough bread to feed a village . Once down on sand, and the bread taken

Photo: Victor Fabri

Article Edward Vella

out, the diver literally disappears – and as long as the bread lasts, the view becomes a confusion of darting silver fish.

We then dived our plan – starting with the principal cave of this site – the cave is basically L-shaped with its exit beneath the headland – Ras l-Imnieri as is known locally. Imnieri is the plural of imnara, which is an oil lamp – so perhaps in the past there could have been some form of light at night to warn mariners of the treacherous rocks lying just beneath the surface?

The cave interior is tunnel like, with a shaft in the ceiling at the intersection of the ‘L’ which lets in an interesting play of light. Next there comes a sort of step which leads into the exit tunnel. Sunlight is visible all along the way, which makes this an ideal first introduction to diving inside a cave, however there were no raw beginners this time, but this rock enclosed passage provides lots of opportunities for photography as well. As regards sea life, a 60cm grouper was sighted close to the ceiling shaft, and further down close to the exit, a carapace of slipper lobster (ckal) discarded by its owner after it had molted was found.

After we exited, we headed a bit away from the reef, and decided to swim around a huge boulder, whose summit just broke or was exactly beneath the surface. The boulder stands on a sandy bed at the edge of a posedonia meadow. We reached our maximum depth for this dive at this point – 17.1m, and then re-traced our path back into the cave and exited back into the bay, where we ended the dive close to an arch right next to the anchor point.

As we ascended, the sea bream were still milling about hoping for a second course!

The ladies were then picked up, and the Atlantis II made its way to the so called Crystal Lagoon on Comino’s western side for a swim and a bite. A nice easy going and relaxing day for sure, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all present!

Photo: Edward Vella

Reqqa Point

- Gozo 30/09/2012

As most divers know, Reqqa Point is one of the favourite dive sites, and is surely included in many a personal top ten (if not top five) dive sites in Malta. There have also been several Atlam Dive Logs featured in Bubbles, so this time, I could have just cut and pasted and re-proposed a previous article, but the nicest thing about Reqqa Point, is that there is no need for this, because this site always finds a way to re-invent itself at every dive.

This time for example, the plan was to dive the large cave situated further West from Reqqa and here a Point must be made (pun intended) … In tourist literature, and in most diving school websites, this very large cave is referred to as the Billinghurst Cave. This name is resented in the local diving community, because the cave is well known, and already called L-Ghar il-Kbir tar-Reqqa, which may be conveniently translated to Reqqa Cave – the sad thing is that this same literature pushes the myth that the cave was ‘discovered’ by the Billinghurst SAC, and who graciously allowed us to use their name…….

The Atlantis II dropped anchor on the edge of the reef at the point, and the first thing that struck was the water clarity – the reef was fully visible from this distance, and all around were the sparkling bubble ‘chandeliers’ suspended in the blue from divers who had already started their dive.

We advanced towards the shore wall, to then proceed towards the cave – and here close to the entrance we saw a very large grouper, and several large dentex. As per plan, once inside, we kept to the left hand wall. Following the entrance, the cave is tunnel like having parallel sides. The entrance is huge, so that even where the tunnel ends, the entrance remains visible. The diver then comes to an area full of boulders, and other stone debris that have fallen from the ceiling. What struck me was that some of these large blocks, had what seemed to me, to be sharp edges.

This pile of boulders lies on or itself forms a slope. Following the slope the diver ascends above the entrance’s height, and so loses sight of it – good to have a spare torch in here. Ascending even further, the torch illuminated the unmistakable movement of waves which meant that we

Photo: Joe Formosa

Article Edward Vella

could surface. We had arrived at the inner chamber. When we surfaced, we found ourselves in a large dome shaped hall totally enclosed in the rock - perhaps formed by the falling of rock chunks from the ceiling and then abraded to a dome shape by surge, or wave action? It does not look like that the air here is refreshed, and it feels heavy to breathe, so it is better to use your air supply.

On the way out we kept to the right hand wall, but before we descended back into the ‘exit’ tunnel, we had agreed to switch off our torches. At first darkness, then slowly as the pupils dilate, the surroundings illuminated by the faint blue light coming from the entrance start to appear.

Then torches back on, and down into the tunnel and its fantastic blue light.

Other divers chose to dive on the reef, and there were more large grouper sightings there. So again, once back on the boat, experiences were exchanged, which is after all, an important element of the dive. Such experiences are richer when shared.

Photo: Edward Vella

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE page • Note from the Editor 2 • Website of the month - Dorian Law 2 • “Who is your Buddy?” - Dorian Law 3/5 • Species Page - Jellyfish- Edward Vella 6 • Book of the month - Dorian Law 7 • BA-Atlam Uwater Photo Competition 8/11 • Dived Where? - Ras il-Hobz, Gozo - Dorian Law 12 • Ustica - Kingdom of the Groupers - Paolo Marino 13/14 • Dive Logs - Ras il-Hobz - 07/10/12 - Edward Vella 15 - Il-Qaws to id-Dwieb - 21/10/12 Tano Rolé 16/17 - Santa Maria Caves - 21/10/12 - Joe Formosa 18 - Reqqa Point - 04/11/12 - Edward Vella 19 - Wied il-Ghasri - 11/11/12 -Tano Rolé 20 - Return to Wied il-Ghasri - 18/11/12 -Tano Rolé 21 - Crocodile Rock - 25/11/12 -Edward Vella 22 - Dives Location Map - Joe Formosa 23

www.atlam.org Photo by: William Hewitt Winner for best photo BA-Atlam Underwater Photographic Competition

info@atlam.org

Editorial Note Dear Members, As announced in the previous issue of Bubbles, Edward Sultana after editing over the new format Bubbles since March 2010, has now decided to retire. Well editing a newsletter which has grown into an e-magazine, which without false modesty, has grown (and is still growing) into a world class publication is not to be taken lightly – it takes a lot of effort and time, so it is very understandable that at some point in time, the baton will be passed on. Of course the hard work, is not just the editor’s, but the whole team’s which is made up of the sub-committee members – Ivo Caruana, the prime pillar of Bubbles – responsible for all the page design work, Joe Formosa – regular supplier of excellent photographs and contributor, Tano Rolé’s scientific background is the prime driver in his precise and interesting articles.

Bubbles however, was never intended to be the sole domain of the sub-committee.

There is nothing which is more rewarding to the sub-committee than to receive articles and pictures from our members, such as from regular feature contributor Dorian Law (see the excellent article “ Who is your Buddy? on page 3) and for example, the occasional travel dive articles from globe trotters Paolo Marino to make us dream (incidentally, in this issue you can dream about Ustica!) and Victor Fabri’ Diving in Far East and others. So an appeal to you members, please send us your photographs …. and your articles!

This issue is heavy on the now almost annual BA – Atlam Photographic Competition.

This year the competition went to the BA participants – and a well deserved well done goes to William Hewitt who won the first prize with the highest voted set, and also the best picture, which is the cover for this month’s Bubbles. The second prize went to Victor Fabri, and the third to Guzi Azzopardi Falzon, both Atlam members.

In all there were 15 participants, and with three pictures each, the judges’ life was made quite difficult. The contest was then finished off with a super presentation dinner at the Victoria Hotel.

Did you like Bubbles on Issuu? This website is a collection of publications from all over the world, and the idea therefore is for our magazine to obtain more exposure worldwide. We also liked its nice page flipping presentation – we thought that it looked quite professional! Let us know what you think.

Finally, we are pleased to see that the boat dives are still well attended even though the summer is long gone now. There is no better way to spend a good Sunday diving morning than the Atlam boat dive – see the dive log pages for details.

Keep Diving.

Edward Vella evella@onvol.net

www. Website of the Month.com Name of website: The Scuba Geek.

Access to website: www.thescubageek.com Other access: Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and Linkedln.

Purpose of site: To promote diving in the Honduras, mainly in the islands of Utila and Roatan. It also introduces the user to and promotes the work and aims of the website’s creator Steven R. Craig Junior, freelance website developer, graphic designer and dive instructor in the area.

Features: The header features the name and logo of the website on the left, with a search bar and share option on the right. Just below the header a nine option menu further expands the options just by going over with the mouse pointer. The options’ most important features are as follows: Home: Most recent posts, Twitter & Honduras links, my friends & websites and blog archives.

About Me: Subpages, posts, and categories like artwork, dive philosophy, photos and video.

Scuba Diving: Posts including dive logs and diving in Honduras.

Web Design: Self-promotion including portfolio and posts.

Roatan Guide: Information on the place and the coral reef including recent posts.

Rum Drinking: Yes, this includes posts on the art of drinking this alcoholic beverage.

Island Maps: Interactive maps of diving sites on Roatan and Utila islands.

Crazy Stories: Includes posts on the Tsunami, The Silent World film and the Yellow Submarine.

Contact me: As the name implies. A quick fill form to make contact with or send a query to the scuba geek.

The website is a mix of the website’s creator personal experiences and social aspects of the life and diving industry in Honduras.

