Only a diver knows how to cool down in the summer heat. Just take a basic diving course with a good instructor. Buy or rent diving equipment and enter or jump into the water. Not only is it pleasant, interesting and cuts off any external stimuli while we float in the depths, but also we can cool our body.
If you don't believe, try it!
Another issue of our bimonthly magazine is in your hands or before your eyes. Yet again, we managed to do an amazing job. We – here I mean not only the editorial staff, but a whole wide range of collaborators. Inside you will find new authors and their great photos and stories.
Przemysław Zyber is on the cover – congratulations. But that's not all – you can see further more photos and read where they were made.
Jacek Bugajski, who made his debut with us and "got infected" with a passion for diving, shows us what blackwater photography is all about. If you read this, you will probably want to try it.
And if you haven't been to the Croatian island of Vis yet – now you have the opportunity. Take a look at Dominika Aleksanderek's short article and photos of Piotr Stós, pack your bags and go to Vis!
Do you prefer the Spanish language? No problem. Michał Czerniak talks about Mallorca's surprise – prepared for him by his friends and his own wife. For lovers of wrecks and quarries there will be some interesting information. Kurt Storms shows HMS Southwold "anchored" forever on the Maltese bottom; Tomasz Kulczyński dives in Stoney Cove in the UK; and I, together with Bogdan Zając, discover the secrets of the lake (is it a lake?) Czarnogłowy.
There is also a feminine corner and interesting material by Isadora Abuter Grebe, as well as two articles about Planet Earth – by Jakub Banasiak about dolphins and by Wojtek Jarosz about colourful nightingales.
In the end, a real roller-coaster ride! A very practical and extremely important topic – reserves in the cylinder. It applies to every scuba diver without exception. Wojtek Filip presented this problem in a very clear and straightforward way.
You should definitely read this!
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Enjoy your reading!
Publisher PERFECT DIVER WOJCIECH ZGOŁA ul. Folwarczna 37, 62-081 Przeźmierowo redakcja@perfectdiver.com ISSN 2545-3319
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Przemysław Zyber
Meksyk, Cenota Maravilla
WOJCIECH ZGOŁA
Passionate about diving and pure nature. He likes to say that he travels by diving. He learned to swim when he was less than 6 years old. At the age of 15, he obtained a yacht sailor's license and has been diving since 2006. He has completed over 750 dives in various regions of the world. He wrote and published many articles. Co-author of photo exhibitions. An advocate of leaving the place of residence clean and unblemished. Diving promoter. Since 2008 he has been running his own website www.dive-adventure.eu. Based on extensive experience, in 2018 he created the new Perfect Diver Magazine, which has been successfully published regularly every two months in Polish and English for over 4 years.
A graduate of geography at the University of Wrocław, an incorrigible optimist... permanently with a smile on her lips I have been diving since 2002, which is more than half of my life I started diving in Polish waters, to which I willingly return during the year – and it gives me great pleasure! :) I must have come to Activtour by destiny and I have stayed here for good... for over 10 years! I am passionate about fulfilling people's dreams by preparing diving trips around the world! Personally – I fly and dive in different seas and seas whenever I can, because it is one of the loves of my life Since the beginning of the existence of the PD magazine, I have been transferring my memories of diving trips to paper, sharing my passion with others and I can't stop writing ;) 2023 permanently in the PD editorial office – hoping to bring her some "fresh blood" ;) A diving dream come true: Galapagos! Still ahead of me… Antarctica! If I don't dive, I choose skiing, tennis or strong rock sounds! ;) The motto that I really like is: "Be realistic – start dreaming"! :) anna@activtour.pl; www.activtour.pl;
Karolina Sztaba, and professionally Karola Takes Photos, is a photographer by education and passion. She is currently working at the Trawangan Dive Center on a tiny island in Indonesia – Gili Trawangan, where she moved to live four years ago. She photographs above and below the water. In addition, she creates photographic projects against littering the oceans and polluting our planet with plastic ("Trapped", "Trashion"). She cooperates with NGO organizations dealing with environmental protection and actively participates in pro-ecological actions (coral protection, coral planting, cleaning the world, protection of endangered species). She is also the official photographer of Ocean Mimic – a brand that creates swimwear and surfwear from rubbish collected on the beaches of Bali. She cooperated with many brands of diving equipment for which she created advertising campaigns. In 2019, she became the ambassador of the Polish company Tecline. She has been a technical diver for two years.
Student of archeology at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. A beginner diver starting his adventure with underwater archeology. A lover of photography, nature and basketball, and recently also diving.
ANNA SOŁODUCHA
KAROLA TAKES PHOTOS
SZYMON MOSAKOWSKI
WOJCIECH A. FILIP
Has more than 8000 dives on his account. He has been diving for over 30 years, including over 20 years as a technical diver. He is a professional with great theoretical and practical knowledge. He is an instructor of many federations: GUE Instructor Mentor, CMAS**, IANTD nTMX, IDCS PADI, EFR, TMX Gas Blender. He participated in many diving projects and conferences as a leader, explorer, originator or lecturer. These included the Britannic Expedition 2016, Morpheus Cave Scientific Project on Croatia caves, GROM Expedition in Narvik, Tuna Mine Deep Dive, Glavas Cave in Croatia, NOA-MARINE. Professionally, he is a technical director at TecLine in Scubatech, and a director of training at TecLine Academy.
PADI diving instructor and videographer. She spends most of his time in the water documenting a fascinating underwater world. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in the field of Fashion Design in Łódź and Film studies at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, trained as a tailor, and with a love of nature and a large dose of adrenaline. She loves everything related to water. Her diving adventure began with a backpacking trip in 2016. During her stay in Thailand she dived for the first time and from then on she got hooked on at this sport. Spending the last years and most of her days under water, teaching and showing the beauty of the underwater world in Asia, she believes that diving means unity – unity with own mind, nature and unusual creatures. @waterographyk
A diver since 2007. I always choose holiday destinations by asking myself: okay, but is there anywhere to dive?. Underwater photography is still new to me, but with each dive I learn something new.
"From the moment of birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders [...], but he only has to dive under the surface of the water and becomes free" – J.Y.Cousteau
Laura Kazimierska is currently working as PADI Course Director at TrawanganDive Center on the Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan. Founder of the Divemastergilis portal. www.divemastergilis.com @divemastergilis For over 7 years she has lived and discovered the underwater world of Indonesia. She is not only an avid technical diver, but also the face of the Planet Heroes platform and the ambassador of the Ocean Mimic brand. She actively contributes to the promotion of the protection of corals and the natural environment of fish and marine animals by taking part in scientific projects, campaigns against ocean littering and cooperating with NGOs in Indonesia. @laura_kazi
A traveller and a photographer of wild nature. A graduate of journalism and a lover of good literature. She lives in harmony with nature, promotes a healthy lifestyle: she is a yogini and a vegetarian. Also engaged in ecological projects. Sharks and their protection are especially close to her heart. She writes about the subject in numerous articles and on her blog www.divingandtravel.pl. She began her adventure with diving fifteen years ago by total coincidence. Today she is a Divemaster, she visited over 60 countries and dived on 5 continents. She invites us for a joint journey with the travel agency www.dive-away.pl, of which she is a co-founder.
Belgium Military, underwater cave explorer and active technical/ cave/ rebreather diving instructor for IANTD. He started his diving career in Egypt on vacation, and his passion continues. Kurt is also the founder and CEO of Descent Technical Diving.
He dives on several CCRs such as AP, SF2, Divesoft Liberty SM. Kurt is involved in the creation of the document about the new salt mine in Belgium (Laplet). This project was featured in the news on Nationale TV.
Privately, Kurt's true passion is deep cave diving. His wife (Caroline) shares her husband's passions and also dives in caves. In his free time, he visits Belgian slate mines, and when he is not exploring, he takes his camera to document the dives.
SYLWIA KOSMALSKA-JURIEWICZ
LAURA KAZIMIERSKA
KLAUDYNA BRZOSTOWSKA
KURT STORMS
ŁUKASZ METRYCKI
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.
TOMASZ KULCZYŃSKI
For Tomek, diving has always been his greatest passion. He started his adventure at the age of 14, developing into a recreational and technical diving instructor, a first aid instructor and a diving industry technician. Currently, he runs the 5* COMPASS DIVERS Pobiedziska Diving Center near Poznań, where he passes his knowledge and skills to beginners and advanced divers, which gives him great joy and satisfaction from being part of their underwater adventure...
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.
Enthusiastic diver, scientist, and wildlife conservationist. Isadora is researching the biological significance on shipwrecks for marine ecosystems. Driven by curiosity, she wants to learn about nature, as well as “how to become a better diver”. Being still in the beginnings of her diving-career she is enjoying the path of overcoming obstacles by learning from more experienced divers, using adequate configuration and practicing. @isa_diving_nature
Since I was a child, I had dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and I managed to fulfill that dream. I did a degree in oceanography, where I recently started my doctoral studies. My diving adventure began when I was 12 years old. I love observing the underwater life up close and I try to show other divers how fascinating the underwater, Baltic creatures are.
OCTOPUS
I live in Świnoujście, I have been diving since 2009. The current dive rank is advanced nitrox in IDF and AOWD in SSI. Photography course with Irena Strangierska. Number of dives 450.
ISADORA ABUTER GREBE
BOGDAN ZAJĄC
AGATA TUROWICZ-CYBULA
JAKUB BANASIAK
WOJCIECH JAROSZ
A multi-task unit: she combines passion for literature, skiing, diving and psychology. In Nautica since the Big Bang. In the company, she deals with everything, and in addition, she is a diving guide, an expert on human needs – that is, the head of marketing, she initiates and leads long-distance expeditions. He still thinks that Croatia is the most beautiful in the world. Works at Nautica Safari. nautica.pl
Dominika.Aleksanderek@nautica.pl
Photographer, biologist, storyteller, SSI Instructor Trainer. He considers it his duty to teach diving at every level. Since the dawn of time, he has been associated with Nautica with an inseparable umbilical cord of co-ownership. He nests on the Croatian island of Vis, on safari boats in Egypt and where under water it is beautiful as the world long and wide. He works at Nautica Safari. nautica.pl
Piotr.Stos@nautica.pl
Water has always accompanied me since I was a child. It's my element, passion and sport. Starting from games in the water, through the swimming section, until 2001. Then I tried to breathe from a tank under water for the first time. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do. Fascinated by diving, I began to acquire various skills, take part in courses and learn the secrets of technical diving. However, it was only thanks to my wife that I got to know the full range of possibilities that the underwater world hides. We started with the wife's Lumix, then GoPro, then the first, and then the second SLR camera (Nikon D850) in a solid housing. Especially the macro world attracts me like a magnet, but large marine animals are also extremely beautiful and fascinating to me. In my photographic work I mainly use two lenses: 105mm macro and 8–15mm fisheye.
