DIVE Magazine Aug 2011

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Britain’s best-selling scuba magazine August 2011 • £3.99

ELPHINSTONE

BUOYS & TOYS

Egypt’s pelagic paradise

Surface kit to be seen with

Hammer Heaven!

Why Cocos is still the shark hotspot

» PORTLAND’S ALIEN ENCOUNTERS

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» KIT EXCLUSIVE: NEW

AQUA LUNG BCs ON TEST

BIRD BATH

Dive with penguins in the UK

» SELSEY’S WARTIME WRECKAGE

04/07/2011 11:59

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Contents VOLUME 13 • ISSUE 3

BIRD LOVER: an encounter with a macaroni penguin – see page 43

SIMON ROGERSON

8 • 2011

Features

22 40 43

WIN 20

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MARES REGULATOR SET WORTH £675

WATER COLUMN Small but deadly – the blue-ringed octopus

DIVE HARD

Diving adventurer Andy Torbet takes on an impenetrable blowhole

PICK UP A PENGUIN

Simon Rogerson reports on an unusual diving experience

46

DESERT ADVENTURE

53

SOUTH COAST SPECIAL

Monty Halls fufills a longheld ambition on a trip to Musandam, Oman

Coronation wreck… Sites of Selsey… Critters from the continent

06/07/2011 09:11

Contents SCHOOL TIME: schooling hammerheads at Cocos Island – see page 78

EQUIPMENT

29

BUOYS AND TOYS

37

TEST ZONE

Charles Hood checks out the topperforming surface recognition kit Aqua Lung Dimension i3 and Lotus i3 BCs… SI Tech Quick Cuff System

REGULARS 15

BITEBACK

21

MONTY

91

INBOX

94

DIRECTORY

105

HANG TIME

106

IT HAPPENED TO ME

Mackerel stocks Buddy love Your letters and a chance to win a Suunto Vyper Air computer Dive shops and centres Quiz and crossword Deep trouble

SKILLS & DIVE GUIDES 65 71 74 78

SKILLS & THRILLS

HSE Scuba Diver course

DOUBLE TAKE

Elphinstone Reef

PHOTOPRO

Play to your strengths

INDEPTH GUIDE Cocos Island

BRIEFING

INDEPTH GUIDE

Cocos Island: scuba, rebreather and submarine

Come Dive with Me offer… Sri Lanka by liveaboard… Britain by snorkel

CHARLES HOOD

78

10–18 The Big Dunk… New diving museum...

SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

76

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FREE!

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.co.uk Britain’s best-sellin

ELPHINSTONE

g scuba magazine August 2011 • £3.99

Egypt’s pelag ic paradise

BUOYS & TOYS

Surface kit to be seen with

MALDIVES IN LUXURY

The latest cool resorts

VIDEO STARS

Popular underwater systems

NORTH CORNWALL

Is it all about deep wrecks?

Hamme Heavenr!

Why Cocos is

» PORTLAND

’S ENCOUNTE RSALIEN

still the shark

» KIT EXCLUSIVE

: NEW AQUA LUNG BCs ON TEST

hotspot

BIRD BATH

Dive with penguins in the UK » SELSEY’S

WARTIME WRECKAGE

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Egypt’s Red Sea, still number one.

For your safety and enjoyment, book your diving with a CDWS member.

See www.cdws.travel for a list of legal diving operators in Egypt’s Red Sea. Image: Kimmo Hagman

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www.egypt.travel

www.cdws.travel

04/07/2011 14:42

Contributors Meet this month’s DIVE correspondents

Journalist and photographer Neil Hope dives the Coronation shipwreck for our South Coast Special this month.

The Coronation is a protected wreck that sank in 1691. Protected wrecks can only be dived with a licence, but the licensees of the Coronation have launched a scheme whereby any diver can arrange to visit the wreck through them.

Find out more about the wreck and how you can dive it on page 53. Neil lives in Cornwall and works for the Western Morning News. This season, he’s planning to visit the Scilly Isles and to dive closer to home with his children, who have just become certified divers.

KeepingNeutral Each month, we pay Climate Care a fee to offset the carbon emissions generated by flights taken specifically for articles used in DIVE. This month, our writers visited: Cocos Island

2.50 tonnes CO2 = £18.76

TOTAL

2.50 tonnes CO2 = £18.76

For more information about Climate Care, go to www.climatecare.org

STILL THE BIGGEST DIVE is the only scuba diving magazine in the UK to be independently ABCaudited and, at 35,250 for the 2010 period, has an official circulation of more than double that of our nearest competitor. As well as being stocked in all good branches of WHSmith, DIVE can also be found in selected dive shops, tour operator offices, airport departure lounges and even cruise ships.

STILL THE BEST DIVE’s award-winning editorial team brings you the latest stories from the leading writers and photographers.

Our columnists include writer and television star Monty

Halls, leading underwater photographer Alex Mustard, kit expert Charles Hood and big animal specialist Douglas Seifert. For the latest news, truly independent reviews and professional insights into the world of diving, DIVE’s editorial gives our readers the best of the best.

BEST VALUE BY FAR DIVE now costs less than its rivals at only £3.99 on the newsstand, and regular subscribers pay even less per issue! But it’s not just our readers that benefit from the great value that DIVE offers – our advertisers also enjoy the best rates of any scuba magazine in the country, with a cost per reach ratio

Scuba journalist Simon Brown reports on the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Scuba Diver course for DIVE’s regular Skills and Thrills section. This course is essential for anyone who wants to make the step from recreational diver to working underwater. Whether it’s diving commercially for a fish farm, acting as a safety diver or undertaking underwater filming, if you want a job diving, the HSE course is where you have to start. Turn to page 65 to find out how he got on. This year, Simon won the Suunto Open category in the British Underwater Image festival with a photo of Royal Navy clearance divers.

CoverShot

When writer and photographer Anita Sherwood spotted a snakelocks anemone shrimp on a recent UK dive, she knew it was unusual. This tiny shrimp is normally found farther south in warmer European waters, but was first spotted in the UK at Swanage Pier in Dorset in 2007. Anita was diving just outside Portland, and the encounter inspired her to find out more about these tiny creatures. Turn to our GB Dives South Coast Special on page 60 to find out more. Anita lives in Malvern, Worcestershire, and is a keen UK diver.

Her book, Top 100 British Shore Dives, is a favourite here at DIVE.

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

Scalloped hammerhead at Cocos Island by Simon Rogerson

that far surpasses our rivals.

To find out how DIVE can help your business reach a targeted audience, call Ross Lafayette on +44 (0)20 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com.

SCUBA TUBE Enjoy all the latest super scuba videos from YouTube with DIVE’s new Scuba Tube service, now available at www.divemagazine.co.uk.

Simply choose your favourite video category and scroll for more results. You can also check out the related videos on the panel on the right-hand side. You’ll find all sorts of videos – from the latest shark encounters and retro dives by diving pioneers to the best of your favourite wrecks.

email: membership@bsac.com tel: 0151 350 6201

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INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SCHEME email: bookings@bsac.com tel: 0151 350 6205

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COACHING SCHEME COORDINATOR email: coaching@bsac.com tel: 0151 350 6262

SNORKELLING ENQUIRIES email: snorkelling@bsac.com tel: 0151 350 6260

MARKETING email: marketing@bsac.com tel: 0151 350 6221

NATIONAL DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS HOTLINE In the event of any diving incident of suspected decompression illness or barotrauma, contact one of the following emergency numbers: England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 07831 151523. Scotland: 0845 408 6008 BE PART OF IT – JOIN THE CLUB Dive with friends, train with friends, meet others and keep in touch with your sport. Annual membership from just £16. For full membership types and rates, visit www.bsac.com/bepartofit or call 0151 350 6201.

GENERAL ENQUIRIES telephone: 0151 350 6200 website: bsac.com address: BSAC, Telford’s Quay, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FL

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH SUB-AQUA CLUB BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING DIVING MAGAZINE AND MEMBER OF THE AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION. DIVE is independently audited. We have the largest circulation of any diving magazine in the UK. DIVE – the biggest, the best, the magazine diving deserves.

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DIVE 04/07/2011 14:42

Editor’sLetter HAVE YOU SEEN the new membership offer from BSAC? I must admit, I was impressed when Mary Tetley, the club’s chief executive, explained the deal to me. You can read all about it in this month’s Briefing section, but it’s such an audacious offer, I’ll briefly explain it here.

Here’s the thing: if you’re an existing member, and you find a new member to join your local branch or BSAC Direct, they are entitled to £185 off a new drysuit from Northern Diver. That’s a pretty amazing deal, and it’s not being offered by some marginal player. Northern Diver is one of the UK’s longestestablished and most popular drysuit brands; you see its kit everywhere – it even supplies the military.

But that’s just half of the deal. You see, if you’re the existing BSAC member who happened to introduce that newbie to the club… well, it turns out you too are entitled to £185 off a new Northern Diver drysuit.

Oh, and if you’re an overseas member or if you prefer to stick to warm water, you can get up to £50 off a wetsuit instead.

When I took all this in, I could certainly see why it’s good for the members. Who’s going to object to a big discount like that, especially in these financially challenging times? BSAC is calling the campaign ‘Come Dive with Me’, and with a win-win scenario like that in the frame, I should imagine quite a few prospective members will decide to do just that.

The trick, of course, lies in identifying and landing your new divers. A lot of clubs achieve this with trydive events, local clean-ups and other initiatives. I was seriously impressed with the profile-raising endeavours of Street Divers from Somerset, who raise funds by selling food and drinks at Glastonbury Festival every year (see Briefing, page 13). At this year’s festival, they served up 3,000 slices of bacon, 4,800 sausages and 1,500 burgers – I bet these guys do their own catering on club trips.

So why do we look for more members? The club was, after all, relatively small in its early years, and it wasn’t until the boom of the 1980s that membership started to skyrocket. At that point, diving was the fastest-growing sport in the world, and BSAC began to explore the myriad benefits that come when the numbers are on your side.

Today, diving is a mainstream pastime, competing with skiing, golf and cycling for attention and devotees. And the greater numbers BSAC can boast, the more it can do for its members, whether that be third-party insurance, a regional coaching scheme or the Come Dive with Me offer. It shows exactly why club diving is such a no-brainer in the UK (not to mention other countries), and why the strength of the BSAC lies in the extensive pool of its membership.

Simon Rogerson Editor simon@dive.uk.com

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04/07/2011 14:44 23/05/2011 16:54:58

DiveBriefing

EDITED BY JO MATTOCK jo@dive.uk.com

THE BIG DUNK

GARETH LOCK

GET WET IN September with the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund’s Big Dunk. The charity, which is the official charity of The Big Scuba Show, is asking divers to raise money in September for the Commando Spirit Appeal.

Organise a sponsored dive marathon, play games underwater or hold a giant water fight – anything that involves getting wet and that raises money for this worthwhile cause.

‘The Royal Marines are our m arine corps a nd amphibious i nfantry and we hope that the Big Dunk concept will be taken to the heart of the diving and wider communities,’ said Sally-Anne Hunter, founder and director of the Commando Spirit Appeal. ‘We look forward to seeing the ways in which people choose to get “dunked” and raise funds for Royal Marines and their families in need.’

The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund aids wounded and injured marines and gives quality of life to those returning for operations. It also supports the families of those who die in service.

The charity is aiming to raise £6million by 2014 – the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines. The Commando Spirit Appeal hopes to raise £1million of that total through a series of events including GET INVOLVED: wacky Escape the Dunker – a terrifying simulation of a ideas such as extreme helicopter crash at sea that Royal Marines have ironing can be used to raise funds to do as part of their training.

DIVE ran a competition to choose three brave divers HELPING OUT: to take part in Escape the Dunker. The winners – a charity dive at TAMSIN SALLISS Theresa Cloake, Tamsin Salliss and BSAC’s national diving The Big Scuba Show Tamsin is raising officer Jeff Reed – were announced at The Big Scuba Show. money with a The Commando Spirit Appeal was also the official charity of The Big Scuba Show. Thousands of divers variety of events, from a clothes donated to the charity at the show. swap, where people bring their unwanted nearly-new DIVE has heard from clubs that have done some unusual clothes to exchange for others, to a race night in a pub.

Tying in with the theme of The Big Dunk, Tamsin is stunts underwater in the past few years, from holding organising a fundraising try-dive and a sponsored swim tea parties to playing Twister. Underwater ironing and underwater backgammon have been attempted too, and off the Cornish coast. Tamsin and her colleagues at Sal every year, divers take to the water dressed up as Santa Diving will be dropping swimmers off in the sea at Gwineas Reef so they can swim the mile back to the Claus to raise money for the RNLI. Why not come up with something that will grab people’s beach. Fins are optional!

Tamsin herself may be taking part in the swim – if she’s attention as well as raise some cash for charity? Your imagination is the limit. not training for a marathon. She will be running the Eden Whatever you do, DIVE wants to hear about it, so Marathon in October, which takes place in Cornwall and finishes at the Eden Project, in aid of Commando Spirit. send us a photo of you or your club raising money for Commando Spirit in an entertaining way. Photos can JEFF REED be emailed to jo@dive.uk.com.

Jeff says the Big Dunk is a campaign any diver can get DIVE’S DUNKER ESCAPEES involved in. He has suggested some simple sponsored games clubs can set up to raise money.

THERESA CLOAKE Theresa suggests divers raise money for the Big Dunk by ‘You could see how long you can breathe off a three-litre collecting old fishing weights during dives, then selling the bottle, or how many times you can clear your mask with just a single breath of air,’ he suggests. ‘These are things lead. She’s already doing this and other members of her club are joining her. They are trying to collect 108lb (49kg) clubs can do very easily and safely. You could also set up a kind of obstacle course of skills and see how many tasks of lead – this is the weight of kit a Royal Marine carries on operations. For each pound of lead, a scrapyard will pay you can complete in a set time.’ them £1. She’s also raising money by holding a dress-down Jeff has featured in local newspapers and has been using day at her daughter’s school – children pay £1 to wear their the networking website LinkedIn to reach potential own clothes instead of school uniform. sponsors. He also plans to film the challenge.

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MEMBERSHIP BONUS BSAC’S NEW COME Dive with Me promotion, which rewards members for bringing more divers and snorkellers into the club, is already proving popular.

Essentially an ‘introduce a friend’ scheme, Come Dive with Me was launched at the beginning of June. BSAC members who introduce new people to the club will receive a £185 discount off a new Northern Diver drysuit – and so will their friend. Snorkellers and warm-water divers can get an alternative discount of up to £50 off a Northern Diver wetsuit.

‘More than 400 BSAC clubs got involved within the first few weeks of the Come Dive with Me launch and we are receiving excellent feedback from our members,’ said BSAC chief executive Mary Tetley. ‘Just as importantly, we are now seeing our first new members coming in as a result, and it’s a pleasure to be able to send out their email discount voucher and one to their referring friend!

‘There are three easy steps to make the most of Come Dive with Me. First, let your friends, family and contacts know about the club.

Secondly, if they join BSAC, make sure they put your membership number and initials on the application form where it says “how did you hear about the BSAC”. Thirdly, you and the new member will be sent details on how to claim your discount from BSAC HQ.’ For more information and promotional material, visit www.bsac.com/CDWM or call BSAC on 0151 350 6201.

WINDOW ON THE PAST

26,700 > THE PRICE

IN POUNDS PAID FOR A BOTTLE OF VEUVE CLICQUOT CHAMPAGNE RECOVERED

BY DIVERS FROM A 17THCENTURY WRECK IN THE ALAND ISLANDS, FINLAND, IN JUNE. A FINNISH CHAMPAGNE EXPERT SAID THE WINE, THE OLDEST CHAMPAGNE IN THE WORLD, HAD ‘HONEYED, TOASTY AND FARMYARDY AROMATICS’.

YUM!

168 > THE

NUMBER OF BOTTLES FOUND ON THE WRECK

EVOLUTION OF DIVING: exhibits at the Diving Museum

A NEW MUSEUM about diving has opened to visitors in Gosport, Hampshire.

The Diving Museum displays military, commercial and sport diving equipment, and tells the story of the evolution of diving kit from its origins to the present. The museum has been set up by the Historical Diving Society and is staffed by volunteers.

‘A museum has been an aspiration and an objective of the Historical Diving Society since its foundation in 1990,’ said the society’s chairman

John Bevan. ‘We had been storing and exhibiting our collection of artefacts and our library in the Royal Naval Submarine Museum in Gosport, but they have downsized and we were obliged to find a new home for everything by the end of last year.’

DIVE will be taking a closer look around the museum in next month’s issue. The museum is open on weekends and bank holidays from April to October. Entry is £2 for adults and £1 for children.

SUUNTO LAUNCHES NEW COMPUTERS SUUNTO HAS LAUNCHED a new range of wrist-top dive computers, based on its existing range. Called the ‘improved’ D-Series, these new watch-style computers are essentially a feature upgrade to the popular D9, D6 and D4 models.

The new computers are named the D9tx, D6i and D4i respectively. All models have increased memory and a faster chip set, and the surface interval time is now available in ‘time’ mode rather than having to wait ten minutes and enter ‘dive’ mode to view.

In addition, the D9tx shares the HelO2 software with full trimix functionality and the D6i and D4i get a gasintegrated option. The D6i also gets a 3D compass and ‘free dive’ mode. All three models retain their existing price, so in effect this is a free upgrade for new purchasers.

‘This new range undoubtedly strengthens Suunto’s position in the watch-style dive computer market, and we will be thoroughly testing them in time for next month’s edition,’ said DIVE’s technical editor Charles Hood.

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DiveBriefing

continued

SRI LANKA BY LIVEABOARD

BIG SCUBA SUCCESS

TOUR OPERATOR SCUBA Travel is offering trips on the first quality liveaboard to operate off the east coast of Sri Lanka, which has just been opened to divers.

For years off-limits due to civil war, the region is home to a resident population of blue whales and the wreck of HMS Hermes, the world’s first purposebuilt aircraft carrier. Scuba Travel has secured the services of the Maldives-based liveaboard Aquarius, a luxury vessel that will operate out of Trincomalee in northeast Sri Lanka from April to August, when conditions are at their best. The liveaboard trips will start in the 2012 season, and DIVE’s Charles Hood will report on an exploratory trip this summer. The area has many unexplored reefs and a population of pygmy blue whales, which last year attracted professional film-makers in search of unique footage. It is possible to snorkel with the whales, though they can be shy.

An even greater attraction is HMS Hermes.

Launched in 1919, it sank off the town of Batticaloa during the Second World War, when it was attacked by 70 Japanese bombers and hit 40 times.

Today it sits upright at about 53m. Scuba Travel’s Angela Nordin said Aquarius was chosen because it will suit both recreational and technical divers.

While it is possible to dive the upper sections of the Hermes on a single cylinder, the wreck’s size, maximum depth and complexity makes it a very attractive option for technical divers.

‘There is nitrox on board along with helium and a booster pump for technical fills,’ Nordin told DIVE. ‘Diving will take place from the large 10m RIB or the dive deck. As the eastern coast of Sri Lanka has only recently been opened to divers, the itinerary is flexible and exploratory. We are going to put on different itineraries to suit recreational or technical divers, and there will be options for wildlife spotting on land.

‘Divers of all levels are welcome, but this trip is a must if you love big fish and deep wrecks, or just want to get off the beaten track.’

Trips on Aquarius including flights, transfers and diving cost £1,995. For further details, contact Scuba Travel on 0800 0728221, or see the website at www.scubatravel.com.

THE BIG SCUBA SHOW has won a coveted industry award in its first year. Launched in February this year, it has been named Best Consumer Launch Show at the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) Excellence Awards 2011.

The new show created a buzz in the diving world with its innovative format, which included pods to showcase BSAC clubs. ‘The winning launch pushed the boundaries set by industry with a new, exciting and vibrant show that was both an enjoyable and highly successful event for exhibitors and visitors alike,’ an AEO spokesman said.

The Big Scuba Show fought off quality entries from Golf Live and Outdoor Leisure to win the award. Organiser Graeme Gourlay said he was proud to have introduced an event that connected with today’s British divers.

‘Everyone in this industry has been desperate for a good consumer show with heart and substance,’ he said. ‘Now we’ve made such a successful entry into this market, the next show will be even bigger and better.’ For more information, see www.thebigscubashow.com.

NEW DISTRIBUTOR FOR ATOMIC ATOMIC AQUATICS HAS a new distributor in the UK. From July, Atomic Aquatics EU will be supplying its products to retailers in the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Based in California, the company is well known for its range of regulators, including the all-titanium Atomic TX2, and also makes masks, fins and dive computers.

Justin Hanning is the new sales manager for Atomic Aquatics EU in the UK. He can be contacted by email on j.hanning@ atomicaquatics.de or by calling 07850 565556. For more information about the range, see www.atomicaquatics.com.

STREET DIVERS AT GLASTONBURY MEMBERS OF BSAC club Street Divers have raised money for their club with a food stall at Glastonbury Festival.

Based in Somerset, just four miles from the festival, the club has been organising a food stall at the event since its early days.

They sell all-day breakfasts, burgers and

STREET FOOD: the club’s stall at Glastonbury

drinks, 24 hours a day. This year, they served up 3,000 slices of bacon, 4,800 sausages and 1,500 burgers.

‘Funds raised at the festival in the past have helped us buy our club’s RIB and compressor and to subsidise diving,’ said club fundraiser Ian Morrison. www.divemagazine.co.uk 13

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So if you’d like to be trained by one of the best in the world and then work all over it, contact us: T: +44 (0)1397 703786 E: info@theunderwatercentre.co.uk W: www.theunderwatercentre.co.uk

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05/07/2011 16:36

Check out more conservation columns at www.divemagazine.co.uk

BITEBACK

Report by John Nightingale

M

ackerel, one of our last remaining healthy fish stocks, has now come under threat. Both Iceland and the Faroe Islands have unilaterally declared massive increases in their mackerel quotas, and have quickly increased their fishing and processing capacity to achieve them. What makes it far worse is that it looks like the majority of this catch will simply be ground down into fishmeal and used to feed cattle. A total inability to learn from previous mistakes now looks likely to destroy the mackerel fishery within a few short years.

Traditionally, Iceland didn’t fish for mackerel at all, preferring to concentrate on other more profitable species. But as those fisheries have been destroyed by overfishing, it has turned its attention to mackerel. This species moves south in winter to breed off the southwest of England and as far south as the Bay of Biscay.

As summer comes, they move north again, concentrating in the North Sea. Iceland claims that mackerel migration has changed and that they now go further north, giving Iceland the right to a bigger share of the catch. Little sound evidence has been produced to back this claim.

The total mackerel stock is estimated at 3–4 million tonnes, suggesting that a catch of about 600,000 tonnes would give you a sustainable fishery. For once, it seems that the scientific advice

has been listened to – the total allowable catch (TAC) was set at around that figure and divided up by the Coastal States Agreement between the EU, Norway and the Faroes. All the evidence suggested that, at that level, the stocks were staying healthy.

Then Iceland, in a few short years, went from catching none at all to unilaterally declaring a quota of more than 150,000 tonnes. The Faroes wasted no time in following suit, pulling out of the agreement and setting a quota of 150,000 tonnes for 2011. That has put the TAC for 2011 at 930,000 tonnes, some 60 per cent over what the scientists recommend and effectively catching around one third of the total stock of fish.

Suddenly, a sustainable fishery has been put on a crash course to collapse.

One of the reasons that Iceland has turned its attention to mackerel is that it has just brought another species, the blue whiting, to commercial collapse. Despite all the warnings, it continued to overexploit this species until it wasn’t worth fishing for any more. It seems that greed triumphs over intelligence, because the response to that was simply to turn to another species that was being well regulated, and to start decimating that.

Despite Iceland’s claim that most of the fish is used for human consumption, it seems more likely that much of it is simply ground up.

The Icelandic method of catching mackerel is by pair trawling, where a

net is pulled along by two boats for eight to nine hours at a time. By the time a fish has been in a net for that length of time, it is good for little more than being turned into fishmeal, which is then used to feed cattle.

Talks held last year failed to resolve this crisis. Richard Benyon, the British fisheries minister, has accused Iceland and the Faroes of behaving irresponsibly and urged all sides to come to an agreement. MEP Struan Stevenson, who is vice president of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee, went further, accusing Iceland and the Faroes of ‘acting just like their Viking ancestors’ by ‘plundering’ stocks.

Wherever the fault lies, the most important thing is that mackerel should not be allowed to go the way of so many other species. If the reality is that Iceland can fish significant quantities of mackerel within its 200mile limit – the Faroes already lie in the heart of the mackerel feeding area – then compromise is needed.

To that end, as the UK holds 30 per cent of the mackerel quota, we need to look towards Benyon to provide the leadership necessary to get quotas back within sustainable limits. He will need to ally himself with Norway on this, and be prepared to compromise. And he needs to do it quickly. To anyone who likes to sling a line over the back of the boat on the way back from a dive, the idea of mackerel becoming a rarity is almost unthinkable. ●

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DiveBriefing

continued

FIJI AT BITE-BACK THIS YEAR’S BITE Back at Cancer Ball, in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care and shark charity Bite-Back, is to be sponsored by Tourism Fiji.

A top prize of a holiday to Fiji for two people with flights, accommodation and diving included will be given away at the ball, which is being held on the RS Hispaniola in central London on 24 September. Entertainment on the night includes a three-course dinner, raffle, auction, casino and disco.

Organisers hope to raise £15,000 for the charities. For more information, see www.bitebackatcancer.org.

Bite-Back has also received backing from Gordon Ramsay, Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall, Charles Clover and Martin Clunes for a new campaign to end the sale of shark fin soup in the UK. The celebrities have signed a letter

by Bite-Back calling for restaurants to end the sale of the soup.

The letter can be downloaded from Bite-Back’s website, signed by you, and

GOT THE T-SHIRT? A T-SHIRT SUPPORTING the Egyptian diving industry is being sold by Seven Tenths.

The clothing company, together with Mirage Divers in Dahab, set up the campaign Divers 4 Egypt, which asks the diving community to support Egypt’s transition to democracy and pledge to dive in the Red Sea in 2011.

‘We want the campaign to not only promote awareness, but also enable dive centres, stores and guides to generate some extra revenue to keep afloat in these troubled times,’ said managing director Tessa Farrington.

The T-shirts are made in Egypt and are available in Egyptian dive centres. For more information, see www.divers4egypt.com.

given to any restaurant where you see shark fin soup on sale.

‘This is a perfect opportunity for individuals and dive clubs to reshape the survival odds for sharks by inspiring change in their own neighbourhoods,’ said Bite-Back’s campaign director Graham Buckingham. ‘In fact, the letter is a call to arms for anyone who has ever been offended by the inclusion of shark fin soup on a local restaurant menu. We stand by the belief that the fight for the survival of sharks is a war that can be won on the high street as opposed to the high seas.’

Bite-Back has persuaded dozens of restaurants to change their menus, including the UK’s only Michelinstarred Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan.

It has also prompted Wagamama to take shark off its menus and persuaded Asda to stop selling shark steaks.

Download the letter from www. bite-back.com.

ALIVE AND WELL A MISSING DIVER swam for four hours to reach land after getting separated from his boat off the coast of Dorset.

The man was found alive and well on the shore near Mupe Bay. He had been diving for scallops near Lulworth Banks from a boat called Kindred Spirit.

The coastguard had launched a rescue involving a helicopter, Weymouth’s inshore and all-weather lifeboats and a Dorset Police RIB. Other boats also joined the search.

The diver had been carried away from his boat by the tide. Although he had seen the rescuers searching for him, he was unable to attract their attention.

‘It’s very unusual for a diver who has been missing for nearly four hours to turn up safe and well,’ said Andy Jenkins of Portland Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. ‘Black wetsuits are very difficult to spot in the water but there are a number of devices that divers should carry to attract the attention of rescuers if they get into difficulty. Any of these would almost certainly have saved this diver from a lengthy fin to shore.’

Paul Whittall, a charter boat skipper who joined the search, said: ‘He must have swum at least a mile and a half. I have never come across anything like it.’

TAKING ON BRITAIN BY SNORKEL

REGULAR DIVE CONTRIBUTOR Andy Torbet is taking a snorkelling tour of Britain this summer.

Andy, who’s more usually into cave or technical diving, will be snorkelling sites around the UK from high-altitude lakes to flooded mines. He’ll be swimming the River Dart and the River Dee from source to sea, visiting popular dive sites such as Swanage Pier, and tackling Cape Wrath – the northernmost point of mainland Scotland.

Andy will be abseiling, trekking and sea-kayaking to some of these remote places, but he will also be visiting sites that are accessible to anyone and is inviting snorkellers to join him.

‘The point of this trip is to showcase the potential of underwater Britain,’ he said.

‘I’m keen for people to join me snorkelling some of these sites.’

Andy is planning a book about his tour of Britain, and DIVE will have more on his snorkelling adventures in the coming months. In the meantime, you can catch up with what he’s doing or suggest snorkelling sites he might like to visit on www. andytorbet.com or on his Facebook page.

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VW BEETLE REEF

WWW.JASONDECAIRESTAYLOR.COM

A LIFE-SIZE REPLICA of a Volkswagen Beetle has been sunk as an artificial reef in Mexico by sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor.

The car, made of a cement that promotes coral growth, has been designed as an attraction for divers and to house marine life – the inside is hollow and has spaces for juvenile fish and crustaceans to live. The eight-tonne Beetle joins more than 400 life-sized sculptures in the Museo Subacuático de Arte in Cancun, Mexico.