Why visit this website: If you are looking for new diving experiences in out of the mainstream Honduras, or just want to take a quick peek at this different but fun to be in, energetic website, then this is a must site to visit.

JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience

Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info contact the President Nader Bassily on 99499101

Who is your BUDDY?

by Dorian Law

Dear Atlam divers, The reader of this article might be saying that the question, ‘How should you choose your buddy?’ is very easy to answer with straight simple answers. But, contrary to popular belief amongst the diving community, many answers to this question are gathered in one wrong answer to the extent of having buddies in the water performing an ‘unsafe’ dive.

This will be explained further on.

As a qualified diver you might choose the way of a ‘Solo Diver’ and start diving alone. On the other hand, you might also choose to dive in a group. According to the Oxford dictionary ‘group’ means, a number of people located, gathered or classed together, while a ‘number of people’ means, any number more than one. With this choice being done, you are choosing to be a buddy of another diver, whilst also having the other diver as your buddy. The following statement contains the most important aspect of this choice: By agreeing to be a buddy, you take on a moral and sometimes legal obligation; to stay together, to help each other, to provide assistance in an emergency and to follow generally accepted safe diving practices to the best of your ability.

The wrong number for a group.

When you ask, ‘How many divers should form your group?’ you get many answers and theories to back them. Here is the wrong answer and the reason behind it. The wrong answer is three. To be correct, any odd number is the wrong answer, that is, the wrong choice for a group of divers. The reason is as follows: when you have a buddy you will look after him and he will do the same for you.

What happens with the third? In a group of three there is a tendency to assume that you are being looked after or that buddy one is looking after buddy two while you are busy playing with an octopus. The others might be thinking the same and at the end you will end up with no

one looking after the other. The same happens with other odd numbers. A group of seven is made up of two, two and three. The three factor comes in again. My opinion is, stick with an even number that is, two, four, six and eight.

If this is not possible decide who will be taking care of you and who you will be taking care of.

Now to correct some wrong answers.

Question: Who is your buddy? or How should you choose your buddy?

Wrong answer: My buddy is my best friend or My buddy should be ………. (fill in any adjective you like).

This is correct, to the point, where you are not expected to enjoy a relaxed dive while diving with your ‘enemy’.

Unfortunately, this answer gathers various wrong answers like, ‘my wife is my buddy’, ‘I can buddy with anyone even if I have just met that person on the dive site’ or ‘as long as we stay together you can buddy with me’. Many important safety aspects come against these answers. Just consider the following, and apply them to your buddy and yourself:

divers with open- circuit and close-circuit equipment diving together. You might also note an un-frequent diver joining a group of frequent divers doing a deep dive.

Other instances might include freshly qualified divers on the boat, buddying together and diving what is for them a new site. This list might be endless and could lead to a bad or serious experience or worst of all to dive injuries if Am I fit, experienced and qualified to do the same dive actions are not taken to remedy these bad choices. that my best friend is doing?

Following are a number of traits (distinguished qualities or Am I using the same air or equipment needed for this dive characteristics) and practices you should apply to yourself and expect from your buddy. When used these should as that of my best friend? produce good dive buddies.

Is our mentality compatible in terms of reaching the dive’s Keep physically fit and well practiced: If you are not ‘fit to goals? dive’ and you do not spend time honing your dive skills and Just looking at your wrong choice of buddy or looking staying practiced, you won’t be able to call on your training around at other groups, you might notice that in certain to assist you or your buddy in a dive emergency. In fact, groups, even in yours, pairing is not always ideal. This your lack of practice and staying in shape may cause a dive includes divers with different air mixes, meaning that a emergency. A good dive buddy is fit to dive and ‘blowing diver might be diving with air while his buddy is using bubbles’ (diving) on a regular basis. Remember that diving nitrox or trimix. This is also true where a group includes skills rust when they don’t get wet.

both buddies are on the same page at all times. Whilst you and your buddy might have developed an extensive underwater vocabulary, this might be useless if you are buddied with another diver coming from a different group or course type from yours. Some basic hand signals might differ from one training body to another. To ensure precise communication underwater these signals have to be agreed upon on land. Buddies should monitor each other’s air consumption. Part of the dive plan should include at which point you should turn or start the ascent whilst allowing enough reserve for you and your dive buddy to get back to the surface safely. Remember that your buddy Keeping Together, Communication and Cooperation: is carrying your spare air on his back.

The ability or the willingness to stay close together at an appropriate distance is a safe diving practice that you Question: How close should members of a buddy team stay? should impose on yourself and your buddy. Sometimes we hear the phrase ‘same ocean buddies’, meaning that there Correct answer: Close enough to call a partner’s attention is a long distance between two buddies. This practice is and reach him in the matter of a few seconds. most often abused on ascents and descents and is an Here are some tips on how to stay near your buddy and accident waiting to happen. Many divers joke about it or maintain buddy awareness. sometimes even use it to make a statement about their ‘diving ability’. Good dive buddies take extra diligence to Choose your buddy wisely. The ideal buddy should feel stay together during the whole dive. As a rule ‘if during that the buddy system is important. If you are partnered ascents and descents, or any part of the dive, you are not with a random buddy on the boat only to find that he is a able to see the eyes of your dive buddy, then you are too lone wolf and deserts you underwater, stick close another far away’. Buddy diving is a team event, not a ‘you lead and diver, or ascent and make sure you delete his name from I will follow’ activity, thus communication is important your list of buddies. above and even more below the water to ensure that Discuss your dive plan and objective with your buddy before the dive. Let your buddy know if you are likely to have any issues that commonly lead to buddy separation, such as ear equalization trouble on descent. A compromise as to the dive pace will need to be made when having divers with different objectives like photographers mixed with site seers.

Dive planning: Every dive should have a clear, concise and agreed upon plan. This includes the purpose of the dive, heading, depth, time, air, signals, emergency procedures, buddy separation rules, equipment failure and contingencies. Pre dive checks include dive buddies familiarizing themselves with each other’s equipment, air supply and configuration prior to entering the water.

Checking is the only effective way to learn about each other’s equipment and this will be most evident during a dive emergency when you will not have time get accustomed to your buddy’s equipment configuration.

Define your comfort zone and training limits: When selecting a dive buddy, it is important to communicate your level of ‘current’ experience, training, and comfort level in the water. An honest dive buddy voices his honesty with himself and his buddy. An agreed underwater signal is to be used to communicate discomfort when reaching a comfort-zone limit or to abort the dive. Every member of the dive group should not feel embarrassed or intimidated to tell his dive buddy that he is not comfortable.

Compatibility: This begins with having a common objective or activity in the dive. If the objective is a deep dive, do not pair with someone who is not equipped or trained for deep dives. A claustrophobic diver joining a group of cave divers is a recipe for disaster. An underwater photographer should buddy with a diver who is willing to stop and wait or even act as a model and he should steer away from choosing an adventurous diver who will be wandering away while the photographer has stopped to take his best shot, only to realize that his buddy is not there when he needs him. The contrary is also true. When your buddy is more interested in his activity as if you are not there, probably when you try to call for his attention or worst his assistance, you might realize that he would not even take notice of you. Your buddy should complement not only your strengths, but also your weaknesses in diving skills. A good dive buddy knows his strengths and weaknesses.

Pick a leader and a side. Decide who will make navigational decisions during the dive. One buddy swims to areas he finds interesting, and the other follows his lead.

If the follower wants to check out a specific spot, he simply notifies the leader and they move together. Choose what side of your buddy you will remain on, and remain on that side. Being disoriented underwater and knowing where to look for your buddy is helpful. Remember that higher above or deeper below are not the correct position to choose.

When one diver is at a shallower depth his buddy should follow. When one diver goes deeper, he should not expect his buddy to follow, especially if his buddy is restrained due to his abilities, different air mix or other issues which would put the buddy in an unsafe position at that depth.

Knowing who will lead and where your position should be, makes the dive safer and more organized.

Attracting each other’s attention and communication.

If you and your buddy know what to listen for, you are more likely to be able to get each other’s attention underwater.

These include sounds from underwater noisemakers, tapping on the tank, or even shouting into the regulator.

Agree on land on the hand signals to be used and do not assume that everyone knows your hand signals, especially new buddies. Divers who are in constant communication tend to stay closer together and are more aware of their partners. Ask your buddy if he is okay and communicate your tank pressure or any other issue periodically, say every ten minutes or so.

Emergency procedures. This includes, getting to know your buddy’s state of mind and physical or dive plan related problems prior the dive, his equipment configuration, procedures when losing sight of the buddy or emergency air sharing and any contingency plans.

A diver using the standard single-tank equipment configuration cannot solve all emergencies himself. In any other equipment configuration, even if redundancy equipment can solve emergency situations, one must admit that a dive buddy apart from adding his equipment to help in emergencies, he also provides an additional brain to solve problems in emergency situations. Before arguing that in an emergency a diver can hold his breath for a long time and swim to his buddy, remember that an out-of air diver discovers his plight after he has exhaled and attempts to inhale against an empty tank. An out-ofair diver has little or no air in his lungs to start with, and must reach his buddy in this state. This gives the troubled diver significantly less time to reach another diver than if he had a lungful of air.