My adventure with photography began long before I started diving. From the very first dive I dreamed that I would be accompanied by a camera. As I became more adept at diving, my photography gear evolved as well. From a simple gopro camera through a compact and SLR camera to a full-frame mirrorless camera. Now I can't imagine diving without a camera. I have the impression that underwater photography gives meaning to my diving. www.facebook.com/przemyslaw.zyber www.instagram.com/neox.pro www.deep-art.pl
A graduate of the Poznań University of Technology, financier, the auditor. A diver fascinated by theory diving – physics and physiology. In love passionate about history in underwater archaeology Ancient Rome, active Centurion in the group reconstructionist Bellator Societas (Rome I century BC). He dreams of attending at least once underwater archaeological research a then describe everything in a series of columns. It can be found as often as under water in Japan, whose culture and history he has been fascinated by nearly three decades.
DOMINIKA ALEKSANDEREK
PRZEMYSŁAW ZYBER
PIOTR STÓS
JACEK BUGAJSKI
MICHAŁ CZERNIAK
MEXICAN CENOTES
Maravilla
When I think of Mexico, my mind momentarily recalls images of lush tropical vegetation, the warmth of the sun's rays on my face, the wonderful remnants of Mayan culture, the positive, laid-back atmosphere. Even my taste buds have their own fond memories of the place.
However, all this still fades when I recall images of Mexican cenotes. For here is the highlight of the show that makes this place so amazing.
WHAT IS CENOTE?
The name “cenote” comes from the Mayan language and means "cave with water". Cenotes were places where the Maya made offerings, often including human sacrifices. Three types of cenotes can be distinguished: closed, semi-open
Taak Bi Ha
and open. This classification is usually related to their age. The youngest are those with an intact dome, while the oldest are completely open and at first glance may appear to be a lake or pond. What distinguishes them from a lake or pond, however, is the extensive network of connections and flooded tunnels that make the place unique.
To summarise, cenotes are special karst formations: lakes, wells and entire cave complexes with underground rivers, sometimes with access to sea water, but usually with fresh
The variety of forms that can be found underwater will delight even the most demanding. Each cave or cavern is different, with its own atmosphere and unique rock formations.
water. They are therefore extremely valuable to the local ecosystem, being a natural source of fresh water.
DIVING IN CENOTES
The entire Yucatán Peninsula is dotted with such flooded caves, wells and tunnels, which divers have fallen in love with for good reason. The variety of forms that can be found underwater will delight even the most demanding. Each cave or cavern is different, with its own atmosphere and unique rock formations.
There are many diving centres in Mexico. You can even easily find Polish diving centres that will organise everything from start to finish. If you do not have a cave licence, you can dive with a local guide. Please note that entry to most cenotes is
at an additional cost – so don't forget to factor this into your budget when planning your trip.
Diving in cenotes can be attempted by any diver from OWD level upwards. However, it is necessary to inform the organiser of the dive about your qualifications in advance, so that he/ she can match the appropriate sites to your skills. After all, the point is to dive safely and to derive maximum pleasure.
MAGICAL WORLD
A puddle of water in the middle of the jungle – an inconspicuous pond with a makeshift descent – judging by the faces of the group I know they are wondering: "Are you sure this is the place?" It always makes me laugh. Not every cenote looks inconspicuous from the outside, but sometimes they do. The most famous have developed a decent infrastructure: toilets, showers, equipment clarification areas, shops and sometimes even a bar of some sort. But the most interesting thing is still to be found just under the surface of the water. The water temperature fluctuates between 24 and 26°C all year round, so it is possible to dive here successfully in 5–7 mm wetsuits.
Dream Gate
Car Wash
We dive in with lit torches curious to see what it will be like this time.
Sometimes the raw, collapsed ceilings create views as if from abstract paintings, sometimes it's fairytale-like with underground lakes, sometimes it's huge sunken crypts that are impossible to encompass with your eyes, and sometimes it's just a network of corridors.
We swim. Every now and then daylight pours into the darkness of the natural corridors. I love these lasers of light that seep into the cenotes through naturally occurring openings. Suddenly, the water in the cenote gets noticeably warmer, the clarity drops. It's a halocline. We are entering a completely different density of water. The students try to touch the boundary between fresh and salt water. It is still very clear – certainly after the whole group has swum through, it will deform (to become clearly separated again over time). After about 50 minutes of relaxing diving, we head towards the exit. It will be fun to listen again to what caught the most attention, what appealed, what surprised and why?
A FEW WORDS ABOUT SOME CENOTES
Each cenote is truly unique and that is amazing. For example, Angelita is huge and very spacious. It looks like
a giant crater. It is completely simple, raw and beautiful at the same time. Its extraordinary atmosphere is created by a large island at a depth of 34 metres, surrounded by a huge cloud of hydrogen sulphide. The island was formed from the collapsed ceiling along with tree branches. It is thanks to the decaying remains of trees and plants that we have hydrogen sulphide here.
The Cenote Carwash is stunning with its colours, crystal clear water and an abundance of small fish. For the most part it is an open cenote. The bottom is covered with luscious green algae. Here we can observe picturesque lilies climbing on long, thin stalks towards the sun. Thousands of small colourful fish complete the heavenly picture of the basin.
During the shallow dives at Dos Ojos, you will be amazed by the rich form of the stalactites. Stacking stalagmites and stalactites joining together to form columns make you realise the prehistoric age of the cenote. The impossibly clear water gives the impression of floating in the air.
The light effects encountered at Cenote Paradise have already brought tears of admiration to the eyes more than once. Curtains of flickering lasers stretch for dozens of metres here.
One could talk about cenotes for hours. Everyone who has dived here has their favourite. With each visit to Mexico, I visit
Angelita
Taak Bi Ha
cenotes I haven’t been to before. They continue to amaze me with their diversity.
Diving in cenotes is communing with nature full of tranquillity, unhurried and free of the currents we often have to deal with when diving in the sea or ocean. This tranquillity is the fundamental difference that characterises diving in cenotes. In addition, the average depth of the dives oscillates between 8 – 12 m. The water is crystal clear and transparent. The dive sites are usually set deep in the jungle, so the journey to each
cenote is already an opportunity for close encounters with Mexican flora and fauna.
That's why I still haven't had enough and am planning another trip to Mexico. There is still so much to see... and to photograph :) A two-week trip is definitely not enough to visit all the cenotes. And yet, the Yucatán still offers diving with sharks or the amazing reef near the island of Cozumel. Plus a whole lot of non-diving attractions, so there is plenty to come back for.
Nohoch nah Chich
Eden
BLACKWATER DIVING
ENCOUNTER WITH MYSTERIOUS UNDERWATER CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
Text and photos Jacek Bugajski, BigBlueFun (@bigbluefun)
Diving is a fascinating adventure that allows you to explore other worlds hidden under the surface of the water. But have you ever heard of blackwater diving? If not, fasten your seatbelts, because I'm taking you on a journey to the land of sea wonders, where larval octopuses are only the tip of the iceberg.
BLACKWATER DIVING HISTORY
The blackwater diving was born out of curiosity by marine biologists who wanted to study the changes that occur in ocean life after dark. Following the unusual creatures, they explored the depths, plunging into the open ocean at night. It quickly gained popularity among diving enthusiasts and underwater photographers who wanted to capture rare marine species. Diving takes place in the open ocean or sea, tens of meters of water deep under the boat. We are near a rope with very strong lights that attract plankton and underwater creatures. The maximum depth of the dive is about 20–30 meters. Swimming around
the beams of light pouring from suspended spotlights, we are looking for everything that moves.
BLACKWATER DIVING PREPARATION
Blackwater diving requires special preparation. First of all, you need to be an experienced diver to participate in such an expedition, that is, you have to feel very good in the depths, with quite poor visibility. Diving torches are essential. In addition, when it comes to photography equipment, compact cameras with a slow focusing time will not work well on such a dive. If we think about photos that will arouse the admiration of the jury at
competitions, it is worth getting a high-end camera (I personally use Nikon D850), which is able to focus very quickly under water. The recommended lens for blackwater diving photos is 60 mm. I use 105 mm and it is already more difficult to capture a given creature with such a zoom, but the smaller the creature, the more fun it is as the frame turns out to be sharp. Plus, of course, two decent flashlights or video lamps (for filming) and 1 or two torches for lighting the object. In fact, blackwater photography has become so popular that many photo contests have introduced categories dedicated to this type of photography.
ANILAO AND ITS UNDERWATER WONDERS
Anilao in the Philippines is a real paradise for blackwater divers. Anilao Photo Academy is located here, where you can rent photographic equipment and even take part in workshops to learn how to take the best underwater photos. The camp is run by a married couple: Rina and Wayen. (FB profiles are: https:// www.facebook.com/Periwinkle.violet and https://www.facebook. com/1infinitelovejones). Wayen is a very well-known person in the environment of underwater photographers and precursors of blackwater diving – he was a long-term member of many juries of underwater photo competitions. Currently, every day he gives advice on how to prepare well for a photographic adventure underwater, and then he can review your underwater photos with you.
UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS
Blackwater diving is like entering another world, full of bioluminescence and fantastic creatures. In Anilao, Philippines, which I visited recently, I had the opportunity to meet larval octopuses – small, transparent beings with expressive eyes that seemed to be from another galaxy. But this is just one of the mysterious creatures that can be found there. Here are some of them that I remember the most:
1. Juvenile Wunderpus octopuses (Wunderpus photogenicus): These unusual octopuses with unique patterns on the body are fascinating to observe. Juveniles are more transparent than adults and have the ability to change shapes and colours to avoid predators.
2. Common blanket octopus (Tremoctopus violaceus): Common blanket octopus, of Tremoctopus genus, is an extremely fascinating species of octopus. It is characterised by long, sheet-like membranes that resemble a colourful, delicate coat, floating in water. These membranes, called "webs", not only add charm to these creatures, but also serve as a defence mechanism – an octopus can envelop its body in the webs to confuse a predator or impress a potential partner during courtship.
3. Larval form of long-arm octopus (Abdopus sp.): The longarm octopus is another fascinating kind of octopus. Unlike
adult individuals, which are known for their extremely long arms, young long-armed octopuses have an interesting and unusual appearance in the larval phase.
4. Lobster larvae: These small, transparent creatures are difficult to spot, but during blackwater dive, they can sometimes be found travelling on jellyfish. This surprising phenomenon offers unique photographic opportunities, due to the contrast between delicate larvae and pulsating jellyfish.
5. Male Paper Nautilus (Argonauta argo): These rare cephalopods of the Argonautidae family are able to "ride" jellyfish (and not only, as one of the photos shows), using them as a shelter and a platform for hunting. They have extremely delicate white shells that seem to glow during a dive.