IN DUB: the Volkswagen Beetle is the latest sculpture by Jason de Caires Taylor to be sunk as an artificial reef

WWW.JASONDECAIRESTAYLOR.COM

DiveBriefing

SHELLFISH DIVERS WARNED

SCUBA SPIDERS

THE HEALTH AND Safety Executive (HSE) has issued an alert reminding shellfish divers of its safety recommendations after two divers died in Scotland in separate incidents.

Graeme Rae Mackie, 31, died near Methil in Fife. People on the dive boat couldn’t see any bubbles from the diver after he descended, and two rescue divers from a nearby boat found him unconscious on the sea bed 20 minutes later.

James Irvine, 42, disappeared during a dive in Largo Bay, in the Firth of Forth, after resurfacing to ask for more weights.

The HSE recommends a minimum dive team of three people when diving for shellfish – a supervisor, a working diver and a standby diver. The standby diver should be ready to provide immediate assistance to the diver in the water.

‘Diving for shellfish can be a dangerous activity and needs to be carried out by competent and appropriately qualified divers,’ said Chris Sherman, the HSE’s chief inspector of diving. ‘Suitable procedures are key to the whole diving team conducting activities safely and reacting effectively in an emergency.

‘Diving is a high-hazard activity, but if it is conducted properly, in accordance with the regulations and guidance, the risks can be managed. Simple measures taken to ensure that the diver in trouble can communicate to the dive supervisor and that the diver is marked by a line and float, or by a line to an attendant on the dive boat, maximise the chance of a successful outcome in an emergency situation.’

The HSE has published guidance for shellfish divers on its website: www.hse.gov.uk.

DIVING BELL SPIDERS have developed a scuba system that means that they only need to surface for air once a day, researchers have found.

The species, also called water spiders, breathe air but live all their lives underwater.

Their scuba kit consists of a dome-shaped web underwater to hold air bubbles.

The spiders bring air down to the web from the surface on their back legs and abdomen.

The bubbles function as a diving bell, which the spiders can breathe from.

Scientists measured the oxygen in the air bubbles and found that they act like a gill, extracting oxygen from the water. This means the spiders only need to make one journey to the surface a day.

‘Previous research had suggested the spiders had to come to the surface as often as every 20–40 minutes throughout the day,’ said Professor Roger Seymour of the University of Adelaide, who carried out the study. ‘Instead, we found that the spiders could sit still for long periods of time, continuing to use their diving bells to extract oxygen even from the most stagnant water on a hot day.’

The research was published in The Journal of Experimental Biology.

18

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HOW ADVERTISERS KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CIRCULATION BOOST AND A BOAST Media planners and advertisers can be difficult to impress. With comparable and independently verified information, ABC provides the reassurance they need before committing their budgets.

To find out more call us on 01442 870800 or visit www.abc.org.uk

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Competition

WIN

A MARES REGULATOR SET WORTH £675

D

IVE has teamed up with Mares to give readers the chance to win some brand-new kit. This fantastic prize comprises an Abyss 22 regulator, an Abyss octopus and a Mission 3 console, worth a total of £675.

The Abyss 22 is a lightweight, high-performing regulator that’s suitable for demanding divers who frequently dive in difficult conditions.

This cold-water regulator comprises the MR22 first stage and all-metal Abyss second stage.

The octopus provides a new hose

protector for better heat exchange, giving excellent performance in the most demanding water conditions. The Mission 3 console combines pressure gauges with a compass in an angled, shockresistant case for easy reading of the instruments.

For a chance to win, go to the Competitions section at www.divemagazine.co.uk and answer the following question by 21 September 2011: Who is the star of the film The Abyss?

A Roy Scheider B Ed Harris C Lloyd Bridges • For more information about Mares’ products, go to www.mares.com

TERMS & CONDITIONS

ONE WINNER WILL BE SELECTED AT RANDOM FROM ALL THE CORRECT ENTRIES RECEIVED • THE PRIZE IS NON-TRANSFERABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE • THE PUBLISHER’S DECISION IS FINAL

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MONTY Check out more of Monty’s columns at www.divemagazine.co.uk

‘And they call it puppy love…’ – or should that be buddy love? This month, our hero celebrates the wonderful idea that is the buddy system

A

t a recent presentation, I was asked a question that does seem to be a bit of a recurring theme when it comes to the genre that is the Great Escape TV series. ‘Genre’ – I like the sound of that. It has a real ring to it. I shall use it in conversation.

Anyway, the question was: ‘Do you get lonely in these places?’ And my answer was: ‘No, because I’m followed everywhere by a massive, hairy imbecile.’ I refer not to the director Martin Pailthorpe, who is indeed massive and hairy, but is certainly not an imbecile. I refer, of course, to Reuben. I simply have to stop and look around me to see a slack-jawed simpleton gazing at me in adoration, tongue hanging limply, awaiting the next instruction. I refer not to the director Martin Pailthorpe, etc etc.

I would have been lost without him.

He doubled the pleasure of everything I did, he kept an eye on me, he had my back when I was distracted, and was my guardian angel throughout. We were a man and a dog in some fairly remote spots. He is, in short, my buddy.

And so the rest of this missive will be in praise of the buddy – such an integral part of our world as divers.

There has been some complete nonsense written in the diving press recently about how buddies are a liability, a responsibility, a millstone

around the neck of the experienced aquanaut. Far be it for me to criticise such views, as everyone is entitled to an opinion – even, it seems, when that opinion is poppycock, balderdash, utter chuff and hopeless macho guff.

Let’s start at the beginning of our diving careers, because, after all, that’s where we all begin. Your buddy introduces you to the most wonderful environment imaginable, and is a reassuring presence hovering beside you as you take those tentative steps. I still remember my first diving buddy, rather like you always remember your first teacher. This was in 1984, mind you. He was called Ian Gothard, and was a large Australian miner (which wasn’t actually that odd, as I learned to dive in Australia – next to a large mine). Gothy kept an eye on me, and I’ll be forever grateful for his tips and advice, much of which shapes my diving even today.

Fast forward a few years and you’re a bit more experienced. Your buddy is your partner in adventure, someone with whom you share the pleasure of every encounter. It’s not quite the same thing to see something when you’re on your lonesome, and then having to go on and describe it to everyone back on the boat. ‘It was huge and had eyes and teeth. And spots. And it chased me. And then fire came out of its ears.’ No-one believes you for a start, but if you’ve got your

buddy there, it intensifies the pleasure (approximately twice I reckon) – and what’s more, you can be a double act when you surface and tell the story.

‘Did you tell them about the fire that came out of its ears?’

‘Yeah, yeah, I did! Anyway…’

You can also keep each other safe on every dive, which – let’s face it – is fairly important.

And now, let’s come to the greybeard stage. You are the Gandalf on the RIB, surrounded by trembling Frodos who genuinely believe you sleep in a bed made of kelp and get sustenance by licking the occasional wrasse. You are a legend. You remember ABLJs. You not only owned a Recreational Dive Planner wheel, you actually used it.

This is the best time in your diving career, as you get to guide people who are new to diving, and can watch them experience that same range of emotions you felt yourself oh-so long ago. You cajole, guide, pass on tips, and create one more of us and one less of them. You create a diver.

So, I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy diving with a buddy. I still pick up new tips every time I dive with someone different, and hopefully pass on a few of my own. So let’s celebrate the buddy, the Tonto to your Lone Ranger, the Wise to your Morecambe, and stop looking for reasons to abandon a system that has served diving so very well for so very long. ●

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A

taste OF

poison Small and beautiful, Australia’s blue-ringed octopus is, however, famed for another reason – its toxic venom.

Words and photographs by DOUGLAS SEIFERT 22

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WATER COLUMN

By Douglas David Seifert

TAKE HEED: the octopus’ vibrant blue rings are a warning to stay away All photography by Douglas David Seifert

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THE ULTIMATE IN

DIVING HOLIDAYS

OUT OF THE ORDINARY INTO THE BLUE Photo: Martyn Guess

www.divequest.co.uk For the ďŹ nest tailor-made holidays worldwide phone 01254 826322 or e-mail divers@divequest.co.uk

Untitled-3 1

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WATER COLUMN A taste of poison

T

here is nothing so captivating to simple human self-interest than an animal that has made a reputation for itself by causing the death of a human being. The ability to kill is enough to ensure a permanent place in the collective consciousness.

Rightly or wrongly, the animal is elevated to the status of something to possibly be feared.

Nearly every schoolchild has heard of the deadly blue-ringed octopus of Australia. It is unique among octopuses due to its tiny size – at maturity, its head/body can be smaller than the length of a man’s thumb – and, in dramatic contrast to the mottled camouflage pattern that serves as its daily wear, it exhibits an incredible display of dazzling, iridescent, neon-blue rings when agitated or excited.

This octopus also holds within its tissue one of the most lethal neurotoxins known to man: a compound capable of invoking muscular paralysis, respiratory failure and death in humans and other animals many times the diminutive cephalopod’s size.

The vibrant blue rings are considered to be one of nature’s strongest warning signals that this is one creature not to be trifled with. Unfortunately, not every sign in nature is so obvious to humans, and the first discovery of this warning signal came in the form of the first known human fatality, in Australia in 1954.

A 21-year-old sailor, Kirke Dyson-Holland, was spearfishing in shallow water near Darwin. His dive buddy discovered an unusual tiny, colourful octopus, which he tossed to Dyson-Holland, who put it on his shoulder as he waded back to shore.

Upon reaching the shore, he threw the octopus back into the ocean and his companion noticed a trickle of blood on the shoulder where the octopus had been resting. Soon, Dyson-Holland experienced the discomfort of a dry mouth and began having trouble breathing. By the time he arrived at hospital, his skin had turned blue and he was not breathing, although he did still have a faint pulse. His companion relayed the man’s last words: ‘It was the little octopus, it was the little octopus.’ Ninety minutes had passed between the octopus bite and the sailor being pronounced dead. The account was published months later in the Medical Journal of Australia, and the news of the odd occurrence of an octopus killing a human began to spread out to the world.

In fact, it would be a nearly a decade before the species of octopus responsible was correctly identified and the causative factor was discovered.

The initial suspect was misidentified as a larger

MOTHERLY LOVE: the female blue-ringed octopus cradles her eggs between her skirt and body

and rather common octopus that was known for having a bite capable of causing an effect similar to the allergic reaction to a bee’s sting. As the deceased man had a history of asthma, the assumption was an extreme allergic reaction.

Scientific sleuthing, a re-examination of the pathology reports and an examination of the embalmed specimen of octopus eventually revealed the real facts. The true culprit was determined to be a member of the blue-ringed octopus genus Hapalochlaena (from the Greek meaning ‘soft-cloaked’), a group of ten or so species found in the Indo-Pacific.

There are three well-described species: the southern or lesser blue-ringed octopus (H. maculosa), found in temperate waters from Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia; the southern blue-lined octopus (H. fasciata), found in Sydney and along the New South Wales coast to southern Queensland; and the greater blue-ringed octopus (H. lunulata), a tropical species found in Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Solomons, Vanuatu and Sri Lanka.

The greater blue-ringed was once thought to be the octopus responsible for the fatality in Darwin, but has now been supplanted by the currently non-taxonomised northern Australian greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena sp. 1), one of the many unclassified members of Hapalochlaena.

There are also blue-lined octopus species reported from Okinawa and Hong Kong, and a mid-ring blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena sp. 4) known only from Borneo and Sulawesi.

Blue-ringed octopus are diurnal predators, seeking shelter under rocks and in abandoned bivalve shells when not on the hunt for crabs and other crustaceans. They are drab and mottled in coloration, unless (or until) disturbed. When agitated, they turn a cream to pastel yellow shade and display dazzling small, neon-blue rings on black blotches all long their bodies and arms as a warning that this is no ordinary octopus.

The bite from their parrot-like beak transmits a venom that is effective on their crustacean prey, but likely harmless to humans. But the blueringed octopus’ saliva, internal organs and tissues carry a paralysing neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin.

Tetrodotoxin is a deadly substance – various sources state that it’s between ten and 10,000 times more powerful than cyanide – and its effect is to interrupt or block the nerves controlling the contractile muscles essential for the motor processes of respiration. Tetrodotoxin is created by symbiotic bacteria living within the blue-ringed octopus, which are transferred genetically from mother to offspring during the process of conception.

»

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small but deadly: although its body is only the size of a person’s thumb, the blue-ringed octopus can kill a human in less than 90 minutes

26

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WATER COLUMN A taste of poison If the victim of a blue-ringed octopus bite is immediately given continuous CPR with heart massage and ventilation until the venom’s effect naturally wears off – generally within 24 hours – the victim will survive. Tetrodotoxin is metabolised rather rapidly and excreted through normal body functions, so long as artificial respiration keeps the body working at its optimum levels. Patients typically make a full recovery, unless a lack of oxygen to the brain has caused permanent damage.

Why does a blue-ringed octopus need such a deadly cocktail in its daily life? The reason is believed to be that the octopus must instantly immobilise its prey or suffer catastrophic damage from the battle. Octopus eat crabs, which are hard-shelled, with strong claws designed to pinch, hold, tear and cut. If the octopus does not immediately disable the crab, its soft tissues would be vulnerable to the crab’s considerable defences and offences.

Call it an overcompensation for an inferiority complex, if you will. It is a matter of survival. Put it this way: if you are that fragile and delicate in physical construction, you have to completely overwhelm, paralyse and annihilate your prey before it can do you physical harm – or your species will not survive.

Like most octopus, blue-ringed octopus do not live long. They breed once, then they die.

In laboratory conditions, an entire life cycle of H. maculosa was observed to take place within seven months: four months from hatching to maturity, one month from copulation to egg laying, and two months’ embryonic development of eggs, followed by hatching of offspring, senescence and death.

Unlike other octopus, the female blue-ringed octopus does not lay her eggs attached to a surface in a reclusive den. Rather, she carries the developing eggs with her, cradling the mass of up to 150 eggs between her skirt and body like a vendor of balloons.

The offspring, once born, are miniature, self-sufficient versions of their parents and take on a benthic life of crisis and hunting. They have a functioning ink sac for a few weeks, to be used for last-ditch defence, which then degenerates with maturity and is no longer functional. They have an ample amount of tetrodotoxin in their saliva and are able to hunt successfully as soon as they hatch, but they do not gain their blue rings until they are six weeks old.

When the offspring reach sexual maturity, blue-ringed octopus go wild. Newly mature males are eager but also inexperienced and will attempt to copulate with any other blue-ringed octopus, regardless of its sex. It is not that blue-ringed octopus are sexually confused; they simply cannot visually determine the sex of their conspecifics. Thus, their strategy when they encounter another blue-ringed octopus is to race toward it with all due speed and pounce on the mantle of the other with all their might, grasping around the head with eight arms and hanging on in a tight embrace. There is no mating dance, no courtship, no signalling, no

foreplay. The blue-ringed octopus do not seem to recognise whether another octopus is male or female until, at least, they have had a go at copulation.

The ambiguous turns serious once the male inserts its third arm – a modified appendage called a hectocotylus – in through the siphon of its tightly gripped partner and into the mantle cavity. If the male determines the object of his embrace is a female, he will try to copulate by placing a spermatophore packet into the female’s mantle, where she conceives her eggs. If the other octopus turns out to be of the same sex, he withdraws his hectocotylus and the two separate rapidly, without further intimacies.

In male–female copulations, the transfer of spermatophores (typically numbering one to four) into the mantle may take two and a half hours, after which the female has to physically remove the male by reaching back with her arms and pulling the male off, making him break off the amorous embrace. Sometimes she will also cannibalise her former lover.

All in all, there have been fewer than 20 known blue-ringed octopus envenomations worldwide over the past 50 years, resulting in three reported fatalities. It raises the question of how accurately this family of tiny octopus can live up to its deadly reputation.

Is the blue-ringed octopus’ reputation out of proportion to its threat? The answer is yes and no.

“

In 50 years, there have been fewer than 20 known envenomations

The octopus has proven to be no threat unless handled – accidentally or deliberately – or otherwise provoked, and brought into contact with fragile human skin and the transport system of the bloodstream beneath. Then, with respect to the body’s indisputable reaction to tetrodotoxin, the question is one of luck. Will medical treatment be administered in time? Or might it just be better to follow a policy of ‘look but don’t touch’?

In the meantime, all people fascinated by this unique family of octopus look forward to scientists further classifying and identifying all the individual species of these beautiful animals, which also happen to carry one of the most lethal neurotoxins to which humans are susceptible. l •D ouglas would like to thank Cary and Jim Yanny at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages in Sulawesi (+62 431 826833; info@eco-divers.com; www. eco-divers.com) for their generous support and encouragement. Douglas encountered tropical blue-ringed octopus with dive guide Iwan Muhani.

In South Australia, Douglas found temperate blue-ringed octopus with Ron and Valerie Taylor under jetties on the Eyre Peninsula www.divemagazine.co.uk 27

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EquipmentMatters

Buoys

and

toys

Have you got the necessary gear to attract your attention should you become separated from your surface cover? Charles Hood checks out what kit is available to keep you in contact

W

hether you are diving a busy dive site, a remote destination or in an area where there are strong currents, being able to let your surface cover know where you are is essential. Recently, I was diving around Cocos Island – 340 miles off the coast of Costa Rica – where, because of the remote location, every diver is issued with a safety pouch containing an inflatable marker, whistle and torch.

There are several different methods of attracting the surface cover’s attention, and it is a good idea to carry the device most appropriate to the conditions you may find yourself in. At a busy wreck site, for instance, a delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB) deployed prior to surfacing enables all the vessels to see exactly where you are, and minimises the risk of diver injury from contact with the engine’s propellers. If the skipper knows where you are, he can position the boat appropriately and switch off the engine if necessary.

A few years ago, I located two divers by the sound of their air horns. They were 100 metres off the Knivestone in the Farne Islands when thick fog suddenly came in – a visual identifier would have been of no use.

While a strobe and torch are an excellent way of attracting attention on a night dive, they will have little effect on a bright summer’s day – a flag would be far more effective. Conversely, on a night dive, a flag would be next to useless.

We checked out the market to find the most common products out there and have listed them overleaf.

»

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DELAYED SURFACE MARKER BUOYS (DSMBs) > Often deployed underwater during the ascent or at the end of a dive on the surface, DSMBs should be carried by all divers except, perhaps, in the most sheltered of waters. They come in a great variety of shapes and colours, and there is much debate as to which is best.

When I asked a rescue helicopter pilot from RNAS Culdrose, he said that, from the air, yellow is by far the best as it contrasts well against the darkness of the water. However, the last time I was out with the RNLI, they suggested that orange was the easiest colour to spot when looking horizontally. Most manufacturers make buoys in either colour; some produce them with yellow on one side and orange on the other.

Technical divers have adopted a system whereby an orange buoy means ‘I’m okay and decompressing’, while yellow denotes an emergency or low-gas scenario. Other divers use one orange buoy and one yellow buoy together to mean that assistance is required. It stands to reason that if you are using DSMBs to mean anything other than to mark your position, it is essential that everyone associated with the dive knows the system.

Most of the DSMBs listed here are self-sealing, meaning that once they are inflated, gas can’t escape, which prevents the possibility of them collapsing en route to the surface.

BUDDY SELF-SEALING DSMB > An all-round DSMB that lets everyone

DSMB WITH POUCH > Medium-sized DSMB that comes in a

know you belong to the best diving club in the world!

BSAC £30; BSAC members’ price £27

handy pouch complete with clip and webbing attachment point.

Beaver £30.50

SAFETY PACK WITH WHISTLE > This compact travel pack contains a

SELF-SEALING MARKER BUOY > This classic DSMB is supplied with

DSMB and whistle, and is ideal for diving remote destinations.

Pro Blue £12.50

integral bungee to keep it together when not inflated.

Bowstone £32

MINI SELF-SEALING MARKER BUOY > A thinner version of the standard buoy

OPEN-ENDED MARKER BUOY > A budget buoy, but could be prone

SMBC > A highly visible fluorescent buoy

requiring less gas to inflate it.

Bowstone £28

to deflating.

Bowstone £18

on which pre-arranged messages can be written.

AP Valves £31.75

30

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Equipment Matters continued

DSMB WITH LOW-PRESSURE INFLATION ADAPTOR > These DSMBs have an attachment that enables you to use a standard BC direct-feed hose to inflate them.

If you intend to use this method, it is preferable to have a dedicated hose for the purpose. Unlike the BC fitting, the hose cannot be locked onto the fitting and has to be manually kept in position; this is so that the DSMB can’t be in any way attached to the hose.

SUPER BIG DIVER ALERT MARKER > A lengthy 2m buoy with radar-reflective

MARKER BUOY > A standard everyday DSMB with

tape at the top, this is ideal for remote diving and/or rough sea conditions.

Halcyon £99

lifting grip.

Hollis £50.50

COMPACT MARKER BUOY > A lightweight and compact DSMB

SELF-SEALING DSMB – ORANGE > A good-value DSMB with weighted

SELF-SEALING DSMB – YELLOW > A fluorescent yellow variant of

that is ideal as a back-up.

Hollis £40.60

bottom to help it sit upright.

Northern Diver £25

Northern Diver’s orange DSMB. Northern Diver £25

DSMB WITH INFLATION CYLINDER >

EMERGENCY YELLOW DSMB > Specifically marked with ‘emergency’ in big letters, this buoy can’t be mistaken for anything else.

Hollis £44.36

For some, inflating a DSMB can be an anxious event. Some buddy pairs even deploy a buoy as a two-person team.

By far the easiest method is to have a crack bottle attached. Pre-dive, this cylinder is filled from your main cylinder.

When it comes to inflating the buoy, it’s simply a matter of opening the valve and releasing the reel – very straightforward.

SMBCI > Includes a lightweight aluminium 0.1-litre cylinder for inflation and is available in orange, yellow or an orange/yellow combination.

AP Valves £110

»

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DSMB WITH BC DUMP VALVE ATTACHED >

POST-DIVE SURFACE OBSERVATION SIGNAL > An innovative device, the surface observation signal replaces one of your lower dump valves in your BC. When at the surface, you simply release the pouch that covers the retaining flap, inflate your BC and the signal automatically pops up behind you. It comes with an integrated dump valve so can be used to release air from your BC underwater.

Aqua Lung £39

SURFACE MARKER BUOYS (SMBs) > One of the oldest and probably the most widely used surface signal by divers is the SMB. Deployed throughout the entire dive, they are the only sure way of knowing where your divers are 100 per cent of the time.

TORPEDO SMB > This classic, timeless buoy is a

ROUND SMB > A basic SMB with low wind resistance.

cost-effective way of keeping tabs on your divers.

Beaver £14.75

Seac Sub £13

LARGE SMB > An enormous buoy that stands

TORPEDO SMB > With its protective outer covering, this

MINI SAUSAGE SMB > This compact, surface-use sausage-

2m tall – useful for spotting your divers at a distance.

Seac Sub £13

SMB is probably the most robust of all those featured here, and has plenty of D-rings to attach goody bags to.

Beuchat £24.50

style SMB has a mouth inflator, and its small size makes it ideal for travel.

Pro Blue £13

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Equipment Matters continued

SOUND LOCATION AIR HORN > The air horn takes advantage of the fact that divers carry compressed gas. They are generally louder than standard whistles and are powered by gas from the diver’s cylinder. They connect between the BC fitting and low-pressure direct feed.

SONIC BLAST > This horn sounds more like a large duck

DIVE ALERT > Produces a piercing sound, which

caller, which apparently is an easier frequency to detect at sea.

IST £39.95

makes it easy to establish the direction from which it came.

Subgear £55

WHISTLE > The whistle is a basic way of attracting attention, and the design hasn’t really changed in hundreds of years. They work well over a short range, but the drawback is that the rescuing party has to be downwind of the whistle blower.

For diving, they should be made out of non-corrosive materials and be able to work when damp.

DIVE ALERT PLUS > A dual air horn that can be used both

COASTGUARD WHISTLE > Producing 118 decibels, this dual pea

above and below the water.

CPS Partnership £67.50

whistle is incredibly loud.

Cetacea £7.85

STROBES > Strobes are far brighter than torches, and because they are effectively on for only a fraction of a second per cycle, they last far longer. They are essential for any type of night diving and can also be used underwater in darker conditions. They also make a good method of locating a shot-line.

SPECTRUM > Powered by a single C cell, this strobe

STROBE AND LED TORCH > A strobe with combined LED lamp that

can be spotted two nautical miles away and will last up to eight hours.

Beaver £27.95

can be detected as far as 25km away by aircraft.

Sea & Sea £33.95

»

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Equipment Matters continued

FLAGS > Flags are increasingly used by divers who regularly dive in more exposed sites. When buying a flag, check that its components are resistant to salt water and that it can be folded up and strapped to your cylinder.

DIVER’S COMPANION >

SURFACE SIGNALLING FLAG > A mid-sized flag that comes with

POP-UP FLAG > A large, chunky flag with both orange

whistle, lanyard and bungee straps to attach it to your cylinder.

Beaver £16.95

and yellow to please every skipper.

Bowstone £17.50

GUARDIAN > The Guardian is a combination of SMB, personal watercraft, gear storage and fish holder all thrown into one gadget. Shore divers can lie on it while swimming out to their chosen dive spot or, indeed, if they strap a spare cylinder onto it, could go off for a full day’s expedition. Alternatively, it can be used for carrying lunch, beverages, a first-aid kit and radio for accessing those hard-to-reach coves. For spearfishermen, there is a special attachment that holds your catch.

Beuchat £239.95 ●

CONTACTS > Aqua Lung • 01254 692200 • www.aqualung.com/uk AP Valves • 01326 561040 • www.apvalves.com Beaver • 01484 512354 • www.beaversports.co.uk Blandford Sub Aqua (Pro Blue and Seac Sub) • 01823 663849 • www.blandfordsubaqua.co.uk Bowstone Diving Products • 01663 735361 • www.bowstonediving.com BSAC • 0151 350 6200 • www.bsac.com CPS Partnership (Cetacea) • 01424 442663 • www.cpspartnership.co.uk Midland Diving (Beuchat) • 0116 212 4262 • www.midlanddiving.com Northern Diver • 01257 254444 • www.ndiver.com Oceanic (Hollis) • 01404 891819 • www.oceanicuk.com Sea & Sea (IST) • 01803 663012 • www.sea-sea.com Silent Planet (Halcyon) • 01305 826666 • www.silentplanet.info Subgear • www.subgear.com

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MADE TO MEASURE FREE OF CHARGE

X-FLEX PACKAGE X Flex Thinsulate Package £638.00 X Flex Thermocline Package £744.00 • Extreme durability with the ultimate in comfort and flexibility • Kevlar reinforced kneepads • Zip protection cover with velcro closure • Neoprene neck warmer • Braces

DURATEK PACKAGE Duratek Thinsulate Package £578.00 Duratek Thermocline Package £684.00 • Cordura trilaminate • Dual thickness kneepads • Zip protection cover with velcro closure • Neoprene neck warmer • Braces

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>> Custom made drysuit to individual specifications >> Choice of colours and specifications >> Ladies sizes cut to fit the female shape >> Hand made in the UK >> Neoprene lined hard-sole boots for warmth and grip >> Customize your suit with a choice of expanding pockets, front zip entry, and convenience zips

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D035 PDA_AUG11.indd 1

05/07/2011 12:45

40 %

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NO HOSE, NO HASSLE – THE SUUNTO WIRELESS TANK PRESSURE TRANSMITTER AND YOUR SUUNTO DIVE COMPUTER

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YOU NOW GET A 40% DISCOUNT ON THE TRANSMITTER WHEN YOU BUY IT WITH ANY COMPATIBLE SUUNTO DIVE COMPUTER. Pair the Suunto Wireless Tank Pressure Transmitter with your dive computer and check your tank pressure, and estimate remaining air time – no hose, no hassle. You’ll also be able to track your air consumption from dive to dive by transferring the stored tank pressure data to the Suunto DM4 with Movescount software.

The Suunto Wireless Tank Pressure Transmitter is compatible with Suunto D9tx, D6i, D4i, HelO2 and Vyper Air. Available from all authorised Suunto Diving UK Dealers.

Discover more Moves at www.movescount.com For more information visit www.suunto.com, 01420 587272.

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04/07/2011 14:48

TestZone

»

Check out more kit tests at www.divemagazine.co.uk

His and hers BCs AQUA LUNG DIMENSION i3 AND LOTUS i3 BCs

W

ing-style BCs are nothing new, nor are those without corrugated hoses, but Aqua Lung has combined both elements in its new Dimension i3 for men and Lotus i3 for women.

For those who are unfamiliar with direct-inflation mechanisms, the concept is that gas is fed into the buoyancy chamber straight from a low-pressure hose rather than via the corrugated hose commonly found on the majority of BCs. The advantage of this is that you no longer have an over-the-shoulder hose flapping around for the entire dive. Also, it’s one fewer piece of equipment to go wrong.

With the i3 system, you simply lift the lever upwards (to go up) to inject gas, or push the lever downwards (to go down) to dump gas. It works perfectly, although it is slightly counterintuitive. I don’t know why, but I expect pressing the lever to inject gas and lifting the lever to release it; however, this is the opposite of what actually happens.