Buddy Separation Fatality.

According to the ‘Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) 2010 Dive Fatalities Workshop Report’, 40% of diver fatalities occurred during a period of buddy separation.

In an abstract, published by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Inc, in 2003, they discuss 866 diving fatalities between 1992 and 2001. Approximately 93% of the diving fatalities occurred while the diver was alone.

This means, that they either entered the water by themself or they were separated from their buddy during the dive.

A question pops out, ‘Were they properly trained, equipped and diving within their limitations?’. This question demonstrates the difference between diving ‘solo’ and diving ‘alone’. Diving solo means planning for and doing the dive by yourself, relying only on yourself and your equipment. Diving alone, as the name implies, is that instance when you are separated from your buddy and you are left alone to finish the dive. These reports also suggest that these same people who suffered diving greatest tragedy may have been separated.

Diving with a known and trusted buddy reduces stress and increases comfort and safety. If you have a buddy who makes you feel uncomfortable or anxious, get another one or stay dry. Ideally buddies should know each other well, know each other’s limits and comfort level and can be trusted enough to take care of each other. The scuba diving instructor teaches the buddy system for a reason, Could a buddy have helped prevent these fatalities or this so; ‘Stay close to your buddy and stay safe!’ is just poor buddy diving practices? My opinion is that, in many cases the presence of a buddy could have avoided these fatalities. Will this prove and support the solo diver’s premise (solo diver’s anti-buddy philosophy), that the buddy system has an inherent flaw, that is – ‘you are relying on someone else?’ Unfortunately it will, if the buddy system is not refined by the ‘group’, taking into account the various factors that might influence the successful completion of a safe dive, like a good dive plan, weather, equipment and divers’ abilities. In a dive group, each diver should be able to continue solo if separated but should never feel alone in the water.

Having said all this, I am strongly in favor of choosing your best friend, your wife or anyone in a close relationship with you as your buddy as long as you take note of what has been mentioned previously. Just like socializing at an event or over a meal or a beer, diving adds another unforgettable input to the relationship and thus, this should be a planned, safe and wonderful experience.

Species Page Research by: Edward Vella

Jellyfish have been drifting on the currents of all of the world’s oceans since time immemorial, one source states 500 to 700 million years, and have adapted to a lot of different environments … and yet this creature has no eyes ( some do have light sensors), no central nervous system, and most astounding of all – nothing that can be called a brain! I wonder if there is a lesson to be learnt here?!!

Jellyfish whose only commonality with fish is that they are both marine creatures, come from the phylum Cnidaria which is derived from the greek “cnidos,” which means stinging as with nettles – as nearly all of us can vouch for! A simple brush against the tentacles of for example, a mauve stinger will mean a laceration with a high and sustained pain level. Thus whenever there are numerous jellyfish (also called blooms) especially during the summer months, the physical deterrent will also have an inevitable economic backlash.

Photo by Mario Micallef

Jellyfish

Bram

And what about their life cycle? The stuff of science fiction! I can imagine this taking place on a light years remote planet – OK, so we got first a newly hatched gland shaped free swimming larva. The larva starts looking for a place to stop and form a new colony. Once the ideal spot is found, then the larva attaches itself to this surface – its free swimming days are over – and becomes what is called a polyp – much like the corals, which after all are fellow cnidarians. The polyp then starts growing and multiplies into a colony in the form of a segmented body. Then for reasons that are still not fully understood, with the right conditions, the body splits up and each segment becomes an individual jellyfish, (Weird!) resulting in the so called blooms, which may be made up of hundreds of thousands…. As regards reproduction, this takes place in both states, that is when the animal is in its sessile (non-mobile, stuck to a firm surface) stage as a polyp, and when it becomes a mobile jellyfish – this is called its medusal stage, but even here, the method of reproduction of the polyp and the medusa is not the same.

So here we have an animal which changes from an individual, to a ‘community’ living within a single body, and then with the right conditions, becoming a multitude of individual jellyfish. A concept that takes a bit of time to sink in.

Locally, the more common sightings undoubtedly consist of the Mauve Stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) and the Fried Egg Jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata). The Fried Egg is harmless, and is frequently seen locally towards the end of summer.

A curious feature which I have seen myself, is that sometimes you get juvenile fish hitching a ride in the jellyfish’s tentacles.

Harmless is not one of the qualities of the Mauve Stinger! It can inflict a painful sting, and can spoil your holiday, especially since it can be found in huge numbers. The eggs are laid in December. Another feature of this jellyfish which I learnt while producing this article, is that it has the ability to glow in the dark.

Here mention has to be made of the ‘Spot the Jellyfish’ initiative headed by Dr Alan Deidun, which although is primarily intended for youngsters gives a very good idea of the local ‘jellyfish scene’, and may be seen at http://193.188.45.233/ jellyfish/jellyinfo.html (and has also been advertised in previous issues of Bubbles).

Recommended.

Photo by: Joe Formosa

Photo by Kevin Sciberras

Photo by: Joe Formosa

December Species ­- Painted Comber (Burqax) PLEASE SEND PHOTOS

Book of the Month Article by Dorian Law

Name of Book: Scuba Diving Malta Gozo Comino. The ultimate guide to diving the Maltese islands.

Author: Peter G. Lemon.

Publisher: Peter G. Lemon. Printed by MPG Books Group UK. ISBN Number: 978 – 0 – 9541789 – 2 - 5.

Book in short: This book is basically divided into four sections. These sections complement and build on each other to produce this book regarding diving in the Maltese islands. These sections are as follows:

Section 1: An extensive mapped index with more than 75 dive sites, is followed by a forward by ex-tourism minister Michael Refalo and a note by the author. This is followed by a brief introduction and information regarding the islands and travelling to Malta. The key to symbols used and the topic Islands for Divers are a conclusion to this part and an introduction to the next two sections which are of great interest to divers.

Section 2: Malta and Gozo shore dive sites. The author starts from the ports of Valletta in Malta and Mgarr in Gozo and goes clockwise around the islands describing each dive site. After more than 25 shore dives in Malta the journey ends in the Sliema area whilst in Gozo it ends at Ghasri Valley after more than 15 shore dives.

Section 3: Malta, Gozo and Comino boat dive sites. The author again goes clockwise around the islands, starting from The Bristol Beaufighter in Sliema to the MV Imperial Eagle in Qawra. In Comino diving starts from Lantern Point to end on Sultan Rock, whilst the journey from Ras ilHobz to Hondoq ir-Rummien takes us around Gozo. More than 35 boat dives are described in this section and these include wreck dives like HMS Southwold, Le Polynesien and the MV Pippo.

Section 4: This concludes the book and also the journey of the visitor to Malta. It includes information about places to visit on the islands, and information concerning local dive schools and centres, acknowledgments and indexes.

The book in general is well planned with many coloured and black and white photographs. The same pictorial type / style of underwater coloured plans, as in previous editions, are again used by the author to describe the underwater topography. These are now smaller in size than the previous editions and this makes them more pleasing to the reader’s eye. Aerial photography is a big boost to these underwater topographic drawings. In most of the cases the author has aligned the aerial photo with the drawing thus making the dive site and its description very vivid and realistic. One can feel the dive at this stage.

On page 103 the reader can find the author’s contribution towards our club, Atlam Sub Aqua Club. This full page describes the club’s history, the present and the future and also the monthly newsletter, the Bubbles. The book includes photos by club members, Joe Formosa and Victor Fabri (pg95).

The quote from the back page, gives an end to this book, but it also introduces the reader to diving the Maltese

islands, and makes this the book of the month: ‘Shipwreck, reefs, caves, dramatic drop-offs, shore and boat diving with a huge variety of marine life for the diver to see around these beautiful Mediterranean islands. Scuba diving Malta / Gozo / Comino is the diver’s key to this rich variety of diving. Its pages unlock the way to a wealth of dive sites all with aerial photographs, underwater plans and accompanying text covering access and services – everything the diver needs to know’.

Availability: Now available at bookstores or from the publisher in the coming days.

Personal note: The contents and presentation of the book are impeccable and it is hard to find any way that this edition can be improved. Crystal clear photos, detailed description of the dive and the story behind the site make this the best choice amongst other books on the topic of diving in the Maltese islands. An ideal Christmas present for any diving friend. Having said this, I hope this is not Peter G Lemon’s ‘ultimate’ edition of this series of guides to diving the Maltese islands!

The Author, Mr Peter Lemon at a book signing session at the Atlam Club in Valletta

BA-ATLAM UW Photo Competition N 足 ov 2012 Ist Place: William Hewitt

These photos are the entries of all the competitors in sets of three The photos have not been retouched, cropped or enhanced in any way. They are being presented as the photographers shot them and oriented to the photographers wish. Only1st, 2nd and 3rd places have been announced the remaining photos are displayed according to the competition registration number.

