Dive Pacific Issue 167 Dec2018/Jan2019

ISSUE 167 - $9.90 inc GST December / January 2019

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Juvenile flying fish checks out diver www.Dive-Pacific.com

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Sidemount your tanks?

Why would you?

What's it like starting out with diving?

The wrecks of Solomon Islands

Volivoli, all of Fiji at one top resort

s a m t s i r h C Specials!

Heavenly haven at Havannah harbour

Has Photoshop killed off the photographer's skill?

Holiday package to Fiji's best resort 1 Special subscriptionwww.dive-pacific.com offers

HUNTING ESSENTIALS

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contents IN DEPTH 4

Letter: Why divers drop out

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EDITORIAL: The road blocks are numerous... with Dave Moran

SOUNDINGS Local and international news & comment 6 ‘Treasure’ tag found on Northland beach Baby snapper habitat mapped in Hauraki Gulf 7

Listening to seaweed photosynthesising France removes tyres from failed reef project Harnessing wind at sea

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Kaikoura crays worth the travel New research for coastal marine field station Boating grants for safety

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Volunteers wanted to log historic weather records

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The Tara Expedition: Startling new data from the Pacific

SPECIAL FEATURES 18

Taking the plunge! What it was like getting my Open Water, with Ria Lovedor

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Sidemount your tanks? Why would you? Here’s 7 good reasons, with Steve Davis Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Winners!

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Manipulating images: Has Photoshop decimated the photographer’s skills? We asked two experts for their opinions

58 SHADES OF COLOUR: More stunning images from our regular photo competition 60 THERE IS NOT HERE! Underwater Photography, A Practical Guide for Beginners – Part III, by Alexey Zaystev. Translated from Russian exclusively for Dive Pacific

Check out our website www.divenewzealand.co.nz Dive New Zealand / Dive Pacific magazine is available in the lounges and inflight libraries of these airlines:

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BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS 13 Diving Fjordland! Jacques Cousteau rated it in the Top 20 worldwide

Cover Photo ‘Juvenile flying fish’; Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand.

22 Wrecks & reefs… The Solomon Islands Pt I - Honiara & Iron Bottom Sound, with Dave Abbott

Winner in this issue's Shades of Colour Photo Competition - see p58

By Irene Middleton P A C I F I C N E W

32 Havannah Harbour, heavenly haven in Vanuatu. Anne Simmons is a big fan

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41 Volivoli, the total Fiji experience. And playground for families too

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46 SPECIAL FIJI GETAWAY PACKAGE OFFER! GEAR BAG 48 New stuff to capture your wallet

Juvenile flying fish checks out diver www.Dive-Pacific.com

OUR EXPERT COLUMNISTS 12 Conservation worth celebrating! Voluntary cray bag limit called for: LEGASEA UPDATE

Sidemount your tanks?

Why would you?

What's it like starting out with diving?

The wrecks of Solomon Islands

Volivoli, all of Fiji at one top resort

tmciaasls! rispe ChS

Heavenly haven at Havannah harbour

Has Photoshop killed off the photographer's skill?

Holiday package to Fiji's best resort 1 Special subscriptionwww.dive-pacific.com offers

Nikon D7000, Nikon 60mm macro lens, Nauticam housing, dual Ikelite DS-125 strobes – f/22, 1/250, ISO160

14 Moment of truth: How the World Spearfishing Champs played out. Plus: Seasonal update: Spearo’s Notebook! With Jackson Shields

Do you have a possible cover image?

E: divenz@divenewzealand.co.nz.

NZ$100 will be paid if used. Must be relevant to the marine world.

51 The Blue fish, Species Focus with Paul Caiger 52 The strange case of disappearing symptoms: Incident Insights with DAN, the Divers Alert Network 54 The mysterious issue of immersion pulmonary oedema: Dive Medicine with Professor Simon Mitchell 66 Verdict on full frame mirrorless cameras: Digital Imaging with Hans Weichselbaum JUST FOR FUN! 49 Cycling under Waitemata harbour from Rangitoto Island to Mission Bay BACK IN THE DAY!

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67 Classifieds

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www.dive-pacific.com 3

Letter: Why divers drop out Hi Dave, I was intrigued reading the article about the “Diver drop outs?” in the October/November issue. Though the concept of adventure being taken out of recreational scuba diving as being the cause of a 90% drop out rate has merit, I think the far more likely reason is relatively simple; it is access to the water. Unless you have access to a boat either by ownership or friends the chance of getting out on the water and diving are reduced.

In my city there are three dive training facilities: one does a yearly trip mostly overseas; one does once a month trips and a yearly overseas trip; the third is working on getting once a month dive trips.

So, if you were a freshly trained diver without a boat its carry your gear to a beach and walk in, which we all know is a mission due to weight. Or try to book one of the very limited opportunities run by the schools, which can cancel due to conditions. That’s understandable but reduces even further the chance of a dive.

The second reason which was recently brought to my attention, was by two women on a dive course who though becoming qualified, planned never to dive again. The reason was shoddy gear that broke, and lacking support by the instructors when the student had difficulties, resulting in both having a negative experience in the water. This was in a class of nine which means in this example alone was about 22% already deciding never to dive again.

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December/January 2019 Issue 167 Find us on facebook follow the links on our website www.Dive-Pacific.com

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Diver Emergency Number, New Zealand : 0800 4 DES 11 1800 088 200 (toll free) Australia : +61-8-8212 9242

4 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

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hanks Owen for your comments.

You raise some very valid points.

I think we could add Cost to your points. The cost of scuba diving via commercial charter boats is now very expensive. In recent times the costs of running a dive charter boat have escalated to a point where many charter boat owners have decided just to cater for fishermen less compliance issues to maintain.

You may be aware in the past there were quite a number of very active dive clubs and some of their members had boats, and the club often had a good selection of charter boats to choose from. Many clubs formed long term relationships with the charter boat skippers who provided them at reasonable charter hire costs due to the club’s loyalty.

A few clubs are still active in this way; the Dolphin Underwater and Adventure Club based in Auckland, www.dolphinunderwater.org , the Mount Maunganui Underwater Club www.mmuc.co.nz , and the Wellington Underwater Club www.wuc.org.nz One of the additional positive things that comes out of joining a dive club is that you meet like-minded people and opportunities will arise that enable you to dive from a member’s own boat which will cost less than diving from a charter boat. To find a club in your area contact New Zealand Underwater www.nzunderwater.org.nz. NZUA has represented New Zealand divers since the 1960’s.

That was a very unfortunate experience the two ladies had. As in all professions there are very talented people who continually deliver to high standards and others whose standards are slack! It’s not the first

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

time I have heard of such first-time diving experiences. Training costs are also high.

Add up all these costs - dive boat charter, travel to the dive location (petrol), possible overnight accommodation - and you soon discover how expensive diving can be. The cost often results in people just not spending enough time in the water with experienced divers to build up their confidence, and that denies them a long-term love affair with one of the most fantastic activities a person can be involved in.

- Dave Moran Editor at Large

2018 has been a busy year for DIVE magazine. Subtle changes have been made to design and layout. We trust you are enjoying the new look.

We look forward to your continuing support and contribution to the magazine.

We send a big thank you to our advertisers for their confidence in the magazine to deliver their message to the divers of New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific regions.

We wish you all a fantastic summer of diving. Enjoy!

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.

www.DiveNewZealand.co.nz www.Dive-Pacific.com Registered Publication Dive Pacific ISSN 2624-134X (print) ISSN 2324-3236 (online)

INDEPTH EDITORIAL

The road blocks are numerous...

War of Independence (1775–1783) in Newport. I believe the problem comes down to three things: politics, negligence and incompetence.

It’s a VERY long story which I will not put you through the frustration of reading; it’s a complex matter.

HMB Endeavour (replica)

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here has been considerable interest in the item we published in the October/November issue of Dive regarding the possible final resting place of Captain Cook’s HMB Endeavour.

The Minister of Culture and Heritage, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has since replied to marine archaeologist Dr Bridget Buxton’s email of the 20th May. Bridget, a New Zealander, holds the position of Associate Professor of Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Rhode Island in the USA. Bridget was trying to obtain an expression of interest from the New Zealand Government regarding the Endeavour. You may have read/seen/ heard New Zealand media reports about the possible discovery of the ship’s hull.

In mid-September 2018 news media around the western world splashed headline variations of the discovery that: “Captain Cook's missing HMB Endeavour had been discovered off the US coast”.

The New Zealand Herald claimed: “Mystery of Captain Cook's Endeavour set to be solved”. This “discovery” has been going on for years. A quick search shows the New Zealand Herald reported the discovery of the Endeavour on 2nd May 2016 with a headline: “Captain Cook's Endeavour ‘found’ at bottom of US harbour”.

You may be wondering what is the delay in identifying 100% that the hull is that of the Endeavour.

During my recent visit to Rhode Island I spoke to many people connected with British-blockade wrecks dating back to the American

Since the 1990s the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) has been part of the investigation to locate the Endeavour – renamed Lord Sandwich.

Bridget and others have become frustrated with the lack of progress. It should have been sorted years ago.

To me and others it seems our PM and the staff at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage are treading softly due to ‘maybe’ politics and fear of upsetting people!

The PM’s comments in her letter to Bridget I believe reflects this: “We are in regular contact with relevant Australian agencies and, given the participation of the Australian National Maritime Museum, will certainly talk with them about the progress and potential of this work. Thank you for writing, and I wish you well for future projects.”

So Bridget did not get New Zealand Government support for the project even when Bridget is not asking for any financial support from the New Zealand taxpayer! She is only asking for a letter to the Rhode Island Government saying the New Zealand Government will support Bridget and the Rhode Island University in their attempts to verify the hull is the Endeavour.

The Rhode Island Government which owns the wrecks in Newport Harbour have advised they are happy for items from the hull to be put on display in museums.

I am seeing more and more from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage that when it comes to shipwrecks and New Zealand maritime history they look to Australia for leadership.

Surely New Zealand can manage its own marine heritage!

-------------------------I recently visited Te Papa, New

On display at Te Papa: Anchor lost in 1769 from the French vessel St Jean Baptist.

Recovered by the late Kelly Tarlton in 1974

Zealand’s National Museum in Wellington. There mounted on a wall in the main entrance is an anchor recovered in 1974 by the late Kelly Tarlton.

On the wall a plaque advises: This anchor is one of three lost on 28th December 1769 under the command of J F M de Surville aboard the vessel St Jean Baptiste. It is almost certain these anchors were the first things left in New Zealand by Europeans.

I was very fortunate to work and dive with Kelly. He was a man who just got on with stuff.

How he would cope today, with both hands tied and both legs in “irons” re uncovering New Zealand’s maritime history, I can hardly imagine.

I strongly believe if Kelly found St Jean Baptiste’s anchor today it would NEVER see the light of day, such are the restrictions and politics involved.

Thank God we can all enjoy viewing this historic anchor at Te Papa.

Unfortunately, I believe hell will freeze over before we see a small section of the Endeavour’s hull on display in Te Papa for all New Zealanders to view and re-discover the impact Captain Cook’s voyages had on the New Zealand we live in today. www.dive-pacific.com 5

SOUNDINGS

LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL

Treasure tag found on Northland beach While walking on Ninety Mile Beach in the far north of New Zealand recently Clare Veltman spotted an object on the sand shaped like a large fishing lure with an antenna. The tag, used by scientists to track sharks, included the manufacturer's details and a serial number.

“I knew what it was so I put it in my pack and decided to do something about it once I got to Kaitaia,” Clare said.

The tag is part of a Pacific-wide study, contracted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, to measure the survival rate of mako and silky sharks returned to the sea by commercial longline fishers.

The study is trying to determine whether the way sharks are caught and released makes a difference to their survival.

The tag was deployed on a 2.5m mako shark by a fisheries observer aboard a tuna longline vessel working off New Caledonia on July 3. The shark was then released, and swam to New Zealand.

A steel pin in the tag is designed to corrode after 60 days, allowing it to float to the surface from where it starts broadcasting data to a satellite system.

“The information we get from the tags includes a daily report of minimum and maximum water temperatures, and maximum depth of the shark while the tag was attached. If we get the tag back, we can retrieve much higher resolution data at ten minute

intervals. That level of detail is far more valuable and very exciting.”

There is a $200 reward for the return of the tags which Clare Veltman used to upgrade her sleeping mat for her trekking. Mr Lyon says there is at least one tag somewhere at Lottin Point, Cape Runaway waiting to be found.

Clare's mako shark being tagged in New Caledonia

“This is the first tag out of 75 that have been deployed that has been returned to us since the study began in May last year,” said NIWA shark researcher Warrick Lyon. “It provides us with really detailed information that we wouldn’t otherwise have.”

SOUND

…cont'd from page 5 Edit by Dave Moran, Coming Events

Baby snapper habitat mapped in Hauraki Gulf NIWA researchers are out on the Hauraki Gulf finding out more about the nurseries of young snapper and mapping the seafloor habitats where the young fish live.

Snapper is a key species in the Hauraki Gulf where their numbers and size play an important role in how the coastal marine environment works.

NIWA fisheries scientist Dr Mark Morrison is investigating the capacity of marine ecosystems to support juvenile fish nurseries and identifying habitat “bottlenecks” that prevent young fish becoming adults.

The first part of the programme identified the locations of juvenile snapper (less than 9 cm long and up to a year old) in previously unknown Hauraki Gulf nurseries, then examined both the Gulf

6 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

and East Northland nurseries in finer detail to see what makes a good nursery. The habitats of key nurseries are being mapped using multi-beam echo sounder technology from on board the NIWA research vessel Ikatere.

Dr Morrison said large subtidal seagrass meadows historically disappeared from the Gulf by the 1930s but are still in abundance in several large East Northland estuaries where juvenile snapper can be 100 times more abundant, relative to other non-seagrass nursery areas.

By counting the daily growth rings on juvenile snapper ear-bones, research done by post graduate student Christine Stewart at the University of Auckland has shown juvenile snapper grow significantly faster and are heavier in subtidal seagrass.

“Recovery of the subtidal seagrass meadows of Whangarei Harbour give us hope that pragmatic restoration is possible (in the Hauraki Gulf),” Dr Morrison said.

Next year, the Bottlenecks team will undertake a tagging programme across parts of the new seafloor habitat maps, fitting juvenile snapper with tags so researchers can track how many fish are surviving, how fast they are growing and how far they move.

The aim is to work out how environmental degradation reduces the value of juvenile fish habitats and what can be done to reverse that decline.

Once the multi-beam mapping is complete, new habitat maps will be developed and made available for public use.

SOUNDINGS

LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL

Listening to the sound of seaweeds photosynthesising A recent NIW study has shown how gas bubbles released by seaweeds during photosynthesis produce sounds which correlate to the amount of oxygen they release.

Dr Giacomo Giorli, a marine acoustician, is one of the authors of a recently published scientific paper that identified these sounds.

He said: “Declining algal cover is one of the major indicators of stress in coral reef ecosystems.

Our observation suggests that monitoring the sounds generated by algal photosynthesis could

potentially be used to estimate the amount of algal cover and ecosystem health in coral reefs.“ Dr Giorli’s and his colleagues’ research at The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology involved collecting a large amount of the algae Gracilaria salicornia and placing it in an experimental tank equipped with an aquarium light. The algae were exposed to cycles of dark and light and a hydrophone was used to measure the sound in the tank while a high-resolution video camera recorded the bubbles and measured their size.