In case you find yourself on the surface without gas, there is an emergency pull-out hose situated on the left shoulder that you can use to orally inflate the jacket. The BC harness is built around a new backpack and a high-sided rear cummerbund, which Aqua Lung calls the ‘Wrapture’ system. This keeps the cylinder tightly secured and evenly distributes the weight; on land, it feels particularly comfortable.

On each side, you get SureLock weight-integrated pockets, which are probably the best on the market and a dream to use. We managed to put a pair of 2kg weights in each pocket, plus a further couple of 2kg weights in the rear trim pockets, giving a total of 12kg. Disappointingly, the pocket space is a touch on the tiny side, with one fold-down pocket on the right side and an outer pocket that could possibly hold a mini-backup lamp at a push. As well as the pneumatic dump valves, there is also a manual lowprofile dump valve on the right, so

you can deflate it when there is no pressure in your cylinder.

In terms of features, the Dimension is packed with all sorts of neat ideas, including a specifically designed octopus regulator holder, grommets for attaching a knife sheath, and Velcro-fastened gauge storage, which also allows your high-pressure hose to be routed through the backplate to keep the hose tidy. There are four chunky stainless steel D-rings, two of which are pre-bent for attaching reels and torches, and one plastic small D-ring if you prefer to have your alternative air source higher up on the right shoulder.

The Lotus i3 female version is pretty much identical, although it has a touch of pink trim, slightly curved shoulders and shorter torso length, and is thicker at the bottom edge of the waistband to make it sit easier on the hips.

In the water, the Dimension i3 feels snug, secure and comfortable when using a single 12-litre steel cylinder over a thick wetsuit. It provides buoyancy in typical wing fashion so tends to orientate you horizontally, which is exactly right.

The inflation/deflation mechanism works well and feels positive (while being not too sensitive to the touch) when wearing 5mm neoprene gloves, and not having a corrugated hose flapping around is a delight. On the surface, it gives heaps of buoyancy, but like the majority of wings, does tend to throw you forwards.

At more than £400, these BCs aren’t cheap, but they ooze quality and Aqua Lung jackets have a reputation of lasting a long time. The Dimension i3 comes in five sizes and gives a lift capacity of 150–220N, while the Lotus i3 is available in three sizes, giving a lift of 130–180N. Charles Hood

PAIRED UP: the Lotus i3 BC [top]; the Dimension i3 BC [above]

»

£429.95

SAYS...

‘Quality BCs that are full of features’

Value

8/10

Performance

9/10

CONTACT: AQUA LUNG • 01254 692200 • WWW.AQUALUNG.COM/UK www.divemagazine.co.uk 37

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TestZone

continued

SI TECH QUICK CUFF SYSTEM If I had a pound for every time I’ve seen divers miss dives due to a torn rubber wrist seal, I’d be a rich man.

Latex may be relatively inexpensive and make a reasonable watertight seal against the skin, but it has two major drawbacks. First, it is relatively delicate, and second, it can cause irritation.

Swedish diving kit manufacturer SI Tech has developed a new wrist seal made from silicone, which, the company claims, strains the wrist less, is much less prone to ageing due to exposure to UV radiation, is more resistant to puncture and is less likely to agitate allergies than latex. The seals also are coated with an antifriction material that makes them easier to put on and take off.

However, even these super new wrist seals can tear or will wear down eventually, so SI Tech has also developed a Quick Cuff System that

SEALED IN: the silicone seal and Quick Cuff System

makes replacing these cuffs a doddle.

Within less than a minute, you can have the old one off and a new one installed – it’s that simple. We received a pair this spring and found an old drysuit at the Test Centre to attach them to.

We did have some initial problems, however. First, we had to identify a suitable adhesive, as the one that SI Tech recommends is only available in Scandinavia. We eventually found the two-part Aquabond glue, often used to repair suits, to be suitable. After applying two coats, the trickiest part was attaching the main ring. You only get one chance to get it right as you can’t separate the cuff from the suit once they have come in contact with each other. Fitting the actual seal with its corresponding ring was fairly straightforward, and then it was off for a quick test in the pool before venturing into open water.

Replaceable wrist seals aren’t new, but in the past they have been quite cumbersome and tended to get in the way. These new smaller, lighter and malleable versions felt much better.

Unfortunately, they leaked on their first dip. After further investigation, we found the leak wasn’t where the main ring was glued to the suit, but through where the seal meets the outer ring.

We sent pictures of our installation to SI Tech, who confirmed that we had glued it correctly but that the suit was interfering with the locking mechanism. By carefully reducing the suit’s thickness using a Stanley knife, we eventually managed to get the seals to lock into place and become watertight – not an easy task!

Following more conversations with SI Tech, the company has issued a new set of instructions advising that the suit is glued over the top of the outer ring rather than inside, which would certainly prevent any interference with the locking system.

SI Tech is also advising that anyone wishing to adopt the cuff system has it factory fitted when initially ordering their drysuit or when the seals need replacing. After a few dives, we found that they work well and are definitely easier to put on and take off than conventional latex seals. Removing them takes less than 30 seconds once you get the knack, and installing a replacement takes about the same time.

They are very secure: you can give them a hard tug, almost to the point where you would tear the seal, and they still remain fast as they ‘click’ into a ridge to prevent accidental release. The cuff system can be attached to either neoprene or membrane suits, and at a cost of roughly a day’s diving on a charter boat, represents good value for money. CH

SAYS...

‘Secure and easy to put on and take off’

£60 (approx) Value

9/10

Performance

8/10

CONTACT: CPS PARTNERSHIP • 01424 442663 • WWW.CPSPARTNERSHIP.CO.UK

38

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It’s About Attitude

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D039 CPS_AUG11.indd 1

05/07/2011 16:27

Dive hard with a

VENGEANCE! In search of new and imaginative ways to damage his body, DIVE’s resident daredevil Andy Torbet goes for a swim in an active blowhole

I

’m currently working on a new concept for our sport – white-water diving! The premise is fairly simple: to explore those places or those conditions we would normally consider off-limits. I’m talking waterfalls, deep rapids, whirlpools, and active blowholes. Places you don’t want to go – but I do.

I decided that my first outing was going to be a blowhole. Believe it or not, this wasn’t just an exercise in recklessness. The central aim was to shoot a short film about wildlife living in extreme environments.

I wanted to show how these tumultuous places can actually be safe havens for certain species.

Creatures such as crabs and prawns will brave the washing-machine effects of an active blowhole, as the fish that predate them can’t battle their way inside. For them, a blowhole is one of the safest places on our shores.

The blowhole of choice was at Abercastle in Pembrokeshire; on a calm day, it’s a pretty little dive for the novice. However, the conditions I finally plumped for were 8m waves and winds of 65mph. The blowhole itself is effectively an L-shaped tunnel with the horizontal shaft submerged and the vertical

tube rising out into the fresh air.

The plan was fairly simple: abseil off the side of a cliff to drop into the sea above the underwater entrance and get sucked into the blowhole. Once at the point where the tunnel turns vertical, I’d reach a line dangling down the shaft and climb back up to freedom.

The first problem I considered was equipment… specifically protection. There is not a huge market for underwater armour, as demand is fairly low. I started looking at helmets and designed a nifty extended mouthpiece for my second stage that allowed it to reach up and under the faceguard of a motorbike helmet.

However, the initial pool trials made it evident that a motorbike helmet, being full of foam, is a tad on the buoyant side… 9kg of buoyancy, to be exact.

Needless to say, my giant stride turned into a near hanging as I danced the Tyburn jig on the chinstrap of my super-buoyant helmet. Adding 9kg of lead to the helmet gave me neutral buoyancy, but unfortunately it also forced my head into a permanent slump forward, resting on my chest. In the end, I decided to use my cavediving helmet with a cricket face guard. Over my wetsuit (bearing in mind it was February), I wore full

motocross body armour, going for the Dark Knight look.

I went with side-slung seven-litre cylinders to give me bags of air at the 6m depth I’d be at for this very short dive. That may sound like a lot of gas, but I’d be swimming furiously against the full force of the sea and would likely choose to stay on my supply as I climbed the rope. The final notable piece of dive kit was my self-inflating DSMB, one of the huge blobs with its own air supply. I knew that if my ‘dive’ went wrong, it was going to go very wrong… and this huge DSMB had enough instant lift to get me to the surface and even act as a mini-raft if I was swept out to sea.

We (myself, cameramen and various helpers) arrived at the Pembrokeshire coast on a wet and windy morning. With the abseil rope position down the cliff and the ascending rope dropped into the actual exit hole, we were ready to go. The conditions were much more intimidating than I’d imagined; after a team discussion concerning predictions on what the sub-surface water was doing, I concluded that no-one had a clue.

I was, however, confident in my ability to get myself out alive, so I decided to go for it. I took a moment alone to gather my thoughts, then swung out over the sea before

40

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4

TAMSYN NOWMAN GILL MCDONALD

3

BLOWN OUT: Andy in the churning waters near the blowhole [main photograph]; bedraggled but with kit intact, Andy makes it back to shore [1]; high waves near the entrance to the blowhole [2]; abseiling down into the water [3]; a quick piece to camera before the attempt [4]

GILL MADONALD

• Andy Torbet is a former paratrooper and bomb disposal officer. His extreme scuba stunts are extremely dangerous and should not be emulated or recreated in any way

2

F O’HALLORAN

fight my way inside, but to no avail.

At one point, I jammed myself upright in the entrance – the force of water coming out against my chest was such that I couldn’t inflate my lungs. My strength had gone and I decided it would be too difficult to try to ascend the abseil rope. Deflated and exhausted, I started the 30-minute surface swim round to Abercastle Bay, hanging on to my inflated buoy like a shipwrecked mariner on a barrel.

I have plans to go back and try it the other way around: abseil into the blowhole from the top of the cliff and then be pushed out to sea. But we achieved the main objective and managed to get the footage we needed for the film. It was also a valuable exercise in extreme problemsolving. Maybe you haven’t heard the last of white-water diving! ● GILL MCDONALD

descending the abseil rope and into the churning white cauldron. As I was thrown back and forth, I felt the nerves melt away. I tend to be anxious before an event, but never when I’m in the midst of it. There’s just too much to do. I unhooked the line and dropped to the sea bed, slipping my fins on as I descended.

The visibility, as you would imagine, was less then 20cm – sufficient for me to spot the rocks before I hit them, but not enough to actually avoid them.

In the poor visibility and rollercoaster sea, I found it difficult to even locate the entrance.

Eventually, I located it and tried to swim in. The plan was to ride the in-surge and cling to the rock as the flow 1 blasted out, until I was far enough in to begin the ascent. However, I must have completely lost my bearings, for when I looked for the vertical section I found myself outside the blowhole. In fact, I was 15m from the entrance, out to sea.

I battled fruitlessly for some time until I realised the blowhole was sucking in for only of the time it was firing out, and with a fraction of the strength. I tried repeatedly to

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06/07/2011 11:20

FREE RIDE: Solly the macaroni penguin enjoys a lift back to the surface on Simon’s shoulder All photographs by Simon Rogerson

P… p… p… pick up

a penguin!

An aquarium in Torquay has started allowing divers to enter its penguin pool at feeding time. Simon Rogerson checked out the UK’s latest novelty dive

T

his has to be one of the weirdest dives of my life. Heavily weighted, I am walking unsteadily across a 3m-deep outdoor tank in atrocious visibility, the water column replete with algae and the milky remnants of what is almost certainly penguin poop. Every now and then, a pint-sized black-andwhite torpedo zooms by, leaving a tiny trail of bubbles and possibly more poop. As soon as I can swing my camera around to try to snap it, the penguin is long gone and I am left looking at my own gormless reflection in the aquarium window.

How did I get here?

Living Coasts, a coastal zoo and

aquarium, sits on the site of an old ballroom on a rocky headland overlooking Torquay. Its centrepiece is a group of open-air exhibits devoted to aquatic birds such as puffins, cormorants and, of course, penguins.

In order to raise funds for its associated conservation projects, it is letting divers into its 3m-deep penguin pool. To my knowledge, it is the only penguin exhibit in Europe to allow visiting divers to interact with the birds.

I’ve always been a sucker for a new diving experience, but I was initially concerned about this idea. I have seen penguin exhibits in the UK and San Diego, and they were just too small to allow divers to enter. I have dived with penguins in the wild, and they clearly need a bit of ‘comfort space’ when there are large animals in the water. Presumably, a diver would bear

a close resemblance to their natural predators, seals and sea lions.

I arrived at the zoo in the early morning and was welcomed by the diving supervisor, Derek Youd, who, in common with the resident penguins, is from South Africa.

After the inevitable signing of legal disclaimers, we wheeled our kit over to the penguin pool and climbed into our suits. The pool’s water is pumped in from the sea via an inlet below the aquarium, but once it has been filtered and processed, it is warmer than Torbay – a balmy 20°C. I wore a 7mm semi-dry, while hardy Derek went in with a wafer-thin 2mm wetsuit. I wondered if he might be part-penguin himself…

Living Coast’s penguin section has two species – African and macaroni penguins, which have adopted separate roosts on different sides

»

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Penguin dive continued

of the enclosure. Easily distinguished by their golden crests and bulkier appearance, the macaroni penguins had more recognisable personalities, while the African penguins displayed a strong pack mentality and moved in groups.

Although it has an indoor viewing room, the penguin pool is an outdoor affair; from some angles, you could even run away with the impression that you are in open water. In order to provide an authentic habitat for the penguins, it has a sandy beach that gives way to shallow water, then a drop-off.

As with any onshore sediment, the sand can easily be swept into the water as runoff, so the bottom of the pool has a layer of sand and algae.

The previous night had seen some heavy rain, so the visibility was authentic, in that it was bad – probably a couple of metres. As we kitted up, we were inspected by an unusually tame macaroni penguin who seemed eager to join us.

This was Solly, hand-reared as a chick and now extremely well disposed towards humans – he was so friendly, I had to take care not to tread on him while I was making my way to the entry point. Fins are banned from the tank, as they stir up the sediment and make the visibility even worse. So after a buddy check, all I had to do was make a giant stride and land like an astronaut on the bottom of the tank.

I had been warned that the penguins could be shy, but it was feeding time and a few macaronis were already zipping around, eager for their breakfast of defrosted sprat.

Earlier, Derek had explained to me that the birds enjoy taking the fish from mid-water, as it replicates their natural hunting behaviour. They

position themselves to swallow the fish headfirst, as the direction of the scales and fins makes them easily to consume this way.

The feed continued for some time and I took a few photographs, frustrated by the sheer speed of the penguins. After a while, they seemed to lose interest. I had been warned about this: Derek had described the penguins as being essentially child-like, in that they loved to be entertained, but quickly grew bored.

When their attention began to wane, we would stop the feed and just walk up and down the tank.

Dutifully, I trudged the 30 or so steps to the far side of the tank, waving at the children peering through the aquarium window. Sure enough, a few penguins chose to follow, whizzing around us as we made slow progress in our perambulation of the tank. Our change of behaviour fascinated the penguins, which matched the puffs of silt at our feet with tiny explosions of white poop.

After a while, even this novelty wore off, but we had a final card to play. One of Derek’s tasks is to clean the aquarium windows to prevent algae accumulating there. As he went to work with the wipers, I became aware of the macaroni penguins behind me, then there was the bizarre sensation of lots of little pinches around my neck and shoulders.

Looking at the reflection in the window, I could see the macaronis nibbling at my wetsuit. There were quite a few more milky explosions from the penguin’s posteriors, as they pooped excitedly around me. I kept my regulator firmly in my mouth.

I ended the dive by trying to take photographs in the shallows leading up to the beach, which so delighted the penguins that I was subject to

renewed bouts of nibbling, and yet more poo. Through my hood, I could hear a party of schoolchildren shrieking with laughter as I sustained a friendly fire of mischievous macaronis. As I finally surfaced, Solly the penguin hopped onto my shoulder to enjoy a free ride back to his beach, meting out a few more nibbles for good luck.

Should people dive with captive penguins? I had my doubts, but part of the challenge of keeping animals in captivity is providing them with a stimulating life and keeping them fresh. In part, you can achieve this by giving them a spacious, authentic environment. But having experienced their mischievous play at first hand, I think closely supervised diver visits will be no bad thing. Living Coasts can accommodate such interactions because the pool is big enough for the penguins to find their own space, should they feel the need.

As for me, I fell in love with the little blighters… they are consummate divers, each with its own distinct personality. And my goodness, they can poop. ●

NEED TO KNOW Living Coasts (www.livingcoasts. org.uk) has put together a half-day package for its Penguin Experience.

You get a comprehensive insider’s tour of the aquarium and exhibits, a 45-minute dive to feed the penguins, a full English breakfast at the café (after the dive) and a natty gift pack. The experience is intended for one diver plus a topside guest, but a maximum of two divers can be taken in by arrangement. At present, the Penguin Experience is available for an introductory price of £100.

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CHRIS BENZ

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06/07/2011 11:10 30.06.2011 16:44:09

Monty’s awfully big desert adventure Eager to experience the vastness of the desert, Monty Halls heads for Oman’s Musandam Peninsula to live out his fantasies and enjoy some dives in a unique setting

B

eing called Monty has its drawbacks, you know. For a start, whenever someone shouts your name in a park, several bewildered labradors come running, and anyone you ever meet for the first time always says: ‘What, as in The Full Monty? Ha ha!’

Stranger still, everyone tends to associate you with the lisping field marshal of El Alamein fame. For me, this has always served as a reminder that I had never really done a decent journey in a desert. So, in the midst of a deep, bone-crackingly cold British winter, I decided to flee a rampant flu virus and exuberant vomiting bugs and have a crack at some proper desert travelling. Or, as the original Monty would have put it: ‘Have a cwack at some pwoper desert twavelling.’

DRIVE AND DIVE: a quick stop to check out a view of the Musandam Peninsula [above]; a Mombasa turkeyfish in the foreground of a colourful reef [top right]; a henna tattoo of ‘two angry kippers’ [right]

Joined by my girlfriend Tamsin, I embarked on a drive-and-dive adventure, with two days in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to visit my sister, and then five in the Musandam Peninsula, an exclave of Oman surrounded by Emirati territory. We duly landed in Dubai to spend a short time and a colossal amount of cash in a place that could essentially be a theme park called ‘Money World’.

It’s shiny and big and full of shops that glint and glimmer, and it has the world’s tallest building, which – let me tell you – is really, really tall.

I also decided to have a henna tattoo before heading into the desert, saying to the slightly baffled lady in the small stall that I’d like ‘two leaping dolphins please, right here’, pointing at my shoulder. Something must have been lost in translation, as she plainly thought I had asked for two angry kippers. She shrugged and got on with it, and then relieved me of an astronomical sum of money, before bidding me farewell with a cheery wave. Happily, the henna fades after

»

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SIMON ROGERSON

“

I decided to have a crack at some proper desert travelling

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Oman adventure continued seven days, although the faint sensation of having been ripped off remains much longer.

Mind you, my sister laughed so hard she started crying, and I haven’t seen her do that since I puked while on my hands and knees in a puddle when I was ten, so it was money well spent.

The drive to Musandam took more than two hours, and was fairly dull, failing to deliver any of my desert fantasies. At the border, a bored official gestured us through after checking our documents and relieving us of a few bob.

‘Welcome to Oman,’ he said to no-one in particular. From the border, we were into the mountains, and things began to change.

The Musandam Peninsula has a very colourful history indeed, jutting as it does into the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Control these waters and you control 45 per cent of the world’s oil supply, as well as all manner of international trade. The region has always been a refuge for adventurers and smugglers, and to this day, every day, there are fleets of very small boats with very big engines hurtling out of tiny coves tucked beneath precipitous cliffs.

We twisted along roads carved into vertical hillsides with the sea leaden and heaving beneath us, a scene straight out of a Top Gear special, until after 40 minutes or so, we finally arrived at Extra Divers. The dive centre is part of the

OMAN ACTION: Tamsin encounters a lionfish [above]; a Gulf blenny [top right]

Golden Tulip Resort, an imposing structure that sits on a promontory, looking very much like a Beau Geste fortress. The dive shop is tucked discreetly beneath it, and because it was raining, we had the entire place to ourselves.

We were met by our smiling hosts Matt, Chica, and finally (to avoid any name-related confusion or faux pas), another Matt.

The overriding impression on meeting them was how proud they are of their dives and their operation. Matt number one smiled broadly as he shook my hand. ‘Welcome to our little outpost,’ he said. ‘We’re like the Foreign Legion here.

Nomads from another life.’ It turned out that the other life Matt and Chica had been leading was in the Maldives, working for the extremely posh Four Seasons Explorer. They had both decided after several years that they wanted a different challenge and seemed delighted with their choice.

‘Oh, it’s different all right,’ said Matt number two. ‘The local town Khasab is a typical frontier port. I’ve been here two years now, and it has a certain quirky eccentricity, shall we say. Anyway, I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. You must be tired – I’ll show you to your accommodation.’

Our room was in a spacious villa in town, very close to the square. It was no luxury dive retreat, but it was clean and airy and based in the heart of Khasab. You wake to the squabbling birds in the date palms outside the window,

»

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THE BIG ONE: Tamsin and Monty are dwarfed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which at 828m is the world’s tallest building

CHASE ME: a honeycomb moray eel takes a dislike to Monty

and drift off to the call to prayer. This echoed and boomed around the mountains, drifting into colossal crags and rugged canyons, carried away on the desert wind.

Having squelched our way to the dive centre the next morning, it was decided that, as it was a tad blowy, we’d dive in the shelter of one of the main ‘fjords’. Musandam has been described as the ‘Norway of Arabia’, and the analogy is a good one.

The peninsula is divided into deep channels, bays and inlets, the vast majority of which have never been dived. Most of the region is split by colossal ridges, making much of the shore accessible only by boat – it is one of the few diving areas that still have a whiff of the pioneering spirit about it.

Our boat skipped along at a fair old lick due to the snorting presence of twin 250hp engines at the stern, closing the gap between the harbour and the headland at an impressive rate. ‘We’re pretty swift, as we need to access some fairly remote sites,’ said Matt number two. ‘The only boats faster than us are the smugglers’ and the police’s. To be faster than them is... unwise.’

It is worth pointing out at this juncture that we were very much out of season in diving terms.

The sea temperature was a nippy 23°C, and it was still raining. Later in the year, the whale sharks and mantas scull through the region, the water warms up, and the visibility clears dramatically.

Our first dive was tucked in beneath towering cliffs close to Khasab, the walls twisted into arthritic folds by the vast forces that created them.

My expectations were not set particularly high as I jumped in for my first dive, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, the dive was good enough to distract me from the unbelievable stench coming from my wetsuit. This was a very,

“

The coral cover was outstanding and the marine life akin to that of the Red Sea

PUNCH UP: two Arabian striped dottybacks do battle

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Oman adventure continued very old suit that I’d had to grab at the last minute from home as I’d recently lost my other super-Gucci one. It smelt, very strongly, of a combination of my garden shed and ancient wee.

The coral cover really surprised me, being extensive, diverse, and healthy. A recent study found 100 previously unrecorded species on Oman’s reefs, 52 of which were new to science.

There were all the usual suspects on this first dive, with damselfish bustling over coral heads in flickering shoals, iridescent blennies and gobies guarding tiny caverns, and yellowtail barracuda keeping their distance in the gloom. We found a very beautiful, very bright lionfish making stately progress along the reef – a swaying firework of spines and stripes. When I got back to the boat, I was delighted to find out from my fish ID book that it was called a Mombasa turkeyfish – precisely the name I would have come up with had I been given several hours and bottle of very good whisky to aid my creative thought processes.

Over the next few days, the seas calmed, the sun came out and morale soared. We dived a lovely little wreck of an old landing craft, the hold of which contained a small aeroplane and some very proprietorial clownfish. I find that you get very different personalities in clownfish, with some showing a Ray Winstone level of ‘do-youwant-some-Bubbleboy’ as you approach, and others adopting a more Flashman-esque ‘doanything-you-like-to-the-anemone-but-don’t-hitmy-pretty-little-face’ – a technique I’ve employed with some success throughout my rugby career, incidentally. The wreck, and indeed the reefs, bristles with urchins, a waving mass of delicate, rustling spines moving slowly on tubed feet like elaborately armoured cars.

Our final day of diving was in a truly outlying island, a lump of parched rock jutting into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran was visible on the horizon, mysterious and forbidden. As we anchored in an echoing amphitheatre of limestone cliffs, our skipper Ali proudly pointed out the wheeling forms overhead. ‘Sea eagles!’ he shouted, flashing white teeth in a broad smile. Looking more closely, I could just make out that they were ospreys, shrieking and tumbling in blue skies as we bobbed beneath. Their calls were echoed and amplified by the cliffs, a quintessential sound of wild Arabia.

The dive yielded a glimpse of this region at its best. The coral cover was outstanding, the marine life akin to that of the Red Sea, shimmering and pulsing over complex reef formations. It was also notable in that I was chased by a very grumpy, very large honeycomb moray, back-pedalling

furiously as it tried to bite the front of my camera.

Tam did absolutely the right thing by ascending slightly, laughing a lot, and then complaining when we got back on the boat that she hadn’t had her video camera with her.

Musandam is a wild place. It provides adventure, history, a touch of subterfuge and the chance to dive in a land far off the beaten track. It is worth pointing out that at no point did we feel a hint of hostility, and in fact there was great warmth and interest from the local people throughout our stay – living proof of the proud traditions of Arab hospitality. Most of the dive sites have yet to be discovered, and at the time of our visit, the waters were just beginning to warm, the visibility just beginning to clear and the first massive shadows of whale sharks and mantas were being reported as they moved in on their annual migrations.

As we motored away from this final dive site, it dawned on me that we all began to dive because we wanted a hint of the unknown and a chance to blaze a trail. Musandam – where hidden inlets are guarded by stark ridges, where giant animals drift over busy reefs, where ospreys circle overhead, and where history is etched into every disputed channel and distant island – provides a rare opportunity to do just that. ●

NEED TO KNOW DIVING Monty and Tamsin were guests of Regaldive (01353 659999; www.regaldive.co.uk) and Extra Divers (www.musandam-diving.com). Regaldive offers holiday packages to Musandam from £785 per person based on two sharing, including flights with Emirates from Heathrow to Dubai, transfers and seven nights at the Extra Divers Villa on a B&B basis. A ten-dive package costs £246 per person.

CAR HIRE Hire directly from Hertz at the airport or prebook at www.hertz.co.uk. Hertz will provide the car documentation you need to cross the border when you pick up the vehicle, although you must mention that you are going to drive to Oman when you book. You’ll also need extra insurance for travelling in Oman, which the company can also arrange.

THE BORDER It’s important to have the right documents at the border. These include a car registration certificate, an Omani insurance certificate, and a passport.

The border crossing costs about £50, although this varies with the exchange rate and who you talk to!

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06/07/2011 10:14

GBDives

SOUTH COAST

SPECIAL

crowning glory

NEIL HOPE

Trailing a

After being strictly off-limits for 30 years, the 17th-century wreck of HMS Coronation is now open for divers to visit under licence. Story by Neil Hope records: ‘A second rate ship the Coronation coming into the Sound her anchors being let drop, and veering out cable to bring her up, she took a salley and sank down to righties in about 22 fathoms.’ There was nothing that Captain Charles Skelton could do to prevent the inevitable tragedy – of the 600 crew, only 20 survivors made it to safety on the rocky shores of Rame Head.

While the warship was discovered and formally identified in the mid-1970s, diving the site had, until recently, been the exclusive preserve of marine archaeologists. However, under the stewardship of a group of dedicated volunteer divers, permission has finally been gained to allow sport diving to commence on the Coronation’s historic remains.

The Coronation Wreck Project was formed after a chance meeting between vocational archaeologist Ginge Cooke, already heavily involved with ongoing survey work, and keen diver Mark Pearce, who had expressed a desire to dive the off-limits wreck.

DAVID MCBRIDE

I

t’s not every day you get the chance to dive on the remains of a 300-year-old, 90-gun, triple-decked warship of the English fleet, but with the recent launch of a new diver trail, the opportunity is now available to recreational divers… after a wait of 30 years.

HMS Coronation, a veteran of the Battle of Beachy Head from which the French navy emerged victorious, came to her end not at the hands of her sworn enemy, but during one of the most horrific storms to ever hit the south coast of England. Seeking safety from the hurricane-force winds that battered the English and Dutch allied fleet on 3 September 1691, the Coronation anchored off Rame Head, Cornwall, in a desperate bid to ride out the storm.

Admiralty archives hold a written journal of the time by Edward Barlow, chief mate of Admiral Russell’s flagship Royal Sovereign, the closest we have to an eyewitness account of her demise. It

REGAL WRECK: a diver at anchor B on the Coronation wreck site [main photo]; the man who discovered the Coronation, Peter McBride, surveying the wreck in 1976 [inset]

»

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SOUTH COAST

SPECIAL

The trail features a total of ten buoyed stations

2 NEIL HOPE

“

Back in 2009, the pair began to discuss how they could widen the appeal of the site and also involve those who, until recently, were denied access to one of the most important marine archaeological sites along our coastline. Cook, a Nautical Archaeological Society (NAS) Part II-qualified diver, explained the idea behind the launch of the Coronation Wreck Project’s Diver Trail for an invited audience at Plymouth’s Fort Bovisand.

‘There was a lot of initial scepticism from the various parties when we first mooted the idea of a “diver trail”, but our feeling was that the perception that divers would damage or loot the wreck was outdated and unfair,’ he says. ‘As licensees, Mark and I wanted to show that divers could be trusted. So with the full support of English Heritage and the NAS, along with the Crown Estate, we were able to get our scheme operational.’

