Perfect Diver Magazine 33 issue Diving Freediving Passion Knowledge

3(33)/2024

RWojciech Zgoła Editor-in-Chief

ecently, I have participated in dozens of conversations with various people, diving equipment manufacturers, distributors, trainees and their instructors, or non-divers. This inspired me to write a different than usual introduction to this issue.

What can be done to make diving more popular in Poland? We do not have warm waters, so meeting someone with ABC on a lake or the Baltic Sea is very rare.

There are several possibilities! If parents have children and they dive, they inevitably show how to spend free time. Nature, interesting underwater life, new dive sites in Poland and abroad. Even if it is a periodic activity, like skiing or cycling, it is still one that you come back to.

Today, children and young people prefer other entertainment, they spend their time differently. Diving does not seem cool. Does it mean that these these children and teenagers do not hike in the mountains, ride a bike and go snowboarding? I don't think so. It is, first of all, a matter of role models (what parents show and how the family spend their time), and secondly, an example of passion of people – diving enthusiasts – for a sunken history, marine biology, travels and an ecoview of life.

We, the diving equipment industry, however, want to make money on the equipment to be able to make our living, right now, today, and the sales increases are meager...

The popularisation of diving must be looked at in a far-sighted way, not here and now. After all, everyone entering diving has to start from scratch. There is no other way. How to involve a young person who does not have diving parents? By meetings in schools, eg. during biology lessons or during the educational classes. We can show the equipment, talk about diving and underwater encounters in an accessible way. It is

possible to take part in underwater cleaning of lakes and rivers. Divers always attract attention and a lot of questions such as: "How much time can you spend underwater on oxygen?" ;) And this way diving can be beautifully presented – there are plenty of such campaigns in Poland and around the world. And such actions are followed by education. Another idea is "Reef Project", which attracts people who have never had contact with diving before. All in super safe and controlled conditions. A short intro and breathing compressed air. These events are often attended by entire families, friends, acquaintances or the disabled. Finally, you can travel by diving. In such circumstances, it is sometimes easier to get ABC and snorkelling, to enjoy meeting a turtle or colourful fish, a barracuda school, or spotting a small scorpionfish or a camouflaged octopus. I know this because I have three children myself and all of them dive.

This edition shows that as a diver you can dive in the warm waters of Palau, the summer waters of Madeira, or the cold and challenging waters of Antarctica. You can learn the secrets of the deepest pool in Dubai, explore the wreck, delight in meeting dolphins or birds, go underwater the famous Hemmoor quarry, or dive in a helmet. We always have a piece of knowledge for you. How to place the best your inflator, why to do a wreck diving course, or how to get a black belt in diving at the age of 12. Many people reading Perfect Diver mature to the decision to try diving. And the more people learn about our Magazine, the more they will enjoy the charms and underwater experiences in the future. And those who already dive know, that spending time underwater gives a number of benefits for our well-being, psyche, etc. – positive aspects of diving.

All this in this issue :) Let's start!

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Wojciech Zgoła Karolina Sztaba

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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 800 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 6 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;

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.blog.dive-away.pl. She began her adventure with diving fifteen years ago by total coincidence. Today she is a diving instructor, 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.

PRZEMYSŁAW ZYBER

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/przemyslaw_zyber/ www.deep-art.pl

KAROLA TAKES PHOTOS

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.

Laura is a journalist, instructor trainer, CCR and cave diver. She has been developing her diving career for over a decade, gaining knowledge and experience in various fields. Her specialty is professional diving training, but her passion for the underwater environment and its protection drives her to explore various places around the world. From the depths of the Lombok Strait, caves in Mexico and wrecks in Malta to the Maldives, where she runs a diving center awarded by the Ministry of Tourism as the best diving center in the Maldives. Laura actively contributes to promoting the protection of the marine environment, takes part in scientific projects, campaigns against ocean littering and cooperates with non-governmental organizations. You can find her at @laura_kazi_diving www.divemastergilis.com

SYLWIA KOSMALSKA-JURIEWICZ

ANNA METRYCKA

LAURA KAZIMIERSKA

He has been diving for 35 years. He has spent more than 16,000 hours underwater, most of them diving technically. He has been an instructor and mentor instructor for many organizations including CMAS, GUE, IANTD, PADI. He co-created the training programs for some of them. He is a professional with vast knowledge and practical experience. He has participated in many diving projects as a leader, explorer, initiator or speaker. He was the first Pole to dive the HMHS Britannic wreck (117m). He was the first to explore the deep part of the Glavas Cave (118m). He made a series of dives documenting the wreck of ORP GROM (110m). He has documented deep (100-120m) parts of flooded mines. He is the creator and designer of many equipment solutions to improve diving safety.

Technical Director at Tecline, where, among other things, he manages the Tecline Academy a research and training facility. Author of several hundred articles on diving and books on diagnosis and repair of diving equipment.

He dives in rivers, lakes, caves, seas and oceans all over the world.

He has been diving forever, he does not remember his first dives. The only thing he remembers is that diving has always been his passion. He spent his entire childhood on Polish lakes, which he still prefers to distant destinations. With great success, he turned his passion into a way of life and business. Curiosity of the world and constant striving for perfection are the main features that definitely hinder him in life. Professional diving instructor, photographer, filmmaker.

Creator of the DECO Diving Center, PADI Course Director, TecTrimix Instructor Trainer TECREC.

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was chaos...

…that is, the multitude of thoughts and delights after my first immersion under water in 2005 in the form of INTRO while on vacation in Egypt. By then I had completely immersed myself in the underwater world and wanted it to have an increasing impact on my life. 2 years later, I took an OWD course, which I received as a gift for my 18th birthday, and over time, further courses and skills improvement appeared.

"Photography" appeared not much later, but initially in the form of a disposable underwater "Kodak" from which the photos came out stunningly blue  I am not a fan of one type of diving, although my greatest weakness at the moment is for large pelagic animals. The Galapagos Islands were my best opportunity to photograph so many species of marine fauna so far.

I share my passion for diving and photography with my buddy, who is my wife  IG: luke.divewalker www.lukedivewalker.com

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.

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.

Zoopsychologist, researcher and expert in dolphin behavior, committed to the idea of protecting dolphins and fighting against keeping them in dolphinariums. Passionate about Red Sea and underwater encounters with large pelagic predators. Member of the Dolphinaria-Free Europe Coalition, volunteer of the Tethys Research Institute and Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, collaborator of Marine Connection. For over 15 years, he has been participating in research on wild dolphin populations, auditing dolphinariums, and monitoring the quality of whale watching cruises. As the head of the "Free & Safe" project (formerly "NO! for a dolphinarium"), he prevents keeping dolphins in captivity, promotes ethical whale & dolphin watching, trains divers in responsible swimming with wild dolphins, and popularizes knowledge about dolphin therapy that is passed over in silence or hidden by profit-making centers. on this form of animal therapy.

ŁUKASZ METRYCKI / LUKE DIVEWALKER

WOJCIECH A. FILIP

DOMINIK DOPIERAŁA

MICHAŁ CZERNIAK

JAKUB BANASIAK

WOJCIECH JAROSZ

Better known as Wąski

Professionally, the main health and safety specialist, fire protection inspector and first aid instructor. Privately, husband and father of his daughter. A member of the Bellator Societas, where he is called St. Marcin, because every year he plays the character during the name day of the street on November 11 in Poznań. Of course, for many years an avid diver. He loves technical diving, especially those on wrecks and everything related to activity above and below water :)

„Kindness” entire adult life, as her friends call her, is professionally related to diving. She has been diving every day for over ten years as a professional PADI diving instructor, working and running diving centers in Egypt. Extremely meticulous and pedantic about safety. Specializes in training children, teenagers and women. It's impossible to miss her because she dresses her pink lifestyle in this color underwater. An accountant by education and second profession, in private she is the mother of two "terrorists". Co-owner of the DECO Diving Center.

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...

Zodiac Libra. Enthusiast of a healthy lifestyle, fond of active leisure. Lover of the underwater world and underwater photography. HR employee, and after hours SDI diving instructor, Vital Mentor, Diet coach. Thanks to her passion for psychology, working with people and the ability to listen, she knows that everything starts in the head. He highly values the ability to communicate without words underwater. Water helped her discover completely unknown mobility possibilities, and overcoming her own limitations, as well as learning something new in the natural environment, in the context of communing with nature, helped her rebuild her mental condition.

Author of the website https://aldonadreger.pl and https://wellbeingproject.pl

Partner of the diving school https://wewelldiving.pl

Aquarius by birth. Underwater photography enthusiast. Sailor, lover of underwater archeology and wreck diving. TDI SDI diving instructor. Professionally, he builds housing estates and holiday homes. Partner of the diving school https://wewelldiving.pl

ALDONA DREGER

JACEK TWARDOWSKI

DOBROCHNA DIDŁUCH

PIOTR KOPEĆ

TOMASZ KULCZYŃSKI

WORLD DIVING BESTSELLER Palau

Text ANNA METRYCKA

Photos ANNA METRYCKA, ŁUKASZ METRYCKI

A huge shadow emerges from the depths, obscuring everything around with its size. The dark shape is difficult to compare with anything else. All divers turned in one direction and the sound of a shaker belonging to the dive guide could be heard. He wants to draw our attention to something.

It's a cloud. A cloud of several thousand SNAPPERS. They begin the performance. The action takes place at the Shark City dive site, about 37 km from Koror. For diving enthusiasts, this place was at one point a distinctive Palau shark diving spot, hence the name, but the discovery and subsequent popularity of Blue Corner, pushed Shark City to a further place. However, their geographical location is the point that is the westernmost part of Palau... which means that it is exposed to the open ocean. As a result, the current can be strong enough to attract predators here.

In the Republic of Palau, during the Full Moon, when the sun rises, flocks of "Red Snappers" emerge from the depths to begin the mating spectacle. They then change their coloration from red to white and thus attract predators such as bull sharks, hammerhead sharks and blacktip sharks. What initially looks like two or

three sociable snappers turns into a sudden whirlwind of activity of 10, 20, 30 snappers. In a second, the edge of the reef turns into a chaotic storm of fish! The snappers move, change shape to form a single whole. The water is "teeming with life". However, it is only at the end of the dive that they form a single, gigantic organism. They become a unity. When fish like snappers reproduce en masse, they flood the ocean... with milt and fish eggs. Fertilized eggs that escape predators are sucked by the current straight into open water, where zygotes (future small fish) have a chance to grow, and a certain percentage survive and return

Photo Aggressor Adventure

Photo Jarosław Gołembiewski

to the reefs to hunt. The most important motto of such a dive: Swim where the "cloud" is going, not where it has already been. PALAU – a country located near the core of marine biodiversity. The coral reefs here are home to 1,500 species of fish and an equally staggering variety of corals. Drop-offs here reach up to 2000 m. Palau is the place to dive in. This island country associated with the USA is located in the Pacific Ocean, in Oceania and Micronesia, about 1160 km south of Guam, about 800 km east of the Philippines and 3200 km south of Tokyo. Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania that consists of four main political entities: The Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Kiribati. The Republic of Palau consists of more than 200 islands – four individual islands and part of the Carolina archipelago. The islands are made of coral reefs and volcanic rocks and are one of the most spectacular dive sites in the world. Palau has been named the number 1 underwater wonder by CEDAM, an association of marine biologists and oceanologists. Reefs inhabited by hundreds of exotic animals, numerous pelagic species including a huge population of reef sharks, vertical walls, undersea tunnels connecting inland lakes with the ocean, where rare specimens of non-stinging jellyfish, anemones and soft corals live, and crystal clear waters with visibility up to 60 meters, make Palau an un-

derwater paradise. It is also a fantastic place for amateurs of wreck diving (there are warships, planes, hydroplanes, etc.) from World War II.

Coconut palm, sweet potatoes and bananas grow on most of the islands. Palau exports fish, coconut oil and copra. The international airport is located on Babelthuap Island, which is connected to Koror Island by a bridge. Tourism is an important branch of the economy, but there is a huge decline in the number of tourists, which began with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another difficulty is the small number of planes, which I hope will change soon. All the time, however, we can get here with a stop in Manila in the Philippines, in american Guam or while visiting Taiwanese Taipei. Logistics is very important here, because the number of air connections to Palau is very limited. However, if we complete this long journey – we will find ourselves in paradise! Palau is culturally very close to the USA – they celebrate their holidays, prepare American and Asian dishes.

Wherever we look, we will see (up to the horizon) the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean, or the dense dark green forest covering 75% of Palau's land area. Such views are memorable. Mangrove forests, swamps, wetlands, karst formations on limestone substrate and volcanic rocks – this is the melting pot of natural diversity of this place.

While in Palau, you can also try swimming under the largest waterfall in Micronesia, measuring 37 m high, or see military remains from World War II. Also noteworthy are archaeological sites with basalt monoliths depicting faces similar to those discovered on Easter Island. The whole will be complemented by the view of old, wooden houses ("baji") built about 100 years ago in a traditional style, using local materials and primitive tools. A unique "symbol" of this country that deserves attention is also the seat of the Paluan Parliament, reminiscent of ... the White House!

As in most places in the world, you can dive here while staying stationary in a hotel, as well as from a safari boat. The infrastructure is adapted for lovers of both solutions. So what attracts us – divers the most? Of course, what is under the surface of the water.

