Perfect Diver Magazine 8 issue by perfectdiver

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Wojciech Zgoła Editor-in-Chief

The world slowed down, almost stopped. Earth, water, air rest from human activity, and man... he was quarantined.

Sitting in a cage, even a golden one, is not pleasant, right? We wanted more, we wanted faster, we wanted mainly for ourselves. The world was rushing at the speed of the French TGV and did not intend to stop. Until nature said – "Stop!".

Currently, we have time for reflection and inspiration. Let's use it to the maximum to have a ready plan for the moment when the world situation normalizes or at least the threat decreases.

Sitting at home, think about your priorities. Will you let yourself be plunged into GDP growth and unrestrained consumption? Or maybe just like slow food fashion, you will start to taste other aspects of life? Take it easy, with respect for mother nature.

Start planning today! With us and the latest issue of Perfect Diver magazine.

As a first I released the material from Easter Island. We had Easter, we have water and we have a nice story. It all went well.

Our authors have the power of positive energy for you. Water calms down. Communing with nature, underwater history, flooded mines or caves will draw us away from a million messages. It will give us relief for our heads, an accelerated heartbeat and a different perspective. A different view of life. Because it is "Panta Rei" (still flowing), as Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, thought. He was right in expressing the belief in lack of stability in the world...

And if it's still flowing, who, if not a diver, is best prepared for it in the world?

If you liked an article, donate to the magazine – with one click. Even a small amount, e.g. 1 euro, will help us prepare the next issue of the magazine.

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Rapa Nui. Diver at the end of the world

From Marsa to St. John's or safari in the south of the Egyptian Red Sea

Wadi Lahami, a place where the sun rises

Kas ‘Freshwater’ Portugal

Can you? You can! Kacper Siciński – about himself and the Water and Diving Rescue Section Standard Operating Procedures. What is it and what is it for?

Tourist organizer on the diving exhibition market. How does this work in practice?

Zgoła Irena Kosowska

Mateusz Popek

Wojciech Zgoła ul. Folwarczna 37, 62-081 Przeźmierowo redakcja@perfectdiver.com ISSN 2545-3319 distribution dive centers, online store preorder@perfectdiver.com

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

Maksymilian Allweil

Adwokat Joanna Wajsnis Brygida Jackowiak-Rydzak

Montserrat (Julieta Ulanovsky) Open Sans (Ascender Fonts) Spectral (Production Type)

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).

agniesZka kalska

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

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

• Apnea Academia International and PADI Master Freediver freediving instructor,

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

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

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

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

• passionate about freediving and swimming.

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

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

Wojciech Zgoła

irena kosoWska

jakub degee

MateusZ popek

bartosZ psZcZółkoWski

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

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

Karol's first contact with diving was innocent and accidental. He began with snorkeling in Bulgaria and Greece in the late 90s. A little later, after taking the first course, diving became his passion. Since then, he has passed all levels of training. He worked as an underwater guide in several countries and worked on shellfish harvesting in cold Scottish waters. By profession, he is a logistics manager, which makes it very easy for him to organize diving trips. An enthusiast of flooded caves, a speleologist, seeker of abandoned places (mines, adits, factories). A SDI/TDI diving and first aid instructor. He thinks that what makes a good diver is arduous training in various conditions. The admirer of the Balkans, which he has been visiting for 20 years. He loves underwater photography, wild mountains, Asia and its cuisine, black humor and happy company on trips. A SeaYa Ambassador.

MA in tourism and economics. She dives from the cradle, she grew up in diving camps. She managed to combine her professional work with a great passion for diving and travel – for over 10 years she has been running the diving travel agency Activtour.pl, which deals with professional organization of diving trips around the world (also in the Arctic areas: to Antarctica and the Arctic). More information at: www.activtour.pl; www.activtour24.pl; www.safari-nurkowe.pl

The owner of the Płetwal Poznań diving centre, a lawyer by education, a PADI Assistant Instructor. For 10 years a happy wife and a mother of two sons, Ignacy and Henryk. Until 2017 she worked as an assistant of a legal counsel in Poznań, but for the last 2 years she has been completely devoted to the diving center. Since then, she has organized dozens of domestic and foreign dive trips. For a year she has been trying to extend her expeditions further and combine them with sightseeing trips. In her spare time she runs away with her husband to the mountains in the attempt to reach the Crown of Polish Mountains in the near future.

Arlindo is such a diver who usually does not need to wash his equipment, because every dive takes place in lakes and caves with fresh water. There is an exception, however, when there is a wreck nearby, then he wants to dive on it. And unfortunately there are not many of them in fresh water. Arlindo is passionate about diving in Portugal and is TDI MKVI Full Cave CCR and MKVI Mixed Gas 60 m CCR certified. His excellent diving activities in Portugal can be found at https://www. facebook.com/portugaldive/ and at https://www. portugaldive.com

robert styła

katarZyna cieślaWska

dagny grądZka-jurasZ

arlindo serrao

Wojciech a. filip

karol pencil ołóWek

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

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

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

"Wet photos" – He has photographed since he remembers. After several years of experience as a diver, he wanted to keep memories of underwater dives. He bought his first compact camera with an underwater housing. Over time, however, the desire to have the best photo began to dominate, which was not quite possible with the compact he used. That's why he switched to the Olympus PEN E-PL 5 reflex camera, which allows the use of several different lenses. He uses a combination of underwater flashes and lights. He focuses on wildlife photography, not arrangement. He photographs in fresh domestic waters as well as in the seas and oceans of the world. He has already won numerous awards at Czech and foreign photography competitions. More photos can be found on his website, where you can also buy them not only as photos, but also as photos printed on canvas or on another medium. www.mokrefotky.cz

https://www.facebook.com/MichalCernyPhotography

https://www.instagram.com/michalcerny_photography/

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.

Michal Černý

Wojciech jarosZ

Margita śliZoWska

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

agata turoWicZ

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

kacper siciński

A man who is not afraid of hard work. A fireman by profession. A diver with passion. Founder of a diving group at the Main School of Fire Service, in which he conducted over 50 diving courses. He spent most of his life in the aquatic environment, starting with professional swimming or water rescue. He won two bronze medals at the Olympics of uniformed services in Los Angeles. He started his diving adventure at the age of 14. At the age of 20, he became an M1 KDP/ CMAS instructor. A scuba diver enchanted by the Polish waters in which he spends the most time. In love with decompression and sea-wreck diving. He believes that the goal can only be achieved through hard work and continuous development of his skills.

Michelangelo i Donatello komputery do nurkowania / freedivingu.

To idealne komputery do sportów podwodnych, dzięki możliwości dezaktywacji funkcji „nurkowanie” , która pozwala wyłączyć niepotrzebne alarmy podczas snorkelingu lub pływania.

Donatello

Michelangelo

Rapa Nui

diver at the end of the world

Text and photos karol pencil ołówek

i n this issue, i invite you, d ear r eaders, to learn about a place that is commonly known, although still considered one of the most unusual and mysterious places on e arth.

Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua or simply Easter Island, we will talk about it in this article. Territorially, the island belongs to Chile. It is located on the Pacific, almost 4000 km from the coast of South America and over 2000 km from the nearest inhabited island. It is a place I have always dreamed of.

I do not personally know anyone who would not hear about the small but famous island full of amazing stone figures. These statues, called locally Moai, were carved centuries ago by the people of Rapa Nui, from whom the island took its original name.

The Rapa Nui area is one of the youngest inhabited areas on Earth and has remained the longest isolated place from the world. The island was only discovered at Easter in 1722 by a Dutch ship under the command of Jacob Roggeveen, who called it Easter Island to commemorate the date of reaching this amazing piece of land. This name is very rarely used by the locals.

