Quest volume 23, No. 1 February 2022

Quest The Journal of Global Underwater Explorers

Vol. 23, No. 1 – February 2022

PHOTO GRAPH ER PORTF OLIO: ALEX D AWSON

ECOSYSTEM ARCHITECTS

Building thriving artificial coral reefs out of scrap metal

MASSIVE CHALLENGE

Ghost Fishing Foundation tackles environmental disaster in Greece

RED SEA CREATIVE

GUE divers collaborate to capture photos and video

THE LOST AMBER ROOM? EXPOSURE SYSTEMS

SS Karlsruhe explored in the Baltic Sea by Polish tech diving team

Wetsuits and accessories – the devil is in the detail

EDUCATION · CONSERVATION · EXPLORATION · COMMUNITY

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DIVING

$24.95 €19.95

NEW EDITION AVAILABLE NOW!

Order today at www.GUE.com

Available in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.

EDITOR’S LETTER Convergence

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onvergence happens when two or more things come together, join together, or evolve into one another. Convergence refers to a mathematical function, also occurs in biology, or even applies to a population of humans or animals. But the term can also describe the way that we combine our different passions or pursuits in life.

I have always paid attention to the power of convergence when it comes to combining hobbies. I have a background as a musician, and I also love teaching, so teaching music became my main occupation when I was younger. The convergence of music and teaching made me both a better musician and better teacher. The sum of the two pursuits became larger than the individual parts and they cross-pollinated each other in a fruitful way. They became almost unified into a superpower.

Diving has a tremendous potential for convergence simply because it is possible to combine diving with almost any of your other interests.

Are you a history buff? Bam! How about exploring historical shipwrecks from the Viking age to the World Wars and beyond? Interested in photography? Presto! I know many divers who would never consider a dive without their camera and, for them, diving and taking pictures underwater are totally integrated into one unified activity. Interested in teaching? Tada! A career as a dive instructor would be right up your alley.

Passionate about conservation and protection of fragile marine environments? Voila! Organize a beach cleanup or a ghost fishing project.

For me, being a dive educator has forced me to get a solid grasp of complicated subjects in order to explain them to students. Aristotle said, “Teaching is the highest form of understanding.” And he was right. It is one thing to learn about M-values and gradient factors and develop a working knowledge of the concepts needed to plan and execute your own dives. But

when I started teaching technical diving, I had to elevate my knowledge to a much higher level to explain the concepts to others. In a way, for me, teaching is a very egotistical endeavor. I teach to understand.

Diving is also a great teacher in itself.

Thanks to convergence, I now know much more about physics, physiology, communication, geography, biology, oceanography, history, and numerous other subjects than I did before diving became my main passion and my career.

As a younger person, I wish I had been as motivated in school when I often struggled to see the value of learning some curriculum-required subjects. If only some of my former teachers had been better at harnessing the power of convergence!.

How about you? Have you combined your love of diving with any of your other interests and created a unified singularity? If so, what superpowers have you developed with convergence?

Dive safe and have fun!

Jesper Kjøller Editor-in-Chief jk@gue.com

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Quest IN THIS ISSUE The Journal of Global Underwater Explorers

Vol. 23, No. 1 · February 2022

Editor-in-chief // Jesper Kjøller

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Editorial panel // Michael Menduno // Amanda White

Design and layout // Jesper Kjøller

Writers

// Tomasz Stachura // Tomasz Andrukajtis // Pascal Van Erp // Erik Wurz // Kirill Egorov // Dan MacKay // James Campbell // Andrei Voinigescu // Robert Zawrzel // James Campbell // Julian Műhlenhaus

Photographers

// Tomasz Stachura // Jesper Kjøller // Sami Paakkarinen // Łukasz Piorewicz // Imad Farhat // Cor Kuyvenhoven // Kirill Egorov // David Rhea // Julian Műhlenhaus // Andrei Voinigescu Quest is published quarterly by Global Underwater Explorers 18487 High Springs Main Street, High Springs, Florida 32643 www.GUE.com Follow Quest on Facebook www.facebook.com/QuestJournal

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She was the last ship to leave East Prussia before the Red Army came, and explorers speculated about treasures that might yet be found in the hold. Could the legendary Amber Room be on board?

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A MASSIVE CHALLENGE

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ARE YOU READY FOR CAVE DIVING?

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ECOSYSTEM ARCHITECTS

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PORTFOLIO // ALEX DAWSON

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WETSUITS AND ACCESSORIES

56

RED SEA CREATIVE TRIP

Copy editing

// Pat Jablonski // Kady Smith // Nic Haylett // Catherine Taber-Olensky

KARLSRUHE // THE LOST AMBER ROOM

The Ghost Diving Foundation works to remove lost fishing gear. They have never stepped away from a challenge, but an abandoned fish farm in Greece was a trial that made them ask what they had they gotten themselves into.

Many of the procedures and equipment configurations divers uses in open water were actually developed for situations without direct access to the surface. Maybe this series about cave diving will whet your appetite for some wet rocks.

Artificial reefs begin with an idea that becomes a plan. If all goes to plan, in a decade’s time, the artificial reef will be gone, and all that will be left is a thriving coral reef where, before, there was only sand.

It was the ocean that inspired Alex to begin taking pictures. But why would he even bring a camera into a foreign element to begin with?

In our series on equipment essentials, we have reached a section with an assortment of components that act as add-ons to your suit to enhance the functionality, comfort, and thermal properties of your exposure system.

Each year, GUE organizes a photo and video shoot in the Red Sea. Anyone with a GUE certification can join to enjoy a week of adventure and multiple dives a day with the goal to create photos and videos for GUE marketing and educational materials.

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56 COVER PHOTO IMAD FARHAT

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– THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST AMBER ROOM

KARLSRUHE On April 13, 1945, Soviet airplanes sank the German steamer ship SS Karlsruhe, which was carrying extensive cargo. In July 2020, the Polish tech diving group Baltictech located the well-preserved wreck, igniting the imaginations of history buffs around the world. The Karlsruhe was the last ship to leave Pillau—Baltiysk, Russia, today—before the Red Army occupied East Prussia, and explorers speculated about treasures that might yet be found in the Karlsruhe hold. Could the legendary Amber Room—looted from the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg—be on board?

TEXT TOMASZ STACHURA & TOMASZ ANDRUKAJTIS PHOTOS TOMASZ STACHURA, SAMI PAAKKARINEN & ŁUKASZ PIOREWICZ

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he recovery team had preof seven ships. The fleet sailed further west on pared for a comprehensive the evening of April 12. Then, on the morning of exploration of the wreck for April 13, a Soviet aircraft spotted the German nearly a year—ever since they ships and sank them in just three minutes with realized that the shipwreck an air torpedo. that had been discovered in Today, we can only imagine how dramatic April 2020 was the German those last 180 seconds must have been before steamer SS Karlsruhe. Hers was a significant the vessel disappeared into the depths of the discovery, as the route they took was not only Baltic Sea. It is not surprising that only about a used to evacuate refugees out of East Prussia, hundred people were rescued from the deck of it was also used for shipping cargo, equipment, the German steamer. and looted goods. Karlsruhe was a small, old The manifest reported at least 1,080 peosteamer; however, any vessel capable of evacple on board, including 20 crew members, uating people to the West was of high value 50 soldiers, 100 wounded, and 913 refugees, during the war, so she was seized by the Gerncluding 100 children and 32 infants. The ship man Kriegsmarine. also carried 360 tons of cargo, including miliTEXT KARL HURWOOD Karlsruhe left Pillau on April 11, 1945, and tary equipment and, according to the manifest, PHOTOSat DAVID LEE,peninsula, KARL HURWOOD, HUI, PHILLIP LEE AND MATT BROUGHTON arrived the Hel joiningJIN a convoy “returnable goods.”

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PHOTO ŁUKASZ PIOREWICZ

Today, we can only imagine how dramatic those last 180 seconds must have been before the vessel disappeared into the depths of the Baltic Sea.

A rebreather team decompressing in the green Baltic water after a two-to-three hour dive on SS Karlsruhe.

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PHOTO TOMASZ STACHURA

PHOTO JP BRESSER

When you find an intact machine telegraph on a wreck, you know that it has probably never been dived before.

A second wreck

What are “returnable goods”? This term creates a field for speculation and fantasies. What treasures did they try to sneak out from Königsberg at the last moment? History and available documentation indicates that the ship, with a large cargo and in great haste, left the port after the Red Army forced the Germans to evacuate the city, a fact that stimulates the imagination and raises many questions.

When looking for information on this subject today, it is impossible to find much available material. In addition, Soviet pilots reported a very imprecise position of the attack, making it difficult for the dive team to locate the wreckage. The final resting place of the vessel and its passengers remained unknown for decades. The plot thickened further when a second wreck was found just 550 m/1,800 ft from Karlsruhe. After a preliminary examination, divers established it as a fairly old metal vessel, very likely another ship from the convoy.

The identical orientation of both wrecks, which 8

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indicates that they were following the same route, supports this hypothesis. Baltictech also has archival photographs taken by Soviet pilots before and after the attack on the convoy. The photos clearly show that the attacked fleet consisted of seven vessels; however, only five of them are visible in the water. Unfortunately, exploring the interior of the second wreck was impossible, so for now the identity of its cargo remains a mystery—one that may be solved in the near future.

Massive expedition

Karlsruhe lies virtually intact a few dozen nautical miles north of Ustka, Poland, at a depth of 88 m/290 ft. In the summer of 2020, we dived the wreck three times and uncovered dozens of chests, military vehicles, and motorcycles. In December 2020, we organized another threeday expedition with the aim to explore the area around the wreck, employing ROVs to find over a dozen chests scattered on the bottom. All these findings encouraged us to organize the largest

PHOTO TOMASZ STACHURA

We were, of course, searching for traces of the legendary Amber Room, last seen in Königsberg before the Russian invasion.

The team dived every day, and each of the divers ended up spending 30 hours in the water in total.

research expedition in our history. We were, of course, searching for traces of the legendary Amber Room, last seen in Königsberg before the Russian invasion.

