T HE A T LA M SUBA QUA C LUB E -M A G A Z I N E
MARCH/APRIL 2017 2017 Atlam Committee Members :Joseph Azzopardi President guzeppi56@gmail.com Anton Debattista Secretary andeb@go.net.mt Peter Attard Treasurer 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 2 Species Page - Comb Jellies - Edward Vella Zenobia Wreck - Cyprus - David Agius Dived Where - Um El Faroud - Dorian Law
3 4/7 8/11
Boat Dives Log: Pictorial
Photo by Marcus Caruana
Lantern Point - Comino 23.04.17
12
Ix-Xatt L-Ahmar - Gozo 30.04.17
13
Boat Dive Location Map - Joe Formosa
14
www.atlam.org
The Editorial I should think that the first item on this Editorial in this spring time issue of Bubbles is the recommencement of the Atlam Boat Dives, and the second being the successful organisation of a string of presentation events held during the Thursday club nights. As it has been the case for some years now, the first dive following the winter recess, took place at Lantern Point Comino. The second dive was scheduled for Ras ir-Raheb, but the North Westerly thought otherwise – the dive was held at ix-Xatt l-Ahmar on the wreck of the Karwela – there were no complaints! As reported in the previous issue, the new committee, had put across to the members an opportunity to make their opinion and ideas heard by participating in a series of forums covering strategic subjects. This in turn would provide the committee a good opportunity to gauge what the members think and assist in any decisions affecting which course the club should take. During the first forum on the subject of poor attendance during club nights, many of those present attributed this (among other reasons) to the lack of interesting activities. To this end, starting off from the first April club night, a number of well attended presentations were held. The first was a Powerpoint presentation by Raniero Borg on the 6th. Well, this was really a heart felt appeal titled ‘Saving is-Sikka l-Bajda’, and was made to raise awareness of the destruction being inflicted on this fragile reef. Vessels of many types either to seek shelter or for other commercial reasons drop anchors on the reef. The anchors and their massive chains drag across the sea bed causing irreparable damage to the reef itself and its eco system. Unfolding the Tiny was a most enjoyable and very informative presentation by macro photographer Marcus Caruana. Marcus showed off pictures of some exotic macro critters taken mostly in the Phillipines, as well as explaining in detail how to go about special photographic techniques to capture these elusive creatures that make incredibly beautiful and intricate subjects. This presentation was held on the 20th. On the 27th Greg Nowell from Sharklab Malta held a most interesting presentation / discussion on the subject of ‘Sharks and Overfishing’. Greg touched on several points, including the false notoriety that the media has built around sharks, the devastating effect of shark finning, where sharks’ fins are cut off while still alive, and then dumped back for a slow death in the sea. The presentation also highlighted Sharklab Malta’s activities, as well as the variety of elasmobranchs which are to be found locally. And of course, in addition to the above a Fenkata (a la George) was held on the 18th March. It’s looking good. Keep diving.
Edward Vella evella@onvol.net
M A L T A
established 1955
2017 Atlam SAC Membership Fee Your 2017 Atlam SAC Membership Fee is now due. 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 2017. 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
Species Page
Research by Edward Vella
To the untrained eye, ctenophores seem to be jellyfish, well they are made up of jelly, and up to not so long ago, they were in fact considered to be part of the phylum cnidaria. OK cnidaria is the heading under which jelly fish are classified, and one of the foremost characteristics of the members of this phylum is that they carry poison cells by which their prey is captured – unfortunately anything that brushes against many cnidarians gets a free dose. If in need of clarification one can always put a mauve stinger on a bare part of his anatomy! Comb Jellies do not possess poison cells; they capture prey by means of cells located on tentacles which secrete a sticky substance. Their internal structure, or partitioning, is different at cellular thickness level. Comb Jellies are a phylum on their own – Ctenaphora. Their prey which as stated is captured via sticky tentacles consists of planktonic organisms, although not all ctenophores have tentacles. If food is plentiful, they can eat 10 times their own weight per day. The surface-water species prey on zooplankton (planktonic animals) ranging in size from the microscopic, including mollusc and fish larvae, to small adult crustaceans. The word Ctenaphora, is Greek for ‘Bearer of Combs’. The combs being referred to here are a series of small flaps arranged in a row to resemble a comb. In this case, each ‘tooth’ of the ‘comb’ is called a cilia, and when these cilia beat in time with each other, they create a flow of water which in turn propels the ctenophore forward. There may be several (commonly eight) of these ‘combs’.