The sounds comes from the tiny movements of the bubbles as they form a spherical shape in the water. During release, relaxation of the bubble to a spherical shape creates a sound source that ‘rings’, the scientists found.

“The bigger the bubble, the lower the sound. The whole process was reversed when we turned the light off.”

For more visit http://journals.plos. org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/ journal.pone.0201766

France removes toxic tyres from failed reef project Thousands of tyres used to make artificial reefs are being painstakingly removed by teams of divers in the south of France after they were found to be leaking toxic chemicals.

solution: a way to get rid of old tyres while creating habitats for marine life. So in the 1980s 25,000 tyres were sunk 500m offshore between Cannes and Antibes, on the French Riviera.

Tyre manufacturer Michelin is footing part of the bill for the work at a cost running well in excess of a million euros.

In 2005 researchers found the tyres were leaking chemicals including heavy metals.

Local fishing association leader Denis Genovese told AFP news agency that fish had been avoiding the area.

Using tyres to make artificial reefs was once considered a win win

25,000 tyres were removed in 2015, with 10,000 more to be lifted before the end of this year and more next year.

Artificial reefs using tyres sunk in other parts of the world have also been removed, such as in Fort

Image copyright AFP Tyres sunk in the 1980s are being removed again in stages

Lauderdale, Florida where tens of thousands have been lifted from the seabed.

Harnessing wind at sea Offshore wind power is one of the most promising sources of renewable energy and floating wind farms an area of growing interest. Floating wind farms located further offshore can reduce the eyesore potential for communities while allowing them to reach stronger and more regular winds Though most commercial floating wind turbines are at tan early phase of development, a European company Ideol has recently installed a 62-metre-tall Floatgen wind turbine 20 km off the Atlantic coast in France.

The floating wind turbine has overcome five-metre high waves and 15 metre per second winds so

proving its high performance at sea.

The main advantage of a floating wind turbine, rather than one anchored to the seabed is that it can be placed in depths greater than 35 to 40 metres, deeper than possible with fixed seabed installations. With the stronger, more constant winds at these locations a floating wind turbine can also produce energy on a more regular basis. Being farther from the coastline limits visual impacts as well as any negative issues with marine wildlife.

estimated 3 GW, which amounts to the electricity consumption for 6.8 million people.”

CEO of Ideol, Paul de la Guérivière, says: “by 2030, just off the Mediterranean coast, floating wind power production could reach an www.dive-pacific.com 7

SOUNDINGS LOCAL NEWS

Kaiko- ura crayfish worth travelling for The Kaikoura crustacean have earned a top plaudit by The Lonely Planet's world Eatlist for 2018. The crayfish landed 7th out of 500, above renowned staples such as the Neapolitan pizza and Hong Kong dim sum. Foodies are urged to "visit the New Zealand coast where the crayfish is so good they named a town after it".

New research for coastal marine field station New research at Waikato University’s Tauranga Coastal Marine Field Station will see an investment of $4 million.

Professor Ian Hawes is leading a project to research cyanobacterial blooms in New Zealand lakes which are increasingly impacting recreational and commercial users.

In a second project Professors Chris Battershill and Chad Hewitt aim to develop new techniques to fast-track the identification of bioactive compounds in marine organisms, particularly looking at new invasive species.

Both projects have been awarded $1m over three years by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment’s Endeavour Fund.

Nin's Bin crayfish, voted one of the top places for crayfish. Photo / Chee Hong, Flickr Whitebait fritters also appear on the list, at number 54, with the hangi earth oven at 304, the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival at 346, manuka honey at 438 and the pavlova at 429.

The list is compiled from food-obsessed travel writers and bloggers.

Boating grants for safety This year safer boating grants will provide among other things 4,000 new lifejackets, education for 5,000 children, and training for boaties.

In all Maritime NZ is dispensing $450,000 in grants to promote safer water activities. The grants include for instance: • Funding for 4000 new lifejackets to help fund the Coastguard’s ‘Old4New’ lifejacket upgrade campaign, to destroy and replace old lifejackets.

• Children’s boating education ‘because children can influence families and our children are our next skippers.’

• The NZ Underwater Association’s ‘Diver Down’ awareness campaign aimed at driving routine and consistent use of dive flags, especially this year to use social media as the key delivery platform. ($13,000) • A boating safety programme being run by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council ($42,000) The Government provides the funding for safer boating grants from the Fuel Excise Duty on petrol. A proportion of this duty is paid by recreational boaties fuelling power boats.

The grants’ purpose is to support national and regional programmes that work directly with boaties to improve safety.

8 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Big prize to be won with boat show tickets bought online Buying a ticket online to the 2019 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show could win you a Viking Kayak ultimate fishing kayak prize package worth over $8000. Every purchase is entered automatically.

The prize includes a fully kitted-out Viking Profish Reload, complete with a powerful electric motor, a professionally installed Raymarine Dragonfly 4 PRO multi-function display and much more.

The online tickets will be on sale on the website www. boatshow.co.nz from December 1 at just $20 each.

Every online ticket includes a free bonus second entry into the draw for the show’s must-be-won $200,000plus Surtees/Yamaha Grand Prize.

The new Bixpy electric motor is super-compact and light, yet easily out-performs any comparable unit. The motor’s battery can last up to 8 hours and has a top speed of around 10kph.”

What: Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show Where: ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland When: May 16-19, 2019.

Open: 10am to 6pm; late night Friday to 9pm.

Admission: Adults: $20; children 16 & under FREE.

SOUNDINGS

LOCAL NEWS

Volunteers needed to unlock historic weather secrets New Zealand climate scientists are calling for citizen science volunteers to help unearth weather secrets from the past including those recorded by members of Captain Robert Scott’s doomed trip to the South Pole in 1912.

Scott and his four-man team perished in Antarctica and their bodies were left on the ice but the weather records they made on their expedition were retrieved.

Now the data from those records, plus millions of daily observations made by early explorers, people on whaling ships, cargo ships and lighthouses around New Zealand and the Southern Ocean are wanted by scientists trying to find out more about climate change.

term perspective of events that occurred in the past.

It will also help Petra Pearce us understand how the weather generated from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean impacts on New Zealand.

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Climate scientist Petra Pearce says the more we know about our past weather, the better we can accurately predict climate patterns for today and into the future.

“By recovering many of these records and digitising them, we can feed the information into weather reconstructions that help us understand how rapidly this important part of the Earth is changing,” she said.

The weather records, some dating back to the mid-1800s, were normally kept meticulously in logbooks, with entries made several times a day recording information such as temperature, barometric pressure and wind direction as well as comments about cloud cover, snow drifts or rainfall.

So NIWA is launching a huge citizen-science project seeking volunteers to key in information from handwritten weather logbooks into a computer database.

The weather data will be fed into global daily weather reconstructions going back to the 1800s to give better daily weather animations and a longer-

Anyone can log on to the Southern Weather Discovery website and immediately start keying in data and do as much or as little as they like.

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“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

An experience without equal

At Wakatobi, you don’t compromise on comfort to get away from it all. Our private air charter brings you directly to this luxuriously remote island, where all the indulgences of a five-star resort and luxury liveaboard await. Our dive team and private guides ensure your in-water experiences are perfectly matched to your abilities and interests. Your underwater encounters will create lasting memories that will remain vivid and rewarding long after the visit to Wakatobi is concluded. While at the resort, or on board the dive yacht Pelagian, you need only ask and we will gladly provide any service or facility within our power.

This unmatched combination of worldrenowned reefs and first-class luxuries put Wakatobi in a category all its own.

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LegaSea Update

Conservation worth celebrating!

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t is not often we get to celebrate good news in fisheries management but it’s worth popping the corks for this conservation initiative: In September the 34,000 strong New Zealand Sport Fishing Council announced it was promoting a voluntary reduction of the recreational crayfish bag limit in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty!

The New Zealand Underwater Association and Spearfishing New Zealand are supporting this effort on behalf of their members.

Commercial Catch from 200 to 80 tonnes per year from the area.

Reducing the amateur bag limit now will help the rebuild leading up to the next spawning season and show a willingness by recreational fishers to leave crayfish in the water. It will also enable more people to share the benefits of a more rapid stock rebuild, while maintaining a conservative total catch.

It has been years since we enjoyed an abundant crayfish stock in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty, and we can all contribute to its rebuild. As well we need to make maximum use of the fish we harvest, and make sure we enjoy the benefits of sharing our catch with the special people in our lives.

for evidence on the issue of utility of telson clipping, none has been provided. Our submission supported clearly identifying legitimate commercial catch as the most practical way of reducing illegal sales.

Fulsome support was given to the proposed accumulation limit of 18 crayfish, and bag and tag to apply for several day’s catch. A Ministerial decision is expected before the years end.

There is a gulf of difference between the approach taken At the request of its members in managing, and more so, the Council is now promoting protecting the various fishing a voluntary reduction of catch, interests. Customary fishing from the maximum daily limit interests are given priority. from six to three crayfish per Commercially important species person, per day, from now until are given much attention and April 2019. New regulations and a resources. The environment barely rates a …At the request of its members the Sports Fishing Council is now mention. Yet when it comes to recrepromoting a voluntary reduction of crayfish catch from the maximum ational fishing there daily limit from six to three per person per day, from now until April are still some stocks 2019. New Zealand Underwater and Spearfishing New Zealand are for which no allowsupporting this effort.… ance has been set aside for our colleclower daily bag limit are expected tive interests, despite our 30 South Island restrictions to apply in the CRA 2 manageyears’ experience with the Quota Crayfish is an important ment area from April. However, Management System. species in the Canterbury and these organisations are asking Marlborough areas (CRA 5) for all So, we have two choices. Either fishers not to wait, but encoursectors. Poaching of crayfish is a we continue down the corporate aging their members and the problem in some areas too due to path and keep serving shortwider public to assist with the high catch rates and easy access. term, commercial interests, or we early stages of rebuilding CRA 2 take the bold step by recognising Since 2014, telson clipping now. the QMS experiment has failed, (cutting the middle tail fin), an Rock lobster in CRA 2 have been and we set about restoring the accumulation limit, and bag depleted to an all-time low Public Service ethos we used to and tag conditions have applied level. This is a consequence of have. to recreational fishers around overfishing and poor manageKaikoura. In August, Fisheries Ultimately, if we want future ment. As many of you have told New Zealand proposed to extend generations to enjoy abundant us, your access to reasonable these measures to all areas of fisheries and a healthy marine numbers and cray size has CRA 5 in an effort to combat environment we all need to diminished over time. poaching. stop spending their inheritance.

42% of respondents in our last Instead we need to set our In October the New Zealand poll supported a total closure focus on how we can achieved Sport Fishing Council and of CRA 2 for a time to allow long-term benefits from the use LegaSea submitted it did not the fishery to recover. Instead, of our natural marine resources. support telson clipping as an Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash effective measure to address www.legasea.co.nz/subscribe/ decided in April this year to large-scale poaching. Despite reduce the Total Allowable several requests to the Ministry

12 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

SOUNDINGS

LOCAL NEWS

Diving Fiordland!

T

he great Jacques Cousteau placed Fiordland in his Top 10 destinations for diving! We’ve had dive photo journalists rate it much higher with one recently placing it ‘if not the best, it’s in his top 3’.

Scenic diving can be amazing. Though the waters are cool the visibility can be extreme with over 40m visibility occurring regularly.

The internal waters with their micro-habitats are interestingly different to the waters of the coast or entrances where fish life abounds; and colours are diverse so even an inexpensive camera can get awesome photos when you dive in Fiordland.

There’s the odd wreck to be explored too, and wall dives that instil vertigo.

Fiordland Expeditions have been operating throughout Fiordland for 15 years and they are well versed in the area with a range of sites to be explored. If you are keen to tick this one off your bucket list, then contact us today. We’d love to discuss how we can tailor a trip to meet your own special desires.

Call us on 0508 888 656 or check us out at FiordlandExpeditions.co.nz

Photo: Darryl Torckler

And there’s always plenty of kai moana to satiate the appetite at the end of a busy day.

Fiordland – a diver’s paradise A bucket list destination

Your multi-day live-aboard charters can comprise:

Phone 0508 888 656 or +64 3 249 9005 Email charters@fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz

Photography by Darryl Torckler

• Live-aboard charters all year round • Two vessels, both with own compressors, tanks, weights and belts • Fully catered (except alcohol) • Experienced dive crew

fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz

www.divenewzealand.com 13

Spearos notebook

The moment of truth

How the World Spearfishing Champs played out

with Jackson Shields

B

oats launched, gear meticulously checked. It was the night before day one.

As a team we discussed our ideal plans to make sure we didn’t get in each other’s way. We selected a series of GPS points on our Garmin watches and sounders. We all had different starting points, and decided the shallows were the first port of call. There were plenty of fish in the shallows that we thought were likely to get spooked early on what with the amount of diver activity.

After a nervous sleep we woke to an amazing day; virtually no wind and a very small swell. This was good, as a big swell would benefit the locals’ skillsets more.

Chaos and fluster It was chaos in the morning around the dock as expected. We set up the boats and waited for our designated boatman who makes sure we abide by the rules. It was no surprise we started over an hour late.

After playing bumper boats with over 70 other boats the starting signal was given and we were off!

I bundled into the water at my first spot. Unfortunately I was finding it difficult to stay calm and missed my first two shots of a flighty Sargo and a Mullet. Then picking up a couple of fish got my confidence restored but I didn’t compose myself well enough to stick to the plan.

I had a series of holes I had scouted beforehand where good Sargo and Salema were to be found. But of course on competition day I was flustered and couldn’t find them all, or the fish were extremely flighty out of them. The fish I was getting were of marginal size, so I had to make the call to move on in

14 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

l to r: Geoff Crawford, Ian Warnock (Manager), Dwane Herbert, Jackson Shields, Rowan Virbickas

the hope of finding more substantial fish.

On the next spot schooling mullet were on the surface but many were under size, so picking them off was difficult. I managed a Moray eel that was big enough then made my final site move for the day. My boatman dropped me on one of my Conger eel marks in about 15 metres of water. I landed right on top of the big eel and secured it with a couple of shots.

Working deeper I figured I could work this deeper reef area for the rest of the day in an attempt to accumulate fish as fast as possible. In this deeper area we had seen bigger species which would be worth good points.

I spent close to four hours in the area diving between 18 and 32 metres. I would pick up a fish every few dives so I hoped the move was smart enough. But it was a bit disappointing finding out later that in the shallows fish were a lot better at the end of the day and

plenty of divers got good fish there.

So the decision making on my part turned out to be poor.

Back at the weigh in the process dragged on til nearly 1am the next day and we had to be up at 6am for another five hours of diving.

By then as a country we were doing well, sitting in third place after Italy had a diver disqualified.

Individually we were all in the top 20.

Spooked Mullet Day Two came quickly, destined for the more difficult area where high cliffs went almost vertically to the sand. Big long beaches make up a significant part of this zone with caves in the cliffs going in more than 30 metres, some too far and scary to swim up the back of since they are below the surface. This was a challenging zone where fish spooked very quickly, and with only small stretches of productive area. But Mullet were prominent so they became a main target.

I started off in a good area for the

Mullet with a school of about 100 of them swimming past. But I made the classic error of trying to target the more difficult fish first rather than taking those on offer. This resulted in a difficult day.

the competition but sure enough there were 10 boats there already and the Mullet were few and far between.

