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What makes Milford Sound unique for divers, (besides giant crayfish)? The richest marine ecosystem on Earth The no-brainer case for more, bigger marine reserves
hark feeding S regs tightening?
San José: Treasure wreck of the century
NEW! A Beginners Guide to Underwater Photography
Shining Star in Port Vila
Cousteau: “We can solve this!”
• Simple rules for breath-holding divers www.divenewzealand.com 1
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• Dive Features • News • Reviews • Dive Destinations • Products • ISSUE 165 - $9.90 inc GST August / September 2018
N E W Z E A L A N D ' S O N LY D I V E M A G A Z I N E
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What makes Milford Sound unique for divers, (besides giant crayfish)? www.Dive-Pacific.com
The richest marine ecosystem on Earth The no-brainer case for more, bigger marine reserves Shark feeding regs tightening?
San José: Treasure wreck of the century
NEW! A Beginners Guide to Underwater Photography
Shining Star in Port Vila
Cousteau: “We can solve this!”
• Simple rules for breath-holding divers www.divenewzealand.com 1
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An experience without equal “The reef systems here are some of the most pristine I have seen anywhere in my dive travels around the globe, and Wakatobi resort and liveaboard are second to none. The diversity of species here is brilliant if you love photography.� ~ Simon Bowen
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contents In Depth 4 EDITORIAL: THIRTEEN! BRILLIANT! with Dave Moran SOUNDINGS L ocal and international news & comment 5 PADI celebrates Women Divers Day 6 NZU AGM reports 9
T akaka’s Te Waikoropupu Springs clearer than clear Nutritional value of fish & squid reduced by warm water events Get rid of old kapok lifejackets!
10 S eaweed scientist tackles climate change Tsunamis in lakes? 44 V olivoli backs World Oceans Day Tiares, tattoos & 3 shades of blue Dive Paradise hits the road in an RV (!?) SPECIAL FEATURES 16 Ocean plastics problem won’t be solved in the sea: Tara Expedition 19 Cousteau on Generations for Change - A new era dawns 22 No-brainer case for more, bigger marine reserves 37 The San José – Wreck of the century 29 Winter training for world champs:
pearos S notebook
30 The simple rules for breath holding divers 39 Rules on feeding sharks tightened in Tahiti? 60 BEGINNING! – U nderwater Photography, A Practical Guide for Beginners by Alexey Zaystev is translated from Russian for the first time. We begin excerpts from the book! 72 A (brief ) tribute to Wade & Jan Doak: EIGHT WET DECADES Check out our website www.divenewzealand.com Dive New Zealand / Dive Pacific magazine is available in the lounges and inflight libraries of these airlines:
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BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS 11 A Shining Star in Port Vila, Vanuatu
ISSUE 165 - $9.90 inc GST August / September 2018
N E W Z E A L A N D ' S O N LY D I V E M A G A Z I N E
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24 Wholly unique diving experience in Milford Sound, Fjordland 32 Raja Ampat – Nature’s richest realm
DIVE
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GEAR BAG 48 New stuff to capture your wallet OUR EXPERT COLUMNISTS 21 Calling time on the quota management system: LEGASEA UPDATE
What makes Milford Sound unique for divers, (besides giant crayfish)? www.Dive-Pacific.com
The richest marine ecosystem on Earth
55 Crayfish, Species Focus with Paul Caiger
The no-brainer case for more, bigger marine reserves Shark feeding regs tightening?
San José: Treasure wreck of the century
NEW! A Beginners Guide to Underwater Photography
Shining Star in Port Vila
Cousteau: “We can solve this!”
• Simple rules for breath-holding divers www.divenewzealand.com 1
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56 M anaging your breathing air/gas supply: Incident Insights with DAN, the Divers Alert Network
23/07/18 1:05 PM
Canon 5d mkiii, Tokina 10-17mm, Ikelite housing, 2 x Inon z240 strobes. 1/30s, f/10, 14mm, ISO320
58 C arbon dioxide monitoring in rebreathers: Dive Medicine with Professor Simon Mitchell 64 O ptimising images with Curves and Levels: Digital Imaging with Hans Weichselbaum 66 Diving the Web, with Phil Bendle 60 S hades of Colour - more stunning images in our regular photo competition JUST FOR FUN! 48 Papa does it again! 49 B ACK IN THE DAY! Fearless, amphibian: the Nikonos 35mm camera 67 Classifieds
In our last edition Dive magazine ran a photo of a dive tent on a frozen lake with the feature “Diving under Ice.” We are pleased to acknowledge the photographer of this was Alan Keller.
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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INDEPTH established
EDITORIAL
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Thirteen! BRILLIANT! d istribu ted
o ver sea s
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August/September 2018 Issue 165 Publisher Gilbert Peterson +64 027 494 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 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. All material is accepted in good faith and the publisher accepts no responsibility whatsoever.
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T
hese two simple words by British diver John Volanthen pumped elation and hope through Thailand’s entire population. The rest of the world started to take notice of what was happening in Chang Rai in Northern Thailand.
Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) aboard a RAAF C17 they have had time to reflect on what had happened during their eight days involvement. They felt it was necessary to bring things back into perspective.
The Wild Boars football team of twelve young boys and their coach had been found deep inside the Tham Luang cave system by John Volanthen and Rick Stanton who were part of a four-man British technical cave diving team who had been requested to help find the boys.
Harry has Ok’ed me copying his Facebook post, which I feel shows the character of these two very humble divers. Following is just part of that post:
Much has been reported about the successful process to bring the boys and their coach out of the cave system. This three day “process” involved extracting the team from their ledge 2950m from the cave’s entrance which entailed 1500m by foot and 1450m of diving. The Thai government can be congratulated for their willingness to seek assistance from the international community. In this part of the world much has been reported about Australian Dr Richard (Harry) Harris, who is an anaesthetist based in Adelaide, and his contribution to the rescue.
In the first part of their post they comment on the assortment of international divers. Harry particularly mentions the four Thai Navy Seals as the real heroes. They stayed with the boys all the time knowing they were in as much danger as the boys. He also praises the first international cave divers to arrive as part of the rescue attempt. British divers John Volanthen, Rick Stanton, Jason Mallinson and Chris Jewell: “They were doing extraordinary dives through the cave and laying the very robust rope which made all subsequent dives to the soccer team not only possible but safe. The efforts and skill of these guys in blazing this trail cannot be underestimated. Following someone else’s line is very much easier than finding your own way”.
I have been very fortunate to have spent time with Harry and his diving buddy …What we have all witnessed is history Craig Challen when being made before our very eyes.… they dived on the wreck of the SS Harry’s post further on comments: Ventnor at 150m off the Northland’s “I want to write this to try and give west coast in New Zealand and credit to all the people who were in more recently with Harry and his some way involved. wife diving the wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon. Harry and Craig are the divers who have pushed New Zealand’s Nelson Pearse Resurgence cave dive to 228m! They are very competent deep technical divers. As Harry and Craig head home with members of Australia’s
Craig and I have had a spotlight on our efforts and we want to make everyone realises that while we might have become the face of this rescue for some reason, everyone should know that the role we played was no more or less important than all the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people I have mentioned.
The part we played has been made out to be a lot more noble that it actually was, we just consider ourselves lucky to have had some skills that we could contribute to a wonderful outcome”. I recommend you check out their full Facebook post: https://tinyurl.com/y7av4r9r I have had time to reflect and recalled a quote displayed at Body Worlds Vital on Auckland’s Princess wharf. The exhibition had the effect of impressing on you how fragile and complex our bodies are and how precious our “life/ time” is. It was fitting and thought
provoking that the following words were at the exit to the world outside. I think these words may also reflect how Harry, Craig and many others that were involved in the seemingly impossible rescue live their lives. “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts. It’s the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln Congratulations to all those involved in providing the skills,
courage and the never say never attitude to achieve a remarkable outcome. I think the head of the rescue mission, former Governor of Chiang Rai, Narongsak Osotthanakorn summed up what many were thinking when he was asked re his thoughts about the divers: “The BEST”. Play it safe out there.
- Dave Moran Editor at Large
Women’s Dive Day celebrated PADI took the opportunity of the PADI’s Women’s Dive Day celebration on Saturday, July 21 to list five reasons why women love to dive, and ways that scuba diving can empower women. They are to: 1. Experience the world from a new perspective – Diving allows you to explore and find adventure in the other 71% of the planet covered in water, travel to unique destinations, and encounter wildlife and cultures you might not otherwise meet. 2. Secure a “mental health day” – Scuba diving allows you to focus on the here-and-now, escaping the
stresses of the topside world. 3. D iscover a whole new social sphere – Diving is social allowing you to meet and interact with others with common interests and a passion for adventure, travel and the underwater world. 4. O btain a sense of accomplishment and pride – Each dive leads to personal growth. Whether you’re diving with mantas, on your first night dive, or exploring a wreck, embracing new experiences builds confidence. 5. Advocate for our ocean and planet – Diving fosters appreciation for the underwater environment and
its connection to our life on land. PADI says females historically achieve less than 35% of scuba certifications each year. But over the last four years the number have increased by nearly four percent. Since beginning in 2015, PADI Women’s Dive Day has grown from 335 events in 65 countries to nearly 900 events in 85 countries in 2017, ranging from dive cruises in Australia, underwater cleanups in Singapore, fundraisers for female dive scholarships in the U.S. and dive excursions with marine biologists in Italy. www.padi.com/women
www.divenewzealand.com 5
Report - NZ Underwater Association’s 65th AGM by Peter Gulliver, South Taranaki Underwater Club
C
lub delegates from all over New Zealand converged on the historic Hawera Underwater Club over the weekend of 29th June/ 1st July for the 65th Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Underwater Association. We all enjoyed renewing old relationships and forming new ones. The South Taranaki Underwater Club hosted the AGM this year with 47 members registered. The event kicked off with a social evening on Friday before getting down to business on Saturday.
are to remove rubbish from the ocean. For example, the Wellington inner harbour is a wasteland of dumped items such as shopping trolleys, motorcycles, skateboards and hundreds of discarded bottles and paper coffee cups. Once the NZU delegates assembled at the Hawera Club group even found a preserved King Cobra Snake and a Wyland Foundation - Dive New scorpion! On another outing six Zealand magazine Recognition volunteer divers retrieved 500 kg of Award: Keith Gordon for his rubbish in one hour. 65 years of service to diving Pat Swanson reported on Experiencing Marine Reserves, a programme to enable children and their parents to visit and learn about our marine environments.
L to R Gerard Rowe, President of the South Taranaki Underwater Club & Tristan Reynard, NZUA President
Marketing/media consultant, Jeff Strang skyped in his report covering water safety, diving over the age of 40, the Dive Flag campaign, and diminishing crayfish numbers. This was followed by scientist Josh Richardson's presentation on the South Taranaki Underwater Club's Reef Life Project. This long-term study is focused on a reef 11 kilometres off the Patea coast and highlights the diversity and uniqueness of life on the reefs in South Taranaki. Several local schools are also taking part in the study. Josh Barclay of LegaSea gave an interesting address on diminishing stocks of crayfish, scallops and tarakihi. Wellington's Rob Wilson and Serena Cox from the New Zealand branch of Ghost Fishing, an international organization which collaborates with local groups, presented on their aims which 6 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Underwater Hockey New Zealand President, Tony Colquhoun, spoke on the strengths of Underwater Hockey in New Zealand. Spearfishing New Zealand’s president, Darren Shields updated delegates on the plans for the future.
beginning in 1960 when he co published with Wade Doak New Zealand’s first national diving magazine, DIVE. Examples of his subsequent work include co-publishing with Lynton Diggle the 8th edition of New Zealand Shipwrecks and Deep Water Gold covering the history of the RMS Niagara which sank with 590 gold ingots in the Hauraki Gulf. He still continues his involvement with shipwreck research and discovery.
Following lunch, the official part of the weekend got underway with the AGM being held and the election of officers. Delegates were then treated to spellbinding guest speaker Mr Keith Gordon on the history, the search, and the finding of the shipwreck SS Ventnor. The Ventnor sank off the Hokianga coast in 1902 in 147 metres of water. On board were the remains of 499 Chinese miners who had died in New Zealand and whose remains were being returned to their birth places in China out of respect for their culture. An amazing story. Awards presented were: Leo Ducker Award: To Ghost Fishing New Zealand. Representatives Rob Wilson and Serena Cox were delighted to receive the Award on behalf of the organisation.
L to R : Leo Ducker Award recipients Ghost Fishing NZ’s Rob Wilson and Serena Cox Wyland Foundation-Dive NZ Magazine Recognition Award was presented to Keith Gordon
Sunday morning delegates had the opportunity to tour Rotokare Scenic Reserve hosted by Mike Weren of the Rotokare Trust. Congratulations to the South Taranaki Underwater Club for their splendid hosting of the AGM, A job well done! The 2019 AGM will be hosted by the Canterbury Underwater club in Christchurch. See you there!
SOUNDINGS
LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL
- Springs exceptionally clear Takaka’s Te Waikoropupu The vivid blue of the water of Te - Springs near Takaka is Waikoropupu so clear it adds an extra vibrancy to the plants growing there. NIWA estimates the visual clarity of the springs at about 76m, although at times it has approached 81m, just short of the theoretical maximum of pure water at about 83m, similar to the globally renowned Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park. The last time water clarity measurements were made was in 1993 when it was measured by divers at 63m. Since then technology has advanced, theoretical maximum clarity measurements have been revised and divers are no longer permitted in the spring.
60 readings in one-minute bursts, every 10 minutes, resulting in nearly a million water clarity estimates over the deployment period.
The main instrument used to measure water clarity is a beam transmissometer which captured
NIWA scientist Mark Gall also used a GoPro camera to film the deployment of the monitoring
instruments and to check they were in the right place. The exceptional visual clarity appears to result from extremely efficient natural filtering removing particles within the springs aquifer before re-emergence of the water.
Get rid of old kapok filled life jackets Maritime NZ is advising old lifejackets with kapok filling or cotton straps are unsafe, likely to fail, and should be destroyed. The old lifejackets need to be destroyed so they cannot be reused or on-sold. Kapok loses buoyancy over time and if it gets wet it will absorb water and pull you down. Cotton straps rot over time, even if the lifejacket is not used, and will tear or break off the lifejacket, with the lifejacket coming off in the water. Even if these lifejackets are in their original packaging, have never been
used and look in perfect condition they should be destroyed as they are too old and are unsafe, Maritime NZ says. And they no longer comply with the modern New Zealand standard for lifejackets. Maritime NZ says they are turning up on Trade Me and at the ‘Old4New’ lifejacket upgrades funded by Maritime NZ and run by Coastguard in summer. Trade Me, Coastguard and many others are helping get rid of the old lifejackets. Now is a great time to ‘check, replace, destroy’ old lifejackets before the weather improves and
boaties start getting back out on the water. For more go to www.maritimenz.govt.nz/lifejackets
www.divenewzealand.com 7
Solomon Airlines begin direct weekly flights from Brisbane to Munda starting April 2018
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SOUNDINGS
Nutritional value of fish, squid reduced by warm water events
The research led by the University of Sydney shows that under warm water events the nutritional balance of fish and squid changes, and is of lower quality, while under cold water events it is higher quality. The research was conducted in New Zealand using a highly successful marine predator seabird, the Australasian gannet, as a biological monitor of the marine environment and food sources. The team combined miniature bird-borne GPS loggers, fish and squid nutritional analysis and nutritional modelling, and quantified colder and warmer water events by comparing the mean sea surface temperature with 10 years of data. Fish and squid captured by gannets were found to have a significantly lower ratio of healthy oils to protein during warm water events.
The research was published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Lead author Dr Gabriel Machovsky-Capuska, said “Marine mammals and seabirds such as gannets eat similar foods as humans, namely fish and squid. All capture prey in similar areas, and inevitably all are impacted by nutritional changes to this food source. “During warm water events gannets had to work harder for their food as they expanded their foraging habitat and increased their foraging trip duration, while at the same time consuming prey and diets with lower content of energy-providing oils. Our approach can be used to understand and ultimately protect travelling routes for migratory
Photo: Gabriel Machovsky
The nutritional quality of fish and squid deteriorates under warm water events, with implications for the marine environment, marine predators and fisheries/ food for humans.
NEWS
species, and could support the conservation of endangered species in terms of food quality and habitat suitability.” Co-author Professor David Raubenheimer of the University of Sydney said the research used a novel method: “Our approach allows us to associate the nutritional quality of marine resources with geographic location, water depth and environmental conditions such as sea surface temperature and chlorophyll levels.
NIWA seaweed scientist tackling global climate change
Springer, a US-based company, selected 250 published scientific findings across all disciplines in an initiative called Change the World, One Article at a Time. The paper selected was by Dr Wendy Nelson, a principal scientist at NIWA in Wellington, who co-authored a paper that explores the potential of commercial seaweed farming in mitigating global carbon dioxide levels, a key greenhouse gas. Dr Nelson is part of a group of experts raising interest in what has become known as "blue carbon", which is carbon stored and sequestered in coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, saltmarshes and seaweed beds. These marine ecosystems are capable of storing up to 10 times the amount of carbon as the same area of land-based forests.
