I have been looking for curiosities about the life of Vasco da Gama, and I have found only three quotes of his. One of them drew m attention: ”I am not afraid of the dark. Real death is better than life without life”. It is not just about cavemen, but about life without life...
Can you imagine your life today without diving? Life in which you have not immersed yourself in water, you have never had an air tank with you, you have not done freediving...?
Life has its taste. It is often said to be bittersweet. I find it salty-sweet
Before you is the next issue of the Perfect Diver Magazine. Dive into it and rate for yourself how much you liked it. I hope that everyone will find something for themselves.
Thank you for another year spent with us. Welcome to our FB page – share our posts, invite friends. They do not have to like us right now, it is sufficient that they watch us.
We are supposed to expect a hard winter. The one with frost and snow in northern Europe. And that is during global warming. Strange...
I also wish you a warm and peaceful Christmas and a great rich-in-diving year 2020.
Publisher perfect diver Wojciech Zgoła ul. Folwarczna 37, 62-081 Przeźmierowo redakcja@perfectdiver.com
ISSN 254-3319
Wojciech Zgoła
Irena Kosowska
Mateusz Popek
Agnieszka Kalska Jakub Degee
Agnieszka Gumiela-Pająkowska Arleta Kaźmierczak
Lawyer Joanna Wajsnis Brygida Jackowiak-Rydzak
Montserrat (Julieta Ulanovsky)
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He often repeats that he travels by diving and that is his motto. In 1985 he obtained a yacht sailor's license, and only in 2006 began to dive. In the following years he improved his skills by obtaining the Dive Master degree. He completed nearly 650 dives in various climatic conditions. Since 2007, he has been taking photographs underwater, and since 2008 he has also been filming. As an independent journalist, he published dozens of articles, mainly in journals dedicated to diving, but not only. Co-author of photo exhibitions in Poland and abroad. He is passionate about and propagator of diving.
Since 2008 he has been running his own website www.dive-adventure.eu. On the basis of extensive experience, in August 2018 he created the new Perfect Diver Magazine
”My passion, work and life are under water.” He has been diving since 2009. Since 2008, he's walking in caves. Underwater archeologist by education. He participated in numerous projects in Poland and abroad. He has been engaged in professional diving since 2011. In 2013 he obtained the qualifications of a 2nd class diver. Has experience in underwater work both at sea and inland. Since 2013 he has been diving in caves, especially in the mountains, and since 2014 he is a diving instructor CMAS M1.
Regional Manager Divers Alert Network Polska, diving and first aid instructor, technical diver and cave diver. In love with all flooded, dark, cold, tight places and invariably from the beginning of the diving route – in the Baltic. Implementing the DAN mission, he conducts a series of lectures ”Dive safely” and Diving Safety Laboratory, so field research of divers for scientific purposes.
Polish photographer, winner of awards and distinctions in world underwater photography competitions, has already dived all over the world: with sharks and whales in South Africa, with orcs behind the Arctic Circle, on Galapagos with hundreds of hammerhead sharks and humpback whales in the Tonga Islands. He participates in specialist photographic workshops. He has been diving for 27 years, he started at the age of 12 – as soon as it was formally possible. He was the first in the world to use the Hasselblad X1d-50c camera for underwater macro photography. Recently, in the remote Chincorro archipelago on the border between Mexico and Belize, he did it again, taking a successful attempt to photograph the eye of a crocodile with a macro lens with an additional magnifying lens, which is the world's largest photo of the crocodile's eye living in the wild (in terms of pixel count, print size, quality).
”I can't imagine living without water, where in a free body I experience freedom of the spirit.”
• founder of the first freediving and swimming school in Poland – FREEBODY,
• Apnea Academia International and PADI Master Freediver freediving instructor,
• world record holder in freediving (DYN 253 m),
• record holder and Polish champion, member of the national team in freediving 2013–2019,
• winner of the World Championships in freediving 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018,
• multimedalist of the Polish Championships and a member of the national team in swimming in the years 1998–2003,
• passionate about freediving and swimming.
Wojciech Zgoła
irena kosoWska
jakub degee
agniesZka kalska
MateusZ popek
our authors
The owner of the Płetwal Poznań diving center, a graduate of the Poznan Academy of Physical Education, expert in diving at the Poznan District Court. A PADI, TDI, SSI and CEDIP instructor. Since 2012, a PADI Course Director, as well as Tec Rec OC Trimx Trainer Instructor. As the first, and so far the only Pole in the history of PADI, he became the Tec 100 CCR Trainer Instructor. Awarded many times the title of 'Elite Instructor' in 2013; in 2016 and 2017 'Silver Course Director'. In 2018, he received the highest distinction in the PADI system – ‘Platinum Course Director’, which so-far received only three Poles in the entire history of PADI. The training is carried out in various regions of the world in cooperation with many dive centers and instructors. He completed over 3,500 dives, issued over 2,500 certificates, including over 500 at the instructor level. He made, among other things, a partner diving at 151 m, and a team diving during which, for the first time in the world at a depth of 100 m, the Rubik's cube was solved.
President of Ocean-Tech Sp. z o. o., IT NAUI, wreck and cave diver. ”Diving is not just about equipment. It is also discovering secrets and an opportunity to reach places that an ordinary mortal has no chance to see. Over ten years ago, for this passion, I abandoned the prospering business and founded the company Ocean-Tech, which in fact is an online store www.nurkowyswiat.pl”
Has more than 8000 dives on his account. He has been diving for over 30 years, including over 20 years as a technical diver. He is a professional with great theoretical and practical knowledge. He is an instructor of many federations: GUE Instructor Mentor, CMAS**, IANTD nTMX, IDCS PADI, EFR, TMX Gas Blender. He participated in many diving projects and conferences as a leader, explorer, originator or lecturer. These included the Britannic Expedition 2016, Morpheus Cave Scientific Project on Croatia caves, GROM Expedition in Narvik, Tuna Mine Deep Dive, Glavas Cave in Croatia, NOA-MARINE. Professionally, he is a technical director at TecLine in Scubatech, and a director of training at TecLine Academy.
A graduate of Geography faculty at the University of Wrocław and an incurable optimist… with a permanent smile on her lips! It was probably Destiny that led her to Activtour… and she's been here on permanent basis. She passionately fulfils the dreams of many, organizing diving trips around the world, and she has already been diving for more than half of her life. Each year she explores a different ‘piece of the ocean’, pinning another pin to her diving world map. In winter she changes fins into her beloved skis and gets away into the Alps. A recipe for life? ”The only a dead trunk flows with the current – the explorer's canoe flows up the river!” www.activtour.pl, anna@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.divingandtravel.pl She began her adventure with diving fifteen years ago by total coincidence. Today she is a Divemaster, she visited over 60 countries and dived on 5 continents. She invites us for a joint journey with the travel agency www. dive-away.pl, of which she is a co-founder.
A traveler, photographer and the underwater world filmmaker, an Asian cuisine enthusiast and a PADI diving instructor. He visited over 70 countries and dived on 5 continents (the other two are planned for next year's expeditions). For several years he has also been an instructor and trainer of the unmanned aircraft flights. A co-author of a travel agency for divers www.dive-away. pl. He documents his expeditions with photos and descriptions of his journeys on his blog www.divingandtravel.pl
Wojciech a. filip
robert styła
Maciej jurasZ
sylWia kosMalska-jurieWicZ
anna sołoducha
adrian jurieWicZ
jakub banasiak
Diver from 2008. Passionate of the Red Sea and pelagic ocean predators. Devoted to the idea of protecting dolphins, sharks and whales. He dives mainly where you can meet these animals and monitor the level of their well-being. Member of Dolphinaria-Free Europe Coalition, volunteer at Tethys Research Institute and Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, associate of Marine Connection. For 10 years he has been involved in research on wild dolphin populations and audits dolphinariums. Together with the team ”NO! For the Dolphinarium” he prevents dolphins from captivity and promotes knowledge about dolphin therapy unsaid or concealed by centers which make money on this form of animal therapy.
Marcin trZciński
A graduate of the University of Warsaw. An underwater photographer and filmmaker, has been diving since 1995. A co-operator at the Department of Underwater Archeology at the University of Warsaw. He publishes in diving magazines in Poland and abroad. The owner of the FotoPodwodna company which is the Polish representative of Ikelite, Nauticam, Inon, ScubaLamp companies. www.fotopodwodna.pl, m.trzcinski@fotopodwodna.pl
Wojciech jarosZ
A graduate of two Poznan universities, the Academy of Physical Education (coaching specialization – handball) and the University of A. Mickiewicz, Faculty of Biology (specialty of experimental biology). He connected his professional life with this first university trying to influence the direction of development of future professionals on the one hand, and on the other planning and implementing research, pushing laboriously in the right direction of the stroller called science. In his free time he spends his time actively – his main passions are sailing (sea helmsman), skiing (downhill skiing instructor), riding a motorcycle, recreational diving and many other activities, as well as photography, mainly nature.
BY ROLAND ST JOHN
Big Blue to marka stworzona przez nurka i miłośnika morskiej fauny, Rolanda St John jako Big Blue Aquatic Gifts. Biżuteria i breloczki z motywami ośmiornic, żółwi morskich, rekinów i innych gatunków, powstają w USA są wykańczane ręcznie, ukazują piękno i różnorodność morskich stworzeń.
Jako dystrybutor Big Blue by Roland St John, Ocean-Tech Sp. z o.o. w pełni podziela zachwyt twórcy nad mieszkańcami oceanicznych głębin. Breloczki, wisiorki, bransoletki i kolczyki Big Blue dostępne są na: nurkowyswiat.pl i sklep.ocean-tech.pl.
ula WróbleWska
A lawyer by profession, by passion a cave diver, an underwater photography enthusiast and in an overhead environment. Since 2012, he has been a co-creator of the Polish diving portal Jolly Diver. Diving is freedom for me... a feeling I've been cultivating for almost 11 years, for over a year in complete silence in a closed circuit. I spend every free moment under water. I am still idealistic about the issue of diving safety, expecting an open discussion about diving accidents. www.jollydiver.com; ula@jollydiver.com
katarZyna MakoWicZ
An ordinary amateur diver who loves nature. A biologist by profession. She has been diving since 2010. ”Diving is a rest for me, a form of meditation. I am constantly in awe of the beauty of the underwater world and try to discover its new faces as much as possible. By the way, I take pictures, which is my second passion.”
We are married with one and a half years of experience, we were united, among others, by the love of smaller and larger travels. We make the daily routine more enjoyable planning our next trip. The thrill of excitement that appears before each of our next trips color our life. Most of our trips must include in their schedule the time devoted to diving, because Mateusz has been developing his underwater passion for many years and uses every opportunity to dive in a new place.
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Grüner See
Text and photos Marcin Trzciński
i t is getting colder and colder. i feel it especially in my feet, where three beautif ul cuts in neoprene dry suit have appeared. this is how ends up the desire to help a fellow human being accompanied by the excess of my own recklessness.
Being accustomed to the strong E. Lite suits I did not think that it was not a good idea to kneel in a delicate neoprene dry suit on hard and sharp rocks forming the bottom of an Alpine lake. Even if I was asked for help by a grey-haired diver who had trouble putting on his fins. Soon this possible ancestor of the entire underwater community (compared to whom even Jacques Cousteau seemed a youngster) was flitting somewhere in the crystal-clear, icy water from the melting glacier, while I was shaking like a Polish Fiat 126p with a badly adjusted carburettor and driving on 86-octane poor quality fuel.
The whole adventure started so good... The journey to Austria was a real pleasure. The last traces of winter gave way just as we passed Częstochowa, Poland, and I could enjoy the warm spring sunshine. I was so sunshine-starved that I didn't even mind that the sun was shining straight into my eyes on the way south. I just played the Cafe Museum audiobook by Robert Makłowicz I had recently bought and enjoyed the stories about the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After all, I was travelling
through former imperial territory and it was appropriate to get ready for a meeting with the cuisine of His Highness Franz Joseph I, right? I completed the journey in the evening in Bruck an der Mur where, apart from a comfortable bed in the guesthouse, a Wiener Schnitzel commonly called pork chop was awaiting me, served with spicy potato salad with onion. And with raw salads. The meal was fabulous.
No less pleasant was the morning: brightened by the sun, fresh greenery and surrounding the valley Alpine peaks in the upper parts still covered with snow. There was no need for me to hurry as I had only thirty kilometres to the lake, while the rest of the team, suffering from insomnia, had only passed Wiener Neustadt. They had been banging about in their old Opel Vivaro all night, but still in relation to our arrangements they were roughly two hours
vienna
Graz Linz
salzburg Grüner see
late. How long can you wait anyway? After a portion of hot sausages with crispy rolls, I finally set off for the lake, only to get stuck just behind the town in a column of divers driving towards Grüner See. Four Dutch vans toiled, barely panting, in front of me, preceded by cars from Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Germany. All loaded to the limits with equipment and divers. When me and the long column of vehicles finally reached the parking lot at the Seehof guesthouse, I was surprised to find that the guests gathered there had seriously taken down to diving since the early dawn. They even actually entered water instead of just talking about it. In fact, some of them were already surfacing after their first dive. However, as I still had some time, I took a winding path along the lake shore and went for a walk to capture a few shots of the area.
Finally, our team was complete and we could get ready to enter the water. An undersuit, a dry suit, a cylinder... I finally assembled everything and pushed myself slowly, treading like an overload-
ed donkey, towards the lake. Finally got there. Standing waist-deep in water, I was waiting for my friends when a voice calling from the side brought me back to reality. A wrinkled like a walnut, toothless diver was looking around helplessly. I guessed he could not bend, so putting on his fins was quite a challenge for him. I understood him well, because I don't like gymnastics myself. Especially with all the gear on my back. I carefully put my camera away and then... you know what happened next.
Interestingly, at first I didn't even notice the problem. Annoying coldness was not surprising, after all no one expects tropical temperatures in the water from the melting glacier, right? Ready, steady, go! The omnipresent buzzing disappeared suddenly leaving only the hum of the diving regulator and brilliant, undisturbed visibility. It was ... beautiful! We set off along the left shore, with a path winding below the water surface to guide us. Apparently, it was leading towards a wooden bridge hidden somewhere in the distance and we thought it
would be nice to check it out. It was only a pity that the water level had dropped so that the benches in the area were already over the surface. But it was great anyway! You see, Grüner See lake is fed with waters from melting Alpine glaciers, so its depth and surface change with the seasons. That day it was quite far away from the maximum depth of about 12 meters, and in the deepest place there was a chance for 7 metres, but we didn't mind. There was nothing to despair, although we missed a lot of attractions. The bottom covered with green grass slowly began to become shallow, so that after a while I almost drugged my belly on the grass, having the cylinder partly on the surface. But in front of me... there was the half-flooded wooden bridge awaiting. Only the top of the railing protruded over the surface, while the rest was under water. It seemed however, that it was not only us who had decided to go here, as the place looked like Bald Mountain (Łysa Góra, Poland) on the night of the Witch Sabbath. The divers tried to sit on the bridge, on its handrails, swim above and below
…Grüner see lake is fed with waters from melting alpine glaciers, so its depth and surface change with the seasons. that day it was quite far away from the maximum depth of about 12 meters, and in the deepest place there was a chance for 7 metres…
it. All at once and with no order, but wonderfully lifting grass and clods of soil from the bottom. Just great. It is by far calmer even in a henhouse during a heated debate of its tenants about the new rooster. I waited for a while next to the bridge desiring to take a picture, and for a moment I even had the illusion that it got a little more loosely, but just then another group of divers arrived and the game started all over again. To get a wide shot was a pipe dream.