After about an hour into these types of competitions the challenge really begins. There is no area that hasn’t been checked

Pelagic nudibranch image by Irene Middleton, a Shades of Colour entrant

Then I made the second mistake of competition diving and that was to leave an area that had the right target species. The plan was to head to the best Mullet spot I had scouted in the lead up to

Jackson with a big snapper found snooping right up in the shallows this time of year.

You don’t need to dive deep to find good fish.

This one weighed in at 9kg

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www.dive-pacific.com 15

Sam Power with a typical big Snapper which are moving into the shallows this time of year. This one weighed 11.8k

and there are no secrets. Often, plans go out the window and you are left scratching for fish. This became a difficult day for all of us. I managed only to get onto a good shipwreck in 25 metres at the end of the day; hindsight is a great thing…

Final rankings and thanks!

The final day was tough for our New Zealand team resulting in us dropping down the rankings to end up 8th out of 23 countries. We were up against 70 of the best divers in the world. Individual results were: Dwane 15th, Jackson 25th and Rowan 26th.

It was very much a team effort and a big thanks goes out to our support crew Ian Warnock (Manager), Geoff Crawford (Reserve), Scott Mackereth (scout), Herb (support and boatman), Julian Oneil (Boatman), Annie Herbert (Cook and ground support) and others.

16 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Local seasonal update Back in New Zealand we are coming into a big transition time of the year for our fisheries. Both Packhorse and Red Crayfish have and are coming into shedding their old shells and the females are carrying eggs. This results in plenty of crayfish becoming soft and females full of ‘berry’ (eggs).

Fish wise plenty of species will begin spawning throughout to January.

These are exciting times as Kingfish become more prevalent in shallow water and some big specimens can be found. Big Snapper begin schooling up and can be found in the shallows.

Typically as soon as the water hits 18 degrees C the fishery will be in full swing in the north, with plenty of school fish, sharks and Boarfish

migrating onto shallow reefs to pair up for spawning.

I have been having some great diving in the Hauraki Gulf with good visibility and when looking hard enough, I can find plenty of fish. The visibility will start becoming patchy and unpredictable as the algae bloom begins with the warming water.

Even with flat seas and no rain, visibility can still be poor. This is typical through to January when the water temperature stabilises.

But with the dirty water will come plenty of fish so it is a good trade off.

This time of year I find spearing the coast and the inshore islands will provide the best results where the fish tend to spawn in close first.

SOUNDINGS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

First female SCUBA Dive Scholarship winner The Abingdon Foundation recently announced “It’s About Time” sponsorship for the Las Vegas DEMA show and introduced the 2018 winner, Deanna MorrisStacey.

The Foundation's mission is to empower the female pursuit of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths)

industries world-wide by providing an all-expenses-paid trip to leading industry shows like the DEMA (Diving Equipment & Marketing Association) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada in November.

The prize included hotel, conference registration, and round-trip airfare.

“We want to show women just

what they can accomplish in the SCUBA industry as a viable career or hobby,” said Abingdon Mullin, President of the Abingdon Foundation.

The foundation is currently accepting applications for scholarships to be awarded throughout 2019. http://theabingdonco.com

Diver Alert Network announces major Asia Pacific expansion The Diver Alert Network (DAN) has announced it will noticeably increase its presence in the Asia Pacific region in 2019.

It plans to broaden its service to divers, dive professionals and dive businesses throughout Asia Pacific by introducing new membership and insurance programs, expanding the availability of first aid training programs and deploying additional medical and scientific resources to ensure the safety of divers throughout the region.

DAN is the world’s most recognized and respected dive safety organization, committed to the safety and well-being of divers for more than 35 years. The organization’s research, medical services and global-response initiatives create an extensive network that support divers with vital services

such as injury prevention, safety and educational programs and lifesaving evacuations.

Learn more at DAN.org.

Emergency medical call-centre assistance and staffing will be enhanced, further research information and diver health and safety resources, and more training courses will be made available.

“By building on existing infrastructure, the investment DAN is making will ensure that essential emergency medical services for divers remain just a phone call away,” said DAN president and CEO Bill Ziefle.

“DAN’s mission is, and will always be to serve and protect divers around the world,” said John Lippmann, chairman of the new DAN Asia-Pacific Foundation/ The Australasian Diving Safety Foundation.

Benefits guaranteed to existing members of DAN Asia-Pacific under their current membership and/or insurance plan will remain in full effect until their scheduled expiration after which members will be invited to join DAN World Ltd.

SPUMS 48th Annual Scientific Meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands

You are invited to attend the SPUMS 48th Annual Scientific Meeting in Honiara in May next year.

Venue: Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, Honiara, Solomon Islands Dates: 20-26 May 2019 Theme: “Old divers, bold divers, but no old, bold divers” Cardiovascular health risk assessment and diving Keynote Speaker A/Professor Nigel Stuart Jepson Professor Jepson is Senior Staff Specialist and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories of the Eastern Heart Clinic at the Prince of Wales Public Hospital (POWH) in Sydney, Australia

Scientific Conveners: Clinical Professor David Smart & Professor Michael Bennett Event Convener Dr Catherine Meehan

www.dive-pacific.com 17

Taking the Plunge What it was like getting my Open Water

By Ria Lovedor

I

walk up to the counter Dive Pacific magazine in hand, and pass it to the cashier to scan.

As he swipes my Eftpos card he says, “You dive? That’s awesome!

How long have you been diving for?” I reply, “Oh, I don’t dive.”

His puzzled expression gives him away. Why on earth would I buy a dive magazine if I don’t dive?

And to be honest I had never been diving til June earlier this year.

Unless you count the time when I was eight and our family friend let me use his mask and snorkel in an inflatable swimming pool three feet deep. The reason I bought Dive Pacific is just that I am a huge water baby and my passion for learning about the ocean immense.

So about six months ago I came to the realisation, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to learn to scuba dive” which quickly progressed to “Wow, wouldn’t it be cool to teach others to scuba dive.” As always my parents were incredibly supportive and my partner also got on the diving buzz. Before I knew it I was planning to get my Open Water Certificate, in Hawai’i.

Back to the beginning

But I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s back track a bit. I think it’s a given that you, as a reader of Dive magazine, are an ocean lover. Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. So I have a question: what made you become interested in the ocean world? For myself, as I’ve said, I’m a water baby and after watching a movie called Blackfish, my brain made a quantum shift that now I can’t shake. The general gist of the Blackfish doco highlights the damage caused by placing orcas in captivity to the detriment of their physical health and mental stability. For me the film ignited a fire and from there I took in other films such as A Plastic Ocean, Mission Blue, The Cove and Chasing Coral all of which I highly recommend.

18 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

From that day I made a promise I would dedicate myself to oceanic issues and, with just five per cent of the oceans explored, there is so much to learn! Obtaining my Open Water was the next step closer to realising my dream, to engender a deeper appreciation of our seas, to experience first-hand how immense and intricate it is. To be honest, I can’t believe I didn’t start this journey sooner.

to absorb. Before I even hit the water I was confident and excited about taking my first plunge.

With PADI, the first part of your Open Water Certificate is in a pool.

Ours happened to be owned by the manager of the dive shop. It was quite surreal lugging our equipment through someone’s home,

…With PADI, the first part of your Open Water Certificate is in a pool. Ours happened to be owned by the manager of the dive shop and it was quite surreal lugging our equipment through someone’s home, then discussing course material sitting on sun loungers…

The first dive

Being a bit of a nerd, I can happily say that I, Ria Loveder, love learning. So when I got the few hundred-page PADI Open Water book full of information about dive equipment, safety procedures and buddy systems I dived right in head first. Sure, in the beginning I was a little daunted about how much there was to learn, but it’s straightforward, and the diagrams and videos are engaging and easy

then discussing course material sitting on sun loungers. My dive buddy, an ex-military gentleman named Stephen, purchases organic produce, eats a vegetarian-based diet and loves The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We were instant friends. My dive course over those two first days was far more enjoyable having him as my dive partner. Plus we could bond over our new venture.

Diving in Maui with my partner Captain Charley Neal from Scuba Shack

Open water

Once the pool training was completed we were ready for our first open water dive, at Turtle Canyons in Oahu. Now, after being in a pool the first half of the day, descending the line to the ocean floor was otherworldly.

Everywhere I looked there was this blanket of deep rich blue, something I had only ever seen via a screen or a book. Once at the bottom I did a 360 to take it all in! My mind couldn’t fathom how vast it was!

We spent the first half of the dive going through the course curriculum then it was time to explore.

On that first dive I saw my first sea turtle! I audibly squealed, flailing at Stephen to get his attention, realising too, that I’m probably a dive instructor’s worst nightmare. With a deep curiosity and urge to explore I found myself veering off track several times.

Freediving and underwater workshop held by Gabriel Forestieri and Christine Ren in Koh Tao Photo: Peter Rimkus @element665

www.dive-pacific.com 19

Favourite things

Now if someone were to ask me what my favourite thing about diving is, of course I would rattle off how amazing it is to see all the aquatic life and being able to ‘breathe’ underwater. But it’s also about how diving can bring people together. When you’re underwater with a regulator in your mouth, you can’t talk, obviously, but instead you find a way of communicating that makes the experience quite intimate. You want to share the exciting things you see, and you find the people you are with are just as passionate and interested in the underwater world as you are.

You also get to go diving with others that have years or months (like me) under their belt. But one thing is guaranteed; we all have stories to tell and dive sites to recommend.

Every dive I go on now ignites that fire within, to keep pursuing what I am passionate about, and to take up the chance to experience amazing opportunities.

…When you’re underwater with a regulator in your mouth, you can’t talk, obviously, but instead you find a way of communicating that makes the experience quite intimate. You want to share the exciting things you see…

Though I have only been diving four months I have already gone on to do a free diving and underwater movement workshop in Koh Toa, and taken a course in The Maldives for underwater photography. Things like this I don’t think for a moment I would have considered if I hadn’t taken the plunge earlier this year.

And now I have arranged to take my Advanced Open Water on Waiheke Island.

Captain Charley Neal from Scuba Shack Maui

If you are one of the non-diving ocean enthusiasts who buy Dive Pacific and are thinking about whether to become a certified diver, I highly encourage you to do so. It opens up such a plethora of opportunities! Not only do you have a fantastic hobby and, if you want, a remarkable career field to work in, you get to experience parts of the world not explored by many.

Diving is one of those things I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives, so take your curiosity and passion for our oceans and go and see it for yourself firsthand.

20 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

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Wrecks & reefs...

Bones of the Kinugawa Maru

...The Solomon Islands Story and images by Dave Abbott

Part 1: Guadacanal When you head away for a dive trip to a place with more than 900 islands bathed in clear tropical waters renowned for shipwrecks and volcanoes you know you’re in for some great diving!

I

had long wanted to visit the Solomon Islands since it is close to the equator and has some of the highest marine biodiversity in the world. The warm waters of the archipelago provide spawning grounds and migratory routes for over 1000 fish species, as well as homes for dolphins, dugongs, sharks, rays, crocodiles and six of the world's seven species of marine turtle.

B17 propeller blades stand as grave markers to fallen planes

22 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

These would be attractions enough but the islands also have a rich and fascinating history, and a huge concentration of WWII shipwrecks and plane wrecks. Some of the most intense fighting of the war occurred here between 1942 and 1945; over 70 years later there are many reminders of the battles fought, above and below water.

A battered fighter at the Vilu outdoor War museum

My diving began with Tulagi Dive, a great little dive shop in Honiara on the main island of Guadalcanal and run by Australian ex-pat Troy who has been diving here for over 30 years. Troy has a wealth of knowledge to share about WWII history and some fascinating back stories to tell about many of the wrecks in Iron Bottom Sound, the nickname for the 50+ ships sunk there during the war. As the Sound is 600m deep many of the wrecks are well beyond diver depth but of the 10 or so that are within reach, a handful can be done as shore dives within an hour or so from Honiara.

Here’s four of these wreck dives accessible from the shore, preceded by an interesting drive on the back of a small truck weaving through potholes and picturesque villages to the north end of island …all part of the rich experience!

stern. The wreck is largely intact but well-encrusted with hard and soft corals, sea whips and colourful fans. Some easy penetrations are available nearer the stern, and inside the engine is still visible along with the crankshaft and

…The interesting back story to this wreck is its Kiwi connections as she was detected off Guadacanal by two New Zealand ships, RNZN Kiwi and Moa, which dropped depth charges that drove it to the surface…

The Hirokawa Maru This large wreck lies at an angle down the reef from only 3m at the bow to around 56m deep at the

gearbox. Though there wasn’t a lot of fish life on this wreck it is nonetheless a fascinating dive.

The Kinugawa Maru This large Japanese transport ship is not far from the Hirokawa Maru which was deliberately beached to unload troops and supplies after coming under attack by US forces.

You can see the engine block protruding out of the water from the beach, but the stern of the vessel lies in 56m. The wreck is also well covered in soft corals and anemones, but there are still a few places where you can get inside though care is needed not to stir up the silt.

A rusted Japanese field gun at the Vilu outdoor war museum

The highlight of this wreck for me though was the cathedral-like engine room at 8m, which is tiger-

www.divenewzealand.com 23

The cathedral-like engine room of the Kinugawa Maru striped with shafts of light and shadow.

The I-1 Submarine The I-1 sub is a bit further up the island off Vasale, and lies just off the reef at a depth of 3-28m. It is barely recognizable as a submarine now having been rammed, blasted and partially salvaged but its still a great dive with lots of life on it.

The interesting back story to this wreck is its Kiwi connections as she was detected off Guadacanal by two New Zealand ships, RNZN

…I always like seeing planes underwater though hope I never get to ride one in!…

Kiwi and Moa, which dropped depth charges that drove it to the surface.

Beautiful soft corals adorn many of the Solomon's WWII wrecks

After a battle at close quarters the RNZN Kiwi eventually rammed the sub, damaging her conning tower and hull and forcing her onto a nearby reef. The Japanese crew set destruction charges but failed to destroy her completely and in the following weeks codebooks were retrieved from the wreckage crucial to US intelligence.

The B17 bomber, 'Bessy the Jap Basher' This was probably my favourite dive out of Honiara as I always like seeing planes underwater though hope I never get to ride one in!

This B17 still has lots of recognizable features. Lying in only 4-18m depth and about 70m offshore its covered in colourful soft corals with good fish life all around.

There’s still a wing attached and a prop remaining as well as three machine guns now encrusted in purple sponge.

Honiara With a ‘surface interval day’ to spend around Honiara before flying on to Gizo we took the opportunity to visit the Vilu outdoor war museum, an amazing collection of war relics from Japanese field guns to bomber and fighter planes. Being able to walk around and run a hand 24 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Solomon Is. Diving GET WRECKED

visitsolomons.com.sb www.dive-pacific.com 25

Solomon Airlines begin direct weekly flights from Brisbane to Munda starting April 2018

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Soft corals disguise the harsh lines of the Hirokawa Maru

Looking down the barrels of the B17 bomber's machine-guns along the gun barrels, and feel the bullet holes in a plane’s wing, brought home the reality of war far more than words can.

Honiara itself is an fascinating juxtaposition of modern and traditional life and definitely worth exploring – from the bustle and colour of the daily market to the surrounding sights such as the US and Japanese war memorials.