The trail features a total of ten buoyed and numbered stations – each featuring a combination of single anchors or one or multiple cannons – and a waterproof guide complete with compass bearings and other useful information to aid navigation on the 18m deep site.

At more than 5m in length, 2.5m across the flukes and weighing an estimated five tonnes, Station One’s main anchor is a spectacular introduction to the trail; passing from cannon to cannon along the site gives a sense of scale to the nature of the Coronation’s demise.

Lead shot can still be found on the sea bed and, as Cook explains, there is always the chance that the shifting of the sands may bring some new artefact into view.

‘Only the day before our launch, we did a last-minute check to see all the buoys were in place, when we came across what appeared to be a lead apron,’ he says. ‘These aprons were used to shield the barrel of the cannon from water ingress while not in use – we were able to confirm and show our findings on launch day to our guest divers during the inaugural tour.’

Trail coordinator Mark Pearce is optimistic about the project’s future: ‘Up to this moment in time, we have had just under 200 divers and 20 groups, excluding survey teams, and so far there seems to be 100 per cent support for the project.

We’ve have had a great response from BSAC branches, with BSAC itself requesting to use the site for some advance project work later this year.

‘The site is a no-take zone, and we are asking divers, should they find anything, to note down its position and description. We have diver forms which are filled in after every dive, and we’re asking them to submit any photographs they may have taken. What may not be a spectacular shot to you may have significance to our survey team.’

Peter McBride, the diver who originally found the Coronation, is still involved with the project, and is now in the final stages of writing a book about his experiences. Now 77, he began his 54

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DAVID MCBRIDE/WWW.DIVESCILLY.COM

1

BIG GUNS: Peter McBride at gun number 12 in 1977 [1]; Mark Pearce takes measurements of cannon ten [2]; Ginge Cook (left) and Pearce are licence holders for the Coronation wreck [3]; on the diver trail at anchor B [4]; McBride with the pewter plate that helped identify the wreck [5]; McBride measures one of the guns from the lower gun deck in 1982 [6]

6 RICHARD MERRITT

NEIL HOPE

4

5 NEIL HOPE

NEIL HOPE

3

research and surveying of the site in 1971 and he and his team finally got their breakthrough on 10 August 1977.

‘I was using a magnetometer when I came across an anomaly midway between Rame Head and Penlee, and I marked the spot with a buoy,’ he says. ‘I returned to shore, picked up my two sons – both divers – and at around 8.30pm, we dived the spot and found a cannon-like object sticking up four feet [1.2m] high perpendicular to the sea bed.’

The next day, a second sweep of the area revealed the main site, 240m north-northeast from the initial cannon discovery. Just five days later, Peter himself found the object that would confirm the identity of the Coronation beyond doubt. ‘I’d initially found a cannon and anchor, but wedged under a piece of rock I saw what at first appeared to look like a piece of lead. Looking carefully, I realised that it was a piece of folded pewter.’

The object, a pewter plate, was restored to its original shape, and found to bear the ‘touch mark’ of maker James Tissoe of Westminster, dated two years before the sinking of the Coronation. A further revelation of a large heraldic crest on the plate’s opposite side was to prove even more pivotal in proving the vessel’s credentials.

‘It was just brilliant, brilliant,’ said McBride, who last dived the site in 2003. ‘I went straight to the Plymouth City Library and was able to identify the coat of arms as being the family crest of the Coronation’s captain, Charles Skelton.’

There is hope that more artefacts may be uncovered, and not just from the below the surface. Pearce is appealing to anyone who dived the Coronation prior to its protected status to come forward and help a proposed exhibition planned for nearby Mount Edgcumbe. If it goes ahead, it would include many of the artefacts that have been discovered on the site, including the 207lb ship’s bell, also discovered in 1977 and, of course, Captain Skelton’s pewter plate.

‘Many people have dived the wreck over the years from the late ’60s onwards, before protected status,’ he says, ‘and we’d dearly love anyone who did dive it, especially if they have any artefacts that we could document, to come forward. If they’d like to donate anything to the exhibition on a loan or permanent basis, that’s wonderful, but what we don’t want to see is stuff that’s come off the wreck just wasting away in someone’s garage and lost forever when they forget where it’s come from.’

McBride would eventually seek out the location of the original cannon nearly 20 years later in an effort to establish whether it did belong to the Coronation or was possibly discarded from another vessel during the storm.

Chipping away at the heavily concreted object revealed a detonator and with it the revelation that the ‘cannon’, which had led McBride to the discovery of HMS Coronation, was actually in no way connected with the wreckage. It was an unexploded wartime bomb. ● • The Coronation Wreck Trail is a fully protected site and can be dived only under licence via the Coronation Wreck Project. For further information, visit www.coronationwreck.co.uk www.divemagazine.co.uk 55

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06/07/2011 10:54

GBDives LUMP IT: lumpsuckers are seasonal visitors to Selsey Photographs by Martin Davies

Southeast in

STYLE Jo Mattock discovers some of Selsey’s dive sites on a new hardboat, the Emma Jayne

SOUTH COAST

SPECIAL

S

elsey in West Sussex is a convenient destination for divers in southeast England. Within easy reach of London, it’s classic dive-club territory – you can shore dive from the beach, go for a bimble under the lifeboat pier or reach some great wrecks by RIB. But I was invited to dive Selsey in a different way – from a hardboat.

UK hardboats allow us more space than RIBs, and while they tend to be practical rather than luxurious, they certainly have a well-earned place at the heart of British diving culture. The Emma Jayne is a newly built catamaran – 2011 is her first dive season. Owner and skipper Colin Cooter has operated a dive charter from Selsey for the past five years; his previous boat was also called Emma Jayne.

Colin used to be a commercial fisherman and has worked on boats from Selsey all his life – to say he knows the waters well is an understatement. He’s a goodhumoured and matter-of-fact guy, and I was made to feel very welcome on board the boat.

The day started at 7am on Selsey’s East Beach, from where I took a tender out to the dive boat. The new boat has a large dive deck with space for up to 12 divers, plus the cabin, where you can warm up away from the elements. There were seven divers on board, and we had plenty of space for spare cylinders, equipment and kittingup. The Emma Jayne also has a lift – almost obligatory for hardboats these days – so getting back on board after the dive is nice and easy.

Colin is not a diver himself, but dive safety is paramount – all divers receive a tag with a number on it at the start of the day. This number corresponds to the dive roster where you detail your qualification, the gas you’re diving with and an emergency contact number. The skipper also has a number of delayed surface marker buoys (DSMBs) marked with the name ‘Emma Jayne’ – when at a site where there are other divers, these DSMBs allow him to identify which divers are his. A day’s diving includes a few creature comforts too – there’s a generous packed lunch and tea, coffee and hot chocolate after each dive.

»

TOP CAT: Emma Jayne, the newly built catamaran

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SOUTH COAST

SPECIAL

OUTER MULBERRY The Outer Mulberry was our first dive of the day.

It is part of a floating harbour that sank in June 1944. Two floating harbours were towed across the Channel after D-Day, but this concrete caisson sank off Selsey before it went to Normandy.

My buddy and I descended the shot-line and followed a chain on the sea bed until the wreck loomed in front of us. We were lucky with the visibility, which was up to 8m, and dived at slack water as the tide here can be strong. The wreck is fairly shallow at 12m, so there can also be some surge.

The Mulberry was about 60m in length and shaped like a shoebox, but its structure has largely collapsed; what is left is a jumble of concrete and long metal poles. In places, the wreckage is rather like artificial gullies topped with kelp, along which you swim. The metal beams can be sharp, so watch your buoyancy and stay clear of them.

Shoals of bib, pouting, pollack and bass hang above the wreck, while tompot blennies peek out at you from their hidey holes – you might even spot a conger eel if you’re lucky. We also saw a lumpsucker – a large and quite ugly fish, he seemed to be guarding an area of the wreck. Male lumpsuckers are known to stay with their eggs, which might explain his behaviour.

At the north end of the wreck is an overhanging wall that is particularly rich in encrusting sea life; a patch of yellow jewel anemones glows under your torch and dead men’s fingers hang above you.

At a leisurely pace, you can circle the wreck in a single dive and arrive back at your starting point (make sure you’ve noted a landmark to tell you where this is, as much of the wreck can look similar in bad visibility). There are a number of chains and ropes on the sea bed that lead back towards the shot-line.

LANDING CRAFT IN BRACKLESHAM BAY The tide was running a bit when we dropped in for our second dive on the landing craft in Bracklesham Bay. This wreck also dates from the Second World War, when boats such as this were used to land men, tanks and stores on the Normandy beaches.

It’s a shallow wreck – my maximum depth was 10m. Reaching the bottom of the shot-line, I peered under a piece of wreckage and glimpsed a tentacle, then a few tentacles, and finally, with the help of a torch, two cuttlefish. In late spring, cuttlefish venture into shallow waters on the UK’s south coast to breed. I was diving at the end of April – still early in the season for cuttlefish – so I was lucky to see them.

Sightings of cuttlefish increase in May and June, according to skipper Colin.

The wreck itself is quite small and lies upside down on the sea bed. There are plenty of swimthroughs, though – in fact, the hull of the wreck has disintegrated, so now only columns of metal remain. This gives divers plenty of entry and exit points, and with careful buoyancy, you can swim

HIDDEN GEMS: jewel anemones and dead men’s fingers on the Outer Mulberry [main photo and inset]

around in the wreck quite easily.

The visibility wasn’t as good on this dive – I could see about two or three metres ahead. After exploring the wreck for 20 minutes, we gave up fighting the tide, launched a DSMB and drifted with the current. The sea bed was sand and clay and there wasn’t a great deal of marine life. There were some hermit crabs that scuttled away as we swept past, and I spotted a few worms.

Fossilised shark teeth can be found in the area, so if you’ve some time (and a very patient buddy), you can scour the sand for them. They look rather like black stones underwater: only by picking them up for a close inspection can you tell if they’re tooth-shaped. ●

NEED TO KNOW Air fills are available from Mulberry Divers (www.mulberrydivers.co.uk). For more information on the Emma Jayne, see www. southcoastdivingfishing.com or call Colin Cooter on 07779 654022. Prices start from £45 per person for a day’s diving (two dives) including a big packed lunch. A minimum of eight divers is needed on each trip.

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Critters from the continent Searching for macro subjects, photographer Anita Sherwood of BSAC branch Worcester Divers finds some unusual visitors to UK shores. Additional species information by Chris Wood

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RARE VISITOR: the snakelocks anemone shrimp (Periclimenes sagittifer) spotted just outside Portland Harbour

SOUTH COAST

SPECIAL

he Easter club trip to Portland was off to a good start, with calm seas and warm weather.

The previous day had seen Worcester Divers members doing the Chesil Beach shore dive, plus a dark dive on the M2 submarine. Today’s outing started with the wreck of the Ethel at a depth of 37m, which was disappointingly gloomy and with only one conger in sight. But the afternoon dive was at Balaclava Bay, a shallow location for an easy second dive.

Balaclava Bay lies just outside the Portland Harbour walls and is a wonderfully sheltered spot, with only easterlies blowing the site out.

On the day of my dive, the wind was northerly with a flat, calm sea, the sun was out and life couldn’t be better. We dropped below the surface, and as the sun’s rays penetrated down, I could almost make out the sea floor, 11m below.

At first, the sea bed seemed a little bland, composed of seaweed-covered rocks and sand, yet it wasn’t long before I discovered its true glory.

Swimming around a rock, I was wondering which nudibranch to photograph, only to discover a female black-faced blenny staring up at me. I knew from past experience that the male would be around somewhere – particularly as this was breeding time – and before long, there he was, posing for my camera.

Occasionally, he would dart under the rock for a while. So to give him some respite, I moved onto my second choice, a nudibranch clinging to a discarded metal rope behind us. This piece of junk was a micro-garden of hydroids and bryozoans, with the nudibranch in a lovely upright pose.

While photographing the nudi, my attention wandered to a nearby snakelocks anemone, only for me to spot a tiny shape moving around the base of the anemone. It was a rare visitor to UK shores: the snakelocks anemone shrimp! With only a short time remaining of our dive, I clicked merrily away, drops of water leaking into my mask because I was smiling so much. I had lost a camera due to flooding at the start of the year, but this dive had gone a long way towards making up for it.

To find the snakelocks anemone shrimp and the black-faced blenny on one dive was an exciting find, for both species are at their most northerly extremity. Only discovered in 2007 under Swanage Pier, the shrimp is a relative newcomer to our coastline, so I knew at the time that this was a rare and unexpected treat.

After arriving back home and doing extensive research on the internet, I decided to contact Chris Wood from Seasearch to see if this was an interesting find. Apparently, this is the furthest away from Swanage Pier the shrimp has ever been discovered, among only a handful of other sightings. This little shrimp raised a few questions: is it here to stay in our waters, and how quickly could its numbers spread along our coastline?

Would this be a regular critter that divers are likely to see more of? How did they arrive and are they breeding in UK waters?

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SNAKELOCKS ANEMONE SHRIMP (Periclimenes sagittifer) Tropical divers who are into small things will know about the associations between anemones and other marine life, particularly the clownfish, and some will have seen anemone shrimps. Animals living in and around anemones gain protection from the stings of anemone tentacles by a process of habituation, which may include transfer of mucus from the anemone to the fish, crab or shrimp. What the anemone gains from the association is much less clear, though there may be a cleaning function involved.

In British waters, divers may have seen sponge spider crabs with snakelocks anemones, but there were no sightings of shrimps until September 2007, when Seasearch divers first recorded it at Swanage Pier. Since hundreds of divers dive Swanage Pier every week, we are fairly sure the shrimps had not been there before.

The shrimp has a distribution from Gibraltar to the English Channel and can be commonly seen in the Channel Islands, always with snakelocks anemones. Although small, about the size of a thumbnail, it has distinctive white and blue markings.

The snakelocks anemone is much more widespread, occurring on all our southern and western coasts, and all around Ireland.

Since the first sightings, Seasearch divers have recorded the shrimp each autumn at Swanage, but in 2010, the first records were made elsewhere in Dorset – all to the west of Swanage as far as White Nothe near Weymouth. It also turned up in June and was seen until October. Anita’s record from Balaclava Bay this spring is both the furthest west and the earliest of the year.

It looks as if its population is expanding, in both time spent here and range, but we need many more records to confirm it. CW

CHANNEL VISION: the English Channel is the furthest north that black-faced blennies, such as this male, have been found [this photo]; a female black-faced blenny [inset]

NEW VISITOR: the first recorded UK sighting of the snakelocks anemone shrimp was at Swanage Pier in 2007

BLACK-FACED BLENNY (Tripterygion delaisi) This little fish also has a western European distribution as far north as the English Channel. It was first recorded in England in 1974 at Portland Harbour and has since become a common sight in the Portland and Weymouth area.

The black-faced blenny is most obvious in the spring and early summer, when the male has a brilliant black and yellow coloration as shown here. It is about a the length of a finger.

The female is less conspicuous, being smaller and a mottled brown. The blenny is always seen in shallow water, usually in sheltered locations where there may be some silt. It is a shy creature and frequently disappears into crevices between boulders when approached.

There were few English records of blackfaced blennies outside Dorset until 2005, when Seasearch divers began to record them regularly in the Plymouth and Torbay areas.

So far, the most westerly record is from the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, and in the east, there are two records from Sussex.

Seasearch is very interested to receive any records of snakelocks anemone shrimps and black-faced blennies, especially from outside Dorset and ideally accompanied by a photograph.

Fill in a Seasearch form or email info@ seasearch.org.uk to tell us about them. CW ●

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06/07/2011 10:29

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06/07/2011 11:17

Skills&Thrills

»

Check out more Skills & Thrills at www.divemagazine.co.uk

WET WORK : a commercial diver wearing a full-face mask in training All photography by Simon Brown

You are not a free man – you are a…

COMMERCIAL DIVER!

Are commercial diver courses completely different to recreational training? BSAC dive leader Simon Brown reports on his experiences at a ten-day HSE Scuba Diver course

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he first training dive hadn’t gone well. The full-face mask was leaking like a sieve, I was struggling to equalise and the noisy rush of bubbles meant I couldn’t hear a thing the dive supervisor was saying.

In less than 20 minutes, I had leaked/ breathed my way through a 15-litre tank, and I wanted the dive to end.

Throughout my recreational dive career, I have always ended the dive when I, not someone else, saw fit. That was my first mistake: rather than ask for permission to return to the surface, I had announced I was ‘leaving bottom’.

The debrief was a verbal dressing-

ON THE JOB: building a structure underwater

down, leaving me in no doubt how the rest of the course would be conducted: ‘Do as you are told’; ‘Ask permission from the supervisor’; ‘Don’t move unless you are told to’; and ‘Don’t stop moving unless the supervisor says so.’

HSE Scuba Diver is a prerequisite qualification for a wide array of paid

underwater work, from fish farms and film-set rigging to scientific diving and camera operators. It’s the entry-level course, so for those who want to work as safety divers, cameramen and would-be commercial divers, this is the first and most important step.

Several DIVE contributors (Charles Hood and Sarah Conner among them) have found it expedient to do this course in order to further their careers. I thought I would find out about it myself.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of course available: those that take non-divers, and those that take qualified divers. As a BSAC-qualified diver, I chose the latter, an intensive

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Skills&Thrills ten-day course with Andark Diving in Southampton. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What could a diving course like this teach me? Would it be an exercise in ticking boxes to suit the paperwork, or would it really make me a better diver with new skills?

The first dive introduced a pile of new kit: full-face mask, in-water communications and a valve to switch gas supplies when you need to use your bail-out cylinder. It took me a while to get used to the full-face mask.

Unless fitted correctly, it will leak air, and the position of the nose block is critical if you want to be able to clear your ears. Once these minor issues were sorted, I started to enjoy the benefits: no more numb cheeks in cold water, and it was comforting to be able to talk to someone topside who was responsible for your safety.

When it came to actually working underwater, Andark’s course assessors and supervisors, Marc Bottrill and Jeff Emmerson, gave us simple tasks such as assembling a nut-and-bolt framework or surveying one of the cars in Vobster Quay, Somerset. I found it reassuring to be free to concentrate on the task in hand, knowing that

“

someone else was looking after my lifeline, depth, bottom time and decompression requirements.

The lifeline was something new for me. Having spent an entire dive career avoiding the buddy line, I could now understand how a piece of rope can be essential if there is a problem.

This lifeline becomes your route home in bad visibility, a method of communication and the means of recovering an unconscious diver to the surface. Rope-based communication, with its combination of ‘pulls and bells’ (long and short tugs on the rope), is a new language to learn, but once mastered it works very well. On one memorable night dive in the River Hamble, a series of ‘go left… go right… stop’ signals from my dive tender reunited me with my dive partner in absolute zero visibility.

continued

The theory side of the course covered gas laws, physiology, and dive table theory and practice. For me, it was a good brush-up of subjects covered by BSAC in my development as a recreational diver. However, the HSE Scuba course differed when it came to the legal implications of professional diving, in particular the Diving at Work Regulations. We considered the responsibilities of the contractor and the supervisor; when a dive site comes under UK law and when it falls outside; and the fundamental issue of who is in charge on a dive site. This kind of subject matter took me outside the recreational world and into the approved codes of practice for professional underwater work.

Some issues raised by the theory section gave me pause for thought.

One such question highlighted the practice of working in what are termed ‘pressure differential environments’, in which inlets or outlets can radically alter the ambient pressure, and even trap divers by sucking them in.

Recreational divers would not expect to find themselves in an environment (such as a lock gate or behind a dam) where a pressure differential might

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It took me a while to get used to the full-face mask exist, but in this kind of working environment, there is a very real risk of entrapment – the diver’s limbs can be sucked into the outlet and held fast by water pressure.

The same risk exists when doing a survey of a ship’s hull. Unless all the pumps are shut down before the diver enters the water – and remain off during the dive – there is a real risk that the diver could be sucked against an inlet on the underside of the ship and trapped there. If you think this unlikely, think again – sadly, there are plenty of examples in which divers have been trapped and died in such an environment. It was this kind of risk assessment that I had never considered prior to the HSE course.

There are a few prerequisites for joining the course: a current HSE diver medical, a HSE First Aid at Work

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commercial break: assembling a nut-and-bolt framework in Vobster [1]; a dive tender assists with a lifeline as a diver enters the water [2]; commercial divers do not kit up themselves – that is the job of the tender. Fitting the full-face mask is one of those tasks [3]; incident management – giving the ‘casualty’ oxygen therapy [4]; first breaths through the full-face mask – clearing ears requires a different technique [5]

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qualification and an oxygen provider certificate are all required before you can sign up. The course takes place over ten days – five either side of a much-needed weekend break. The break is essential, as the course is intensive and there is a lot of physical work. By the fifth day, the early starts, van loading, diving, tending, rope sorting, cylinder filling and general graft had me exhausted, so I was very grateful for the two-day break.

Part of the course is ‘incident management’. Marc would tell one of the divers to act unconscious to see how the trainees would manage the recovery and subsequent medical care. Another trick was asking the standby diver to pretend to suffer a bend to see how we assessed the casualty. Each emergency exercise was followed by a thorough debrief, in which Marc would point out our shortcomings. ‘Where is the incident log?’ he would ask. ‘Why was the oxygen kit overlooked?’ The basics of incident management were nothing new to most of us on the course, but served as good practice and a reminder

of how things should be done.

Overall, I learned more than I expected – not least, the simple but important skill of doing as I was told.

For me, the course introduced a new way of diving, one in which a certain amount of the workload of managing the dive is given to the supervisor.

Where there is a specific underwater job to deliver, the supervisor frees up the diver on the end of the rope to concentrate on the task and remain as safe as practically possible. From what I have heard, there is relatively little work available for someone holding only the HSE Scuba Diver qualification, but if you have another skill that you need to perform underwater and the task falls within the requirements of the qualification, then it becomes mandatory. ● • HSE Scuba Diver courses are run

by Andark Diving Services of Southampton (01489 581755; www.andark.co.uk). The course is currently priced £1,545. This includes all kit, including the use of a drysuit if you don’t have one www.divemagazine.co.uk 67

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06/07/2011 11:06

DoubleTAKE the all-rounder Elphinstone Reef offers classic Egyptian safari-adventure diving, even though it’s only a few miles offshore. Simon Rogerson reports

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south plateau

lphinstone Reef encapsulates all that is good about wall diving in southern Egypt. It comprises a 450m-long reef table that runs north to south in the open sea, about seven miles off Marsa Abu Dabab on the Egyptian mainland. It’s a lot closer to land than the other famous offshore reefs of the south – Daedalus, Rocky, Zabargad et al – which means it can even be dived by land-based Zodiac when conditions permit.

Don’t let its relative proximity to land lull you into complacency – Elphinstone is as wild as any of the great offshore reefs, with strong currents pushing over the north and south tips even when the sea appears relatively calm.

Named after Lord Elphinstone (a famous 19th-century British general and Viceroy of India) during the British Admiralty’s original survey of the Red Sea, the reef is famous for it steep walls along the eastern and western sides. These are

always worth exploring, especially for those who relish the geometry of a steep drop-off. However, the most interesting areas of Elphinstone for divers are the north and south tips.

I think the southern plateau is the superior dive. If your boatman drops you in right above the tip, you should descend as soon as possible to escape the swell and make sure you don’t get swept off the site. Underwater, the coral cover is dense and varied: small schools of striped snapper stay close to the cover of the reef while giant moray eels view the scene from the shelter of their lairs.

At first, a small wall leads you from the reef top down to about 17m, then the plan is to fin out along a long finger of reef that gradually slopes away into deeper water. Reef life is especially intense at 20–30m, with plenty of anthias and some beautiful soft corals. Out in the blue, there’s always a chance of seeing one of Elphinstone’s resident grey reef or scalloped hammerhead sharks.

snap shot: dory snapper converge over the reef top All photographs

by Simon Rogerson

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DoubleTAKE continued

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Sponsored by

NORTH POINT

Elphinstone’s northern point offers a similar dive to the southern plateau, but drops in steps from 8m to 25m, then down to 40m. If anything, the current is usually stronger at the north point and it can make for hard work, but the payoff is that there are often more reef sharks and hammerheads than at the easier southern side.

Again, the reef is draped in a variety of colourful corals, and the shallower levels are home to a family of Napoleon wrasse, always a popular fish in Egypt. On the leading edge you are likely to see barracuda and jacks in the summer months, possibly in the prelude to a spawning event.

The Napoleon wrasse are a bit flighty compared to the semi-tame ones at Ras Mohammed to the north, but you can tell they are always interested in the divers. I think they were probably fed by divers in the past – but note that all feeding is strictly forbidden in the Red Sea, especially after speculation that the oceanic whitetip attacks at Ras Nasrani were prompted by fish feeding, among other factors.

Over the years, I have encountered more oceanic whitetips at Elphinstone than any other reef. They have been known to follow divers along the reef and make close passes under moored boats. In light of two fatal attacks in 2009 and 2010, everyone has been warned to act with extreme caution around this species. My advice is to let the sharks know you have seen them, as they have a tendency to sneak up on the unwary.

Once you’re back in the shallows, keep an eye on the blue. I have often seen manta rays and other pelagics here, and there’s a tiny chance you may even see a thresher shark somewhere down in the darkness. Many guides believe there is a thresher shark cleaning station somewhere in Elphinstone, but the cleaning behaviour seen at Big Brother Island has not yet been recorded here. Still, don’t obsess too much over the sharks and what may or may not be out in the blue.

Elphinstone is a Red Sea classic, with all the coral and fish you could ever want to see. ● BIG IT UP: an oceanic whitetip shark with attendant pilotfish [above]; schooling chevron barracuda [left]

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For a full list of legal dive operators in Egypt, please visit www.cdws.travel

05/07/2011 15:06

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06/07/2011 10:23

PhotoPRO Play to your strengths Whether you’re using a compact or an SLR camera, the best images come when you shoot to the capabilities and limitations of your system, as Alex Mustard explains

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he ocean is dark and murky. Light penetrates poorly and is absorbed and scattered by the water and suspended particles. The physics of light in the sea means that it will always be a challenging environment in which to create photographs. As a result of this optical conspiracy, underwater photographers traditionally accessorise for success.

The restrictions that physics puts on sub-aqua snapping means that to create many types of underwater photograph, we need the right tools. It is typically the first advice any budding photographer is given by dealers: that we should invest in a wide-angle lens and/or external strobes. And despite their commercial motives, it is sage counsel. Modern compact cameras are excellent and, contrary to what most people think, the main factor that stops them producing images as good as SLRs is not the camera or the photographer, but a lack of accessories.

An average camera pimped with macro and wide-angle lenses and a pair of external strobes will produce a far wider range of excellent underwater images than a much more expensive camera working alone.

However, not everyone wants to splash that level of cash on taking photographs underwater. And this month, I want to examine an essential

philosophy for success – it is just as relevant if you have just a housed compact with no accessories or an SLR with all the trimmings. The key is to always shoot to the strengths of the camera system you have underwater at the time.

The strategy is to understand what your rig will be good at and what it won’t. Then jump in with the intention of focusing on the right types of images, rather than trying to take photos of everything. A compact camera without any accessories will, for example, struggle to shoot wide-angles of colourful marine life growing under overhangs. It is much better to focus on three types of wide-angle shot that are possible with any camera in available light: use manual white balance to suck the blue out of scenes and show off the colours; or convert to black and white for an arty feel; or leave everything blue and capture the unique atmosphere of the underwater world.

Wrecks and caverns can often look at their best when shot simply with slightly underexposed available light, no strobe and no colour correction.

Add a diver with a torch and even the simplest camera kit can produce a striking photograph. The image opposite was taken simply by turning around and photographing the diver behind me swimming into a cave in Sardinia. Although I used my SLR, such an image could be produced

with even the most basic underwater camera gear.

The other subject with which a simple compact will struggle is fastmoving fish, which the autofocus systems just can’t contend with.

However, compacts will shoot excellent macro when we play to their strengths. In fact, they are easier to squeeze into tight spots and to get down to the eye level of many critters than bigger systems. It is often best to look for slower-moving subjects, which are more easily captured within the limits of autofocus and shutter lag. At close distances, in clearer water, the internal flash will typically provide good lighting. A good tip for constantly moving fish is to shoot them within a scene, so their exact position is not critical and the depth of field will ensure they are in focus.

Even if you have an all-singing, all-dancing camera system, this philosophy of playing to the strengths of what you actually have with you underwater is still fundamental to success. If you have got a macro lens attached, then focus your attention on the tiny. And when you are shooting wide-angle, make this your aim. When we try to photograph everything we see on a dive, we end up with mediocre images, but if we focus on the strengths of our photo kit, we will come home with far more memorable shots. ●

IMAGE DATA Diver enters Deer Cave, Alghero, Sardinia. Nikon D700 SLR. Subal housing. Zen 230 dome. Sigma 15mm fisheye.

1/50s at f/10. ISO 400. No strobes.

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RIGGED FOR SUCCESS: caverns can often look at their best when shot simply with the available light slightly underexposed

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Subscribe La Paz continued

Fan club Sea fans are fascinating corals in their own right, but they also provide a habitat for some of the smallest, most enigmatic marine creatures on the reef.