Instead of wasting time waiting for something that had zero chance of realization, the boys and I headed towards a little deeper water, in the direction of the opposite shore. I glided smoothly over the stony and grassy bottom, which as the depth increased, became increasingly rocky and devoid of greenery. I guess I was already in the area where water is all the time, even in summer and autumn. Despite everything, it was still beautiful, as the long sun rays penetrated the water creating fantastic, undulating mosaics on the bottom. You could float in the depths almost endlessly, watching the light dancing. Almost endlessly, as it was getting colder and colder. Well, the water temperature did not drop, but more and more litres of pure Alpine mineral water poured into my suit. From the waist down I was already completely wet. Mathematically speaking, the attractiveness of diving is inversely proportional to the level of freezing. I know they don't teach it at school or at any diving course, but believe me, it is true. So, despite the beautiful views, what I missed more and more was the the sun-lit parking lot, where I could change into dry clothes.
And nothing improves your mood like a good meal. So as soon as I got dressed in dry clothes I hurried towards the Seehof's buffet for hot goulash soup. My morale improved with each spoon of the soup, and I finally came up with a plan for further action. I needed to dry the suit a little and then cover the torn leg of the suit with silver tape. From top to bottom, applying several layers. Sure, it wasn't very durable, otherwise everyone would have silver dry suits, but it was better than nothing. In addition, in the trunk I had a spare undersuit, so I expected that all this brilliant MacGyver-style solution would give me at least some comfort on the other dive. Because I wasn't going to let it go. You may not know, but mathematically speaking, the determination to overcome adversities and perform another dive is directly proportional to the number of kilometres travelled to the diving site. And believe me, from Poland to Austria there were quite many of them.
Not far from Cancun…
the man picked up a transparent mask with a yellow tube lying on the deck and said: ” this is amazing!” and then jumped into the water. i saw a splash and climbed onto the boat. there was only one person there.
Text and photos jakub degee
Iasked the deck hand what had just happened. I heard ”The captain jumped into the water! He said he had been swimming in these waters for almost 30 years, but he had not seen anything like that yet.”
There are many diving goals on my list. There are a few dream ones that I have not accomplished yet. I also have my favourite ones. But on this list there is only one place to which you can fly from Europe changing planes just once (and even directly with a charter flight), and which offers a wide variety of underwater experiences. We are talking about the Yucatán Peninsula.
Whenever I talk about travelling to Mexico or when I am flying there, I visualise millions of tourists who are flying to Cancún for their long-awaited vacation, but 99.9% of them do not even realize that they are literally a few kilometres from the greatest natural phenomena on Earth. Almost every diver has heard about cenotes, or Mexican caves filled with stalactites and stalagmites, in which fresh water and salt water mix, causing halocline. In the cenotes themselves, which can be visited throughout the year, there is almost no flora or fauna, but just before immersion you can encounter a turtle and even a small crocodile, if we choose the spot well and we are lucky.
In November, a large group of bull sharks appears on the beach in Playa de Carmen, and for weeks or months, depending on their humour and reproductive cycle, they integrate with divers on 25 meters. From January to March, sailfish can be observed in the heat of hunting small fish.
However, nothing can compare with the presence of several hundred whale sharks in one place. But how can that be? After all, to see a whale shark one has to fly to the Gálapagos Islands. Then wait until
the usual dives finish, and after an overnight boat ride to Wolf and Darwin Islands finally see the largest fish in the world. But usually there is just one. Sometimes there are two or three. And Galápagos is the greatest diving destination in the world, so we imagine that nowhere else can be better. In the Philippines, whale sharks are often seen, but most photos show individuals of small size. There are also places in Micronesia, where the behaviour of fishermen has influenced the animals so much that watching whale sharks resembles a circus more than observing nature. But still, none of these places have ever seen as many individuals as at Isla de Mujeres next to Cancún.
Of course, it is not so wonderful every day. However, in 2015, when the captain whom I described above jumped into the water, it was just like that and since that year none of the following seasons has disappointed. There are days when you just cannot find a feeding herd of the underwater giants, but usually dozens of individuals in one trip is the norm.
Authorities have also got to know this annual whale shark food festival and increasingly stringent regulations are being introduced each year to give the sharks enough freedom to ensure they keep coming here. It seems that it works, although you have to take all the restrictions into account when planning your trip to have a positive experience in the water later.
The most burdensome for freedivers are limitations on the number of people who can stay in the water and the need to put on orange life jackets. No matter how many people are on the boat, currently only two and a guide can enter the water. This rule was intended to limit the number of people chasing one shark and increase the control that the guide has over the group. The regulation significantly ham-
Cancun
isla mujeres
YuCatan peninsuLa
pered the freedom of nature lovers, but effectively stopped crowds of tourists from crazy group chases. The number of people catching or touching feeding fish has also decreased significantly.
There is a solution for everything. The main thing is to choose the right operator. Any boat that has a permit will take us to the same place, but our on-site experience will be dramatically different depending on the operator we chose. Most tourist trips promise ”we will show you a whale shark”. And they keep their word. However, it can be on a very crowded boat and only for 15 minutes. After each participant of the trip jumps into the water and spends the designated time there, many operators decide that they have done their job and depart from the area dominated by a herd of whale sharks.
the world's largest fish will never become boring. i t will always be the dream of people who love nature and active leisure. a nd to the sharks themselves i wish that tourists would follow the rules and that engine propellers be kind to them.
Then, those who stay on can enjoy in peace and without crowds this wonderful phenomenon of nature. That is why choosing the right operator is so crucial. Another benefit is the possibility of entering the water without a life jacket and freediving with sharks. The rules say that if only one person enters the water with a guide and they are more than 100 m away from another boat, this is allowed. In such conditions, you can be quite freely surrounded by giants eating fish roes, dive with them, admire how they take a vertical position called la botella, or you can hunt manta rays with a camera.
The world's largest fish will never become boring. It will always be the dream of people who love nature and active leisure. I wish people who decide to go to Yucatán find good guides and that the conditions are as good as those enjoyed by our group. One of my companions described it best, saying ”if I don't have three whale sharks in the frame, I don't press the shutter. I just have too many photos with one or two individuals!” And to the sharks themselves I wish that tourists would follow the rules and that engine propellers be kind to them.
South Africa
serengeti of the seas
the least obvious country in Africa. u nknown, intriguing, even dangerous? i t is here that 11 official languages and 3 capitals exist and the landscape of the African bush is intertwined with white, openwork porches of victorian houses.
Sealions lie on the rocks, penguins live on the most beautiful beaches of Cape Town, the ”whites” have been living on the ”black” soil for generations, Boers at the evening ”braai” eat antelope meat and drink a local burgundy, and to experience one of the most exciting dives in our lives we need... tractors. Let us leave the stereotypes at home and fly to South Africa!
Text anna sołoducha Photos edward wronka
sodwana Bay Lodge scottburgh
Capetown south afriCa
Photo Pro Dive
KwaZulu-Natal, which is the land of the Zulu, is characterized by red soil, tropical climate, flattened crowns of acacias and high humidity, similar to neighbouring Mozambique or equatorial Kenya. After arriving in Durban, the first stop of our trip becomes Sodwana Bay Lodge, a typical African camp, located in Park iSimangaliso, untouched by human civilization, which lies over 350 km
north of Durban and 115 km from the border with Mozambique.
Sodwana Bay Lodge... everything is in harmony here – the materials from which the houses are made, deer, hornbills and monkeys coming to the terrace, geckos crawling on the walls, peace and overwhelming silence... The diving centre is located on the camp site and the beach is 5 km from the lodge. We go diving in large 10-passenger jeeps, entering the protected area. What captivates me from the first moment are the beautiful, wide beaches, and on them... the tractors. They push the zodiacs boats from the beach into the water so that the skipper can sail deep into the ocean with the right wave. The whole African coast is lined with trucks, pick-ups, tractors, zodiacs and jeeps – you feel like on a construction site, and yet we are in the UNESCO World Heritage area. Sodwana is located in a very geographically unusual area, on the very border of the subtropical and tropical zones. We will see beautiful coral reefs, long, sandy beaches, coastal dunes, a system of lakes and swamps, as well as wetlands covered with papyrus and reeds. Underwater, more than 1,200 species of Indo-Pacific tropical fish live here, hundreds of species of hard and soft corals, sponges, at least 25 species of sharks and rays. Dive sites are determined by the distance from the shore. We dive into the water (at 23°C) of the Two Mile Reef – a 2 km long and 900 m wide reef structure – the largest and most popular reef in the Sodwana Bay complex. Extensive coral gardens, arches, caves and schools of tropical fish make a phenomenal impression on me. Life on the reef is incredibly diverse and surprisingly abundant! Fans of photography are certainly not bored underwater. We admire small shrimp at the ”cleaning station”, thousands of swallowtail sea perches, Moorish idols, turtles, various types of crevalle jacks, scorpionfish, fish leaves, laced morays, ghost pipefish... We swim through the caves hollowed out in the reef and go around the large pinnacles. We admire the pink, orange and brown sponges, several meters long, we meet triggerfish, large groupers(!) and a huge, human-sized common stingray! The average visibility is 15–20 meters and
may reach up to 30 m. Depending on the season, you can find whales, dolphins, whale sharks and bull sharks in the waters of Sodwana Bay. On the way to the dive site, we admired dolphins, and in the distance... humpback whales! It is worth mentioning that it may take up to 10–15 minutes to sail away from the shore if there is no proper wave. Dive guides and helmsmen strictly follow the safety rules – life jackets and foot holders are obligatory when diving in South Africa.
In addition to the wonderful, very varied, tropical fauna and flora, Sodwana Bay can boast of one more thing, namely – latimeria. It is a prehistoric
vertebrate that, according to a scientific theory – became extinct over 60 million years ago. As it turned out, the fish has not undergone the processes of evolution and exist until now in an unchanged form, precisely in the waters of Sodwana. These 2-meter fish, weighing up to 100 kg, were discovered in the year 2000 during a dive in South Africa at a depth of about 100 meters. Earlier, from 1938, individual specimens were already fished in South Africa and Mozambique, but the real scientific breakthrough happened during the dive in Sodwana Bay! The population of these fish is healthy and you can count on a face to face with this ”live fossil”, however at depths below 60 m.
When the iSimangaliso Park was awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, Nelson Mandela himself said: ”iSimangaliso must be the only place on the planet where the oldest land mammal in the world (rhinoceros) and the largest land mammal in the world (elephant) share the ecosystem with the oldest fish in the world (latimeria) and the largest marine mammal (whale) in the world.” And he was right about that.
During a break between dives we spent the night in the heart of the oldest African reserve, Hluhlu-
we – iMfolozi. Its area is 960 km² of mountainous terrain! In addition to the largest population of the white rhino, you can also meet the other representatives of the Big Five: lions, elephants, buffaloes and leopards. Hilltop Lodge turned out to be another phenomenal place truly in the African style. For two days we were in the centre of the animal world... but this is a story for a separate article.
The coast of southern Africa is the home to the largest number of shark species in the world, over 200 in total... and most of them on the Aliwal Shoal reef. Depending on the season of the year, this unique place virtually gives a guarantee of diving together with tiger sharks, sand tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks and blacktip sharks. The reef is located at the mouth of the Umkomazi River (uMkhomazi in Zulu), whose name means ”place of female whales” – many of them once used the mouth of the river as breeding grounds. To this day the number of migrating whales is still very large. Aliwal Shoal is a reef formed of petrified sandstone almost 80,000 years ago. The area around the sandbank consisted of dunes, and in heavy rains, sand and slate dissolved to form a calcium carbonate compound, which today is the main part of the shallow. With the displacement of the continental shelf, about 6,500 years ago, sea level rose, causing flooding of the dunes. Over the years, flooded deposits of sand, sea shells and other materials have resulted in a large and sophisticated structure that is known today as Aliwal Shoal. The reef is about 2.5 km long and its width is on average 150 meters. It bears the name of the ship ”Aliwal”, which hit it in 1849. We spend five days in the town of Scottburgh, where we learn the most about the life of a white man in South Africa. It is here that we first notice white enclaves with houses surrounded by a high wall with high voltage barbed wire, we are absolutely prohibited from moving around the city or even leaving the house in the afternoon and evening. We were transported everywhere, cars locked from the inside. Being in Durban, we could only walk along the coastal promenade. Venturing into neighbourhoods where only black South Africans live is strictly prohibited. Al-
We looked at the underwater madness of smaller species of fish chased by sharks, we looked at each other and we looked sharks directly in the eye. adrenaline was at its peak and we did not have enough!
though life in this country necessitates compliance with many rules and is not the easiest, the white inhabitants of southern Africa feel at home here. Despite the specificity of this country, we also feel fantastic, especially when we jump into the water for the first time...
The procedure for reaching the dive sites is exactly the same as for Sodwana Bay. Beach, tractor, zodiac, vests, leg holders and again... seasickness. We dive! What I saw underwater surpassed my wildest expectations. Raggies Cave is a natural depression filled with sand and surrounded on all
sides by a reef with a rocky overhang. After 30 seconds of diving, I notice 3 sand tiger sharks, and after a minute... 7–8 specimens. Sharks measured about 2–2.5 m in length and throughout the dive, circled between us. The name ”Raggies” (ragged tooth sharks) comes from their crooked and irregular-looking teeth used to capture prey. Interestingly, behind the front row of teeth are three more rows that constantly move forward, replacing any tooth that is damaged or lost (and we pulled a lot of such teeth out of the sand). During the whole of their lives, ”Raggies” they can ”produce” about a thousand teeth! Subsequent dives on the Aliwal Shoal differed only in the bottom topography – sharks were a permanent element of the landscape. Equally recommendable is the Cathedral – my favourite dive site on the Aliwal Shoal. The Cathedral is made of a huge rock arch, forming a kind of a hole in the southern part of the reef. We see here a natural amphitheatre, created from the open, partially roofed hole of almost 20 meters in diameter. The Cathedral is surrounded on
Photo Pro Dive
three sides by coral walls, and the fourth side is decorated with an impressive sandstone arch. The place was full of sharks. We stared enchanted at the swimming fish until the dive computer warned us about decompression. On every dive we met ragged tooth sharks, loggerhead sea turtles, rays, laced morays... This coral reef has a completely different composition from a typical tropical reef. Algae and soft corals predominate here and cover underwater rocks creating a very interesting topography with many caves and flows.
