Some Serb proverb says: "The man who thinks he is perfect is perfectly wrong".
I have dived for several years, I have written about the underwater world for 10 years, and for the last couple of years I have been the instigator and editor-in-Chief of the Polish diving magazine Divers24. I am happy with what I have achieved, but this part of my life is now over. Perfect Diver – a new project on the world stage of dive and travel media is an attempt to go one step further. We strive to perfection, especially when we love something, when something interests us, and over time it becomes a passion. Perfect Diver was born not only from experience, but also from the desire to seek new knowledge and the hunger for further development.
Our authors are hotheads and professionals. They love what they do. Creating publications they refer to their own experience, but do not avoid talking and drawing upon archival sources. Perfect Diver is supposed to be a magazine which provides knowledge, transmits emotions and just for a while gives you a little break from the everyday rush. It also has to be a kind of battery that will charge you with energy and ideas for your own underwater explorations.
The main article of the current issue is a crocodile in the wild. The beautiful and unique wildlife shots are to stimulate your appetite for life, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to make you think about what we are looking for in diving – adrenaline, personal fulfilment, calm and contact with wildlife? Reading this text I hope you will remain charmed by the photographs and the story for a longer time.
Enthusiasts of shipwrecks, as well as of flooded mines and quarries, will be satisfied. We have for you the announced Molnár János from Budapest, but also the plane wreck from Malta. There is also the unusual history of rescuing sailors, a handful of information about how and when to choose a safari on the Red Sea, and if you prefer a longer stay at one place, we offer you some tips of how you can approach famous Dahab.
I cannot reveal to you everything, because you will not want to look inside. And although I am not perfect and I could be wrong, I have the feeling that you will have a positive surprise, because along with the editorial team we have prepared for you a real feast.
We want the electronic version of the magazine to be downloaded for free, which is why we propose a financing model based on a voluntary donation. Remember that if you like it, you can always support us by transferring any amount to: PayPal.Me/perfectdiver
Crocodile in nature
Diving Safaris
Dahab, an oasis of peace and quiet and unforgettable dives
Gran Canaria, the "continent" in miniature
Face to face with a dolphin
Freediving in Poland
Freediving – disciplines played on the pool
Bristol Beaufighter, Malta More water, less bubbles
Publisher perfect diver Wojciech Zgoła ul. Folwarczna 37, 62-081 Przeźmierowo redakcja@perfectdiver.com
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Wojciech Zgoła
Irena Kosowska
Mateusz Popek
Agnieszka Kalska
Jakub Degee
Agnieszka Gumiela-Pająkowska
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Lawyer Joanna Wajsnis
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Skuas,
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.
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).
"I can not imagine life without water, where I experience freedom of the spirit in my free body."
● founder of the first freediving and swimming school in Poland – FREEBODY,
● freediving instructor Apnea Academy International and PADI Master Freediver,
● record holder and multiple medalist of the Polish Championships, member of the national team in freediving 2013–2018,
● finalist of the Freediving World Championships 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018,
● a Polish national championship champion and a member of the national team in swimming in 1998–2003,
● passionate about freediving and swimming.
Wojciech Zgoła
irena kosoWska
jakub degee
agniesZka kalska
MateusZ popek
From Cracow, a graduate of the Jagiellonian University, Instructor CMAS, PADI, SSI, photographer and underwater photography instructor, marine hydrobiologist. He has been diving since 1986. A perfect illustration of the sentence: "choose a profession that you like and you will not have to work all your life". In the years 1993-1996, as an employee of the Biology Department of the Polish Academy of Sciences, he carried out research on organisms inhabiting Tatra ponds. He was one of the originators and founders of the first Polish diving travel agency "Nautica", operating since 1986. He organized trips to the Maldives, the Caribbean, Mauritius, Galapagos, Indonesia, Micronesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Russia. He most often dives in his favorite Croatia, where he manages the Nautica Safari diving bases on the islands of Hvar and Vis. Co-organizes and conducts trips to diving safari in the Red Sea, preferably of course photo-trips, dedicated to adepts of underwater photography. Co-owner of Nautica Safari s.j. www.nautica.pl, piotr.stos@nautica.pl
Technical and cave diver with 15 years of experience, participant in many exploration projects in deep and cave diving. For more than 10 years, he has been training divers and instructors on all levels on open circuits. The owner of the first Polish Academy of Technical and Cave Diving –DeepExplorers.pl. In free time enthusiasts of underwater photography on technical and cave diving.
Started as a consequence of birthday celebration when she got a birthday present in the form of a diving course. Today she is an experienced and passionate instructor. Eager to dive anywhere and with everyone – provided in a dry suit. Exceptionally sensitive to cold. But with unusually hot heart. Not only can you have fun with her, but also learn a lot about diving from a "feminine" perspective. Her life motto: "If you want to do something, do it properly" Looking for a way out matters – not looking for excuses. She loves Thai cuisine (after dives), snowboarding (between the dives) and everything that is chocolate (can eat chocolate even during diving).
A true enthusiast of the underwater world, an expert in all kinds of diving equipment and a lover of two wheels. An exceptional professional and dedicated trainer, instructor and adviser. He has been involved in diving since his childhood, and he knows the Red Sea from the inside out. A very experienced diver, in love with the abyss of the sea. Always positive to the world and with his love for water he can infect even the most stubborn ones. And as a real man befits – a Master chef. A passionate advocate of constantly improving qualifications, extending skills and practicing diving techniques, that's why he is happy to give you hints and helps all interested people.
Together they run the Balanced Divers Diving School in Dahab. They are a well-coordinated team on land and underwater. They both focus on safety and professionalism combined with joy and determination in discovering the depths.
A graduate of Poznan University of Technology, a fan of diving and running. Professionally deals in the management of a production company. A self-taught photographer, he has been taking the camera under water for several years. He values simplicity, efficiency and safety, that's why he dives and trains based on the GoSideMount philosophy.
Mexican caves are his favorite dive site. A passionate propagator of statements that "water is for fish" and "running is overrated".
PIotr StóS
ceZary cZaro abraMoWski
grZegorZ ŚWiątnicki
nabil elbendary
agniesZka krotecka-elbendary
Diver from 2008. Passionate of the Red Sea and pelagic ocean predators. Devoted to the idea of protecting dolphins, sharks and whales. He dives mainly where you can meet these animals and monitor the level of their well-being. Member of Dolphinaria-Free Europe Coalition, volunteer at Tethys Research Institute and Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, associate of Marine Connection For 10 years he has been involved in research on wild dolphin populations and audits dolphinariums. Together with the team "NO! For the Dolphinarium" he prevents dolphins from captivity and promotes knowledge about dolphin therapy unsaid or concealed by centers which make money on this form of animal therapy.
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.
Technical diver and photographer, not only underwater. A fan of wild nature and communing with nature, he loves traveling, especially foreign ones, which he organizes on his own. Social activist, organizer and program director of the "Głębiny" Diving Film Festival.
He is an architect by profession and runs his own architectural studio. Diving is his hobby, and his favorite occupation is to infect divers with Razor and the GoSideMount philosophy. He is the 14th official GoSideMount instructor in the world. As far as possible, he supports Krzysztof Starnawski in his dives in Europe. In addition to infecting and training others, he continues to train himself. Since 2013, he visits his instructor Steve Bogaerts every year and trains himself in Razor's "hometown" environment –in the caves of Mexico.
For several years a diver, a speleologist a bit shorter. Currently he is trying to combine these two disciplines by diving, where it is possible under the ceiling. A fan of diving in unusual places and discovering new diving spots. Amateur photographer, and even more amateur traveler. Passionate about archeology, would-be underwater archeologist. In spare time, a professional programmer.
jakub banasiak
Wojciech jarosZ
Michał sMaga
Marcin adaMoWicZ
toMasZ jeżeWski
new trade fair on the e uropean d ive-Map
Dive s how Polan D 2018
ParT of worlD Travel show 2018
This iniTiaTive aims To:
y Promote safe and responsible diving practices.
y Promote safe and approachable scuba diving among non-divers.
y Integrate the international diving-society above any divisions.
y Bring more awareness about dive-community in eastern europe.
al. Katowicka 62, 05-830 nadarzyn, Poland
start: 19 October 2018 – end: 21 October 2018
Dive show PolanD 2018 will Take Place aT:
Crocodiles in nature
Text and photos jakub degee
r eef, beautiful fish, all the colours of the rainbow –the most beautif ul underwater views we can imagine! But how many times can you do the same thing? e very experienced diver is looking for more excitement.
Some people choose ice diving, others dive in wrecks, others do technical and cave diving. Those who still want to be close to animals usually choose to dive with sharks. With some sharks one can dive in cages. With other species one can risk diving without equipment. The socalled shark diving has become in the diving business a symbol of the diving adrenaline. When you have already "covered" all species of sharks, you want more of such experiences. But with which animals?
Crocodiles are the answer to this demand. Recently in the diving business there is a perception that crocodiles will become the sharks of the year 2020. And we are not talking about a small crocodile, which is released with
a bound mouth during specially paid dives on Palau or small, harmless crocodiles in Cuba. We are writing about a real 4–5 meter, unpredictable beast, coming from the time of dinosaurs, living in the wild.
Such an opportunity arose five years ago on the archipelago of Chincorro, belonging to Mexico, which is located close to the border with Belize. The local fishermen living in a nature reserve, who have permission to fish and catch lobsters, for years have struggled during certain months with hundreds of crocodiles that live on that island and wetlands. Nobody knows how crocodiles got to the archipelago that is situated dozens of kilometers away from the mainland. Crocodiles do not move so far. The most likely
theory is that the crocodiles have been caught by storm and washed ashore of the Chincorro archipelago, where they do not have natural predators (even humans cannot hunt them because of the fact that it is a nature reserve) and that is why they have multiplied rapidly and dominated the whole area.
In the first stage of the journey you have to get to Cancun, the oasis of all-inclusive resorts. Then you have to spend 5–6 hours in the car heading south on the way to Belize. After an hour and a half you pass by Tulum – which was once a destination for trips due to its monuments, and today it is full of the supposed wild nature resorts. After three hours we pass by the last significantly sized town and from that point the
cell phone signal disappears completely. After 5–6 hours we reach Xcalak, a small fishing settlement. Here you need a place to stay in order to board in the morning a specially chartered boat and sail in the direction of Banco Chincorro. I personally deal with the organisation of this trip, as well as other expeditions. I do not use national or European organizers of diving trips and I try to reach the local operator on my own, to make all the arrangements directly with him and create an agenda tailored to my project.
The boat trip takes two hours, but it is always against the waves, which means a lot of intense sensation and yet more water sweeping through the deck. All our possessions are kept in large watertight Peli cases, so only the humans have
Source: https://www.usgs.gov
Source: https://www.usgs.gov
to endure these conditions. It is advisible to have a good oilskin jacket, but rarely anyone manages to travel this route in a dry t-shirt.
Before checking in at Mr. Matraki's house, who lends us his room for the next two days, we stop for a dive on one of the reserve's reefs. This is a unique dive, because it is for hunting. Hunting?!? In the reserve??? Certainly many people will find it absurd. And yet it is a completely legal action, needed, planned and approved the organization that oversees lionfish fishing. The point is that this species of majestic fish did not occur on the east coast of the Americas before 1980. This is a so called invasive species. It arrived here from the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean. By the lack of natural predators it has multiplied at an unprecedented pace and caused huge devastation on the reefs (see the map).