Words and photographs by DOUGLAS DAVID SEIFERT A WORLD OF HIS OWN: perfectly adapted to mimic its background, a pygmy seahorse – photographed in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, and believed to be a regional variant of Hippocampus denise – twines its tail around a frond of fan coral, waiting for tiny planktonic prey All photography by Douglas David Seifert

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Equipment Matters continued

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8 HALO DIVE

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> FOURTH ELEMENT HALO 3D UNDERSUIT

7 LIGHT SABRE > OCEANIC HOLLIS LED 3 TORCH

9 HASTA LA VISTA

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> DESTINATION: MEXICO

Our own Alex Mustard has just taken some very nice photographs of sea lion pups at La Paz (to be published in a future edition), and he thinks it’s high time we Brits muscled in on the action down old Mexico way. If you look at Mexico as a whole, its diving pedigree is up there with the best.

At the Revillagigedo Islands, you have the friendly manta rays, while to the north, Guadalupe Island has great whites. La Paz and the Baja Peninsula has everything from hammerheads to sea lions. Inland, there are the cenotes of the Riviera Maya, while on the Caribbean coast, you’ve got the reefs of Cozumel and a whale shark aggregation at Isla Mujeres. Ay-ay-ay…

Contact: www.cortezclub.com

10 TOMORROW’S CAMERA TODAY > SONY NEX-5 CAMERA AND AQUATICA AN-5 HOUSING

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Until recently, underwater photographers had to choose between an expensive, bulky digital SLR or a compact camera.

Now there’s a new generation of cameras that bridge the gap, offering the ability to choose specialist lenses, but from a camera body half the size of an SLR. Panasonic and Olympus have both got excellent MILC (mirrorless interchangeable lens camera) systems on the market, and now there’s a big buzz around the Sony NEX-5, which delivers 14.5-megapixel images and full HD 1080/60 video. Its low-light performance in particular could be extremely useful for underwater photography. Aquatica has already crafted this natty housing system, which looks extremely robust and will allow a variety of ports. You’re looking at the future here.

Contact: www.camerasunderwater.co.uk

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11 IRISH AYES

12 SPEED FREAK

> DESTINATION: IRELAND

> APOLLO AV-2 SCOOTER

Things aren’t looking too great for the Irish right now. They’ve had too borrow a shedload of money from Europe, unemployment is through the roof, the prime minister’s stepped down and the rugby team’s crocked. What finer time, then, to spend a bit of our diving dosh on the other side of the Irish Sea, in an area famed for its scenic dives, dolphins and whale sharks.

If you want to learn more about Irish diving, watch out for the new Monty Halls series, Monty’s Irish Escape, which goes out in late March.

Contacts: www.divingdingle.ie, www.aquaventures.ie

DIVE’s test team got to grips with the Apollo on last year’s test of diver propulsion vehicles (DPVs). Now, we had a lot of fun with all the scooters on test, and the most powerful models were understandably popular. But the beauty of the Apollo is that the design allows you to ride with it wedged between your legs, leaving your hands free to use a camera and make childish gestures to fellow divers.

It’s easy to use, has a depth rating of 70m and will run for 60–90 minutes, though the variable torque control allows you to adjust the speed to your preference. We measured the speed at 2.05 km/h, which is fast enough for most users. What we liked most was the opportunity to make lots of ‘something powerful between my legs’ jokes. Not a cheap toy, but big, big fun.

Contact: www.apollo-europe.com

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GENTLE Touch: shrimp on a sponge at Pondok Sari house reef

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all critters weird and small

always travel to a destination such as Bali with a mental checklist of all the creatures I want to see while I’m there.

So, it’s a sign of a good trip when I realise that I’m already over halfway through this ‘must-see’ list within the first couple of days. On this tour of the critter-diving hotspots around the Indonesian island, I was initially based at a resort near the town of Pemuteran. Located on Bali’s northwest coast, it is an ideal base from which to visit several prime dive sites, including Secret Bay and Menjangan Island, but there was also a wonderful surprise in store – the house reef at my hotel, Pondok Sari Resort.

The hotel itself is very Zen: just walking into the hotel grounds after a long journey was like having a soft blanket wrapped around me. The rooms and gardens have been designed to fit in with the environment and give you a feeling of tranquillity. This resort is seriously laid-back – one funny quirk is that breakfast can be ordered from 7am to 5pm, the idea being that jetlagged arrivals and early-morning divers will not have to worry about missing out. At night, the air is full of the sound of cicadas, but if you want to stay relaxed, don’t forget to pack the mosquito repellent.

Pondok Sari’s house reef is an absolute treasure. It is home to a pioneering coralgrowing project – a cluster of futuristiclooking structures emit low-voltage electrical currents that speed up the growth of certain corals by five per cent. This artificial reef project, known as Karang Lestari, is protected not only by the local reef gardeners but also by a large school of grunts that likes to parade among it. These structures create the perfect nursery for juvenile reef fish, and if you look carefully at the encrusted structures, you can find colour-coordinated frogfish and a myriad nudibranchs and flatworms.

Just beyond the project is a flat reef where you can see several robust ghost pipefish.

But it is by the light of the moon that the tiny critters come out to play. You will suddenly notice that the sand is covered with burrowing anemones and tiny porcelain crabs nestling in sea pens. The fan corals on the reef are full of squat lobsters and weird decorator crabs. Keep an eye on the sandy bottom, as you’ll see lots of hermit crabs and anemone carriers bustling around. But the ‘star’ of my night dive turned out to be my macro supermodel of the entire trip: the beautiful starry octopus.

A 50-minute boat transfer from Pemuteran, Menjangan Island is one of the most famous dive spots in Bali. Located in the Bali Barat National Park and uninhabited save for a herd of barking deer, the island is home to 12 dive sites, ranging from sheer drop-offs to pretty sandy slopes and a lagoon.

My favourite Menjangan dive for critters was

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the Coral Garden, a small reef wall starting at 5m and dropping down to 28m. With a great selection of sponges, gorgonian fans and sea whips, it was a productive critterhunting ground. Some of the sea fans were home to ‘plucked chicken’ pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus denise). They may not be the prettiest of seahorses, but these 1.5cm-long creatures will always have kudos as macro supermodels. There were also lots of anemonefish, many of them guarding and aerating their eggs that clung precariously to the rocks below the anemones. Most of the hard corals and sea whips were replete with little gobies and shrimps.

In search of more strange beasts, I travelled to the area around Gilimanuk, a large town bordering the national park. There are no dive centres so you need to base yourself in Pemuteran, approximately 40 minutes’ transfer by road. The most interesting thing about Gilimanuk itself is the ferry terminal that links Bali to Java – but Secret Bay is something else entirely.

Secret Bay is around two miles wide but only 4–5m deep, comprising two tiny islands surrounded by mangroves. The bay is a nursing ground for juveniles as it is fed by nutrient-rich upwellings from the deeper Bali Strait. These waters may be filled with plankton but they are also rather chilly, so pack a 5mm wetsuit. The bay should be dived at an incoming high tide to experience it at its best. If you try diving at low tide, you could be faced with a muddy puddle so dense that you don’t see a thing, but get the timing right and it can be muck diving at its very best.

The place is legendary among serious macro photographers, and the problematic nature of its tides has served to fuel that legend.

So what can you expect to see? Well, the list is endless, but includes seahorses and their relative, the harlequin ghost pipefish. The large population of fire urchins provides a rich habitat for zebra crabs and Coleman shrimps.

Frogfish, cuttlefish, emperor shrimps on sea cucumbers, catfish, an array of pipefish, boxer shrimp, sea moths and juvenile batfish are all out there waiting to be found. There are also some really strange anemones and critters so perfectly camouflaged that you’ll have a hard time deciding whether they’re wonderful animals blending into the environment… or pieces of rubble!

In search of more macro monsters, I transferred over to Bali’s northeast coast and stayed at the new designer hideaway, Siddhartha Dive Resort and Spa. This elegant outfit is ideally situated for the famous Liberty wreck at Tulamben. Guests can opt to dive on the house reef when the weather permits, or book onto the several boat trips offered daily.

As well as diving the local sites, you can also visit several other areas including the reefs at Amed and Nusa Penida in search of the bigger critters – mantas and mola mola.

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EnvironmEntally FriEndly?

Alex Mustard tackles the touchy subject of taking a responsible approach to photography, questioning how far we should go for a shot

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he subject of this month’s Photopro is one of the most important for underwater photographers, but is often overlooked: it is the issue of respecting the environment when taking pictures. Unlike many columns, this won’t be filled with dos and don’ts.

It is up to you to decide how you wish to behave; ultimately, you will be the only one always there when it matters.

These days, 99 per cent of underwater photographers will tell you that they respect the environment when taking pictures. And there are plenty of guidelines out there to follow.

For example, about a decade ago, the Marine Conservation Society published a code of conduct, drawn up in collaboration with a number of photographers including Paul Kay, Colin Doeg, Martin Edge and myself.

Although it should be obvious what to avoid: the big no-nos are physically damaging the environment and harassing or stressing marine life.

So everyone knows the rules and agrees to them. Where’s the problem?

Well, you’d have to have a pretty thick hood to not be aware that underwater photographers still have a reputation of being environmentally unfriendly.

Ask any diver and I am sure they will have stories of the photographer on their recent dive trip who smashed corals and terrorised creatures.

STAR TURN: railway wheels on the Numidia at Big Brother – a wreck that can only be visited by liveaboard

from seasickness, consider taking pills, but note that these should be taken before you get on board; they’ll do little good once your vessel is underway and the motion has begun.

So what should you expect from the vessel itself? These days, the typical Egyptian liveaboard is a 35–40m vessel with a steel hull, twin engines and spacious accommodation.

They can take between 18 and 26 divers, and place an emphasis on individual luxuries. Cabins are air-conditioned, en-suite affairs with entertainment systems and mini-bars, and where you may still find a few throwbacks that save space by using bunk beds, the modern boats all have generous beds sited on either side of the cabin.

Another recent phenomenon is the rise of the ‘master stateroom’, which is one of a number of names dreamed

up for a very big cabin with a kingsized bed and oodles of space. I managed to get upgraded to one of these on a recent trip on the liveaboard blue Fin; it was quite a novelty to have a cabin I could actually run around inside. However, if you do end up in one of these, be careful what you say. In an unguarded moment, I happened to remark on the excellent film choices on the entertainment system; judging from the black looks I received, the on-demand movie service was restricted to the master cabins!

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT Mercifully, there aren’t too many rules when it comes to life on a liveaboard.

You are there to dive, eat and sleep, so all you really need to do is turn up on time for the diving and the eating.

But whatever the size or layout of

your liveaboard, there are various points of etiquette that should be observed if you are to make the most of your time on board.

These boats have specific places for everything, so try to avoid leaving your possessions lying around. Dive kit should be stowed in your crate, cameras should be placed in the dedicated area, and bulky dive bags should be emptied and handed to the crew. The boat’s dry areas should always be respected. Do not sit down to breakfast in your bathing costume if it is going to leave a damp patch on the seat.

The cardinal sin is to run through the dry area of the boat in a sopping wetsuit to fetch a towel after a dive.

This always results in a telltale trail of footprints leading right to your cabin.

If you plan to miss a dive, tell someone and save the guides the effort of searching for you prior to

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We love Fourth Element’s range of smart undersuits. This new suit is positioned between the company’s Arctic and SubX suits, making it a cosy yet practical option for the UK diver.

The idea behind the Halo is to make you as warm as possible without compromising your ability to move around – a fine balancing act. It may look like a simple two-piece, but Fourth Element has placed insulation in the zones where you need it most. The suit incorporates compressionproof panels, keeping a layer of air on your torso front, thighs and shoulders. And this is backed up by three layers of heavyweight thermal fleece, creating a cocoon that keeps you warm, but makes you look very cool.

Contact: www.ndiver.com

When Oceanic founder Bob Hollis decided to launch a new line of technical diving equipment, he was so committed to the range that he gave it his name.

The company’s first venture into the primary dive lights market offered the breakthrough LED16 Canister System, which Oceanic says is a superior alternative to traditional HID lighting.

Now the same technology has been incorporated into the Hollis range of handheld lights, including this new LED, a compact torch that pumps out a fishblinding 230 lumens, concentrated into a tight eight-degree beam. With its supercool styling and power, this is a torch James Bond would be proud to use… if the next film ever gets made.

Contact: www.oceanicuk.com

EXPLOSION OF LIFE: a sea lion bursts through a school of baitfish in the shallows

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LIVEABOARD LIFE Liveaboard diving first began on the Great Barrier Reef in the early Seventies, but in the Red Sea the idea had its roots in the pioneering 1950s expeditions of Jacques Cousteau, whose research vessels created a template for the liveaboards to come.

The Red Sea’s first safari boats began operating in the Eighties, when there were relatively few restrictions on tourist vessels moving between different territorial waters. Today, liveaboards tend not to cross international borders, though there is a very small amount of traffic between southern Egypt and Sudan.

If you are facing your first-ever liveaboard trip, you should bear in mind that these vessels are much smaller than the ferries you may have been on board in the past. You are much closer to the sea, and you feel it a great deal more. If you do suffer

PhotoPRO

DIVE GUIDE

AT A TIME when mainstream tourists are still reluctant to return to Egypt, the liveaboard market remains resilient. Perhaps it is because liveaboards are favoured by the kind of experienced travellers who do not feel personally threatened by the upheavals currently taking place in Egyptian society. Or perhaps there is a bloody-mindedness among the committed divers who tend to favour liveaboards, an attitude that nothing will get in the way of a long-anticipated diving holiday.

Certainly, being out at sea, you are a long way from any sort of civil danger.

Whatever the reason, liveaboards are still selling, and with less boat traffic and fewer divers in the Red Sea, pelagic sightings are up. Manta rays have been seen close to shore – unusual for this time of the year – and dolphins have been very playful in the Straits of Gobal. Conditions have been excellent around Tiran, where the resident turtles are relaxed and receptive to diver encounters. It’s a fine time to be in the Red Sea. So, whether you are a liveaboard veteran, or considering your first trip beyond the land-based resort experience, it’s a pretty good time to book up. Tour operators want their liveaboards to lead a resurgence in Egypt tourism, so there are some bargains out there, and you can be assured of the warmest of welcomes when you touch down in Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada or Marsa Alam.

Whatever the political situation, Egypt has always taken a pride in welcoming visitors, and there is no evidence that this will ever change.

SIMON ROGERSON

By Douglas David Seifert

GOOD SPOT: a freckled hawkfish

the pre-dive briefing. Try to get kitted up in good time so that you are ready to step into the inflatable as soon as it is ready to go, and stick to the time limits stipulated for your dive. Aside from these minor considerations, the secret to a really successful liveaboard experience is to relax and make the boat your home. You will, in all likelihood, be sharing with a load of people you don’t know – but in my experience, liveaboards are inherently friendly, much more so than hotels. It really is the most civilised way to go diving in a country where civilisation stretches back thousands of years.

SIMON ROGERSON

T

he baby sea lion races up and drops its starfish right in front of my facemask. It’s impossible not to interpret this as an invitation to join its game. Sea lion pups pluck a variety of critters from the sea bed to use as toys, but favourites seem to be shells and starfish, which are used to play drop and chase. And who can resist those big brown eyes? I attempt to throw the starfish, but being underwater, it goes nowhere, fluttering slowly to the sea bed like an autumn leaf. The pup doesn’t look impressed. Swooping down, it grabs the starfish and bolts to the surface, where it releases its toy, pursuing it, somersaulting around and around before snaring it again. My biologist training reminds me of the importance of play in developing life skills in mammals, but it is hard to see this as anything beyond simple joie de vivre.

As an uplifting experience, this is hard to top.

I am watching this game of fetch in a shallow archway through the middle of Los Islotes, a small group of islands about an hour’s boat ride from La Paz, at the southern end of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. La Paz, on the shores of the Sea of Cortez, is not a new diving destination. In fact, you’ll find it in almost all the ‘world’s best’ diving books. But curiously, it seems to have fallen from fashion and rarely features on the wish lists of most divers these days.

Before my trip, I struggled to find anyone who’d dived there in the last decade; in Europe, at least.

For North American divers, from the west coast in particular, it’s a firm favourite. Several of my welltravelled friends list it as their number one and many more visit annually without fail; using it as we Brits use our favourite squeeze, the Red Sea. Superficially, there seems much in common between the Sea of Cortez and the Red Sea. Both are long, narrow gulfs of deep water, surrounded by desert and far enough from the tropics to be distinctly seasonal. But underwater, there are few similarities. The Sea of Cortez is always a few degrees colder than the Red Sea and so doesn’t support coral reefs. But its rich waters are ideal for the big stuff: sharks, mantas and a multitude of marine mammals. Whales can be very common seasonally, but for divers, the sea lions are the bigger attraction. Most British divers will know that there are few ways to have more fun in a drysuit than a seal dive. Well, in La Paz, you can have all that enjoyment in just 3mm of neoprene.

The sea lions are resident year round, but the prime time to visit is from mid-September to midNovember, for this is the time that the new pups begin to make their first unsupervised dives. And it is then that they’re at their most mischievous, curious and cute. This is also when the water is at its warmest, meaning that you can spend all day playing and not feel the cold. I would have been fine in a shortie, although I was glad I was wearing a full wetsuit as I did return home with some trophy teeth marks through the rubber, from a playful but powerful subadult.

Despite sea lions’ similarities to seals, dives with them are actually a very different experience.

WATER COLUMN

CLASSIC LIVEABOARD ROUTES NORTHERN WRECKS AND REEFS Usually encompassing Ras Mohammed National Park, the Thistlegorm and the wrecks of Abu Nuhas, this is the classic northern

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COVER STORY

FACE TO FACE: a leopard seal posturing at its own reflection in the photographer's camera lens All photography by Steve Jones

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LeAve onLy bubbLes: desirable subjects such as pygmy seahorses can skew a photographer’s sense of environmental responsibility

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again and again. I often wonder if they are aware of their reputations?

This problem stems from when an underwater photographer believes that their photography is so important, they no longer consider the environment when shooting.

Consequently, some of the worst offenders are those with the biggest egos. Recently, there has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth on underwater photography forums after a television programme was aired that apparently depicted prominent underwater photographers standing on live coral in order to ‘get the shot’.

It is hard not to conclude that egos are negatively buoyant. It is important that we never fall into this trap.

In conclusion, I should add some perspective: most of the time, great pictures are taken without harming anything, and underwater images have given the population at large a better understanding of why the marine environment should be conserved.

The benefit of pictures as posters for conservation is incalculably large.

Furthermore, coral reefs and other habitats are not about to be wiped out by the actions of underwater photographers – there are plenty of greater environmental threats lining up to do that job. That said, as the documenters of the fascinating and beautiful underwater realm, we should always be doing (and be seen to be doing) our utmost to conserve it. ●

imaGE imaGE data Pygmy seahorse, Bali. Nikon D100 with 105mm lens and +4 dioptre. Subal housing. Twin Subtronic strobes.

1/180s @ f/32. ISO 200

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IN

The first problem is that delicate marine life often gets damaged unintentionally, when our desire to get the shot exceeds (even momentarily) our diving ability. I am not just talking about relatively new divers. This is just as true for the seasoned photographer pushing to get that much closer or rushing in to capture that elusive creature and losing control.

We all make mistakes, but we don’t want to be making them regularly.

The solution is to incorporate consideration for the environment into our decision-making process, both before going in to take the shot and while shooting. Ask yourself: when was the last time you turned down a interesting subject, such as a pygmy seahorse, because it was inaccessible photographically, without risking damage to the reef?

The second issue is the one that seems to cause the majority of arguments and annoyance among underwater photographers. There are clearly some photographers who say they care for the environment, but their actions do not bear this out.

The vast majority of the photographers I dive with behave really well, and increasingly photographers are fed up with all being tarred with the same dirty brush. It is one of the most common conversation topics when photographers get together, and there are certain photographers in our community whose names come up

The chance to dive a justidentified B-24 bomber was one that could not be missed. Words by Sabrina Monella and photographs

by Franco Banfi

Earlier this year, an elite team comprising some of the world’s most influential underwater photographers, film-makers and artists set off on Elysium, an expedition marking the achievements of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Steve Jones reports on the journey of a lifetime

PLEASURE DOME: a diver explores the upside-down tail machine-gun dome, which has been colonised by bright yellow sponges

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FROM JUST DIVE GUIDE C a ri bbea n S ea

CO STA RICA

P A C

SOUTH AMERICA

O C

Cocos Island PAC IF IC O C E AN

Dirty Rock

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Isla Manuelita Chatham Bay Wafer Bay

N 1 mile

Punta Maria

Co cos

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Atrevido Cape

Big Dos Amigos Bajo Alcyone Small Dos Amigos

Submerged Rock Manta Corner

Cocos:

three ways CHARLES HOOD

Cocos Island off Costa Rica is frequently described as the world’s best destination for big-fish encounters. DIVE’s Simon Rogerson and Charles Hood visited on a mission to experience Cocos from three different perspectives: as an open-circuit scuba diver, as a closed-circuit rebreather diver and from behind the bubble of a one-atmosphere submarine

LeAve onLy bubbLes: desirable subjects such as pygmy seahorses can skew a photographer’s sense of environmental responsibility

THE GATHERING: scalloped hammerheads gather in schools over Cocos Island’s seamounts

SECRETS OF THE

super fish

06/07/2011 12:17

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hen I saw the rugged peaks of Glencoe, I felt I had finally got away from it all. It was the Easter break and the mountains looked fantastic, with snow still on the peaks. But the question was – would the diving be any good?

To find the answer, I slipped into the water near Ballachulish (pronounced ‘Ballahoolish’) on the shores of Loch Leven. I submerged, sinking slowly through the icy water to a sea bed carpeted with brittlestars. This soon gave way to cliff walls plastered with sea loch anemones.

Any hole I looked in contained long-clawed squat lobsters. Following the silty slope, I found a field of scallops and armies of hermit crabs, while the rocks were home to various sea squirts. In short, all the characteristic life of the Scottish sea lochs.

By the time I returned to my car, parked near the shore of the loch, I felt that I had indeed found the escape I had been looking for and it reminded me why Scotland’s west coast is one of my favourite UK dive locations.

With inspiring scenery both above and below water, the west coast of Scotland has miles and miles of sheltered water to explore, much of it accessible from the shore. Being a keen photographer, I found that the relatively benign conditions of most Scottish sea lochs were ideal. It meant I could enter and exit the water with ease, pick my depth and dive for as long as I wanted.

Choosing Glencoe as a base for exploring the area put me near to the shores of Loch Leven, with Loch Linnhe close by and Loch Creran a little further south. All three of these lochs are rich in marine life and each has its own character.

In places, the lochs are so narrow that they appear more like inland freshwater lochs than sea water.

One downside is the fact that a lot of peat-stained fresh water comes off the hill, leading to reduced visibility and generally dark dives (even darker after periods of heavy rain). Diving on a flood tide generally gives better visibility. The quality of nearby river diving is less easy to predict as river levels, visibility and the speed of the water can vary enormously. Again, the amount of rain really affects conditions. As well as the superb sea lochs, I had heard that this part of the Highlands had some great river dives, which I also wanted to experience.

Travelling by car with a plan to shore dive gave me a great deal of independence and allowed me to try out new sites as I fancied. I travelled with my photographer buddy Charles Erb, and Rob Cuss, chairman of the East Midlands Underwater Photography Group (EMUP), joined

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LOCH LINNHE I particularly wanted to dive in the Sound of Shuna, halfway down the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe. I parked in a convenient lay-by, just off the A828 by Appin House. A concrete slipway provides safe and easy access to the water. The dive started with a boulder wall covered in sea urchins, leading to a steep, silty slope down to 20m, which is home to three varieties of sea pen.

A gentle current here helps maintain decent visibility, as it is easy to disturb the fine silt of the bottom, even with careful finning. Sea pens are a delightful soft coral to photograph, but even more impressive are the occasional firework anemones that appear out of the gloom. Large holes in the silty sea bed suggest that this place is popular with Norway lobsters, though I couldn’t spot any. All in all, a great UK muck dive.

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us in Scotland. When researching the lochs and rivers around Glencoe, I found that the nearby air stations were in short supply, so to save a lot of running back and forth to get air fills, we took four tanks each. I took a copy of Top 100 British Shore Dives to help me plan the dives. This dive guide book, written by my friend Anita Sherwood, a fellow member of Worcester BSAC, meant I was heading for the Highlands armed with knowledge of at least a few reliable and tested sites.

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Welcome to

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LOCH STOCK: a sea loch anemone [main image]; hermit crab [above]

The broad sweep of Torbay in Devon is home to some of the UK’s most popular dive sites, but for some, the local nudibranch population will always be the highlight of a dive.

Words and photographs by Dan Bolt

SHORE THING: scallop in Loch Leven [right]; the concrete slipway at Loch Linnhe [above right]

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LOCH LEVEN The dramatic Glencoe mountain range provides a picturesque backdrop to this sea loch. In general, where there is access to the shore, a reasonable dive can be had. I tried a few shore dives here and my favourite was a site just off the A82, west of Ballachulish, near St John’s Church. We were able to pull just off the main road and park on the verge. In the first 5m of the dive, there was an obvious mixing of salt water and fresh water, giving a blurred halocline to dive through. Below this layer, the water was dark but clear, with visibility of around 8m. A brittlestar bed at 12m

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15 NUDI GALLERY: Crimora papillata [1]; Eubranchus farrani (white colour morph) [2]; Archidoris pseudoargus laying eggs [3]; Flabellina pedata [4]; Limacia clavigera [5]; Hermaea variopicta, a Mediterranean visitor and not strictly a nudibranch, but a sap-sucking sea slug [6]; Okenia elegans [7]; Goniodoris nodosa [8]; Eubranchus farrani (orange colour morph) [9]; Eubranchus farrani (black colour morph) [10]; a mating pair of the Polycera quadrilineata species [11]; Okenia elegans [12]; Cuthona caerulea [13]; Doto fragilis [14]; Diaphorodoris luteocincta [15]

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gave way to rocky overhangs festooned with sea loch anemones. I made it as deep as 20m before returning to the shallows, but it was clear that I could have got much more depth out of this site.

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With divers and scientists building a fuller picture of the habits of the enigmatic whale shark, DOUGLAS SEIFERT reports on their findings

FISH SPOTTING: whale sharks are commonly seen in the Maldives at sites such as Hanifaru All photography by Douglas David Seifert

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RECIPIENT DETAILS (if different from above) Title Initial Surname Address Postcode Telephone Email

By Douglas David Seifert

Taking the high road continued 02/06/2011 16:57

Telephone Email

WATER COLUMN

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Postcode

£8

LOCATED 340 MILES off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is the tip of an undersea mountain. The island is just three miles long and a mile wide, but is mountainous and swathed in impenetrable rainforest. Save for a ranger station, Cocos is uninhabited, so all visitors must come on liveaboards.

It’s a 33-hour journey from the mainland and charters are expensive, but there’s no shortage of divers wanting to visit this iconic destination.

They want to make the journey because Cocos is the ultimate fix for any addict of big-fish diving. The sheer biomass of fish is astonishing – when you first hit the water, you are struck by the concentrations of Pacific creolefish, and then you notice all the different species of jack and other hunting fish. The water column is replete with predators and prey.

What really makes Cocos special is the superabundance of certain big fish. For instance, on an average dive, you are likely to see 50 whitetip reef sharks and at least a dozen marble stingrays. Shoaling bigeye trevally and snapper are regular features, and you can expect to see lots of other trevally species doing their predatory rounds, including metre-long almaco jacks and those consummate hunters of the eastern Pacific, the black jacks. I have never seen such an array of predatory fish anywhere else in the world.

Impressive as the black jacks may be, the real stars of Cocos are the scalloped hammerhead sharks, which visit the island as part of a long circuit of the eastern Pacific’s volcanic islands.

Scientists believe they find their way to these seamounts by sensing a faint electromagnetic trail in the volcanic rock.

There are several theories regarding the schools – the biologist Peter Klimley believes that the behaviour is primarily social, and that the schools are mostly composed of females. It is likely that the hammerhead sharks are most active at night, when they hunt squid and mackerel in much deeper water, following the electromagnetic paths back to the seamounts where they can be cleaned while they swim around the reef. This is the restful phase of the hammerhead’s day – they cannot lie on the bottom like the whitetips, and must keep moving in order to pass water through their gills.

Cocos is a national park of Costa Rica, and all visitors must pay park fees in additionto their liveaboard charges. The money is well spent on facilities to aid the park rangers who must maintain a constant, under-resourced vigil against fishing boats operating in the no-take zone around the island.

T

15/03/2011 08:44

he beautiful sandy beaches, pebbly coves and rocky inlets of Torbay in Devon provide a perfect habitat for divers in search of small, enigmatic creatures. This four-mile-wide bay is home to more than 30 species of nudibranch – the family of marine gastropod molluscs that, through evolution, have lost their shells – all of them within reach of some of the easiest shore diving you could wish for.

Let’s start with Babbacome, just past the northern tip of the bay. A site more commonly associated for its ease of access to large numbers of friendly cuttlefish, it is also home to many species of the weed-loving groups of nudis such as Eubranchus ferrani. This has to be some of the simplest shore diving you can do: from the car park, it’s a 15m walk to the sea, and with no tidal currents to worry about, you can relax in the water at a maximum depth of 10m. Visibility here can reach 8m or more on occasion, and when it does, the dappled sunlight dancing in the shallows is a magical sight to behold. To spot the nudibranchs, the trick is to look for the small white coils of eggs on the tall weed fronds or the short weed on the rocks. Locate an ‘egg mass’ and the slug that left it there is likely to be not too far away.

