Bubbles November December 2015

Atlam Annual Reunion Dive 13 thDecember 2015

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

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 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

IN THIS ISSUE

page

Note from the Editor | Atlam AGM 2 Dive reunion (pictorial)

3

BA vs Atlam Photo Comp 2015 4/12 Species Page - Grey Trigger Fish - Edward Vella

13

Photographers of the Year 2015 - DSLR & Compact 14 Atlam Christmas Dinner (Pictorial) 15 Atlam New Year’s Eve Party (Pictorial) 16 Safari Foto Sub International Competition 17/18 Dive Logs

Photo by Anna Bassily.

G˙ar id-Dwieb - 08.1.15 - Edward Vella

19

Ras il-Óobz - 15.11.15 - Edward Vella

20

Dives Map - Joe Formosa

21

www.atlam.org

The Editorial Before another Bubbles is out, Atlam will be holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) – and now the official date is out – the 25th February – so please keep this date free to attend this important meeting! This is the time to put forward your ideas on how the club may improve, by suggesting better ways on how things are done at the moment, or perhaps indicate opportunities which the club can take advantage of. It goes without mentioning of course, that the selection of the right committee members is of vital importance – so there you are, this is serious business. Every member should now make it his / her business.

Looking back up to the beginning November, there have been a lot of activities organized by the committee. The last two boat dives for 2015 took place at Il-Qaws and at Ras il-Hobz (see the dive logs on pages 19 & 20) – as in previous years,the Atlantis II will now probably be undergoing its annual re-fit and we should start seeing it again towards spring. Organising boat dives costs the club a lot of money, and obviously these are organised for the members’ benefit – therefore by attending the boat dive you are supporting the club – and of course, getting the chance to dive at sites which would not be easily accessible and at a very good price.

ATLAM is holding its ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on the 25th February 2016, at 9.00pm sharp.

Continuing on the photography theme - on the 22nd November, the very first session of a Safari Foto Sub contest was held at Marsascala. This international competition (with participants from Italy, Spain and Malta) turned out to be a most enjoyable event, (see pages 17 & 18 ). A prize giving evening was then held at the clubhouse. In addition, during the same evening, the prizes for the first placing of the Underwater Photographer of the Year League were given out – winners and placings may be seen on page 14.

ATLAM needs new blood with fresh ideas to stand for the new committee.

Again on the subject of keeping one’s finger on the camera shutter was the now traditional photo competition held annually between Atlam and the so called British Airways team. Here best wishes go out to our British friends. See (Pages 4 to 12)

All those members who have time and commitment are asked to submit their nomination for the coming election.

Another Atlam tradition at this time of the year, is of course the Reunion Dive – this turned out to be a most enjoyable event with the procession of Atlam divers proudly following their banner towards the Rozi and back. This was followed by a small party at the Bahar ic-Caghaq Clubhouse.

Only members who paid 2 memberships in the last 3 years are eligible to stand for the committee election.

Now looking forward to 2016.

Keep Diving.

Edward Vella evella@onvol.net

This is the most important meeting for our club, and every club member should attend, as a new committee has to be elected.

Only paid up members are eligible to vote for the committee.

Membership fee is 25 euros.

Atlam Dive Reunion Dive 13.12.15 Photos by George Mugliett Noel: Facebook Admin

.. .. s e c a f r a i l i m some fa

Guzi: The President

Marianne: President Emeritus

George The Super Chef

Edward: The Editor

Nader: President Emeritus

Ivo: Bubbles Designer

e h t f o Results

British Airways vs ATLAM UnderWater PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION 31st October 2015

British Airways vs ATLAM UnderWater PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION held on 31st October 2015

1st Place - Roberto Faro (Atlam) These and the following photos are the entries of all the competitors in category set of three .

(Fish - Non Fish and Macro ) 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 , 3rd and best image places have been announced the remaining photos are displayed according to the competitors entry registration number.

Second Place: William Hewitt (BA)

Third Place: Mario Micallef (Atlam)

Best Image : Veronica Busuttil (Atlam)

Edward Vella (Atlam)

Veronica Busuttil (Atlam)

Joseph Azzopardi (Atlam)

Tom Cowan (B.A.)

George Mugliett (Atlam)

Joseph Azzopardi Falzon (Atlam)

Victor Fabri (Atlam)

Geoff Bowen (B.A.)

David Agius (Atlam) Joe Formosa (Atlam)

Species Page Research and photo by Edward Vella

Grey Trigger Fish

(Ómar) Balistes capriscus

Grey Trigger Fish – Maltese: Hmar* (Balistes capriscus) Up to now I have only come across a grey triggerfish once, on the reef at Cirkewwa, and this may give the impression that triggerfish are a rare encounter.

However, I heard from quite a number of other divers that have sighted triggerfish. Although encounters are not usual, they are not so seldom after all – but seldom enough for the diver to mention it as the highlight of the dive – as it was when I saw this one!

