Perfect Diver Magazine 12 issue by perfectdiver

Wojciech Zgoła Editor-in-Chief

“This world is strange” and the passing year has been strange. It has given us all a hard time. Local diving has become fashionable. Thanks to this, we can spend less time commuting and more time finding new water reservoirs, not located in thousands, but several dozen kilometers from our home.

Christmas is coming. Contact with loved ones may be difficult, and it is always a time of quiet family celebration. Let us do everything we can to take a break from the ills of this world, take a distance and fill ourselves with optimism and positive emotions. Let the New Year be a good year, healthy, full of exceptional events.

As a magazine, we are entering 2021 with specific plans. Follow us on social media. We are speeding up the publication of our bimonthly. Now we will try to make you have it in front of your eyes and in your hands at the end of the first month of release. So the end of January 2021, then the end of March, May, etc.

The current issue has a lot to offer. Beautiful photos and a light pen of the authors will make you dive with us virtually. First we have Honduras for you. Finally, a very practical text about buoys. Inside, inter alia, an interview with the outstanding photographer Henley Spiers, whose photo adorns our cover, and as a curiosity – "pudding" from Lake Werbellinsee in Germany. And what exactly is this zooplankton. Explained and shown.

I cordially invite you to come inside. All we have is at your disposal. You can now order a subscription for 2021. From January, the price for a copy is PLN 25 plus shipping. We also have a very nice calendar with beautiful photos. First come first served. Until stocks last.

And your personal support in the form of a donation for our editorial office is appreciated.

Publisher perfect diver Wojciech Zgoła ul. Folwarczna 37, 62-081 Przeźmierowo redakcja@perfectdiver.com

ISSN 2545-3319

Wojciech Zgoła Irena Kosowska Mateusz Popek

Agnieszka Kalska Jakub Degee Bartosz Pszczółkowski Agnieszka Gumiela-Pająkowska Arleta Kaźmierczak

Reddo Translations Sp. z o.o. Adwokat Joanna Wajsnis Brygida Jackowiak-Rydzak

with

Montserrat (Julieta Ulanovsky) Open Sans (Ascender Fonts) Spectral (Production Type) printing Wieland Drukarnia Cyfrowa, Poznań, www.wieland.com.pl

distribution dive centers, online store preorder@perfectdiver.com the magazine was

Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

The Editorial Office does not return unsolicited materials, is not responsible for the content of advertisements and reserves the right to shorten, edit, title the submitted texts and select illustrative materials. Reprinting of articles or parts thereof, copying only with the consent of the Editorial Board. Editors are not responsible for the form and content of advertisements.

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He often repeats that he travels by diving and that is his motto. In 1985 he obtained a yacht sailor's license, and only in 2006 began to dive. In the following years he improved his skills by obtaining the Dive Master degree. He completed nearly 650 dives in various climatic conditions. Since 2007, he has been taking photographs underwater, and since 2008 he has also been filming. As an independent journalist, he published dozens of articles, mainly in journals dedicated to diving, but not only. Co-author of photo exhibitions in Poland and abroad. He is passionate about and propagator of diving.

Since 2008 he has been running his own website www.dive-adventure.eu. On the basis of extensive experience, in August 2018 he created the new Perfect Diver Magazine

”My passion, work and life are under water.” He has been diving since 2009. Since 2008, he's walking in caves. Underwater archeologist by education. He participated in numerous projects in Poland and abroad. He has been engaged in professional diving since 2011. In 2013 he obtained the qualifications of a 2nd class diver. Has experience in underwater work both at sea and inland. Since 2013 he has been diving in caves, especially in the mountains, and since 2014 he is a diving instructor CMAS M1. In June 2020, he obtained a doctoral degree in underwater archeology.

Regional Manager Divers Alert Network Polska, diving and first aid instructor, technical diver and cave diver. In love with all flooded, dark, cold, tight places and invariably from the beginning of the diving route – in the Baltic. Implementing the DAN mission, he conducts a series of lectures ”Dive safely” and Diving Safety Laboratory, so field research of divers for scientific purposes.

Polish photographer, winner of awards and distinctions in world underwater photography competitions, has already dived all over the world: with sharks and whales in South Africa, with orcs behind the Arctic Circle, on Galapagos with hundreds of hammerhead sharks and humpback whales in the Tonga Islands. He participates in specialist photographic workshops. He has been diving for 27 years, he started at the age of 12 – as soon as it was formally possible. He was the first in the world to use the Hasselblad X1d-50c camera for underwater macro photography. Recently, in the remote Chincorro archipelago on the border between Mexico and Belize, he did it again, taking a successful attempt to photograph the eye of a crocodile with a macro lens with an additional magnifying lens, which is the world's largest photo of the crocodile's eye living in the wild (in terms of pixel count, print size, quality).

agniesZka kalska

”I can't imagine living without water, where in a free body I experience freedom of the spirit.”

• founder of the first freediving and swimming school in Poland – FREEBODY,

• Apnea Academia International and PADI Master Freediver freediving instructor,

• world record holder in freediving (DYN 253 m),

• record holder and Polish champion, member of the national team in freediving 2013–2019,

• winner of the World Championships in freediving 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018,

• multimedalist of the Polish Championships and a member of the national team in swimming in the years 1998–2003,

• passionate about freediving and swimming.

That's my name and I come from Poznań. I have been associated with water practically from birth and with diving since I learned to walk. My grandfather instilled my passion for the underwater world, a CMAS*** instructor taking me to the lakes at any free time. I obtained my first qualifications in 1996. A year later I went to Croatia and literally went crazy at the sight of blue water, octopus and colorful fish;) I bought my first underwater camera – Olympus 5060 and started the adventure with underwater photography. I acquired my diving experience in the Canary Islands, Sardinia, Norway, Maldives and in Polish lakes. I am currently a Padi and ESA instructor, I train diving enthusiasts in Europe and pass my passion on to others.

I invite all lovers of the underwater world and photography to Beediver (FB) – see you soon.

Wojciech Zgoła

irena kosoWska

jakub degee

MateusZ popek

bartosZ psZcZółkoWski

Wojciech a. filip

Has more than 8000 dives on his account. He has been diving for over 30 years, including over 20 years as a technical diver. He is a professional with great theoretical and practical knowledge. He is an instructor of many federations: GUE Instructor Mentor, CMAS**, IANTD nTMX, IDCS PADI, EFR, TMX Gas Blender. He participated in many diving projects and conferences as a leader, explorer, originator or lecturer. These included the Britannic Expedition 2016, Morpheus Cave Scientific Project on Croatia caves, GROM Expedition in Narvik, Tuna Mine Deep Dive, Glavas Cave in Croatia, NOA-MARINE. Professionally, he is a technical director at TecLine in Scubatech, and a director of training at TecLine Academy.

President of Ocean-Tech Sp. z o. o., IT NAUI, wreck and cave diver. "Diving is not just about equipment. It is also discovering secrets and an opportunity to reach places that an ordinary mortal has no chance to see. Over ten years ago, for this passion, I abandoned the prospering business and founded the company Ocean-Tech, which in fact is an online store www.nurkowyswiat.pl"

A traveller and a photographer of wild nature. A graduate of journalism and a lover of good literature. She lives in harmony with nature, promotes a healthy lifestyle: she is a yogini and a vegetarian. Also engaged in ecological projects. Sharks and their protection are especially close to her heart. She writes about the subject in numerous articles and on her blog www.divingandtravel.pl. She began her adventure with diving fifteen years ago by total coincidence. Today she is a Divemaster, she visited over 60 countries and dived on 5 continents. She invites us for a joint journey with the travel agency www.dive-away.pl, of which she is a co-founder.

adrian jurieWicZ

A traveler, photographer and the underwater world filmmaker, an Asian cuisine enthusiast and a PADI diving instructor. He visited over 70 countries and dived on 5 continents (the other two are planned for next year's expeditions). For several years he has also been an instructor and trainer of the unmanned aircraft flights. A co-author of a travel agency for divers www.dive-away.pl. He documents his expeditions with photos and descriptions of his journeys on his blog www.divingandtravel.pl

agata turoWicZ-cybula

Since I was a child, I had dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and I managed to fulfill that dream. I did a degree in oceanography, where I recently started my doctoral studies. My diving adventure began when I was 12 years old. I love observing the underwater life up close and I try to show other divers how fascinating the underwater, Baltic creatures are.

robert styła

sylWia kosMalska-jurieWicZ

Margita śliZoWska

aka "Mermaid". NAUI, EFR (premedical first aid) and DAN oxygen rescue instructor. Actress and singer. Versatile woman.

Diving is her passion and a way to help every person with whom she works above and below water. In her opinion, diving is not only exploring the underwater world. It is also getting to know and integrating with your own "I", building trust in yourself and a way to develop the skills necessary to overcome all life problems. Specialist for "difficult" students and children.

Owner of XDIVERS – Your Diving School. Trimix, cave and gas blender diver. Her biggest underwater love are caves, and diving priority – SAFETY. margita@xdivers.pl, www.xdivers.pl

Wojciech jarosZ

A graduate of two Poznan universities, the Academy of Physical Education (coaching specialization – handball) and the University of A.Mickiewicz, Faculty of Biology (specialty of experimental biology). He connected his professional life with this first university trying to influence the direction of development of future professionals on the one hand, and on the other planning and implementing research, pushing laboriously in the right direction of the stroller called science. In his free time he spends his time actively – his main passions are sailing (sea helmsman), skiing (downhill skiing instructor), riding a motorcycle, recreational diving and many other activities, as well as photography, mainly nature.

They travel together with a camera (Julia) and a notebook (Bartek). Preferably to the countries of Central America, especially Mexico and Guatemala, where they spent a total of almost one and a half years. They have been writing for the Polish and foreign press about the places they visited and the people they met on the way. Their photos and texts appeared, among others in "The Guardian", "El País", "Polityka", "Scripture", "Wysokie Obcasy", "Zwierciadło", "Esquire" or "Kukbuku", as well as in travel magazines, such as "Podróże", "Voyage" or "Continents". They like water in every form – seas, lakes, and rivers – but they consistently stick to the surface without venturing into the depths. You can see Julia's photos at: www.juiazabrodzka.pl

toMasZ Wciórka "eternal" bogdan Zając

I live in Świnoujście, I have been diving since 2009. The current dive rank is advanced nitrox in IDF and AOWD in SSI. Photography course with Irena Strangierska. Number of dives 450.