Comb Jellies
Ctenophores
hermaphrodites, that is both eggs and sperm can be produced at the same time. Others are sequential hermaphrodites, in which the eggs and sperm mature at different times. Fertilization is generally external.
Mnemiopsis leidyi Ctenophores have no brain or central nervous system, this might seem unusual (on second thoughts not so unusual!) but actually there other brainless organisms such as, jellyfish. Instead of a brain, ctenophores have a nerve net that forms a ring round the mouth and is densest near structures where a degree of coordination is required, such as the comb rows and the tentacles - if present.
The movement of the cilia produce a sort of rainbow light effect, but this is not caused by bioluminescence but by the scattering of light caused by the combs’ movement. Most ctenophore species are however verily bioluminescent, but the light is usually blue or green and can only be seen in the dark. Most species are hermaphrodites—a single animal can produce both eggs and sperm, meaning it can fertilize its own egg, not needing a mate. Some are simultaneous
Mnemiopsis leidyi
Next Species
Damsel fish
Beroe ovata
(Chromis chromis) Çawla P L E A S E S E N D P H OTO S
A Short hop away from our shores...
Article & photos by David Agius
I first have to thank you readers for all the positive and encouraging feedback for my Red Sea Trip series (view the past year’s Bubbles issues if you’ve missed it). The editor was pretty happy about the series and is already chasing me to write some more, but he doesn’t want to fund my next trip! Whilst dear Editor gathers his pennies for me, I’ll write about another trip, closer to our shores than Egypt but still within the Mediterranean. Another Island which has some similarities to our own, but maybe not as known for diving, except for an iconic shipwreck, the Zenobia!
Cyprus, as you’ve probably realised by now, is a few times larger than our island, however, maybe due to its position in the East Basin of the Mediterranean, it is poorer in nutrients, also, diving there is less developed than in Malta. Shore diving is not as straightforward as in Malta and to visit a lot of its nicest wrecks and sites you have to hop on a boat. On the other hand, with its Eastern Mediterranean flavour, the island is another gem, especially the food. Being an island, I also found the locals quite friendly and for this trip, back in October 2015, I definitely had a good experience with Vikings Diving Centre, whose only Viking connection was probably one of its owners as the rest of the staff were Cypriots, Italian and Israeli. Before starting on the country jokes though, let’s get to the steel, or sorry, rusting Iron!
The Zenobia. This wreck is considered to have by its presence created the diving industry in Cyprus and most notably in Larnaca. It is NOT the only wreck, and since my last visit, they have at least sunk another two small wrecks, maybe to start catching up with Malta’s Diving Industry. This Giant of the seas, 178 metres long and sitting on its port side just 16m shy of the surface is an amazing dive. Only 10 minutes by boat from the Larnaca Marina, the number of divers it brings to Cyprus each year is high, and not without just cause.
When it sank, back in 1980 (coincidentally, a few months before I was born), it was on its maiden voyage. Fitted with state of the art computers that apparently malfunctioned and made it tip. There are some claims that it sank for other reasons, but let’s stick to the official story for now. Its cargo, of trucks for Syria is as Photogenic as the rest of the wreck and one can even see the remains of some other cargo which was on board the trucks, such as eggs and bones of frozen animal carcasses. Some of the trucks are also still hanging to their chains (until they will eventually snap).
To top it off however, the most amazing part of this ship in my opinion is the wreck penetration the Zenobia gives to the diver. As a modern ship which sank without the preparation we see on artificial wrecks, you have to watch out for a few kilometres of cables and due to it having rested on its side, doors turned horizontal need a bit getting used to. However there are large open spaces as well as corridors. The bridge and passenger cafeteria, the loading bays and many other areas make an amazing dive, actually, about 40 different dives according to the guides if you want to explore all of it and you have the appropriate training. During my three days spent diving the wreck, I managed to get an enjoyable 6 dives with perfectly calm seas. Marine life on the ship is quite good, with Medium sized groupers seen on every dive and many other smaller fish everywhere around the wreck. I went for a couple of reef dives in a marine park at the east end of the Island but these dives cannot match Zenobia for the wreck heads .
Article compiled by Dorian Law Location: Wied iz-Zurrieq, Qrendi GPS position: 35°49’08”N, 14°26’56”E. Dive depth: 12 - 36metres. Length: 110metres. Beam: 11metres. Date of sinking: 2nd September 1998. Type of dive: Shore / Boat. Suitable for: CMAS 2 Star / PADI Advanced Open Water - Rescue Diver or equivalent.