Recently in the diving business there is a perception that crocodiles will become the sharks of the year 2020.
The caught lionfish will serve as a bait for the crocodiles. It is the only species of fish that can be used for attracting reptiles, which is why it is so important to get enough of them during the dive. It is hunted with a simple spear with three sharp skewers on one end and a rubber band for drawing and launching on the other end. This only works for a very short distance, but it is not a very precise tool. Probably the point is that nobody should have an idea to use it for hunting other species.
After catching the adequate number of lionfish we head to a charming fishing village consisting of several wooden houses on stilts. Sounds
like water-bungalows in the Maldives, however, these huts resemble more stalls with tin roof. Interestingly, no house located in this turquoise lagoon has a descent into the water, so that no reptile can climb inside.
Of course, there is no running water and only rainwater collected in a large barrel is used. Everyone gets one third of a small bucket as a daily limit of water to use. There is also no electricity, but we took a small generator with us to charge the batteries for the cameras.
The huts have no beds or any other comforts. The only option is installing hammocks and sleeping close together, in the only available chamber.
The transparency of water depends mostly on the weather conditions. When the sea is calm
and the current is weak, the visibility is very good. However, in strong winds, waves and currents sometimes you can only see on one metre ahead. In these conditions, being in the water, you have to beware of any sounds. Crocodiles have poor eyesight, but they can locate their victim due to splashing or other water movements.
The very confrontation with the crocodile looks like this, you put on a snorkel mask and a heavy ballast belt (min. 8 kg for the maintenance of stability in the water), and then with a boat ladder, as quietly as possible, enter the water. In front of a crocodile there stands a croc handler (this time and on any previous occasions in my case it was a Belgian: Mathias Van Asch) armed with only a 6 foot long wooden stick. You can take a position on the right or left side of the crocodile expert, meaning that in the water there may be present at the same time only two divers/
photographers. After previously agreed time eg. 20 minutes, the first two people come out of the water and then the next two take their turn.
The objective of my project was the maximum approximation of the eye of a crocodile. I wanted to take the largest, in terms of printability, photograph of the eye of a free-living crocodile.
Croc handler has the support of two people on the surface: the captain of the boat and a crew
member. One stands in the bow and attracts the attention of the crocodile throwing him the lure attached to the line. The second one is on the stern and secures the rear, i.e. he or she looks whether another crocodile does not sneak up from another direction. Despite the fact that there are from 300 to 500 crocodiles on the island, only a small part of them can be persuaded to leave the wetlands and take advantage of the free meal offer.
The objective of my project was the maximum approximation of the eye of a crocodile. I wanted to take the largest, in terms of printability, photograph of the eye of a free-living crocodile. As a camera I used a medium format Hasselblad X1d with a 120mm macro lens. It turned out, however, that this magnification is too small, so
Next year I will fly there again, to show once again, in a creative way, the animals that have lived on the Earth for two million years.
I added a SubSee+5 diopter Magnifier. But even with this magnification the eye of the crocodile did not fill the frame. Ultimately, I decided to use the SMC1 lens. In such a set, the camera was focusing 8 cm from the end of the macroport, so to take this picture I had to go so close to the crocodile. It took a lot of trials, because no
crocodile allowed himself to approach the huge camera housing with lamps at 8 cm from his eye.
Personally, I am very satisfied with this trip, so I went back to the same place again. The very cutting off from civilization, living in a hut of a fisherman, sleeping in a hammock, harsh living conditions, lunch consisting of freshly caught fish is a great experience for me, and make this place completely unique. However, the opportunity to look at a four-meter beast from the times of dinosaurs straight into the mouth is a great injection of adrenaline. Then you can really feel that you are breathing fully. Next year I will fly there again, to show once again, in a creative way, the animals that have lived on the Earth for two million years.
Diving Safaris
it ' s time to admit i ' m addicted …
Text and photos PIotr StóS
m y name is p eter. i am 53 years old. i am addicted to diving safaris. For fifteen years i have been on a roll – i have made over one hundred such trips to the r ed Sea as a guide, instructor and tour leader. p eople know about my addiction.
They ask – when to go, what route to take? They go into the subject of seasickness, examine what a day on a boat looks like, check whether there are vegetarian dishes and if it is safe in Egypt. The initial certainty with which I answered all the questions has decreased significantly over the years. Now I know that there is no guarantee of the best route, boat or weather. I know that, if sometimes a strong wind blows, dive plans fall apart in the blink of an eye, and "the certainties" – such as dolphins in the Sataya lagoon – might have their affairs in another part of the reef. It's a bit like with the Every Flavour Beans from the Harry Potter book – you never know which one you will pull out of a bag.
best tiMe, best route, best safari
I do not use these terms anymore Officially the high season falls on the periods September–No-
vember and April–June, when the water is warm in a pleasant way and the air does not resemble the blasts from the smelter. The low season for divers includes the middle of the summer, when the heat makes you seek shelter under the air conditioner, and the winter months, with a short day and an obligatory polar fleece sweatshirt, as well as a hat after a night dive. Although the water always has a temperature of 23°C, it is cool on the leeward side of the boat. After a few safaris I knew that you might have a swinging cruise in the high season, and a warm windless winter safari, on the sea as smooth as the surface of a pond. The October storm with hail (we were throwing snowballs at one another), which I experienced two years ago near Hurghada, killed all my illusions about predicting the weather on the Red Sea.
Similar superstitions apply to the safari route. Each of them can provide unforgettable nature diving and aesthetic attractions, but at the same time on each, if such is you karma, there might be very strong currents, poor visibility and sharks might not to want to come. As they say: "Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Focus on the positives and you will be delighted. You'll see!"
There are two factors that must be taken into account from the beginning. People with little diving experience should start with a safari in the coastal zone, among shallow reefs. It will be nicer and safer. One of the southern routes (Foury Shoal or St. John's Reef), where the reef is beautiful and the water (usually) calm, will be perfect . The second selection criterion applies to divers who like all the dive sites, provided these places have a shipwreck. If you belong to
this group, go to a north safari (with wrecks) or to the best ones of the north (Thistlegorm, Steel Reef and Brothers Islands). On these routes the ratio of steel to corals is the best for you.
Every safari can be the "the best". If you meet dolphins under the water, take a beautiful picture, learn some new skills or simply spend a week in a good company, neither the route nor the date of your trip will matter. This is confirmed by safari old stagers, who signing up for the next trip do not even ask where the boat will go, because, as they claim – everywhere is great :).
eye to eye With nature
The Red Sea is inhabited by 1200 species of fish (including 44 species of sharks) and over 200 species of corals. That is what Wikipedia
Source: Nautica, Kraków
1 Northern safari 2 Tiran + Dahab 3 Top of the North 4 Wreck safari
5 Golden triangle 6 Top of the South 7 St.John's (Abu Fandera)
says. Armed with such knowledge, full of expectations enhanced by films from the Animal Planet channel, we set off on the Egyptian reef forgetting that the Red Sea (and every other) is not an oceanarium, animals do what they want and where they want, and filmmakers spend weeks to hunt a few minutes of a good material. Places in the middle of the sea that are known for having big fishes, such as the famous Brothers Islands, they can surprise you with a complete lack of sharks, meanwhile at Shaab Maksur, in the coastal group of St. John's Reef, for a few days in a row you'll be watching a whale shark swimming carefree along the reef. On the Daedalus Reef a manta will sometimes come up to you, sometimes a flock of hammer sharks,
and sometimes nothing… Do not be discouraged and return to places known for meetings with specific species, this will be rewarded. Some animals keep guard in the same places. You will meet a big Napoleon fish before entering the tunnels at Umm Khararim, and an old hawskbill sea turtle in the Thistlegorm hold, under one of the trailers. Egyptian guides' briefings abound in often humorous expressions in almost every language of the world. This is a funny way to say that while diving there is no guarantee of meeting a turtle, fish or snail. In practice, it is worth using the help of local guides, because they have a trained eye and many years of practice in finding underwater creatures.
100%
What you will see in the Red Sea for sure is a reef. Colorful, varied, top of the line. One of the most beautiful that I have ever seen in my life. Divers from other parts of the world envy us the possibility to dive in Egypt. For them it is too far away… This reef develops on the slopes, on underwater ergs and pinnacles, small clumps on the bottom. In the open sea – on Brothers Islands or Daedalus Reef, and closer to the shore –on Tiran Island and Ras Muhammad National Park, the reef falls deep along the vertical walls. It's a fractal creation – approaching it, you'll see the geometric order, the lace-subtle levels of the organization. I think that many divers never really look at the reef carefully. Do not hurry, but look closely and patiently. It is impossible to return from a morning slow dive on the aptly named reef Heaven (on Foury Shoal) without the feeling that you have experienced a meeting with something unusual.
eat, sleep and dive – a day on a safari boat
A day on a safari boat begins early – between five and six in the morning. Coffee, tea, sweet snack and after the briefing, we jump into the water. Why so early? Morning dives give you the best chance to see large predators in action:
sharks, morays, serranid species, and the warm and plastic light of a rising day that is seeping through the water has no equal. After finishing the dive and breakfast, the boat usually moves to a new place. The bottles are filled and the divers are resting. About 11 o'clock the sound of the bell (a typical way of signaling on the boat) announces another briefing and diving. Then it's time for lunch and an afternoon nap. The next cycle of briefing and diving is after changing the position of the boat at about 3 p.m. The afternoon diving usually takes place in the place of an overnight stop. After a night dive, dinner is served at around 8:30 p.m. At the end of a day there is time for an evening conversation, a small drink, a water pipe and sleep, although sleeping is a waste of time... On the last day
the crew gives a gala dinner by candlelight with dancing on the top deck – this is an opportunity for those who have not pracised the Egyptian step dance before.
Four dives a day is the usual standard on the routes on which a boat does not cover large distances between reefs. A similar daily number of descents we can have in the marine parks (Brothers, Daedalus, Rocky and Zabarghad) where night dives are prohibited for safety reasons. With such an intense diving program I highly recommend you use Nitrox. This will allow you to extend your no-decompression times (for example, while exploring the wreck Thistlegorm), but most of all, you will reduce fatigue after a dive. You will have more strengh
for reading or your social life. If you do not have authorisation for using nitrox, during a diving safari there will be an opportunity to obtain it.