Red whip corals on the hull of the I-1 submarine Encrusting life providing a splash of colour to one of the engines of 'Bessy the Gap Basher', a B17 Bomber

While the climate in the Solomons is hot and humid, the accommodation on offer in Honiara is to a very high standard. The main hotels all have comfortable air-conditioned rooms and pools to cool you down at the end of the day, an essential if you feel the heat as much as me!

Next issue: Adventures waiting at Gizo and Munda!

Getting there: Solomon Airlines fly out of Brisbane to the capital Honiara with an A320 and service domestic connections to all the main islands with a 36-seat Dash-8 and two 16-seater Twin Otters. It really is a friendly airline. Best of all they offer an additional bag allowance for divers!

NB:Early next year they will also be flying direct from Brisbane to Munda which has some of the best diving!

www.divenewzealand.com 27

S i d e m o u n t s

Why would you?

Here’s 7 good reasons

W

hen you ask a sidemount diver what they love most about sidemount they invariably include the word, “freedom”. They say the feeling of sidemount diving is akin to freediving, the feeling of being one with the water and able to move through it freely in any orientation.

to move to multi-cylinder, open circuit diving.

So here's my top seven reasons why you should dive sidemount.

REASON 1 STREAMLINING Whenever watching a dolphin,

By Steve Davis, Tech Sidemount Instructor and host of “Speaking Sidemount” podcast seal or shark moving through the water it’s so easy to marvel at how effortless their movement is. They have evolved over many millions of years developing the speed and maneuverability they need to become the successful marine predators they are! Since water is 800 times denser than air

There are of course, other reasons such as sidemount being fit for purpose when diving in caves, mines, sumps, and wrecks where the ability to navigate through narrow restrictions is a requirement.

But there are several other fundamental benefits that sidemount diving brings and which make it a good choice for any diver looking

28 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

For working in tight spaces… (HMS Canterbury)

Photo: Brian Hadfield

This feeling of freedom and weightlessness is divers’ nirvana and one of the very real reasons sidemount diving has experienced such growth.

its hydrodynamic drag means that an increase in speed requires a many-fold increase in propulsive power. Therefore, reducing drag by streamlining is a vital component of moving efficiently through the water. Yet for some reason some people pay scant attention to streamlining. Many divers are trimmed down at the feet which means they present a large surface area to their direction of travel.

This causes unnecessary drag and extra effort required to move through the water. It results in higher gas consumption rates too, but more worryingly, can increase diving stress especially when working at depth or in currents.

Photo: Steve Davis

Balance...

referenced as ‘in trim’, ‘head down’ or ‘feet down’. Correct trim is a basic diving requirement to move efficiently through the

positioning of gas in your BCD and dry suit.

water. Good trim is a function of correct weighting, positioning of this weight on your body, and the

achieved in backmount diving, correct trim is a hallmark of a competent sidemount diver. This is primarily due to the pro-trim effect of having your cylinders at the sides of your body allowing them to more closely align to your centre of gravity and your buoyancy.

While good trim can also be

Photo: Audrey Cudel

So how does the sidemount configuration address this?

Sidemounting your cylinders correctly means all your cylinders align with your body and your direction of travel. This makes propulsion easier and diving becomes much more relaxed and comfortable.

2 TRIM Trim refers to the forward to back orientation of a diver, usually

Photo: Aire Eder

It is still a mystery to me why so many experienced technical divers wear their deco/stage cylinders at near right angles to their body, almost as a badge of honor. Surely configuring your equipment to be as efficient as possible in this environment will provide major benefits, and it does.

Photo: Steve Davis

3 BALANCE

Streamlining for efficient movement through the water

With your cylinders sidemounted, they are on either side of your torso. So regardless of your orientation your centre of gravity and your buoyancy are always near the centre of your body. Turn onto either side, upside down, inverted, upright, it doesn’t matter, you remain balanced.

www.dive-pacific.com 29

Photo: Brian Hadfield

perform tasks such as gas switches while holding a specific depth.

Good stability is not the sole domain of sidemount - skilled backmount divers can achieve the same result but I would maintain it is easier to develop this skill in sidemount than backmount.

Tight spaces, again‌ Contrast this with backmount where your cylinders are joined and mounted on your back. Turn to one side and you will create a force wanting to turn you further over, to a back down orientation.

Yes you can control this with body tension but it can be disconcerting, and it certainly does not allow you to feel balanced in all orientations while diving.

Stability is a function of trim, balance and buoyancy control.

Being stable means being able to relax almost completely and to stay in trim and balance. This is the resultant state when the force of gravity is completely balanced by your buoyancy while in trim. You are truly weightless but more than that, you are a stable platform, and you can a whole range of tasks or skills while holding your position in the water column.

This is important when applying sidemount diving to overhead Stability, buoyancy and control‌

Photo: Brian Hadfield

4 STABILITY

Two independent gas supplies‌ environments such as caves or wrecks where contact with the cave or wreck floor can cause a loss of visibility due to silt. It is also required for decompression diving where you need to be able to hold decompression stops and

5 REDUNDANCY In addition to carrying more gas, one of the key reasons for diving with two or more cylinders is redundancy.

Redundancy is a mandatory requirement for any type of technical diving since it provides additional safety in the event of an equipment failure or diver mistake.

Photo: Audrey Cudel

All multi-cylinder configurations provide this redundancy in terms of both cylinders and regulators but sidemounting provides two truly independent gas supplies as opposed to one separated by an isolation valve. This facility has pros and cons but it is comforting to know you always have at lest 50% of your available gas protected in the event of a failure.

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Another key difference is the location of your tank’s valves and regulators. In sidemount your cylinder valves are in front of your body, under your armpits. The valves for a backmount twinset are out-ofEasy access to valves… view behind your head and shoulders. Many backmount divers can struggle to reach their valves, especially when in a dry means sidemount is easier for suit with thick undergarments. those with back or shoulder issues In sidemount, it is many times or those who struggle with the easier and faster to isolate an issue weight of backmounted doubles. by closing a valve and switching Subject to water conditions and the regulators. diver’s requirements, a sidemount diver has the option to don and doff cylinders on the boat, or to do so in the water. This flexibility is a large advantage for those Managing each cylinder individthat might struggle to handle a ually both in and out of the water

7 MANAGING EQUIPMENT

twinset but otherwise could perform two-cylinder dives.

Putting all these factors together: streamlining, trim, balance, stability, redundancy, access to valves, and managing equipment - and I feel the case for diving sidemount is absolutely compelling.

www.facebook.com/sidemountpros www.facebook.com/speakingsidemount

Photo: Aire Eder

steve@sidemountpros.com www.sidemountpros.com

Photo: Steve Davis

6 ACCESS TO VALVES

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Havannah Harbour, heavenly haven

Over the hill and not too far away from the hustle and bustle of Port Vila lies the haven of Havannah Harbour, an inviting mecca of palm lined beaches, sheltered waters and plenty of adventures waiting, especially underwater.

Back in WWII Havannah was one of the largest and shortest lived military bases. Tranquil Havannah was transformed into a busy port complete with airstrips, moorings, sub nets, hospitals and all the infrastructure needed for thousands of military personnel. It didn’t last long. When the war moved northwards the base was relocated to Espirito Santo leaving behind many poignant reminders to explore.

Story and photos by Anne Simmons

T

he submarine nets that stretched from the mainland to Lelepa Island are an example. Now they lie coiled into heaped clusters, an array of interesting artificial reefs home to a fascinating diversity of life: tiny shrimp, a variety of nudibranch, morays, ribbon eels, pufferfish, lionfish, with a back drop of teeming smaller fish, passing tuna and wahoo, fields of flowering tube worms , anemones and whip corals. Each mound is so different from the next. Easy diving too, with little or no current, at depths from 18 to 34 metres (and deeper). All too easy to find your bottom time is up without realising.

Britain Trislander

In startling contrast across the harbour, and deliberately placed after crashing at Bauerfeild airport, rests a Britain Trislander plane in only 10 metres or less. This is a site

32 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

to spend hours and hours and still not discover all the amazing wee critters that call it home. Peacock Flounder, morays, numerous species of shrimps, territorial anemone fish, a variety of lionfish, all these and much more never cease to enthral.

UNESCO World Heritage designation

The triangle formed from Hat (Erotoka) Island to Lelepa Island and back to Magaasi village on the mainland has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage area.

…Moso Channel is a popular hangout for dugongs and dolphins which frequently bow ride passing boats. Small thermal vents can be found on the outer side of the reef…

While ex pat residential subdivisions are starting to appear along the shores of Havannah the aspect remains primarily rural and untouched. Small villages and local houses dot the landscape; less than an hour from Port Vila and still easy to find that amazing Ni-Vanuatu experience. The locals are always willing to share an insight into their own lives and culture - there’s plenty to learn.

Both above and below the water this area demands a visit. The story of Chief Roimata, a fierce and respected leader to his people, is often told, albeit with variations there is no disputing the evidence of the amazing mass burial sites on Erotoka!

Whether a snorkeller or you prefer to explore at greater depths, the base of Paul’s Rock pushed up by

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You never know when you are being watched

signs of overfishing, inevitable proof of human inhabitation, its still possible to find spots of reef pristine and untouched, alive with vibrant whip corals, massive fans and fields of soft corals.

Dugongs and dolphins an ancient volcano is where the fish life is astounding. Though this marine reserve is considered voluntary, the fish are used to being hand fed at the surface with huge red snapper, grouper, filefish, and turtles below. Huge cracks carve through the rock cry out for you to explore them; they’re lined mostly with amazing soft corals sheltering an array of colourful fish. Just be careful though, the Soft corals

34 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

corals are easily damaged so avoid any dangling gauges or careless fin kicks.

‌At times you can see the surface clearly from the wreck at 42 metres‌ Erotoka, Lelepa and Moso Islands are surrounded by beautiful reefs and though some areas show

Moso Channel is a popular hangout for dugongs and dolphins which frequently bow ride passing boats.

Small thermal vents can be found on the outer side of the reef.

There are numerous local initiatives to protect and restore this underwater paradise, for instance a clam restoration project on Lelepa, and a thriving turtle sanctuary on Moso at Tranquiliity Resort.

Sweetlips

Trislander wreck in shallow water

Years ago a small tugboat, the Roimata, was sunk here and while the growth on her has been slow you never know what she will now show the visiting diver. It could be clouds of cuttlefish, resident batfish or morays, or simply just the stunning visibility - at times you can see the surface clearly from the wreck at 42 metres.

Owen’s Reef is another colourful site with plenty of soft corals, myriads of fish, rays, and schooling fish.

At certain times of the year hump back whales pass by here too so it pays to keep your eyes out.

Soft corals on the Roimata

On the seafront downtown Port Vila.

• Certified dives • Training to Instructor Level • Snorkel Tours • Full gear hire available

Very friendly, professional & experienced local Instructors & Dive Masters 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.

For your safety Vanuatu has recompression facilities.

P: +678 27518 email:dive@bigbluevanuatu.com

www.bigbluevanuatu.com www.dive-pacific.com 35

Diver on reef

Corals on Hat Island

Not far away lies the wreck of the island trader Belama now broken into several bits and home to spotted rays, crocodile fish and all their usual buddies.

Havannah Harbour is one of the most beautiful places with something for everyone and every age, an ideal base for a family dive holiday. The diving is safe and easy yet so diverse and there are untold land based activities as well as water sports, cultural, adrenalin junkie, or just chilling out.

Fish schooling on the Trislander

36 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Two dive operators based in Havannah Harbour, Sailaway Cruises and Tranquillity Dive. Both offer a variety of options for divers and snorkelers.

has units right on the water’s edge. Its owned by a local family and offers simple, fresh and tasty food at their waterfront restaurant.

Accommodation options range from the luxurious Havannah Resort on Samoa Point to village stays. A favourite has to be Gideon’s Havannah EcoLodge which

Dining options cater for all budgets and tastes, at the Wahoo Bar or go Italian at the lovely Francesca’s restaurant plus loads more.

Tara returns from Pacific expedition with startling new data Following a course from the Panama Canal to Japan (2016–2017), then from New Zealand to China (2017–2018), for two and half years the schooner Tara has gathered over 36,000 samples from 32 coral reef sites, the largest scientific campaign dedicated to reef ecosystems. After weighing anchor in May 2016, Tara travelled 100,000 km, with 70 stopovers in 30 countries, and made 2,677 dives at 40 archipelagos before returning to her home port in Lorient, France, on October 27th.

T

he data collected should enable the international scientific community to unravel the mysteries of how marine organisms adapt to disruptions occurring in the oceanic ecosystems.

The 2016-2018 Tara Pacific campaign was the largest ever undertaken on coral reefs.

human impacts on reefs. Growing volumes of plastic waste, unsustainable tourism in lagoons, runoff from farming and livestock operations, and large coastal infrastructures are all worsening their plight.

• Prioritize the environment when developing heavy coastal infrastructures like dikes and industrial ports

Initial finding show the extent of reef bleaching reached 30 to 50% at some islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia, and as much as 90% at Samoan sites visited in November 2016. In Micronesia, some of the reefs of Tuvalu and Kiribati were already dead by the time the schooner arrived, while those of Wallis and Futuna and the Chesterfield Islands were relatively unscathed.

Tara Sampling water around corals in Japan

Poisonous cocktail of global climate and local pollution

Six local actions to take

Giving reefs time to recover The Tara Foundation is also calling for urgent local action to limit

• Prevent deforestation to stabilize soil and thereby prevent runoff sedimentation on the reefs • Ban or restrict the most destructive fishing practices

Certain reefs badly hit by global warming

Tara Pacific offered scientists the opportunity to distinguish the effects of local disturbances (eg pollution, urbanization, sedimentation due to soil erosion, and invasive fishing techniques) from those of planetary changes (eg global warming and ocean acidification) and evaluate the health of coral populations exposed to both.

• Limit the impact of agriculture, livestock breeding, and effluent

• Involve and educate local populations, leading them to preserve their natural environments

Photo by Pete West Bioquest Studios 11

• Improve waste management, especially for plastic

Tara Pacific is supported by the CNRS, Paris Sciences et Lettres, the CEA, the Scientific Centre of Monaco, and many other public and private sponsors.

www.dive-pacific.com 37

Portrait wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018

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utch photographer Marsel van Oosten won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 title for his image, The Golden Couple, framing a pair of golden snub-nosed monkeys in the temperate forest of China’s Qinling Mountains, the only habitat for these endangered primates.

Chair of the judging panel, Roz Kidman Cox, said the image “is in one sense traditional – a portrait. But what a striking one, and what magical animals. It is a symbolic reminder of the beauty of nature and how impoverished we are becoming as nature is diminished. It is an artwork worthy of hanging in any gallery in the world.”

Photographer: Marsel van Oosten Country: The Netherlands

The Award was founded in 1965 by BBC Wildlife Magazine, then called Animals with the Natural History Museum creating today’s competition in 1984.

This year's competition attracted over 45,000 entries from professionals and amateurs in 95 countries. The exhibition at the Natural History Museum opens on 19 October 2018 then tours the UK and to such as Canada, Spain, the USA, Australia and Germany. Here’s small selection.

Entries for the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year for photographers of all ages and abilities are open from 22 October to 13 December 2018. www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy/competition.html

Category: Animal Portraits Image Name: The golden couple

Grand Title Winner A male Qinling golden snub nosed monkey rests on a stone seat with a female from his small group. Both watch intently as an altercation takes place down the valley between lead males in the 50-strong troop. They spend most of the day foraging in the trees, eating a mix of leaves, buds, seeds, bark and lichen, and are constantly on the move. Their habitat in steep mountain gorges proved challenging, and the light was seldom right. Finally Marcel’s perseverance paid off.