Dr Nelson said the paper tackled whether it would be possible to develop more seaweed aquaculture to mitigate the impacts of ocean acidification and the potential for converting their biomass to biofuel. Seaweeds are harvested for use as food, feed for aquaculture, fertiliser for agriculture, and in industrial and pharmaceutical applications. The industry is well-established in several Asian countries but is in its infancy in New Zealand and Australia. While the paper focused on the potential of fleshy algae for these uses, Dr Nelson says that coralline algal beds were also slowly being recognised as having a key role in our changing climate. Large beds recently discovered in the Kermadecs could be very important. "We need to consider the fate of carbon being absorbed by marine systems. How we protect the marine environment to maintain these ecosystems is an exciting area of research," she said.
Photo: Dave Allen
One of the world's leading scientific publishers has named a paper co-written by a NIWA scientist as one of 250 ground-breaking findings that could "help change the world".
The paper is available online: Carbon dioxide mitigation potential of seaweed aquaculture beds (SABs) https://tinyurl.com/y82rssh5
www.divenewzealand.com 9
SOUNDINGS NEWS
Dive qualifications being refreshed Expect an announcement later this year on slight changes to New Zealand’s tertiary dive qualifications. The qualifications are included as part of a ‘refresh and renew’ process currently underway for all vocational qualifications administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. However changes are likely to be minor as existing qualifications are still very much fit for purpose, says Dan Forman, CEO of the New Zealand Academy of Diving.
New Zealand’s four tertiary dive qualifications are involved; the three New Zealand dive certificates and diploma. On the Qualifications Framework these align with Level 3 – Rescue Diver; Level 4 – Dive Master; and Level 5 – Dive Instructor, along with the Diploma for Dive Instructors. Currently three dive schools offering professional dive instruction which are: •T oi Ohomai Institute of Technology in the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (www.toiohomai.
ac.nz) which offers diving as part of its environmental management/ marine science diploma courses •S ubsea New Zealand based in Huntly (www.subsea.nz) which caters for commercial, construction divers, and • t he Academy of Diving (www. academyofdiving.ac.nz), a not for profit organization based in Palmerston North which predominantly provides training for professional recreational dive instructors.
Tsunamis in lakes? A pilot project mapping the floor of Lake Tekapo has highlighted the hazard to lakeside towns of tsunamis caused by landslides. NIWA marine geologist Dr Joshu Mountjoy said they had modelled tsunami from slope failures within and into the lake based on the evidence for the size and location of past landslides. The results show that waves from a tsunami on a lake could exceed 5m at many locations around the lake shoreline. "Today there are large rivers moving sediment into the lake and
creating huge deposits known as deltas. Both these deltas, and the steep sides of both the lake bed and the mountains next to it, are prone to collapsing," Dr Mountjoy said. Researchers are hopeful the Lake Tekapo pilot study can be used as a basis for research on tsunami hazard
World Shoot Out photo competition Awarding underwater photographers with prestigious prizes
Submit your best images online and WIN WIN WIN! The World Shoot Out BEST 5 IMAGES category invites photographers to submit a set of 5 underwater images you’ve been diving in on 2018 and win a dreamy dive vacation for 2 people in Papua New Guinea worth $20,000.
More Categories & Prizes BEST 5 IMAGES – $20,000 trip to Papua New Guinea CHAMPIONSHIP – $10,000 awaits the winning team VIDEO CLIP CATEGORY – $1,000 cheque MACRO CATEGORY – $1,500 cheque AMATEURS CATEGORY – $1,500 cheque All World Shoot Out winners and nominees will be announced on January 26, 2019 takes place at the Düsseldorf dive show in Germany. Go to www.https://www.worldshootout.org
10 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
in other large New Zealand lakes such as Wakatipu, Wanaka and Taupo.
A shining Star in Port Vila By Anne Simmons. Photos by Anne and Eric Simmons Sunken shipwrecks are a unique ‘happy spot’ for each of us. For the serious wreck addict the focus is all about their technical history and structure. For others it’s more about the romance, the story behind the wreck. Or perhaps it’s simply a case of being able to tick off diving on a wreck. Then for others of us it’s all the above. For me it’s the joy of diving to something that now provides shelter for an amazing array of marine life, taking advantage of this man-made edifice and forging it into their own haven. For my husband, Eric, the focus is on the history, story and detail, while not forgetting the amazing opportunities such a wreck provides for the smallest and largest marine creatures.
W
e both love diving the Star of Russia now sitting in 36 metres of water in the sheltered Port Vila harbour in Vanuatu. Every dive on this amazing wreck is unique, but some things are almost guaranteed. The first thing you become aware of is the cloud of batfish loitering at some point
down the mooring line. It’s a perfect start and finish to any dive being surrounded by a school of curious batfish. The mooring line itself is full of life, tiny blennies, crustaceans, evasive filefish – take time to examine the life in front of you. There is always something happening with every fin kick.
In no time at all the shape of the Star emerges below, one of her massive masts off to one side complete with crow’s nest. Then the open bowels of the ship come into view where a diver can safely explore all three levels of the ship, though her teak decks are long since gone.
www.divenewzealand.com 11
Looking up from the bowels of The Star
Here you can be privy to spiralling clouds of trevally rising up then sinking again into her depths. Or watch a vacant eyed puffer fish aimlessly keep its distance, a large grouper lurks along the sides seeking prey, and a crocodile fish sits motionless waiting for you to pass by. A variety of colourful nudibranchi and vertebrates adorn the shell of the Star, with the occasional lionfish moving stealthily around. If you look closely you can find moray eels taking advantage of the many nooks and crannies, and a close inspection highlights various cleaner shrimps or soldier shrimps in residence. Even without the fascinating marine life there is interest aplenty, from the large capstan at the bow complete with winch below, bollards lining the sides. At the stern the rudder and the steering gear are waiting to be found. The gap where the bow sprit, long since gone, provides home to one of the large morays complete with entourage of cleaner shrimp. Inside the hull an array of equipment gives a diver plenty of scope to explore and gain a sense of respect for the amazing ship she was in her hey-day.
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A SHIP’S LIFE The Star of Russia was built by Harland and Wolff in 1874, a Belfast shipping company that built many fine ships, including the RMS Titanic. Iron hulled and a fully rigged three masted ship, she
was almost 83 metres long and 12 metres wide with a gross tonnage of 1981 tons. The Star was the largest of 12 almost identical ships built for James P Cory & Company of Belfast, Northern Ireland, a grand lady, speedy and efficient, as
…Even without the fascinating marine life there is interest aplenty, from the large capstan at the bow complete with winch and bollards lining the sides …
Crocodile fish lurking
Haven for shrimps
she needed to be to compete with the steam ships fast encroaching on the clipper trade. On her tenth voyage, transporting 4,000 ton of cement from London to Melbourne the Star set a best day’s run of 388 miles during a 23 and a half hour day (sights to sights) averaging over 16.5 knots, an incredible speed for such a large sailing ship. For much of her life she worked the London to Melbourne route but in 1898 James P Cory & Company went under and she was sold several times over the next few years, ending up with several of her sister ships, purchased by the Alaska Packers Association to add to their fleet of square riggers transporting
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Eel and shrimps
supplies and labour heading north and returning with canned fish. Her last voyage was in 1926 when she was sold to be used as a cargo hulk in the South Pacific. From coal barge to copra hulk she laboured between Australia, Noumea and finally to the New Hebrides. Moored in Port Vila, and after suffering through several cyclones, she gave up and succumbed to her watery grave just northwest of the main wharf. Her location now gives the diver a reverberating sensory experience of those sailing ship days, a feeling that can literally be felt throughout the body. Quite eerie.
Keep a careful eye on the line for these wee blennies
The Star of Russia is a fascinating dive for everyone. A single dive isn’t enough to see all of her, and visibility is often only average, usually around eight metres. So at her depth its pays to watch your dive time and air carefully. The Star is also an excellent build up dive enroute to the SS President Coolidge (see Dive mag 164). And keep an eye out in the surrounding waters on your ascent for the occasional passing manta ray or dugong!
Puffer loitering on the sides …Her location now gives the diver a reverberating sensory experience of those sailing ship days, a feeling that can literally be felt throughout the body. Quite eerie…
Variety of colours of batfish
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There’s more to do in Vanuatu
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SOUNDINGS NEWS
The latest from the Tara Expedition
Ocean plastics problem will not be (World Oceans Day came and went on June 8th…) By Jeff Ghiglione, director of research in Ecotoxicology at the CNRS and Romain Troublé, executive director of the Tara Expeditions Foundation. CNRS is France’s National Centre for Scientific Research employing some 30,000 staff.
Social networks these days are filled with shocking pictures: plastic bags, bottles, fishing nets and other debris floating in the sea. These images are especially effective in arousing our indignation, and positive initiatives are surfacing everywhere in favour of the ocean. But what do we really know about the plastic plague that began just five decades ago? What is the reality beyond the hubbub of the media? In light of recent scientific research, the solution will not be found at sea.
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athering and recycling trash on boats, citizens rallying for beach cleanups, giant nets collecting plastics floating on the surface: positive initiatives such as these are multiplying around the world. They spotlight the issues and in this way contribute to safeguarding the oceans. But beyond the shock effect of images and the important media coverage, this hubbub can act as a smokescreen. By communicating too much about “continents of plastic” that may eventually be
…By communicating too much about “continents of plastic” that may eventually be cleaned up… we are missing the essential point… cleaned up with miracle solutions, we are missing the essential point. For scientists working with the Tara Foundation, it is urgent to focus on the invisible pollution that causes the most harm: micro-plastics. Smaller than grains of rice, these particles interact with a great number of marine organisms and represent a potential danger (just beginning to be
documented) for the entire marine food chain. From plankton to our plate. Take a look at the numbers: It's estimated that 250 billion particles are floating just in the Mediterranean Sea! How can we get rid of such a diffuse form of pollution on a planetary scale? Researchers have shown that contrary to the increasingly widespread idea of a single “plastic continent” (a conglomerate), in fact micro-plastics are everywhere, including in the Arctic. Of course micro-plastics cannot be collected. Sailors who know the immensity of the oceans realize that “collection” is useless considering the extent of the plague. Solutions will have to come from the land.
…it is urgent to focus on the invisible pollution that causes the most harm: microplastics… Aboard Tara, scientists studying plastic degradation and interaction with living organisms see no alternative but to drastically limit single-use plastics, better manage waste on land, prevent plastics from reaching the sea, and invent new materials. The reality is that 16 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
solved in the sea
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few of the so-called “bio-degradable plastics” really degrade at sea. Cleaning up beaches and collecting plastic in the oceana are symbolic actions with real educational value. But it is fundamental to support research and innovation on biodegradable plastics, packaging of the future, and eco-design of products. Far from the clichés of the trash-
can-ocean, strangling turtles and dead seabirds on beaches, our parliaments and assemblies must innovate for a circular economy. Similar to the international mobilization that successfully resolved the ozone layer problem, the G7, the UN and the European Union must make plastic pollution a question of international public health.
https://oceans.taraexpeditions.org The research schooner Tara is currently in the Pacific Ocean and has just crossed the North Pacific gyre, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where the concentration of plastic is among the largest. On board, the scientific team led by Maria-Luiza Pedrotti (Laboratoire Océanographique of Villefranche-sur-Mer, in France) is studying the life that proliferates in these plastic vortice and the interactions between the living and microplastics.
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Generations for change: The dawn of a new era By Jean-Michel Cousteau and Jaclyn Mandoske
It is most fitting and symbolic to me that the opening words of the climate conference late last year came from a young 12-year old Fijian boy by the name of Timoci Naulausala. Looking out into the crowd, this young man stood before world leaders from nearly every nation on the planet and spoke about the reality of climate change he faces every day, and the future Earth he will inherit.
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his young man, and the young people alive today are the next generation. These are the people who will grow up to become our decision-makers, and these are the people who are telling us now what we need to do. The problem is, there is no more time for doubt on climate
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change. We already see the effects: devastating hurricanes and cyclones, historic flooding, prolonged droughts, and mass migrations from both conflict coupled with significant environmental change.
Focusing on the solutions It is now time to focus on the many
solutions available. The changes to our climate do not stop when age-old political discussions come to the table. Catastrophic weather patterns will not cease because of our inaction or inability to make decisions. As the young Fijian boy, Timoci, so eloquently reminded us at the
Time for decisions
beginning of the conference, we are here today “in recognition that the threat of climate change is real, urgent, serious and is growing overnight.” Timoci followed with a simple truth, “it needs to be solved.”
…There is no more time for doubt on climate change. We already see the effects: devastating hurricanes and cyclones, historic flooding, prolonged droughts, and mass migrations from both conflict coupled with significant environmental change… The past year was my first time being physically present at the UN climate conferences, officially titled the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP), and 2017 was the 23rd that the annual meeting was held, a.k.a. COP 23. Each year, the conference is hosted and led by one nation and this past year Fiji was selected. Yet, due to the massive size of population gathering at COP 23 and the relatively small size of the Fijian islands, Germany
kindly offered to host the physical location while Fiji remained the official host of the COP 23 events. Fiji, a place near to my heart, used the opportunity this year to tell their story and shine a light on what climate change looks like today for the millions of people who live so close to the oceans and who depend so intricately on the stability of the climate to sustain their lives.
Most vulnerable The unfortunate truth is that climate change will hurt those who are already the most vulnerable island nations whose populations reside at or near sea level and communities whose livelihoods are so closely linked to the environment around them. These are the people who will feel the impacts of climate change – water, weather, drought, and heat – first, and likely the hardest. While it may be easy for so many people to feel despaired when they read the headlines that warn of catastrophic climate change and the enormity of the issue before us, we must not forget that we are not facing this crisis alone. We have the entire human population behind us, generations of leaders, thinkers, engineers, artists, innovators, and dreamers. There is no challenge that together we cannot solve.
Two years ago at COP 21, my daughter, Céline Cousteau presented at the climate talks in Paris, France. She spoke not only for the oceans, the planet and the environment, but also for the many people, especially native and indigenous peoples whose lives so critically depend on the quality of their environment. My daughter has spent her life documenting the stories of people in the Amazon and the struggles they face. I am a proud father when I think of her leadership. And yet, my daughter is also a mother. My grandson will grow up in the world we leave behind. We are only one family of generations. My father did all he could to spread awareness about the problems of our world, and I have spent my life carrying that flame of faith. But the world is at a turning point. Young people today know this. We know enough about the problems. Now we need to make decisions and move forward on real, urgent, and serious solutions.
…Fiji, a place near to my heart, used the opportunity this year to tell their story and shine a light on what climate change looks like today for the millions of people who live so close to the oceans and who depend so intricately on the stability of the climate to sustain their lives…
We can solve this The rapid climate change we are experiencing today is a problem made by people. This means, it is a problem that can be solved by people. We are the greatest barriers to our own solutions. The technology is here. We know how
www.divenewzealand.com 19
to capture energy from the wind, the sun, and the seas. We know enough to start the momentum of change.
…Fiji, a place near to my heart, used the opportunity this year to tell their story and shine a light on what climate change looks like today for the millions of people who live so close to the oceans and who depend so intricately on the stability of the climate to sustain their lives…
It is equally fitting that Fiji led COP 23 earlier this year. Fiji, and so many small island nations like them, has contributed negligible carbon emissions to the global climate yet they are leading the world on solutions. Fiji, for example, is committing to increasing renewable energy, investing in environmentally sustainable tourism, and reminding us all how to be more thoughtful and gentle when it comes to on our impact on our ocean home.
Re-envisioning our world When I reflect back on COP 23, I see that young Fijian boy as a symbol of future leaders to come. Knowledgeable, educated, brave,
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and authentic, he represents the generations of today who will never give up hope. This is their future, and they will not wait for the leaders of older generations to stand in their way. I applaud every person, young, old, or anywhere in between, making their own contributions to solve the challenges of climate changes ahead. Because we do not need any more doubt, or delay. As I approach my 80th birthday this year, I am more optimistic and excited than ever that we can truly re-envision our world. More than ever, we need hope and change: and lucky for us, we have generations of tomorrow’s leaders ready to change the course of their future today.
