ISSUE 160 - $9.90 inc GST October / November 2017
N E W
Z E A L A N D ’ S
N E W
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D I V E
M A G A Z I N E
Z E A L A N D
The technicolour
Giant Cuttlefish
www.DiveNewZealand.com
of South Australia
Cousteau on accelerating Taking a risk on Guam climate change
US Battle of the Atlantic revisited
The Kiwi Boxfish story
www.divenewzealand.com • Our photo competition gallery • Wildlife Photographer of the Year - finalists
1
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DIVE
Galapagos with Dave Moran
Join Dave Moran, ‘Editor at Large’ of Dive New Zealand magazine, on a one-of-a-kind adventure to DIVE the Galapagos Islands. With over 50 years of diving experience including salvaging shipwrecks, exploring Pitcairn island, and working with the late Kelly Tarlton, Dave is also an experienced photographer and has travelled the South Pacific, Asia and Antarctica as a photojournalist. Dave will lead you on a liveaboard adventure to the amazing Galapagos Islands in Ecuador to explore dive sites and wildlife encounters in and out of the water - a diver’s paradise and an experience you’ve waited your whole life for. Galapagos Liveaboard Dive Trip
from NZ
$12,725pp* Book by: 15 November 2017 Trip Departs 22 August 2018 • • • • •
•
Return flights & taxes from Auckland to Galapagos Island via Santiago/Guayaquil. 2 x nights twin share: Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport (stopover either side of Liveaboard). Return airport transfers to/from Liveaboard. 7 x nights twin share : Dive Liveaboard on Aggressor III. Diving: Approx 11 morning dives, 7 afternoon dives, 1 night dive - includes compressed air tanks, weights & belts, all meals & snacks (except 1 x dinner ashore), non-alcoholic beverages, local beer & wine. 1 x afternoon tour of Santa Cruz Island.
Excludes: Equipment rental, nitrox fills, dinner on final evening, crew gratuity, certification or speciality courses, Park fee and Galapagos Visitor’s Visa card
For more information go to: travelandco.nz/offer/dive-galapagos-with-dave-moran/
travelandco.nz
Talk to an Active Travel Expert today enquire@travelandco.nz
Toll free NZ: 0800 555 035
*TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Galapagos Liveaboard Dive Trip is based on per person, twin share, in NZD and for a selected travel period only. A $1000pp deposit is required to confirm your place on the trip. Bookings must be made by 15th November 2017. This is a set departure date Tour and will be escorted subject to a minimum of 8 people travelling. If less than 8 people book, the tour will still depart but will not be escorted. Prices are correct at the time of release, subject to availability and to change without notice. Price excludes meals (unless specified), equipment rental, nitrox refills, dinner on final evening, crew gratuity, USD $100 Park fee, $20 Galapagos Visitor’s Visa card. Certification or specialty courses, other activities and all items of a personal nature. Events beyond our control such as currency fluctuations and changes to the price of aviation fuel may www.divenewzealand.com result in price variations. Specific bedding, features, amenities may vary. Special requests should be advised at time of booking and are not guaranteed. Tour leaders are subject to change. Credit card surcharge,1 single supplement and cancellation fees apply. travel&co reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the tour departure for any reason, including insufficient demand or force majeure. travel&co full terms and conditions apply.
contents
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In Depth 4 Editorial: Demand fuelling murky world of shark poaching and illegal fishing 6 Soundings: Local & International News 9 Galapagos trip of a lifetime to be led by Dive Editor-At-Large Dave Moran 21 Splash NZ freediving champs win again 22 What it takes to become a freediver: the PADI guide COVER STORY 42 Living fast, dying young: The remarkable, giant cuttlefish of South Australia Special Features 12 The Boxfish start-up story: Making advanced instruments to see more and go further underwater 24 Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Finalists of the UK’s Natural History Museum competition
34 America’s Battle of the Atlantic 74 years on 50 Jean-Michel Cousteau: Accelerating climate change is charting the future of our oceans Technical features 10 Selecting a rebreather 28 Using buoys to recover lost divers Check out our website www.divenewzealand.com
17
Dive New Zealand / Dive Pacific magazine is available in the lounges and inflight libraries of these airlines:
59
2 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
33
42
24 30 W hy WorkSafe NZ issued a Safety Alert Notice on SCUBA Cylinders: WorkSafe’s diving expert Richard Taylor explains 32 Anticipating future fish stocks: rock lobster
NEW ISSUE 160 - $9.90 inc GST October / November 2017
17
ZEALAND’ S
N E W
O N LY
DIVE
M AGAZINE
Z E A L A N D
49 N ew diving qualification offered at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Bucket list destinations 17 Taking a risk on Guam 41 Naturally Niue
The technicolour
Giant Cuttlefish
Regular columns 54 Gearbag: What's new?
www.DiveNewZealand.com
48 Diving inside the Hole in the Rock, Bay of Islands, NZ
of South Australia
Cousteau on accelerating Taking a risk on Guam climate change
US Battle of the Atlantic revisited
The Kiwi Boxfish story
• Our photo competition gallery • Wildlife Photographer of the Year - finalists
57 D ive Medicine: Deep decompression stops update: Where are we now? With Professor Simon Mitchell
Covers 160.indd 1
Cover photo: Dave Abbott
59 S eaTech Shades of Colour: This issue’s astonishing photography winners 63 D igital Imaging: Adobe Lightroom Mobile: Editing and cataloguing photos on the run. With Hans Weichselbaum 65 Species Science Focus: The Golden Snapper. With Paul Caiger 66 Diving the Web with Phil Bendle 72 A ccident Incident Insights: Diver experiences rashes, coughing, unconsciousness after shower: the DAN report 67 Classifieds Do you have a possible cover image? Email: divenz@divenewzealand.co.nz. NZ$100 will be paid if used. Must be relevant to the marine world.
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www.divenewzealand.com 3
22/09/17 8:07 PM
INDEPTH EDITORIAL
Demand fuelling murky world of shark poaching and illegal fishing
I
n the ’90s this magazine ran a campaign to have shark finning banned in New Zealand. At that time commercial finning of live sharks and dumping their living bodies over the side of the vessel was a common practice. Internationally there was mounting pressure to have the practice banned.
There are 113 species of shark in our waters. The Commercial Fishing Regulations specify various species and what is required re how the shark and its fins are brought ashore. Example; blue sharks can be brought ashore with their fins
In New Zealand finning of live sharks was banned in 2009. The finning of dead sharks was completely banned by 2016. Fishers are still able to cut fins off dead sharks as long as they bring the complete shark’s trunk ashore.
artificially attached. For all other non-quota management system (QMS) species, when approved, and under certain conditions, any fins landed can be separate from the shark. The theory is that fishermen may not wish to have their freezers full of shark bodies leaving little room for more profitable catches such as tuna or snapper. Shark bycatch can be dumped at sea. Are any fins removed before the body is dumped overboard? Your guess is as good as mine. There is a very healthy open market for shark fin products in New Zealand. I would suspect
Obituaries Noel Hilliam Historian, shipwreck explorer, pilot, author, farmer, family man 25 December 1937 – 10 September 2017
On the 14th of September over 200 people gathered at the Dargaville Museum, Northland, to celebrate Noel’s amazing life. Noel was a pioneer of maritime research, recovery and conservation of shipwreck artefacts. He was the driving force for the location and construction of the Dargaville Museum which now houses many of the artefacts he and his team recovered from the unforgiving West Coast seas, including canons from the French corvette, L’Alcmene, and items washed up from numerous vessels along this coast. His lifetime exploits were many and varied, a living example of New Zealand’s pioneering, number 8 wire, can-do attitude and one of our most colourful
4 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
characters! He has left a wonderful legacy. He will be missed. In 1990 he received a Commemoration Medal from the Queen for services to New Zealand. Dr Simon Cotton Explorer, filmmaker, treasure hunter, family man 14 May 1928 – 29 July 2017
Simon was farewelled by a large gathering at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Auckland City on 4th August.
help from the NZ Broadcasting Corporation he produced the first film ever of orca in the wild: In Search of Killer Whales which won bronze at the European Maritime Film Festival (Festival International du Film Maritime in Toulon). While in Fiordland filming the world’s oldest living fossil, Brachiopod, he was joined by the late Kelly Tarlton. Together they located New Zealand's first European shipwreck, Endeavour (1774) and recovered two of its canons (1984). Simon’s film is a tribute to Kelly Tarlton. (This magazine published an interview with him by Ross Guy in the Feb/March 2001 issue.)
Tiring of hunting marine life, Simon decide to film the underwater world. He worked for TVNZ on a marine adventure series in Tonga and New Zealand, and with Sir Edmund Hillary on a jet boat film, and filmed increasingly in Fiji and on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
It is with deep sadness that we record the passing of Dennis Hyde, owner of Cascade Dive, Pakuranga, Auckland.
Orca fascinated him. With
Condolences to families and friends.
Dennis Hyde
Dennis was in business for over 18 years and his knowledge and friendly disposition will be missed by all.
e s t ab l i s h e d
The demand in Asia for foods like shark fin soup and various shark fin potions is fuelling the murky world of maritime poaching and illegal fishing.
there is also an unhealthy black market. New Zealand is among the world’s top 20 exporters of shark fins worth over $4.5 million annually. With our current fisheries regulations many think that New Zealand has addressed the problem of sharks being slaughtered just for their fins. It would be very interesting to know the quantity of fins sold through the black market.
New Zealand is among the world’s top 20 exporters of shark fins worth over $4.5 million annually. Plus, if sharks are being targeted by a fisher then why not pick up extra profit by selling their fins? There is a huge international market for fins which sell for over US$200 over 00.45kg.
Until this seemingly insatiable demand is reduced and the profit to be made drops, dramatically, I cannot see the illegal shark fisheries stopping any time soon. Globally an estimated 100 million plus sharks are killed annually. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– As we go to print New Zealanders are about to vote in their general elections on 23rd September. It has become quite a lolly scramble as the major parties tempt voters with an array of perceived benefits. The good news is that the environment is very high on the lolly list. No matter which party becomes Government the environment will benefit. It is reassuring to see the continuing public concern about how New Zealand maintains, rebuilds and protects both the onshore and marine environments. Also high on the minds of politicians’ is maintaining New Zealand’s internationally-perceived ‘Clean Green’ image. Tourism is New Zealand’s largest export industry in terms of foreign exchange earnings, generating $2.8 billion in goods and services tax (GST) revenue. Let’s see some of those dollars spent wisely!
d i s t r i b u t e d
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October/November 2017 Issue 160 Publisher Gilbert Peterson +64 27 494 9629 Dive Publishing P.O. Box 34 687 Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand 0746 divenz@Divenewzealand.co.nz Editor at Large Dave Moran +64-9-521 0684 davem@divenewzealand.co.nz Advertising Sales Manager Colin Gestro +64 272 568 014 colin@affinityads.com Art Director Mark Grogan +64-9-262 0303 bytemarx@orcon.net.nz Printed by Crucial Colour Ltd Retail distribution NZ: Gordon & Gotch Aust: Gordon & Gotch Contributions
Unsolicited material submitted will not be returned unless a stamped self-addressed envelope is supplied. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or part is expressly forbidden except by written permission of the Publisher. Opinions expressed in the publication are those of the authors and not necessarily the Publishers Sea Tech Ltd. All material is accepted in good faith and the publisher accepts no responsibility whatsoever.
www.DiveNewZealand.co.nz www.Dive-Pacific.com Registered Publication ISSN 1774-5622 (print) ISSN 2324-3236 (online)
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– You realize how huge the demand is when recently 272 tonnes of frozen marine animals were discovered on board a large Chinese fishing vessel in the Galapagos Marine Reserve – a UNESCO World Heritage site. The vessel contained thousands, if not tens of thousands, of sharks. The fishermen have been jailed and fined US$7.5 million.
The Scallop season is open with various closing times from either 15th or 31st March 2018. To check out the recreational fishing regulations in your area visit: www.mpi.govt.nz/ travel-and-recreation/fishing/ fishing-rules/
Dave Moran Editor at Large
Catch us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER Click on the links at www.DiveNewZealand.com
Diver Emergency Number, New Zealand : 0800 4 DES 11 1800 088 200 (toll free) Australia : +61-8-8212 9242
www.divenewzealand.com 5
SOUNDINGS NEWS
Energy independent electric boats and ships leading the way What with all the fuss over electric cars, what about the prospects for electric boats? According to Dr Peter Harrop, chairman of IDTechEx, electric boats are more common than their equivalents on land or in the air and they have lessons for both. He notes though solar and wind generation are well established in the form of a small propellertype wind turbines on the stern of yachts and motor sailers coupled with solar decking, to date this has been too weak to charge traction batteries. But now, combining mechanical thrust such as sails with sun and wind harvesting to make electricity, is particularly realistic at sea. One of the finest designers of energy independent electric boats is Naval DC and sister company Soel Yachts. Owner David Czap says their traditional Polynesian SoelCat solar boats travel on solar power when the wind drops and, “with an installed battery capacity of 2 x 60kWh, the SoelCat 12 sustains maximum speed of up to 15 kts for one hour in emergency. Break-even point in sun is 6.5 kts without battery, or 24 hours with battery. Its solar array can even achieve 13MWh yearly around the equator!” The SoelCat 12 saving represents more than $126,000 for a typical 300-day operational profile per year. With no fuel other than sunlight, it can operate in remotest areas and be used as a mobile AC power station providing 6kVA of AC inverter power. David Czap was a key speaker at the world’s first conference on Energy Independent Electric Vehicles held on 27-28 September at the Technical University of Delft. TU Delft’s all-solar craft have hydrofoils and electronically driven wings optimising on stability, manoeuvrability and efficiency.
6 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
The conference explained 6D motion harvesting producing kW levels in small boats, along with a huge choice of related technologies from air lubricated hulls to Flettner rotors harvesting low level wind, and solar roads generating huge amounts of electricity as decking. Kitenergy Italy, Kitepower Netherlands and Kitemill Norway demonstrated how kites and tethered drones aboard ship can generate megawatts from the more consistent, stronger winds higher above a ship. UK’s University of Bolton even described research on piezo/PV sails potentially making electricity from rain, sun and wind!” www.IDTechEx.com.
Earthrace promotes pink dolphin cause The pink dolphin has been largely overlooked by conservation groups despite many factors pushing them towards extinction. Pink dolphin, also called Boto,
Bufeo, or Amazon River Dolphin, are found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Though widespread geographically their numbers have continued to drop due to: 1) They are regularly hunted and killed, and the flesh used for bait to catch a form of catfish called “piracatinga”. According to local fishermen, the dolphin is by far the best bait. 2) Over fishing has given rise to increased competition between dolphin and fishermen as dolphin will often target fish in nets, sometimes getting entangled and dying. They can also cause damage
Coming Events OZTek2019 will be held at the International Convention Centre Sydney, Darling Harbour - March 16/17, 2019. OZTek 2019 will continue to be the premier dive show in Australia and New Zealand, covering all aspects of diving including technical, travel, training and photography. No matter your diving level, OZTek has something to fire up your imagination. The 2017 event with over 40 speakers brought together over 650 prepaid pass holders and another 1500+ enthusiastic divers to listen to the presentations and enjoy the exhibitions and photography. OZTek is a unique opportunity to hear incredible adventurers, explorers and scientists, from those at the forefront of diving, as well as seeing all the new technology first hand. This is a genuinely awe-inspiring weekend of talks, films, debate and laughter with diving’s international A-list. In 2019, OZTek will be the first conference of its kind to use Silent Conferencing, enabling both speakers, listeners and exhibitors to co-exist without disruption. Block out the dates and bookmark the website as we gear up to another awesome event. http://oztek.com.au / http://diveOZTek.com.au
HYDROS PRO Introducing the key to transforming your dive experience. HYDROS PRO is an incredible feat of SCUBAPRO engineering—offering unprecedented convenience, on-the-go configuration, specialized fits, and more. HYDROS PRO isn’t just for professionals. It’s for anyone who loves to dive.
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HYDROS PRO launches with a comprehensive range of accessories ranging from colour kits and external pockets to knife and torch holders. Customize your diving to your own style or start off with a fully loaded HYDROS PRO and you will have all your needs covered right from the start of your next adventure.
Proudly Distributed By Outdoor Sports New Zealand Ltd
Visit www.scubapro.com to find your local stockist
www.divenewzealand.com 7
SOUNDINGS INTERNATIONAL NEWS
to the fishing gear which upsets fishermen who see them as a pest. 3) Hydro dams along rivers such as the Amazon have locked the dolphin into smaller areas, which limits breeding options and reduces their ability to seasonally migrate as conditions vary. 4) Habitat loss due to deforestation, especially along the Amazon. 5) Various superstitious about the dolphin. One claims the pink dolphin turns into a rapist at night. Another suggests dolphin parts such as the eyes and genitalia have special or magical properties.
What is that fish? What’s it doing? Website offers answers A fast growing, relatively new website wants you to upload, identify and comment on the images of fishes you photograph in New Zealand and Australian waters. The site www.inaturalist.org/projects/ australasian-fishes began less than a year ago and now has over 15,000 observations loaded. The Project allows you to upload your images of fish and to comment on and identify other members' images. Project manager Mark McGrouther says “we are building a community resource that will be useful for all fish enthusiasts. Please load as many images as you can, not just one of each species.” Though the site is based at the Australian Museum it has won the backing of New Zealand’s Te Papa and other major organisations including Australia’s Underwater Research Group, Sydney University and several Australian state museums. More details are available at: https://www.australianmuseum.net.au/ australasian-fishes-project
New boat coming
Meanwhile Pete Bethune of Earthrace reports they’ve just completed a 2m model of the MV Earthrace-2. Once completed the boat will be three stories high and 60m (195 ft) long. “She is going to be a real beast,” Bethune says. “Our Naval Architects, LOMOcean Design, built an earlier model used for tank testing which was run in a controlled lab in Melbourne and pushed through water at various speeds,” Pete said. “It means when the final vessel is launched, we’ll have a better idea on fuel consumption and performance.”
First search and rescue vessel for Niue New Zealand is giving Niue its first dedicated search and rescue vessel; sea trials are underway and its due for handing over mid October. The $367,000, 8.3m SAR vessel has a top speed of 36 knots (66 km/h) and was constructed in Christchurch by ICON Custom Boats. Maritime NZ is providing project management and technical advice with Coastguard NZ providing training for the Niuean crew. 8 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
The vessel will give Niue, for the first time, the ability to respond immediately to SAR incidents. Currently, a SAR response has required a P3 Orion to fly from NZ to the area.
Next year a vessel for inter-atoll transport, also capable of SAR operations, will be provided to Tokelau.
Refurbishment work has also been carried out on the derrick at Sir Robert’s Wharf in Niue to enable the 3.5 tonne SAR vessel to be launched, and which will also provide a safer means of getting other boats in and out of the water. Niue has 60 small boats of less than five metres and a further 120 fishermen using traditional vaka canoes.
Dive the unexplored
www.divemunda.com Experience Magical Munda at Agnes Gateway Hotel Award winning service and pristine diving SSI Instructor Training Centre WWII wrecks, caves and reefs – untouched and unspoilt divemunda@dive-solomon.com
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D157
Galapagos trip to be led by Dive Editor-at-Large
D
ave Moran, Dive magazine’s
Darwin Island and Wolf Island
Ecuador’s main port. Guests board
Editor-At-Large, is to lead a
Two world famous sites that offer
a charter Avianca flight from
major dive trip to the Galapagos
thrilling diving with schooling
Guayaquil to Baltra in the Galapagos
Islands next year, and you can
scalloped Hammerhead Sharks,
with diving from your liveaboard
join him on this beyond ordinary
clouds of tuna, Galapagos reef coral
beginning the same day and running
experience.
and occasionally Whale Sharks and
a whole week.