On September 4, 2021, we set out to sea in the 66 m/217 ft long Glomar Vantage research and survey vessel, equipped with four anchors to stabilize the ship over the wreck and a moonpool (diving well) for the divers to enter the water.

Thanks to our cooperation with the Polish special forces (GROM), we had a professional decompression chamber on board, along with a very capable three-person rescue team.

Furthermore, there were two hydrographers on board with an ROV, human historians and representatives from the Maritime Office and the National Maritime Museum in Gdansk, and, of course, the team of 14 divers from Poland and abroad, who dived every day, each spending 30 hours total in the water throughout the whole expedition. We used 240 kg/529 lb of absorbent lime, 120,000 liters of oxygen, and 50,000 liters of trimix 10/70.

We recorded more than ten hours of underwater video footage and 50 hours of footage from the surface from a drone and the ROV. There is a good chance, thanks to these materials, that a documentary film about the entire history of Karlsruhe will be made, especially since we heard from the families of survivors willing to talk in front of the cameras during the expedition.

On the first day, we set up a permanent anchor line on the wreck, which ended just below the bottom of our ship, allowing us to be independent of the weather and waves. We attached safety reserve cylinders to the rope to serve us in case our equipment failed (thankfully, though, there was no need to use them).

With a maximum dive depth of 88 m/288 ft, we could spend from 25 to 35 minutes on the bottom, which gave a total time of two to three hours in the water, including decompression.

The water temperature at the wreck was about 6°C/42°F, and 17°C/62°F at the surface. Visibility on the bottom, depending on the day, ranged from 1 to 4 m/3 to 13 ft.

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PHOTO SAMI PAAKKARINEN

The low salinity of the Baltic Sea does not sustain much marine life, and the absence of shipworms is good news for wooden details on the wrecks.

War grave

We did not, however, find the treasure, and we Since this wreck is a war grave where over 960 also did not manage to answer the most impeople perished, we decided at the beginning portant question: What do the chests at the very to commemorate all the victims bottom of the hold, under a with a minute of silence and by two-meter layer of silt, conplacing a wreath into the water. In “I estimate the chance tain? accordance with naval customs Reaching them will be and traditions, we ended the cere- of finding the Amber extremely complicated but, mony with the sound of the ship’s Room is one percent, most importantly, disturbing but there is also no siren. them is against the will of On the fourth day of the exother place in the world the archaeologists, who are pedition, we came across an where the probability is opposed to us affecting the inscription on the side of the ship structure of the wreck and its higher.“ that confirmed our identification cargo. from the previous year. During Despite this, we came the remaining dives, we investigated all the home happy. Diving and carrying out even light damaged and open chests that we could. Each work at these depths in the Baltic Sea is quite a one contained personal belongings, spare parts, challenge, and we are glad we never needed our porcelain, tools, and various military equipment. decompression chamber and that there were no All the artifacts were left where they were found. accidents.

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The chest

During the September trip, the team got permission to salvage one of the most interesting-looking chests. On November 4, in the Wreck and Ship Conservation Centre in Tczew, Poland, the long-awaited opening took place in the presence of the media, historians, and representatives of the Maritime Office. The chest was opened to reveal a portable repair workshop for the precise equipment of Kriegsmarine ships. The chest is 36 cm/14 in wide, 112 cm/44 in long, and 31 cm/12 in high.

“We know, so far, that it is a workshop-type chest. It contains reels, metal elements, and tools. We have extracted a few items that will be further investigated,” Marcin Westphal, the NMM Deputy Director for Content, told journalists.

When the wreckage of Karlsruhe was found, it was hypothesized that the Amber Room could be located there.

“I estimate the chance of finding the Amber Room is one percent, but there is also no other place in the world where the probability is higher. Our recent expedition did not rule out this hypothesis, as we could only investigate what we could see without manipulating anything.

We did not have permission to touch or open anything. Remember that there is a whole lot of cargo covered under a two-meter-deep layer of silt, and that may contain secrets that we have not yet managed to discover,” said expedition leader Tomasz Stachura from Baltictech after the opening of the chest.

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PHOTO SAMI PAAKKARINEN

Diving and carrying out even light work at these depths in the Baltic Sea is quite a challenge.

PHOTO JP BRESSER

Because of the historic value of the wreck site, the team was not allowed to touch or remove any artifacts.

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Before its loss, the Amber Room was considered an “Eighth Wonder of the World”.

FACT FILE // THE AMBER ROOM

The Amber Room was a chamber, decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, located in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg.

Constructed in Prussia in the 18th century, the room was dismantled and eventually disappeared during World War II. Before its loss, it was considered an “Eighth Wonder of the World.” A reconstruction began in 1979, and was completed and installed in the Catherine Palace in 2003.

In 1701, the Amber Room was intended for the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Prussia, but was eventually installed at the Berlin City Palace. It was designed by German baroque sculptor Andreas Schlüter and Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. Schlüter and Wolfram worked on the room until 1707, when work was continued by amber masters Gottfried Turau and Ernst Schacht from Danzig (Gdańsk).

It remained in Berlin until 1716, when it was given by the Prussian King Frederick William I to Tsar Peter the Great of the Russian Empire, his ally. In Russia, the room was installed in the Catherine Palace. After expansion and several renovations, it covered more than 5522 m2/590 ft2 and contained over 6 tons/13,000 lb of amber.

The Amber Room was looted during World War II by the Army Group North of Nazi Germany and taken to Königsberg for reconstruction and display. Its eventual fate and current whereabouts remain a mystery. In 1979, the decision was made to create a reconstructed Amber Room at the Catherine Palace. After decades of work by Russian craftsmen and donations from Germany, it was completed and inaugurated in 2003.

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FACT FILE // SS KARLSRUHE SS Karlsruhe was built at the Bremerhaven shipyard in 1905. In 1945, she took part in Operation Hannibal, the sea evacuation of German residents from East Prussia. The same operation also resulted in the loss of other ships, including Wilhelm Gustloff, Goya, and Steuben. Karlsruhe set off on its last voyage on April 12, 1945. It sailed from Piława (today’s Bałtijsk), the port serving the then Królewiec (today Kaliningrad), to Germany.

NATIONALITY German TYPE Cargo PROPULSION Steam BUILT 1905 LENGTH 66.3 m/217 ft WIDTH 10.1 m/33 ft DRAUGHT 3.6 m/11.8 ft TONNAGE 897 GRT MATERIAL Steel POWER 53 hp

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There were at least 1,080 people on board, including 20 crew members, 50 soldiers, 100 wounded, and 913 refugees, including 100 children and 32 infants. The ship also took 360 tons of cargo in crates and military vehicles.

On the morning of April 13, 1945, Karlsruhe was attacked by Soviet aircrafts. The ship sank with all its cargo within three minutes, but about 100 people were saved. The ship sank in an upright position, hit the bottom with its bow, then settled on the keel.

SPEED 8 knots ENGINE 2 x 3 cylinders triple

expansion engines, dual shaft, twin screws DATE LOST April 13, 1945 CASUALTIES 970 OWNER German government BUILDER Weser Werk Seebeckwef, Bremerhaven DEPTH 88 m/288 ft

SPONSORS The entire project was privately funded. The main sponsor of the expedition is the SANTI Company. In addition, the company GLOMAR OFFSHORE (the owner of the Glomar Vantage vessel), and Suex, JJ-CCR, TopWave, CNT Gdynia, and Born2Dive supported the project with equipment.

Tomasz Stachura

Tomasz Stachura is one of the most active wreck divers in the Baltic Sea. He specializes in deep underwater wreck photography and has taken thousands of underwater pictures of Baltic wrecks, as well as of many caves on different continents. His photomosaic of the Mars wreck in the Baltic sea was on the cover of National Geographic. He is a member of the Explorers Club, CEO of SANTI Diving, and co-founder of the Baltictech Conference. He is the originator and chief of the “SANTI Find the Eagle” expedition, a long-term project with the goal of finding the wreck of the submarine Eagle (ORP

Orzeł), lost in the North Sea in 1940. In January 2020, his book Route of Death was published. The book describes the stories of Operation Hannibal, the largest-ever maritime evacuation, which took place at the end of WWII. During this operation, 20,000 people died, and the world’s largest marine disasters happened—the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff, Steuben, and Goya.

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– Ghost Diving tackles local environmental disaster i

A MASSIVE C

TEXT PASCAL VAN ERP & ERIK WURZ PHOTOS IMAD FARHAT & COR KUYVENHOVEN 16

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PHOTO IMAD FARHAT

in Ithaca, Greece

CHALLENGE

The Ghost Diving organization, whose team efforts began in 2009, works diligently to remove lost fishing gear from the Dutch North Sea. In all these years, they have never stepped away from a challenge; however, agreeing to clean up the environment after an abandoned fish farm in Greece was a trial that made  them ask what had they gotten themselves into.

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The enormous rings from the abandoned fish farm were among the many objects that were removed by the team.

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n the summer of 2020, after we had completed the cleaning project on the HMS Perseus in Kefalonia, we went to the neighboring island of Ithaca for a few days. We usually just look around in the vicinity and explore whether nature still needs a helping hand somewhere. Ithaca is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and west of mainland Greece. The island is generally reported to be the home of Odysseus, whose delayed return to the island is the plot of The Odyssey, a classic Greek tale.

This is where we met George Lilas, a local dive school owner, kite surfer, and passionate environmentalist. He told us about a fish farm plaguing the entire island and its inhabitants

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following its abandonment more than ten years ago. He couldn’t stop talking about it and, after we got home, George posted some very impressive photos on social media that made people think about the island. Even the mayor was very nervous and called for action. The photos spoke volumes. The entire area of the fish farm—on the surface, underwater, and the land around it— was so polluted that you can safely call it a local environmental disaster. This was, as it were, the starting signal for our project.

Healthy Seas, a conservation organization of which Ghost Diving is one of the driving forces, teamed up with Enaleia, a young Greek organization committed to the sustainable and responsible training of the next generation of fishermen.