MANTA RAYS. Creatures with the largest brain of any living fish, curious about the world around them. The best time to encounter these majestic creatures in Palau is between October and March, with an indication to the winter months. German Chanel is an artificial canal built by the Germans – allowing you

to get to the interior of the atoll by the shortest possible route, along which submarines moved, and it was the Germans who deepened it. Dives take place at high tide or low tide, because this is when the largest amount of plankton is delivered. This is where you can see the underwater dance of manta rays! During my last trip, 3 manta rays arrived at the cleaning station, and in a moment another 5 arrived – this time with one black! Black manta rays have increased levels of melanin – a dark pigment and are... truly unique! It's lucky to see such a specimen! Gray reef sharks also appeared during this dive, which benefited from the presence of cleaning wrasses. You will also see snappers, angelfish, barracuda and perhaps a hawksbill turtle... in Palau there is simply everything. Near the canal there is also a beautiful coral garden, where crocodile fish, nudibranchs and clownfish live.

WRECKS. Palau is a place of legend. During World War II, battles were fought here by two powers – the United States of America and Japan. The wrecks of the Japanese fleet are a remnant of

those times. They are found in the lagoon, which may result in poor visibility. One of the wrecks worth seeing is Hafa Adai. This non-war ship was sunk deliberately in the mid-1970s and is now inhabited by a school of fish and colourful hard and soft corals. We also found a beautiful Blue Dragon nudibranch! Iro Maru –the most famous wreck of this region, is an almost 150-meter merchant ship sunk during World War II by American bombers. The wreck is set vertically on a sandy bottom at a depth of 40 meters, just 10 minutes south of Koror. Three masts and gun turrets at the bow and stern abound with nudibranchs and hard corals. The main deck is located at a depth of about 24 meters, with open holds where oil drums and machinery are located. The wreck is really impressive! An interesting object to photograph is also the Seaplane (JAKE) – an 11-meter aircraft adapted to take off and land on the surface of the water, at the end of the war it was used as a bomber, and also participated in kamikaze missions. The wreck is located at a depth of several meters and is accessible to both divers and snorkelers. A great experience! While in Palau, it is worth visiting the island PELELIU. It is here that one of the largest battles in the Pacific took place, in which over 12 thousand soldiers were killed. It is a small island (about 6 km long) located on the southern edge of the archipelago. However, it was of strategic importance, because it was a Japanese airport. In September 1944, the Americans surrounded the island with dozens of ships and landing craft. After many hours of artillery shelling, on September 15, the landing took place. The Japanese corps of 10,500 soldiers defended itself for over two months! Only 202 Japanese managed to be taken prisoner, the rest died in a battle that they had no chance of winning. American losses were also enormous, 1252 marines were killed. As it was later calculated, during the first 14 days of the battle, the Americans fired over a million shells of various calibers. Peleliu is one of the forgotten cards of the Pacific war. Unfortunately,

the capture of the island and the death of thousands of soldiers did not bring the victory of the Allies any closer. The local airport lost its importance because the Americans, during the fighting for Peleliu, conquered other islands that were much closer to Japan. They were later used to launch bombers attacking Tokyo, Nagoya and other strategically important cities. On Peleliu, time stood still. To this day, rusty heavy machine guns and destroyed remnants of barges lie on Orange Beach, which was the site of the main landing of the Americans. There are still damaged light tanks and armoured personnel carriers on the island. A place where "history" floats in the air...

CORALS – which I saw for the first time in Palau bear the graceful name "lettuce corals" resembling lettuce heads. The view "from above" is unforgettable! Coral with the characteristic shape of lettuce or cabbage, comes in various colours, from beige, brown, to green or pink, and grows on a rocky bottom. You can admire such rarities while diving in another famous dive site – the ULONG CHANNEL. It is another place for diving in the drift, and it is the essence of diving in a strong current. We can imagine it as an underwater river through which water flows from the open sea into the waters of the lagoon or vice versa, depending on the cycle of the tides. The experience that awaits divers there is unique. Already during the descent, we observe how fast we move relative to the bottom. As you go deeper, the impression becomes stronger and stronger. The bottom of the

canal is overgrown with the aforementioned heads of lettuce. The current will carry you above them at speeds exceeding even ten knots. The only task is to maintain zero buoyancy, the rest happens by itself. A unique flight over a forest of corals. Just like of the currents – you can be almost sure of the enormity of fish here! We can meet large specimens of sharks, manta rays, monkfish, scorpionfish, clams, octopuses, groupers, turtles or barracuda... Look around – maybe you will also see a beautiful eagle? ;)

QUADROPUPLE BLUE HOLES. Another unique dive site. At this point, four vertical corridors lead from a depth of 1.5 meters straight to a series of huge caves open to the sea. Climbing down any of the chimneys is a magical experience. As you descend into this cathedral-like chamber, the light scatters across the entire spectrum of turquoise blue to sapphire, eventually dissolving into the darkness. On the walls of the chamber you can find a lot of nudibranchs, shrimps and even an electric flame scallops (Ctenoides scaber) (also called a scallop or a disco scallop). All the names come from flashing, electric-looking lights generated by scallops. Sailing out of the chamber through a turquoise "window" we head to the next dive site, meeting tuna, barracuda, jackfish, and a very characteristic bumphead parrotfish on the way. It is a very famous species of the parrotfish family. They can be easily recognized by the hump (hence the name) on the forehead, which is used to dig into the coral in order to break it up and feed. Male Bumphead parrots have also

been observed using their bony head plate to ram each other in territorial disputes. This curious fish is equipped with fused teeth that form a beak similar to that of a parrot. These teeth are so strong that they can break up bitten corals and limestone into a fine powder. Diving during the new moon – you can be pretty sure that you will see bumphead parrotfish spawning in Palau! Males of the "Bumphead Parrotfish" species bang their heads like buffaloes, thus showing their dominance and courting females! Hundreds of Bumphead Parrotfish meet in one place to guarantee the continuation of the genre… not to be missed!

Palau is a reef hook dive. During your stay in Micronesia, the hook will become as essential as any other piece of your equipment. And while diving in the dive site you have just read about – it will be your "to be or not to be".

BLUE CORNER. One of the best dive sites I've ever been to.

A spot where the currents can be so strong that, being attached with a reef hook to the edge of the reef – with one hand you will be holding the camera or hook rope, and with the other... your mask. What is happening here is dizzying... The Blue Corner is located on the leeward side of the Ngemelis wall. It is a triangular tongue with a flat top lushly overgrown with soft corals. The plateau starts at 15 meters and gradually descends to a depth

of 25 m, where the wall descends to over 100 m. On the Blue Corner there are very strong tidal currents (up to 15 knots). It is thanks to them that we find an incredible abundance of underwater life in this place. Dozens of gray and whitetip reef sharks hunting hundreds of fish of several species. This is a place where sharks will be at your fingertips. Suspended on reef hooks, you will have a chance to observe how efficiently they move in the current, and enthusiasts of underwater photography will certainly catch some of the best shots they have ever had the chance to take. The situation on the Blue Corner changes from minute to minute, schools of barracudas come one after the other creating circles and amazing eights, suddenly the barracudas swim away, giving way to sea bass and snappers, followed by several turtles. Napoleon wrass is also a regular visitor. Each dive in this place is different, but always full of attractions, adrenaline and an incredible amount of sea creatures.

Important! In 2009, Palau became the world's first national shark sanctuary, ending all commercial shark fishing in the waters and providing sharks with a haven to live and reproduce in: more than 200,000 square miles of ocean. This step later led to the creation of other shark sanctuaries around the world, particularly in the Maldives, Honduras, Bahamas, and Tokelau.

CHANDELIER CAVES. Chandelier caves. We start this dive on a very shallow reef, where if you strain your eyes (or have a good lens in your camera) – you will see tiny Mandarin Fish – or "mandarine dragonet". These little beauties are species only reaching about 7.5 inches in length! This species is best known for its ritual mating "dance", which takes place only during sunset hours. The females team up in groups on the reef and look for a male. Then the males begin to court the females, with the larger and stronger males being chosen by them more often;) Males can also breed with multiple females overnight! Mandarin fish is certainly

Photo Aggressor Adventure

one of the most colourful and extremely decorative fish we see in the Indo-Pacific. After hunting for "mandarins", we enter the cave through a hole about 5 m wide. This great dive site in the Rock Islands consists of several chambers – one of them has been named the Temple of Doom. After entering the cave system, the spacious interior appears. Stalactites and stalagmites give a mysterious character to the dives, and an air pocket at the ceiling of each of the 4 "rooms" allows fresh water to flow into the grotto, which flows down the walls, creating picturesque draperies. Inside, you'll find these massive, almost cathedral-like chambers filled with stalactites. But what makes it unique are the large pockets of air above the water from which you can float to the surface and see the unique rock formations descending from the ceiling to the water below. When you illuminate them with light, they almost shine thanks to crystal formations on the rocks. There are 4 large chambers to check out and each one is amazing!

If you don't have enough variety in Palau – you must see one more place... JELLYFISH LAKE. The sea lake is located on the island of Mecherchar and is filled with salt water supplied by underground channels from the sea, while in its shallower parts the

water is already fresh, diluted by rains. The creatures living in the lake have evolved and adapted to an unusual environment. A few thousand years ago, thousands of jellyfish lost their venomous and thus burning properties, as their only natural enemy are small anemones living under mangroves. It was here, until recently, that we had the opportunity to snorkel with thousands of jellyfish devoid of stinging properties. Unfortunately, due to the drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, fresh water

ceased to feed the jellyfish lake, causing a dangerous level of salinity. Jellyfish began to disappear and their population was drastically declining. The lake was closed for several years. In December 2018, the diving centres in Palau reactivated snorkelling trips to the famous Jellyfish Lake. At the end of November 2018, the Coral Reef Research Foundation recorded nearly 1 million resurgence of jellyfish, and what's more – the return of the Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), which disappeared from the lake 10 years earlier! Due to the jellyfish's ability to tolerate harsh environmental conditions, we hope that the population will recover to 5-10 million. Unfortunately, in 2022, the jellyfish population declined again, although everyone hopes that this is the last time. The experience of watching jellyfish underwater is amazing! Jellyfish are devoid of the stinging properties, so snorkelling in water full of "jelly" organisms is completely safe!

Palau is the perfection of nature, stunning with what it has to offer. The unearthly landscapes of rocky islands overgrown with forest and mangroves, turquoise water and underwater diversity. You will find here channels in reefs, currents, huge numbers of sharks, manta rays, the macro world, wrecks of the Japanese fleet, black corals, lettuce corals, caves and huge schools of fish – barracudas, tuna, fusiliers, moray eels, rays, groupers, turtles. And if the stars are on your side and the moon is leading the way – you'll find yourself in the middle of amazing events – spawning of red snappers or bumphead parrotfish spawning! Such "things" can only happen in Palau. Are you coming?

Talking about MADEIRA

Text and photos WOJCIECH ZGOŁA

The first information I came across about Madeira was that the island has one of the most dangerous airports, that it is beautiful, spring-like and the local forests feel more like Asia than Europe.

The plane, heading from Lisbon to Madeira, was constantly following the setting sun. The sky at an altitude of 10 kilometers took on colors ranging from yellow, pale orange, brick-red to coral and red. The sun failed to catch up and we landed in the dark. The pilot smoothly planted the machine on the runway and quickly braked it. Some time ago the airport's runways were extended by putting them on columns.

The next day our entire group, invited by Portugal Dive and by the Ministry of Tourism of Portugal, met. In the end there were five of us: Terry from the USA, Ivana from Serbia, Tom from Mexico (was born in UK), Arlindo from Portugal and me. It promised

to be amazing, and after breakfast, we started our official stay in Madeira by trekking through the forest-covered mountains.

As we were driving to the parking area where our hike began, we admired the landscape of Madeira and listened to the extensive and interesting stories of our guide for the day: Iza. We parked at a modest bar, next to which was a citrus orchard. On the trees hung lemons near the end of their ripeness.

We set off along the levada ('rain rivers' used to transport rainwater from the north to the south of the island) which was created in the 16th century, a remarkable engineering achievement of the time. A system of sluices and canals allows fields

to be irrigated. Previously, water flowed over steeply sloping hillsides in very different places. The route leading up into the mountains is narrow and from time to time we have to give way to those going down. We march quietly and listen to the stories. We observe laurel trees, huge ferns, trees that grow straight out of the rocks. It is amazing. Imagine what a root system they have and how strong they are in fighting for every crevice in the rock. We encounter lizards and lots of insects. I ask Iza about mosquitoes and it turns out there are none here, which is strange and nice at the same time. Indeed, we haven't encountered them at all. In places, the nature resembles an Asian thicket, lushly growing on the hills here. Once upon a time, when there was no human presence, the whole of Madeira was covered with forest. Today, it looks very different, and spending time in the city you might not even expect what the island looks like in all its glory.

It is the second half of April. Daytime temperatures are gently above 20 C° with a pleasant breeze at times. Nights are a little cooler, but the presence of palm trees and other warm-loving plants suggests that we will survive without frost ;)

We explore the nuances of Portuguese cuisine. We taste delicacies and specific dishes to get to know as many flavours of Madeira as possible. In the process, we chat and look forward longingly to the dives which start the very next day.