He has been involved in diving since 2009. Passionate, technical and cave diver. Owner of the Black Angel Divers diving school in Szczecin. Author of articles on diving.

A perfectionist with a positive attitude to life, suitable as a test pilot for new diving equipment.

julia ZabrodZka i bartek kaftan

Gulf Islands

In Search of the lo St Sand

out of the three honduran islands in the caribbean sea – roatan, guanaja and utila – divers particularly like the latter, the smallest and the most inconspicuous. is there anything to do here on the surface as well?

It is hard to believe, but I think we just landed on a Caribbean island with no beach.

On the neighbouring island – Roatan, everything was fine. We lived in a log cabin in the midst of green, a few steps from an arched strip of sand at Half Moon Bay. In the morning we dived in the bay and swam along the reef stretching along the

Text bartek kaftan Photos julia zabrodzka

shore, following colourful fish or a lonely turtle. In the afternoon we sat at the Sundowner’s Beach Bar to watch the sun disappear in the Caribbean Sea with a bottle of the Honduran Salva Vida beer in hand. In the meantime, we went for a walk on the long West End Beach – only if it was only to rent a kayak, swim 200–300 meters away from the shore and dive with

a mask and a tube below the surface through the Blue Channel coral canyon. Day after day passed and we could feel sand under our bare feet.

On Utila you cannot do without decent sandals or flip-flops. A bit of sand, which was artificially brought here, can be found only on the hotel Bando Beach. Apart from this, the coast is a range of rough, dark rocks. Those rocks were feared by the captains of Spanish galleons, exporting the treasures of the New World to Europe. But on the other hand, pirates liked the area very much. The Gulf Islands were the hideout of the most famous marine robbers, led by Henry Morgan and John Coxen. The latter was even commemorated in the name of the capital of the archipelago, the town of Coxen Hole on Roatan. Today, only legends are left after the presence of the pirates, but the rocky shores of Utila again act as a magnet – this time for diving enthusiasts. They are a promise of splendour

that hides underwater: a coral reef stretching on the edge of the continental shelf of Central America, which on the northern side of the archipelago falls steeply into the abyss of the Cayman Trough. A huge variety of marine habitats makes underwater off the coast of the Gulf Islands extremely rich, with more than 95% of the species living in the Caribbean Sea.

We get to know a small piece of it, swimming with a mask and a tube off the southern shores of Utila. We enter the sea in the bay on the west side of the town, where getting through the rocks is facilitated by piers. We immerse ourselves in the turquoise, and after a while we flow over the edge of the reef. It falls not so deeply as on the northern side of the island, but very steeply, almost vertically. Here and there are elk's antlers-like corals of the species acropora palmata, with a lot of colourful parrotfishes spinning, and where smaller sergeant majors are glittering like gold flakes. Suddenly, somewhere down from behind the reef, a stingray emerges. We hang over it motionless and watch as it flows slowly through a blue procession, intersected by rays of the sun. We will remember this meeting for a very long time.

The most peculiar and some of the most beautiful inhab itants of Utila, however, hide not on reefs, but on land. They are quite shy and avoid contact with people, but there is a place where you can almost always meet them. From the town centre we climb up the street towards Stuart's Hill, one of only two hills on the island, and turn left into a large Caribbean-style wooden house hidden among lush greenery. On the lawn in front of the building we see several palm thatch huts made of metal mesh. And in them the most important tenants – iguanas of the species ctenosaura bakeri. These reptiles are critically endangered. They are found only on Utila Island (which is 6 kilometers wide and 11 kilometers long), and they dig nests on a few narrow beaches on the northern side of the island. The Iguana Station employees and volunteers collect eggs and move them to a facility where the young hatch in incubators. Then they take care of the lizards until they grow up enough to cope in the natural environment.

We are lucky: tomorrow a few specimens will be released into the wild. One of the experienced caregivers of the resort will take them to the place and agrees that we and two volunteers will accompany him. "Put on decent shoes and old clothes, because we are unlikely to come back clean," he warns. In fact: the next morning, almost immediately after leaving the Iguana Station, we delve into the wet scrubs that cover most

of Utila, which quickly pass into a low mangrove forest. We go through the tangle of roots. No trace of any path, but our guide knows every angle here. Unfortunately, poachers are equally confident – meat and eggs of iguanas are still a delicacy for some islanders. They are not deterred by mosquitoes, nor by crabs sneaking out from under our feet, nor by mud. Although it is the end of the dry season, every few steps we fall into a sticky goo, sometimes all the way to the knees.

Suddenly, an invigorating turquoise can be seen among the thickets. We come out on a narrow strip of light sand, surrounding the shallow Rock Harbour Bay. Apart from our group, there is no one, tourists from the town do not come here. This is the perfect place to release iguanas. We watch as the guide carefully takes them out and puts them on the ground. We observe from a distance so as not to frighten the animals unnecessarily. They look around for a moment, probably bewildered by the Caribbean light, and then dive into the mangrove thickets. And so do we, but into the warm water of the bay to cool down before the laborious return.

At the end of the stay, we find out that Utila – which we initially believed to be without beaches – has an even more Caribbean face than the Rock Harbour. We are going on a trip with a group of students from one of the diving schools. Many

backpackers travelling through Central America take their first steps in the underwater world on this island: the conditions are safe and pleasant, and the prices of the courses are reportedly among the lowest in the world. Our goal is the linked Jewel Cay and Pigeon Cay, two of a chain of coral islets at the southwestern tip of Utila. Interestingly, it is here that the oldest settlement on the island is located, founded in the first half of the 19th century by newcomers from the Cayman Islands. Today the islets themselves are practically invisible. They are tightly built up with houses and huts, and the structures supported on stilts spread over the sea that washes the rocky shore. There are no cars, no scooters, but everyone has a boat. A real water world. The trainees stay on Jewel Cay, we get into the canoes and row further west, first through the dark saffron depth of the strait, then along the shores of the two islets. Finally, it appears to our eyes: the Caribbean kitsch painted with the turquoise sea, the white of the beach, the green of palm plumes, flecked with red starfish lying in the shallow water. Water Cay is a triangle about two hundred, maybe three hundred meters long, only a few dozen wide, but it is not difficult to forget about the whole big world here. We lie down on the sand, squint our eyes, and bask like the endemic iguanas that have finally found their island.

through the lens

Henley SPierS

blue shark

My conversation withh enleys piers, photographer,divinginstructor

Wojciech Zgoła: you take fantastic photos. since when did you start photographing underwater? henley spiers: Thank you! I would say 2014 is when I took up underwater photography, prior to that I’d had a couple of compact cameras with me on some dives but it was just clicking a few pictures as we went along on dives, memories rather than really thinking much about photography.

thanks to your photos, we met. i liked the turtle photo in the cenote so much that i wrote to you and you agreed to share the photo on the perfect diver wall sometimes. A happy meeting – I’m very pleased to hear you enjoy that image of the turtle in the cenote, it’s a personal favourite and one many people have had a strong emotional response to.

shark Vortex

you worked as an instructor in a diving center for a long time, but recently you have been focusing only professionally on photography, why?

When I was 25 years old, I abandoned corporate life to follow my heart and become a dive professional. After several years working as an instructor in Indonesia, Philippines, and Saint Lucia, I started underwater photography and became so engrossed that I decided to switch from teaching divers, to full time underwater photography.

What's your occupation?

Underwater photographer, writer, and trip leader. I wish I could just be purely an underwater photographer, but the reality is I need to combine several skill sets to make it all work as a profession.

does your family dive? if so, do you spend your holidays diving, if not why?

Yes, my father was my first dive buddy, and I met my wife, Jade, and her father in a dive shop on Malapascua Island, Philipines. Jade would then go on to become a dive professional in Saint

Lucia and we have since worked together as underwater photographers. My daughters are only 3 years and 3 months old so they haven’t yet joined the tradition, but hopefully one day! Yes, I do dive on holidays, although perhaps I shouldn’t, as it’s difficult for me to slow down and just do a few dives, whilst also spending quality time with family.

do you dive without a camera, with your hands free?

These days, no, never…I would feel naked without the camera! Even if I don’t take many shots, I would hate to miss out on documenting something beautiful or unusual because I’d left the camera behind.

your best photo in your opinion?

Gosh, tough question…There are a few I’m very fond of…If pressed, I would say ‘Between Two Worlds’, my black and white shot of a cormorant diving down on a shoal of fish below. It has a lot of power and a strong story to it, an image which anyone in the world could look at and understand. I also think the vision and edit for it was, and still remains, pretty original.

constellation of eagle rays

between two Worlds

battle of the tompots

spider crab

and then what is your dream of underwater photography, because mine is to capture a marlin?

Marlin? Well then you have to join me in Mexico sometime for the striped marlin aggregation! I really enjoy animal behaviour, so the opportunity to capture a never before seen behaviour would be my dream. Mating great white sharks maybe?

What do you think of plastic in relation to the oceans and animals?

Well, I don’t think there’s anything positive to say in terms of plastic and the ocean. Our waste has become an enormous burden for the natural world. I have witnessed plastic debris on dive sites, but what is even more worrying is the plastic we can’t see. Micro-plastics being ingested by animals throughout the food chain, and ultimately, humans too. It’s such a new problem we don’t even fully understand yet what impact micro-plastic will have on the health of the oceans inhabitants. Clearly as a race we need to become less wasteful, and it has been pleasing to see a global awakening on plastics in the last few years. I’d say we’re at the stage where many people are aware of the problem, which is good, but now we need to enter the next stage, where the way we live is transitioned, with

governmental support, to one which fundamentally has far greater restrictions on plastic waste.

do you encounter rubbish while diving in different places?

Yes, I have found it worst in developing nations, where there is both less awareness in some quarters, as well as a reliance on single use packs of basic necessities (such as shampoo or food stuff) due to the low income levels.

do you dive in both wetsuit and drysuit?