2nd Place: Victor Fabri

Tano RolĂŠ (2) Third Place: Guzi Azzopardi Falzon

Edward Vella (3)

Joe Formosa (4)

Tom Cowan (6)

Geoff Bowan(12) Mario Micallef (8)

Noel Abela (14)

Veronica Busuttil (13)

Rueben Borg (15) BA Atlam Competitors

The Dive

“Dived Where"!!!

Unfrequented dive sites of the Maltese islands, where you will ask your buddy ”Where’s everybody?”

Article by Dorian Law

Ras il-Hobz. Ghajnsielem. Gozo.

Type of dive: Shore or boat dive. Air or Nitrox. Day or night dive.

Location: When coming from the Gozo ferry terminal, drive towards Ghajnsielem on Triq l-Imgarr. Take the first turn left past Rexi restaurant on Triq Ta’ Cordina. Drive past the buildings, then take the first turn left through the fields just as you start Triq Ta’ Bwier. When coming from Xewkija drive on Triq L Zammit Haber towards the Heliport.

Just as you see the heliport’s landing strip, take the road on the right when it splits in a y-section.

Both ways would lead you to the Gozo Sewage Purification Plant. Take the road on the East side of the plant through the fields which leads down to a parking space just above the rocky shoreline.

Access: From the rocky shoreline.

When Not to dive: When winds blow from Southwest (Lbic) to East (Lvant).

Depth: 10meters on the East side reef, 12meters on the pinnacle and 50+meters at the bottom.

Base photo by Edward Vella: The pinnacle

Current & Visibility: Slight current on the pinnacle.

Visibility good, sometimes over 30 meters.

Although entry can be made very close to the pinnacle which lies on the Southern side of the promontory, the safest entry and exit point lies on the Eastern side of the promontory and the parking space and this should be surveyed before beginning the dive. There are many ways to dive this site. The best way to explore the pinnacle is to reach your maximum depth then spiral around the pinnacle on your way up before heading inshore (North), or surface swim due South, locate the pinnacle’s top (ideal for anchoring the boat) and spiral down the pinnacle then head Northeast towards the exit point. The pinnacle starts at about 40meters with the sandy bottom further down at 50+ meters, where a huge anchor is to be found. This underwater feature takes the form of ‘the middle finger (pinnacle) pointed out of a clenched fist (mainland)’, hence the name ‘middle finger dive’ which is sometimes used to refer to this site. On the Eastern side, a 200meter long reef can be explored on the last part of the dive and this area should be chosen if night diving Ras il-Hobz.

The information contained might not be accurate or reflect the conditions found daily at the site. More accurate information should be obtained prior to planning to dive these sites.

USTICA- The kingdom of the groupers About 40 miles north of Palermo, in the Thyrrenean Sea, lies the volcanic island of Ustica. Ustica is the visible tip of a huge volcano chain stretching west from the Eolian archipelago.

Ustica has been an underwater protected area for over 25 years; what allows divers to witness a Mediterranean sea still full of life.

All diving activity starts from the tiny harbour of Cala Maria. The small village of Ustica is reached with a ten minutes walk up the cliffs.

I chose to dive with Misterjump dive centre as they organise two dives in the morning, so leaving the afternoon free to relax or explore the island. Other centres will provide full day trips including two dives and lunch or two separate dive one in the morning and one in the afternoon. So you have all possibilities open to you. All dives are done by boat.

Due to the success of the protection policies you don’t need to go deep to see the fish life. Dives are mostly between 25 and 30m, although to see some of the deeper caves you will reach 40+m for short periods.

15l litres cylinders are standard. All dives are done on air, as Nitrox is not easily available on the island.

Anyway due to the dive profile decompression was never really a problem.

The two most famous and exciting dives are done off the north coast the island.

Article and Photos by: Paolo Marino

The Scoglio del Medico is a rock with a wide underwater base perforated by tunnels and caves.

Beware of the current here; it could be very strong! In case most of the dive can be done inside the tunnels and caves coming out of the cracks in protected spots to admire the fish life. When the current is off or low most of the dive is of course done outside the cave system.

Here you may see several brown groupers lying on the rocks and half a dozen golden groupers swimming often together off the boulders. A huge shoal of 300/400 barracuda is always around higher up.

Being a protected area both groupers and barracuda are not scared of the divers; if you approach careful without blowing too many bubbles they let you get close for a good shot before they swim slowly away.

At least two dives are needed to explore the whole Scoglio as the underwater area is fairly wide.

The Secca della Colombaia is a circular reef with the top five meters below sea level. Again currents can be present, but if the current is strong the dive is not normally done here as there are no caves for protection.

The real feature of this dive is a shallow plateau where around a dozen golden groupers are always in attendance. Some are really curious and come within hand’s reach of you. It’s really amazing to be able to swim in the middle of them without causing them to run away! Occasionally some big brown grouper comes by adding to the traffic! This spot is done on the way down and again at the end of dive so that they’re plenty of opportunities for photography.

But this not all; a shoal of around 300 barracuda is there as well sometimes in mid-water sometimes right on the posidonia that cover part of the area. Again you can get right in the middle of them without causing panic.

A wreck of a small cargo that hit the rock some years back is also there. It’s pretty smashed up. But one size of the ship and mast are still recognisable adding to the scenery.

All other dives are done by the southern coast. Although big fish is also present the main focus here shifts to the smaller critters. This is the place for the caves of the shrimps.

The most famous is obviously the Grotta dei Gamberi. It’s a big cave with an entrance at 25 and one at 40. You can see light from almost all the cave so you don’t get lost and the ceiling is high enough to

avoid kicking sand around. The top and sides of the caves is full of cracks literally filled with hundreds (maybe thousands) of shrimps. Spiny lobsters and forkbeard are also common dwellers of the cave.

brown grouper of the lot. It was probably 50kg of weight and was patrolling the areas in mid-water keeping a few meters distance from divers, but without looking specially upset by our presence!

A similar dive is the Grotta dei Gamberi Nr2. It’s a smaller shallower cave, but still full of shrimps with the added bonus of several groupers found on the rocks on the way to the cave.

Punta dell’Arpa has some very nice branches of red gorgonia and various groupers.

Sicchitello is a dive in the blue on top of some spectacular underwater pillars, that would deserve a closer inspections but were too deep to dive going down to 50m+. Anyway on top of the pillars there is a big shoal of about 300 barracudas and lots of big breams of different kinds.

Another feature are the branches of red and white gorgonia Sotto Zelisa is a shallow dive with several swim-throughs, but here I saw the biggest

Punta Falconiera has on the inside some small caves with more shrimps, several midsized groupers and white gorgonia; on the outside some rocks with thick branches of red gorgonia At Massi Fuori outside of Punta Galera you will see various groupers, breams and a cave full of shrimps.

Grotta Pastizza is a shallow cave with various yellow rocks that are actually sulphur deposit from an old volcanic eruption. In the rocks outside the cave lives a large grouper of maybe 20/30Kg.

This is for the underwater world, but you should take time to trek around the island; there several marked trails and even a public minibus service that can take you anywhere around the coast. There is a small Spanish fort overlooking the village with a beautiful view over the island and surrounding seas.

The island is full of colours: hibiscus, bouganvillas and more, are all over the place; the fertility of the volcanic soil make some of these plants grow much bigger than what we are used to see elsewhere. If you just like to go for a swim there are a lot of small rocky bays (not much sand in Ustica I’m afraid) with easy access to the water.

Last but not least there is a healthy choice of restaurants serving excellent fresh fish to be washed down with a good bottle of Sicilian white wine and bars with great ice creams and granita.

Ras ir-Raheb

- Malta 07/10/2012

Most people I meet, especially those prone to complaining, frequently moan about high humidity and general discomfort, whenever there is an Easterly blowing, but for us divers in Malta, given the orientation of our Islands, we should consider the Easterlies as a blessing. Most of our better dive sites face West, so with the wind going in the opposite direction; it means that optimal conditions on these dive sites are to be expected. Given the forecast with a moderate South Easterly blowing, Ras ir-Raheb was chosen.

The original plan was to start the dive as usual, in front of cave at the Ras ir-Raheb headland, and then continue due South, and finish the dive in another cave – Ghar it-Trozz. On the way however, it became obvious that the Atlantis II would have had a hard time during our dive, because although sheltered from the Easterly, there was a marked rolling swell from the South West, so the decision was taken for the boat to pick up the divers from within Fomm irRih bay. In other words, in the opposite direction to

Photo by Joe Formosa

Article Edward Vella

Ghar it-Trozz, that is, keeping the cliff wall on the right which would lead into Fomm ir-Rih. The original plan was more appealing, but no real disappointment here, because for most divers, it is the cave at the headland that makes up for the greater part of the reward given by this dive.