We get up still tired from the hardships of the journey and trekking but at breakfast everyone is smiling. You can feel the atmosphere of excitement and at the same time verification of

underwater conditions. We are hoping for a warm welcome and good clarity. The question is, of course, what a warm welcome means to whom?!

We use the services of the Cipreia Diving Centre. It is housed in a hotel built into the side of a mountain, so you have to navigate through corridors and choose the right lifts to get straight to the coast. The ocean is waving and glistening in the sunshine. There are no hotel guests yet and it is quiet, apart from the sound of the wind and water. As we approached the dive centre, we were greeted by several staff members with broad smiles and a very friendly attitude. Bare 7mm wetsuits, boots and fins were already waiting for us. Those who didn't have their regulators were given local ones. I added my Tecline to my gear. Quite quickly we filled in our paperwork, got dressed and wandered a short distance to the rib. Here, descending the ladder, we had to be careful about the moment we set foot on the side of the Zodiac, as careless distraction could cause a serious accident. The ocean was still surging, however, there was help waiting on both sides from the dive base staff.

Each day looked similar. We sailed the rib to the dive spot of our choice, on 'three' we rolled backwards into the water and dived. We split into 2 groups that dived separately: Ivana with Tom assisted by Jassie, and Terry, Arlindo and I assisted by Hernan. One group started from left to right and the second the other way around. The first day pleasantly surprised us, as the Atlantic temperature was 21°C. The 7 mm wetsuit and hoods

proved to be enough to comfortably survive both dives and the break on the rib.

Visibility was varying from 15 m to a good 20 m. In fact, barracuda accompanied us throughout all the dives on Madeira. From shoals of dozens, maybe even over 200, to one large specimen on the last dive. The interesting thing here is that the groupers have become so accustomed to the presence of divers that they do not run away at all. They allow themselves to be approached at arm's length. The guides warned us, still on shore during the briefing, not to touch them. They are also not fed, and some specimens are well over a metre long. Diving between the large boulders, we admired the lay of the land and the multitude of marine fauna. We observed schools of sarpa salpa, saddled seabreams, white breams, canary demselfish, chromis, zebra seabram and others. Everywhere we were accompanied by ornate wrasse, parrotfish and comber fish. We also came across gilthead seabream and jackfish, and there were tuna, white trevally, or common seabreams circling the wrecks. There are a lot of small scorpionfish here. On the wreck of a corvette, I found as many as 7 of them in one place, at a distance of several cm.

Interestingly, the rocky uplifts and nooks and crannies suggest the presence of moray eels, octopuses, crabs and crawfish. Of all these, we only saw crabs, and when asking about octopus or cuttlefish, we were told that they were there but very difficult to encounter. Additionally, sometimes (rather rarely) you can spot individual hammerhead sharks in the depths which imme-

diately flee. In the summer there is a good chance of seeing dolphins, rather on the surface of the water than while diving. It is very rare to see a monk seal here, and occasionally one large turtle careta careta can be spotted.

It is interesting to note that it is just off the coast of Madeira (also only in Japan) that an ugly looking fish called John Dory comes up from the depths of the ocean. The fish is often caught and made into a, supposedly, delicious dish.

The diving around Madeira is highly recommended and the Cipreia Dive Centre proved to be an ideal choice. Great facilities for divers, non-diving companions can use the swimming pool and toilets. Showers with hot water and gel, plus towels for divers. Baths for rinsing equipment and hangers for drying it. Everything is taken care of by the local instructors and divemasters. Plus coffee, water and the ever-present friendly smile. They like what they do, and you can sense it straight away.

It has to be said that Portugal Dive is an expert in organising unforgettable diving trips. The planning more than matches the objectives achieved. Everyone was taken care of from start to finish.

Madeira is full of possible activities. Kilometres of hiking and cycling trails, sailing, sunbathing and beware… sledding  Seriously.

There are several rope stations with gondolas in Madeira. Be warned – not for skiers, there is generally no snow here, but there are gondolas. You ride them to admire the views, to look

out for whales, to sip a local coffee while looking out from the cliffs over the ocean to the horizon. Alternatively, you can take the gondola up the mountain, walk a bit past the botanical garden (which you can of course visit) and then enjoy a wooden sleigh ride down the mountain on the asphalt, assisted by two men who make sure you reach the end of the 2km route in "one piece". At times it is steep and fast, there are bends and motorbikes and cars pass by. It is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.

The sledge run ends at a certain point and the rest of the route to the harbour area, where we left the car, has to be walked (remember suitable footwear) or a taxi has to be booked. We went

on foot. Here several possibilities open up. You can walk to the local market or look for a street where all the doors are painted by artists. Alternatively, you can spontaneously let yourself loose through the town, enjoy the bars and eat delicious ice cream.

As part of our programme, we also had a meeting with representatives from the Institute that deals with the wellbeing of Madeira. We heard a long story about the laws here, about the protected area, about the fishing ban. We also asked about various things, including octopuses, dolphins and turtles, sharks and whales.

We enjoyed various restaurants and Arlindo (www.portugaldive.com) was there to help and look after us in every situation. He made sure that we made the most of the Portuguese Madeira, the local cuisine and all the sights we could see.

Madeira certainly is one of those places you will fall in love with and return to. So watch out, because the island will draw you in and before you return to your home country, you will start planning your next visit. Maybe a longer one, maybe from a different direction, or maybe to complete your diving course.

Have the assistance of the Tourism to Madeira Promotion Bureau and www.portugaldive.com – they will take care of all the details.

You dive in and they worry about everything around you.

Recently, sensational news spread around the world that an Indonesian orangutan named Rakus made a bandage for himself from plants – he chewed the stem and leaves of a local medicinal plant, then applied the juice to the wound, followed by a thicker paste made from the leaves. It turns out that dolphins in the Red Sea also practice selfmedication, and their habitats in the Hurghada area are not coincidental.

Thanks to the research conducted by the Dolphin Watch Alliance organization, we know more about dolphins, which, as divers, we often encounter on the reefs in the Hurghada region. We're talking about the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). This species has become a tourist attraction, and swimming and diving trips with these dolphins have been very popular for years. The pressure from humans on the local population of these dolphins is constantly increasing. That's why it's so important for us to know and un-

Unusual behaviour

OF DOLPHINS

NEAR HURGHADA

Text and photos JAKUB BANASIAK

derstand their behaviour and not to interfere with their activities and situations that are crucial for their well-being, the health of the group, and the protection of their habitats.

One of the surprising behaviours of the local Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins here is their intentional rubbing against various coral species. Rubbing against surfaces is also observed in other toothed whale species worldwide. For example, belugas and orcas rub against sand, stones, sea grass, or rocks. There are many hypotheses as to why animals do this – ranging from hygiene and removal of ectoparasites to sensory pleasure, play, and socialization. However, until recently, there were no descriptions of whales rubbing against corals in scientific literature. Only systematic observations by the Dolphin Watch Alliance, conducted both from the water surface and underwater, have changed this situation.

Interestingly, it turns out that dolphins inhabiting the Hurghada region seem to choose specific coral species for rubbing against different parts of their bodies. Dolphins prefer the gorgonian coral Rumphella aggregata, the leather coral Sarcophyton sp., and the sponge Ircinia sp. They utilize various invertebrates for different body parts due to the unique texture of each coral

species and differences in sensitivity of various parts of their bodies (e.g., strong friction of the head against the harder structure of the sponge).

Under this qr code you can watch bottlenose dolphins rubbing against corals

After rubbing against the coral polyps, the gorgonian corals begin to excrete mucus and close up, and the mucus is transferred onto the dolphin's skin. Sometimes, dolphins open their mouths during rubbing, which further intensifies the contact

with the bioactive compounds secreted by the coral. Dolphins sometimes tear off leather coral from the reef and carry it in their mouths for several minutes. They then wave it around, causing visible leakage of chemical compounds from the coral and spreading them around their head and mouth. In videos collected by scientists, these particular parts of the dolphin's body are seen turning yellow or greenish after contact with substances secreted by these invertebrates.

Video recordings obtained during dives have shown how dolphins approach gorgonians and then rub their bodies against them, rolling onto their side, back, and belly. This behaviour is systematically repeated by individual dolphins, who interestingly line up one after another, waiting for their turn.

Scientists believe that rubbing against gorgonians serves as a form of self-medication for bottlenose dolphins, both preventive and therapeutic. A hypothesis has been proposed that the selective rubbing is due to the presence of bioactive metabolites in the invertebrates. Three invertebrates preferred by dolphins, collected and analysed using thin-layer chromatography, contained seventeen active metabolites, indicating intentional self-medication. The repeated rubbing allows these active metabolites to come into contact with the dolphins' skin, which in turn may help them achieve skin homeostasis and prevent or aid in the treatment of bacterial infections. Further research is, of course, necessary, but with a high probability, we can already state today that we are dealing with the first documented case of zoo pharmacognosy in cetaceans.

These fascinating examples of self-medication in dolphins can be observed by divers, for example, on the Shaab El Erg reef. However, it's important that we do so from a proper distance

and not disturb the animals, not interfere with their behaviour and routine activities.

This caution in our interactions with dolphins on their habitat reefs should also extend to other activities – primarily the protection of their sleep and rest time. The sleep and rest behaviour of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins is also very interesting. Research by the Dolphin Watch Alliance, conducted from boats and underwater from 2012 to 2017, revealed how structured the daily pattern of such behaviours is. In the early hours after sunrise, dolphins usually maintain social contacts and move around, followed by a clearly identifiable period of rest from noon until the early afternoon hours. Then, in the late afternoon, social contacts and movement intensify.

It is thanks to these studies, among others, that we know that dolphins rest from 8:30 to 14:00 on the reefs of Shaab El-Fanous, Shaab El Erg, and El Gouna, especially between 11:00 and 11:30.

Dolphins often sleep while swimming, usually in very tight groups. At regular intervals, they surface to take a few breaths before diving again. Dolphins breathe voluntarily, as they do not have a breathing reflex like humans. Therefore, they sleep with only half of their brain at a time, closing only one eye. This allows them to remain aware of predators and external threats, such as motorboats. It has also been observed that mothers nurse their calves during rest periods.

For us, as divers, this means one thing: Do not disturb the dolphins and exercise caution when encountering dolphins during their rest!

Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins prefer to rest near the surface outside of lagoons for most days, and we rarely encounter them in inner lagoons. This is likely related to the number of div-

Sleeping dolphins

ing and snorkelling enthusiasts near the reefs, as well as the noise from Zodiac engines, which can be particularly bothersome in inner lagoons. In Koombana Bay, Bunbury, Western Australia, other researchers discovered as early as 2009 that the noise emitted by Zodiac engines significantly masks or drowns out dolphin communication (including between mothers and calves) and has a negative impact on dolphin well-being.

In Egypt, in the Hurghada area, we sometimes encounter dolphins in the inner lagoon as well, especially in Shaab El-Erg. This happens when the activity of boats with divers and tourists is significantly lower, typically during bad weather or when fewer day boats depart from Hurghada.

So far, very few observations have been made regarding the feeding behaviour of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins. They have occurred only in the late afternoon and early morning, suggesting that this species may adapt to nocturnal or crepuscular feeding. Because the daily rest schedule of bottlenose dolphins makes the dolphin community particularly vulnerable to pressure from tourist activity, the research results presented here have become the basis for the local code of conduct, or "Dolphin Watching Code of Conduct." The recommendation is clear: "No boats should approach within 200 meters of dolphins from 9:00 to 12:00." It's important for not only tourist boats but also our diving boats to adhere to it.

HERE GOES...

Spring is coming sooner in western Germany. Higher temperatures in late March encourage diving trips. Practically every year I am lucky enough to hit fantastic weather during this particular period. The temperature oscillates around 18 degrees, and the days are getting longer. The water in the lake is at a rather constant temperature all year round, so the season doesn't matter. However, it is in spring that fruit trees and almond trees bloom among the colourful lakeside houses. This creates an amazing landscape and fills one with optimism. The crisp, crystal clear water in the reservoir encourages diving. The sauna in the cottages perfectly warms the atmosphere, and the barbecue on the veranda makes the evenings pass in a wonderful atmosphere.

A BIT OF HISTORY

Hemmoor is located in Lower Saxony, about 85 kilometres west of the center of Hamburg. The town appeared on maps with the establishment and development of a local cement factory. The name Kreidesee (chalk lake), however, is due to the openpit chalk mine that was established in the area in the second half of the 19th century. It was this mine that for many years sourced the raw material necessary for production at one of the largest cement factories in the world at the time: the Portland Cement Factory Hemmoor. Interestingly, it is said to have been the cement from this factory that was used to build the legendary

Without a doubt, it is one of the more popular dive sites.

To what does it owe its fame and immense popularity?

What do you need and what should you know to dive here?

What secrets does this amazing site hide?

Statue of Liberty in New York. When the factory ran into financial trouble, the mine workings reached a depth of 120 meters. However, when mining ceased, part of the pit was covered with sand and stones. Subsequently, the forces of nature and rising groundwater, after the drainage was disconnected, turned the post-mining area into a very interesting body of water, which was eventually adapted for diving purposes. Today, Hemmoor is a great diving destination, offering a wide range of opportunities from OWD level to advanced technical training.

