IN THIS ISSUE
T HE A TL AM SU BA QUA CLUB E-M A GA ZINE
JULY / AUGUST 2015 2015 Atlam Committee Members :Joseph Azzopardi President guzeppi56@gmail.com Anton Debattista Secretary andeb@go.net.mt Alfred Muscat PRO superfredie@yahoo.com Klaus Farrugia Treasurer klafster@gmail.com Reuben Borg Activity Officer reuben.borg@yahoo.com Alvin Pace Activity Officer tamsinjane@yahoo.com Victor Fabri Photography Off. vfabri@gmail.com
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Note from the Editor 2 Atlam Events - 60th Ann | Club House Opening 2 Atlam Photo Comp - DSLR/Compacts 2015 3/8 Species Page - Tuna - Edward Vella 9 Gas Management- Dorian Law 10/13 Book of the Month - Pirates - Dorian Law 14 Photography Day BBQ - Victor Fabri 15 Dived Overseas - Gansbaai - Dorian Law 16/17 Dive Logs Mi©ra il-Fer˙a - 05.07.1 5 - Edward Vella 18 Xlendi - 12.07.15 - Edward Vella 19 G˙ar id-Dwieb - 19.07.15 - Edward Vella 20 Fungus|St Maria Caves - 28.07.15 - Pictorial 21 Crocodile Rock - 02.08.15 - Edward Vella 22 Dwejra Blue Hole - 09.08.15 - Edward Vella 23 Ras il-Óobs - 16.08.15 - Edward Vella 24 Double Arch - 07.06.15 - Edward Vella 25 Irdum is-Sar© - 30.08.15 -Tano Rolé 26 Dives Map - Joe Formosa 27
Atlam U/W Photographic Competition July 2015 Compact Cameras Category 1st placed - Tano Role Photo - one of set of three see entries pages 3 to 8
www.atlam.org
The Editorial This year happens to be the 60th year of Atlam’s existence, and to further savour this diamond anniversary, our brand new clubhouse at Bahar ic-Caghaq will be officially opened on the 10th October. For sure it was a long, hard and tortuous road that finally led to all of this actually happening – thanks to the hard work of successive committees, who personally had to go through some genuinely hard times. When we look at the clubhouse, sit at the bar or perhaps sit listening to a lecture or presentation, spare a thought for these dedicated Atlam divers who made the previously mentioned possible. Thanks to the excellent weather conditions of the last two months, and no doubt thanks to the choice of dive sites by our indefatigable Activity Officer Reuben (helped along by none other than President Guzi), there have been nine very well attended boat dives. One hopes that this level be maintained as the seasons drift and the sea starts getting colder, although at the moment, there is no sign of that starting to happen. One can see the Dive Logs starting off from page 18. One can also see on Atlam’s facebook page, normally that same Sunday evening, the now customary shots of the jolly divers taken on the boat dive before and after the dive. (Normally one can tell that the picture was taken after the dive because of the abnormal number of divers holding yellow coloured cans.) Remaining on the light exposure theme, the step that the committee took to appoint a specific role of Photography Officer to promote underwater photography bears witness to the interest that there is within Atlam on this subject. To date, PO Victor has overseen three competitions, and also established firm links with renowned photographer Kevin Casha from the Malta Institute of Professional Photographers (MIPP), who generously assists with the judging. Having a judge of this stature greatly contributes to the enthusiasm of participating. The entries of the competition held on the 29th July during a night dive at Wied iz-Zurrieq may be seen from page 3 onwards, and on the cover. This time the winner from the compact cameras section gets the cover, next Bubbles it will be the first of the DSLRs!
On the occasion of the
60thAnniversary of the Atlam Subaqua Club THE
New Atlam Club Premises at Ba˙ar ic-Çag˙aq are going to be inaugurated on
Saturday 10th October 2015 at 8:30p.m. Attendance is strictly by invitation
Again lots of well attended social activities were on the calendar. On the the 17th July, a barbecue was held during which Mr Kevin Casha presented certificates to those who participated and successfully completed the Photographic Course held in the previous weeks. Then on the 6th August Ms Carmen Mifsud under the Life + Migrate Action programme conducted a very interesting presentation titled, “Training on Cetaceans and Turtle Identification.” The 18.08.2015 being World Photography Day celebrated the occasion with MIPP members in a very well attended barbecue at the Bahar ic-Caghaq Clubhouse. Keep Diving!
Edward Vella evella@onvol.net
Tul Il-Kosta, Ba˙ar Iç-Çag˙aq, Naxxar NXR 9038, Malta. email: info@atlam.org | web: www.atlam.org
ATLAM UnderWater PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION DSLR Camera Category
1st Place - Mario Micallef These and the following photos are the entries of all the competitors in the Compact Camera Category 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. Only 1st, 2nd and 3rd places have been announced the remaining photos are displayed according to the competition registration number.
Second Place: Victor Fabri
Third Place: Joseph Azzopardi Falzon
Guzi Azzopardi
George Mugliett
ATLAM UnderWater PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION JULY 2015 Compact Camera Category 1st Place - Tano RolĂŠ These and the following photos are the entries of all the competitors in the Compact Camera Category 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.
Second Place: Edward Vella
Third Place David Agius
Veronica Busuttil
Derek Desira
Species Page Research and photo by Edward Vella
Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna
(Tonn) - Thunnus thynnus
Although not a species which is commonly encountered while scuba diving, there is a surefire way to procure an encounter. Make a tuna pen dive! Some divers object to making this dive since tuna penning has been responsible for the further depletion of tuna stocks, and of course everyone knows the ultimate fate that awaits the pen occupiers, but if one wants to guarantee seeing at close – very close – quarters and realise what a massive fish and Atlantic Bluefin Tuna can be …… As its name implies, the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna inhabits both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and also the Mediterranean. Indeed, of the two known spawning areas, one is close to Spain’s Balearic Islands, where these fish assemble in large numbers to mate. Unfortunately, this is when most tuna ranchers strike to capture individuals for fattening in the previously mentioned floating pens. This is an apex predator, that is a predator which has no other predator in the sea. Danger comes from its commercial value due to the global demand for its flesh. This demand has been there for many centuries; indeed many Mediterranean communities have flourished on processing the tuna. Nowadays however, the story has become different. Driven by the high prices and the high-tec means at the disposal of the modern fisherman, stock levels of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna have become depleted enough for this species to be declared as endangered.