Each cruise begins with a detailed discussion of the standards of life on a boat and the specific nature of diving in the open sea. No worries, all the issues that may be new to you will certainly be discussed. The most important rule is: in situations of extreme confusion, when you no longer know whether the bell calls for a briefing or a meal, it is enough to touch your hair: dry –briefing, wet – food.
practice and huMility
I have a feeling that those who know the Red Sea from the perspective of the coastal reef of Hurghada and Safaga underestimate it. Well,
just an aquarium with warm, clean water, reef and fish. Don't think of it that way. Open-sea safaris are one of the best schools for a comprehensive diving practice. During the six days you will dive in caverns, in the current, in midwater, at night, in a wreck, in shallow water and in deep water, from a large boat and from a Zodiac raft… You will perform from 18 to 22 dives and each time you will be a better and more informed diver, regardless of your former experience. However, no matter how much you dive and train, and how many evening stories you listen, the sea will surprise you with something from time to time. A year ago I wrongly estimated the current conditions on the north wall of the Daedalus Reef and an innocent midwater trip in search of hammer sharks ended with uncontrolled floating along the reef. In-
flatable boats were looking for us almost for an hour, but we did not get bored because all that time we were being accompanied by two white sharks. They say that an expert is some one who has made all the possible mistakes in a narrow field of knowledge. I think it was an other step for me on this way… It is clear that no one expects you to conduct your own dive. There are guides to do that for you. They know the wrecks, the reefs and their inhabitants, they know how to get back to the boat and what to do when a nagging turtle comes close, just as it has recently happened in Malahi (Nepal). They are the voice of reason, when you suddenly dream about breaking the record of depth, and they are your remorse when you are too close to the reef in photographic amok. It's good to learn from them. However, I am most happy when, during a safari, the velops in my team, including knowledge, expe rience and common sense. This is a skill that can not be acquired by obtaining certificates, but through a diverse and developing practice. And if this practice is an extraordinary adven ture, we achieve a real diving ideal, a synthesis of pleasure and safety. This is what I do wish for you and all current and future participants of our and other trips.
an oasis of peace and quiet and unforgettable dives
We present a series of articles about diving sites along the Red Sea. In this issue, we focus on the most spectacular diving sites in Dahab, a seaside town on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in Egypt.
Ras Abu Galum is a coastal area in the Nabq Protectorate in the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba, surrounded by mountains and a desert. In 1992 this area became a nature reserve to protect the mangroves and coral reefs there. Because of its shape, it is characterized by a huge variety of flora and fauna both terrestrial and aquatic. On land, we can find such living organisms as Rueppell's foxes, hyraxes or striped hyenas. Immersed in the underwater world, we can admire a wealth of untouched coral reefs, herbs, water creatures and lagoons;
Text agniesZka krotecka-elbendary and nabil elbendary
ras abu galuM
in one word, virtually everything in one place: a dream of every diver.
True freedom of spirit, a joy of life, inner peace and harmony. Do you know these feelings? They are guaranteed here! We have experienced it on our own
Nothing brings in such a blissful and reflective state of mind as sandy beaches and night under the starry sky. A day spent under water? A dream!
In the reserve, there are 10 charming diving sites, beautiful and unique. Diving takes place by the shore and regardless of the experience under the water, each diver will find something interesting. Depths reach 70+ m (technical dives require a more complex plan). Depending on the location we have a gently falling bottom or a steep slope. Under the water, we can find lush patches and pinnacles of coral reefs, shoals of
various fish and larger specimens, such as turtles and manta rays.
There are three ways to get to the reserve: conveniently, by car from the city of Nuweiba, quickly on camels (wake up at dawn) or quietly by boat (the best choice).
blue hole
It is a huge cleft (sea cave) of a coral reef, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful and treacherous places on Earth, attracting every year thousands of tourists from around the world.
Blue Hole is located 8 km north of Dahab and has the form of a sea well with a depth of approx. 110 m and a diameter of 60 m. In one of its walls at a depth of 54 m a rock arch opens up (the Arch), which descends to a depth of 110 m; the bottom gradually narrows down just
to fall as a steep slope to a depth of 120 m. At a depth of 6 m, we can find a shallow passage (the Saddle) to the open sea, which dazzles us with the palette of colours and the diversity of flora and fauna. The blue hole is surrounded by coral reefs and rich marine life, and at the bottom young hammerhead sharks live, which until recently were only known to technical divers. Last spring they showed up just under the surface of the water.
Not far from the Blue Hole is another, equally wonderful diving place – El Bells – a small crack in the rock with a diameter of approx. 3 m and a chimney 30 m deep. Below it there is the sea abyss reaching 300 + m. From here you can take a drift dive along the rock wall or sometimes in the sea current.
In coastal restaurants, you can eat something, relax and recharge your batteries before the next dive.
Blue Hole, despite its charm, has taken the lives of dozens of people. That's why diving here is recommended just for people with an advanced certificate at least, or who are under the supervision of an experienced instructor or guide.
To commemorate the divers who made their last dive here, a memorial plaque was placed by the beach, introducing tourists to a moment of reverie.
This is certainly a place where you can largely develop your skills and get hooked on diving.
gabr el bint
The Gabriel Bint reserve is a charming place, a visit to which must necessarily be added to your bucket list. Due to its location, quite distant from the city, this place is visited less frequently. We can get there only by safari boat, on foot or on camels; that's why coral reefs there are
almost intact. It is located in the south of Dahab, an hour's drive from the port.
You can practice two different dives here. The right side called the dark one, is characterized by a steep wall, falling down to 60 m and strewn with clefts, sandy ravines, and rock protrusions. The slope is dotted with Acropora pulchra (table-shaped corals). The left side is much more colourful, characterized by an extensive gorgonian colony. Boulders, located on steep slopes, attract large shoals of anthias and Glassfish. It's always worth keeping your eyes wide open because you can meet spectacular travellers like whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, and dolphins. At a depth of 10 m, there is a sandy area, parallel to the shore, surrounded by coral walls, inhabited by small fish species: scorpionfish,
crocodile fish, Acanthuridae, rays and fish of Ballistidae family.
Every diver will find here something interesting, both the poetry of the colours and the charm of the depths.
If you want to discover the magic of the blue space, feel the wind in your hair and admire the beauty of nature, do not hesitate! Jump on the boat and hit the road!
caves
If you want to take a rest away from the tourist hustle and feel the call of nature, this is a unique place to experience an amazing underwater adventure. To the south of Dahab, away from
the city noise, on the way to the destination, a charming landscape of the canyon is waiting for you. You can admire it feeling the wind in your hair while driving on the back of the offroad car. There is no cave on the site, despite the first association with the name of the place, and the main attraction is a huge underwater rock overhang at a depth of 7–12 m. It is an exceptional diving site thanks to its impressive rock formations and diversity of underwater life.
The entrance, which starts with a sudden drop to a depth of 5 m, is often hampered by weather conditions. In the wind and waves, it is worth having a smart partner with you, who will help you put on the fins, give a hand on your way back or help you jump on the rock ledge. The sandy bottom gently descends to 40 m and is dotted with fine eels and seahorses. Penetrating depth, blueness and the surrounding space set in a reverie and peace of mind, and the element of Water arouses boundless respect. Diving ends at a majestic overhang from which you can observe the play of lights and sunrays. To experience this beauty, it is best to do diving between 10 a.m 1 p.m, when the sun is at its highest point; after 3 p.m the mountains which are right on the shore, cast the shadow on the Caves overshadowing the beauty of this area.
This wonderful diving site is suitable for everyone – both recreational and technical divers.
Dahab – a town of carelessness and inner harmony. A place where all stresses fade away and all that remains is the joy of life. Peace and quiet and diving fulfillment guaranteed. The first visit will not be your last
Gran Canaria
a " continent " in miniature
w hy g ran c anaria? w here did the idea for the c anary i slands come from? well, the assumptions of the trip were such: not too far away, an exotic but affordable place.
We flew there at the end of October. You need to warm up yourself in the sun, swim in the sea and recharge the batteries before long winter in the northern parts of Europe. There were also non-divers with us, which is why the destination had to be attractive not only for divers but also for tourists. Hence the choice fell on Gran Canaria, an island located centrally in the Canary Islands, between Tenerife and Fuerteventura, lying just off the northwest coast of Africa.
oN the SIte
As the entire archipelago is a volcanic creation, we are surrounded by a truly lunar landscape
The Irish carrier turned out to be the cheapest. We flew from Krakow, Poland. We were stationed in San Agustin, within a complex with a swimming pool, located practically over the very ocean. What was left was the choice of one of the diving centres, many of which are on the island. With a lightning speed, we received answers to our email inquiries about diving packages and attractions offered. We decided to choose the Dive Academy, a diving centre located in Arguineguin. It turned out that the law here prohibits the rental of the diving equipment itself, it must be combined with the purchase of a diving package, and the diving is possible only with a guide. In addition, diving insurance is mandatory, which, as it turned out later, is always verified and checked.
Text and photos Marcin adaMoWicZ
marked with ubiquitous palm trees. My attention is drawn to the network of modern, perfectly marked roads, with the GC-1 highway in the first place, leading almost around the entire island. On our way, we do shopping at the local Hyper Dino chain store, affordable, offering a wide range of products. I especially recommend Canarian bananas, smaller than those known in European supermarkets, but much sweeter and more appetizing.
We spend the next day in Maspalomas, on a beautiful, wide beach. Maspalomas is famous for its great sandy dune system. The beach indicates the beginning of the Maspalomas Nature Reserve, consisting of the El Palmeral palm
grove, the La Charca floodplain – a stopover on the migration route of birds to Africa – and the dunes themselves, changing their shape constantly due to the wind blowing from the ocean. Our attention is also drawn to the historic Faro lighthouse, 55 meters tall, the construction of which lasted for 28 years! Indulging carelessly in the sea and solar baths, however, I have just one, exciting idea in my head and in front of my eyes: the diving starting the next day…
dive acadeMy – professionals in every detail
We arrive at the diving centre the next morning. To our eyes is revealed a beautiful complex lying next to the ocean, with two pools for trainees, an office, a room with a compressor, a hardware store and a small shop, where we can buy not only small diving equipment, such as masks or fins but also suits, diving regulators, dive computers, etc. We are welcomed by the friendly owner of the centre, Matthew Center, a Briton with a resonant English accent. We fill
in the documents; also our insurance policies and diving certificates are verified.
sardina
After a half-an-hour drive, we reach Sardina del Norte, the northern corner of Gran Canaria, far from the golden beaches of the south, large hotel complexes and ports full of enormous, luxury yachts. It is not a place appearing in touristic leaflets and it doesn't even aspire to be such a place. Life passes peacefully there, no one is in a hurry, and the nose is wafted with the scent of fish and seafood prepared in restaurants located along the road. No wonder, as it is one of the richest regions throughout the archipelago when it comes to the underwater world. And that attracts a lot of divers. We have two dives planned here. The maximum depth of both dives is 18 meters, just enough to balance ourselves and get familiar with the equipment. It's been a long time since any of us dived in such a light configuration. The temperature
of the water is 24 degrees; we are swimming over the sandy bottom admiring the great shoal of barracudas, proudly hovering in the depths and a large ray, beautifully gliding just above the bottom. All the time we are accompanied by a shoal of thousands of small fish, curious, watching us and maintaining the same direction of swimming at the same time. Fascinated by the wealth of species, colours, and shapes of sea creatures, we listen to the characteristic noise generated by the sand, which, thanks to quite a strong waving, is constantly in motion. During the surface interval, our guide Simon, an elderly, cheerful and very friendly Englishman, offers us a rest in his befriended pub. Here seafood specialities are prepared – fish, paellas, octopus and squid salads, etc. On our way back we can’t wait for the next day. Our plan is to experience one of the biggest diving attractions of the Canary Islands…
arona
Today our guide is Ignacio, a young and cheerful Spaniard. We get to the port of Las Palmas,
the capital of the island. There Jose is waiting for us – an enormous, long-haired owner of a boat on which we will sail to the sea to dive next to a wreck. Arona is a huge merchant ship, 100 m long and 15 m wide, which sank in 1972 as a result of a great fire. It lies on the right side, at a depth of almost 40 meters, at a distance of 6 nautical miles from the port. It is a favourite place for experienced divers where they can admire the richness of life around and inside the wreck. After about 20 minutes of sailing, we reach the buoy, which marks the wreck. The first dive, in our international group of divers, is planned around the wreck. At a depth of only a few meters, you can already see a huge hull, masts, towers, and remains of rigging. Approaching the wreck, we notice a huge gap in the side, scattered parts of the hull and other elements of the ship. The hull and towers are covered with all kinds of polyps and sea anemones. The shipwreck is a house and a hideout of dozens of fish species. Among the dark corridors and on the deck of the ship, you can see the Priacanthidae, scorpionfish, cardinalfish,
pike-characins, sea breams and many more. We dive around the entire wreck and head towards the descending line.