The Galapagos is without question
Orcas.
This is the experience you’ve been
one of the world’s most exciting
waiting for, with a combination of
wildlife destinations with
diving experiences only accessible
opportunities to dive with Sea Lions,
via the liveaboard and epic land
Hammerhead Sharks, Whale Sharks,
excursions, to a region where wildlife
numerous fish varieties and much
proliferates on land and in the sea.
more.
About Dave Moran Dave Moran is an experienced underwater photographer who has travelled the world and its oceans in the South Pacific, Asia and
Bartolome Punta Here, you’ll dive down a 20-90ft shaft starring Groupers, Creole Fish, White Tipped Sharks, Barracudas, Scorpion Fish, Sea Turtles, Guinea Puffer Fish, Red Lipped Batfish, reef corals and occasionally Hammer¬heads and Bottlenose Dolphins. Dave Moran, an experienced
Antarctica. Dave has been instrumental in amazing dive experiences, such as the search for and salvaging of shipwrecks including the recovery of gold and silver coins from the wreck of the Elingamite at the Three Kings Islands with the late Kelly Tarlton,
Bartolome Summit
and a search for the General Grant
Spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock,
in the Auckland Islands. A career
the immense black lava flows at
highlight was photographing Chinese
Sullivan Bay, Santiago Island, and
porcelain cargo and its recovery from
Daphne Major and Minor.
the Tek Sing in the South China Sea.
most iconic locations on, around and
Galapagos tortoises & wildlife
Dave has spent a lifetime diving
under the water of the Galapagos
A bus journey to the highlands of
and promoting the underwater
islands.
Santa Cruz Island is included to visit
world. His journey continues with
Punta Carrion at ltabaca Channel
the iconic giant tortoises. You can
this exceptional Galapagos Island
get up close with land iguanas, blue
experience.
underwater photographer, has over 50 years diving experience. For seven days you will experience a once-ina-lifetime adventure cruising on the Galapagos Aggressor III visiting the
Your liveaboard experience starts with a dive amongst White Tipped
footed Boobies, and the stunning land¬scapes of Los Gemelos, The
Sharks, Stingrays, Eagle Rays and
Twins (two enormous sinkholes).
Marbled Rays, Scorpion Fish, Sea
Getting there
Turtles and Sea Lions. What better way for Galapagos to welcome you, than by diving with these spectacular underwater locals.
Your trip of a lifetime departs August 22nd 2018. All large expenses are included in the ticket price.
The Galapagos Islands are 970 km
For all the details and bookings go to:
west of Ecuador, the country to which
travelandco.nz/offer/dive-galapagos-
they belong. An overnight hotel stay
with-dave-moran/
is usually required at Guayaquil,
https://tinyurl.com/yd5cpt8j
www.divenewzealand.com 9
Selecting a rebreather By Tony Howell
OK,
Cost
you have been diving for a while and thinking of buying a rebreather. They look complex and expensive, but are they really? The answer is: anyone can learn to dive using a rebreather and you may be surprised at how cost effective they are. The key is to select one that suits you, and to become well trained on it.
Some CCRs are far more expensive than others for little or no advantage. All man-made items will eventually fail so look at what options the CCR offers if there is a failure. Whatever you do, research the market. Ask CCR divers you respect. Many CCRs these days, like the KISS mCCR, have successfully undergone internationally recognized, thirdparty testing. Consider the weight, the manufacturer’s recommended underwater duration, simplicity, ease of maintenance on a trip, and the running costs.
In the last few years there has been a flood of CCRs (closed circuit rebreathers) entering the market with many of them intended for the recreational diver. But while a technical CCR can be dived within and beyond recreational limits, a recreational CCR cannot. You need to choose one that will allow you to do the depths and times you want.
eCCR or mCCR There are two types of CCR: electronic (eCCR), and mechanical (mCCR). The difference between the eCCR and the mCCR is the reliance on electronics. All types of CCR have oxygen sensors which continually react with the oxygen concentration in the CCR breathing loop and produce a tiny electrical current which is displayed as a partial pressure of oxygen, or PO 2 . Most eCCRs have an electromagnetic device or solenoid that obeys the instructions you programme into it. It injects oxygen to maintain a pre-set loop PO 2 . The solenoid controls your PO 2 and therefore your dive. If this electronic ‘brain’ should fail, and go unnoticed, the consequences could be catastrophic. With the KISS type of mCCR, oxygen
10 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
is supplied to the loop continuously through a constant bleed at about the metabolic rate you consume it. No electronics. It’s all mechanical. If the PO 2 drops, the diver pushes the manual ‘add’ button. At depth, the PO 2 is very stable and does not distract from the dive. An mCCR is certainly less prone to failure. Analysis of dive accidents shows complacency to be the main cause of CCR related diver deaths but divers know they must pay attention so complacency does not become an issue. Regardless of the CCR type, divers are always urged to check their PO 2 s every 1-4 minutes, which is very simple if the diver is using a Shearwater NERD as a heads-up display.
Learning to dive with a CCR is like learning to dive all over again. Reputable CCRs have training programmes offered by the major diver certification agencies such as TDI and PADI. Agency CCR Standards do differ but are largely based on accepted international standards.
Where to be selective Where you should be very selective is in choosing your Instructor. Get the best you can afford. You need them to guide you during the course and also to be available after your training, when you are at your most vulnerable. Reliability is critical. Electronics and sea water don’t mix well. Certainly the electronics in my first CCR failed several times, including once underwater. I am pleased to say my KISS Classic mCCR has not failed me yet. When I go on a trip I take a few spares but have never had to use them. The simple and robust design has proven so very reliable.
It's a good idea to look at the operating cost of the CCR. What is the manufacturers recommended sorb duration (how long you can stay underwater safely). The KISS Classic offers 5 hours in 18 degrees C and above. This is quite extraordinary considering there are no electronic devices involved in trying to track the invisible exothermic front. The CO2 absorbent duration affects the running cost of your CCR. If you are getting good scrubber times, the cost of running a CCR, at recreational depth, is about the same as twin tanks on nitrox at the same depth. However that is where the comparison ends. If you want to dive deeper wrecks and stay long enough to enjoy them,
you need a trimix capable CCR and a trimix CCR Diver qualification and in some places trimix can cost you about US$360.00 per 11L cylinder. If you are on twins or sidemount, multiply by two, plus deco gas, per dive. In Truk Lagoon we do about 22-24 dives per trip. Because I use my KISS Classic mCCR, I buy one cylinder of trimix and might get it topped up once. That is enough for all my dives plus an emergency bailout if required. Low operating cost is a big reason for owning a CCR.
My preference My preference, after being trained on, and diving both the mCCR and the eCCR, is the mCCR. But not all CCRs are equal. I bought my eCCR in
2007 and from then until 2009 I had all sorts of issues with the solenoid and control handsets, all electronic issues. In 2009 I decided to give the KISS Classic mCCR a ‘go’ and that was a great decision which has allowed me fantastic trouble-free CCR wreck diving in many places around the world. Tony Howell is a KISS mCCR Instructor Trainer. Further information is available from:
Dive Centre Ltd 09 444 7698 or dive.centre.ltd@xtra.co.nz; and NZ Sea Adventures Ltd 04 233-8238 or tony@scubadiving.co.nz
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www.divenewzealand.com 11
The compact and versatile Boxfish ROV
Boxfish Research start-up develops advanced tools for exploration underwater Story and photos by Gilbert Peterson
Emerging from a former dive shop in Parnell Auckland is a business start-up turning out technically sophisticated products belying their humble origins.
B
oxfish Research, an R&D based venture employing three engineers, began in the founders’ kitchens because, Axel Busch says, “we didn’t have a garage.”
appears basic though a closer look reveals the company’s advanced CAD systems and 3D printers used for modelling and developing prototypes. It’s cold the day we visit but the door stays open.
Boxfish Research only mid year moved into their ‘new’ premises with its ideal diving depth pool literally at the door. At first glance the building
We get to play with the latest Boxfish machine, a remotely operated underwater vehicle for a few turns in the pool outside. The control toggles
12 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
on the laptop are like those of any computer game, and like them you watch on screen as you control the speed and direction of the vehicle. But the differences from computer games are large; the machine’s thrusters are highly sensitive; it turns and accelerates precisely and rapidly, ready to photograph in the murk, or reach out with a grabber to bring back a sample plant or rock.
Boxfish Research’ founders are left to right are Ben King (Mechanical Engineering), Craig Anderson (Electronics Engineering) and Axel Busch (Business and Software)
You identify through its scanners what you want to capture. You see as well as feel what may be possible. The first Boxfish product to hit the market, the Boxfish 360, was an underwater spherical camera able to capture 360 degree images, and designed to allow researchers the capacity to scan and record the
widest possible context of their investigations at depth. It boasts three frame imaging able to be merged into one seamless 360 degree video or still projection. The original intention for the camera was to integrate it with what the team has been working on since 2014; the affordable, high perfor-
Ben King works on the design of the ROV
mance ROV. The Boxfish team showed the camera at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year to strong interest, and after two years of development the first of them have found willing buyers at a price starting at $19,000 each.
Craig Anderson with a prototype PCB
www.divenewzealand.com 13
Now the ROV prototype too, is up and ready to be demonstrated.
sonar, a grabber and other sensors able to be added.
Axel is confident that for its scale, and weighing a manageable 28 kg, the ROV is the lowest cost piece of research equipment of its type available. The next such vehicle with similar capabilities, a Swedish machine, weighs 90 kg requiring a crane to lift it in and out of water. That ROV was designed to cater for the requirements of undersea oil and gas maintenance and the like, and costs some $200,000. The Boxfish ROV is expected to sell for about a quarter of that.
Axel says their extensive testing shows the Boxfish ROV can lose up to five of its thrusters, due to sand or kelp entanglement for example, and still get home due to it’s smart piloting system developed by co-founder Craig Anderson. Developments like these are ongoing part and parcel of such projects; the Boxfish team is continuing to make modifications to the ROV’s thrusters, further develop its electronics, power distribution systems, lighting, and radio for use as a back-up communications system.
…Boxfish began in the founders’ kitchens…“because we didn’t have a garage.”… “But we’re not aiming for the same market,” Axel says. “We’re aiming to interest mostly science and technology researchers, and people like film makers.” And undersea archaeologists. One such person is very interested since the photogrammetry able to be recorded by the Boxfish ROV is a highly prospective application. Other users include salmon and mussel farms, and for example, police and customs services needing to inspect ship’s hulls.
…The machine’s thrusters are highly sensitive; it turns and accelerates precisely and rapidly, ready to photograph in the murk, or reach out with a grabber… Ben King, responsible for the mechanical design, says to get the required responsiveness for their machine they adapted technology used for drones in the air, then made it waterproof. He says it’s not so hard to achieve water tightness to 500 metres but beyond that it’s very interesting and very tricky. “Plus, in water we added the possibility of being able to drive the vehicle while remaining at an angle which you can’t do in the air.”
14 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Axel Busch with the Boxfish 360 camera
The Boxfish prototype can speed along at two and half knots and descend to 1000 metres using its eight thrusters, with 20,000 lumens of light to show the way, and with
And they’re working towards delivering an untethered ROV next year using optical and acoustic obstacle avoidance or acoustic signals for the vehicle’s controls. The future is all about developing better and more versatile machines and devices for exploring the underwater world.
Dive Editor-At-Large Dave Moran takes a turn operating the ROV remotely
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Taking a risk on Guam By Steve Small. All photos courtesy of Zach Sesar, AMT Divers, Guam
Swimming through the bridge of the wreck of American Tanker
Diving Micronesia has always been a dream of ours, and we quickly jumped on the opportunity to visit Guam following an August trip to Japan this year. However, as the departure date neared and the threat of a nuclear attack mounted, friends questioned our choice.
G
uam, a US possession in the Northern Marianas islands, is 3.5 hours flight time due south of Japan. Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 it was seceded to the US in 1898. With a population of 180,000 these days it plays two roles: a honeymoon destination for Japanese, Chinese and Korean visitors, and a major American naval and air force installation. Hence the target threat from North Korea.
A quick call to the dive operator on the island reassured us. No Asian visitors were cancelling upcoming visits due to the threats. Apparently N Korean threats are a part of daily life in S Korea.
War history Guam, along with Wake Island, Midway, Hawaii and the Philippines, were important stopovers for the Pan American China Clipper flights to the Orient in the 1930s and 40’s. In
www.divenewzealand.com 17
Author next to flag pinned to pilothouse of wreck of American Tanker
December 1941 Guam was invaded and occupied by the Japanese from the island bases of Saipan and Tinia, both a couple of hundred miles to the north. In 1944 US marines fought a 30 day battle to retake the 518 sq km island, the conflict leaving the island with a legacy of wreck
dive sites. (The last Japanese soldier surrendered in 1972 after 28 years in hiding.)
Geography Guam is straddled by the Philippine Sea on the west coast, and on the more rugged east coast by the Pacific
Bulldozer in 10m of water at Seabee Junkyard
18 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Ocean. A mountainous spine 2,000 metres high separates the two sides of the island. Most people live on the west coast, and that’s where all the dive sites are. Magellan’s landing and remnants of Spanish civilization are at the south end of the island.
Marine life growth on American Tanker
Twentieth century wreck dives, cave dives, a blue hole, coral gardens and beach diving make up the menu of options available to the recreational diver. Snorkeling is abundant from the many west coast coral beaches.
Wreck dive sites A weak low pressure system on the heels of Typhoon Soala limited our diving during our late August visit to the area inside Apra Harbour, which is fortunately the location of many of Guam’s wreck dives.
Apra Harbour. Sitting upright in sand the wreck invites you inside its cavernous hold and a swim-through of the pilot house. A large flag attached to the pilot house confirms your location. Large coral fans guard the wreck site.
American Tanker is a concrete barge lying at 15m on the north side of
Seabee Junkyard is 60m west of American Tanker. The Glass
Surplus construction piping at Seabee Junkyard. When the Apra Harbour breakwater was completed by the US Navy at the end of WWII surplus construction materials were dumped in the harbour.
www.divenewzealand.com 19
Old Coca Cola bottles from 1944, all in pristine condition Breakwater was constructed by the US Navy right after WW2 to enlarge and protect Apra Harbour and once complete the area was used as a dumping ground for a variety of equipment: Piping systems, bulldozers, wheeled equipment and small barge tugs. They make this an interesting 10 M dive. Gab Gab 2 is located on the south side of Apra Harbour. The top of the reef is about 15m and is where large schooling fish can be found. The Atlantis submarine operation - which allows tourists to view the reef - provides food stations there so the fish are quite tame and will swarm around divers. There are several varieties of anemones on the reef, and sponges and soft corals also make this a very interesting dive. Several nurse sharks can be seen around the feeding stations. One of the more unique dive sites is the Tokai/ Cormoran wrecks. The Cormoran was an armed merchant raider deployed by the Germans in the South Pacific during WW1. She was interned and eventually scuttled by her crew. Twenty seven years later the Tokai Maru, a Japanese freighter, was sunk by a submarine and eventually came to rest on top of the Cormoran. The Tokai Maru, a very big ship lying on a steep incline on her port side is in very good condition. Divers can slowly traverse the entire length of her main deck while staying between 18-24m. Bomb damage can be inspected on the bow with the actual torpedo hole that sunk her in the #4 hold. The shallowest part of the wreck is forward of the bridge, at around 14m, and the deepest deck level is at the stern at around 24m.
20 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Time out for a beverage
There are at least four depth charges, which look like large barrels, lying in the silt inside the stern on the port side. To reach the Cormoran you descend to its propeller shaft located midway down the Tokai where you can touch both wrecks simultaneously. The midship section is intact, and the engine room easily accessible through the skylights. Most of the superstructure is relatively accessible. The Tokai/ Cormoran site is perfect for NITROX divers.
Reef dives Several reefs comprise the topography of the south side of Apra
Harbour. Hidden Reef contains a great variety of pristine corals with a gradually sloping wall to 37m. Finger Reef is an extension of Gab Gab lying 30m to the west of that site. Finger Reefs’ shallowness attracts snorkelers and SCUBA divers. Sea turtles, needlefish, trumpet fish, rainbow runners and small jacks are prevalent around the reef. In all Guam has over a hundred dive sites to occupy the recreational diver for many days. Regardless of the political situation, a visit to this pleasant island should be on everyone’s wish list.
Getting there: A ir New Zealand flies to Guam via Tokyo. Philippine Airlines and China Southern fly to Guam thru Manila. United Airlines flies there from Australasia via Honolulu. Citizens of Australia and New Zealand may qualify to enter Guam under the US Visa Waiver Program but check with the embassy in your country.
Diving: AMT Tours http://www.amtguamdiveshop.com is the dive operator we went with, and they get high marks for service, quality of boats & equipment. Zach Cesar is an outstanding dive master. MDA https://www.mdaguam.com is another well regarded/ established operator. Water Temperature: 29° C in August, air temp 30° C.
When to go: The dry season runs from December through June. The rainy season is July through November, which entails regular afternoon showers.
Currency: US dollar. ATM’s are abundant and credit cards widely accepted.
Accommodation: There are 3, 4 & 5 star hotels in the main town of Tamuning catering for all price ranges.
Photo: Ben Jaffares
Splash New Zealand freediving champs retain titles
Kathryn Nevatt (left) and Guy Brew (right) underwater with their trophies.
T
he Splash Freediving New Zealand Pool Nationals 2017 hosted by the Auckland Freediving Club and held at the Sir Owen Glenn National Aquatic Centre mid-September saw Guy Brew, 54, an executive recruiter from Wellington and Kathryn Nevatt, 38, an architect from Queenstown retain their National Titles across the three freediving disciplines. Men's silver went to Chris Marshall, Wellington, and bronze to Ant WiIlliams, a Kiwi from Melbourne. Women's silver went to Danish National champion Anette Rafen Ottzen and bronze to Australian Lisa Borg. Competitors from all over New Zealand and overseas participated in the AIDA grade (for ranking points) and Recreational Grade which is popular for upcoming Freedivers. Representatives from nine countries took part. The National title is decided by a combination of points from three swimming pool based events. In Static apnea the diver lies face down in the water and holds their breath as long as possible. In Dynamics, a
distance based event, divers swim lengths underwater in the 50m pool as far as possible on a single breath using a monofin resembling a mermaid's tail. In this discipline Brew achieved 200m and Nevatt 181m. In Dynamics without Fins divers swim underwater breaststroke as far as they can on a single breath. Nevatt, a former world record holder in this event, managed 143m and Brew 126m. This year’s Nationals were the largest ever with 37 participants. “Our National Competition continues to grow and attract oversea competitors and this year's proved to be another big, very well supported competition,” said Nick Rhodes of FreeDiving NZ. “I was very impressed by the calibre of all the athletes,” he said. Hayden Salmons, General Manager of Splash Dive added, “We are delighted to be able to support Freediving NZ for this event. The competition provides an ideal platform for both experienced divers and emerging divers to compete in an inclusive format.
"Freediving is one of the fastest growing water sports and it is important to highlight safe diving practices.” Jen Clent, Regional Manager PADI Asia Pacific, said “PADI is thrilled to have the chance to sponsor the Freediving NZ Pool Nationals and looks forward to educating competitors and the general public about the training and opportunities available through the PADI Freediver program." Freediving can be dangerous if practiced alone or without proper instruction due to the risk of hypoxic black out; a recognised course or introductory session with a freediving club is highly recommended. There are now seven freediving clubs operating in New Zealand offering introductory evenings for anyone who snorkels, likes the water, or just wants to see how long they can hold their breath in a safe environment. You can find them on Facebook, or go to: http://www.freediving.co.nz/ splashfnzpoolnats2017 https://tinyurl.com/y7yy7mho
www.divenewzealand.com 21
Explore a new world: PADI Freediver courses
F
reediving is about inward power, discipline and control. If you’ve always wanted to enter the underwater world quietly, on your own terms, staying as long as your breath allows, then freediving is for you. Taking the PADI FreediverTM course is your first step toward discovering why freediving is becoming so popular in New Zealand and around the world.