The Ship: The MV Um El Faroud was built in 1969 by Smith’s Dock Company Limited of South Bank and Stockton in Middlesbrough, England, on the River Tees, often referred to simply as Smiths Dock. In 1966, the yard had been sold to Swan Hunter, with the yard becoming part of the Swan Hunter Group later in the same year. With an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number 6918613, this single screw motor oil tanker had a gross tonnage of 3273 tons and 5390 Dead Weight Tons (DWT). The 110 meter long ship was launched in May 1969 and completed the following September, with a beam of 15.5 metres, 6 metres draft and measuring over 22 metres from the keel to the funnel. It was driven by a Smit & Bolones N.V., Oil 2S.A. 16 cylinder, 3200 bhp engine, driving a single propeller, capable of reaching speeds over 15 knots. Yard number 1297 left port under the name of MV Seafalcon and was owned by Graff-Wang & Evien of Oslo, Norway until 1973, working in the North Sea routes. In the following two years
it was owned by the Libyan company, National Oil Corporation (NOC), previously known as Libyan Petroleum Corporation. From 1975 till 1998 it was owned by the Libyan State-owned company, the General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) of Tripoli, Libya. During the last 25 years of service, the ship operated the routes between Libya and Italy carrying mainly refined fuel.
Um El Faroud Malta’s Wrecks Series
The Wreck: On the 1st February 1995, the MV Um El Faroud was docked for repairs in Number 3 Dock at the Malta Drydocks (Later Malta Shipyards Limited; now Palumbo Malta Shipyard Limited), in Cospicua. During the night of Friday 3rd February 1995, at around 2230hrs, an explosion on board, ripped the tanker’s center tank section, killing nine workers. Seven Malta Drydocks workers; George Aquilina, 24, of Qormi, Charles Callus, 46, of Valletta, Mario Hales, 39, of Mqabba, Simon Mifsud, 26, of Birgu, Simon Pisani, 22, of Msida, Angelo Sciberras, 51, of Zabbar, and Anthony Vassallo, 29 of Dingli, died instantly. The other two; Paul Seguna, 37, of Zebbug and George Xuereb, 58, of Qormi suffered grievous injuries and died later at St Luke’s Hospital. Although not fully confirmed, the blast is believed to have been caused by an accumulation of gas which ignited, causing the most deadly accident at work in Malta. An inquiry by then Magistrate Noel Cuschieri, found the yard was mainly responsible for the explosion. A brass plaque stuck to the ship’s superstructure serves as a memorial to the nine workers.
The Um El Faroud spent most of the following three years in Number 3 dock, awaiting the result of an enquiry. On the 2nd September 1998, when the inquiry was concluded, the ship was towed out to sea by Tug Malta Ltd tugboat ‘Katrin’ (today ‘Mirkurt’ – fish farming industry), accompanied by Malta Drydocks small tugs ‘Filfla’ and ‘Kemmuna’. The destination was a sandy, featureless, barren area just
100metres West Southwest of Wied izZurrieq, where it was to serve as an artificial reef and diving attraction. Upon reaching the final position, at about noon, seavalves were opened and nearly four hours later, after having tilted to her starboard side, the Um El Faroud sank beneath the surface, to an upright position at a depth of 35 metres, with the bow pointing West at about 275°.
Malta Drydocks: In 1958, the shipyard was transferred from the admiralty to the management of Baileys (Malta) Limited. The following year, due to consistent deficits spiked with industrial unrest, it was owned by a Council of Administration formed of the British and Maltese government. During 1963 and 1968, Malta Drydocks was managed by Swan Hunter, the same company which was to build the Um El Faroud a year later.