We spend the surface interval in the water, floating around the boat in neoprene foam suits, to avoid the seasickness, which is easy to get on the boat. We start the second dive from the bow, slowly heading toward the inside of the wreck through the gap in the deck. The hearts beat harder when we enter. In the darkness, only in the light of flashlights, we look at the equipment scattered around. Bent metal sheets and corroded parts of the propulsion units make us realize the enormity of the tragedy. In the darkness many species of fish found shelter. Inside the hull we cover quite a considerable distance, filming and taking photos. Here and there, some light passes through the blue clearances. Unfortunately, the readout of
the manometer forces us to start ascending. A large shoal of barracudas is watching us on our way to descending line.
The wreck made a huge impression on us. Perhaps it is because it is not a ship that was purposely sunk and thus, to some extent, we can feel its tragic fate. The richness and diversity of life, as well as the size of the wreck, are also impressive.
el carbon
We also dive in the El Carbon reserve, located on the east coast of the island. This is one of the three marine reserves in the Canary Islands. It is a vast bend of diverse sculpture with surprising biodiversity, consisting of over 10 dive sites – you need several dives to fully learn the secrets of this place. Unfortunately, we have only two dives, but Simon assures us that the
route he chose will allow us to see the most of the beauty of this place. We dive along a rocky shelf, slowly descending to a depth of about 9 meters. We pass the bends full of dark recesses until we reach a wide sandbank, located at a depth of 23 meters. The diversity of the environment is delightful and ever changing with each meter passed, and the richness of marine life forms impresses us, with a huge number of Aulostomidae in the first place (so-called Trumpetfish), "hanging" motionless vertically or horizontally in the abyss. From beneath the stones and rock nooks, we are observed by moray eels posing beautifully for photos. We also dive into the cave. In the middle of it lies a huge stingray, unmoved by our presence. After the last dive, when we leave water I feel unsatisfied – El Cabron natural reserve is a perfect place for underwater photographers, and although there are several hundred pictures on the card in my camera, I still have not enough…
last days
We spend our last days with the rest of our non-diving comrades, visiting the island, en-
joying the local specialties and taking baths in the ocean. It is not without reason that Gran Canaria is called the "continent in miniature". It owes the name to this huge diversity of landscape, from the damp and windy north through the mountainous central part of the island, up to the hot south. Journey around the island surprises us with the huge contrast between the well-developed tourist infrastructure and nature that has been intact for centuries. This is why the island was declared the Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. It's a kind of theme park, offering breathtaking landscapes. The central part of the island is a sunken volcanic caldera called Caldera de Tejeda, with the highest peak, Pico de Las Nieves elevated to 1949 meters above sea level. There are innumerable picturesque ravines and canyons, overgrown with palm trees and vegetation not to be seen anywhere else in the world. The north-east part of the island is an industrial area, with an airport and capital city, Las Palmas. The south consists of countless beaches, resorts, hotels, restaurants, yacht ports, etc. This diversity means that everyone can find something for themselves –
both nature lovers, enthusiasts of all kinds of water sports, as well as those who relax spending whole nights in clubs and discos.
suMMary
What charmed me, personally, in Gran Canaria? A rare phenomenon being the result of a bizarre combination of cultures, which have been developing here for hundreds of years. Over the centuries, Gran Canaria was the last port of Europe before setting off for a long journey over the Atlantic Ocean. That is why the island became a kind of a stop for people of different origins and roots, a mixture of smells, colours, and cultures. Therefore, in my opinion, the statement that Gran Canaria is only a cluster of shoddy resorts on a volcanic island, which apart from beaches and all-night places of entertainment has nothing to offer, is absolutely incorrect.
There are several dozen diving centres on the island, offering both beginner and advanced courses as well as guided diving. The lack of facilities for technical diving was a surprise to us. Here you can dive only in foam suit, with a single cylinder; most probably no diving base offers double-cylinder diving sets. The biggest advantage, however, is that the season here lasts all year long!
Face to face with a dolphin
Text and photos jakub banasiak
w hat is so magical about dolphins that so many people dream of a close encounter with these animals? w hy does swimming with dolphins for years appear on the lists of "100 things that you must do before you die"? h ow is it that the organization of various forms of communing with dolphins is already a billion-dollar business? But the question is, what price do dolphins pay for these encounters…
The dolphin madness has lasted since the sixties and started in the United States with the famous TV series "Flipper". The dolphin fever at some point also struck divers and freedivers, mainly due to the movie "The Big Blue" and the magical shots of Jacques Mayol (played by JeanMarc Barr) diving with bottlenose dolphins. After "The Big Blue" broadcast, everyone wanted to swim with these animals. When a few months after the premiere of "The Big Blue", in the marina of a small seaside town of Collioure in France, a lonely female (later named Dolphy) appeared, literally thousands of dreamers started to hit the town to spend a few moments with her in the water. To protect Dolphy from the invasion of tourists, the city authorities brought to Collioure the well-known dolphin whisperer Eric Demay, provided him with a flat, a Zodiac boat and all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the animal. Already at that time, it was intuitively known that the contact of a dolphin with man is not necessarily good for the former.
While the wild dolphins in the sea have at least hypothetically the ability to escape and to distance themselves from the crowd of swimmers, the dolphins in closed reservoirs pay a particularly high price for interacting with people. By participating in swim-with-dolphin programs in dolphinariums, we often have no idea of how serious a drama we are becoming a part of. Because slavery for such a marine mammal is really deadly.
In the United States alone, where the standards of dolphinariums are much higher than in other regions of the world, 1127 dolphins died, of which 50% did not even reach the age of 10 years, and 83% the age of 20 years. As shown by the data from the Marine Mammal Inventory Report and the National Marine Fisheries Services, as many as 313 dolphins born in captivity have reached the average age of just 2.5 years. In the same study, the reasons for the deaths of
500 dolphins in captivity were analyzed. Many of them are directly related to the living conditions in the dolphinarium:
● exhaustion/overheating – 15 specimens,
● stress – 24,
● transfer/transport – 26,
● attack from another dolphin – 27,
● ulcers – 36,
● accident/injury – 52,
● anesthesia/medical intervention – 57,
● drowning – 76.
a handful of statistics
Half of the captive dolphins die in the first 2 years of captivity, the rest survive in captivity on average 6 years.
50% of wild caught dolphins do not survive "adaptive procedures".
Every year, an estimated 100 dolphins is hunted in Taiji, Japan and 200 on the Solomon Islands (on these occasions 100 times more of these animals die).
Although marine parks in the USA and Europe are required to keep strict records of cetaceans in their possession, in many other countries there are no such registration requirements. It is difficult to get complete and accurate numbers of how many dolphins or porpoises died in captivity. According to the estimates of organizations dealing in the protection of dolphins, this number is approximately 5550–6000. New marine parks are constantly being opened all over the world – the market of whales raised in captivity or captured from the natural habitat is constantly growing. This business moves from Europe and the USA to China, flourishes in Russia, the Arab countries and the Far East. Demand stimulates supply.
a backstage draMa
Why are the conditions of life in captivity affecting the well-being of dolphins so much?
● Even in the largest and most well-known dolphinariums, animals have a very drastically limited space and cannot satisfy their natural locomotor and exploratory needs. The consequences of this are apathy, stereotypies and aggression.
● They are deprived of very important natural social ties. The juveniles are separated from their mothers early, that is why they cannot function in natural peer groups, perform different social roles and learn from their mothers and other family members. They remain in artificially created groups of ran-
dom specimens, where acts of aggression, wounds, etc. are very common.
● They are kept in tight, concrete reservoirs, which are devoid of natural stimuli. The lack of natural light in some places, harmful chemical composition of water, noise of music and filtration devices – these are just some of the stressful factors that weaken of the immune system and consequently lead to numerous infections, ulcers, skin diseases, etc.
● They are forced to perform unnatural behavior, circus tricks, dangerous to their health. At the same time, they do not have to show their natural hunting behaviors (because they are fed with dead fish), they
must stop using their key sense – echolocation (because the ultrasounds reflected from the pool walls cause their disorientation and exacerbate the stress).
● Monotonous frozen food, often of dubious quality, contributes to diseases and dehydration of organisms and leads to the necessity of artificial invasive irrigation with a hose inserted directly into the stomach (dolphins do not drink and all their water comes from the eaten fish, the frozen fish contain much less water).
dolphin sea pens
And what about places such as the Dolphin Reef in Eilat in Israel? This Dolphin Reef is about
14,000 m² of water in the fenced part of a natural sea bay. Dolphins have here a much larger space for living, social behavior, reproduction, hunting for live fish. They live in the sea water, in a naturally shaped herd, based on parental and partner ties.
On the Dolphin Reef you can both dive and snorkel with dolphins, but such sessions are quite strictly conducted: they are held only with a guide, the dolphins cannot be touched or chased, and a close encounter only occurs when the animals themselves decide to get close. The Dolphin Reef also provides a dolphin assisted therapy, but in contrast to other similar places, the dolphins are not rewarded with
food for participating in sessions with patients. The animals decide themselves whether they come to patients and interact with them. They also have an opportunity to take shelter from swimmers and divers in remote corners of the sea farm, if they are tired of people's company. They spend most of their time on natural activities: playing, taking care of calves, sometimes fighting for domination in the herd. Dolphins are not encouraged to perform circus tricks.
At first glance the Dolphin Reef seems more like a sea sanctuary than a dolphinarium. But even here problems arise. The half-freedom formula of dealing with dolphins and not interfering with their behavior became a trap. Dolphins that are unprepared for medical treatments can not be helped in the case of diseases. The earlier attempts of giving outpatient assistance, when a sick animal was drawn ashore, were so stressful for the dolphins that they were given up altogether. Also for this reason, the dolphin mortality rate is relatively high here. The possibility of letting the dolphins out into the open sea (which was part of the original Dolphin Reef idea) was also excluded, as the mammals used to the presence of humans sought contact with tourists on nearby Israeli and Egyptian beaches, which posed a serious threat to both sides. The herd is based on inbreeding, and subsequent generations are condemned to life in captivity. Although there are no noisy filtration
facilities here, dolphins as acoustic animals are exposed to the noise of outdoor events often held on the beach of the Dolphin Reef, and above all, the noise of nearby ships and military units. Cruise ships are particularly troublesome, they get close to the net and stop at the sea farm so that tourists can observe the dolphins.
and What about sWiMMing With dolphins in the open sea?