With its forked tail, elongated disc shape, small mouth, symmetric dorsal and ventral fins and grey / bluish coloration, it struck me as being an invader from an alien sea. Actually, the Grey Triggerfish is not limited to just the Mediterranean, but can also be found in shallow waters on both sides of the Atlantic. However I might have been forgiven for this thought, since there are about forty species of triggerfish spread in all of the tropical oceans, with most of them being in the Indian. Many of the cousins of our Mediterranean monochrome Grey Triggerfish, have a very similar profile, but are extremely colourful (one of them is called Picasso!).

Fish traps made out of cane-work, are within the munching capability of its powerful jaws.

While writing this article, I remembered once watching a documentary which showed a triggerfish (probably not a grey one) very aggressively defending its nesting territory. The ‘guard’ duties fall to the males, while the females are busy fanning the fertilised eggs in the ‘nest’, and hoping that they would survive the attentions of other fish for the next 50 hours – which is the time that it takes for them to hatch! (*Maltese: Hmar – which translates into ‘donkey’)

One of the prime Triggerfish features are its strong teeth specialised for making holes in hard-shelled prey like crabs, mollusc shells and sea urchins. It also feeds on sea cucumbers and shrimps.

On the other hand this fish is a sought after food fish, in spite of its tough skin. Remaining on the fishing theme, Grey Trigger fish have a reputation among local fishermen of being hard to catch and also of damaging fish traps to get to the fish milling within.

Sun Fish (Mola) ­­ PLEASE SEND PHOTOS

Photographers of the Year 2015 DSLR Category 1st Victor Fabri 2nd Mario Micallef 3rd George Mugliett Compact Camera Category 1st Veronica Busuttil & Tano RolĂŠ 2nd David Agius 3rd Edward Vella

Atlam Christmas Dinner at Ta' Maria Restuarant 12.12.2015 Photos by Victor Fabri

Atlam New Year's Eve Party Photos and Food by George Mugliett

1st Malta Safari Foto Sub Competition 22.11.15 - Marsascala

1st Malta Safari Foto Sub Competition This was the first time that a Safari Foto Sub competition has been organised in Malta, and I very much doubt that anyone locally knew that such an event existed, or what it consisted of – myself included. As explained to us by our good friend Roberto Faro (and Atlam member – winner of this year’s Atlam BA competition!), the basic idea of the contest is to take as many pictures of different fish species as possible within the allocated time. Participants are divided into two sections, those diving breath hold (apnea), and those using SCUBA. In Italy, Safari Foto Sub competitions are organised in league fashion in Italy by FIPSAS (which stands for: Federazione Italiana Pesca Sportiva, Attivita Subacquee e Nuoto Pinnato), that is, competitors get points and awards for individual competitions, but the points gathered are accumulated throughout the year to produce an annual overall winner. The competition held at Marsascala on the 22nd November, was different in that apart from the Italians there was a sizeable Spanish contingent, and for the first time a Maltese group made up of Atlam divers. This was actually a first for the Maltese group, and the idea was for this session to serve as an experience participation - thus although the regulations were common for all – for the Maltese Atlam group this was to be a one-off game.

On the day, conditions for the chosen site – Marsascala next to the abandoned Jerma Hotel - were found to be marginal, and after a brief evaluation, it was decided to hold the competition within Marsascala Bay itself. The depth here is about 7 – 8meters max., and actually this is an ideal depth for this type of competition, especially for those participating in apnea (which actually made up the majority of participants). In my case I broke my underwater dive duration, since my 15litre gave me a dive of 192 minutes, and still had 40 bar to spare! The competition is great fun and at the same time educational, but knowledge in fish identification - and luck – is what makes all the difference between the experienced and the beginner. Three hours is a long time, and quite tiring. After the competition, then comes the fish identification and photography grading of the shots, under the close scrutiny of the judges. Quite a long and complicated process.

The final results were:

APNEA

Best Photo

SCUBA

1. Salvador Costa Xavi

(Sp)

1. Liguori Gianpietro (It)

2. Felipe Perez Isidro

(Sp)

2. Muratore M.

3. Rossini Alessandro

(It)

3. Lombroso Davide (It)

4. Corbello Diaz Juan

(Sp)

4. Inguanti Carmelo (It)

5. Ruvolo Domenico

(It)

5. Azzopardi Joseph

(Ma)

6. Chiaromonte Francesco (It)

6. Mugliett George

(Ma)

7. Pugliese Giuseppe

7. Busuttil Veronica (Ma)

(It

(It)

8. Gomez Carlos Jose

(Sp)

8. Micallef Mario

(Ma)

9. Gaudino Ciro

(It)

9. Vella Edward

(Ma)

10. Mestie Irene

(It)

11. Grimaldi Giancarlo

(It)

10. Fabri Victor

(Ma)

1. Chiaromonte Francesco (It) 2. Corbello Diaz Juan (Sp) 3. Azzopardi Joseph (Ma) Best ‘Bio’ Photo – SCUBA 1. Liguori Gianpietro

(It)

Best ‘Bio’ Photo - Apnea 1. Ruvolo Domenico

(It)

Well done to all concerned participants and organisers!

