T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E
MARCH/APRIL 2016 2016 Atlam Committee Members :Joseph Azzopardi President guzeppi56@gmail.com Anton Debattista Secretary andeb@go.net.mt Klaus Farrugia Treasurer klafster@gmail.com Alex Arena P.R.O. Victor Fabri Diving Officer vfabri@gmail.com Alvin Pace Activity Officer tamsinjane@yahoo.com George Mugliett Activity Officer
IN THIS ISSUE
page
Editor’s Note | 2016 Membership Fee 2 Apnea Diving - Dorian Law Species Page - Painted Wrasse - Edward Vella Whale Sharks of Oslob - Paolo Marino Comino Camping - Mary Azzopardi
3/4 5 6/7 8/10
Environment Matters, Plastics - Edward Sultana 11/12 A Trip to the Red Sea - Part 2- David Agius
13/15
Dive Logs
Photo by: Joe Formosa First Boat Dive of the season. Lantern Point (See Dive Log).
Lantern Point 27-03-16 - Edward Vella
16
Ras ir-Raheb 17-04-16 - Edward Vella
17
Ras il-Hobz 24-04-16 - Edward Vella
18
Dives Location Map - Joe Formosa
19
www.atlam.org
The Editorial One quick look at the contents on the cover will tell that the Atlam boat dive season has been declared officially open. As yet there are just three logs, but there really should have been five. Unfortunately bad weather in the first two weeks of April washed out two boat dives - but as surely every diver is aware, in this business, the weather calls the shots! The sea temperature at this time is officially 18°C, that means that it has already warmed up by a good three degrees, so a good 5mm wetsuit (adding a rush vest will not harm), is good enough to keep you warm – this means that conditions are good enough for those seasonal divers to make their first dive of the year. This brings us nicely to the next topic – the state of our diving equipment after the winter recess... For sure, the worst time and place to find out that there is some piece of equipment which is not working properly is on the dive boat. Common sense dictates that the equipment is checked out piece by piece and serviced as required in good time –this way you will avoid spoiling your and probably somebody else’s dive – not diminishing of course all the importance of implied safety considerations. And last item but not least, is that boat dives load Atlam’s finances with a considerable burden. This means that income generated through membership and fund raising activities will have to go to make up for the boat dive deficit, I am sure that everyone agrees that this is not a stamp collecting club, and the boat dives have to go on. In other words, it is up to the members to support the club’s activities and attend the boat dives. Please bear in mind that a lot of hard work goes into making the boat dives happen. It is good to see that more members are responding to previous appeals made, and contributing to BUBBLES. This is after all, what the intention behind BUBBLES was from the first day – to get the members (and other non-member contributors of course!) to share their underwater experience with readers who will immediately assimilate themselves with what they are reading because they will be divers just like the authors. From diver to diver. We hope that you will enjoy this issue! There were several non-diving activities organised during these two months – starting off with the Comino camping, (more about this on page 8to10), and other clubhouse activities as reported below by Atlam’s first lady Mary Azzopardi: “During March / April we had two activities at the club. On the 30th March, we had a Fenkata where we were over 100 persons. It was a great meal and everyone was satisfied. On the 22nd April, we had a Roast Night, where George our chef, cooked a fabulous meal of pork, beef, pasta and other food. Again everyone was really happy and ate to his satisfaction. Thanks go to all those that attended the events and especially to all that gave their help during the nights, since without them, nothing could have been organised. A special thanks goes to George who in preparation for these events had to start working four days in advance.” Keep Diving! evella@onvol.net
Edward Vella
M A L T A
established 1955
Tul il-Kosta, Ba˙ar Iç-Çag˙aq Naxxar NXR 9038, Malta email: info@atlam.org web: www.atlam.org
2016 Atlam SAC Membership Fee Your 2016 Atlam SAC Membership Fee is now due. (actually overdue) Membership fees of €25 may be submitted to any committee member. Support Atlam by paying your Membership Fee as soon as possible. Many Thanks. Looking forward to a super Atlam SAC diving 2016. The Committee
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 • Barbecues • Majjalata • Pasta Nights • Boat Parties • Gozo Diving Breaks • Camping on Comino and other places.