SURFACE INFRASTRUCTURE

Kreidesee Lake is a beautiful limestone reservoir with a maximum depth of about 60 meters. The reservoir is surrounded by forest, and in its immediate vicinity, there is a complex of cottages for rent. The cottages consist of a living room with a kitchenette, three bedrooms (two beds in each), a sauna, a veranda and a heated drying room for diving equipment. Conditions are truly royal and there are few places offering a similar standard. However, if you are looking for a more budget option and are willing to travel a few kilometres by car, you can easily find a whole host of accommodations in the area, among which everyone will fit something just right. In addition, you can also take advantage of the campervan site or the campsite right next to the lake, and a little further from the reservoir there is a hotel.

There is a well-organized dive base on site, which charges for the use of the tank and makes sure that the regulations are

followed. We can easily fill the cylinders here with the necessary mixture, and in addition to compressed air, nitrox and trimix are also on offer. The base also has its own store, which offers both equipment and diving accessories, as well as souvenirs. This gives some idea of what status Hemmoor has among dive sites in Germany.

DIVING ATTRACTIONS

You can enter the water in many places, there are designated parking areas, along with tables for comfortable assembly

of equipment. Under the water you can find a lot of sunken attractions: airplanes, cars, sailboats, wooden structures and remnants of the mine... The most interesting object is the socalled Ruttler. This is a shaker that was used to separate chalk from stone. What's left of it is a huge concrete building, which you can also enter.

WHAT I RECOMMEND SEEING

Creating a universal dive plan “for everyone” is not possible. When planning your dives, you must always take into account

the authorizations and skills at your disposal. Especially since air diving below 45 meters is prohibited here.

My favourite dive plan is as follows:

I always do a test dive on the first entry. We enter with the group through the E1 entrance. It is a cobblestone road that gently descends deeper and deeper and runs through the famous Chinese gate. On the left side there are many platforms mounted at different depths. Usually with the students we use

this place for balancing and practice. Moments later, swimming to the right, we find ourselves in a phenomenal forest, where beautiful long rays of sunlight penetrate at midday and create interesting visual effects. The green grass and algae overgrowing the submerged tree branches create a contrast to the blue, crystalline water.

The cobblestone road runs right next to a sailboat that is completely overgrown with clams. The road continues to the Ruttler, but that's maybe for another dive and from a different entrance.

For the second dive, I would definitely recommend the E3 entrance and the flagship sites of this tank: the Mercedes truck and the Ruttler. This is the highlight of the program and an absolute must-see. The base of the Ruttler is at a depth of 40 meters, where the railroad tracks that carried the output from the mine end.

We will certainly spend the most time at about 20 meters, exploring the tipple. Moving away into the depths, we can admire the enormity of this structure. If we fall into the deco I would definitely recommend swimming west where at a depth of 8-6 meters we can, like children, play drifts between standing tree trunks.

If we still have some strength and gas left in our cylinders, I would definitely recommend the drifting airplane for the third dive of the day, which is the fastest to reach from the E0 entrance. Located at 10 meters, the suspended plane is a unique attraction. I love taking pictures there. The variety of perspectives gives plenty of opportunities.

The first dive of the second day should start from the E2 entrance where the second plane rests at a depth of 53 meters. The landscape there is truly desert-like. The small amount of light reaching such a depth, poses a huge challenge to the photographer, and the fast-accumulating deco, a huge time pressure. To make the decompression time more pleasant, I would definitely recommend the western direction and the aforementioned cobblestone road.

I propose a fabulous landscape for the second dive of the day. The E4B entrance will lead us to an epic large yacht laid out on the escarpment. I strongly recommend choosing a sunny moment. The grassy algae covering the entire escarpment, contrasting with the black of the mussels settled on the yacht, plus the blue of the water, plus the dancing rays of the sun create a stunning sight.

After such a day, an evening barbecue on the veranda and diving stories with friends is definitely recommended.

On the third day we start from the deepest place in the reservoir where a barge lies on the bottom – 57 meters. This place is reachable only for trimixers.

The barge makes a huge impression on me. The perfectly preserved wreck looks as if it is sailing on a chalky soft bottom, or maybe it is just a narcosis ? ;)

We can spend our decompression time on the Ruttler. Switching to nitrox 50% at 20 meters we will ideally encounter Mercedes, and switching to oxygen at 6 meters we enter the forest described above.

Can you imagine a better one hour decompression after spending 9 minutes over the barge ? :)

For the second dive we can choose either the drifting airplane, or the cobblestone road and the scenic route to the Ruttler itself, or choose a completely opposite side of the reservoir, which will surprise us with a truly Martian landscape and a submerged forest. The options are indeed many :)

WHO IS HEMMOOR FOR?

I recommend this site both to beginners with OWD and AOWD qualifications, for whom a lot of attractions await at depths of up to 20 meters, and to technically advanced divers with nitrox advanced, trimix and rebreather qualifications. Resting at a depth of 53 meters – aircraft, 57 meters – barge, are the most interesting attractions in my opinion.

It is best to plan a multi-day trip during the week, then the tank shines empty and we are assured of clear water. 3-4 diving days is the minimum to visit most of the underwater attractions. I highly recommend this reservoir to photographers. Clear water, lots of interesting objects, flooded forest are wonderful places for creative photography.

DO NOT FORGET!

The main requirements of the local dive base are as follows: insurance, medical checks, double first stage.

I KEEP COMING BACK

Personally, I really enjoy visiting Kreidesee and having been there at different times of the year by far, I like to return there most at the end of March. Why exactly this date? The water is clear after winter, the shorter winter days and less light cause a regression in the growth of algae, which are most abundant in autumn and often cover underwater attractions.

On the other hand, the spring weather and temperatures between 13 and 18 degrees definitely encourage you to spend evenings in front of the lodge barbecuing. The water temperature is constant for practically most of the year below 8 meters (i.e., the thermocline) is a pleasant 6 degrees. I strongly recommend dry suit diving, although divers in wetsuits are a common sight.

For me, Hemmoor is a great use of time with friends. Luxurious cottages, plenty of activities, German “Ordnung”, makes you feel perfect in this place.

IN A DIVING HELMET Diving

Text and photos

TOMEK KULCZYŃSKI

EACH OF US HAS OUR MOODS, THE SO-CALLED BETTER OR WORSE DAYS. OF COURSE, OUR ATTITUDE AND WELL-BEING DIRECTLY INFLUENCE OUR DIVING.

And it's these moods that sometimes lead us to brilliant, inspiring ideas such as: for example, I'll try diving with a rebreather or maybe I'll start cave diving...  This time I want to tell you about how my not-so-great mood, at the moment, prompted me to explore other forms of diving.

Specifically, during the planning of one of our next diving trips, I was very moody and a bit picky. That place is too far, I've been here three times already, there are no spots left there, and on top of that, there will surely be a lot of people and poor visibility, etc. As I sat there, pondering and complaining, suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, the thought struck me: what if I were to dive in a completely different way, as I probably would have done if I had been born seventy years earlier? Decision made, diving in a diving helmet it is.

Why a diving helmet, you might ask? What's wonderful about diving is that we have plenty of opportunities for development, learning, exploration – all these paths intersect, diverge, exclude each other. Let's take, for example, me and my first dive buddy, with whom I had the honour of diving, my beloved brother Adam. I always loved the depths, wrecks, that kind of diving. For Adam, a colourful life in the 5 to 10-meter range was more than enough. This example best illustrates how two brothers chose

two completely different paths. Each of us is different, and that's what's so wonderful about it.

With my interest in the depths, I always chose diving paths that led to expanding my skills in such dives. I'm talking about completing the advanced course, then choosing deep diving, wreck diving from the list of specializations, then I started running out of time underwater, so I decided to complete the nitrox course, then drysuit diving. Adam, on the other hand, chose navigation, perfect buoyancy, underwater photography. Just like in real life, one drives a convertible, the other an off-road vehicle.

All these choices somehow intersect. Otherwise, who would photograph deep wrecks? We grow up with certain things and give up others. However, to evaluate anything, we must first try something new, sometimes even something that seems distant and unfathomable. In diving, for example, a new side mount or back mount configuration, a full-face mask with underwater communication capabilities, or an underwater scooter, etc.

Many people ask me what the best gift for a diver would be? My answer is: Nothing delights like trying something new.

One of the diving novelties that I had the pleasure to experience was diving in a diving helmet. Two things contributed to my decision: firstly, the historical aspect – I wanted to feel

what it was like in the past. What conditions divers had to face in the old days. Then, I wanted to revisit my earlier dreams related to working as a commercial diver, mainly working on drilling platforms precisely in a helmet. It differs from the one in the pictures. Technology has advanced rapidly since those times – however, the main principle remains the same, concerning diver safety underwater. Namely, in a crisis situation, when a diver loses consciousness underwater, they can still breathe in a diving helmet.

In the UK, there is a special society called The Historical Diving Society. They deal with the broad history of diving. The society was founded by Nick Baker in 1989, with its main goal being the documentation of diving history. The society grew rapidly over time, opening newer facilities in both Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2011, a museum dedicated exclusively to diving was opened in Gasport, UK, and eight years later, it received accreditation as a state museum. The Historical Diving Society gathers many members, including myself. It disseminates knowledge related to the history of diving, operates the museum, and organizes events where you can try diving with a diving helmet. I recommend checking their website to see the scale of their activities.

Let's move on to the day of diving. As usual, to have some fun, you first have to work a bit. The whole equipment weighed so much that some crates were carried by four people! Really, even preparing technical diving equipment compared to preparing the entire diving camp with a diving helmet – it was nothing. Preparation is one thing, but then you have to unpack, assemble, connect, etc. The whole procedure took about two hours, and here's a big plus for the diving instructors because from the moment we arrived, they didn't waste any time and immediately got to work.

If you think that after successfully setting up everything, there was only fun left, you're wrong... After determining the order in which we would dive, the whole procedure looked like this: the person had to be dressed, which took about 10 to even 20 minutes depending on the diver's physical fitness level. We started with what we could call a drysuit made of a fabric resembling a fire hose. It's very possible it was the same fabric. The cuffs were made of very thick rubber and unlike modern ones, they were very long, reaching halfway up the forearm! Instead of boots, there were socks, and instead of fins – a metal handle to attach the helmet. We didn't wear gloves. After the drysuit, it was time for the boots. They weighed so much that we handed them to each other with two hands, which looked funny because from the side, they didn't seem that heavy. After the boots, it was time for a large chest-mounted weight in the shape of a shield attached with a rope! On top of all that, there was a huge belt with a big knife. Of course, the person being dressed in all this gear had to sit because standing was out of the question. Lastly, it was time for the helmet.

In the front of the helmet, there is a large window through which you can really see everything nicely. Two smaller ones are located on the sides with mounted grates. The feeling I experienced after putting on the helmet is difficult to describe. I've dived in a full-face mask, and you can't even compare

it to a diving helmet. The experience is rather dark because it's quite dim inside, but what amazed me was the space inside. A very thick hose was attached to the helmet, passing under the arm and supplying air. When everything was ready, someone outside closed the surface breathing valve, and two other people had to turn a specialized wheel to supply air to the helmet continuously. There was no way to stand up from the chair on your own; two people were needed for that, who had to grab the diver by the arm, and the person in the suit had to put all the effort into putting on those horribly heavy boots. After finally getting into the water, the first impression I had was similar to being squeezed between two residential blocks because the air pumped from the surface had to flow continuously. We had a valve on the helmet to regulate this flow, but still, the whistling was quite loud. The pressure equalized exactly as in a full-face mask, meaning you had to press your nose into a special place, where our holes blocked, and you could equalize the pressure. Personally, I didn't do this even once because swallowing saliva like on an airplane was enough.

My impressions were quite strange because this is in no way related to our modern diving. We can't talk about any buoyancy here because we have so much ballast on us that we can barely move our legs, there's a constant whistling of airflow in our ears, even though you can see quite a bit through the main window, the side ones are poor. I would say we see 40% of what we see in a normal mask. You have to keep the hose with the rope behind you all the time. And above all, your diving is limited to the length of the rope. I don't know why, but I kept thinking all the time, what would happen if those two gentlemen above stopped pumping...

My impressions after such diving were quite mixed. Such diving was only a semblance of what diving looks like nowadays. However, take into account that this is historical equipment, and people diving in such helmets back then saw more than anyone

else in those times. I won't write here about all the treasures that were within reach and such equipment was enough. Let your imagination run wild, how much could be achieved in distant times in such a helmet...

After the enjoyable part of diving, let's get back to work, as we need to take off all this equipment and help the rest with dressing, undressing, and pumping air. I can honestly say that after such a day, as there were eight of us diving, starting at 7 a.m. and finishing at 4 p.m. with a lunch break, the first thing I did when I got back home was a well-deserved nap!

Referring to everything I wrote about today, I would like to recommend in every possible way searching for your own diving path. Try different places like warm, cold water, deep, shallow. Try photography, different configurations because it's beautiful in diving that everyone will find something for themselves. Of course, it's easy to look for people who don't like diving on reefs, in warm tropical water, but in our climate, it's also possible and doable, try it and you'll see. For me, the adventure of diving in a helmet was an experience of something new, a break from diving monotony. Thanks to this, I appreciated more what modern diving offers us. Someone wise once told me that in diving, there's no such thing as "good old times"; we're always moving forward, new technology replaces the old one, it's increasingly safer and more accessible, and if someone would like to see how it was in the past, diving in a helmet will thoroughly remind you of that.