Post-dive, you can fill your tanks and get a decent bacon butty and a cuppa from the café, there is a toilet block on site, and the pub does superb food. For non-divers, the beach of Oddicombe, with its 1920s Cliff Railway, is a short walk away. Just remember to get your clutch and brakes checked before you drive down the access road, as it’s very steep and winding.

Some divers associate shore diving with kelp, kelp and yet more kelp. Happily, this is not the case in Torbay, where the kelp line, below which it will not grow, only lies at about 6–8m. This gives you the chance to see many species of anemone and sponge in much shallower water than you would expect elsewhere in the UK. The kelp, itself home to a number of nudibranchs, soon gives way to expose the topographical features of your chosen site. Rocky overhangs, golden sands, seagrass beds, natural arches and sea caves mean that no two shore dive sites are the same.

With the exception of Shoalstone, you needn’t be concerned about currents from any beach in the bay, and during the summer, the inshore waters are ringed with ‘5 knot’ buoys, meaning that all boat traffic inside the buoys must adhere to this strictly enforced speed limit, which is one less thing for you to worry about.

Next up, and just a ten-minute drive away, is the beautiful beach of Meadfoot. You can dive over the sandy gullies from the small pay-and-display car park at the east of the beach. But with free on-road parking, toilets and a superb café that does the best breakfasts around at the western end, this is where we’ll look for our next group of slugs.

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DIVE GUIDE C ar i b b e an Sea

CO STA RIC A

SOUTH AMERICA

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Cocos Island PACI F I C OCE AN

Dirty Rock

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Isla Manuelita Chatham Bay Wafer Bay

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Punta Maria

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Big Dos Amigos Bajo Alcyone Small Dos Amigos

Submerged Rock Manta Corner

Cocos:

three ways Cocos Island off Costa Rica is frequently described as the world’s best destination for big-fish encounters. DIVE’s Simon Rogerson and Charles Hood visited on a mission to experience Cocos from three different perspectives: as an open-circuit scuba diver, as a closed-circuit rebreather diver and from behind the bubble of a one-atmosphere submarine

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CHARLES HOOD THE GATHERING: scalloped hammerheads gather in schools over Cocos Island’s seamounts

LOCATED 340 MILES off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is the tip of an undersea mountain. The island is just three miles long and a mile wide, but is mountainous and swathed in impenetrable rainforest. Save for a ranger station, Cocos is uninhabited, so all visitors must come on liveaboards.

It’s a 33-hour journey from the mainland and charters are expensive, but there’s no shortage of divers wanting to visit this iconic destination.

They want to make the journey because Cocos is the ultimate fix for any addict of big-fish diving. The sheer biomass of fish is astonishing – when you first hit the water, you are struck by the concentrations of Pacific creolefish, and then you notice all the different species of jack and other hunting fish. The water column is replete with predators and prey.

What really makes Cocos special is the superabundance of certain big fish. For instance, on an average dive, you are likely to see 50 whitetip reef sharks and at least a dozen marble stingrays. Shoaling bigeye trevally and snapper are regular features, and you can expect to see lots of other trevally species doing their predatory rounds, including metre-long almaco jacks and those consummate hunters of the eastern Pacific, the black jacks. I have never seen such an array of predatory fish anywhere else in the world.

Impressive as the black jacks may be, the real stars of Cocos are the scalloped hammerhead sharks, which visit the island as part of a long circuit of the eastern Pacific’s volcanic islands.

Scientists believe they find their way to these seamounts by sensing a faint electromagnetic trail in the volcanic rock.

There are several theories regarding the schools – the biologist Peter Klimley believes that the behaviour is primarily social, and that the schools are mostly composed of females. It is likely that the hammerhead sharks are most active at night, when they hunt squid and mackerel in much deeper water, following the electromagnetic paths back to the seamounts where they can be cleaned while they swim around the reef. This is the restful phase of the hammerhead’s day – they cannot lie on the bottom like the whitetips, and must keep moving in order to pass water through their gills.

Cocos is a national park of Costa Rica, and all visitors must pay park fees in additionto their liveaboard charges. The money is well spent on facilities to aid the park rangers who must maintain a constant, under-resourced vigil against fishing boats operating in the no-take zone around the island.

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Scuba

Kingdom of the fish

Simon Rogerson used open-circuit nitrox for his dives, but eventually found a way to get close to the big fish

1 AFTER THE FLIGHTS and the two-night crossing on the Sea Hunter liveaboard, I was desperate to go diving by the time we finally arrived at Cocos. We emerged blinking from our cabins to a primordial scene: egrets, frigatebirds and boobies soared on thermals above the forested hills of the uninhabited island. We were a long way from civilisation, and couldn’t be happier.

There are about 30 dive sites around Cocos, but the Sea Hunter crew tend to concentrate on a select few that yield good shark action.

Much of the best diving at Cocos takes place at 20–30m, where barberfish and king angelfish have set up cleaning stations that specialise in removing parasites from hammerheads.

The female sharks pick up wounds on their flanks from mating, and on the underside of their mouths from stingray barbs. These wounds attract parasitic copepods that cause the sharks some discomfort, but provide a nutritious meal for the cleaner fish.

Hammerhead sharks are extremely sensitive and tend to flee when they see divers or their bubbles, but their instinct to visit the cleaning stations is so strong that they can sometimes be observed at close quarters as the cleaner fish go about their work.

The idea is to observe the cleaning station without disrupting it, so the divers have to go into stealth mode, hiding behind rocks. On the second day, our group loused this up so utterly that the Colombian dive guide, Wilson, scheduled a special

presentation on cleaning-station diving skills for that evening. In essence, this was a charming bollocking, cunningly presented in the form of a humorous slideshow.

After all, these divers hadn’t travelled thousands of miles to be given a dressing-down, so Wilson used his charm to show people how to behave around the cleaning stations.

Diving Cocos on bubble-producing open-circuit was a bittersweet experience. For the first two days, I utterly failed to get close to the hammerheads. And even once our group had got the hang of cleaningstation etiquette, it was never easy. I simply cannot overemphasise just how shy these sharks are. There was no end of opportunities to see them at a distance of 10–15m, but for me,

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DIVE GUIDE

2 4 HEAD FOR BUSINESS: the hammerhead shark’s uniquely shaped head is believed to enhance its sensory organs by spacing them out along its width [1]; yellow margin moray eels [2]; Commerson’s frogfish [3]; bigeye trevally at Dirty Rock [4]; blacktip cardinalfish school around whitetip reef sharks [5] Photographs by Simon Rogerson

3 the close-up opportunities were few and fleeting.

At a different site called Punta Maria, 2.5m-long Galápagos sharks swam alongside the hammerheads and came in close to be cleaned by the barberfish. If you don’t like the idea of baiting for sharks but still want to see them up close, Cocos is the place for you. In any case, I believe Galápagos sharks are too big and too prone to aggression around food to bait with fish – the one operation I know of that feeds this species (in Hawaii) puts its divers in cages.

Our best dives took place at Bajo Alcyone, a seamount off the southeast coast, where the currents were so strong that it was usually a borderline decision whether the dive

5

should be attempted. Bajo Alcyone is similar to many other seamounts around Cocos Island, but there’s four or five times as many fish.

The whitetips lay around in piles, many of them surrounded by billowing schools of tiny blacktip cardinalfish, which are endemic to Cocos and have a clever trick of avoiding predators. Too small to interest big fish such as moray eels or whitetip sharks, these little red fish swarm around the heavies of the reef, safe in the knowledge that their own predators will keep away. We saw schools of rainbow runners and marauding packs of leather bass on Bajo Alcyone, but there was also a lot of life on the reef, including some fearless octopus, which came out to play with the divers.

Towards the end of our seven days at Cocos, we dived Bajo Alcyone in a fierce, juddering current. I was completely out of breath by the time I had hauled myself down the line, but looked up to see a spectacular vista of hammerheads moving over the seamount.

There were hundreds of sharks – hammerhead wallpaper. As I said, I’ve been to Cocos a couple of times before, but this was the biggest school I had ever seen. We all know the shark populations across the eastern Pacific are under terrible pressure from fisheries, so to see such a big school was heartening indeed.

Don’t let anyone tell you there are no hammerheads at Cocos – at Alcyone alone, there were more than I could count on a dive.

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CHARLES HOOD

COPING MECHANISM: this close-up portrait shows the parasitic copepods living on the hammerhead’s skin

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DIVE GUIDE

CCR

Cocos on a rebreather

Having bought an Evolution Plus especially for this trip, Charles Hood was short on bubbles, but long on smugness Âť www.divemagazine.co.uk 83

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Cocos Island Costa Rica

We offer the most advanced scuba and submersible diving technology available, coupled with first-class service and comfort, all at the world’s preeminent dive location.

This is a true live-aboard experience, kicked up a couple of notches!

Visit us at www.UnderseaHunter.com to learn more or pick up a phone and call our offices at +506-2228-6613 Oh, and you can be assured that when you call you’ll reach us… no franchise or third parties. Join us!

E-mail: info@underseahunter.com

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me the envy of the entire boat, and by the end of the second day, I was banned from boasting about the fact I could get dome-portscratchingly close to the beasties.

Yet as much as I enjoyed using my Evolution Plus, it does keep you busy at the end of the day – you’re always last to the bar. After everyone else had showered, got themselves a cold one and was relaxing in the saloon, I was still on the stern deck. Each evening, the unit had to be washed out and dried, with cylinders exchanged and scrubber replenished, then reassembled and tested. Combined with routine maintenance on my camera equipment, I was kept busy for an extra 90 minutes at the end of each day.

By the middle of our adventure, it was clear that the seamount Bajo Alcyone was delivering the best shark action. I had even adopted my own little ledge 10m upcurrent from Simon, who, it has to be said, kept his bubbles down to a minimum compared to the others.

I was at 32m, which is perfect territory for a CCR, giving me a generous amount of bottom time and plenty of gas. Towards the end of the dives, as the others started their ascent, I had some close encounters. On one particular dive, the rest of the group were low on gas and were well out of sight on the mooring line. I could just see Simon’s bubbles at the bottom of the line, so could reach him if I had to, but effectively I was on my own.

Within a few seconds, I was surrounded by a horde of hammerheads and I rose 5m off the bottom – I was now part of the school! I got a few cautionary glances from some of the sharks, but there wasn’t any hint of fear.

It was the closest I’ve ever come to that number of sharks on their terms, and with no need for bait.

What a great privilege.

The CCR also allowed me to get close to other fish species, especially the whitetips, trumpetfish, puffers and various boxfish. At the end of most dive trips, I’m usually ready to return home, but I could have here stayed much, much longer.

»

DIVE GUIDE

ROCK ON: schooling hammerheads at Dirty Rock [main photo]; the barberfish that provide cleaning services [inset]

CHARLES HOOD

CHARLES HOOD

WHENEVER YOU’RE TAKING a closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) overseas, the first question is how to get it there. Fortunately, the Sea Hunter liveaboards are totally geared up for rebreather divers, so I arranged rental of a pair of two-litre cylinders and Sofnolime (carbon-dioxide absorbent) locally, which meant I was down to just 18kg for the CCR itself.

We managed to obtain an unusually generous baggage allowance of two 23kg bags, so my Evolution Plus CCR went in one dive bag and the rest of the kit in the other. The purposedesigned container that came with the Evolution was too large to go as normal hold luggage, so I put it in a normal dive bag, doubly protected with layers of bubble wrap.

On board the Sea Hunter, setting everything up took noticeably longer than my bubble-breathing colleague. However, with a crossing of a day and a half to reach Cocos, there was heaps of time to get both CCR and camera equipment ready and tested. I’d recommend you take cylinder attachment fittings for your bailout gas, as these are not provided by the boat – you are simply given a bare cylinder.

As Simon has observed, the abundance of pelagic fish at Cocos Island is staggering – like a combination of Ras Mohammed, the pass at Rangiroa and Manta Reef at Medhufushi… but on steroids. On our checkout dive, we saw a least half a dozen hammerhead sharks – and this was effectively on the house reef.

I tried to dive a discreet distance from the bubble-exhaling group, who inevitably drove the hammerheads away. It got to the point that I could tell where the group was by the direction in which the hammerheads were swimming! Meanwhile, I could freely swim around, making very little impact on the shoal’s position – no bubbles, no disturbance. Ha! Never before had I witnessed so clearly the effect that divers’ exhaled gas has on mid-water marine life. This, of course, made

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Sub

Life through a bubble

How can you possibly trump a rebreather at Cocos? Take a ride in a submersible, of course.

Simon Rogerson reports

AS PART OF its ongoing study of Cocos, the Undersea Hunter group has been operating DeepSee, a custom-built, one-atmosphere submarine capable of carrying one pilot and two passengers to a depth of 475m. Conceived as an observation tool for film-makers and scientific expeditions, it is also available for visiting divers. Charles Hood and I were invited to join a descent onto Mount Everest, a seamount just off Manuelita Island that is 50m deep at its shallowest point and drops away to 100m.

We sat in the sub’s acrylic sphere, barely able to contain our excitement as Eli the pilot flooded the tanks, initiating the descent.

For a moment, we had a perfect split view of the ocean and the island through the giant dome, then there was nothing but a deep cobalt blue. DeepSee runs on electricity, so all you hear is the gentle whirr of the fans – most fish are not at all afraid of it.

Before long, the top of the seamount loomed into view – it really does look like the pyramidical peak of Everest. The water was thick with creolefish – even more than we had seen at Bajo Alcyone – and they had formed a defensive school against a pack of almaco jacks that was sweeping across the crown of the reef.

Descending the side of the seamount, we saw the wall was covered in colonies of white octocorals, which looked like snow on the sides of the ‘mountain’. It was a completely different environment, with none of the whitetip sharks or marble stingrays that were so ubiquitous above 50m. The fish were different as well – there was a very big school of bulleyes (Cookeolus japonicus), similar to shallowwater bigeyes, but bigger and with a golden sheen instead of the familiar red. There were weird scorpionfish with long antennae,

and something that looked like a wolf-fish that had undergone botox. A weird world indeed.

By the time we reached the deepest point of our dive at 100m, the water around us was black, turning to dark blue as we looked up through the sphere. Eli spotted a school of about 50 hammerheads passing overhead. We craned our necks to see the sharks, which, due to the reverse magnification effect of the dome, looked bizarrely tadpole-like.

The DeepSee submersible and its pilots have uncovered a side of Cocos that even rebreather divers could never have witnessed. Down at 300m, they have found another shift of deepwater oddities, including a type of prickly shark.

For us, the two-hour dive was something close to heaven. To be able to sit in air-conditioned comfort and observe the wildlife of such a rarefied environment was beyond our wildest dreams.

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ROOM WITH A VIEW: a school of hammerheads passes over DeepSee, unfazed by the electric sub’s gentle hum

SHMULIK BLOOM

DIVE GUIDE

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SIMON ROGESRON

DIVE GUIDE

CLASSIC COCOS: snapper converge on the reef, whitetip reef sharks cruise by and blue trevally patrol the shallows

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Cocos factfile

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www.worldwidediveandsail.com info@worldwidediveandsail.com

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Call today: +44 208 099 2230

Topside activities There is usually scope for at least one visit to the island, where you can visit the ranger station and hike to a waterfall. If you have any spare time in Costa Rica, a popular half-day activity is zip-wiring in the forest canopy, perhaps combined with a river tour. If you have the time, a night at the active volcano Arenal is strongly recommended, or you could take a couple of days to explore Rio Pacuare on a white-water rafting and camping trip. Costa Rica is very much the home of the eco-tour, and there’s no shortage of agents to offer you day trips and more. ●

PM E N EN ITR T OX RE N & TA L

What to take Bring the usual tropical T-shirts and shorts, plus something warmer for the air-conditioned liveaboard and cool nights in San José. In terms

Liveaboard Simon and Charles were guests of the Sea Hunter, one of three liveaboards operated by the Undersea Hunter group (www. underseahunter.com). A 35m former research vessel, the Sea Hunter is built for long-range expedition diving and was recently refitted to

DeepSee DeepSee submarine trips can be booked in advance via the Undersea Hunter office or sometimes at Cocos, subject to availability – the 100m dive is priced US$1,200; the 215m dive costs US$1,600 and the 305m dive is US$1,800.

FR

You will need to book at least one night at a hotel in San José, but we recommend two nights to allow enough time for any delayed luggage to show up. Your liveaboard operator should have a list of hotels they are prepared to pick up from – we chose the inexpensive Best Western Irazu (www.bestwestern.com).

When to go Cocos is a year-round destination, but there are two distinct seasons. The dry season runs from November to May, and is the time to go if you want to avoid lumpy seas. The wet season runs from June to November, and while the sea conditions may be less predictable, there are generally more hammerheads and other animals during this time. Water temperatures are 25–28°C throughout the year. DIVE’s visit took place in early April.

a very high standard. This boat is built for practicality, but it is also very comfortable and spacious, with superb food, warm towels after every dive and lots of other crowd-pleasing luxuries. Most charters are ten days, which gives you a full seven days’ diving at Cocos. The liveaboards get booked up, but there are still places available in 2011–12 – prices are around US$4,895 a charter plus US$245 park fees.

UI

Hotels

of wetsuit thickness, the benchmark is a 5mm, with optional hood if you feel the cold. You will definitely need a stout pair of gloves for holding onto the jagged volcanic rock. For CCRs, the Undersea Hunter liveaboards have their own supply of Sofnolime, and you can reduce your luggage weight by hiring two-litre cylinders for O2 and diluent. Most divers bring their own delayed SMBs, but the Sea Hunter loans all divers its safety pack, including an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB).

EQ

Getting there You fly to San José, the capital of Costa Rica, via a hub airport in the USA. Be sure to have completed and paid for your ESTA immigration forms online (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta) well before travelling, or they won’t even allow you to board the aeroplane. We recommend travelling via New York or Houston, but avoid Miami, as it is one of the most unpleasant, poorly managed airports we have ever visited.

Previously generous transatlantic luggage allowances have been squeezed, so shop around for good deals, but be prepared to pay in advance for additional weight. Expect to pay from £600 for return flights with British Airways (www.ba.com) or American Airlines (www.aa.com).

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Trigger happy

Regarding the feature The trouble with triggers (DIVE, May 2011) by Douglas Seifert, I would like to remind readers that grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) appear in UK waters in the summer.

The grey triggerfish is thought to follow the Gulf Stream into our waters, dying when sea temperatures fall.

In the eastern Atlantic, this species is found from Angola to the Mediterranean, but in the western Atlantic from Bermuda to Nova Scotia. This has led researchers to ask the question: ‘Is it possible they are seasonal migrants, not just visitors?’

A second question is: ‘Is it possible triggerfish have started breeding in our coastal waters?’ Data from the southeast USA and Gulf of Mexico place Balistes capriscus’ breeding season between April and September. However, details are sketchy; the temperature range for spawning is contentious, with one source stating spawning begins in waters as cold as 12°C, and another that the temperature must be above 21°C. Researchers have started a volunteer triggerfish monitoring programme.

Triggerfish are caught and tagged with a T-bar tag on the main dorsal fin (not the fin with the trigger). If these fish are recaught, the tag number and location where they are caught can be reported. Researchers would like to encourage divers to report any sightings of

Check out the forum pages at www.divemagazine.co.uk

InBox In Got a point to make? Write to us and have your say

WATCH YOUR STEP: people on the reef top at Sharm

triggerfish by using the reporting form at www. uktriggerfish.org.

This project is funded by the National Marine Aquarium at Plymouth and is supported by Seasearch.

Emma Kenyon and James Bull, via email

Sign language

I have just returned from a diving holiday in Sharm El Sheikh, where I noticed several people walking about on the house reef when the tide was out. I found this amazing, as there were many signs informing people what not to do.

I was astonished by this behaviour, and even more so by the hotel beach staff who allowed people to behave in such a way. I felt compelled to rise from my sun lounger and confront these people about the potential damage

being caused to the reef.

I explained that walking on the reef can cause severe harm to the coral and also the fish that live there. The blank expressions on their faces told me everything.

One individual said: ‘The signs you mention are not in Russian, I not understand’.

I think hotels and beach locations should make every effort to ensure that signs are in various languages, and staff should be proactive in safeguarding reefs.

If this behaviour occurs on the beach, what is happening on many dives?

Raymond Langshaw, Bracknell, Berkshire

Blood boiling

A couple of things have got my blood boiling lately.

First, the actions of Andrew Piercy and George Burgess, as reported in Biteback

Letter of the month Macro mode

Members of our club were recently diving on the Farne Islands and, being a very amateur photographer, I took my Canon Ixus 80 to take a few underwater shots.

We were diving the gulley on the south side of the Crumstone Rock, when I noticed an upside-down limpet shell with something in it. With my mask six inches from the shell, I saw the object was the tiniest plumose anemone imaginable. Or was it? Has anyone seen a smaller one?

I have attached the photograph, which I took in macro mode and came out remarkably well for an amateur underwater photographer.

Chris Gregory, Moreton, Wirral

(DIVE, June 2011). Surely their research on how long hammerhead sharks live is questionable. No-one carrying out research on sharks (or, for that matter, other endangered animals) would kill 516 of them to find any form of conclusion.

What kind of idiots allowed this research?

Second, the fisherman featured in the second programme of the Britain’s Secret Seas series. He said he had not always fished prawns but used to fish white fish, ‘but the fish have moved on now’, he claimed.

Erm, not that you and your fellow fisherman have exploited our seas. What an idiot – can he honestly believe what he was saying?

Will Smith, Hinckley, Leicestershire

Testing times

I had my demand valve and two bottles tested and serviced last autumn at a well-known dive shop at a cost of £300, including one new low-pressure hose and a recon pillar valve.

I went diving in the Philippines for two weeks at the beginning of March and found the hose didn’t supply the required amount of air to my BC, but being away from home, I had to carry on. I reported it back to the dive shop immediately on my return, thinking they would just change the hose and keep a customer happy.

I was amazed when shop staff told me I had to buy a new hose as the valve was

»

TOP PRIZE LETTER OF THE MONTH WINS

A SUUNTO VYPER AIR computer with optional transmitter WORTH

£659 Advanced features include 3D compass, gas switching and deep-stops option.

For more information, see www.suunto.com/diving

www.divemagazine.co.uk 91

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InBox serviced by a third party (unknown to me), and as I had used it, they couldn’t claim the cost back. If the dive shop had fitted it, they said, they would have replaced the hose.

So the moral of this story is check if the work you give a dive shop is to be palmed off to a third party, because if it is, the level of service you get may not meet your expectations.

Tim Chandler, Yeovil, Somerset

Personal attention

A few years ago, an accident left me with a two-inch metal plate just below my left eye

attached to my skull. As a result, I have no feeling in my face at all.

About 15 minutes into a dive in Swanage during February, I found I was taking in water through my regulator. Not a problem: my training kicked in and I switched to my octopus. On doing so, I found that I was still taking on water. At this point, a little more alarmed, I signalled to my buddy that I had a problem with my regulator. I took on her octopus, then made an uneventful ascent to the surface – much to my relief.

Later, when looking at my regulators and wondering

HOT SHOTS

what could have possibly been wrong, I realised that my face was swollen on the left side and my lip had curled up in the cold, but I couldn’t feel it because of my injury.

My regulator had a large mouthpiece that was letting in water through my curled-up lip. I now always make sure my buddy is as capable as this one was and dive with a mouthpiece moulded to my teeth – I have had no further problems.

Lesson learned: it’s important to pay as much attention to myself as I do to my kit. I feel attention to your own personal attributes is something too many divers

DIVE’S ONLINE PHOTO COMPETITION

overlook, or at least do not pay enough attention to. I have always been a complete kit geek and, despite diving with some of the highestquality kit around (in this case, my regulators were Poseidon Xstreams), overlooking the metal plate in my face almost cost me.

All it would have taken for me to avoid this was a cheap mouthpiece, but I did not imagine the metal plate would cause my left side to swell up, as the plate was conducting the cold – something I had discovered a week ago on land.

Steve Edwick, Worcester Park, Surrey ●

»

WIN A 2GB MEMORY CARD FOR YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA

The winning shot for last month’s ‘Black and white’ theme was this image of a lionfish

by Christian Llewellyn

THIS MONTH’S THEME IS: ALIEN

ENTER ONLINE AT WWW.DIVEMAGAZINE.CO.UK The winners from March 2011 to February 2012 will be judged in 2012. The winner will be displayed at the British Underwater Image Festival and will receive a trophy. HOW TO ENTER: Please submit your digital images by 25 July 2011 online at www.divemagazine.co.uk in the Competitions section. The file must be a JPEG no greater than 100Kb maximum. You are allowed to alter images in Photoshop. Any file size over the limit will not be considered.

We welcome letters of fewer than 250 words, but cannot publish those where only an email address is given. Please include a full postal address (which will not be printed). Letters may be edited for reasons of space or clarity. Write to DIVE Talking, DIVE Magazine Ltd, Suite 1.17, QWest, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0GP, fax: 020 8332 8438, email: letters@ dive.uk.com, or go to the forums at www.divemagazine.co.uk and instantly have your say.

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Directories&Classified

»

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

INDEX 94 96 99 100 100

100 100 101 101 101

Dive centre directory Dive holiday directory Liveaboard directory Charter boats Ireland Charter boats Scapa Flow

101 102 102 103 103

Charter boats Scotland Charter boats Southern England Charter boats West Wales Listings Photography

Diving insurance Holidays & accommodation Equipment, retail & services Shark diving Web directory

IANTD

TRIMIX Disabled access

TRIMIX

Dayboats

Servicing

Accommodation

£ Travel arranged

Liveaboards

PADI

Technical

IANTD

TDI Air

Kit on sale

TDI

IDEST Testing

RYA

NITROX BSAC centre

NITROX

SSI

DAN

Scuba Industries Trade Association

Dive Centre Directory

£

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

NITROX

DERBYSHIRE

CHESHIRE

Unit 1, Wyatt View, Avon Village Centre Bristol BS4 4WW. shop@subaquaholics.co.uk Tel 0117 9776227 www.subaquaholics. co.uk Open 10-6 Mon-Sat Late Tues & Thurs till 7. Huge range of stock. O/W to DM & MSDT. Trimix to 300 bar. Anyone welcome to join us on UK & Abroad trips with our active, friendly club!

TDI

DIVE ACTION DIVING CENTRE Unit 2c, Industrial Estate, St Keverne, Helston TR12 6PE Tel: 01326 280719 Fax: 01326 280789 Mobile: 07831 820820 gary@diveaction.co.uk www.diveaction.co.uk 9.00-17.30 7 days a week; other times to suit. Inspiration/Drager rebreather courses.

DORSET

IANTD

TRIMIX

SUBAQUAHOLICS

CORNWALL CONT

CAMBRIDGE

AVON

PARWIN SCUBA

Glatton PE28 5RR Easy access to A1 Tel: 01487 834630 / 07889 163421 www.parwinscuba.co.uk paul@metalspec.freeserve.co.uk Shop, servicing & cylinder testing on site by friendly owner. Air 300 Bar Fast turnaround, free parking. Monday 8am-4pm, Tuesdays closed, Wed-Fri 8am-4pm Most weekends.

TDI

£

TDI

NITROX

£

CHESTERFIELD ADVENTURE CENTRE c/o Divemaster Scuba Wheatbridge Road off Dock Wall S40 2AB Tel: 01246 245408 info@divenut.co.uk www.divenut.co.uk Open Tues-Sat 10-6.

PADI 5★ IDC, OSS, BS, EH. All courses.

Dive club, group holidays. Submatrix rebreather sales & training.

£

NEW HORIZON DIVE CENTRE LTD

DIVESTYLE @ MIKE’S WATERFRONT WAREHOUSE

£

TDI

NITROX

£

TDI

NITROX

DIVERS DOWN 139 Babbacombe Road, Torquay TQ1 3SR Tel: 01803 327111 Monday to Friday we are open from 10.00-17.30 Saturday 09.00-17.30, Sunday 10.00-16.00 info@diversdown.co.uk www.diversdown.co.uk IANTD

TRIMIX

£

NITROX

TDI

PORTHKERRIS DIVERS

SANDFORD & DOWN 24 Pier St, West Hoe, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3BT Tel: 01752 266248 Fax: 01752 226131 dive@sandfordanddown.co.uk www.sandfordanddown.co.uk Fully stocked shop open all year. Air 300 bar, nitrox, trimix, servicing and tests.

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

TDI

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

NITROX

TDI

NITROX

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

SCUBADUCKS DIVE CENTRE LTD

SEAWAYS DIVING

AQUANAUTS DIVE CENTRE

Unit 34, Edison road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8TE Tel: 01296 317787 u2us@scubaducks.co.uk www.scubaducks.co.uk PADI 5★ IDC Centre. On site heated pool, Huge well-stocked shop, customer parking.

Sidemount and Rebreather Training Centre.

Commercial Road, Penryn, TR10 8AQ Tel: 01326 375544 seawaysdiving@btconnect.com www.seawaysdiving.com Open 9.00 – 18.00 Mon – Sat All bsac courses from snorkel to Rebreather trimix.

88 Vauxhall Street, Plymouth, PL4 0EY Tel: 01752 228825 info@aquanauts. co.uk www.aquanauts.co.uk All PADI, TDI and GUE courses available.

Hardboat charters with stern lift, Dive Scylla and JEL. Fills to 300 bar, Nitrox Tri Mix. Friendly staff and active club.