For more info contact the President Guzi Azzopardi on 79493275
APNEA DIVING FREE DIVING
Dear Atlam divers, During one of the social activities organized at the Atlam Clubhouse in Bahar Ic-Caghaq, I met with CMAS 3 Star Instructor Louis Debono. The usual discussion over a beer and a glass of wine started. We went through topics like travelling and kayaks ending on the topic of Apnea, with the related subject, spearfishing and how, ‘younger’, your breath-hold increased the more you went in the water. We ended the discussion as food was being served, with a common thought; that one day we could attend a freediving course, maybe at the Club! Back home that night and the following day, I was trying to remember where I had saved an article I had started to write for the Bubbles Magazine on this subject, but to no avail. In the following days, searching through external drives, USBs and CDROMs, I finally managed to find this unfinished article. It goes something like this. Apnea or Freediving is a form of underwater scuba-gearless diving that relies on the diver’s ability to hold his breath until resurfacing, hence the term ‘single breath diving’. The history of apnea dates back to ancient times, where food gathering and resource harvesting from the sea were being introduced. Without the aid of mechanical devices in ancient times, freediving was the only option. Greek philosopher Plato and author Homer mention sponge and red coral harvesting around the Greek Islands especially around the island of Kalymnos, where breath-hold divers used the ‘skandalopetra’, a marble or granite, hydrodynamically shaped stone tied to a rope which they used to reach the sea bed. Pearl harvesting is recorded as early as the year 750 in the oldest Japanese anthology of poetry, the Man’yoshu. This ancient generation of Japanese women freedivers known as Ama Divers, have been freediving into cold waters wearing nothing more than a loincloth to collect pearls for about 2,000 years. With the maritime trade expanding around the globe, salvage from shipwrecks
was only possible with the use of freedivers. With the advance in technology, newer ways of extending the time at the bottom brought to an end the importance and use of freediving in the maritime salvage and commercial industry. The same can also be said for the use of freedivers employed in warfare. The physiology of apnea or how the body reacts when freediving can be explained as follows in layman terms. Several oxygen-conserving adaptations manifest during freediving. These form part of the mammalian diving reflex or the human body’s (mammal’s) reaction when the face is submerged and the airways are closed. It is a remarkable behavior that overrides basic homeostatic reflexes; the tendency of the human body to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes. First, the heart rate slows by about 10%, ‘reflex bradycardia’, which is enough to extend the time before a person is forced to breath in again. The ability of marine
mammals to stay longer underwater is due to the fact that they can lower their heart rate by up to 90%. Marine mammals like seals and whales have developed several evolved physiological adaptations which allow them to stay underwater for half an hour or more on a single breath, but the apnea, bradycardia, and vasoconstriction is similar to that of terrestrial (land based) mammals and is neurally mediated. Secondly, reflex vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels such as veins), makes capillaries in the skin and limbs constrict, redirecting blood away from the body’s surface and toward the vital organs, leaving more oxygen for the brain and heart. This flow of blood towards the body’s core creates a body cooling effect through peripheral vasoconstriction, resulting in cooling of peripheral tissue beds, which lower their oxygen demand in a thermodynamic manner. Studies show that the brain’s temperature is also lowered. The blood shift supplies more blood to the pulmonary capillaries, thus fortifying the torso against the crushing effects of water pressure. This lack of oxygenated blood at the periphery forces the muscles in the
limbs to use anaerobic energy metabolism to keep working, thus creating lactic acid. The builds up lactic acid will tire the body more rapidly than it would from a comparable aerobic exercise at the surface. For this reason, apnea athletes train their body’s muscles for lactic acid tolerance. Today, apnea has evolved in a highly competitive sport where the limits and endurance of the human body are being challenged each year. Competitive freediving is mainly governed by CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques – World Underwater Federation) and AIDA International (International Association for Development of Apnea). There are various disciplines that are practiced as listed below and each world organization has its own rules to recognize a record attempt. Static Apnea (STA) is a timed breath holding event usually attempted in a pool. The world record stands at 11min 36sec by Stephane Mifsud of France in 2009. Brazilian Ricardo da Gama held his breath underwater for 20min 21sec after breathing pure oxygen for more than 20 minutes. This is known as Oxygen Assisted Apnea.
Speed Endurance Apnea. This CMAS only event is swum in fractions of a pool length, where the athlete aims at covering a fixed distance in the minimum possible time using fins. This long distance is covered by alternating apnea swimming with passive recovery at the pool’s ends. Typical distances for Speed are 2x50meters and Endurance 8x50 and 16x50meters. Patric Fourcade of Hong Kong holds the 100meter record at 36.03seconds. Dynamic Apnea (DNF – without fins) (DYN – with fins). This is an underwater swimming event, mainly done in a pool, where the distance swam underwater is measured. The choice of fins includes bi-fins and the monofin (mermaid’s tail). Alex Duvivier swam 294meters and Ilaria Bonin 244meters to make the longest underwater swim on a single breath for the male and female categories respectively.