The culmination of our immersions with these unusual creatures was diving with baited sharks –blacktip sharks. Before entering the water, we get very detailed instructions on how to behave during the dive. Due to the fact that human skin glows under the water like fish scales, we should remember that our hands must not be visible. It is important to constantly maintain a vertical position – assuming a horizontal position we resemble a seal, fish or turtle, i.e. the object of shark's desire. And the
most important thing to do, but not the easiest – we always look sharks straight in the eye...
It was an unforgettable dive. Great sharks, 3 m long, were constantly with us. We looked at the underwater madness of smaller species of fish chased by sharks, we looked at each other and we looked sharks directly in the eye. Adrenaline was at its peak and we did not have enough! Such a dive simply has to be experienced...
For the second part of the trip, we fly to the very tip of Africa, to the oldest city in South Africa and the place where the world’s first heart transplant was carried out. It is here that you can taste the best wines in the world, walk for miles on the heavenly beaches or live in the luxurious suburbs of Cape Town. From the plane's window we can see the city's business card – Table Mountain with a beautiful tablecloth made of clouds above it... I look at the ocean a little incredulously... Are we about to see seals and 30-meter trees beneath its surface?
Photo Pro Dive
Before we dive into the cold waters of Cape Town for the first time, we admire... sea lions lying on the rocks! The most interesting are those carried by the waves, with fins raised above the water surface. They do this because the fins concentrate most of the blood vessels that bring heated blood to the rest of the body. Due to the fact that the air temperature is higher than the water temperature, the sea lions stay warm in this way. The average
depth of our dive here does not exceed 12 m. Due to the small depth and the huge amount of air bubbles in the water, visibility is not the best. Despite the difficult conditions, we are having a great time with these African predators! They are very delicate and mobile! It is long since I have seen such cute creatures underwater! In addition, the bottom is strewn with all sorts of sponges, anemones, corals, seaweed, sea urchins and starfish with beautiful colours!
Underwater, enchanted kelp forests are places where plants grow to the height of trees. Already when sailing on a zodiac to the dive site, we can see from afar wavy carpets of plants on the surface of the water. We drop to a depth of about 18 m and we see a forest. Magic, enchanted forest. The kelp forest is a type of marine habitat formed by seaweed (green algae, brown algae, red algae) found in California, off the coast of Scotland, Sweden, the Sargasso Sea or just off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. These forests are home to lobsters, crayfish, crabs, as well as gully sharks, shy sharks, pajama sharks or sev-
engill cow sharks. We met... Mola mola! It is the largest skeletal fish in the world, which you can most often find while diving off the coast... of Bali. The reefs are crisscrossed by ravines, and the sunlight breaking through the wavy crowns of ”trees” means that despite the relatively low water temperature (17°C!), our hearts are truly warmed. Impressions? Awesome! One of the most beautiful dives in my life!
We ended the expedition in the southern hemisphere visiting the Cape of Good Hope, driving along one of the most picturesque roads in the world – Chapman’s Peak and admiring a penguin colony at Boulders Beach, which has lived there since 1985! These 45-centimetre birds, weighing less than 5 kg, are another showcase of Cape Town, and from there it is only 3,800 km to Antarctica!
South Africa is an extremely colourful and diverse country. It has huge deposits of diamonds, gold and platinum. Here we will see real, wild nature, luxurious neighbourhoods and scary slums. South Africa is the state of Nelson Mandela, the stigma of apartheid and of many contrasts. For me, it is above all a real melting pot of marine biodiversity for divers in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, with its beautiful coral reefs and tropical fish, kelp forests and friendly sea lions. It is primarily a country where I experienced one of the best shark dives in my life. South Africa is a real African diamond.
philippines
Some people say that it is a waste of life to visit the same places. wisława Szymborska wrote however in her poem: ”Nothing can ever happen twice...”, which is why i do not share their view. e ach journey is a new story to tell, different people, different mornings, sunrises and sunsets that will never happen again.
Weflew to the Philippines for the first time six years ago. Exactly three months after the strongest cyclone in the Haiyan history hit the land. The number of casualties exceeded 6,300 people and thousands more were considered missing. We wanted to cancel our trip, we could not imagine how we could rest in a place affected by such
a tragedy. We wrote an email to the dive centre on Malapascua asking to cancel our reservation. The centre reacted very quickly and wrote back in one sentence: ”The best you can do for us is to come, thanks to you we will rebuild our lives faster.” It is hard to remain indifferent to such words, we decided not only to fly there, but also to support the
Text sylwia kos M alska-juriewicz
Photos a drian j uriewicz, beaTa Tabak
diving centre. We were inspired by a friend, a diver who lives permanently in the USA and who spent several months in the Philippines. He organized a fundraiser among his friends on FB. We decided to go one step further and put a collection box in our office, where each customer visiting us could make a symbolic donation to help the inhabitants
manila
malapascua
Cebu
phiLippines
of Malapascua. The box was small, but the photo on it was moving. The photo depicted a little boy wading in the water up to his neck, carrying a dog on his back.
I still wonder what really influenced the fact that people turned out to be so generous, whether it was the media talking all the time about the dramatic situation in the Philippines, or the upcoming Christmas, or the natural need to do good which each of us carries in their heart… The days passed very quickly, the box was filling up, and our trip was approaching fast. One late afternoon, just before the office closed, a client in a thick, red puffer jacket came in. I remember the jacket exactly because the intense red highlighted the swarthy colour of his skin. He looked at the box and covered his face with his hands to hide his emotion and after a while he said, ”I was born in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. How is it possible that you care about the fate of my countrymen and how do you know about the existence of the tiny island of Malapascua???”
Sometimes, completely unknowingly, we can change someone's day, fate or life. It may seem to us that
our actions – even the smallest gestures, such as a smile, do not affect anything, but this is not true. Everything matters and does not remain indifferent to the world and people around us. The Philippines is an island state with over 7600 islands and islets, one of which is the destination of our January trip. Malapascua is located north of the mainland of Cebu. It can be reached by a local boat leaving the port of Barangay Maya, the journey takes no more than thirty minutes. Once the island was called Logon and even now local residents use this name. It was changed by the Spaniards a long time ago, when their ship got stuck off the coast of the island due to the terrible weather and they were forced to spend Christmas holidays on it, away from family and friends. Then they called the island ”Mala Pascua” which literally means ”bad holiday”. Today, the island is extremely popular, especially among divers. It became famous in the world due to the unique diving site – Monad Shoal, where you can observe a rare species of sharks. These majestic creatures, gracefully named ”thresher sharks”, attract divers from all over the world and thanks to them Malapascua is able to rebuild quickly after the hurricanes that very often hit this region of the world.
We flew to the Philippines in January, three months after the tragic events that took place there. We did not know what to expect at all. We landed in Cebu in the morning. The city was stuffy, crowded and tiring, so we decided to get to Malapascua the same day. We reached the coast of the island late in the afternoon, it took us the longest to travel from the airport to the port, a drive of over four hours on roads that were badly damaged.
I remembered the image that appeared to us when we reached the shore: several broken palms sticking out of the sand, dogs playing on the beach, seafront hotels and diving centres which did not look damaged at all. It is strange, I thought, I was expecting ruins, and found the buildings intact. As we later learned from our diving guide Bins, all the wooden buildings on the island were completely destroyed by the cyclone. Only brick buildings such as hotels, diving centres and the church where the inhabitants took shelter during the cyclone remained untouched by Typhoon Haiyan. Thanks to this, nobody on the island was killed. Hotels and diving centres were repaired very quickly with the support of foreign capital. Local residents, on the other hand, had to do it on their own. They received no subsidies or donations. They used what was left of their homes to try to rebuild them.
We dived every day with the local DM Bins, the water off the island's coast was much colder and not as transparent as it usually is at this time of year. Since then I always take a 5 mm wetsuit with me, no matter where I go diving and how warm the water is. The longer I dive, the more my body cools down, that is why now I use a 3 mm wetsuit only in the pool, during OWD courses.
Dives off the Malapascua coast are not demanding except for the Monad Shoal. Sharks can be observed here before or during sunrise. That is why
the shark appeared and disappeared in the dark blue waters of the o cean, moving with incredible grace. i t had a beautiful streamlined shape and a long tail fin, which in some individuals may be as long as the body. s harks use it to herd and stun fish while hunting.
every day we get up at 4:30 in the morning and reach the dive site after a 50-minute boat trip during which we admire a spectacular sunrise. Monad Shoal is the top of an underwater hill with a flat surface on which sharks indulge in cleaning and care treatments provided by tiny cleaner fish.
We dive very slowly, the rays of the rising sun penetrate the water surface and create colourful slides. Sunlight is very important to us, because when diving with thresher sharks you cannot use artificial lighting or flashlights (they could frighten them). We stop at a depth of 27 m near a thick, braided
rope that marks the border to which the diver can swim, so as not to frighten off the sharks. The rope is a clear sign for those divers who break all the rules and, despite the ban, swim into the cleaning site, because they want to take the best film or photo of a shark. Very often I witness such behaviours that occur constantly all over the world. Sometimes DMs do not react because they want their client to be happy and write a good review afterwards. I always react as soon as I witness such a situation.
We wait in suspense until the first thresher shark appears. Meeting a shark always arouses great emotions in me and I look forward to it with great anticipation. We wait, floating just above the sandy bottom. It only lasts a moment, then I hear a metallic sound, it was Bins who first saw it and alerted the whole group. The shark emerged from the abyss and swam very close at hand. The face of a thresher shark is very friendly, reminiscent of a dolphin. I held my breath and felt like I was watching a slow-motion movie. The shark appeared and disappeared in the dark blue waters of the Ocean,
moving with incredible grace. It had a beautiful streamlined shape and a long tail fin, which in some individuals may be as long as the body. Sharks use it to herd and stun fish while hunting. It is difficult to capture the shark's beauty with a video or photo camera due to the considerable depth and the ban on the use of artificial light.
Destiny or maybe an accident made us meet Bins, who with great passion told us about Malapascua, on which there are no asphalt roads, cars or scooters. The island turns green during the monsoon, and becomes barren in the dry season. He talked about tourists who celebrate life and admire spectacular sunsets, resting on comfortable pouffes on the shore of the ocean, about colourful lanterns hanging from trees, and a musician who plays romantic ballads on the guitar in the evenings. There was a story of the thresher sharks, which he loves. However, the most moving moment was when he talked about his family. About his wife and children, whom he loved more than his life and about the dream of building a brick house for them ... We managed to make this dream come true thanks to the support of our friends and clients from Poland. We gave all the money we collected to Bins. My friend, writer Magda always repeats: ”We never know when we will experience happiness – we should definitely be ready for it every day.”
This year we returned to Malapascua again in May. There were many more tourists on the island, several new hotels, an outdoor disco and a casino. Local diving centres have also introduced fees for using cameras and camcorders during the dive, which seems to be completely absurd. We lost contact with Bins a year and a half ago, when he sold the house and moved out of the island. What I value most in Malapascua has however remained unchanged: thresher sharks and the unique easygoing attitude that prevails on the island.
viva la Cuba libre!
p robably everyone has already heard something about Cuba, an island as hot as a volcano. m ost people at least partly remember its turbulent history during the second half of the twentieth century.
Text and photos a nna sznajder, M aT eusz sznajder
The whole world knows the names of the revolutionaries, Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara and everyone is familiar with names such as the Bay of Pigs or the military base in Guantanamo, but this small island offers much more.
From the beginning of its turbulent history, Cuba witnessed the mixing of three incredibly different cultures: Spanish colonizers, Indian natives and African slaves. Together, these cultures have produced an amazing mix visible in architecture, art, world-famous Cuban rhythms which have the power to make the most reluctant person dance, or in the Cuban way of life.
Cuba is a small island surrounded on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other by the Caribbean Sea. The hot and humid climate makes the island rich in wonderful flora and fauna, which is especially attractive to Europeans, because who among us would not be happy to see dolphins, pelicans or wonderful ripe mangoes, coconuts or pineapples hanging at our fingertips.
The Cuban way of life is also specific and you must accept it to fit in there. Cubans are in no hurry,
nothing should rush them. They had to adapt their lifestyle to the conditions of a communist country. Everything may be lacking: tap water, basic goods in the shops, electricity, internet, but never rum and music!
Tourists wanting to enjoy the charms of Cuba must accept some shortcomings and deficiencies resulting from the specific economic situation of Cuba, to which the locals have adapted thanks to the natural ability to get creative and create something out of nothing. This makes them a bit like the nation of the country through which the Vistula river flows. The most important thing for tourists is to chill out and not to get stressed, just like native Cubans, after all we are on holidays, and their holidays last all year. Definitely, world-famous Cuba drinks such as Cuba Libre, Mojito and Daiquiri can help us feel in this way.
The capital of Cuba – Havana is a mixture of beautiful restored colonial buildings in the centre and fascinating, but very run-down places which over the years fell into neglect as a penance for their sin of being a playground for the American elite in the first half of the 20th century.
Photo Wojciech Zgoła
It is normal to see beautiful, restored American cars driving on the streets of Havana, which attract the eyes of tourists, as well as little Fiats, Ladas or other museum exhibits on wheels that have served their owners for generations.
The city is teeming with life, the inhabitants look happy despite the visible poverty and destruction in many places. On the streets, the spirit of colonialism mixes with the wind of the revolution, of which we are constantly reminded by images of the most famous revolutionaries visible on many buildings, especially the world-famous image of Ernesto Che Guevara, who has permanently entered our pop culture.
The southern side of the island attracts tourists with its Caribbean Sea beaches. The most beauti-
ful cities of the Caribbean Sea basin are Cienfuegos and Trinidad.
Formerly surrounded by sugar cane plantations, Cienfuegos became a place for sugar barons to compete in building beautiful palaces that can be admired to this day.
Trinidad, though, is the best preserved colonial city in Latin America. Colourful houses and palaces look like they were taken alive from the times when the Spaniards led their way in these areas. Walking through the paved streets, you can feel as if time had stopped here.
This being Cuba, there must be places constantly reminding us of the most important heroes of the revolution and their fight for free Cuba. The city
of Santa Clara is tirelessly taking care of the memory of Che Guevara, and the Gulf of Pigs region reminds us of the victory of revolutionaries against the American enemy.