LegaSea Update
Calling time on the quota management system
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rayfish on the northeast coast is just one of a litany of fish stocks well below what ordinary Kiwis would consider abundant and available. This dissatisfaction was evidenced during LegaSea’s recent Crayfish Crisis campaign when so many divers, fishers, and the New Zealand Underwater Association stood up and had their say. LegaSea was grateful for this support. Together we achieved success in getting the Minister of Fisheries to make more conservative management decisions for some stocks. However, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash needs to realise that the time is coming when more New Zealanders will join the chorus in saying ‘enough’ to managing our coastal fisheries at such low levels. Our fisheries and marine environment are national assets that we are obliged to safeguard for future generations. When the quota management system was introduced in 1986 Kiwis were promised sustainability. The public accepted the
rhetoric that New Zealand’s fisheries would be rebuilt and better managed after decades of open slather. That commercial fishers would be better stewards of our fisheries because they had a long-term interest in sustaining the stocks. And that fish quota could not be monopolised. What eventuated was quite different. It didn’t take long for investors to move in because it was easy, and quota ownership was not tied to a vessel. Over time, the hard working fishermen and women on the water have become enslaved to the demands of quota owners as catching rights have fallen into fewer hands. Nowadays, fishing is by necessity a lowest-cost, maximum-return operation. Any profits are captured by the quota owner and the skipper must run a lean operation. This leaves little money to spend on spreading catch effort to avoid vulnerable species and nursery areas, maintaining vessels or attracting quality crew.
So what have we learnt?
As divers we have seen through our own goggles that a quota management system on its own does not limit fishing pressure to anything close to ecologically sustainable levels. Crayfish has proven this. If we want to restore abundance and marine diversity we need to be bold enough to get stuck in now. We need our fisheries managers to commit adequate resources to delivering hands-on management, encouraging innovation, and implementing environmental standards that must be met by all users of our coastal waters. LegaSea is urging people to get on board. Subscribe and standby for more info on how you can help rescue our fisheries for future generations. https://www.legasea.co.nz/ subscribe/ Call 0800 LEGASEA (534 273) Email us info@legasea.co.nz Subscribe at www.legasea.co.nz/subscribe Read more at www.facebook.com/legasea
www.divenewzealand.com 21
The ‘no brainer’ case for more, bigger marine reserves by Ria Loveder Our oceans are under immense pressure due to human activity. Global warming, acidification and pollution are just a few of the burdens we impose on our oceans, and it is forecast to get worse. Hence the need to find ways to conserve our marine ecosystems and begin to repair the damage. A tried and true method of doing just this is already to hand: marine reserves. Marine reserves meet both conservation objectives and other human needs. In fact they are the only way identified thus far to protect oceanic ecosystems in their entirety. Marine reserves benefit four biological
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he International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines marine reserves areas as ‘clearly well-defined geographical space that are managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve long-term conservation by maintaining ecosystems’. The establishment of more and larger marine reserves would allow us to begin to define where truly ‘healthy’ marine ecosystems exist, while illuminating issues on how to manage pollution, climate change, and overfishing. About 3.1 billion people depend on the ocean for almost 20% of their dietary needs, and over 500 million people earn their livelihoods from ocean-related activities. Yet at present marine reserves globally account for less than 1% of the oceans compared to national parks on land which make up 12%.
Replenishing fish stocks Marine reserves are well documented for replenishing fish stocks (eg see Dive 163 re snapper). Over fishing occurs in half of our oceans with 58% of fish stocks on the point of becoming endangered. Globally some 11 to 26 million tonnes of fish are lost each year due to illegal fishing. Marine reserves go some small way to
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factors: marine organism density, biomass, scale and diversity. Socially, they benefit people through education, and by boosting tourism. No-take reserves can quadruple the biomass of animals and plants in their proximity, typically leading to at least a doubling of marine life density while the size and health of individual species rises. In New Zealand our governments have committed to protecting 10% of our coastal waters and marine areas by 2020. In contrast overfishing has removed 63% of fish biomass (93% of shark biomass) from coastal areas.
rebalance this (self) destruction. To rebuild fish stocks, increase our resilience to climate change, and prevent the further loss of marine life, many scientists are saying we need to protect 20% to 40% of the oceans through a global network of reserves and sanctuaries. New Zealand’s marine environment extends to 500 million hectares of ocean and we have just 44 marine reserves which equates to just 0.3% of the total area. 99% of that consists of two reserves, the Auckland and Kermadec Islands, both of which are smaller than our smallest National Park, Abel Tasman. Currently, the average size of a marine reserve is just five square kilometres. Given the diversity and extent of our marine environment, surely, for instance, we should be aiming to establish larger reserves, and in deep water offshore.
Climate and pollution related benefits Reserves also assist with eliminating pollution and help remediate climate change. Most causes of marine pollution (80%) are from the land, such as plastics washing down rivers, and agricultural runoff. An example of how
this is being addressed is the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, a brilliant system under development that aims to better manage agrarian effects and the impacts of pollution from catchments near the reef. Climate change is forecast to see the world’s salt marshes shrink by 50%, the loss of 35% of mangroves, 30% of our coral reefs, and 20% of our seagrass areas. (see also Soundings on page 9 in this issue of Dive)
Discovering health benefits Marine reserves could also be where marine organisms that show promise for assisting with human health could be nurtured. Organisms such as corals and sponges are known to produce antibiotic compounds. A sponge thriving in the Red Sea creates substances that act to suppress the AIDS virus. The marine snail and the Caribbean Sea Whip produce composites that assist with inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, a condition resistant to standard medical treatment thus far.
Only getting worse Globally sea-based industries are predicted to double their contribution to the world’s ‘value-added’
Case study: Goat Island Marine Reserve The Marine Reserve Act of 1971 allowed the establishment of New Zealand’s first marine reserve in 1975 at Cape Rodney/Okakari Point, better known as Goat Island Marine Reserve, and one of the world’s first no-take reserves.
Photo: Darryl Torckler
Before it the area was dominated by kina due to a lack of large snapper and crayfish predating them, a result of overfishing. Within eight years of the reserve’s protective status, 30% of the reef was transformed from bare rock to kelp forests swarming with species rarely seen hitherto.
In the next edition of Dive we will feature Samara Nicholson's work with "Experiencing Marine Reserves." Here she is in her role as Lead Coordinator in Blue Maomao Arch at the Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve by 2030. By then marine aquaculture is expected to triple, while industrial-scale capture fisheries, port activities, and maritime and coastal tourism are expected to double. The pressure on aquatic ecosystems is projected simply to multiply exponentially.
Where there’s hope Marine reserves present places to study marine ecosystems relatively free from the influence of human activity. But more, larger, and widely dispersed reserves, and in deep water, are needed to deter-
mine the natural age, fertility, mortality of fish populations and other marine species, for us to gauge and establish credible sustainable management goals. Marine reserves represent our best way forward for understanding our marine ecosystems in their natural state. By investing in their protection we allow marine life to recover while countering the risks inherent to ourselves from overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Surely a no brainer approach.
Goat Island reserve was ostensibly created so scientists could observe and learn how a healthier, more natural ecosystem could function. Auckland University operated from the Leigh Marine Laboratory on site. Now the reserve is home to over 1,000 species, and has become an excellent place for children and adults to see for themselves, and interact with an ocean environment. Consequently Goat Island has become a tourism magnet attracting more than 350,000 snorkelers, divers and marine scientists annually. Their value to the area is estimated worth over $8 million each year, with visitors becoming advocates for tthe reserve, spreading awareness of it, and the vital job it does. Indeed the emotional response of visitors may well far exceed the financial benefits.
www.divenewzealand.com 23
Milford Sound, a wholly unique dive experience Milford Sound may not be the first place that comes to mind when planning a dive trip. The term ‘Sound’ suggests it was formed when a river valley was flooded by the sea. However, Milford Sound is actually a fjord, carved out by the erosion of ancient glacial ice leaving behind a deep valley flanked by sheer rock faces, lush forest and majestic snowy peaks. Over time the deep valley was filled slowly by the Tasman Sea, bringing with it a vast array of life. Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in New Zealand with an annual rainfall of 6,813mm, but it is also one of the most beautiful! Heavy rain rushing down the slopes through the dense vegetation brings with it a tea coloured tannin
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Story and photos by Grant Thomas
staining the top layer of the fjord’s water a dark brown. This fresh water ranges from two to six metres deep and, as you descend your eyes struggle to focus through the salty fresh water mixture. This cold blurry layer makes Milford Sound so unique to dive. The dark tannin also filters out sun light which in turn creates the perfect environment for deep water species such as seven gill sharks and huge ancient black coral trees. The Piopiotahi Marine Reserve established in 1993 along the northern side of Milford Sound, has created a safe environment for marine life to flourish, and this is immediately obvious as you descend to be greeted by curious crayfish and friendly blue cod.
…Swim through schools of blue moki at Moki Reef, watch millions of crayfish at Cray’s Crack and hang out with a friendly octopus at Dale Point…
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‌Carpet shark eggs are nestled amongst the black coral tree branches, eggs which can often reveal a partially developed shark foetus, absolutely mesmerising to watch as its tiny gills beat into life‌ A guided tour to one of the many magical waterfalls fills out our interval time, along with an ice cold glacial shower! Milford Sound has everything, above and below the water, more than just a dive trip, but an experience wholly unique to New Zealand.
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F
rom a photographer’s perspective this is perfect as you can get super close to the subject without harassing them. Or, as I found, they might even start harassing you. If you are planning a photo trip make sure you bring both macro and wide angle set up there is more than enough keep your camera busy with both! Throughout the fjord there are a huge variety of dive sites but some of the most popular are Penguin Cove, Greenstone Point and The Triangle.
Penguin Cove is a popular and easy way to start the day with a sloping sandy bottom and plenty of marine life. Huge crayfish spill out of every crack and crevice, very much as curious about us as we are about them. Black coral trees reach high up with their delicate white branches contrasting poignantly against the dark water. Keep an eye out for curious dogfish and carpet sharks swimming around below too. The sandy floor soon drops away into a black abyss and you can continue along the steep rocky topography with endless black coral structures. Greenstone Point is located at the mouth of the fjord, a steep wall dive with an abundance of life. Schooling kingfish and butterfly perch hang in the current with bright red, hard coral structures reaching out from the precipitous rocky edge. Yellow zoanthids envelope entire rocky areas with carpet shark eggs nestled amongst the black coral tree branches, eggs which can often reveal a partially developed shark foetus, absolutely mesmerising to watch as its tiny gills beat into life.
Your Ultimate Diving Experience The MV Pembroke is Fiordlands specialist dive vessel. We have been operating dive charters for over 20 years in the Dusky and Breaksea Sounds area. We take a maximum of 8 divers only, catering for all levels. We offer unlimited tank fills, fishing equipment, 2 x kayaks and fantastic onboard cuisine. See our website for more information and to make a booking.
www.FiordlandCharters.co.nz
www.divenewzealand.com 27
The Triangle dive site is located deep within
the fjord and less affected by ocean currents that otherwise help flush out sediment. The build-up of debris in the water column acts as a sun shade, blocking out light and creating a great environment for seven gill sharks. But unfortunately we did not encounter any of them this time though we did get to see one of the largest black coral structures in the entire fjord, about the size of a large car. There are also plenty of other dive sites to explore: swim through schools of blue moki at Moki Reef, watch millions of crayfish at Cray’s Crack and hang out with friendly octopus at Dale Point. The dive guides on hand point out unique creatures such as the warty nudibranch or spiny sea dragons. And keep an eye out for curious fur seals and the pods of dolphins cruising by. A guided tour to one of the many magical waterfalls fills out our interval time, along with an ice cold glacial shower! Milford Sound has everything, above and below the water, more than just a dive trip, but an experience wholly unique to New Zealand.
Weather improving
The best time to visit is during the New Zealand summer but Descend Scuba Diving, the only dive company operating in Milford Sound, do operate from the middle of July to the middle of May. Descend Scuba Diving has available high spec rental equipment including such as wing BCDs and trilaminate drysuits, very much a consideration with water temperatures ranging from 12-18° C. Most people choose to stay in Te Anau and drive or bus to Milford each morning. Weather can change wildly throughout the day so come prepared with a warm jacket, sun screen and your sense of adventure! Booking in advance is essential as spaces fill up fast.
Grant Thomas, originally from Scotland and a PADI Dive instructor, is a freelance photographer and expedition guide. His work has taken him around the world, from Indonesia to the Arctic. His unique over-under imagery creates visual connections between the terrestrial world and the more mysterious underwater world. Grant is a brand ambassador for Ikelite Underwater systems.
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pearos S notebook
Winter training for world champs
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inter is in full swing above and below the water with the water temperature in the Hauraki Gulf dropping to 13-15 degrees. Divers are often put off by the thought of winter diving when in fact there are some great opportunities out on the water. On the east coast in the north the prevailing SW wind may result in flat coastal water and good visibility. This is my favourite time to shore dive, when the water is still and quiet. Winter diving brings out the true hunter too, as fish are more alert. Also, keeping fit during the winter months makes summer diving a breeze.
World champs
The World Spearfishing Championships are being held on the 8th and 9th September in Portugal and I am fortunate to be part of the New Zealand team competing over there. With limited preparation time available in Portugal, I need to keep dive fit, which means doing some work here. It means lots of swimming and repeat dives in quick succession. Last year the team went to Portugal to scout and experience the type of diving we may face.
Massive swells are common under the Portuguese cliffs
with Jackson Shields
The diving will not be deep, with maximum depth most likely less than 30 metres. But the shallows are demanding with certain target species liking the wash under the cliffs where massive swells are common. This makes for frustrating and sometimes dangerous diving as you can get sucked through the rocks and dumped. Recreating this type of diving in New Zealand is difficult unless you are a paua diver on the west coast. Also a lot of the species in Portugal live or hide in holes, including moray and conger eels. Both are a delicacy there and on the target list.
Back at the beach I found I had covered over seven kilometres, and I managed to get to work for the afternoon.
Winter training comes in handy
Portugal beckons
Winter diving is the best way for me to train for this. I spend most of my time right up in the shallows looking for snapper with my 90cm gun, and carry a torch to look for crays.
I have also had some great diving at both Great Barrier and the Hen, where there has been good numbers of winter snapper with some big fish floating around. Visibility has been good at around five to eight metres, ideal for hunting the shallows. Patience and perseverance pay off in winter as the fish are there but their behaviour can differ to summer. A thorough approach will lead to more encounters. I will be heading over Portugal late August and spend three weeks scouting proposed areas learning to hunt the target fish. It’s an expensive exercise, as we need to rent boats leading up to the competition to cover as much area as we
My latest shore dive was at Jones Bay just north of Auckland. I set up my Wettie Float Boat with a spare spear gun, snacks and water. The tidal movement was perfect. I would swim into the current both ways. The aim was to do half a day and get to work in the afternoon. It soon became apparent that all was quiet on the fish front but visibility was great at around six metres. Eventually, after over an hour, the first snapper popped into view. But with a 90cm gun the approach was hard and the fish didn’t allow me much time. Wintertime current and bait fish are very important to look out for, and I was thorough in areas where there was plenty of current even with some of it being nearly un-swimmable. Working various points I picked up the odd snapper and checked a few good looking caves that resulted in a nice packhorse crayfish. Enough fish for me for the week. A bonus on the way back was a lone John Dory patrolling the weed-edge.
can. A lot of the area is accessible via shore entry but can sometimes be a bit dodgy as they are popular surf beaches. It can make for exciting times punching through the waves to get out to the rocky outcrops. Updates on the lead up and the competitions will be on the ‘NZ Spearfishing Team supporters’ page’ on Facebook.
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The simple safe rules for breath hold divers by Chris Marshall
Chris has been spearfishing for 14 years and freediving competitively for the last decade. He has competed in most underwater sports, including underwater hockey, underwater rugby, freediving, spearfishing and fin swimming. He holds a number of New Zealand fin swimming records and is a twotime national freediving champion.
A
s breath-hold divers most of us could be doing more to keep ourselves and our buddies safe in the water - and it doesn’t need to compromise our enjoyment. Divers of all experience levels can fall prey to a lack of knowledge or excessive confidence, resulting in preventable tragedies that have terrible impacts on friends and family. Hazards faced by almost all breath-hold divers include blackout, currents or rips, changing weather conditions, boats and sharks, approximately in that order. But some simple steps can significantly reduce the chances that you or your buddies end up as statistics.
1) Never dive alone Almost every hazard you face is less of a risk if you have someone else with you. That means actively watching out for
30 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
your buddy as much as possible, especially as your buddy surfaces, not just being in the same general area. If you black out, a buddy 200m away from you is of no use. A buddy who sees what's just happened will probably save your life.
2) Never hyperventilate Hyperventilation doesn't increase your breath-hold, but it does give you a false sense of security. Don't fall for it. Hyperventilation is simply breathing more quickly or deeply than you need to. It removes carbon dioxide from your lungs and bloodstream. And it makes very little difference to your oxygen stores. It delays the urge to breathe, but significantly reduces your margin for error while also decreasing your actual breathholding capacity.
3) S tay within your limits, including depth, time, surface intervals and conditions Not only will your dives be more enjoyable, but by staying away from the ragged edge you'll seriously reduce your risk profile and give yourself some wiggle room if something unexpected occurs. A rule of thumb for surface intervals is double your last dive time, but you'll need more than this if you're diving deep
or in strong current. Know the area and know the forecast.
4) T alk to locals and watch the forecast & tides Get a feel for an area before you think about going out in marginal conditions. Spending the time needed to learn how to identify currents and rips is a worthwhile investment that will save you some hard swimming, if not more. If you will be diving from a boat, make sure you know
about any of the launching or retrieving hazards in the area. Nobody wants to hit the bar and swamp their boat, or come back to the beach only to find high tide is halfway up the doors of your car!