Jump Blue. Also called ‘the Cube’, this CMAS event sees the freediver descend at a depth of 10meters and swim as far as possible around a square with 15meter long sides. With more than 3 times around the Cube, the record of 185meters is held by Micele Giurgola and Xaier Delpit. Free Immersion Apnea (FIM). The apneist uses the vertical guide rope to pull himself or herself down to the declared depth and back to the surface without using fins, ballast or releasing weight. New Zealander William Trubridge holds the world record at 124meters. Constant Weight (CNF – without fins) (CWT – with fins). The athlete has to dive to the depth following a guide line that the apneist is not allowed to actively use during the dive; only a single hold of the rope to stop the descent and start the ascent is allowed. The athlete must cover the vertical distance in apnea down to the declared depth without any change in his weight during the whole performance with or without fins. CNF is the youngest discipline within competitive freediving, recognized by AIDA since 2003. World records stand as follows; CWT – 128meters by Alexey Molchanov of Russia and CNF – 101meters by William Trubridge. Skandalopetra. This is a two man team event where depth and time are measured. A marble stone attached to a rope is used by the first freediver to descend, who is then helped back to the surface by his team mate. This discipline is only practice under CMAS rules. Andreas Guldner of Germany holds the word record at 112meters. Variable Weight Apnea (VWT). The descent is made using a weighted sled while the return to the surface is made by pulling oneself up along a line or swimming with or without fins. The world record is held by Stavros Kastrinakis of Greece at 146meters.
No-Limits Apnea (NLT). Only practiced under AIDA rules, NLT allows the use any means of breath-hold diving to depth and return to the surface as long as a guideline is used to measure the distance, with the use of a weighted sled to dive down and an inflatable bag to return to the surface being a common practice. The male record of 214meters was reached by Austrian Herbert Nitsch at Spetses in Greece, while at the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean Sea, American Tanya Streeter set the female world record at 160meters. Record Making. Enzo Maiorca was the first to breach the 50meter mark. He was followed by his rival Jaques Mayol who reached the depth of 100meters some fourteen years later. In January 2000, Cuban Francesco ‘Pipin’ Ferreras reached 162meters to beat his rival, Umberto Pellizzari’s record by 12meters. With a failed attempt to reach 171meters in October 2002, resulting in her death, Audrey Mestre sets this depth as the deepest ever reached by a female or male at that time. Three years later, in October 2005 Herbert Nitsch reached 172meters. The previous June of that same year, the 200meter barrier
was unofficially broken by Belgian diver Patrick Masimu who dived to 209.6meters. Two years later in June 2007, with a new world record depth of 214meters, part time pilot, Herbert Nitsch of Austria, cemented his status as the Deepest Man on Earth. Recognized examples of freediving activities include competitive and non-competitive freediving and spearfishing, photography, synchronized swimming, underwater football, rugby, hockey and target shooting. Many of these disciplines or activities are organized by the CMAS, AIDA and other governing bodies. Freediving courses aimed for adults or children organized by the Club would be of great benefit to club members and their family, who might not go after any record breaking but rather as a family activity practiced more safely. I am sure many would join in to learn and better their abilities. So, next time the weather permits, grab a mask and a pair of fins and go explore the underwater world on a single breath. Enjoy safe diving, Dorian Law
Species Page Research by Edward Vella
Although this must be one of the most common encounters during our dives, at the same time, it must also be one of the most unnoticed fish, and this in spite of being one of the most colourful. I would not be surprised if most of us first saw this fish at the market – even though it is not much sought after, except perhaps to make fish soup! There is a considerable difference in the way that males and females look. Males have white undersides with dark brown / greenish backs and a reddish orange pattern with a dark blue mark in between. Females have light brown backs, a thin brown line and white undersides, which makes them look more drab when compared to the males.
Painted Wrasse (G˙arusa) - Coris julis
However there is a twist to all of this. Painted Wrasses, I have learnt, are what in biology is termed as being sequential hermaphrodites – what this means is that this fish changes its sex in sequence. In this case, all painted wrasses are born female, then with time they pass into their final phase in life, and become male. In other words, all the larger specimens are males. Painted wrasses are typically shore fish and whose common habitat is among the grasses / algae and rocks close to the shore, where they feed on small crustaceans including shrimps, worms and if the opportunity presents itself, also sea urchins. During this research, I have found the common name of this species in some sources referred to as Rainbow and in others as Painted Wrasse, but the sources agree on the scientific name - Coris julis, so this would seem to be just a question of semantics – take your pick! Photo by Edward Vella
Next Species
Common Squid
Klamar - Loligo vulgaris P L E A S E S E N D P H OTO S
The whale sharks of
OSLOB
Cebu Island | Phillippines Article & Photos by: Paolo Marino
Oslob is a small village on the south east coast of the island of Cebu in the Philippines. It came to fame in 2010 when the fact was publicised that a number of whale sharks would approach the local fisherman a few meters from the coast and feed on whatever catch would drop in the water. The whale watching place is actually about 10 km south of the main village.