Technical details: Nikon D810 + Tamron 24 70mm f2.8 lens at 24mm; 1/320 sec at f8; ISO 1600; Nikon SB 910 flash.

38 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Photographer: Michael Patrick O’Neill

Country: USA Category: Under Water Image Name: Night flight

Winner

On a night dive over deep water off Florida’s Palm Beach Michael achieved a long held goal, to photograph a flying fish so as to convey the speed, motion and beauty of this ‘fantastic creature’. These fish are almost impossible to approach during the and can sprint away from danger by rapidly beating their unevenly forked tails to build enough speed to soar up and out of the water and glide

up to several hundred metres. At night, they move more slowly as they feed on planktonic animals close to the surface. In the pitch black, Michael tried various camera and light settings. The result is this ‘innerspace’ vision of a flying fish.

Technical details: Nikon D4 + 60mm f2.8 lens; 1/8 sec at f16; ISO 500; Aquatica housing; two Inon Z 220 strobes.

Photographer: Cristobal Serrano Country: Spain Category: Animals in their environment Image Name: Bed of seals

Winner A small ice floe in the Errera Channel at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula provides barely enough room for a group of crabeater seals to rest. It’s the end of summer in the Antarctic and sea ice is in short supply. Positioned in a rubber dinghy beside the floe, Cristobal waited until

the sea was relatively calm before launching his drone using low noise propellers.

Technical details: DJI Phantom 4 Pro Plus + 8.8 24mm f2.8–11 lens; 1/200 sec at f5.6; ISO100.

www.dive-pacific.com 39

Photographer: David Herasimtschuk

Country: USA Category: Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles

Image Name: Hellbent Winner It was not looking good for the northern water snake, clamped tightly in the jaws of a hungry hellbender, but it was a remarkable find for David in Tennessee’s Tellico River. He was thrilled to spot North America’s largest aquatic salamander which grows up to 75 centimetres long. The hellbender has declined significantly because of habitat loss and degradation. It breathes primarily through its skin and its presence

indicates a healthy freshwater ecosystem. The snake pushed free and escaped. The intense drama was over in just a few minutes, but David captured this rarely seen behaviour.

Technical details: Sony a7R II + 28mm f2 lens + Nauticam WWL-1 lens; 1/60 sec at f13; ISO 1250; Nauticam housing; Inon Z 240 strobe.

Photographer: Thomas P Peschak

Country: Germany/South Africa

Category: Behaviour: Birds Image Name: Blood thirsty Winner When rations run short on Wolf Island, in the remote northern Galápagos, the sharp beaked ground finches become vampires. Their sitting targets are Nazca boobies and other large birds. Boobies thrive here, but the finches have a tougher time. The island has no permanent water and little rainfall. The finches were among the species that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution and rely on a scant diet of seeds and insects. The boo-

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bies appear to tolerate the vampires, and the blood loss doesn’t seem to cause permanent harm. Thomas shot the bloody scene at bird’s eye level to capture the one female feeding and another waiting just behind.

Technical details: Nikon D5 + 1635mm f4 lens; 1/200 sec at f20; ISO 160; Profoto B1X 500 AirTTL flash.

Fiji's best dive resort also a playground for families

Volivoli, the total Fiji

experience

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By Laura Waters

t’s no secret that Fiji loves families. The locals are famously friendly and the classic South Pacific beaches offer a haven for kids to play and swim.

But if you don’t want your precious dive holiday watered down by crab racing, sandcastle competitions and minimal opportunities to dive, then check out the rugged and lush north coast of Viti Levu where you just might be able to keep everyone happy.

Rakiraki or Bligh Waters as it is also known, is an easy two-hour drive from Nadi, and gazing out to sea from its perch on a headland is Volivoli Beach Resort.

42 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

This four star property recently won the ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Award for Quality Accommodation. However it’s more than just a pretty place to chill out

Three dives before lunch Volivoli’s owners are Kiwi brothers, Nick and Steve Darling. Both are passionate scuba divers and the

…A network of passageways between pinnacles at Amazing Maze is lined with soft corals and fans, creating a kaleidoscope of colour… and soak up the sun; this is also the gateway to some world-class diving. With Fiji often touted as the soft coral capital of the world, the dive sites at nearby Vatu I Ra Channel are arguably the cream of the crop.

workshop at in-house Ra Divers is so shiny and well equipped it would make a grown man weep.

Every day dive boats depart for two or three tank morning dives to a selection of over 50 different sites.

Golden Dreams features swim-throughs absolutely festooned with yellow soft corals.

Poke amongst the whip coral and you’ll find ghost pipefish and scorpionfish while barracuda and reef fish buzz overhead. A network of passageways between pinnacles at Amazing Maze is lined with soft corals and fans, creating a kaleidoscope of colour that is a photographer’s dream. The coral is healthy too, no doubt due to the proximity of the cooler and nutrient rich currents of the channel combined with low pollution and few other boats.

Premium Ocean View Villa

…Snorkelling on the house reef is popular - keep an eye out for the resident white frog fish, seahorses and ornate ghost pipefish…

Beyond the famous soft corals and sea fans, Breathtaker offers a deeper dive with the chance to see big fish and sharks such as white tip, black tip, whalers and grey reef.

Wreck lovers will enjoy the Papuan Explorer, Fiji’s largest and most accessible wreck, located in 20m and teeming with marine life.

Spa facilities

Family time Dive boats return in time for lunch, leaving hours free for family time and a little exploring topside.

Adventurous kids are well catered for here, though there is no organised kid’s clubs or child minding on offer. It’s all about getting out in the great outdoors with activities like swimming (in the pool or off the beach), fishing and paddling.

www.divenewzealand.com 43

Free kayaks and paddleboards are a great way to explore the thriving mangrove system offshore.

Snorkelling on the house reef is popular with kids of all ages (keep an eye out for the resident white frog fish, seahorses and ornate ghost pipefish). For the more committed, an introductory scuba experience or a full SSI open water dive certification is available.

44 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Excursion options While there is plenty to do right from the resort, venturing a little further afield allows you to see a different side of Fiji, away from

the sun lounges and cocktails.

Excursions nearby include paddling on a bamboo raft through stunning mountain scenery on the Wainibuka River (a tributary of the Rewa River, Fiji’s biggest)

…Think double-smoked Wainadoi pork loin in whiskey and honey glaze, or soft shell crab with papaya and lemongrass salsa…

or swimming beneath one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country - Savulele. In the pretty highland village of Nabalasere, every building is painted in the same shade of mint green. For the energetic, a trek up the extinct volcano of Mount Tomanivi (Fiji’s highest at 1,324m) offers spectacular views out to the distant Yasawa Islands.

Hungry?

All this exercise can really drive an appetite and the food at Volivoli is far above what you’d expect on your average dive holiday. Think double-smoked Wainadoi pork loin in whiskey and honey glaze, or soft shell crab with papaya and lemongrass salsa. Even a simple burger or wood-fired pizza here is memorable. Kokoda Fish marinated in lemon and served in coconut sauce - is a Fijian classic.

And if you want to take a bit of the local cuisine home with you, you can learn to make it yourself in one of the resort’s cooking classes.

If you’re feeling a little lazy, grab a cocktail and hammock at the beach bar to watch the sunset, or try a restorative spa treatment.

Bedtime?

When it comes to bedtime, families have a choice but even the most basic rooms have an ocean view and can sleep four. If you feel like spreading out, the new two bedroom luxury villas give parents a little privacy, along with two bathrooms and a private swimming pool.

A stay at Volivoli ticks off every diving family’s needs. It’s luxurious yet unpretentious, and the warmth and relaxed nature of its owners clearly reflects in the rest of the team that work here.

If you’re not travelling with a family of your own, you’ll very soon feel part of theirs. volivoli.com

www.dive-pacific.com 45

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Dive into the heart of Fiji and the warm and vibrant pacific waters around Rakiraki.

Base yourself at this Beach Resortm located on the northern most tip of Viti Levu, for an amazing diving experience. Teaming with life and colour, the nutrient rich waters provide some of the healthiest reefs with stunning colourful corals, walls, bommies and an abundance of marine life. Be prepared for encounters with turtles, anemone fish, eagle rays, white tipped and grey reef sharks.

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ted in Cook’s Endeavour?

Meeting the unexpected in the Philippin es NZ Underwater Hockey teams win gold Wildlife Photographer of Year finalists • How to choose an underwater camera housing • World Spearfishing champs: Report from Portugal: Spearos www.divenew Notebook zealand.com

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• Return airport transfers Nadi - Rakiraki • 5 nights Ocean view twin share | Includes breakfast & 3 course dinner daily • 6 dive package | Beach Resort (RA Divers) | Includes tanks, weight belts, air fills, dive guide

46 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

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• Return airfares Auckland - Nadi

non-diver prices for the family

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Marine Reserves: winning hearts & minds for the sea

5nights from

*Contact our active travel experts about

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Dive Rakiraki region and stay at Volivoli resort

Z E A L A N D ’ S

24/09/18 12:53 PM

GEARBAG New VHF can be used anywhere on board Raymarine’s new VHF radios feature two wired handsets and three optional wireless handset stations, meaning ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship calls can be made and answered from anywhere on board. An added feature allows station to station internal calls too. They rely on lithium ion rechargeable batteries with their wireless handsets using inductive charging. When not in use, the wireless handset is simply placed back in its supplied dock no charging ports, contacts, or cables.

www.lusty-blundell.co.nz

New dome radar Lowrance has released a new, innovative pulse compression radar, HALO24 offering high-quality short-, mid-, and longrange detection capability, up to 48 nautical miles featuring instant visual feedback on the motion of radar targets in relation to the boat, and colour coding of approaching vessels for high visibility. Its priced at $3,599 AUD RRP/ $4179 NZD RRP

www.lowrance.com

Smallest ever emergency beacon My-AIS™ is reputed to be the most affordable and compact marine emergency beacon ever, two to four times smaller than competing beacons and cost effective at 100 euros each. SYRLINKS in France designed and makes it, a company known for miniaturization of space radio communication devices.

www.simy-beacons.co.uk

Olympus PT-058 Underwater Housing for TG-5 The ultra-rugged Tough TG-5 camera is waterproof up to 15 metres without a protective case or housing. If you’re a diver looking to explore deeper depths, this polycarbonate housing protects your TG-5 camera down to depths of 45 metres while providing complete control of all camera functions.

All Fantasea housings feature:

• Waterproof to depths of 45 metres • Detachable hood for the LCD monitor • Screw mount for optional converter lenses and filters • Standard tripod socket permits attachment of lighting tray • Clear back for easy water penetration detection $685 www.dive-pacific.com 47

GEARBAG Side Scan SONAR upgrade One of the first SONAR-like devices invented in 1906 by naval architect Lewis Nixon was for naval captains to detect underwater icebergs and other such threats. When WWI broke out submarine detection became necessary and the first active SONAR was subsequently developed in 1915 through a collaboration between Russian engineers and French physicists.

It has since become very helpful in underwater exploration for mapping the seafloor, scanning reefs, and measuring water depths. Police and dive rescue use it to find missing persons and evidence, and treasure hunters for locating shipwrecks and other valuables. www.jwfishers.com

Fantasea Housings for Newbies!

We recommend point n shoots in Fantasea housings as an easy, fun and affordable if you’re new to underwater photography. Fantasea housings feature stylish and ergonomic design and are easy to use.

Fantasea FRX100 VI Limited Edition for Fantasea FG7X II for the Canon Powershot the Sony RX100 MkVI The powerhouse that is the G7 X MkII Rx100 line by Sony continues with the MkVI – it’s a point and shoot but features manual controls, an 8.3x optical zoom and nice big high-resolution sensor size! Hits that sweet spot between a point n shoot and a mirrorless.

All Fantasea housings feature:

• 67mm thread, allowing the use of wet conversion lenses • Depth rated to 60m/200 feet • Dedicated video control button for easy video filming in any shooting mode • Shock resistant

48 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Canon’s competitor to the RX100 series, the G7X II features the same large 1” sensor, with an optical zoom of 4.2x. It’s a fast little camera with an affordable price tag and it’s perfect for those new to underwater photography.

• Moisture Detector and Alarm • Special cold-shoe mount for lighting accessories • Removable double fibre optic cable connection • Removable flash diffuser Fantasea point n shoot underwater housings are a steal at $695

www.generalmarine.co.nz D820V is a compact and lightweight USB chargeable video light. It gives 120 degrees of super wide floodlighting with no blind angle for underwater photography, and up to 1600 lumens of light output. D820V offers three light sources: neutral white, UV and red, these options not only help your photography or videography in the dark water but can also illuminate the amazing fluorescence of marine organisms. The uniquely designed titanium alloy side button provides easy operation underwater, with a simple action to switch between light sources and a ‘safe lock mode’ to avoid accidental operation. With the USB rechargeable battery you are able to charge the torch wherever you have a USB power source, be it computer, car, wall plug or powerbank. The torch body is made from aircraft-grade high strength aluminium with a hard anodized finish, and the lens is 4mm thick, toughened glass; it is depth rated for use up to 150 metres under water. Easy to handle at 153mm long with 30mm diameter body and 45mm diameter head. The torch comes with a smart rechargeable li-ion battery, usb cable, lanyard and o-rings.

Wether you are on land or in the sea Orcatorch have a model to suit everyone from the beginner explorer to the experienced diver.

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Small tactile waterproof torches suitable for the car, dive bag, bikers, underwater photographers and action adventurers.

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Visit our store to find the torch you need.

1600 lumens*  120° wide beam 6h run time*  USB charging waterproof to 150m

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• Dive torches to suit everyone from the beginner to the professional (including photography models).

• A range of tactical torches to suit all action adventures.

• Small torches for in the car, bike bag or tool box.

• Great gifts for family and friends.

• Many more sizes and functions available.

00 D8 DI

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waterproof to 2m 1.5m impact resistance 190 lumens*  106m beam* 60h run time*  compact, anti-roll design  runs on 1 x AA battery * maximum output # on land

www.dive-pacific.com 49

BACK IN THE DAY Abbreviated slightly from a report at the time by Keith Cardwell. The Spirit of New Zealand is still going strong. Please donate to this fantastic cause.

Seabed cycling (?!)

I

n 1983 a special event occurred in New Zealand’s diving history. The Orakei Underwater Club was asked to help raise funds for building the Spirit of New Zealand, a sailing vessel committed to youth adventure programmes. The club’s brains trust came up with the rather oddball idea of modifying four bicycles and pedalling them across the Auckland Harbour from Rangitoto Island to Mission Bay, a distance of four kilometres. It turned out to be a colossal event and raised not only a substantial amount of money towards building the training vessel but it also generated an equally substantial interest in diving generally. The New Zealand Underwater Association diver certification count jumped from a steady state of 6500 a year over prior years to just over 8500 that year. Then dropped back to 6500!

The Homework

A considerable amount of homework went into the event.

We were able to gain the expertise of an engineer with a factory we could use for modifying the (donated) bikes to modify (Healing & Goodyear), a friendly dive shop, wet suit manufacturer, a City Council person to facilitate communication with the appropriate authorities, marketing and advertising experts, the “Angitu”, our mother ship, owners and drivers of the service craft and of course, some fairly good divers.