What will you learn? The PADI Freediver course consists of three main phases: 1. Knowledge development about freediving principles through independent study with the PADI Freediver Touch™ (or your instructor may conduct class sessions). You’ll learn about how your body reacts to breathholding and how water pressure affects you as you dive down. You also learn about freediving equipment, important safety rules and buddy procedures. 2. Confined water session to learn breathhold techniques as well as static and dynamic apnea. In confined water, such as a swimming pool, you learn breathing techniques, then practice breathholds while
22 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
floating (static apnea) and while swimming (dynamic apnea). You also practice basic rescue techniques and learn your role as a buddy. For the PADI Freediver course, your goal for static apnea is 90 seconds and 25 metres/80 feet for dynamic apnea. 3. Open water sessions to practice free immersion and constant weight freedives, plus proper buddy procedures. During at least two open water sessions, you practice diving down while breathholding, either by pulling yourself along a line (free immersion) or duck diving head first while following a line (constant weight). You learn to gradually increase your depths by relaxing and enjoying each dive. Rescue practice is another key part of the open water sessions. Your goal is a depth of 10 metres/30 feet.
How can you start learning now? Contact your local PADI Freediver Centre, PADI Dive Centre or PADI Freediver Instructor and get the PADI Freediver Touch tablet app. The Touch is an interactive study tool that gives you the background information you need to freedive safely and allows you to learn at
your own pace. Your PADI Freediver Instructor will check on your progress and make sure you understand important freediving information. The PADI Freediver Touch also includes all learning materials for the PADI Advanced Freediver and Master Freediver courses.
Already a certified Freediver? Already into freediving? That’s great. You should check out the PADI Advanced Freediver, Master Freediver or Freediver Instructor courses where you can advance your skills and learn how to make freediving your profession. For more information visit padi.com or contact your local PADI Freediver Centre or PADI Dive Centre. Remember, freediving is for everyone! You don’t need to be an athlete to enjoy freediving. The sport is more about relaxation, mind set and technique, than it is strength – and, these are just some of the skills you will develop throughout the PADI Freediver course. Visit padi.com/freediver to learn more or contact your local PADI Freediver Centre, PADI Freediver Instructor or PADI Dive Shop.
PADI Freediver™ PADI Advanced Freediver PADI Master Freediver PADI Freediver Instructor PADI Advanced Freediver Instructor PADI Master Freediver Instructor PADI Freediver Instructor Trainer
TM
“The highest quality courses and the highest quality instructors - that’s the PADI Freediver difference. PADI have created an environment where more people than ever are able to learn how to freedive and most importantly, do it safely.” - Adam Stern, PADI AmbassaDiver™ and 5 times Australian Freediving National Record holder
Contact your PADI Dive Shop, PADI Freediver Center or visit padi.com for further information.
www.divenewzealand.com 23 © PADI 2017.
Finalists announced
Photographer: Andrey Narchuk Country: Russia
Category: Behaviour: Invertebrates Image Name: Romance among the angels
T
he finalists in London’s Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year have been announced. Dive magazine publishes four of the finalists from the underwater world.
Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence. After the flagship exhibition in London the images will embark on a UK and international tour.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is to showcase the world's best nature photography and photojournalism with the stated aim “to ignite curiosity about the natural world while shining a spotlight on wildlife photography as an art form.”
The next Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, WPY54, will open for entries from 23 October to 14 December 2017.
This year's competition attracted almost 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across 92 countries. Overall winners will be announced on 17 October 2017 at an awards ceremony in the Natural History Museum's Hintze Hall.
24 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy/competition.html Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographeroftheyear Twitter: @NHM_WPY Instagram: @nhm_wpy
omance among the angels– R Andrey Narchuk, Russia Andrey was on an expedition to the Sea of Okhotsk in the Russian Far East, and his intention on this day was to photograph salmon. But as soon as he jumped into the water he found himself surrounded by thousands of mating sea angels. Quickly swapping to his macro equipment, he began photographing the pairs, 3 centimetres (1¼ inches) long and swirling around in the current. Sea angels are molluscs related to slugs and snails, without shells and with wing-like lobes used as swimming paddles. They hunt sea butterflies (swimming sea snails) using specialized
Photographer: Qing Lin Country: China predators, which daren’t risk being stung, and it also feeds on parasites and debris among the tentacles. At the same time it improves water circulation (fanning its fins as it swims), scares away the anemone’s predators, and may even lure in prey for it. While diving in the Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Qing noticed something strange about this particular cohabiting group.
feeding parts to prise them from their shells. Each individual is both male and female, and here they are getting ready to insert their copulatory organs into each other to transfer sperm in synchrony. One is slightly smaller than the other, as was the case with most of the couples Andrey observed. They remained joined for 20 minutes. Both would go on to lay 30–40 tiny eggs after fertilization. It was late summer and peak phytoplankton time so there would be abundant food for the resulting larvae. To photograph them mating Andrey had to battle against strong currents and avoid a wall of gill netting, and when he was swept into the net and his equipment became snared he was forced to make an emergency ascent, but not
before he had got his shot. The following day, there wasn’t a single angel to be seen. Technical details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II + 100mm f2.8 lens; 1/125 sec at f13; ISO 200; Nexus housing; two Inon st
The insiders – Qing Lin, China The bulbous tips of the aptly named, magnificent anemone’s tentacles contain cells that sting most fish. But the clown anemonefish goes unharmed thanks to mucus secreted over its skin, which tricks the anemone into thinking it is brushing against itself. Both species benefit. The anemonefish gains protection from its
Category: Under Water Image Name: The insiders Each anemonefish had an extra pair of eyes inside its mouth – those of a parasitic isopod (a crustacean related to woodlice). An isopod enters a fish as a larva, via its gills, moves to the fish’s mouth and attaches with its legs to the base of the tongue. As the parasite sucks its host’s blood, the tongue withers, leaving the isopod attached in its place, where it may remain for several years. With great patience
and a little luck – the fish darted around unpredictably – Qing captured these three rather curious individuals momentarily lined up, eyes front, mouths open and parasites peeping out.
Technical details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III + 100mm f2.8 lens; 1/200 sec at f25; ISO 320; Sea & Sea housing; two Inon strobes.
www.divenewzealand.com 25
Photographer: Laurent Ballesta Country: France
Category: Behaviour: Mammals Image Name: Swim Gym
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26 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
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wim gym – S Laurent Ballesta, France ‘We were still a few metres from the surface when I heard the strange noises,’ says Laurent. Suspecting Weddell seals, known for their repertoire of at least 34 different underwater call
ewage surfer – S Justin Hofman, USA Seahorses hitch rides on the currents by grabbing floating objects such as seaweed with their delicate prehensile tails. Justin watched with delight as this tiny estuary seahorse ‘almost hopped’ from one bit of bouncing natural debris to the next, bobbing around near the surface on a reef near Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. But as the tide started to come in
types, he approached slowly. It was early spring in east Antarctica, and a mother was introducing her pup to the icy water. The pair, unbothered by Laurent’s presence, slid effortlessly between the sheets of the frozen labyrinth. Adults are accomplished divers, reaching depths of more than 600 metres (1,970 the water contained more and more decidedly unnatural objects , mainly bits of plastic, and a film of sewage sludge covered the surface. The seahorse let go of a piece of seagrass and took advantage of something that offered a more stable raft: a waterlogged plastic cottonbud. Not having a macro lens for the shot ended up being fortuitous because it meant that Justin decided to frame the whole scene, sewage bits
Photographer: Justin Hofman Country: USA
feet) and submerging for up to 82 minutes. Relying on light through the ice above, he captured the curious gaze of the pup, the arc of its body mirroring that of its watchful mother. Technical details: Nikon D4S + 17–35mm f2.8 lens; 1/640 sec at f11; ISO 200; Seacam housing.
and all. As Justin, the seahorse and the cottonbud spun through the ocean together, waves splashed into Justin’s snorkel. The next day, he fell ill. Indonesia has the world’s highest levels of marine biodiversity but is second only to China as a contributor to marine plastic debris – debris forecast to outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050. Indonesia has pledged to reduce by 70% the amount of waste it discharges into the ocean.
Category: The Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Single Image Image Name: Sewage surfer
www.divenewzealand.com 27
Reducing the guesswork...
Using buoys to help find lost divers By Trevor Jackson
Imagine being lost from your dive boat. You and your buddy were headed down to a wreck in a bit of a current and at the last minute you let go of the down line and decide to surface. Drifting as you ascend, you make a precautionary safety stop at five metres. A few minutes later, on the surface, you can see the boat is now several hundred metres away.
T
he crew are quite visible but they’re not looking for you. In fact, they seem to be looking in the other direction; the direction of the dive site. You struggle to find your whistle but after a few minutes you feel seasick and try your DSMB (Delayed Surface Buoy Marker) instead. In the sloppy conditions you manage to half inflate it but it’s not really upright. An hour goes by. You can barely see the boat but you think that it is now searching. Moving from side to side, they don’t seem to know where to look or in which direction to head. The net effect of wind and current running in different directions is difficult for the boat crew to determine visually, and since swimming towards them seems fruitless, your hopes sink with the sun. With no chance of being spotted for another 10 hours, your thoughts turn to survival, keeping warm and holding on. Not a situation anyone would want to find themselves in.
Real scenario A few years ago I participated in a search for some divers in this exact scenario. They were found the next
28 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
day after an air search costing well into six figures. I wondered for ages what could have been done by the boat crew to ‘know’ where to start looking immediately. How could they measure the effects of currents and waves and take the guesswork out of the equation? In 2007 I joined Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, a company that has always supported the idea of improving diver safety. I had been working on some ideas making use of buoys to track divers adrift at sea, and the company threw its full weight behind a series of experiments to determine the value of the concept. In a typical drill we would mock up a fake human, dress it in dive gear and throw it in the water. After an hour the crew were alerted that we had a ‘lost diver’. They in turn would release a series of weighted lifejackets at set intervals and use them to create a ‘line’ on the sea surface. After a few attempts, we managed to ballast the jackets with the right amount of weight so that they would mimic the actions of a surfaced,
non-swimming diver. Once we got the balance between weight and flotation right, the results were astounding.
Developing a process As we practiced it became apparent we could take the idea to another level. Instead of using multiple lifejackets, we could use just two or three purpose-built buoys and a little rudimentary mathematics to achieve the same aim, and with greater efficiency. We conducted weekly drills for more than a year and came up with a process that is both effective and simple.
Running the drill First, once you suspect that divers are adrift, throw a buoy in at the point you assume they got lost. In most cases this will be at the dive site itself, especially if that site is in open water. Allow the buoy to drift for 10 minutes then launch a second buoy. Leave it for a further 10 minutes. While that is happening, try to get some indication when the divers got lost. This will depend on the situation but in general it’s easy to assume as divers and sites have idiosyncrasies specific to them. Other divers will be able to help with
this. Ask around and come up with a figure in terms of minutes. If you can’t figure it out, assume they were lost from the time the dive started. Next, in the boat you intend to search in, drive between the buoys at a constant speed and time the run. Now divide the time the divers have been lost by 10 minutes which is the interval between when each buoy was launched. Multiply that figure by the time it took to traverse the distance between the buoys.
As an example: • Time assumed lost 60mins • Interval between buoys 10 mins • 60mins divided by 10 mins =6 If the timed boat run took 25 seconds, then multiply 25secs by 6, which equals 90secs. Then, keeping the buoys in line, drive at the same constant speed outward for 90 seconds. This is where you launch your third buoy, and in most cases you will have either passed your divers on the way out, or they will be near this point. You can then use this buoy as the basis from which to search as it should be moving constantly through the water at the same rate and direction as your lost divers.
Making an early decisive move The main value of the process is that it enables a boat operator to make an early decisive move, a move based on more than just guesswork. The key to its success is to use logic to determine the point where the divers were swept away from. In some complex current systems, this will require a cool head and a fair degree of local knowledge. Though it can’t be emphasised enough that the first priority in any lost diver situation should be to alert the local search and rescue authorities, in experienced hands, the use of buoys will allow a dive operator to initiate a logical search process, reducing the guesswork and considerably enhancing the chances of early success.
www.divenewzealand.com 29
Why WorkSafe NZ has issued Safety Alert Notices for SCUBA Cylinders By Richard Taylor
30 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
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During the years 1970 to 1995 some manufacturers used a variety of approved aluminium alloys to manufacturer SCUBA cylinders.
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Between 2009 and 2016 there were three serious harm incidents following the catastrophic failure of SCUBA cylinders manufactured from the aluminium alloy 6351. Two occurred in Australia (South West Rocks & Cronulla, both in NSW) and one in Indonesia (Sulawesi). In all cases the resulting injuries have been life changing, including amputations. Further afield, incidents in Belize, the USA and Europe have resulted in death. The ramifications of SCUBA cylinder explosions are obvious; the cause not so much.
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Cylinder design approvals withdrawn SCUBA and SCBA cylinders manufactured from aluminium alloy 6351.
Summary WorkSafe New Zealand considers that there are health and safety risks arising from SCUBA and SCBA cylinders manufactured from aluminium alloy 6351, and has withdrawn approval for cylinder designs which used this alloy. Testing and filling stations should not test or fill any SCUBA or SCBA cylinder made from aluminium alloy 6351 listed in the table overleaf from 31 October 2017.
In 2016, there were two serious harm incidents (Sulawesi, Indonesia and Cronulla, Australia) following the catastrophic failure of SCUBA cylinders manufactured from the aluminium alloy 6351. For further information, view the WorkSafe hazard alert which was released after these incidents.
Withdrawal of cylinder design approvals
In addition, there are cylinders made from aluminium alloy 6351 which have been issued with special LAB numbers – LABxxxxSP. Any aluminium cylinder with a LABxxxxSP stamp should be checked against the table overleaf. The withdrawal of these cylinder design approvals is supported by the Cylinder Testing Laboratory Association (CTLA) and the New Zealand Underwater Association (NZUA).
Duties of testing and filling stations As a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), you must ensure the health and safety of workers, and that others are not put at risk from your work. You must eliminate risks that arise from your work so far as is reasonably practicable. Testing and filling stations should not test or fill any SCUBA or SCBA cylinder made from aluminium alloy 6351 listed in the table overleaf from 31 October 2017.
WorkSafe has, under regulation 79 of the Hazardous Substances (Compressed Gases) Regulations 2004, withdrawn approval for SCUBA and SCBA cylinder designs which used aluminium alloy 6351. This is effective from 31 October 2017 and is recorded on the Registers of Gas Cylinders.
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…unless your 6351 alloy Luxfer cylinder has been Eddy-current tested it cannot be filled!…
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Why are these cylinders “unsafe”?
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August 2017
Background
…Between 2009 and 2016 there were three serious harm incidents following the catastrophic failure of SCUBA cylinders manufactured from the aluminium alloy 6351…
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In 2004 one of the manufacturers, Luxfer, issued a notice requiring all Luxfer cylinders made from the alloy were to undergo annual eddy-current testing. Eddy-current testing is a non-destructive electromagnetic method of detecting surface and sub-surface flaws in conductive materials.
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WorkSafe New Zealand, as the regulator for workplace health and safety, and in line with one of their functions of “..providing guidance, advice and information…” recently published two Safety Alerts regarding SCUBA Cylinders, effectively advising all cylinder test stations and air fillers that a range of aluminium cylinders were to be withdrawn from use. Simply, and in layman’s terminology, these cylinders are not safe to use!
Over time it became apparent that some cylinders manufactured with the 6351 alloy could suffer from what is termed “Sustained Load Cracking” (SLC), showing up as cracks, developing initially in the thread and neck area, but also in the actual cylindrical body of the cylinder. Crack growth was reported to be slow but could rapidly increase and appeared to be linked with the
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ost people, when they consider the risks of diving, envisage drowning, decompression sickness and man-eating killer giant squids. But despite what Disney, Jules Verne and Clive Cussler may lead us to believe, injuries in diving are too often related to ancillary activities such as boating or other non-diving activities.
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cylinder being subjected to high pressure for prolonged periods. Once the pressure integrity of the cylinder degraded sufficiently the crack would increase in size and all it would take was a knock or a new fill for it to fail completely, resulting in the cylinder acting like a firecracker and ripping apart, often sending shards of flying metal and releasing the stored pressure uncontrollably.
Why is WorkSafe involved? When first noticed in the mid eighties US regulators issued safety notices highlighting that, of the millions of 6351 cylinders manufactured, only a small handful appeared affected. They recommended extra care when visually inspecting these cylinders.
Following the catastrophic failure in Australia in 2009 our environmental protection agency at the time, ERMA, issued a safety alert here in New Zealand. In 2016 two further incidents (those in Cronulla and Sulewasi) resulted in even firmer alerts being published by SafeWork NSW and WorkCover Qld, highlighting these cylinders as being “at risk”. In late 2016 WorkSafe issued a Hazard Alert and in January 2017 NZUA issued their own “Do Not Test, Do Not Fill” notice. However this did not affect the IANZ Testing & Filling stations. Something had to be done to clarify the situation.
Approved fillers Under NZ’s Compressed Gas and Hazardous Substances regulations anyone who fills a SCUBA cylinder must have undergone training or be guided as an Approved Filler and can only fill approved cylinders. Most Approved Fillers work within the diving industry and WorkSafe sought to assist business and individuals comply with their obligations under the Health & Safety at Work Act 2015. After internal and expert consultation WorkSafe issued two Safety Alerts in August 2017: “Cylinder design approvals withdrawn,” and “Eddy-current testing of SCUBA and SCBA cylinders”.
What these Safety Alerts say The first, “Cylinder design approvals
What can I do about it?
To date less than 20 of the aluminium cylinders manufactured worldwide from 6351 alloy have exploded (well…that we know about!). However, given the large number that have already failed tests, the odds are that at least one cylinder would suffer SLC after
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clearly identified on the cylinder by a special Eddy-current tested decal, then any Luxfer alloy cylinder manufactured between 1972 and 1995 may well be “out of test”. The full notice can be found at www. worksafe.govt.nz/worksafe/news/ alerts/eddy-current-testing-of-scuba-and-scba-cylinders... https://tinyurl.com/y89wvghu
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…If we bundle it up and release (all the air pressure) at once it’s more like exploding a small amount of TNT, 300 gms. In fact an exploding cylinder is equivalent to two hand grenades…
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Eddy-current testing of SCUBA and SCBA cylinders Manufacturer’s requirement for eddy-current testing of Luxfer cylinders manufactured from aluminium alloy 6351.
Summary
Actions for periodic testers
Do not use Luxfer Gas Cylinders (Luxfer) aluminium alloy 6351 SCUBA and SCBA cylinders that have not been both visually inspected and eddy-current tested.
Actions for persons who undertake periodic testing on SCUBA and SCBA cylinders manufactured from aluminium alloy 6351:
Filling and testing stations in New Zealand should not fill Luxfer SCUBA and SCBA cylinders made from aluminium alloy 6351 that have not been eddy-current tested.
– Eddy-current testing should occur in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
Background In 2004, Luxfer introduced a requirement to eddycurrent test all Luxfer SCUBA and SCBA cylinders made from aluminium alloy 6351 in the following countries and periods: – Australia: 1975 through 1990 – United States: 1972 through mid-1988 – England: 1967 through 1995.