This is a big fish! A typical 15 year old can weigh in at 250 kilos and be about 2.5 metres long, older (and larger) individuals may also be in their fiftieth year and over 3 metres. Tuna feed off large quantities of small fish like herring and mackerel – this is one of the problems in maintaining tuna in cages. A very large amount of fish is required to fatten the bluefins, so large that it might become the herring and mackerel’s turn to become endangered.
September-October Cardinal Fish Sultan iç-Çawl PLEASE SEND PHOTOS
Another tuna feature (which I learnt while researching this article), is that these fish are warm blooded, and can also maintain a constant body temperature. The warm blood helps to supply its huge muscles with energy to power the fish along, and make it possible to operate in the cold but rich north Atlantic waters. Bluefin tuna can make bursts of 20 knots, and maintain 8 – I would not want to be a sardine! Unfortunately, at these times, the story of this large fish has become yet another one about our world’s strained resources. With so many mouths to feed, and the fabulous prices that tuna fetches, it will take a determined struggle to overcome the greed of the ranchers and processors. Let us hope that the battle will not continue to be a losing one.
Tank (Cylinder) Volume or Pressure. Your indication of the amount of air in the tank is expressed in Bars on the pressure or contents gauge, sometimes also referred to as SPG (system pressure gauge). This is the Tank Pressure at which the tank is filled and varies depending on the filling pressure relieve valve setting or the accuracy of the visual indication to the tank filler. A more accurate pressure measurement should be taken when the tank temperature has been lowered and stabilized after refill. The actual Tank Volume of air inside the tank is calculated as follows; Tank Volume of Air (in Litres) = Tank Pressure (in Bars) x Internal Tank (Water) Volume (in Litres).
Gas Management.
For example, a 15ltr cylinder filled with air at a pressure of 220Bars will give a total tank volume of 3300ltrs. This would be the total air available at the surface at the start of the dive. A reminder from the Physics of Diving theory lesson, most probably done with CMAS 3Star Instructor Mr. Ray Scerri, ‘Since diving tanks are incompressible, there is no change to the water / internal volume of the tank with changes in depth and pressure, thus whatever air pressure you have at the surface will be the same at 30, 60 or 90metres’; …just in case someone starts asking silly questions! I will use the Volume in the calculations made and refer back to Pressure when deemed important.
Air Consumption. Dear Atlam divers, If I should pose the question, ‘How long are your dives?’; many would answer, ‘Depends how deep you go!’. This might be a good answer, but to my opinion the best answer should be ‘Depends how much air you take down with you!’. The total tank air volume, or cubic capacity, can decrease at a certain rate depending on many factors like breathing rate, the pace of the dive, trim and weighting, equipment maintenance and leaks. Suggested reading is a previous article on the Bubbles of September 2010 ‘Air Consumption’ via Atlam Sub Aqua Club website. More, on equipment maintenance in the next issues of the Bubbles. Unfortunately, whatever air we take down with us during any particular dive, determines the time we spend underwater, although as previously mentioned, we can influence the length of our stay underwater by various factors. This article deals only with gas management, that is, management of the quantity of air in your cylinder/s. So let’s start.
Air consumption rate as a volume, or Respiratory Minute Volume (RMV), sometimes referred to as Surface Air Consumption rate, is the amount of gas inhaled or exhaled from a person’s lungs in one minute. It is measured in a laboratory by a device capable of cumulatively measuring gas flow, such as mechanical ventilators or by a Wright respirometre. Since not every diver has access to such instruments, further on I will indicate an alternative and safe method of calculating your RMV. Various factors influence the value of a person’s RMV and these should be taken into account when applied to the calculations made further on. These factors include the physical built of each individual, dive depth, experience, stress and fatigue
levels. During planning, it is worth remembering that the demands put on the diver by the dive site or plan, might demand the application of more conservative RMV values than would a normal dive which is normally planned by using average RMV values.
Respiratory Rate. The Respiratory Rate in breaths per minute is averaged at about 15, increasing to over 30 during strenuous exercise. Air management and conservation is based primarily around this rate. The highest air consumption is achieved both when the respiratory rate is low but with very deep breathing, such as during the recovery period after a strenuous part of the dive and also when shallow breathing at a high respiratory rate, such as during a panic instance. Slow breathing is the target. Avoid the pattern where all the inhaled air is forcefully expelled, followed by breathing in a lung-ful of new air. Just remember, that approximately 5 litres of air (Vital Capacity) are needed to fill the lungs after each forceful expulsion. This has to be compared with the relatively lower 0.5 litre of air (Tidal Volume) exchanged during normal breathing. RMV Values. Various clinical studies on healthy males, show that the average RMV values in litres / minute, are as follows; at rest 8, light exercise 15, moderate exercise 50 and strenuous exercise above 90. These are just indicative and the figure of 25 is normally used by many divers as a rough estimate. The calculations in the next section will provide the user with his personal RMV values. Calculating RMV. For this part of the calculation you need the following; a dive site with a relatively flat bottom (suggested depth of 30 + 2metres, although any depth will do), a reliable tank pressure gauge (contents gauge, digital is preferable), watch, slate and depth gauge. The tank pressure at the surface is not important at this stage. The procedure is as follows: Place yourself at the chosen depth, ideally about 1 or 2 metres above the bottom. Write the depth and the ‘Start’ tank pressure on the slate. Move at the chosen pace for10minutes, noting if there is any influence of current
which is undesirable and might influence the outcome. Write the ‘End’ tank pressure after the 10minutes. The paces chosen should be slow, medium and all out, so as to simulate various conditions from a relaxed to a demanding dive. The above procedure should also be repeated, maybe with different equipment configuration, to get a better average value. The slate should read something like this; Depth : 30 Mtr | Start: 200 Bar | End : 195 Bar (more accurate figure with a digital contents gauge) This means that in 10 minutes, 5 Bars were consumed, that is 0.5 Bar per minute at 30 metres. Since dive planning is made for different depths, we need to first convert this 30 metre RMV value to the Surface RMV (SRMV) value. Again from the Physics of Diving theory, the Absolute Pressure at a depth of 30 metres is 4 Bar (30/10 + 1).