About 900 Moai statues have been discovered on the island today, the highest of which is 21 meters high. Their average height is about 4–5 meters. All places on the island where we can find these mysterious sculptures are part of the Rapa Nui National Park, which has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995. The island belongs to the most isolated places on Earth. It is incredibly green, and its surface is covered with mountains and volcanoes.

Thousands of wild horses and crystal clear waters surrounding the rocky coast of Rapa Nui complement the wonderful landscape. Lovers of caves will find very interesting places on the island. The area of the island is small and is approximately 12 by 20 kilometers. Imagine just a small dot

lying somewhere in the midst of thousands of kilometers of boundless ocean.

Travelling to Easter Island is not easy or short. First we must get to one of the European airports (e.g. Rome, Paris, Barcelona). From here we fly to the capital of Chile – Santiago. The flight lasts several hours, so it is quite exhausting, and we still have a flight from Santiago to Rapa Nui, which lasts additional 5 hours. After landing, a local team greeted us in the arrivals hall, which made us feel very nice at the beginning and all the symptoms of tiredness disappeared. Such a small thing, and how pleasant.

Rapa Nui is a great place for diving, snorkelling and other water-related activities. A unique feature of the local waters is their legendary transparency. Visibility of 40–50 meters is considered poor. The 60-meter visibility happens every day!

a unique feature of the local waters is their legendar y transparency. v isibility of 40–50 meters is considered poor. the 60-meter visibility happens every day!

It results from the lack of plankton and pollution. The water temperature ranges from 18 to 27°C.

what awaits us underwater?

First of all, reefs with beautiful tunnels, with the possibility of swimming through them, volcanic boulders, caves, as well as beautiful arches, cliffs and lava platforms. The fauna I met were mainly turtles, tunas, morays and tropical fish, whose names I cannot even repeat. There were also lobsters and many sea urchins. Local underwater life embraces about 160 species, one quarter of which occurs endemically only around Easter Island.

In Hanga Roa, the capital and the only city on the island, there are many diving bases. The choice is wide. I decided to choose the Orca base in Hanga Roa. My earlier email contact with this base was very nice and professional. It is the oldest dive center on the island. Established in 1980. It was founded by the brothers Henri and Michel Garcia. They were pioneers in the development of local scientific research and development of diving. For many years, the Orca Diving Center participated in numerous expeditions, scientific research, and also published a book entitled The Undersea World of Easter Island. The base received a distinction for overall activities and contribution to the protection of the Rapa Nui underwater ecosystem. During my stay I managed to dive in several places around the island (trouble-free and fast transport by speedboat to all spots). The most interesting are the local reefs in Hanga Roa (a lot of turtles), The Wall – a lot of life, walls, caves and reef tunnels (opposite the Hanga Roa hotel), Motu place, i.e. volcanic-rocky islets just behind the crater of Rano Kau volcano (amazing walls, caves and visibility from 60 m up!).

In addition, we can admire there Anchor Reef with two very old anchors (probably from XVII–XVIII century) and

the underwater statue of Moai, known and liked from photographs. The sculpture is not a monument, because it was created in the 90s of the twentieth century and was deliberately sunk near the reef, but it must be admitted that underwater it makes an amazing impression. The prices of the dives depend on the package chosen, but for the real end of the world and what we get in return underwater – they are reasonable and close to average European prices.

To date, many books and articles have been written about Rapa Nui, several films and a lot of materials have been made, and despite this, the island located several thousand kilometers from Europe still keeps its secrets hidden inside and underwater. And probably this invariably makes it so fascinating.

A visit to Rapa Nui is a dream, a magical, unique and mysterious experience worth every effort, time and dollar. The island is still waiting for its explorers and divers 

From Marsa to St. John's

OR SAFARI IN THE SOUTH OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

Text and photos bartek pszczółkowski

Silvertip shark, Big Gota

Ihad long wanted a diving safari in the Red Sea. My friends used to tell me how pleasant it is on a safari boat. At dawn you start scuba diving on beautiful reefs, where nosy napoleons greet you, and a barracuda circulates under the boat hoping that some snack will fall from the deck into the water. A hawksbill turtle swims majestically right in front of your nose, and a crocodile fish greets you as you hang around the pinnacles rising from the bottom like gothic columns.

All these meetings, sensations, give you a taste for your next dive, and it is before breakfast.

This is how the day on a diving safari begins.

Looking through various offers, I found one that theoretically met my expectations. I booked the date and a safari on the St. John's. I was told that it is a very pleasant direction, dives are rather undemanding, but beautiful. The date of the trip was also important to me. October in Poland is quite capricious and rather rainy. It gets colder and then I could go. It turned out that it was a hit.

Let us start from the beginning and some basic information.

Turtle, Shaab Sharm

Fox House Reef

Krynoid, night diving Paradise Reef

Yawning Crocodile fish, Shaab Marsa Alam

The flight Warsaw – Marsa Alam lasted about 5 hours. It started in the rain, at 8 degrees, and ended in Marsa in the unbearable heat and full sun. Transfer from the airport to the boat, choice of cabin and we depart. This is standard...

Perfect temperature, be careful not to burn your face or back. The water was 27–28°C and we felt a light breeze. Just a fairy tale, I could not believe it.

Eighteen people on the boat and 3 guides. There was enough space for everyone. There atmosphere was great, everyone wanted to enter the water at that moment, immediately.

The first dive site of Abu Dabab Nord is easy, but amazing and full of magnificent corals, among which countless schools of colourful fish swim.

We do a check dive here, we balance ourselves and we learn our skills to determine the advancement groups for the next dive days. Most of the participants have already been on this safari once and are perfectly familiar with the guides. This makes it easier to create groups.

A delicious meal awaits you after the dives. I feel that during these few days I will have a few grams more...

Malahi, The Playground and hard corals garden

Tridacna, a clam living for over a hundred years

Habili Ali, Redfish

Barracuda under the boat, Fox House Reef

Parrot fishes at night surround themselves with a mucous bomb so that the predator does not find them

The days on the boat go by quickly, when the time is filled with spectacular dives, excellent cuisine and excellent company, who tell their diving or other trips and adventures. It is easy to see that most participants have been associated with the Organiser for a long time and are very satisfied with the quality of the expeditions. Nowadays it is important to be able to trust the organiser, because everyone expects professionalism.

The plan for the next day is three dives during meal breaks and the fourth one at night. A demanding plan, but the participants themselves propose it. The days go on interestingly and intensively. Diving enthusiasts can blow off steam as much as they want, and the lazy ones snorkel and relax.

In the evening, everyone's eyes get heavy. Last night, we celebrated a friend's birthday on board so loudly that people from another boat jumped into the water and reached us to join the part. They were hosted in the Polish style, but this is a story for another article.

To sum up: a trip to this diving safari turned out to be a great idea! A comfortable boat where everyone can find their place, excellent service, delicious food after each dive, fantastic dive sites with lots of animals and beautiful corals. You can also count on fantastic and professional diving guides. I will definitely go back there, and if someone would like to join, please visit www.pazola.com and find about the organised trips.

Clownfish, hiding in anemone

wadi lahami

a place where the sun rises

a diving trip to wadi l ahami had been going through my mind for several years, but it was hard for me to gather a group ready for this kind of adventure.

Wadi Lahami in translation means "meat valley", because in the old days meat merchants came here. It is the furthest Egyptian village accessible to divers, a 3-hour bus ride from Marsa Alam airport and about 80 km from the border with Sudan. Wadi Lahami is one of the three Eco Camp complexes located near Marsa Alam, and on the way back we had the opportunity to see the other two. I already know that if I were ever to come back here, it would be only to Wadi Lahami, but why? I will start from the beginning...