Yes, although I admit the dry suit is a relatively recent addition, and I am far more experienced in a wetsuit.

do you prefer warm or cold water? does this object to photograph matter?

I prefer the feeling of warm water! But photographically, I am very inspired by the potential subjects in cold water… For sure a tropical coral reef is a delightful way to dive, but they have been extremely well documented. I feel there may be more unique photographic opportunities and stories to be found in cooler waters at this stage.

big Mouth

have you ever dived in a lake with a visibility of 2–4 meters? No…

so, i invite you to poland in summer :) Ok great – what wildlife is there to see?

We have fish such as pike, catfish, perch, sturgeon, eel and carp. in some places there are boats carved from a single tree trunk. they are sometimes over 1000 years old. but… anyway you wrote to me that you liked our perfect diver Magazine, can you tell me more?

As a photographer, the first thing I do when picking up a magazine or book is look at the pictures. In browsing Perfect Diver Magazine, I appreciated the quality of the images, as well as the editorial lay-out. I was also intrigued by the subject matter, as i am not very familiar with European diving.

You can see more of Henley’s work, including fine art prints and trips at: www.henleyspiers.com

You can also follow him on: Instagram @henleyspiersphoto, Facebook @henleyspiersphotography

Diver, cavern Jack

Central Dalmatia

Text sylwia kosmalska-juriewicz

Photos adrian juriewicz

How beautiful it is in the morning, when not everything has happened yet and everything can happen, you just have to take...

Agnieszka Osiecka

We set out on a diving boat at dawn, from the marina located at the diving center in the Okrung Gorne district, near Trogir. In this area there are thirty of the most interesting diving sites in Central Dalmatia. You can get there from the dive centre on 15 to 80-minute fast boat rides. The centre offers both full day and shorter dive trips, depending on your preferences.

The boat glides lightly on the quiet surface of the water smooth as velvet. I savor this peace with all my senses and enjoy the most delicious dessert. With every moment we move

further away from the marina, from the pebbly and bright beaches and white houses covered with red tiles, which cascade down to the very shoreline. After a long break in travelling, I am back on the high seas, in my element, on my way to diving. The sun's rays dance across my face and the wind tangles my hair. I sit on the bow of the boat and breathe in the smell of the sea, revel in the feeling of true, undisturbed freedom. Away from the mass media... I feel happy. It feels like light years since I last dived in warm sea waters. The dynamically changing situation in the world related

to COVID-19 has "forced" all of us to limit travel to a minimum or abandon it at all. In my memories I go back to the times when everything was possible. The isolation in which we live has made us re-evaluate not only our lives, but also the way we perceive the world, nature and other people. We have become more sensitive and we are much more willing to help others. Each of us learns in their own way to adapt to the new reality in which we live. Therefore, I appreciate more the fact that I am in Croatia with a group of fantastic people who, just like me, missed the sea, diving and the time spent together.

Mahatma Gandhi was right in saying that: Freedom is a state of mind.

We are sailing towards the island of Solta, the thirteenth largest Croatian island, situated in the Adriatic Sea. It is surrounded by small emerald coves and picturesque pebbly beaches covered with pine trees. These trees not only diversify the landscape, but also shelter numerous creatures, including cicadas, which are considered the loudest insects in the world. Adult males, wanting to attract a partner, emit noises that exceed 120 dB. They are so loud that they drown out the engines of yachts entering the port.

The captain is mooring the boat near the island, after forty minutes we got to the first dive site, famous for a small but very beautiful underwater cave with a dry chamber inside. I put on my thermal underwear, put on a drysuit, and it is August. The air temperature exceeds 35°C, and the water temperature varies between 23°C and 24°C. Most people dive in 5 mm wetsuits, but I cool down quickly in the water, so for thermal comfort I took a drysuit and a hood.

I put the regulator in my mouth, press the bleed button on the inflator and plunge into the sun-bathed Adriatic Sea. I slowly penetrate into another world, full of magic, silence and peace. A world that hides a lot of secrets.Sometimes it is capricious and we have to fight the currents, other times it is gentle, calm, ready to tell us its story...

I drop slowly, like a bird descending to land and watching everything from above. The view is phe nomenal, it exceeds 40 m, I look down and see the border where the light blue turns into the dark blue. I swim along a sloping rock wall overgrown with a variety of corals, sponges of irregular shapes and intense colours. They usually take the form of elongated trumpets and grow out of the ground. In numerous rock depressions, navy blue and red bristle worms hide. They have an oblong shape, resemble hairy caterpillars, and their cylindrical bodies consist of more than a hundred segments. They are covered with bristles that sting heavily. Not only bristle worms feel good in the Mediterranean Sea, but also pink and orange moss animals, which most often appear in the form of spherical twigs, growing on shaded underwater rocks. On the flat bot tom, we also encounter anemones, they exist singly and are very intensely coloured, which

indalmatia,wecanseeeverythingthatthe mediterraneanseahastooffer,including: lobsters,octopuses,schoolsoffish,seahorses, seaurchins,starfish,allkindsofmolluscs, nudibranchs,wrecks,gorgesandcaves.

makes them an unusual object to photograph. Below the thirty-fifth meter you can see red soft corals, and slightly higher up the yellow ones. They look like beautifully spread, lace fans.

In Dalmatia, we can see everything that the Mediterranean Sea has to offer, including: lobsters, octopuses, schools of fish, sea horses, sea urchins, starfish, all kinds of molluscs, nudibranchs, wrecks, gorges and caves. I have dived in Croatia many times and I discover it anew each time.

After the dive, we head to Maslinica, a small town on the island of Solta. A real paradise bathed in the afternoon sun. We enter the marina, which seems to be small, but both small dive boats and beautiful luxury yachts covered with chrome and varnished wood moor there. The marina is flowery, pink and white bougainvillea attract colourful butterflies, including swallowtails, one of the most beautiful representatives of this species.

The town looks like a fairy tale. Low buildings made of light stone, charming cafes on the seafront, offering not only delicious coffee, but also ice cream that tastes best with friends. The restaurateurs invite you to try fresh seafood, fish and oven-baked pizza served with olive oil and herbs. Small shops, or rather galleries, offer handicrafts, paintings and jewelery that tourists eagerly buy. We have our favorite cafe in Maselnica at the end of the headland overlooking the sea, where we always relax, enjoy delicious cappuccino and ice cream, and then enjoy swimming in the sea and sun.

After the surface break, we sail out for the second dive. The dive site is about 15 minutes from the island of Solta. We stop at a rocky island with a small, green lighthouse in the

o nlybyobservingwhatsurroundsus,webegin tounderstandthenatureoftheunderwater world,whichhidessomanybeautyand secrets.thereisnoroomforrushing,glancing nervouslyattheclock,orworrying.

center. The captain assures that in this place we will see yellow and brown seahorses and bombs without detonators from World War II. Mother nature accepted them, letting the coral overgrow the metal bullets. They rest on the seabed among long sea grasses. Like relics of old times, they remind you that it was not always so peaceful here. During this dive, in fact, at about six meters, we encounter yellow and brown sea horses,

which are much larger than those we saw while diving in the Philippines before. You must be very lucky to spot them. These two individuals found refuge from predators amid the reef. Sea horses do not swim very well, despite being fish, so they hide and try their best to hide from their enemies.

Only by observing what surrounds us, we begin to understand the nature of the underwater world, which hides so many beauty and secrets. There is no room for rushing, glancing nervously at the clock, or worrying. Diving allows you to achieve inner balance and peace.

We arrive at the diving center in the late afternoon, rinse the equipment in fresh water and return to the apartments overlooking the sea. In the evening, when the sun is going down, we are going to Trogir for dinner. Places where modernity meets tradition. The old town of this charming port city is situated on an island. To reach it, just cross the bridge, from which there is an amazing view of the old town, entered on

the UNESCO List of Cultural and Natural Heritage. The historic Old Town is built of light stone and a huge gate leads to it. It extends through narrow streets paved with light stone with numerous boutiques, restaurants and open-air cafes. Cascades of colourful flowers hang from historic balconies, and lazy cats bask on the walls. Cafes and restaurants slowly fill up with guests, we also take seats in our favorite "Lavender" restaurant. We did not have to reserve tables in advance due to the small number of tourists, which is not normal at this time of the year.

We needed these shared moments like oxygen to breathe. So much has changed in such a short time...

Following the words of Ajahn Brahm, a buddhist monk who says: It will also pass..., both good and bad things in our lives pass. Nothing is permanent and is given to us forever. Therefore, let us enjoy the little things, practice gratitude, and appreciate every moment.

Sardinia

under the SIgn of aquarIuS

Starting from the north of the island we first get to Olbia, one of the largest cities of Sardinia. It is a city of great importance due to a large port where we can catch a ferry with cartoon characters known from the Cartoon Network.

There is also an airport to which we can fly from Europe or other parts of the world.

Olbia hosts many events, concerts and festivals. My favorite is the regional streetFood, where you can try masterful panino con polpo or fried artichoke. A real culinary feast.

Once your tummies are full, you can think of the pleasures of exploring beautiful sandy beaches or new diving sites.

A few kilometers away from Olbia lies "horse tail" cape, Capo Coda Cavallo.A fabulous and extremely charming place, full of small bays where you can hide from the crowd of other

lovers of the island climate. The water here mixes with the blue of the sky, and white clouds roll like pieces of wool scattered overhead, pushed by the wind.

It is beautiful, but you have to get into the water to see what is really waiting for us here!

I’m arriving at a place called Cala Paradiso, one of the housing estates with holiday bungalows. Here I can see the sign AQUARIUS DIVING CENTER 300 m.

And indeed, the road ends and on the left there is a large banner with the name of the diving center.

The diving village comprise literally a few houses where the crew lives next to a huge board with a map of the local diving sites, and of course Andrea, the boss and the owner of this fabulous spot.

Text and photos Bartosz pszczółkowski

At the Chrisso wreck with a master and the tavolara island in the background

This nice guy speaks perfect English. He welcomes me and tells me to get ready because we are going to dive soon;) Finally – I’m thinking –I will finally dive!