The calculation of SRMV is as follows; SRMV (Bars / minute) = [(Start – End) divided by Time] divided by Absolute Pressure In our example, SRMV = [(200-195) / 10] / 4 = 1.25Bars / minute For a 15 ltr cylinder this would have resulted in a SRMV of 18.75 litres / minute (1.25 Bars x 15 litres = rounded up to 19). This value now become the base value to be used during the planning phase, dependent on what conditions are expected during the dive. For example, a dive where current is expected would require the use of the most conservative values, that is, the highest SRMV rate.
Dive Gas Management.
The Dive.
Described next, is a typical deep dive on air only. The profile is kept simple in terms of decompression stops so that the concept of gas calculation is explained. An important note at this point, are the three safety factors which might be used in air quantity calculations, as described below.
Depth: 60Metres Bottom Time: 15 minutes Decompression stops: 2 min@12 mtr, 4@9, 6@6 and 15@3 plus 3 minutes safety stop. Ascent Rate: 10 mtrs / minute Air calculation / requirements as follows; To avoid over complication and possible errors, the air requirements for ascent should be included with that of the deepest part of the dive until reaching the first decompression stop. This is more conservative and it is safer to err on the conservative side. Otherwise, air requirement for ascent should be done in steps of 10 metres with a reduction in the Absolute Pressure of 1 Bar /10 metre ascent. The decompression air requirements are also taken at the next deeper 10 metre interval. In this case the 12 metre stop is calculated at 20 metres, while the 3, 6 and 9 metre stops are calculated at 10 metres. Again, for anyone wishing to calculate precisely, the absolute pressure should be calculated as follows:
The Reserve Gas, are those famous 50 Bars reserve air that should be left in the tank at the end of the dive. Without going into this argument, I would like to make only one dive safety statement that should sink very deep into every diver’s mind; ‘It is best to make it a habit of ending the dive with 50 Bars in the tank and not use it, rather than, needing once the reserve air and not find it’. So when starting the calculation of gas required for a particular dive, the 50 Bar reserve air multiplied by the Internal Tank Water Volume should be subtracted from the Tank Air Volume. The Buddy Factor includes applying a safety factor to allow for extra air for your buddy. This includes multiplying the air values by 2, which is sometimes also multiplied by 3 (Rule of 3) or 4 for added safety. These calculations are not used by those who argue in favor of the Self-sufficient or Solo diver concept. This does not necessarily mean diving alone but planning to be self-sufficient especially in the event of losing contact with your buddy. In the calculations used below, the Self-sufficient concept is used, so the air quantities are multiplied by 1. Any factor can be used and applied, depending on the user’s preference. With dives requiring Multiple or Decompression Gases, it is advisable to work the calculations based on the primary dive gas. This is an important safety factor because at the start of decompression, no one wants to find a failure in the decompression tank regulator or worst still, an empty decompression tank due to a leak during the dive. With this safety factor applied, even if it takes longer, decompression can still be carried out on the primary dive gas. With multiple gases, such as travel / dive / deco gas combination, calculations are made in steps / blocks according to the gas being used. Although more complex (even to explain in this article) the basic concept still remains the same.
Absolute Pressure (Bars) = [ Depth (in Metres) divided by 10] + 1 For example, Absolute Pressure at the 6 metre stop = [ 6 / 10 ] + 1 = 1.6 Bar. The next equation is applied to get the air requirement for any stage of the dive; Air Quantity (Ltrs) = Absolute Pressure x Time Spent x Surface Respiratory Minute Value. In our case, the air requirements work out as follows; Air Quantity from surface to 1st decompression stop = 7 (abs. press. @ 60 metres) x 20 (15 min dive time + 5 min to reach 12 metres @ 10 metre/minute ascent) x 19 = 2660 litres. Air Quantity @ 12 metres = 3 (abs. press. @ 20 metres) x 2 (deco stop) x 19 = 95 litres. Air Quantity till end of dive = 2 (abs. press. @ 10 metres) x 29 (deco and safety stops and 1 minute ascent to the surface) x 19 = 1102 litres. Dive Air Quantity = 2660 + 95 + 1102 = 3857 litres.
To account for a 50 Bar reserve on any cylinder filled to 200 Bar or more, the following calculation is made; Required Tank Air Volume = Dive Air Quantity x 1.333 In our case Required Tank Air Volume = 3857 x 1.333 = 5142 litres. This is then divided by the normal tank fill pressure of 200 Bar to get the cylinder size required for the dive; Tank Size = Required Tank Air Volume / Tank Fill Pressure In our case, Tank Size = 5142 / 200 = 26 litres. A twin-12 ltr setup could be used, only if filled at 220 Bar. Turn-back : Tank Pressure vs Time. Many dives are planned with a turn-back philosophy, where either tank pressure or time, determine when the divers turn back towards the exit point. The safest option is always tank pressure, since time is not an indication of how much air is still available to finish the dive safely. In both cases, although remembering or using the SRMV are not obligatory, it is best to know how much air, in Bars, are required to return back to the exit point or surface, including decompression and safety stops. Together with the 50 Bar reserve, this will determine the exact point in the dive when to turn back safely.