For fans of sunbathing and water attractions, the most important place in Cuba are the beaches of the Hicacos Peninsula. A place created especially for tourists, where kilometres of golden beaches and the azure of the Atlantic will satisfy every lover of sun and sea bathing.
But the Hicacos Peninsula (where the resort town of Varadero is located) is also a real paradise for divers. To be so far away from home and not be tempted to explore the undersea world would seem profane.
So, diving, diving, diving! Nothing difficult, just find a recommended diving centre and arrange a suitable date... but not in Cuba. There are no private
there are no private diving centres here, the state economy rules, and therefore you need to be patient and have a positive attitude.
diving centres here, the state economy rules, and therefore you need to be patient and have a positive attitude. Fortunately, a Spanish-speaking holiday rep will be happy to help you arrange diving. There is no need to look for more or less competitive offers – the price is imposed in advance by the state tourist operator and only through it you can book a diving date. The whole situation looked quite funny. The holiday rep phoned the local state tourist office, this office phoned the dive centre, which had to contact us with the person responsible for organizing dives at that time... such a game of Chinese whispers...
When the time comes to ascend, the guides lead us to a dropping rope, enforcing the mandatory 3-minute stop – full control of the situation on their part.
We succeeded. The matter is settled – two diving days reserved. Four dives from a boat with equipment cost 120 euros. I was to dive with the Barracuda Scuba Diving Centre.
Transport from the diving centre came for me on time. After arriving at the port, all paperwork began: filling out health declarations, declaration of the diver level, questions about the last dive and number of dives performed – this was a standard procedure (statements available in several languag-
es – of course no Polish). Fortunately, the team from the dive centre could easily communicate in English, which is not standard in Cuba. It is enough to mention the complications at the airport, when the charming customs agent ladies did not want to let me through the security control because of the dive computer in my hand luggage. Well, it was not so easy to explain to the non-English speaking ladies that it was not spy equipment of the Americans.
As for the diving equipment that the diving centre had at its disposal, well, the equipment was a little worn, but after all it had to earn money all the time. The centre staff was helpful in choosing the right size of equipment. Even before entering the water, I saw a manometer of one of the guides, all rusted and flooded with water inside. I asked its owner if this manometer was all right, the guide smiled and said that it was working and finally added: this is Cuba!
For me, diving was organized very well, the group was divided into two parts according to their level of advancement. A guide was assigned to each group. Before each descent into the water, briefing: the guides explain exactly where we dive, what depth we can expect, what we absolutely must not do underwater.
The water is azure, very pleasant and its temperature ranges between 27–29°C at a depth of 30 meters. We are having a very nice time underwater. When the time comes to ascend, the guides lead us to a dropping rope, enforcing the mandatory 3-minute stop – full control of the situation on their part.
Of the four dives I had in Cuba, the most interesting for me was diving on the wreck of a Soviet patrol boat. The wreck is located at a depth of 30 meters but its superstructure begins already at 12 meters. The wreck is preserved in good condition. Very pleasant to watch from the outside, unfortunately the guides did not allow its exploration inside. There are several turrets with cannons on the wreck, and we saw a very large number of lionfish circling around one of the turrets, but what can I say, in such transparent and warm water, the underwater life captivates with its abundance and richness of colours. Lovers of flora and fauna will certainly not be disappointed, while amateurs of metal stuff can admire the wreck itself and everyone will return from diving in a truly Cuban mood – happy and relaxed.
Photo Wojciech Zgoła
i n the middle of 2019, its premiere had a mobile app: d ivers Alert Network ( dAN). we will tr y to take a closer look at the possibilities of the application and briefly present to you the operation of the app.
Today it is hard to find a diver who does not use a smartphone with Internet access. In response to the needs of most users, in the DAN application we will primarily find our DAN card confirming the insurance, its type and duration. In most diving centres and bases presenting an electronic card is sufficient when registering for a dive. On this card, which can be easily flipped over with the touch of a screen, we can also find basic information about what our insurance covers. This information is very useful especially for
people who have not read the insurance terms and conditions – here we will find all essential information in a form of bulleted list.
In the profile in the DAN application we can also fill in our data, e.g. contact number and notifications.
However, apart from the things that we can also find on the plastic version of the card, the application has a very important functionality – its main screen has a round SOS button.
After entering the SOS menu, we can select one of the three options – call the DAN Emergency hotline, send our geolocation data and enter the option with the scheme of proceedings in case of emergency.
The contact field for the DAN Emergency Hotline initiates a direct connection with the DAN alarm number and reports an emergency or accident. Sending geolocation data causes – provided the GPS is enabled in the smartphone – sending our current location to the DAN centre. This can significantly facilitate determination of our location, especially in remote, not well known places. On the other hand, the guidance menu in the event of an emergency gives us access to the latest schemes of conduct, both in the form of a graphical flowchart and in a descriptive form.
In addition to the SOS part, the DAN application gives us access to selected articles published on the pages of Alert Diver, so that we can get acquainted with curiosities and news in the field of diving, diving medicine or diving journeys. We will also find there a calendar to check which European diving events in the nearest (or more distant) time as well as meet the DAN team.
An interesting option of the application is also the possibility to directly communicate with DAN specialists – we can write a message about the issue we are interested in, choose the scope of our message – e.g. membership, insurance, training, events, etc. And after entering the content, we can send it directly to people responsible for this particular scope of service in DAN. Interestingly, active DAN members can also carry out a medical consultation as part of the communication through the application. As part of the benefits package, each DAN member has the opportunity to consult their, even most unusual, health issues in the context of diving with hyperbaric medicine specialists. Now you can do it even easier than before – through the DAN application.
lake Bled
Text and photos kaTarzyna M akowicz
the lake located on the outskirts of the triglav National p ark and surrounded by mountain peaks is undoubtedly one of Slovenia's landmarks.
The water surface is 475 m above sea level and the area 145 hectares. It is 2.1 km long, 1.3 km wide with a maximum depth of 30.6 m. Thanks to active thermal springs supplying water to the northern part of the lake, the temperature here reaches 26°C, which makes it the warmest of the Alpine lakes.
The goal of our holiday trip was to traverse the Alpine trails climbing on our way the highest peak of Slovenia – Triglav. However, it is difficult for me to imagine a really enjoyable trip without diving. I started to browse the Internet in search of water reservoirs at the foot of the mountains so that we could plunge under the surface of water at least for a moment without changing our plans... I came across a centre offering diving in the beautiful Lake Bled. I was encouraged by photos showing clean, emerald water, large catfish and zander. So after arriving at the place, we contacted the local centre and arranged our diving. The diving centre is run by a delectable Matiaz Repnik and it was him who was our guide during the dive.
the pearl of the julian alps
maribor
Ljubljana Lake BLed
August in Slovenia is the month most crowded with tourists. This is because of the location of the route surrounding the lake and the crowds of bathing tourists, who besiege each and every unbuilt patch of the shore. They effectively roil the crystal-clear waters, causing the drop in visibility under water to 3–5 m. Being accustomed to diving in Polish waters, this did not discourage us. We made an appointment at the Grand Hotel on the lakeside, in the very centre of the town. We dived right next to the hotel and followed our guide under the wooden bridge – a platform, stretching along the shore for about 100 m. After a while we saw the first large catfish. During over an hour of diving, we met dozens of them, from 0.5 m to 1.5 m long. In the light of our flashlights they emerged here and there, hidden among the wooden beams of the bridge, between which we were manoeuvring in the dimness. They did not escape when I was approaching them with the camera, just floated lazily away a meter or two.
In addition to catfish, we found herds of zander, perch and pike under the platform and in the depths. Unfortunately, it was impossible to see carp, though it is said that in the lake's waters there are about 50 over 30-kilo giants. I don't think I had met so many big, freshwater fish in one place earlier.
i n addition to catfish, we found herds of zander, perch and pike under the platform and in the depths. … i don't think i had met so many big, freshwater fish in one place earlier.
The next day we had one more dive in the Sava River: fairly strong current, crystal water and flocks of rainbow trout whirling around. What a great experience.
To sum up, it is definitely worth diving in this area, but I advise you against travelling there during the summer months. Crowds of tourists and traffic jams make Bled resemble popular seaside resorts in peak season. In addition, finding accommodation at an affordable price is almost impossible. We were staying in a tent on a campsite, several kilometres from the lake. If you do not mind Spartan conditions, I recommend you two such places – Camping Garden Park with a beautiful view of the mountains and Robinson River Camp, where you can put up a tent right on the banks of the stream.
hemmoor
a story of threatening german rules and regulations…
we, p oles, clearly have a problem whenever anyone tries to impose anything on us, gives us orders or forces us to do anything. this, obviously, ensues from the history of our wonderful country and neighbouring powers, whose policies and actions have undoubtedly left their mark on our national identity. Somewhere deep under the skin, even today, in the 21st century and in free p oland, if we are told to do anything, we ask ourselves whether we really have to comply with this or that requirement.
Text M aciej jurasz Photos krzysz T of M alengowski
A fewyears ago I completed a successful trip to the area of German Dresden to explore local quarries flooded with water. In Poland we had three, and now there are just two such reservoirs (Jaworzno and Piechcin), while in Germany there is a real abundance of them. What positively surprised me were the very good infrastructure and diving centres open all year round at these more attractive reservoirs. Ant it was on my way back from Dresden – it was well more than 10 years ago – when I first heard about the Hemmoor quarry.
From Poznań to Hemmoor, depending on the route, there are 650–750 km if travelling through western Germany around Hamburg, which gives us at least eight hours by bus with all the gear – so because of the distance I didn't feel like going there. Finally, however, I had done some research and had been slowly gathering information to be prepared as much as possible to actually dive there, since travelling that far away to the other end of Germany. Internet is just internet, so what I based mainly on was information from those who had been there. And these accounts concentrated mainly on threatening: ‘Maciej, I am not sure if you will dive there. Germans demand such certificates that I even
dread to think', ‘Maciej, Germans control everything, even your dive computers after leaving the water’, ‘Maciej, just do not conduct any training there, you are not allowed to, it's forbidden’ and so on.
Now, while writing this article, when I confront my experience of Hemmoor with what I had heard before my journey, I can laugh at all those ridiculous stories rumouring in Poland about such a beautiful, charming and safe diving site as Hemmoor is. Due to the fact that professionally I train mainly instructors and sometimes analyse diving accidents, while visiting a diving site, I appreciate it in terms of attractiveness of its flora and fauna, but I also pay a lot of attention to the organization of the diving site and safety at the facility. So, how is it really in the Hemmoor quarry?
After a day of the journey, we reached the quarry in the evening, where a key to our hotel room was waiting for us, and the hotel itself was located literally 3 minutes from the entrance to the water. The apartment was clean, spacious, with its own kitchen. Really high standard. At 8.00 in the morning we went diving, holding our medical certificates confirming our ability to dive, we had our licenses and diving cylinders with current verification, two valves, with two separate first stages – in a word, we were ready to face the requirements of the Hemmoor diving site. In the office where we bought tickets (11 euros a day), a very nice gentle-
hamburg
Berlin
hemmoor
man put down the data of my group and handed to us the rules and regulations of the facility... note this... in Polish! The first thing I noticed was the lack of all those terrifying standards, orders and bans. With great interest I studied the 13 rules and what did I find?
You need to dive according to the guidelines of an accredited training organizations. The maximum limits are 45 m of diving on air, 1.4 ppO2 for the operating phase, 1.6 ppO2 for the decompression phase, and END for Trimix is 30 m. The student-instructor ratio during technical training is 2:1; in addition, you must have insurance against diving accidents and a diving scheme, as well as a certificate confirming that you are certified to train others – if you do so – on a rebreather or scooter, if you dive with a scooter. The centre reserves the right to prohibit diving to those who, while diving, pose a threat to other divers, do not comply with the regulations or have not registered at all in the diving centre office.
the above rules were so natural to me that i asked a nice gentleman at the reception desk for the remaining pages of these regulations . But that was all. i just couldn’t understand why in p oland i had heard earlier such distorted opinions about that place.
The above rules were so natural to me that I asked a nice gentleman at the reception desk for the remaining pages of these regulations. But that was all. I just couldn’t understand why in Poland I had heard earlier such distorted opinions about that place. Were we, the Poles, so horrified that someone was forcing us to follow what simply seemed to be an ordinary security standard? A verified cylinder, insurance and diving according to the acquired qualifications and experience. In addition,
the owner of the centre employed people who worked as rescuers, who emerged with the first aid kit at the marked exits from the water and actually checked after surfacing whether you hadn’t lost your partner, if you felt good and if you hadn’t exceeded the limits of safe diving. At the same time, their approach to their tasks and activities was very professional and in my opinion it translated into the maximum improvement in safety at the diving facility. Although I am aware of the controversy of this procedure, I believe that this solutions from the Hemmoor quarry should be implemented in the entire diving industry.
Now, what can we see under water there? The photos in this article only partially reflect the beauty of this place, which you simply have to visit in person. At the registration point you get a map where you have 42 attractive diving positions marked. Characteristic for the quarries cascaded walls end at a depth of 56 m. There are 7 sites around the facility from which you can enter the water, and each entrance can be approached by car. There are also comfortable tables everywhere on which you can put your equipment. Visibility under water is 30–40 m and this is the standard; only in winter it reaches 50 m. However, should you look for any objects at the bottom, it will be all in vain, as they are suspended in a really ingenious way in the depths of water; such is the case with a well-preserved plane wreck, which seems to be ‘flying’ in the depths of clear water. Boats, cars big and small, planes, an artificial shark, a bridge... there are enough attractions for as many as 4–6 long scooter dives. On the social networking site you can find at least two Polish groups of divers from Hamburg, who will help you with honest congeniality and a smile and provide you with factual information, and if necessary, they will share their soup cooked over the bonfire with you. Summarising, Hemmoor is a safe and attractive place, with great diving centre logistics, a visit to which, despite hundreds of kilometres, is a must.
Poznań, October 2019
Maciej j uras Z
Court expert at the Regional Court in Poznan
PADI Platinum Course Director
Płetwal Poznań Diving Center
maciej.jurasz@pletwal.eu
+48 501 472 997
caves miltitz
an old limestone mine between dresden and
a stony landscape of melancholic beauty deep underground.
Text irena kosowska Photos ula wróblewska
meissen
a biT of hisTory
The extraction of limestone and small amounts of silver ore at Miltitz probably began around 1400 A.D. and the first documented data on the open pit dates back to 1571.
The mine was operated up to the 19th century when the mining operations were moved to the currently lowest tunnels at a depth of 60 meters. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to the high level of groundwater, the lower parts of the mine began to collapse, and mining was transferred to other nearby mother-loads. In 1924, after the mine ceased to be exploited, the existing mine tunnels were flooded.