We landed in Marsa Alam late in the afternoon, so when we arrived in Wadi it was already very dark, and I was not able to see the charms of this place. We were greeted by the staff including the chef, everone was dressed in a polo

T-shirt and a sweatshirt with the company logo. It turned out that over a dozen people working in the camp would always be dressed like that. After the meal, a multi-course, delicious dinner, we were shown to the bathrooms and the tents in which we slept. Waking up at 5:45 showed us the first charms of this place. First of all, amazing silence... only the sound of the sea, talkative birds and a small handful of people in the camp itself. Although the trip took place in the first week of December, the air temperature during the day was about 28°C, at night it dropped to 17°C. If you worry that you can get cold in the tent or sleep in uncomfortable conditions, just relax and forget it. Each tent is equipped with a cane floor, stable wooden beds with high mattresses, and a bedside table with a lamp. The material the tent is made of is thick and does not let in too much air or light. It ensures full comfort during the entire stay. In the central place of the camp there are bathrooms with showers and a restaurant with a place to relax. At the seaside spot where RIBs are parked, there is a cloakroom with showers, a place to assemble the equipment (with padlock cabinets) and three large pools with fresh water for rinsing the equipment.

Text dagny grądzka-jurasz photos piet grasmaijer

During a one-week trip there are 5 dive days, on which you can easily do 20 dives. Yes, you have read correctly – 20 dives! This number of dives is normally possible only during a one-week diving safari. The best dives in Wadi take place on the most beautiful Fury Shoal reefs and here the magic begins!

For the first dive we went to the dolphin lagoon in the nature reserve, where you can only do snorkelling. We managed to immerse ourselves several times in the company of more than 20 dolphins, of which one was a baby. Dolphins are not afraid of divers, they gracefully display their assets, they swim very close. This dive will definitely be remembered forever. I met dolphins more than once while diving in Egypt, but communing with the whole herd is a dream come true for many photographers! We ate lunch at the camp. What was next? Very close to "home" I fulfilled one of my many diving dreams... we dived with a dugong! It was such a big surprise for our group that when jumping into the water I put on the mask and fins incorrectly, so I initially saw only the tail of the animal. Fortunately this 2.5 meter long mammal swam with us for about 20 minutes, so I could

enjoy the view later. After that diving day, going to dinner, I began to wonder what exactly we would do during the remaining four dive days, since on just one day we managed to see a herd of dolphins and dugongs?

My doubts disappeared day by day. Every day we emerged delighted with what happened to us underwater. Plurality and diversity of plants, hard and soft corals, flocks of racing fish, beautiful arches, caverns... if I were to describe each dive, I would need about 2500 words. It just cannot be described so simply. Very experienced guides work in Wadi Lahami, they know exactly where and at what time to take divers to see interesting things. Each day brought us genuine amazement. First of all, the reefs are preserved beautifully; secondly, we were approached by turtles, sharks, a huge moray, a Spanish dancer and an octopus. Everybody can find something to their liking.

The day and night dives have convinced us that Wadi Lahami is the last bastion of beautifully preserved reefs

wadi

lahami

marsa alam

cairo

in which wonderful sea specimens flourish. The motto of the Eco Camp founder is environmental protection, which can be felt both on the surface and underwater. There is an official request to use your own water bottle or to sign the bottle that you receive at the beginning of your stay here. Everything is meant to reduce the use of plastic. There are containers for waste segregation in the camp and the employees clean the camp all day, so you cannot see any

scattered garbage. Underwater guides pay attention not to touch animals or plants, they collect plastic that they find underwater, thus setting an example for accompanying divers.

The camp boasts one of the largest bird habitats, and not only can one hear their singing since the morning, but when you sit on the shore you can see with unaided eye how the larger birds hunt for fish. The beach is covered with white sand on which crabs march to and fro. In the evening, how-

p lurality and diversity of plants, hard and soft corals, flocks of racing fish, beautiful arches, caverns... if i were to describe each dive, i would need about 2500 words.

ever, because of the distance from the city, the stars are visible as if in 3D, and the horizon extends from the sea to the desert. Believe it or not, I have never rested on any trip so well as in Wadi Lahami, where the day starts at 5:45 and ends at 22:00. There is no access to television, there is no loud music, there are no children, and the only companions are other diving friends.

I would like to give thanks to my diving team Płetwale for this adventure we had together and for agreeing to a trip into the unknown. Thank you Piet for great photos.

i t just cannot be described so simply. pletwal@pletwal.eu

Wakacje z Nurkami

– jezioro Hańcza, Kurs Instruktorski PADI, Poznań Nurkowanie Gozo

Safari Złoty Trójkąt, Egipt

Junkers 87 Stuka

Text and photos m ichal Černý

n owadays, it does not often happen that an unknown, well-preserved wreck is discovered in the sea after many years and at a very accessible depth. this is what happened in n ovember 2014.

On the Croatian island of Zirje, one of the local underwater hunters set out with a harpoon to hunt fish as many times before. He didn't expect to hunt much bigger prey. A plane appeared in front of him during one of the dives. As it turned out, it lay at a depth of 28 meters.

about the plane

Junkers 87 Stuka is a German diving bomber from World War II. The name "stucco" comes from the German Sturzkampfflugzeug, which in translation simply means a diving bomber. The history of this type of aircraft began in 1933, when the Reich Aviation Ministry announced a competition for the production of a diving bomber. The aircraft manufacturer Junkers won. The prototype aircraft designed by Hermann Pohlmann appeared on September 17, 1935, during his first flight from the factory airport in Dessau. It was a single-engine monoplane, whose crew consisted of

two people: a pilot and an observer-machine gunner. The plane had a completely metal structure. It was covered with duralumin sheets, and the characteristic feature of Junkers were wings in the configuration of the letter "W". It had a wooden propeller with three adjustable blades and a permanent undeveloped chassis whose wheels were protected by so-called "slippers" and feet.

Another characteristic feature were the acoustic sirens mounted at the beginning of the war, which were activated when the aircraft entered a dive flight. The terrifying sound typical of this aircraft during an attack on an enemy caused the psychological effect of fear and panic on civilians. In addition to the bombs carried, the plane was armed with two MG 17 machine guns placed in the wings and directed forward, and the MG 15 machine gun placed

in the cabin, aiming backwards and operated by a second crew member – machine gunner. In total, about 6,000 of this aircraft were produced in 1935–1944. Until now, however, only two complete copies have survived, which are part of the museum collections in London and Chicago. In addition, several wrecks have been preserved, which can be seen, for example, at the Sinsheim Aviation Museum in Germany or Berlin.

The total number of surviving wrecks could be counted on the fingers of both hands, so finding this particularly well-preserved wreck was a really big deal. This particular aircraft probably flew under the Italian flag and was shot down in the spring of 1941 by a Yugoslav warship. It has been under water for over 76 years and waited for discovery for 73 years.

technical data (Wikipedia source)

• Crew – 2 (pilot, machine-gunner)

• Wingspan – 13.8 m

• Length – 11 m

• Height – 4.23 m

• Floor area – 31.90 m²

• Empty machine weight – 3 205 kg

• Take-off weight – 4320 kg

• Maximum take-off weight – 5000 kg

• Airplanes – Junkers Jumo 211D, 12-cylinder in-line engine, 1,184 hp (883 kW)

• Propeller – Junkers VS with three 3.4 m diameter blades

• Maximum speed – 390 km/h

• Ceiling – 8200 m

• Range – 500 km with a load of 500 kg bombs

• Armament – 2 MG 17 7.92 mm machine guns mounted on the front, 1 MG 7.92 mm machine gun mounted on the rear; 1×250 kg bombs under the fuselage and 4×50 kg bombs, two bombs under each wing

immerse yourself in the wreck

The position of the wreck is marked on the surface by a buoy, the descending rope is tied to a concrete block, which is located just below the plane at a depth of thirty meters. With good visibility, the wreck can be seen at a descent from about ten meters. The plane lies on the stomach at an average depth of 28 meters, the tail is deeper, and the nose is directed to the shallow towards the shore of the island of Zirje, which is located about 160 meters northeast. The wreck is very well preserved, only the engine probably crashed to the surface and lies about ten meters away. Also the rear rudder fell, which lies on the sandy bottom near the right rear wing. It is best to go around the wreck several times slowly and of course carefully examine it. When you look into the cabin, you'll find the seat and most of the dashboard (part of it and the rear machine gun have been officially dismantled and are now in the museum). At the rear of the cab, it is worth paying attention to the mechanism on which the rear machine gun is mounted. Also, the rear cabin cover with the round hole for the machine gun is perfectly preserved and provides a photogenic view of the aircraft

tail. In both wings, front machine guns are clearly visible, including service holes with doors. Looking under the wings, we will see a chassis with wheels partially buried in the sand, but also we can come across scorpions and lobsters.