Emergency Air Management. There may come instances in a dive, where air has to be managed during an emergency. This normally includes three scenarios, including, buddy sharing or losing contact with the buddy when with or without air. During buddy sharing the scenario changes from the solo /self-sufficient diver to a diver in a group. The normal air requirements change to a factor multiplied by two. There are many scenarios where both divers can be placed, and various calculations can be made. The general rule of conduct during such an instance includes abandoning the dive and heading up towards the surface at the normal ascent rate of 10metres / minute or towards the exit point. Decompression stops, which should ideally be identical for both, are made, always depending on the air available. What happens, if the available air is not enough for the decompression requirements of both divers, is still
a highly discussed argument. The decision is best left for the judgment of both divers involved. With air available to continue the dive, if contact is lost with the buddy, the safety rule implies that, a search of about 1 minute is made followed by an ascent if the buddy is still not found. In many cases, as expected, the time searching for the buddy is much more than 1 minute and search is only stopped when the air available demands it. In any case, careful monitoring of the air available is priority. This will eliminate the possibility of having two divers requiring emergency aid or turning oneself from rescuer to diver in distress. Many divers ask what hopes are left to a diver who has lost contact with his buddy and has a problem with his air supply or has run out of air. This is the worst scenario, where the diver is without air. Technically speaking, the diver in this situation is ‘not really’ without air. Depending on the equipment used, some air is or might still be available, even if the amount is small. If the problem of air supply is the first stage regulator, the diver’s option is to remove the regulator from the pillar valve and breath air directly from the cylinder. This is done by slowly cranking open the pillar valve while holding the mouth open above the pillar in the air stream. This might take time to master in shallower water and the effect resembles that of a freeflow regulator but at a higher air flow. Alternatively, if a second regulator is available, maybe from a deco tank, a regulator change is the best option. With no air in the tank but deco air is available, the outcome is unpredictable and various factors have to be seriously taken into account. The crux of the matter here is Oxygen Toxicity with increased partial pressure versus Life Preservation due to loss of air. Oxygen toxicity above a partial pressure of 1.4 to 1.6 Bar is considered unsafe and an EAN 60 tank should be used at depths lower than 17 metres. Should the same tank be used at 60 metres the partial pressure of oxygen would be 4.2 Bar and at 40 metres 3 Bar, both values very high in oxygen toxicity levels. This will become more pronounced with time, where ascent time becomes saturation time, since it is advisable to lower the rate of ascent in such instance, due to the fact that an increase in carbon dioxide due to exertion might increase the effect of oxygen toxicity. It will take approximately 5 minutes to reach the 17 metre stop
where EAN 60 is safe to breath. Oxygen toxicity symptoms including seizure can be instant and severe or may not become present. Should this be the only option available and it is taken, it is best to switch over to a lower-oxygen content air as soon as possible, when and if this is available, to ‘de-saturate’ oneself of excess oxygen. The buoyancy compensator device (BCD) provides an air capacity of approximately 1 litre per kg of lift. So a 20 kg lift rated BCD would hold approximately 20 litres of air when fully inflated. With BCDs fitted with an inflation cylinder, this now becomes a constant air source. At any depth, some air will be in the BCD, irrespective of the air available in the tank. The deeper you are, the more air you put in the BCD to compensate for the negative buoyancy (at the specific absolute pressure). This air can be used in cases of emergency via the inflate / deflate valve or through a demand valve / alternate inflator, like the one fitted to the SCUBAPRO Air 2 BCDs. After inhaling the air from the BCD, the diver can exhale back the air inside the BCD, thus be reused. This is possible because humans consume only about 5% of the 21% oxygen inhaled. This cannot be prolonged due to the 5% used oxygen being replaced by carbon dioxide. During an ascent where the air in the BCD is expanding, it is advisable to exhale the air to the open water, since excessive air needs to be dumped from the BCD. Thus, a combination of exhaling back in the BCD and air expansion during an ascent, can bring the diver to the surface at a comfortable and safe rate of ascent varying between 10 and 20 metres per minute with minimal risk of barotrauma injuries. It is also worth considering the use of a direct feed from a deco tank to the BCD to be used in an out of air emergency. The EAN air fed is now mixed with air inside the BCD, thus lowering the value of the enriched oxygen content that is to be breathed during the emergency ascent. The dry suit can also be a source of extra air in an emergency. Although I have not found any information regards breathing through a dry suit while searching through the training schedules for dry suit diving of various diving organizations, I believe that it can be possible to breath air through one of the arm seals while in an upright position. Maybe next winter, I might ask someone to try it.
Gas Management Good Habits. Before the dive, it is important to perform a buddy check, including air pressure quantity, proper functioning of the second stage regulators, the general condition of the hoses and no hissing leak noises. If decompression tanks are used, check the marking on the regulators to be able to distinguish between deco, travel or dive gases. It is also important to verbalize the part of the plan regards air management, including time to start the ascent or turnback pressure quantity, together with the procedure to be made in emergency situations. Confirm the signals used for air quantity especially if diving with a new buddy. During the dive, constantly check your air and that of your buddy regularly. Check for any leaks on yourself and your buddy and ask your buddy to do the same for you. If any leak is small, this can be fixed on land after the dive. Apply good sense if leaks are not small or any of your breathing equipment malfunctions. Keep in mind that in case of emergency due to low air being available, the safest way might be via a controlled vertical ascent to the surface rather than a swim back underwater to the exit point. Air is what we need to survive as humans. Being underwater, air is not readily available, thus the use of dive tanks. We can only safely prolong our stay underwater by controlling four main factors; keeping fit to dive, good control of our breathing rate, perfect buoyancy and trim, and by managing the air that we take down with us. So next time you go diving, try to see which of these factors is making your dive time shorter. Enjoy safe diving,
Dorian Law
Book of the Month Review by Dorian Law Name of Book: Pirates, fact and fiction. Authors: David Cordingly and John Falconer. Publisher: Collins & Brown. ISBN Number: 978 – 1855851306. Book in short: The image of the pirate is one that has never failed to capture the imagination, but behind the melodramatic portrayals of such villains as Long John Silver, with wooden leg and eye-patch, lies a much harsher reality. Published to accompany an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, this book charts the history of piracy, from the Elizabethan buccaneers such as Sir Francis Drake to the privateers of the Caribbean and pirates of the China Sea. It looks at individuals like Blackbeard, Sir Henry Morgan, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and at how the popular portrayal of these characters has spawned a whole literary and cinematic genre, from ‘Robinson Crusoe’ to ‘Peter Pan’. Also examined are the tools of the pirate trade - maps and charts, flags, weapons and, not least, ships like the galley and junk, with the rich pickings that drove these men and women to such reckless exploits on the high seas. With colored photographs or sketches on each page complimenting the detailed information, this book is divided into four main chapters, namely;
The Spanish Main: A thorough look at the history of piracy with the discovery of the new continent, America. It starts with the Spanish run for gold in the late 14th century, ending with the loss of the pirates’ famous port, Port Royal, in the 18th century. The lives of famous individuals who made history in the area are described in detail. These include, Edward Teach ‘Blackbeard’, Sir Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake. The Barbary Corsairs: The main events that happened very close to our shores and around the Mediterranean basin are described in this chapter. Starting from the late 15th century and ending in the 18th century, the lives and adventures of Christian or Muslim corsairs such as Aruj and Khaired-Din better known as Brothers Barbarossa or Redbeard. Malta is also mentioned several times due to its location, mainly under the rule of the Knights of Saint John. The island’s use as a base along this period and as a provision of manpower to serve in this ’perfectly respectable and honorable profession’ are also described. Pirates in the Indian Ocean: The authors take us through a journey following the
pirates along the lucrative Eastern Trade Route. It starts from the Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar and the East African shores up to Egypt, then around India to the Bay of Bengal and the islands of Malaysia and Singapore. Famous buccaneers mentioned in this section include Henry Avery and William Kidd. Madagascar’s role in this area is also described, as are the history of the pirates’ flag, the ‘Jolly Roger’ and the pirates’ code of conduct. The Eastern Seas: A detailed description of piracy in the China Sea from as far South as the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines up the Chinese coast towards Korea and Japan. This includes the life and exploits of the founder of a pirate dynasty, Ching-Chi-Ling and his pirate wife Ching Shih, with an estimated head count of over 50,000 pirates. This journey continues until the founding of Singapore in the early 18th century and the interests of the British East India Company in the area, which eventually brought down the dominion of piracy in the area. A name that comes out of this chapter is that of Rajah James Brooke of Sarawak, who fought for the British against the Dyak pirates in the Borneo, better known from the television pirate series ‘Sandokan’.