5) T ell people where you're going Letting someone know where you'll be and when you'll be back can make the difference if things really go south. The sooner a rescue is started, the better your chances - especially if rescuers know where to start looking.
6) Use a float and flag Staying visible to boats reduces the chances of a collision. Diver vs outboard only ever has one winner. It also helps your buddies or boatman to find you. Don't underestimate how hard a diver is to see in even quite calm conditions!
7) T ry to stay away from high traffic areas As above, anything that reduces your chances of a battle with an engine is a good idea. If you do find yourself in such an area, you need to make a special effort to look out for boats and stay visible. Even if it isn't your fault, trying to explain you did nothing wrong to a spinning propeller is seldom effective.
8) I f spearfishing, keep fish out of the water in sharky areas using a plat (float boat) Though sharks are a far smaller risk than most people think, keeping fish away from them reduces the chances of a rogue encounter even further, while increasing your enjoyment and chances of coming home with a feed. Plats are also highly visible and tow better in the water than a float once you have a few fish.
And remember, no dive and no fish is worth your life!
www.divenewzealand.com 31
Raja Ampat: Nature’s richest realm By Nigel Marsh and Helen Rose www.nigelmarshphotography.com
Fish, fish, everywhere all around us were fish! We had never seen so many different fish species in vast numbers at the one dive site. Schools of snappers, sweetlips, surgeonfish, fusiliers, barracuda, trevally and rabbitfish. Milling about with them were Maori wrasse, gropers, mackerel, batfish and bumphead parrotfish. We knew we were going to see a lot of fish at Raja Ampat but never this many!
32 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
The wonderful liveaboard Sea Safari 8
Richest marine ecosystem on the planet
Schools of glassfish and cardinalfish swarm over a coral head.
‌We encountered schools of fusiliers, damsels and snappers, a hawksbill turtle munching coral, a tasselled wobbegong resting under a plate coral, a barramundi cod, flowery gropers, batfish, Maori wrasse and a vast array of small reef fish‌
Raja Ampat is located in the Indonesian province of West Papua at the heart of the Coral Triangle, and it has been identified as the richest marine ecosystem on the planet. Here, there are more species of fish and coral than anywhere else and, due fortunately to its remoteness and protection as a marine reserve, the corals and fish are very healthy as well as very abundant. The best way to explore the area is to join a liveaboard boat. For our Raja Ampat adventure we booked a 10 day trip on Sea Safari 8, a 34m long traditional style Phinisi schooner, a wonderful boat! Floating luxury, with spacious ensuite cabins, a large dive deck, great food and a fabulous crew. Raja Ampat means Four Kings named after the four main islands in the group. In reality there are over 1500 islands, reefs and coral caves to explore.
Misool Our adventure started at the southern section around the island of Misool and from the very first dive there, at Warna Berwarna,
we knew we were in a very special place. It may have been a checkout dive but the walls around this rock island were covered in soft corals, gorgonians, sponges, sea whips and black coral trees; a fantasy land of colour. But it was the fish life that most impressed. We encountered schools of fusiliers, damsels and snappers, a hawksbill turtle munching coral, a tasselled wobbegong resting under a plate coral, a barramundi cod, flowery gropers, batfish, Maori wrasse and a vast array of small reef fish. This dive was one of the fishest dive sites we have seen in Asia. Yet compared to other sites in the area it was to prove almost barren! For three days we dived the wonderful dive sites of Misool. We explored rock islands, similar to the famous ones in Palau, covered in exquisite corals and over-loaded with fish. At Anidiamo we encountered schools of barracuda and bumphead parrotfish, while at Candy Store it was the schools of trevally and batfish. But the best of them all were the sea mounts. And the best of these rising from deep water was Karang Bayangan, with wonderful corals and spectac-
www.divenewzealand.com 33
ular fish life: we saw reef sharks, trevally, fusiliers, snappers, gropers, barracuda, tasselled wobbegongs and a very friendly Maori wrasse.
The very friendly Maori wrasse that followed us around at Karang Bayangan
‌But it was at an amazing dive site called Sawandarek Jetty where we encountered schools of fish of even more immensity and diversity, the fishest dive site we have ever seen‌ Batanta Heading north we spent a day at Batanta, the smallest of the Four Kings, and not often dived. Rather than pretty corals and dense schools of fish it has wonderful muck diving at sites called Algae Patch and Bethlehem where, in the dark sand slopes we found mantis shrimps, octopus, garden eels, waspfish, nudibranchs, lionfish, cowfish, jawfish and many other such critters.
Dampier Strait
A mixed group of ribbon and diagonal-banded sweetlips at Sawandarek Jetty
The final part of our trip was in the Dampier Strait diving rock islands, pinnacles and jetties. Simply magic! At Melissa Garden and Anita Garden we got to admire incredible corals and a great assortment of fish, both big and small, schooling snappers, trevally and fusiliers, tasselled wobbegongs, turtles, gropers, batfish, pygmy seahorses, pipefish and endemic reef fish. Manta rays are common in the Dampier Strait, and we had close encounters with these massive creatures at Manta Ridge and Manta Sandy.
We found this white-lined rock cod resting in a barrel sponge
34 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
We also enjoyed brilliant night dives at Galaxy Jetty, Yenbuba Jetty and Friwenbonda Reef where we encountered octopus, cuttlefish, a great assortment of crabs and shrimps, moray eels, ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses, a rare banded toadfish and several
Mix species of snapper school together at Blue Magic Tasselled wobbegongs are common at Raja Ampat
www.divenewzealand.com 35
endemic Raja Ampat epaulette sharks. The Dampier Strait area is swept by currents, so dives are planned around the tides with their currents helping feed the abundance of fish life. At Mioskon Island we were surrounded by schools of snapper, fusiliers, trevally and barracuda. At Cape Kri it was massive schools of surgeon-
…At wonderful muck diving sites called Algae Patch and Bethlehem in the dark sand slopes we found mantis shrimps, octopus, garden eels, waspfish, nudibranchs, lionfish, cowfish, jawfish and many other such critters… fish while Blue Magic had schools of squirrelfish, bigeyes, batfish and sweetlips, and at Cape Manswar there were schools of barracuda, snappers and bumphead parrotfish. Yet the best was still to come.
Sawandarek Jetty It was at an amazing dive site called Sawandarek Jetty where we encountered schools of fish of even more immensity and diversity, the fishest dive site we have ever seen. It left us gobsmacked by the sheer number and variety of fish. We started on a coral outcrop at 25m covered in snappers and sweetlips and on the sloping reef we were constantly surrounded by trevally, fusiliers, snappers, sweetlips, surgeonfish, batfish, barracuda, gropers and many, many others. Even without the fish the site was sensational, with soft corals and gorgonians attached to the pylons, along with beautiful and healthy hard corals in the shallows. We could have spent all day there – the 70 minute bottom time flew by. It would take a lifetime to explore Raja Ampat… during our eight days we enjoyed some of the finest diving we have ever experienced in what must surely be nature’s richest realm.
Liveaboard boats exploring Raja Ampat depart from Sorong which has an airport serviced by domestic flights from Bali and Jakarta. Season: Liveaboard boats operate in the area from October to May. Diving conditions: Water temperatures vary from 28-30°C, visibility varies from 12-30m. Language: Bahasa Indonesia and English Currency: Rupiah Sea Safari Cruises visit – www.seasafaricruises.com
A trio of batfish at Andiamo
36 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
‘Wreck of the century’: the San José
The ship's fate is captured in an 18th-century oil painting. (Wikimedia Commons)
T
he 62 gun, three-masted Spanish galleon San José was carrying a treasure of silver, gold, and emeralds worth billions in today’s dollars when, in June 1708, she was sunk off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, with 600 people on board during a battle with British ships in the War of Spanish Succession. The intrigue began in 2015 when the Colombian government first announced the San José had been found, perhaps the most valuable shipwreck ever. Willie Drye reporting for the National Geographic was soon to write Battle Begins Over World's Richest Shipwreck. No further details were made public until May this year. The discovery of the San José has all the elements of great drama: international political intrigue, a treasure of gold and emeralds worth up to $US17 billion, and accusations of lies and treachery.
The REMUS 6000 robot
A US-based salvage company, Sea Search Armada immediately had staked a claim, saying they had found the ship in 1982. They said they had spent $US10 million the search, and had registered its location then. The Colombian government indicated that if the company could verify the San José was where the company said it was 33 years ago, it would share the fortune with it. But there was no GPS back then and the registered coordinates could easily be many metres astray. The legal tussle dragged on.
On May 21st this year the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announced it had obtained authorization by Maritime Archaeology Consultants (MAC), Switzerland AG, and the Colombian government to release new details of the successful search for the three-century old San José.
In 2015 the Massachusetts-based the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was invited to join the search because of its expertise in deep water exploration, and they brought in their Remus 6000, an autonomous deep sea robot, for the search.
They said the legendary wreck had been discovered on November 27, 2015 by a team of international scientists and engineers during an expedition aboard the Colombian Navy research ship ARC Malpelo led by MAC’s Chief Project Archaeologist Roger Dooley. The search had been initiated by MAC and approved by the Colombian Ministry of Culture and supervised by Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia (ICANH) and Dirección General Marítima (DIMAR).
The REMUS 6000 had helped the institute find the wreckage of Air France 447 in 2011, which crashed in 2009 several hundred miles off the coast of Brazil. REMUS was also used to map and photograph the Titanic wreck site during a 2010 expedition.
The San José discovery carries considerable cultural and historical significance because of the ship’s treasure of cultural and historical artefacts and the evidence they may provide about Europe’s economic, social, and political climate in the early 18th century.
In November 2015 the REMUS 6000 took some side sonar images; the San José was discovered in 600 metres of water.
The Colombian Government is reportedly planning to build a museum and world-class conservation laboratory to preserve and publicly display the wreck’s contents, including cannons, ceramics, and other artefacts.
To confirm the wreck’s identity, REMUS descended to nine metres above the wreck where it captured photos of a key distinguishing feature of the San José—its cannons. Subsequent missions at lower altitudes showed engraved dolphins on the unique bronze cannons.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit US organization dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. www.whoi.edu
www.divenewzealand.com 37
Shark and ray feeding shakeup in Gerard Hindmarsh reports on possible regulation changes to shark and ray feeding Getting close up and personal with harmless white or black tipped reef sharks and manta/ eagle rays has always been part of the diver’s visit to French Polynesia. Turquoise lagoons with crystal clear water, where visibility regularly exceeds 40m, and consistently comfortable water temperatures - always 28/30ºC depending winter or summer - only half a degree less at 50m down. Diving dropoffs and drift snorkelling through passes adds whole new layers to this serious dive and snorkelling destination.
I
t was Italian film producer Dino Laurentiis who got shark and ray feeding going in the Bora Bora lagoon. He set them up with daily feeding sessions for filming a definitive scene in his 1979 movie ‘Hurricane’. Encouraged feedings are now a common tourist attraction, especially around Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, where a profusion of various outfits take swimmers and snorkelers out to the clear, shallow waters to wade with the friendly lagoon inhabitants ever hopeful of a free morsel.
creatures’ feeding patterns and also presents potential dangers to divers.
But pressure to reduce underwater feeding has resulted in more and more regulations. The concern is that it drastically alters the
Business as usual?
The latest regulations implemented in July 2018 propose to ban all feeding inside lagoons with only one designated location permitted outside the reef of each island. Burley will not be able to be used anymore. The only teaser allowed will be a single big head of tuna which has to be laid down. Long wetsuits have to be worn for added protection as well.
Frank Chastoeuf has been dive manager at Top Dive in Tahiti
for 15 years, and he tells me it’ll probably be business as usual.
“Pressure to implement these changes have been happening for a few years now,” he said. “It’s getting tighter and tighter to feed - that’s nothing new, but the fish keep turning up in huge numbers. You must remember snorkelling and diving brings in huge benefits to these islands. We have to have a compromise. Nearly all our divers we have through here come to experience sharks and rays. it’s not going to change now.” Chasteouf takes around four or five dives a week to the White Valley. Catering to demand, they split the dives into controlled cage feeding, which brings big tiger sharks, and natural look-around dives, which still brings prolific black and white tipped reef sharks, eagle rays and prolific schools of fish. At 20m I could see why its called the ‘white valley’ - the sun illuminates the white coral into a spectacular backdrop for the colourful fish swirling all around me. Sharks soon appear, and there are big green turtles cruising the coral or resting on patches of sand. These creatures have been turning up on cue here for years. It’s obviously not going to stop overnight.
100s of sharks and rays
White Valley
38 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
The British organisation ‘Manta Trust’ spent the second half of 2015 working with local authorities in French Polynesia, identifying individual manta rays at Maupiti with the aim of gaining infor-
French Polynesia mation that could assist in their preservation. I recall my first
with a warning always, just beware of their tails.
…Film producer Dino Laurentiis got shark and ray feeding going in the Bora Bora lagoon. He set them up with daily feeding sessions in 1979… swimming with rays around Bora Bora in the late 1990s. The lagoon current is quite strong, so a rope is rigged up and you are wise to hang onto it. With a bit of bait - a single sardine shaken in a burley canister – and they come round within minutes, a good 100 of them. Half are sharks, half rays. The black-tipped reef sharks are completely harmless though impossible to touch as they glide close by. But the stingrays are particularly appealing. They crowd around, some fluttering their wings around your body, hugging you and even nibbling your chest in the process. You are enticed to touch and stroke their velvet skins,
Rays always show up Two studies of Bora Bora’s manta rays conducted between 2001 and 2007 identified 98 separate rays that always show up. The study also documented their amazing mating rituals. Only in 2009 did the island’s mantas get categorized into two separate species: giant ray manta (or birostris) reaching a width of some 7m, and the smaller reef ray manta (or Alfredi), still an impressive 5m across. Bora Bora is one of the few places in the world where both manta species are found. In terms of tourist dollars
one estimate is that a single long lived Bora Bora ray manta could generate as much as US$1million in its lifetime. AquaBlue on Moorea, only half an hour by fast cat from Tahiti offers helmet diving for non-divers and a chance to swim under the water with fish and rays on a moored site in the channel between the islands of Motu-ieai and Motu-oni. A permit allows their tender to moor on two screwed-in anchor points put in by the marine department. No way are you allowed to put in your own. Boat anchors aren’t permitted anymore either, because they can damage the reef.
Helmet diving for non-divers?
Both originally from France, Vincent Lelong and Stephone Olive
…Nearly all divers we have through here come to experience sharks and rays. It’s not going to change now…
www.divenewzealand.com 39
Z-330
set up Aquablue 16 years ago, soon after helmet diving came into vogue in New Caledonia where their nifty Malvy helmets were sourced from. They started with an old diving helmet suit which came with a big box full of hand cranked now propped up at the front of their dive shop.
Stephone Olive
I must admit I felt a curious freedom wearing a helmet. Your weights are on your helmet, which leaves you far more nimble than when they’re lead boots, an insight into helmet diving for me. Best thing too, being able to slide your hand up and tickle your nose.
D-2000
Children as young as six can safely dive with the weighted helmets which have compressed air pumped down to them from dive bottles. The continuous air pressure keeps the water out of the helmets which sit loosely on the punters’ shoulders. They take around 400 tourists out a month, max five customers with three staff making eight in total.
tows us back and forth over the ‘bale’ of gathering of turtles.
…The stingrays are particularly appealing. They crowd around, some fluttering their wings around your body, hugging you and even nibbling your chest…
S-2000
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40 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
With scuba, Lelong and Olive accompany their helmet divers as they make their way around on the sand between some small coral bommies. Along with a troupe of irrepressible stingrays, your presence attracts butterfly fish, gropers, jackfish, blue damsel, snapper and massive triggerfish as well. The only lure they use is the old sardine trick, one whole sardine in a burley case to be shaken gently under the water occasionally.
Captain Taina
Captain Taina is the only female skipper on Moorea, and she takes a dozen tourists at a time in her 11m-long glass bottom longboat on the lagoon. Her first stop is for the green turtles frequenting the sea bottom off the old Club Med wharf. One by one the creatures gently float to the surface for another gulp of air. We watch as she gently
Then, when the bulk of the tourists have gone, we head off to their main ray and shark site midway in ‘ray corridor’. Tania doesn’t feed, but all the sharks and rays obediently appear, surrounding every swimmer. When you get back in the boat, they all push out of the water as if missing you. Taina stops for lunch on her family’s private atoll, Motu-irioa. A few whanau lived out here once, until a cyclone blew their huts away. The new shelter is more substantial. This little atoll has seen much comings and goings, notably Captain Cook in 1789 where his astronomer set up on here to observe the Transit of Venus.