Open: 9.30 5.30

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

TDI

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

£

TDI

£

TDI

NITROX

DIVE 90 LTD Knightsbridge Business Centre, Cheltenham GL51 9TA Tel: 01242 680003 Fax: 01242 680145 info@dive90.com www.dive90.com Mon-Sat 1000-1800.

PADI 5★ IDC Training Centre.

Air to 300 bar. Online Sales.

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

TDI

NITROX

PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION US WHEN RESPONDING TO ANY ADVERTS IN

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

PADI 5★ IDC CENTRE Porthkerris, St. Keverne, Helston, Cornwall TR12 6QJ Tel: 01326 280620 www.porthkerris.com info@porthkerris.com Open 7 days a week.

Diving tuition from novice to instructor. The manacles, wrecks and reefs, only 5 mins.

Hardboat and Rib charters, Escorted dives, Dive shop, Beach Café, Basking Shark Trips, Camping and Best Shore dive in the UK.

NITROX

FATHOM AND BLUES

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

IANTD

TRIMIX

IANTD

TRIMIX

CORNWALL

If you want 1st class service and professional advice from training to equipment then DiveStyle is where you need to be. DiveStyle Unit A, Bridge Farm, Reading Road, Arborfield, Reading, RG2 9HT Tel: 0118 926 2288 Fax: 0118 926 9616 info@divestyle.co.uk www.divestyle.co.uk 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm Saturday, 10am to 8pm Wednesdays PADI 5★ IDC, retail, school, servicing, air, heliox, trimix, kids parties.

DEVON

BERKSHIRE

51-53 Park Lane, Macclesfield SK11 6TX Tel: 01625611108 info@new-horizon co.uk www.new-horizon.co.uk large retail outlet for sales, retail and servicing. PADI 5★ IDC and National Geographical centre offering courses in Macclesfield; Wilmslow; Sandbach and Lymm. Dive Club, Dive Trips, Air & NITROX.

TDI

TDI

262 Portland Road, Wyke Regis, Weymouth, DT4 9AF www.fathomandblues.co.uk T: 01305766220 F: 01305 778690 instructor@fathomandblues.co.uk Open 08.00 – 23.00 7 days a week.

Air to 300 bar PADI 5★ CDC, DSAT, RYA Powerboat School, Nitrox. The only dive centre in Dorset in a pub!

B&B ACCOMMODATION on site or self-catering. FREE unlimited parking.

All day FOOD and DRINKS on site. 4 off-shore coded boats running 7 days a week. Courses from beginner to Instructor all in-house.

IANTD

TRIMIX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

IANTD

TRIMIX

DIVERS DOWN SWANAGE PIER The Pier, High St, Swanage, Dorset BH19 2AR Tel. 01929 423565 / 07977 142661 Dive Boat Charter Air & Nitrox Equipment Hire & Sales PADI / Dan / IANTD Courses www.diversdownswanage.co.uk email: medina@madasafish.com

£

TDI

NITROX

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»

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

COMPETITION

WIN!

A PAIR OF RAPTOR FINS WORTH £109.95

Zip through the water with a pair of stylish and high-performance Raptor fins from Mares, you’ll be the envy of the dive club. For more information about Mares products see the website www.mares.com

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN go to the Competition section at www.divemagazine.co.uk and answer the following question,

the answer to which can be found in this month’s classified section.

Which Mediterranean dive centre has a similar name to a B-52’s hit song?

Closing date 9 August 2011

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

ANDARK DIVING 256 Bridge Rd Lower Swanwick Soton SO31 7FL Tel 01489 581755 Fax 01489 575223 bookings@andark. co.uk www.andark.co.uk Open 7days.

PADI 5★ IDC Centre, RYA power boat, IAHD Centre Own 3.5mtr pool & Classrooms Large shop Mail order Kids parties Club Helo escape Disabled friendly servicing 300bar, Best S.coast facilities

£

TDI

£

£

MANCHESTER

£

TDI

TDI

TDI

TDI

NITROX

IANTD

TRIMIX

LONDON SCHOOL OF DIVING PADI 5★ CDC CENTRE 11 Power Road, Chiswick, London W4 Tel: 020 8995 0002 www.londonschoolofdiving.co.uk Londons largest training centre.

On site 3m pool, active club.

Open 7 days a week. Holidays arranged.

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

£

TDI

MIDDLESEX

IANTD

SOMERSET

Cleveland Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 3QQ. Tel: 0151666 6633 Fax: 0151 666 2631 Come & see us for all you diving & watersports activities.

Qualified technicians onsite, vast stock available. Contact Paul Horton.

TDI

NITROX

SHORNCLIFFE DIVE CENTRE

TDI

TO ADVERTISE IN THE UK’S LEADING DIVE MAGAZINE, CALL...

020 8332 8441

NITROX

WIRRAL SPORTS & LEISURE INC WIRRAL SAFETY AIR

£

£

NITROX

IANTD

£

MERSEYSIDE

KENT

£

TRIMIX

TDI

IANTD

TRIMIX

12 North Close, Shorncliffe Industrial Estate Folkestone Kent CT20 3UH Tel: 01303 243149 info@sdcdive.co.uk www.sdcdive.co.uk The closest dive centre to Dover port, we have a large carpark, compressor running to 300 bar, well-stocked shop, boat charters and a friendly team.

£

DIVELIFE

DIVE WIMBLEDON PADI 5★ IDC Centre Friendly scuba diving shop, school and club offering courses for beginners through to Instructor level. Well stocked dive shop and servicing centre for all your needs. Unit 3A East Road Trading Estate, East Road, South Wimbledon, SW19 1AH Tel: 02085406874 roger@divewimbledon.com www.divewimbledon.com

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

Stone Pale Buildings, Victoria Lane, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 6BL 0161 796 0300 info@divelife.co.uk www.divelife.co.uk PADI 5★ IDC & National Geographic Centre. Training and Equipment from snorkelling through to recreational, technical and rebreather TRIMIX

NITROX

DV DIVING Local and visiting divers are welcome.

Strangford and Belfast Loughs, Irish Sea and Rathlin HSE SCUBA and First Aid training 138 Mount Stewart Road, NEWTOWNARDS. Co Down www.dvdiving.co.uk info@dvdiving.co.uk

IANTD

TRIMIX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

Tel/Fax: 020 8765 1036 Mob: 07736 064 625 www.lodgescuba.com simon@lodgescuba.com Regular pool sessions at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Club trips around UK and abroad. TDI available.

NAUI dive centre.

NITROX

LONDON

HERTFORDSHIRE

IN DEPTH DIVING

TDI

TDI

LODGE SCUBA ACADEMY DIVING CLUB

IANTD

TRIMIX

13a Bull Plain, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1DX www.indepth.net info@indepth.net Tel: 01992 589910 Fax: 01992 589848 Shop selling diving and watersports equipment, servicing, travel, kids courses, parties, beginner courses to professional.

Mon-Fri 10am - 5.30pm, Sat 9am - 5.30pm

£

DIVE MACHINE

NITROX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

Unit 11, Orchard Business Centre, Sanderson Way, Tonbridge, Kent. TN9 1QF Tel: 01732 773553 Fax: 01732 773663 info@divemachine.com www.divemachine.com. Large comprehensive dive centre, air to 300 bar, nitrox & trimix. Suit, cylinder & regulator servicing. Huge stocks. PADI 5★

IANTD

TRIMIX

TDI

BIG SQUID DIVING CENTRE Unit 2f Clapham North Arts Centre, 26-32 Voltaire Rd, Clapham SW4 6DH www.bigsquid.co.uk info@bigsquid.co.uk Tel: 020 7627 0700 Open Mon-Fri 13.00 – 19.00 Sat 09.30-17.00. Air Fills, Equipment Sales, Retail Outlet, PADI Courses, Dive Travel, PADI 5★ Dive Centre.

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Dive Centre, 56 Lessness Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 5SJ Tel: 0208 311 0201 www.divingunlimited.co.uk PADI 5★ Dive Centre Diving school & club.

Regular Dive Charters, trips & Holidays UK & Overseas. Equipment Servicing & Air station to 300 bar. Courses from beginner to professional. Full range of PADI specialities.

All divers and Non divers welcome. t

LONDON CONT

KENT CONT

HAMPSHIRE

DIVING UNLIMITED

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

VOBSTER QUAY INLAND DIVING

G&H DIVING SERVICES LTD Unit 1 Willow House, River Gardens, North Feltham Trading Estate, Feltham TW14 ORD. Tel: (020) 8751 3771.

Email: gerryhassell@btconnect.com Mon-Fri 08.30-17.30, Sat 08.30-12.30 SDI & PSA Training. Cylinder testing and regulator servicing. Air/Nitrox/ Trimix.

£

TDI

Upper Vobster, Mells, Somerset BA3 5SD Tel: 01373 814666 www.vobster.com info@vobster.com The UK’s friendliest inland diving centre with 36 acres of fresh water diving from 6m to 36 m. Kit hire, servicing and sales, onsite catering, air, nitrox and trimix to 300-bar.

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

£

TDI

NITROX

www.divemagazine.co.uk 95

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DiveCentreDirectory

£

TDI

Malt Kiln Lane, Appleton Roebuck York YO23 7DT. Tel: 01904 744424 ops@diving-serv.co.uk www.diving-serv.co.uk Open 9-5 Mon-Sat PADI 5★ Centre. Full range of PADI, RYA courses & specialist commercial diving courses. Equipment sales from well stocked shop.

ALPHA DIVERS - LARNACA

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

NITROX

TDI

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

£

TDI

NITROX

SURREY

CYDIVE, PADI 5★ CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

£

OXYGENE SURREY

TDI

NITROX

IANTD

£

Tel: 01926 493797 dc-rs@hotmail.com 148 Coventry Road, Warwick, CV34 5HL Open Mon-Fri 10:30am – 6pm, equipment sales. Clean Air, 300 bar on tap, on site cylinder testing. Regulator & equipment service centre. Suit repairs. Computer/ watch battery replacement & pressure testing. Pick up/drop off service Coventry & Warwick area.

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

TDI

£

TDI

PW MARINE DIVERS

£

IANTD

TRIMIX

Tel/fax: 0034928 590879, calipso@arrakis.es, www.calipso-diving.com.

Open all year. RIB diving.

IANTD

£

TDI

£

NITROX

CYPRUS LARNACA

LANZAROTE

CALIPSO DIVING LANZAROTE ENGLISH-RUN DIVE SCHOOL

TRIMIX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

TDI

DIVE-IN LARNACA

Blu View Residence, 132 Piale Pascha, Larnaca Cyprus 6027 www.dive-in.com.cy Tel/Fax +357-24627469 larnaca@dive-in.com.cy SDI/TDI Regional Office, BSAC Premier, Technical & Seamanship Centre, The 1st PADI Gold Palm Resort in the Med, The TRUE Zenobia specialists.

IANTD

TRIMIX

£

TDI

DIVE-IN - LIMASSOL Four Seasons Resort Hotel, Amathus Avenue, Limassol, Cyprus 3313 Tel/Fax: +357 25 311923 Email: dive-in@cytanet. com.cy www.dive-in.com.cy PADI 5★ The ONLY CDC Facility in Cyprus, Tuition to all levels, Residential IDC Programs, Internships, Great Dive Packages and Retail Shop

NITROX

£

TDI

IANTD

TDI

NITROX

BLUE HEAVEN HOLIDAYS PADI 5★ IDCenter & Marine Biology College Tondoba Bay, km 14 South Marsa Alam info@blueheavenholidays.com www.BlueHeavenHolidays.com House reef; daily dive trips by boat, RIB, Jeep;PADI + CMAS diving courses up to Instructor level; EANitrox, Live-aboard IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

NITROX

DESERT DIVERS DAHAB

TRIMIX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

NITROX

MARSA ALAM

TDI

TDI

TDI

Dive, Climb, Trek & Freedive in Dahab, Sinai, Red Sea. Winner of many eco awards inc recent EU grant for promoting sustainable tourism in the Sinai. www.desert-divers.com info@desert-divers.com Tel: +20 (0)69 3640 500

£

LIMASSOL

£

EGYPT DAHAB

LANZAROTE CONT

CANARY ISLANDS GRAN CANARIA

OCTOPUS DIVING CYPRUS PO Box 40124, Larnaca, Cyprus.

Tel/fax: 00357 24 646571, octopus@spidernet.com.cy www.octopus-diving.com It’s warm it’s clear it’s fun & it’s not raining!

Wreck & shore dives Nitrox Tuition.

Located on Larnaca/Dhekelia Road

Playa de la Barrilla 4, Playa Chica , Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote 0034 928 511 992 or 0034 625 059 713 www.safaridiving.com enquiry@safaridiving.com English owned.

Diving all year round, 7 days a week, directly on a family friendly beach. You are not gone long from non-diving partners. Spectacular ocean diving, Wreck/reef dropoffs, boat and shore dives to suit all divers and beginners.

No additional charges for boat & night dives.

IANTD

TRIMIX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

SAFARI DIVING LANZAROTE

NITROX

Tel: 00357 99310362 / 26623082 info@pwmarinedivers.com 4 Aristo Coral Bay Complex 8575 Paphos. PADI 5★ IDC centre Individuals & Groups Welcome. Shore & Zenobia Wreck Dives British BSAC & PADI Instructors.

Open all Year. www.pwmarinedivers.com

£ DIVE ACADEMY GRAN CANARIA c/la lajilla, puesta del sol, Arguineguin.

Tel/fax(0034)928 736196 info@diveacademy-grancanaria.com www.diveacademygrancanaria.com British owned and run. All year round boat & shore diving.

Sea front center with direct access to the sea. Private pool for training and relaxing.

Padi & BSAC resort. All courses from beginner to instructor

TDI

NITROX

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

TDI

LARNACA CONT

WARWICK (COVENTRY)

ROBIN HOOD WATERSPORTS 152 Leeds Road, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire WF16 9BJ Tel: 01924 444888, fax: 01924 474529, dive@roho.co.uk, www.roho.co.uk. Purpose built 2 storey development retail area of 500 m2. All latest brands on site, heated pool, full time engineer. Home of the renowned Roho drysuits.

£

IANTD

TRIMIX

NITROX

IANTD

TRIMIX

24/7 professionally manned and fully computerised, privately owned and operated, 14-man recompression chamber, internationally approved and the DAN Preferred Provider for the island.

47a Eleftherias Avenue, Aradippou, Larnaca 7102, Cyprus Tel: +357 24 252501.

Fax: +357 24 252502. cmartin@cytanet.com.cy www.hbo-therapy.com

Smithbrook Kilns, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8JJ. 01483 279 879 surrey@oxygenediving.com www.oxygenediving.com/cranleigh Open 6 days 9:30am–5:30pm, closed on Wednesday.

All PADI courses from ‘Try Dives’ and Bubblemaker to Instructor level.

Escorted Overseas and UK Dive Holidays.

Equipment Servicing in-house.

DIVING CYLINDER AND REGULATOR SERVICES

Myrra complex, 1 Poseidon ave, Kato Paphos, Cyprus Tel: 00 357 26934271 Fax: 00 357 26935307 cydive@spidernet.com.cy www.cydive.com Excellence in training and diving.

Open all year.

HTTC LTD (Hyperbaric Therapy Treatment Centre)

IANTD

TRIMIX

TDI

NITROX

Best boats, best service, best Zenobia dives guaranteed. 8-Dive pack with 1 week’s accommodation Only €350 info@alpha-divers.com www.alpha-divers.com +357 99866383 24hr +357 24647519 Shop

Otter House, 911 Wakefield Road, Dudley Hill, Bradford BD4 7QA. Tel: 01274 307555/379480 Fax: 01274 730993, sales@diverswarehouse.co.uk www.diverswarehouse.co.uk sales@drysuits.co.uk www.drysuits.co.uk Open: Mon-Fri 10.30am - 5.30pm Sat - 9.30am-5pm

£

TDI

DIVER TRAINING COLLEGE

THE DIVER’S WAREHOUSE/ OTTER WATERSPORTS

TRIMIX

IANTD

£

IANTD

TRIMIX

DIVE POINT PAPHOS Tel: 00357 26938730 divepointcyprus@hotmail.com www.divepointcyprus.co.uk Tombs of the Kings Rd. PADI 5★ centre.

Small groups, individual attention.

Shore dives, Zenobia wreck. British BSAC and PADI instructors.

Open all year TRIMIX

YORKSHIRE

Step into an Adventure that will last a lifetime! Staffordshire’s Premier PADI 5★ Instructor Development Dive Centre.

“We can supply all of your SCUBA diving needs”. Training Novice to Instructor level. Sales – Most major brands inc Oceanic, Apeks, Tusa, Waterproof, Hollis, Fourth Element, Suunto. Servicing: All makes of Regulators, Drysuits, BCD, Dive Computers. Cylinder Tests. Equipment Hire. Holiday & UK Trips. Friendly Dive club. Tel 01782 304777 www.clubsub-stoke.co.uk

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

PAPHOS

divemagazine.co.uk

CLUBSUB Stoke

CYPRUS LARNACA

STAFFORDSHIRE

Find your nearest dive centres visit

»

£

TDI

NITROX

Subscribe from just £8

Plus get a free gift selected by the Editor See pages 76-77 for more information

© Simon Rogerson

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DiveHolidayDirectory

Dive the Caribbean Wreck Dive Capital in small groups from 3 comfortable dive boats.

Full Rebreather Support; FREE Nitrox, Courses from beginner to technical, Holiday Packages & Specials. www.aquanautsgrenada.com

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British owner managers.

A family business not corporate driven. We put safety and customer care first. Contact: Elite Diving, Coral Hills Hotel, Hadaba, Sharm El Sheik.

Tel 0020 124 308780 info@elite-diving.com www.elite-diving.com TDI

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Srandstreet, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland info@divingdingle.ie www.divingdingle.ie Tel: 00353 66 9152789 Mobile: 00353 87 4131231 Up to 20% group discount One week’s diving and accommodation from €375

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BLUE MARLIN DIVE Gili Trawngan, Lombok. Indonesia + 62 370 632424/ +62 812 3766496 info@bluemarlindive.com www.bluemarlindive.com PADI 5★ Premier IDC Centre. Diving facility, CCR specialists, Daily recreational & technical dive trips. Liveaboard to Komodo national park

£

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DIVEWISE

Westin Dragonara Resort St Julian’s, Malta (+356)21 356 441 www.divewise.com.mt info@divewise.com.mt On Site Pools, Private House Reef (only one in Malta). Dive Packages, Preferential Hotel Deals, Airport Transfers...

Malta’s No1 Dive Centre IANTD

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TWO FISH DIVERS

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info@twofishdivers.com www.twofishdivers.com. PADI 5★ IDC Centre with 2 small & friendly beachfront dive resorts in Bunaken/Manado & Lembeh Straits. Spacious boats & dive groups max 4 divers per guide. U/w photo instruction & workshops, technical diving exploration around Bunaken on 500+m drop-offs. Tel +62 811432805 TRIMIX

BSAC Centre of excellence. BSAC Technical Centre. PADI 5 Star IDC Centre. ANDI Technical Facility. Try Dives, Diving Courses, Guided Diving, Independant Diving.

Re-breather Support.

Dive shop, pool, sundeck, car park.

Comino/ Gozo trips, Boat dives.

Tel:+3562 1583 946, dive@divedeepblue. com www.divedeepblue.com

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MALTA

INDONESIA

GREECE

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STARFISH DIVING SCHOOL offers a full range of Recreational Diving Courses by PADI and TDI from absolute beginners up to training for would-be instructors and organizes daily diving trips to the neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino so you can experience the delights that these sites have to offer.+356 99463544 www.starfishdiving.com +356 21382995

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DINGLE MARINA DIVE CENTRE

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DIVE DEEP BLUE MALTA ANDAMAN BUBBLES A 5★ PADI Dive Centre located on

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Mirabello Hotel, Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece, p.c.72100, p.o.box 100 Tel:+30 28410 22406 Mob:+30 6944 126846 www.creteunderwatercenter.com info@creteunderwatercenter.com Beach front resort with great variety of services for UK divers in the warm, clear waters of Crete.

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Havelock Island in the Andaman Islands, India. Home to a vast array of fish species with sites to accommodate divers of all levels.

Excellent accommodation available for all budgets. www.andamanbubbles.com bookings@andamanbubbles.com

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STRAND DIVING SERVICES St. Paul’s Bay. SPB 3101, Malta +356 21 574502 www.stranddivers.com Info@stranddivers.com PADI 5★ Gold Palm, Escorted Dives, equipment hire, TDI 5★ Centre, Technical Training for Nitrox to Trimix Re-Breather up to TDI & SDI Instructor Levels.

IRELAND

INDIA ANDAMAN ISLANDS

SHARM EL SHEIKH ELITE DIVING WITH DIVERS UNITED

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TAUCH TERMINAL RESORT TULAMBEN BALI happy@tulamben.com www.divebali.com • www.tulamben. com PADI Dive Centre & SSI Platinum Resort.Virtually right above the USS liberty wreck. Daily diving trips to all the top destinations. FREE NITROX for divers in Tulamben.

Land-based safari’s around Bali.

All-inclusive dive packages from €255 per pax.

AQUANAUTS GRENADA

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

MALTA CONT

NORTH SULAWESI

GRENADA

NUWEIBA AFRICAN DIVERS NUWEIBA the only PADI 5★ IDC Dive Resort in Nuweiba, South Sinai (British/German owned). Diving like it’s supposed to be: pristine divesites away from mass-tourism, small groups always.

ALL PADI and TDI courses + guided dives (recreational + technical), safaris, work-internships, uwphotography hotspot. FREE unlimited housereef diving, Nitrox+WLAN. www.africandiversnuweiba.com club@africandiversnuweiba.com Tel.+20(0)123 110505

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Tower Place, Triq San Giraldu St Paul’s Bay Tel +356 2134 0511 Mob +356 9927 7420 info@nds-malta.com www.nds-malta.com Mon-Sat 8.30-6 Sun by prior arrangement English run PADI 5★ IDC centre, AE, AIP, FCF Air 300bar, AYD, UWP, NDCF IANTD

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OCTOPUS GARDEN DIVING CENTRE Gillieru Harbour Hotel, St. Paul’s Bay Suncrest Hotel, Qawra ( Office only) Tel./Fax. ++356 21578725 Info@octopus-garden.com www.octopus-garden.com 20 Years of experience, experts in diving around Malta, Comino and Gozo.

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EURODIVERS ZANTE

BALI

Laganas & Tsilivi, Zakynthos. Summer season (7th May – 30th October).

Tel: (0030) 26950 29581 Fax: (0030) 26950 29582.

Mobile: (0030) 6944 554636. info@eurodivers.nu www.eurodivers.nu Caves and caverns. PADI 5★ Dive Resort & BSAC Resort Center.

DIVEMALTA Diving Centre,

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AQUAMARINE DIVING - BALI

To advertise here call...

020 8332 8441

Tel +62 361 738 020 Fax +62 361 738 021 info@aquamarinediving.com www.AquaMarineDiving.com Experience the diversity of Bali’s diving with Bali’s only British owner-operated dive company!

Day Trips and Safaris (dive/accom packages). UW Photography specialists.

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DIVEMED 5★ PADI CENTRE Zonqor Point, Marsascala, MALTA Tel: +356 21639981 info@divemed.com www.divemed.com PADI 5★ IDC, DSAT Tec Rec, Tec Trimix, Boat Charters, Rebreather support, Authentic WWi and WWii Wrecks IANTD

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Based in St Julian’s, BSAC Centre of Excellence, BSAC Technical Centre, PADI 5★ Centre, Try Dives, Diving Courses, Guided Diving, Independent Diving, CCR support. Dive shop, sundeck, House Reef Comino/Gozo trips, Boat dives.

Snorkelling courses, Contact Stuart Jones for further information and unbeatable offers Tel:+356 21369994, dive@divemalta.com.mt www.divemalta.com.mt

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www.divemagazine.co.uk 97

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DiveCentreDirectory

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ONE2ONE DIVING CENTRE Paseo Maritimo 124, Edif Promosol, Torreblanca, Fuengirola, Malaga Tel: 0034 617016738 info@one2onediving.com www.one2onediving.com.

Padi Dive Centre offering daily diving excursions and courses for all level of divers. Open all year round. Reef and Wreck dives.Heated Training Pools.

Diving Holidays a week. Courses from beginner to Instructor all in-house.

10% discount with a copy of this advert.

MADEIRA DIVEPOINT Hotel Madeira Carlton Madeira/ Funchal info@divemadeira.com www.divemadeira.com Tel: 00351 291 239 579 Dive Madeira, in the beautiful underwater world of the atlantic-sea.

Diving from shore and boat, wrecks (Bowbelle), Nat.-park

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To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

SPAIN CONT

SEA SHELL DIVE COVE

Address:Sea Shell Dive Cove Tunny Net Complex Marfa Road Mellieha Bay, Mellieha, Malta Tel/Fax: 00356 / 21521062 Mobile: 00356 / 99442809 info@seashell-divecove.com www.seashell-divecove.com

PORTUGAL MADEIRA

OMAN

MALTA CONT

GLOBAL SCUBA - OMAN Global Scuba is based in Oman and is licensed by NAUI, PADI and BSAC. We dive The Daymaniyat Islands – a nature reserve offering the best diving in the Middle East.

We have diving holiday packages for a variety of budgets - refer to www.global-scuba.com enquiries@gobal-scuba.com.

Tel:+968.9931 7518.

We are fluent in English, French, Dutch and German.

»

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SPAIN

PHILIPPINES

GOZO AQUA SPORTS (EST 1981) Marsalforn, Gozo. PADI 5★ IDC Centre Tel:+356 21563037 dive@gozoaquasports.com www.gozoaquasports.com Gozo’s friendliest dive centre . PADI Courses from beginner to Instructor Nitrox - courses/offers. Technical services available. Air up to 300 bar.

Nitrox, Trimix. Rebreather friendly.

Twinset hire. Shore, hard boat and RIB diving available. Well stocked dive shop. Transfers. Accommodation. Car Hire. Individuals, groups and all agencies welcome IANTD

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Malapascua Island, Philippines dive@thresherdivers.com www.thresherdivers.com Tel: +63 927 612 3359 Unique daily thresher shark sightings, mantas, reefs, macro & more.

Wrecks, nitrox, trimix and tech.

Full packages available, small groups.

British owned PADI 5★ IDC Center.

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SCUBA MORAIRA Ctra Moraira-Calpe 130 Moraira-Teulada Alicante 03724 Spain +34 966492006 info@scubamoraira.com PADI centre located in beautiful seaside town of Moraira, Costa Blanca. Daily Boat dives,Try/Night & Cavern dives.

All Clubs & Societies welcome. PADI courses www.scubamoraira.com IANTD

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THAILAND PHI PHI

Centre in Malta. PADI Gold Palm Resort in Comino. All PADI courses offered up to TecRec Trimix. Rebreather Support.

Daily Day Boat Diving in Malta, Gozo & Comino (Apr - Oct). Onsite Training Pool. Retail Shop. Open 7 days a week.

Ground Floor, Planet Court, Tigne Seafront, Sliema SLM 3012, Malta Tel: +356 21345986 dive@selkies.eu www.selkies.eu

Luzon, Philippines (BSAC Premier Centre 822).

MDSAC (BSAC Branch 2292) BSAC Technical / Seamanship / Snorkelling Centre. Resort based: pools, bars, restaurant, rooms, private beaches. Courses: beginner to Instructor. Resettlement.

Career Development. Expeditions. Daily diving: ANILAO / MARICABAN / PUERTO GALERA / VERDE ISLAND. Discounts: MDSAC / BSAC members.

Tel:+852 26569399 Mob: +852 91940221 info@marinedivers.com www.marinedivers.com/philippines.html

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MARINE DIVERS ANILAO SELKIES - MALTA/COMINO/GOZO PADI 5★ Instructor Development

SALGAR DIVING MENORCA www.salgardiving.com S´Algar, Sant Lluis, Menorca 0034 971 15 06 01 info@salgardiving.com Padi 5★. Daily diving excursions, courses, trydives, boat excursions and snorkelling trips. Great Caves and Caverns. Perfectly positioned right next to pool and quay. We cater for individuals, families and groups alike.

May - October. Groups and Clubs also possible outside of season.

THRESHER SHARK DIVERS

BLUEWATER SCUBA

ISLAND DIVERS – KOH PHI PHI

Calle Llevant, Centro Civico Local 3, Cala’n Bosch, 07769 Ciutadella de Menorca.

Tel/fax: (00 34) 971 387183. www.bluewaterscuba.co.uk sales@bluewaterscuba.co.uk BSAC Training Centre.

Dive the famous Pont d’en Gil Cavern!

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PADI & SSI DIVE CENTRE www.islanddiverspp.com info@islanddiverspp.com One of Phi Phi’s most professional and established dive centres. We offer daytrips and courses from one day beginner to professional. DIVEMASTER INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE NOW.

TDI

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PHUKET

MOZAMBIQUE

MARINE DIVERS SUBIC JEFFS PALM RESORT - PADI 5★ IDC www.jeffsmoz.com www.go-pro-mozambique.com Situated in beautiful southern Mozambique Only 20 minutes from world renowned Manta Reef . Scuba Dive with Manta Rays and Whales Sharks. Humpback Whales from June to November.