We sail on the board of "Master", a comfortable Zodiac boat, to dive next to the wall of Tavolara.

tedja liscia is our first stop. The name comes from a very distinctive rock form with a huge boulder nearby. Under the water we see amazing rock formations and Mediterranean reef in all its glory. Groupers are swimming timidly around us. They are large, but very active. In the rock crevices, the moray subjects itself to cleaning treatments of shrimps. Those with a flashlight can look into the nooks and crannies and find the "cical" lobster.There are also a lot of octopuses that leave behind stone piles. I really like these creatures as they are perfectly adapted to their environment. They can change color, shape, and release a cloud of ink to confuse their enemy.

The temperature in water here in August reaches even 27°C, and the thermocline occurs only at 30 meters. Visibility is sometimes 40 meters, and the water is crystal.

Papa is our second dive site. We are in the "Area Marina Protetta di Tavolara" park, which means that up to 9 people can be under the water at the same time. Everyone wants to dive here and such quantitative limits help protect the park's underwater environment. This spot is in the open sea.

We’re jumping into the water.

We’re meeting at the buoy anchored to the bottom at 30 meters. The impression during the descent is electrifying, especially since pinnacles, underwater mountains with peaks at 17 m, 20 m, 24 m and 31 meters, appear after a few moments since the beginning of our dive. Here is a different world. The shoal of sardines shimmers like a disco ball in the sun's rays shining through the water. Predators such as yellowtail kingfish chase shoals of sardines like sheepdogs. Three different types of groupers, barracudas, moray eels, the aforementioned yellowtail kingfish, Mediterranean rainbow wrasses and Damselfish introduce us to their underwater world, showing how rich and diverse it is.

Here we will meet even pesce luna, or common mola (possible with a little luck). On the surface there is a herd of common dolphins, sometimes called Lampugus. Here you can dive every day!

Grouper hidden in the gorgonians, Papa due

Flabellina, purple nudibranch on pinnacle wall, Papa due

Cratena peregrina, nudibranch

Diver and gorgonia

The slopes of these underwater mountains are covered with gorgonians, soft filter animals resembling fans made of plants. Nudibranchs of the genus Cratena peregrina or Flabellina are common here, and sometimes you can find Antedon, a crinoid, i.e. Mediterranean feather star, hiding among the branches of gorgonians.

The omnipresent blueness can make you dizzy.

After getting on the deck of the Master, there is a momentary silence, because this dive is a trip to a kind of Mediterranean underwater temple. After a few moments, you get excited about what you have seen and experienced under the water, and the emotions are buzzing;) This is one of the top diving sites in the area, but only for advanced divers. While diving in the open sea, sometimes in the current and in the depths, sometimes even without any reference point, you must demonstrate high level of buoyancy.

Another stop on our diving list is punta arresto. These are two huge two rock formations cut through by a canyon. This is the kingdom of moray eels and grouper. Very pleasant area near the island of Molara and a diving spot for divers at all lev-

els. These mountain formations rise up to the very surface. It is a paradise for beginner divers, because here they can safely practice their buoyancy skills and develop their ability to find interesting animals or plants. I love diving in places like this, because it makes me feel like walking in the mountains. I can also admire these unusual formations from a bird's eye view and feel the effect of weightlessness and the enormity of the surrounding water.

In the Marina proteta di tavolara park we can also find wrecks. One of them is Chrisso, a very famous wreck due to the fact, that for many years its larger part protruded above the water surface. The ship crashed into the rocks at the site of Punta La Grteca in 1974. Abandoned and devastated by winter storms, it has been decaying for years. Currently, from the surface perspective, you can see the engine and the bow section. A great place for divers due to the shallow depth, the possibility of safe exploration of the wreck and a chance to peek into various nooks and crannies. You can even snorkel there: get to know the wreck by swimming with a snorkel on the surface, and then dive deeper inside the wreck with

Rhizostoma pulmo jellyfish surrounded by fish, Punta arresto

tre fratell, three brothers, rock formations located in the open sea, similar to the site of Punta arresto

Centimeter-sized sepia, like a spaceship, during a night dive on the backyard reef of cala suaraccia

A screw on the Chrisso wreck

Part of the port side with poles, chrisso wreck

aqualung and explore the selected parts. The average depth is 10 meters. Such depth gives us a lot of time to explore the wreck, but also sometimes, when the weather is windy, the waves occur, and the entire site is not suitable for diving for safety reasons. This is a great place for macro-photographers because the wreck is overgrown with various types of sponges and lush vegetation which is home to many species of nudibranchs, including Hyspelodoris picta in the first place. On the wreck you can also meet lobsters, Scyllarides and sometimes barracudas. This place can awaken your passion for wreck diving. Personally, I like diving on wrecks mainly because they crate an artificial reef. They are a new place to be settled by marine organisms, which can colonize any available surface in an unusual and very fast way.

It is a perfect field for a photographer to show off, although it always brings about a dilemma which lens to take underwa-

Part of the chrisso wreck protruding above the water

Hyspelodoris picta, large nudibranch found on the chrisso wreck

transparent shrimp that lives in the anemone

ter. The wide angle will capture the wreck in a beautiful scene, but thanks to the macro lens we will be able to capture animals the size of a few centimeters or even millimeters.

Diving on the Chrisso wreck completed my diving time with Aquarius and only aroused my curiosity about this area. There are still many dive sites to discover, amphoras, old anchors and black coral, as Andrea says.

I am looking forward to my next visit to this place. Now it's time for a trip to the top of Tavolara, the island where I previously dived. After all, man does not live by diving alone. However, all in all, it’ll be just another short surface break :)

View of tavolara, Molara and the surrounding islands

View from the top of tavolara, our Lady looking towards olbia. An angel ferrata leads to the top, a great way to get moving and get a vantage point to the whole area

Pudding

Text t omasz wciórka "eternal"

Bogdan zając

in search of interesting sites to surprise us with something entirely new underwater, we travel to the most distant regions of europe and the world. what if i told you that just beyond the polish border, there is a lake with many wooden barge wrecks older than 100 years and rare, gorge-shaped rock formations?

All of this with a visibility that usually exceeds 10 m. Are you interested? Let me present to you Lake Werbellin and its mysteries.

Lake Werbellin is located in north-eastern Germany, in the land of Brandenburg.

The distance is only 80 km in the direction of Berlin from the border crossing in Kołbaskowo. Comfortable access is provided by means of the A11 highway, which opens up right after passing the border. Take the A10 Chorin exit and head to Joachimsthal. You'll arrive at the lake after a 10-minute drive along a local road, leading through a densely wooded area.

The reservoir is surrounded by forests and situated within the Schorfheide-Chorin biosphere reserve. This area offers numerous cycling routes, holiday resorts and recreation sites. It's very popular among divers and full of holidaymakers during the summer. With a depth of more than 50 m, it is one of the deepest lakes in Germany. With its considerable surface area (almost 8 square kilometers) and an elongated shape, the lake encourages sailing and other water sports.

Lake Werbellin is a ribbon lake which was formed during the last glacial period. Thawing waters formed a canal, which was continuously deepened along with the increasing pressure of the water trapped under the glacier. Uneven pressure led

Photos

berlin

Werbellinsee

to the creation of hills and valleys at the lake bottom. This process contributed to the formation of an underwater area called “Puddingberge” – pudding mountains.

Almost the entire bed profile of Lake Werbellin is sandy, with a very scarce littoral zone. In the most shallow zone, the majority of the bed is covered with freshwater molluscs. This naturally brings the Baltic Sea to my mind. However, the color of the water is totally different. It is usually bluish, as in limestone quarries. Lucky divers may encounter really huge catfish and burbots, which we saw numerous times in the barge wrecks mentioned at the beginning. Pikes also grow to equally impressive sizes here, although there are very few in this lake.

There is a dozen diving sites around the lake, marked with appropriate signs. The signs are marked with the spot number, name of the dive site and maximum depth. It's enough to give this number to the emergency services in the case of a diving accident. Rescue will arrive from the water and air in just several minutes. Everything is perfectly organized.

The most popular diving site is the “Dornsbuchwreck”. This is a more than 100-years-old, 40 meter-long wooden barge located not far from the shore. It sits at a depth of 35–38 m. There are many more such barges in the lake. However, in this article I would like to present a much less popular spot.

One that, in my opinion, is enchanted with an exceptional atmosphere. One of the reasons for this is the fact that you'll most probably be entirely alone underwater when admiring it.

Puddingberge

The pudding mountains that have been mentioned here are located in the more shallow part of the lake. Unfortunately, it's also quite far away from the shore. You'll really need to put your back into the swim to get there. But I think it's completely

worth it. An alternative is of course to take a DPV that will take you to your dream destination much quicker.

The area offers a car park and tables for divers to gear up comfortably. Access to the water is also comfortable. Unfortunately, the cove bed is silty and each step in the water raises sediments that give off an unpleasant smell. But what wouldn’t you do for an interesting dive?

In order to see the pudding mountains, you need to move at a medium pace towards the other bank for approximately 20–25 minutes. On the way, you'll pass by some mussel fields and rather scarce vegetation. The bed will slowly start to slope downwards and the vegetation will disappear completely. At a depth of 20 meters, you will see the first corrugations and bumps. This is the sign that you are moving in the right direction. The underwater landscape is similar to desert dunes. Further along, as the depth increases, cracks will get even bigger, up to several meters in height. The width of the cracks varies largely, sometimes they're a meter wide, sometimes more. Numerous gorges, with various size, are scattered throughout the landscape and provide an impressive view. The pudding mountains stretch over a large area, so there is a lot to

be admired. The largest formations are located at a depth of 25–30 meters and protrude out of the sandy bed, reaching even several meters.

Water transparency in this region is usually very good and often exceeds 10 m. On a sunny day there is no need to use additional lighting.

You are probably wondering why this place is called the pudding mountains. Well, in order to solve this puzzle, it is enough to touch one of the rock formations. You will discover that they are soft like a sponge. Additionally, the entire structure wobbles like pudding or jelly taken out of a bowl. The “rocks” are rather delicate and easily damaged by careless divers, so better move carefully. They're made of eroded marlstone, where less compact sand was flushed from between the structures by water, creating incredible landscapes. The pudding mountains, full of holes like Swiss cheese, recesses and cracks, form a perfect hiding place for smaller fish. Although there are not many of them, the ones we managed to see look similar to those seen on reefs in more exotic locations.