‘Shooting the pass’
The Tuamotu Archipelago atolls of Rangiroa and Fakarava have legendary status among divers
who come to "shoot the pass" or drift dive. In Rangiroa, divers are dropped off on the ocean side of Tiputa Pass and get sucked through for a swift journey to the calm waters of the lagoon on the other side. Along the way, they encounter an endless parade of manta and eagle rays, turtles, dolphins and sharks. A similar thrill awaits divers in Fakarava's Tetamanu Pass, known for its "wall" of grey reef sharks and beautiful corals.
Sharks are fundamental to Polynesian culture, not to mention the indispensible role they play in the ecosystem of reef environments. French Polynesia introduced ground breaking legislation in 2006 to protect all 21 species of shark in Polynesia, delineating a sanctuary of some 5.5million square kilometers
for their protection. The value of sharks to French Polynesia’s tourist industry is also indisputable, so no doubt it will continue, in the same way the marine creatures will keep on coming to feed, or even get a whiff of burley.
…I must admit I felt a curious freedom wearing a helmet. Your weights are on your helmet, which leaves you far more nimble than when they’re lead bootst…
www.divenewzealand.com 41
French Polynesia’s 118 islands are arranged in five major island groups spread over 2,000 km of the Pacific. Optimum time to dive in French Polynesia is between April and November, when conditions are calmest and local visibility can exceed 40m (130 ft).
A 3mm wetsuit is all you ever need.
Both Air New Zealand and Air Tahiti fly to Papeete several times a week. Average ocean temperature is around 28ºC in the winter season, just under 30ºC in summer. The water column at 50m is only half a degree lower than on the surface.
Main shark and ray feeding concentrates around Tahiti, Moorea ad Bora Bora.
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BOOK REVIEW
Voices from the Sea Managing New Zealand’s Fisheries By Raewyn Peart Published by the Environmental Defence Society 2018 Reviewed by Gilbert Peterson
manager@eds.org.nz or www.eds.org.nz RRP NZ$19.95
I
n 1986 New Zealand embarked on a bold experiment by introducing a market based quota management system (QMS) to New Zealand fisheries. This book takes an in-depth look at how the system is working 30 years on, from the point of view of those directly involved. Included are 60 interviews with people engaged in fisheries management, an exhaustive local and international literature review, and an economic analysis. Voices from the Sea probes the structure of the QMS and how it has played out. Raewyn Peart examines the process whereby harvest levels are set, and whether the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for each species is working as originally hoped. So is the current approach doing enough to ensure our fisheries and the communities that depend on them will thrive in the future? Is the whole system fit for purpose for future sustainability? An unequivocal conclusion is that while there is solid support for the quota management system, the way fisheries management is currently undertaken needs attention urgently. For instance, New Zealand was an early creator of privately held individual transferable (fish) quota (ITQ) as a key tool to address overfishing. It was thought the tool would incentivise fishers to self-manage fish stocks as they stood to gain from them remaining healthy. But it has become apparent the negatives of the system far outweigh the positives. As quota ownership became separated from the harvesters, market domination, rent seeking behaviour, and a lack of innovation became evident. The book focuses on the primary fisheries sector, and not much on secondary or processing outcomes. Some focus on the latter would have shed further light on what’s at stake. For instance exports of fish from New Zealand have been falling in real terms for more than 20 years. In 1997 they earned about a billion dollars and in 2017 they earned about the same. Of itself this is an indictment. Voices from the Sea is no academic treatise but includes many fascinating anecdotes from a wide range of true ‘characters’, and in doing so captures a sense of the living history of our fishing industries and its core place in our lives. I’ll let EDS have the last word: “the extent and nature of the problems are such to warrant a fully independent statutory inquiry into New Zealand’s fishery management system… The effective management of fisheries is of great importance… and merits a considered national deliberation.”
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Experience where it counts www.danap.org www.divenewzealand.com 43
SOUNDINGS NEWS
Volivoli backs World Oceans Day with major clean-up and celebration
Volivoli Beach Resort, Fiji's premium dive resort, supported World Environment Day 2018 and World Oceans Day 2018 in June with a major extravaganza weekend-long event.
T
he weekend started with 30 children and teachers from the local Naria Primary School participating in a foreshore clean-up among the mangroves at Volivoli Point. After that there were fun beach games including sack races and tug-of-war, and an education session with the main messages being on how single use plastics harm the environment and marine life. Later it was time for the grown-ups to do their part with volunteers coming together to donate their time and support the extremely important cause. Overall the World Environment Day 2018 and World Oceans Day 2018 weekend at Volivoli Beach Resort and Ra Divers attracted 77-participants who collected an estimated tonne of waste from the foreshore and waterways to help keep the Suncoast one of Fiji's most pristine regions. At the post clean-up beach party the resort gave away $11,546.00 in prizes to our hard working and lucky volunteers as an extra reward and thank you for donating their time.
44 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
A smaller but similar clean-up and education event was also held in April for Earth Day 2018. As Fiji's premier dive resort Volivoli Beach Resort is also very active with Mangroves Fiji and plays a major role with the Vatu-i-Ra Conservation Park.
SOUNDINGS NEWS
Tiare, tattoos and three shades of blue…
F
rench Polynesia’s Air Tahiti Nui has unveiled the striking look of its Tahitian Dreamliner with the design centring on the blues of Air Tahiti Nui’s trademark tiare flower and a tattoo pattern representing a story of Tahiti and its people. The new aircraft commence service on the Auckland to Papeete route on November 8, 2018.
Air Tahiti Nui operates five A340-300 aircraft from its Tahiti base to Auckland, Tokyo, Paris and Los Angeles and code shares to 37 additional destinations. The airline is set to take delivery of four Boeing 787-9 aircraft to commence service in late 2018, coinciding with Air Tahiti Nui’s 20th anniversary. Visit www.airtahitinui.co.nz
Dive Paradise Cozumel on RV tour across US Renee "Apple" Applegate operated Dive Paradise in the diving mecca of Cozumel, Mexico for over two decades and when she passed away late last year her family decided to keep the company alive as a tribute to her. To do this the family are touring across the US in a 32-foot RV covered by original undersea paintings by Mexican muralist Aneliz Alvarez, who also painted a mural honoring Apple at Dive
Paradise's beach club. Their aim is to meet the many customers, friends and partners who knew and loved Apple. While on the road, they are capturing stories about Cozumel, diving, and the company Apple made famous at celebrations with signature Apple cider at screenings of the stunning undersea world of Cozumel.
was a PADI master scuba instructor with over 30 years of diving and training experience. www.diveparadise.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Renee "Apple" Applegate
Uprising Beach Resort presents an impressive selection of authentic, Fijian-themed accommodation. The five time Fiji Excellence in Tourism Award Winner offers 3.5 star beachfront accommodation in the heart of Fiji’s Adventure Capital, Pacific Harbour. Pacific Harbour is home to some of Fiji’s most outstanding day trips such as the Internationally Famous Shark Dive, Rivers Fiji White Water Rafting, Navua River Tubing and Tours and Jet Ski Safari’s to name a few. Only 45 minutes away from the nation’s capital, Suva, 12 Standard Bures and 12 Deluxe Villas, plus a 20 bed tree-house style shared facility ensure the choices for affordable accommodation are unlimited.
www.divenewzealand.com 45
Diver Profile With this edition Dive begins an occasional series on well-known divers, ‘celebs’ if you like, people whose experience, knowledge and achievements have given them wide respect amongst the diving fraternity. We start with Australian SSI Dive Instructor Paul Leslie. Paul Leslie, based In Melbourne has been a dive instructor for 22 years and is now a dive training examiner. Prior to his present role Paul owned a dive operation at Port Phillip, Melbourne for 17 years where he says the area’s wall dives and some 50 shipwrecks and scuttled vessels attracted him into diving in the first place. Dive magazine interviewed Paul when he was over in New Zealand for TecFest in Taupo in April.
What inspires you as a diver? I like the challenges of shipwrecks and caves, exploring the beauty of wrecks and the thrill of being underwater in, say an engine room. Or seeing the decorative remains of a banquet room. Who do you most admire? I have a huge respect for my early instructors Stan Bugg and Brian Cornell. Barry Heard put me on the path to where I am today. What do you most want to do now that you haven’t done yet? Well, what I most want to is to keep on diving. And to grow my contribution as an instructor and examiner for Mares SSI.
Do you have any regrets about opportunities not taken? No regrets. But earlier on I missed out on several expeditions due to my commitments to my dive shop, trips to the Nullabor and China. How many people would you say you train or instruct in a year? At all levels. I used to average 200 to 250 students a year, plus their evaluations. But as a senior examiner I have overseen 17 people this year so far. Where do you most like to dive? My dream dives are in Mexico’s Tulum caves and Truk Lagoon for wrecks. There’s just so much diversity and history surrounding those places.
Are they the places divers should put on their own bucket lists? Oh yes What’s your best dive experience? My best dive was my first dive at South Road, Brighton. Then my first wreck, on the Eliza Ramsden at Port Phillip, and then my first cave at Piccaninnie Ponds in South Australia. Your worst, or scariest dive? It was after I only had one year’s dive experience and I was inside an airplane wreck in Vanuatu in a tidal siltout at 40 metres. What do you find is the hardest thing for people new to diving to learn? Each level of diving brings its own challenges, but for first timers we compete with other adventure activities. People need to commit three to four days to learn to dive and one of things to overcome is the initial expense. Diving is one of the most expensive adventure sports to start with, but once you’re in, and have got your own gear together, then the cost is just the cost of an air fill.
46 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Lite side
BACK IN THE DAY
By Roland Hanewald
Papa does it again! “Let’s see how quick they move hereabouts,” Papa grins, pulling out a stopwatch. He rings for room service and orders a beer. “On the double, pdq!” The seconds tick away like drops of syrup … 25, 26, 27 …when there is a knock at the door. “Your beer, señor.” Not only that. It is even German beer and ice-cold to boot. Yet Papa is grumpy. Its been great diving! The instructor is a Kiwi. The water reeks just remotely of sewage, and plastic bags take up no more than a dozen per square metre. Less than the global average. So there is nothing to beef about. We fail to understand why Papa is in such a foul mood. Before we head again for the beach, Papa drapes our camera seductively on a night table. “This they will not be able to resist,” he chuckles devilishly. “The camera will be gone when we are back. Wanna bet?” And indeed. On our return no more camera! “This I have to report to the manager!” Papa gushes. “Personally! Lemme just change my togs!“ He tears open the clothes cabinet, and there on a pile of shirts, is the camera. Plus a scrap of paper: “Camera no good in sun. We put here.” “Holy cow!” Papa is about to rend his garments, the new ones for the manager. But something else is missing. Our travel cockroach. It’s made of plastic but looks like the real article. We bought it in a special shop for travel accessories. It hadn’t been cheap. Papa used to photograph the beastie, in salad and toilet bowls, on beds and dining tables, even on Mama’s belly. Seems to be fun for him. And now it is gone. The room
service must have done it. Will Papa now see the manager after all? (“Our cockroach is missing!”) He refrains, but spends the night furiously gnashing his teeth and uttering such words causing Mama to cover our ears. In the early morning, we are awakened by a strange huffing and puffing emanating from outside. It seems to be a major pile driver at work. “Construction noise!” With one leap Papa is out of bed and, camcorder in hand, storms onto the balcony. “This time we’ll nail them good!” But alas, it’s only our left-hand neighbour, Constable Glommer, doing his morning exercises on the adjacent balcony. There is a heated exchange of very nasty vocabulary whereupon Papa returns with a face like blood and thunder. But he is to find solace. We are having our breakfast in the open-air hotel café, which is why Papa goes there barefooted. As soon as he sits down, his feet make contact with something gooey and utterly disgusting. In a jiffy, he dives under the table, camera at the ready. There, he has a resounding head-on collision with a Japanese tourist also groping for something lost. Might the hapless man also have been deprived of his travel cockroach? Both searchers find no ersatz, not a live one either, but what turns out to be a jam-covered breakfast pancake. Papa takes possession of the offending item after a brief wrestle with the Nip. Banzai! The flashes under the table tell us Papa is photographing the ghastly object now bearing the imprints of his toes. As he re-surfaces, a saintly smile plays round his lips. “Got ’em!” Papa shouts.
This promotion for the Nikonos film camera was in Wade Doak’s DIVE magazine (Vol 10 No. 3. Priced at 40 cents). Many readers will know that Nikon’s Nikonos camera was the most popular choice for taking underwater pictures at the time. It was small and depth rated to 160 ft (50 m). The bayonet fitted lens were specifically designed for underwater photography producing excellent results. The Nikonos II was first released in 1968 and replaced in 1975 when the model III was released. Check out the Potato cod picture in this issue’s Shades of Colour photograph competition on page 61 taken with a Nikonos V camera.
In the evening we watch out of the corner of our eyes as Papa hammers into his smartphone: “Diminishment of holiday joys… Marmalady floor… Extremely shocked… 50% discount… photo attached…” Papa, the scourge of the travel agencies has done it again!
www.divenewzealand.com 47
GEARBAG Green laser light for dive instructors and commercial divers Orca have released a green laser light for pin pointing underwater with a kilometre range and 5 hours continuous run time. The battery is rechargeable and the torch is tested to 150 m depth. It comes with a lanyard and O ring Dimensions: 92mm x 20 mm
Drift Innovation launches entry level wearable camera, Ghost X Drift Innovation driftinnovation.com has launched their latest wearable camera, Ghost X. Its said to ‘capture the action without taking anything away from the ride’. The camera has a versatile mounting system and rotating lens to let it move with you unnoticed, and a 5 hour battery life out of the box. With an optional Long-Life Battery Module recording time is boosted to 8 hours
Features include: • F ull HD 1080p/30fps video recording •1 2MP photos • Timelapse and photoburst modes • ‘Instant-On’ mode - built in Wi-Fi for Drift Life app connectivity • L ow-Light mode - manual ISO
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Available in New Zealand Housings & accessories for select Canon, Nikon & Sony cameras
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48 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Visit www.seatech.co.nz for information and specifications. Available from your professional dive store. Trade enquiries welcome.
GEARBAG
New DC to DC/solar battery charger Faster charging of 12-volt auxiliary batteries for recreational and boating use, as well for cars and light commercials, are among the features of the new ‘Intelli-Charge’ IDC45 model from Projecta just introduced to New Zealand. The new 45A 12V, 3-Stage IDC45 offers many of the same marketleading features of earlier chargers but with much larger output. It can charge simultaneously from both solar and alternator inputs, and automatically shift between solar and alternator (9-32V) inputs without manual switching. It also comes with over/under voltage which automatically shut it down if an issue is detected.
The new Projecta ‘Intelli-Charge’ IDC45 makes charging DC/solar batteries faster and easier. www.projecta.com.au
Sea Tech’s best products for caring for your gear NOVUS Polish
Leak Insure
Salt-Away Spray
Lubricant
This stuff can be a lifesaver for your acrylic lens. Especially recommended for light scratches rather than deep ones. Use light careful polishing motions and the cloth that comes with the polish. Even wiping your lens or dome on a t-shirt or towel can cause scratches.
On its own Leak Insure is not going to save your camera, but it can buy you time to get to the surface if leaks start to trickle in. Also reduces fogging. It comes in four different sizes, including teensy strips designed for GoPro! Only a few extra bucks can save your camera.
This is our number one recommendation for cleaning away salt from any of your dive gear and keeping everything in top shape. We spray our housings with Salt-Away after finishing a dive, 5 or 10 minutes before soaking it in warm soapy water. Don’t forget to really work those buttons!
Keeps those O-rings in working order and protect them from friction and wear. Some divers will tell you not to bother with silicone but to use spit as a lubricant (yep, really), but anyone worth their salt will know that you don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on dynamic seals, like buttons, where the O-rings deal with constant friction.
Fantasea and AOI introduce new wide angle lens The Fantasea AOI UWL-04F is a super wide quality "wet" wide angle conversion lens with a 160 degree field of view and a short focus distance. The lens is compatible with most all cameras with a 28mm lens (or higher focal range). The lens features a 52mm thread and can be mounted on lens ports with a different thread by using a compatible adaptor. Its design allows for use with most lens holders, adaptors, bayonet mount converters, flip mounts and quick release adaptors. It can be installed and removed during the dive. For pricing information contact a Fantasea dealer in your area http://www.fantasea.com/s.nl/sc.34/category.1462/.f
www.divenewzealand.com 49
GEARBAG Lowrance drops prices From August Lowrance has dropped its prices for its Elite Ti range of multifunction displays by 20 % , a saving of up to $NZ760. The displays are available in 5, 7, 9, and 12-inch screen sizes designed for boaties wanting an all in one fishfinder/ chartplotter. The displays offer touchscreen, wireless connectivity, built-in GPS antenna to display position on a C-MAP or Navionics+ chart, and remote access to display via compatible smartphones and tablets.
ww2.lowrance.com
Raymarine launches new 3D sonar module Raymarine has launchded a new high performance 3D CHIRP Sonar module offering all the sonar performance and features of their Axiom Pro in a remotely mounted black box sonar module. They claim it is the ideal sonar for targeting fish in deep, mid-range and shallow waters. Its RealVision 3D sonar uses precision GPS to construct the most accurate 3D model of the underwater world, in realtime. The upgrade is compatible with virtually all Raymarine’s earlier equipment. www.raymarine.com
UNDERWATER HOUSING FOR NIKON D800
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50 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
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SPECIESFOCUS
Crayfish ~Jasus edwardsii
By Paul Caiger
The crayfish or spiny/red rock lobster needs no introduction to most New Zealanders. To divers it is one of the most conspicuous invertebrates on the reef, with its waving tentacles protruding from many a hole in the bedrock. It is also a seafood delicacy, and a strong cultural resource for Ma-ori. Crayfish have a remarkable life history, including one of the longest pelagic larval stages of any marine organism. A newly hatched larvae makes an 18 month (sometimes up to two years) journey into the South Pacific Ocean. Here it feeds and develops through multiple larval stages that include the spidery nauplisoma stages, and the iconic leaf-like phyllosoma before settling on the coast as a clear, unpigmented juvenile (puerulus).
with fellow crayfish. They possess highly sensitive chemosenses; their urine is used to communicate a readiness to mate.