Also described are the literary achievements of Daniel Defoe, author of the book ‘Robinson Crusoe’. He is also the author of what is perhaps the first autobiography of a real pirate, Captain Avery, portrayed in two books titled ‘The King of Pirates’ and ‘Captain Singleton’, two books worth reading and collecting. Other authors include, Robert Louis Stevenson of the most famous pirate novel ‘Treasure Island’ and Lord Byron with his book ‘The Corsair’ published in 1814 telling the story of Conrad, an Aegean pirate. The following quote from the introduction puts our island, Malta, at the center of such an intriguing subject; Pirates, and makes this, the book of the month: “There is and always has been much confusion between privateering and piracy and this needs some explanation. Similarly the words buccaneer and corsair are much bandied about…. The Corsair was the term used for privateers and pirates who operated in the Mediterranean. The most famous corsairs were those of the Barbary Coast of North Africa…. Less well known, are those Maltese corsairs who were granted licenses to attack the Turks by those martial Christians, the Knights of St. John.” Availability: Item R 910.45. Ex - Malta Public Library Personal note: Another great book to collect. Considered old and infrequently used, thus removed from the Malta Public Library. Well worth visiting this section.
Photography Day BBQ 18.08.2015
MIPP / Atlam celebrate World Photography Day Photos by Victor Fabri
Article compiled by Dorian Law
Gansbaai South Atlantic Ocean South Africa
Destination: Gansbaai is situated in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, 150km Southeast of Cape Town. The name means ‘Goose Bay’ after the colony of Egyptian geese that used to gather at the freshwater fountain in the present day Gansbaai Harbour. With a population of about 12000 people, Afrikaans as the first language and the African Rand as currency (1€ = 14 ZAR), Gansbaai is considered as the Great White Shark capital of the world.
Getting there: The fastest way to travel from Malta (MLT) to Cape Town (CPT) is via Istanbul (IST). It takes about 24hrs each way and a round trip with Turkish Airlines costs about €975. The cost of transfer from Cape Town to Gansbaai is about €50 per person including return. Car hire costs about €40 daily while an 8-person van costs €75 daily. If opting to do diving activities other than shark cage-diving, Cape Town should be considered as the accommodation location. Shark cage-diving operators provide their own car shuttle or boat service to Gansbaai.
Facilities: Accommodation, from hotels to selfcatering apartments, is available in Cape Town or in Gansbaai and the choice depends on personal budget. Prices are for a double bed room per night; shown in brackets are prices in Gansbaai. In Cape Town, a bed and breakfast accommodation such as the De Waterkart Place costs €50, Cape Town Lodge Hotel at €55 (Gansbaai Town Lodge at €70) or a self-catering apartment like Castle Estate at €40 (Oom Piet at €25). Food prices vary from €5 for breakfast to €10 for lunch or dinner. It is expected to spend about €30 per day on food and drink. A 2 dive full equipment or wreck and reef or seal and seven gilled shark dive package costs €100. Full equipment hire costs around €30 daily, which makes travelling light a good choice. Two boat dives with full equipment rental costs about €140. No liveaboard service is available in the area. Non-diving activities in the Gansbai area include hiking along the Duiwelsgat or Fynbos trails or driving the Strandveld. Both options offer sandy bays and dunes, flora and fauna, villages, caves and shipwrecks. Other options include wildlife and safari parks, vineyard tours, maybe combined with whale watching and extreme sports like sandboarding and paragliding. Package cost: A 4day Great White Shark cage diving and surface breaching package with transfers, accommodation and daily non-diving tours costs about €550. A 2day shark and safari package costs €200 with hotel pickup and food. A 9day Sardine Run package including daily boat trips and full board food costs about €300. This activity runs
through June and July and is very weather dependant, thus land based activities may replace some of the daily boat trips. An 8day whale shark expedition, including 10 reef dives and various other activities costs about €700. A basic, 7 to 10 day package including flights, accommodation, food and leisure and diving costs about €2000. Cage Dives: Described in this issue are the two prime areas where encounters with the Great White shark have given Gansbaai the title of ‘Great White shark capital of the world’. Seal Island at False Bay is an elongated rocky islet, measuring approximately 400 by 50 metres, oriented roughly north to south along its length. With a maximum elevation of about 7 metres above the high tide line, it is populated by approximately 60,000 Cape Fur Seals, the Great White’s staple diet. Kelp Gulls, Cape and WhiteBreasted Cormorants, Sub-antarctic Skuas and Jackass Penguins also inhabit the island. Shark surface breaching is mainly observed in this area. Dyer Island is the largest of a group of islands about 8 km Southeast from Gansbaai and Danger Point Lighthouse. Geyser Rock is a smaller island nearby, and is home to around 40,000 Cape fur seals. The strip of sea between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock is aptly dubbed ‘Shark Alley’, as the seals who feed here are a constant food source to the sharks. The winter months of May to August are considered to be the best time for cage diving, since the alley is particularly a hub of activity, although Great White Sharks are seen throughout the year. The area around Dyer Island and Shark Alley is ideal for shark cage diving and provides excellent sightings of shark breaching and predation.