Together they quickly recruited a large number

PHOTO JP BRESSER

PHOTO COR KUYVENHOVEN

The entire area of the fish farm—on the surface, underwater, and the land around it—was so polluted that you can safely call it a local environmental disaster.

of diving and non-diving volunteers, local authorities, and sponsors, and they made a plan to restore the pristine beauty of the area. The project began June 8, 2021, which was World Oceans Day, and lasted until June 16. It is worth mentioning this was the largest project in the history of Ghost Diving, Healthy Seas, and Enaleia, and the team produced amazing results in a relatively short time.

rare hurricane-like storm, Cyclone Ianos, struck in September 2020, further scattering tons of industrial plastic pipes, the Styrofoam they contained, fishing nets, nylon ropes, concrete blocks, plastic buoys, large rusty metal parts, and all manner of waste in the area. Much of this debris was later found floating in the open sea, on the seabed, and on nearby beaches.

Very regularly, boats collided with parts of the fish farm or got floating ropes in their propellers, A disaster and plastic and Styrofoam littered the surroundThe company behind the fish farm went banking beaches. The storm made the disaster even rupt in 2012. They abandoned cages (rings) and greater than it had been. countless other industrial materials that polluted In just over a week, a team of 45 people— the area and its underwater life. In addition, the most of them volunteers, including 14 internapollution jeopardized the safety of nearby shiptional volunteer technical divers from Ghost ping operations. And, as if that wasn’t enough, a Diving—undertook an unprecedented cleanup,

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PHOTO COR KUYVENHOVEN

Lifting large nets is a core competence for the Ghost Fishing team. removing 76 tons of waste from the sea, the coastline, and four surrounding beaches. Over eight days, the Ghost Diving dive team cleared the rings, pipes, fishing nets, and countless other objects from the seabed and surface.

Affiliated recreational divers from Greece supported cleanup operations by removing smaller objects from the seabed in shallower areas; another team of surface volunteers tackled the beaches, sometimes knee-deep in Styrofoam granules. In addition to ordinary shovelling, the team employed a provisionally adapted industrial vacuum cleaner to vacuum up the many small Styrofoam granules between stones on the beach—a fine example of innovation, if we may say so ourselves.

Teams of three

For this project, the Ghost Diving team limited the diving operations to a maximum of 30 m/100 ft and dove with the standard gas EAN32. Surveys revealed that the area was extremely polluted at all depths down to 60 m/200 ft and that the greatest impact would 20

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be made if the publicly visible pollution was the first to disappear. Underwater visibility is good, so the pollution could be seen from the air down to a depth of 20 m/60 ft, which we studied with drones. This, along with the pollution of the beaches and the metal structures on the coastline, accounted for most of the visible pollution.

In addition, the project budget limited the use of trimix. The availability of helium for trimix was also a challenge in itself, so the island could be the target of a possible second phase.

We worked with teams of three divers, one of whom was tasked with taking photos and/or videos. The working divers were relatively comfortable (compared to what they are used to), as visibility was excellent, although it should not be underestimated how quickly an object lifted and removed from the seabed decimates visibility.

Safety, therefore, always came first, and divers inspected every object and its surroundings for hazards before removal. Our divers are well trained for this, and their experience in more extreme North Sea conditions was a great advantage.

PHOTO COR KUYVENHOVEN

Over eight days, the Ghost Diving dive team cleared the rings, pipes, fishing nets, and countless other objects from the seabed and surface.

It takes skill and coordination to lift large fishing nets, but the good visibility in the area made it a little easier.

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seabed up to 30 m/100 ft deep. In the Mediterranean and near Greece, eelgrass is abundant in the shallow coastal areas dominated by sandy ERIK WURZ—A MARINE BIOLOGIST bottoms. This seagrass forms dense meadows AT WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY, A GUE that allow for a diversity of life. They provide INSTRUCTOR, AND A MEMBER OF THE oxygen, turtles come there to eat, and the dense GHOST DIVING CORE TEAM—SURVEYED vegetation is an ideal hiding place for small THE SEABED AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS fish. However, the dense seagrass meadows DURING THE CLEANUP TO ASSESS are quickly shrinking and every square meter THE IMPACT OF FISHING NETS ON THE lost is bad news for us. In Ithaca, the large nets MARINE ENVIRONMENT. from the aquaculture facility sank directly into these endangered seagrass meadows, potenWhat went through your mind on your first tially damaging this important ecosystem over dive at Ithaca? the past 10 years. My research focuses on the – From the moment I saw the first images of damage that the nets cause to the seagrass the abandoned fish farm until I dived into the and adjacent seabed habitats. crystal clear waters around Ithaca, I thought: What a surreal situation. What kind of world How did you conduct your research? do we have to live in that a company can ex–In underwater science, we use tools that are ploit the sea at will? If the business ever goes robust and easy to repair with materials you bankrupt, they bear no responsibility to restore can get even in remote locations. So, my “adthe original state of the underwater world. The vanced” tools were PVC pipes, a 60 m/200 ft world that mainly provided for their economic tape measure, and a few spools of cave line. I gain. built a so-called “photo square” from the PVC pipes. In combination with a camera, this photo What is the purpose of your research? square allowed me to photograph the seabed – Ghost nets and the damage they cause are a in a standardized manner. The same area is huge environmental problem. Ghost Diving and covered in each image, the camera is the same Healthy Seas tackle it and raise awareness at distance from the seabed, and the size of the the same time. We must prevent more fishing flora and fauna in the photos can be compared gear from entering the oceans. Reliable quanti- to markers of a known size of the frame. We tative data is crucial to move policymakers and deployed reference points that mark the sites politicians to action. The data we collected can for retrieval after the nets are removed. With provide evidence-based discussions that will the photo square, I took pictures along a wellhopefully lead to the prevention of large-scale known route while the net was still on the seafishing gear loss in the aquatic environment. bed. And I took pictures of the area after it was My goal is to start this data collection and also just removed. This way I can see what remained to train local Ghost Diving teams around the under the nets. To get an idea of what might world to collect data in a standardized way so grow in the area affected by the net, I also that, over time, we can build a comprehensive collected data in reference areas that were not dataset for evidence-based decision-making affected by the net. This allows me to compare processes. The Global Underwater Explorers the two areas later.

Scientific Diver course I teach can equip our teams with the necessary skills and knowledge Do you already have your first results? for scientifically correct data collection.

– The in-depth analysis is still ongoing and In the specific context of the Ithaca project, I will take a long time. What I noticed during the focused on the effects of the nets covering the dives is that the native seagrass with its long

Interview with Erik Wurz

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leaves was quite easily damaged by the net, and after removing the net, only black, rotten roots remained. This is very devastating to the seagrass ecosystem when you consider how long the nets have been in the sea. However, the impact of the nets on the invasive seagrass species, which are abundant around Ithaca, was just the opposite: this much smaller seagrass could simply grow over the net and anchor its root-like structures between the meshes of the nets. These nets are unlikely to entangle sea creatures. They form a kind of artificial reef that stabilizes the sandy bottom and provides a settlement structure for flora and fauna.

How do you estimate the chances of restoring the underwater environment there?

– I think the places where we have removed the nets will be repopulated by seagrass. The

plots are in the middle of the field, so reintroduction can be facilitated by the abundance of seagrass in the area. Unlike the fast-growing seagrass, ghost nets can also damage slow-growing organisms, such as corals or sponges. This can have a negative effect on the overall biodiversity of habitats for an extended period of time.

Are you going back to monitor the area?

– Returning to the site would be a great opportunity to see if and how the seagrass meadows have been able to regrow. This would also give us additional information on how quickly the seagrass can recover after such a major blow.

Erik Wurz in his element, surveying the seabed to record the damage from abandoned fishing tools.

PHOTO COR KUYVENHOVEN

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Hired commercial divers dismantled and reinto ECONYL® yarn, the basis for many sustainmoved the heavy metal structures found on the able products, such as socks, swimwear, acseabed and lifted them up by crane using a work tivewear, accessories, and carpets. Other types platform. In total, the entire team removed more of fishing nets recovered from the area will be than five tons of fishing nets, handed over to Bracenet to 32 tons of metal, and 39 tons of be upcycled into handcrafted plastic—including 150 bags full Not only did this project products. Enaleia will further of Styrofoam granules. coordinate the sustainable have an enormous Not only did this project have processing of the remaining impact on the an enormous impact on the plastics and scrap metals. environment, it is also environment, it is also a wonIn total, the project took six a wonderful example derful example of international months of preparation, mainly cooperation and social involveto organize the logistics and of international ment. Healthy Seas hosted a bring together partners, withcooperation and social public event in the town square out whom this project would involvement. on one of the days to educate never have taken place. locals about the project, while Main sponsor Hyundai 75 children took part in educational activities Motor Europe funded the entire project, but to raise awareness about the phenomenon of this would not have been possible without the “ghost fishing.” tireless support of many other partners, includHealthy Seas is a best-practice example for ing Ghost Diving, Enaleia, Kefalonia Fisheries, the circular economy where waste is a resource. the Hellenic Coast Guard, Odyssey Outdoor Most of the nets recovered were cleaned and Activities, Aquatic Scuba Diving Club, Scubalsorted before being transported to a collecife Greece , Kosamare, the Ionian Environment tion point near Athens. Most nets were made Foundation, and the municipality of Ithaca. The of nylon 6, and Aquafil, a recycling partner, will project was carried out under the supervision of regenerate these nets and other nylon waste the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

Pascal van Erp

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Pascal is based in The Netherlands and is focused on marine conservation.

Since 2007, he has worked on the removal of lost fishing gear in the Dutch North Sea. In 2012, he decided to devote his diving exclusively to environmental protection and founded the globallyaimed Ghost Fishing Foundation. Since its founding, they have managed to bring the “ghost fishing” phenomenon into the public spotlight through key international collaborations, breathtaking underwater images, and impressive results. After a

major reorganization in 2020, the entire global organization has been rebranded into Ghost Diving Foundation to bring divers to centre stage and to create a clear structure with Healthy Seas, one of their main sponsors. For Ghost Diving, The GUE community is an effective way to find solid divers for projects, and they would love to hear from anyone interested in joining them.