This soon developed into a tourist attraction as fishermen started to feed voluntarily the sharks to keep them around so that snorkelers and divers would be able to interact with them. At first the whole issue was chaotic without any rules and it quickly got out of hand. No limit to the numbers or rules of behaviour were in place and people would just jump on the sharks often riding them. To tell the truth this didn’t seem to bother the sharks that were fully concentrated on feeding. Anyway finally strict rules were put in place and now there are rangers in the water limiting the number of people and making sure that a no-touch rule is applied to everybody. They even have action cameras to film any misbehaviour and offenders could be fined or even jailed. There is quite a bit of controversy about this kind of interaction as some maintain it modifies the behaviour of the sharks making them dependent on humans feeding them. On the other hand it must be remember that the story started as normal opportunistic shark behaviour taking advantage of a favourable situation and above all, that originally the whale sharks were seen by the local community at best as a bother (and often hit by machete to keep them away from the boats) and at worst killed as food! This kind of interaction allowed for a complete protection of the whale sharks as now the local communities see them as a sure form of income.
All feeding is stopped around midday at which time the sharks swim away to deeper water. Apparently there are always the same 9/10 sharks coming to the site. They range in size from 4 to 8 meters, so they are relatively young animals. I was staying at the Pura Vida resort on the north west side of the island of Negros. This is good place for muck diving and for reaching the island of Apo (but this will be another story). From the Pura Vida resort they offer a full day trip that include a dive with the whale sharks in Oslob and two more dive on reefs in the area. It normally takes about an hour of boat to reach the whale shark interaction area, but as the sea was fairly rough it took an extra half hour of a very bumpy voyage. Once arrived on location we anchored to one of the assigned mooring as is not allowed to use the boat anchors. The interaction location is about 200 by 100 meters and is delimited by a rope with floats; only the licensed fishermen’s boats are allowed inside. Snorkellers are guided in under supervision from the shore or the dive boat; scuba divers are only allowed from dive boats. Dive/snorkel operators have to be licensed. Before diving we were given a 10 minute briefing by our dive guide on how to behaved around whale sharks: no touching, keep a minimum distance of three meters, do not block the sharks path., stay in sight of your guide all the time. We were four divers with one guide. Once in the water we dived to about ten meter and in a few minutes we were in sight of the first whale sharks. Unfortunately the visibility was a problem; below 10 m it was a decent 15 meters, but coming
closer to the surface it was deteriorating fast. This was a bit of a problem for photo/ videography as most of the action is close to the surface, since the sharks feed on the fish thrown from the boats. Still we were able to swim for about a hour with a number of whale sharks; there were probably 5 different sharks around us. Being a weekday we had just four more divers with us in the water and also the number of snorkelers on the surface was small. Esspecially for beginners, it is a great opportunity to dive with such giants as you don’t need to dive deep and the logistics involved in reaching the place (well, when you are already in the Philippines) are really simple. Happy diving to everybody!!
The Traditional Easter Comino Camping 2016 Atlam EVENTS One of the Atlam events which may be termed ‘long running’ is for sure the Easter camping (long) weekend on the island of Comino, (Maltese: Kemmuna). This is a non-diving family aimed event, which is thoroughly enjoyed by those attending as may be seen from the below account. Mary Azzopardi paints a picture of relaxation, and enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures… On the 24th March, Maundy Thursday (Maltese: Hamis ix-Xirka) afternoon, we left Marfa for our Easter Camping.
Then some of us went for a walk around Kemmuna – we all wished that Malta could be as unspoilt as this island!
The boat was fully loaded with our foodstuff, drinks, clothes and camping gear. When we arrived at Kemmuna we landed at Santa Marija Bay, Salvu (who happens to be one of Comino’s last remaining inhabitants) came to carry our things to the camp site with his van. Then everyone began to set up camp near each other as we were about 5 to 6 families, after which we prepared dinner and settled around a warming camp fire.
When we got back, we found that Nader had cooked for us a very delicious lunch of consisting of soup and prawns – all of us were quite hungry since Good Friday is a day of fasting. The children got their hammocks in which they spent a lot of time playing.