During World War II, there was a plan to use the mine again for the production of aviation fuel and aircraft parts. However, this project was never completed. After the war, the corridors were drained
and cleared again to fill the lower, empty spaces with gravel and prevent the collapse of other parts of the tunnels as well as landslides. However, at the end of the 1960s, these pumps were turned off forever, and the mine filled with water again to the state we know today.
The Miltitz mine has been open to the public for sightseeing and diving since 2000.
s oMe pracTical inforMaTion
Diving in Miltitz is only possible for a few months in the year and only after signing up previously for a specific date. Diving dates are announced at the beginning of the season and the entire season is quickly booked by divers ‘in advance’, so it is not unusual that trying to sign up for the dive we will have to wait even a year, until the next season.
Registration is only possible through two diving schools: Tauchtreff Dresden (Peter Panitz) and Cave-diving.de (Udo Krause). The diving costs
dresden Leipzig Berlin
miLtitz
40 euros and the advance payment is made at the time of registration.
It is not possible to fill the gases on site – for this purpose it is necessary to go to Dresden.
To sign up for diving in Miltitz, you must provide the required documents, such as diving insurance covering cave diving, medical certificate of no contraindications to diving, cave diving certificate of a recognized diving organization and licenses for the gases used. It is forbidden to use DPV scooters.
Parking spots are available next to the mine, very close to the entrance. The dry part, including toilets, allows you to comfortably get changed, get warm and have a rest. Logistics at the very entrance to the water is at a very high level – we were greatly impressed by steel benches for equipment, benches to get changed and a rescue system including a hydraulic winch. Compared to other mines we knew, this one was extremely user-friendly on the
surface level – of course, the equipment needed to be transported for quite a distance, but there was lighting everywhere, hard ground, and it was possible to borrow a wheelbarrow on the spot (and it came in handy!). It is cold in the mine – about 8°C, so even in summer apart from appropriate footwear you should have suitable clothing and a cap.
diving
The flooded part of the mine itself has several levels: starting from the level at a depth of 6 meters, partly being a mine lake, in which you can come to surface with no problems, to a huge hall at a level of 60 meters. The deepest spot of the mine is 63 meters.
In Miltitz mine we spent in water less than 5 hours during two diving days and it was enough time to sightsee all tunnels. The mine is very easy to move around and very well roped at levels of the same depth – if we want to descend to the next, lower corridor, we must ‘jump’ – i.e. spread our own
rope between the existing ones. Dedicated places for jumps are easily found even for someone who is in the mine for the first time.
Diving in Miltitz, despite the relatively small area to visit, provides a lot of diverse experiences. Incredibly pale blue and almost unrealistically transparent water allows you to enjoy all parts of the mine with delight. Visibility of 40–60 meters is an absolute standard here. The rocks around us change – once they are more brownish, then white and grey or clearly shiny. From the bottom not only limestone and marble were quarried, but also calcite and pyrite crystals, and even fine solid silver wires on the edge of the mother-lode. Is it silver which is so shiny there?
While diving here, we will find typical ‘square’ corridors with remains of railway sleepers, such as a tunnel stretching for 24 meters, in which we are ‘scared’ by an artificial skeleton, a spacious ‘cave’ level at 34 meters ended with a hall and majes-
tic several meters high walls and stairs leading us down to Adolf-von-Heynitz-Halle at a depth of 63 meters. At the lower level of 45 meters another tunnel opens before us.
Many tools, signs, old labels and markings, entire cabling and communication systems, as well as e.g. a bicycle, have remained from mining times. The shallower levels are riddled with rusty remains of mine transport systems. The remains of shoe traces are also very impressive – almost as if the water flooded the mine that night. Thanks to all this, while sightseeing we can find something interesting or surprising every now and then.
After the dives we definitely better understood the structure of Miltitz mine and the diving map, which had looked quite strange to us before. The old mine resembles a huge, regularly patterned hall. The dome is made of the rock, the uneven floor of which tilts at a depth at the angle of about 45 degrees. It is a giant cave in which stone pillars were
left every 8 meters to support the weight of the mountain. The chambers between the pillars are 8 meters wide and long and about 12 meters high. We can see many old inscriptions on the pillars. These are so-called Markscheider inscriptions, permanent notes of surveyors.
When planning a dive to levels at a depth of 30–34 meters, we can use air. When planning to circumnavigate the lower corridor and lower hall, an absolute requirement is trimix, and an additional stage with 18/45 trimix for the diving group, which is left at the entrance in the event of a rescue operation. Each pair just before entering the dive gives their assigned number, and rescue divers record the time of immersion and the predicted runtime, i.e. the duration of their stay underwater. If you do not surface 30 minutes after the runtime expires, a search action is undertaken.
Visiting the lowest level, however, was really worth meeting all of the above requirements. Just reaching this level gives you a feeling of walking through a huge rock palace – spaces in which the subsequent halls opening before us are several meters high and are separated by a stone colonnade, stunningly beautiful, leading us to the gate of Adolf-von-Heynitz-Halle. Arriving there for the first time, we just remained suspended in the depths somewhere in the middle, absorbing the majestic vastness of this place. This level, like the others, is roped at a depth of about 50 meters, which means that we have a another 10 meters to go below us and twice as much over us. Our experience is intensified by breathtaking visibility reaching as far as the light.
I had never seen such spaces in the mine, and no other mine had made such an impression on me. There are probably many other experiences ahead of me. However, since the very moment of immersion, Miltitz definitely took a very special place among my best dives.
i n the previous issue of p erfect d iver i wrote about local stories that usually turned out not to be true. they featured sunken churches but also flooded villages and cities forgotten after dams were built on rivers. p erhaps the most legendary of such cities or islands is the mysterious Atlantis. these stories however do not come from nowhere.
There is a grain of truth in every legend. Henryk Schilmann, among others, proved this when he discovered Troy. Sunken cities exist! In this issue I will present to you the story of several of them, because nothing else stimulates the imagination like diving in a sunken city.
But how could such a city find itself underwater? Many legends give similar reasons for flooding of
a given place. Sins and incorrect behaviour of the inhabitants of coastal cities usually aroused the anger of gods. However, the gods had a well developed imagination when it came to mass punishment of sinful people. In the case of coastal cities, it was mostly complete flooding of the inhabited area. There were, however, other cases. One Maltese legend tells of an unworthy city, kidnapped in the clutches of a great eagle and thrown into the sea. The huge round holes in the island are the traces of such cities.
Fortunately, science can now explain this anger of the gods and the reasons for which cities ended up underwater. The simplest reason is changing, i.e. rising water level. The second most common cause are tectonic movements and earthquakes causing flooding and tsunamis. As it turned out, even the large Maltese holes in the island, that supposedly were voids after lost cities, resulted from the collapse of caves.
Text and photos MaTeusz popek
Olbia
I will start the story of flooded cities with the least known of them. The ancient Olbia is a Greek colony founded at the mouth of Bohu in the mid-sixth century BC. The city was founded to broker the trade with the Scythian nomadic tribe. When the Black Sea was within the Roman Empire, this settlement changed its nationality. The Roman population left it in the 3rd century AD when the threat from the Goths became too great.
Olbia was built on three river terraces. The lowest terrace was occupied by the port district. Because of the rising water level, the entire lower town and port are currently covered by dark waters of Bohu. Archaeologists have attempted to explore the area several times, but adverse conditions make it a difficult and ungrateful task.
You cannot dive in Olbia but the land part of the city is open to the public. In contrast, underwater treasures still have to wait for their researchers.
We are moving from Ukrainian steppes to hot Egypt. Here on the Mediterranean coast are the most famous underwater ruins... Alexandria. Alexander the Great founded this city during his conquests. After his death, this place became a centre of culture and science with the famous largest library in ancient times. It was also here that one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the ”Faros Lighthouse” was located. It was to illuminate the sailors' way to the port. However, thanks to Cleopatra and her affair with the Roman commander Mark Antony, who met a tragic end in the battle of Actium, Alexandria had a great impact on history but also on popular culture.
Once again, a series of earthquakes combined with rising water levels caused flooding the port and parts of the city. In 1992, the ruins of Alexandria were found by the team of Frank Godio, a marine archaeologist and prospector. The huge flooded area of the city is still explored today and brings amazing discoveries such as wrecks, sculptures and even Cleopatra's palace.
Unfortunately, Alexandria is not available for diving, while the results of underwater archaeologists' work can be seen at the Alexandria National Museum in Egypt.
The Greeks also have their own ”sunken city”. The history of Pavlopetri in southern Greece dates back to the Neolithic era, when humanity learned how to farm and create ceramic vessels. Not only the outlines of roads and houses, but also traces of Neolithic weaving have been preserved underwater. The ruins can cover up to 10 hectares, while archaeologists have so far examined only a few hundred square meters.
The reasons for the absorption of Pavlopetri by the sea are not entirely known. This probably followed gradually after successive earthquakes, piece by piece the estate was flooded, until the sea took it completely. The ruins were discovered in 1968 and were first studied by Nicholas Flemming of Cambridge University and now by John Henderson of the University of Nothingham. The archaeological site is located at a depth of 3–4 meters and you can do recreational diving there.
Continuing along the Mediterranean coast you can reach the area of Naples. There, in the bay, lies another sunken city of Baiae. It was a Roman resort, which served as a place of rest for many emperors.
Olbia
”Portus Julius” which was the base for the Roman navy also operated here. Personalities such as Julius Caesar, Neron and Hadrian had their villas in the city.
Unfortunately, like other cities, this city was taken by the sea. The problem of flooding existed from the very beginning. The very slow increase in water level meant that one by one streets and then districts ended up underwater.
It is difficult to determine when the ruins of Baiae were found. For a long time fishermen have happened to catch pieces of buildings and sculptures in their nets. Regular research on these ruins began in 1941 and continues to this day.
Baiae is one of the few places where regular diving tourism is conducted and it has a diving centre.
One dive costs about 40 euros. An interesting fact is that you can also do snorkelling there.
However, not only the ancient cities were absorbed by the sea. Port Royal is a place shrouded in legend because of pirates, prostitution and hectolitres of rum poured into the throats of the inhabitants. This fortress was located on the east coast of Jamaica. Among others, the famous buccaneer Henry Morgan was stationed there. At the beginning, he looted mainly in the waters around Cuba while at the height of his career he owned a fleet of 28 ships and captured Panama. However, he got along with the English king, was knighted, and settled in Port Royal where he fought piracy until his death. He died in 1688 just before a great tragedy.
As I mentioned at the beginning, gods do not like sinful cities. This was also the case here. On June 7, 1692, there was a huge earthquake, followed by a tsunami that swallowed a huge part of the city and its unexpecting residents. It is estimated that between 2,000 and 7,000 people could have been killed then. The sea also consumed a cemetery with the remains of famous pirates. The first divers arrived there in 1959, discovering not only ruins, but bottles of wine, rum and a huge amount of everyday items. Archaeological research is carried out there to this day. Diving tourism is also possible there.
Sunken cities are not just legends. There are many such places. Some are known and have become part of our culture or even popular culture like Port Royal or Alexandria. Others are a local tourist attraction like Baiae, while others are completely unknown like Olbia. Each of these cities carries an extremely interesting history, sealed and protected by water. These stories and secrets are accessible only to persistent seekers who are ready for sacrifices. But it is worth it!
Ratio is an Italian brand of computers with a wide range of different models intended for use by both REC and TEC divers.
In total, there are as many as 11 different computer models.
Did you know that? What's more, the range includes watches!
What do they offer? Ratio brand computers can calculate diving parameters in Air / Nitrox Gauge / Freedive / CCR / CCR + Sensor Board modes, and supports 3 to 10 different gas mixtures (they can be changed during the dive).
What is important are the algorithms. Depending on the advancement of a given Ratio computer model, we have two algorithms to calculate parameters during the dive. These are Buhlmann ZHL-16 B and VPM-B. Conservatism levels of diving parameters can be set using 6 programmed levels in lower REC models, and in TEC dive models we can set Gradient Factors H/L.
What's important, and what we forget about borrowing or lending a dive computer to someone, Ratio counts repetition dives, thus ensuring a high level of safety by counting saturation during multi-day diving trips. The dive computer is a very personal device that should not be treated as a ‘challenge cup’ during diving
trips. Such sharing of computers can comprise the safety of their users.
Advanced software and pressure sensors in Ratio computers measure altitude by themselves. Thanks to this, when diving in Alpine mountain lakes, for example, the user does not have to remember to change the settings, and this provides an additional level of safety. The more things to remember, the greater the risk of making a mistake.
In all computer models we have the option of setting Deep Stop and Safety Stop and the users' memory is monitored by vibration and sound alerts when attempting to break the set values, whether it is depth, dive time, ascent speed or MOD.
The manufacturer of Ratio computers also thought about the convenience of users and introduced to the market transmitters showing the level of pressure of the breathing medium in the cylinder. Depending on the model, we can support from
3 to 10 transmitters, which also have a built-in system informing about the level of pressure in the cylinder using coloured diodes, thanks to which while diving with a partner we can see at any moment how much ‘air’ our partner has without bothering them while admiring the underwater world.
The real innovation that gives the company leadership in the dive computer market is the largest screen used in this type of devices (in IX3M models): with an IPS matrix, 2.8-inch, 320x240 pixels, 144 dpi, 100% matrix, thanks to which even in the worst conditions underwater (transparency, darkness) we are able to read diving parameters even at an angle of over 150° (thanks to the IPS technology).
In addition to typical dive computer functions such as a planner, a log book (~ 160 hr of diving, recording every 10 sec), the manufacturer has provided many additional functions (depending on the model) to the devices, form 3D compass and scale with graduation of 1°, through outdoor functions such like Altimeter, Barometer, Thermometer, Weather Forecast, GPS positioning, Gas Blender, Luxmeter, Magnetometer, Stopwatch and Pitch & Roll, to Moon Phases.
Built-in high capacity batteries (depending on the conditions) allow you to perform approximately 50 hours of diving between charging, which also distinguishes these computers from other such devices on the market.
An additional advantage for divers is the possibility to directly connect to a computer a dedicated oxygen analyzer, which allows you to measure the level of oxygen in the mixture, e.g. nitrox before diving. It is very useful, because thanks to the ability to control the mix with your own analyzer, you are always sure which mix you dive with.
To sum up, Ratio products are well designed and constantly enriched with the best solutions available in the diving industry. They are intended for users with different levels of training and needs. They provide a high level of safety during various types of dives in all conditions. It is also worth noting that the wide range of colours (applicable to watches) gives you the opportunity to express yourself and adjust your computer to your preferences, not the other way around.
iDive Ratio Computer
r A le N z dive CA mer A
Paralenz is a company manufacturing diving equipment of the highest quality. Everything that comes out of the production line is always tested by divers from all over the world, who share comments on a regular basis, making each product almost perfect. Their main motto is ”Made by divers for divers”. The team became so wellknown due to very quick response to all comments of the equipment users and testers.