In order to complete this dive, you need at least a two-cylinder set. If you wish to spend more time on admiring the place, you may also need decompression gas. Though I have dived there many times, I regularly return and discover something new each time.

If you prefer to be alone underwater, enjoy diving in Austrian lakes and are not a big fan of fish, you'll definitely be enchanted by the atmosphere of the Puddingberge.

Have you ever wondered what a professional diver sees under water and how is it transmitted to the surface?

Unlikerecreational diving, a diver working under water gives an image of what he sees on the surface to the person operating the video panel.

Several companies in the world specialize in the production of this type of equipment. In the United States, the most recognizable brand is AMRON International. One of the most popular video systems for divers is the 3400 system with a 15” monitor and the ability to record in HD quality. Of course, this also depends on the camera used.

On the European market, several companies associated with the production of equipment for the needs of professional diving, also produce such systems. The company ocean-tech sp. z o.o with its innovative solution uv2 (underwater video system uv2).

The Video UV2 system is dedicated to two divers. Solution created by the team of Ocean-Techto company. A fully functional video system that uses the latest electronics and introduces facilities compared to other video systems companies. Video recording directly after pressing the REC button on the desktop, another improvement is the power supply in the event of a power failure, as well as the ability to connect the video source to an additional TV or monitor with an analog input. The audio input, after connecting the underwater communication, allows you to record sound together with the image. New features make the UV2 the most advanced video system on the market. The UV2 model is equipped with a 12 V gel battery with protection against deep discharge as standard.The whole system is closed in a durable, black plastic case with all controls and connections located on the front panel, which makes it easy to use.

SPRZĘT NURKOWY SPRZEDAŻ I SERWIS

Sacred waters

water is a natural magnet for divers. a n element that literally drags you into its depths. i 've always wondered what is so special about water that it makes so many people want to risk their lives, spend money, waste their time at the cost of family time in order to spend some time in these depths, even if it’s just for a moment.

AndI’ve never found an answer to this question. On the other hand, another question arose and it is easier to answer. How did people treat water in the past?

If you dig deeper into the archeological, historical or anthropological studies, you’ll see that water has always been important for humans. It was a source of life-giving strength, a source of food but also a destructive element that spawned demons taking people’s lives.

People knew the importance of water already in the earliest periods. Images of marine animals, penguins and fish, can be seen in cave paintings from the Paleolithic period (approx. 50,000–10,000 BC). Some of them could be identified, e.g. salmon in the Abri du Poisson cave. It’s pretty hard to tell if aquatic animals or the water itself had any significant meaning for people at the time.

We know a bit more about water and people from the later period, called the Mesolithic, which lasted from 11,000 up to even 5,000 BC, depending on the region. During this time, people carved symbols on everyday objects and now the scientists interpret these symbols as waves or rain. Then, people selected places located near water to live in and made intensive use of water. As you can imagine, close proximity to water bodies was important for survival and maybe even for spiritual life. Water was certainly an object of cult of some sort in the period called the Neolithic. These are the times when agriculture was developed and people learned to manufacture ceramic pots. Votive offerings from this period, which were objects cast into lakes, rivers, streams or bogs, are being discovered. The context of the discovery indicates that people who were casting these objects into the water never intended to retrieve them.

Text mateusz P o P ek Photos wikimedia commons

Photo Mateusz Popek

Archeologists find pots, some of which were damaged on purpose. The damage might indicate a certain ritual “killing” of the object. What was inside… remains unknown. Whom were these offerings made to? It’s hard to define if it was a deity who had a name and a specific form, the ancestors or whether the water itself was sacred. Scientists assume that casting vessels into such places was associated with imagery of fertility.

The Bronze Age is a very interesting period, which saw the advent of complex social structures appear. At that time, the most valuable objects were cast into the water, such as bronze weapons and ornaments made of copper or gold. These were certain “insignia” of the elite. In some cases, scientists are able to distinguish offerings made by women from those made by men. Jewelry and elements of the horse gear were considered female offerings. The fertility goddess was

believed to ride a chariot drawn by horses. Men were more likely to cast weapons into the water, which was related to the cult of war. There were cases where weapons retrieved from a beaten enemy army were sacrificed. That’s exactly how the offerings discovered in the Hjortspring bog were made. A multitude of shields, spearheads, swords and even an entire

bedivere

Abri cave Fish

20-meter boat were found there! Just think how great the victory must have been and how much the winners wanted to thank the gods.

The Iron Age is a period when the dynamic Celtic and Germanic tribes wandered across Europe. They had a complex religious system, which we know from the Romans, who had contact these people on multiple occasions. Water was much venerated in these times as well. The number of deposits cast into bogs, rivers and lakes is enormous. During this period, apart from weapons, people sacrificed animals as well. A particularly interesting place, where sacrifices were made, is Skedemosse in Öland. Apart from throwing weapons into the bog, which was a lake at the time, sacrifices of horses were also made. What was however especially interesting, was the form of these sacrifices. People hung horse skin with its skull and hooves on poles over the bog. What happened to the remaining part of the animal? Hard to tell, but it may have been consumed during a ritual feast.

In the early Middle Ages, horses were also of great significance, especially for Slavic tribes and Scandinavian Vikings. The latter had strong connections to the sea, reflected by burying their dead in ships covered with mounds. Not only a ship with a bow decorated with a sculpture of a horse head was found in the Ladby burial mound in Denmark, but also sacrifices made of those animals. No such strong connection to the sea is observed in the Slavs. Lake islands were of great importance for these tribes. Large quantities of weapons and horse remains are often found around these islands; scientists assume they are remnants of some rituals, which are unfortunately difficult to reconstruct because of the lack of written sources.

As the Europe adopts Christianity, water-related rituals disappear. Some unclear remnants of them are preserved in legends, superstitions and traditions of various local communities. One of these legends is the legend of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake, who gave him a sword imbued with unusual powers. Curiously, scientists noticed that surprisingly many swords discovered in lakes or rivers come from the late Middle Ages. Is it possible that the ritual of casting these weapons into the water was preserved into the Christian times and the king's

the Lady of the Lake gives Excalibur to King Arthur

tales of romanse (1906)

Photo Mateusz Popek

legend is its reflection? It would be unusual if the imagery related to water was so instilled in the minds of contemporary people that even such a profound change of religion couldn’t weaken it.

Although we’re coming to an end of the story about the magical ties of people with water, I have to admit that I barely scratched the surface of this topic. The amount of archeological materials and the number of works on this topic is enormous. There are also many scientific interpretations of how the rituals could look like and what they meant.

What do you think – what attracted people to water so much? What did societies find so special about the shiny surface of a lake for such a long time? And what attracts us to water now? Isn’t each dive a kind of a ritual, during which we want to meet mysterious deities and demons hiding in depths? Discover the answers to these questions for yourselves 

Extraction of the oseberg ship in 1904

Photo by olaf Væring, Kulturhistorisk uio museum, oslo, norway

Photo Mateusz Popek

dan europe is launching a new, multifaceted campaign to encourage, celebrate, and support local diving in response to the pandemic, which has greatly restricted divers’ ability to travel internationally.

"PADI has led the way and we’re happy to join them along with our industry partners and agencies to encourage divers to explore local diving opportunities”, explained DAN Europe marketing director Cristian Pellegrini. “Given the public health situation we find ourselves in, local diving is one of the things that will hopefully help boost our industry’s recovery".

Identified by the hashtags #divelocal #divesafe, the campaign, which kicked off with a new feature article in Alert Diver – #Divelocal: How Diving Is Getting Its Groove Back – will help local dive centers and their clients rediscover and get the most out of their local diving sites. Planned components include collateral materials for dive centers; stories featuring local diving in Alert Diver and the DAN Europe blog, talks and social media lives, tools to help local divers connect with others, and of course continued safety recommendations. DAN Europe is committed to helping local diving grow.

DAN Europe is also working on new insurance products, with the intent to meet the evolving needs of the diving community—particularly now with the emphasis on local diving, and reflecting the ever-changing situation of the market. The insurance will supplement divers’ national healthcare system coverages, which generally do not provide the specialized knowledge and assistance required for diving injuries or fully cover hyperbaric therapy. Details of the new plan will be announced soon. The new insurance product will complement DAN Europe’s basic 25€ membership package, which provides 24/7 access to the DAN hotline and diving medical advice, access to MyDAN, and the App (Google Play, iOs).

In addition, the DAN Europe team is planning to support and participate in local diving projects of their own, following a recent successful citizen science project at the Pescara Springs Natural Reserve located a little more than a half an hour drive from one of DAN Europe's operations offices located in Central Italy. There the team joined marine biologists to survey the autochthonous freshwater crayfish living in Springs.

"That’s the beauty of local diving", says Laura Marroni, DAN Europe Vice President, who was part of the team of volunteer research divers. "You can find unexpected treasures and wonder in your own backyard"!

#divelocal #divesafe

whether you dive in seawater or fresh water, warm or cold, huge or tiny reservoir, shallow or deep – you are never alone.

plankton t he ubiquitous

Text and photos agata

Even if you do not see any curious fish or large beast anywhere or you are not being watched by a crab hidden behind a stone, “this” will always be you around: the plankton.

But what is all this plankton? The word plankton comes from the Greek (planktós) and translated literally means "wandering". To put it simply, these are organisms living in the depths that cannot withstand the water currents. They wander wherever the water carries them. Plankton can be divided into two types: phytoplankton and zooplankton. The former are microscopic plant organisms, the latter are usually small animals, crustaceans, most often invisible to the naked eye. Zooplankton organisms also include all kinds of jellyfish, both our small Baltic moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) and huge lion's mane jellyfish growing up to 2 meters (Cyanea capillata).

turowicz-cyBula

In order to be able to stay in the water, planktonic organisms have developed a lot of different types of protrusions, legs, antenna, flagella and cilia. It is they that increase surface area of the organisms, thanks to which they do not fall to the bottom of the water reservoirs. Additionally, they make these tiny animals look like aliens. Jellyfish, in order to be able to stay in the water, consist of 96% water.