PHOTO GHOST DIVING FOUNDATION

GHOST DIVING FOUNDATION Ghost Diving Foundation is a charity organization registered in the Netherlands and founded in 2012. It consists of volunteer technical divers who carry out nature conservation projects worldwide, sometimes with the help of fellow environmental organizations. The proven concept has now spread to 16 countries in the world, where local diving teams now also identify as Ghost Diving. The organization was known as Ghost Fishing

Foundation until the end of 2019, after which it underwent a name change in order to be more recognizable as a diving organization that focuses on the removal of underwater debris, including fishing nets, fishing lines, and other equipment.

 

www.ghostdiving.org www.healthyseas.org February 2022 · Quest

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CAVE DIVING

If you’re wondering if you’re ready for cave training, you’ve com to the right place. But, even if cave diving is at the bottom of yo bucket list and the idea of exploring submerged passages deep the underground is revolting to you, you can learn from cave div In fact, you already have. Many of the procedures and equipmen configurations divers uses in open water were actually develope for situations without direct access to the surface. Who knows?

Maybe this series about cave diving will whet your appetite for some wet rocks.

TEXT FROM THE GUE PUBLICATION DEEP INTO CAVE DIVING WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM KIRILL EGOROV, JARROD JABLONSKI, DANIEL RIORDAN, FRED DEVOS, TODD KINCAID & CHRIS LE MAILLOT PHOTOS KIRILL EGOROV, HALCYON & DAVID RHEA 26

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

ARE YOU READY?

me our p in vers. nt ed ?

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C

ave training develops techniques and attitudes that are invaluable in many—if not all—aquatic environments. Cave divers encounter several types of overhead environments underwater, and to negotiate them safely, they need to follow some common rules. It is obvious that open water divers, upon encountering a problem, have direct access to the surface and an unlimited gas supply. That is why it is called open water to begin with. In contrast, overhead divers must learn to solve their problems at depth, since going directly to the surface during a crisis isn’t a viable option.

They must deal with the problem, maintain an exit orientation, and then make a controlled exit.

The introduction of a physical barrier such as a cave or wreck, and/or a virtual barrier such as mandatory decompression stops, restricts divers’ access to the surface. Gas supply issues also result in increased risk, since overhead divers may be hundreds of meters or feet from the surface, so a direct out-of-gas emergency ascent is not feasible. Furthermore, overhead environments increase the danger of becoming lost or disoriented; open water divers can ascend to the surface to reorient, while overhead divers cannot.

Many types of diving require comfort with a loss of direct ascent. Divers exploring a wreck, enjoying the beauty of a cave, forging below the ice, or even exploring greater ocean depths must prepare themselves to manage problems before they are able to ascend. Cave divers have had to adapt to the constraints posed by a constant overhead obstruction, so they utilize specialized equipment and procedures that enable them to safely address the demands of their environment.

Though the results of this adaptation are imperative for safe cave diving, they are also incredibly well-suited for many dive environments.

Cave divers have been refining a system of overhead diving for more than 40 years and have developed specialized techniques that enable them to safely access overhead environments. In the same way that open water divers have various levels of training, the cave diving community has a progression of courses designed to prepare divers for the increased demands of extended overhead penetration.

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PHOTO JP BRESSER

Cave diving requires refined diving skills and increased situational awareness.

The introduction of a physical barrier such as a cave or wreck, and/or a virtual barrier such as mandatory decompression stops, restricts divers’ access to the surface.

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Reliable equipment and careful preparation before the dive will minimize the risk of technical problems.

PHOTO HALCYON DIVE SYSTEMS

Readiness for cave diving

The single greatest safety factor in open water recreational diving is that, no matter what happens (equipment malfunction, loss of breathing gas supply, or the loss of buddy), recreational open water divers have the option of making an emergency swimming ascent (ESA). This is possible because open water divers remaining within the recommended depth limits for recreational diving are usually less than 30 m/100 ft from the surface. ESAs would be significantly more difficult if recreational divers ventured deeper or entered overhead areas. Also, with the exception of certain recreational-level specialty diving activities, open water dives typically don’t involve overhead obstructions that would prevent divers from making an immediate ascent directly to the surface.

Obviously, whenever divers place a barrier between themselves and the surface, they compromise their ability to make ESAs. Thus, by entering an overhead environment, incurring a decompression obligation, or venturing deeper into the water column, they deprive themselves of recreational 30

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diving’s greatest safety factor and problem-solving methodology—direct ascent.

Divers choosing to engage in more advanced technical dives—especially dives that involve overhead conditions—must prepare themselves by seeking proper training, by cultivating a sound understanding of their equipment, and by committing to higher levels of personal fitness.

While casual recreational diving may be an appropriate activity for many, safe technical diving is limited to persons willing to commit to more extensive levels of preparation. This type of diving is certainly not for everyone, but experienced divers willing to make the requisite effort will be justly rewarded with some of the world’s most unique diving experiences.

What does it take?

How do you evaluate whether or not you are ready for the rigors of cave training? Other than an advanced diver certification, there are few commonly recognized prerequisites.

Nonetheless, students who successfully complete more demanding training curriculums

typically share three attributes: experience, ability, and fitness.

Let’s examine these three factors, starting with experience. How experienced should you be before enrolling in a cave diving course? Divers with more experience are often better able to manage the rigorous demands of certain environments. Those not yet adept at basic skills often find the burden of aggressive environments overly taxing. None of the training for these levels of certification is necessarily relevant to the curriculum at hand; it is simply that those students who successfully complete this type of training have a high level of commitment to diving. However, the dedication and awareness of many leadership divers may be found in individuals from all ranks. Divers interested in overhead training should have done at least 100 total dives. These divers should also be current with skills, having completed at least 12 dives in the current year. Finally, they should join a class designed to refine basic diving skills. This is why GUE cave diver training requires students to pass a GUE Fundamentals course with a technical rating.

When it comes to the second factor, ability, persons who do well in cave diver training typically practice and master the performance skills outlined below. Capacity with these skills should be tested by a capable educator as near to the planned cave course as possible.

Weighting: You should ensure that you are diving a properly balanced system. This configuration should account for the possibility of a failed buoyancy compensator (BC) at depth.

You should also be able to hold a stop with near-empty tanks.

Buoyancy and trim: You should be able to remain within 1 m/3 ft of your target depth without extraneous movement. You should also be flat, with a trim position near level without exceeding 20 degrees of tilt.

Propulsion: You should be able to demonstrate efficient propulsion using all six of the main propulsion techniques. These include the modified and proper flutter kicks, modified and proper frog kicks, helicopter turn, and back kick.

Psychological preparedness: You should come to any form of technical diver training

with a positive attitude and a focused mindset.

Cave diving, like other forms of technical diving, is not the place to be distracted by personal issues. Problems at home need to be left at home. Likewise, you should be prepared for a more precise and no-nonsense form of instruction.

Fitness and cave diving

The last factor is fitness. Cave diving, like all technical diving, is a physically demanding activity. In an emergency, personal fitness can make the difference between life and death. Furthermore, fitness is also a key factor in reducing the risk of decompression illness. Successful cave divers typically have the following commitments to personal health and fitness.

Diet/body mass: Divers in general, and especially technical divers, need to be aware that a healthy body is the result of a range of lifestyle choices. Heavily processed foods, typical of what one finds at most fast-food restaurants, should not be part of your normal diet. Individuals who experience difficulty maintaining a body weight that is in proportion to their height, sex, and build should resolve whatever factors (diet, exercise, chemical) are inhibiting their ability to maintain a healthy weight before engaging in physically demanding diver training.

Exercise: Technical divers should engage in aerobic workouts at least 20 minutes per day and no less than three times per week. More time is generally better, especially as dives become more extreme. Ideally, divers will commit to five days a week of at least 30 minutes per session.

Drugs and alcohol: Smoking and substance abuse are inconsistent with successful cave diving. These substances hinder general health, encourage dehydration, and discourage appropriate levels of preparation, particularly when used in excess.

General health: Cave divers must either be able to answer every question on the RSTC Medical History/Exam Form with an unqualified “No,” or have a signed physician’s approval for diving, based on a physical exam within 12 months of the dive date that meets RSTC/ UHMS guidelines.

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

Learning how to recognize and manage equipment failures correctly is an important skill on a cave course.

PHOTO JP BRESSER

Regardless of the training path pursued, divers should take their time and progress slowly into aggressive cave diving.

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Persons considering cave training must consider how well they measure up to the above criteria. If they do measure up, then they may be ready for the more demanding world of cave training. If some, but not all, of the outlined criteria are met, then they should reconsider cave diving, or consult a professional to establish the best way to properly prepare.

Finally, if they find themselves coming up short in more than just one or two areas, then the rigors of a hostile diving environment are, frankly, not those to which they are well suited.

Claims of this sort may not be what people want to hear, but they are the truth, plain and simple.

Cave diving does not have to be more dangerous than most other forms of diving. The risk one assumes on any particular dive is largely a matter of personal choice. These choices start well before a diver enters the water.

experienced divers to manage. Good cave diving skills are not something that can be rushed.

Accelerated training usually results in excessive damage to the cave and a compromised educational process. A slow and methodical training progression will offer large rewards in diver proficiency and safety. 

Next time: Cave diving history PHOTO JP BRESSER

Cave diving is a physically demanding activity and requires a reasonable level of fitness.

Training levels

Cave training has long been accepted as the most versatile training a diver can undertake.

While this type of training is not for everyone, those who commit to it usually defend it as the most useful form of training to which a diver can be exposed. There are a range of agencies training cave divers, and a variety of different curricula. Most reputable training agencies are similar in the primary components of their training, but there can still be substantial variations with respect to how long training lasts, how comprehensive it is, and how tightly its instructors are regulated.

Regardless of the training path pursued, divers should take their time and progress slowly into aggressive cave diving. Ideally, cave diver training should be broken into sections that allow divers time to become familiar with its various nuances. Most divers are not comfortable in their surroundings until they pass 50 cave dives. These divers generally become refined in their situational awareness and skill as they pass about 100 dives.