The engine lies about ten meters in front of the aircraft's bow on a grassy bottom. It is turned upside down, and due to the lack of a bottom cover, individual cylinders with pistons and a propeller shaft can be seen. Due to the relatively shallow depth, we have enough time to thoroughly check the entire wreck without unnecessarily long decompression.

how to get to the wreck

Like most Croatian wrecks, this one is also protected by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and you can dive on it using only authorized bases. Thanks to this, the wreck is still well preserved. Unfortunately, even here we can expect irresponsible divers who want to take the "souvenir" from the wreck and gradually the wreck may disappear. There are also voices to pick up the whole wreck and put it in a museum, just like it was with a wreck that was raised from the seabed in Saint-Tropez in France in 1989 and today is at the Sinsheim Aviation Museum in Germany.

So if you want to see this unique wreck in all its beauty, do not delay too long. Near the wreck there are several diving centers, but only one Czech diving center from Tisno on the

l ike most c roatian wrecks, this one is also protected by the c roatian m inistry of c ulture and you can dive on it using only authorized bases. thanks to this, the wreck is still well preserved.

island of Murter. The boat trip takes less than an hour, and two dives, including all additional fees for wreck diving, cost 2,750, – CZK. The base, of course, offers diving in other very interesting places, including the wreck of the freighter Francesca De Rimini, which is mainly known for cargo ammunition, which is still in the hold. The Czech diving base also offers accommodation in its own apartments, excellent cuisine, and in the pub on the ground floor you can discuss diving in the evening and plan another with pleasantly cold draft beer. The current offer can be found on their website.

contact:

Pavel Machula

Crkvena 8, 220 24 Tisno, Croatia

Phone: +385 91 167 4765

E-mail: info@murter.cz

www.murter.cz

kas

Somehow winter did not spoil us this year. Snow only appeared on television. i t was no better with ice, the largest amount of which i saw at the bartender, when in the pub with buddies we remembered the old diving times.

Text and photos marcin trzciński

You know, when instead of jackets or wings we had a chomyma, and 8-liter bottles attached to the backpack were beaten for 150 atmospheres. It was the time when the telephone (you know, an ebonite can with a shield) was used for ringing, the watch was timing and the camera was taking pictures. And this camera – an interesting topic because Olympus has just released for testing its latest model, poetically named OM-D EM5 Mk III. The name could not be longer because the camera was quite small and there was no room for more letters.

Watching the new EM5, I began to wonder what (apart from built-in Wi-Fi, video mode, stabilization and uncountable "artistic" filters) this new is better than cameras from several years ago? But really, watching a photo in real life, preferably copied on paper. Because, you know, in Facebook or other websites, even a dog's sh... looks so appetizing that saliva flows into the mouth. So as soon as I got home, as part of the test, I started the computer, reached deeply behind the desk and pulled out at random an old disk. Seagate with a 2005–2006 sticker.

I had a Canon 300D with a Sigma 10–20f/ 4–5.6 lens, a large Ikelite housing and one DS125 lamp. And I remembered that the photos were fine. But you know, memory can play a trick. Another catalog... Turkey? Gee, it was so long ago that I forgot I was in Turkey. And actually in its southern part, in Kas. I was looking through the pictures and there were more images of long forgotten events in my memory.

As far as I remember, we arrived in town so early in the evening that there was still some time left for a short walk. And something little to eat . Especially that we lived right next to the port, which is the traditional center of every self-respecting Mediterranean town. Because in Kas there is a place to walk while admiring the monuments. The Lycian sarcophagus in the center was the firs one. It was old, because the natives inhabiting these lands, according to Homer, still participated in the Trojan War. And that was a long time ago. A little younger was the Greek amphitheater located on the outskirts. So we let it go. Well, ie was 2500 years old, but we were already really hungry, so since it was waiting for us so long, one or two days should not make

much difference to it. And the fish served in the port tavern, the kofta chops served in drink, or the pilaf-like stew reminiscent could not wait. There must be priorities!

I jumped into the water and my jaw dropped so that I almost lost the machine. Heck, I always have it when after a long dive season in Poland I hit some warmer waters. Well, you know, good visions in green starts from 4 meters, and here they were... a fucking! After a while the shock was over. I embraced a bit and began to sink in the direction of the clearly visible, 20 meters below the bottom. Something was wrong with him... Sure, it seemed that our ancestors did not differ so much from us in behavior, littering not badly. The whole bottom was strewn with the antique equivalent of PET bottles. Amphoras means. Some of the whole, others heavily broken down, littered the underwater dump. Without a moment's delay, I started catching them, documenting the carelessness of my ancestors. It seemed that the clay vessels did not break down better than their modern counterparts. Although I must admit, they looked much better.

Only in the evening, at dinner, the head of our base, Apo introduced me a little to the secrets of local antiques. Because you see, it turned out that despite the prohibitions, Kas tourists invading massively, taking advantage of the lack of control, without pardon they pulled out pieces of clay vessels to the surface, and then smuggled them home. And you can imagine how hard it is to look after tourists. Apparently, they are ahead of five-year-olds from a local kindergarten in insomnia statistics. But that necessity is the mother of invention, the local authorities came up with the perfect idea. Giving additional work to local craftsmen, they order several thousand amphoras every year. They break them and scatter them in the sea after the season. By the next spring, the dishes are so old that they can easily be found as antiques in apartments from Vladivostok to Tokyo, Seattle and Sydney. But you know what? It didn't bother me at all. Because these amphoras looked much better than tables so popular in our lakes with demolished PCs.

Following the amphora trail in 2009, hospitable hosts sank something more contemporary – the Douglas DC3 plane. Everything for divers – tourists, so ie rested on 21 me-

ters, so that even a medium brave adept of underwater adventures could manage to embrace it.

Well, because the previous air attraction Kas was a bit deeper, extended between 61 and 73 meters. Well, it seems that the British pilots shooting down the Italian bomber did not take into account the requirements of diving tourism. This is called nearsightedness and it was not a sight defect. Because during my stay in Kas about Douglas, nobody was fortunately thinking, so after longer negotiations I managed to convince Apo to cruise on the position of the three-engine Savoia Marchetti SM79. Well, it wasn't easy diving. And this is not only due to the fact that the base had only 15 liters cylinders, beaten under the cork, but only air. And the fact that it was clean and sea didn't really make any difference here. The current was also an obstacle. The spot called Flay-

from a distance, the characteristic shape of the alfa romeo 126 engines lying on the bottom could be recognized. Because mainly they survived from the destroyed machine. everything else was stretched over several dozen meters, marking the area with pieces of twisted sheets, wires and ammunition.

ing Fish, because of the supposedly seen flying fish there, is famous for its strong currents. And it was blowing so deeply under the water that it was breathtaking. Clinging to the rocky ground, I finally went deep enough that the water would calm down. Ufff, I had to rest a while to even out my breath. For that, below was just great. From a distance, the characteristic shape of the Alfa Romeo 126 engines lying

on the bottom could be recognized. Because mainly they survived from the destroyed machine. Everything else was stretched over several dozen meters, marking the area with pieces of twisted sheets, wires and ammunition. Damn, it really looked picturesque and it was a pity that we were completely unprepared for longer exploration. Such typical lift-style diving I hate.