Divers, freedivers and snorkelers are tempted by reefs that are natural habitats for dolphins. For example, there are at least a few of them in the Red Sea: Shaab El Erg, Fanous East, Sataya, Samadai… Are meetings with dolphins in such places safe for animals?
After night hunting and covering significant distances, dolphins need sleep and rest. They have been coming to the reefs known as "a dolphin house" for years, because their location and shape gives the animals the opportunity to take shelter from currents and sharks. Unfortunately, when they return after a night hunt, tourists wait for them in their home in the morning. Dolphins
sleep while swimming and this is a very bad moment to disturb them with our presence. We appear on their "sleep route" and Zodiac boats with tourists usually throw people into the water directly on these animals' routes, simply getting in their way. Boat operators do not usually respect the hours of dolphins' sleep. Hopping into the water, we stop their sleep and force them to escape, sometimes even to leave the reef…
Another problem is the "trapping" of individual dolphins. Such a dolphin is probably a scout, checking if it is safe on the reef. If he encounters many boats and people in the water around him, he will probably return to the herd with bad news and the dolphins will be doomed to find another place to rest. And that is not easy at all. It may also happens that this is a sick individual who has no strength to follow the herd and is very stressed, often hungry and weakened. The pressure of divers, freedivers and ordinary tourists only deepens the trauma.
All these facts highlight the importance of responsible tourism (diving tourism included) and
how important it is that we should be reasonable while making our dreams come true.
Maybe he was right, the hero of "The Big Blue", Jacques Mayol, who once said: "The best way to express our gratitude to the dolphins would be to leave them alone. Man needs dolphins, not the other way around. […] What a farce and cynicism it is to call our »water-friends« the creatures that we have captured and trained. Have they not become
only clowns in water parks in many corners of the »civilized world«?"
jakub banasiak – Member of the Dolphinaria-Free Europe Coalition, a volunteer at the Tethys Research Institute and the Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, a Marine Connection contributor. For 10 years he has been involved in research on wild dolphin populations and dolphinariums audits. Together with the team "NO! For the Dolphinarium", he takes actions against keeping dolphins in captivity and promotes such knowledge about the dolphin assisted therapy, which is concealed or hidden by the centers profiting from this form of an animal assisted therapy.
profesjonalne wyjazdy nurkowe z polskim przewodnikiem oraz propozycje wypraw szyte na miarę
Szeroka oferta wyjazdów do EGIPTU: pobyty stacjonarne oraz safari nurkowe – polskie grupy!
More inforMation on the protection and Welfare of dolphins on the folloWing SIteS: delfinaria.pl czydelfinoterapia.pl niedladelfinarium.pl delfinoterapiawpolsce.pl https://www.facebook.com/naratunekdelfinom/
A platform of deep possibilities –
ILiveUnderWater.com
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Freediving in Poland
Onmy way to the World Championships, proudly dressed in the blouse of the Freediving Poland team, a red one, with our national emblem of the Eagle on the chest and the inscription POLAND on the back, I got on the plane. Sometimes I manage to take my monofin on board with me and this time this was the case. It always evokes curiosity of the cabin crew and passengers. Somewhere from behind my back, I can hear: "Excuse me, what's the discipline?", "Freediving" I answer. “What?!” “Well… freediving" "Ah…" – the tone of the voice confirms that my answer gave not much explanation…
Freediving in Poland is still a mysterious concept for everyone. Although the scuba diving industry is widespread, freediving is just beginning to build its position. There are only a few instructors dedicated to this passion and even fewer freediving schools. This does not prevent Polish freedivers from achieving world's achievements. In the history of Polish freediving, we already have 21 medals from the World Championship and hold several world records. During the last AIDA Freediving Pool World's Championship in Belgrade, Polish team won 7 medals, including 3 gold, and our representatives took part in many finals – but did anyone hear about it? Probably yes – the family and the closest friends of the contestants.
Others often look confused, asking themselves – how is it possible that the WORLD CHAMPIOSHIP in freediving can be held at the pool? Is there really such a deep swimming pool built anywhere? Well, it's hard to blame the Poles for lack of knowledge about this discipline, since it is not broadcast on TV, and access to the Baltic Sea is just a small fraction of our border. Although we have Hańcza, a lake over 100 meters deep, it is just one such a place, and in addition, it is located in the most remote, north-east corner of the country. If you even get there, the sun will disappear at the 20th me-
Text agniesZka kalska
Photo Jakob Boman
ter, and thermocline will meet us even before the tenth meter. For some the joy of freediving in such a place is doubtful. For me personally, this is where one of my most emotional dives took place – without a diving cylinder, of course. Well… could it be just because it was in winter and under the ice?
Other freediver-friendly diving sites include several flooded quarries in central and southern Poland. In other lakes, we can enjoy peace and quiet, and beautiful, mostly covered with forest landscape over the surface of the water. Many areas surrounding lakes belong to landscape parks and nature reserves. Unfortunately, as we sink into the water, we must be exceptionally lucky to have such water transparency that allows us to see what lies farther than 3 meters away. Of course, if that's the case, we can be fascinated by the amazing fauna and flora – you only need to know when, how and where to find it. Fallen trees are hiding places for predators, and in the depths, you can often find more mild species, on no account smaller in size. Vegetation in Polish lakes can be rich. In addition to the often encountered watermilfoils, charas, waterweeds or Potamogeton, you can also find beautiful meadows of water pineapple (Statiotes Aloides). It is difficult, however, to look for anything below the 6th meter – under the thermocline the vegetation practically does not exist.
However, the Poles love freediving anyway! To dive freely we do not need clean, deep waters. We may as well close our eyes and sink along the rope into a brown-green abyss, to experience the extraordinary peace of mind and body relaxation, which remain with us for much longer than the time when we hold our breath. For those who are afraid of this darkness, there is the pool. Here, under controlled conditions (always only under the watchful eye of a person assisting), we can dive into ourselves – still on
the surface in static apnea or just below the surface, dynamically covering subsequent meters with or without fins – it is something the Poles are the best in the world!
So, do not judge Polish freedivers. Support them and try yourself to dive once, at the pool or in a dark, cold lake, before you express your opinion. Freediving in Poland can be really pleasant :)
To explain what freediving is , the next issues will include a description of particular parts of this activity, as freediving is not just a sport… To start with, here is something the Poles are quite good at: freediving pool disciplines.
According to the organization rules AIDA (International Association for Development of Apnea):
dyn – dynaMic With fins, moving underwater wearing fins.
The competitors may use any fins or monofins. You can use the suit and additional load or dive just in the suit. The technique of moving or reversing next to the wall is not strictly defined. The competitor must cover at least a part of each length with the whole body submerged under the water and cannot move limbs over its surface. Speed and time of swimming do not matter. The goal is to cover the longest distance possible, with the airways underwater all the time.
World record:
● 300 m Giorgos Panagiotakis, Greece and Mateusz Malina, Poland
● 243 m Magdalena Solich-Talanda, Poland
dnf – dynaMic Withouth fins, moving underwater horizontally without fins.
The general rules are the same as for DYN. Here, however, the competitor cannot have additional equipment on feet. It usually involves the movement of arms and legs alternately, a style similar to breaststroke but under water.
World record:
● 244 m Mateusz Malina, Poland
● 191 m Magdalena Solich-Talanda, Poland
freediving disciplines held at the pool
Photo Amy Humphries
sta – static, i.e. timed static apnea.
This is the only discipline of freediving, where the time counts for the result achieved. Here it is the time from the moment of immersion to the moment when the airways (mouth or nose) surface that dictates the result. Freedivers remain on the surface for the entire duration of their test, most often in a standstill, minimizing oxygen consumption. Each freediver has his guardian who announces the time or gives other tips and supervises to ensure safety during the test.
World record:
● 11 min 35 sec, Stéphane Mifsud, France
● 9 min 02 sec, Natalia Molchanova, Russia
polish record:
● 8 min 46 sec, Matuesz Malina;
● 6 min 27 sec, Adelina HetnarMichaldo
According to the rules of organization CMAS (World Underwater Federation):
statics (sta) and dynamics without fins (dnf) are carried out according to similar principles.
DYN discipline is divided into dyn bi-fins –where separate fins are used and only the crawl (scissor) technique is allowed and dyn Monofin – here freediver can use a monofin which is more effective.
Additional disciplines in CMAS are based on the time achieved in order to cover the following distances, including breaks for breath after covering one length of a 50-meter long swimming pool:
● 100 m Speed Apnea
● 8 x 50 m Speed Apnea
● 16 x 50 m Speed Apnea
In the case of AIDA, the length of the swimming pool is not important – all records are identical. The CMAS organization divides the records achieved in the 25-meter pools and 50-meter pools into separate categories.
Photo Agnieszka Kalska
mORE WATER, lESS bubblES
dehydration – What is it?
We speak of dehydration when the body loses more water than it receives. Dehydration can lead to various types of medical problems that can be avoided in a simple way – by ensuring the right level of hydration.
dehydration – hoW does it affect divers?
For divers, dehydration causes an additional serious problem – an increased risk of decompression sickness.
Decompression sickness is caused by nitrogen bubbles forming and growing in the blood and body tissues. They can lead to hypoxia, or tissue hypoxia. Under normal conditions after a dive,
nitrogen is leached out of the body in the lungs, but this process will be less effective if the diver is dehydrated. In this situation, the formation and growth of gas bubbles will increase, which can lead to decompression sickness.
Dehydration reduces the volume of blood plasma and impairs gas exchange in tissues, thickens blood and limits its flow. Because the blood is partly responsible for the transport of nutrients and gas exchange, thicker blood will increase the risk of decompression sickness.
Basically, diving itself also increases the risk of dehydration. During the research conducted as part of projects carried out by the DAN Diving Safety Lab (DSL), we noticed that many divers are not well hydrated before diving (and even
less after diving). Under normal conditions, proper hydration should not be a problem for a diver, but we often forget about it.
dehydration and holidays
On holidays, we dehydrate faster – dry air in airplanes, heat, air conditioning – all this means that we lose much more water without even realizing it.
For example, when you fly on a plane, it is recommended to drink 240 ml of water per each hour of flight. Thus a person traveling from England to Egypt should drink 1.2 liters of water to maintain adequate hydration. For comparison, someone who flies from Italy to Egypt will need
about 0.75 liters of water. This is the amount of water that hardly anyone drinks during a flight.
Many travellers prefer to drink coffee, Coca Cola or beer during their flight. You have to remember that these drinks do not have the same hydration effect as water does. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages are diuretics. Drinking them causes dehydration because they absorb water from cells and increase urine production. As a result, a diver arrives at his destination in a state of light dehydration.
The most attractive dive sites for most divers are those with warm water, where there are beautiful coral reefs and colourful fish. These places mean a warm, sunny and sometimes hu-
mid climate. It is quite clear that in such places you sweat and when you sweat, you lose water. And if you do not replenish its level, you get dehydrated.
If you get sunburn, your body will lose water even faster. The burned skin becomes red and hot (sometimes pain occurs), and the body reacts to it by sending water to the skin. Solar heat and wind cause the sweat to evaporate and even more water is lost in this way.