On the surface, the cave presents itself as a crack in the cliff face, but then enlarges a sea level. The crack continues up to about 7m beneath the surface. The entrance is encrusted with delicate purple plate like growths, which being remind of coral. Once through, the diver finds himself in a circular chamber, whose floor, seems to have given way, and rests about another 10m below. With one’s back to the exit, and to the right of the sunken floor, there is a vertical shaft, down which we went.

The shaft floors out at about 21m, and immediately, the blue sunlight can be seen. This looks like another crack in the cliff face, and forms a sort of corridor which widens towards the exit. For myself, this is one of my favourite underwater ‘places’. It is a pity that sometimes, the constraints of being in a group in a boat dive places limits on the time that you can linger, but this place is mystical…time stops…, and no it is not nitrogen narcosis! The actual exit is at about 24m, which gives out onto another lower terrace with a drop-off starting at about 35m. Beyond that the cliff continues down to beyond 60m.

Once out of the cave we followed the cliff face, keeping it on our right hand as per plan. The cliff face here, becomes extremely sheer, with the sea bed barely visible. Looking away from the cliff, the sea is a deep blue, but then as one approaches and enters Fomm ir-Rih bay, the colour becomes more turquoise due to the sandy bottom. Another ‘attraction’ is the wreck

of the ‘De Water Joffer’ yacht which lies in about 32m directly beneath the cliff. Here, the point may be made, that it is not possible to include both the cave and the yacht in the same dive plan, without making a provision for a severe decompression penalty, since the distance between these two is too great to then go allow another descent to 32m. So for normal sport diving, it has to be either one or the other!

We spent the rest of the dive scouring the cliff wall for nudibranchs. We only found one – a nice blue and yellow that I would place as a Hypselodoris cantabrica. As regards sighting of sea life, most divers came up empty, with the exception of a sun fish (Mola mola) sighting! The sighting took place close to the cave exit at a depth of between 40 to 50m by two separate divers – who unfortunately, did not carry any cameras.

The dive ended with the now customary galletti dip feast on the way home..

Base photo by Edward Vella

Il-Qaws to Ghar id-Dwieb The Qaws-Ghar id-Dwieb dive site has always proved popular with our Sunday divers and this was no exception.

This area is absolutely beautiful. It is composed of a semicircular embayment framed by a series of sheer vertical cliffs. We were dropped off at the southern tip of the bay, where the Qaws cliffs commence, and made our way underwater towards the inner parts of the bay. The name Ghar id-Dwieb indicates the origin of this embayment.

It is actually an old

Photo by Tano Rolé: Spiny lobster- Palynurus elephas

Base photo by Tano Rolé Ghar id-Dwieb dive site

- 21/10/2012

collapsed cave structure and most of the remnants of the cave floor are now buried below a layer of marine sediment. Some boulders, however, can still be found along the cliff wall and offer some shelter for marine life.

An easterly wind was blowing on this Sunday morning but there was also a swell from the southwest which was strong enough to spray a little bit of water over the bow.

Visibility was excellent but there was a current on the surface which seemed to be crossing the bay from the southerly point. Once inside the bay, the current seemed to die down.

Photo by Tano Rolé: Dolphin skull

Article Tano Rolé

Edward and I decided to keep to a shallow depth (about 20-25 m) and reserve our air for exploring the two large, but shallow, caverns located at the inner part of the embayment.

Perhaps it is better to describe these caves as one large cavern separated by a “tongue” made up of a huge rockfall.

Photo by Tano Rolé: Bryozoans - Myriapora truncata

These caves are the remnants of a much larger cave that had covered the entire bay. In fact, within the innermost cavern, I spotted at least two freshwater seeps. This indicates that cave-forming processes are still quite active in this area. The reddish tinge covering the rocks, inside one of the seeps, seemed to be an iron oxide deposit carried there in solution in the freshwater. Another indicator of active marine erosion was a pot hole which was about one metre in diameter. This was occupied by a large circular stone which is surely responsible for the deepening of the hole.

The cliff wall offered several small crevices which offered some refuge for wildlife. A pleasant discovery was a sizeable spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) sighted at the beginning of the dive. This made up for the disappointment of our seeing virtually no nudibranchs during this dive. We had promised our friends from the British Airways team a feast of nudibranchs and labels such as “nudibranch heaven” were thrown about with a great degree of abandon. This made the lack of nudibranchs a source of some embarrassment. At least, Bill Hewitt saw one and Rueben said that he pointed out two of them to Mario Micallef. He said that this was meant to make up for his (Rueben’s) ploughing up the seabed during the photographic competition! Oh well, enough said about that.

Sessile marine life (i.e. organisms growing on a fixed rock face) varied considerably along the bay. Those places which received a substantial amount of sunlight were occupied by a range of photophilic algae – mostly phaeophytae or brown algae. This presented a rather drab environment and stood in stark contrast to the obscure and semi-obscure locations which were covered by a colourful riot of sciaphilic organisms made up of a wide variety of sponges and coralline algae. These were mostly dominated by beautiful plates of purple coralline algae (Mesophyllum expansum) interspersed with bright orange bryozoans (Myriapora truncata) and encrusting sponges. This is the kind of habitat favoured by our absent nudibranchs.

A Dolphin skeleton had been sighted during our last trip to this site and it was quite unsettling from a distance since the rib cage was distinctly mammalian and looked almost human. This dolphin carcass probably drifted in on the surface and sank by the cave entrance. We noted that there was now far less soft tissue on the carcass and much of the bones had been picked clean.

No relatively large fish were seen on this trip. It is probable that the numerous fishing lines and lost fishing equipment may have something to do with this. I wonder whether it is worthwhile for all those fishermen to be spending Sunday morning hoping to catch something. I did manage to see a couple of very small grouper but their chances of living to a sizeable age seem to be quite negligible.

Edward and I spent 92 minutes underwater and the relative warmth of the sea (24°C) ensured that we were very comfortable for the whole duration of the dive. This is despite the fact that I was wearing my 3mm summer wetsuit!

The crowning glory of the boat dive was surely the sumptuous feast of galletti, dips, and cheese, offered

by Anton, on the return journey from the dive site. I have never seen a more ravenous group of people diving onto the food! Anton was doing his best to outdo the wonderful meal we had for the Photo Competition awards on Friday and people tucked into this with great enthusiasm.

The Good Lord had been quoted as saying “blessed are those who feed the hungry”. In this case, Anton has a special place in heaven! Safe diving to all.

Photo by Edward Vella: Dolphin skeleton

Photo by Edward Vella: Psychedelic Sponge

Base photo by Tano Rolé

Santa Maria Caves

- Comino 28/10/2012

Following an additional hour of sleep in the night, many of us woke up prepared for a deep dive at Fungus Rock. There were 4 rebreathers and lot of pony cylinders being loaded on the boat. But the sea conditions and the wind forecast were not looking favourable: there was an insisting big SW swell coming in, and a NW wind was picking up; white waves were seen hitting on the south comino coast and a phone call confirmed that no boats were leaving from Marsalforn Harbour. Virtually, the only possible place to dive was the shallow Santa Maria Caves located on the northeast corner of Comino.

Article & photos Joe Formosa The trip to the dive site was just 30 minutes long, and soon after getting in the water we headed for the caves followed by a big shoal of two-banded sea bream. The caves are a series of interconnected caves and tunnels, the most interesting one forming a Y at the edge of the bay, depths varying 6 to 15m. The cave then leads to another swimthrough tunnel with a Z-shaped exit onto the blue facing Gozo. The sea bed on this side does not exceed 25m and is covered with boulders on sand and posidonia meadows. Absolutely no sea life encountered on this side of the bay.

Return to the sheltered bay were the boat was anchored via the same way vice versa, passing through the Z-swimthrough and then through the Y-tunnel cave taking the alternate other side. We inspected some other adjacent interconnecting caves, and then stayed long wasting the remaining available air on the sea bed enjoying being surrounded by the numerous sea bream.

Once on the boat, the weather was now overcast and cold. The NW wind picked up to force 5 creating big waves across the ‘Fliegu’. The return trip was enjoyed with the usual treat of beer, galletti, cheese, bigilla and dips.

Reqqa Point The announced dive site was Il-Blata talMelh which was chosen because of the forecasted SE wind, but the wind direction shifted towards the West and that put paid to that site. A pity because the Atlam boatdive had not been there for quite some time… however, the wind direction made it viable to take the longer trip to Gozo’s North coast – and there the diver is spoilt for choice! As usual when the plans are radically changed, there is the usual discussion, (and canvassing) to select the alternate site – and the choice this week fell on Reqqa Point.

Now we had been to Reqqa at the end of September, but the choice was approved unanimously (I think!) by all present. Reqqa is a firm favourite - there is so much to see and do.

The divers grouped up and all had their plans – and so many permutations are possible at Reqqa. The previous time, we visited the huge Reqqa Cave (let’s phase out calling this cave Billinghurst!)and on the way back, we visited another cave, which lies due East of Reqqa Cave. Due to its depth we had a very brief look, this time we decided to first visit this cave, then progress along the wall past the entrance to Reqqa Cave, and then pass on the outside of the reef on the way back.