White Continent

”I know only one way to find out how far I can go. Set out and go.”

Henri Bergson

From the airplane window, the world seems within arm's reach, offering us a new and extraordinary perspective.

With every kilometre we travel, we move away from what is familiar and predictable, transporting ourselves to places that are entirely different, full of surprises and mysteries to uncover.

Late in the morning, we land at Ushuaia Airport, located on the southern coast of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and known as the southernmost city in the world.

This tiny city owes its name to the indigenous people, and in a loose translation, it means "Bay." Ushuaia was founded in 1884 by Commander Augusto Lasserre, who is remembered for enforcing Argentina's rights to the territories of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Tierra del Fuego, in turn, owes its name to the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who arrived in these lands in 1520 and saw large bonfires set by the indigenous inhabitants.

Ushuaia is surrounded to the north by beautiful snow-capped peaks, part of the Andes mountain range, and to the south by the waters of the Beagle Channel.

In 1833, the research ship HMS Beagle, commanded by Robert FitzRoy and carrying Charles Darwin, discovered a passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This strait was named after the ship, the Beagle Channel. After sailing around South America, the ship headed towards the Galapagos Islands. During this voyage, Darwin made fascinating discoveries that formed the basis of his theory of evolution.

From the airport to the city centre, it takes about fifteen minutes by taxi. The landscape is very rugged but incredibly beautiful and fascinating. We are surrounded by mountains that look as if someone has dipped them in white, shiny icing. We set sail for Antarctica in the late afternoon, but for now, we check in at the office of our ship's operator, "Oceanwide Expeditions," leave our luggage, and head out to explore the city. We start with a delicious breakfast in one of the many charming cafes situated along the main street. This main street is a meeting place for locals and tourists alike. It hosts numerous souvenir shops and local handicrafts, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and clubs that come alive in the evenings. It is summer now in Ushuaia, which lasts from December to March, with an average temperature of 2°C and never exceeding 17°C. Despite such a harsh climate, flowers bloom in the gardens of the houses we pass by. Just

Text SYLWIA KOSMALSKA-JURIEWICZ Photos ADRIAN JURIEWICZ

as Kathmandu in Nepal is a kind of gateway to the Himalayas, Ushuaia is considered the gateway to Antarctica. Ships set sail from here to explore the surrounding waters, the Drake Passage, Antarctica, Patagonia, and other smaller islands.

We board our white and navy-blue ship late in the afternoon. The “ice-class” vessel Plancius, as our ship is called, was built in 1976 for the Royal Dutch Navy, intended for oceanographic research. In 2009, it was thoroughly refurbished and has since been traversing the cold waters, offering polar expedition cruises. Plancius is a powerful vessel that can accommodate 108 passengers plus the crew. One of the ship's major advantages is its diesel-electric propulsion, making it a very quiet vessel. Onboard, there are a restaurant, more or less luxurious cabins, a lecture hall, a restaurant, a bar, a library, a laundry room, a diving facility, and large open spaces that allow for free movement outdoors. Everyone can find a place for themselves here and feel comfortable. We board via metal stairs, at the top of which the expedition team members are waiting for us. We find our names on the passenger list and head to the cabins indicated by the hotel manager. Our suitcases and special identifiers, which function like magnetic cards, are already waiting for us in the cabin. These cards open the cabin doors and monitor our boarding and disembarking, which is extremely important during land excursions or dives. All these measures aim to ensure the highest level of safety for passengers throughout the expedition.

After meeting the crew and a stirring speech by the captain, we set off on a ten-day cruise through the waters of Antarctica. Ahead of us are two days crossing the Drake Passage, and the weather maps are not looking optimistic. They show a dominant red color with a prevalence of burgundy. These colours mean only one thing: high waves and seasickness among passengers. This strait, accidentally discovered and named after the British sailor Francis Drake, connects the rest of the world with Antarctica. The Drake Passage is considered one of the most dangerous and simultaneously fascinating crossings on earth. In the strait, cold seawater from the south collides with much warmer water from the north, creating powerful whirlpools, which, combined with strong winds, storms, and ocean currents, generate waves up to 12 meters high. Thanks to modern ships, this crossing is now much safer and more comfortable for passengers.

We slowly move away from the port, leaving behind the picturesque town of Ushuaia and the beautiful mountains that gradually disappear on the horizon. A few kilometres from the shore, dolphins and orcas appear, a beautiful gift and a promise of a successful trip. In the polar zone, where we are currently located, it is now the polar day, a completely new experience for us. The sun only slightly dips below the horizon, and at night it is grey rather than completely dark, with stars appearing in the sky. After two days, we reached the shores of Antarc-

tica. The Drake Passage was kind to us, and despite the high waves and alarming weather forecast, Plancius gently carried us through the rough seas. There is a doctor onboard our ship whose task is to provide medical care to all passengers. We are incredibly fortunate because none of our group experienced any symptoms of seasickness, unlike the thirty passengers who did not leave their cabins for forty-eight hours. Apparently, this is not a bad result, considering the previous voyage where eighty percent of the expedition participants suffered from seasickness. On our route, the first iceberg appeared, arousing such enor-

mous emotions and interest that all the seats by the windows and on the outdoor terrace were occupied by passengers. With noses pressed to the glass, we stare at the small, white peak protruding from the water. At this moment, I returned to the moment when this dream was born—the dream of an expedition to Antarctica—and now we are here, experiencing this extraordinary adventure. This is not a dream; this is all really happening. During the forty-eight hours we spent on the ship crossing the Drake Passage, we listened to wonderful lectures given by professors, scientists, and researchers who

are part of the Plancius crew. The lectures covered not only the various animal species inhabiting the seventh continent but also topics such as ecology, krill fishing, whale hunting, and the history of Antarctica.

There are certain rules in Antarctica that everyone must strictly adhere to, concerning the biological safety of protecting the continent's fauna and flora. Therefore, upon arrival and before our first landing, each of us had to bring our outer clothing, which we would wear during the excursions, and show them to a crew member. Every jacket, pair of pants, especially Velcro fastenings, pockets, hats, and backpacks were checked for dirt, such as threads attached to Velcro. These seemingly insignificant contaminants can harbour many germs and microbes that we could bring to the white continent, disrupting the local biological balance. After cleaning all the items, we were given the green light to use them during the excursions planned for our expedition. We also tried on the rubber boots provided by the boat operator, which we would wear when going ashore. We could use our own footwear on the ship, but flip-flops or other sandals were not allowed—only sturdy shoes like hiking boots or sneakers that ensure safety and stability on deck.

Our wake-up call every day at seven in the morning starts with gentle music coming from the speakers installed in each cabin, followed by the calm voice of Eduardo, the expedition leader, cheerfully saying, "Good morning, good morning, good morning."

The first day in Antarctica promises to be very intense, so without wasting any time, we dive into this new, wonderful day, starting with a diving briefing. Michael, the diving section manager, invited us to the library, where he detailed the plan for the first check dive. After breakfast, we assemble our gear, select our weights, and load everything onto the pontoon for our dive in two hours. The weather is favourable – no wind today, the snow has stopped, and the fog has lifted. The air temperature is 4°C,

and the water is zero. We dress in dry suits, under which we wear double thermal underwear, two pairs of thick merino wool socks, double gloves with chemical warmers inside, and a thick insulator. Some of us have equipped ourselves with heated vests and gloves powered by external batteries.

After breakfast, we head out, with the pontoons launched using a special crane. One by one, we board the zodiacs, take our seats, and head to our first dive location, which is a safe distance from the icebergs. Upon arrival, Michael reviews the dive site and safety rules that we must strictly follow. He checks the depth using a probe, ensuring the maximum depth at this location is 18 meters. The dive guides stay on the pontoons and do not dive with us. They are dressed in dry suits and have diving equipment ready in case they need to jump into the water in an emergency. From the pontoons, they observe the surroundings, watching for icebergs and ice floes that could dangerously close together and create a ceiling above us, as well as animals that could pose potential threats to divers, such as orcas or leopard seals. If any of these creatures come dangerously close, Michael will alert all diving participants of the approaching danger with a special signal we agreed upon beforehand. In this case, it is the repeated revving of the engine in a specific sequence. Upon hearing the signal, we must immediately surface at a proper ascent rate, skipping the safety stop. Therefore, the depth at which we dive is of utmost importance. We put on our diving gear, check each other as buddies, and once everyone is ready, we do a back roll into the water on the count of three. We slowly submerge, releasing all the air from our BCDs. The intense cold paralyzes my face and lips. Fortunately, after a few minutes, numbness sets in, and the pain subsides. We can then continue the dive in the icy water without discomfort. Visibility is poor, not exceeding three meters. We descend to the bottom, which is at ten meters, covered with flat, light-coloured rock formations sculpted by water. They are overgrown with green and

rust-coloured algae that move like silk ribbons, swaying gently in the current. There are also red and yellow starfish and ovalshaped sea slugs that I have never seen anywhere else in the world. We swim slowly, leisurely traversing the cold Antarctic sea to fully savour this moment of being underwater near the seventh continent.

After the dive, Michael takes us on a short excursion, where we watch whales from the pontoon. Their beautiful, dark, massive bodies, which can exceed forty tons, stand out

against the backdrop of white icebergs. Humpbacks are mammals and occasionally have to surface to breathe. They make a lot of "beautiful" noise when they exhale, releasing a spout of condensed water vapor from the top of their heads. The whales are extremely active at the surface, slowly surfacing and diving, sometimes doing a half-turn and crashing into the water with great force. The sounds of animals in Antarctica are incredibly intense, amplified by the pervasive silence that reigns here. This silence is occasionally broken by the sounds of birds, hump-

backs, or cracking icebergs. It is the perfect place to rest and disconnect from the overstimulated world we live in daily.

Whales communicate through songs that carry for many kilometres underwater. It is mainly the males who sing to attract a mate. Humpback pregnancies last twelve months, and they reproduce every two or three years. The mother surrounds the newborn calf with love, which scientists believe is expressed by touching the baby with her fin. It is said that around 3,000 humpbacks visit Antarctica during the polar summer. These giants, which can live up to 50 years, primarily feed on Antarctic krill, consuming up to 1.4 tons daily. The fat reserves they accumulate during the Arctic summer in Antarctic waters help them survive the challenging months of migration through nutrient-poor waters. Krill is a small, transparent crustacean that resembles a shrimp and is a staple food not only for whales but also for other creatures on the seventh continent, such as penguins and fish.

Despite Antarctica's abundance of krill, large-scale fish farming and the production of dietary supplements significantly reduce its population. For example, krill is used to produce feed for farmed salmon in Norway. Scientists and ecologists worldwide are sounding the alarm to limit krill fishing and monitor its harvest. Without krill, there will be no whales, penguins, fish, birds, Antarctica, and...

To be continued...

St . GEORGE WRECK

the Dominican Republic

Probably every diver spending a family holiday in the Dominican Republic at some point there is a need to exchange a fancy drink for a diving regulator. The Caribbean Sea as a warm and exotic body of water is irresistibly tempting.

On social media, I came across a dive centre located in the southeast of the island, run by an international team from Spain and the USA. My colleagues offered me a lift from the hotel to the diving centre (about 80 km away), which allowed us to discuss

all aspects of diving in the Caribbean. As usual, the team shared many anecdotes related to the diving world.

We landed in the picturesque town of Bayahibe near La Romana.

Bayahibe was founded in the nineteenth century and has evolved into

a small town from a fishing village. Tourists often know its name because it is the main transfer point during trips to Saona, called one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Few, however, venture into the narrow streets of this town – and it is worth

Text and photos MICHAŁ CZERNIAK (RED), PIOTR KOPEĆ (Wąski) Photos GoPro-10

it, because time passes here completely differently. Among the flowers, turquoise water and small cafes, the climate of the Caribbean feels completely different than in the great resorts of the Dominican Republic.

The diving centre located just off the main Bayahibe street is – like most of the local centres – aimed at holiday divers interested in realizing the dream of the first dive, or DSD. For the advanced ones, however, it has a short but interesting offer of attractions – cave diving in the nearby caverns or wreck diving.

As my diving destination, I chose the wreck of the St. George, which, although not an old unit, has an interesting history.

The ship was built in 1962 in Scotland to transport wheat and barley between Norway and America – she was then known as the M.V Norbrae. The vessel served for over 20 years, after which it was abandoned in the port of Santo Domingo. After a hurricane hit the Dominican Republic in 1998, the ship was renamed St. George. In 1999, the authorities decided to sink a ship about a kilometre from Viva Dominicus beach in order to create an artificial reef.

I was happy to receive the information that we will only dive in a 2-person team, because no other diver decided to dive that day. Together with my partner George, a smiling American from Miami, we marched to the port, where a boat was waiting for us, which could arouse the jealousy of all lovers of sea activities.

On the boat, we rechecked the equipment in the REC configuration (it's a different region of the World, so a DIN-INT adapter was required) and went underwater.

A thick rope leads to the wreck, so the descent is relatively pleasant. What struck me most was the much weaker visibility compared to what I had expected. I would estimate it at a maximum of 18-20 meters. St. George wreck is medium-difficult and is liked by divers because everyone can find something for themselves.

Pylon of St. George starts at a depth of 17 meters, which allows divers with basic qualifications to make eye contact with the ship. Advanced divers can go down to the bottom level, i.e. 47 meters.