At elevated temperatures, we like to be exposed to the wind. And as most of the dives are conducted from the boat, you will have the opportunity to feel the wind on the skin and this is a refreshing feeling. But in fact the wind or movement of air resulting from the boat movement on the water) will accelerate the evaporation of sweat, increasing the degree of dehydration.
Getting out of salt water, it will evaporate and leave salt crystals on the diver's skin. This can
often be seen with the naked eye. Salt has the ability to absorb and maintain water molecules. This means that it will absorb moisture from the skin, which later will evaporate due to exposure to the sun and wind, increasing the effect of dehydration.
dehydration and diving
There are three things particularly related to diving, which by themselves increase dehydration: sweating, diuresis caused by immersion (increased urine output) and breathing compressed air.
A diving suit allows you to keep warm during a dive, but also does not let your body cool. So if you are already in a climate where you sweat wearing only a t-shirt, imagine how much you will sweat under a diving suit.
During a dive, the increased ambient pressure and cool water will cause narrowing of the blood
vessels in the limbs and increase the amount of blood circulating in the trunk (heart, lungs and large blood vessels) to keep the body warm. This increased volume of blood is recognized by the body as an excess of water. The kidneys react by producing more urine (meaning the loss of water and salt). This is also the reason why divers have a need to urinate while diving or immediately after diving. This is referred to as diuresis due to immersion.
Another cause of water loss during the dive is the air we breathe. Same as on a plane, the air in the diving cylinder is dry, and as we already know, we lose more water to moisturize the dry air. If we add that due to the lower water temperature, our lungs must work harder to warm up the air, the loss of water is even more significant.
hoW do you knoW that you are dehydrated and What can you do?
Essentially, the color of urine is a good indicator. Urine should be clear or slightly yellow in color. The darker color of the urine usually means you are dehydrated, but the color of the urine may
syMptoMs of dehydration include
● Thirst (that means you should drink not only when you feel thirsty, because thirst means you are already a bit dehydrated)
● Dizziness
● Headache
● Muscle contractions
● Fatigue
● Dry mouth
● Dark-coloured urine
● Decreased urine output
be dependent on the intake of certain medications. Also, a reduced amount of urine or lack of it may mean that you are dehydrated, but a large amount of urine does not necessarily mean that you are well hydrated.
Most cases of dehydration are mild and can be easily cured by drinking more water. Ryhydration salts or isotonic drinks can also be used as an addition to water because they better replenish salts and electrolytes. But if there are symptoms of severe dehydration, medical help is needed.
hoW to avoid dehydration?
It is much easier to avoid dehydration than to cure this condition!
● after a dive, rinse the whole body with fresh water
● put on a diving suit just before entering the water
● avoid alcohol and drinks with caffeine
● protect yourself from too much sun exposure (sunburns)
the condition of serious dehydration
● Strong fatigue – weakness
● Strong thirst and very dry mouth
● Sunken eyes and / or no tears
● Not urinating for eight hours
● Dry skin that slowly returns to normal when it is pinched
● Fast heartbeat, weak pulse
● Fast breaths
● Hypotension (low blood pressure)
● Irritation and confusion
● Low level of consciousness
But the easiest way is to drink a lot of water. We advise you to drink a glass of water every 15–20 minutes. This way of drinking will allow you to hydrate tissues and consequently avoid problems with gas exchange, which can lead to the formation of bubbles and decompression sickness.
How much you should drink depends on many factors, but drinking at least two additional liters of water (in addition to what you normally drink during the day) will allow you to be well-hydrated. You can also eat foods that contain a lot of water, such as fruits and vegetables.
DAN Europe has conducted studies on surface tension. Surface tension is a significant force that affects the properties of many substances, including fluids and tissues in the body. Very small bubbles have very high surface tension, and larger ones – smaller surface tension. The low surface tension allows a bubble to grow faster and with less resistance. A high surface tension value limits the growth rate of a bubble and may even cause it to disappear.
Source: www.daneurope.org; www.alertdiver.eu
Report published March 4, 2008, "Preventive effect on pre-dive hydration on bubble formation in divers"
E Gempp, JE Blatteau, JM Pontier, C Balestra, P Louge
Divers Alert Network "More water, less bubbles"
Enjoy
Bristol Beaufighter Malta
Some interesting facts! a n interesting airplane model – being an upgrade of earlier models; interesting because of the history of this particular specimen, and interesting as a wreck of an airplane: a unique one among those desired by divers.
i n general, divers most appreciate these wrecks that are well preserved. p lus they should be big – big enough to make it possible for a diver to see the interior. o r these that look like they're still sailing. these almost complete. wrecks-ruins are less interesting, sometimes even boring, especially wrecks of airplanes, as you can neither get inside nor swim around for hours for they are so small…
But it's not the case with this one! this one, in my opinion, is interesting not because of its "perfect" condition, but because of the circumstances in which it can be visited.
Text toMasZ jeżeWski Photos grZegorZ ŚWiątnicki
Ifwe go down to the wreck itself, lying on a flat sandy bottom at a depth of approx. 40 m and we start to view it in a "classic way", we can conclude that indeed there is nothing special about it… There is no cabin which sank into the bottom. Actually, you do not even know if it is still there… There are parts of engines left and a part of the undercarriage. Some remnants of bent propellers… The remains of the frame of the wings… Some of the frames and stringers and other scrap metal in the place where the fuselage used to be… And an empty space up to what is left of the tail… It seems that the nose of the machine is missing, but when we find out how this airplane looked complete, it turns out that there was not much of this nose even before the accident.
Various modifications leading finally to this model (Bristol Beaufighter is the Bristol Beaufort upgrade, which was based on the experience and elements of Bristol Blenheim…) meeting the expected parameters included the need to push both engines forward and shorten the nose of the plane. As a result – in a completely different way than it used to be – engines and propellers came before the nose of the machine. A strange airplane it was then. And a strange wreck it is now.
This strange construction made the machines odd to pilot. In case of a failure of one of the engines, the inconvenience was even greater –so huge that, as the saying goes, most pilots of this machine died trying to land with one engine
damaged. Apparently, it was enough to get close to Mother Earth inadvertently (or purposely) and increase rapidly the power of the still operating engine when the airplane did a half-barrel roll ending the flight on its back.
The plane after such a "landing" looked… just as our wreck – for we need to mention that the wreck of this strange plane lies on its back. It looks as if it had tried to land on a flat sandy bottom with one engine damaged. One engine still has its propeller and on the other engine, we notice the propeller is missing. The undercarriage is retracted and set in landing position. The underside of the airplane is visible, and the cabin is driven into the sandy runway… Just the 40 m of water on the runway is a bit out of place…
In descriptions of the accident of this particular airplane, we can find information about the actual cause of the crash being engine failure, but the pilots managed to land on the sea and were rescued. But is it possible that the description of the accident is not true and that the airplane landed on the sandy runway when there was no water on it yet? What other reason might be there for retracting the undercarriage?… Strange…
Even more interestingly – more strangely and more unusually as befits a strange plane – this wreck looks viewed from a smaller depth (lower height?…). Hanging in the depths, hovering over this wreck and viewing it through translucent water, at some point we have the impression that … we look up, into the sky! After all, we see the "shadow" of a complete plane, as if we were looking from the ground at the approaching machine, ready for landing. The whole silhouette of the plane is beautifully outlined. You can see the engine nacelles protruding in front of the nose of the machine, you can see the undercarriage retracted and prepared for landing, you can see the tail, which is still in place, you can see the outline of the wings. Bubbles, flicker-
ing at the surface of the sea, released by scuba divers around the wreck look like remnants of fuel thrown away by the plane before landing and falling to the surface of the earth. The impression is incredible! The depth just below the surface of the sea is probably the best place to view the wreck.
The fugitive airplane "flying over the head" of the observer – this is probably the best way to "explore" this strange wreck.
Description of the Bristol Beaufighter airplane: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Beaufighter
Information about the wreck and history of this particular airplane and the description of the accident (Eng): https://www.maritieme-archeologie.be/wreck.aspx?130794
bristol beaufighter Mk X – heavy long-range fighter aircraft. Strike aircraft and torpedo bomber.
Manufacturer
– Bristol Aeroplane Company
eNgINeS – 2 x Bristol Hercules XVII, 14-cylinder, radial
DIMeNSIoNS
● wingspan: 17.65 m
● length: 12.5 m
● height: 4.84 m
● supporting surface: 19.79 m²
Mass
● empty aircraft mass: 7080 kg
● take-off mass: 11540 kg
perforMance
● maximum speed: 512 km/h on the ceiling of 3048 m
● the rate of climb: 489 m/min
● ceiling: 5800 km
● range: 2816 km
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Source: Wikimedia Commons
THE TERRIblE HOuRS
It is m ay 1939, Jacques Cousteau reinvents fins and a diving mask. m eanwhile, thousands of kilometres away from France, in the Atlantic Ocean near New Hampshire, at the depth of almost 80 meters underwater, a rescue action takes place, which seems impressive even nowadays. During just 4 dives a team of divers saved 33 crew members of a sunken submarine. This action went down in history. b ut let's start from the beginning.
OnMay 23, 1939, the newly built US Navy submarine, USS Squalus, set off for its fifteenth trial voyage. Unfortunately, during the immersion process, because of the open hatchways water flooded the submarine and caused it sunk instantly. 26 crew members died almost immedi-
ately when the ship fell down to a depth of 74 meters. A total of 33 mariners, who managed to hide in an isolated compartment, survived. In the incredible cold, without food, in complete darkness and with ever lower oxygen concentration, they could only pray for someone to find them.
Text MateusZ popek
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
Lack of contact with USS Squalus triggered a quick search action. The sister ship, USS Sculpin, was designated for this operation. Fortunately, within a dozen or so hours it was possible to locate a submerged submarine and even, to a very limited extent, communicate with the survivors. At this point, the race against time began, and the only person who could win this battle was Charles B. Momsen called "the Swede".
Momsen was a pioneer in water rescue and an inventor. Unfortunately, he was not very popular in the navy and his attempts to introduce his projects into use were occupied with many sacrifices. It was hard for him that later the rescue bell invented by the Swede was named after another officer. The Swede designed, built and tested all his inventions on his own body, starting from the so-called "Momsen’s lungs", which were nothing more than a small underwater rebreather, allowing for evacuation even from the depth of 60m. Another invention was the already mentioned diving bell, which could be attached to a submerged submarine to get
the survivors out to the surface. In 1939, Momsen already noticed the phenomenon of nitrogen narcosis and tested gases with the addition of helium.
When the USS Squalus went down, for the Navy it became clear that only Charles Momsen and his team could help mariners trapped at the bottom of the ocean. The USS Falcon was specially prepared as a base for the rescuers. After taking the position, the divers started preparations to connect the diving bell to the submarine to get the survivors out. When the divers worked with cylinders filled with air, the nitrogen narcosis occurred. At this depth this caused great difficulties. Then Momsen decided to use a mixture with the addition of helium, which until then had still been in the testing phase. The use of the new gas gave an amazing effect. The minds of the divers became clear, and the rescue operation began to move forward dynamically. The diving bell was delivered and attached to the wreck. After completing just 4 dives, 33 mariners trapped in the wreck were saved.