So after a brief snorkel swim we descended on the East side of the reef, and soon we could see the cave entrance below. The cave lies at about 36m – max depth reached inside was 37.5m. The bed is quite silty so good buoyancy and an anti-silt stirring finning like the frog kick is required here. If then the silt does end up stirred, here there

- Gozo 04/11/2012

Base photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Edward Vella

Article Edward Vella

is no real danger of disorientation, since the cave is not deep and the exit is large, but it would mean the end of any photographic session for example! Since there is a degree of light penetration, even though the cave mouth faces North, there are quite a number of colourful sponges. We also noted a good number of long spined sea urchins (Centrostephanus longispinus), a tubeworm with unusual white plumes, and also a small Pinna nobilis.

As per plan, our dive then took us further along the wall until we went past the huge entrance of Reqqa Cave , and then started our way back, keeping ourselves away from the shore wall, and towards the outside of the reef. We swam in mid water until we got there. We had spent some time in the cave and so we kept careful watch on our buoyancy control. The sea bed really starts to fall away here.

This time we did not encounter the large groupers which are frequently seen here, and we had resigned ourselves to another of those not too rare blank runs, but then, in a recess quite close to the Atlantis’ anchor, we actually found a large one – 45cm plus – so at least there was some consolation at the end.

So OK il-Blata tal-Melh has to wait, but who is counting - as long as there is Reqqa Point.

Photo by Joe Formosa

Photo by Joe Formosa

Wied il-Ghasri -

We were meant to dive at Hagret il-General (Fungus Rock) on this particular day but the weather dictated otherwise. A strong southeasterly wind had generated a significant swell but a southwesterly wind had been expected to freshen so this made the choice of dive site rather difficult. In the end we decided to try our luck along the northern Gozo coastline. The swell from the east south-east dogged us for most of the trip until we anchored just outside Wied il-Ghasri. This, for me, was a happy choice of divesite since this area is rich in marine caves and most of these are quite spectacular.

Our dive plan was simple. We decided to start with Cathedral cave (Ghar ir-Rih) and then proceed to Ghar il-Qamh further east. Cathedral cave has got to be one of the most beautiful marine caves in the Maltese islands. The sun lights up the cave by reflecting off the sandy bottom just outside the cave entrance and this intense blue light gives a magical aura to the cave. Once inside, divers can surface in a large chamber (hence the name cathedral cave) and behold the spectacle. Some additional light enters the cave from a slit-like opening located about two metres above the sea level. This also allows fresh air to enter the cave and one can breathe easier here, unlike Ghar il-Kbir at Reqqa. The cave bottom slopes steeply and is occupied with many large boulders which must have originated from partial roof collapse.

Cathedral Cave (aka Ghar ir-Rih) - Gozo 11/11/2012 I would hate to be inside this cave while a northwesterly storm hits the area. The pressure generated by storm waves must be intense and would account for dislodging the large boulders from the cave roof. Further testimonies to the forces generated by such wave action are two circular shafts located in the inner recesses of the cave. These are man-made features which were meant to supply salt water to feed the salt pans found just above the cave. Historical documents show that these shafts had to be closed off since salt water, spraying out of them, was ruining the cultivated fields surrounding the area.

Once outside Cathedral cave, we headed east towards Ghar il-Qamh keeping relatively shallow; mostly no deeper than 20 metres. There is an interesting and promising cave half-way to Ghar il-Qamh which needs to be explored systematically.

I strongly advise divers not to try exploring this without the necessary skills and equipment. The outer chamber is heavily silted and the slightest stir would reduce viability to zero. This chamber is probably the only way out and, once stirred up, may easily become a lethal trap.

Ghar il-Qamh is an interesting cave which exhibits features caused by surface water flow dating back to the last ice age. One of these is a deeply-incised channel but there are also quite a few pot-holes cut into the bedrock. This cave is exposed to wave action and this can be seen by the rounded boulders lying on the bottom but it is evident that there have been more recent episodes of cave collapse.

Article & photos by Tano RolĂŠ

Throughout the dive we encountered no larger fish life; just a couple of small grouper – about 20cm in length. It seems that the shoreline area has been fished out and this is quite characteristic of most of the north-western Gozitan coast. We keep seeing a great deal of lost fishing gear; including traps, nets and fishing lines.

When we headed back towards the boat, which was anchored just off Wied il-Ghasri, we realised that we still had plenty of air left so Alex, Edward, and I proceeded towards Ghar iz-Zokkor; located further west from Wied il-Ghasri.

There was a large shoal of small fish (vopirella) in this cave, along with several jellyfish (Pelagia spp.) which seem to have been swept into the cave by currents. We had a difficult time trying to avoid the jellyfish but there were several bristleworms feeding on those that were damaged and had sunk down to the bottom.

The western cave wall warrants further exploration but, by this stage, we were getting low on air and had to return to the boat.

In all, it was a marathon of a dive. We managed to get inside three caves but had to swim quite a distance. For me, this is true value!

Return to

Wied il-Ghasri

Much like the previous Sunday, and a couple of Sundays earlier, we were meant to be diving at Hagret il-General (Fungus Rock) but our plans had to be changed yet again because of the weather. This time, it was worse than the previous Sunday since, not only was it showing signs of stronger winds from the southwest, but the sky was totally overcast. It even rained as we surfaced after the dive.

- Gozo 18/11/2012 Article Tano Rolé

Photo: Joe Formosa

During the previous Sunday boat dive; I had spied the entrance to a cave, deep below us, while we were on our way to Ghar iz-Zokkor. We, therefore, decided to check out this “deep cave” which I had estimated to be at some 35 metres depth. I had caught sight of the “entrance” on another two occasions last year but I was always low on air and would have got into some punishing decompression if I tried to descend to that depth. I had even braved the steps at Wied il-Ghasri and made a shore dive searching for it. This large “entrance” kept calling me much like the sirens on Ulysses’ voyage of the Odysseus. I was so keen to explore the cave that I was secretly thankful that we had changed our plan to dive at Hagret il-General and returned to this site.

Imagine my disappointment when this promising entrance turned out to be almost totally filled by sand. Only two small, narrow, shafts could be identified above the sand but it was impossible to enter these. Under all that sand there is a large cavern which must have been carved out when the sea level was much lower than at present. It’s a pity that I would have to wait for another Ice Age before I can explore it!

Visibility, during this dive, was poor and the seabed was covered by a fine layer of silt which billowed into plumes at the slightest approach. Each diver looked like he, or she, was setting off miniature atom bombs as we swam underwater. All this silt must have come from Wied il-Ghasri following the heavy rainfall that Gozo had experienced a few of days earlier. There were even leaves from terrestrial plants strewn about the seabed.

The second part of the dive plan was to visit Ghar iz-Zokkor which is located further west from Wied il-Ghasri. This is a curiously shaped cave which obviously developed along a vertical joint or fault line. This must have facilitated the passage of groundwater along lines of geological weakness. In fact, the cliffs in the immediate vicinity of the cave show a remarkable series of vertical fractures. The most interesting part of the cave is on the western cave wall where one of these fault lines, or joint, has been widened into a narrow ravine. The rock walls here have been smoothed by the passage of running water and erosion has produced some interesting formations.

Ghar iz-Zokkor is quite shallow in that the entrance to the cave is only 10 metres deep and it is about 15 metres wide but, just inside the cave is a depression which extends down to 16 metres. There are several pot holes with near-vertical sides and some are even 6 metres deep. It is quite probable that the depression just inside the cave entrance may have been carved out of the bedrock by a series of pot holes which coalesced to form a big depression. All of the pot holes we saw during the dive had some rounded rocks resting on the bottom. These rocks are primarily responsible for deepening the pot holes since they get spun around with the passage of running water. As such, they can be considered as “teeth” which are very effective in deepening the pot hole. Such pot holes probably originated when fresh water drained out of the cave but rising sea levels brought wave action to the location and the process accelerated. Ghar il-Qamh, further east, has similar pot holes and it is worth noting that both entrances of these caves point towards the north-west. Therefore, they are both exposed to violent Majjistral storms.

The low visibility and gloomy weather ensured that we did not stay in the water for our customary long dive times so we were back on the boat in less than one hour. Even the rebreather boys did not spend a long time underwater. I managed to take a few shots of them while breathing off their units above water as well as below it!

The best part of the trip was the return journey when Anton brought along a nice supply of galletti, dips, and cheeses which were devoured at no slower rate than a UN refugee camp! The crowning glory was Reuben’s birthday cake which was ceremonially cut with Ruben’s dive knife. We joked that this gave a suspiciously fishy taste to the cake! Once again...

Happy birthday to Ruben!