Immediately after descending, we kept to 35 meters, because at this depth there were entrances to individual compartments of the ship. The wreck is properly prepared for exploration – the interiors were well cleaned before sinking, so their sightseeing is safe and it is difficult to get caught in anything there.

The vessel is 73 meters long and the stern measures about 31 meters. Al-

though the vessel is relatively large, it does not overwhelm the diver and even using a single cylinder you can have there an interesting dive.

George mentioned to me that during the dive we could have guests in the form of rays or barracudas. Unfortunately, no one wanted to accompany us in this underwater exploration. Rumour has it that a huge green moray lived in the chimney

of the ship… Well, maybe that is only the rumour or we just didn't find it at home. Due to the location of the wreck, quite strong currents are encountered there, especially the current at a depth of 35-40 meters, which crosses the deck.

Due to the surrounding fauna and flora, diving on this wreck is unique. The diver is accompanied by schools of fish, and the ship has become a safe home for

many species of sea creatures. I was pleased to note that St. George wreck begins to overgrow with corals, fulfilling the expectations (artificial reef) for which she was sunk.

It was a great wreck dive! The ship makes an amazing impression standing monumentally on the keel at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. We visited its decks and holds, we visited its numerous inhabitants.

During the dive we descended to a depth of 40 meters and on average we dived at a depth of 21 meters. We recorded 28°C (in January) practical within the full depth range. Our dive lasted 38 minutes, and my host George suggested the first stop at a depth of 20 meters, which he told me later – was a local tradition.

NURKOWANIE

DIVING IN THE WORLD OF FORGOTTEN HISTORY

Text and photos DOMINIK DOPIERAŁA

THERE IS ONE TYPE OF SCUBA DIVING THAT STIRS IMAGINATION SINCE THE VERY MOMENT WHEN A DIVER HEARS THE WORD ”SHIPWRECK”. IRRESPECTIVE OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION, WRECK DIVES ARE ALWAYS THE MAIN ATTRACTION AT LOCAL DIVING CENTRES. AND NO WONDER.

Asimple car, as seen a million times on the street every day, can bring so much fun when it’s under water. Even more so, if it’s a ship of the same size as a block of flats. It doesn’t matter if it was sunk on purpose to provide the perfect diving experience or due to a maritime disaster or military

action, there is no doubt that it still constitutes an extremely interesting diving attraction. The sea claims ownership right after the vessel sinks and new inhabitants move in. The depth of the wreck is crucial. A low depth allows animals to get comfortable inside the wreck more quickly, but the wreck itself is tormented

by the merciless forces of nature every day. This is why shallow shipwrecks are full of life and become an element of the local environment very fast, but their “lifespan” is very short. One strong storm is enough to “revamp” such a vessel completely. Deeper shipwrecks are spared by the forces of nature and thus they are often preserved in a better condition. Their lifespan is thus “longer”. It doesn’t mean that they are forever. The sea destroys foreign objects without mercy. So it is recommended to visit whenever you have a chance.

A shipwreck that sunk many years ago now houses countless lifeforms. It is very often more beautiful than the rest of the local diving spots. Surrounded by some inexplicable magic that draws divers to it. You simply want to dive there since the moment you hear that you can do so. My students often ask me: “Can I do a wreck dive if I don’t have the certification?” The answer to that question is more complex. It depends on the conditions and location of your dream ship. Basically, a wreck diving course prepares you not only for the specific conditions that you may encounter during wreck diving, but also its main purpose is to prepare the diver to enter the shipwreck, i.e. spaces without direct access to the surface over their head. You really need to be prepared for it, not only gear-wise, but also mentally and skill-wise. At this stage, let’s distinguish diving “next to the wreck”

from wreck penetration. The former is not much different than visiting a local reef. However, penetration requires knowledge, skills, gear and preparation. And this is the main focus of a wreck diving course – the fastest method to gain self-confidence in a controlled environment and prepare yourself to explore the interior of shipwrecks.

The sea is the last place on our planet where not everything is known and exploration options are vast. Each year, new species of fish and animals inhabiting the depths of the oceans are discovered. There are still thousands of shipwrecks waiting to be explored. Without any doubt, every discovery brings incredible emotions, and diving such shipwrecks may be your best memory from all your dives. After all, who doesn’t dream of a chest full of treasures on a Spanish galleon? Every year, new wrecks are discovered, search expeditions are organized and new diving spots are opened. It doesn’t matter how the wreck ended up under the surface, I guarantee that it’ll excite you.

Each underwater object has a different story to offer. A story often full of mysteries, unexplained history and just plain interesting. There are many questions about what happened or what could have happened. Sometimes a story you hear during the briefing may not be particularly pleasant. You may learn that your diving spot is also a place of a great tragedy. Dozens or

even hundreds of people died when it sank. You must be aware of that and treat this place with respect. You NEVER take ANYTHING from the wreck, except for memories, photos and videos. Many wrecks were stripped off by mindless scavengers. This unacceptable practice should be strictly condemned. People who discover new wrecks often keep their locations “hidden” before the contents are secured by archaeologists or museums. Unfortunately, interesting objects usually cannot remain on the wreck, because scavengers would steal them.

Preparation for wreck diving requires a set of various skills that strongly infiltrate other types of scuba diving. Every time you decide to loose direct access to the surface, you should ask yourself if you’re prepared for it. And also whether everyone in our team are. The fact that you can make it doesn’t mean that everyone is prepared for such a dive. Never enter an overhead environment as a surprise. You have to be prepared and if you do not have a guide with you who knows all the passages and corridors and will discuss them before the dive, always use a guide line.

Don't stir up sediment from the bottom. I have an impression that nowadays everyone wants to do frog kicks without understanding what this techniques was invented for. Its main assumption is to direct the water jet upwards instead of downwards, to avoid disturbing the bottom. This is primarily of concern in closed spaces, to make sure that you’ll not

lose visibility due to a disturbance that you caused yourself. In combination with a “helicopter turn”, i.e. the ability to turn around, and the back kick, it proves very effective, especially when manoeuvring in corridors and spaces inside the wreck. It is indispensable in cave diving. What about regular recreational diving? Of course, if you find it convenient, you can also use this method during regular dives. The question is whether it’s the most effective method?

Light. An indispensable element of wreck diving. When you take your light with you while diving outside, you can always take a peek into every nook and cranny. Inside, you can enjoy the views only with a good diving light. You don’t necessarily need a lightsabre, but a more dispersed light to illuminate vast spaces. Inside an engine room of a sunken ship you’ll appreciate the money spent for your light. Or you’ll notice that your small lamp does not meet your expectations. You may miss amazing views and unforgettable experiences because you couldn’t see anything with your light. Never try to save money on light if you want to dive inside shipwrecks. You’ll thank me later :)

Other gear. Sometimes, when entering a wreck, you have to secure a way back. It is too late to try and deploy a guide line during the main dive. During a wreck diving course, your diving instructor will teach you how to do it right, correct your mistakes, show different techniques. They’ll help you control the

gear needed for wreck diving. You’ll learn how to use the gear parts simultaneously and follow a guide line inside the wreck.

Mental limitations and rescue skills. Research shows that a difficult situation is easier to manage when you are prepared and trained. The possibility to manoeuvre is limited in a confined space, which also means that rescue and self-rescue techniques change. It is vital to learn these before exploring the mysterious interiors of shipwrecks. You should also prepare the appropriate gear and skills for different variants and situations. You don’t want to realize that you’re not prepared for this kind of dive while you’re already inside the wreck.

Wreck map. You should always check the spot before your dive, mainly using a wreck map. If you want to see the most interesting elements, a detailed map will prove very useful. It’ll facilitate diving your plan on very large wrecks.

Diving wrecks is my favourite version of diving. I never have enough time for it and I always feel I could go for more. I return to the same wrecks with pleasure after a few years. Each time I try to be better prepared for a certain dive. I always notice something new, something I haven’t seen before. Shipwrecks mesmerize me and they stole my heart away long time ago. The urge for wreck diving was and still is the driving force to constantly improve my skills. I have a long list of those I want to see and an even longer list of those I want to see again. I encourage you to try this type of scuba diving, if you haven’t done it yet. Get immersed in mysterious stories.

Dubai adventure

IF YOU'RE GOING TO PARTY, DO IT IN STYLE…

– What would you say to Dubai this year? – Dubai? Why not, we haven't been there yet... More or less, that was this year's choice of family vacation destination.

Having picked a destination, we decided to buy a complete tour from a travel agency so as not to have to organize the trip on our own. The choice fell on a hotel located on an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree which is a kind of showpiece of the United Arab Emirates. Palm Jumeirah, because that is the name of the island, has been hailed as the eighth wonder of the world. The grand opening of the place in 2008 cost Dubai about $20 million. A lot, you might say, but with the total construction cost exceeding $10 billion, the value of the event disappeared among the many invoices at the accountants. The construction of the artificial land shows that imagination is the only limit in Dubai.

THEY’RE GOING ALL OUT…

After a six-hour flight from Poland, we greeted the heat of the Emirati sun. Even though it was mid-April, the temperature there oscillated above 30 degrees for most of our stay, but about that a bit later.

The drive from the airport to the hotel wasn't the shortest trip of our lives, it took us about two hours to drive the 30-kilometer stretch due to terrible traffic jams. However, we were so fascinated by observing the architecture, the skyscrapers sparkling in the sun, and above all the prevailing splendor that exuded from every square meter of the city, that we didn't notice when we found ourselves in front of our hotel. The four-star property offered a high standard of service, as well as very good food in the HB option, all-inclusive is rather hard to come by in Dubai.

We didn't want to waste time so moments after arriving we headed to the promenade separating the string of hotels from the beach. Hundreds of people strolled along it looking for a party experience in the beach clubs, because as it turned out, it was the first day of the Dubai vacation. Despite the rather champagne mood of the partygoers, we felt completely safe. There was no sign of aggression, perhaps because of the countless Rambo-like security personnel patrolling the promenade, or perhaps because most of the locals were rather focused on themselves and on looking good in front of others. Attention to appearance and exuding wealth was one of the first things I noticed that evening. Well, but when driving up in a Lamborghini or Ferrari it is fitting to look good.

Text PIOTR KOPEĆ (Wąski)

Photos DEEP DIVE DUBAI

DUBAI EQUALS MONEY

For the next two days we decided to rejoice in the sun on the hotel beach, we were a little surprised because the security guard letting guests onto the beach took great care to ensure that no one brought their own food, not even water, which of course was available at the hotel bar for only 50 PLN... – after all, this is Dubai...

DUBAI DELIGHTS…

After catching enough tan, it was time for some sightseeing. Already in Poland we booked for our family of three a tour entitled: “Dubai in a nutshell” organized by a Polish company with a Polish guide, i.e. the guide was from Egypt but spoke Polish better than many of our compatriots. The day was very intensive and at the same time very exciting, we visited twelve of Dubai's biggest attractions including:

Al Farouk Mosque modeled after the Blue Mosque in Istanbul with stunning architecture. Souk Madinet called the Venice of the Arabs, is an old Arab-style Bazaar with restaurants and artificial canals. The place perfectly blends the past with the present.

Dubai Marina delighted us with luxury yachts, often costing as much as a small neighborhood in our country. We also had the opportunity to sail across the bay in an old Dubai boat called the Abra. We continued on to the Spice Market, a place where you can feel the atmosphere of the past, with numerous vendors encouraging you in a rather pushy manner to buy souvenirs, perfumes and popular spices such as saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and many, many others. Our shopaholism did not allow us to pass by such a place indifferently, so we spent a few dirhams here. The gold market is the next stop of our tour, here you can see the Guinness Book of World Records entry for the heaviest ring in the world weighing 63 kilograms. Gold in Dubai is ubiquitous to the point where you don't need to go to a market or store, but just walk up to one of the many special ATMs with gold bars and simply withdraw it for yourself. On our way we couldn't miss the showpiece of this amazing city – the Burj Khalifa, measuring 828 meters it is the tallest building in the world. We ascended to the 125th floor of this skyscraper, from where we admired the Dubai skyline. Definitely worth a visit turned out to be the Dubai Mall which is the largest shopping mall in the world, where everything is the just... There is an aquarium – one of the largest in the world, eight meters high, thirty-three wide, with sharks, stingrays and many other sea creatures. Note – you can dive in it  Waterfall in the mall? Not a problem in Dubai, the huge artificial waterfall measures 24 meters high, with figures of men jumping into the water in search of pearls, while silver sculptures of divers emerge from under the water, I didn't ask but they are probably actually made of pure silver. Rounding off all the surprises at Dubai Mall was an ice rink... We ended the day with a fountain show at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, an extraordinary show of about 5 minutes that combines water, light and music, the whole thing gives the impression of the water dancing.

ONE MUST BE LUCKY…

The next day of our trip was to take place under the sign of poor weather, all signs on the ground and in the sky indicated that it would rain, and maybe even quite intensively. To put it mildly, the Persian Gulf is not a place of intense rainfall, they happen about 4 times a year and are rather fleeting in nature. We decided that this must be a sign and it would be the day we would go to Deep Dive Dubai so that I could fulfill one of my diving goals, that is, to dive the deepest pool in the world. I was struggling a bit with my thoughts whether it was worth spending a considerable amount of money for one dive. My “Poznanian thriftiness” told me that for one entry into this pool I could have half a diving trip to Egypt. However, I did not give up and that same evening I booked a dive on the website at noon the next day.