However, as it turned out, this action alone was not the end of the operation involving the USS Squalus wreck. The Navy decided that the sunken submarine should be lifted. For the next 50 days, the divers dragged the ropes under the wreck and installed pontoons to try to lift the wreck on July 13, 1939. Unfortunately, the air that entered the bow caused the wreck to jump to the surface and then it sank once again. It took another 20 days to fix this error. Then it was finally lifted and towed to a dry dock in Portsmouth. Still, this is not the end of story, because Squalus was renovated and returned to service, fighting on the front until the end of World War II.
This is a story about imprisoned sailors and their ship, but the most amazing are individual, courageous people who took up the challenge which until then had been impossible to complete. It was only thanks to Momsen's open mind and the courage of his divers that the mariners were saved. 628 safe dives were carried out on the wreck. Four divers from the Swede team: Chief Machinist's Mate Badders, Chief Boatswain's Mate Orson L. Crandall, Chief Metalsmith James H. McDonald, and Chief Torpedomanman John Mihalowski, were awarded the U.S. Medal of Honour. They gave hope to the crews of sub-
marines, who until that day had been convinced that sinking always ends in death … they saw some hope for themselves.
This action was described in detail in Peter Mass's book "The terrible hours". It also became the inspiration for the film "Submerged", shot in 2001, directed by James Keach. The role of Momsen was played by Sam Neil. Even youtube includes a lot of archival footage and documentary films about this action. This is a story I strongly recommend you to explore in more detail.
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
mOlNáR JáNOS
As a little girl, I dreamed of being a princess. The most genuine one, such as in fairy tales – with a beautiful crown and a palace covered with sparkling magical dust… Finally, I grew up and these dreams faded away somewhere, long forgotten… u ntil I entered a place that brought all the childhood visions back – including sparkling passages and almost unreal spaces covered with crystals… In a magic place I was: The m olnár János Cave.
Text irena kosoWska
Photos ceZary cZaro abraMoWski
Over a hundred years ago the first hydrothermal caves were discovered in the vicinity of the Rózsadomb (Budapest). In the past century, there were about 50–60 caves and 50 cave markings. In Rózsadomb the oldest known rock comes from the Upper Triassic period. In the studied area there are two Triassic formations: Main Dolomite (Fődolomit), a solid dolomite formation and Mátyáshegyi formation, consisting of limestone and dolomite. Other formations existing there include Paleogene and Quaternary rock formations. The most important among the new formations is a few tens of meters thick Szépvölgyi limestone layer from the Upper Eocene. The caves located in the Rózsadomb area were carved mainly in this type of rock. In this area, Szépvölgyi limestone is usually covered by Buda Marl formation (Upper Eocene – Lower Oligocene). It contains a variable, but always significant, clay content, and therefore it is not easily transformed into karst formation. However, it is
located in the centre of the Pannonian basin, one of the hottest basins in Europe, Hungary has long been famous for its hot springs and a multitude of underground formations. molnár János cave, an active thermokarastic cave, belonging to the karst hills of buda, lies beneath the densely populated district of budapest. Its huge passages are almost completely filled with warm water. Only the upper part of its largest known chamber rises above the water level.
in this layer that there are some cave passages and the Molnár János cave itself.
The Molnár János cave is located under the exclusive district of Budapest. It is considered the only active, "living" cave in the Buda caves system. This cave, like other caves in its surroundings, originates from thermal karst formation processes and was generated by hot springs. This is a fairly unique situation that cave corridors lie under the highly urbanized area of the city being the capital of Hungary. We were immensely impressed when we drove through the city centre, right down to a pretty inconspicuous
gate in the very middle of a busy street, just to dive into a completely different world.
As soon as we had crossed the Molnár János gate, we were briefed on the incredibly neat arrangement and logistics of the very place. The lecture halls, sanitary facilities, well-organized compressor room and the logistics of the very descent into the water left us deeply impressed.
To dive in Molnár, you must meet a number of requirements – above all, you need to book the date, which in high season is not easy at all. You need to have the certification to use each item of
equipment used for diving (besides the obvious cave diving certification, for example, the drysuit certification), valid medical examination and diving insurance, DAN Silver minimum (or other acknowledged insurance covering cave diving). In the beginning, after arrival and passing through a corridor in which the temperatures are high, despite the negative temperatures outside, each diver has a place assigned and receives several forms to fill in. In addition to the above-mentioned requirements, which we need to document by leaving certificates for the time of diving, we also sign a whole bunch of statements on the safety of diving, risk, health, hazard awareness, etc. – all of it in both, Hungarian and English.
When the formal requirements are fulfilled, the guides are assigned (it is not possible to dive by yourself) and a briefing about the very place and diving schedule takes place. We learned, among other things, that most of the vast cave system is under water, reaching a maximum explored depth of 100 m, and the length of the known sections reaches almost 6 km. The outlet of the cave is about 200 m away from the Danube.
The cave was named after János molnár, a pharmacist who for the first time suggested the existence of a cave that belongs to the same water system as the nearby malom pond. The pond was displaced in the 13th century to supply water mills in the area. János molnár after his research suggested that the water flows into the pond through the undiscovered channel. later, the advances in diving techniques enabled the exploration of the hidden niche. Rapid exploration began in the 70' of the 20th century.
Since the level of water in the cave exceeds the Danube level (about 95 m ASL in Budapest) just a few meters, the deepest parts of the cave are located at sea level. Still evolving, active cave is the deepest and newest member of the Buda thermokarst system. The temperature of the water in the known passages ranges from 17 to 27°C. The upper sections are surrounded by the upper layer of Eocene Buda Marl formation,
which is characterized by a variable, but significant, carbonate content. In contrast to the large caves in the Buda Hills, the corridors of Molnár János caver are still subject to corrosion. Famous locations of clusters of barite and calcite are older and independent from cave generation.
It is these properties of the cave, the clusters of barite and calcite, that were to carry us over to a fairytale world. But let’s start from the beginning.
After dividing us into diving groups and appointing our guides, we got ready for diving. What's important, Molnár strictly follows the predive check procedures performed under the "dictation" of the guide, and conservative gas management: an additional stage can be borrowed at the price of filling a cylinder. This means that you do not have to take your own stage when you
go on an expedition – if you want to fill it, you will get another full bottle for the same price, without having to wait for your own (you do not have to take it at all).
After immersion, we deposit the decompression gases on an impressive decobar and we go along the fixed ropes to the planned underwater trip. The entire system of routes available for divers is permanently roped with a steel rope of 9 mm diameter, anchored in rocks, and marked. There is no need (or no possibility when using standard cave markers) to use own ropes or markings.
Warm water, perfect clarity, visibility up to 20 meters, spaces as huge as your flashlight can reach… an amazing feeling of being in a place which, despite being so close to the big city (lying just below it), is so unique. Standard diving lasts up to 1.5 hours, during which we traverse the
corridors made of very different types of rocks, of various structure, from huge chambers to narrowings, from completely dark places to… well, here we go back to fairy tales and princesses. The first time I turned the flashlight towards the wall that sparked with thousands of flickering dots, I began to wonder if my mind was not tricking me. But as it happened again and again… Passages, walls, and corridors were covered with genuine crystals! A phenomenon was so absolutely fascinating and amazing that I needed quite a time to shake off the first impression… fortunately, not only me, and the guide accustomed to such reactions turned around and waited until we got enough of the sight. During the four dives performed in Molnár, I got to know a whole spectrum of new experiences, comparable to experiencing real art. When we arrived at the very end of the rope, seeing that the system of corridors goes further but is still only accessible to researchers, I felt both excitement and some insufficiency. But what I remember best to this day are crystals. Because that very corridor, that passage sparkling – as I later learned – with barite and calcite, inspired me to look for more information about the genesis of the Molnár cave. Hence this article today.
The system of Molnár János corridors is the subject of numerous studies by both geologists, geophysicists, and biologists – over the years of research, four completely new species of creatures were discovered there. The cave's varia-
bility is also being studied all the time and new underground connections are sought.
An expedition to Molnár can be organized by anyone certified to perform cave dives in confined spaces. The basic routes have an average depth of 20–30 meters; for deeper routes, a separate reservation is required. All details, including the price list, are available on the website of the cave operator – MJ Cave http://www.mjcave.hu/en.
In terms of accommodation, popular portals aggregating accommodation offers will come in handy with reasonable prices. After dives, which end at the latest at 4 p.m., it is worth going to the Old Town, which, lit up at night, completes the impressions of the Hungarian adventure.
http://www.mjcave.hu/en
Radon as a natural tracer for underwater cave exploration, Katalin Csondor, Anita Eross, Akos Horvath, Denes Szieberth, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvrad Contributions of geophysical techniques to the exploration of the Molnár János Cave (Budapest, Hungary), Gergely Sururányi, Endre Dombrádi, Szabolcs Leél-Őssy, Acta Carsologica 39/3, Postojna 2010
I would like to give very special thanks to all Molnár János Cave Team with the particular reference to Dénes Szieberth from the Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, for all support, including access to Molnár János research articles.
Thank you!
1
Source: http://www.mjcave.hu/en/diving
Skuas
the sea robbers
Text
and photos Wojciech jarosZ
i n the world of birds, just like in the cinema, you can observe chases, robberies, thefts and inextricably related to them silent dramas of the victims. the perpetrators of these criminal acts (if we apply human civil codes and norms of social conduct to these birds) are real villains – the skuas. a nd as befits real villains, the skuas are of sturdy built and strong, neither missing the dark elegance, which brings them closer to g oodFellas than the Joker (speaking about the movies in question), nor intelligence of which they have abundance.
Manyskuas actually practice kleptoparasitism, which means that they feed at the expense of other birds (gulls, terns, puffins, auks, and even gannets) forcing them to give their food to them. Sometimes they can be quite intrusive, nudging or pecking birds returning from the hunt to their nests. These, unable to protect themselves and escape from the attacker (as skuas fly fast enough not to allow the victim to escape at a speed up to 50 km/h) finally give away what they have hunted, trying to save their own skin.
Such a way of acquiring food, by stealing it from other animals, is not unusual in nature. Most predators practice such behaviour, especially when they are bigger and stronger than the victim – after all, a bigger one can always do more. There are, however, some cases known, when bigger animals give in to smaller creatures, like a cougar getting out of the way, for obvious reasons, of a small skunk which come to feed on
the cougar’s prey. Sometimes victims become aggressors, as in the case of gulls and terns that give their own pray to skuas just to steal food later from other birds, representatives of their own species included. Even more interesting is the case of hyenas and lions, which are able to steal food from each other, and which party is the victim in particular situation depends to a large extent on the determination and strength of these two groups of carnivores.
Going back to the skuas, a trace of parasitic interspecies relationship has been embedded in the name of one of the species, parasitic jaeger, also called so after the Latin name Stercorarius parasiticus. In many languages, the connection with the Latin name is strong, for example in the French it is Labbe parasite, in English Parasitic jaeger, in Spanish Págalo parásito. The etymology of the Latin generic name is also associated with the way of obtaining food and this genealogy seems to be even less appealing. Well, Ster-
corarius means ‘from dung’ or ‘from manure’, which is associated with the old conviction that what appears in the air as a result of the thuggish attacks of the skuas is not the returned food but the droppings of the attacked bird.