6. Phronima is a genus of small, deep-sea amphipod crustaceans that inhabit the open oceans. They are known for their unusual behaviour, which consists in inhabiting salps – colonies of transparent marine organisms classified as Tunicate. Salps are "homes" for Phronima, which offer them protection and an environment for living and breeding. Phronima, being about 1–3 cm long, has claws on its forelimbs, with which they transform salps into their shelters. The crustacean kills the salp, then cuts a hole from its interior, retaining only a transparent, flexible shell. Subsequently, Phronima occupies this shelter, creating its habitat. Inside the
salpa, Phronima hides from predators, and also raises its offspring. The female lays eggs in a hollowed salpa and then takes care of them until they hatch. This protects the offspring from predators and allows them to develop in a relatively safe environment. An interesting fact is that Phronima can move in a hollowed salpa. The creature does this by "paddling" with its limbs, which allows it to move through the water in search of food. The crustacean feeds on plankton and small marine organisms that finds in the water during its travels.
7. Pyrosome: This colossal, snake-like organism consists of colonies of thousands of individual creatures that combine to form huge, tubular structures. Pyrosome can reach up to 40 meters in length and looks like a giant, glowing snake in the darkness of the ocean.
8. Flounder larvae: In the larval phase, flounders have a more symmetrical body than adult individuals, with both eyes located on opposite sides of the head. Over time, one of the eyes migrates to the other side of the body, and the fish becomes flatter. Flounder larvae float in the
water, where they are difficult to see for predators due to their transparent bodies. During the dive, you can observe these unusual creatures in various stages of development, which is a rare experience.
9. Larvae of mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus): In the larval phase, mantis shrimp are definitely smaller than adult individuals and have more transparent bodies. However, they already have characteristic, long legs, which will later allow them to hunt for prey at great speed. At a young age, they float in the water, where they gain life experience and learn to hunt. Meeting with the larvae of the mantis shrimp allows you to observe these fascinating creatures at a very early stage of their development, which is unique and exciting for underwater photographers.
Here's a little anecdote: during one of the dives, one of the participants was so fascinated by this larval octopus that he almost forgot to return to the surface! But shall we be surprised by this?
Blackwater diving is an absolutely unforgettable experience that allows you to explore the secrets of the ocean and meet unusual creatures that otherwise remain invisible to our eye. With each dive you discover a completely new, mysterious world full of amazing and unusual inhabitants of the water.
Blackwater diving is an absolutely unforgettable experience that allows you to explore the secrets of the ocean and meet unusual creatures that oth erwise remain invisible to our eye. With each dive you discover a completely new, mysterious world full of amazing and unusual inhabitants of the water.
If you are wondering if it is worth trying, I can only warmly encourage you to blackwater diving. From my own experience, I can say that each subsequent dive makes me fall more and more in love with this extraordinary world. As they say, once you try, you will forever be “mesmerized” by the beauty of the deep sea.
Finally, although I am a professional underwater photographer, when blackwater diving I am not just an observer – I also become part of this fascinating world. Sometimes I even joke that I'm an underwater Doctor Dolittle, talking to the creatures of the ocean in their own language... Although so far none of them have answered me in Polish!
So, don't wait any longer! Try blackwater diving and dive into an undiscovered, mysterious world full of wonders that awaits you just below the surface of the ocean. See you in the depths!
Warsaw, April 2023
If you would like to know more, please contact me by e-mail: jacek.bugajski@bigbluefun.com
Data of Anilao Photo Academy: https://www.facebook.com/anilaophotoacademy
VIS
First we can see a gravel, winding, inviting road. Then we go along vineyards, an orderly rhythm of bushes against a background of reddish earth, regular rows leading the eye higher and higher, towards a squat stone house. In front of the house there is a terrace with a wooden table, of the type that will take any number of guests, because it is always possible to add another chair.
Text Dominika Aleksanderek Photos Piotr Stós
At the threshold the smiling host. – Not ugly, is it? – he makes a circle with his arm around the pine forest, the blurred contours of the hills on the horizon, the vineyards and the house. A bottle of honey-green wine slides onto a table under a spreading tree. – Well? Do you taste my Vugava?
We are confronted with all the literary and film plots about people who dropped everything and moved out to Provence or Greece. Now we see it happening in real life. Can it be done? It can.
After all, we too – the crew of the Nautica dive base on the island of Vis – have been here for years, too, ingrained in a community with a population of just 3,000 permanent residents. We have the privilege of sitting outside the base and watching the sun rise over Viska Luka. After 25 years in Croatia, we can confidently say that this is our place on earth. That we live in the island "pomalo" mode.
What does the daily life of the Nautica base on the island of Vis look like? Every day the base manager Piotrek Kudełko sets a strict plan, in which he has to take into account many
variables: the weather, the number of people willing to dive and their diving grades, the needs of our guests and transfers to the places from which the boats depart. Visit periods usually begin on Saturdays. On Sunday mornings at 9 (a beastly time, but a waste of time) we invite you to a briefing, explaining everything you would like to know about the island, the base and the dives. Equipment is placed in boxes. The first dive is absolutely always a check dive. Each group, enters with their guide from a pebble beach opposite the base with a concrete jetty, allowing comfortable entry into shallow water. When the divers emerge from the sea, lists of departures for the next day are already hanging on the bulletin board next to the base office. Just find your name on the list, note the name of the boat and the time of departure and here you are! The day is organised:).
What can be seen in the waters around Vis is remarkable. Especially now that summer is approaching. The island lies in the travel path of dolphins, whales and tuna. Despite colossal overfishing around the world, Vis is holding up pretty well. 5,000 – that's about how many animal species are found in the Adriatic, 20–25 % of which are endemic. Whales
last swam past the island at the end of April 2023, dolphins are seen regularly off the islets of Barjak and Volici, and sharks (shark is "sea lane" in Croatian) are admittedly seen very rarely, but they do keep up the appropriate level of tension in the media – as they did last year – when a visitation conducted in the Gulf of Vis by a modrulja (blue shark) kept Onet's bloodstream going for two weeks, with chilling titles. You know the one – "Killer shark in Croatia! Will it be allowed to swim in the Mediterranean?" Instead, we often encounter the eggs of a dogfish shark completely devoid of murderous instincts, cleverly attached to gorgonians and sponges with twisted "whiskers." In spring and early summer, we see an exodus of crawfish and crabs of all kinds, including Scyllarus slipper lobsters, which are surprising in their shape, as well as shrimp. Here, the palm of primacy in originality is held by tiny, transparent skeleton shrimp, which in spring literally clothe all the lowering lines. They are clinging creatures and after a dive we spend a lot of time trying to get rid of them from gloves, wetsuits and pieces of equipment. Remorseful we no longer manage to get rid of them.... In the recesses of the rocks mooch small moray eels with yellowish
The island lies in the travel path of dolphins, whales and tuna. Despite colossal overfishing around the world, Vis is holding up pretty well. 5,000 – that's about how many animal species are found in the Adriatic, 20–25 % of which are endemic.
muzzles, as well as sizable European kongers. These gray, eel-like fish grow up to 3 meters in length. They have a nocturnal lifestyle, during the day you can only see the protruding mouth; well, unless you bring gifts with you, as sometimes happens on the wreck of the freighter "Teti". Some of the most spectacular creatures in the Mediterranean are Cotylorhiza. They are jellyfish with a unique shape, like two disks, one of which looks like it is encrusted with particles of precious stones. But the most loved by divers are octopuses: intelligent, cleverly hiding among the rocks. There is so much of this richness that one could list endlessly...
The base provides training for all recreational degrees (from kid's courses to instructor courses) and up to the normoxic trimix level in the technical training division. We train in the SSI system, which suits us best in terms of degree structure and modern digital materials. For "heavy-weight" divers and underwater photographers we have a separate room affectionately called the rebroom. We sail on two boats – Veritas and Baikonur – and a dinghy with a glorious Baltic past, affectionately named Moose. Thanks to this, 30 people can sail them at a time, and considering that we often have two rounds during the day, this is really a great potential and a lot of convenience in planning the time for our guests.
We open the base for May and close in October. In the spring, the most ambitious divers come, who don't mind the cold water at all, but especially the hard-driving
Welcome to Vis!
ones, i.e. people with twins and rebreathers, longing for what Vis is famous for –wrecks of WWII ships and planes. If you haven't been to Vis yet, take a peek at the NurkoViska app created by our instructor, which includes a map with dive sites, their detailed descriptions, garnished with great photos of Vis wrecks, walls, tunnels and caverns. It is available on the Google Play Store.
For 25 years, we have been visited by people who want to explore new sites, develop their diving and have fun. And also to slow down a bit... Here on Vis they literally soak up the good atmosphere, while for us sharing the beauty of Dalmatia, private experiences in discovering the island and the diversity of underwater landscapes – is a great joy.
BALEARIC SURPRISE
Diving column
Text and photos Michał Czerniak
This April was unlike any April in my life so far... I had reached a certain round number of years and this very number did not fill me with the joy I should be exuding on such a special day for me.
Iconsoled myself that, according to the well-known saying in our circles, "a good diver is an old diver"... age was therefore beginning to work in my favour, which was an undeniable advantage of this situation. My wife Justyna snapped me out of my thoughts on the meaning of the passing of time by saying that she had a special birthday present for me –a surprise trip, inextricably linked with diving! I asked my wife endless questions, while secretly corresponding with my diving partner Wąski and developing various conspiracy theories about the mysterious direction of this trip. My wife surprised me by telling me to prepare a drysuit, a wing for the twin and a torch. When asked if she was sure it was a twin, I got an affirmative answer – things were starting to get serious! I was given the right to ask a few questions about the equipment, which Justyna consulted with someone via communicator. However, when I dug too deep into the range of gases offered by the dive base, trying to unravel the mystery of the departure point, the opportunity to ask questions was taken away from me. So it remained to wait until the day of departure...
Punctually at 4:20 in the morning, my wife and I checked in at Poznan's Ławica airport. How surprised I was when a group of six of my friends came towards me from behind the door, holding a cake in their hands (due to airport security, they
didn't dare light candles on it). My surprise and amazement was all the greater because this group was led by none other than my diving partner Wąski, who had been realising his role as a double agent for several months, acting not only with me but also on behalf of the other group of 'birthday conspirators'.
At the check-in gate, the mystery of direction was finally solved: we are going to Mallorca!!!
I was delighted, as Mallorca had evoked only good memories in me – but I did not perceive it as a diving destination.
Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands and is a territory belonging to Spain. Its length is only 100 km, which allows it to be driven along in just over an hour, using a network of pretty good roads. What strikes the eye is the crystal clear water with its wonderful turquoise hue. Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, known in this area as the Balearic or Iberian Sea, the island is full of sandy beaches, romantic coves, mountain ranges (1 400 m), cliffs and caves.
Mallorca, with its fauna and flora, is emerging as one of Europe's most important tourist areas. It has a centuries-old history – the beginning of settlement here dates back to 1,000 BC. (Phoenicians). Over the following centuries, the island was inhabited by people of Greek origin.