The following day, that is Good Friday the first thing, everyone did after waking up, was to toast some bread (Maltese: Hobz Mixwi) and have a good strong cup of coffee.
Article Mary Azzopardi Photos by Mario Micallef Intro by: Edward Vella Historical description by: Heritage Malta
Next day, Saturday after breakfast, the children and Mario decided to go for a swim – the sea is still cold, but the children did not seem to mind. In the afternoon , the children had lots of fun on their hammocks – good thing they got them along.
The Annunciation Chapel, dedicated to the Sacred Family Upon its Return from Egypt is located above Santa Marija Bay. Built in 1618, and enlarged in 1667 and again in 1716, the chapel was originally dedicated to the Annunciation. It has been deconsecrated and re-consecrated at least once in its history, when Comino was devoid of residents. The earliest record of a chapel on this site dates back to the 12th century, and can be seen in a navigational map of the period, located in the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.
In the evening, Anna, cooked us a Maltese dish - ‘patata fgata’ and some had a barbecue. At sunset, the campfire was lit – we had purposely gathered drift wood during the day to make this cheerful fire. This was a good occasion to cook marshmallows on the campfire.
Saint Mary’s Battery, built in 1716, at the same time as various other batteries around the coastline of mainland Malta and Gozo, is situated facing the South Comino Channel. It is a semi-circular structure with a number of embrasures facing the sea. The Battery still houses two 24-pound iron cannons, and remains in a fair state of preservation mainly due to its remote location. Its armament originally included four 6-pound iron cannons.
Easter Sunday was our last day on Comino, and so in the morning after we had some English breakfast, everyone began to prepare to pack his things and dismantle his tent. At 3pm, Salvu turned up with his van to help us carry our things to the boat as we had to leave at 4 to go back to Marfa.
Everyone was happy and satisfied with these few days we spent together in Kemmuna, especially the children who are already looking forward to another adventure.
Saint Mary’s Tower is the most visible structure on the island. The tower formed part of a chain of defensive towers — the Wignacourt, Lascaris, and De Redin towers — located at vantage points along the coastline of the Maltese Islands, and greatly improved communications between Malta and Gozo.
Environment Matters! This week the topic should have been coral bleaching. Slight change in plan! Hope you find it interesting.
Parts made out of plastic can be found everywhere and without doubt have contributed to make our lives easier and more comfortable. Annual production of plastic items has soared to 245 million tonnes, most of which ends up either recycled or discarded. Unfortunately, many pieces of plastic end up in the ocean. Rough estimates indicate that up to 10% of plastics produced annually end up in the oceans, where they persist and accumulate. That is 24.5 million tonnes of plastic finds its way in the marine environment and accumulates annually.
The high percentage of people living and the industrial activity happening along the sea coasts and river banks are the primary cause of why so much plastic ends up in the ocean.
1.0 Bio Degradable and Bio Plastics: From an environment point of view, both recycling of plastics and the use of bio degradable plastics has been a big step forward, but are bio degradable plastics and bio plastics the solution?
Part 2
Article by Edward Sultana
Biodegradable plastics are typically made up of polymers with additional chemicals designed to accelerate degradation times. When disposed of appropriately, in industrial composting plants under controlled conditions they will mostly decompose but not completely, leaving an abundance of synthetic elements behind. In the marine environment it’ is even worse. In the relatively cold marine environment, in the absence of the ideal decomposing conditions, decomposition times will be prolonged. And when decomposition does finally occur, microplastics (very fine pieces of plastic) and toxins will be released into the marine environment. Bio Plastics on the other hand are plastics made from renewable sources such
as corn starch and vegetable oil. Their range of properties is very limited, so the applications are still small. Also most bio plastics are not bio degradeable due to the additives and fillers used.
2.0 The effect of Plastics on the marine habitat: The negative effects of plastic are various and can be categorised in two, depending on the size of the contaminating plastic 2.1 Macroplastics – the big pieces of plastic we can all see around us. 2.2 And micro plastics – the very fine pieces of plastic, so small that they are not visible to the naked eye) Base photo: Joe Formosa
2.2 Micro Plastics Micro and nano plastics are fine plastic particles so small that they are not visible to the naked eye. Being so small it is much harder to measure and control. The different densities of the different types of plastic means that micro plastics can be found all throughout the water column.
2.1 Macro plastics It has already been mentioned that approximately 24.5 million tonnes of plastic finds its way in the marine environment each year. But where does it end up? Considering the longevity of plastic, it must end up and accumulate somewhere.