The Dive: There are two roads which lead towards the dive site. If coming from Zurrieq, drive along Blue Grotto Avenue, Zurrieq’s main road, which then joins with Wied iz-Zurrieq Road. Continue on this road, passing along Wied Babu and past Blue Grotto’s panorama viewpoint, towards the Blue Grotto boat trips departure quay (wharf ) and the dive site. If coming from Siggiewi, drive along Ghar Lapsi Road, then take the turning on the left at the roundabout on top of the road leading down towards Ghar Lapsi. Continue driving along this cliff side road, past Hagar Qim Temples, then right, down Wied iz-Zurrieq and Congreve Roads towards the dive site. Divers normally park just past Congreve Road, the sloping road leading to the steps towards the sea. The preferred entry point is at the end of the steps that lead from the divers’ parking. When entering the water, keep close to the shore line and do not go beyond the surface buoys at the centerline of the valley, due to heavy boat traffic in the area, especially on calm days, all year long. There are three ways to reach the wreck. First, if you decide to submerge at the beginning of the dive, go to and around the right hand side (West side) of the valley, just past a small cave, at 12 metres. Then take a bearing of 240° towards the wreck which lies about
150 metres away. While swimming out to the wreck above poseidonia (sea grass) meadows, on the left hand side, at a depth of about 27 metres, you will see a full sized mock-up of an old style brass diver’s helmet, in white, on a concrete block, sunk in 2005, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Atlam Sub Aqua Club. If you decide to inspect the helmet, then take a bearing of 270° towards the aft side of the wreck.
The second route is to surface swim along the west coast towards a small cove (inlet), about 75 metres from the west promontory of the valley. From here, take a bearing of 210°, start descending along the inshore reef and swim out for about 75 metres to the wreck.
The third route is to surface swim all the way out towards the wreck. Then, take a position approximately 60metres offshore and 15° from the west promontory of the small cove, 240° from the entry point and 255° from the Ta’ Xuta Tower (Sciuta or Wied iz- Zurrieq Tower), which lies some 350 metres away. The top side of the
penetrating light. The third route involves penetration of the cargo holds and bow section. The easiest penetration of the cargo hold is made through the crack in the wreck, moving forward through manholes and exiting through cutouts on both sides on the forward main cargo deck at 25 metres. In this area, a door in the center line of the wreck, serves as access and exit to the bow, chain locker and forward peak sections of the wrecks. Another door, slightly aft of the forward winch deck serves the same purpose.
wreck may be visible, especially on calm days. Start the descent, regulating your position as you near the bottom. A sandy bottom indicates that you are on the port side of the wreck, far offshore and need to swim towards shore at a bearing of 15°. The bridge and funnel are at a depth of 15 metres, while the aft and cargo hold decks are at 25metres. The sandy bottom varies between 30 metres on the starboard (inshore) side and 35 metres on the port side, being slightly deeper at the propeller and rudder area. The start of the dive route depends mainly on where you first make contact with the wreck. Normally, divers first encounter the aft area of the wreck and start the route from this section. A typical route on the Um El Faroud wreck, without penetration, starts from the aft side, with a descent towards the propeller and rudder, an ideal spot for a photograph while passing through the stern frame. Move forward along the port side towards the crack in the hull. At this point, you can cross to the starboard side through the crack or continue forward. Upon reaching the bow, you can turn to the starboard side then move aft or start a slow ascent at the bow at 20metres, to explore the forward deck winches, before moving aft on the main cargo decks, passing above the crack and reaching the accommodation superstructure. A staircase on each side, leads from the main deck through passages that go towards the aft deck winch area. Access from the starboard side is restricted on the aft section due to a bend in the metal structure. The wreck exploration ends here. Another route without penetration, involves exploring the aft section only. This typically starts as the previous route, with divers then exploring the crack area while
If the dive is not subjected to currents or unforeseen emergencies, the return back to the exit point can take three different routes. These depend mainly on the availability of air and decompression requirements. For the first route, from any section of the wreck, take a bearing of approximately 15°
ascending towards the aft deck or the life boat gantry decks at 20 metres, then ending the dive at the funnel and bridge deck at 15 metres. Wreck penetration takes mainly three routes. The safest penetration involves exploring the accommodation area. This route starts at the aft side where a door leads to the kitchen and pantry area. Other doors lead to internal passageways and staircases, which lead to the upper decks towards the bridge area. It is also possible to go outside of the accommodation area through various cutouts, windows or doors, then up or down and back inside the superstructure. The second penetration route involves exploration of the lower deck areas, mainly the machinery and engine room. Access is via cutouts on both sides of the hull at 26 metres, from the forward passageway inside the accommodation or through a cutout at the forward bulkhead of the superstructure, on the aft main deck, in the area between the two staircases mentioned previously. The route to take once inside is to follow the passageways and stairways down towards the engine, then ascending out via passageways made visible by the
towards the shore line reef, ascending as required while swimming with the reef on the left hand side in an easterly direction towards the valley. The second route to the exit point starts at the aft of the wreck. Follow the line where the poseidonia meadows stop growing and the sand begins. This is the longer route, going in a southeasterly direction and depends mainly on the availability of air. This route ends about 150 metres south of the exit point, where undulating sand slopes between poseidonia meadows, form an underwater valley, like an extension of the valley above the water. Car tyres and halved 45 gallon oil drum bins mark (litter) this area. The third and shortest route also starts from the aft side of the wreck. This is done by taking a bearing of 60°, straight towards the valley inlet. Reaching the dive site by small boat can be done from Ghar Lapsi, less than 3kilometres up the northwest coast from Wied iz-Zurrieq. Bigger boats will leave from Marsaxlokk Port, 12 kilometres to the east. Sometimes it is also possible to get a one-way trip to the wreck from a local boat operator, at a modest fee. There are three exit points at the dive site, all situated on the east side of the valley, where the dive normally starts. The first exit, and the one that is always present, is via the boat slip way. The other two exit points are via step ladders, one situated just in front of the steps that lead from the divers’ parking down to the shoreline while the other, which is normally used by the local swimmers, is about 20metres away, to the right, towards North. Any one of these two ladders might not be present during certain periods of the year. Their removal is normally attributed to bad weather or maintenance.