Fortunately for lovers of real and not counterfeit shipwrecks in the Kas area you can find a few more. For example, there is a wreck of a small Greek coaster on the place originally called Canyon. Dimitri, because that was the name of Łajba, for years he earned hard living by pulling a load of wool. And knowing the Greek shipowners, he would probably swim to this day if, one day, 50 years ago, not very favorable weather did not send him directly to the underwater rocks. Old man, because I do not know if you noticed, but by some strange twist of fate, Greek ships are always old and barely crumbling, they broke and set off on the last, short trip to the bottom. The front part chose a shorter, only

27 meter road, while the stern settled only around 40 meters. The sea took care of proper arrangement and the unit resting at the bottom appeared as a very rusty and devastated small fragment of the history of this reservoir. Or maybe the ship looked like this before it sank? Well, I didn't let that thought in my mind, sure of Greek neatness and even obsessive order.

I closed the catalog and turned off the computer. My memories of dives that I had long time ago raged in my head. And you know what? Maybe today's cameras have better resolution and work at higher sensitivities without excessive noise, but your own photos are appreciated only after years. When by chance open they provide a huge load of emotions and memories. And that's why the Eos 300D was perfect. Well, I have to finish, because I'm going to dig into the negatives of the dives from the '90s and the first diving trips to Dahab and to the island of Pag in Croatia. I think I will be quite surprised with what they looked like in the frames from 25 years ago.

can you? you can!

kacper

siciński – about himself and the Water and Diving Rescue Section

Istarted my scuba diver's career over 8 years ago, when I completed a CMAS/KDP P1 course organized by OSP ORW in Łódź. The course was conducted under the supervision of two instructors Radosław Arkuszyński and Bogdan Jakubowicz. They are instructors who supported me and supervised my development from the very beginning up to the instructor level. As they say about me: "Casper, when you came to the course, you already knew how to dive, you had it in your blood." My career developed at a very fast pace and at the age of 18 I had the highest basic level, KDP/CMAS P3, which allows diving to a depth of 50 meters and authorizes me to lead a group underwater.

Thanks to the hard work and a lot of dives I did (about 100–150 dives a year), I got the skills and knowledge needed to acquire instructor qualifications quite quickly. The course is demanding. It consists of practical classes, and preparation for each teaching day usually lasts all night.

In 2016 I got to the Main School of Fire Service, where I continued my development. I was delegated to an instructor course, which was conducted by Marcin Kasprzak, Dawid Rutkowski and Irek Słucki. Thanks to gaining the KDP/ CMAS M1 Instructor qualifications and several other instructor degrees, I was able to start training cadets and school staff. I created the Water and Diving Rescue Sections of the Main School of Fire Service. I organized 4 camps where I trained over 40 people to grade P1. My hard work has been noticed by companies producing and / or distributing diving equipment. ECN – Diving systems and SeaYa – underwater lighting systems supported me among others

The award I received for the Instructor's Debut of the year 2019 at the CMAS Instructor Meeting "Kalatówki 2020" is presented every year to the three best debuting instructors. Criteria include the number of people trained for the first year of having instructor qualifications, the number and type of subsequent trainings received by the instructor, the quality of the courses offered and the instructor's predispositions for further development

All these laurels that are falling on me motivate me to work better. I am gaining experience and I am glad that I can continue working in the Rescue Section, because diving must always be safe. I wish this to all of us.

standard operating procedures

What is it and what is it for?

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are written documents that specify how to organize or perform specific tasks. their goal is to standardize and improve work. the procedures must be followed by all employees, because in this way you can be sure that all tasks are performed in the same way. although it seems logical that this is to be expected, many diving centres do not have such procedures. Therefore, when diving several times in the same centre, you may notice that pre-dive briefings (or other tasks) are performed in different ways.

typical tasks that require the creation of standard operating procedures are:

• Pre-dive safety briefing

• Head count procedures

• Disinfection procedures

• Administrative procedures

• Equipment maintenance procedures

• Lost diver procedures

• Water entry and exit procedures

• Post-dive safety briefing

These are just some examples of SOPs that you may need at the dive centre. The main problem, however, is that the development of SOPs is time-consuming. That is why it becomes a task that "I will do when I find time" (meaning never).

For this reason, often the important information remains only in the mind of the dive centre owner or manager, while employees perform a task as it suits them at the moment. Managers usually inform employees about how they should perform their duties, but the employees cannot rely on written procedures. Without written documents, work efficiency is not the same, and inconsistency is becoming the standard. What would be the best and easiest way to inform new employees about the procedures used at the dive centre? How can you make sure your employees implement them correctly and consistently? Passing instructions verbally takes a lot of time and effort, and you can also forget important information. As a result it's inevitable that tasks will be performed in a variety of ways.

how are the s op procedures related to diving safety?

While the Rescue Action Plan describes how to proceed in an emergency, the SOP procedures specify how to prevent such situations.

Let's see an example:

The procedures for entering and exiting the water may vary depending on the dive site. Some dives are from a boat, others from the shore. Sometimes the danger is the propeller from the boat engine, at other times it is slippery entry into the water from the shore. The SOP gives instructions on how divers should enter the water avoiding the risk of being

hit by a propeller or slipping on the shore. In SOP, it should be emphasized that the boat engine must be turned off and the propeller must stop before divers jump into the water or describe where / how to enter the water to minimize the risk of slipping and falling.

SOP procedures should be clear and not confusing. It is best to develop them after assessing the risks associated with the task to determine the best and safest way to do it. It is recommended that experienced employees take part in the development and / or evaluation (and testing) of the SOP, because thanks to their experience they can increase the effectiveness and / or the level of safety of a given procedure. Remember – you can't "learn" experience but you can learn through it. Use employees to make improvements.

If the SOP procedures are well thought out, they will reduce the risk of an accident and the resulting liability.

in order for the s op procedures to work effectively, a few additional issues need to be taken into account:

• Check if additional training or equipment is required for the SOP procedures to be effective or to support the operation.

• Check that the SOP procedures do not conflict with each other and that they comply with safety standards or other regulations.

• Plan how to inform employees about the creation of SOP procedures, conduct a familiarization session and training, distribute SOP and make sure everyone has access to them.

• Ask employees to sign a document proving that they are familiar with the SOP procedures and undertake to comply with them.

• If the employee fails to comply with the SOP procedure, take corrective action. If you do not do this, it will not only have a negative impact on safety, but will also increase the risk that you will be held responsible for any accidents. If you know that safety measures are not been maintained and you do not do anything about it, you can be considered jointly responsible.

• Periodically review your SOP procedures, especially if a safety issue is reported. Write the date on each procedure – this will allow you to easily check when it was introduced and last verified.

• Tell your customers what you expect from them in a given situation.

Some SOP procedures require the use of a checklist or registry. With this list, diver guides remember what to say during the pre-dive safety briefing. A record of equipment maintenance or cylinder filling allows you to quickly get the information you need to service.

The use of SOP procedures does not guarantee that an accident will not occur, but reduces the risk of it occurring.

how do you determine if you need the s op procedures?

There is no single solution to this issue because the required procedures will vary depending on the dive centre. Some SOPs are necessary to precisely specify administrative procedures – e.g. what documents (including compensation forms) are required when registering a customer. Other

SOPs may be needed to provide guidance on when and how to refuse service because the person is not able to dive or to explain the cancellation policy.