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The second “Eddy-current testing of SCUBA and SCBA cylinders” confirms Luxfer’s notice that unless your 6351 alloy Luxfer cylinder has been Eddy-current tested it cannot be filled! The dates vary, but given that Eddy-current testing machines are extremely rare in New Zealand, and this should be quite
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withdrawn”, simply lists the cylinders that, from 31 October 2017, are no longer approved for filling. Certain LAB numbers and design specifications are listed from a variety of manufacturers. The list is extensive and can be found at www.worksafe.govt.nz/worksafe/ news/alerts/safety-alert-cylinder-design-approvals-withdrawn... https://tinyurl.com/y7hjojj6
– For cylinders that pass periodic testing, the cylinder test report must include whether testing has included eddy-current testing. – Where cracks are evident during testing, the cylinder must be condemned.
What is eddy-current testing? Eddy-current devices are tools to enhance visual inspections and improve the quality and accuracy of inspections.
Eddy-current testing
Eddy-current testing does not eliminate the need for thorough visual inspection by a properly trained and qualified periodic tester.
From AS 2337.1:2004 (Gas cylinder test stations Part 1: General requirements, inspection and tests – gas cylinders) section 7.1: ‘Any additional tests required by either the manufacturer or the design specification shall also be carried out’.
Note: Design approvals for SCUBA and SCBA cylinders made from aluminium alloy 6351 have been withdrawn, effective from 31 October 2017. See our alert for more information.
Luxfer has issued a manufacturer’s requirement for eddycurrent testing on Luxfer SCUBA and SCBA cylinders manufactured from aluminium alloy 6351, and this is therefore required by the standard AS 2337.1:2004.
Any questions, contact hsinfo@worksafe.govt.nz or 0800 376 234.
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passing an annual visual, and at some stage a catastrophic failure would occur in New Zealand. With most fills being done through dive centres, the risk to the air filler and general public is real. Putting it another way, look at the amount of energy a cylinder of air holds. The math is quite confusing, but if you google it you will find it! Basically a cylinder contains about 1200 KJ (kilo joules) of stored energy in the form of compressed gas pushing to escape. The cylinder holds this in place, and the valve allows for a controlled release. It’s about the same energy required to boil 3-4 litres of water. But that’s over time. If we bundle it up and release it all at once it’s more like exploding a small amount of TNT, 300 gms. In fact an exploding cylinder is equivalent to two hand grenades. Not something you want to be standing next to when it goes BANG! So…do you really want to be playing russian roulette with an old beaten up SCUBA cylinder, or ask your local Air Filler to do so?
As of 31 October 2017 the cylinders can no longer be filled or tested. Test stations will be obligated to remove these from service, either by rendering the thread unusable or keeping them for recycling. The best thing to do is to take your cylinder in to a certified Test Station or Air Fill Station and ask them to check it out. They will be able to tell you if the cylinder is one of the ones identified by WorkSafe. If it is, then think of the many happy hours of diving you’ve had with it…and go buy a new one. Your safety, and the safety of your local air filler, is worth it!
Richard Taylor is the Senior Advisor in the Certifications, Approval & Registrations Team within WorkSafe New Zealand, responsible for Certificates of Competency and Occupational Diving. He has over 25 years in the dive industry in Australia & New Zealand, and is Past President of both the Australian & NZ Recreational Dive Industry Groups. He has worked with the Recreational, Scientific, Archaeological and Police diving sectors, and both Australian & New Zealand Standards and Work Health & Safety regulators in both countries. He is a Periodic Tester and Approved Filler, founder of OZTeK, and an Instructor Trainer Evaluator for SDI/TDI. Richard will be contributing articles to Dive magazine on a range of topics elating to Occupational Diving, and will also answer questions where possible. The articles are in his own words and do not represent official statements from WorkSafe New Zealand. Please direct all questions and comments to the editors at divenz@divenewzealand.co.nz.
www.divenewzealand.com 31
Anticipating future fish By Daryl Sykes, Chief Operating Officer, NZ Rock Lobster Industry Council
Among other objectives, The NZ Rock Lobster Industry Council Ltd is a principal contractor to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for the provision of rock lobster fisheries stock monitoring and stock assessment research services The best fisheries management decisions invariably turn out to be those made on the basis of good science and research. New Zealand rock lobster fisheries have a strong foundation of both. The red rock lobster Jasus edwardsii supports the most valuable inshore fishery in New Zealand, with current total TACCs of 2,686 tonne. Rock lobsters also support recreational fisheries and are extremely important for traditional and customary users. Monitoring of rock lobster stocks is based principally on catches and catch rates in the commercial fisheries. Sampling at sea, and using logbooks completed by commercial fishermen and/or observers, is also used to determine the size and sex distribution of lobsters, their maturity and general condition. Tagging programmes are routinely completed in the major stocks to determine recent growth rates of the lobsters.
Predicting future stocks Since a reliable predictor of the future stock abundance of the fishery would aid management planning, a puerulus (juvenile lobster) settlement programme established in 1974 has been extended over the years. From 2007 the long-term key sites being monitored have been at Gisborne, Napier, Castlepoint, Kaikoura and Moeraki. Collectors are checked monthly, at least during the main settlement season, and this is used to determine an annual index of settlement. This puerulus settlement index dataset is a valuable resource of long-term fishery- independent information. Ideally, the puerulus
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settlement programme would provide a predictive index of recruitment, and allow for more accurate stock projections to be made for each stock. The collection of the settlement data is rigorous, and settlement trends are showing consistency, with the puerulus settlement index being used in the base case stock assessment models.
Consistent data The settlement data show internal consistency along the east coast North Island (ECNI) and in southern areas, suggesting they are measuring real changes in settlement indices, and that the relationship between settlement and subsequent recruitment to the stocks is significant in some QMAs. In Western Australia the benefits of being able to predict recruitment trends in a rock lobster fishery have been well demonstrated. There, more than 30 years of settlement data allow improved financial planning and investment by fishers and processors, and proactive rather than just reactive fisheries management. The main value of the puerulus data for stock assessment and fishery management in New Zealand lies in the relationship between any trends
in settlement levels and trends in stock abundance, rather than for definitive measures of annual recruitment. This is because there are many years (about 5-8 for males and 6-11 for females) between settlement and recruitment to the fishery, and this is likely to lead to blurring of annual signals.
Sampling collectors The settlement assessment programme uses sampling devices called collectors placed at locations around New Zealand. The collectors are sampled monthly and the number of puerulus in the collector recorded. As yet there has not been a standard set of locations, or sites within locations, and due to the weather and logistical constraint, the collectors cannot always be sampled each month. Fishery-independent, diver-based puerulus settlement monitoring has been conducted in sheltered inshore, shallow sites on the coast and utilized in the development of a predictive capacity for the lobster ďŹ sheries. However, the majority of catches in the rock lobster ďŹ shery are deep (>10 m), and in remote and highly exposed areas where it is impractical and expensive to conduct ďŹ shery-independent routine settlement monitoring.
Deeper water To determine if puerulus settle in deeper waters, Tasmanian researchers adapted a crevice puerulus collector to fit within a lobster trap frame specifically designed to be deployed and serviced by commercial vessels typical of the lobster fleet. A 5 month trial, which included recording puerulus from waters more than 100 m depth, yielded puerulus catches similar to those from inshore shallow sites.
CRA 2 The Tasmanian collectors have been picked up for use in the Bay of Plenty by the CRA 2 Rock Lobster Management Company (CRAMAC 2). In a new industry-funded initiative, CRAMAC 2 has deployed deep-water collectors at sites from Tairua north to Coromandel. The collectors are serviced monthly and proving to be capable of catching and holding juvenile lobsters. Settlement numbers have been relatively high in comparison to the conventional shore-based collectors in Gisborne and the Wairarapa. Previous efforts to establish conventional collector arrays in the Bay of Plenty were thwarted by storms which smashed the crevice collectors deployed at Bowentown. A more recent initiative by CRAMAC 2 was beaten back by the bureaucracy of the RMA when conventional collectors were deemed to be ‘structures’ in the coastal marine area necessitating a resource consent. CRAMAC 2 fishermen are expanding both sites and the numbers of collectors being deployed with the intention of compiling a long time data series which it is hoped will confirm ‘pulses’ of recruitment to the fishery and guide management decisions based on anticipated recruitment strengths. The CRAMAC 2 puerulus collector programme is also underpinned by a comprehensive electronic monitoring programme implemented in 1997. This includes an extensive tag, release and recapture process for gathering growth and movement data, and the ERNIE system (another CRA 2 industry-funded initiative) which has created a database of more than two million individual records of size, sex and maturity observations from rock lobster catches.
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www.divenewzealand.com 33
America’s Battle of the Atlantic New mapping technology and a small manned submersible allow a team of scientists to 3D map a moment in history
USCG cutter dropping depth charges
by Joseph Frey
On July 15, 1942, Kapitänleutnant Hans-Dieter Heinicke, commander of German submarine U-576, would make a decision that would seal his fate and that of his 44 crew members and four Allied sailors off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. In the process he would leave an amazing underwater archaeological record of a Second World War convoy battlefield.
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n August 2016, racing against tropical storms and hurricanes, marine archaeologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) were amongst the first to lay eyes on U-576 and its target, the merchant ship, Bluefields, since they were sunk during that July naval battle 74 years ago. I was invited to participate on this expedition by Dr. James Delgado, NOAA’s Director of Maritime Heritage and I was extremely excited to be diving on U-576 in one of the expedition’s two Triton 1000-2 submersibles. We’re 56 km to the east of Cape Hatteras in just over 213m in the expedition’s support ship, the R/V Baseline Explorer.
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War casualties The story of the Battle of the Atlantic Expedition (named by Joe Hoyt, the Senior Maritime Archaeologist for NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary) really begins in 1941 when U-576, a Type VIIC Unterseeboot (U-boat) is launched under the command of LieutenantCommander Heinicke. Initially based in Kirkenes, Norway, U-576 conducts two war patrols without contacting merchant shipping. Relocated to Saint-Nazaire in France sees things change when, in January 1942, Heinicke and his crew are sent to attack shipping along the Canadian and US coasts. U-576 sinks its first freighter, the Empire Spring, off Sable Island, Nova Scotia then, returning to North America for its fourth patrol during April 1942, U-576 sinks two
more freighters, the Pipestone County and the Taborfell. It’s U-576’s fifth war patrol, during July 1942 along America’s east coast that marks the beginning of the end for Heinicke and his crew. After repairing engine problems and a damaged ballast tank 160 km out at sea, Heinicke then returns U-576 to the Outer Banks and actively hunts Convoy KS-520 with its 19 armed merchant ships and five US Navy and US Coast Guard escorts off Cape Hatteras. Why U-576 on its own would attack a well-defended convoy is open to speculation, but U-576 fires four torpedoes sinking the Bluefields and damaging two other freighters. Surfacing possibly inadvertently, U-576 finds itself in the middle of
the convoy where within minutes it is sunk by a combination of deck gunfire from the freighter Unicoi and depth charges dropped by two US Navy Kingfisher aircraft. Both Bluefields and U-576 sink to their watery graves in minutes, and within 224m of each other. “The U-576 and Bluefields sites are unique in their proximity to each other, representing a convoy battle,” says Joe Hoyt. “The Battle of the Atlantic project is motivated by recognition that these resources are unique and under-represented in popular history.”
The human element With this in mind, there is a move to place U-576, an official German war grave, and the Bluefields under the protection of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary through a process involving public consultations with the fishing and recreational diving communities and others. NOAA’s search for U-576 and the Bluefields began eight years ago and started to bear results during 2013 when a target suspected to be Bluefields was spotted using side scan sonar. Both Bluefields and the
Submersible pilot Robert Carmichael and NOAA archaeologist Joe Hoyt
surrounding area that contained U-576 were imaged in a follow-up survey using ship-based and AUV multi beam technology in 2014. Now, two years later, it was to be the first time in 74 years that human eyes would view these two casualties of the Second World War. We would use two two-person Triton submersibles to view U-576 and the Bluefields as well as to collect scientific data. While much of the data could be collected from alternative platforms such as AUVs and ROVs, submersibles give
archaeologists a true first hand understanding of the site. “A major element of our work is geared towards preservation, which requires public engagement,” Hoyt says. “Getting people to join in for the journey is critical to get them to care about the work.” Mounted on the Triton submersibles are ULS-500 spread beam laser scanners from Canadian company 2G Robotics that are combined with a positioning solution from Britain’s Sonardyne. The cameras
During the very first dive of the expedition, scientists located and explored the German U-576. This was the first time since the submarine was sunk on July 15, 1942, that anyone had laid eyes on the vessel.
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Hoffman getting ready to dive
are housed in depth-rated housings made by another Canadian firm, SubC Imaging. Sonardyne’s advanced acoustic-inertial navigation technology, combined with 2G Robotics’ ULS-500 laser profiling sensors allow highly time efficient 3D mapping to millimetre or centimetre levels of accuracy and resolution in any water depth. The technology is brand new, and the resulting mapping capability previously inconceivable. NOAA, in conjunction with 2G Robotics realized that laser-acoustic-inertial mobile mapping would be applicable to underwater archeology. This is believed to be the world’s first application of it from small manned submersibles. Dane Mikael Larsen is Sonardyne’s principal engineer for the firm’s acoustic inertial systems. A PhD, with 20 years’ experience in high accuracy underwater navigation, Larsen took part in one of the first dives to U-576 in order to optimise the operation of acoustic-inertial and laser systems for the mapping of the two wrecks. Diving on the U-576 was a completely overwhelming experience for Larsen when, out of the darkness, the U-boat appeared. Seeing the fine and perfectly preserved details of the U-boat first hand was somehow a lot more powerful than seeing it through the video cameras of an ROV. The U-boat appeared undamaged, apart from 74 years of marine growth. The personal high point of the dive for Larsen was towards the end when the pilot halted the submarine on the sandy sea-floor just next to the U-boat conning tower. “We switched off all lights and instrumentation and sat in total silence and darkness, apart from the weak blue ambient light penetrating 225 metres from the surface. As if by magic, the entire hull from bow to stern slowly stood out as our eyes adjusted to the darkness.” “The extreme tranquility of the environment was in eerie contrast to the purpose of the U-boat and the mental picture of the violent and
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…As if by magic, the entire hull from bow to stern slowly stood out as our eyes adjusted to the darkness…
Joe Hoyt, maritime archaeologist with the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, documents the damage to U-576
chaotic battle that took place at the surface years before, but it somehow appeared perfectly fitting and respectful considering the site is now the final resting place of so many US and German sailors who sacrificed their lives. Even the numerous groupers patrolling the U-576 and Bluefields appeared to show their respect by their slow and majestic movement.”
U-576 sonar image and schematic
Photogrammetric modelling It’s the morning of August 28 and William Hoffman, a BOEM maritime archaeologist, is getting ready for the day’s second submersible dive. I’m scheduled too, to dive that afternoon. The weather forecast is good. Hoffman has been a certified scuba diver since 1999 and currently serves as the Atlantic Regional Diving Officer for BOEM’s Scientific Diving Program. While I’ve had previous experience diving in the Royal Canadian Navy’s former SDL-1 submersible, this is Hoffman’s first submersible dive. It’s a great opportunity to experience firsthand the application of manned submersibles equipped with laser scanning payloads and other equipment for documenting archaeological sites. During Hoffman’s dive with submersible pilot Randy Holt, they investigate U-576 and take detailed and overlapping photographs to create later a photogrammetric model of the site. The photogrammetry complements the laser scanning conducted at the site and together they allow for 3D visualization and modeling of U-576 to an incredible level of accuracy and detail. They descend to the seafloor and slowly begin to transit to the site guided by distance and range calculations from R/V Baseline Explorer’s Surface Officer Shane Ziegler. On the descent, Hoffman was pre-occupied with making sure the camera and lighting systems are operational and configured properly, and it wasn’t until they reached the seafloor and Holt cut the power to the camera strobes and sub lights to
Multibeam sonar image of the Battlefield remains Bluefields
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U-576 Photo: Ed Caram, NOAA and SRI International
conserve power that Hoffman has a moment to take it all in. It’s quiet and strangely peaceful and he is amazed by the amount of ambient light still penetrating to the 225m depth they are sitting at. About 9.5 m away from U-576 they make out the shape of the hull looming out of the darkness. The seafloor is partially scoured around the site, and the bow and stern of the hull partially suspended above the
seafloor, appearing to float, ghostlike. “We did observe an area of damage to the outer hull fairing on the starboard side of the U-576 but it is not yet clear whether that damage occurred during the sinking or is post-depositional, “ Hoffman reports. “During photogrammetry we were also able to observe the keel and
U-576 conning tower anti-aircraft gun mount
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Conning tower of U-576
Photo courtesy: Robert Carmichael, Project Baseline
ballast tanks up close and we could see no obvious damage. “Overall, the hull appears to be exceptionally intact. The watertight hatch in the conning tower is visible and is clearly closed and sealed, and there are no visible clues to indicate that the crew made an attempt to escape. Now that the fieldwork is completed, the work of post-processing the data, completing the laser scanning model, and stitching together the photogrammetric model is taking place. There will be many hours spent poring over the data to see what else can be learned.” Excitement builds as I watch Hoffman’s submersible hauled out of the Atlantic Ocean and onto the stern of Baseline Explorer but before Hoffman can even set foot onto the ship’s deck we’re given instructions that all personnel not needed to sail the Baseline Explorer must depart on two smaller, faster vessels to Ocracoke Island - Tropical Depression Eight is rapidly forming to the south of us. Tropical Storm Hermine becomes Hurricane Hermine and moves north to the Outer Banks.
U-576 in rough seas
Stern cabin of Bluefields
Photo: John McCord, UNC Coastal Studies Institute, NOAA
As it turns out, August 28 marks the last day of the expedition at sea. Fortunately, the quality of data returned from the survey site by 2G Robotics spread beam laser triangulation system exceeds expectations; combined with the optimized navigation data from Sonardyne they will generate 3D maps to add to the process to have U-576 and Bluefields included in the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary as a memorial to the American Theatre of the Second World War. (Reprinted courtesy of DIVER magazine Canada)
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NOAA archaeologist John Bright, pilot, Randy Holt, and swimmer Austin Adams return to Baseline Explorer
An experience without equal “The diving and snorkelling at Wakatobi is outstanding, that’s well known. But also important is the excellent customer service of every staff member. Wakatobi can teach customer service to any industry or organization. You feel at home the first day, and it just gets better every day after that.” ~Steve and Cindy Moore
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Mallorcan diver survives 60 hours trapped in underwater cave Xisco Gracia was trapped in an underwater cave for 60 hours not knowing whether his diving partner, who he had sent to get help, had made it out from below the Spanish island of Mallorca. As a geology teacher, Gracia often spent weekends mapping the island's underwater cave routes. He is a skilled cave diver and had done everything right that day. Gracia, 54, and his diving partner, Guillem Mascaró, left the required guideline rope as they went, reported the BBC. But it became severed, leaving them lost, and with the air in their cylinders dwindling. "We can only guess some rocks had fallen on it," Gracia said. What saved them was their knowledge of an air pocket in the cave system where they were able to formulate a plan without using up all their remaining air. But there was only enough air left for one of them to leave. They decided Mascaró would go for help. Because of the search for the guide rope earlier, silt had been kicked up, making it hard to see. "It was like diving in a bowl of cacao," Mascaro later told Diaro de Mallorca. After Mascaro left, Gracia's challenge was to keep his sanity while breathing cave air which has much more carbon dioxide compared to surface air. Exposure to it can cause dizziness, headache, sweating, fatigue, numbness and tingling of extremities, memory loss, nausea, vomiting, depression, confusion, skin and eye burns and ringing in the ears. Gracia suspected he was breathing air saturated with up to five percent carbon dioxide compared to surface air which averages just .04 percent of the gas. He
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began experiencing some of these conditions as well as hallucinations.