you are using the slipway as the exit point, always consider boat traffic in the area. The safest side when exiting at the slipway is the right hand side. Boats normally depart from the valley’s inward side. If you need to surface inside the valley, stay close to the shoreline or ascend along one of the boat mooring buoy lines.
Note:
Safety: At the start of the dive care should be taken at the point of entry to slippery surfaces, underlying rocks and submerged boat anchor ropes that cross from the east to the west side walls of the valley. Due to boat traffic, keep to the east side of the valley once in the water. While underwater in the valley, keep an eye for the blocks and weights that keep the boat anchor ropes submerged. They can move up and down with waves, boat traffic or by boat owners while mooring. If the dive plan involves surface swimming, do so as a group and only cross to the west side once certain that no boats are approaching or leaving the valley. Current, is nearly always present on the site and there is no guarantee that if no surface current is present, then there is no current on the wreck. The opposite holds true and this also applies to the current’s direction, with the prevailing direction being from Northwest. It is not uncommon to see divers hanging to the aft side handrails like ‘flags on a pole’ or divers being driven so far out to sea by the current that a local boat has to be called out to rescue the stranded divers. It is best to ask before entering the water and adjust the dive plan accordingly, whilst taking special care if this information is not available. If
On that ill-fated day of Friday 3rd February 1995, I was at work at Malta Drydocks during the day. I still remember my co-workers, who were working on the Um El-Faroud, telling me about the smell of fuel and the burning sensation in their eyes. More than 100 Malta Drydocks workers, from different trades, were on day shift onboard the Um El Faroud. At the end of the shift, I left the Yard, heading straight to my in-laws home in Qormi. I was to be married in June that same year. Slightly after 2300 hrs, my mum called to check if I was there. After a moment of relief on her side, she told me that my aunt Ann, who lives in Birgu (Vittoriosa) had called due to the incident which had just happened. Worried, I left for the Yard and upon entering I headed straight for the punch clock station near the Electrical Workshop. It was a great relief when I found out that my department’s workforce had all punched out and left for home. I tried to make my way towards Number 3 Dock but the commotion made this nearly impossible. All work at the Yard was stopped and on Monday 6th February we returned back to work, to an image that will never be erased from our memories; that of a ‘ship’s deck opened like a can of sardines’. I was then to work on the Um El Faroud during the preparation for scuttling. On Wednesday 2nd September of 1998, I was at Wied iz-Zurrieq, as were other Dockyard workers, some with tears in their eyes. I visited the wreck on various occasion while
spearfishing but still had tears in my eyes when I dived the wreck for the first time in the summer of 2001. During a winter storm of 2005, with South and Southwest winds battering the coastline for days, the wreck of the Um El Faroud was broken in half, about 10 metres forward of the accommodation bulkhead, with the forward broken section shifting about 3 metres to the starboard side. That damaging storm has produced what many consider, as Malta’s best and most dived wreck.
Important Notice: The information contained might not be accurate or reflect the conditions found daily at the site. More accurate information should be obtained prior to planning to dive this wreck site.
Lantern Point | Comino | 23.04.17 Photo: Joseph Azzopardi Falzon
Ix-Xatt l-A˙mar | Gozo | 30.04.17
Photo: Joe Formosa (from archives) Photo: Karela Wreck - Joe Formosa (from archives)
Photo: Karwela Wreck - Veronica Busuttil (from archives)