The Auckland City Council showed such faith that they shut off Queen St on one Friday night for us to ride down it! What a kick off!

50 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

The Kick-off!

One early February morning we all assembled with the Angitu loaded with bikes, cylinders, compressors, water bottles and bodies. En route the bike wheels were filled with water and close to Rangitoto Island, they were heaved over the side. It was either 0600 or 0700 when the starter’s gun went off and the bikes took off.

Under the waves we went.

It wasn’t a calm day!

Keith Caldwell pedals ashore after his crossing of the Waitemata harbour

The Harbourmaster gave advice to all shipping to clear the area on the day and the vessel Angitu, the “mother ship” (was outfitted) with compressor, 100 scuba cylinders, spare BCDs, regulators and water bottles. Community interest was astonishing.

For each of the four riders, buddy pairs were in attendance at all times in case of any unforeseen emergency. One such emergency occurred early on when I was caught up in a ghost net. And yes, we did eventually go back and retrieve it.

The mud was so thick that traction was often impossible a couple of the riders had to ‘throw in the towel.’

There was an incredible support team at Mission Bay. They had a large area cordoned off for sausage sizzles, drinks and entertainment from Radio Hauraki and it was estimated that a crowd of at least 2000 people were in attendance.

SPECIESFOCUS

Bluefish

~Girella cyanea

By Paul Caiger

Bluefish (Girella cyanea) is one of three species of nibblers found in New Zealand coastal waters, and congener to the far more common parore (Girella tricuspidata). This species is strikingly coloured and unmistakable, with a royal blue body covered in bright golden spots on its flanks. It is also one of the larger reef fishes in New Zealand, attaining lengths in excess of 600 mm.

Like parore, bluefish are omnivorous, using their tricuspid teeth (teeth with three points or cusps) to browse small invertebrates such as amphipods and brittlestars from kelp and rocks, and also to graze on red and green algae. Research into the evolution of feeding in this genus showed that they were traditionally herbivorous in nature, and omnivory has diverged more recently. Eating higher energy animal material supplements the lower quality algal diet. Feeding activity is largely crepuscular (in the twilight) with feeding more common during dawn and dusk.

They are also known to eat salps (gelatinous plankton) from the water column when they are

abundant (as the bluefish in this image was doing).

Numbers of bluefish around northern New Zealand are much lower now than once reported, possibly due to spearfishing pressure. Anecdotal reports used to describe large schools of 50-100 bluefish, much like the

large parore schools seen flitting around the shallow sheltered bays.

However, most encounters today are in loose schools of a few only.

In fact, in Australia, numbers have become low enough to ensure now that they are fully protected from collection in New South Wales waters.

~Girella cyanea largest of New Zealand’s three nibbler 1 The species.

are often found in rock pools and very 5 Juveniles shallow boulder bays.

encountered at offshore islands in the 2 Mostly north of New Zealand.

eating mostly invertebrates and fine 6 Omnivorous, algae.

3 Cyanea is latin for “blue”.

4 Some can live to at least 40 years of age.

feed on salps in the water column when 7 Also available.

www.divenewzealand.com 51

INCIDENTINSIGHTS WITH THE DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DANAP]

By DAN Asia-Pacific

The strange case of disappearing symptoms

By DAN's Marty McCafferty

T

his case looks at a frustrating situation of symptoms appearing then disappearing during a dive trip.

The diver: A 27-year old female is in good health with no significant medical history and taking no medications.

The diver’s experience: The diver has completed 180 lifetime dives.

The trip: During a five-week holiday in Indonesia and the Philippines the diver undertook 45 dives. Early on in the trip and after the second dive of the day, she developed a rash, visual changes and nausea. She did not seek treatment and her symptoms disappeared the next day. She continued diving without further problems for several weeks.

The dives: The diver was on the second day of diving in Palawan (Philippines) and had completed a total of six dives when the incident occurred. All dives were within safety limits, no deco dives and the diver always remained at least five or more minutes from deco times.

Dive profiles Day 1 (13 July) • Dive 1: 29.2m, Total Dive Time (TDT): 53 minutes Surface Interval (SI): 1 hr 30mins, Air. • Dive 2: 29.3m, TDT 54 mins, SI: 1hr 28 mins, EANx33 • Dive 3: 24.5m, TDT: 49 mins, EANx32 Day 2 (14 July) • Dive 1: 32.1m, TDT: 44 mins, SI: 1hr 33 mins, EANx31

52 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

• Dive 2: 31m, 53 mins, SI: 1 hr 07 mins, EANx33 • Dive 3: 19.5, 59mins, Air. Onset of symptoms After the first dive, the diver reported feeling pain in her right thigh that improved during the SI and she felt comfortable during Dive 2. During the next SI, the diver noticed she was coughing a little, had some central chest pain and felt a bruised sensation in her right hip, which was also itchy and slightly raised.

She felt fine during Dive 3 and on the 1.5 hours boat ride back to Coron town.

Back at the dive shop she soon began to feel spacey with blurring vision. She returned to her accommodation and while walking that 200m she noticed her buttocks and right thigh were sore. Five minutes later, it was too painful to sit and she felt generally unwell.

The rash on the buttocks was mottled in appearance with some dark patches that looked like bruising. She decided to rest but after an hour the pain had moved; both buttocks were affected, and she felt faint and weak.

She went to Coron Hospital where the doctor agreed the symptoms were most likely explained by DCI and recommended IV fluids and oxygen. The hospital did not have any oxygen, so the diver and her partner organised this with the dive shop. The hospital only provided nasal prongs.

DAN AP was contacted and advised the doctor that a face mask needed to be used rather than the nasal prongs though the mask available (a simple face

mask) was far from ideal. DAN instructed the oxygen flow rate to be increased to at least 10 lpm (litres per minute), ideally 15 lpm. The diver continued to feel spacey and nauseated for several hours. She remained in hospital overnight and in the morning, after approximately seven hours of breathing oxygen (O2) at 11 lpm, had significantly improved.

The next morning the diver advised DAN AP of a full resolution of symptoms. Back at her accommodation the diver rested.

At 7pm, she noticed a new mild pain in her central lower back and buttock pain that seemed to improve within the same hour. She experienced no further symptoms that evening. DAN AP encouraged the diver to breathe oxygen as any treatment or evacuation was limited overnight.

The diver advised she was asymptomatic the next morning.

However, the following day the diver said that despite having felt very well she now had a dull pain in her central lower chest which was worse on deep respiration, as well as feeling ‘not quite right’, a little bit spacey, nauseated and tired, despite plenty of sleep. She commenced breathing O2 (15 lpm) using a simple face mask (i.e., low concentration oxygen mask not very suitable for managing DCI).

On DAN AP’s advice, the diver took a commercial flight (1 hour duration) to Manila for further assessment and experienced no worsening of symptoms during the flight.

Diagnosis: Decompression Illness Treatment: After assessment the diver underwent a Table 6 treat-

ment. Following the treatment she reported no chest heaviness or pain, and no pain in the buttocks or back. She also had much improved balance and vital signs were all normal.

Recovery: The diver made a full recovery without further issues Costs: USD$3,000. Fully covered by DAN. Analysis: This diver had a previous episode of post-dive rash and visual changes which are consistent with the presence of a PFO, as were her signs and symptoms on this occasion. DAN advised her to see a diving medical specialist on her return home, which she did. She was tested for a PFO and one was found to be present. Some PFO’s are small and don’t shunt blood (and bubbles) spontaneously and are considered to carry a relatively low risk of DCI if diving is conservative. However, others are larger and allow shunting without provocation and therefore carry a higher risk of DCI. The latter was the case here and the diver needs to consider if and how to dive in future, and whether or not to have the PFO closed.

Final comment from member “Thank you for all the support and assistance DAN provided us. We've been very well taken care of and the service that we've received from everyone at DAN has been exceptional. We really appreciate it!”

Michael Aw

Author, Explorer, Conservation Photographer

I Choose DAN I have spent, and continue to spend, a lot of time underwater, all over the world, exploring and photographing in what are often extremely remote locations; one constant I always have is my DAN coverage. I wouldn’t dive without it. DAN coverage is the most essential piece of every diver's SCUBA equipment.

Need more information? Send DAN AP an email (info@danap.org) or call +61-3-9886 9166 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.

www.michaelaw.com

www.danap.org

Not yet a DAN member? Join at danap.org Engage with DAN on Facebook for insights into various dive-related safety and medical issues.

Search ‘DAN Asia Pacific’ or scan here.

www.danap.org www.dive-pacific.com 53

DIVE DIVEMEDICINE

The mysterious issue of immersion pulmonary oedema

by Professor Simon Mitchell, University of Auckland The dive starts like many others in the 47 year old male diver’s uneventful 450 dive career: descent to 19m down a wall with a swim along the wall for about 15 minutes. No problems. Then he and his buddy turn around to swim back along the wall to the start point of their dive, slightly shallower, now at 15m.

After about five minutes into the return swim the diver feels more out of breath than he should for the amount of exercise they are doing. At first he thinks maybe they are swimming into a current but quickly realises there is none. In another minute or two he is feeling very breathless and he starts coughing, a lot.

His chest begins to feel rattly and wet. He feels he is coughing up fluid through the regulator but it is hard to tell underwater. Fighting the urge to panic he signals his buddy something is wrong and he wants to ascend.

They manage to avoid a rapid ascent and arrive at the surface with the affected diver in a very distressed out of breath state. He is barely able to speak. The buddy notices he is coughing pink frothy sputum. The buddy makes sure the diver is positively buoyant, waves to the boat, and luckily is seen quickly. The boat comes over and they help the diver out of the water, lie him down and after noticing that he looks quite blue, put him on oxygen. The oxygen probably saves his life. They call the emergency services and immediately head for land.

Over the half hour it takes to get to shore the diver’s symptoms settle a little.

He becomes less distressed and short of breath, and the coughing becomes less frequent. On reaching shore the ambulance takes the diver to the nearest hospital.

T

his diver has suffered an episode of immersion pulmonary oedema (widely abbreviated to IPE – with the “E” being a nod to the American spelling of edema).

Pulmonary oedema refers to the presence of fluid in the lung air sacs (alveoli) where the source of that fluid is the patient’s own blood. In other words, for some reason, fluid has leaked out of the lung’s tiny capillary blood vessels and into the air-containing alveoli. It is, in a sense, like “drowning in your own fluid” with the obvious problem being, that if the alveoli are full of fluid, then you do not exchange gas between the alveoli and the blood in the normal way. The victim can become hypoxic (lack oxygen) and this can become so severe as to be life threatening.

Causes?

Pulmonary oedema can arise in

54 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

a variety of ways; but is typically seen in patients with significant heart disease or lung disease, or both. However, we are becoming increasingly aware that pulmonary oedema can occur in people with no obvious serious underlying heart or lung disease during water sports activities (including swimming and diving) where there is complete immersion.

Sometimes victims have minor but potentially relevant medical problems like high blood pressure (hypertension), but equally there have been many victims with no obvious medical problems at all.

blue during a dive remains a mystery (though we have some ideas – read on), especially since many victims have previously undertaken many dives over a long period with no problems.

That this can happen suggests a multifactorial cause - where many factors can contribute. And the problem can occur when enough of these factors become relevant on a particular dive. A detailed explanation of the pathophysiology could fill a textbook, but here are some of the potential contributors explained (I hope) in an understandable way.

…In another minute or two he is feeling very breathless and he starts coughing, a lot… He feels he is coughing up fluid through the regulator…

Why divers should develop this potentially life-threatening condition seemingly out of the

Losing the help of gravity On land, gravity influences the

distribution of blood in the body so that it tends to pool a little in those areas that are lower (typically the legs).

This effect is lost when we are immersed, and consequently there is a higher volume of blood in the “central” circulation, including in the lungs.

This is enhanced by any constriction of blood vessels

the alveoli and airways, and is referred to as a “negative static lung load’ in diving science. If the regulator is poorly tuned and the diver has to make significant efforts to initiate flow with each breath, then there will be cyclical exaggerations of this negative pressure in the airways and alveoli.

…Pulmonary oedema refers to the presence of fluid in the lung air sacs (alveoli) where the source of that fluid is the patient’s own blood… in the arms, legs and skin elsewhere in response to cold.

Thus, the lung capillaries are distended by a greater volume of blood circulating in the chest. These same changes put some strain on the heart because it receives more blood to pump and, at the same time it must pump against the higher resistance in constricted peripheral blood vessels. A healthy heart can cope with this but if there are any abnormalities the heart may struggle, creating a “back pressure” in the lung circulation, further distending the capillaries that surround the alveoli.

Combinations of factors You are probably already figuring out where I am going with this. Basically, at the same time that there is extra blood circulating through the lung capillaries, therefore distending them, there may be a relatively negative pressure inside the alveoli that are in direct contact with those capillaries. The combination of these two factors creates a situation where it is easy to conceive that fluid might leak out of the blood and into the alveoli, creating pulmonary oedema. One can also see why the risk of this occurring might

…Most of the key factors which contribute to the problem are directly related to the effects of immersion, and this helps explain why many cases improve spontaneously once they leave the water…

Plus other changes At the same time these changes are occurring in the circulation there are important (potential) changes in the airways and alveoli themselves. A regulator supplies gas at the same pressure as the depth at the level of the second stage (in the mouth). So, if the diver is upright in the water, the regulator is about 25cm shallower than the lungs, and the gas pressure supplied by the regulator will therefore be slightly lower than the water pressure that actually surrounds the lungs. This creates a negative pressure in

be quite variable because it can be affected by position in the water, water temperature, the health of the heart, the breathing resistance of the regulator or rebreather, the level of exercise, overhydration, possibly some types of drugs, various medical conditions and other things. This helps explain why a diver with many event free dives may suddenly experience an IPE event out of the blue.

Most of the key factors which contribute to the problem are directly related to the effects of immersion, and this helps explain why many cases

improve spontaneously once they leave the water (as in the scenario I opened this article with).

Cases increasing One of the fascinating things about IPE is that there seems to be an increasing number of cases. Part of the reason for this may simply be that we are recognising them more.

In the past cases of IPE might have been attributed to near drowning, salt water aspiration or other medical events. It might also have something to do with the fact that the diving population is aging, and there may be an associated increase in the prevalence of heart issues. The sorts of issues I refer to can be quite subtle and not noticed by the diver, like an increase in the stiffness of the heart (quite common in people with high blood pressure) or an increase in the pressure in the lung arteries (possible in obese people).

Managing an IPE event Management of an IPE event involves leaving the water as soon as possible, and administration of oxygen. IPE can sometimes be confused with serious decompression sickness, but a crucial clue that usually allows the latter to be ruled out is the onset of symptoms at depth (before decompression).

Anyone suspected of suffering IPE should be evacuated to a hospital, and certainly should not dive again (even if they recover spontaneously) until a very thorough discussion of risk vs benefit has been had with a diving physician. Divers who wish to dive after an episode of IPE need to be investigated for modifiable risk factors, and counselled about the fact that repeat events (which can never be ruled out) have occasionally proven fatal. Many divers who suffer IPE choose not to dive again for this reason.

www.dive-pacific.com 55

Manipulating images: Has Photoshop killed off the photographer’s skills?