Xisco Gràcia, with four tanks of air which last for an hour each. Photo / via Facebook Washington Post
He later told Diario de Mallorca he spent most of the time in complete darkness to save his flashlight’s batteries for when he went for fresh drinking water skimmed from the top of the cave pool's surface. According to International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery, more than 475 divers have died on cave expeditions worldwide since 1950. But help for Gracia eventually arrived. "I thought it was another hallucination," he told the BBC when he spotted a light underwater. Gracia was given more air and led out of the cave where he met Mascaro who had made it out. He spent a night in the hospital, and was given supplemental oxygen to help recover from breathing so much carbon dioxide.
Two divers missing at underwater section of the Great Wall Two scuba divers have gone missing while exploring a littleknown, underwater section of the Great Wall in Hebei province, reports Steven Schwankert* in a blogcast. The two divers, identified as Denovo Xu and Sun Hao, failed to surface from a dive on the morning of September 6th in the Panjiakou
Reservoir which is a three-hour drive northeast of Beijing. Xu and Sun were conducting exploratory dives on the Xifengkou section of the Wall, a more remote section than is usually visited by recreational divers. Although both divers were believed to be using closed circuit rebreathers (CCR), which would provide much greater air supplies than normal scuba tanks, it is unlikely the units could have lasted such a long time. The use of CCRs is considered technical diving, and requires special equipment and training, which Xu and Sun both had. The underwater section of the Great Wall was created in 1977, when the Panjiakou Reservoir was created to provide nearby Tangshan with an additional water supply. Several hundred metres of the wall were flooded. Recreational divers visit the shallower section of the wall regularly, which can vary in depth from just a few metres to as much as 40m. *Steven Schwankert is the founder of SinoScuba which regularly operates diving trips to the underwater Great Wall.
We offer PADI & TDI courses.
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Email dive@tulagidive.com Phone (+677) 25700
Solomon Islands
An underwater paradise for marine life Explore the many ships and aircraft wrecks at the famous Iron Bottom Sound.
D157
Naturally Niue By Annie Gray From the moment we slipped underwater I had to catch my breath - generally not an ideal scenario for scuba diving where the mantra is breathe continuously. But in this case the scene before me was literally breath taking. The South Pacific island of Niue brags about the amazing visibility there so I went with high expectations. But this was something else altogether. Every which way I turned was an endless sea of blue and for a moment I appeared to have it all to myself.
It would be very tempting to spend an entire dive just watching the busyness of the reef, taking time out to spy on the shy, but oh so pretty ribbon eels, the elusive, equally dazzling nudibranchs, and the master of disguise, the octopus. But I had another pursuit in mind.
In my immediate surroundings I took in the reef - not the biggest corals I’ve ever seen, but healthy and home to hundreds of tropical fish, mostly small, and darting in all directions, adding colour splashes to the big blue canvas of underwater Niue.
Photo: Buccaneer Adventure Niue Dive
As my eyes adjusted I noticed movement. Half a rugby field away I saw one of Niue’s endemic banded sea kraits weaving to the surface, wrapped in shafts of sunlight. Somewhat reassured that my first glimpse of this deadly reptile was at a distance I soon found sea kraits have a very placid, if slightly curious, demeanour, yet another feature setting Niue apart from other Pacific dive destinations.
A dive light is essential to find the creatures here hidden around the roof and walls of the caves. It would be easy to miss the stripy lionfish hanging in the shadows, the schools of sweepers patrolling the edges, the sleeping sea kraits snuggled up around rocks as you move further
Following one of the many gullies etched into the field of corals, I entered a world in stark contrast to the dazzling display of light outside. Niue is undercut by many caves and caverns which initially appear dark and foreboding, but once inside, offer all sorts of treasures.
The lionfish commands attention into the underbelly of the island, away from all natural light. This is the domain of the painted crayfish, tantalizingly large and very secure in the knowledge that they’re off limits on SCUBA on Niue. There is nothing timid about these beasts; they scurry around the walls defending their cave kingdom from unwelcome invaders.
Photo: Buccaneer Adventure Niue Dive
While delving into the darkness is rewarding, so too is the return towards daylight, taking the opportunity to capture one of those impressive silhouette shots: suspended between two worlds. Diving on Niue is like no other destination. It’s for people who like to get lost in the moment, who appreciate the simpler things in life, seeking adventure and beauty in a natural world that is sometimes, just ever so breathtaking.
Visibility makes underwater caving magical
www.divenewzealand.com 41
Living fast, dying young
A large male demonstrates the much broader tentacles that cuttlefish have compared to other cephalopods
42 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Article and images by Dave Abbott www.liquidactionfilms.com
F
ifteen years ago I threw my camera and dive gear in a bag and jumped on a plane to South Australia to film one of the most amazing marine life spectacles in the world: the spawning aggregation of the Giant Cuttlefish. I was captivated, so much so I vowed to get back one day and film it again. This year I finally made it, teaming up with a couple of South Australian cave diving friends and traveling from Adelaide to the Spencer Gulf to see these amazing creatures. Not surprisingly given their name, Giant Cuttlefish, (Sepia apama) are
the largest cuttlefish species in the world, growing to nearly a metre long and from 5-15kg in weight. In common with most cephalopods they have short lifespans, reaching maturity in only two years. Large adults are able to spawn in their second year, and they die after a single mating cycle. The large males are striking animals with beautiful colours and markings, especially when displaying to each other. But despite their huge size, Giant Cuttlefish can jet away at lightning speed when threatened, and they move with incredible fluidity, hovering around like weird organic spaceships.
The Big Event Once a year tens of thousands of normally solitary Giant Cuttlefish congregate on the shallow reefs of the upper Gulf. This mass ‘meeting of tentacles’ every winter between May and August was only discovered by divers in the late 1990s; its the world's only known mass cuttlefish spawning aggregation. The stretch of sheltered coastline within the Gulf where the epic gathering takes place is unique with its endless, large flat rock platforms in shallow water, perfect for the females to tuck their eggs under.
A coloured-up male cuttlefish gets right up to my camera, wanting me out of his way
www.divenewzealand.com 43
A dominant male showing off the beautiful patterns and coloration cuttlefish exhibit when displaying to competing males
The area also has a slightly higher salinity than the open ocean which makes it ideal for cuttlefish embryo development.
pulsating waves of colour across their mantles and spreading their tentacles out to make themselves appear even larger than they are.
Outside the breeding season the male to female ratio of Giant Cuttlefish is 1:1 but during the aggregation male cuttlefish outnumber females by between 4 and 10:1; the females get to be pretty choosy while the males have a lot of showing-off to do to score a mate.
The courtship displays can turn into full-on wrestling matches as dominant males battle for supremacy, but while these duels are going on, smaller ‘sneaker males’ slip under the radar, then mimic the females less flamboyant colouration. The ploy often results in a successful ‘quickie’ as the bigger, technicolour males fight it out. It was this drama amongst the rocks and weed I had come to see and film as part of a larger documentary project.
Courtship involves a lot of competition between the males as they try to impress a female while at the same time driving away other males. They do this by displaying rapidly
44 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
The 2017 Cuttlefish Season After meeting up with my dive buddies Steve Trewavas and Grant Pearce at Adelaide airport we took a five hour drive to Whyalla in the Spencer Gulf. The landscape along this stretch of the Gulf is flat and fairly monotonous; red sand, rock, and scrub interrupted only by the occasional refinery or smelter, and with little wildlife to see. Fortunately it was to be a very different story beneath the surface! Our first morning in Whyalla dawned clear and sunny and we headed down to a bouldery beach replete with wallabies, geared up,
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A successful dominant male guarding his female
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and waded into the calm water. Right away below the surface I was met by a surreal sight; at least a dozen giant colourful cuttlefish vying with each other for attention, an unbelievable display of pulsating colours and patterns, tentacles swirling, big bodies tilting and gliding around each other like surreal hovercraft. Just for the contrast I stuck my head up through the surface again to look at the flat land surface stretching, washed out, to the blue sky horizon, allowing no hint of the colour and drama taking place below. The experience summed up the essence of diving …immersion in another world invisible to the one above. Beneath the surface groups of cuttlefish were everywhere. Large males were trying to outdo each other with bright pulsing displays, small ‘sneaker males’ hanging around
looking for an opportunity to nab a mate, and drab females hiding under ledges, looking nervous and harassed. Two hours vanished. Finally the 12degree C water and a full bladder convinced me to stop for lunch and a break before my drysuit became a wetsuit. Similar long dives followed. The hardest part was not the cool water, rather staying focused with so much going on in every direction. Experiencing the Giant Cuttlefish spawning aggregation again after 15 years was every bit as special as I had remembered, and it was especially heartening to see such big numbers present after fears in 2012 that the Gulf’s cuttlefish population had crashed irrevocably. The recent history of the Spencer Gulf cuttlefish has been pretty
turbulent. Prior to the mid-1990s cuttlefish here were harvested for snapper bait with annual catches around 4 tonnes, equivalent to about 4,000 cuttlefish. But in 1997 this escalated to 245 tonnes, or a quarter of a million cuttlefish harvested, and it led to half the grounds being closed to commercial fishing in the following year. When I was here last time in 2002, the cuttlefish numbers appeared fairly high, but in 2012 the number returning to the spawning ground had plummeted to only 6,000. Locals became pessimistic that the population would ever recover. Fortunately, in the years 2014 and 2016 spawning numbers increased, and this year was one of the best seasons ever. Hopefully South Australia’s Giant Cuttlefish will always be around for divers to enjoy.
A large male really pulling out all the stops to drive off another big male, with tentacles spread and colours pulsing
46 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
So Solomons, So Adventurous! Explore the hidden paradise of the South Pacific archipelago, comprising of a vast group of 922 breathtaking tropical islands. Diving in the Solomon Islands has gained an enviable worldwide reputation that is unsurpassed.
Experience the abundance of World War II history, via the Solomons numerous wreck dives. Get up close to the extraordinary array of differing reef structures and bio-assemblage.
If you are not a diver, but interested in learning, there could be no better place to discover this completely new world, than the warm crystal clear waters around the Solomon Islands.Throughout these magic islands is an endless variety of dive sites to suit all tastes and levels of experience.
With worldclass dive sites in Honiara, The Floridas, Iron Bottom Sound, Gizo, Munda, Western Marovo and Eastern Marovo the Solomon Islands are sure to provide a dive experience like no other.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau Head Office PO Box 321, Mendana Avenue, Honiara, Solomon Islands call (677) 22442 or email info@sivb.com.sb
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Diving inside & beneath the Hole in the Rock Spectacular diving in the caves and arches of Cape Brett By Craig & Lisa Johnston of Paihia Dive Concluding our three part series on the diving near the Hole in the Rock in the Bay of Islands
C
athedral Cave is on the inside of the Hole in the Rock, to the left of the entrance to the hole, and is a large sea cave. You need to have more diving experience for this dive due to the nature of the currents in the area. But at the right time of year it’s hard to beat. Rays school here to breed and at times you won’t be able to see the cave floor for both large short tailed and long tailed stingrays. The floor at the entrance of Cathedral Cave is around 28m with the cave shallowing up to around 10-12m at the back. The side walls as you exit the cave are very interesting, encrusted with life with some lovely nudibranches, and eels.
amount of boat traffic. It’s at an average depth of 10m and traverses lots of boulders which hide lots of eels, scorpion fish and octopus.
to your right or left and either be picked up at the dog island, or if you went the other way, get picked up at the entrance to Cathedral Cave.
The Hole in the Rock is also the most common place where we see Lord Howe coral fish, typically hanging out in pairs, but they are skittish and hard to take pictures of, though worth the effort.
A DSMB (Delayed Surface Marker Buoy) and a good boatman are essential for drift diving here. And only dive this site in calm conditions as the currents through and around the Hole in the Rock can be extreme.
The Hole is typically dived as a drift and as you exit you can slide around
For more info contact Paihia Dive at www.divenz.com
A great plan for this dive is to follow the right hand wall into the cave, taking your time. When you get to the back area where all the boulders are, turn and enjoy the view. Stingrays will be silhouetted against the blue backdrop. It’s stunning! Diving inside the Hole in the Rock itself must be treated as an overhead environment due to the
DIVENZ.COM Discover the underwater wonders of the Bay of Islands with Paihia Dive. Daily dive trips to the wrecks of the Rainbow Warrior, and HMNZS Canterbury. Explore the amazing caves, arches and reefs of Cape Brett, and visit the Hole in the Rock. Paihia Dive is the Bay of Islands longest running dive charter operaters. Conveniently located in the heart of Paihia. We have a highly professional, experienced and friendly crew, which can look after all your diving needs. From Discovery Scuba right through to Assistant Instructor. Paihia Dive is the only full service dive and fishing shop in Paihia, if you need advice come see us.
PAIHIA DIVE: Williams Rd, Paihia, Bay of Islands, Northland Ph: 09 402 7551 • Freephone: 0800 107 551 • info@divenz.com 48 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
New qualification, same world-class experience
T
oi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s world-famous Marine Studies course has had a makeover. There’s a new name, but the promise stands for the same high quality experience and expert teaching standards.
over two years, and they can now complete the course as a diver or non-diver. If they choose graduates can then go on to study for the third year of Waikato University’s Bachelor of Science in Tauranga and finish up with a degree.
Monitoring option. And employers love our graduates for their practical skills and theoretical knowledge.
The Diploma in Environmental Management (Level 5 & 6) – Marine, gives students the same great mix of practical and academic content
Students have field trips honing their surveying skills in places such as the Mercury Islands or even PNG if they choose the Coral Reef Ecology and
Visit toiohomai.ac.nz for more information and play a part in protecting our future.
If you have a passion for the outdoors, we also have a terrestrial strand on offer.
www.divenewzealand.com 49
grew up along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France and began scuba diving in 1945, when I was seven years old. For 50 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
over half a century, my father, Jacques Cousteau, his team and I produced many underwater documentary films, presenting the beauty and wonder of the
ocean to the public. During this same window of time, I have also witnessed the destruction of our water planet, caused by the careless actions of one species,
Climate Change
charts future of our oceans
Photo: Ira Meyer
By Jean-Michel Cousteau, President Ocean Futures Society
We have seen our planet from space, had access to the deepest canyons of the ocean, deciphered the infinitesimal DNA structure of life, and discovered unimaginable species - but we’ve also seen our own destructive influence on the planet’s complex network of life. us. We now have the scientific knowledge telling us that we are facing the greatest challenge of human history: the acceleration of climate change.
Years ago when I first began learning about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, and the potential of climate change I was amazed
at how finely tuned and interconnected were so many of the earth’s systems. To think that a change in the amount of a gas, CO2, at concentrations of a few www.divenewzealand.com 51
hundred parts per million could affect an entire planet was hard to believe. I knew that our own, very complex bodies, are very sensitive to trace amounts of mercury, lead and pesticides but I had never put that in the context of the entire planet. We now know that all living systems are incredibly complex and sensitive whether at the level of an individual organism or at the level of the planet. Humans can create poetry and music, ponder their place in the universe and the meaning of truth, design computers and space stations, and be the most compassionate and generous species on earth; but we can also be selfish destroyers. We may be the only species capable of truly appreciating the beautiful complexities of our little blue jewel in space yet we may be the only species capable of destroying that beauty.
…We now have the scientific knowledge telling us that we are facing the greatest challenge of human history: the acceleration of climate change… Sadly what I learned initially as scientific theory has become scientific fact. Our burning of fossil fuels can increase CO2 in the atmosphere, continuing to cause our planet’s climate to change at an accelerated rate. Since the beginning of the industrial age, the oceans have been absorbing more than one third (almost 130 billion tons) of human CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Increased CO2 has wreaked havoc on our oceans in a way that has not been seen for tens of millions of years. Through the greenhouse effect the oceans are warming and this is having a profound effect on ocean processes and ocean life. Most dramatic is the bleaching of corals due to the stress of warmer water on their biology. When water temperatures rise above their comfort level and last for more than a couple of weeks
52 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
the corals can die and when they die the entire reef ecosystem is stressed. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the most recent and dramatic example of this tragic process. There is no controversy about how CO2 affects ocean warming and coral reef health.
…There is no controversy about how CO2 affects ocean warming and coral reef health… Because everything on our planet is connected, a warmer ocean means stronger storms that cause greater devastation on coastal communities and regional economies. A warmer ocean means sea level rise from thermal expansion and from the melting of glaciers ranging from the Antarctic to Greenland. Likewise there is no question that increasing CO2 causes ocean acidification – a lowering of ocean pH. That is basic chemistry. CO2 in water turns into carbonic acid. Ocean acidification can greatly decrease the ability of many marine organisms to build their shells and skeletal structures. This includes corals and the reef ecosystems they create, the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. Having dived on coral reefs since the early 1940s, the change on coral reefs I have witnessed is profound, tragically profound.
…Likewise there is no question that increasing CO2 causes ocean acidification. CO2 in water turns into carbonic acid. Ocean acidification can greatly decrease the ability of many marine organisms to build their shells and skeletal structures… As we lose our precious corals, we set off a deadly chain reaction causing the loss of all the other organisms that inhabit and depend on the reef systems. This makes the reefs less diverse, less resilient and far less productive. This is not a projection. It is happening now and the conse-
quences will affect the lives of the hundreds of millions of humans who rely on them for food, protection and livelihoods. And when the loss of coral reefs is coupled with sea level rise, this will lead to the mass displacement of coastal populations. These environmental refugees will in turn affect the regions where they resettle. The loss of reef productivity will contribute to world hunger as a result of depleted fisheries and other forms of food production, not to mention the decreased availability of fresh water in many parts of the world.
…If we do not change our CO2 emissions trajectory, by 2050 the level of ocean acidity could increase to the point where coral reefs not only stop growing and restoring themselves but actually start dissolving… Over the past five years, I have attended Oceania 22-Pacific Summit on Sustainable Development. Island nations in the South Pacific and other low-lying nations face increasing threats from climate change. The impacts these nations are wrestling with include sea level rise, ocean acidification, increasing storms and cyclones, and contamination of food and water securities. I have joined these nations to help promote The Voice of the Pacific and focus the world’s attention on the urgent need to lower greenhouse gas emissions and transition our global economy to clean and renewable energy, including the sun, winds, tides, currents, and more. This is just one of many global conferences I have attended over the years. The consistent theme in all these gatherings is that the warming of the oceans and ocean acidification are critical warning signs of just how perilously close we are to destabilizing the entire earth's vital systems. And yet this ecological drama is not receiving serious attention by our current administrations. What we do as individ-
uals and as nations right now in terms of how we take action to reduce carbon emissions will affect the oceans and planet for thousands of years to come. If we do not change our CO2 emissions trajectory, by 2050 the level of ocean acidity could increase to the point where coral reefs not only stop growing and restoring themselves but actually start dissolving. In the high latitudes of the Arctic where I first explored with my father and his team in the mid-1970s, I have since seen major changes to the summer ice cover and the impacts it has on native communities and arctic wildlife. The Arctic is the area of the world that is changing fastest. My team and I spent the summer of 2004 filming gray whales bottom feeding in the Chukchi Sea. Some scientists are worried that the warming Arctic seas may diminish the gray whale’s primary food source. We learned from scientists how important it is to compare where gray whales are and how they behave over time as this will provide insight into how the ecosystem is changing. In 2007 we were back in the Arctic, this time working and filming scientists in Alaska and Canada, documenting their important research on Beluga whales in hopes of better understanding the impacts of climate change on their migration and distribution
for my PBS special Sea Ghosts. Many scientists agree, Arctic marine mammals are important sentinels of ecosystem changes to come, but the question remains if these populations of marine mammals can adapt fast enough to survive. From satellite images from NASA, we know the ice is at its all time low.