Furthermore, when within the proximity of shore (~50-100km), the late-stage larval crayfish will use the lipids stored inside it to fuel a long range shoreward swim. Those that are short of lipids, or start the journey too far, out will perish.
After months of holding her fertilized eggs under her tail (“in berry”), the female walks to the edge of the reef at night and shakes them into the current. To counter the effects of prevailing currents – to ensure the larvae make it back to a suitable place - many adults will march along the seafloor into the current for hundreds of kilometres. Some of these that have been tagged on the Otago coast have shown up in Fiordland!
The adult life of crayfish is no less spectacular. Periodically they moult to grow in size, and they live a social and gregarious life
Crayfish play a vital role in the health of reefs where they predate on all kinds of shellfish and where they clean up carrion. They are
Amazingly these animals can cue onto the coast to locate a suitable place to settle. Coastal sound signatures are thought to play a strong role in this.
one of the longest pelagic larval durations 1 Hofave any animal, up to two years. metamorphosis and development, with 2 C14omplex moult stages from egg to juvenile.
3 ome adults undertake a long counter-current 4 Smarch of several hundred kilometres. Use urine to communicate with each other.
one of very few animals capable of eating large kina. And by doing so they prevent the proliferation of the kina which, left unchecked, will consume kelp to a degree that can lay waste to a lush kelp forest. However demand for crayfish as a delicacy is high, both locally and abroad. Demand from Asia has meant prices for them have soared. Now, in the Hauraki Gulf, crayfish numbers are so low they are thought to be ecologically extinct. That is there are so few of them that they no longer play a role in the ecosystem. This has led to a recent cut to the crayfish quota in the CRA1 management area in an attempt to rebuild the population.
5 Can replace lost limbs during new moults. alive predominantly to China to supply 6 Fthelown high demand for “luxury” food. total crayfish quota in the Hauraki and BoP 7 Thashebeen reduced from 416.5 to 173 tonnes. he town Kaikoura translates to food (kai) and 8 Tcrayfish (koura).
www.divenewzealand.com 51
INCIDENT INSIGHTS By DAN Asia-Pacific
WITH THE DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DANAP]
Managing your breathing gas supply By DAN's Marty McCafferty
Diver No.1
A
37-year-old male diver with approximately 30 lifetime dives was doing his first night dive. It was also his first cold water and first drysuit dive. He was healthy and not taking any medications. The diver descended to 30m, breathing air and using a dive computer. He had some difficulty at the beginning of his descent due to his failure to adjust his weight to compensate for the increased buoyancy of the drysuit. After some time at the bottom he checked his air gauges and found he had less than 20 bar remaining. He signalled to his buddy he was terminating the dive and began to ascend. Because of inexperience, the ascent was not fully controlled. The diver reported feeling "close to panic."
Planning sufficient gas reserves to account for unexpected problems helps ensure divers make it back to the surface with gas to spare. Deeper or more challenging dives require greater reserves. After surfacing, the diver waited for his buddy and they both swam back to shore. Fortunately, the diver did not experience any symptoms.
Diver No.2 A 72-year-old male with hundreds of lifetime dives, including several technical dives, was participating in a series of wreck dives with three buddies. He was not known to have any medical conditions or to be taking any medications. He was reportedly in
…Trying to capture one lobster required a short chase and raised her respiratory rate. The diver checked her gauge only when she became aware of increased breathing resistance. It displayed "0."…
good, general health. The first dive was an uneventful wreck dive to 34m for 28 minutes. The second was planned as a shallower dive, and the diver's three buddies descended ahead of him. His body was later found floating on the surface 800m from the initial descent area. One witness reported that the snorkel was in the diver’s mouth when his body was recovered. His weight belt was not in place and his tank was empty. Circumstances indicated he had made a buoyant emergency ascent. His computer recorded a nine-minute dive to 9m. Apparently, each of the four divers used a single tank (per diver) to make both dives. The autopsy findings were consistent with drowning.
Diver No.3 The diver was a 24-year-old female with approximately 100 lifetime dives. She reported a history of regular exercise and good general health, and she denied taking any medications. Her dives were warm-water ocean dives hunting lobster. The first dive was along a reef structure at a maximum depth of 22m, and some time passed before she located her prey. Trying to capture one lobster required a short chase and raised her respiratory rate. The diver checked her gauge only when she became aware of increased breathing resistance. It displayed "0." She admitted to panicking and swimming rapidly toward the surface. She failed to jettison her weights or inflate her BCD, which she would have to have done orally because of her empty cylinder.
52 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Other divers saw her struggling to keep her head above water and remove the regulator from her mouth. They helped her return to the dive boat where she had difficulty breathing and coughed up pink, frothy sputum. Crew members provided oxygen and returned to shore where emergency medical service personnel were waiting. She was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with seawater aspiration. She developed pneumonia and was hospitalised for two weeks after which she was discharged with no residual problems.
…Ineffective breathing-gas management while diving is a recurrent problem. During peak season, DAN Medicine speaks with at least two divers every week about it… Discussion For many people who drive a car every day, running out of fuel may seem improbable, but it is a daily occurrence. Likewise, ineffective breathing-gas management while diving is a recurrent problem. During peak season, DAN Medicine speaks with at least two divers every week who became concerned after making a "rapid ascent" when they found themselves low, or out of breathing gas. Though the incidence of fatal injuries is very low, a significant percentage of dive fatalities involve insufficient breathing gas as the trigger that leads to other harmful events and, ultimately, can lead to the death of the diver. In these situations drowning is the leading cause of death. The reasons behind bad gas management are numerous and varied. The first diver in this case study had new environmental factors to contend with - a night dive in cold water - and new equipment, a drysuit, and he failed to make adjustments for any of it. As a result, poor buoyancy control, unfamiliar equipment, and stressful dive conditions increased his air consumption and reduced the volume in his tank faster than usual. He had adequate gas supply to make a safe ascent but his inexperience left him unable to control his ascent rate. The second diver started his second dive practically with an empty tank, which was either an oversight or a bad decision. He followed his training in making a buoyant emergency ascent though he clearly ignored his training by failing to ensure he had an adequate gas supply at the start of the dive. The third diver was involved in vigorous and distracting activities. These increased her respirations and sped up the depletion of her gas supply, which she did not monitor carefully. She failed to follow her training by not releasing her weights to increase her buoyancy at the surface. Exertion, stress, anxiety and environmental factors can all increase respiration. Activities like lobster hunting may
consume gas supplies five to 10 times faster than usual. Wearing too much, or too little weight can cause divers to work harder increasing their gas consumption. Regardless of factors like these however, divers should monitor their gas supply frequently and consistently.
Conclusion When planning a dive, incorporate a breathing-gas limit in the plan. For example, a buddy pair might agree to head back to the exit point when the first diver has used a third or half of his breathing gas (not counting the reserve to be left in the cylinder at the end of the dive). Maintaining buddy contact can make the difference between life or death. Safe diving practices and sharpening skills such as buoyancy control reduce the risk of a breathing-gas emergency but do not eliminate it completely. Proper responses to breathing-gas emergencies rely on experience and skill recall. Establishing and practicing responses are essential; confidence in being able to use an alternate air source provided by a buddy can lead to a much better outcome. Through planning and practice, effective breathing-gas management can become second nature and reduce the likelihood of a diving emergency.
DAN AP has launched a new blog, where we discuss topical diving health and safety issues. Visit: daninsider.org and follow us on Facebook by searching DAN Asia Pacific. Need more information? Send DAN AP an email (info@danap.org) or call +61-3-9886 9166
Not yet a DAN member? Join at danap.org Engage with DAN on Facebook for insights into various dive-related safety and medical issues. DAN Dive Safety 8x6cm Dive Log NZ Search ‘DAN Asia Pacific’ or scan here.
20/5/15
12:46 PM
begins dive safetywith me. A diver collapses after a dive. He urgently needs oxygen.
Do you know Pantoneto Colorsdo? Version what Contact DAN: the Specialists CMYK Version www.danap.org
in Oxygen & First Aid Training and Equipment.
www.divenewzealand.com 53
Pag
DIVEMEDICINE
Carbon dioxide monitoring in rebreathers by Professor Simon Mitchell, University of Auckland
T
wo years ago I wrote a series of articles on the physiology of carbon dioxide (CO2) in diving for Dive New Zealand. One point I did not touch on was the specialised issue of CO2 monitoring in diving rebreathers, and since I have recently had several questions about this issue, I thought it would be a good topic.
In the first of those earlier articles we discussed how CO2 is produced in the tissues during the utilisation of oxygen. CO2 is eliminated from the body by breathing, and the more we breathe the more CO2 is eliminated. Breathing to eliminate CO2 is usually precisely controlled by the brain to keep CO2 in the body at a stable level. If CO2 levels rise, the brain will ‘drive’ more breathing to bring CO2 back to normal and vice versa. This is a completely automatic function which takes place without us thinking about it.
When the normal is disturbed This normal process of CO2 control can be disturbed in diving because of an increase in the work required to breathe. The work of breathing increases because we are respiring a denser gas through a regulator or rebreather. In some people more than others, when the work of breathing rises, the brain seems less sensitive to rising levels of CO2 and will avoid driving the extra breathing work required to keep CO2 levels normal. Thus, when underwater, divers are prone to having body CO2 levels rise, particularly when exercising and when the work of breathing
54 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
is high, simply because they don’t breathe enough to eliminate the CO2 being produced. This phenomenon can occur during use of any underwater breathing apparatus (including open circuit scuba and rebreathers) and is referred to as “CO2 retention”.
rebreathers are focussed on the prediction or detection of inhaled CO2, that is CO2 breaking through the scrubber. I will focus on these first, before moving on to the slightly more complicated topic of systems capable of measuring CO2 levels in the diver.
Specific hazards
Inhaled CO2 detection
Another cause of increased CO2 levels during diving is inhalation of CO2 during breathing. CO2 inhalation is a specific hazard of rebreather diving because these devices recycle the exhaled gas which is then “rebreathed”. The CO2 must be removed from the exhaled gas and this is achieved by a CO2 “scrubber” canister which contains a granular chemical compound called “soda lime” which absorbs CO2 . Soda lime has a limited absorption capacity and must be replaced regularly. If the scrubber fails for some reason (such as the soda lime becoming exhausted, incorrect installation of the canister, or failure to install it at all!) the diver will inhale CO2 and breathing becomes much less efficient at removing CO2 from the lungs. CO2 levels in the body can increase even if the diver breathes heavily. The more CO2 is inhaled, the worse this problem is likely to be.
Warning systems for inhaled CO2 take two forms: temperature sticks and CO2 monitors.
This double hazard of CO2 in rebreather diving understandably raises questions about whether CO2 can be monitored when diving rebreathers. The answer is yes, but this is where things can get a little confusing. The first thing to clearly understand is that all of the monitoring systems currently available in
Temperature sticks are designed to indicate when a scrubber has reached the end of its capacity to absorb CO2, and therefore the point at which CO2 could begin to break through and be re-inhaled. They do this by monitoring the temperature change through the scrubber as the soda lime gradually becomes exhausted, and this segues into the key point about these devices: they don’t actually detect CO2 when it breaks through the scrubber; they simply predict when it is likely to occur. We have just finished a fairly comprehensive investigation of how accurately they achieve this in both the Inspiration and Revo rebreathers. The data are about to be submitted for publication, and I cannot reproduce them here. However, it is a fair summary to say that temp sticks work well. I will describe those data in detail once they are published. Returning to the point that temp sticks don’t actually detect CO2, an important corollary is that they can’t detect or predict CO2 breakthrough because (for example) of a fault with scrubber installation. Only a CO2 monitor can do that.
How CO2 monitors work CO2 monitors are effectively gas analysers which use infra-red light absorbance technology to detect CO2 in gas. Thus, the gas downstream of the scrubber is analysed for CO2 (if the scrubber is working well there should be none) before it is inhaled by the diver. If inhaled CO2 levels exceed a threshold (usually set around 5 millibars) then an alarm state is activated. Only a few rebreathers offer these devices, and their uptake and review by users has been mixed. The principal challenge with them is that the infra-red absorbance system does not like moisture, and in the 100% humidity environment of a rebreather loop they are prone to giving false positive alarms. We tested the Inspiration version of this device and found it to be reliable provided the user is fastidious in following moisture protection guidelines. If you cast your mind back to the introduction where we talked about the mechanisms of CO2 problems, the obvious vulnerability of inhaled CO2 detection systems is that while they can tell us if we are inhaling CO2, they cannot detect CO2 retention by the diver. Remember, a diver may fail to breathe enough to eliminate all CO2 produced and retain CO2, even if there is no CO2 inhalation.
Measuring CO2 levels in the diver The only way to detect high
levels of CO2 in the diver, whether the cause is CO2 rebreathing or retention due to inadequate breathing, is to measure CO2 in the exhaled breath. The principle underpinning this strategy is that the composition of the gas in the alveoli (small air sacks) of the lungs is in approximate equilibrium with the gas pressures in the arterial blood. Therefore, if we can measure the CO2 in the alveolar gas, then we have a good estimation of the CO2 levels in the diver’s blood. To ensure that we are measuring alveolar gas we wait until the very end of the exhalation because at that point all the gas coming out of the diver’s mouth should be coming from the alveoli. That is why these measurements are referred to as ‘end tidal CO2’ measurements. This strategy is used in operating theatres all over the world every day to monitor CO2 levels in patients undergoing anaesthesia. Unfortunately it is not as simple as it sounds. One either has to have one of the infrared sensors described above positioned right at the mouth, or gas has to be sampled from the mouthpiece and passed to an analyser nearby (the latter is the most common method in an operating room). Neither strategy would be easy in a rebreather. Putting an infrared sensor in the mouthpiece is tricky both because of space and humidity, and sampling to a remote sensor would require a lot of power to drive the
sampling pump. In addition, whereas detection of CO2 in inhaled gas does not need to be particularly accurate (its presence or absence is the main issue), if we are going to base dive management decisions on end tidal CO2, the measurements have to be very accurate because it is a tightly controlled physiological parameter. Accurate and reliable end tidal CO2 measurements in a rebreather would be a very useful feature, but no device has currently achieved this. One manufacturer has promised end tidal CO2 for over a decade but it has never materialised. Indeed, the original proposal to measure it was flawed [1] and it is unclear whether subsequent modifications to the system will work. Hopefully it is something to look forward to in the future. In the meantime, the best strategies for avoiding CO2 problems in rebreather diving are to ensure that soda lime is replaced in a timely manner, that scrubber canisters are installed correctly, that one-way valves are working properly, to adhere to recommended gas density limits, and to avoid hard work underwater, particularly when deep and breathing a denser gas. Reference: 1. I neson A, Henderson K, Teubner D, Mitchell SJ. Analyzer position for end tidal carbon dioxide monitoring in a rebreather circuit. Diving Hyperbaric Med 40, 206-209, 2010.
www.divenewzealand.com 55
SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
By Dave Moran, Editor at Large
I
have to say that the entries that we receive for this fun photographic competition continually impress and inspire us. You are all amazing. As we know consumer digital photography technology has continued to dominate the photographic landscape since its introduction in the early 1990s. The life blood of the photographic industry, the humble roll of 35mm x 36 exposures film was destined for the history books. In recent times, many photographic enthusiasts have taken up the challenge of once again shooting film and experiencing the joys of a by-gone era. Film can now easily be bought on such sites as Trade Me. You can imagine our excitement to see that Dave Weeks from
Canada was using film when he was awarded Advanced Highly Commended winner. Nikon’s Nikonos range of underwater cameras (no housing necessary) dominated the underwater landscape for many years (1963– 2001). Any photographer who fitted the Nikonos 15mm wide angle lens to his Nikonos was in photographic heaven! Even today this lens is regarded as a photographic engineering masterpiece. In recent years housings have been manufactured so that the range of underwater Nikonos lenses can be fitted to the ports of these housings. Such is the respect for the underwater optic of these lenses. It makes me want to break out my trusty Nikonos III and 15mm lens and take them for a splash----the combo never let me down. Maybe we will see some of
you who have a Nikonos sitting in a cupboard be inspired by Dave’s win and take up the challenge and click off a roll of 36 which in itself will be fun! The judges, Iain Anderson and Andy Belcher and the team at Dive New Zealand/Dive Pacific magazines look forward to receiving your photographic masterpieces in August for the December/January 2019 issue of the magazine. Visit: www.seatech.co.nz click on Photo Competition. It’s free to enter. You can view galleries of all the entries over www.seatech. co.nz/blogs/shades-of-colourphoto-competition https://tinyurl.com/ybsdycuk Thanks for taking the time to enter!