Base photo: Joe Formosa

Crocodile Rock

- Gozo 25/11/2012

Article by Edward Vella

Photo: Joe Formosa

Photo: Edward Vella Base photo: Joe Formosa Photo: Edward Vella

This was the third time this year that the Atlantis II discharged the Atlam divers at the Crocodile Rock at Dwejra. Actually, on the day the weather was unusual – it has been really a long time since the sea happened to be so calm. It was a real flat mirror calm – not even in summer had we been in such conditions. The cliffs at Ta’ Cenc reflected as in a landscape painted for tourists….

And these conditions brought on a debate, as to whether to maintain the declared destination of the dive – Xlendi Reef, or given the excellent conditions, to press on further along the Gozo’s West coast to the Crocodile. In the end it was put to the vote, and well no prizes for guessing which was the preferred!

Actually this did not come as a surprise. In almost every dive that I myself have done at Crocodile Rock, there have been sightings of large fish and other sea life. This time, it was no exception. At first, it looked like the visibility was a bit lower than usual, but at depth it improved, however we did not have time to stay evaluating the visibility,

because on reaching the slope, before we realised what was going on, we found ourselves in a shoal of barracuda – how is that to start a dive eh? They were close to the sea bed, and obviously as soon as the divers invaded, the procession of barracudas took to the deep. A brief but significant encounter.

We adopted the usual dive pattern for this site – that is after the descent, we stayed a bit on the boulder slope, and then start a gradual ascent until we reached the reef wall. This heading was to be maintained until we reached the cavern which the tourist dive brochures call Roger’s Cave, and then back track along the reef ascending still.

So with this agreed plan, we left the barracudas, and started the gradual ascent. Then out in the blue we saw a shoal of what I at the time thought were amberjacks (acciol), but later during the après dive discussion, someone said that those were actually what in Maltese are called Sawrel talImperjal (Pseudocaranx dentex ) English: White Trevally.

I was still intrigued by this, so I looked them up on the

internet, and now after looking at the photographs which were taken there, I am not sure if what we saw could have been Trachinotus ovatus, Maltese: Strilja, English: Derbio.

If any of the divers present have positive identification, please let us know.

Only a couple of minutes were spent in the cave, but in that time it seemed to me that this cave is suffering from the visits of too many divers. I do not know but I got the impression that there were more sponge and false coral growths before.

During the return leg, we found a large ‘cow’ nudibranch (Discodoris atromaculata), and after locating the dive start recess in the reef, we spent the remainder of the dive around the Atlantis’ anchor area. Here another encounter was made with a sizeable moray eel in its lair. Other divers, who reached the sand beneath the reef, came up raving with the sighting of what they insisted was a very large stingray. So not a bad dive at all - really not bad at all!

Atlam Dive Reunion 2012

T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E

DECEMBER 2012 NEW 2011 Atlam Committee Members :Nader Bassily President Joseph Azzopardi Secretary Albertine Risiott Treasurer Dorian Law Diving Officer Steve Farrugia Sacco Activity officer

Anton Debatista Activity Officer Simon Ciantar

PRO

nbassily@vol.net.mt antiva@go.net.mt albertinerisiott@gmail.com dorian71@maltanet.net steven@farrugiasacco advocates.com anton@nextgen.net.mt

sc.agn@waldonet.net.mt

IN THIS ISSUE page • Note from the Editor 2 • Dive Reunion 2012 2/3 • Species Page - Painted Comber- Edward Vella 4 • Cyprus - Zenobia Wreck - Guzi Azzopardi Falzon 5/7 • Dive Logs - Ta’ Cenc - 01/12/12 - Edward Vella 8 - Imperial Eagle - 16/12/12 Tano Rolé 9/10 - Dives Location Map - Joe Formosa 11

COPYRIGHT: All rights reserved. The authors retain all copyrights in any text, graphic images and photos in this e-magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.

www.atlam.org

Photo by: Joe Formosa

info@atlam.org

Editorial Note By the time that you are reading this, the Christmas presents would have been opened, and hopefully lots of diving goodies appeared and now you are probably looking forward to try them out in the environment for which they were built!

If you would flip (notice the word) to the last page to the boat dive map, and look at the last figure, you will notice that this year there have been 33 boat dives organised, starting from the 25th March up to the last one held on the 16th December, where we dived the Imperial Eagle – read the dive log. Here a big thank you must go to the man behind the organisation of these dives – our secretary Guzi Azzopardi! Should one think about the hassle that goes into the organisation of the club’s boat dives, it will immediately be realised that this is no mean task – but Guzi has been doing this work for a good number of years now without any fuss, so please show some gratitude and do not pass any more comments about him carrying a water heater on his back, or interrupt his meditation before the dive! Thanks again Guzi!

The Reunion Dive held on the 13th December at Cirkewwa! This year it was a huge success, firstly because of the large turnout of members – I had a look at the group photograph and counted 23, Turnout apart, all those participating really enjoyed the dive. According to plan, first to the underwater assembly point, the Rozi, where the proud Atlam banner was unfurled across her forecastle. Then all the divers left the Rozi for the second assembly point, at the entrance to the training area, where another photo session was held. All of this was followed by a third assembly, but this time on dry land for a drink at bar at Armier. This was club spirit at its best. In this issue you can see a video by Mario Mula and a pictorial reporting of the event.

And so here we are at the second Bubbles being uploaded on the Issuu website.

According to Issuu statistics, at the time of writing this article (Christmas Day), the magazine received 1068 impressions – that means, internet users who stopped to have a look but not necessarily read it, and 155 users who actually read it. We also know that out of these 155, there were 3 who read it in the UK, 2 in Germany, and 1 in the USA, so if we subtract these 6 international reads we are left with 149 local reads, this is very encouraging. Still we will be watching the statistics of the following issues. Remember that the sub-committee would really appreciate your feedback particularly on this subject. In addition, please do let us know what you like, and do not like in this e-magazine. Apart from making our life easier, it would also enable us to improve Bubbles.

We now look forward to an exciting 2013.

Keep Diving!

Edward Vella evella@onvol.net

Atlam Dive Reunion 2012 Video

Video shot and edited by Mario Mula

JOIN ATLAM SUBAQUA CLUB and share the fun & experience

Activities for Divers: • Shore Dives • Boat Dives • Night Dive • Diving Excursions Abroad • U/W Photo Competitions • Lectures on various subjects • Nitrox Courses.

• Free e-magazine

Activities for the whole family • Weekly Club Nights & Bar • Barbeques • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.

For more info contact the President Nader Bassily on 99499101

Atlam reunion divers - Photo by Ray Scerri Christmas spirit on the Rozi - Photo by Joe Formosa

Christmas spirit on the reef - Photo by Guzi Azzopardi Falzon

Rendevouz at Armier Bar - Photo by Guzi Azzopardi Falzon

Species Page Research by: Edward Vella

Photo Joe Formosa

In the photographic competitions held by our club, one of the most common subjects that is photographed is undoubtedly the Painted Comber (Serranus scriba) or as it is known in Maltese – Burqax. I truly suspect that we take the appearance of this fish for granted, since we have grown so used to it, but to a visiting diver making his first sighting, the colours of the Painted Comber must make it look as exotic as a Mediterranean fish can be. A look at the photographs on this page will surely help to illustrate this point.

Locally, the Painted Comber I would say is found in almost if not in all of the various marine environments around the Maltese Islands. It preys on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs and is in turn preyed upon (amongst others) by the red scorpion fish (this I did not know!). As regards size, this fish grows to a maximum of 20 to 35cm. The most common size which is encountered

Painted Comber is about 18cm or smaller, although once beneath the sheer cliffs known Rdum Dun Nazju, I saw an example which must have been about the above stated 35cm or even more.. As regards life expectancy, one specimen caught in a study to determine age, was found to be 16 years old. It was ironic that this unfortunate had to be taken apart to gain this knowledge!

Locally, there is a belief that this fish is reputed to indicate the presence of a nearby octopus by keeping its head pointing steadily in the mollusc’s direction.

This fish does have a habit of standing still in the water, and knowing this belief, several times I extended my look in the direction of which the Painted Comber’s (PC) head was pointing, but never saw the octopus…..until in a ‘textbook’ case under Gozo’s Sanap cliffs, I saw this PC staring fixedly, and sure enough there in its den was an octopus! Perhaps the fish feeds on the debris left behind by the octopus. In another similar case, I once took a picture of a moray eel in its den. When back at home, I then noticed that in the background, totally inside the moray’s den there was a PC – obviously not worrying of becoming a lower link in the food chain!

Painted combers are simultaneous hermaphrodites – which in common language means that they have both male and female reproductive organs on board! They do not self fertilise, however whenever approaching another specimen to mate, I should think that there is the risk of both fish becoming fertilised! Or what?

There is more to the Burqax than meets the eye!

Burqax

Photo: Edward Vella

Photo : Tano Role

January Species ­- Flying Gurnard (Bies/Garnaw) PLEASE SEND PHOTOS

CYPRUS- The Zenobia Wreck

Article and Photos by: Joseph Azzopardi Falzon Recently I had an opportunity to visit Cyprus with my friend Alfred Buhagiar, a beautiful country that has quite a lot to offer such as culture and history. The diving as you all may know is something that we love and therefore we planned to do four dives, two of them from the shore and other two on the Zenobia wreck, a ship sunk outside the port of Larnaca. It was a great experience because this ship is one of the top ten popular worldwide for you to visit. My friend and I took some pictures and videos while we were diving on it.