Just one example of the problem of macro plastic in the marine environment is its ingestion by fish, sea mammals and by sea birds. The plastic fragments might block the feeding channels of these animals impeding food to be digested or cause a false feeling of satiation resulting in reduced or no food intake. The plastic sits inside these creatures accumulating gradually, until they go through a long and painful death due to starvation.
One such place is the Northern Pacific Garbage Dump. As the name implies it’s a dump in the Pacific Ocean. The natural ocean currents circling the Pacific, push and trap the large amount of garbage Adult seabirds for example forage at sea, floating around the Pacific they ingest the plastic thinking its food. The size of the Northern Pacific Garbage And then they go back to their nests, Dump is about 700,000 square kilometres. regurgitate their food for the chicks to To give a better idea - it’s 30% bigger than eat. The chicks end up feeding on the France. That’s a lot of plastic!! Similar areas regurgitated plastic. can be found in the Atlantic and other The below photo shows a dead albatross. Oceans. Shameful! The remains of its stomach is clear to see.
Most micro plastics are mainly derived from the breakdown of the larger debris mentioned above and by bio degradation of plastic. The direct exposure to sunlight will over time, make the plastic more brittle resulting in its fragmentation. This process is ongoing, with fragments becoming smaller and smaller over time until they become micro in size. This small size makes them the more dangerous since it is available and considered as food to organisms all throughout the marine food chain. Also although plastics are typically considered as inert they could leach out potentially hazardous chemicals in our oceans.
2.3 Effects of Micro Plastic on the food chain Zoo plankton which is at the bottom of the marine food chain do not differentiate between plastic particles and food, so they ingest this micro plastic and the hazardous toxins which are leaching out. Indirectly we are introducing toxins into the base of the food chain.
In turn organisms higher up in the food chain, feed on these zoo plankton with the consequence that these micro plastics and toxins are moving further up in the food chain with concentrations increasing the further up the food chain it moves. The full effect these toxins have on mortality, morbidity and reproductive success of the various species is yet to be studied. Humans tend to feed on fish found in the higher levels of the food chain. Food for thought, excuse the pun! Also as in the case of macro plastics, these micro plastic fragments might block feeding system or cause pseudo-satiation resulting in reduced food intake. On a positive note some marine organisms have the ability to remove unwanted materials (e.g. sediment, natural detritus and particulates) from their body without causing harm.
Conclusion: It is difficult in this day and age to imagine a world without parts made out of plastic. But there are ways and means of disposing of this waste. Proper disposal of plastic will ensure that less parts makes their way into the marine environment. Benefits are many, cleaner waters, protect the lives of many marine creatures and if that is not enough, it will reduce a toxins and other
chemicals from entering our system. Reduce, Re use , Recycle.
Base photo: Joe Formosa
A Trip to the Red Sea • Wrecks & Reefs The first part of this series of articles talked about logistics and the basic considerations for my first trip to Egypt. Having survived the flights and transfers, settled on the boat and started off on our journey, I left you with a description of my first dive at Poseidon’s Garden Reef where I was introduced to the great variety of corals and the abundance of fish in the Red Sea.
Article & photos by David Agius
After that check dive, with all systems running up to speed and eagerness to see some heavy metal set in, our Liveaboard boat arrived at Abu Nuhas reef, aka “The Ship’s Graveyard”. As you can see in this map of this reef, there’s 5 wrecks here, four of which are at an easy maximum depth of 32m, thus all very diveable and with the boat supplied Nitrox 32%, most of your time can be spent enjoying the wrecks rather than looking at the computer to ensure no decompression sets in – Decompression diving on this trip was a strict nonono – the closest medical assistance is in some places over 12 hours away.
Inside the hold of the Krisoula K - Fine Italian Tiles for Saudi Arabia Red Sea sailfin tang
Pyjama slug
PA R
T2
Our first planned dive here was the Chrisoula K, a merchant ship that sank in 1981, and so heavy with italian granite floor tiles (hence known as the “Tile Wreck�) that it must have sank down like a brick after hitting the reef! A small curiosity here, above the water just a little distance off from the ship, there is a bow sticking out of the water that people claim is the bow of this ship. However, the bow is still seen below water so where does this bow come from? Anyway, here was our first wreck and after getting dropped with the RHIB directly above the wreck, parts of which are at 6m depth, my Belgian buddy and I had quite some fun on the wreck, starting from the deepest parts and working our way through the cargo holds, engine room and decks full of coral and fish up to literally the topmost bit of the wreck. Throughout the wreck as well, I had my first view at a few staples from the Red Sea: The ever present Lionfish which is both a beauty to look at and as well dangerous to touch, the Pyjama Nudibranch and the Gold Dotted Flatworm and lots of other colourful and plentiful fish which will move away only to make way for you and tease you to hit the camera button. All of these were plentiful and easy to see even for the untrained and busy eye spotting something new every other minute on a large wreck which is in itself, beautiful to glide through. The cargo did shift a bit here and there but most of the spaces are comfortable enough for exploring all the important bits, including the engine room.