It is important to consider not only the safety of customers but also the safety of the employees of the diving centre. Policies and procedures explaining which safety equipment to use when performing specific tasks are the bare minimum.

To determine your needs, you must think about them consciously. Risk assessment will not only help but is necessary if you want to develop satisfying, effective and reliable SOP procedures.

where to start?

Many people think that this is an impossible task and... well, it might be true. It's certainly time consuming, but once you finish it, you'll be proud of the results of your work.

However, simply having SOP procedures is not enough if you really want to increase diving safety. As in the case of the Environmental Protection Program (EAP), the SOP is part of a larger whole. The procedures are one of the elements of the safety policy that a diving centre must develop, nurture and maintain to become a place where diving is safe.

Where can you start? Get started today – take part in the DAN Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA) program – Identification of hazards and risk assessment. The program can be found on www.daneurope.org in the "Safety" tab.

source: www.daneurope.org www.alertdiver.eu

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Tourist organizer on the diving exhibition market

how does this work in practice?

Tourist organizer – for several, if not a good dozen or so years, we raise this topic more and more often... i am currently observing a clear tendency to increase the awareness of travelers participating in diving trips.

Until ten or twenty years ago, in the diving environment, we organized diving trips on our own... Instructors, centers, clubs, acted as expedition organizers, taking participants with them to dive in Europe, in popular Egypt, or totally exotic places. When organizing trips since 2007, over the past few years, I observe a significant increase in public awareness. This involves choosing partners/ service providers who

operate based on legal and legally regulated practices.

an increasing number of customers are asking themselves:

• Who do I pay for my diving trip and what is the guarantee that I will not lose them?

• What exactly will the program of the trip I have bought look like?

• What exactly are the benefits I reserve? Have I been informed about the name of the hotel/ boat and their standard?

• If the organizer of my diving vacation gets into trouble, can I get my money back?

• Is the fact of concluding the contract with the organizer of my travel confirmed by

remember!!! tourist organizer (including diving trips) is:

any document, proof of payment, booking confirmation?

• When planning to purchase insurance against resignation from participation in the event, will I receive from my organizer the necessary documents needed to purchase and enforce such a policy?

• Will my organizer, in accordance with applicable law, insure me against the costs of medical treatment and the consequences of accidents for the duration of the trip? What will be the policy and for what amounts?

• And finally… What really IS and what IS NOT included in the price of the purchased event?

` Entity conducting registered business activity. It operates based on the 2017 Tourism Act Act (previously from 1997). Has its entry number in the register of tourist organizers issued by the Marshal's Office. E.g. 355/32/2007

` An entity that is the only one who can legally organize a diving trip when at least two different types of tourist services are combined for the same trip (e.g. flight, transfer, accommodation)

` An entity that before concluding a contract with a client for a given diving event is obliged to clearly inform us about: • the place, route and duration of the event • the number of nights provided • the name, location, type and category of the facility in which (or on board) our diving holidays will take place • the number of meals provided • a detailed expedition program and attractions included in the price of the event • payment conditions (advances, surcharges) • the exact costs of the event with components what is and what is not included in the price of the event • general information on applicable regulations passport, visa and sanitary as well as requirements regarding participation in the event • information on compulsory insurance or voluntary insurance to cover the costs of termination by the traveler of the agreement on participation in the event • general conditions of the Organizer's participation

` An entity that is obliged to conclude travel insurance on their behalf on behalf of clients participating in a diving trip

Text katarzyna cieŚlawska photos activtour

` An entity that is required to issue a document confirming the conclusion of a contract for a given diving event to the traveler

` An entity that provides travelers with necessary receipts, vouchers and tickets, as well as information about the planned time of departure and, if applicable, the check-in date, as well as the planned intermediate stops, transport connections and arrival

` An entity that receives an insurance guarantee (or other security) each year for the purposes of organizing diving expeditions, the subject of which is • covering the cost of returning customers to the country • covering the reimbursement of deposits made by customers • covering the reimbursement of some payments made by customers for part of a tourist event, which will not be realized

` An entity that is obliged to report each participant and pay the premium to the Tourist Guarantee Fund (TFG) for him in the event of his insolvency. This is an additional security for clients in the event of the office becoming insolvent. Funds from TFG are used to cover the cost of returning customers to the country and refund payments for unrealized and interrupted events

I thought that with the increase of our awareness and the number of trips abroad it is worth to raise issues that are so close to me. Of course, the signaled topic is much more extensive. In this article, I tried to describe only the most important issues about us – diving tourists and the risks we incur using the services of companies that are preparing us diving holidays. Organizing several hundred trips a year, I meet the issues raised above each week. I strongly urge that we, even for a moment, before we finally confirm our dream diving trip, costing on average PLN 5,000; PLN 10,000 and sometimes even PLN 40,000.00 had the above aspects in mind! Because you know... It's good as it is good! But in practice, the statistics speak for themselves. According to my personal estimate, on average every 15th person is forced to cancel their diving trip. In addition, there are also problems and risks that the travel organizer may struggle with – I mainly mean unexpected emergencies – e.g. epidemics, terrorist threats etc. ... ordinary human errors or loss of liquidity... It is worth having "Back of the head" in what a safe environment we operate and what we risk if we go on a dream dives...

‘Freshwater’ Portugal

Text arlindo serrao and wojciech zgoła

i f you have read an article about p ortugal in the one before last issue, you know that a rlindo organized our stay and dives in the atlantic o cean. we spent many hours talking about diving sites. i t turned out that p ortugal has a lot to offer. d ives in the ocean, in caves and lakes and in flooded pits.

If you have read an article about Portugal in the last issue, you know that Arlindo organized our stay and dives in the Atlantic Ocean. We spent many hours talking about diving sites. It turned out that Portugal has a lot to offer. Dives in the ocean, in caves and lakes and in flooded pits.

Coastal countries are better known for diving in the sea and ocean. Sometimes, however, those of us who are more into diving look for something less popular and might get interested in a smaller or larger hole with water.

In Portugal, of course, there are such attractions and diving inland becomes a kind of exclusivity. And I will add

immediately that it is not about luxury, someone bringing the equipment for you or providing you with a warm shower and a cup of hot chocolate.

One of the options to choose from are dams and water reservoirs created by them. These are diving sites excluded almost entirely from the tourist route. For Portuguese technical divers, this is a very attractive location, mainly due to the possibility of underwater exploration, attempts to find sunken villages, bridges, amazing buildings that had been inhabited by people who once worked there in the field. Now these places are memories that thanks to us can come back.

lisbon

castelo de Bode

Here are a few examples.

diving site: lago azul or blue lake

location: Castelo de Bode dam

type of diving: recreational, technical dive site: a water reservoir by the dam, built on the river you will see: archaeological artefacts, freshwater fauna and flora, rock formations, sandy bottom average depth: 20 m

Maximum depth: 50 m

Water temperature: 13–20°C

Located in central Portugal, about 100 km north-east of Lisbon, the Castelo de Bode dam, built on the Zezêre River, is an exciting alternative to typical diving. You can dive in exotic surroundings in the rural and inland areas of Portugal, which tourists don't usually visit. It is also an alternative in situations when the weather does not allow diving in the sea. Portuguese divers often go to these places only for training. The car park is only a few meters from the water. There is also a small haven there.

The dam was built in the 1950s. As soon as we dive, we can see the old remains of a sunken village. You can swim along the streets of this small village.

Arlindo promises that the images we can see there will always remain in our memory.