The Baltic Sea is abundant in both zooplankton and phytoplankton organisms. As a result, under the right conditions (high sun exposure, high temperature and a large amount of nutrients in the water), blooms can occur. We have unequivocally negative associations with them, but it is the huge plankton blooms (Trichodesmium erythraeum) turning water red which gave the name to the Red Sea, a favorite for all divers.

In the Red Sea, we can also meet another very interesting phenomenon related to the presence of plankton, namely bioluminescence. Responsible for it are the algae of the species

Noctiluca sp., which, under favorable conditions, start to illuminate, making the water sparkle with a bright blue glow even in the middle of the night.

Although it is usually invisible, the role of plankton is invaluable. Phytoplankton is one of the main sources of organic matter in the ecosystem. It is the basis of the food chain and the source of food for many organisms. In addition, phytoplankton living in the oceans is responsible for the production of almost half of the oxygen on our planet. Zooplankton, on the other hand, is the main component of the diet of juvenile and small fish as well as a delicacy of the world's largest fish – the whale shark (Rhincodon typus).

A goose or not really?

Text and photos wojciech jarosz

there is a bird that lives in e urope, although “egyptianness” is inscribed in its name. i s it native or a stranger? –that's the question. wise men say that this beautifully feathered animal is, after all, an alien species.

Butthen, is being a stranger synonymous to being a threat?

After all, strangeness can have different faces. And if it is a threat: who does it threaten, why and in what way?

Specialists from the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences recognize the Egyptian goose as a potentially invasive alien species, which means that in the event of an increase in the population size, it may adversely affect the native fauna. Therefore, such an answer should be given to the question posed: time alone will tell. The problem of alien species is so multifactorial that it is very difficult to forecast the real impact of the presence of newcomers on ecosystems in the long term. When the "invasion" lasts longer, it is slightly easier to draw certain conclusions from observations. And these are often genuinely disturbing. In our part of the world, one of the gloomier cases of alien species influencing the water-related bird population is the spread of the American mink. It turned out that it eagerly uses the nests of birds that lay eggs both on the ground and in trees, as it can climb perfectly. It makes the use of eggs, of course, for culinary purposes, de-

vouring eggs, chicks and even adult birds. The same applies to a raccoon or a raccoon dog. Underwater divers can meet the round goby or the spinycheek crayfish, the two species whose stories are well known. The inhabitants of larger or smaller islands or geographically isolated areas with unique fauna and flora, such as Australians or New Zealanders, can tell a lot about changes in the ecosystem as a result of the introduction or appearance of invasive species. In conclusion, it is not without reason that biological invasions of alien species are considered to be one of the greatest threats to the world’s nature.

But let's go back to the goose. It naturally occurs mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in the Nile Valley, where it used to be worshiped by the Ancients thousands of years ago. Where did it come from? It came to Europe via Great Britain, where in the 18th century the first individuals were freed. It has spread throughout Western Europe and representatives of the free-living populations can be found in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark and Germany. It is most likely that the bird "citizens" of the German Republic were the pioneers

but let's go back to the goose. it naturally occurs mainly in sub-saharan africa, as well as in the nile valley, where it used to be worshiped by the ancients thousands of years ago. where did it come from? it came to europe via great britain, where in the 18th century the first individuals were freed.

in Poland. The first observations come from 2007, and the first brood of three pairs was recorded in the country on the Vistula River a year later. Speaking of brooding, like many species of ducks, Egyptian geese do not limit themselves to romancing only with representatives of their species. There are, for example, crosses (hybrids) of geese and ... mallards (another species of ducks – see Perfect Diver No. 9). Hybridization is one of the significant threats associated with the invasion of alien species. Not only does it lead to the disappearance of the species

with which the invader interbreeds, but it may be even easier for the invasive species to share parasites or other pathogens with the native species, for which, in turn, a new world for colonization opens up (dear Reader, please forgive the author that he keeps coming back to the topic of alien species, but who knows when the next opportunity will arise?). Returning to the broods: geese are exceptionally territorial during that time. When the territory is breached, the males are ready to attack. They are not afraid to stand up to a bigger individual –there are descriptions of situations when a geese attacked... a helicopter in defense of its nest. You can find videos on the Internet about the attack of a geese on a drone. There are also jealous geese, which are similar in this respect to other geese. They also mate for life, work together to build a nest and raise the young. When there is a risk of losing family integrity, females send their partners into battle and then watch them try to hurt or scare each other in an aerial battle. At such times it can certainly show obstinacy and aggression!

It's time to clarify the name of the species. Before Alopochen aegyptiaca became a shelduck, it was known as the Egyptian

goose. However, it turned out that the Egyptian goose is not a goose at all. Its superficial similarity in terms of morphology and behavior, as well as its name, established in history and tradition, did not fool vigilant ornithologists. After all, it is not only the broadly understood phenotype that is taken into account today when revising the taxonomic status of species. An advantage over Linnaeus and Darwin is provided to modern naturalists by the ability to compare the genomes of more or less related species or even higher taxa – genera, families, orders, etc. It was no coincidence that in the article on geese (Perfect Diver No. 6) there was no space for this shelduck. Indeed, Egyptian geese are related to a group of ducks called shelducks. So in fact they are ducks, not geese, and one of its official names is the Egyptian shelduck. Apart from the Ehygptian shelduck, the genus Alopochen includes two other species, namely the Réunion shelduck (A. kervazoi) and the Mauritius shelduck (A. mauritiana) – both extinct. Interestingly, they were described and classified (Réunion shelduck only in

1994) on the basis of subfossil remains (not completely fossilized), because they did not live to see our times. As insular species, they were quickly killed to the last one by Europeans colonizing these islands. Descriptions of the initially numerous and then rapidly disappearing goose-like birds date back to the second half of the 17th century. And so the Egyptian shelduck became the only representative of its kind in the modern world. To please our eyes with its beautiful appearance, we can go to Africa, for example while diving in Egypt, but we have a greater chance of meeting it in the middle of Europe. In the western part of our continent, you don't even have to make an effort to meet this species. It has become quite common and often not very fearful. It happens to use the riverside infrastructure to rest and sometimes even nest, in which it is similar to its distant cousin – the mallard. Keep an eye out for the goose-like ducks and look out for the characteristic dark spots around the eyes – this is how you recognize the Egyptian goose!

Text margita Ślizowska Photos wiktor zdrojewski

cat the end of our snorkeling series –i ’m presenting to you a set of XI ABC's Commandments, which will remind you of the most important matters related to safety. h ere they are.

hoose a safe location, ensure the company of an attendant, secure a way out of water. Every diving or snorkeling accident starts usually on the surface – due to the deliberate omission of a part of the procedure or some oversight... therefore find out What dangers occur on the site (e.g. currents, waves, eddies, changing weather, low water temperature) where you intend to snorkel (dive). Making an inquiry first to check if the place we want to visit is safe and asking someone for attendance – these really do not require much effort. And a conversation with someone who knows the water reservoir can additionally provide us

with knowledge about, for example, attractions that are worth paying attention to.

never snorkel alone. Frequent communication and closeness of a partner is important not only because of the time spent together and good fun, which is provided by the right company. This mutual awareness and communication can save our life and health in the least expected moment… critically evaluate your sWiMMing skills. The fact that someone swims poorly and yet loves water and wants to enjoy its benefits is no reason to be ashamed or to pretend it is otherwise. Use a wetsuit, life jacket or other source of buoyancy to avoid critical situations and exposing you and your snorkeling partner to an unpleasant adventure. Note: if we can't swim – an air mattress (to lie on) not only is not an adequate protection, but also might be a potential source of an accident!

If you go underwater – always eQualiZe the ear pressure. Remember not to wait until your ears start to ache. The pressure should be equalized when we feel pressure in the ears. When your ears start to ache, it's already too late. Then you should immediately get back to the surface. The moment at which you feel pressure in your ears depends on your individual body structure and is not a determinant of your suitability for diving. Some people need to equalize the pressure more often, starting from the depth of several dozen centimeters after submerging. And that doesn't mean they are worse div-

ers. The easiest way to equalize pressure is to use the Valsalva maneuver. To equalize the pressure in the ears – pinch your nose and gently (briefly – for a second) blow into the pinched nose. Repeat the test with each subsequent feeling of pressing in the ears...

Use the advice of experts when choosing and adjusting equipment. Only use masks made of tempered glass, as only this material is suitable for use at increasing pressure under water. Thanks to this, when you decide to immerse deeper under water (with your breath hold or with SCUBA equipment) you will not have to change your favorite well-fitting mask.

through the snorkel, breathe norMally and calMly. When diving and snorkeling, our breathing should be a little slower and a little deeper than normal. Make sure you exhale properly to get rid of carbon dioxide effectively. If you submerged below the surface – after surfacing, first bloW Water froM the pipe, to avoid choking on the water that is left in the snorkel. It seems logical and obvious – but many people don't have the instinctive reaction to empty the water before taking the first breath.

Make sure you can control the craMps and you will make it back to shore (if necessary) without fins. Stretching your leg (because it is where usually cramps occur) is a fairly simple and effective procedure, provided that you start doing it when you feel the first symptoms of the cramp. Failure to

react quickly may result in a complete inability to reach the shore on your own. Then we have to be towed to the shore by a partner...

if you feel bad or you are cold – finish the snorkeling. We cool down in water more than twenty times faster than on land. The cold paralyzes movements and the ability to think and judge situations. Wear a thin hat after snorkeling. Protect your sinuses and ears after getting out of the water. These are delicate organs, and are more susceptible to infection when in contact with water and pressure. Catching a runny nose suddenly will also not be helpful in your snorkeling or diving adventures the next day ;-)

it is best to enter unfamiliar water in shoes. do not touch the reef or animals. Especially in warm or tropical waters, where the underwater fauna and flora may contain toxins that threaten our life and health. be quiet and calm.