Gold Dotted Flatworm
Inside the Krisoula K - Ample light in most spaces
A nice hour long dive passed by quickly and due to dwindling air, it was soon time to catch the taxi, aka as the RHIB back to the boat. The third dive for this day was also my first night dive here. The reef here at Abu Nuhas is a killer, not only of ships but also for divers due to the nice corals and plentiful life. In the night dive we accompanied all throughout it by two large Lionfish (must have been 12-14 inches long) which our guide told us have learnt that following divers around makes sense as they would find fish that they can then take as dinner! This was proven as they were around us at all times in the night dive and to be honest, I was a bit apprehensive when taking some pictures, having to look around to stay clear and away from them. Interesting nightlife here included the dangerous stonefish (literally, a stone with eyes), eels, featherworms, a large spanish dancer and more. The Coral also got some attention from me but by now tiredness was kicking in. Also, there were a couple of other groups diving the area so a bit of apprehension about not getting mixed up and joining the wrong group was present. Getting up to the boat for a relaxing dinner and a bit of chitchat/photo processing and then charging batteries (camera and self ) was next up. Time flies when you’re having fun and apparently even more so on a liveaboard. Stonefish
Striped Butterflyfish Spanish dancer
Flatworm (Pseudobiceros fulgor)
Very small Sea spider on Net fire coral (thickness of this coral is about 5mm)
Lantern Point
Comino 27.03.16
It is always nice when the Atlam boat dive ‘season’ kicks off again after almost three months of doing only shore dives. If one consults the records, it can be seen that in recent years, the first boat dive takes place at the closest dive site to the Marfa departure point – so close in fact that the kitting-up is done prior to boarding – and some fifteen minutes later it would be dive time.
The tunnel has one slight bend in it so that the light at the exit can only be seen once the bend is rounded. There are no branching passages, so in reality it is a straight forward swim. The floor is sandy so care should be taken and ideally adopt a frog kick type of propulsion. There is a beautiful play of light for photography, but obviously if the sand is stirred up, it would During this excursion, the wooden ‘Lucky be time to hang up the camera! Lady’ stood in for the customary ‘Atlantis II’, a fully capable dive boat none the less, As previously mentioned, visibility although could not be termed as being skippered by the steadfast Joseph. low, was in fact not optimal. Given this Due to the wind turning SW, mild at first, state of affairs, we more or less re-traced but becoming stronger, it was decided our paths back to the dive boat area. A to anchor the Lucky Lady in the tranquil pity because the vista from the reef top is waters, just behind the Lantern Point something to be enjoyed at this site (when headland. conditions are right of course...) This necessitated a slight modification to the dive plan’s path. In addition, it became evident that water clarity was not what might be considered optimal – it was therefore decided to follow the contours of the coast until we came to the exit of the ‘chimney’, then ascend onto the reef top to enter it from the reef top. The so called chimney is actually quite a nice feature, and consists of a vertical shaft which may be entered from the reef top at a depth of approximately 6m, and goes down vertically to about 18m. At its base, there is a tunnel which then exits out lower down the reef.
Photo: Joe Formosa
Article by Edward Vella
The Lucky Lady was anchored in what might be termed to be Inner Lantern Point. Actually this is quite an interesting area to explore. The sea bed immediately below the coastal wall is littered with large boulders all piled up on each other - strong north westerlies hit this area hard. The boulders form interesting passages and swim throughs covered in shade loving orange cup corals (Astroides calycularis). And so back onto the waiting Lucky Lady, and the prescribed decompression lager.
Photo: Edward Vella base photo: Joe Formosa
One is also rudely awakened back into the Atlam post-dive leg pulling frame of mind – memories of which would have faded after the three month absence – for some this is the best phase of the dive! Looking forward to this year’s Atlam boat dives.