To bring the issue of parasitism to an end, it should be added that the skuas can also hunt (for fish, birds and rodents) and do not hold the carrion in contempt. The way the birds get their food depends mainly on the environment, i.e. their habitat, the season, and is largely associated with particular species of the skuas. And here the problems begin, as nobody exactly knows how many species of skuas there are. Today, seven species are specified most often, but in the past the number of Stercorarius reached as many as 10 separate species (some of them are currently treated as subspecies). It is possible that in the future the skuas will be divided into two separate genera (a need reported by some ornithologists in specialistic publications), where one genus would include big, brown birds called skuas (the great skua, the brown skua, the Chilean skua and the south polar skua), and the other – those with a softer and more diverse colouration (the already mentioned parasitic jaeger, as well as pomarine jaeger and long-tailed jaeger). There are plenty of taxonomic doubts but it seems that there is no point of discussing them in this article.
As a curiosity it can be added that while studying the issues of belonging a specific genre to a higher taxon, what is taken into account, in addition to many other things, is the species composition of the parasitic fauna existing mainly in feathers (specifically – composition of mites). Parasites again…
Where can you come across the skuas? In many locations around the world, but basically always in areas close to the sea (apart from occasional visits to the inland of birds fleeing the storm, and
who knows, maybe also those extremely curious ones?). Paleontological evidence indicates that these birds come from the northern hemisphere of our globe but today we meet them both on the Arctic and Antarctic site of the globe. What's more, some birds can be found on both sides of the equator, the best example of which is the south polar skua nesting, in accordance with its name, on the coasts of Antarctica and nearby islands, and wandering to wintering habitats located on the North Pacific or North-Western Atlantic. Sometimes, in terms of the length of migration, it can be compared to the Arctic tern, unmatched in this context. The skuas are regarded as the vertebrates found the closest to the South Pole, which confirms their aerial capabilities. The people of Europe can admire the great skuas in Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands or Northern Scotland but, similar to the south polar skua, the skua (as the great skua is often abbreviated) can also be seen on the an-
tipodes – in New Zealand, and also in Antarctica and South America. A cosmopolitan indeed! In Europe you can also come across the parasitic, long-tailed and pomarine jaegers, usually in the northern parts of the continent, and at the time of migration they appear in more southern locations – even in the Baltic Sea.
When the skuas finish their breeding period, and this usually coincides with the time of breeding of the bird species usually attacked by the skuas, they turn into the high-seas birds. Then they can be seen by the crews of the yachts and ships in the seas and oceans, far away from the nearest land.
To recognize the skuas, however, you need to know how they look like and how to distinguish them from other birds. Well, these are medium-sized birds, resembling the type of the build of some larger species of seagulls. However, the
details of the build leave no illusions: you can't confuse a skua with any seagull. Of course, between the largest of skuas: the great skua and the south polar skua, and the smallest one, longtailed jaeger, there is a significant difference in weight, respectively 1.3 kg and 300 g, but most of the features of their build is common for all species of that genus. They have a distinctive, prominent, hooked beak, bent at the end, black in colour. The same colour are legs of the skuas equipped with webbing and robust claws. The wings are averagely wide and not too long. Colours are different and depend on the species. The larger skuas present different shades of brown in their feathers with a small touch of white on their speculum feathers. According to one of the theories, this is to be an identity mark for the bird's brethren in order not to force food from a bird with such a sign. Smaller skuas: parasitic, long-tailed and pomarine jaegers are also of dark colour, but only on the top part of the
body. On the underside they are rather fair – of cream colour. Characteristic for these species is also the more or less significant elongation of the central rectrices i.e. tail feathers (hence the generic names in Polish come from). This feature, along with the colour, makes it easy to identify the species of the skua being observed.
m ost skuas live for several years on average, but there is a description of the bird, which was banded as the nestling in the years 1968–1970, and in the year 2015 was steel breeding.
The interesting thing is that the inside of the birds is well-developed (especially the muscles moving the wings); also there is an exceptional-
ly large number of mitochondria in the skeletal muscle fibre – the intracellular power plants with the relevant enzymes needed for smooth implementation of production processes of energy (or actually – transformation). It all makes the skuas very efficient flyers. Due to distant and long-lasting flights over the salty waters, the skuas have developed salt glands, which serve as the onboard desalinator. Thanks to this adaptation the birds can drink sea water when there is no access to fresh water.
Long journeys end when they need to reproduce. And just like in other spheres of their life we perceive skuas as hooligans, we can admire their faithfulness in the male-female relations (let’s not get limited if we want to anthropomorphize). Yes, the skuas are monogamous and after long periods of wandering they can meet without seeing each other for long months and once
again start breeding. Usually in the same place, although there are also observations refuting thesis about the invariability of the nest's location. Such a cycle can be repeated many times, because after reaching sexual maturity at the age of several years (usually 5–8 years) the skuas still have a lot of life ahead of them. Most skuas live for several years on average, but there is a description of the bird, which was banded as the nestling in the years 1968–1970, and in the year 2015 was steel breeding. As for a 45-year-old, this south polar skua looked quite well. After laying one or two eggs in a hollow in the ground (skuas do not build fancy constructions), the couple protect their nest. These birds are able to effectively drive away bigger animals lurking on their eggs. While observing such behaviour, it was noted that the brown skua can recognize human face. Investigators, who had approached the nest to make measurements of eggs or chicks, were rec-
ognized and attacked by the skuas (even after clothes were changed), while people not seen previously could move freely in the vicinity the nest, not disturbed by birds. This is one of the examples of great cleverness of the skuas.
When during your stay in the marine coasts you will be fortunate to see a dark bird resembling a large seagull and attacking other birds, you will probably be looking at skuas – so stay alert!
Hańcza
the deepest lake in poland
Somewhere far away from the centre of p oland and city life, protected by serpentines of roads, lies the deepest p olish lake – h ańcza. i t covers a deep postglacial tunnel valley wedged between the hills, surrounded by forests and meadows, blending into the landscape of the region. o ur goal is Błaskowizna, a small village on the eastern shore of the lake.
Here you can find all the diving bases and points where you can enter the water. Coming here for the first time, it is worth to use the satellite navigation, especially on the last part of the route. This will reduce to a minimum the unexpected sightseeing tour of the beautiful, by the way, landscapes of the Suwalki region.
by
the lake
When we are on the spot, we face the first dilemma: where to stay? We have two bases to
choose from. The first, more intimate, is located next to one of the bays. Its downside, or a big plus, depending on a point of view, is the lack of possibility to fill the cylinder. The other is a base with facilities including compressors and the bank. Its advantage, or disadvantage, is a large number of places of accommodation. In addition to the aforementioned bases, we can find here two more points, where we can fill the cylinders with various gases, as well as several agritourism farms.
Text Michał sMaga Photos Wojciech Zgoła
The dilemma of choosing the accommodation will not always affect us in the same way. Depending on the season, we should expect bases bursting at the seams in summer, or almost empty in winter. It is easier to find accommodation in summer: if we do not book earlier a place to stay, we can always stay in a tent or at agritourism farm. It’s wiser not to count on a free accommodation in the base. Apart from the summer season, the beds are always available, although even then prior telephone arrangement is required.
Where to dive?
When we are already accommodated, assembled equipment is waiting for our entry into the water, it’s time to choose the destination. Here, unfortunately, the choice is limited. Because of its location within the boundaries of the Suwałki Landscape Park, the whole lake is included in the nature reserve and only a part of the eastern shore of the lake and its depth is made available for diving. Along one kilometre we have at our disposal three car parks with convenient descents to the water, and benches where you can lay out the equipment. One could begin to complain about the length of the accessible shore, because what is one kilometre in relation to twelve kilometres of the lake's circumference? Fortunately, however, these restrictions have also some good sides. In the lake, we will not find almost any artificially sunken attractions, creating sometimes underwater waste dumps of dubious aesthetic qualities. We can only see what the glacier left behind: steeply descending
rocky slopes and large boulders forming structures reminiscent of mountain screes. But let’s start from the beginning.
The car park closest to the village, called the first car park offers us a gently descending (as for the local conditions) bottom along with the sizable littoral zone. Diving deeper into the lake, at around thirtieth metre, we can find a boat resting on the bottom. Continuing the way into the depth, at around fortieth metre, we en-
counter three dugouts. These boats are archaeological monuments and as such are subject to protection – it is forbidden to touch them. This is one of the few places in Europe where you can see such objects. Another variant of the route you can choose at the First car park is to head north along the shore of the lake. After swimming for a few minutes in this direction, at a depth of 14 m, we can meet the most famous wall in Poland. It spreads uninterruptedly for about 300 m, changing from time to time the
depth of the base and the top. In one place it is interrupted by a scree of loose rock material and gravel. This is a sign that we have reached the Second car park. Here the deepest place varies between 25 and 40 m.
the second car park is a place, right in the middle of the lake, providing the most thrills to the lovers of the depth. You can descend here as far as 50 m or even deeper in a very short time, plunging along a strongly inclined slope. The slope itself is also impressive, with different sizes of disarrayed boulders and rock waste creating an almost lunar landscape.
Diving farther along the shore, we will finally reach the third car park. Here the bottom is the mildest, and the littoral zone the largest. An additional advantage is the presence of the platform at the bottom which allows carrying out some exercise. There are also clay walls not as spectacular as those next to previous car parks, but also charming. Due to the delicacy of the material forming the walls, they should not be touched.
The last place where we can dive is the depth of the lake. We should not expect any beautiful
views there; we will have to be satisfied with the view of the descending line. Divers are attracted here by the opportunity to see the three-digit depth readout on their computer display. The depth, reported on the Internet, varies from 105 to 111 m and, unfortunately, is not confirmed among the divers. Visitors to the bottom agree that it is 103 m.
When to dive?
We already know almost everything to be able to plan a successful diving trip. Only one piece of information is missing – that about the best visibility. The issue is a bit problematic. The simplest way would be to say: the best conditions will be between autumn and spring turnovers. During this time, the visibility often exceeds 20 m. Unfortunately, this does not solve the problem of divers who like warm temperatures or those who dive in foam suits. They will have to accept the visibility limited sometimes up to two meters in the summer months. Fortunately, visibility gets better as the depth increases. At around the 20th metre, it rarely falls below 10 m.
Knowing when to come to the lake and what to see there, we can look for attractions on the surface. Here, depending on the selected sea-
culinary delights
son, we have different options for exploring the area: from hiking, cycling, to cross-country skiing and sleigh parties. For those preferring more lazy forms of leisure, a public beach, recently opened, is available.
Depending on the selected season, the surrounding lakes will be wrapped up in different robes: starting from the hills hidden under the snow and, if we are lucky, the ice-covered lake, through the juicy green of grasses and forests, ending with full of colours, sometimes foggy autumn hills.
Describing the advantages of the region we cannot forget to mention the local culinary specialties. The most famous is "sękacz" – a cake baked over an open fire. Being there, you cannot forget to try cepelinai or potato cake. A less known, but equally recommended product is produced in a traditional way cheese, which you can buy from the local farmers.
We slowly get to the end of our trip to Hańcza Lake. We leave behind the charms of this place, where the city tumult has not reached yet, a place so different from foreign diving resorts, a bit wild and still undiscovered.
błaskowizna on hańcza lake
Postal Code: 16-404
gps location: 52.245652 and 22.801854
Directions: to Suwalki along the S61 route and further to Błaskowizna, north-west direction