Rivers of inks have been spent responding to this question put by a reader in our last issue (Dive Pacific 166, Oct/Nov 2018). But we decided the query warranted an update and specifically from the point of view of the underwater photographer so we asked two experts, our Dive photography columnist Hans Weichselbaum, and highly experienced, award winning photographer Darryl Torckler of Seastar Communications and Consulting Ltd for their views.

Darryl Torckler, Seastar Communications Hans Weichselbaum

& Consulting Ltd

www.digital-image.co.nz

Y

es, the digital age does permit occasional sloppiness in photographic technique; however, a prized photo will still demand top skills from the photographer.

With digital image editing we need to distinguish between three distinct scenarios. First, the parameters set by the user on the camera; mainly ISO, colour temperature, contrast and colour saturation. This is roughly equivalent to selecting the most suitable film in the days of film negatives and slide film. When the camera is set to RAW file output, these corrections are applied later during the process of RAW conversion, and they allow for some control by the user.

The second type of post process correction is done on a computer which is the kind of ‘manipulation’ the questioner refers to.

Yes, with Photoshop and the like we can lighten an underexposed shot, increase contrast and boost colour saturation. With the right software and user skills these corrections can be applied to selected parts of the image only too (didn’t we all do that in the old darkroom?)

However, there are substantial limitations for the underwater photographer. Dives are short, fish swim fast, and water filters out all the colours except for the blue spectrum. The last point is the most critical; if you don’t bring your own lights along, and they will only help in fairly close up work, all the brilliant colours are gone and lost forever and no amount of Photoshop skill can 56 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

www.seastar.co.nz

bring them back. The same applies to poorly focused shots or motion blur. Photoshop cannot magically sharpen blurred pixels or bring back image detail that has not been captured in the first place because of careless photography.

…Photoshop cannot magically sharpen blurred pixels or bring back image detail that has not been captured in the first place…

A third type of image editing is the ‘retouching’ process which can go all the way to completely change the objectivity of a picture.

The first famous example goes back to the 1860s when a photo of Abraham Lincoln was manipulated by putting his head on a seated portrait of John C Calhoun.

The digital ‘darkroom’ has made things a lot easier. The cutting and pasting of people or trees is often not a problem as long as the lighting is similar to the background. However, you cannot simply paste a colourful coral or an attractive fish into some boring underwater scene. The different lighting in the shot will give it away. On the other hand, it is fairly easy to remove distracting objects, backscatter, small fish or debris with editing software.

In summary, modern digital technology has made life a lot easier for the underwater photographer. However digital editing can never turn an average photo into a master shot. The proper hardware and photographic skills are still essential.

The old days of film photography are now distant memories, not only because of cost and access, but because digital images can be so easily manipulated with software like Photoshop, often creating surreal images from what started out as fairly ordinary images. For me, and for many who enter photography competitions, this creates a moral dilemma: what is real, and acceptable, and what is not?

M

any ‘purest’ critics advocate for authentic unadulterated images. Though we are allowed to change general settings of colour, brightness and contrast, remove backscatter and crop images we cannot remove things that detract from the composition of the image.

Such as the mirror-like reflection of the flash from a fish that has swum into the frame at exactly the wrong time.

…In those days…darkroom manipulation…was a highly regarded skill. I won many photo competitions with manipulated prints which these days would be unacceptable…

I cut my teeth on film and spent hours in the darkroom manipulating film images before Photoshop was even thought about.

Eventually I became pretty adept at dropping fish from one piece of film into watery backgrounds on another. In those days, photographers did most of their creative finishing work in the darkroom.

Darkroom manipulation, with all its successes and disasters, was a highly regarded skill. I won many photo competitions with manipulated prints which these days would be unacceptable.

Because of this experience I found the transition to Photoshop fairly easy. In fact, it was much easier because I could ‘undo’ my mistakes.

Photoshop allows me to take risks and experiment knowing I can undo as many times as I need to.

…Artists have free reign to create their picture but photographers do not…

The same manipulation that is highly regarded in art is deemed to be ‘cheating’ in photography…

The artist painting or drawing a picture to illustrate a scene underwater has the ultimate power to create a perfect composition. They can remove annoying features like fish on the edge of the frame, seaweed floating by, or place divers in ideal locations. An artist might increase the number of fish or drop in a different fish altogether. Artists have free reign to create their picture, but photographers do not. It’s unacceptable for a photographer to manipulate images to the same extent, presumably because people view paintings and drawings as an artist’s impression of what it might look like. Photography is regarded by most people as reflecting reality, a record of what was actually there. The same illustrative manipulation that is highly regarded in art is deemed to be ‘cheating’ in photography.

Dealing with it

So how do we deal with it? I still love doing creative photography but struggle to find an outlet for it as everything now needs to be authentic.

This is particularly true for photography competitions where judges want to view the original RAW file to consider all the potential changes and manipulation before giving out awards. It’s as if they are still trying to judge “if this was film without any digital manipulation would it still be a great image?” It’s a perspective that hasn’t really evolved since the introduction of digital imaging and it probably needs to. Digital manipulation is easier but not much different than darkroom manipulation.

Honesty

I think it’s about honesty. We just have to tell the audience we have put several images together.

So why not just have photographers declare the digital technique they used? For example, panorama, HDR, in-camera double exposure, and image stacks are usually allowed. Why is it different from saying a picture was composed of several images composed together in Photoshop compared with doing it in-camera?

Boundaries

But I do have my own boundaries. I think it’s okay to put a picture together from several images if

all the components were taken at the same location and illustrate flora and fauna that you would (or could) see on a dive there. We rarely have the time to sit and wait for everything to be in the right place to take a great picture, but it is possible to create with Photoshop one awesome image that represents the dive location, an image that would take many dives to nail with a single shutter release.

Examples

When I was working on my book, Top New Zealand Dive Sites, I was trying to get representative single images from each dive site. This composite image taken at Volkner Rocks (White Island) is an example of this.

I was trying to get the firebrick star, Lord Howe coral fish and a diver all in one picture, but every time the diver approached, the Lord Howe coral fish swam off. A single picture could never have captured the reality of that dive.

In another children’s book I illustrated, Real-Size Guide to the Rocky Shore, I needed to create a rock pool full of beasties.

So I created this composite image with 16 layers. I tried to make it look as ‘real’ as possible, though you would never see all these creatures together like this in one rock pool. But it helps illustrate what can be seen in rock pools.

As well I really enjoy creating surreal artistic art photographs, where boundaries are erased and images are complete fantasy, or taken out of context. For my vortex image I had a vision of swimmer trying to escape an underwater vortex, and used two images to create the final version.

And then there’s this creative image made from a John Dory picture.

I really enjoy the endless scope for image manipulation that Photoshop facilitates. I doubt I will ever stop using it, but now I always declare which images are manipulated. My photography will not be limited by technology but continue to be enhanced by it.

www.dive-pacific.com 57

S H A D E S O F C O LO U R P H OTO G R A P H I C C O M P E T I T I O N

Escaping winter diving but winter diving

By Dave Moran, Editor at Large

W

hich tropical destination to escape to is always on a diver’s mind when New Zealand’s winter is approaching! Many destinations are on their bucket list.

By keeping the chilly waters at bay by wearing either a thick wetsuit or a drysuit, the photographic opportunities that winter diving can deliver can be well worth the effort, as Irene knows well!

Two of our winners visited Fiji and Tonga, which are close by and offer a vast range of diving experiences.

A third visited the Solomon Islands, which are a little further afield but well worth the effort due to their vast diversity of marine life and WWII history.

Just think, how could Irene have known that an amazing photographic subject, a juvenile flying fish, would present itself in front of a diver’s mask!

Advanced category winner, Irene Middleton, stayed home and went diving in chilly September. Her win once again proves that New Zealand’s winter diving can be spectacular. Visibility is often superior to summer conditions.

The judges and the team at Dive New Zealand/Dive Pacific magazines look forward to receiving your personal masterpieces. See: www.divenewzealand. com 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-colour-photo-competition

Just amazing!

‘Juvenile flying fish’; Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand: Nikon D7000, Nikon 60mm macro lens, Nauticam housing, dual Ikelite DS-125 strobes – f/22, 1/250, ISO160

Congratulations Irene Middleton, New Zealand.

Knights Islands when she spotted this cute juvenile flying fish checking out a diver.

Irene was diving New Zealand’s premier dive location, the Poor

Irene receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$100.

Advanced Category Winner:

58 58 Dive DiveNew NewZealand Zealand| |Dive DivePacific Pacific

Judges’ comments: This is a stunning image with great lighting illuminating the juvenile flying fish and the div-er’s eye.

The out-of-focus diver’s eye has

wins! the effect of directing the viewer attention to the main subject, the flying fish. The image could have been improved in post-production by slightly reducing the highlights on the fish’s fins. Well done Irene!

The full face mask is an excellent choice allowing the diver’s eyes to be clearly lit by the strobe’s flash.

Plus, the diver is not looking at the camera, great!

Advanced Highly Commended:

Congratulations Mark Blomfield, New Zealand.

As most divers know the Solomon Islands are famous for WWII ship and plane wrecks. When you are there, check out the amazing marine life as Mark did when he discovered this master of camouflage, a crocodilefish.

Mark receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.

‘Crocodile Fish’; Solomon Islands: Nikon D7200, Nikon 105mm lens, Sea & Sea housing, dual Sea & Sea YS-30 strobes – f/18, 1/100, ISO100

Judges’ comments: A very sharp image with perfect exposure, good colour and a nice soft bokeh (out-of-focus areas) in background.

Suggested improvements: If your lens’s depth of field allows, try and have both the eyes and mouth in focus.

It’s a very tightly composed image; allowing a little more space at the top and bottom of the frame would have improved it. Over all a great image, Mark!

Novice Highly Commended: Congratulations, Paul Williams, New Zealand.

Fiji’s Beqa Lagoon shark feeding dive is regarded as one of the most spectacular shark encounters a diver can have. Paul was up to the challenge of getting up close so that he had more opportunities of capturing the thrill of the dive.

Paul receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$50.

Judges’ comments:

Good to see that Paul has not over-exposed the shark's underside in the foreground while maintaining good exposure in the background.

It’s not that easy to achieve! It’s a bit messy in the top left corner but hey, you can’t tell marine life what to do!

Thanks, Paul, for this powerful image.

‘Close encounter during shark feeding’, Fiji: Sony RX100 MkIV with Nauticam housing, dual Sea & Sea YS-01 strobes – f/3.5, 1/250, ISO200

www.divenewzealand.com 59

S H A D E S O F C O LO U R P H OTO G R A P H I C C O M P E T I T I O N

Novice Category Winner: Congratulations, Russell Grant, New Zealand.

Tonga’s Swallows Cave is a short boat trip out of Vava’u’s Port of Refuge harbour. It is a top diving location for both scuba and free divers. Many photographic competitions have been won by images taken at this stunning location. To appreciate its photographic opportunities, best to dive it when the sun’s afternoon rays penetrate deep into the cave.

Russell receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.

Judges’ comments: A very powerful and artistic image. Looks like the diver is heading for heaven! The structure in the light is wonderful.

Light on the water surface makes it even more intriguing!

Suggestion for improvement: Increasing shadow detail in Adobe Lightroom would have lifted some detail at the image’s edges.

‘Ascent’; Swallows Cave, Tonga: Sony a6000, Sony 10-18mm wide-angle lens, Meikon housing – f/6.3, 1/160, ISO640

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 October for the February/March 2019 issue of the magazine.

See: www.seatech.co.nz click on Photo Competition.

It’s free to enter.

60 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

(A) Alex Stammers

(N) Sarah Ford

(A) Chris Kippax

(N) Paul Williams

(A) Irene Middleton

(N) Dan Westerkamp

(N) Werner Truter

www.divenewzealand.com 61

"Whale shark" Third place in category "black and white photos" contest Golden Dolphin 2012 (Russia) Sail Rock, Siam Gulf, Koh Phangan, Thailand.

Nikon D700 15 mm F2.8 (f9; 1/125; ISO800) Ikelite housing

The third installment of:

Underwater Photography: A Practical Guide for Beginners by Alexey Zaytsev Second edition translated from the Russian exclusively for Dive magazine.

Here is not there What makes underwater photography different from land photography Alexey Zaytsev is well known amongst Russia’s dive and underwater photography community, and has undertaken professional photographic assignments in many places around the world, including many visits to Egypt, Sudan, Bali and elsewhere. To illustrate the book, and also his own credentials, Alexey is making available a selection of his fine photographic work.

Alexey lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

62 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

You are underwater!

A land photographer can take a stroll at sunset with a range of different lenses, a couple of spare camera bodies, batteries and flash cards all in a backpack, along with a thermos of hot tea, and sandwiches. Then when you encounter a beautiful view you set up a tripod and select the right lens‌. Underwater, however, it works slightly differently.

Loss of light and color underwater I will not rediscover America by noting it's not as bright at depth as on the surface. Water is 770 times denser than air. Even the clearest water is 1000 times less transparent than the air. In other words a one metre water column is as transparent as one kilometre of air!

The clarity of water depends on the amount of particles dissolved and suspended in it. In addition to very small fragments of sand and silt, water contains other non- organic materials too, such as dissolved mineral salts

and organic substances as well as microorganisms such as plankton and decay products. All of these together, with air and gas bubbles, are constantly moving, transported by waves and currents, affected by seasonal changes that depend on phases of the moon and the sun, and on wind and other atmospheric phenomena.

Let’s look at the physics. Visible light is absorbed in the water due to two reasons. First, photons collide with molecules of water and as a result lose some of their energy which is transformed into heat that warms up the water.

Second, the light is absorbed by suspended particles and the more impurities in the water, the higher the absorption. The loss of light due to absorption in very clear sea waters may reach 5% per metre of depth, and in river or lake waters it may be as high as 99%.

So from now on the first question you will ask yourself when looking at a pool of water will be: 'What is the water clarity here?' Naturally, the clearer the water the better the photos will turn out.

Water clarity (or transparency) can be measured using a white disk (called ‘the Secchi disk’) mounted on a line and lowered into the water until it can no longer be discerned from the surface. This depth is the measured transparency of the water. Divers, however, use a different concept. What is more important for us is horizontal visibility. Horizontal visibility is 40% of the transparency measured using the method described above.

An ideal situation is when visibility underwater is maximal which is usually 40 metres. In some places, such as open oceans, clarity may be even higher reaching the record 50-70 metres. In the tropics, 20-30 metre horizontal visibility is considered good. But don’t get upset if the visibility deteriorates all of a sudden. You can still take photos in very turbid waters, of small subjects at close distances (ie macro).

Absorbed light Absorbed light is light lost for the camera though you can easily compensate for it by increasing the sensitivity of the camera's sensor. This is complicated by the fact that light is absorbed by water unevenly.

You probably remember from school physics that light consists of waves of different length which together comprise visible light. To help memorize this aggregation of the different wave lengths of the color spectrum you may remember from school days the acronym: Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. (ROYGBIV).

at depths much greater than 10 metres!' And you will be absolutely right. Light waves of the red part of the spectrum are absorbed by water gradually and do not disappear at 10 metres like a charm; they become fewer and fewer until completely absorbed. This is at 30-40 metres for the Red Sea. So the color absorption chart is very generic. It suggests the amount of red light waves become so small below 10 metres that red cannot be seen on photos. For example the bright red fins of your buddy will look pale pink, and the deeper we go the stronger the effect. At 40 metres bright red will look almost black.