…We are the only species that has the privilege to decide to not disappear. Let’s create the clean energy future we must have for our own survival… Now scientists estimate that the North Pole will be ice-free around 2052, nine years earlier than previous simulations suggested. What will this mean for belugas, gray whales, polar bears and other arctic animals whose lives depend on the ice and the algae that forms on the underneath side of the ice? This is why it is so urgent for you, our national leaders in both industries and government, including every one of us, to take bold steps to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and to set reduction targets based on the latest science on ocean warming and acidification. By protecting the oceans, we protect ourselves.
beauty of which we are a part - a water planet alive with millions of beautiful species, each making their unique contribution to the health of the planet. All species participate in a dynamic drama of life, death, rejuvenation and evolution. We can appreciate this beauty and we can destroy it. This is why my team and I are doing everything we can to get public attention and political action on the climate change issue and the impacts that climate change has on the oceans. In fact, every other breath of air we take is coming from the ocean. We do not want our beautiful water planet to be destroyed. The lives of all of us are undeniably linked. Our futures are critically connected. We are the only species that has the privilege to decide to not disappear. Let’s create the clean energy future we must have for our own survival and the survival of our home, planet earth. The time for action is now. “Protect the Ocean and You Protect Yourself”
Every time I take a dive in the ocean I am reminded of the
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GEARBAG Dive computer logs as you go The unbeatable combination of the COSMIQ+ dive computer and the unique Deepblu app promises to change your diving experience completely. They offer the opportunity to replace pens and paper by seamlessly logging your dives as you go. You can mark depths, share photos and video, and have your logs and certifications verified by dive professionals within the app. www.deepblu.com or download the free “Deepblu” App in the GooglePlay/ Apple Store.
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Garmin introduces satellite communication for any expedition…
…and a budget friendly powerful two way handheld radio
Garmin New Zealand has announced their inReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+ now have Pole to Pole global Iridium® satellite coverage for two-way messaging and SOS alerting anywhere in the world. Using the worldwide coverage of the Iridium satellite network, the inReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+ can send and receive text messages with any mobile phone number, email address or another inReach device. Both the inReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+ have built-in high-sensitivity GPS that provides basic navigation, location and tracking data, so users can follow routes, drop waypoints and find their way back using an electronic bread crumb trail. On a single charge, the inReach SE+ and Explorer+ can get up to 100 hours of battery life in tracking mode and up to 30 days in power saving mode. To access the Iridium network and communicate with an inReach SE+ or Explorer+, an active satellite subscription is required. Annual plans range from NZ$20 to NZ$129 per month (plus activation fee), and month-month plans from NZ$25 to NZ$165 per month. The inReach SE+ has a recommended retail price of NZ $699, and the inReach Explorer+ a RRP of NZ$769.
Garmin has also released the Rino 700, an affordably priced two-way radio and GPS navigation handheld. The Rino 700 lets you stay-intouch with your group anywhere, anytime, a budget-friendly option for a family or group of friends who want an easy-to-use device for basic communication and navigation. It has a range of up to 32 kilometres (line of sight) and features a positioning reporting capability that lets users send their exact location to another Rino user on the same channel and view it on the map display. It also supports unit-to-unit text messages with other users in the area. The Rino 700 handheld navigator has a RRP of NZ$579
54 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
http://www.garmin.co.nz
GEARBAG SCUBAJET lifts bar for jet assist The SCUBAJET is the smallest and most versatile and lightweight alternative to existing diver propulsion vehicles. It weighs just 3.3 kgs including the dive adapter, generates 20 kgs of thrust and allows you to scooter for up to two hours at 12 to 16 kph. It comes with a wireless remote for SUP, kayak, paddle mount or wrist mount, and a hand trigger control for scuba diving with three speed choices. SCUBAJET is constructed for a max pressure of 6 bar/87psi and to a depth of 45m / 147 ft. It can be controlled directly on the device during diving, snorkelling and swimming trips. There's nothing else like this on the market. The eco-friendly jet engine is based on an emission free motor, like an e-bike for the water. It turns almost every water sports gadget into high performance gear. Lights can be added. The battery lasts up to 4 hours. The SCUBAJET 200 retails for under A$2,000; the SCUBAJET 400 under A$2,500. For more contact Greg Shipton 61 418408200
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www.divenewzealand.com 55
GEARBAG Surface air supply units have benefits PowerDive units claim to be the number one choice worldwide for surface supply diving systems. Forget the limitations of snorkeling, or carrying cumbersome scuba diving gear. With a PowerDive system even the most inexperienced divers can be exploring the ocean in minutes! Powerdive.com specializes in manufacturing three types of 12 volt system and a compact, petrol direct-driven compressor which are light, simple and maintenance free. The Deck Snorkel, Double Deck Snorkel and Power Snorkel models are the market leaders in 12 volt diving for family fun or commercial applications with the petrol Super Snorkel best for the serious commercial diver. Whether you need to clean the hull of your boat, free a rope from a propeller or just explore underwater, PowerDive systems fulfill all requirements. www.powerdive.com
Light up your GoPro video and pictures Twin i-Divesite Pro 6+ video lights are an ideal combination with Ikelite’s GoPro tray with dual handles including quick release arm buttons. Each light has: • Depth rating 100m. • 4 levels white • 2 levels red • 1 UV • Plus SOS Twin light package: $1450.00 Single light package: $810.00 Various lighting packages are available on request.
Fantasea UMG-02 LCD Magnifier This easily fitted magnifier provides you with a clear, bright and sharp enlarged view of the camera LCD screen. Making it easier to focus and compose sharper, more impressive images. • Magnification 2.3X (underwater) • Adjustable dioptre to suit your own sight requirements • Hard anodised aluminium bezel, rubber LCD hood • Lens construction: 2 groups and 3 elements • Depth rated 100m. Price: $349.50
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56 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
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SPECIESFOCUS
Golden Snapper ~Centroberyx affinis
By Paul Caiger
The golden snapper is not actually a snapper (well, neither is our more eminent snapper Chrysophrys auratus), but rather a relative of the deeper water alfonsinos (Order: Beryciformes), which includes the orange roughy and squirrelfishes. More specifically the golden snapper is one of seven species in the genus Centroberyx, a primitive group of fishes where fossils of the genus have been dated from the Cretaceous period. Centroberyx affinis has a relatively wide geographical range in the southwestern pacific region and is found throughout most of New Zealand albeit much more commonly north of East Cape and Cape Egmont. In addition it lives on the east coast of Australia right down to Tasmania, and also they have been found more recently as far north as New Caledonia. Golden snapper are bright orange-red, though when lit up by artificial light they can show flashes of silver. The reddish colour makes them more invisible at depth which explains why many deeper sea inhabitants are also this colour. Being longer wavelengths, reds and oranges are the first colour on the light spectrum to be absorbed by the water which leaves red objects, at even moderate depths, a dark colourless black.
Other characteristics include a stout, laterally compressed body covered in rough scales with the patterns on these scales forming thin stripes that run the length of the fish. The head is large and spiny, and with large eyes and mouth, indicating its nocturnal, predatory nature. Large nostrils also indicate a strong olfactory capacity. A particularly large, red and strongly forked tail is quite distinctive compared to other, surrounding fishes in the low light. Golden snapper are typically found in deeper reefs ranging far down into the mesopelagic to depths of
over 400 metres. During the day they form schools near the bottom, seeking refuge near structures or, in deeper depths in the open they form larger schools. At night they spread out to forage on a wide variety of prey, including mobile invertebrates and smaller fishes. They can however also be seen in shallower depths where light is limited, for instance in archways and caves where some individuals are known to have set up residence for years on end. Juveniles are known to inhabit much shallower waters, including estuaries and bays, moving deeper as they grow larger.
Golden Snapper
~Centroberyx affinis
1 Otherwise known as red snapper, redfish, koarea, 5 Large individuals can reach 50cm and over 2 kg. and eastern nannygai (in Australia). 6 Known to live for over 40 years. 2 The gold/red colour makes them less visible 7 Nocturnal. at depth. 8 Members of this genus have been found as fossils 3 Related to the orange roughy. 4
from the time of dinosaurs.
ften seen at diving depths in caves and O overhangs.
www.divenewzealand.com 57
DIVEMEDICINE
Deep Decompression Stops Update: Where Are We Now? Professor Simon Mitchell, University of Auckland Most technical divers will be familiar with the story. In the late 90’s/early 2000s divers undertaking decompression dives started using decompression algorithms that prescribed deeper decompression stops. There are substantial misunderstandings about this issue in the diving community, and it is a subject worthy of clarification in the pages of Dive Magazine.
T
he compelling logic for this practice was that stopping deeper gave more time for outgassing in the tissues that had absorbed inert gas quickly, and reduced the degree to which the pressure of dissolved gas in those tissues exceeded ambient pressure during the early part of the ascent. That difference between tissue pressure and ambient pressure is known as ‘supersaturation’, and since it is supersaturation that drives bubble formation, the imposition of deep stops was thought to be a way of preventing bubbling. Decompression models emphasizing deep stops (for example, the so-called ‘bubble models’) became very popular. Indeed virtually everyone started using decompression approaches that favoured deep stops. The remarkable thing about the way decompression practice evolved to embrace deep stops was that it was all based on theoretical attraction. There were never any data actually demonstrating that deep stops were a better approach than getting shallower more quickly. Now, with the emergence of a number of relevant studies we are having to rethink the whole idea. None of the studies are perfect, but they are all suggesting that the approaches we developed for decompression in the early 2000s may have over-emphasized deep stops. 1. The US Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) study. [1] The NEDU scientists performed two
58 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
air dive profiles of identical depth, bottom time, and overall length. One dive decompressed according to a US Navy bubble model (which imposed deeper stops) and the other according to a US Navy gas content model (which imposed shallower stops). There were around 200 dives on each profile with a significantly higher incidence of clinical decompression sickness (DCS) on the bubble model profile. This unexpected result was thought to be explained by a factor largely forgotten in the rush to embrace deep stops: that while we spend time protecting some faster tissues from supersaturation early in the ascent by stopping deeper, slower tissues will still be absorbing inert gas and will become more supersaturated later in the ascent. The NEDU study suggested that supersaturation in the slower tissues might be more important in causation of DCS than we thought. The study was the second to challenge the dogma that deep stops are better but there was a lot of scepticism about the applicability of a study using air diving in relation to technical diving with mixed gases and use of oxygen decompression. Some scepticism was justified, but as further evidence has accumulated it is looking increasingly likely that the NEDU findings are relevant to technical diving. 2. A more recent study by Spisni and colleagues study compared UTD ratio deco (RD) (a deep stop approach) and Buhlmann GF
30/80 (essentially an approach with less emphasis on deep stops) for 50m trimix dives. [2] This study is particularly interesting because it contained a design flaw in that the RD decompression was longer than the GF one. If we want to evaluate the efficacy of emphasising deep or shallower stops then at the very least the dives must be the same length (because, all other factors being equal, a longer decompression should always be safer). Put simply, the experimental design imposed a significant in-built advantage for the RD (deeper stops) approach. Despite this, there was a trend toward less instances of high bubble grade in the divers using the GF deco, and inflammatory markers were more elevated in the divers using RD. This study therefore suggested that the UTD RD approach was inferior to another commonly used approach with shallower stops. 3. A study by a French group published in 2005 compared bubble counts after decompression dives controlled by a deep stop model versus a more traditional model prescribing shallower stops. [3] They showed more venous bubbles after the deep stop decompression. This was actually the first study to question deep stop decompressions, but it came at the height of the obsession with deep stops and was largely ignored. 4. A Swedish Navy study that has
been presented at several diving medicine conferences but which is not yet published compared bubble counts after decompression dives using a Buhlmann decompression algorithm configured with moderate degrees of “deep stopping” (GF 30) to DCAP (a model which prescribed shallower stops) from decompression dives. Once again, there were higher bubble grades in the deeper stop dives. 5. A recent study by a Croatian group showed almost universally high venous bubble grades after decompression from trimix dives using a bubble model which prescribed deep stops. [4]
Wherever I’m diving... I take DAN with me
This was not a comparative study (that is, deep stops were not compared to an approach using shallower stops) and so it must be interpreted cautiously. But it did illustrate that deep stop decompressions do not reliably control bubble formation as advocates have claimed in the past. Although they all have weaknesses and none are definitive on their own, this evidence from multiple studies is all pointing in the same direction. Most notably there are no studies that support a perspective that deep stops approaches are better. In summary, the existing human evidence collectively constitutes an unmistakable signal that bubble models and other paradigms that promote deep stops have almost certainly over-emphasised them. That does not mean bubble models don’t work, or that we should not use them. The increase in risk from unnecessarily deep stops is probably small. Indeed, if you have been using a bubble model successfully, then maybe it is best if you stick with it. But if we seek the “truth in the universe” about optimal decompression, it is almost certain that bubble models over-emphasise deep stops. This is a space we should continue to watch as new evidence may emerge.
References: 1. Doolette DJ, Gerth WA, Gault KA. Redistribution of decompression stop time from shallow to deep stops increases incidence of decompression sickness in air decompression dives. Technical Report. Panama City (FL): Navy Experimental Diving Unit; 2011 Jul. Report No.: 11-06. 2. Spisni E, Marabotti C, De Fazio L, Valerii MC, Cavazza E, Brambilla S, Hoxha K, L'Abbate A, Longobardi P. A comparative evaluation of two decompression procedures for technical diving using inflammatory responses: compartmental versus ratio deco. Diving Hyperb Med. 2017;47:9-16. 3. Blatteau J-E, Hugon M, Gardette B, Sainty J-M, Galland F-M. Bubble incidence after staged decompression from 50 or 60 msw: effect of adding deep stops. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2005;76:490-2. 4. Ljubkovic M, Marinovic J, Obad A, Breskovic T, Gaustad SE, Dujic Z. High incidence of venous and arterial gas emboli at rest after trimix diving without protocol violations. J Appl Physiol. 2010;109:1670-4.
danap.org/take_dan.php www.divenewzealand.com 59
SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
Winning images show diversity By Dave Moran, Editor at Lage
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(tube) to his Ikelite strobes so that the strobe’s burst of light is very directional, achieving a winning result!
Also wonderful to see people experimenting with using different attachments to their photographic set-up to achieve interesting images. Alex Stammers has attached a snoot
As many of you know the competition’s history has shown that close-up photography is very popular because you are mainly photographing subjects that are not moving. So it’s great to see two wide
his current competition is a great example of the wide ranging photographic opportunities that are only limited by the photographer’s imagination!
angle entries winning placings. Congratulations Alex Stammers and Andy Wingate. Also Simone Matucci’s medium close up image of an often-photographed fish just shows that the three judges can still be impressed by a well-structured photograph. Thanks for taking the time to enter! Congratulations to this issue’s winners:
dvanced Category A Winner: Congratulations Alex Stammers, New Zealand. Alex was diving one of his favourite photographic locations, Goat Island Marine Reserve just north of Auckland, when he spotted this shy seahorse. Alex receives a Sea Tech Gift Voucher for $100.
Judges’ Comments: Great image! On first viewing your eyes go straight to the sea horse’s moody eyes. It’s one of those few images which work perfectly with central composition plus good illumination. The image could have been cropped just slightly more. A very compelling image. A great example of using a snoot attached to your strobe.
Seahorse Portrait; Leigh, New Zealand: Nikon D800, Nauticam housing, Nikon 105mm lens, one Ikelite DS125 strobe with a snoot attached – f/22, 1/250 sec, ISO 200.
60 60 Dive DiveNew NewZealand Zealand| |Dive DivePacific Pacific
Diver and Schooling Blue Maomao; Middle Arch, Poor Knights, New Zealand: Nikon D800, Nauticam housing, Sigma 15mm fisheye, two Ikelite DS125 strobe – f/11, 1/60 sec, ISO 500.
Advanced Highly Commended: Congratulations Alex Stammers, NZ. When diving Middle Arch at the Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand, Alex knows it will deliver some amazing photographic opportunities! A diver obliges by cruising past a school of blue maomao.
Alex receives a Sea Tech Gift Voucher for $75.
Judges’ Comments: This image has a perfect balance of ambient light and flash light. It’s all too easy to overexpose reflective fish
but you have got it spot on. Excellent composition, having the diver well placed and the blue water surface background puts this image well up in the wow-factor ratings. Well done!
Novice Highly Commended: Congratulations, Simone Matucci, New Zealand. The Poor Knights Island, New Zealand, continually present the underwater photographer amazing subjects to photograph. Simone had a dentist’s view of this scorpionfish! Simone receives a Sea Tech Gift Voucher for $50.
Judges’ Comments:
Scorpionfish ready for the dentist; Middle Arch, Poor Knights, New Zealand: Sony RX100 MkIV, Acquapazza housing, 2 x YS-01 Sea&Sea strobes, wide angle wet lens. – f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 80.
This is a great image! It could have been improved with slightly less flash exposure and avoiding central composition and a little cropping. These improvements can easily be achieved with a few minutes work in Lightroom. Good use of the ambient blue ‘spotlight’ of Snell’s Window.
www.divenewzealand.com 61
SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
The Guardian; Nine Mile Reef, New South Wales, Australia: Nikon D810, Sea&Sea housing, Tokina 10-17mm lens, 2 x YS-250Pro strobes – f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 160, lens at 17mm.
Novice Category Winner: Congratulations, Andy Wingate, Australia. Nine Mile Reef, off Tweed Heads, Queensland, Australia, has a reputation as being a ‘sharky’ spot. Grey nurse sharks tend to congregate during the winter months.
Andy receives a Sea Tech Gift Voucher for $75.
Judges’ Comments: It’s very difficult to create correct exposure on small fish which are very reflective. With a low power setting on your strobe you have created a dark negative background which adds an ominous mood.
Thanks to all those who entered this fun competition. The judges and the team at Dive New Zealand/Dive Pacific magazines look forward to receiving your photographic masterpieces in a few weeks’ time for the December/ January issue of the magazine. See: www.divenewzealand.com click on Photo Competition. It’s free to enter.
62 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
A selection of notable photos entered for this edition's competition
Sea Tech is the official New Zealand distributor of Ikelite, Fantasea, Recsea, Inon, Bigblue, Nauticam and other leading brands of underwater photographic equipment. Visit: www.seatech.co.nz or for personal service email: info@seatech.co.nz
(A) Mark Blomfield
(A) Gaetano D. Gargiulo
(A) Tony Burt
(A) Russell Chilton
(A) Dave Weeks
(A) Gaetano D. Gargiulo
www.divenewzealand.com 63
DIGITALIMAGING Hans Weichselbaum www.digital-image.co.nz
Adobe lightroom mobile: Editing and cataloguing your photos on the run
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he fast shrinking point-andshoot camera market alone will tell you that smartphone camera technology has all but replaced your trusted pocket camera from 10 years ago. The picture quality coming from the latest smartphones is stunning and may even rival your entry-level DSLR and mirrorless cams. Though progress in hardware technology has done a lot to improve picture quality, smartphones nevertheless rely heavily on the software processing of the image data. This ensures your shots get the right exposure, have brilliant colours and look snappy with the right amount of noise reduction and sharpening. Of course we all want to do more with our images before we share them and the built-in camera app will make it easy for you to snap and save. But phone cameras don’t offer much in the way of sprucing up those ordinary shots with filters and effects. While a simple trip to the Google Play Store will flood you with many dozens of editing apps, for this article I want to focus just on the
latest Adobe Lightroom Mobile 2017, as demonstrated on a Galaxy S7 mobile phone.
Default image editor
images. However, you need an Adobe subscription (A$13 per month) to synchronise your collections and edit across devices.
Lightroom (LR) deserves a special place because it has become the default image editor for a great number of photographers, professionals and amateurs. It hasn’t got all the bells and whistles of its older sibling, Adobe Photoshop, but it does have most of the tools we photographers will ever need. And it doubles up as a great database for your entire photo and video collection. It also turns out that LR Mobile gives you, not all, but most of the cataloguing and editing tools of the desktop version. Because the beauty of LR Mobile is that you can synchronise it with the LR on your desktop or laptop meaning you can work on your images and database, and edit them, right on your mobile phone. Secondly, you will always have your best shots on you, in their latest version, wherever you are.