Stunning location, superb cuisine and sea view accommodation. Call Mike +258 84 239 1100 or email diving@jeffsmoz.com IANTD

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Luzon, Philippines.

(BSAC Premier Centre 843).

MDSAC (BSAC Special Branch 2292).

BSAC Technical / Seamanship / Snorkelling Centre. Resort based: pool, classrooms, shop, accommodation, bar, restaurant, wreck museum. Courses: Beginner to Instructor. Resettlement.

Career Development. Expeditions. Daily diving - 6 WRECKS: USS NEW YORK, EL CAPITAN, SAN QUINTIN etc. Discounts: MDSAC / BSAC members.

Bookings - Tel: +852 26569399 Mob: +852 91940221 info@marinedivers.com www.marinedivers.com/philippines.html IANTD

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THAT’S RIGHT! Unfortunately the rest of you ‘Gluggers’ will have to contribute a small amount towards the perfect holiday, diving in the beautiful Costa Brava. Our package includes a fabulous 3 bedroomed fishermans cottage on the canals and a 7.5m RIB right there! You get the use of a car for free! All for your use EXCLUSIVELY! Dive to your own schedule for the whole time. Bring the family for a week in the sunshine too!

Visit www.fleetdive.com or call Gary on (UK) 07766 985 353

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www.andaman-diving-team.com • All in family & diving packages • Luxurious hotel in traditional Thai style • Daily dive trips to any of the local sites • Liveaboards around the Andaman Sea & from Bali to Komodo • 5★ training facilities • Comprehensive Instructor programs • Thailand’s biggest equipment centre • Dedicated service & spares centre IANTD

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Please remember to mention us when responding to any adverts in

SHARKEY SCUBA, PHUKET www.sharkeyscuba.com info@sharkeyscuba.com Tel: +66 89 7251935 Fun and smiles with Sharkey, the British company with the personal touch. A BSAC/PADI resort offering Thailand liveaboards, Phuket day trips, dive courses and accommodation.

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VIETNAM

Contact steve 02081231840 or info@actionadventure.co or www.actionadventure.co/ A UK based company established over 10 years providing diving and diving tuition on the idyllic Thai Gulf Island of Koh Tao. We are located on the beach and provide entry level to technical trimix tuition, packages, facilities and accommodation.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

KOH TAO

PHUKET CONT

ACTION ADVENTURE LTD

SEA BEES DIVING/PHUKET www.sea-bees.com info@sea-bees.com No. 1 Dive Centre in Thailand – branches in Phuket, Khao Lak, Phi Phi Island and Pak Meng. Eight times winner of “Best Dive Centre in Southeast Asia and Pacific” award. Own liveaboard fleet offering cruises to Similan Islands. Own dive resorts in Phuket and Khao Lak.

RAINBOW DIVERS – VIETNAM * Nha Trang * Whale Island * Hoi An * Phu Quoc ** Con Dao * Saigon * Vung Tau * Hanoi * Tel: 0084-913-408-146 Email: info@divevietnam.com www.divevietnam.com www.prodive-vietnam.com www.idc-in-asia.com The longest established PADI Divecentres in Vietnam and the only PADI CDC, IDCs + National Geographic centres throughout the Country.

Daily boat diving trips, all PADI Courses, residential Divemaster + Instructors courses.

DIVE PROVO

Warm, clear tropical waters with abundant marine life and great wall diving.

Hotel/ Dive packages. Varied dive schedule and superior customer service catering to both novice and advanced divers. Diving as it should be! www.diveprovo.com diving@diveprovo.com IANTD

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To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

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divemagazine.co.uk

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OONASDIVERS • SHARM EL SHEIKH - GHALIB

PHUKET AND BENOA

33 7 S Y Y Y N

GHALIB

34 8 W Y Y Y N

BLUE PEARL WWW.OONASDIVERS.COM

BLUE PLANET 1

15 10

HURGH

27 7 S Y Y Y N

WWW.SEAQUEENS.COM

SEA QUEEN 23 different route variations to dive the Red Sea. Departures from Sharm, Hurghada and Port Ghalib. Special rates for groups and repeat clients.

24 10 ALL 45 6.9 S Y Y Y Y

SEA QUEEN FLEET • ALL EGYPT - RED SEA

MERMAID II

20 10

SEA QUEEN FLEET • ALL EGYPT - RED SEA

MERMAID I

OONASDIVERS • GHALIB - HURGHADA

MERMAID FLEET • SOUTH-EAST ASIA

28 7 S Y Y Y N

WWW.MERMAID-LIVEABOARDS.COM

16 8

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Enjoy all the latest scuba videos from YouTube with DIVE’s new ScubaTube available at

14 7

SHARM

28 6.5 W Y Y Y N

M.Y JULIET WWW.OONASDIVERS.COM

BLUE SEAS

22 11

PHUKET AND BENOA

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ScubaTube

Liveaboard Directory

15 8

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GHALIB

37.2

8 W Y Y Y N

20 10 ALL 30 6 W Y Y Y Y

GOLDEN EMPEROR 1 WWW.SEAQUEENS.COM

SOUTH MOON

18 9

ALL 27

6 W Y Y Y Y

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To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

CHARTER BOATS SCOTLAND

IRELAND DIVE- ST.KILDA/SKYE/COLL/ SOUND OF MULL on the Elizabeth G - Luxury 23m Diving Liveaboard. Some places left for our 2011 St.Kilda Expeditions.

Call Rob on 07831 225427/ 01688 302495.

Email: info@elizabethgcharters.co.uk www.elizabethgcharters.com

LOCHALINE DIVE CENTRE At the heart of the sound of Mull

URCHIN DIVE CHARTER

Oban & Sound of Mull Hard boat Diving Comfy-Warm-Easy Moon Pool Entry

Book Now - 0800 5428181

www.puffin.org.uk

Porpoise II Nr Oban 1st class diver/skipper Scotland’s most powerful, spacious day boat.

01631 571010 • Evening tel: 01852 300203

Aquamarine Charters

info@sealife-adventures.com www.divescotland.com

MV GAELIC ROSE

Live abourd dive boat Scottish weekends available for 2011 and 2012 Scottish summer weeks available for 2011 and 2012 Diver lift onboard.

Please contact: Nicki 01967 421714 07909 923771 Bob: 07778 965618 info@gaelicrose.com • www.gaelicrose.com

NORTHERN ENGLAND VEREIGN DIVING SO Seahouses Dive the Farne Islands aboard Sovereign II, III & IV All vessels now fitted with dive lifts. Seals, scenic & wrecks.

Own quality B&B. Dive shop & air station.

Tel: 01665 720760 www.sovereigndiving.co.uk

PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION US WHEN RESPONDING TO ANY ADVERTS IN

www.lochalinedivecentre.co.uk tel: 01967 421 627 dive@lochalinedivecentre.co.uk CLYDE DIVING aboard purpose built “MV Clutha”. Kitting up benches/sheltered deck. Air 250 bar on board. Elaine - 07810 35 75 74 www.clyde-diving.co.uk

MV Scimitar a Blyth 33 Catamaran Dive St. Abbs & Eyemouth Marine Reserve

• Diving is available 7 days a week AM or PM • Wreck Dives Available • B&B for upto 12 Divers • Divers Lift, O2 onBoard • Excellent accommodation • Special Holiday packages available

Book now T 018907 50481 E anderson77@btinternet.com www.aquamarine-charters.co.uk

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

Fintan - Plymouth

D

FALCON II OF DARTMOUTH L IVE IF T

Visit the best dive sites in the region, enjoy safe, relaxed and stress free diving.

Large deck space, stern lift, hot drinks.

Novices to technical experienced commercial/ recreational diver skipper

Cliff 07968 791546 • www.plymouthdiving.co.uk © Simon Rogerson

• Dive year round in sheltered waters; • 4 star accommodation • Spacious 42ft dive vessel with diver lift; • Dive shop, air nitrox and trimix; • Easy access to some of the best wrecks in the UK; • PADI and BSAC training available; • Launching & mooring facilities for RIBS

Diving South Devon 10m Aquastar MCA Category 2 coded, spacious, sheltered deck area.

Owner/skipper Tony Hoile Diver/instructor with 30+ years experience of diving this area.

Gas station now available in Dartmouth Bookings 07970759172 or www.dartboat.com

CLOVELLY CHARTERS Dive with friendly seals at Lundy Island with Clive Pearson. One of the area’s most experienced skippers. Wrecks/reefs, drop-offs, basking sharks Jul/Aug. Some weekends still available.

Please phone for chat and brochure (01237) 431405 www.clovelly-charters.ukf.net

INDIVIDUALS & SMALL GROUPS Blue Turtle’s 2011 midweek programme can be seen on our website. Diving wrecks such as the Salsette, M2 and the Rotorua, and many others. Programme very flexible and am always willing to change sites to suit your needs.

To book call Doug on:

07970 856822 or 01297 34892

www.blueturtle.uk.com DIVE SWANAGE & POOLE Abroad Preditor II. Wide 7.5m Rib MCA Cat. Dive year round. wreck, reefs and drift dive Sites, ladder, diver/skipper 07866 035 420/ yvonne.b.sharp@blueyonder.co.uk www.preditordiving.co.uk

SCAPA FLOW

ISLES OF SCILLY MOONSHADOW CHARTERS

SCAPA FLOW

Jo Allsop 01720 423420 www.scillydiving.com

Lockin 33. Skippered by BSAC instructor with unrivaled local knowledge.

Stunning scenic walls, reefs and wrecks

PLYMOUTH 2011

MV. INVINCIBLE

Fully equipped with onboard compressor, bank and booster TWIN DIVER LIFT...

Yes! We lift you out two at a time!

Self-catering or B&B.

Dive Charter to the best sites around Portland.

Air-Nitrox-Trimix Tel: 07765 326728

NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2012/13 Contact Ian & Fiona Trumpess 01856 851 110

info@scapa-flow.co.uk • www.scapa-flow.co.uk NOW TAKING divingcellar.com BOO KINGS FOR 2011&2012 01856 850 055

Fully Inclusive Scapa Flow Diving Holiday Packages

leigh@divescapaflow.co.uk

www.scimitardiving.co.uk ISLES OF SCILLY: Dive Charters

Fantastic reefs, wrecks & drop offs 150+ sites friendly seals & skipper.

Amazing location ABOARD ‘TIBURON’ 35ft Offshore 105

Tel: Dave/Sarah McBride 01720 423162 Divescilly.com

DIVE year round from spacious dive boat CEEKING, licensed, electric side lift, free cylinder hire, tea/coffee & soup. Excellent rates midweek.

JENNIFER ANN Diving South Devon from Torbay

www.divingplymouth.com Richard Kings Tel: 01752 663247 Mobile: 07702 557317

Dates available for 2011.

Novice to Technical. www.jenniferanncharters.co.uk Call Rick Parker: 01803 607704 or 07971276658 Email: jenniferann@deepsea.co.uk

© Simon Rogerson

Onboard the UK’s largest Liveaboard

SCAPA FLOW CHARTERS

MV Jean Elaine and MV Sharon Rose SCAPA FLOW, ORKNEY’S NORTH ISLES, SHETLAND IS, EAST & WEST COAST OF SCOTLAND. We cater for all types of diving from the wrecks in scapa flow through to deep technical projects. air, nitrox and trimix onboard, dayboat or liveaboard option.

CONTACT ANDY: 01856 850879 • ENQUIRY@JEANELAINE.CO.UK

WWW.JEANELAINE.CO.UK

TO ADVERTISE IN THE UK’S LEADING MAGAZINE, CALL...

020 8332 8441

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» CHARTER BOATS CONT

LISTINGS CONT

SOUTHERN ENGLAND CONT

DIVING MEDICALS

R EEPE SKOFINWEYDMOU TH • 11m catamaran with diver lift • Accommodation B&B - full board • We specialise in package holidays one call to us, we do the lot!

• Onboard nitrox clean compressor

DIVING INSURANCE

DIVING MEDICALS - NOTTINGHAM. Sports diving £50, HSE commercial diving medicals £110. Offshore medicals £100.

Discounts for students and groups.

HGV/Taxi medicals can be done at the same time for an extra £5.

For appointments Tel: 07802 850084 Email: mclamp@doctors.org.uk

FOR SALE

MIDWEEK DEALS FOR GROUPS OF 1 TO 12 DIVERS AVAILABLE

skindeepdiving@btopenworld.com www.skindeepdiving.co.uk 01305 787372

Emma Jayne

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

SINGLE TRIP POLICY

ANNUAL MULTITRIP

(40m) 30m & 50m also available

31 days in any one trip

Europe & Red Sea Worldwide

Europe& Red Sea

1 wk £33.95 2 wk £36.59

Couples/Single Parents + 49% Families +67%

1 wk £57.28 2 wk £62.74

£105.79

Worldwide £126.33

WANTED Second hand magnetometer Aqua-scan preferred, but not necessary grenadier@btinternet.com 01803 770 232 FOR SALE Complete Set of Dive Gear for Sale £550 All in Ring for Details 01425 475723 Bournemouth Area

HOLIDAY

Diving Selsey and surrounding area • New boat for 2011 • Dive lift and Toilet • All divers safety tagged • O2 always on board • Private changing • Summer evening trips from £20.00 • Free Lunch bag on full day dive trips Call us on 07779 654 022 www.southcoastdivingfishing.com

LYMINGTON – “WIGHT SPIRIT” Diving West Wight, East Dorset, English Channel.

Beginners to technical and small groups. Electric Lift. Easy access, easy parking.

Owner/Skipper Dave Wendes.

Tel/fax: (023) 8027 0390, e-mail: wightspirit@btinternet.com. www.wightspirit.co.uk “OUT-RAGE” OF WEYMOUTH. Dive all year, round the wrecks and reefs of Portland.

Call Rod owner/diver: (01305) 853750 or (07970) 437646. e-mail: rodfish105@aol.com www.outrage-charters.co.uk

ST ABBS

Boat Charter/Compressor Bunkhouse/Cottage/B&B all situated on the harbour side.

Large and Small Groups welcome.

07710961050 or 01890771945 paul@divestabbs.com • www.divestabbs.com

DIVE THE RED SEA

Sun, Sea & Sand

2-Bedroom accommodation to rent in Hurghada, Egypt near Hurghada town centre and El Gouna. Self-catering and sleeps up to 6 people. £100 per week, not including flights or transfers.

For more information call Graham Sharp on 07702527666 or email graham.sharp100@hotmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

UNDERWATER VIDEO If you are a diver and want a new video camera in a underwater housing, there is only one place to purchase an outfit…

LYMINGTON DIVE BOAT - MARNA Diver owned and run hardboat, Wrecks, Drift and Reef Dives in the Solent and Channel Good parking and access.

07775582915 Bjorn@MarnaMarine.co.uk www.MarnaMarine.co.uk

GREENAWAY MARINE OF SWINDON

DIVE BRIGHTON

from the cheapest price for the video shops.

www.brightondiver.com • 10m cat with dive lift.

• Individuals and groups all levels, • Novice to technical BSAC advanced & trimix skipper.

Call Paul 07901 822375/01273 301367

Purchase one of their Seapro Housing and they will supply a brand new video camera at a

Special terms negotiated for

saving of £200 - £400 www.greenawaymarine.com “Package Deals”

Based on your qualifications & training.

GREENAWAY MARINE • Tel: 01793 814992

Visit our website www.scuba-fs.co.uk or call 0844 579 0997

WEST WALES

LISTINGS DIVING MEDICALS DIVING MEDICALS - Dr Des McCann, Dr Gerry Roberts and Dr Mark Bettley-Smith Poole Dorset. HSE, sport and phone advice. Medicals done promptly at your own convenience.

Telephone 01202 741345 Email: madeiramedical@hotmail.co.uk

Go online and complete our reader survey www.divemagazine.co.uk/ readersurvey

© Simon Rogerson

WEST WALES DIVING SCHOOL BSAC & PADI courses available including boat handling and nitrox.

Bruce & Jen Jones 01348 831526 westwds@aol.com www.westwalesdivingschool.co.uk

scubaFS a5 flyer new flat.indd 1

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DiveClassified

»

Aqua-Firma_Diver-July'10.pdf

DIVING INSURANCE

3/6/10

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

4:39:56 pm

HOLIDAYS & ACCOMMODATION Water Wilderness Wildlife

Competitive insurance for C European and worldwide diving holidays, including: M • Medical and hyperbaric cover up to any depth thatY you are qualified to dive toCM • Comprehensive cover for diving gear MY • 10% discount for BSAC CY members.

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Best of Above & Below Water Travel

Provided by Perkins Slade, CMY official insurance brokers K to BSAC. For a no obligation quotation go to www.travel4scuba.co.uk

Tailor Made & Expert led Worldwide Dive Travel

www.aqua-firma.co.uk Tel: 0844 412 0848 Perkins Slade is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority No. 302886

Water Wilderness Wildlife

Travel Insurance for Scuba Divers

Annual Multi Trip or Short Period Trip

divemagazine.co.uk EQUIPMENT, RETAIL AND SERVICES

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Email: travel@traffords-insurance.co.uk Web: www.traffords-insurance.co.uk

Masks and Lenses from £89.50

HAMMOND

0845 521 3528 / 01923 85 9020 www.sportslens.co.uk

Equipment Repairs

Made to measure Drysuits Custom built to your requirements.

Fast REPAIR service to all makes of DRYSUIT Tel: 01474 704123 info@hammond-drysuits.co.uk

www.hammond-drysuits.co.uk Unit 2 Dene Yard Green Street Green Road Dartford Kent DA2 8DH

approved cylinder testing Manufacturer approved regulator servicing

• Express turnaround available • The north east's premier cylinder testers Tel 0191 514 1119 - Mob 07764 899 098 www.bluebelldiving.co.uk info@bluebelldiving.co.uk

Drysuits & Regulators

Fast, Reliable Quality Controlled Guaranteed Work Drysuit Boots, Zips, Cuffs, Necks & Pressure Tests Full Regulator Services For all makes of equipment Fast Service 3-5 day turn round Overnight service available Phone us for a quote

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»

For the latest offers straight-away sign up for

DIVE’s monthly

Travel Newsletter divemagazine.co.uk

To Advertise call 020 8332 8441 or email ross@dive.uk.com

SHARK DIVING

Thresher Shark Divers

Malapascua Island in the Philippines is the only place in the world where thresher sharks can be seen on a daily basis. Thresher Shark Divers offer daily shark dives to Monad Shoal. To maximize you chance of seeing sharks, they dive in small groups and their experienced guides have done thousands of shark dives.

Thresher sharks can be seen year round and Monad Shoal is also home to other pelagics such as giant manta rays and hammerhead sharks. Other sites around Malapascua have some spectacular diving with walls and reef, muck dives, incredible macro and WWII wrecks. Nitrox, trimix and technical diving are available and they have diving internships for those wishing for a longer stay.

If you love shark diving, Malapascua Island is not to be missed!

0063 927 612 3359 dive@thresherdivers.com www.thresherdivers.com

DIVE WEB DIRECTORY EQUIPMENT

www.lumbbros.com www.greenforce.co.uk The ultimate torch diving system

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Torches, strobes, marker lights for diving and outdoor pursuits.

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A Quality range of masks, snorkels, fins and knives.

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UK MADE CUSTOM DIVING EQUIPMENT

PHOTOGRAPHY

MANUFACTURERS

www.bowstonediving.com TRAVEL

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Index Andark Diving

64

Maldives Scuba Tours

45

Aqua Lung

12

Mares 9

Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) 19, 64

Professional Diving Academy

35

Bite-Back 90

Puffin Dive Centre

52

blue o two

Red Sea Diving College

28

British Sub-Aqua Club

14, 17 68, 69

Camel Dive Club

17

Regaldive

19, 48

RNLI 59

Cameras Underwater

14

Robin Hood Watersports

Chris Benz

45

Scuba Industries Trade Association (SITA) 93

CPS Partnership

39

Scuba Travel

Cressi 2

SDS Watersports

Digital Distribution 7

Sea & Sea

Dive Master Insurance

Shark Trust

28

DiveQuest 24

Simply Scuba

Egyptian Tourist Authority (CDWS)

Suunto

5

35

8, 21, 24, 48 15 19, 24, 28, 35 42, 107 42 36, 108

Elite Diving

64

The Underwater Centre

Geographical magazine

63

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society 84

Help for Heroes

73

Worldwide Dive and Sail

Subscriptions For new subscriptions and enquiries or changes of address, call our hotline: 01635 588 497; email: dive@circdata.com. Annual subscription: UK, £35; rest of Europe, £48; rest of the world, £58.

BSAC members, contact BSAC membership on tel: 0151 350 6201 (please supply membership number) Published by Dive Magazine Ltd, Suite 117, QWest, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0GP. Tel: 020 8332 8400; fax: 020 8332 8438; email: email@dive.uk.com; website: www.divemagazine.co.uk. Dive (ISSN 1471-6240) ©1999 is published monthly by Dive Magazine Ltd. Registered office: Suite 1.17, QWest, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0GP. Registration number 07457639.

All rights reserved. Printing by Polestar Ltd. Magazine sales and marketing by Imagine; website: www.imaginemag.net. Dive Magazine Ltd cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material or photographs.

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editorial managing director Graeme Gourlay 020 8332 8410 graeme@dive.uk.com publisher Paul Critcher 020 8332 8409 paul@dive.uk.com editor Simon Rogerson 020 8332 8401 simon@dive.uk.com Art Editor Angela Finnegan 020 8332 8408 angela@dive.uk.com senior correspondent Charles Hood 07712 622440 charles@dive.uk.com REPORTER Jo Mattock 020 8332 8402 jo@dive.uk.com world editor Douglas David Seifert online editor Kara Moses 020 8332 8406 kara@dive.uk.com sub-editor Marc Grainger 020 8332 8416 marc@dive.uk.com

advertising sales Ross Lafayette 020 8332 8441/8436 ross@dive.uk.com advertisement production Jessica Hutchinson 020 8332 8404 jess@dive.uk.com Southeast Asia sales Paul Lees pauljlees@gmail.com

main office circulation manager Will Delmont 020 8332 8403 will@dive.uk.com finance manager Ryan Wantling 020 8332 8414 ryan@dive.uk.com

contributing editors Colin Doeg, David Doubilet, Neil Hope, Louise Murray, Alex Mustard, Gavin Newman, Michael Pitts, Peter Rowlands, Sue Scott

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Hang Time £50 PRIZE CROSSWORD No 147 1

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If you think you know your way around the world’s dive sites, DIVE has a challenge for you – name the dive site and be in with a chance of winning a Jetsleeper luxury travel pillow (www.jetsleeper.com). Closing date is 10 August 2011

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ACROSS 5 A way to get in for sickroom register? (7,4) 6 Phoned for boat’s ladder (4) 7 On the seabed, in deep, if au naturel (8) 8 As in China, briefly arrange attachment for eleven (6) 9 Take note. Unruly pals she made at start of dive (6) 11 Northern roach damage ship’s security (6) 14 French one, bad choppy river (6) 16 One northeastern rep comes round for suit material (8) 17 We hear young lad gets floating marker (4) 18 Picking up cases to raise? (7,4) DOWN 1 Angler could croak, possibly (8) 2 British earls accidentally throw out water (6) 3 Redd I espied in concealed swirling waters (6) 4 Walk on to punish pirates (6) 5 Got a lot of money to wash out snorkel! (5) 10 Composed blog to a northern vessel. It isn’t short! (8) 12 To pierce a pinnacle in the sea (6) 13 Sounds like a genuine pub to wind up when fishing (4,2) 14 Clear river around road edge (6) 15 Slow to note abandoned whale breathes (5)

Solution to DIVE crossword No145

This shameless formation of weather-worn granite appears to be making an ungracious hand gesture in the direction of a well-known channel. Our location is a major attraction for naturalists and divers, and is known for its auks and pinnipeds. Name the island to win the prize.

A Holy Island, Northumberland B Coll, Hebrides C Lundy, Devon »

Enter online at www.divemagazine.co.uk

H 1S O C L H 7 GO T O 9 P L I 12 13 S A E B 18 S O O A 20 P R 18 T D

A 2S A 6C O Z O P UN E L T L UN G O P L C

S 3 I I 4B I H ON T RO L T H I T Z U 8A T L A N R L L 10 11 G E S SW O L V I Y 14D 14C 15A M E 17 G N R D I N G A 19F L L I E L L E R S L S L R I H

U 5M K L E D T D E T I C UH RMS U R 16A S N C L A G L H E OO U G E

Congratulations to Reid Fleming of Torquay, who wins £50.

Send a copy of your completed crossword, marked for the appropriate issue, to: DIVE, Suite 1.17, QWest, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0GP, to arrive by 19 August 2011.

One winner will be selected at random from all the correct entries submitted.

Answers: 1 lizardfish; 2 manta ray; 3 whale shark; 4 cuttlefish; 5 leaf scorpionfish; 6 seahorse

LOST AT SEA

10

14

13

16

3

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NAME THE ANIMAL

Creatures of the sea often have unmistakable patterns and textures on their skin. Can you work out which marine animals are represented by these close-up images? Remember, the devil’s in the detail!

2

COMPILED BY SHEILA SIMS

QUIZ

Stuck for something to do during your surface interval?

Why not test your knowledge with this month’s DIVE quiz

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It happened TO ME

Deep

TROUBLE

A bad case of nitrogen narcosis reminded Lloyd Moore that deep diving is not for the complacent

I

buddy’s fins disappearing into the blackness. I immediately gave chase.

Within a few seconds, my breathing had quickened, and every breath was like drawing in treacle. My regulator then began to constantly free-flow.

My mind was doing somersaults: I was alone, in the pitch black at 59m, my regulator was free-flowing and I didn’t know what to do.

‘Where’s my buddy? Should I try to find him?’ I thought. And then: ‘This looks like a good wreck – should I have a look around? My reg’s freeflowing – what should I do?’

I couldn’t make any decisions. I felt really alone and scared – I wanted out of there. I remember having a little cry to myself. I’d been down for about two minutes.

Then it dawned on me that we had a large oxygen set on board our boat. ‘Excellent,’ I thought. ‘If I remove my weight belt, I will be back on the surface and on the boat in a couple of minutes with the oxygen and a nice cup of tea!’

I reached for my weight belt release.

It could have been the last thing I ever did. Luckily, I stopped and pulled myself together. I needed to ascend,

Sponsored by

so I took my inflator in one hand and shone my torch onto my computer with the other. I went up and, at 40m, my head cleared. I was back in control.

I did a full pat down and made sure I was happy with myself and my equipment. The free-flow had stopped.

I realised that I had had a massive attack of narcosis and I continued to make my ascent. Out of the gloom, I saw my buddy. He was making a rapid ascent – he passed me and was gone.

I checked my computer and saw the total dive time was under five minutes.

I reached 15m and took out my DSMB. I inflated the buoy and now noticed my air gun had jammed on. I laughed to myself – this final problem was the icing on the cake of what was a disastrous dive. I disconnected the air gun from my low-pressure feed – I think I even threw the air gun away!

I spent the next 15 minutes making a slow ascent, even though I had no deco time showing on my computer.

Back on the boat, everyone was looking a bit sheepish but no-one was hurt. My buddy had experienced similar narcosis to me and had lost control of his buoyancy. Despite his ascent, he was fine. We had survived what could have been a disaster.

On reflection, I think we were all getting too complacent and blasé for the type of diving we were doing. I had done many dives prior to this one and I thought I was pretty much invincible.

This taught me a lesson about myself and the dangers of deep diving.

If you are faced with a situation of uncertainty and irrationality while at depth, you are most likely suffering from the effects of nitrogen narcosis – focus your mind on safely ascending to ease and remove the symptoms. ●

IAN LEGGE

t was an early morning in March 2000 when I met my mates in Newhaven for a hardboat dive on the wreck of the Greek steamer SS Aristos. We had all been diving for many years and had a lot of experience in diving deep Channel wrecks. We all dive on air with large twin-sets and drysuits.

The surface conditions were excellent as we made our way to the dive site 13 miles out. The wreck came up on the echo sounder, showing the top in 35m of water with the sea bed at 60m.

We dropped a shot-line onto the wreck ready for our descent.

My buddy and I were the first pair in. The plan was to reach the top of the wreck and then start exploring. As we descended, the visibility decreased from 3m to less than 1m. The deeper we went, the darker it got, until my torch was the only source of light.

We reached the sea bed and found that the shot-line had pulled away from the wreck. My computer showed that we were at 59.5m, far deeper than we had intended to go.

I was still holding the shot-line when I realised I had lost my buddy.

I shone my torch and picked out my

»

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Depth: 42 m Tank pressure: 127 bar Heading: NE Awe-inspiring images uploaded to Movescount: 139

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THE NEW SUUNTO D6i NOW WITH INNOVATIVE 3D TILT-COMPENSATED COMPASS AND OPTIONAL WIRELESS AIR INTEGRATION The Suunto D6i is the wristop dive computer of choice for those who take their diving seriously. Now upgraded with a gamechanging 3D tilt-compensated digital compass and wireless air integration, it’s an essential tool when other people rely on your diving skills. It’s also easy to sync with Movescount.com, so you can log and share your dives with the world. Trusted by professional divers around the world, its good looks make it a great addition to your more civilian wardrobe too.

Discover more Moves at www.movescount.com For more information visit www.suunto.com, 01420 587272.

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D108 SUUNTO_AUG11.indd 1

@SuuntoDivingUK and

at www.facebook.com/SuuntoDivingUK

04/07/2011 10:07