Mallorca has its own unique climate. At one time, this climate was admired by the famous Frédéric Chopin. In 1838, he arrived on the island in the company of his partner and writer George Sand. Enchanted by the beauty of Mallorca, Frédéric wrote the following in a letter to his friend: „I am in Palma, among palms, cedars, cacti, olives, pomegranates, etc. Everything the Jardin des Plantes has in its green houses. A sky like turquoise, a sea like lapis lazuli, mountains like emerald, air like heaven. Sun all day, and hot; everyone in summer clothing; at night guitars and singing for hours. […] Ah, my dear, I am coming alive a little — I am near to what is most beautiful. I am better… ”.
Those familiar with the story know that the composer's delight did not last long, and the initial idyll turned into black despair... this, however, allowed the musician to create – despite
the unfavourable circumstances – many wonderful pieces. Our enchantment with Mallorca, however, lasted until the very end of the trip!
But let's get back to the point – the diving. On the morning of the next day after arriving in Mallorca, Wąski and I headed towards the western part of the island. Here we planned to complete 2 dives and spend the rest of the day enjoying the phenomenal weather (27°C).
Although armed with twins and drysuits, we had no ambitious diving plans, fitting in with the lazy, holiday character of the place. We were keen to get to know Mallorca underwater and see if it would captivate us as much as it did on land. The owners of the dive base, thanks to whom we were able to realise our underwater escapade (best regards!), told us that it is not common for divers to appear here in such heavy configurations and that the waters here (we recorded temperatures of 25°C at the surface and 19°C at the bottom) are perfect for exploration in wetsuits. However, the base was up to the task and our two-bottle kits were quickly launched into the turquoise waters of the west coast.
My first thought when I submerged and looked towards the bottom was that Mallorca would probably appeal to whisky lovers. It looks similar to the Highlands region of Scotland, known for its production of the drink, only that it is underwater. Here you will find grassy valleys as well as interesting rock
In the photo below – our guide to the underwater world of Mallorca – Dawid
formations, stretching hundreds of metres like mountain ranges. Deep caverns can be found in the rocky slopes, providing a natural habitat for many species of fish.
The 84 minutes spent underwater with a maximum depth of 24 metres (average 10.6 m) convinced us irresistibly that there is only one queen of the seabed in Mallorca – Posidonia Oceanica.
Posidonia is a seagrass that covers whole stretches of the Balearic Islands' seabed. These natural meadows provide shelter for many species of sea creatures. You only have to swim right over the top of the grasses to observe how much is happening there. Posidonia is the pride of Mallorca's ecologists – it cleans and oxygenates the water brilliantly. Suffice it to say, to understand how important this grass is to the Balearic Islands, that Posidonia is under legal protection. The law states that it must not be grubbed from the bottom – it can only be cleaned up when it litters the beach. This remarkable grass was also addressed by a European Union committee in 2017, highlighting that "common in the Mediterranean, Posidonia Oceanica is one of the most persistent and productive species in the biosphere and is part of an important ecosystem that guarantees the maintenance of biodiversity".
In terms of underwater fauna, we did not manage to encounter sharks or the 'Orcas from Mallorca' made famous in the Polish song. However, we
spotted many species of crustaceans, invertebrates and small fish (their names, however, remain beyond our knowledge). Between the blades of Posidonia we happened to spot red crawfish, and a small moray eel greeted us in one of the rock hollows.
Underwater Mallorca has concentrations of coral – they are unfortunately incomparable with the resources of the Egypt we value so much.
A nice change on our way was a small cavern – although no more than 20 metres deep, it provided us with a lot of fun with the GoPro camera. At least for a while, Wąski and I were able to feel almost like cave divers (I know, I know, 'almost' makes a big difference).
We spent the surface break talking to the dive base team. We learned that we can encounter stingrays in the Mediterranean in May. There are also sperm whales, grey and bottlenose dolphins and loggerhead turtles. Whales also visit the area but their size is not overwhelming (6–7 metres).
On our second dive, we decided to go on our own, without our underwater guide David – to explore the waters of Mallorca's west coast. We both had the indescribable impression, that although beautiful, "everything is far away". The stretches of green grass covered "by fins" for the last 80 minutes made us tired – we welcomed the base's offer to lend us the scooter all the more nicely.
A recent dive reinforced our conviction that Mallorca's underwater environment is a great place for recreational divers, fascinated by the fauna and flora, who like to bask in the warm and crystalline waters. Photographers will probably find their El Dorado here, as the population of algae, crustaceans and invertebrates is huge.
Mallorca is not a typical "wreck" location, so divers who love this style of exploration will probably not have it on their list. But is it right? We have learned that in 2019, the wreck of a small ship (about 10 metres long) from the Roman Empire, dating back to the 3rd century AD, was located off the coast of Mallorca. This is during the reign of Constantine the Great. Admittedly, the Empire's best moments were already behind it, but it would be many years before it collapsed. The ship was carrying hundreds of amphorae and their weight may have been the reason for the hole in the bottom of the vessel. The amphorae contained not only wine but a substance far more precious to the Romans – the fish sauce garum. This sauce, made from fermented fish, is probably a highly debatable condiment today – but the Roman world loved it immensely. By the way, it must have had a captivating taste if the Ancients
A recent dive reinforced our conviction that Mallorca's underwater environment is a great place for recreational divers, fascinated by the fauna and flora, who like to bask in the warm and crystalline waters. Photographers will probably find their El Dorado here, as the population of algae, crustaceans and invertebrates is huge.
decided to consume it despite its repulsive smell. The poet Martial, known for his sharp tongue, wrote: "Papylus stinks so much from his mouth that the strongest smell of perfume turns into the stench of garum around him".
Scientists are extremely impressed by the state of preservation of the ship's cargo. We – due to a shortage of time – did not manage to visit this interesting object.
Mallorca is constantly developing and the authorities in Spain as well as the EU authorities are sparing no expense in subsidising the growth of the region's attractiveness. This also applies to underwater themes. In the area of Porto Cristo, where we had the opportunity to stay, an archaeological underwater park is to be created, a real attraction for divers. There are plans to build replicas of four sunken vessels, and this is only the beginning of what the site is to offer.
If you ever feel like diving in Mallorca, we sincerely recommend it. And if, on top of that, you would like to use the services of a great Polish diving base on the island, head west – you will definitely find them!
Source Ultima Hora, The Guardian
MEET ME FAMILY
A whole other dimension of wild dolphin watching
Text and photos Jakub Banasiak
If we want to observe wild dolphins, we should do it only with a whale & dolphin watching operator that cares about the welfare and protection of sea dwellers and follows the rules of movement among these mammals.
But if we want to really get to know their rhythm of life, habits and even individual members of the pod, it is worth doing some reconnaissance beforehand and
choosing a company whose staff really live the lives of dolphins, combining passion, knowledge and experience with ongoing monitoring of the observed population.
May marks the start of the dolphin-watching season in Setubal, Portugal, in the Sado Estuary a few dozen kilometres south of Lisbon. We have already visited this place several times, observing a group of bottlenose dolphins settled there, numbering less than 30 individuals. These dolphins are well known thanks to the photo-identification of their distinctive dorsal fins which are as unique as fingerprints in humans. By focusing precisely on the individuals, we can learn much
more about the dolphins, ceasing to be mere passive observers and becoming participants in their fascinating, sometimes dramatic lives.
The Sado Estuary basin is a dream location for dolphin watching. All the specimens are catalogued, we know what their characteristics are, we have specific tips on how to distinguish them, who they are related to, and who they usually associate with. Moreover, this knowledge is being expanded all the time. Researchers and dolphin watchers exchange information, cross-check new insights and share facts to help better protect this unique population.
In March 2021, the Portuguese Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) released a digital catalogue for the identification of Sado bottlenose dolphins. It is available to everyone in a PDF format. It is now also available in hard copy for companies with the appropriate authorisations to observe cetaceans in the Sado Estuary and adjacent marine area.
An excellent job of dolphin watching is being done here by the team at VERTIGEM AZUL. The story of Vertigem Azul began in 1998, when Maria João Fonseca and Pedro Narra decided to start a company that allowed them to combine their careers with contact with nature and the lives of Sado dolphins. They opened a tourism company that is known throughout the country and has been raising awareness about the state of the Sado estuarine resident bottlenose community.
It is through the kindness, commitment and support of Maria João Fonseca and her colleagues that I have been able to expand my knowledge of bottlenose dolphins and get to know individual members of the Sado dolphin family.
It has turned out that the shape of the dorsal fin is not always enough for identification. Here are the dolphins Serrote and Bocaberta. They have remarkably similar fin outlines, so in such cases
it helps to have other special marks documented. Serrote has a clearly visible white spot on its back and Bocaberta has a problem with its lower jaw and swims with its mouth open all the time (hence the dolphin's name: Bocaberta means open mouth).
A significant challenge for the observer is to determine the sex of individuals. The only way to determine the sex of a dolphin in the wild is to clearly see its genitalia or observe an erection, intercourse or calf swimming close to an adult individual, which is likely to be a female. Males have two slits on the lower abdomen which are arranged in the shape of an exclamation mark. The long anterior slit contains the genitalia, while the smaller posterior slit contains the anus. On either side of the genital-anal fissure are two small marks which are considered to be possible vestigial nipples. Females, on the other hand, have one continuous fissure containing the anal and genital openings, with the anus located posteriorly. Females also have a pair of nipple slits (either
side of the genital slit) in which the mammary glands are located.
As it is not allowed to dive with wild dolphins in Europe, if the above details cannot be captured with an underwater camera on a boom, one can only count on luck and pictures of dolphins jumping above the water. Therefore, for many years only 7 females and 2 males could be fully identified. Among the males, the Vertigem Azul team managed to identify Asa when he was rescued after being stranded, and Raiz in whom an erection was observed.
Females are easier to track because they are accompanied in close proximity by their young. In the Sado region, calves are most often born during the summer months, between June and September. It is not at all easy to see from the surface that a female is pregnant and therefore the birth of a new calf is always a great surprise. Unfortunately, the survival rate of newborn calves is quite low. According to the records of Vertigem Azul, for example, two calves were born in 2000: Irma, the baby of Serrote and Papalagua, and the baby Azul. In 2001, three cubs were born, but only Manaia – Mr Hook's offspring – survived. Similarly, in 2002 – of the two newborns, only Alex – Ligeiro's child – survived. In 2004, no births were recorded. In 2005, 3 dolphins were born, but only 2 survived: Bisnau – a calf of Esperancy and Bocage – another descendant of Mr. Hook. Some individuals are lost without news. Papalagua has no longer
been observed since 2004 and Bolha and Calvin dolphins have not been seen since 2005.
Detailed observations and photo-identification make it possible to determine which individuals are the most curious and eager to approach boats and which are more shy. Some like to swim on the bow wave, including large vessels calling at the port of Setubal, and some keep their distance.