This ship, while it was on its way to Athens, the captain noticed steering problems and the Zenobia began listing (not remaining vertical) to its left (port). Following checks, it was determined the list was caused by excess water that had been pumped into the ballast tanks, this was pumped out and she then departed for Larnaca Cyprus which was the stop before the last before finally reaching Syria.

She arrived at Larnaca on 2 June 1980, but the ballast problem reoccurred. Its engineers discovered that this was due to its computerised pumping system which was pumping too much water into the side ballast tanks, making the list progressively worse. For some reason, the problem could not be solved, and on 4 June, the list got to the level that the Zenobia was towed out of Larnaca harbour to prevent her becoming an obstruction should she roll over, and was left at anchor roughly 1.5 – 2 km offshore. On 5 June, with the ship listing at 45° the captain sent off the engineers and the maintenance crew and made requests return her to Larnaca harbour, but these were denied.

At around 2:30am 7 June 1980, the Zenobia capsized and sank in Larnaca bay to a depth of roughly 42 metres (138 ft) taking her estimated £200 million worth of cargo with her. Although this resulted in a great loss, (more so if local rumours that the cargo was uninsured are true), it turned out that since her sinking she has become so popular a dive site for visitors to Cyprus, that she was named as one of the world’s top ten dive sites.

As a dive site, the Zenobia provides a variety of dive profiles, from a fairly simple dive to 16 metres (52 ft) depth along the starboard side of the ship (suitable for new divers); moving up to a more advanced dive inside the upper car deck and accommodation block, right up to very demanding dives within the lower car deck or the engine room.

Although all of the crew were safely taken off the ship before she sank, since then the wreck has claimed the lives of four scuba divers. There was also a truckload of animals on board who died when the ship went down; one can still see their bones in one of the wagons on the main deck. There is also a full cargo of eggs on the sea bed at 42 mts. You can also see a good amount of big fish, like groupers and barracudas. I recommend visiting Cyprus and the Zenobia wreck.

Not all dives come together as planned, this was one of them, but as my buddy said, such dives then help one appreciate more when they do! Then again, it was not such a waste of time, it was more that we have done this dive so many times, that we end up taking it for granted. I am sure that if we had a total newcomer or a foreign guest with us, he would have fully enjoyed this dive, and as so as many things are in life – it is all relative!

Perhaps this article was started off in this manner because the announced dive site was Wied il-Mielah on Gozo’s Northern coast, which is not frequently dived, but then the weather conditions dictated otherwise, so when the decision was taken to dive what has to be the most Atlam boat-dived site, the expectations took a hit!

The divers where split into several dive patterns. There were those that decided to drop into the mouth of the Mgarr ix-Xini inlet with the top priority to photograph those elusive sea horses, which are known to run wild among the posedonia prairies. So after dropping these cowboys, the Atlantis headed West along the coast to drop the remaining divers. Some of these headed for the deep in their rebreathers, and another group decided to stay shallow to explore a particular cave whose entrance lies at about 9m. We were in this group. Finally, all of these divers were to head for and be collected at the previously mentioned inlet.

The Atlantis skipper asked us to make haste in entering the sea, since conditions were pushing the boat towards the rocks. Surface conditions were a bit turbulent. Visibility was adequate, but lower than what has been encountered here in past dives. There was also a light but noticeable current which we would find against us all the way.

As it was, it must have been the wave action, since we kept low which caused me a slight stomach upset. I let the dive leader know, but somehow, it righted itself almost immediately, and it was all systems green again!

Soon we came to the cave entrance, but after evaluating the situation – four divers, possible surge inside the cave, lowered visibility, and one of them having signalled a potential physical problem (me!), dive leader Tano decided to leave the cave exploration for another dive. Lesson to be learnt is that the one of the biggest mistakes to be made in diving is to get into the ‘at all costs mentality’. The good diver is a patient person.

Ta’ Cenc

- Gozo 01/12/2012

We therefore proceeded towards the inlet where two other caverns awaited. As it was, we only entered into the first which is found more or less at the corner between the Ta’ Cenc ‘alley’, and the Mgarr ix-Xini inlet. The sloping floor of this cavern is very silty, and here care must be taken not to stir it up, not because of safety considerations, but because

Article Edward Vella

it would immediately put an end to any photography.

But in spite of us not having explored the cave we wanted, and the sea horse seekers finding only grass, we all agreed that it was not so bad after all. We sometimes underestimate the value of just being underwater!

Base photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Joe Formosa

Hermit Crab with Murex type shell

Photo by Edward Vella

Spiny starfish devouring a sea urchin.

Fan worn - Spirographis spallanzani

Imperial Eagle Wreck This proved to be the last ATLAM boat dive for 2012 and, true to form, we ended the year on a high note. I think that the Imperial Eagle is one of the best wreck dives in the Maltese Islands since it has all the ingredients necessary for a truly satisfying dive: good depth, a good-sized wreck, a reef leading to shallower waters, a small cavern, and the statue of Kristu il-Bahhar.

Who could ask for more? No wonder that there were several bookings for this dive; in fact we were overbooked and, in the true spirit of Christmas, Guzi, Nader, and Simon kindly gave up their places in order to respect the dive boat passenger limit.

The boat that Guzi had chartered was not

- Malta 16/12/2012

our usual, larger; Atlantis and we were therefore limited to a maximum of 18 divers.

At least the boat trip was much shorter than usual and, within a few minutes, we were tied up at the dive site.

I have seen the wreck occasionally coated with Flabellina nudibranchs such that parts of the superstructure looked like it had been painted purple. Unfortunately, this was not the case on this day, but there were still quite a few nudibranchs; offering good photographic opportunities. I took several photos of two of these Flabellina but, upon later inspection at home, not a single shot was acceptable! There was a slight current on the deck which made extreme close-

Article Tano RolĂŠ

ups rather difficult. I also noted that several other photographers (especially the SLR group) had set up their wide-angle lenses which were useless for macro work.

Dives on the Imperial Eagle are always special for me. Perhaps a part of this is because I am proud to have formed part of the group that contributed to its sinking. I had reviewed and rewrote the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) back in 1997 which was submitted to the Planning Authority of the time. Such an EIS was an essential requirement for the issuing of a planning permit.

An old photo of the Imperial Eagle ferry tied up along the Marfa jetty Photos by Edward Vella

I was lucky enough to dive on the wreck, just after it had been scuttled (early afternoon of 19th July 199), to check whether it had settled upright on the seabed but the visibility was so bad that we could not even see it! We saw what looked like shadows of a mast or superstructure but, as we swam towards them, they seemed to disappear.

It was very probably just the sediment that had been disturbed by the ship hitting the seabed. What was worse than missing the wreck was the fact that we had run up a fair amount of decompression and we spent more than thirty minutes suspended below the delayed SMB as we drifted with the current. Thank goodness that the boat had spotted the SMB and kept track with us.

In contrast to that first abysmal dive on the wreck, the visibility on our last boat dive was excellent. We could see the entire ship as we descended and made for the bow.

I tried to take a few photos of a Flabellina nudibranch (which upon later inspection turned out to be totally out of focus) and followed this up with a quick tour of the deck but it was soon time to head for the statue of the Christ. I have several pictures of this statue but I tried to take photos from some new angles and even these did not turn out as I had expected.

It was soon time to head for the shot line and we ascended to our first deep stop.

All the other divers started to congregate along the shot line, and even the anchor rope, and pretty soon it started getting rather busy.

It was during this time that Lars approached me with outstretched hand and, after some time, I realised that he was showing me a small bit of “moving seaweed” on his glove. This turned out to be a small Mantid shrimp which was moving in a distinctive

manner; much like a leech would move on land. These shrimps are easily recognised by the fact that they hold their claws in the same way that a praying mantis also holds them on land. As I looked at my own glove I also saw that there were about a dozen similar organisms there. These seemed to have hitched a ride as I was hanging on to the permanently anchored shot line.

Moreover, the variety of life was astonishing and intriguing. Here was a beautiful ecosystem developing on a vertical rope just a few metres from the surface. Most of them seemed to feed and depend on the

algae growing on the rope but the Mantid shrimp and some other, possibly juvenile crustaceans, looked like they might be carnivorous. However, they had one thing in common- they were all camouflaged to look like the algae growing on the rope.

I had about 12 minutes of decompression but this seemed like the quickest decompression stop ever. This was the first time in my long diving career that I was reluctant to leave a decompression stop!

The next time you are diving the Imperial Eagle, have a good look at the rope – it may surprise you.

Mantid shrimps on Tano’s gloves

Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon

Base photo by Edward Vella

Photo by Joseph Azzopardi Falzon