The day starts early at around 0500 hrs for hotel pickup followed by breakfast and a short boat trip to the chosen site. The early hours of the day see the most spectacular activities such as breaching. About 5 hours are expected to be spent on the water with about 20 to 30 minutes in the cage, with surface supplied breathing air. Afternoon or special trips can also be programmed prior to travel to allow for more time in the cage.
only basic information is given for these dive sites. Further information will be given in the next issue of the Bubbles.
The most non-cage dived sites in the area include, the wrecks of SAS Gelderland and the Portuguese liner the Lusitania off Cape Point, both at about 35 metres depth. Spectacular reefs include Roman Rock Lighthouse and Photographer’s reefs at False Bay or Seal Island and Salad Bowl reef with its yacht wreck on the Atlantic side. Reef depths vary between 5 and 40 metres. Although mentioned in this issue,
Snorkeling: Not allowed
Difficulty level: Low Depth: 2 meters. Visibility: 2 to 15 meters. Wrecks: Caves: Walls: Marine life diversity: Big fish: High Water temperature: 13 – 20 °C. Best time of the year: May - October.
Mi©ra il-Fer˙a
- Malta 05.07.15
Article & photos by Edward Vella Even getting to Migra l-Ferha is a rewarding experience. Malta’s South West coast provides some spectacular and very interesting scenery, starting off with the Qammieh headland and reef. Going past this shallow reef top, the contours of the seabed form a steep slope and levels off to what seem to be a plateau at depth of over 100 metres which then rises gradually toward the towering Ras ir-Raheb promontory. Proceeding southwards, the cliff top continues but is hidden behind a slope and a shore shelf which goes down to sea level at il-Blata tal-Melh (a popular fishing location). Beyond il-Blata tal-Melh, the cliffs resume their towering glory in a straight stretch of sheer perpendicular wall called l-Irdum tal-Vigarju, above which are huge boulders seemingly in a precarious position waiting for a slight push to tumble down the steep slope and create a catastrophic splash below! By now the Atlantis II had been cruising for close to an hour, and going past the Vigarju cliffs which now recede to face more southerly, skipper Joseph dropped anchor in the same inlet that Count Roger did some thousand years or so ago. Atlam SAC had arrived at Migra l-Ferha. There are many underwater paths one may choose to dive here. Our group elected to proceed out of the inlet following the cliffs in an easterly direction, planning to then conclude the dive in the interesting cave in the NE corner of the inlet. Others took the other
direction and chose to dive among the numerous car wrecks which get pushed off the cliff - a unique dive for sure. Those who went this way then ended their dive in another small cave this time at the SW corner. This cave invariably has a layer of fresh water on top of the sea water and creates an ‘out of focus’ area where the two different water densities start mixing – may be a disorientating experience. The techies obviously went for the deep! As previously stated, we followed the wall in an easterly direction until we came to a turnaround point – based on the air remaining. This is a spectacular wall which drops off into deep water – very nice. On the way back we came to a gulley beneath the cliff which then leads below an arch and beyond which, but getting progressively shallower, is a corridor like cave, which seems to have been dug out through the passage of water probably when the sea level was much lower. Then finally we entered the cave in the inlet. The highlight here were the nudibranchs. Nobody was counting, but we came across a good number of purple nudis (Chromodoris purpurea). There were also a lot of white spiral egg masses, which would seem to indicate that this is the time of year when their eggs are laid. Apart from the divers, there were a good number of friends and members’ children who came along for the ride and the swim in the scenic inlet of Migra l-Ferha.
Xlendi - Gozo 12.07.15 Article & photos by Edward Vella Xlendi reef is an extension of the headland known as Ras il-Bajda - where the coastal watch tower is, and juts out in a vee shape for about a hundred metres before plunging abruptly into very deep water. On the shore side, it starts off at about 8 metres, and dips to about 17 on its outer extremity. In heavy seas this is an area to be avoided, but in antiquity, the combination of bad weather and unmanouverable vessels laid the recipe for more than one shipwreck. In Xlendi the situation is made worse by another submerged reef on the other side of the bay‌ So much for a brief background of the dive site! On the day there was a light westerly, but it was of no consequence. The Atlantis II anchored on the shore side of the reef, discharged the divers and placidly waited for their return. Our group decided to head out in a Southerly direction, towards the Sanap cliffs. Once grouped on the reef, we went over and made a parachute style free-fall descent down to our max depth of about 45m, and then started to follow the contours of the shore reef. The sea bed at this depth is littered with huge boulders, which made for some interesting exploration, but soon it was time to start ascending, until the turnaround point was reached. Unfortunately, as we all remarked after the dive, we were impressed negatively, by the lack of sea life in this area. We had seen on previous occasions, nets extended close to the shore, and once also cliff fishing by means of large cylindrical traps.
The next item was now the large cave in the shore reef, actually not very far from the Atlantis’ anchor point. The cave has two entrances, both at about 12 metres, but then once inside, there is a steep slope which leads down to about 24 metres. At the bottom of the slope, there is a formation similar to an overhang, which extends further inward. Unfortunately, this cave is encountered towards the end of the dive, and descending again to 24 metres tends to nudge up any decompression penalties that there might be, at a time when the air supply is not at its best, so every time, we end up not seeing as much as we would have liked to. The play of light in this cave is simply fantastic!
There is another nice dive which may be done at Xlendi, and that is by going towards the bay side, and following the outline of the reef usually in an anti-clockwise direction. The sighting of barracuda at the reef tip is frequent. And so with the roll call done and minds at rest that everyone was present and accounted for, the Atlantis II heaved anchor, and headed back towards the quay at Marfa!