It is also interesting to observe which unrelated individuals mostly stick together, which dolphins prefer certain areas of the estuary, and what hunting techniques they use.
In addition, you can observe their different reactions to seeing boats and even their different personalities. Tips and comments from experienced people from companies such as Vertigem Azul give a completely different picture of the dolphin population and provide great learning fun.
It is worth taking every opportunity and every voyage to deepen our knowledge of marine inhabitants, their needs, lifestyles and their unique characteristics. Only then will we be able to protect them effectively.
Sincere thanks to Maria João Fonseca and the Vertigem Azul team for their warm welcome and for sharing their passion, knowledge and love of dolphins.
HMS SOUTHWOLD
Text and photos Kurt Storms
Finally we’ve arrived to Malta. This trip had been planned for quite some time, but partly due to lack of time, it never came to be. And since I was invited to represent Divesoft at "Rebreatherforum 4", the perfect opportunity presented itself.
With my friend Willem, we went to Malta to dive some deeper wrecks, including a magnificent wreck from the Second World War.
HMS SOUTHWOLD
HMS Southwold broke into two parts. The front part is the largest. It is about 40 meters long and lies at a depth of about 68 meters, entirely on the starboard side. The rear part is about 30 meters long and lies at a depth of 74 meters, resting vertically on the sea floor. The rear part lies some 200 meters away from the other one, which means that two dives are required to fully explore the wreck.
WRECK HISTORY
Southwold was commissioned on 20 December 1939 and was built by J. Samuel White and Company of East Cowes under the 1939 contingency program. Her keel was laid on 18 June 1940, marked with the order number J6274, and the ship was launched on May 25 of the following year. The ship was completed on 9 October 1941.
HMS Southwold was Hunt class destroyer. They were 86 meters long, with a width of 9.5 meters, and had a net tonnage of 1050 tons. These ships had a maximum speed of 25 knots and were used to escort convoys. HMS Southwold had a crew of 168 and 3 x 4" MK XVI guns, one for-
ward and two aft. It also carried anti-aircraft guns and depth charges.
Upon completion, the Southwold proceeded to Scapa Flow for sea trials, after which she joined the Mediterranean fleet.
Between 12 and 16 February 1942, HMS Southwold was part of the escort of convoy MW9B, which never reached its destination. From among the three merchant ships, one was damaged and reached Tobruk, but the other two sank. The Southwold and the other escorts returned to Alexandria. On 20 March 1942, the HMS Southwold left Alexandria to join convoy MW10 bound for Malta, commanded by Admiral Philip Vian. During the journey to Malta, which covered 820 nautical miles, HMS Southwold was heavily attacked by Italian warships and the Luftwaffe.
Once the Southwold was located by the enemy, its location was reported to the Italian Navy. On 22 March 1942, the Italian Navy sent 10 ships to the Gulf of Sirte (Sidra), 150 miles northwest of Benghazi, where they laid in ambush, waiting for the convoy. When he saw the enemy ships, Admiral Vian knew immediately that he was not only outnumbered, but also hopeless. The Italian commander Iachino had 15-inch guns on the Littorio and 8-inch guns on his cruisers, perched against Vian’s own 6-inch guns and the 4-inch guns of his destroyers.
The British decided to put up a smokescreen to prevent the Italian gunners from obtaining a good line of fire. They kept moving in and out of the smoke screen, firing damaging salvos at their superior opponents, then retreating behind the smoke screen before the Italians could respond.
The battle was discontinued that morning, but the Italian squadron approached again in the afternoon. This time, Admiral Vian reduced the range to less than 10,000 meters, emerged from behind the smoke screen and managed to hit the Littorio with a salvo that set the battleship on fire. The Italians retaliated, hitting the British cruiser Cleopatra and severely damaging it. A swift counterattack by the British destroyers, including the Southwold, quickly emerging from behind the smoke screen, hit the Littorio again with a torpedo and also managed to hit the cruiser Giovanni delle Bande Nere. Considering their losses, the Italians retreated.
The battle went down in history as the Second Battle of Sirte. The German air force took over the attacks, determined to prevent the convoy from reaching Malta. When the convoy was only 20 miles from Malta, the Germans sank the Clan Campbell. But the convoy was now within range of Malta's fighters, with Hurricanes and Spitfires rushing in to protect the remaining ships.
On 23 March 1942, one of the merchant ships in this convoy, the Breconshire, was hit by enemy bombs and was immobilized a few miles off St. Thomas Bay. The weather turned bad and the Breconshire was drifting helplessly towards the shore. The Breconshire crew managed to anchor 1.5 miles from Zonqor Point.
The next morning, on 24 March 1942, the Breconshire dragged its anchors on the sandy bottom and the Southold was ordered to tow it. While attempting to pass a line to the immobilized ship, HMS Southwold was hit by a mine near the engine room. One officer and four sailors were killed.
All sources of power and electricity failed, but the diesel generator came on. The engine room was flooded, but water was prevented from entering the gearbox by shoring up the bulkheads and plugging the leaks. The tug Ancient was towing the Southold, but the ship's plating next to the engine room was cracking on both sides right up to the upper deck. It sank and tipped to the starboard, while the wounded were transferred to the destroyer Dulverton.
The central part of the ship becan to sink gradually and the ship began to submerge into the depths. It was then abandoned and allowed to sink, eventually breaking into two parts.
DIVING
We’ll take a boat, belonging to Jason, to help us reach the dive site. His boat, the Delfino, is a traditional Maltese boat, fully equipped for technical diving.
Jason knows the wrecks inside out and has no trouble locating the deepest wrecks and, most importantly, deploying the shot-line at the right place at the right time.
We are assisted by Karsten, the deckhand, who acts as a support diver. His task is really important, because in case of a problem during the dive, he can jump into the water with extra tanks.
In order to ensure the most efficient decompression, we’ll be using a deco station. The last diver disconnects the deco station from the line, allowing us to stay together during the stop, with Jason only having to watch two red buoys instead of several SMBs at different locations.
Doing your deco at a deco station is also very relaxing for the divers. This way, we have a reference to help use determine and keep our depth. Spare cylinders are also attached to the deco bar, in case we have a gas problem.
Today, we dive to the bow of the HMS Southwold. I’m diving with my friend Wim on my Divesoft Liberty SM CCR.
Wim and I jump into the water at the captain's signal and drift with the current to the shot-line. Once we arrive, we signal to each other to start the descent. I start, with Wim following right behind.
After 3 minutes of descent, we arrive at the wreck, where we go directly to the back of the separated piece. We take a look inside and follow on with our tour. As agreed beforehand, Wim put up lamps so that the piece of wreckage is lit against the light. This wreck is breathtakingly beautiful.
We find some nice empty shells, which come from the gun located a few meters away. This double barrel immediately attracts attention. It still stands tall, as proud as before.
We don’t have much bottom time, only 35 minutes before we start the ascent and 90 minutes of mandatory deco stops.
But before going back up on the shot-line, I take some pictures of the bow, which lights up nicely on the side. Satisfied with the preety photos, we signal that it is now time to start our ascent.
To ensure the most efficient decompression, we’re using a deco station. The last diver disconnects the deco station from the line, allowing us to stay together during the stop, with Jason only having to watch two red buoys instead of several SMBs at different locations.
Doing your deco at a deco station is also very relaxing for the divers. This way, we have a reference to help use determine and keep our depth. Spare cylinders are also attached to the deco bar, in case we have a gas problem.
After having completed the stops, we come out to the surface, satisfied, and wait for Jason to approach us. Karsten lowers the lift so that we can get back on the boat with all our bailouts without any problem.
Happy and grinning like we were children, we can check this wreck off our bucket list.
Destination: Malta
Divers: Kurt Storms, Willem Verreycken
STONEY COVE DIVING GREAT BRITAIN
Text and photos Tomasz Kulczyński
WELCOME TO THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF DIVING ARTICLES DESCRIBING THE MOST POPULAR, ORIGINAL AND INTERESTING SITES ON THE UNDERWATER MAP OF GREAT BRITAIN.
IN THIS ISSUE I INVITE YOU TO CENTRAL ENGLAND, PRECISELY TO THE COUNTY OF LEICESTERSHIRE, WHERE THERE IS A BODY OF WATER KNOWN AS: STONEY COVE.
Without a doubt, Stoney Cove is the most popular dive site in the UK. One of the key aspects determining the immense popularity of this site is its location. Namely, it is located in the middle of England, which makes divers from all over the island flock to it. I would like to compare it to some of ours, Polish dive places, but I'm sorry to say that it simply can't be done.
Stoney Cove is a mine excavation and at one time granite was extracted there. Since the 1960s the site has been used by divers. It was here that the pioneers of diving took their first steps. Later, a facility was established here to train commercial divers to work on oil rigs located in the North Sea. In the 1990s Stoney officially became a dive site visited by recreational divers, who are still attracted to this place by its numerous attractions and fully developed infrastructure.
Stoney is a special and iconic place. On the other hand, what pops into my mind when I try to recall my impressions from my first visit to this wonderful place is an endless number of cars. At weekends, as many as three parking lots operate here, and certainly the number of divers is counted in hundreds. Of course, during the week it is much looser and there is no problem with a place to park. The site is interesting from a practical point of view because there are no tables, benches or pallets. All the equipment is put on directly near the trunk of the car. Then, fully prepared, you can go down to the shoreline. Depending on skill and desire, divers have a choice of several options available to get into the water. For beginners, a wide descent with a gentle slope is made available. On its sides there are stone walls where you can sit and check everything you need before diving. In addition, ladders, a platform and stairs are available to divers.
Speaking of the infrastructure, Stoney has something special that did not allow me to compare this place with any I know in Poland. It is a huge dive store available for divers. From what I have heard it is the largest store in the UK, but it is not certain. In any case, my dive store looks like their reception area. On site in the store building there is still a fully functional swimming pool for adept divers and a diving school. Opposite the store is located a place with compressors. It is a separate building of quite considerable size, and there is always quite a large queue of customers waiting with cylinders to be refilled.
At the site you can rent a complete diving equipment, which is very convenient for people starting their diving adventure, but also in situations such as a hole in the neck seal of a dry suit or when you forget to take your diving hood off from the dryer at home.
At the other end of the parking lot is the changing room. The standard division into the women's and the men's sections. There is plenty of room to change, toilets, showers. Of course, everything is heated, which in winter makes the changing rooms the main meeting place. Interestingly, there is no hot water in the showers, only lukewarm water. A hot bath after a dive is not a good idea
And now something I couldn't believe while being at Stoney for the first time. At the very end of the parking lot is a beautiful full-length, two-story red brick English pub connected to a restaurant. For divers, there is a small window on the side of the restaurant through which food is served, while after taking off your gear you can make yourself comfortable in one of the soft and stylish couches. Drink a cup of warm tea warm yourself by the fireplace and have a decent meal. It is a great solution, because diving here takes on a whole new dimension. The whole family, even the non-divers will find something to do.