…Even if you didn’t like physics class when you were young, please be patient and try to understand some basics. Armed with this knowledge you will never again try to photograph underwater in the same way you do on land…

Colors of the spectrum starting from red are the first to be absorbed by water while blue and violet are the least absorbed colors.

That is why the water column looks blue, and the deeper it gets the more saturated and darker it becomes.

In publications on underwater photography we often see a chart that graphically demonstrates how light is absorbed by the water as the depth increases. This chart shows an approximate process of light absorption in very clear seawater with the sun high above the horizon. As can be seen on the chart, red beams are absorbed at the depth of 10 metres.

If you ever dive in some conditions, for example in the Red Sea, you would object: 'I saw the red color

Our eyes perceive light much better than the most sensitive sensor of a camera. Where we can still see some residual red, there will be not enough of the color for the camera, and the image will not turn out as our eye sees it.

Images formed on the retina by our crystalline lenses are sent through the optic nerve to our brain which not only flips the image, but also adjusts colors perceived. The camera, however, cannot do this without the help of a photographer and, as a result, we can get pale and colorless (monochromatic) underwater images.

You can test the human brain’s ability to adapt different colors.

Let's do a simple experiment. Take a white sheet of paper and a red or orange color filter. Close one eye and look at the white sheet through the filter with your other eye. After one minute, remove the filter and you will see that the sheet acquired a blue tint! This is your brain! Knowing that the piece paper was white, it tried to adjust the colors adding blue to the image you were seeing.

Apart from absorbing light, water also diffuses light. What is not

www.dive-pacific.com 63

absorbed will be diffused by suspended particles in the water and this is the reason why we observe the halo effect underwater where remote subjects look as if they were in a haze.

Light absorption and diffusion, and the resulting loss of light and color underwater, is what makes underwater photography so different from conventional land photography. If you want to take beautiful underwater images, you need to appreciate the scale of this. Even if you didn’t like physics class when you were young, please be patient and try to understand some basics.

Armed with this knowledge you will never again try to photograph underwater in the same way you do on land.

Visual distance All subjects underwater seem closer and bigger. For example, you want to reach out and touch your dive buddy to attract his attention to show him a pretty coral head. But your hand is too short.

Of course! Because all objects we see through the flat glass of our mask are in reality about a third further away than we think. In other words, they seem 25% closer and bigger than they actually are.

This is happening because of light refraction. When going through a substance of one density (air) into a denser substance (water), the light beam changes direction or refracts.

The angle of light beams change approximately 1.34 times, a value referred to as the refraction index.

In underwater photography, beams from an object that hit the lens, go through the 'water-glass-air' border. In the case of the flat port of a camera housing, the beam refraction of the glass can be ignored and only 'water-air' refraction considered. Therefore, the angle of view of the camera lens with a flat port underwater reduces value by 1.34. For example, if our camera is equipped with a 35 mm lens, its angle of view on land will be 62 degrees.

Underwater, if the lens is looking through the flat port (I’ll be calling it a ‘port’), the angle of view will be reduced to 46 degrees, which corresponds to the angle of view of a 50mm lens on land.

64 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

"Zebra Shark" Manta Bommie, Pacific Ocean, Gold Coast, Australia.

NIKON D700 15 mm F2.8 (f / 9; 1/125; ISO200) Ikelite housing, strobe DS160

Who’s to blame and what to do?

All housings for 'point-and-shoot' cameras are equipped with flat ports. So the angle of view of your camera's lens underwater will be smaller than that on the surface.

That's precisely why if you decided to choose this type of camera, given all other conditions are the same, you should choose a camera with the shortest focal length (wide-angle) lens.

So now we know 'who's to blame'.

What should we do next? It’s simple. Let's draw some conclusions from the information above and start using them in in practice.

1) D ue to light absorption and refraction underwater we are forced to use lenses with the widest possible angle of view, ie wide-angle and ultra wide-angle lenses. An underwater photographer always ‘goes to the mountain’ which means we must get as close to it as possible to minimize the water column between the subject and the photographer. This reduces the loss of light and color. And to make sure that the subject fits in the frame, we should have a lens as wide as possible.

2) Underwater photographers are not fighting for metres but rather for centimetres! If, for example, you can get closer to the subject by an additional 30 cm, do it. You will be surprised to see how this will improve the image quality!

3) You cannot make a subject look bigger in the frame by using zoom underwater as you are used to doing on land. If a shark is swimming 10 metres away, zooming in will result in a pale and washed out silhouette of a bluish white animal with no colors or contrast. Instead of zooming in, we need to get as close to the subject as possible.

This does not mean zoom lenses are not used underwater!

We will talk about shooting techniques with such lenses later on.

4) Due to the color loss, we need strobes: they will help us illuminate the subject at a short distance. But not only will they illuminate the subject, they will also bring back its natural colors and tints.

Olympus Tg-4 snapshot without flash

Look at the photos of the slate in the illustration for setting the white balance underwater. In the picture without a flash, a green tint predominates, colors are faded and the picture as a whole is of low contrast, although the depth was only three metres. The flash has easily corrected the situation. Do you need more arguments for the flash?

Closer, still closer!

In conclusion, I will say it again: get closer, closer and still even closer!

Photographer Robert Capa once said: "The difference between a

Olympus Tg-4 and strobe UFL-3

good picture and a mediocre picture is a question of millimetres – a small, small difference".

He had never shot underwater and yet he was so right! If we apply this to underwater photography, it be: If your image is not good enough, it means it was taken from too far away. I would put this quote on the back of every housing to make sure underwater photographers always have it in front of their eyes.

Next issue: Back to some basics

Available in New Zealand Housings & accessories for select Canon, Nikon & Sony cameras

Sea Tech Ltd

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Visit www.seatech.co.nz for information and specifications.

Available from your professional dive store. Trade enquiries welcome.

www.dive-pacific.com 65

DIGITALIMAGING Hans Weichselbaum www.digital-image.co.nz

Full-frame mirrorless cameras Both Japanese camera giants Nikon and Cano, unveiled their new mirrorless full-frame cameras in September this year so I thought this was a good time to have a closer look at these highly anticipated machines.

Their official name is ‘full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera’ but I’ll simply call them ‘mirrorless cameras’ in contrast to their mirror-bearing counterparts which are the DSLR digital single-lens reflex camera.

Full-frame refers to a camera with a 36 x 24 mm sensor.

History At the time of writing only Leica, Sony, Nikon and Canon have produced full-frame mirrorless cameras. Of course, mirrorless digital cameras with smaller sensors have been around for a long time. Your trusted point-and-shoot camera is an example. But the Leica M9 was the first full-frame mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. It came out in 2009 and used a rangefinder focusing system.

Sony’s Alpha7 was the first to introduce autofocus into a full-frame mirrorless camera in 2013 and since then Sony has dominated the market. Nikon and Canon joined the party quite late this year. Sigma and Panasonic have announced they will join them in 2019.

Fuji has also been offering crop sensor mirrorless cameras (with a sensor smaller than the 35 mm format), but also larger mediumformat sensors. They simply skipped the full-frame (35 mm) format.

What is a mirrorless camera?

The principle of a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) will be familiar to most readers (Image 1): For this the image is projected through the lens onto a mirror slanted at a 45° angle. You can see the mirror when you take the lens off the camera. The mirror projects the image to a pentaprism sitting on top of the camera and you can see the image through the viewfinder.

When the shutter is released the mirror flips up, exposing the sensor to the image.

With the mirrorless camera, as you

66 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Image 1. Basic Principle of a Single Lens Reflex Camera might expect, there is no mirror the image is continuously projected directly onto the sensor. Like any

over their DSLR counterparts. So why has it taken so long to get rid of the mirror mechanism and the

…Mirrorless cameras can be built lighter and with less bulk which is a great bonus. The large mirror box is gone which allows for a shorter back focus distance… point-and-shoot camera you get a digital preview on the rear LCD screen. Some cameras also have an electronic viewfinder (EVF) which is more convenient in some situations, for example in direct sunlight. Most DSLRs also have a ‘Live View’ mode where the mirror is kept out of the way which is also the only way to capture movie clips.

As we will see mirrorless cameras have some significant advantages

bulky pentaprism?

One of the reasons is the autofocusing (AF) system. Image 2 shows you that the reflex mirror passes some light to a secondary mirror which is then projected onto the AF sensor at the bottom of the mirror box. DSLR cameras generally use a phase-detect AF system which is faster than the other option, the contrast-detect AF used in Live View and in all point-and-shoot cameras.

Until recently all mirrorless cameras had to rely on the slower contrast-detection AF system, a serious handicap in earlier cameras.

In the meantime, they have improved considerably in speed and reliability. Some testers have found DSLRs still offer more consistent performance, particularly in low light and when tracking moving objects. But the latest cameras, for example Canon’s EOS R, are also now sporting a sophisticated dual pixel CMOS AF system and a staggering 5,655 focus positions which cover 88% of the frame horizontally and 100% vertically.

How do mirrorless cameras compare with DSLRs Mirrorless cameras can be built lighter and with less bulk which is a great bonus. The large mirror box is gone which allows for a shorter back focus distance and gives the lens engineer more room to produce optics with larger rear elements and better performance.

Both Nikon and Canon have come up with a new lens mount, always a major upheaval for a camera manufacturer (and for the photographer!). But fortunately there are adapters available allowing you to use all the lenses in your collection.

Canon’s new RF lens mount uses the same 54 mm diameter as the existing EF mount, whereas Nikon’s new Z-lens mount comes with an increased 55 mm inner diameter allowing for crazy-fast lenses such as the newly announced f/0.95 58 mm lens.

Needless to say mirrorless cameras are completely quiet and there are no vibrations from the mirror, which can affect long-exposure shots.

The AF performance of mirrorless cameras will soon catch up and surpass DSLRs in performance, however, battery life will be the one area where they always fall short. Due to the constant use of the sensor and live view, mirrorless

Image 2. Phase-detect AF System cameras burn through batteries much faster than their DSLR counterparts, which could be an issue for photographers covering sport and other live events. And while the land-based photographer can carry a spare battery for a quick swop, the underwater photographer needs to take the limited battery life into account.

this move by stating that dedicated in-lens IS offers the optimum stabilisation.

Another, potentially negative point is that Canon’s EOS R can only shoot 4K up to 30 fps and 1080p up to 60 fps. The real kicker for the video fan is that 4K comes with the same 1.7x crop as the 5D Mark IV.

…The AF performance of mirrorless cameras will soon catch up and surpass DSLRs in performance, however, battery life will be the one area where they always fall short…

Another rarely mentioned point is that the sensor will heat up more, since it is constantly powered up. In theory, this should increase image noise, but you don’t hear much about that problem – obviously camera manufacturers have got it under control.

The verdict

In the video department mirrorless cameras have the edge over DSLRs. The optical viewfinder via the pentaprism becomes useless and the electronic viewfinder on the mirrorless camera is a real bonus for the videographer.

The new Nikon and Canon cameras have only been available for a few weeks, with first test reports very favourable. It seems mirrorless cameras fully match their DSLR counterparts in image quality, speed and handling.

As a long time Canon fan I was particularly interested in the EOS R which hit the market in September.

Apparently the full-frame 30.3 MP CMOS sensor delivers superb image quality, on par with the 5D Mark IV, but with even less sensor noise.

Another way of reducing the size and weight of cameras is to use a smaller sensor. I briefly mentioned Fuji’s crop-sensor cameras above.

And all camera manufacturers produce cameras with sensors smaller than the 35 mm format.

So how do they compare to their full-frame siblings? Do you really need a full-frame camera? This is going to be our topic for the next issue.

Much criticised is the EOS R’s lack of an in-body image stabilisation. Sony has offered five-axis in-body stabilisation since 2014, and both Nikon’s new cameras have it. Canon defends

The Sony Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless camera series has been around since 2013 and there are plenty of reviews on it online, and many happy users.

www.dive-pacific.com 67

DIVE STORES / TRAVEL

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68 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

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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)

20 d (inc boa

Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to 40m. Free pickup from Resorts in town.

P: +678 27518 or email: dive@bigbluevanuatu.com www.bigbluevanuatu.com For your safety Vanuatu has recompression facilities.

www.dive-pacific.com 69

DIVE STORES / TRAVEL / PRODUCTS / SERVICES

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) 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) 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)

INTERNATIONAL DIVE OPERATORS AND RESORTS AUSTRALIA Pro Dive Cairns Offers the highest quality, best value PADI dive courses and 3-day liveaboard Outer Great Barrier Reef dive trips in Cairns. We have 16 exclusive dive sites across 4 different reefs to choose from and departures 6 days/week.

Check out www.prodivecairns.com or call us on +617 4031 5255 or E: info@prodivecairns.com (DNZ161) Spirit of Freedom visits the remote dive destinations of Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs, and Coral Sea. The 37m vessel offers spacious en-suite cabins, every comfort on board, and exceptional service. Marine encounters include the potato cod feed, Minke whales in season, and the shark dive at Osprey Reef.

E: info@spiritoffreedom.com.au www.spiritoffreedom.com.au (DNZ164) Tusa Dive Cairns local day dive operators with over 30 years experience diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Tusa’s fast modern catamaran the Tusa 6 will visit two unique sites where you can enjoy up to three dives in the day. Tusa Dive also offer a great day out for snorkellers. P: 00617 4047 9100 E: info@tusadive.com www.tusadive.com (DNZ164)

dnz164

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)

DIVE COMPRESSOR

sales and servicing

HDS Australia-Pacific

High Pressure Equipment NZ Ltd

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) The Dive Centre – The Big Fish PADI 5-star dive

operator. Services: intro/lagoon dives, dive trips twice a day, courses, retail and rental gear. 2 boats, boats are manned with an instructor, 7 days, night dives. Aroa Beach by the Rarotongan Resort.

P: 682 20238 or 682 55238 E: info@thedivecentre-rarotonga.com www.thedivecentre-rarotonga.com (DNZ159)

p h 0 9 -444

0804

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.

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DNZ163

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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

70 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

recompression facilities.

recompression facilities.

More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com

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)

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 active travel experience that goes Certified dives • Snorkel Tours • Training to •exceptional 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 20 dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) travel 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 (DNZ163) www.travelandco.nz/dive Temp 24-28°c.

Viz 10m to

Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to 40m. Free pickup from Resorts in town.

P: +678 27518 or email:

P: +678 27518 or email: dive@bigbluevanuatu.com

C R U I S E dive@bigbluevanuatu.com FIORDLAND fish

•

h u nwww.bigbluevanuatu.com t • dive • cruise

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

www.bigbluevanuatu.com 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 Reserve, Mokohinau Islands, Great/Little Barrier, Sail Rock/Hen & Chickens in style. Trip schedule and info www.outergulfcharters.co.nz or phone Julie 021 827 855

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+ years exp. globally. Photos/video: uw caves in Mexico, USA, UK, NZ, Australia. Techdive NZ/GUE NZ instructor. P: 021 614 023, www.techdivenz.com jamie@techdivenz.com Dave Moran Ching Dynasty porcelain from the Tek Sing. P: Dive New Zealand 09-521 0684, E: divenz@DiveNewZealand.co.nz Samara Nicholas M.O.N.Z -Programme Director: Experiencing Marine Reserves – Te Kura Moana: samara@emr.org.nz www.emr.org.nz www.facebook.com/emr.mtsct P: 09 4338205 or 0210362019 (field only)

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ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

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Very friendly, professional & experienced local Instructors & Dive Masters.

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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)

www.dive-pacific.com 71

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