G˙ar id-Dwieb (il-Qaws) - Malta 19.07.15 Article & photos by Edward Vella Ghar id-Dwieb is a sizeable horse shoe shaped inlet situated close to Migra l-Ferha (See dive log on page 18), situated heading further east along the coast. A further few hundred metres more brings one to the starting point of the majestic Dingli Cliffs. Looking seaward, at the left hand extremity of the ‘horse shoe’, is the headland called Ras id-Dawwara, beyond this is next inlet called Il-Qaws – as a historical aside, this was the place where during World War II Carmelo Borg Pisani, that unfortunate Maltese youth with Fascist sympathies, was set ashore by an Italian submarine to spy on the British. After a bit of manouvering and throttle juggling, the Atlantis II discharged the divers at this point, that is at Ras id-Dawwara. Typically the dive then takes place along the Southern wall going into the Ghar id-Dwieb inlet.
At the discharge point, the cliff makes a sharp turn, and this ‘spine’ continues underwater disappearing spectacularly into the blue. This is the deepest part of the dive. As one advances further into the inlet, it gets progressively shallower –at the furthest point the depth becomes 15 metres, and even shallower inside the cave, but more about this cave later... First encounter along this shady wall, was a small spiny lobster, then a short distance away a large hermit crab dragging behind its shell with dual sea anemones. The next search was for nudibranchs for which this dive site has built a sort of reputation. The search however was interrupted by something far more interesting – the first cave. This cave has a very large entrance, which extends slightly above sea level. The floor is highly sloping and covered in fine sediment. This was the cave where in previous dives a skeleton which seemed to belong to a dolphin was found. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be seen this time – I thought that I could make out shapes that could have been vertebra. The bones are probably still there, but now covered up beneath the fine sand. Once out, and back along the wall, the search for nudibranchs resumed – unfortunately this time, only one or two divers had any encounters, and these in turn only saw not more than a couple each. It seemed strange when two weeks before, at close by Migra l-Ferha, there was such an abundance of purple nudis. The dive comes to an end at the inlet’s innermost corner where a cave with many opportunities for super photography await. Another fascinating feature of this large cave, is that you can actually see the hazy outline of fresh water seeping out from certain points. A look at the pressure gauge however dictated the inevitable – time to surface! Returning to the Atlantis II, it was now also time for an ice cold beer ‘decompression session’ during the cruise back to Marfa – who could ask for more?
Fungus Rock - Gozo & St Maria Caves - Comino 28.07.15
Photo: Graziella Buttigieg
Photo: Victor Fabri
Photo: Graziella Buttigieg
Photo: Victor Fabri
Photo: Graziella Buttigieg
Photo: Victor Fabri
Photo: Graziella Buttigieg
Crocodile Rock - Gozo 02.08.15
Article by Edward Vella
Being the second dive at Crocodile Rock in as many months, the risk of getting the reader bored with repetition cannot be ignored. Here it is always the same story: the weather was fine and the sea calm, unlimited underwater visibility, encounters with large groupers and dentex, amberjacks chasing reef damsels, nudibranchs of course – that is how it was this time as well - pretty regular Crocodile Rock stuff‌.
Photo: Edward Vella
Photo: Joe Formosa
Photo: Joe Formosa
Photo: Joe Formosa
Dwejra Blue Hole
- Gozo 09.08.15
Article by Edward Vella
Following the previous week’s dive at Crocodile Rock, this dive at the so called Blue Hole, was a geographic continuation along the same Dwejra coast. For those divers following the shore’s contours during the Crocodile Rock dive, the turnaround point was the small cavern which the local diving tourist advertising hype has named Roger’s Cave. Beyond Roger’s lies the huge Coral Cave (again more touristy hype!) – but more of this later. What was the idea of using a boat for a dive which can be done from the shore, was one question going about when this dive site was announced. Well this is not the only one, Reqqa Point which is a favourite, can also be a shore dive. The fact remains that boat dives are hard to beat for comfort – you do not have to trek over narrow pathways, and go up and down many steps, in addition, those divers with multiple cylinders do not really have a choice.
Photo: Joe Formosa
For this site, it has to be perfect weather to do it by boat – and it was! The Atlantis II dropped anchor on the reef which lies to the left of the blue hole. The limpid water on top of this reef, with a deep blue background creates some fantastic colours – and plenty of opportunities for photography. And over the reef’s sheer sides and into the blue we went. Most of the divers went over the South facing side, since this is the closest to the first target of this dive – the Coral Cave.
The shade gives the cave an ambience of gloom, this was accentuated by what seemed to be a fine suspension in the water which when viewed from the inside looking outside, gave the cave entrance a fuzzy outline. This actually got worse inside the cave. Wise divers went to the other wall of the cave where conditions were much better. This is a big cave, and no one spent a lot of time inside, but the impression is that the sea life inhabiting this cave is not in a good state of health – too easily accessible, and too many divers….
At this time of the day, the cave entrance is in shade – and this is one big entrance – really impressive!
It was back to the reef, and next target was the vertical shaft in the reef. The entrance is on its North side and lies in some 16m
and exits at about 6m – again plenty of photo opportunities in the chimney. Over the reef again, but this time towards the Blue Hole. Here the play of light was fantastic. We also spent some time exploring the cave at its base – and on the way back to the boat, we could not resist going back up through the chimney! Sea life – a large grouper under the Blue Hole, and a couple of smaller ones along the reef wall, in addition, amberjacks hunting on the reef top, shoals of salema, cardinal fish in the shade, and the usual damsel fish and other small fish on the reef top. A most enjoyable dive!
Photo: Edward Vella
Ras il-ÓobΩ - Gozo 16.08.15 Article by Edward Vella
Photo: Edward Vella
Yet another dive at Ras il-Hobz! Chosen due to the forecast North Westerly from which it is well sheltered, except that on the day the sea was flat calm! It was inevitable that on the dive boat there were comments overheard of divers questioning whether we should still go to this well dived site, or whether we should go diving somewhere more ‘exotic’. The original destination was however maintained, and the Atlantis II headed for Ras il-Hobz under an increasingly overcast sky. By the time that the anchor was being dropped in the small cove at the dive site, it had started to rain, and the NW was picking up, in fact there was a noticeable surface current heading outwards in that direction. Underwater, visibility was not that good, which is not unheard of at this site, but what really struck, was the flat greyish light. Going over the reef drop off, it was evident that unless the diver knew of the pinnacle’s location, it would have been very easy to go past it without noticing this huge rocky tower, especially if swimming high on the shore reef. In conditions like this however, it is good to know that there is like a hanging rock on the shore reef, and as soon as one comes to it and looks out to the seaward – lo and behold – the pinnacle.