An animal usually attacks when it feels threatened. Therefore, let us take care of good relations with every aspect of life on our planet.

do not enter water after alcohol or drugs. Stimulants interfere with the ability to concentrate and the ability to react appropriately in an emergency. Take care of your physical condition. It is especially important to take care of the proper circulatory capacity (including diet, medical tests, exercise) and a skillful way of breathing (using the diaphragm and a set of intercostal muscles). If you are not an ice swimmer – do not expose yourself to thermal shock. Keep your body properly hydrated.

have the eMergency nuMbers, emergency plan and information about the nearest hospital written down.

This is especially true for SCUBA divers, who additionally and absolutely should follow the rule: "No oxygen – no diving." I also remind you of the appropriate insurance. check if you know the Water eMergency signs. We are not the only users of water reservoirs, so it is worth knowing the basic information and emergency signs in communication over and underwater.

In my experience, people start to be interested in the ability to help the victim and how to secure and prevent an accident only when they personally encounter such a situation. For years I have been involved in the subject of lifesaving and first aid (both regular and diving). I conduct workshops, meetings, lectures and exercises. I promote safety above and under water. Therefore, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the topic BEFORE you find yourself in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation. I hope that thanks to what you have read in my articles, you will be safer while practicing your passion for water. Please do not forget about your own safety and that of others. Below you will find a link to the movie "SNORKELING i.e. essentials for ABC practitioner". Watch, recommend, train and... have fun 

Thank you for the attention. See you above and under the water 

Your "Mermaid" – Margita Ślizowska

www.xdivers.pl www.abcsnorkeling.pl video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwLDd5PJFU&t=98s

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Exactly 906 pages has a new work of Dr. med. Jarosław Krzyżak and prof. dr hab. med. Krzysztof Korzeniewski. This is the fifth version, the most comprehensive publication on diving medicine. Interestingly, all previous versions are virtually unavailable on the secondary market. This is perhaps the best review of previous releases. Let's see what has changed in the latest.

This extremely cavernous book entitled "Medicine for divers" is a kind of compendium of diving knowledge. The authors of this publication approached the topic extremely holistically, describing not only the direct topics related to diving, but also everything related to it. The book begins with a health qualification for diving, which is an attempt to answer the basic question: "Who can dive?". Then the authors focus on the preparation for a diving trip and methods of protection against possible diseases. The next chapter describes the basic laws of physics related to diving, because what else than physics affects the diver's health. Then we move on to the physiology of diving, i.e. a comprehensive description of how our body functions under water. When we go through

Jarosław Krzyżak, Krzysztof Korzeniewski

MeDIcINe for DIverS

4font Sp. z o.o. Publishing House, p. 906, 2020

this topic, we can read about the types of diving to smoothly move to the basics of decompression. Finally, after 350 pages packed with knowledge, we come to diving diseases, which is described by the next 250 pages. Then, together with the authors, we can analyze diving accidents recorded by various organizations. There is also a chapter on dangerous marine animals that has always been marginalized in most diving courses. Finally, we get an extensive collection of appendices, which include, among other things, procedures for dealing with diving diseases.

It is quite difficult to review such a publication. It is not a book that you read from cover to cover, but rather a publication that you reach out to to expand your knowledge.

Because probably knowledge is the most important in diving. It is the awareness of what is happening with our body that allows us to protect ourselves against a potential accident. I believe that anyone who is serious about diving should refer to this publication, because it will find a huge amount of useful knowledge. However, even such a good publication has its drawbacks. The first is the circulation. The premiere of the book took place on September 7, 2020. I am writing these words on October 27, 2020 and the website reads: "The book is temporarily unavailable. We are waiting for delivery". Hopefully the delivery gets there. The second disadvantage of this publication is the fact that it is only available in Polish. I haven't found a similar book in English in my research yet, and I think it would be worth sharing this knowledge. The book for PLN 298 with delivery can be ordered at https://www. medycynanurkowa.pl/, of course, when the delivery arrives.

Mateusz popek

Buoyant mood

Text wojciech a. Filip

previously, you may have read the article on underwater light communication published in perfect diver. now's the time to get your message to the top!

Those who work underwater will take this literally, as they are permanently connected with the surface operator by means of a special wire. It enables unhindered two-way communication similar to a telephone conversation. Alternatively, some divers use wireless communication. However, the most popular means of communication with the surface, that is used by almost every diver, is a diving buoy.

does every diver need to use a buoy? What color to choose? When to use it?

Let's begin with a few words on recent history.

Several years ago, a diving buoy was called a decompression buoy and its main purpose was to compensate for a technical diver’s problems with controlling buoyancy in advanced diving that required maintaining a precise depth at decompression stops. In the ‘90s, almost every diver used a buoy for this purpose. A reel was used to deploy a buoy and the diver was "suspended" on the reel handle. During this period, it was important for the diver to inflate the buoy as much as possible, so that it would support them at the required depth. Over time, divers have improved their skills at controlling buoyancy in the water. Currently, almost every one tries to

Photo Wojtek Filip

master buoyancy to a level where they can ascend under any conditions.

Does it mean that buoys fell by the wayside and were replaced with perfect buoyancy control? On the contrary, all divers who care about their own safety not only use buoys, but also more and more frequently improve their buoy operating skills. The difference is that instead of hanging on the buoy, they use diving buoys for completely different purposes.

1. the primary function of the buoy is signaling from underwater to the surface

It means that when underwater, you can alert the surface team that you have a problem.

Examples:

• at sea, I was to ascend along the shot line, but the current forced me to ascend in open water;

• I don’t have enough decompression gas – I need help;

• my suit leaks heavily and I have issues with buoyancy.

When will it not work?

Let’s imagine the following situation. We are going to be diving in a wonderful lake. There's a lot to see, visibility is good, various depths and, of course, many divers underwater! On the surface, you will have a barbecue and great fun... 

Then you run into one of the above issues, so you deploy the buoy and wait for help. We wait and wait... Finally, upon ascent to the surface, you shout: Hey!!! Could no one see that I need help? I've deployed my buoy! How much longer do I have to wait?

rule no. 1

Show your clearly marked buoy to a person who will observe the surface the whole time when you are underwater (ideally, such a person would have binoculars). rule no. 2

Explain to the observer what they should do if they see your buoy.

What is the clear marking for? Why do it?

Let’s go back to the lake for a moment. Let’s imagine that a group of divers are practicing buoy deployment. Another person ascends using their own buoy, because they do not feel confident in open water and yet another diver used their buoy to mark an interesting place to explore later. Let’s not forget about your buoy that appears at the same time. You also

need to remember that most buoys looks similar from a distance and have a similar or identical color, so your observer may be hard pressed to stick to the plan, while not being sure that one of the buoys is actually yours. An identification mark made with a permanent marker in a highly contrasting color will be very useful.

If you don't have a support team, the observer is not informed what we mean by the individual color buoys marked with our identification mark and we have not agreed on a course of action, buoy deployment... is pointless, because it will not cause any reaction.

does buoy deployment always signal a problem?

It depends solely on your needs and what was agreed with the surface support team.

Nothing can prevent you from agreeing that the appearance of Monika’s buoy, clearly recognizable from the shore, would mean “light up the grill” 

Such a solution was and possibly still is used by certain diving organizations. Admittedly, I have not heard of the procedure, where a buoy on the surface means “spicy back ribs in 15 minutes”, but two buoy colors may, for instance, have the following meaning:

• red: doing my deco stops, everything is all right;

• yellow: I have a problem and need help!

using buoys in two colors to inform the surface team about two completely different situations may become tricky when a diver loses one of the buoys. As you can imagine, if you lose the “I need help” buoy and you deploy the “Doing my deco stops, everything is all right” buoy when you have a problem, results may vary. A two-color buoy may be the solution – you may choose what buoy color will appear on the surface. You can use two such buoys to communicate as if you had four standard ones.

caution!

Inform your buddies on the surface about your plan to practice buoy deployment. This way, you will not cause confusion, especially if someone keeps an eye out for buoys deployed at the surface at the time.

“Buoy deployment” means that the buoy is sent to the surface; another term for this would be “shot the bag” (both are used in this article). Generally, this is about taking the buoy out our your pocket and sending it to the surface (without the diver ).

Under some circumstances, buoy deployment alone is not enough and the observer needs additional information. Usually, it is the case with more complex technical diving that require a long decompression.

Below, you will find typical examples of buoy usage and the situations requiring it.

● ascending to the surface in the open sea, when the current prevent your from returning to the wreck with the shot line. Under these circumstances, deploying a buoy as fast as possible, so that the observer from the boat can see it before the diver is too far away, is essential for the diver’s safety. The observer may mark the direction in which the diver is drifting away, come after them or send a RIB. The diver (or a team) completes decompression in open water and is drifting away from the boat not only due to the current, but also due to the wind (discussed in more detail later on in the article). When the observer reaches the buoy that is drifting away, they may “ask” the diver underwater whether they are all right. It can be done by slightly tensioning the line, at the end of which there is a spool or a reel held by the diver, and then giving two distinct tugs (“are you ok?”). The diver then also gives the line two tugs, which means that everything is all right. Another possible answer is a series of fast tugs that means “I need help!”. In complex decompression diving, such situations are always taken into consideration and the support team waiting on the boat is ready to quickly descend to assist the diver. The details of such procedures are discussed beforehand and practiced repeatedly.

● deploying a buoy with a message. Almost every diver uses underwater wetnotes. Such underwater wetnotes may be opened and attached to the top of the buoy, so that others may read a message written in it. The message should be short, easy to read and unambiguous. It usually is used in one of the two following situations:

1. 50 – lost decompression gas. It means that Nx50 is needed (in this case); it may be sent down by clipping the gas cylinder into the buoy line.

2. oToX – it means that the team supports/transports a diver who needs help with their ascent. In such a situation, the help of a support team is needed and they should descend as fast as possible.

Photo Mariusz Czajka

t he amount of gas inflated into the buoy before its deployment should allow you to control the buoy during the entire deployment process. t he gas will expand as the buoy gets closer to the surface. y ou may want to consider whether inflating as much gas as possible into the buoy is necessary. k eeping a delayed surface marker buoy ( ds M b or s M b ) filled with gas to 1/3 of its volume underwater will require dropping an anchor  – otherwise you will ascend to the surface together with the buoy.