Creating a prototype camera took a year of very hard and exhaustive work, and this resulted in obtaining an exceptionally good product. Constant software updates and changes in design have made it one of a kind and the best on the market.
What impresses first, of course, is the size of this ‘little wonder’: 12 cm long and 4 cm wide. It weighs is only 155 grams, which is the weight an average smartphone. It looks like a small flashlight.
Using it is child's play, because it has a knob with icons of the given function. There are no buttons or touch-screen elements. This is a great simplification and a reliable technology (lack of buttons means they can't get blocked or sink in and we are always sure that the camera will work). The use of diving gloves poses no difficulty.
At the back we have a tiny screen that shows us the battery level, recording time, the resolution of the recorded material and the number of frames per second (in 4K resolution it is 30 fps, for 1080p – 100 fps, 720p – 200 fps).
The camera is also characterized by incredible resistance to water – up to 200m / 650ft and to any shock. The battery life depends on the resolution of the movie. In the highest quality (4K) it works for 2 hours, and in the 1080p resolution – the battery lasts for up to 3 hours (lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 1600mAh).
The internal memory is 64 GB or 128 GB. Of course, it is possible to insert a micro SD card.
At the front there is an 8 MP lens with an RGB sensor. The format of recorded material is MOV. Another advantage is also the automatic correction of lost colours. Without filters, extra lightning or processing in photo editing programs, the camera will perfectly adjust the image to the environment so that everything looks better.
The entire camera is made of aluminum alloy with titanium screws
It features a USB 2.0 port with the possibility of quick charging and the ability to connect to WiFi,
a built-in internal microphone as well as pressure and temperature sensors.
Thanks to the app designed specifically for this camera, we can easily choose the best shots and frames or check the water temperature in a given place and at a particular depth as well as share our materials on social networks.
The camera might be attached to the mask or used with a special 3rd person viewer kit. Without unnecessary unscrewing, it can be pulled out and reinstalled at any time. Also all GoPro camera mounts are compatible, which gives us the ability to use either system.
Discovering Tenerife in one breath
i remember when in my childhood the Canary islands sounded very exotic and even exclusive to me. At the time, it seemed to me that i would probably never be able to go there. And finally i managed to visit one of them for the first time, and then again and again a few times.
Afterfive visits to Tenerife, I still feel like going there again. Why? Because in my opinion it is simply magical...
The obvious advantage of Tenerife is its location and positive climate characteristics. Its location on the 28th parallel north of the equator means favourable weather conditions throughout the year.
Despite the distance from the continent and being at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean, the air temperature during the day does not fall below 20°C for 12 months, and at night it stays above 15°C even in winter. In contrast, the water temperature remains above 19°C in the months December-April, reaching the highest level of 23°C in the period August-October.
When I first watched the island through the window of the plane, it seemed terribly strange to me that the entire coast was black and golden sand was nowhere to be seen. I was wondering for the next few days what captivated people about the black beaches and I could not understand – it was just the opposite to all these photos of paradise beaches. A week was enough to realise that I did not want to leave it. Travelling from the west to the east on the southern and northern routes, I felt how Tenerife
Text and photos agnieszka kalska
reveals its beauty to me. The island's shape, with the centrally located Teide volcanic massif, 3718 m above sea level, creates conditions for a varied climate within the island, whose area is just over 2,000 km².
I recommend the south-west coast to people who are not discouraged by large numbers of people and like being in comfortable conditions with everything available at their fingertips. There, the number of hotels and attractions is very large. From organized trips to the cliffs of Los Gigantes and the mountain village of Masca, cruises on tourist ships, to shopping centres, golf courses, restaurants and amusement parks. Those who prefer trips in the middle of nature will like more the nature park around Mount Teide and the northern part of the island. Views from the densely overgrown hills and routes leading above the clouds are in my opinion the most beautiful part of the island, because this area still remains intact. Similarly, the northern beaches, where high waves give joy to surfers and to anyone who has tried bodyboarding, are less frequented areas, where it is easier to be close to nature.
It is still nothing, because the real magic begins underwater. When I first dived in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Tenerife, I experienced the feeling that the water in which I dived was absolutely endless. All oceans are connected with each other, and this means that at any time, I can meet any species of fish, shark or whale, whose route leads just through this area. In the coastal waters live about 400 species of fish and several species of sea turtles, whales and
dolphins, which found there ideal living conditions for themselves throughout the year. I was lucky to meet them there many times and admire carefree games of common, bottlenose and spotted dolphins, as well as short and long-fin pilot dolphins. In this area, it is forbidden to organize trips for swimming and diving with local species of dolphins and whales, not to disturb their peace and affect their natural behaviour. A code of conduct was also developed during voyages to know how to admire dolphins above the surface, and a fleet that respects its regulations is marked with a special flag. During one of those trips, we observed Bridy's whale – mother
the most favourable conditions for freediving are on the east coast, where the bay protects us from waves, and the wind is definitely weaker than the one in the south or north.
and calf, and we could hear their underwater conversations – it was an unusual experience.
The variety of attractions in Tenerife will give everyone a chance to find something to their liking, but their multitude makes it impossible to experience them all in one week. Before going to Tenerife, it is advisable to make a plan of your visit and find accommodation accordingly. The main purpose of my trips is mainly diving in one breath, and it was the same in the case of my last trip to Tenerife. The
most favourable conditions for freediving are on the east coast, where the bay protects us from waves, and the wind is definitely weaker than the one in the south or north. Visibility sometimes exceeds even 30 m, and a rapid increase in depth allows you to dive at a depth of 50 m already at a distance of less than 100 m from the shore. In addition to learning and training dives with a dive line, we also visited recreational locations. One of the fixed points is diving on the wreck in the Tabaiba area, which is located at a depth of several meters and in close proximity to the shore. In the south of the east coast there are many rocky beaches, near which in the water we encountered rays, turtles and we could freely experience the beautiful underwater landscapes. In the intervals between dives, we most often charged energy, discovering the mysterious corners of the island, and the only limit was always the time. I have a feeling that there are an infinite number of secret and magical places in Tenerife, so in March we will go there again to discover more.
Portugal
Text and photos wojciech zgoła
i like being an explorer. p robably everyone does. Although it is often associated with difficulty and toil, it still gives you satisfaction, enchants and broadens your horizons. Although, i must admit, it sometimes may scare.
Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese traveller who discovered the sea route from Europe to Asia (specifically to India) has recently become an icon for me. I switched places with him and decided to discover his homeland. It so happened that I flew to Portugal from distant Asia, staying only for one night in Poland.
Together with Waldek, laden with luggage, we entered the arrivals hall in Lisbon. Then, we were supposed to track Claudia, whom we had never seen before. But because internet works wonders, we were warmly welcomed within a minute.
While being on the plane, we speculated what our 5-day stay might look like, considering that Vaco da Gama's journey took 8 years.
Straight from the airport we went to the picturesque town of Sesimbra. We arrived at night. We arrived at the square from which the view of the Atlantic stretched, yet at that time of day the visibility was a bit limited. A salty wind was blowing and it was quite warm. Many bars attracted attention and we had not eaten dinner. At the door of our
guest house – Casa da Praca, the owners of the venue greeted us. After quick checking in we asked them to recommend us a place with good food. It is well known that for a stomach to feel good sometimes a piece of cloth on the table and a good cook are enough. That was what happened that evening...
Before us three diving days in the Atlantic Ocean. It was still October and I had already completed the dives in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. It was time for the colder Atlantic, which has a lot to offer.
Sesimbra was once a fishing town. To this day, you may eat here a well-prepared fish, you may walk on its narrow streets and admire the views. We were going to the port, where several diving centers operate. Arlindo from Portugal Dive planned our entire Perfect Diver escapade. We took advantage of his invitation.
We spent many hours talking about diving spots. It turned out that Portugal has a lot to offer. Dives
Lisbon peniche sesimBra
in the ocean, in caves, lakes and in flooded excavations. In the following articles we will try to show you various types of possibilities.
Meanwhile, using one of the large diving centers we prepared equipment that was taken to the boat. 12 people were diving. We were swimming to the wreck of ”River Gurara MV”. We barely passed the harbour and the skipper accelerated, and after a while we watched bottlenose dolphins hunting. It turns out that the whole dolphin family has been living nearby for years – which you can read about in the article by Jakub Banasiak in this issue of the magazine.
The River Gurara ship sank several dozen years ago in February 1989 during a heavy storm. First the engine broke down. When they tried to fix it, the wind changed and the ship was pushed onto the rocks. She broke in half and sank. The rescue
operation using a helicopter was broadcast by television. The ship sailed from Nigeria and carried wood. That day it was impossible to save everyone, seven crew members died.
The wreck has become a home for many sea creatures. You can admire large congers, morays, octopuses, seabreams, squid, seabreams and many more. Sometimes you get the impression that you are diving in an aquarium. The wreck spreads over a fairly large area. The propeller is intact. Hull and crane parts can be seen. The wreck's fragments are lying everywhere. We immersed and went out with a dive line.
there are many divers in p oland who like the Baltic s ea and cold waters. h ere we have something like the Baltic s ea heated to 16–17°C (in o ctober), visibility at a depth of 35–40 m and the big blue full of life.
There are many different destinations available from Sesimbra. We watched one of them from a depth of 10 m. We were looking for octopuses, lobsters, flounders, shannies and weevers. We dived around large boulders and met small rockfish, crabs and starfish.
Arlindo from Portugal Dive wanted to show us the best diving spots in the Portuguese part of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, not all of them were available due to the weather. However, on the morning of
the last dive day, it turned out that we were going to discover Peniche. It is the westernmost piece of Europe. On the other side are the United States.
Peniche is perhaps more known to surfers because it is one of the best places to practice this sport in Europe. For us, Peniche is a place from which we set out on a fast dive boat to the Berlengas archipelago. Until then, I had no idea about the existence of these islands. They turned out to be interesting and worth the effort. People with seasickness problems should take with them appropriate medications. We sailed 45 minutes on the Atlantic waves to meet the unknown.
There are many divers in Poland who like the Baltic Sea and cold waters. Here we have something like the Baltic Sea heated to 16–17°C (in October), visibility at a depth of 35–40 m and the big blue full of life.
First, we dived at the wall of the island to reach a wide tunnel at a depth of 31 m. We crossed the
island and reached the other side. Along the way, we saw a lot of shrimps, flounders and crabs. After returning, we emerged gradually at a very colorful wall, admiring snails, mulletas, two-banded seabreams, scorpionfish and gilt-head breams.
The second diving site surprised even the natives. During the break, when we were on the largest island to eat a bit, we were asked what we would like to see. Earlier I had heard that there were Peter's fish there (Zeus faber, John Dory) and Mola mola, so I joked that maybe there was a spot to see these two fish. They smiled and said that it was impossible during one dive.
We jumped into the water. Nothing interesting at first. However, after 5 minutes of diving and reaching a dozen or so meters deep, we met the first Peter's fish, to count about 20 of them by the end of the dive. And finally, the guide's index finger and
the look of disbelief on his face made us turn in the direction shown. In the distance, at the border of visibility, there were 2 Mola molas. After leaving the water, he could not believe it. Anything can happen underwater!
We spent the last day of our stay in the sunshine and breeze from the Atlantic. We probably have walked down all the streets, and the friendly owners of Casa da Praca took us to the sanctuary Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel, from where amazing views spread. This is a must. It also turned out that there are over 200 km of bicycle routes on gravel roads, and in the nearby towns (also in Sesimbra) you can easily rent a bike.
Pastries are delicious here and it is difficult to resist the flavours of croissants, cookies and home desserts, which go great with coffee and a view of sandy beaches and the wavy ocean.
Finally, I would like to add that the Portuguese are very cheerful and open people. Unlike the southern European nations, they are not loud.
I am glad that I figured out a bit of the secret of Vasco da Gama's country. I want to go back there. Particularly as I read Jakub's text about dolphins from Portugal.
All at your fingertips. There are flights from Poland or Berlin, 4 hours and you are in Lisbon. However, you do not have to limit exploring Portugal only to the capital. It is more divine inside the country.
The best contact person is Arlindo from Portugaldive.com – you can arrange everything with him, whales and manta rays. Remember that the Azores belong to Portugal, warm and colourful. Madeira is also Portugal. Discover the undiscovered. Be like Vasco da Gama:)
Setubal
the city of dolphins
Text and photos jakub banasiak
l ess than an hour's drive south of l isbon, on the edge of the the Nature p ark of Arrabida, there is a city famous for the best fish restaurants in entire p ortugal and the excellent surrounding vineyards. o nce the most important centre of the fishing industry, today a port city which has a lot to offer to tourists.
Aspecial
attraction, especially for nature lovers, is the estuary of the Sado River, which flows into the Atlantic here. The surroundings of the estuary are a nature reserve. For generations, this place has been inhabited by a special community – a herd of bottlenose dolphins. They can be found on the shores of Setubal every day, and in the city itself we find many signs of how important ‘citizens’ the dolphins are here.
It is a relatively small group of bottlenose dolphins (approx. 30 individuals), whose members have re-
mained here for decades. Just in two other places in Europe these dolphins live in estuaries of rivers – in Scotland and Ireland. These here have been studied in detail and live under people's observation. They even have their own names and also their age is known. The oldest individual was registered in 1981.
Each new birth or documented death of an individual becomes press news. The name of the newborn calf is often chosen by pupils from local schools. In accordance with the recommendation of the
Institute for Nature Conservation and Forest (ICNF), the media informs about the birth of a young dolphin with sufficient delay to protect the newborn and guarantee the peace necessary in the first months of its life.
The image of the bottlenose dolphin has inscribed very strongly in the landscape of Setubal. Dolphin sculptures decorate parks, roundabouts, and top modern fountains. A dozen or so fabulously colourful lifesize bottlenose dolphins decorate the promenade adjusting the fishing port just next to the most popular restaurants. This is the exhibition ’Parade Golfinho’ consisting of replicas of dolphins with various decorative paintings designed by Portuguese students, teachers, artists and lovers of visual arts and painting.
Dolphins appear on the famous decorative ceramic tiles produced in the area as well as on city murals. Even manholes of the municipal water supply are decorated with the image of these cute marine mammals.
To find out the details about the dolphins living in the Estadoium you need to visit Casa da Baía. In 2011, this beautiful 18th-century mansion at Avenida Luís Todi was transformed into the Setúbal tourist office, combined with a centre for the promotion of regional dishes, wine, sweets and cheese. But the most important place at Casa da Baía is the dolphin exhibition. In fact, it is a well-equipped educational centre where you can learn about bottlenose and other dolphin species living in this part of Portugal. Perfectly prepared information boards show the moment of birth of the calf, hunting strategies, species of fish and cephalopods that constitute food for bottlenose dolphins. Here you can listen to the sounds of different species of dolphins, look at the anatomical structure of a dolphin, see its skeleton. There is also an exhibition showing all bottlenose individuals living in the Sado estuary, their family
tree and the exact locations of their most frequent occurrence. The model of the whole basin helps to find direction in the area and multimedia elements make the whole exhibition more attractive.