‘Tornado of blue maomao’’, Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand: Sony RX100 Mk IV with Ikelite housing, 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobes – f/6.3, 1/160, ISO250 56 56 Dive DiveNew NewZealand Zealand| |Dive DivePacific Pacific
Advanced Highly Commended:
Congratulations Dave Weeks, Canada Dave must have been escaping Canada’s winter by exploring Australia’s Ribbon Reefs north of Cairns, Queensland. The reefs stretch for over 80km. Within this string of reefs is the famous Cod Hole. We are thinking maybe this is where Dave took this image. It is of interest that Dave was using a “old” Nikonos film camera and the amazing Nikonos 15mm wide angle lens. Wonderful to see! Turn to “Back in the Day” page 49 to see a promotion for a Nikonos II. Dave receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.
Judges’ Comments:
‘Potato Cod’; Ribbon Reefs, Australia: Film, 64 Kodachrome. Nikonos-V with Sea&Sea 15mm lens; Ikelite AI strobe – f/11, 1/100, ISO64.
A well lit, close image of a grouper. Slightly more shadow detail would have made this image even better.
Using Kodachrome 64 film brings back many happy memories of when film was king and photography was a little more simple.
Novice Highly Commended: Congratulations, Dan Westerkamp, NZ. Dan must have been on a photographic mission with a free diving friend/model to frame the silhouetted diver just about perfectly. Dan was photographing in the 400 hectare Ta-wharanui Marine Reserve which was established in September 2011. The Reserve is the fifth marine reserve in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. It lies on the northern coast of the Tawharanui Peninsula about 90 kilometres north of Auckland city, New Zealand. Dan receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$50.
Judges’ Comments:
‘Dancing with light’; Tawharanui Marine Reserve: Canon 7D Mk II with Ikelite A very striking, in focus, silhouette housing, Tokina 10-17mm lens, natural light – f/7, 1/250, ISO125. image. Nice to see that the diver is not doing anything daft with his legs and arms. Suggested improvements could be achieved by; the sunbeams in Adobe Lightroom would have given this diver slightly higher in the frame showing light and image even more impact. less surrounding darkness. Some enhancement of the
A dvanced Category Winner:
Congratulations Simone Matucci, New Zealand New Zealand’s Poor Knights Islands keep delivering stunning photographic opportunities for the underwater photographer. Simone was surrounded by blue maomao when a free diver added that touch of magic that every photographer is seeking. The
image was taken in …guess… Blue maomao Arch ! Simone receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$100.
Judges’ Comments:
Both judges scored this image 25 points. As one judge commented, “Images rarely score 25 with me but this one is exceptional”. The other judge added, “This is the best diver swimming away shot
I have ever seen! If the diver was swimming towards the camera I think his face would distract from the wonderful ‘into the tornado’ scene. Maybe a little post production work could make the image “pop” even more! E.g., A little more shadow detail on the diver and reducing the fish highlights a little on the left hand side. All round a well deserved winner!
www.divenewzealand.com 57
SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
ovice Category N Winner: Congratulations, Danny Lee, Tasmania, Australia. Wow, Danny Lee must have thought this is my lucky day when this image crossed his camera’s lens while diving Skeleton Bay, Bay of Fires, Tasmania with his freediving mate Quinton Schlieben. The 10m female Southern Right whale was with her newborn calf. The encounter was made extra special by the fact that the curious whale continually swam over to the divers over a 45 minute period. It was about eight years earlier that Danny had an encounter with a whale in the same area. Danny receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.
Judges’ Comments: A very high impact image! It’s an image that you just have to take “in the moment”! You can't see any detail on the whale, but the photo still works. An amazing encounter.
‘Awestruck’; Skeleton Bay/Bay of Fires: Canon G16, Meikon housing, natural light – f/4.0, 1/200, ISO100.
Thanks to all those who entered this fun competition. The judges, Iain Anderson and Andy Belcher and the team at Dive New Zealand/ Dive Pacific magazines look forward to receiving your photographic masterpieces in August for the December/January 2019 issue of the magazine. See: www.seatech.co.nz click on Photo Competition. It’s free to enter. 58 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Are you a Novice Photographer? We are looking for more NOVICE ENTRIES for our competition page - remember it's free to enter.
Sea Tech is the official New Zealand distributor of Ikelite, Fantasea, 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 selection of notable photos entered for this edition's competition
(N) Stephen Hopkins
(A) Alexey Zaytsev
(A) Alexey Zaytsev
(N) Sarah Milicich (N) Dan Westerkamp
(N) Stuart Loubser
www.divenewzealand.com 59
Starting with this issue Dive magazine is delighted to begin the serialisation of Alexey Zaytsev’s comprehensive and authoritative book, Underwater Photography, A Practical Guide for Beginners. The book was previously published in Russian, with a second edition printed earlier this year. This is the first time it has been available in English. Dive magazine will be running excerpts from it. Alexey is extremely well known amongst Russia’s dive and underwater photography community, and has undertaken professional photographic assignments in many places around the world, including living in Bali for some months and making many visits to Egypt, Sudan and elsewhere. To illustrate the book, and also his own credentials, Alexey is making available a selection of his fine photographic work. Alexey now lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
Underwater Photography A Practical Guide for Beginners Dear Reader! You want to learn how to photograph underwater. That was the main reason you started reading this book, which means you are already on your way! The purpose of the book is to teach you how to take great, correctly exposed photographs, and we will talk primarily about the technical aspects of taking images. You will learn how to take correctly exposed photos with properly rendered colours using appropriate photographic techniques, in natural light or using one or two strobes. Lenses of different focal length will help you discover different genres of underwater photography. You will learn how to take photos of the smallest underwater creatures as well as sea giants as big as whale sharks and whales.
From there the artistry of underwater composition will be the next step in your development as an underwater photographer, but we will leave that for now. If you are an experienced diver, and are experienced at taking photographs on land, this book will help you quickly adapt your dry land experience to underwater situations. If you are interested in the underwater world but have never done scuba diving, first start learning to dive. To begin with, it is critically important for an underwater photographer to have precise neutral buoyancy. Which is why I recommend all beginner divers take a special buoyancy course.
Once you have mastered the technique you will be able to reach your desired goal of becoming a real underwater photographer. A camera in a housing with strobes should become an extension of your hands and eyes, with all adjustments and exposure settings automatic.
Of course you can start underwater photography right after completing your basic diving course but you will feel much more comfortable underwater with a camera once you have completed an advanced course and have some diving experience.
Once you have that mastered you will be able to demonstrate your artistic skill and show your admirers the beauty of the underwater world the way you see it.
Wishing you good luck! Alexey Zaytsev
Don’t be lazy. Read about it first Underwater photographer, or natural disaster? You have most likely met those photographers willing to do anything to get that once in a lifetime shot. Who, like bulls in a china shop, do things like damaging corals by lying on them, to get a better angle. Underwater, these so-called photographers might easily hit you on the head with their fins if they start chasing a napoleon wrasse, or a turtle, kicking up a cloud of silt just as you 60 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
were about to take a macro photo nearby. Dear friends! Let’s respect and take care of nature. Otherwise we might destroy it in an attempt to create a masterpiece!
Neutral buoyancy
A true underwater photographer should be able to achieve IDEAL neutral buoyancy. If there is no current, one finger should be enough for you to hold yourself on to a rock, or a dead coral, and to remain in this position while shooting.
Swim backwards
If you entered a narrow cavern head on, and need to turn 180 degrees in order to get out, breaking everything growing on the walls with your fins and camera rig, then maybe it is too early for you to take your camera underwater. So learn how to swim backwards… which is not that difficult in a swimming pool where you won't hurt any living beings.
" Tourist submarine and shipwreck" Blue Lagoon, Indian Ocean, Bali Island, Indonesia. NIKON D700 15 mm F2.8 (f / 11; 1/160; ISO1000) Ikelite housing "Diver and Shark Longimanus"Islands Brothers, Red Sea, Egypt. NIKON D80 10-17 mm F3.5-4.5 on 17 mm (f / 11; 1/80; ISO100) Ikelite housing
Chapter One
Choosing a camera, the hardest part Almost all modern cameras can work underwater if you 'hide' them in a waterproof case, a camera housing. It doesn't really matter what camera you are using - Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus or some other brand - the rules for taking photos and the techniques you need to take them are the same regardless of the equipment you use. We won’t repeat here the information usually provided in a user manual. I believe you will have already read that cover to cover. Rather, we will talk about how to apply the wealth of knowledge provided in the manuals underwater.
What can we shoot underwater with?
Theoretically, any modern digital camera will be good for underwater photography. The one limitation is the availability of a waterproof case, referred to as the housing, for your camera to fit in. So before you buy a camera, find out whether there are housings available for the particular model of camera you are thinking of buying. It’s easy. Go to the manufacturers’ websites to check if there are housings for your particular camera model. (At the end of this book I provide a list of websites of underwater housing manufacturers.)
DSLR, MILC or 'point-andshoot'?
Essentially there are several different types of modern photo cameras. Which camera should you go for if you want to use it underwater? A compact ‘point-andshoot’ camera, a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses, or a good old single-lens reflex camera? Let’s try and figure it out…
Digital compact cameras ('point-and-shoot') Pros:
- s mall size and weight, important for traveling divers -v ersatility, possible to shoot wide angle and macro without changing lenses - r elatively low price
Cons:
- s hutter lag (compared to reflex cameras) -m anual focusing and manual settings could pose some difficulties
"Bat fish" Marine Park Ahtong, Siam Gulf, Koh Phangan, Thailand. Nikon D300 60mm F2.8 (f / 16; 1/80; ISO100) Ikelite housing, two strobe DS125
-d ifficulties with framing images using an LCD monitor in bright conditions -n ot all ‘point-and-shoots’ can shoot RAW -c olour ‘noise’ becomes visible on high ISO settings due to a small sensor and high number of pixels If you decide that small dimensions and the weight of the rig is of primary importance then you buy a compact digital camera. But as Forest Gump's Momma use to say 'Stupid is as stupid does'. The same goes with point-and-shoots. Don't rush to buy the first one you see! To avoid disappointment what should we pay attention to? 1) The wider the lens the better. How would you know? Manufacturers always indicate the focal length of their cameras in millimeters equivalent to a 35 mm format. For example, 24 – 70 mm. The lower the first number, the wider the lens sees. If you have to
www.divenewzealand.com 61
choose between 20 and 35 mm, then go for 20mm. Why? We will find out later on. 2) The majority of modern pointand-shoots have lenses with variable focal length or ‘zoom’ lenses. You don’t need a zoom lens with a wide range of focal length settings as a 3x to 5x zoom will be enough for underwater photography. 3) L ook at mode settings. In addition to a so-called 'green' mode (a fully automatic shooting mode) your camera should have the following modes as well: Shutter speed priority mode (marked as S on Nikon cameras and Tv on Canon cameras); an aperture priority mode (A); and a manual mode (M). 4) I t would be very good if your camera had a 'hot shoe', which is a connection on the camera top usually right above the lens where an additional external strobe can be connected. 5) T he LCD screen must be big and bright. As well, ask your seller, or look up in the manual ,whether your camera can shoot RAW (we will talk more about RAW and why it
"Nets kill the reef" Siam Gulf, Koh Phangan, Thailand. Nikon D700 15 mm F2.8 (f9; 1/60; ISO200) Ikelite housing, two strobe DS160
62 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
is necessary for an underwater photographer in Part 4 of this book - ‘ISO, WB, Exposure and other spices’)
Digital single-lens reflex cameras - DSLRs If you want to be creative with your photography and want to get the best quality images I recommend you pay attention to digital singlelens reflex cameras or DSLRs. The main advantage of a DSLR camera is its mirror optical viewfinder, which they inherited from the analog SLRs. For these the light traveling through the lens is reflected off its mirror, channeled into a pentaprism and onto a viewfinder. A photographer sees the real picture. What is seen in the viewfinder will be on the photo’s image. When the shutter release button is pressed, the mirror is lifted, shutter curtains open, and the light falls onto the sensor. The reflex viewfinder can be conveniently used in bright conditions, and it allows a photographer to see the depth of field of the image he is taking, and to use a manual focus. LCD screens of the first DSLR cameras were used only to review images and
navigate through menu options, while framing was possible only through a viewfinder. Today, almost all DSLRs have an option of framing using the LCD screen. This option is called the 'Live View'. There are several different ways of framing images using the LCD screen: for example, a semi-transparent mirror and an additional sensor that transmits the image. Another example is when the main sensor of the camera is used (in this case framing using the LCD screen is possible only when the mirror is lifted). This framing method causes a significant shutter lag, which makes it unacceptable for shooting underwater. Underwater photographers barely ever use Live View with digital SLRs because a good old mirror viewfinder is much more convenient.
Pros:
- a wide variety of lenses and accessories allow extra creativity - high quality optics - framing directly through the lens - no shutter lag - easy to control mode settings (yes, it’s not a slip of the tongue!) - high quality of photographs (a large sensor size, a possibility to shoot RAW, low level of noise, wide dynamic range)
Cons:
which can be a great advantage for a lot of travelling photographers.
-e xpensive (the price of the camera as well as the lenses and accessories)
One interesting feature of this type of camera also is that a majority of modern lenses (of different makes!) can be used with them, including lenses used with analog SLRs and rangefinder cameras (with adapters).
-b ulky and heavy
A word of caution: not all DSLRs have an unconditional advantage over compact cameras. DSLR cameras at a so-called start-up level have not moved far ahead of some ‘point-and-shoots’ in their technical specifications and capabilities. Which is exactly why, if you have decided to switch from your ‘point-and-shoot’ to a DSLR, you should choose a camera of higher quality. You will get used to the dimensions and weight of your underwater rig quite fast. As for the cost of the rig, that may look as though you can't really do anything, but this is not a disaster either. You could start small. First, by buying a camera and one lens, a housing and a strobe. As you get better at using your rig, buy additional lenses, lens ports and strobes. You end up paying the same amount but gradually, and with a lot less pain. If you have enough money to pay for everything up front you are very lucky!
MILC (EVIL)-cameras Recently we started seeing a new class of photo cameras – MICL (mirrorless interchangeable lens) cameras, sometimes called EVIL-cameras (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens cameras). MICL cameras do not have a moving mirror and a pentaprism, and their framing and depth of field assessment is done using an electronic display, or a viewfinder imitating the optical viewfinder of digital single-reflex cameras. The lack of a moveable mirror reduces the camera body vibrations when the shutter is released and places no limitations on shutter speed. The electronic viewfinder has no parallax (when optical axes of the lens and the viewfinder are not the same) because framing is done through the lens. The main advantage of digital MILC cameras compared to DSLR cameras is their size and weight,
For example, special underwater Nikon or Sea&Sea lenses can be mounted on a Sony NEX in a Nauticam housing using a special adapter. In the pre-digital era, these great lenses were used with Nikonos cameras, and unique amphibian cameras, which did not require a waterproof housing. You can still buy used and new Nikonos lenses and with the development of MILCs they have regained their popularity. Size and weight-wise, MILC cameras are comparable to pointand-shoots, though the physical size of MILC sensors is larger than those of the majority of point-andshoots. Therefore, they beat hands down point-and-shoot cameras in terms of the noise they generate, while their image quality can easily compete with that of DSLRs. However technical progress does not stand still and as I was writing this book, Sony released mirrorless cameras with sensors, whose quality supersedes those of a lot of top professional DSLRs.
Pros:
- s maller, and lighter than DSLRs (no more extra luggage!) -c an be used with a wide variety of lenses - l arge or full frame sensors -p roduce high quality images
Cons:
-d ue to their small size, its hard to fit a large battery inside, so they are still not as reliable as DSLRs - t he price of top models is the same as the price of mid-range DSLRs - t he price of a housing and accessories is also relatively high; you won’t save a lot buying a MILC camera and underwater gear for it.
Let's recap with my rating of the cameras Digital single-reflex (DSLR) cameras (Nikon and Canon) and mirrorless cameras with a full matrix (Sony) get the gold. MILC-cameras (mirrorless) with a crop sensor (sensors that are smaller than a full frame) format APS-C (Sony) and micro 4/3 (Olympus and Panasonic) get the silver. And the bronze goes to digital compacts with unchangeable optics of all the same leaders in the photo-industry market: Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Olympus.