● deployment of a buoy without a line. Deploying your buoy like this may replace an underwater wetnote with the note: “no object at the bottom”. Such a buoy is easily recognizable, as it lies horizontally on the surface. It is fished out by the diving boat’s crew. Buoys are often used in such a manner in wreck diving. Once a possible wreck site is identified, one team descends to the bottom and informs the other divers whether the wreck they are looking for lies at the bottom. Similarly, a buoy attached “rigidly” to the wreck means “we have it !”.

Of course, nothing will prevent you from deploying a buoy with a tether line and attaching an underwater wetnote with appropriate information to it if there is no object underwater.

2. static buoy usage

Static usage means that, when a buoy reaches the surface, you attach the line of the buoy to an underwater object. When to do so and why?

● securing your practice area. When practicing in a water body, where they may be other people on the surface (such as swimmers, but also drivers of water scooters and other vessels), it is good practice to mark the practice area, e.g. with four buoys forming a square. After your first dive, such marking will also help you quickly find the practice area again. One option is to use several buoys to secure a practice area that requires underwater markings. This means that the buoy should be stabilized with a small amount of gas at the appropriate depth and using them, for example, to form a diver propulsion vehicle (DPV) exercise track.

● Marking objects. If you want to perform a series of dives to an unmarked wreck site, it might be a good idea to mark its bow, aft or superstructures. It will help you to descend directly to the specific wreck parts and estimate its location and size from the surface. Such markings are really helpful for photographers, who plan photo shoots at specific sites, identified beforehand.

Abandoned nets hauled in by Ghost Diving are marked similarly. The first team searches for nets and once they find some, they mark its beginning and end to be able to estimate its length – it makes it easier for the other team to haul the net to the surface.

● t ransporting equipment and gas. If you spend a long time at one underwater site and perform activities requiring the use of additional small equipment, such equipment may be lowered to the specific site by clipping it into the buoy line.

Photo Francisca Isadora Abuter Grebe

ACADEMY

The buoy and line may be used to securely transport empty cylinders to the surface. In “multistage” diving, after using up gas from stage cylinders, you do not have to carry them during the entire decompression process – you may clip them into the line and they will float up to the surface on their own (the line does not need to be attached, you may hold the blocked spool in your hand). It might be a good idea to check beforehand whether your empty cylinders have positive buoyancy: the most common stage cylinders are 11.1 L aluminum cylinders (S080) – they may be transported in that manner. However, also common, but much smaller 5.7 L aluminum cylinders (S040) are not buoyant enough for such transport.

3.

Using a buoy on the surface

● location signaling – call for help. Such use of the buoy may be required, for example, when you are diving in the current while on safari in Egypt and for some reason you cannot ascend at the planned boat pick-up site. The wind drowns out your voice and even the slightest waves effectively reduce the chances of being seen on the water surface. What you can do is dynamically move your firmly inflated buoy as fast as possible, treating it as an extension of your arms, to signal for help. A DSMB is particularly well-suited to that task. If you start signaling too late, it may prove ineffective – unfortunately, a lot of divers experienced it firsthand, when they were carried with the current to the open sea.

● location marking – air searches.

An unfortunate development of the above situation is that the boat support team does not send help, because they do not notice your signals. In such a case, you may expect an air search. The pilot will have an easier time locating you, when an inflated DSMB floats next to you. If you are in a group and each diver is prepared for sea diving (has an ocean buoy), you can improve your chances of being found on the sea surface by connecting several DSMBs in one line. For those searching from the air, a diver without a buoy is a dark object, approx. 0.5 m in size (hardly anyone lies flat on the water when they see a plane or a chopper – they are more likely to be in a vertical position, which makes them harder to see for a pilot). A Ocean buoy in 1.8 m long and has an almost 30 cm long piece of tape. Once connected, three such buoys will form a 6 meter long, bright color line, which is much easier to see from the air.

● a night out at sea.

Contrary to what it might seem, it is not a very rare occurrence. If it happens, you may help yourself by using a DSMB as a “lifebuoy” of a sort, which will secure your position on the water surface. A good-quality DSMB can be fastened in such a way that you encircle it behind your back and clip steel bolt snaps to the top buoy handle in front of you. You can do it even with two 12 L cylinders on yourself. A DSMB has a volume of approx. 24 L, which is more than the majority of buoyancy systems used in two-cylinder rigs, and will ensure your positive buoyancy on the sea surface. In the case of groups, each person may encircle themselves with a buoy and clip it into the bolt snap of the partner’s buoy, which will make them face each other.

4. buoys in cave diving

Divers who usually dive in caves do not use buoys. Nonetheless, you may want to consider equipping yourself with a buoy, when the cave exit is located at the bottom of the sea. Such caves are located, for instance, in Croatia. If, after diving in a cave, you ascend and decompress in open water, it will be easier (and safer) to mark your position with a buoy. It is especially important if the current is to be expected at your ascent site.

5. stabilization in any conditions

Apart from the situations described above, you may always use a buoy when you need additional stabilization during as-

Photo Mariusz Czajka

cent. Not everyone is prepared for ascending in open water and even experienced divers may have a bad day. You should deploy a buoy to assist with your ascent each time you feel that it will make you feel more comfortable, and consequently safer in the last phase of diving. You should also pay attention to the needs and well-being of your less experienced buddies. Do not wait until such a person is no longer stable in the water – ascend together, while using the line of the deployed buoy as a point of reference.

the diving buoy is usually called sMb or dsMb. sometimes it is also called a bag or... sausage 

6. Classification of diving buoys

color – buoys are available in various colors; those used at sea usually have an emergency color – orange or yellow. There is no one rule for this. It is essential that the buoy has a color that is easy to spot from afar and in any weather conditions (certain colors may be less visible in full sunlight).

types of diving buoys – the main classification is based on the shape and inflation method. Buoys can divided by inflation method into closed, semi-closed (fluted) and open.

Shape

Surface marker buoy (SMB). It is a narrow tube a little over one meter in length. It is great for practice and marking objects; it is fast to deploy. It is a good choice for every diver. It is a closed buoy.

Delayed surface marker bouy. It is tube-shaped. It is a multi-function tool for everyone who dives or plans to dive in the open sea. It is almost two meters in length and has a capacity of 24 L, which allows for using it for many rescue procedures. It is a closed buoy.

Other tube-shaped buoys are usually sized between that of a SMB and DSMB. A buoy with a diameter similar to that of a SMB and a length similar to that of a DSMB is an interesting solution. It is used by wreck divers, as it is less susceptible to strong gusts of wind than a DSMB. Round-shaped, pear-shaped and odd-shaped buoys are sometimes used for special purposes: for example, to extract small objects or haul a submerged diver, whose position is observed by a person on the surface.

filling

Closed buoys – buoys that prevent air from getting out and can be filled with your mouth or an inflation hose. The buoy nozzle prevents connecting the hose the same way as it is connected to the inflator. The inflator hose should be pressed against the nozzle to inflate the buoy. You may also inflate the buoy by blowing into the nozzle with your mouth.

Semi-closed (fluted) buoys can be inflated with the use of a second stage regulator (also by exhaling air with a regulator in your mouth) and an additional air gun connected to the quick disconnect inflator hose. Gas fills the buoy through a partially flattened opening in the lower part of the buoy. When posi-

Photo Mariusz Czajka

tioned on the ground, this opening is a flat self-sealing valve, resembling a buck’s bill. When the buoy is inflated via this valve, a lot of water enters it. At the surface, semi-closed buoys start to leak if they are not positioned vertically with their valve kept underwater. For this reason, they should not be used for rescue purposes (e.g. in situations requiring diver stabilization on the surface, as described in section 3). Semi-closed buoys are usually equipped with an additional valve, similar to that in closed buoys. Please note that these models have a plastic valve, which may be less robust.

Open buoys – as is the case with semi-closed buoys, they may be inflated with the use of a second stage regulator or an air gun. A typical characteristic of this buoy is that it is leak-proof only when the buoy is in vertical position and its lower part stays underwater.

Most buoys are equipped with a relief valve that is almost identical to the valve in wings and jackets.

caution!

Before diving, check how the valve in your buoy works by conducting a dry run and inflating it several times. Some inflation valves are very intuitive, but others require pressing a certain element to inflate the buoy. Some valves also have a special valve lock nut. It’s best to check how it works on the surface to avoid any surprises underwater.

7. Where to stash you buoy during a dive?

There are several solutions.

The most simple one is to keep it in your drysuit pocket. If you dive in a wetsuit, you may use a special buoy pocket fastened to the harness waist strap.

You may also use pockets in a classic jacket for that purpose, but first you need to make sure that inflating a jacket would not prevent you from reaching the pockets, which may happen. It is always worth checking to see if you are able to easily remove the buoy from its storage place during diving. You should wear diving gloves when performing any test.

A buoy floats to the surface when it is inflated with gas. It is attached to the spool or reel with a line. This means that the diver needs to stay focused, as they operate a tool that may rapidly change their buoyancy, but also they may get entangled in the line. Such a configuration requires a very precise buoy deployment technique, which is mastered in small steps. Interestingly, many divers use entirely different techniques. They use different inflation methods and amounts of gas and operate the spool or reel differently. Bearing in mind how important and necessary the buoy is for a diver, I recommend to learn how to use it from an instructor. And I strongly encourage instructors to introduce buoy deployment exercises as early as during the basic course.

It is worth practicing buoys deployment, regardless of your proficiency. The more complicated the functioning of a buoy

8. buoy deployment technique

Photo Bartłomiej Trzciński

it is not ideal to use large-diameter buoys (a dsMb) as primary buoys for fast communication. such buoys are much more susceptible to strong gusts of wind at the water surface than buoys with smaller diameters. When blown by the wind, such large buoys haul the diver to the surface.

is, the more important it is for the entire team to practice it and have the same understanding of its usage. The above list of examples for using various types of diving buoys is not exhaustive. How you actually use a buoy depends solely on what you need and what was agreed with the team.

are you interested in the topic or any issues brought up in this article? Would you like to compare various buoy models? are you an instructor and would you like to deliver some training on the use of buoys and you need to demonstrate several different models?