An amazing experience is to watch your diving friends from the perspective of the observation deck elevated 10 m above the water. During the sunny weather, from the same terrace you can see the wreck of a small submarine and divers who
At the very end of the parking lot is a beautiful full-length, two-story red brick English pub connected to a restaurant. For divers, there is a small window on the side of the restaurant through which food is served, while after taking off your gear you can make yourself comfortable in one of the soft and stylish couches.
slowly swim past. A great way to relax and a beautiful place to take unique photos.
Diving conditions are very similar to those in Poland. In a wetsuit you can dive for about four months a year, and even this can be done forcibly Under the thermocline the water temperature is about 5 degrees C, so in fact a dry suit is necessary. The visibility is out of this world. The water is crystal clear. The problem is the hundreds of people who come down from different parts of England every weekend for one purpose. With such a number of divers, there are days when you can't see your partner's fin...
In my experience, the best time to visit Stoney is in winter. During this period, a lot of people simply do not dive, and the sediment floating in the water has the opportunity to sink to the bottom.
Diving in Stoney Cove is possible 362 days a year!!! There are night dives on Wednesdays, lots of people come from the morning and wait for dusk. The depth range is from 5 to 38 meters. The basin is ideal for all kinds of exercises and for people of all levels. At 5 meters we are able to conduct a 40-minute dive with numerous attractions. The most important of these are: the wreck of the Nautilus (visible from the terrace located next to the restaurant). Then you can see the underwater green belts with carps and pikes of considerable size, which lead to the remains of the wreck of a wooden galleon.
Diving to a depth of 20 meters, we find the main attraction that is the goal of most divers. This is the wreck of a ship called, "Stonegarth", a steamer converted to a diesel engine... And by the way, on the official website of Stoney Cove all the information is available including visualisation in 3D.
Are you curious about it? Check it out for yourself. The wreck is large and can be freely entered. It has been adapted for sightseeing, has safe exits and is very impressive. Moving away from the wreck, we can still find such attractions as an armoured car, a fishing boat wreck, a minesweeper wreck, a multipurpose military helicopter, etc.
Diving deeper to 38 meters, we are able to see the attraction that is the hydro box. This is a type of dry chamber used in commercial diving when welding underwater. A metal box that is filled with gas to keep it dry inside
In summary, Stoney Cove has a very extensive diving infrastructure, being among the top dive sites in the entire UK. Starting with a store, school, pool and restaurant. It is a kind of fun dive town every year serving a huge number of people.
For me, Stoney Cove is an unparalleled place that brings back great memories. It's the time I was lucky enough to spend with friends in the waters of the beautiful quarry. It's every dive, which was preceded by impatient anticipation and conversations full of laughter and joy held already after emerging from the water. You should try it.
PROJECT GIRLS
Text Isadora Abuter Grebe
CORNERGIRLS
This episode of GIRLS CORNER is about women who aim to make a positive impact on our oceans.
In this article, we hear from inspiring women about their experiences in projects. We dive into their roles, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame them. We also ask what advice they would give to other women interested in taking up project diving. So, get ready to be inspired by these girls who are making a difference, one dive at a time.
Alexandra, PROJECT BASELINE ISLAS HORMIGAS
Can you tell us about a project you are involved in?
Besides the Ghost Diving Germany projects, the first and biggest project I was allowed to participate in was the "Project Baseline Islas Hormigas – Bajo de Fuera". This project had two main goals: first, to survey and record the 15 m level around the reef in the marine observation area of Bajo de Fuera. Secondly, the photogrammetry and survey of the boilers and wrecks laying at a depth of about 50m.
We laid lines of cotton, as it is a marine protected area, and removed them at the end. We used MNemo to accurately survey the 15m level and drew concise points on the maps we made. We also put the line from the 15 m point down to the boilers and tried to measure the exact distances and conditions with MNemo. Unfortunately, this failed due to the distraction caused by the many metal parts in the depth. So we focused on the photogrammetry of the steam boilers and one of the many wrecks in the depth. In the following projects, the whole wrecks shall be documented
Photo Mocean Images
by photogrammetry and also the reef shall be surveyed level by level.
What was your role during the project?
My role in this project was mainly the documentation of the whole project by means of photos and video recordings. Later on, I edited these recordings into a small documentary film of about 5 minutes. During the documentation. I was nevertheless also involved in surveying and photogrammetry. I was almost mainly active in the deep area and made there the survey by means of MNemo and evaluated later. Another task was to provide illumination for the photogrammetry.
What challenges did/do you face during the project and how did you overcome them?
There were two challenges for me in this project. On the one hand, I worked with MNemo for the first time. We had practiced this in dry runs first on land. I also felt good and confident with it. But my first tries did not give good results and also the second attempt gave better but still no usable results. Finally, I gave the task to the project leader Ricardo himself. I was a bit depressed, but of course, I was new in this field and so I gave the task to more experienced participants. But when Ricardo came out of his survey with the same bad results. I was for me first very pleased , because I have done nothing wrong. Our brainstorming on this then provided the explanation, the boilers and the many other metal parts distract the device / the inner compass and provide for this reason no useful results.
My second challenge was the whole video editing because I have never done this before. I have first good experience with photo editing and also already participated in training for it, but so far no video editing. I was thrown in at the deep end by a participant with the words that I could handle it. This cost me a lot of nerves in the following months. I had first started with DaVinci as a program and had then started again with iMovie completely new and could bring the film there with some help with the tonal accompaniment and with some transitions also to a successful result. Even though it took a good half a year. In the meantime, I feel much more confident and comfortable in the area of video editing and was able to arrange myself further with DaVinci and the many possibilities there.
What advice would you give to women who are interested in taking up project diving?
Simply join: You don't have to be afraid as a woman. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you have any problems. I have not had any bad experiences here so far. Underwater there are no differences for me, whether a woman or a man. What is important is good training, teamwork, and learning together and from each other. The project work lives from experienced and inexperienced participants. The experienced participants pass on their knowledge to the "new ones". The newcomers, in turn, contribute their novel ideas and thus create a new spirit in a project, and later, as experienced participants, they in turn pass on their knowledge to the next generation. For me, this is an important cycle.
In the pictures Alexandra
Belen, PROJECT BASELINE COSTA BLANCA
Can you tell us about a project you were involved in?
One of the nicest projects I’ve been is Project Baseline Costa Blanca. The project is about monitoring some gorgonian trees that are between 40 and 50 meters depth in Isla de Benidorm. It includes the characterization of all the surrounding areas, by doing 3D models as well as surveys. These gorgonian trees seem to be unique, due to their nature and the very special characteristics on where they live.
What was your role during the project?
I was the project manager. My tasks were to organize the team, assign roles within everyone’s expertise and coordinate activities that needed to be done.
What challenges did you face during the project and how did you overcome them?
There are many challenges within these type of projects, which are all done on a voluntary basis. The first one that may arise is the weather. It might be obvious but you are moving
quite a lot of people, to gather somewhere, and you may not know if you will dive. Then also logistics, get gases, get boats, organize people, and get people committed to it!
On the project itself, it has always been a challenge to organize the data and give the data some value that scientists can use. The way you measure any parameter can influence on the result, so following the scientific method is key. Assuming the data is valid, to organize it, and put it in hands of the scientists was a challenge as well. Often, it is underestimated the amount of work on this, and usually, after “leaving home after the dive” people tend to process the data. This may take more time than the diving itself!
What advice would you give to women who are interested in taking up project diving?
Don’t be shy, and insist. Connect with people, the more projects you join the more you will get involved and other projects will arise. There are always tasks to do within a project, so whatever is your level of diving or even if you are not yet a diver, there is always work to be done! Also, it is the way to learn forward and increase your capabilities!
In the pictures Belen
In the pictures Belen
Vica, PROJECT BASELINE ISLAS HORMIGAS
Can you tell us about a project you were involved in?
The name of the project is Project Baseline Islas Hormigas and it lasted from 1st to 5th of March 2023. During this time what we did was: workshop, line laying, measuring the line with mNemo device, sketching, Photogrammetry (3D model) and of course having a lot of fun! :)
What is your role during the project?
My role was to assist with line laying and to sketch the 18 m bathymetric line.
What challenges did you face during the project and how did you overcome them?
My personal biggest challenge was the time (gas) limit and getting cold underwater. For the cold I managed to find the right amount of undergarments to get warmer finally. For the
time/gas limit I would have to be more advanced diver and I'm constantly working on it ;) Taking into account the whole project though we found out that it's quite difficult to lay the line correctly and to do the mNemo survey without any errors. For that we would need more divers who have experience in doing exactly this.
What advice would you give to women who are interested in taking up project diving?
Dive in! Even if you don't have any experience in project diving there will be always something you can help with. I would say it'll be even better for you because you'll get new skills, you'll learn a lot of interesting stuff and you'll meet so many inspiring people. Of course depending on the project, different skills will be needed but as long as you can keep nice control of your buoyancy, know the basic drills and are opened for learning new skills you're a perfect candidate for a project diving :)
Can you tell us about a project you are involved in?
Magdalena: I belong to the association Ghost Diving Poland. It is an organization whose membership consist of technical divers who, in their free time, are involved in cleaning up water areas from abandoned fishing nets. Our target in Poland is mainly the Baltic Sea. Abandoned nets are dangerous to marine life. In addition, Ghost Diving members share knowledge and raise people's awareness about the water environment pollution caused by abandoned nets; you can find us at the expo in Gdynia Aquarium. I would like to point out that with the cooperation of partners, we give a second life to the fishing nets. "Trash" is transformed into jewellery, carpets, sportswear, socks, etc. with the cooperation of partners.
Wiesia: I am currently involved in Ghost-Diving Poland. The adventure with Ghost-Diving began when I had the pleasure of rotating among divers who were doing it. At first, I admired them for what they were doing and enthusiastically supported them in their actions. And then it turned out that there is also a place for me. And since the goal is noble, I was happy to join it.
Photo BatDiving, Vica
Photo Mariusz Czajka
Magdalena i Wiesia, GHOST DIVING POLAND
What is your role during the project?
Magdalena: At the very beginning, I was part of a team supporting divers from the boat, taking out fished nets and so on. Now, I've been part of an underwater reconnaissance team during dives. Our aim is to locate the nets, marking them for the pull-out group. We are also involved in documenting the activities underwater, through making videos.
On the surface, as far as my time permits, I try to support the exhibitions.
Wiesia: We don't have strict fixed roles. There are dives where we are supposed to scout the area, see where and how many nets there are. Then we document. Based on this we then plan our activities. On dives where we recover nets, I support, light, observe the situation, and document. If there are thin nets, I cut them. On the other hand, when there are thick nets, sometimes with metal reinforcements, I leave it for others – more experienced team members.