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, could it be that the pinnacle in the past was joined by a softer rock which in time dissolved away leaving it standing on its own. We spiraled up slowly around the tapering column, until eventually we came close to its top which is around 12m beneath the surface. This time there were lots of fish – shoals of saddled and silver bream, salema, and the ever present damselfish. Other pinnacle residents spotted where mottled groupers, and a couple of moray eels. Every so often, amberjacks, this time in pairs could be seen prowling looking for a target. Once back on the shore reef, we followed it heading westward, so back again towards the Atlantis II, but kept on going. The reef here becomes really perpendicular, forming a sheer wall with its base at a much bigger depth than on the pinnacle side –again shoals of saddled bream could be seen lower down. Back on the reef beneath the Atlantis II we found a couple of small octopus, but then it was time to get back home. Looking up during the safety stop, we could see the rain drops on the surface – but anyway we could not get any wetter. An enjoyable dive. Photo: Edward Vella
Photo: Joe Formosa
Double Arch - Gozo 23.08.15
Article by Edward Vella
Photo: Derek Desira
Photo: Edward Vella
The weather lived up to its forecast, and this is a dive site that draws the crowds! It was therefore a well laden Atlantis II that sent its anchor rattling down slap bang just beyond the edge of the amphitheatre shape of the reef on the landward side of the Double Arch. The placing of the anchor plays a crucial part to fully enjoy this site – and there were instances in the past where because of inaccurate anchoring, we missed the Double Arch completely! This time however with a little help from an accurate triangulation from the Atlantis’ deck to diverse satellites, the Double Arch did not stand a chance…
Another valid reason for anchoring accurately is that this eliminates the hassle and perhaps anxiety of having to search for the mother vessel at the dive’s conclusion where due to the depth here, a bit of decompression penalty is inevitable. The divers this time could go about this dive tranquil in the knowledge of where they had to return. This site never fails to impress. The sight of the two arches riding piggy back is simply magnetic, the whole atmosphere is helped no doubt by the depth (the sea bed on the seaward side of the lower arch lies at about 38 metres) which gives the arch a backdrop of deep blue. Divers passing beneath the arches give an idea of the size. The shaded underside of the arch is covered with orange astroides and sponges, create a lot of opportunities for photography. We first passed beneath the lower arch and turned left towards the side of the reef that forms a sort of headland. This proved to be a happy decision.
Had we turned to the right, we would have missed a nice shoal of large barracuda (counted 50+ in one photo). This tip in the reef is in fact known to attract barracuda, well it’s not the reef tip that attracts, but the black cloud of damsel fish that hovers about in the current. The barracuda swam out toward the deep when they saw us, but the encounter left everyone absolutely thrilled. We also saw groupers – not very large, but seeing three or more in one dive is encouraging, as well as a shoal of two banded bream. Then at the dive’s conclusion, the barracudas decided to return, and made a low pass over the top of the reef top – and were the cameras shooting! Everyone more or less needed to decompress, and soon there was quite a gathering beneath the Atlantis II. Back on the deck, I suspect that most divers agreed that this was one of this year’s best Atlam boat dives. Background photo: Edward Vella
Rdum is-Sar© - Malta 30.08.15 Article by Tano Rolé I had been looking forward to this boat dive for some time. Rdum is-Sarġ is a spectacular dive location; sheer Lower Coralline limestone cliffs plunging vertically down to depths of 60 metres and more. Moreover, there are some tunnels, caves, and overhangs which produce picturesque underwater scenes. Of course, my wide-angle lens is de rigueur on such boat dives and I was keen to take some good photos with my trusty Canon G16. Calm winds and totally flat seas made perfect weather conditions and this was reflected in the number of divers who joined our boat. We also had the usual banter while we sought places on the boat to tie up the tanks. Latecomers were suitably chastened and verbally abused albeit in a friendly fashion (I know this sounds strange but anything is possible in ATLAM SAC!) and we set off just slightly later than the usual 9.00 am target. It seemed that everyone in Malta, who had a boat, were out and about sailing along the Maltese coastline or anchored within one of the bays on the Western coast. Amateur fishermen were also out in force and our boat often had to dodge the occasional Mrejkba. This is an ingenious contraption consisting of a triangular frame which supports a small sail. This is launched from the shore and slowly extends seawards drawing a surface fishing line behind it. The only problem is that Mriekeb (plural of Mrejkba) are not easily spotted and sea craft often cut through the connecting fishing lines. This causes understandable strife on the part of the fisherman, who loses his gear, as well as possible damage to the propeller of the boat as fishing line wraps around the prop shaft. Once on site, our boatman did not anchor but there was no discernible current and we all got into the water without any trouble. We started the dive at the northern part of the cliff face and gradually worked our way southeastwards keeping the cliff wall on our left. The dive was rather disappointing in terms of fish life but this is hardly surprising with all the lost fishing gear in the water. This underlines the fact that fishing pressure is quite acute along this stretch of coast. I even found a spear fisherman’s goody bag with the remnants of a large fish and lots of bristle worms still feeding on the remnants. The scales indicated that the fish must have been on the large side.
Photo: Edward Vella
Photo: Joe Formosa
Background photo: Tano Rolé
While fish life was disappointing, we did manage to photograph a couple of purple nudibranchs (Chromodoris ‘Felimida’ purpurea). Some other divers reported seeing a Dorid nudibranch (Discodoris atromaculata) with its characteristic black-and-white mottled pattern resembling the hide of a Friesian cow. The best aspect of the dive was the beautiful overhangs, tunnels and arches. I spent some great times taking photos of Edward framed by these rock formations. This is where my video light proved its worth. We finally rejoined the boat just off a magnificent cave at the end of the dive. I was rather frustrated that I could not explore this cave properly since I was low on air. The cave is located just before we got to Miġra l-Ferħa. Of course, I made a personal resolution to explore and map this cave on another boat trip. Until next time.....
Photo: Tano Rolé