Students should, therefore, plan for an appropriate interval between classes to allow for practice. Many new divers are not prepared for the rigors of cave diving, and attempts to condense training are often too much for even

PHOTO DAVID RHEA February 2022 · Quest

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ECOSYSTEM

– Building artificial reefs in the Gulf of Oman TEXT JAMES CAMPBELL & FREESTYLE DIVERS PHOTOS BASE FILMS & FREESTYLE DIVERS 34

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ARCHITECTS

Artificial reefs begin with an idea. The idea becomes a plan. The plan is implemented and then amended for future projects when you realize halfway through that you wish you had done it differently. If all goes to plan, in a decade’s time, the artificial reef will be gone and all that will be left is a thriving coral reef where, before, there was only sand.  February 2022 · Quest

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M

y name is James Campbell. I am a marine biologist and I’ve been making artificial reefs, teaching, and working in marine conservation for over a decade. This is the story of implementation of the new artificial reef site near Dibba Rock, Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, co-funded

by Freestyle Divers, a GUE Dive Center.

Over 13 billion years ago, there was a big bang—the biggest of bangs in fact. Fast forward to around 250 million years ago to the Triassic period and the evolution of Scleractinian corals.

These are the hard corals, the reef building ecosystem architects. With the rise of these Scleractinian corals, we saw the true rise of coral reef ecosystems in tropical, shallow, coastal waters of the world’s oceans. Emerging from the expanses of the ocean floor like an ancient civilization discovering agriculture, marine life now had its primal villages, which in turn evolved into the cities of the modern world, all because of coral, the architects of the tropical coastal waters.

Complex structures

Although these coral reef ecosystems only cover around 0.15% of the ocean floor, they are home to over 30% of known marine species. As Scleractinian corals grow, they deposit aragonite, a mineral form of calcium carbonate, and the two substances combine to form structures.

These intricate, complex structures create habitats for small marine animals, and a symbiotic relationship with Zooxanthellae algae creates the base of an entire marine food chain.

In these nutrient-deficient ocean deserts, the coral fertilizes the symbiont Zooxanthellae algae with its waste products as well as provides a raised position in the water column closer to the light. In return, the algae provide oxygen and sugars as byproducts of photosynthesis. This harmonious symbiotic relationship forms both the habitat and the energy to support the ecosystem, hence the “ecosystem architect” moniker. Carrying capacity—the maximum population size that can be sustained by a specific environment—is the backbone of every ecosystem.

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PHOTO JP BRESSER Food availability, space, competition, predation, and reproduction (biotic and abiotic) create a dynamic equilibrium, a community of organisms interacting with its environment.

One hundred years ago, Dubai had a population of 15,000, and today, a population of 3.5 million. Same place, same area, same climate.

So, what changed? What turned a sandy port on the fringe of the Arabian Gulf into a metropolis?

Carrying capacity. Imagine Dubai without food, without apartment blocks, without jobs. Would the population be what it is today? The simple answer is no. If I were to build an apartment building in the middle of the desert, what would happen? I’d be bankrupt. If, 30 years ago, I bought up land on the outskirts of the city, people would have thought I’d lost my marbles. But, fast forward to present day, and I would be chuckling at them while sitting on my super yacht.

Just like Dubai, we must start somewhere. In the oceans, natural reefs are the cities, and by creating artificial reefs, we lay the foundations for expansion, thereby providing a future for our oceans. If we refer to the oceans as “our” oceans, then hopefully we will start to take responsibility for them rather than continue our destructive practices that threaten these spectacular ecosystems.

Underwater metropolis

The shallow coastal waters of Dubai provide perfect conditions for coral to grow and form a beautiful reef. However, the substrate is mostly sand. Planula coral larvae can’t settle and grow on sand.

Dubai’s coral reefs, like Dibba Rock, have reached their carrying capacity. To expand and grow, they need our help. Like the deserts of the UAE, there is both space as well as habitable conditions, but no food, accommodations, or jobs. This means no carrying capacity, but we all know what can happen to the deserts of the UAE when development begins.

Coral nurseries and artificial coral reefs provide a hard substrate on which coral can grow, either as permanent fixtures on an artificial reef or temporary homes on a nursery table. We are providing those foundations, allowing coral to grow in areas which would otherwise just be

In the oceans, natural reefs are the cities, and by creating artificial reefs, we lay the foundations for expansion, thereby providing a future for our oceans.

Any object placed underwater in the tropical zone will eventually be populated by corals.

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sand. Coral provides the surface area and rugosity, the apartment buildings in this analogy.

It also provides the primary production mechanism: creating the food and jobs.

By providing a stable space for coral to grow, we create a habitat, improve carrying capacity, and lay the groundwork for an underwater metropolis. “If you build it, they will come.” So, how do we go about building it?

An artificial reef site was something I always planned to create after taking a job here in the UAE. Not only are we creating a new marine habitat, but we’re also enabling research and hands-on practical in-water activities, as well as furthering education and awareness about marine conservation. Case in point: Here I am writing in a magazine, but I’m also advertising the work we’re doing here to let people know that they can get involved.

Artificial reefs also facilitate creativity. We recently ran a school competition with radio channel Dubai92 where hundreds of school children had the opportunity to design an artificial reef. The design aspect was great, but it gave children—the future—a platform to learn more about

Light structures made of iron rebar are the ideal foundation for artificial reefs.

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marine conservation, be it through me and the online class I taught or their teachers in class.

My point is that this operation isn’t just me bending bits of metal for a laugh and lobbing them into the ocean, hoping for the best. It’s the foundation of a community-based local conservation initiative. Local initiatives contribute toward a global effort to help save our oceans; they are just a drop in the bucket, but an ocean is nothing but a multitude of drops.

Unfortunately, someone dropped an anchor onto our initial site in a marine protected area, where it’s illegal to do so. I think you can all join me in raising a certain green finger in the general direction of whoever dropped said anchor.

We now have a new, much larger site, initially 1,000 m2/10,764 ft2 with scope to expand, well away from the traffic and anchors of Dibba Rock. This will be an ongoing project, and the amount of

people and funding we can get will determine how much we can expand.

Right and wrong

There is a right way and a wrong way to create an artificial reef site. You must consider cost, weight, stability, materials, logistics, and the site itself before anything else.

People everywhere dump things into the ocean on the premise that it’s forming an artificial reef; this is wrong. People commonly sink tires, for example. But, tires become toxic as they break down, and coral can’t grow on rubber. Tires don’t form an artificial reef—they form a dumping ground. You can use certain types of concrete, but it’s very heavy and a logistical nightmare. Metal rebar, however, is relatively lightweight, strong, cheap, and can form complex

structures. Iron in the ocean? Surely it will rust away. Yes, eventually it will, and that is the point.

Initially, the metal rebar becomes encrusted with barnacles, protecting the metal and preserving it for some time—normally ten or more years—by which time the reef will hopefully be established and self-sufficient.

Once you determine your materials, you can estimate cost. The quantity of materials is driven by the design, which is limited by the site and logistics. Cost estimates lead to design guidelines, which we can implement into the construction of anything you can imagine.

Now, going out and building 50 domes—all carbon copies of each other—would be efficient, but it doesn’t add aesthetics or diversity, which aren’t 100% necessary, but nice. Largescale constructions need to be outsourced, and sinking logistics require means beyond our own.

This is not to say that small-scale reefs don’t do anything: These are the first houses in a village that can, in turn, evolve into a city.

We run a sponsor-a-reef program for individuals and corporations, where we can incorporate a company logo or design into a physical structure. Most of the reefs we have sunk arose through this route. The funding we receive goes towards construction, placement, coral transplantation, and ongoing maintenance of the artificial reef site. An artificial reef site without initial maintenance will most likely fail. In the nutrient-rich waters, pollution and sedimentation will simply cover the roofs in algae, preventing the reef architects of coral from doing what they do best.

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Freestyle Divers has joined up with Azraq, the UAE’s nonprofit marine conservation agency to spread the word to the corporate divisions here in the UAE. They co-funded the shark sculpture with us, allowing me to build it. Dubai92 and the design competition funded the Dubai92 structure, the winning stingray sculpture, and the turtle design. There are four more structures under construction and even more in the pipeline.

Individual reefs are fantastic and personalized, providing ownership and a sense of responsibility in the field of marine conservation. The more people we can get involved, the larger this artificial reef site can become. If you or your company wish to sponsor a reef, please contact us using the details at the end of the article.

making it in manageable pieces that can fit on the back of a lorry to be moved to the dive center. Now we have the future dilemma of sinking this; it can’t fit on our boats and I’m sure it will turn into an exercise involving lift bags and more manpower, but what is life without challenges?

The main thing I have learned is, like in life, you must plan. If I don’t do a certain something at the beginning of the construction, then further down the line I’ll wish I had. In just 30 years’ time, we will look back and wish we had started to make more of an effort to save the oceans.

Let’s not make the mistake of not planning ahead. If we don’t, the coral reefs and the marine life that call them home will be gone, and it will be no one’s fault but our own.

Plan ahead

It works!

I am by no means a sculptor or a welder. My Artificial reefs and coral nurseries do work and PHOTO JP BRESSER designs and production come from an organic have proven to be successful throughout the source (not arc eye or skin burns): anatomical tropical seas. They increase the breeding popudiagrams from my studies. The shaping and pro- lations of healthy coral and expand the reef sysportions of marine life are natural, and I’ve found tems, increasing the carrying capacity and rethat so long as I follow the correct ducing pressure from predation proportions and lines of the animal, from both man and fish. They Let’s not make then the rest comes, well, naturally. support the replenishment of the mistake of not marine life and subsequent fish The finished object will look correct with a sprinkling of artistic license. stocks by increasing the nursery planning ahead.