It had already started raining during the night, and in the morning a storm passed through with unprecedented rainfall here. The hotel staff said it might be difficult to drive through the city due to the water lingering in the streets. However, I was determined to dive claiming that there was no force that would prevent me from completing my goal. I was a little surprised that it was not possible to order an Uber that day, so I took a cab, which happened to be standing by the hotel, and in the pouring rain we headed in the designated direction. The distance from the pool to the hotel was about 25 kilometers, and the drive should not take more than 30 minutes. Well it shouldn't... It turned out that the roads were completely flooded... After about 1.5 hours later and driving, or basically struggling to cover 10 kilometers, the driver informed me that there was no chance of reaching my destination and the only thing he could do was to drop me off or turn back to the hotel. A quick call to Deep Dive Dubai's front desk and the reservation was rescheduled for the next day with no problem. We decided to turn back, it took us another hour and a half to get back. At times the water was so high that even off-road vehicles had trouble passing, but my brave Lexus driver managed and drove me safely back to the hotel.

The morning weather turned out to be just a prelude to what followed. Around 2 PM all hell broke loose, the wind blew with staggering speed breaking trees, snatching sun loungers, umbrellas and everything on the beach and terraces. Water poured from the sky in buckets limiting visibility to just a few meters. This condition continued for another five hours. The city, which does not have any storm retention system, was literally flooded. I was very lucky to turn back to the hotel in time and not get stuck in the car because the situation was truly dangerous.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM.

While the storm was still raging, I was contacted by Aicha from the Deep Dive Dubai. She informed me that the facility would be closed the following day for safety reasons, and that the pass I had purchased could be redeemed at any time over the next year. Again, my 'Poznanian thriftiness' kicked in, I probably won't be able to go to Dubai within the next year so the money will be gone. At this point, I have to beat my breasts, shake my head and say sorry, because I broke one of my flagship rules, i.e. I do not dive the day before the flight. However, time was running out and the day before the flight was the only possible date, I asked for the dive to be arranged before noon on Thursday. Theoretically, if everything was to go according to plan I was to have more than 24 hours between the dive and boarding the flight.

On the day of the dive I had ordered a taxi well in advance, assuming that traffic might be difficult, and indeed it was. Backed-up water in the streets still prevented free passage, but the driver managed (almost). It turned out that at a distance of about 1 km there was already so much water on the access road to the swimming pool that the driver did not risk driving through it. My ambition did not let up and together with my family we decided to leave the taxi and walk the last stretch. As we crossed the huge puddle, the water began to reach my daughter's waist, so we backtracked. That wasn't the end of the battle after all,

I contacted the pool staff and the super-friendly Aicha sent an all-terrain car to pick us up and bring us safely to the door of the dive complex. Stressed but very happy, I filled in all the forms and was already ready to dive. My guide was an extremely nice man named Abdo. After a while of talking, it turned out that he knows Polish very well because he worked in our Deep Spot for a long time. Because of the prospect of returning the next day, we made a dive without decompression to a maximum depth of 27 metres. Even before entering the water, I was shown around the facility and before the dive itself we checked together the correct gas mixture (NITROX 32).

Deep Dive Dubai surprised me very positively, previously I thought the amount of equipment underwater was too much, but now I say it is perfect. Underwater Abdo, every now and then showed me new corners of the pool where the attractions were located.

We played pool, basketball and foosball (it was 1:0 for me, to this day I still wonder if I'm that good or if the guide let me win). Throughout the dive we were accompanied by Greta the camera operator, taking an innumerable amount of great photos for this article. The dive lasted exactly 40 minutes, immediately after leaving a very nice touch was Addo bringing a bathrobe so that I wouldn't feel the cold on my wet body.

One challenge left was to get back to the hotel, but I finally made it. To satisfy your curiosity, it turned out that the flight had been delayed another two hours, so I was able to write this article for you, safe and sound, back in Poland.

BENEFITS from diving

EACH YEAR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE GO DIVING FOR VARIOUS REASONS. SOME PEOPLE WANT TO SEE BRIGHT CORAL REEFS, OTHERS TO EXPLORE THE SECRETS OF LAKES SEARCHING FOR PIKES, CRAYFISH OR OTHER FORMS OF LIFE, WHILE OTHERS ENJOY THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE SHIPWRECKS.

ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF DIVING, WHICH LIKELY DOESN’T EVEN COME TO MIND, IS BETTER HEALTH.

As a diving school with a holistic message, I discuss this hobby in terms of a broadly defined well-being with consequences that transfer into your everyday life.

Diving is a source of many benefits, both for your physical and mental health, some of which may surprise you. The only exception to this may happen at the very beginning – namely during the certification process, when being a student and getting acquainted with the equipment may be slightly distressing for some people.

This sport is a wonderful full-body exercise, combining the benefits of meditation with great social interactions, which makes diving the perfect way to stay in good physical and men-

tal health. From improvement of aerobic capacity and stress reduction to psychological benefits for people with various problems. Benefits of diving go far beyond splendid underwater holiday memories.

Diving means focusing on your own body in the very centre of nature. Contact with nature, exposure to sunlight, exploring exciting spots and learning that the underwater world – the dark, apparently sleepy place – is teeming with life, inciting our curiosity about the world.

You can make your favourite underwater hobby an even better way to stay fit. And let’s be honest, the scenery is often much more beautiful.

Text ALDONA DREGER Photos ALDONA DREGER and JACEK TWARDOWSKI

One of the most famous scientific papers on the benefits of diving is the “Health and fitness benefits of scuba diving and the potential for pressure-related injuries”, published in the “Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation”. The study analyses the health benefits of diving, including improvements in physical fitness, stress reduction and the therapeutic mental effects.

Based on my own diving experience, as well as watching various people at diving spots and listening to them, I can’t stop thinking – why do we do this?

HEALTH BENEFITS OF DIVING THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

1. Improved cardiovascular capacity

Keeping your circulatory system in good shape is important for living a long and healthy life. It is also important for diving safety. Luckily, diving itself offers great benefits for the cardiovascular system. Swimming is one of the best aerobic exercises, which means that you can turn your dive into a great cardio exercise session. Regular diving may bring cardiovascular benefits, such as body mass management, better circulation, reduced blood pressure and better sleep.

2. Greater muscle strength and endurance

Diving is not only a great cardio exercise, but also a wonder-

ful way to build muscle strength and endurance. Swimming, especially against a current, forces divers to use the muscles in their legs, torso and arms. This effort helps build lean body mass and promote muscle endurance. This makes diving a great way to improve strength without putting excessive load on the joints.

Carrying a diving cylinder and other equipment also strengthens the upper body. Lifting your rig activates the muscles in your arms, back and core, making diving a real full-body training!

3. Better posture and flexibility

Swimming also improves flexibility and posture. As your legs slowly wave the fins underwater, you extend your muscles and engage core muscles. This helps improve flexibility of the lower body and improves core strength, which may translate into better posture. A strong torso is the key to the perfect posture and almost every movement the diver makes involves it in some way.

4. Reduced stress and better mental health

It is a widely documented fact that proximity of water bodies may have positive effect on mental health and diving is not an exception in this respect. Research conducted on 176 div-

ers showed that after two dives the divers felt improvement in their mental health, including stress reduction. Moreover, the mental health benefits of diving are often connected with underwater breathing techniques.

Slow and deep breathing is also practiced in meditation and helps to relax, become more peaceful and reduce stress and anxiety. Consequently, diving works almost as a form of meditation, allowing divers to reduce stress and drastically improve their mental health.

5. Therapeutic benefits in case of physical and mental injuries

Diving may also provide significant therapeutic benefits for war veterans and other persons who experience mental problems. As a result of the focus necessary for diving and the feeling of weightlessness underwater, veterans reported reduced anxiety and depression, as well as improved sleep after participating in recreational diving.

6. Better functioning of the brain and better diet

For many people working behind a desk the physical effort required when diving and learning new skills, not only the manual ones, is a great exercise for the brain. The brain loves to improve and learn new things. The focus shifts away towards distant matters, not related to the mundane daily reality, promoting our creativity. All these effects, both physical and liberating our brain from excessive thinking, improve our sleep.

Diving may also promote a healthier lifestyle, including better dietary habits.

As a physical activity, it requires a proper diet in order to provide the body with the necessary nutrients and energy. When diving, especially for longer periods and in colder waters, the body uses more calories than normally. That’s

why proper intake of carbohydrates, protein and fats before and after diving is important for providing sufficient energy and nutrition for the muscles and the nervous system. At the same time, drinking appropriate amounts of water before and after diving is crucial for preventing dehydration, which may lead to tiredness and lower efficiency underwater. That’s why a well-balanced diet and proper hydration are inherent components of a good dive.

7. Better social interactions

Diving is a social activity. Even as a solo diver, you typically dive with at least one person, if not a small group of people. Thus diving may vastly improve the diver’s social interactions. When you dive, you get the opportunity to get to know people with a similar perspective on the world and form bonds based on your shared underwater journey. According to a recent study, divers with disabilities saw an improvement in their quality of life and were more self-confident thanks to their social interactions.

It has also been shown that healthy social interactions improve physical and mental health, often reducing blood pressure, reducing the risk of developing chronic health conditions, leading to a stronger immune system and stress reduction.

Taken together, all the above items create a virtuous circle, which finally leads to increased wellbeing.

Diving may bring about numerus therapeutic effects, including stress and anxiety reduction, improved mood, feeling of freedom and control, improved ability to focus and improvement of the general physical fitness through exercising the respiratory system and strengthening muscles. Moreover, contact with nature and experiencing the incredible underwater world may improve mental and emotional well-being.

And you, what’s your reason to dive?

That largely depends on whether we are talking about recreational diving or technical diving and on how many dives per year you take. For me diving is an escape from overstimulated “surface” life. From phones, texts and e-mails. On the other hand, I’m continuously fascinated with the underwater reality, the opportunity to experience nature, peek into it and make unexpected encounters. There’s still one more thing ;) A diver becomes a tool that picks all the trash accumulated on the bottom. This can only be done by hand. Sometimes, when my friends ask me, I recover their phone or a pair of glasses. Breathing underwater, staying in it, clears your head, calms you down, bringing inner happiness and physical exhaustion, which should result in better sleep. I’ve been recommending it to everyone, for many years!

Wojciech Zgoła – replying to the Author’s question posed in her article 

BECOME A DIVING MASTER!

Get a black belt at the age of 12!

Do you know anyone who wouldn't want to be the best at something? Children compete at school for the best grades, in a sports team for the points scored, and at home for the attention of a parent.

On the other hand, adults compete at work for the best results, among friends – who will go on a cooler holiday, in the family – who cooks more deliciously, and at the traffic lights – who will pull away faster.

We compete more or less consciously, it is in our nature.

We send our child to extracurricular activities – English, tennis, dancing or playing an instrument, with the assumption that the child will try something new, and maybe will catch the bug and will do something else instead of playing a game on the phone. The child willingly goes to classes, shows

interest, and if it turns out that after 2 weeks the enthusiasm has not passed, we as parents are shyly happy that our child has a passion. And what happens when we see that a child is good at something? I, a mother of two boys, am like all the rest of the parents – I support, praise, I think that I objectively evaluate, encourage to act and devote my time not only to driving them

Text Dobrochna Didłuch Photos CN Deco

to the classes, but also to wondering what to do next. I read, check how you can develop in a given field, I want the child not to lose interest, so I want to raise the bar. It is exactly the same in diving. Does your child already have Junior Open Water certificate, can you see that your offspring wants to go underwater at every possible opportunity, wants to learn and develop? If so, then this article is for you. I will describe the development opportunities of a 12-year-old diver and the goal a young diver can achieve – Junior Master Scuba Diver – the most prestigious title of a recreational diver.

In the previous article, I described how to start, i.e. the basic Junior Open Water course and diving specialisations for a 10-year-old. Our child is growing and so is the range of possibilities: at the age of 12 we get access to additional specialisations such as night diving. Now I will not surprise anyone by describing that we do such dives when it is dark. This is an additional thrill, but always a huge surprise to see the difference between the same dive site during the day and at night.

Creatures that we practically do not see during the day, or only buried under the rocks, now we can see active and hunting as this is their feeding time. And such diving is attractive both in Egypt and in Poland. I remember my first dive at night in Hańcza. During the day I saw crayfish there, but at night their number stunned me. Wherever the light of the flashlight went, there was crayfish, and next to it another and one more. During this dive, no one wanted to go anywhere, we just hung in the water and stared at the spectacle. It looked like they were in the ring, pincers raised, circling each other and attacking. On the other hand, in Egypt, diving on the reef, we can see, for example, how lionfish, which hide in the reef during the day, spread their fins at night and lure naive small fish with their majestic view.

Diving from a boat, we have the opportunity to try drift diving, i.e. we jumping into the water in a place where the current is felt. It will push us in one direction and the boat will pick us up at the agreed place. Such diving is interesting as it gives you the opportunity to see a rare place, because

not everyone can swim there. It is less frequented, and thus undamaged, nicer and richer in life. The amount of this life also depends on the strength of the current, in such places the reef is more lively, colorful and full of life. Soft corals can only be seen in places like this and among them rare gorgonias that create a forest under water.