In another part of the dam, at a depth of 30 m, if you're lucky or just dive with us, you'll find an old Roman bridge that in the remote times connected the two banks of the river. There, reaching the depth of about 10 m, we can come across a thermocline and the temperature will drop from 20 to 14°C.

diving site: cabeça g orda or fat head

location: Castelo de Bode dam

type of diving: recreational, technical dive site: a water reservoir by the dam, built on the river you will see: freshwater flora and fauna, rock formations, sandy bottom

average depth: 35 m

Maximum depth: 100 m

Water temperature: 3–20°C

Located in central Portugal, also north-east of Lisbon, Cabeça Gorda is located on the River Zezêre and is also a good alternative when the weather does not allow diving in the sea or if you want to train.

Cabeça Gorda is located near Aldeia do Mato, a small village with farms. Located on the southern bank of the river, the place is usually visited by technical divers for training, inspection of the equipment and for winter dives. It quickly reaches 100 meters depth. Another convenience is the car park located right next to the water. This beautiful place is usually quiet, even in summer.

You can expect a thermocline, where temperature quickly drops from 20°C to 14°C at about 10 m depth, and then rapidly decreases to about 3–4°C at the bottom.

The places described above are in the Castelo de Bode reservoir.

The Castelo do Bode dam (‘Goat Castle’) collects the waters of the Zezêre river in the municipalities of Tomar and Abrantes. The river has its head in the Serra da Estrela mountains at an altitude of about 1900 m above sea level. It meanders among picturesque hills and pine forests and

flows into Tagus. The river basin area is 5043 km². Zezê is the second longest river flowing entirely within the borders of Portugal. Large flows of water masses were the reason for building the water reservoirs on the river. In addition to the aforementioned Castelo de Bode there are also Bouçã and Cabril.

The circumstances of nature create a pleasant space for spending free time and diving. There are various types of vegetation here, including pine, arbutus, eucalyptus, olive trees and heather.

Water flowing down the mountains is clear. Two species of brown trout can be found during dives: Salmo trutta trutta and Salmo trutta fario. Cyprinus carpio, Zezêre carp and many others also inhabit these waters.

And Portugal is easily available from most major European cities. Now we also know that even if the wind is too strong and the waves prevent us from diving in open waters, we have other options. We can dive in fresh water, and the photos additionally show what we can count on underwater.

Write to Arlindo: arlindo.serrao@portugaldive.com

Quarrel about Our Lady of Mercy

it is late summer 1804. on the crowded Montevideo wharf, captain José de Bustamante y guerra, oversees loading valuable goods onto his fleet ships. he proudly looks at the four fregates' flexing figures, which cannot wait to set out on the ocean. Medea, Santa clara, Fama and the most beautiful nuestra Señora de las Mercedes ( our lady of Mercy) are standing next to each other. he does not know yet that in over two hundred years, thanks to treasure hunters, the latter will be one of the most famous wrecks in the world.

No one could have predicted this, but it was thanks to the amazing coincidences that the ship Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, more than two hundred years after its sinking, became the subject of an international dispute that aroused the emotions of archaeologists,

treasure hunters and governments. But let us not anticipate the facts, let us go back to Captain José de Bustamante y Guerra, who has just set sail off the coast of South America.

On ships sailing to the port of Cadiz in Spain, goods such as quinoa, cinna-

mon, which was a very popular spice at the time, were loaded, but the most important was silver and gold, which were to be sent to the Spanish king. The trip across the Atlantic, lasting 57 days, went quite calmly and on the fifth of October 1804 the ship reached the shores of the Iberian Peninsula. Unfortunately for the captain, he met on his way a unit of English ships commanded by Captain Graham Moore, who ordered the Spaniards to change course and sail to the British port for inspection. The captain of Nuestra Señora refuses, citing the fact that both countries are not at war, and despite the advantage of the opponent, he is preparing for a skirmish. At this point, the British HMS Amphion fires a salvo that hits the Spanish ship's storage with four tons of gunpowder. This unfortunate shot causes a huge

Text mateusz popek photos wikimedia commons open access

Four frigates capturing Spanish treasure ships, Francis Sartorius National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

explosion. The frigate sinks within 250 minutes taking with her 250 crew members. The remaining 3 ships and fifty-one shipwrecked people from the sunken ship go to England.

Two hundred and three years later, Odyssey Marine Exploration's flagship, led by Greg Stemm, searches the bottom near Giblartar. The company deals with professional search and extraction of treasures. The information they have obtained shows that there may be as many as five wrecks with valuable cargo in this area. While searching the bottom one of the anomalies visible on sonar attracts the attention of seekers. It is at a depth of over 500 meters, so they send an underwater robot for reconnaissance. After approaching the objects that at first were similar to shells, a pile of coins appeared to the eyes of the seekers.

The team moved to systematic and precise documentation of the position. On the mosaic created from photos, over 500 objects were identified that were clusters of coins. The lack of a wreck was puzzling. Clusters of coins lay scattered across the sea floor suggested that perhaps the ship that carried them exploded.

The Odyssey team began the systematic lifting of the load. The underwater robot placed concretions of silver coins stuck together in plastic boxes, which were then taken to the surface. In this way, about 25,000 coins were taken out of water per day. However, one of the places looked a little different than the other ones ... After removing the silt layer, it turned out that there are also gold coins, in the vicinity of two cannon shells. The coins had the date 1788 stamped on it. This was another step to identify the wreck. Working for three weeks 24 hours a day, the company extracted 17 tons of cargo, which consisted of 595,000 silver and over 300 gold

coins worth about 500 million dollars. The cost of this operation was about $ 2.6 million.

The entire load was transported to the States. However, this did not end this adventure, and actually began its next stage. The Spanish government arguing that the coins are from Spain and

that the wreck lies in the Spanish waters demanded the return of the excavated items, while blocking the Odyssey ships from leaving the port. The fight began, the arena of which were the courts, and the basic information that could resolve this deadlock was to determine in which unit the treasure came. If the cargo was

carried by a Spanish ship, then the treasury belongs to the government of that country.

Numismatic analysis began to resolve all doubts. Unexpectedly, it was complicated even more by introducing a new player. It turned out that the coins were minted in Peru, which allowed the

government of the country to demand their return. After five years of fighting, the court ruled that all the cargo was to be handed over to the Spanish government, which was forbidden to sell it. In addition, in 2015, an additional penalty of $ 1 million was imposed on Odyssey towards the Spanish Government.

Archaeological finds that have material value called treasures have aroused, arouse and will arouse great emotions. Therefore, there will always be organisations such as Odyssey that will be exploring and excavating such objects. I leave readers the moral assessment of these activities.

Currently, the treasure can be admired at the Maritime Museum in Cartagena and anyone who wants to, can see it. The amount of coins and both stories: the one of the nineteenth century and the other of the twenty-first century make the exhibition very impressive. If anyone reading these words ever stands in front of a display case filled with gold coins, I suggests asking yourself: Would I prefer this treasure to be in someone's private collection, or is it good that I have an opportunity to admire it? You will definitely ask yourself one more question: Would I like to find such a treasure? I would not want to.

Since 1992, the company has been gradually introducing innovations. The manual, perfect work and implementation of individual customer orders meant that the Kallweit manufacture has become a reliable partner for the police, fire brigade, life-saving organizations, the army, and of course for many sport divers.

Kallweit manufactures his suits in both standard sizes and "tailor-made" according to the individual needs of the customer. There is practically no customer request that cannot be fulfilled. The manufacturer uses high quality materials from Germany, for example Octolaminat®, which was developed jointly with Continental.

Octolaminate®, at a density of 0.5 mm, weighs only 420 g/m2. At the same time, it is as stable as a protective shield: the adhesion of the layer is 75 N/ 50 mm.

The dry suit, Model XFT-Xtreme, has been designed especially for technical divers. Therefore, in this case Xtreme also means "extreme". When selecting materials, only the best ones were used, providing the user with freedom of movement. Highly flexible Octolaminate® is reinforced at the most critical points (on the knees, in the crotch, buttocks, upper body and shoulders) with Kevlar abrasion resistant. The result turned out to be sensational. The suit is both light and stretchy, it is second to none. It is worth adding that Xtreme is also available in a cordura version (extremely strong and durable).