The structures built for the recent areas for juvenile fish, increasing If we don’t, the sinking are, if I may say so myself, it either to a healthy level seen in coral reefs and the the past or providing a supplevery good. marine life that Sculpting, however, doesn’t alment to natural areas. call them home ways go to plan. In Thailand over a Artificial reefs and nurseries decade ago, I had an intern whose are perfect examples of restowill be gone, and name was “Swan.” I was making ration and rehabilitation conserit will be no one’s artificial reefs and decided to make vation methodology. Rehabilifault but our own. a swan structure with upturned cetation enhances and supports ramic tiles for feathers on the wings, the native natural habitat; this knowing coral can settle on the is what the artificial reefs do. ceramic side of tiles. It was a wonderful thought, Restoration is the practice of restoring native and it resulted in a very aesthetically pleasing natural ecosystems, re-planting the corals from structure. The problem came when moving the the nursery tables onto degraded areas. The thing: Tiles aren’t light, and there were lots of third component of environmental repair or conthem. I hadn’t taken this into account and was servation is mitigation, whereby we reduce and left with the dilemma of getting the sculpture hopefully stop detrimental impacts upon the into the ocean with little else but manpower. environment to reduce future damage.

At present, I am creating a 10 m/33 ft long The initial placement of six nursery tables life-size whale shark. How do you transport and seven artificial reefs is complete! I, along something so big? The answer is, of course, with my colleague Jessica Helliwell and our 40

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Corals can be replanted from the artificial reef nursery to degraded areas.

One advantage of metal reef structures is the ability to make specific shapes to satisfy sponsors.

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dedicated ECO Team (shout out to Jos, Nat, Matt, and Miko), will start to collect fragments that have naturally broken off the reefs around Dibba Rock and plant them on the nursery tables. This allows them to grow over the coming months until they are substantial enough to be planted back on a degraded area of Dibba Rock or onto our new artificial reefs. But, we need your help.

If you wish to learn more about marine biology and conservation, I would be more than happy to teach you. We also have a full curriculum covering a range of topics.

You can sponsor a reef and contribute to an initiative with positive environmental impacts.

Better yet, come and get trained up to work on the nursery tables and with coral propagation here at Freestyle Divers and become part of a team working to conserve the future of our oceans. Limited time and manpower restrict the progress we can make and, of course, many hands make light work. 

Artificial reefs and nurseries are perfect examples of restoration and rehabilitation conservation methodology.

For inquiries and to get involved, please contact Info@freestyledivers.me

James Campbell

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Originating from the bleak Peak District in the UK, as far from the ocean as you can get in the British isles, James studied marine biology at the University of Newcastle in the UK before deciding to move to warmer climates to focus on his passion for marine conservation, coral reef ecology, and scuba diving.

He spent six years in South East Asia

developing and managing marine conservation internship programs to help students develop their diving and ecological skill sets and ready for future careers, and he is now leading the development of Freestyle Divers’ marine science activity in the UAE and Oman with a mission to spread enthusiasm about any forms of marine life!

DECOPLANNER 4 IS FINALLY AVAILABLE AS A MULTI-PLATFORM BUNDLE! VISIT GUE.COM/STORE

PHOTO: SEAN ROMANOWSKI

You will now get native versions for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS!

ALEX DAWSON I

MASTER OF LIGHT

t was the ocean that inspired Alex to begin taking pictures. But why would he even bring a camera into a foreign element to begin with?

– Maybe it’s because I wanted to try to capture the feelings that impressed me on a cold October morning 28 years ago, says Alex. That was when he took his first breath under the surface. It began with a few blurred slides from a Sea & Sea Motormarine II, but his interest in underwater photography eventually led to him working fulltime in a studio with advertising photography.

The Sea & Sea camera was soon upgraded to a Nikon F90X in a Hugyfot housing and later to a digital Nikon D70 in a Sea & Sea housing. Today, Alex uses a Nikon Z7II for stills and a Z6II for video, both in Nauticam housings, with an Atomos Ninja V monitor for the video setup.

– I would like to be able to say that I live in Aruba or some other exotic place, but I do not, says Alex. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, where he often has to hunt for his underwater motifs among wooden Baltic wrecks and in limestone quarries, rather than on coral reefs with sharks.

Maybe it is to compensate for the lack of exotic subjects that Alex is constantly figuring out how to develop the composition of the simple subject.

– For my own part, I want a diving photo to make me jealous. I want to be there in the picture. I either want to be the diver in the picture or the photographer who takes the picture, and at the same time I want to experience what is seen in the scene. That’s exactly what I think the perfect image is, an image that draws us into a mood or an experience, says Alex.

One of his passions is to dive in really cold water with floating icebergs and a bottomless blue sea below.

– I love to chase the winding shapes of the ice and the light play of the water, Alex says. www.alex-dawson.com

TITLE SS Frankenwald LOCATION Gulen, Norway CAMERA Nikon D850 LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/50 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 500 FLASH None 44

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TITLE Icebergs LOCATION Greenland CAMERA Nikon D850 LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/80 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 64 FLASH None

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TITLE El Pit Cenote LOCATION Yucatán, Mexico CAMERA Nikon D850 LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/25 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600 FLASH None

TITLE Cobra Helicopter LOCATION Aquba, Jordan CAMERA Nikon D850 LENS Nikon 14-24m f/2.8 EXPOSURE 1/50 sec @ f/2,8, ISO 64 FLASH None 46

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TITLE Långban Mine Bear Bridge LOCATION Sweden CAMERA Nikon D850 LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/25 sec @ f/5, ISO 2000 FLASH None February 2022 · Quest

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TITLE SS Tyrifjord LOCATION Gulen, Norway CAMERA Nikon D850 LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/50 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 500 FLASH None

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TITLE MT Haven LOCATION Genoa, Italy CAMERA Nikon Z7 II LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/50 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 64 FLASH None

TITLE Tuna Hästberg Mine LOCATION Borlänge Sweden CAMERA Nikon Z7 II LENS Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye EXPOSURE 1/15 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 2500 FLASH None

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– Essentials of the GUE equipment configuration

EXPOSURE SYS

WETSUITS AND ACCESSOR THIS ARTICLE SERIES IS BASED ON THE GUE PUBLICATION DRESS FOR SUCCESS BY DAN MACKAY. ADDITIONAL TEXT BY JESPER KJØLLER PHOTOS SANTI & JESPER KJØLLER

Whether you dive dry or wet, your comfort will largely depend on your selection of accessories. In our series on essentials of the GUE equipment configuration, we have reached a section with an assortment of equipment components that act as add-ons to your suit to enhance the functionality, comfort, and thermic properties of your exposure system.

T

he wetsuit was introduced a ibility factor. Worse yet is its inability to rebound decade before the constant back to its original thickness. Many cheaper volume drysuit with low-pres- brands use this type of low-cost neoprene to sure inflator and exhaust construct their suits. These suits do not hold up valves became available. to repeated diving for very long and will break Neoprene wetsuits for sports down (compress), causing a loss of thermal divers surfaced in the early capacity very quickly. fifties when American brands like O’Neil and Nitrogen-blown is by far the best type of Body Glove hit the market. neoprene. This neoprene stands up to repeated Wetsuits are constructed of neoprene and compression and returns to its original thickvary in thicknesses from 1 mm to 6.5 mm. Not ness. It retains its thermal properties for many all neoprene is created equal. Manufacturers years. Note that neoprene should have nylon use two different processes to create neoprene: covering on the side that faces the skin. Nylon nitrogen-blown or chemical-blown. The different not only facilitates ease in donning the suit but manufacturing processes have a huge effect on also protects the suit from the tears and nicks TEXT KARL HURWOOD the durability and warmth of a wetsuit. Chemithat can occur from fingernails, pulling, and PHOTOS DAVID LEE, KARL HUI, PHILLIP LEE AND MATT BROUGHTON cal-blown neoprene has HURWOOD, a very highJIN compressstretching.

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STEMS

RIES

Boyle again

Wetsuits come in two styles: single-piece suits with a single layer of neoprene and two-piece suits with a ”Farmer John” bottom layer and a step-in jacket that zips closed.

This style gives double the thermal protection in the torso area of the body.

Wetsuits are designed to fit snugly and allow a thin layer of water to seep between the suit’s inner layer and the body. Body heat warms up this layer, and the suit’s thickness provides insulation to keep the diver warm. Of course, the deeper the dives, the more the suit compresses and the less insulating value it provides.

Due to the nature of neoprene construction, tiny bubbles are trapped within a confining layer. These bubbles provide the insulating value of the suit. The problem with buoyancy arises from a simple application of Boyle’s law. As you descend, the bubbles decrease in size at a fixed rate; at two atmospheres absolute (10 m/33 ft) they are half the size on the surface, and at three atmospheres absolute (20 m/66 ft), the bubbles are a quarter of the size. This has the undesirable side effect of causing a loss in overall suit volume, which means the greater the depth, the less lift the suit provides. This can be a very dangerous situation, as it means that divers who are properly weighted on the surface may be extremely over-weighted at depth. Primary BCD failure can create a life-threatening situation, particularly if the divers’ system does not incorporate detachable weights. This is why steel tanks are not recommended for use with wetsuits.

The wetsuit can be an acceptable alternative to the drysuit in warmer water.

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While wetsuits are not really an option for cold water, they provide more than adequate protection and are relatively inexpensive in warm water. Manufacturers employ many marketing techniques to tempt you to purchase their product, such as the “semi-dry” suit. This wetsuit has seals at the neck, wrist, and ankles to reduce the flow of water in the suit; but, in reality, if you are wet inside the suit, it is a wetsuit. Unfortunately, this criterion can be applied all too frequently to drysuits as well.

Due to the variable buoyancy characteristics of neoprene, you should not use these suits with large-volume steel tanks bigger than 11 liters/72 cubic feet.

Hoods

The purpose of the hood is to provide thermal and environmental protection for the head and neck. Up to 35% of heat loss occurs from the upper region of the body, specifically the head.

Using a hood in even moderately warm water will significantly increase diver comfort by reducing heat loss. Also, when diving in water that may contain contaminants, one should wear a hood to reduce the flow through the outer-ear region, thereby reducing the risk of an ear infection.