Ras ir-Ra˙eb Malta 17.04.16 Fine weather at last! After two consecutive weeks of washed out boat dives, there was quite an expectation when it was announced that the next boat dive would take place at Ras ir-Raheb. On the day the forecast Easterly was blowing away, but the West coast affords good shelter, and this time the boat dive to Ras ir-Raheb was definitely on. The dive at this headland can take two directions, either keeping the coastal wall on the right heading south and ending the dive at Ghar it-Trozz, or heading in the opposite direction, rounding the headland and ending the dive in Fomm ir-Rih bay. This time it was to be the second option – towards Fomm ir-Rih bay. Our group planned to commence the dive from the cave at the headland, through the vertical shaft and back out on the coastal wall maintaining about 20m until we came to the wreck of the yacht ‘De Water Joffer’, which lies on the sand at a depth of about 30m. Arriving on the yacht late in the dive, we would not have much time, but we thought that it would be nice to visit anyway, and that there would be opportunities for a good photo. The plan then was to immediately ascend to an ideal decompression depth. The Atlantis II discharged us in front of the cave, which we entered on the surface. It was flat calm there and it is always awe inspiring to find oneself in a place knowing that not many persons visit. Also the calm lapping of the waves inside the dark cave contributed to the mysterious atmosphere. We would have liked to explore longer, but now it was time to explore beneath the waves.
Article by Edward Vella
Photo: Edward Vella
Photo: Pierre Mallia
I located the shaft entrance – or thought I did, because it looked like that the passage was blocked. I was down to a depth of 18m, and had to ascend back up to the cave floor. We could all be wrong, but in the end we were inclined to think that a boulder must have fallen from the ceiling causing the blockage – however the case is not closed, and this is definitely something to investigate and to put a ‘stone’ on! We exited from the entrance and went down to about 18m along the wall towards the next target – the yacht wreck. On the way we came across three white and black spotted nudibranchs (Discodoris atromaculata) and also one purple (Felmida purpurea). As anticipated, having arrived late on the wreck, we had to keep watch on the time. However we all agreed that it was a good decision, and we got some good shots. The wreck actually is very photogenic – we were enjoying ourselves, but a quick look at our dive computers advised that it was time to go. We ascended slowly to the best decompression depth with a ‘deep stop’ in between. While decompressing we noticed that this time we saw the hull of the Atlantis II close by - no surface fining this time... a very nice dive.
Base photo: Mario Micallef
Photo: Pierre Mallia
Photo: Edward Vella
Photo: Edward Vella
Ras il-ÓobΩ | Gozo | 24.04.16
Should anyone go through Atlam’s boat dive history, it would not be surprising if it is found that this site is within the top three (and probably a prime contender for the peak position – perhaps beaten only by Ta’ Cenc). These sites are not dived for any particular feature, although Ras ilHobz does have the pinnacle, but because they are sheltered from the Northwest wind which in Malta is prevailing, and also because they fit within the diving prerequisites – deep water with a well defined shore wall which makes them suitable for both sport and technical divers. Coming back to Ras il-Hobz – on the day it was a strong north westerly which made the Atlantis II buck as its bows broke through the metre plus waves, and then plunged into the following trough – it made using the toilet a task which required considerable planning! However, as we got closer to Gozo’s sheltered south facing coast, the sea became visibly calmer, and by the time, the anchor rattled down on the reef, it was nice and smooth.
Article & photos by Edward Vella
This time the plan was to get to and circumnavigate the base of the pinnacle in an ascending spiral, cross over to the shore wall, and then head due west (wall on the right) as far as the air would permit – and so, over the drop-off we went... At the edge, the reef will have sloped down to about 15m, but beyond that, and this adjacent to where the Atlantis II was anchored, the floor drops to about 35m. Perpendicularly to this reef wall, the seabed slopes off to about 50m – this is the edge of another drop off. We had barely started our progress towards the pinnacle, when from below at the wall’s base, two divers (Noel and Steve) were gesticulating (taking imaginary shots with an imaginary camera!) - obviously there was something worth taking a picture of down there – and there surely was – a very large spiny lobster holed up under a boulder – the depth here was 38m. I shot merrily away - unfortunately, the shots came out badly focused – not enough light I guess, so this crustacean did not make it to Bubbles this time!
A couple of minutes later, we got to the pinnacle – which never fails to impress. Visibility was good, and there did not seem to be any current. We circled once, keeping a look out in the blue - but no barracudas or amberjacks this time. Then on the landward side of the base, I saw the tell tale collection of shells and small stones - obviously an octopus – and there it was, a medium sized one. It made a nice shot (photo!) The reef to the west of the pinnacle is interesting in that it is sheer cut and goes down to considerable depth - we were at about 15m, and the bottom in some places are barely discernible. Anyway, the air was giving out, and we turned back towards the waiting Atlantis II, for a final encounter of the day with the resident silvery shoal of two banded sea bream. On the way back of course, the North West was actually helping us on our way home – pity that our skipper Joseph then had to navigate back to the berth in Gozo.