We also conduct outreach activities, such as workshops. Here, we show what threat nets and trash pose to the underwater environment, and consequences for us humans. We show how to reduce pollution, and how to help the environment. We show that the trash we collect does not end up in a landfill on the surface of the earth, but that there are companies such as Healthy Seas, recycling the material. We show the children what the diving equipment looks like. Children are very open-minded and ask questions. Such days are exhausting, but also give great satisfaction and joy, as I see the sparkle in the children's eyes. Parents, in turn, ask about more technical matters and details. We always meet with great appreciation and admiration from their side, and hear many encouraging words. This gives energy for further activities and a feeling that what we do is important.
What challenges did you face during the project and how did you overcome them?
Magdalena: The challenge is certainly the harsh underwater conditions, i.e. darkness, water temperature and often visibility is no more than 5 m :) You can help yourself with the cold with equipment, any reheating jacket or gloves are very helpful. Warm tea in a thermos and a hat after getting out of the water are also supportive. However, I deal with the discomfort under water related to poor visibility with practice. Any courses that improve my qualifications, I try to do in difficult weather conditions so that I know how to behave under water later. It's also important to remember that the equipment you put on weighs a lot so it's worth being physically active and helping each other out on the action. I can't worry about that, because the team is great! Another aspect is what we see underwater, there are dead fish caught in the net that can no longer be helped. It is a tough experience, but it also reinforces that we are doing a necessary job. Nothing makes you happier than a live fish freed from a net!
Wiesia: It is certainly a big challenge to take part in such an action where you are extracting nets. The risks and dangers are many. At the time of retrieving such nets, you don't really know where they will go up, or if they suddenly pulled something more than anticipated. Sometimes after inflating a few buoys pulling out the nets, you can hear everything crackle. Of course, this all happens in extremely unfriendly conditions for humans, that is, underwater at a depth of 20–30 m where it is cold and dark. Therefore, before I actively joined the action, I first participated in meetings where I listened about the actions, what the situations were, what happened, what to pay attention to, what the divers did. Then I began to participate as an observer, I watched the action underwater but from the side, so as not to pose a threat and not to interfere. We did training sessions where we divided into
In the picture Wiesia
In the picture Magda, Wiesia
teams and tasks that simulated the action of extracting nets from a prepared wreck. We also had training and actions that simulated emergency situations underwater, concerning rescue and first aid. After such exercises we talked about how everything went, what procedures worked, and where there are still elements to improve, what needs to be worked on. Such exercises also have a nice effect on the team. We can work together in different teams than we dive on a daily basis, they how how important it is to work together, communicate and trust the team during a real action.
This makes us trust each other more and feel safer on joint expeditions.
What advice would you give to women who are interested in taking up project diving?
Magdalena: So that they don't think too much just achieve their goals! Cold water is better than botox for wrinkles :)
Wiesia: I think you definitely need to train your skills before doing such activities. Diving is a demanding and, contrary to appearances, difficult sport. Yes, it is easy and pleasant to dive in warm clear seas. But our Polish conditions are quite different, they have their own requirements, and that's why you need to dive here, practice here, and spend many hours underwater to perfect your skills. This is a guarantee of your own safety and the safety of your buddy.
You're invited to explore the empowering and inspiring girls-corner on Instagram by checking out @isa_diving_nature. Come join us and discover
Photo Mariusz Czajka, Wiesia
COLOURFUL NIGHTINGALES
Text and photos WOJCIECH JAROSZ
It may not sing as beautifully as its cousins, thrush or common nightingale, but it stands head and shoulders above them with its robe. After all, a bluethroat, apart from the classic grey-brown colours, is also adorned with feathers in blue and orange colours. It may not embarrass many species of parrots, bee-eaters, rollers or hummingbirds, but in its own backyard there are no competitors for the title of the most elegantly dressed singer.
And its backyard is most often located in waterside thickets, in coastal rushes, among water meadows and bog woodlands, and even on peat bogs. The latter can also be located in the mountains, because bluethroats do their daily businesses not only on lowlands. It is true that those from the mountains and those from the lowlands are not exactly the same birds,
as they belong to two different subspecies, but they are all beautifully coloured. Well, almost all of them. In fact, a half, because only males are colourful, and females not really. In fact, females are grey compared to males and only wear a bit of faded colours. However, this is not a surprise for those Dear Readers, who have already browsed the pages of many issues of Perfect Diver and speared a moment to read the articles about birds. Many of the previously described species of birds manifest sexual dimorphism in such a way that it is the bird ladies who remain in modest robes, allowing themselves to be dazzled by the bird gentlemen with their colourful appearance. On the other hand, there are species whose males do not differ much from females in their appearance. They usually get the attention of females with something else... Singing, of course! As one well-known Polish naturalist noted, if an artist has an excellent voice, one does not have to draw attention to oneself with bizarre hairstyles or extravagant creations. When we look at the best bird singers, we notice that nightingales and larks really do not care about colours at all. Does this mean that, proportionally to their colourful robe, bluethroats are as much weaker singers than the above-mentioned ones? To my
knowledge, there is no equation yet that would describe such a relationship, but if the human ear were to judge, then the bluethroat is a less thrilling singer than its closest cousins already mentioned in the first sentence of this article (and bluethroats and nightingales, thrush and common, belong to the same genus Luscinia, that is respectively L. svecica, L. luscinia and L. megarhynchos). Looking a little closer at this issue, we notice that there are species among the winged menagerie the male part of which is neither exceptionally "dressed" (doesn't differ much from opposite sex) nor singing well. Is it perhaps the exceptional bravery of the chosen bird gentleman that wins the heart of the female? Or is it protectiveness or resourcefulness and entrepreneurship when choosing the best place for the nest that matter? Let me interrupt here these reflections on the behaviour of the feathered brothers and return to the main character of this column. So the bluethroat, as I mentioned, is a colourful nightingale. Its throat and chest shine with azure, and below it is girded with an inky and fiery red belt. On the cornflower blue "bib" there is a white spot (in individuals of the lowland subspecies from central and western Europe) or orange (in birds from the plain under Śnieżka mountain in
the Karkonosze Mountains or the Five Ponds Valley (pl. Dolina Pięciu Stawów) in the Tatras, as well as those from Scandinavia and Siberia). Ornithologists distinguish at least four subspecies of bluethroats, but there are also proposals for systematics with a dozen or so taxa of this rank. However, we are not going to deal with nuances here. Continuing the colourful thread, the bluethroat also has a lot of orange colour on the rectrices and only in the middle of the tail a dark stripe runs. The colourful tail, in contrast to the colours of the breast area, can also demonstrate females and young birds. Closing the issue of mating colours worn by birds of this species, it is necessary to mention a clear and quite wide, light eyebrow running above the eye and a darker cap.
The bluethroat is the size of a sparrow, but it is slightly thinner and usually weighs less than 20 grams. It feeds on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. It is very fond of larger larvae of the former.
not only their own offspring. Although they are chicks from their own nest, sometimes they might have a different biological father… Yes, extramarital affairs do happen among bluethroats, with the effects like described above. Often the best and most persistent singer, who also arrives at the site first, does not build a nest and does not mate with any of the females. Ultimately, however, it has the most children. This has been proven by research conducted in Scandinavia, where there are quite a lot of bluethroats in many places.
The bluethroat is the size of a sparrow, but it is slightly thinner and usually weighs less than 20 grams. It feeds on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. It is very fond of larger larvae of the former. The young are fed primarily with spiders and insects by both parents. It happens that some males feed
The moment has come to deal with the species name. In Polish it is quite characteristic, "podróżniczek" (eng. traveller) and would indicate a greater willingness than in other birds to visit distant places. Before I explain whether this is really the case, let's check how these birds are called by other nations. Well, in European languages most often the name refers to the exceptionally beautiful blue colour (in English:Bluethroat, German Blaukehlchen, French Gorgebleue à miroir, or finally Czech Slavík modráček). So there is no surprise here, because the
coincidence between the mentioned names and the actual colours of bluethroats is one hundred percent. So what is it about the Polish name? Bluethroats are indeed found in many parts of the world. What's more, from breeding grounds located in colder parts of Eurasia, they travel to places further south, such as the Mediterranean, North and West Africa. However, a whole bunch of other species of birds also arrange such trips every year. Nay, even further ones. To discover the mystery of our hero's journey you have to move to the nineteenth century! It was then that the theory arose in connection with observations of bluethroats in North Africa, and then in their sometimes thousands of kilometres distant places of summer stay, and nowhere else along the way, that they cover all the way separating both locations at once and at night. Later, however, it turned out that they stop along the way, like representatives of many other species of small birds, more than once or twice. But most often they choose places that are poorly accessible, even for professional ornithologists. They stop at swamps and peat bogs, where they feel safe and can peacefully supplement the caloric deficit based on rich natural buffets serving local "entomological" delicacies. The theory therefore was abandoned, but the Polish name "traveller" remained (you can read about it in the classic textbook "Birds of Polish Lands" by Jan Sokołowski).
Look out for cornflower colour among the reeds and coastal thickets. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see a hidden nightingale rarely sticking its beak out of the bushes. Not only try to discern the bluethroat with your eyes – use your ears! You can hear the singing in the morning or evening, even at night, as befits a nightingale – to make sure that it is definitely it, use the previously advertised application for recognising bird songs and voices (BirdNET). Good luck!
CZARNOGŁOWY THE VILLAGE OF
Text Wojciech Zgoła
Photos Bogdan Zając
IT'S 1759. RESIDENTS OF ZARNGLAFF VILLAGE (POLISH – CZARNOGŁOWY) BEGIN TO ACQUIRE CHALK DEPOSITS OF LIMESTONE. AS IT TURNS OUT LATER, THESE DEPOSITS ARE VERY SUBSTANTIAL. THE VILLAGERS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER THANKS TO MINING. THIS PROSPERITY LASTS FOR MORE THAN 200 YEARS.
Today, the village, which was mentioned for the first time in 1380 and which was an old fiefdom of the von Flemming family, is peaceful and instead of a mine has a lake...
Historically, only after more than 100 years, in 1902, an opencast mine and a limestone processing plant were built here, launched by Pommersche Kalksteinwerke GmbH, which in a short time became the largest producer of raw material in the entire German Empire.
Production increased and in order for transport to be efficient, a narrow-gauge railway track was built here in 1911. From Zarnglaff, the output was exported to Rokita and further distributed throughout the country. Ten years later, in 1921, the mine was the first in Europe to boast an 85-ton backhoe loader. Then World War II came. At that time, the Nazis used forced labourers from Poland, France and Russia to work in the mines. During this period, the plant got military protection and air-raid shelters were built. When 1945 came and the war was finally
about to end, the Germans flooded the mine workings. However, they did not do it thoroughly, because the mine equipment was not damaged.