As in a wetsuit, the material used in hood construction is important. Ensure that the main part of the hood is constructed from quality neoprene. These are more expensive, but will provide excellent thermal protection for a long time. The face seal area of the hood should be a little thinner and more flexible, sealing flush to the skin to restrict water flow. A high-quality hood will also have an integrated venting system to facilitate venting any air that gets trapped. Seams should not run down the center of the chin but rather to either side of the chin. Chin material should be very flexible, allowing easy jaw movement.

The hood should fit snugly around the head and down the neck without being restrictive. The area where the face is exposed to the elements should be trimmed to fit your face and mask. The neck should be trimmed to a length that will ensure warmth over the neck area but will not interfere with you or be restrictive in any way. Closedcell neoprene is just that—closed-cell. Cutting the neoprene itself is not a problem; however, cutting 52

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Wetsuits typically do not come with pockets. The best option is to wear a pair of neoprene shorts with pockets attached.

The cargo shorts can also be worn without a suit in tropical water.

While wetsuits are not really an option for cold water, they provide more than adequate protection and are relatively inexpensive in warm water.

BUOYANCY CONTROL DRYSUIT OR WING? A drysuit is not only a thermal garment using a watertight seal to keep divers dry.

Since this suit can hold sufficient gas to create reasonable positive buoyancy it is, in fact, also considered a redundant source of support. However, the primary source of buoyancy should be the buoyancy compensation device (BCD), which, in the case of GUE divers, would be a system including a stable backplate and a wing-style BC. The wing-style BC encourages horizontal position and reduces drag, reducing diver effort.

By using the BC as the primary form of buoyancy, divers minimize the complexity that would be required to manage two sources of buoyancy. It is easier to vent gas from the wing, especially considering a variety of body positions. Conversely, the drysuit can more easily trap gas and requires more specific (and sometimes disadvantageous) positions for gas removal. The wing easily vents gas from a variety of positions, which is always useful and becomes critical in some environments. The wing is designed with high-performance inflation and dump valves that are well-positioned for easy operation. In the context of buoyancy control, drysuits are essentially tools for refinement of position if needed; however, they could be a redundant source of buoyancy in the unlikely event of BC failure.

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seams and sewing can be. To ensure your hood allows for trimming across the seams, bar tacks on the seams should allow you to cut back the face seal and neck seal as needed.

Wet gloves

Wet gloves provide thermal protection in moderately warm water above 20ºC/68ºF. The temperature division is somewhat arbitrary and is based on long exposures. As temperature decreases, other options such as semi-dry gloves or dry gloves should be considered. Gloves also provide protection against abrasions and scrapes and are even sometimes worn in tropical water.

Wet gloves should fit snugly. Ensure that you stay away from gloves with a long cuff that employs a Velcro or elastic closure. They are cumbersome, and the closures often fail after a short time, allowing excess cold water in. Cuffs should be short, with a double seal that covers the wetsuit/drysuit cuff by 5-8 cm/2-3 in, at the most.

The main difficulty with wet gloves is the loss of insulation value, as they suffer at greater depths.

Make sure your glove selection is appropriate for the environment that you are diving in.

Dry gloves

Dry gloves only work with drysuits and greatly enhance a dive, even in warmer water, as the extremities are the first areas to feel the effects of cooling on the body. In the case of cold-water diving, dry gloves are essential to dive safety, even solely from the viewpoint of having the manual dexterity to safely manipulate equipment.

There are several different systems on the market. Some still maintain an inner latex seal.

Ring systems that are permanently attached to the suit and those that have no method of using an internal seal are not recommended. The slightest failure due to tears or user error will lead to flooding of the suit and the potential for hypothermia.

Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for installation. After attaching the suit ring to the suit, pass your hand through the ring as if you were donning the suit. Ensure that there is enough inner cuff material to provide a good in54

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TO PEE OR NOT TO PEE ... that is the question. When you begin to perform longer dives, being able to urinate becomes an important consideration. From a decompression standpoint, proper hydration is crucial, so refraining from consuming liquid before a dive is not a smart option. It is much better to make sure that you can relieve yourself during the dive. Divers in wetsuits can obviously just go when they need to go and clean the suit after the dive, but drysuit divers will need to install some plumbing in the suit and practice using the p-valve before a big dive where an accident inside the drysuit can be an unpleasant experience.

Also, in colder climates, it is not unusual to spend a long time in the drysuit before and after the dive on the way to and from the dive site, so the ability to urinate without having to remove the suit is both practical and convenient.

P-valves come in two varieties: balanced and unbalanced. The balanced valve has a sthe balanced or unbalanced types. The greatest benefit provided by a balanced system is that the balancing chamber provides a barrier between the water and the diver. That is to say, the outside environment cannot

Inside the suit the p-valve´s sturdy rubber hose is attached to the uridome or She-P. The male anatomy interfaces with a uridome or external catheter. The female version, the She-P, requires a little more rigging and glue to use safely. On the outside the p-valve is mounted on the drysuit in the crotch area.



E? backwash into the system, as a one-way valve controls the flow. The unbalanced valve is simply a direct vent to the outside.

Both systems normally have some sort of protective hollow nut on the exterior that locks closed when not in use, thus maintaining system integrity. While this nut should only be loosened when the system is being used, it is particularly important that it be in place when using an unbalanced valve: If the catheter unexpectedly comes off during a dive, the suit will flood.

Anatomical differences obviously make the interface between the p-valve and the biological structure slightly different. The male organ can relatively easily be interfaced with the use of a catheter or uridome. This resembles a condom, but is somewhat thicker and comes with an adhesive inside to make it stick. The female anatomy makes the interface slightly more complicated. The medical world offers a couple of products developed as incontinence aid, but they tend to be slightly more intrusive and involve inserting part of the appliance, which can be uncomfortable in an activity that involves swimming and moving. The female diving population tends to prefer the external



option developed by She-P. This contraption involves some shaving, some gluing, and sometimes tape to hold it in place, but it is external and more comfortable.

Obviously, using adult diapers is also an option for both genders, but most divers prefer using the overboard discharge valve option.

It is both more dignified and more hygienic, though certain pristine environments prevent the use of the latter, making diapers the only solution on longer dives.

Read more about female urine management in InDepth here 

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ner seal in case glove integrity is compromised during a dive. If there is not, adjust the ring until there is. If you determine that there is not enough cuff material to do this, the only option is to replace the cuffs with longer ones.

To assist the transfer of air between the suit and the glove, a small length of shock cord, cave line, or surgical tubing run under the seal on the inside of the wrist is usually sufficient.

In a ripped glove scenario, the diver removes it and pulls out the cave line/shock cord to prevent further flooding. You can carry a spare set of wet gloves in a pocket. Depending on the water temperature, you can use different glove liners under the dry glove to provide insulation.

Modern electrical heating systems also provide options for having heated glove liners, which significantly enhances comfort and finger dexterity. 

Next time: backplates, harness, and wings

DEEP POCKETS

Most trilaminate drysuits allow for pockets that are added during manufacturing. They can also be retrofitted later. Wetsuits typically do not come with pockets and rarely with pockets large enough to be useful. In this case, the best option is to wear a pair of neoprene shorts with pockets attached. These should be worn on top of the wetsuit, or they can be worn without a suit in tropical water.

The pocket contents are secured with a velcro flap, and there are bungee loops inside for attaching equipment. Sometimes the pocket has a divider that creates two sections, and it may also have a smaller zippered compartment on the flap. After removing any items from the pocket, it is important to make sure nothing is hanging outside.

It is customary to reserve the left pocket for utility items that are expected to be used during the dive, such as an SMB on an open water dive.

The right pocket typically contains emergency equipment, such as safety spools or a backup mask. Since the application of the equipment is dynamic, and needs may vary depending on the type of dive, pocket content should be discussed as part of the pre-dive procedure and during the equipment match part of GUE-EDGE.

Pockets are the best way to store extra equipment such as SMBs, spools, and back-up masks.

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VISIT GUE.COM/STORE

PHOTO: JACOB MEHR

GUE’S NEWEST CAVE BOOK

Whether you’re dreaming of learning to cave dive or have been exploring caves for years, this entertaining and educational book needs to be in your library. Buy your copy today!

PHOTO IMAD FARHAT

Being creative is also about being silly and having a little bit of fun now and then.

RED SEA

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Each year, GUE organizes a photo and video shoot in the Red Sea. Anyone with a GUE certification can join to enjoy a week of adventure and multiple dives a day, with the goal to create photos and videos for GUE marketing and educational materials. The pandemic endangered the 2021 version of the event, but following travel guidelines and precautions made it possible for old and new friends to join a very successful trip.

TEXT ANDREI VOINIGESCU, ROBERT ZAWRZEL & JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS PHOTOS ANDREI VOINIGESCU, IMAD FARHAT & JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

G

ood underwater images and captivating videos do not happen automatically. Nowadays when most folks have access to cheap action cameras, they can call themselves underwater photographers or videographers, but the results are seldom professionally publishable. Capturing quality images and video requires meticulous planning, detailed preparation, and clear communication. These are three factors that are strong in any GUE team. A GUE-based media team can get right down to business from the first dive because they do not have to spend much time on minutiae—such details were a part of their training and ingrained with procedures and protocols, saving them from having to spend much time getting to know each other’s diving habits, sign language, or equipment configurations.

Let’s hear from three of the participating divers and creators of the 2021 version of the Creative Trip.

ANDREI VOINIGESCU, FLORIDA, USA

For me, the road to joining the 2021 GUE Creative Trip as a photographer began on a sunless November night two years ago in Helsinki, Finland. It was probably actually still afternoon, not that you’re able to tell the difference in Finland in November.

I’d been living in Finland for six months at that point. Not all that keen on bulky drysuit diving after spending most of the previous four years working as an underwater photo/video pro in Southeast Asia, I had reluctantly been talked into documenting the efforts of a small group of GUE divers setting up a project to monitor water quality in several flooded mine quarries under the umbrella of Project Baseline. When the organizer of the project (and my former Fundamentals teammate) brought up the opportunity to join a photography-focused trip to sunny Egypt, it wasn’t a hard sell. Oh, and it was going to be a trip full of GUE divers, so I thought that even if a few of them had drunk a bit too much of the GUE Kool-Aid, I was adaptable. And it was just one week, right?