An enriched air diving course (nitrox) is a specialisation that every diver over 12 years of age should do. This is a musthave regardless of the season. In our cylinder, nitrogen is replaced by a higher concentration of oxygen, so we can spend more time underwater. For the most part, young divers have low gas consumption increasing their time at the bottom and only the temperature can push them out of the water. A higher concentration of oxygen also means less fatigue after diving. We notice it very clearly when we go to Egypt for a week. We can

easily do 15 dives in 6 days and we are not tired, and the children immediately run to the pool when getting off the boat. When we dive from the age of 10, we have 50 logged dives without any effort and a Junior Advanced Diver certificate, so we meet the entry requirements for the very important Rescue Diver course – allowing us to become a rescue diver. During the course, we do not learn how to dive, but how to help another diver. Someone may think: how a child can help someone and still underwater? Many doubters would be surprised what chil dren can do with the help of technology, e.g. pull an unconscious diver out of the water. During the course, we practice different scenarios, cases that can happen to everyone during the dive, e.g. helping to remove the contraction. After getting out of the water, we may not even remember it, because it was an element of diving, and without help it could be a reason for further prob

lems. By exercising in controlled conditions, we develop habits that we perform automatically in a stressful situation.

In addition to helping divers, we are going through a first aid course. We have holidays ahead of us and statistically, children are exposed to more accidents than during the school year, because they do not just sit in the classroom but instead run around the field, jump into the water, go on vacation to the mountains, the sea or to the village to their grandmother, where they can go wild from morning to evening. As first aid instructors and parents of children in kindergarten and school, we do classes for them. Even a 5-year-old can help us if they know what number to dial to call for help, and a schoolboy will easily arrange us in a safe position and call for help. Let's not hesitate, just take advantage of such training. During the rescue diver course, we open up to other divers, notice dangerous situations and are able to prevent them. We are no longer self-centered divers as we were on the basic course. Then there is us, our partner and our interests, i.e. the advanced course and specialisations that interest us. We like competitions, we like to be the best, and by completing the Rescue Diver course, at the age of 12, we get a diploma from PADI and a title with the highest qualifications in recreational diving – Master Scuba Diver. This is the black belt in diving. Setting goals and raising the bar for our children is extremely beneficial for their development. In this way, we build their self-esteem and motivate them to achieve success. We, parents, know that our children are the best, but it is very nice when someone else notices, appreciates and rewards them. We are proud to present several young divers who achieved this prestigious title at the age of 12. I can already see more candidates!

ŃCZMY

CERAMIC SILICONE

Let's hurry to love BLACK-TAILED GODWITS!

Text and photos WOJCIECH JAROSZ

Can you remember the curlews I wrote about in the previous issue of Perfect Diver? Today I will talk about birds that could belong to the same Long-Beaked Gentlemen's Club. Why gentlemen?

Because when they walk on their lanky legs, they do so with gallant grace, and their slender and harmonious silhouette seems to add elegance to them. Not that this only applies to male representatives of the species: I must admit, I slipped out a bit with these "gentlemen". The black-tailed godwits' females are real ladies who, which is interesting and not that common, are larger than their partners.

The reference to curlews, which could just as well apply to redshanks (Perfect Diver No. 26) and at least a few other similar species of plovers, was not accidental. After all, similarities in morphology go hand in hand with the convergence of habitats and many aspects of the biology of these birds. Unfortunately, black-tailed godwits are also affected by the dramatic decline in numbers observed in recent years. It is becoming more and more difficult to meet these birds in many places, where a few years ago it was almost certain that in spring and summer you would definitely be able to see and hear them. 'Let's hurry to love the godwits...' a paraphrase of the beginning of Twardowski's poem comes to mind.

First, some basic information. Blacktailed godwits are a subfamily of birds from Scolopacidae family in the order of Charadriiformes. In addition to blacktailed godwits, this family consists of curlews, birds of Calidris genus, sandpipers

and woodcocks. There are four species of godwit in the godwit subfamily: apart from the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), there is also the bar-tailed godwit (L. lapponica), Hudsonian godwit (L. haemastica) and the marbled godwit (L. fedora). There are a lot of these "muddy" terms ('limosa' from Latin means 'muddy'), but it's all because the long legs and beaks of these birds are made to effectively search for food in the mud. Black-tailed godwits, like their cousins, are ideally adapted to extracting from the mud everything that is suitable for eating – most often shallow or deeper buried invertebrates, including crustaceans and molluscs. In Central Europe, the black-tailed godwit breeds, and during migrations we are also visited by the bar-tailed godwit, which nests in the far north, from Europe, through Asia, to Alaska. The other two species are found in North America, but they are all very similar to each other. Similar in such a way that in the past the Hudsonian god-

Black-tailed godwit

wit was considered one species together with our black-tailed godwit.

Like most plovers, black-tailed godwits migrate. The route from wintering grounds to breeding grounds and back can be quite long, and sometimes even extremely long. Records are broken by the bar-tailed godwit, which can fly 11, 12 or even over 13 thousand kilometres. And – mind you – without even the shortest break! Non-stop in the air for 11 days! The 2022 record holder flew 13,560 km with a microtransmitter on its back (improving the previous record of 13,050 km). The young bird (a 5-monthold bird) took off from the wetlands in the Yukon and Kuskokwim river delta in Alaska to fly to Tasmania on its first flight to wintering. Specialists suspect that it was heading towards New Zealand, which is the most common destination for birds from this population, but most likely as a result of bad weather conditions it flew eastwards. In fact, 'they' flew, because

black-tailed godwits often migrate in groups. Their preparations for such long flights are at least as incredible as the distances covered. In order to be able to accumulate sufficient fuel reserves in the form of fat, they reduce their internal organs, which are not so necessary during the flight (e.g. part of the digestive system). Only a few days after the end of the journey do they regain their normal size. In flight, these birds are very efficient. They have the aerodynamics of a fighter jet, allowing them to fly through the skies at a high speed. The average flight speed is just over 50 km/h, but at times it can reach 90 km/h! It is not entirely clear why the godwits from Alaska chose this way of travelling. The distance itself is not so surprising, because there is no shortage of examples of long journeys in the bird world, but why do they fly without a break? It is known that they cannot take a rest on the water, like many other species of seabirds, but on the way

they could make a stopover on islands scattered around the Pacific. For some reason, they don't do it.

How to recognize godwits? During the mating season, they are of cinnamon colour on the head and breast. Outside this period, the colours fade and the birds become much more sandy-gray. White speculum feathers are clearly visible on the wings in flight. The beak is yellow with a black tip, and the legs are dark. There is no clear sexual dimorphism, apart from the aforementioned difference in size in favour of the female. An now, a break for a curiosity! Gender is inherited in birds in the opposite way than in us or other mammals. Females are heterogametic, which means that they do not have two identical sex chromosomes as our Christine, Samantha, Anna or Sophia, but two different ones, like our Adam, Tom or James. I have satisfied my didactic aspirations, so the break is over. You can also recognize a godwit by its voice.

Bar-tailed godwit

Black-tailed godwit

Black-tailed godwit

Once we hear it and find out that this is how the black-tailed godwit sings, we will probably remember this melodious and slightly melancholic short singing. Warning squeaks are also characteristic. We will hear them when we get too close to the territory occupied by black-tailed godwits. In the face of violators of their boundaries and peace, they can show decisiveness and tenacity, from which also other birds benefit. It is the so-called 'protective umbrella', which waders, including black-tailed godwits and redshanks in the first row, spread over other inhabitants of wetlands, peat bogs, floodplain meadows and other wetlands. For example, numerous species of ducks benefit from this, as they are protected from intruders thanks to the effectiveness of black-tailed godwits and their cousins in chasing away unwanted guests.

In the past, godwits could be found quite often in slightly wet areas. My first tete-a-tete with this species took

place in a meadow, which was indeed a bit damp in some part. Water stops predators, at least some of them, which is why black-tailed godwits need such areas. Coming back to the meeting, it took place just outside my hometown of Elbląg, on its southern borders. Perhaps the bird I observed had its nest in the vicinity of Lake Drużno, an unusual place (one day I will certainly tell you something more about it), but the observation itself took place quite close to the city. The second meeting was on quite the opposite pole. It was quite a long way from any town, even the smallest one. It was happening on the Biebrza River, the kingdom of water and wetland birds. A river of a typical lowland character, slowly flowing through the largest complex of peat bogs in this part of our continent, spreading widely in early spring – today, such images are unfortunately a real rarity in Europe. On this Biebrza river, from the deck of a barge boat borrowed from a local farmer,

I could observe black-tailed godwits from a close distance while unhurriedly swimming in the backwaters. I still remember this view! At that time, I was conducting black-tailed godwit observations with my friend Wojtek, but there were supposed to be a few more of us on this boat. The two women, however, could not stand the sight of spiders peeking out from various corners of our 'ship' and categorically asked to be put ashore. Both of them still make sure that their paths do not cross with spider paths, which I can observe regularly as the ladies are my closest family. Fortunately, birds can be watched not only while sitting in a boat full of spider webs. It's just that today seeing a godwit is not so easy. Due to the dramatically fast rate of black-tailed godwit disappearance, they are on the red list of birds in Poland and in the CR category – critically endangered. They have a noble company in this category, because birds such as the European roller, great-

Black-tailed godwit

er spotted eagle, wallcreeper and lesser grey shrike are similarly endangered in Poland. Unfortunately, we are witnessing very profound changes in the European fauna, which are primarily related to the disappearance of natural habitats. Land

reclamation, drainage of meadows, and foreign species of predators decimating bird nests, to mention the already widespread American mink, raccoon or raccoon dog – these are just some of the important elements shaping this fatal

reality. Let's hope that this catastrophic trend can be stopped, because if not, you will have to travel far to see the rickshaw or limit ourselves down to looking at photos. So, let's hurry to love the black-tailed godwits. And other birds too!

Black-tailed godwit

INFLATOR, PENCIL AND BUOYANCY

Photo Tomasz Płociński

WHAT IS BUOYANCY CONTROL?

It’s the ability to control moving up and down. What is GOOD buoyancy control? Practically the same thing, only in this case the movement happens exactly how I want it. Do I want to go half a meter up? There you go. Now 2 meters down? No problem.

WHERE TO START TO MAKE IT SIMPLE AND WORK?

Let’s start with a riddle.

Why does a beginner diver usually hold the inflator in their left hand and doesn’t want to let go?

Consider your own reason – from my observations, this mostly happens due to concern that you may not find it when you need it.

That is true. Inflators are long enough to have a life of their own.

Before you become a buoyancy master, you must invite your equipment to cooperate. Jacket, bag, inflator and any other device should do exactly what you want them to do. It that’s not the case, it’s best to record a short video, see exactly what doesn’t work and analyse it calmly while taking a sip of a cold orange drink.

Let’s start tuning our diving equipment. There’s nothing to fear – at any moment you can just say “I don’t want to control buoyancy with precision” and stop reading this topic :)

HOW TO ANCHOR THE INFLATOR?

We’ll do it so that we don’t have to constantly hold it while at the same time we can always grab it without looking where it is.

1. At home, put on your buoyancy system (bag with plate, jacket).

2. Grab a pencil with your left hand so that its “blade” (the side you write with) is pointed at the thumb and only slightly extends beyond the hand.

Photo Karola Takes Photos

3. Stand straight with your arms extended to the sides (and the pencil in your hand).

4. Now let’s imagine that you’re trying to catch something in this position with your shoulder blades (those are on your back) – in other words, pull them back.

5. Close your eyes and think of something nice...

6. Calmly bend your left arm at the elbow (with the shoulder blades still pulled back) until you feel the buoyancy system shoulder strap under the pencil.

7. Draw a secret sign (i.e. mark the shoulder strap with the pencil).

8. Repeat this 10 times without looking – eyes front, think happy thoughts, let the hand do its job.

9. Finally, stop.

10. Take off your equipment and see what you did.

11. You should find that the spot you reach with your hand every time is quite precisely marked.

12. Now for the difficult part, or field mission. You need to find a store with a peculiar name: haberdashery. That’s where you should buy a preferably round elastic band with high elasticity, meaning one that’s very easy to stretch. Buy a piece + a little more just in case and some for a friend – 1 meter in total.

13. Specialization: “equipment specialist or show what you can do with an elastic band”. This may prove to be a challenge to some – you should find a way to tie the elastic band (preferably in the form of a loop) at the spot where you previously marked the shoulder strap so that it doesn’t fall off and the inflator fits in the loop and can be lifted.

WHAT’S THE POINT OF ALL THIS?

If you precisely marked the spot you always reached for with your hand without looking and flexibly attach the inflator there, not only will you always catch it by bending your left arm at the elbow but you will also easily lift it to deflate.

Less stress, calmer breathing and significantly better inflator control, and in the near future, better buoyancy as well :) Good luck!

P.S. From Perfect Diver’s editor-in-chief

It gets interesting when you usually dive with your wing with a specific length and location of the inflator, you pack for a trip and it turns out that you need to put the wing away due to the airline baggage limit. You order a jacket at the diving centre (they don’t have wings) and suddenly, under water, it turns out you can’t find the inflator where it’s supposed to be! Because it’s (way too) much longer and rests near your hip ;)

Photo Karola Takes Photos