Poles launch the opencast mine in 1947. First, they pumped out the water, and then proceed to mining. At that time the plant had two mine shafts, four locomotive sheds, four lime silos and two furnaces. There was also a laboratory. The produced raw materials were transported, as before, by rail to Rokita. The plant operated in this way until 1968. Then it was
Source Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia
decided to close, and the workings were flooded with groundwater. Three artificial lakes were created in the opencast area: Czarnogłowy Duże, Średnie and Małe.
Here it should be added that in some of the former buildings belonging to the mine, the production of irons and radiators by "Selfa", a company from Szczecin, was launched. The factory operated until 1990, when production ceased and the branch was liquidated. Why am I writing this? More on that in a moment
DIRECTIONS
The largest of the lakes – Czarnogłowy Duże – has become a popular place for diving.
Czarnogłowy (village) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Przybiernów, within Goleniów County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, about 70 km from Szczecin and about 34 km from Goleniów. After entering the village of Czarnogłowy, we turn right, near the chapel of Christ the King, into Fabryczna street. We drive on, on the left
pass the ruins of the former mine and reach the beach. Lake Czarnogłowy is picturesquely located. In fact, it is surrounded by forest on every side. The southern part of the reservoir is located on the border of the Wołczenica River Gorge nature reserve and it is in the southern part of the reservoir that Wołczenica river flows. The area of the lake is 35 ha. If you took someone into the car with their eyes closed and drove them to the place, they would not believe that this lake is an artificial, post-mining reservoir... Well, at least as long as they would see what is hidden underwater ;)
RESERVOIR
It is worth remembering that it is an artificial reservoir, so the shores of the lake are steep and precipitous, and its bottom falls vertically down. The maximum depth measured here so far is 27 m. The reservoir is dark and cold. When diving below 10 m, it is worth having a flashlight with you. In autumn and winter, we often have very good visibility under water, sometimes even over 10 m. Unfortunately, summer is not the best in this regard. The access to water (from the city beach) is convenient. You can park your car very close to the shore. We have sheds and tables at our disposal, and there are recycling bins nearby. There are also benches, and the access path to the water itself is sandy.
DIVING
It is interesting, even very interesting under water. We have numerous attractions in the form of a sunken forest, remains of pumping stations, pipes and fragments of tracks, or an entrance road to the mine. And if anyone has read this article from the beginning, they have noticed the mention of an iron factory. Well, at the bottom there is, probably illegal, iron graveyard. It is located at a shallow depth of 3 to 6 m, on a slope. Diving along the walls, we quickly reach several meters depth. We do not recommend super-deep penetrations, because at the bottom at a depth of about 21 m there is a dark sulphuric suspension. The bottom of the reservoir is very varied. In addition to stones and various walls, there is a sunken forest and whole fallen trees. There you can look for pike, perch and roach. In lake Czarnogłowy you can also meet rainbow trout, bream, carp, and even eels and catfish. The terrain is partially undulating and when diving, for example, at a depth of several meters with a compass, sometimes we will see the bottom, and sometimes only a dark abyss. On the left side from the entrance to the water, at a depth of 3 m there is a platform. Sunken kayaks can be found in the lake at the bottom, including one that looks very old. It probably sunk shortly after the reservoir was flooded with groundwater. There's also a skeleton – but don't be
alarmed! While diving, we can also pass a sunken bike with "Little Paul" called so by the locals, or a chest full of treasures and a depth bomb.
Anyway, check out for yourself what Czarnogłowy lake looks like under water. Some time ago I was persuaded to dive in Czarnogłowy by Bogdan Zając, the author of the photos. He was a wonderful guide under the water, showing me many interesting spots.
To the farthest corners of the reservoir go only with the right amount of gas. A 15 l cylinder may not be enough. Take a stage with you or dive with a twin. When the pressure gauge indicates the reserve, it is not known whether there is still 50 bar of air in the cylinder. More details on the subject of reserve is in the last article of this issue.
Lake Czarnogłowy is definitely worth diving! And after getting out of the water, you can sometimes meet friends
Note – there is no diving base here, there is no possibility of filling diving cylinders. Bring all the equipment with you and don't forget anything.
P.S.
There are unconfirmed rumors that the reservoir may be closed to divers in the future.
50 bar/RESERVE
WILD RIDE
How long will my reserve last?
How to check whether I can swim from one excavator to the other with the pressure gauge arrow at 50 bar?*
It’s sort of like driving from Warsaw to Gdynia. Will you make it after the fuel light comes on if the navigation still shows 100 km to your destination?
I don’t care because I can refuel at the nearest gas station and keep on driving! The problem with diving is that there are rarely any cylinder filling stations underwater.
Photo Tomasz Płociński
Text Wojciech A. Filip
Reserve, i.e. 50 bar – long will it last when you swim at different depths?
How to calculate it?
50 bar/reserve in the cylinder.
12 liter cylinder × 50 bar = 600 liters (the amount you should have in a 12 liter cylinder when the pressure gauge is at 50 bar).
If you’re at 30 meters (4 ata), you’re not stressed and can maintain your gas consumption at 20 liters/ minute, then:
600 liters ÷ 20 liters of minute consumption = 30 and then 30 ÷ 4 bar (30 meter depth) = 7.5 minutes.
That’s how much time it will take you to use up the gas/the entire reserve if you maintain a steady and calm breathing rhythm.
OK, but when I reach the reserve, I start ascending!
Sure. Let’s calculate then how much gas you need to ascend with ease from 30 meters. This is what you'll need to know:
1. How long will the ascent take?
2. What is the average depth for this ascent?
re: 1. According to safe ascending rules, you need to maintain a speed of up to 10 meters/minute during the entire ascent. This means that getting from 30 m to the surface should take at least 3 minutes. Don't forget the 3 minute safety stop somewhere along the way. Getting from 30 to 5 meters takes almost 3 minutes + 3 minutes for the stop and then as slowly as possible to the surface.
Let’s assume, only for the purposes of our calculations, that the entire ascent will take no more than 5 minutes.
re: 2. During the ascent the depth will gradually change but then you’ll wait for a while (the stop) and then you’ll continue going up. In this situation, in order to stay safe, you need to determine the average the depth for the entire ascent and half, i.e. 15 meters, is a safe value to use in calculations. Here we go then:
600 liters ÷ 20 bar consumption ÷ 2.5 atmosphere equivalent to 15 meters = 12 minutes Which means it’s cool if everything’s OK under water.
Be realistic.
We assumed that the most important variable – the diver – will be amazingly stable. You will breathe steadily and ascend like master Yoda, lifted by galactic force, perfectly controlling your buoyancy.
How about more realism then?
Let’s introduce a pretty realistic variable. Visibility at 30 meters gets quite low (because your position got messed up and your legs somehow buried themselves in silt) and some time later your partner swam to you and asked for octopus because they have “less than 10 bar” in their cylinder.
How to calculate it?
50 bar/reserve in the cylinder.
2 stressed divers. Best case scenario in this situation is that consumption will increase twice (usually even more), reaching 40 liters per minute instead of 20. Or actually 80 liters per minute to be specific, since both divers will be stressed. As before, you ascend from 30 meters.
Average depth is 15 meters (2.5 ata).
The amount of gas at our disposal is the reserve in the 12 liter cylinder, i.e. 600 liters.
600 ÷ 80 ÷ 2,5 = 3 minutes!
That’s how long your reserve will last in this situation.
Truth be told, the calculation is still a little overstated, providing more time – keep reading to find out why.
OK, but what if I take a larger cylinder?
The gas should last for at least 6 minutes under perfect conditions ... which will never happen.
After 6 minutes there will be nothing left in the cylinder.
If you decrease your ascent speed, someone gets cramps, pushes the wrong inflator button and starts descending – you won’t reach the surface in time because you’ll run out of gas.
Photo Isadora Abuter Grebe
Caution!
I’ve used the following simplifications for the calculations:
• I assumed that the ascent will always take 5 minutes, regardless of depth. In reality the deeper you are, the more time you’ll need.
• For the partner and octopus scenario I added 1 minute to have the absolute minimum amount of
time to somehow take the octopus out of the pocket, face each other, confirm with the OK sign and start ascending.
• I assumed the average depth to be half of the depth from which you start ascending.
Now review the table and see when the gas in the cylinder runs out:
Ascending from a depth of: 10 m
50 bar on the pressure gauge
Diver calmly ascending by themselves
Ascending with a partner using their octopus
Ascending from a depth of: 20 m
Diver calmly ascending by themselves
Ascending with a partner using their octopus
Ascending from a depth of: 30 m
Diver calmly ascending by themselves
Ascending with a partner using their octopus
Ascending from a depth of: 40 m
Diver calmly ascending by themselves
Ascending with a partner using their octopus
12 L cylinder20 min5 min15 min4 min12 min3 min10 min3 min
15 L cylinder25 min6 min19 min5 min15 min4 min13 min3 min
We should mention one of the reasons why there’s a red field on the pressure gauge marking the 50 bar range and where the term “reserve” came from?
Not so long ago, people dived without pressure gauges.
A diver used to have what someone called a "reserve valve". It was a small element protruding from the cylinder valve; after the cylinder had been filled, the position of a small “plate” was changed so that 50 bar of air was physically trapped inside the cylinder. The reserve valve had a special pull-rod that a diver had to pull while diving to gain access to the gas reserve. In this non-so-distant past, cylinders were filled up to 150 bar, so to be slightly more specific about the reserve valve function: it cut off 1/3 of the entire air from what was inside the cylinder.
Photo Bartek Trzciński
Quite soon modern times arrived and every diver could take a pressure gauge under water to see how much air was left in the cylinder. Pressure gauges were usually scaled up to 200 bar and since the reserve valve used to cut off 50 bar, the 50 bar field was marked in red. New cylinders also became available that could be filled up to 200 and sometimes 230 bar. However, the red field on the pressure gauge remained in the same place and 50 bar, or reserve, if you will, indicated that there is at best ¼ of air left in the cylinder.
Pressure gauge accuracy.
How do you know if what the pressure gauge shows is the actual pressure in the cylinder? You don’t!
What’s more, from the article on pressure gauges (Perfect Diver no. 21) you will learn that if you regularly fill your cylinder with gas under excessively high pressure, the accuracy of the pressure gauge indications may decrease. The least accurate indications may apply to the lower part of the scale and show approx. 50 bar, even when the cylinder is already empty!
This article is kind of intimidating, isn’t it?
Not necessarily – as long as you learn simple diving calculations, you will significantly increase the safety of your diving and be cool.
Ask your instructor how to calculate the safe, minimal amount of gas to ascend (the squares call it gas minimum)!
Your instructor is away right now?
Come and join us at the Tecline Academy.
We know a lot of ways to install the “50 is not much” software in every diver’s processor
*“Koparki” (“Excavators”) is a quarry in southern Poland with 2 sunken excavators located a few hundred meters from each other.