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PHOTO JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

PHOTO JP BRESSER

Mine is bigger than yours.

Andrei and Julian are having a little bit of a battle.

PHOTO JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

When capturing imagery for GUE teaching materials, everything must be perfect and aligned with standards and procedures.

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PHOTO The JP plan BRESSER was that I’d film a video for the

trip, and my friend would join as a model. I’m a semi-professional filmmaker, though it’s not my day job anymore. I hoped the trip would be a good opportunity to meet like-minded underwater creators, and from Finland, the Red Sea was close.

Ideal setting

Of course, the pandemic shuffled things around a bit. Delays, uncertainty, reschedules, vaccine-induced hope—a lot of things changed in a year and a half. I moved from Finland to Florida, converting a four-hour flight into a 24-hour travel odyssey. My video lights didn’t make the trip.

My friend made other plans. But still, in the end, August 2021 found me on the shores of the Red Sea, camera in hand, very much eager to craft new underwater photos.

My personal goal was to practice my hobby—to create a few beautiful images with the help of models who were comfortable in the water and disciplined in their approach to diving. I managed to do that, coming away with several dozen photos I was excited to add to my portfolio. Working together with the other photographers and filmmakers was an unexpected bonus, and the highlight of the trip for me. Somehow, between all the planning, diving, sorting, and editing of photos, we also found the time to exchange ideas for new images, to share lighting and editing techniques, and to collectively level-up our skills. It was an intense week, but I certainly learned a lot. I’ll be back next year if I can, but I’ll just book another week of holiday afterwards to recover!

Egypt is ideal for this kind of trip. Warm water, easy conditions for diving, and easy logistics (thanks to Red Sea Explorers!) meant the whole team could focus on the fun stuff—image-making. Great visibility made for much more impactful wide-angle photos (my favorite), and the reefs, shipwrecks, and charismatic animals were excellent subjects and backdrops for our talented models. There were so many great wrecks to explore, even in shallow water. Now that I have had the chance to visit some of them, on my next trip I would definitely like to focus more on interior shots and creative lighting techniques to capture the mood of wreck exploration.

ROBERT ZAWRZEL, POLAND

If you are looking for an awesome dive trip with amazing people and beautiful dive sites, the GUE Creative Trip is one to consider. Before the trip I was buzzing, obviously, as there are not really many things that sound better than a week on a boat and diving in the Red Sea, but— oh boy—it delivered more than I could imagine.

However, I was a bit anxious. It was my first Creative Trip, and I had zero modeling experience—underwater, or anywhere. All I had was a willingness to learn. Luckily, my anxieties were instantly calmed, as working with these photographers and videographers was incredible.

Their constant feedback, tips, and tricks, as well as the sheer talent of these guys could quickly turn anyone into a top-notch underwater model.

The week was intense, but in the most positive manner possible, because I felt challenged, and I learned quite a lot. What I really appreciated, as well, was transparency from the creative team.

After every dive, we sat down with them and reviewed all the work together. Watching the pros work was also quite astonishing.

Bucket list route

Choosing my favorite part of this trip is simply impossible. With the constant positivity, everything simply flowed together in a constant stream of awesomeness. However, if I had to choose one highlight, it would be the people. I think it was easily one of the most fun trips I’ve had. All of them, coming from different places, with different backgrounds, but having one goal and similar mindset, gave me lasting memories that continue to warm my heart.

When it comes to diving itself, we took a northern route, with classics like the SS Thistlegorm, which was on my bucket list, as well as other reefs and wrecks around the Gulf of Suez. So, it was not only modeling work, which might seem daunting, but also diving in breathtaking underwater vistas. The trip taking place in August meant super warm water, in the range of 28-32 degrees Celsius, which apparently was still not warm enough for me, as well as one other modeling partner. What I’m trying to say is, you don’t need a drysuit to be involved since we don’t dive exclusively dry in February 2022 · Quest

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

PHOTO JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

Great visibility made for much more impactful wide-angle photos (my favorite), and the reefs, shipwrecks, and charismatic animals were excellent subjects and backdrops for our talented models.

RED SEA CREATIVE IN NUMBERS • 16 dives • 13 GUE divers • 12 models • 11 reef dives • 6 days • 5 wrecks • 5 sponsors • 4 creators • 1 boat, Red Sea Explorers’ MV Tala • 10,000+ photos and videos taken

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A giant marbled stingray (Taeniurops meyeni) lifting up from a shelter in the sand when the team disturbs it.

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GUE, which might come as a shock, but I would For me, taking part as a photographer was a recommend taking one, just in case. Luckily, mix of vacation and work. Reviewing and culling there is an option to rent gear, if you arrange that pictures on the tour directly after the dives and with organizers early enough. editing the pictures between the dives and in the evening, even with good company nearby, The master was a little like work. On the other hand, it was Now, about the Red Sea Explorers crew: These a really nice change to my normal working life guys were just as much the reason for this trip (in-house consultant). On the Creative Trip, I had being incredible as the team. The boat crew was the option to be creative and be challenged for always ready to give a hand if needed, but they one whole week, and all I had to concern myself also managed to stay low profile if the situation with was waking up, being punctual for briefrequired. I know I’m just repeating myself in ings, diving (with the camera of course), and praising everybody’s involvement, but the same eating meals (that is the vacation part). So far, I goes for the dive guides, as well as the Master have been on four creative trips. None of them of Everything himself—Faisal Khalaf—whose was like the previous one, but there were a few sense of humor, incredible stories, and his ability things all of the trips had in common: a great to be on top of everything while maintaining this group of divers with a common goal, a certain joyful demeanor never stopped amazing me. Ev- level of diving experience, a lot of fun, and many erything was organized perfectly, thanks to him. good pictures afterwards, even some really Should you consider joining next year? The good ones. simple answer is, yes, you should. You don’t Different view need to be a pro CCR cave diver instructor evalFor me, as a photographer who likes to take uator. All you need is Rec 1 to be involved. It’s pictures of divers in underwater surroundings somewhat frustrating that my words on paper and tries to tell at least a small story with a cannot translate how amazing this experience picture, having divers with a certain level was for me. Even now, I’m smiling while writing of diving skill and experience (perhaps this, and I feel this fuzzy warmth, as well as excitement, as I anticipate next year. I would like to most importantly, an awareness of say a big thank you to every single one who was the team and their surroundings, followed by very precise buoythere and who made this trip so special. I hope ancy and trim ) made it a to see you next year! lot easier for me to take JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS, GERMANY a picture I was satI started diving in 1997 and taking pictures above isfied with. It was water in 1999. It took some time, until the late much easier to 2000s to early 2010, before I was able to comhave a model bine diving and photography, and in the beginning, in front of the I was mainly taking pictures of freedivers (as a camera who freediver myself). I already had a little experience understood my in technical diving, and I did the Fundamentals intention for the class mainly to gain more precision in trim/buoy- picture with only ancy that would allow me to take better pictures. a few hand signals and was then able to stay Then, somehow, I became more and more interin that position, even if it was quite an extreme ested in cave diving, and my Cave 1 and Cave head-down position, and maybe even in a dry2 classes followed, which nourished my love of suit. Another great thing about the trip from my taking pictures due to the creative possibilities point of view, especially this year when we had the darkness in the caves offers. A friend of mine three photographers, was the opportunity to (thanks, Maren) told me about the Creative Trip in learn from others, sometimes during editing and 2017, which is when I joined for the first time. discussing editing possibilities and styles, 64

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No pressure. If your participate in a GUE Creative Trip, your image might end up in GUE teaching materials.

PHOTO JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

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PHOTO AN DRE I VOI NIG ESC U

PHOTO JUL IAN MÜ HLE NH AUS

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PHOTO JU LIA N MÜ HL

EN HAUS

PHOTO JU LIA N MÜ HL

EN HAUS February 2022 · Quest

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sometimes only by seeing pictures that others took at the same dive site and getting more inspiration and ideas. In German, there is a saying: Der Blick über den Tellerrand, the view beyond the edge of the plate.

During the trips, I had seen some of the wrecks multiple times (e.g., Giannis D, Thistlegorm). But, every trip with another dive team with another set of skills provides a different view of the wrecks. Having only seen some of them from the outside, on the dives with more experienced teams where we were inside the wrecks, I saw them from a new perspective and found more opportunities, especially regarding lighting the interior.

A great time

The Red Sea, especially on a liveaboard, offered great opportunities for taking pictures that had a different mood compared to the pictures I usually take (in cold water and dark mines). The consistently warm weather and warm water provided for longer dives to work through the shot list, and allowed us to enjoy the dive in thinner dive suits. These were ideal conditions, even for beginners, to train and

This year the creative trip was sponsored by Fourth Element, DAN Europe, Halcyon Dive Systems, Red Sea Explorers, and GUE.

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refine their skills during the trip. It was nice to see the development by comparing the first dive of the trip to the later ones. Staying on a well-organized and managed liveaboard made it even easier to have a productive trip, since we were able to get out of the water, copy pictures to the hard drive, review them, and then debrief with the team. After having something to eat and taking a break, it was then possible to just get back in the water and redo a shot if it was not good on the first dive. That saved time, and I could see it immediately in the pictures on the following dive.

So, if you are not only interested in looking at fish and impressive wrecks, but also in having a really enjoyable time, this is the trip for you. If you are interested in learning and refining your skills, either as a model in front of the camera (both below and above the surface) or as a photographer or filmmaker with divers/models somewhere in the picture, and you would like to have models whose posing skills (buoyancy, trim, and posture) you can rely on, this is definitely the trip for you. And of course, having a great time with like-minded people from around the world is extraordinary. 

PHOTO JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

So, if you are not only interested in looking at fish and impressive wrecks, but also in having a really enjoyable time, this is the trip for you.

The paparazzi are everywhere. Always be ready for a snapshot when coming out of the water.

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