Image 1 shows the start-up page on the smartphone and in Image 2 you can see the necessary settings on your desktop LR to get the two in sync.
After installing LR Mobile you need either to enter your existing Adobe ID or create a new one. The app is free to use and allows you to organise, edit and share your
Start with the Preferences to sort out your photo import options and you can even add a copyright note to your images. The Help function gives you all the necessary shortcuts,
Image 1 - LR Mobile
Image 2 - LR on your desktop which are all-important, because you’re working without mouse and keyboard.
Create a collection You can import your shots into LR or shoot directly from LR. The camera interface lets you choose between the two file formats (JPEG or RAW) and gives you controls for the flash and the switch between front and back camera. Below the preview image you’ll find controls for exposure, ISO, White Balance, manual focus, level horizon, grid overlay and a geotag option and there are also five non-destructive presets to choose from.
Image 3 - The White Balance options get the regular “As Shot”, “Auto” and “Custom”, plus an option labelled “Selector”. This corresponds to the White Balance tool and gives you something that looks like a loupe which you need to drag over an area that should correspond to a neutral grey tone.
Shortcuts There are heaps of useful shortcuts. For example, a 2-finger tap toggles image information and the histogram on and off. A 3-finger tap switches between before and after edit preview. A vertical swipe will control the star-rating of the current image.
Once you’ve taken a few shots, or you might import them from Adobe’s Creative Cloud, then create a Collection. Collections are simply a bunch of photos, like a photo album. Tap on the “+” in your opening screen and give your new Collection a name (or work with an existing Collection).
One of my favourites is to use two fingers when you adjust the sliders: it gives you a preview of what you are clipping using that particular adjustment. It corresponds to holding down the Alt (or Option) key during adjustment on the desktop version.
The next step is to fill up the newly created Collection with individual photos. Press the “Add Photos” button at the bottom of the screen then tap individual images to select them, or swipe across multiple images. Finally, tap the Import button and you’re done.
Image 4 shows you this feature for the Black adjustment. The image is still the blue butterfly from Image 3 and you can see which part of
the image and which particular channel is being clipped after your adjustment. Also note the histogram display. There are heaps of other editing tools and you’ll find the controls fairly intuitive, especially if you’re familiar with the desktop version. If your devices are synchronised, then that particular image you’ve been working on will be updated and ready to use once you open it on your desktop. It can hardly get any better! Once done with all your edits, tap the arrow in the top-left of your screen and you are ready to share your photos. Tap “Open in ...” to share on Instagram, or any app of your choice. Another option is to tap “Share ...” which takes you to Facebook, Twitter, SMS text, email and more. There are plenty of other photo editing apps around, and we’re going to look at some of them in future, but I wanted to start with Adobe Lightroom since it is the preference of many professional and serious amateur photographers.
Editing your shots After organising your shots you’ll want to edit them individually. Tap a photo to open it and you have all the controls at your finger tips: crop, exposure, contrast, colour and lens corrections, and much more. There are also around 50 presets, with preview, that you can apply with one click. Image 3 shows you the choices for the White Balance submenu: you
Image 4 - Clipping preview while adjusting the Blacks www.divenewzealand.com 65
DIVING THE WEB Phil Bendle e: pbendle@gmail.com
Dustin Adamson’s excellent HD film explores the World War II wrecks of Truk Lagoon. This film starts off with what remains inside of the ships of the Japanese fleet. Then the film shows the unbelievable beauty from not just the structures, but the massive amounts of coral growth that has taken hold of these magnificent ships. http://tiny.cc/truk
Underwater photographer Franco Banfi captured stunning, incredibly rare photos of a pod of sleeping sperm whales in the Caribbean Sea by Dominica Island. Video at bottom of the page. http://tiny.cc/spermwhales
Rob Wilson of Ghost Fishing NZ https://www.ghostfishing.co.nz/ took this rare footage of crayfish spawning on the edge of the Taputeranga Marine Reserve off Wellington's south coast. The female crayfish march to the edge of the reef to spawn their eggs into the current. http://tiny.cc/crayfish
The largest underwater restaurant in the world has opened in the Hurawalhi Island Resort, Maldives – and it was designed and built by Fitzroy Engineering in New Plymouth, New Zealand. http://tiny.cc/maldives
The video shows a full, highly accurate, real-time recreation of the RMS Titanic sinking from its initial impact with the iceberg to its sinking below the waves some 2 hours and 40 minutes later. The animation includes text frequently appearing with what is happening on board the ship. This includes visuals of various interior rooms flooding, lifeboats launching, rockets firing, and the Californian on the horizon. http://tiny.cc/RMS
On Nigel and Helen Marsh's web site you will find the galleries of their images from Australian and International diving destinations. Click on a thumbnail image to visit that gallery. You can also read their most recent published articles on dive sites they have visited. http://tiny.cc/marshs
66 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
By region. To list your dive/sports stores contact Dive New Zealand for information.
More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com
NEW ZEALAND NORTHLAND A to Z Diving & Cylinder Services IANZ accredited SCUBA, LPG & Industrial cylinder testing. Certified in servicing all brands of dive gear. Supplier of compressor consumables: carbon, molecular sieve, felt pads, oil, O-rings etc. Certifiers of Air & LPG Fillers. All major gases available onsite.
235 Wiroa Rd, Kerikeri. P: 021 508 707 www.atozdiving.co.nz E: andre@atozdiving.co.nz (DNZ163)
Dive Zone Bay of Islands Far North’s only PADI 5 Star IDC facility. Open Water to Instructor courses. Freedive and spearfishing training & trips. Dive trips,On-site equipment servicing & cylinder testing. Aqualung, Mares, Scubapro, Beuchat. Open 7 days! 5 Klinac Lane, State Highway 10 Waipapa. 09 407 9986. www.divezoneboi.co.nz, info@divezoneboi.co.nz (DNZ161) Paihia Dive Dive training, charter and retail in Paihia. Dive the Rainbow Warrior, frigate Canterbury and the Bay of Islands. PADI courses: Open water to Instructor. Quality scuba brands: Aqualung, Tusa, Faber, Luxfer and Wettie spearfishing. Open 7 days. Williams Rd, Paihia, P: Craig or Lisa 09-402 7551 E: info@divenz.com www.divenz.com (DNZ161) Northland Dive World Class Diving package – Great diving mixed with even better accommodation, meals and hospitality. Dive with the team that instigated the sinking of the Canterbury Frigate. Full Gear available incl NITROX – PADI /TDI/ SDI training “Unbelievable value for money”. 3851 Russell Road, Whangaruru, Bay of Islands, P: 09 433 6633, E: info@northlanddive.com www.info@northlanddive.com (DNZ162) Dive HQ Whangarei One of Northland’s premier dive training facilities. Highest standard instruction and equipment. With their own on-site heated training pool and classroom. Staff and instructors have extensive knowledge of diving, marine environment and diver safety. At the gateway of the beautiful Poor Knights Islands. 41 Clyde Street Whangarei Freephone: 0800 102 102 or P: 09 438 1075 E: info@divenow.co.nz www.divenow.co.nz (DNZ162)
Dive! Tutukaka The Poor Knights Islands experts – professional, fun and safe – “It’s what we do” – With 5 boats, catering for all abilities; Adventure Audited, Qualmark endorsed, PADI 5 star IDC; air fills, nitrox, gear hire. Shed 7 with salt-water pool and training facilities – Behind Schnappa Rock. Marina Rd. Tutukaka, Whangarei. Open 7 days, 7am-7pm. Always someone at the end of the phone 0800 288 882. Phone: 09 4343 867 E: info@diving.co.nz www.diving.co.nz (DNZ162)
AUCKLAND / DISTRICTS New Zealand Diving Charters to the Hauraki Gulf incl marine reserves, Little & Great Barrier Islands. Also overseas trips. NZ’s leading SDI & TDI 5 star IDC & PADI with a wide selection of courses. Qualmark endorsed. Nitrox, 300bar fills, servicing & rental hire. Full selection of gear for sports & tec divers. 22 Whitaker Rd, Warkworth. P: 0800 NZDIVING. E: Neil@NZDiving.co.nz www.NZDiving.co.nz (DNZ164)
KIWI DIVERS SSI, TDI/SDI, RAID dive centre. Recreational and Technical dive courses (rebreather friendly). Regular trips from our own boat. Equipment sales, servicing and hire. Cylinder testing, air/nitrox trimix/oxygen fills. Open 7 days. 8 Keith Hay Court, Silverdale (just 20 mins north of Akld) P: 09 426 9834 E: info@kiwiscubadivers.co.nz www.kiwiscubadivers.co.nz (DNZ162) Performance Diver NZ’s diving superstore! Massive stocks of all lines at unbelievable prices. PADI 5 star Instructor Development Centre offering training from beginner to Instructor. Local & national dive charters, overseas trips, servicing, air fills and rental. Open 7 days! 74 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna (behind Avanti bikes). 09 489 7782 www.performancediver.co.nz (DNZ159) Dive HQ Westhaven in Auckland's CBD. PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre. Become a PADI Dive Instructor with us. NZQA approved Part Time and Full Course available. Still Your Local Dive Shop for all your SCUBA dive, freediving, spear-fishing and gear-servicing needs. Mares, Atomic, Oceanic, Pinnacle, Beuchat, and Zeagle. Fully equipped dive equipmentservice centre and dive cylinder testing facility onsite. Corner (101) Beaumont & Gaunt Sts, Westhaven, Auckland. P: (09) 307 3590, E: info@divehqwesthaven.co.nz www.divehqwesthaven.co.nz (DNZ162) Global Dive NZ’s favourite technical and recreational dive store. All top brands stocked and serviced. Our active dive club meets monthly with guest speakers and BBQ. Experts in photography and tech diving. Quality rental gear, including technical and drysuits. Nitrox fills. 132 Beaumont St, Westhaven, P: 09 9205200 www.globaldive.net E: info@globaldive.net (DNZ160) Dive Doctor Mt Wellington New Zealand’s specialist dive servicing company, regulator servicing, drysuit & wetsuit repairs, compressor servicing, cylinder testing, NITROX, O2, Helium, 300 BAR air fills. A full selection of quality products as well as hard to find items for the technical, recreational and commercial diver. 20R Sylvia Park Rd, Mt Wellington www.divedoctor.co.nz P: 09 5308117 E: info@divedoctor.co.nz (DNZ165) Go Dive Center For All Your Diving Needs. SSI Training Facility. Authorized Mares Dealer. Servicing, Tank Fills and Trips. Come in and let us take you on a journey of discovery in the underwater world. Unit 3/30 Tironui Road, Papakura, Phone 09 298 6431 or 0210 385 940 www.godivecenter.co.nz (DNZ159)
COROMANDEL / BAY OF PLENTY Dive Zone Whitianga Only PADI 5 Star IDC facility on the Coromandel Peninsula. PADI courses from Open Water to Instructor. Dive trips from boat, shore and kayak, to many amazing dive sites. Full gear service and extensive retail store. Open 7 days. 10 Campbell Street, Whitianga, P: 07-867 1580, E: info@divethecoromandel.co.nz www.divezonewhitianga.co.nz (DNZ159) Cathedral Cove Dive & Snorkel Half day trips – everyday through the summer at 9.30am & 1.30pm. Marine reserve or outer reef diving for new and experienced divers. Full gear hire. Individuals & groups welcome. Check out our website for a full list of dive sites and prices, or link onto our facebook page for an up-to-date
DIVE STORES / TRAVEL weather/sea/dive report in the Hahei & Mercury Bay areas. 48 Hahei Beach Rd, Hahei Phone 0800 CCDIVE (0800 223 483) www.hahei.co.nz/diving
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Wainui Dive Gisborne’s authorised Aqualung dealer with full product range. PADI instructor, air fills, tank testing and qualified service of all brands of gear. Plus current Commercial Dive ticket. Cliff Blumfield, cnr Carnarvon Street and Childers Rd, Gisborne. P: 06-867 9662 or 0274-469 526. E: wainuidive@clear.net.nz (DNZ160) Dive Zone Tauranga is Tauranga’s only PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre offering everything from Open Water courses to Specialty Instructor training. Gear sales for all scuba, spearfishing & snorkelling needs. Hire equipment, gear servicing, air fills, dive charters, cylinder testing and more! See us at 213 Cameron Road, Tauranga, P: (07) 578 4050, 0800 DIVE ZONE
E: info@diveshop.co.nz
www.scubadivingtauranga.co.nz
(DNZ162)
Dive HQ Rotorua Start your diving adventure with this PADI 5 Star training centre, your leading BOP dive & kayak shop. Showcasing a great range of quality diving, spearfishing, kayaking & water sports equipment. Filling and testing of dive cylinders, servicing of regulators and BCD’s. An IANZ certified cylinder test centre. 290 Te Ngae Rd, next to Repco. P: 07-345 3047 E: info@divehqrotorua.co.nz www.divehqrotorua.co.nz (DNZ159)
WELLINGTON / DISTRICTS Dive Wellington Become a Padi Dive Instructor with our fulltime Diploma course. NZQA approved and eligible for student loans and allowances. Contact us for a course prospectus. Dive Wellington is an audited and approved sub contractor of Academy of Diving Trust E: dive@divewellington.co.nz P: 04 939 3483 www.divewellington.co.nz (DNZ163) NZ Sea Adventures PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre – also TDI Technical diver training including CCR. Open 7 days. Dive courses – beginner to Instructor. Club dives and trips in NZ and overseas. Dive retail, fills, gear hire & servicing. 9 Marina View, Mana, Porirua. P: 04 233-8238 E: nzsa@scubadiving.co.nz www.scubadiving.co.nz (DNZ160) Dive Kapiti Your scuba, freediving & spearfishing specialists in the heart of the Kapiti coast. Quality servicing, airfills, dive training, Kapiti Island dive & spearfishing trips and retail sales. Full range of Cressi products, our friendly staff are always happy to help! 27 Milne Drive Paraparaumu 5032. P: 04 297 0075 E: craig@divekapiti.co.nz www.divekapiti.co.nz (DNZ162) Island Bay Divers NZ’s Pro Gold Centre, Wellington’s oldest dive shop. Top brand retail, equipment hire, servicing all brands. Tanks tested within 24 hours. CMAS, NAUI & PADI training. Club dives every Saturday. Corner Reef St & The Parade, Island Bay. Summer open 7 days 9am–6pm, winter closed Tues & Wed. P: 04-383 6778, E: tim@ibdivers.co.nz, www.ibdivers.co.nz (DNZ164)
Auckland Scuba on Auckland’s north shore. PADI 5 STAR IDC diver training specialists. PADI dive courses beginner to instructor and tec rec. Part time/full time tertiary (student loan approved), NZQA credits. Dive trips, air/nitrox fills, cylinder testing, equipment servicing. Top quality equipment! Unit I, 121 Rosedale Rd, Albany. P: 09 478 2814 E: info@aucklandscuba.co.nz www.aucklandscuba.co.nz (DNZ160)
www.divenewzealand.com 67
DIVE STORES / TRAVEL Dive & Ski HQ Wellington PADI dive courses – beginner to professional qualifications, tertiary courses available. Dive club with regular local, national & overseas trips. Wide range of diving/ spearfishing equipment and accessories. Equipment servicing/tank testing. Open 7 days. 14 Waione St, Petone. P: (04)568 5028. www.diveski.co.nz E: diveskihq@xtra.co.nz www.facebook.com/DiveSkiHQ (DNZ161)
Dive HQ Christchurch 30 years industry experience, Christchurch’s only PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre and Adventure Activities Certified for SCUBA diving and snorkelling. Busy retail store selling the world’s leading brands and offering PADI recreational and tertiary SCUBA qualifications. Full range of spearfishing equipment including breath hold courses. Quality gear hire, service centre, Enriched Air training and filling station, local and international dive and spearfishing trips.103 Durham St Sth. Sydenham, Christchurch. Freephone 0800-DIVEHQ. P: (03)379- 5804 www.diveskiworld.co.nz E: sales@diveskiworld.co.nz (DNZ162)
SOUTH ISLAND Dive Kaikoura is the only dive shop on the North Canterbury East Coast. Located 180kms North of Christchurch off State Highway 1 in the beautiful South Island. Specialists in having Fun, Tours, Shore Dives, Spearfishing, Air Fills, Nitrox, PADI 5 Star Courses. Servicing of all gear AND we’re a Cressi Premium Dealer! Dive Kaikoura 13 Yarmouth St, Kaikoura. 03 319 6622. www.divekaikoura.co.nz. Open October to June.