Base photo: Joe Formosa

G˙ar id-Dwieb - Malta 08.11.15 Article by Edward Vella This was Atlam’s second visit this year to the horseshoe shaped inlet of Il-Qaws – or as is should be referred to Ghar id-Dwieb, and this time conditions were perfect – just a light North Easterly breeze from which this site is perfectly sheltered 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. Some divers prefer to start the dive just a few meters further East of this point – in order to reach a ‘bit’ more depth.

it turned out to be our diving officer Reuben sporting his latest addition to his private junk collection / clean-up- the- seas gesture!

Back along the wall, the search for nudibranchs resumed – I came across a couple of large black spotted white ‘cow ’ nudis - Discodoris atromalucata – and that was it. Definitely below expectations!

The dive comes to an end at the inlet’s innermost corner where a cave with many opportunities for super photography awaits.

At Ras id-Dawwara, the cliff makes a sharp turn, and this sharp ‘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...

The dive takes place along the right hand side of the inlet, and at this time of the day, the wall is in deep shadow.

Once into the inlet, the divers’ attention is mainly focused on scouring the wall for nudibranchs for which this site has built a sort of reputation. The search however is interrupted by the dark maw of 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.

Another fascinating feature of this large cave is that you can actually see the hazy outline of fresh water seeping out from certain points. The walls of the cave are covered in sponges of various colours and in one location, the wall is covered with row upon row of pink coralline algae. All so beautiful and all so fragile – it is up to the diver to refrain from touching, and entering certain areas if it is noticed that the flow of exhaust bubbles is collecting against any overhead cavities.

Too nice a dive to notice time going by – but going by it is – and so back to the waiting Atlantis II, and time for an ice cold ‘decompression’ beer!

Base photo: Joe Formosa

Photo: Edward Vella

This was the cave where in previous dives a skeleton which seemed to belong to a dolphin was found. As stated in the previous dive log to this site, the skeleton is no more.

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 of the cave one of the weirdest sights beyond anyone’s wildest imagination awaited – a diver with a chandelier – yes that is correct – a diver with a three candle chandelier swinging from a chain passed nonchalantly by as if it was the most normal thing in the world…

Photo: Edward Vella

Photo: Edward Vella

Ras il-ÓobΩ - Gozo 15.11.15 Article by Edward Vella This turned out to be the last boat dive for 2015. It can never be ascertained with any precision when the last boat dive for the year will happen, since this depends on when the Atlantis II is due for its annual re-fit, where it is lifted onto dry land for what needs to be done.

We have been diving many times at Ras il-Hobz – as many Bubbles Dive Logs can testify – and iåt may be that we have grown a bit used to the surroundings including the pinnacle (this of course is referring to sport divers, since the tekkies just keep going down), but there is nothing usual about seeing a free standing rock pinnacle rising on the landward side from 30 metres up to some 12 metres . On the seaward side, the pinnacle’s base must be at close to 60 metres.

Then there is of course the terraced reef. Many dives ago, we were following this lower reef heading East, when we noticed that the reef was curving Northwards, that is towards the shore. We kept following the reef, when we noticed that it started an ascending turn, with the turns becoming tighter and tighter, until all of a sudden, the reef was gone! A most disorientating experience - what we had not realised was that we had arrived from seaward at the base of the pinnacle, and then started to spiral up until we reached the top – and then of course we found ourselves on a rocky platform suspended in the blue! I remember sitting there not sure what to do next, then I saw other divers heading North and the shore reef soon became visible. It took some debating and sketches to realise what had happened, and then solved the ‘problem’ definitely in the next dive.

Base photo: Joe Formosa

This dive we decided to make a single ‘lap’ of the pinnacle’s base and then head West along the shore reef – towards the Mgarr ix-Xini inlet. We maintained an approximate depth of 15 metres along the wall, which enabled us to make the air supply last for a 70 minute dive and still surface with the recommended 50 bar. The reef along this direction forms a sheer perpendicular cliff face, the base of which in some places, I would estimate to be in the region of 50 metres plus. Aside from this sheer drop off, it is really quite unremarkable, but still pleasant to feel suspended between the blue and the waving brown algae covered cliff wall.

As regards sea life, we came across a couple of moray eels, one of which was a big one. Along the above mentioned reef, we saw groups of salema and sea bream (or similar!). Then back onto the shore reef, beneath the waiting Atlantis 2, again a shoal of salema, and a small octopus.

Not a super spectacular dive, but it is always enjoyable and relaxing to dive in familiar surroundings.

Photo: Edward Vella