Bottlenose dolphins from Setubal are not a completely closed community, which means that individual animals can leave it for some time, and the group can accept an outsider. The community adapted its hunting techniques to the conditions prevailing here. The dolphins hunt near the surface, because there are many shallows: the depth of the reservoir does not exceed 15 m in the northern channel and 25 m in the southern part. Many individuals appear between Setubal and the Troy Peninsula.
The dolphins residing here are a very important tourist attraction. A dolphin watching cruise here is a must during almost every 1-day trip to this this area from Lisbon. In the high season, hundreds of tourists sail out daily with local companies to search for bottlenose dolphins. And, as this is a sedentary population, almost 100% of the cruises are successful.
In 2002, scientists from the New University of Lisbon published research results on the impact of dolphin watching boats on the behaviour and welfare of bottlenose dolphins from the Sado estuary. To study the response of these dolphins to tourist boats, the breathing patterns and behaviour of dolphins in the presence and absence of boats were monitored – from August to September 2000 and during the high season in summer of 2002. Focusing primarily on breathing parameters (which are an indicator of the level of stress), it was found that in the presence of a boat dolphins spent much less time on the surface, had shorter intervals between breaths and dived longer. Using behavioural parameters, it was observed that when the boats appeared in their immediate vicinity, they intensified tail beating against the water, which was a sign of frustration. The animals also changed the type of activity, the direction of swimming or separated into smaller groups.
The results of these studies, which fully coincide with the results of similar scientific projects carried out elsewhere in the world, e.g. in New Zealand, have clearly shown that it is necessary to introduce regulations regarding cruises at the mouth of the Sado River.
In recent years, the Portuguese Institute of Nature Conservation and Forest (ICNF) has expressed concerns about compliance with the rules governing dolphin observation at the mouth of the river, in particular the minimum distances that boats must observe when watching bottlenose and the number of boats approaching animals at any given time.
Fortunately, the vast majority of dolphin watching operators are trying to comply with the proposed code of conduct, i.e. the principles recommended by WAOH Route (Wildsea Atlantic Ocean Heritage Route) and WCA (World Cetacean Alliance). Unfortunately, not on all boats basic information about dolphins is provided. Tourists are not always told what to do to protect or at least not harm dolphins. Not all operators follow the rule that a maximum of 3 boats may stay near a given group of dolphins at the same time and not longer than 30 minutes (of course, when all additional conditions are met).
not all operators follow the rule that a maximum of 3 boats may stay near a given group of dolphins at the same time and not longer than 30 minutes (of course, when all additional conditions are met).
And dolphin activity in the boat operating area is very high. It is the wounds from the contact of dolphins with the boat propellers that are one of the biggest threats to these animals in such places. An additional threat and stressor is the underwater noise generated by boat engines, but also by ferries operating between Setubal and Troy and ships using the port of Setubal. The noise disrupts communication and affects the safety of calves. Calf mortality in such places is relatively high. And it's worth knowing that females give birth every 3–4 years. And it takes place
usually at the peak of the tourist season, when the boat traffic is the highest. That is why monitoring the compliance of dolphin watching business with the regulations is one of the most important tasks here.
The bottlenose dolphins from the mouth of the Sado River are one of the few populations living in Europe and the only species in Portugal. Recognizing the critical situation of the Sado herd, the local action plan was adopted and launched, which included the collection of genetic and ecotoxicological data. The genetic diversity and structure of the Sado dolphin population and their relationship with other populations in neighbouring areas (Iberian Peninsula, Azores and Madeira archipelago)
were studied. The results indicate that the group of animals from the mouth of the Sado River is characterized by low genetic diversity and a very high affinity, and that they live in one of the most polluted estuaries in Portugal.
It is worth knowing that the entire population of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) has been decreasing in European waters in recent decades and is therefore a subject of interest to the European Community in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive requiring the designation of special protection areas. The deteriorating condition of this species is a consequence of various human activities, among which pollution with toxic chemicals (mainly mercury) seems to be particularly significant. Despite this European directive, human activity continues to increase in the Setubal region. Potential threats include chemical pollution, noise, especially from construction sites, and of course increased tourist activity. A man can be an extremely troublesome neighbour for other residents of a given area. Time will show if dolphins endure such neighbourhood...
Geese
noisy travellers
Text and photos wojciech jarosz
i guess every nature lover sees wild geese quite frequently. And not only a nature lover. virtually everyone has seen geese in the sky at some point. After all, when they travel, they travel in large flocks, and sometimes even en masse. So you don't have to be an experienced bird-watcher (still less, an ornithologist) to observe these birds.
What'smore, you do not even have to leave the city, because their honking can be heard even over the centres of the metropolis. Goose migrations are treated as an omen of changing seasons. And indeed they are an omen. But what to think of the wedges of geese observed in the sky heading, let’s say, east or west?
To answer such a question, it is good to know at least a bit of biology, and especially the habits, of
this group of birds. And 'a group' it is, as geese is by no means one species. Even the observation of birds flying high in the sky makes it possible to determine their species identity. Of course, it is a bit easier with binoculars, since not all the characteristic traits of the species are clearly noticeable, especially in case of less skilled observers. The other side of the coin is that you can try to recognize geese even when you can't see them! It turns out that these birds have their own dialects and can often be distinguished
by the sounds they make. This can be useful when in the late, autumn evening we go out, for example, to throw out the garbage, and from the dark emptiness above our heads we can hear honking. When it comes to the goose language, one must immediately remember the sentence from the 16th century: ‘Let the nations know that Poles are not geese and they do have their own language.’ What exactly Mikołaj Rej meant is not quite known today – apart from the most obvious associations some linguists make that the term 'geese' refers to our southern neighbours – the Czech Republic. In their language, goose is ‘hus’ and Jan Hus needs no introduction to the lovers of European history. Returning to the birds, the honking familiar to most of us belongs to... a greylag goose (Anser anser). It is the ancestor of the domestic goose, which retained the language of its great-grandfathers after being domesticated a long time ago. The Polish name of the species in this context is not surprising. Capable of producing unusual sounds is the greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), whose vocal performances are compared to a dog's howl. For those who want to get to know the goose dialects better, I recommend recordings (also available on the Internet) or a marvelous article by Paweł Śliwa also available online, and published in the journal of the Polish Society for Nature Conservation 'Salamandra'.
The geese belong to the order of Anseriformes, the Anatidae family and together with e.g. swans, they are part of the Anserinae subfamily otherwise called geese. The geese tribe is divided into two types, i.e. Branta, (6 species in the world, plus several subspecies) and Anser (10 species and also several subspecies). In Central Europe we are lucky: as the migration routes of various species intersect here, we have every chance of observing at least a few of them. The most common, of course, is the greylag goose, because it is the only species breeding on the territory of Poland. It should be added 'breeding naturally', since for several years there has been a newcomer from overseas. A Canada goose (Branta canadensis), which was brought to Europe, mainly to the British Isles, has already started breeding over the Polish coast. As for now, these are rather inci-
Greylag goose
however, one has to admit that the geese are extremely vigilant. some experts on animal behaviour even say that a goose will do better than a dog to warn property owners about the danger (do we remember that geese saved rome?).
dental cases, but considering the fact that at least several hundred of these birds spend winter in the Vistula Lagoon regularly, their breeding in Poland can soon become the rule. Is it wrong? It seems that there can be just one answer – any manipulation with the living components of ecosystems leads not to their stabilization, but rather to a serious disturbance of the delicate biological balance; it is so in those places where the so-called ‘invasive species’ have appeared. Canadian geese are, of course, beautiful birds (aesthetics was, by the way, one of the reasons they were brought here for breeding),
but there is no doubt that it would be far better if they were bred on their respective side of the Atlantic Ocean. Returning to the greylag geese, these are large and strong birds that just a few decades ago did not do very well in Central Europe. In principle, geese had been hunted since always and therefore at the end of the 19th century there were already few greylags left. At present, meeting greylags is not a problem – they breed mainly in the Barycz Valley, Warta river-mouth and in the area of Lake Gopło, but they can also be found on small water reservoirs. Every year, about 2,000 pairs of geese try to prolong the existence of their species in Poland. For winter greylags from our region migrate to warmer places, mainly to the Netherlands, Great Britain and the Mediterranean. They usually come back in February or March. When 'grey geese', as sometimes greylags are referred to, gather to depart before winter, there are seemingly more of them in the centre of the continent. It is due to the so-called Arctic geese, among which two species dominate, i.e. the bean goose (A. fabalis) and the already mentioned greater white-fronted goose. These are
Barnacle goose
called 'Arctic' as their breeding grounds are located in the far north. In Poland and in countries located to the west they look for feeding grounds. And they do it more and more eagerly and more often than ever. On the one hand, researchers indicate as a reason global warming and no need to continue migration to further and warmer places. On the other hand, they think geese are attracted by the fields where maize is grown. Significant amount of seeds left in the fields after harvesting encourages geese to take the advantage of energetic meals. Some of the geese arriving from the tundra, forest-tundra or taiga stay in Central and Western Europe, moving daily to feeding grounds from their roost sites – and these are usually open water reservoirs where geese can feel safe away from the banks. Birds are sometimes seen feeding at night – greed, it seems, wins sometimes with a sense of security. However, one has to admit that the geese are extremely vigilant. Some experts on animal behaviour even say that a goose will do better than a dog to warn property owners about the danger (do we remember that geese saved Rome?). In any case,
these geese migrating in one direction of the world just to follow the opposite direction a moment later are usually birds travelling between their 'bedroom' and 'canteen' rather than hesitating whether winter has already come or is still about to come. Anyway, when it arrives, in a short time they can fly a few hundred kilometers to the west, where the effect of continental cold is usually much less severe.
When geese migrate, in most species they form characteristic wedges. As physicists calculated, each subsequent bird in the wedge faces signifi-
Greater white-fronted geese
cantly lower air resistance than the leading bird. That is why the birds take the lead in turns and go to further positions in the wedge to regenerate. The direction of migration is indicated by experienced birds, which have already arrived all the way to the wintering habitats and back. Young geese, including less than one-year-olds, gain experience. They learn how and where to migrate, where there are good feeding grounds and where they can sleep sound and safe. Relationships both in the wedge and in the flock have been intensively studied in recent years as still not everything is known about them. Therefore, the geese are ringed using not really flattering rings, worn on the neck. They do not cause any discomfort to birds, and thanks to their excellent visibility allow the collection of data even from remote locations. The results of the study show that geese are very family-oriented. And this does not only apply to the partner they choose once in a lifetime, after the possible loss of which it is hard for the bird to pull itself together, but also to close and distant relatives. Even in flocks
of thousands (and such are found every year during migration, even in the Warta river-mouth), it can be seen that the birds form certain groups. They include grandmothers and grandparents, aunts and uncles, the closest and even a bit further cousins. And all these birds recognize each other perfectly!
They form large flocks of geese not only during migration, but earlier, when they begin to prepare for the journey. This preparation involves, among others, moulting which deprives the birds of the ability to fly. When they lose their remiges, they must patiently wait for new ones to grow. The so-called moulting places i.e. places where birds stay during the moulting process, are chosen with great care. What is taken into consideration is the availability of food on the one hand, but above all, the possibility to ensure security – so they most often choose such reservoirs as fish ponds. In general gees can swim quite well, although not all of them do it willingly – the swan goose (A. cygnoides) living in Mongolia, China and Russia is not eager to be on the water. It
Greylag goose
even builds nests on land. This species has also been domesticated in the Far East and today it can be found also in Europe on many farms.
Other species of geese that visit Central Europe during migration include a lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus), a pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus), a brent goose (Branta bernicla), barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) or the beautifully coloured red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis). Apart from rare occasions, we are not likely to encounter wild snow geese (but after all, there can always be refugees from a farm) or Ross's geese (A. caerulescens and A. rossii), an emperor geese (A. canagicus) or bar-headed geese (A. indicus). The latter is famous for being able to fly over the Himalayas! Geese of this species were seen at the altitude of 9000 m above sea level – higher than Mount Everest! For most living organisms, including the vast majority of birds, these are insurmountable altitudes. Among interesting locations, geese can be found on some islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago. In the intervals between diving and surfing you can observe nene (B. sandvicensis), whose population close to extinction has been restored to some extent.
Some of the mentioned species can be seen in the great shots of French artists in the movie titled Winged migration (also known as The travelling birds – an adventure in flight). If the distinguished readers of this article have not seen it yet, it is time to catch up! Above all, however, look around (and listen!) while being outside – just be careful, as watching wild geese is addictive! And one more thing – geese are certainly quite intelligent – the saying ‘stupid as a goose’ does not have the slightest justification in reality. So I suggest using the version of this saying with the shoe in the lead role.
Greater white-fronted geese
OTS S P ec T rum full fAce m AS k
diving has become simple
w hen creating the Spectrum mask, ot S was committed to creating a full-face mask for a wide spectrum of divers. And they have certainly succeeded!
How is it different from other masks of this type produced in the past? It is almost totally different. The product has been created from the best quality materials, and the many years of experience of the American company caused that the mask has been used almost all over the world. But let’s start from the beginning.
The Spectrum mask does not have a second stage regulator. With this mask we can use almost any regulator that we already have. What is also different is the fact that we do not use the mouthpiece, thanks to which we breathe naturally and the muscles of the face and jaw do not get tired. Thanks to its design (no integrated second stage) the price has been reduced compared to classic full face masks (OTS Guardian, Divator Interspiro, and others). Installation of the second stage regulator
poses no problem for the diver. It is actually similar to replacing the mouthpiece in a second stage regulator. By installing a regulator that meets the EN250 standard, we can dive in water with temperature below 10°C being fully separated from cold water. And here we reach the biggest, in my opinion, advantage of this mask: for little money, already being equipped with diving regulators, we are able to dive in cold waters (less than 10°C) in fully comfortable conditions. Usually, during dives in such conditions, our lips and cheeks freeze. With this mask this problem is, at least, largely reduced. Of course, you should also use a hood designed for full-face masks. We can easily get one of a very good quality hoods (Kallweit, Santi, Waterproof etc.) available on the market. I think that every diver who has the opportunity to dive all year round in the conditions prevailing in Polish lakes or the Baltic Sea will appreciate this feature.
What about equalizing pressure in this mask? Here we touch the next essential difference between this full-face mask design and the rigid design of classic full-face masks. Equalizing involves
Text roberT s T yła
exactly the same procedure as the one every diver learns during the basic course. Just like that: simple and effective.