INTERNATIONAL DIVE OPERATORS AND RESORTS
AUSTRALIA
Fiordland Discovery Fiordland boasts some of New Zealand’s most spectacular diving, fishing and hunting. We offer six-day, five-night private charters in the Fiords and the Tasman Sea. Be one of the first to discover Fiordland aboard our luxurious new cruise boat, the Fiordland Jewel. Multi-day cruises, private charters and individual bookings are available for diving, fishing & hunting. #Fiordlandjewel P: 0800 100 105 or +64 3 441 3322 E: hello@fiordlanddiscovery.co.nz www.fiordlanddiscovery.co.nz www.facebook.com/FiordlandDiscovery (DNZ160) Go Dive Marlborough Specialist TDI technical diver training facility. Mixed gas, decompression and advanced wreck courses. Operate Lermontov Lodge (Port Gore) our base to diving one of the world’s biggest wrecks the Mikhail Lermontov. Weekly tours ex Picton from 1–6 days. Direct flights from Wellington to Port Gore. Group charters by arrangement. www.godive.co.nz Freephone 0800 GODIVE Email info@godive.co.nz (DNZ161) Waikawa Dive Centre located at Waikawa Marina, Picton. Offering dive training and trips through the Marlborough Sounds. Fully-certified dive cylinder filling/testing, dive gear servicing/repairs, hire gear. Carrying a multi-brand range of diving equipment. Open 7 days during summer. Ready to take care of all your diving needs. P: 03-573-5939, F: 03-573-8241 waikawadive@xtra.co.nz www.waikawadivecentre.co.nz www.facebook.com/WaikawaDiveCentre (DNZ160) Deep Blue Diving Making diving affordable for all divers. The Deep Blue brand is well known for its value for money and has a strong company reputation for delivering quality and excellent service. Visit our website or come in and see us for a huge range of dive gear, equipment servicing, tank filling, gear hire and Padi training. 15B Byron St, Sydenham, Christchurch 8025. P: 03 332 0898 E: sales@deepbluediving.co.nz www.deepbluediving.co.nz (DNZ163)
metal detectors now available in New Zealand
More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com
Pro Dive Cairns Offers the highest quality, best value PADI dive courses and 3-day liveaboard Outer Great Barrier Reef dive trips in Cairns. We have 16 exclusive dive sites across 4 different reefs to choose from and departures 6 days/week. Check out www.prodivecairns.com or call us on +617 4031 5255 or E: info@prodivecairns.com (DNZ161) Spirit of Freedom visits the remote dive destinations of Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs, and Coral Sea. The 37m vessel offers spacious en-suite cabins, every comfort on board, and exceptional service. Marine encounters include the potato cod feed, Minke whales in season, and the shark dive at Osprey Reef. E: info@spiritoffreedom.com.au www.spiritoffreedom.com.au (DNZ164) Tusa Dive Cairns local day dive operators with over 30 years experience diving the Great Barrier Reef. Tusa’s fast modern catamaran the Tusa 6 will visit two unique sites where you can enjoy up to three dives in the day. Tusa Dive also offer a great day out for snorkellers. P: 00617 4047 9100 E: info@tusadive.com www.tusadive.com (DNZ164)
COOK ISLANDS Dive Aitutaki with Bubbles Below Explore Aitutaki’s underwater world with Bubbles Below. Only 40 minutes from mainland Rarotonga to the picturesque island of Aitutaki.PADI dive courses Beginner to Dive Master. Manned boats during dives! Safety and enjoyment paramount! ‘Take only Memories & Leave only Bubbles Dive Safe, Dive Rite, Dive Bubbles Below!’ www.diveaitutaki.com E: bubblesbelow@aitutaki.net.ck (DNZ164) The Dive Centre – The Big Fish PADI 5-star dive operator. Services: intro/lagoon dives, dive trips twice a day, courses, retail and rental gear. 2 boats, boats are manned with an instructor, 7 days, night dives. Aroa Beach by the Rarotongan Resort. P: 682 20238 or 682 55238 E: info@thedivecentre-rarotonga.com www.thedivecentre-rarotonga.com (DNZ159)
FIJI Wananavu Beach Resort – Suncoast Fiji The legendary Bligh Waters are waiting for you at our PADI 5 star Dive Resort and with PADI qualified Dive Staff that know the dive sites like the back of their hands. Offering Viti Levu’s first onsite Nitrox, and rated in Trip Advisor’s top 10 resorts in the Fiji Islands in 2014 , 2015 and 2016. This means you have the best ResortDive Combo in Fiji. So come and see for yourself! dive@wananavu.com www.wananavu.com (DNZ160) Captain Cook Cruises Reef Endeavour and Tivua Island are 5 star PADI operations – Discover Scuba – Scuba Dive – Open water dive – Advance Wreck Dive, MV Raiyawa at Tivua Island. Fiji P: +679 6701 823 E: fiji@captaincookcruisesfiji.com www.captaincookcruisesfiji.com (DNZ160) Subsurface Fiji Visit Fiji for fun, relaxing tropical diving. Subsurface Fiji PADI 5-Star Dive shops are located in the beautiful Mamanuca Islands, offering daily trips and courses to some of the best dive spots in Fiji. Subsurface provides full diving services from Musket Cove, Plantation, Malolo, Likuliku, Tropica, Lomani, Funky Fish, Namotu, Tavarua, Wadigi & Navini Island Resorts. E: info@subsurfacefiji.com www.subsurfacefiji.com (DNZ159) Mantaray Island Resort Yasawa Islands – Fiji – Over 40 dive sites ; vibrant reefs, stunning coral gardens, caves, swim throughs, wall dives, drop offs, shark dives, turtles, and a stunning house reef. Fiji’s only accredited free-diving school, Mantaray swimming May–Oct. Small group diving in a safe and enjoyable environment visit us at www.mantarayisland.com (DNZ164) Volivoli Beach Resort offers you relaxed, unspoilt white sandy beaches in a spectacular part of Fiji. Ra Divers operates from the resort giving you a water wonderland on the worlds best soft coral dive sites. The Fiji Siren is a livaboard boat offering you 7 and 10 night dive packages. www.volivoli.com E: info@volivoli.com P: +679 9920942 (DNZ160) Wananavu Beach Resort – Suncoast Fiji The legendary Bligh Waters are waiting for you at our PADI 5 star Dive Resort and with PADI qualified Dive Staff that know the dive sites like the back of their hands. Offering Viti Levu’s first onsite Nitrox and rated in Trip Advisor’s top 10 resorts in the Fiji Islands in 2014 , 2015 and 2016 means you have the best ResortDive Combo in Fiji. So come and see for yourself! dive@wananavu.com www.wananavu.com (DNZ160)
SOLOMONS Raiders Hotel and Dive Wreck and Reef diving, Accommodation, Bar and dining, Snorkelling Hiking and more. Located 1 hour from Honiara on the waterfront of the historic Tulagi harbour. Dive Discover – Relax. www.raidershotel.com email raidershotel@solomon.com.sb ph +677 7594185 / 7938017 (DNZ162)
AQUASCAN Metal Detectors Aquapulse 1B
The ideal unit for a diver to closely inspect a wreck site or search for lost items beneath the seabed.
Aimed to reach the beginner through to the advanced diver. This edition refers to local conditions and fish species of New Zealand. Sections include: equipment, diving and hunting techniques, diving situations, medical, fish id characteristics, useful contacts.
Sea Tech Ltd
68 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
A5 Soft cvr, 48 pgs, b&w, colour sections.
Available at your local dive store DV014
Auckland, NZ ph 09-521 0684 email info@seatech.co.nz www.seatech.co.nz
or order online at www.DiveNewZealand.com
DIVE STORES / TRAVEL Team Leader for Dive Crew Competent Skipper, Diver, Team Leader required. Experience preferred. Our paua and kina operation is based in Whitianga, but this role will include travel throughout New Zealand. For a detailed Job Description, please email CV to herb.sandy@xtra.co.nz / 078664822 SIDE Dive Munda – Dive the unexplored Experience Magical Munda at Agnes Gateway Hotel. Award winning service and pristine diving. SSI Instructor Training Centre. WWII wrecks, caves and reefs – untouched and unspoilt. www.divemunda.com divemunda@dive-solomon.com Find us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram (DNZ162) SIDE TAKA Dive See more of the Solomon Islands by liveaboard! Save $700 on a 7 night booking on board MV Taka: 7 Nights Accommodation; 3 gourmet meals daily; 24 Dives – sharks, WWII wrecks, manta rays, night dives; Round trip airport transfers. Conditions apply. For more information or to make a reservations: book@dive-solomon.com (DNZ162) Tulagi Dive Solomon Islands An underwater paradise for marine life and explore the many ships and aircraft wrecks at the famous Iron Bottom Sound. We offer the PADI and TDI courses. Phone (+677) 25700 www.tulagidive.com dive@tulagidive.com (DNZ162)
VANUATU Allan Power Dive Tours The longest established and most experienced dive operator in Santo, Vanuatu. Over 45 years diving the President Coolidge and other sites in and around Santo. Located in the main street in the town of Luganville on the Island Espiritu Santo. PADI Resort Member. A full range of PADI Courses available. PO Box 233, Santo, Vanuatu. P/F: (678) 36822 E: apower@vanuatu.com.vu www.allan-power-santo.com (DNZ159) Nautilus Watersports Vanuatu’s longest running dive operation in Port Vila with 30+ years’ experience. Nautilus offers 4 dives a day (double dive both morning and afternoon). We also offer PADI course from Discover Scuba right through to Dive Master. For dive groups we can also offer diving/accommodation packages. P: Peter or Leanne +678 22 398 www.nautilus.com.vu E: nautilus@vanuatu.com.vu (DNZ160)
DIVE HOLIDAY Travelandco Holidays Experience amazing diving holidays in some of the best dive locations in the South Pacific and beyond. Our team can provide you with expert advice on the best diving options. Learn to dive, enjoy a liveaboard adventure or talk to us today to arrange a holiday for your dive group or friends. Make your Diving Holiday DREAMS a reality. P: +64 (9) 479 2210 Toll Free NZ: 0508 348 334 E: divetravel@travelandco.nz www.travelandco.nz (DNZ161)
SPEAKERS/LECTURERS Available for talks to dive clubs etc. You can find full details on these speakers/lectures at www.DiveNewZealand.co.nz/dive-in-nz/dive-shops/ Terry Brailsford Wreck diving for gold & treasure. Incl the Rothschild jewellery, search for General Grant. 0274 958816, theadmiral@xtra.co.nz Tony Howell History and entertainment with lots of rare historical photos and illustrations – 12 powerpoints in total. 45 mins –1 hr each. Contact me for topics. 04 233-8238, www.scubadiving.co.nz tony@scubadiving.co.nz Dr Roger Grace ‘Why do we need no-take zones?’; ‘20 years as a Greenpeace photographer’. 021 126 5292, gracer@xtra.co.nz Darren Shields Spearfishing titles,uw cameraman, author. Motivating/compelling/innovative/inspiring/ entertaining 09-4794231, 021839118, darren@wettie. co.nz Jamie Obern Technical instructor/cave diver, 20+ years exp. globally. Photos/video: uw caves in Mexico, USA, UK, NZ, Australia. Techdive NZ/GUE NZ instructor. P: 021 614 023, www.techdivenz.com jamie@techdivenz.com Dave Moran Ching Dynasty porcelain from the Tek Sing. P: Dive New Zealand 09-521 0684, E: divenz@DiveNewZealand.co.nz
TRIPS/CHARTERS CRUISE FIORDLAND
Outer Gulf Charters One hour north of Auckland CBD Providing divers with the ultimate diving day out with diver lift, fast/comfortable travel, hot water shower, and all the tea and coffee you want. Recommended Dive Sites: Goat Island Marine Reserve, Mokohinau Islands, Great/Little Barrier, Sail Rock/Hen & Chickens in style. Trip schedule and info www.outergulfcharters.co.nz or phone Julie 021 827 855
fish
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Fish, Hunt, Dive or Cruise aboard the fully refurbished MV Cindy Hardy. Fiordland or Stewart Island, our scenic cruises will provide you with a once in a lifetime experience. Everything is provided regardless of how short or long your time on board with us is. Cruise options available on our website. www.cruisefiordland.com info@cruisefiordland.com +6421 088 14530
BUSINESSES FOR SALE Dive Shop for Sale: Honiara - Solomon Islands - Tulagi Dive Located in one the most ideal locations in the South West Pacific, we are offering the lifestyle opportunity of the year. Our facility offers some of the best WWII wreck and reef diving in the world (big call I know but we’re up there). Diving ranges from easy shore dives for the novice diver through to some of the most spectacular technical wreck diving to be had in the tropics. The shop is located centrally in the country’s capital close by to all the major hotels. We are currently the only dive shop and training facility in Honiara. The dive school is busy, certifying upwards of 100 divers a year. Our staff have been with us for many years and are well acquainted with our dive sites and are well received by our guests. The sale comes with all the equipment that runs the operation. We have quality rental gear and a lot of it, for the recreational diver through to technical diving requirements, with consumables. An 8-meter dive boat, transport vehicles, hydrostatic test station, regulator service equipment and spares. This is a turnkey operation, the company has Solomon Island Government foreign investment approval and is registered with the Solomon company’s security commission. It took us 15 years to build this business so to aid with the purchase we offer a long handover period of 6 months or more to provide a seamless transition with our suppliers, travel agents, local partners, introduction to all the dives sites, learning the ropes of a different culture, statuary body changes and any other introductions needed. It is not easy to value a million-dollar lifestyle living in tropical paradise diving the sites that are the envy of most, but we have listed the sale at USD$320,000 with room to negotiate. Should you be interested we’d be pleased to provide further details you may require. neil@tulagidive.com
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Air Vanuatu
15
Airtec
45
DAN
59 & 72
FantaSea
53
iDivesite
26
Ikelite
11
MV Taka
40
Niue
IBC
Oceandry
33
Outdoor Sports NZ
(DNZ156)
7
PADI Freediver
23
Paihia Dive
48
SeaTech
16
SIDE Dive Munda Solomons PROFIT OR SCANDAL
our deepwater – fishery
NOVEMBER/DECEM BER 2009
MTA CON
debates contro FERENCE versial issues
CELL PHONES – the hidden killer at sea
$9.50
Ph 09 533 4336 • www.skipper.co.nz
ISSUE 72
INCL. GST (NZ & AUST)
SIN INB
AY YEE, READY TO AD SERVE
WATERFRO NT BUSINESS – THE LATES T IN NEWS AND VIEWS
S72 covers.indd
1
8 OBC & 47
Subs
28
Suunto Brandex
55
Toi-Ohomai
49
Travelandco
1
Wakatobi
39
ALPHABETICAL ORDER
www.divenewzealand.com 69
PRODUCTS | SERVICES
Drysuits / Wetsuits Sales and Repairs
suit repairs, seals, zips, boots, leaks Viking • Otter • Fourth Element
Regulator Servicing B AY O F I S L A N D S , N E W Z E A L A N D
DNZ161
All brands Qualified technicians
“World-class diving package” “Great diving mixed with even better accommodation, meals and hospitality” “Unbelievable value for money”
Dive Compressors
New and used machines Servicing all brands Consumables - Hydro panels dnz159
[ R E C E N T T R I P A DV I S O R C U S TO M E R R E V I E W S ]
Dive Doctor
now at Sylvia Park Rd Unit R 20 Sylvia Park Rd Mt Wellington Auckland
www.northlanddive.com Tel +64 9 433 66 33
P:
09-530 8117 E: info@divedoctor.co.nz www.divedoctor.co.nz
DNZ163
(next to the Sylvia Park Mall) NITROX
DNZ164
Manufacturing Quality Wetsuits in New Zealand for New Zealand conditions.
THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS Enquiries to:
70 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
dnz164
Colin Gestro Affinity Ads M: 027 256 8014 colin@affinityads.com
www.seaquel.co.nz
15G Porana Rd, Glenfield, Auckland wetsuits@seaquel.co.nz Tel: 09 443 2771
PRODUCTS | SERVICES | BOAT CHARTERS BY AREA
PADI 5 STAR DIVE CENTRE – COOK ISLANDS/RAROTONGA Opportunity of a lifetim
We have built The Big Fish into a vibrant growing business with a reputation for safety, quality and enjoyable diving experiences. We are looking to transfer our business to dive professionals committed to continue growing the business. Included is everything needed to run a fully operational dive shop: dive gear, 2 compressors, 2 boats (1 RIP and 1 aluminum), workshop, 4 cars, hotel & resort relationships, all licenses and insurance up to date and much more.
e!
Perfect for a couple that want to live on a tropical island like Rarotonga.
For further information please contact sabine if you would like this view as your office.
DIVE COMPRESSOR
sales and servicing
High Pressure Equipment NZ Ltd
p h 09 - 444
0804
Master Agents for Bauer Kompressoren in New Zealand and have been for the past 20 years.
HDS Australia-Pacific
• Servicing & repairs of all compressor brands: Bauer, Poseidon, Coltri, Bristol, Brownie. and most other brands. • High pressure regulators. • High pressure pumps. • Compressor consumables and spare parts. • Customised filling panels. • Breathing air equipment.
PO Box: 347 Dingley Village Victoria 3172, Australia. www.classicdiver.org
DNZ163
New Zealand Master Agents for: BAUER KOMPRESSOREN compressors/spare parts BAUER-POSEIDON compressors and spare parts
Contact us at: ph 09 444 0804, fax 09 443 1121 dnz164
32 Parkway Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland. Email info@highpressure.co.nz
www.highpressure.co.nz
Photographers! Strobes Lighting Systems Camera Housings Camera and Housing Packages
DNZ159
MINI ADS GREAT RATES
Trusted Brands Trusted Distributor Sea Tech Ltd P: (09) 521 0684 E: info@seatech.co.nz www.seatech.co.nz www.divenewzealand.com 71
INCIDENT INSIGHTS By DAN Asia-Pacific
Incident Insights with the Divers Alert Network (DANAP] Case summary:
Diver experiences rash, coughing and unconsciousness after hot shower
The diver tells his story After the third dive on the third day of our trip last year, I was alarmed when I noticed my dive computer's nitrogen-level indicator near the red but still in the yellow zone. I saw the same on my buddies' dive computers, so I was not too concerned. I did three dives that day, all on air. The second dive was to 30.6m and the third to 23m for 20 minutes, with the proper surface interval in between. After returning to my room, I showered while washing my suit with warm water. While waiting for dinner I became very thirsty and drank several glasses of icy water. I had trouble taking a deep breath without coughing, and felt very tired. Before the food arrived, I got sick and went to my room. My dive partners came in to check on me and I remember them asking if I was OK, and then I passed out. They opened my shirt and noticed a rash on my chest. They began to administer oxygen from the resort and demanded that I go to the hospital immediately. After a complete check at the hospital the medical staff determined that I was not having heart issues and sent me to the recompression chamber 20 minutes away. The doctors there examined me and determined that I probably had decompression sickness but that it wasn't severe enough to need any time in the chamber. The hospital then called and informed me that based on the blood test they had done I was very dehydrated. I returned to the hospital for more observation overnight and intravenous saline infusion. I was discharged the next day mid-morning and I did not dive the remainder of the trip.
With the additional coughing (the chokes) and an episode of loss of consciousness, it is very likely that a neurological component was present. His companions acted appropriately by seeking aid, providing surface-level oxygen, and transporting him for a medical evaluation. The surface oxygen helped prevent the worsening of symptoms and may have contributed to resolving them. The hospital staff were prudent to rule out any potential cardiac component, because some of the symptoms presented can be associated with cardiac issues. There is data that indicates a warm shower soon after diving can propagate skin symptoms. The main causative factor is the inert gas tissue load; the greater the load, the greater the likelihood of developing symptoms. But in this case while it is not definite that the shower contributed to the development of symptoms it is reasonable to believe there is some connection. The diver mentions that the laboratory tests of his blood indicated he was dehydrated. What was most likely observed was an increase in a marker known as hematocrit, which is a ratio of the solid components of blood in relation to the fluid content (plasma). The test was taken after the diver already had developed symptoms; the diver's hydration state prior to the dive is not known. Most recreational divers on a normal dietary regimen before a dive do not get dehydrated to the degree that would affect the outcome of their dive. However, if a diver gets DCS their blood vessels will leak plasma into surrounding tissues, which is detectible as changes in the hematocrit level. This most likely accounts for a diver with DCS symptoms appearing dehydrated. An important part of treatment for DCS is fluid resuscitation which is ideally achieved with intravenous infusion.
The clinical decision whether to treat a diver in the chamber ultimately rests with the evaluating physician DAN’s medical expert comments who will rely on the condition of the patient as well as their own previous experience and expertise. This diver's symptoms are consistent with skin manifesDAN Dive Safety 8x6cm Dive Log NZ 20/5/15 12:46 PM Page 1 tations of decompression sickness (DCS). Typically, skin manifestations alone may not require hyperbaric treatment but in this case, there was the suspicion of a neurological component. At the time of the diver's evaluation by the hyperbaric physician, no evidence of neurological symptoms may have been evident so his treatment was not inappropriate. Most important, he had a positive outcome. And the diver A diver collapses prudently chose not to resume diving on this trip which is after a dive. the best prevention of a recurrence of symptoms.
dive safety
begins with me.
He urgently needs oxygen.
Answer provided by DAN's Marty McCafferty, EMT-P, DAN medical information specialist. www.danap.org
Do you know Pantoneto Colorsdo? Version what Contact DAN: the Specialists CMYK Version www.danap.org
in Oxygen & First Aid Training and Equipment.
72 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
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RUN0908 Photo by Buccaneer Adventures Niue Dive
Life on Niue is easy-going. Life under Niue? That’s a different story. And with easy access to underwater caves and caverns this unspoilt and majestic world is waiting for you to explore. Start discovering Niue today, www.niueisland.com www.divenewzealand.com 73
So Solomons, So Adventurous! Explore the hidden paradise of the South Pacific archipelago, comprising of a vast group of 922 breathtaking tropical islands. Diving in the Solomon Islands has gained an enviable worldwide reputation that is unsurpassed.
Experience the abundance of World War II history, via the Solomons numerous wreck dives. Get up close to the extraordinary array of differing reef structures and bio-assemblage.
If you are not a diver, but interested in learning, there could be no better place to discover this completely new world, than the warm crystal clear waters around the Solomon Islands.Throughout these magic islands is an endless variety of dive sites to suit all tastes and levels of experience.
With worldclass dive sites in Honiara, The Floridas, Iron Bottom Sound, Gizo, Munda, Western Marovo and Eastern Marovo the Solomon Islands are sure to provide a dive experience like no other.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau Head Office PO Box 321, Mendana Avenue, Honiara, Solomon Islands call (677) 22442 or email info@sivb.com.sb
www.visitsolomons.com.sb
SO SO LO MO Visit Solomon Islands NS , SO DI FF ER
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74 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
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