Professional, or not? A piece of professional advice: if you plan to earn your living as an underwater photographer start saving up for a top digital or mirrorless full frame camera, a fleet of lenses, a housing and underwater strobes. The budget to acquire such a rig may exceed a dozen thousand dollars. If you are not going to earn your living as an underwater photographer but are used to having the best things in life and don’t have to rob a bank for them, then go for a big rig! For most non-professional underwater photographers out there, it would make sense to select a semi-professional or a better- thanaverage DSLR or MILC. If underwater photography does not captivate you so much, you can make do with a small compact camera like a point-and-shoot, the more so since their quality has improved significantly in recent years. For beginners, I strongly recommend the compact cameras from the Olympus Tg series. They were originally designed for underwater photography, easy to manage and inexpensive. (Learning how to shoot these cameras quickly will be covered in the appendix at the end of this book)
Next issue:
Selecting a camera housing
www.divenewzealand.com 63
DIGITALIMAGING Hans Weichselbaum www.digital-image.co.nz
Optimising your images with Levels and Curves In an ideal world all the images popping out from your camera would be perfect. However, no matter how carefully you choose your lighting and how accurately you set the exposure there will be shots which turn out too dark, or overexposed, have a colour cast, or they simply look flat. In the last issue we saw how useful the Histogram can be, even before you take the shot. We also looked at the Histogram in postprocessing and how you can adjust lightness and contrast with the Levels tool.
The Levels Command Image 1 shows you the Histogram with the Levels tools. If you look carefully at the right side of the Histogram you’ll notice there are a lot of pure white pixels in the picture. This is normally something you’ll try to avoid because it means overexposure. In this case it’s okay because we have the sun right in the frame. I use Photoshop for my demonstration, but you’ll find the Histogram and the Levels command in every image editing program and it comes with three sliders. The middle slider adjusts the tonality of the image. If you need to make the image darker or lighter, simply use the middle slider. To increase the image contrast you need to work with the two outside sliders. The left slider, the black input slider, controls the darker pixels and by pulling it to the right you are clipping the darker pixels to pure black. This increases the contrast of the image, but there is the danger of losing shadow details. Press the Alt/Opt key while moving the slider and you will see what is being clipped. The same applies to the right slider, which controls the brightest pixels. Another way to work in Levels is to use the three eyedroppers on the right side of the histogram, underneath the Options button. Instead of dragging the sliders, you use the eyedroppers to sample pixels that should be black in the darkest shadows, or white in the lightest highlights. The middle eyedropper is to get rid of any colour casts: use it to click on an area which should be neutral grey and, hopefully, the colours will fall into place.
64 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Image 1 - The Histogram with the Levels Command
Auto corrections? Have you ever tried the Auto corrections? I normally stay clear from any ‘auto’ adjustments, but they can often take you to a good starting point when optimising tonality and colours. Click on the ‘Options’ button and you will get another interface with three options, corresponding to ‘Auto Levels’, ‘Auto Contrast’ and ‘Auto Colour’. One of the last two choices will often show an improvement, before you start working on the Input sliders. There is also an option for ‘Snap to Neutral Midtones’ which can help with colour casts. And there is more – you can even do all your colour adjustments in Levels. Above the Histogram you’ll find a Channel dropdown menu with RGB as the default setting. You can select any of the three individual colour channels and the Histogram will show you the distribution of lightness levels of
the red, green and blue channels. Again, you get your three sliders
The Individual Colour Channels
which give you very subtle control over colour.
Working with Curves Before you get carried away with all the goodies under the Levels interface I want to show you another tool for correcting lightness and colour problems. Again, you’ll find the Curves tool in almost every image editing program. I have come across seasoned Photoshop experts who have never used Curves - there are always alternative ways of doing things in digital imaging. However, you’re missing out on a great tool if you don’t work with Curves. Once you get the hang of it, you can do all your colour corrections by tweaking the individual colour channels. The Curves command (in Photoshop: Image > Adjustments > Curves) allows you to do the same as in Levels, but with even more control. And our old friend, the histogram, is there as well in the background (Image 3). The ‘Curve’ is a diagonal straight line which you grab anywhere with the mouse to pull it up or down, which is similar to moving the middle slider in Levels. To lighten the image, you just grab the Curve in the middle and pull it up, as shown in Image 3. For darkening you push it down. But you can also anchor the Curve with a few mouse clicks anywhere for areas you don’t want to affect.
Increasing the Contrast in Curves For example, if you don’t want to brighten the highlights and midtones, but lighten the shadow areas, then you simply anchor the upper and middle parts of the Curve and pull the shadows up. Boosting the contrast is done by making an S-curve as shown in Image 4. The Curve gets steeper in the middle region, which results in a higher contrast in the midtones. Image 4 also shows you all the bells and whistles that come with the Curves command in Photoshop. We don’t need to go over all the options, but you’ll probably want to use the individual colour channels, same as under Levels. This comes really handy for finetuning those colour casts in the shadows and highlights. The Auto corrections are very similar to those you’ll find in Levels. You might also find the various Presets useful (the top dropdown menu). For example, you can simply select a ‘Medium Contrast’ boost, without having to fiddle with the Curve.
Cross Process
Lightening an Image in Curves
One of the more exotic Preset options is called “Cross Process”. This used to be a common darkroom technique in the historic days of film, where slide film was processed like a colour negative film, or vice-versa. Whereas the darkroom only gave us one chance to get it right, digital technology allows you to experiment as much as you like. Image 5 shows you the Curves with Adobe Lightroom’s Preset for cross processing below shows you the final result in comparison with the original.
I hope that the Levels and Curves tools will help you get even better results with postprocessing your best shots. And don’t forget to keep an eye on the camera Histogram before the action! www.divenewzealand.com 65
DIVING THE WEB Phil Bendle e: pbendle@gmail.com
Alert Diver On-Line is a magazine of the Divers Alert Network. It contains many articles from emergency planning, catastrophic regulator failure to an article on diving with diabetes. There are also photo galleries and articles on dive locations. http://www.alertdiver.com
This high definition video is of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) who visit Tonga in the winter months give birth to calves and mate. It was filmed by Nick Hope of Bubble Vision. http://tiny.cc/nickhope2
Chris Gillette is a wildlife biologist and photographer/ videographer who works with predators such as sharks, crocodiles, alligators, and snakes. He has shot numerous film projects for Discovery Channel, NatGeoWild, History Channel, E!, Travel Channel and numerous local and foreign networks. He also runs personally led alligator tours in the Everglades. The link takes you to his gallery of alligators photos. http://tiny.cc/vsgquy
This is a beautiful high definition underwater footage filmed using a small personal submarine. The diving took place in Cocos Island’s marine sanctuary from shallow depths to the very deep unexplored regions where a rare prickly shark was found at a depth of 340m. http://tiny.cc/cocos Two 19th century shipwrecks were discovered around 1,500 miles off the coast of Western Australia during the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Both wrecks were found at depths between 3,700 and 3,900 metres, roughly 36km apart. The Western Australian Museum’s pdf report on the analysis of the shipwrecks can be downloaded at http://tiny.cc/wreckspdf http://tiny.cc/2wrecks
This is a beautiful HD video of the colourful, small, marine creatures from the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia and Anilao in The Philippines. The video features many species of fish, seahorses, crabs, shrimps, nudibranchs and tunicates. Many of these creatures are exotic and rare. It was filmed by Nick Hope of Bubble Vision. http://tiny.cc/nickhope
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
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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)
DIVE STORES / TRAVEL 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) 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, inc 2, 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. 132 Beaumont St, Westhaven, P: 09 9205200 www.globaldive.net E: info@globaldive.net (DNZ168) 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)
THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS Colin Gestro - Affinity Ads M: 027 256 8014 colin@affinityads.com www.divenewzealand.co.nz www.dive-pacific.com
www.divenewzealand.com 67
DIVE STORES / TRAVEL / PRODUCTS | SERVICES COROMANDEL / BAY OF PLENTY
DNZ161
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 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 Dive & Gas Gisborne's authorised Aqualung dealer with full product range. A great range of other Scuba and Snorkel gear in-store as well. Plus we test and fill all Scuba Tanks. Kevin & Tracey Halverson, cnr Carnarvon St, and Childers Rd, Gisborne. P: 06 867 9662 E: diveandgas@gmail.com (DNZ162) 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) Dive & Ski HQ Wellington PADI dive courses – beginner to professional qualifications. 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. New Zealand P: (04)568 5028 mob 0210369996 www.diveski.co.nz E: diveskihq@xtra.co.nz snow ski and board rental available www.facebook.com/DiveSkiHQ (DNZ161)
SOUTH ISLAND 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. We offer Inner Sounds Tours from Picton. South Island’s only SSI Dive Centre. www.godive.co.nz Freephone 0800 GODIVE Email info@godive.co.nz (DNZ167) 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. 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)
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debates contro FERENCE versial issues
CELL PHONES – the hidden killer at sea
$9.50
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More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com 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)
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)
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 (DNZ166)
DNZ164
Manufacturing Quality Wetsuits in New Zealand for New Zealand conditions.
www.seaquel.co.nz
HDS Australia-Pacific
PO Box: 347 Dingley Village Victoria 3172, Australia. www.classicdiver.org
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)
dnz164
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)
DIVE COMPRESSOR
sales and servicing
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.
High Pressure Equipment NZ Ltd
P: 682 20238 or 682 55238 E: info@thedivecentre-rarotonga.com www.thedivecentre-rarotonga.com (DNZ159)
p h 0 9 -444
15G Porana Rd, Glenfield, Auckland wetsuits@seaquel.co.nz Tel: 09 443 2771
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
Master Agents for Bauer Kompressoren in New Zealand and have been for the past 20 years. • 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. New Zealand Master Agents for: BAUER KOMPRESSOREN compressors/spare parts BAUER-POSEIDON compressors and spare parts DNZ163
INTERNATIONAL DIVE OPERATORS AND RESORTS AUSTRALIA
0804
Contact us at: ph 09 444 0804, fax 09 443 1121
32 Parkway Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland. Email info@highpressure.co.nz
www.highpressure.co.nz
www.divenewzealand.com 69
DIVE STORES / TRAVEL / PRODUCTS | SERVICES
FIJI
VANUATU
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)
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)
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) 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)
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) 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)
THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS
DIVE HOLIDAY Travelandco At travel&co (previously Dive Fish Snow Holidays) we’ve been crafting tailor-made active travel trips and experiences for over 30 years. Our team of active travel experts share your On the downtown Port book Vila. an passion forseafront adventure and can help •exceptional Certified dives • Snorkel Tours • Training to active travel experience that goes beyond the ordinary. Fromhire wreck or reef diving, Instructor Level • Full gear available • learning to dive, to liveaboard adventures - for Very friendly, professional & experienced insider tips on the best dive locations and local Instructors & Dive Masters. tailormade diving experiences let your active 20travel dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) journey start with us. including 5 wrecks (including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying t: 09 479 2210 Toll free NZ: 0800 555 035 boat and 150 year old sailing ship Star of Russia) e: enquire@travelandco.nz Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to (DNZ163) www.travelandco.nz/dive
20 dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) including 5 wrecks (including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying boat and 150 year old sailing ship Star of Russia)
Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to 40m. Free pickup from Resorts in town.
P: +678 27518 or email: dive@bigbluevanuatu.com
P: +678 27518 or email: dive@bigbluevanuatu.com
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your safety Vanuatu has Fish, Hunt, DiveFor or Cruise aboard the fully facilities. or refurbished MV recompression Cindy Hardy. Fiordland 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
For your safety Vanuatu has recompression facilities.
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
(DNZ156)
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 On theMokohinau seafront downtown Port Vila. Reserve, Islands, Great/Little Certified dives • Snorkel • Training to Trip •Barrier, Sail Rock/Hen & Tours Chickens in style. Instructor • Full gear hire available • scheduleLevel and info www.outergulfcharters.co.nz Very friendly, professional & experienced or phone Julie 021&827 local Instructors Dive855 Masters.
Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to 40m. Free pickup from Resorts in town.
Enquiries to: Colin Gestro Affinity Ads M: 027 256 8014 colin@affinityads.com
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 P: 09-4794231, 021839118, darren@wettie.co.nz Jamie Obern Technical instructor/cave diver, 20+ On the seafront downtown Port Vila. years exp. globally. Photos/video: uw caves in Mexico, USA, UK, NZ, Techdive NZ/GUE • Certified dives • Australia. Snorkel Tours • Training toNZ instructor. P: Level 021 614 023,gear hire available • Instructor • Full www.techdivenz.com jamie@techdivenz.com Very friendly, professional & experienced Dave Moran Ching Dynasty porcelain from the Tek local Instructors & Dive Masters. Sing. P: Dive New Zealand 09-521 0684, dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) including 5 wrecks E:20 divenz@DiveNewZealand.co.nz (including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying boat and 150 year old sailing ship Star of Russia)
Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to We can create your advert 40m. Free pickup from or classified ad for you!
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Very friendly, professional & experienced local Instructors & Dive Masters.
40m. Free pickup from Resorts in town.
20 dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) including 5 wrecks (including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying boat and 150 year old sailing ship Star of Russia)
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A brief tribute to Wade and Jan Doak
Eight wet decades C
onvinced salt water is good for the newborn, Lorna Doak was bathing her baby in the sea one day in April l940 at New Brighton Beach, Christchurch, when a rogue wave tore the child from her hands. The receding waters carried him out, and she must have thought her little boy was lost, but as luck would have it, another wave brought him back in, safe and sound. From the start Wade Doak seemed destined for a life in the ocean. He grew up some distance from the sea but haunted the local swimming pools. At 12 he discovered a magic portal to underwater: a diving mask. At l5 he made a diving helmet from an old ice-cream can, and from Lyttelton Harbour wharf his girl friend pumped air with a car tyre pump down to where he explored the murky depths six metres below. At l6 he discovered undersea freedom using scuba tanks and in l959 while still at university he launched a magazine, 'Dive', which later became a bi-monthly and went international. In l960 Wade met Jan and they were to settle on the Tutukaka coast, near one of the finest places for diving, the Poor Knights Islands. In l966 Wade and a team of fellow divers found the wreck of the SS 'Elingamite', lost with a fortune in gold and silver aboard. Wade, Kelly Tarlton, Jaan Voot and others became treasure salvors. After many attempts they managed to raise 50,000 coins and their story went around the world. Wade wrote his first book and with Kelly Tarlton, worked on his first film about the adventure. The pair went on to find and excavate the famous 1809 massacre ship 'Boyd', publishing underwater photos and writing books about the sea. In l97l Wade first met dolphins 72 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
Wade and Jan Doak underwater in the vast Rikoriko Cave, a sacred place to Maori, and he was never again the same. He set out to study dolphins on their own terms; few people have spent more time with these creatures in the wild. He became preoccupied with reef fish, identifying and understanding each species and their social lives, and with the help of marine biologists he wrote and published his first three books on the undersea life of New Zealand. A short time later Australian biologist, Barry Russell, invited him to join an expedition in the South Pacific financed by the National Geographic Society. The little oceanographic research ship 'El Torito' was captained by Dr Walter Stark, a famous American ocean scientist and inventor, and who had for Wade as much prestige as Cousteau himself. In a series of South Seas islands expeditions with Wade on board Walter Stark tested on himself the zebra suit (with the pattern of a venomous sea snake) to see whether it would repel sharks. Later Wade would create his own dolphin suit. The ocean explorations of Walter Stark are related by Wade Doak in
two of his books: 'Sharks and Other Ancestors' and 'Islands of Survival' and now, in a new memoir. Wade and Jan Doak established 'Project Interlock', a global network bringing together all sorts of encounters between humans and cetaceans. And on Amazon Kindle he has just published a comprehensive global trilogy about the evolving human culture with whales and dolphins*. Since 2013 Wade and Jan have produced a memoir on their 50 years exploring the Poor Knights, one about mangroves diving, and five ‘terrestrial’ books including Bringing Back the Birdsong, its Kindle sequel Riverlands Rambles about their Ngunguru landcare wildlife adventures, Riches of the North where they explore Northland, and Headland Coast: Profiles of the Tutukaka Coast, and Ngunguru, History of a River in Time and Space. All of these, along with Wade’s 35 books in total are available to view and purchase online at http:// tinyurl.com/hnu8frd *Translated and adapted from "Wade Doak, Ambassadeur des Dauphins", by Hugo Verlomme, J.C. Lattes -Paris.
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*Promotion available between 09/07/18 to 30/09/18 on new and eligible Yamaha F75 to F150 four-stroke models, purchased at participating authorised Yamaha dealerships. Advertised savings amount equivalent to a total of $2,000 (GST inclusive), toward the cost of rigging for Yamaha F75 to F150 models. Savings are based on RRP and subject to change without notice. Offer available for private buyers only, on specified models purchased during the promotional period. Installation and warranty registration must be completed by 31/12/18. Promotion is not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Terms and conditions apply. See your authorised participating dealership for details.