Now S ome dAtA
The mask, similarly to another product of this company, the Guardian full face mask, is made of high quality silicone with double sealing from the inside. Thanks to this, it is very comfortable and adapts to almost every face. The buckles to tighten the mask strap (five-point strapping) are designed so that they can be easily tightened without the risk of braking the strap.
You can buy a number of accessories such as the Ambient Breathing Valve (ABV) or accessory rails for mounting the camera or lights. It will streamline diving – we have free hands. Of course, we can easily mount hard-wired or wireless underwater communication.
You probably wonder to what depth you can use such a mask. Unfortunately, the maximum depth given by the manufacturer is 50 m according to EN 250:2000. From one point of view, it is not much but as for recreational diving with the use of air or nitrox it is quite enough.
The mask is available in two colours: black and blue, and each colour can be bought with a standard visor or a visor with an iridium coating. This coating increases the contrast under water and has anti-reflective properties.
The mask requires no servicing. It should be taken care of in exactly the same way as a regular half-mask, thanks to which the annual service is not necessary. Of course, do not forget to service the diving regulator used with this mask.
If you have the opportunity to try this mask, don't hesitate. I am sure that after several minutes you will fully appreciate all the advantages of this design.
praGmatiC deCompression
part 2
(knowledge for intermediate divers)
Text wojciech a. f ilip
warning!
Implementing the described decompression methods without sufficient knowledge and practical preparation can be health and life threatening. This article cannot be seen as a form of training of decompression plans execution.
Pragmatic decompression is a simple way to implement a decompression plan that is easy to remember and based on previous calculations. To ascent safely using it we need:
• a gauge – and it’s going to be easier for us if the gauge allows us to restart the average depth
• a timer – the most useful is a simple stopwatch which can be switched on independently from the dive time
• decompression software
• an instructor who uses pragmatic decompression for his own dives
• more about preparation for pragmatic decompression usage can be read in the previous, 5th issue of the Perfect Diver.
To present pragmatic decompression in a way that is easy to understand let’s make a few assumptions
for the gases. The assumptions are the basis for applying the method in the described form.
The method does not cover air.
Nitrox 32 will be considered as the basic gas, in use up to 30 m.
For more difficult conditions the alternative will be trimix 30/30. Deeper we will use trimix 21/35 or 18/45. Nitrox 50 and oxygen will be used as the basic deco gases.
So in order to be able to use pragmatic decompression and maximally simplify logistics and planning of dives , and also to increase the safety level, we will use these mentioned above ”standard” gases.
Photo Michał Motylewski
ACADEMY
leT’s begin!
Recreational diving, up to 30 m
Can a recreational diver perform a long deep dive?
Of course!
If you want to spend safely 30 min at 30 m a single cylinder is not enough.
We need more gas, i.e. a twinset 2x12 l (in this article we will not cover how to calculate the needed amount of gases). If, knowing that the no decompression limit at 30 m is 30 min, we fill the twinset with nitrox 32 then we will be able to use it fully.
a classic plan
After spending 30 min around an interesting wreck we ascend to 5 m, make a safety stop for 3 min and ascend to the surface.
Along the way we try to keep more less stable ascent speed, in practice something between 12–25 m per minute, and usually we slow down when our computer beeps or shows too rapid ascent. We tend to think, that the most important is the safety stop (after all the name must be derived from something). As a matter of fact much more important for our well-being after the dive is the way we reached the safety stop. To help explain why let’s work out the puzzle below.
”The proper decompression means everything we have to do to feel well after the dive” WAF.
A puzzle
The Red Sea, Egypt. Warm water, good visibility, very rich life, sometimes dolphins jump above the surface and divers after the first dive… sleep!? They are on a dream holiday, a lot of things goes on around, and they sleep – even though the first dive took place in perfect conditions and lasted less than 1 hour. The question is:
Why do most of the recreational divers after the dive on diving boats sleep soundly?
The answer:
Because they are likely to have a subclinical form of decompression sickness. Whaaat? I had DCS because I slept on a boat?!
Yes, although it’s a certain kind of DCS (and not triggered by the sleep ), which cannot be seen but whose symptoms we know well: sleepiness, fatigue, headache. Here is how we can eliminate it effectively.
p rag M aT ic decoM pression for recreaT ional divers
The aim is known: 30 min at 30m. To be more exact we want to spend almost the entire 30 min in the bottom phase – a recreational diver can really perform long and deep dives.
To simplify the matter let’s assume that we start measuring the time from the moment of descent.
(I am writing later how to calculate this time if, for example, I had a problem with equalising for 5 min and I couldn’t descent ).
We descend and we have at least 25 min of the real watching of a nice wreck. We can dive a bit deeper and shallower than 30 m, the important thing being that the average depth of our bottom phase after 30 min does not exceed 30 m.
After the 30th minute has passed we begin the ascent (best doing it utilising a descending line).
30 m Depth
Diving time
Aim no. 1 is to reach 15 m in time no longer than 2 min. If we were unable to do it in exactly 2 min and we are at 15 m earlier, then let’s stabilize our buoyancy and wait till our stopwatch shows the 32nd minute of the dive. From this moment we have 5 min to reach the surface. The easiest way is to divide it into five 1-minute-stops, performed every 3 meters. It is important that these 5 minutes also include the time of swimming among stops. In other words, we swim for 5 min to ascend from 15 m to the surface.
Decompression is a certain time which we need to spend in a certain depth range, while moving towards the surface. And we don’t have to be extremely precise
And now it’s t time for the target no. 2.
Aim no. 2 is to reach the 12 m depth in 1 min – and again if we arrive too early then we stop and wait for the 34th minute (in practice we almost always swim for a short while till the next stop and then we wait till the full minute has passed. It often means 30/30, i.e. 30 seconds swimming and 30 seconds waiting).
Aim no. 3 is to reach 9 m in 1 min – we leave this depth in the 35th minute.
Aim no. 4 is to reach 6 m in… yes, yes – 1 min, and we leave the depth in the 36th minute.
Aim no. 5 is to reach 3 m and stay there till the 37th minute.
Aim no. 6 is to ascend slowly to the surface.
i n shorT (decompression in ”no-decompression” diving):
• Divers can spend 30 min at 30 m utilising nitrox 32.
• Then they ascend to the half of the depth with the speed of 9 m per minute (so 15 m in 2 min – we always round up to the full minute).
• Now they continue ascending, slowing down to 3 m per minute, (so they ascend 5 min from 15 m to 3 m) until they reach surface.
even si M pler?
Utilising nitrox 32 for 30 min at 30 m
• we ascend till the half of the average bottom depth with the speed of 9 m per minute
• then we change the speed to 3 m per minute till we surface.
What with our subclinical DCS?
There is none (just have a look at the decompression trivia at the end of the text).
If during the dives on nitrox 30–32 after the bottom phase we ascend relatively fast till half of the depth and then we slow down to 3 m per minute, we will effectively eliminate micro bubbles. And if we perform the ascent in the classic way, which is from the bottom directly to the safety stop, the micro bubbles will accompany us, growing all the time.
OK, but what with the safety stop?
There is no need of doing it (although of course it can be done) because it is a ”simplification” of the way we ascend during a pragmatic decompression: we spend exactly the same amount of time between the 9th and the the 3rd metre that we would spend at the safety stop.
To be re M e M bered
If, for recreational dives up to 30 m, we deploy nitrox 32 instead of air, and variable ascent speed 9 and 3 m per minute, then the dives become much safer and divers… will not sleep between the dives
pragmatic decompression for technical divers
In the previous issue of the Perfect Diver I described a sample decompression plan utilising one decompression gas and trimix in the bottom phase.
It could seem, that if we mastered a proven method of decompression calculation we can plan deep
dives of any length we like. Have a look at statistics of decompression accidents below. Pay attention to the fact that the number of accidents grows with the depth and time of a dive.
decoMpression accidenTs
• In recreational diving in 3/1000 dives serious accidents happen.
• In technical diving to 60 m it is 2/1000, of which 50% DCS type II and 50% DCS type I.
• In technical diving deeper than 60 m DCS type I happens in 20/1000 dives.
In most cases the occurrence of DCS is connected to long bottom phase followed by various mistakes connected to decompression execution. The risk of making mistakes which will cause DCS is the part of diving. Gaining diving experience and consciously
extending our time deeper and deeper we have to take into account the possibility of DCS as a constant risk factor in this activity.
”Safe” or rather the easiest to calculate are the following compartments of time and depth:
• 45 m – 30 min
• 60 m – 20 min
• 75 m – 15 min.
Taking it into account it’s worth planning one’s diving development in a slow pace, slowly extending both depth and time of the bottom phase, adjusting them to own skills, psychophysical fitness and diving experience.
How to do it?
If we focus on slow development, then during gaining experience after finishing a technical course we
Photo Michał Motylewski
will plan dives in the range of 45–55 m, with the amount of gas of a 2x12 l set. Sticking to 2x12 l will eliminate, with big probability, typical mistakes of inexperienced technical divers, who change cylinders to bigger and add more side cylinders, as they want to extend depth and bottom time as fast as possible, while they are not ready for this yet. The safety will be ensured by the amount of gas, which will not let us dive longer than in the safest compartment.
calculaTing decoMpression
It’s known that with such dives the Set Point (the depth and the time, on which the fast calculations are based) is the average bottom depth 45 m and time 30 min. We can safely extend the depth and simultaneously shorten the bottom time. Let’s calculate the minimum gas for the individual depth segments starting with 42 m. A segment is 3 m, so we calculate extending the depth every 3 m. The limit for us will be the chosen ppO2 in the bottom phase and the real bottom time, which will let us real solving of problems without the risk of OOG).
Drawing a simple table with MG and BT for individual segments can be very useful.
With extending the depth and simultaneously shortening the bottom time we can get constant decompression time.
Every 3 m deeper from our set point (45 m) means +5 minutes to the decompression time (and respectively 3 m shallower = –5 minutes deco), and while calculating gases you will find out that when extending depth the safest is to shorten bottom time. Meaning that if we extend our depth of 3 m, to 48 m, and shorten the bottom time by 5 min to
25 min, our decompression will stay constant at 30 minutes (you don’t know what is this calculation based on? Find the explanation in the previous Perfect Diver). It’s easy to spot a certain rule: with the described assumptions BT=DT. Deeper 3 m = deco longer 5 min. Shallower 3 m = deco shorter 5 min.
Is it so crucial to stick to decompression of 30 min?
No, the main reason here is the amount of gases we carry – in practice it is enough for about 45 min. In these depth and time range it is safer to take 1 big cylinder with deco gas than 2 with 2 gases (it’s worth checking in Deco Planer a dive for 45 m with bottom time of 30 min with nitrox 50 as a deco gas, and similarly with oxygen extra – the difference in deco time is too small to bother with extra cylinder, although the decision always depends on the diver).
OK, and what if I’m on a wreck, with superb superstructures at 42 m but also a super propeller at 51 m?
How to perform such a dive?
flexible decoMpression plans, i.e. we dive
The way we wanT
A good strategy is to check the deepest point where there is something interesting for us and choose gases according to this depth. If the wreck, apart from the most interesting part at 42 m, has e.g. propellers, always worth seeing, at 51 m, then instead of trimix 21/35 we take trimix 18/45. (such change always means +5 minutes deco) Here the standard gas saves us time: we know without calculations that it’s the safest for these depth range.
Now, here is what gives us diving freedom – the average depth and average partial pressure. Wrecks are on average 100 m long. Without a scooter, swimming along it will take us about 7 min, coming back will take another 7 min, plus taking a photo and glancing here and there, will take next few minutes. Very seldom we swim at the constant depth, so here is our aim – for calculating decompression we use the average depth of the total bottom time. Knowing that the most interesting part of the wreck is at 42 m and we spend there 90% of our time, having the right gas
Photo Tecline
and knowing how to plan the turn pressure, we can easily spend 5 min at the bottom near propellers, at 51 m. Our average depth will rise to 45 m, and this is our set point. So if before ascending our gauge shows the average depth of 45 m and the time of 30 min then the decompression will take 30 min (+5 min due to rising the amount of Helium by 10%)
OK, and what with ppO2?
Easy – it’s at a very safe level of 1 ATA, Thanks to utilising the proper gas we have its smaller density and therefore a smaller narcotic potential. While choosing gases it’s worth taking into account the average partial pressure and average narcotic potential (suggested in such dives: ppO2 1,2 and END 30 m).
And now just shortly about long dives with the average depth of 30 m, very popular e.g. in some caves. We can use 2 gases: nitrox 32 or trimix 30/30. Planning decompression will be the same for both gases, but the second one will be much better in places
requiring from divers increased effort. The rule for ascending is the same as in pragmatic decompression for recreational divers: till 50% of the average depth we ascent with the speed of 9 m per minute and then we slow down to 3 m per minute. The set point is 30m/30min. Every extra 10 min at this depth generates extra 10 min deco time at 6 m (or 5 min if we deploy for deco pure oxygen).
decompression trivia, connected and not connected to pragmatic decompression
Apart from the best calculation the key factors for safe decompression are: temperature, hydration, gentle work during deco, diver’s fitness.
• No-decompression diving means that we accept the risk of decompression at the surface.
• BT is calculated starting at the 10th metre, the time spent shallower than 10 m is deducted from the BT.
• If we stay for long in the range of 15–20 m and
Photo Marcello Di Francesco
then we descend then every 3 min give us 2 min to the BT.
• If the average depth of a dive planned in the range of 45–75 metres is smaller than 25 m then the decompression can be omitted.
• If the time of the dive was shorter than 20 min then we ascend to 50% of the depth.
• Using a pragmatic decompression from 21 m we can use a linear variant: 50% of the deco time is divided into 5 stops 21–9 m with equal times, and the remaining 50% we stay at 6 m (or we can divide it into 2/3 at 6 m and 1/3 at 3 m).
• We can also utilise decompression with an ”S curve” where he time form 21 m is divided for: 1/3 at 21–9 m, 2/3 at 6 m.
• Typical ascent speeds: 9–10 m per minute till 75% of the depth and then 6 m per minute.
• For the planned nitrox 50 we can use nitrox 46–54% O2.
• If the O2 fraction is bigger than 54% we start deco at 18 m.
• If the O2 fraction is smaller than 46% then we add extra 5 min deco at 6 m (it works for the 40–45% O2 only).
• Typical gas consumption needed among others for the deco gas planning: bottom phase 15–20 l/min deco phase 10–16 l/min dynamic consumption 25–30 l/min.
aTTenTion!
Choosing deco profiles, deco time, gases, software and computers depend solely on you: the diver who prepares it and plans to deploy it.
If you found the described method of decompression interesting and you are willing to extend your knowledge about decompression, then you are invited to seminars at the tecline Academy.