Kallweit GmbH

one of the leading g erman manufacturers of dry suits and diving accessories

What does the mentioned Xtreme produced by kallweit offer:

● Double applications around the shoulders, crotch, seat and knees made of the highest quality aramid fiber

● Telescopic body ensures optimal freedom of movement

● Automatic valves from APEKS

● High quality zippers from YKK

● Warm collar made of soft HD neoprene

● High quality latex or neoprene neck cuffs and wrist cuffs

● Ultra HD neoprene socks with right / left fit

● Large, spacious technical pocket on the right and left thigh, including zipper pocket in the lid, 50 mm metal D-ring and 2 bungee loops

Text robert styła photos kallweit archive

light under water – how to choose a mainlight?

(communication,

DpV, documentation)

The most common form of developing conscious communication using underwater light is through three communication steps:

1. Shining a torch on the hand signals

2. Drawing circle with the light (ok) and fast movement (I need help)

3. Fully aware communication that uses light not only to pass specific information, but above all to increase freedom under water*.

Communication using light underwater can be passive and active. The first two points are typical active communication. If a team of divers moving under water does not have to look for, or look around to locate a partner, because he is trying to shine at a predetermined place / places, then we are talking about passive communication. This form of using the torch to secure the team is most often used by divers with scooters, advanced recreational divers, wreck divers and almost all cave divers.

Regardless of the form used, communication is directly affected by water transparency and parameters of the selected mainlight. When choosing it, it is worth considering the most difficult conditions in which we will use light. The lower the visibility under water, the worse you work with mainlight with high power and saturation of the

light beam. With the visibility typical for shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea (1–5 meters), these strongest torches actually fail. Similarly, video documenting in conditions of low transparency – the use of strong video light can then cause "frame burning". You need a light source that "penetrates" the suspension.

The element determining the strength and saturation of light is the moment when the so-called "Walls of light" ie reflection of light from particles of suspension at such a level, that the diver can see very little or does not see anything, being blinded by reflection of his own light.

This creates a real communication problem, but also a problem with lighting objects underwater. Wreck identification is often based on small details that are worth filming in such a way that they can later be thoroughly analyzed on the surface.

The cramped engine room spaces in wrecks are not easy to maintain visibility that allows the material to be good enough for later analysis – a light source is needed, which will allow effective operation in poor visibility conditions.

Photo Przemysław Zyber

Photo Tomasz Płociński

Having design capacity of an engineering team specializing in electronics and light, the experience of a company known for producing excellent mainlights for divers, and over 30 years of diving experience of Tecline constructors, the idea of building a mainlight, tailored to the needs of divers who like difficult underwater conditions was born.

A good start is clear water in the caves of Florida. Using scooters in a cave requires a mainlight that gives a good stream of light, easy to be seen by team members. The second important feature is the ability to see the environment. Navigation in caves with guide lines is based on the so-called "goldline" system – a fixed guide line.

Moving along a guide line using a DPV, with a mainlight equipped with a strong communication stream only, can reduce the safety of the diver, who is not able to track the rapidly changing profile of the cave – focusing on the guide line does not see the sloping ceiling, and the temporary deterioration of visibility may resemble driving at high speed on winding mountain roads in... dense fog.

A good solution are mainlights, which in addition to the communication stream, shine an additional "halo" which greatly helps seeing the cave or the interior of the wreck.

This halo is usually sufficient in caves with bright reflective walls. It is not good enough in caves with dark or black walls – in this situation the use of a scooter and a mainlight equipped only with a narrow communication stream begins to be dangerous. The solution is a mainlight shining simultaneously with a communication beam and a wide beam (stronger than a delicate halo).

For divers using scooters, a matter of special attention is a stable DPV ring that allows easy and reliable capture of the mainlight during gas or buoyancy control. Stability is not only the matter of grip, but also its behavior with different control levers of different scooters **.

Photo Tomasz Płociński

Photo Miłosz Stępkowski

Photo Tomasz Płociński

The new Tecline mainlight has 3 lighting modes: communication with 6 degrees of focus with a halo illuminating the environment, video 120 degrees with "soft" light saturation allowing recording with small cameras in difficult conditions, and combined: communication + video, allowing for broad and stronger illuminating the surroundings while maintaining effective communication. The modes are switched in a loop, i.e. each subsequent press of the switching button switches on the next mode. To increase safety, the mainlight cannot be accidentally turned off when switching lighting modes. Deactivation occurs by holding the switch for more than 3 seconds.

The communication mode has 10W of power, 6 degrees of focus, and saturation of the stream (up to 1300 lumens) selected so that it "penetrates" the suspension without creating a dazzling reflection of light. This allows you to maintain communication in low visibility conditions.

The video mode has 30 W of power, focus 120 degrees, 2600 lumens and allows filming from a very short distance from the object, which

promotes the work related to the identification of wrecks. The color temperature is 6,500 Kelvin is selected so that the automation of small "gopro" cameras maintains a stable white balance.

Combined mode communication + video combines the possibility of communication beam and wide beam (40 W / 3900 lumens), and allows you to move on DPV in confined spaces, but also filming with a precise selection of objects, while keeping the frame not "burned".

Photo Tomasz Płociński

Photo Miłosz Stępkowski

The mainlight is called Teclight and was produced by the Polish company Tecline. It is designed and made in Poland with the help of Ammonite System, whose batteries are compatible with it.

The remaining issue is air transport. With the Teclight Tecline mainlight, you can easily travel by plane, carrying it in your hand luggage. We’ve been to many airports and there were no questions during the security check. It is among others the result of the use of a safe 75 Wh battery.

Teclight with the battery weighs 1 kilogram.

With the Teclight Tecline mainlight you can safely travel by plane, carrying it in your hand luggage.

SeveRaL uSeFuL addiTiONS:

● The mainlight has a steel ring on the back of the head prepared for temporary hanging during gas switch or deploying buoys –this prevents from shining the partners in the eyes.

● It is equipped with a universal charger, operating all around the world, and charging a fully discharged battery in 2.5 hours.

● It has a system that informs the diver about the battery discharge to 10 % – the flashlight then goes into communication mode, limits the light output to 50 % and works for another hour.

● It is protected against accidental shutdown, eg during gas switch.

● Sidemount version is also available, with the cable lead out of the canister at an angle of 90 degrees.

● Working time in communication mode is 7 hours!

Teclight Tecline is a mainlight for divers who like difficult, often changing diving conditions. It allows effective and safe communication in water with limited transparency, allows filming in such conditions, effectively illuminating the location without the effect of "burn". Works well inside wrecks. Works great when diving with a scooter. Works effectively to a depth of 150 meters.

We invite you to visit the Tecline Academy, where the mainlight can be seen, tested and you can practice how to use the DPV ring and other accessories related to light communication.

Photo Bartłomiej Trzciński

the round goBy

A stranger in the Baltic

Text agata turowicz photo ro stislav Štefánek

divers making their trips to the bottom of the Baltic Sea in the 80s certainly remember that when diving, it was hard to see any fish. of course, expeditions to deep wrecks have always allowed you to meet good-looking cods, whose population in our sea is unfortunately decreasing. however, the shallow wrecks have been full of shrimps or small crustaceans, and only the trained eye of an experienced diver could see pipefish hidden in the thick seagrass, a flounder' eyes protruding from the bottom, or tiny fish from the gobies' family buried in the sand.

Yet the situation changed at the beginning of the 90s, when the much larger cousin of our native gobies – the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) – came to the Baltic Sea along with the ballast waters of ships from the Black Sea.

Although the round goby in the Baltic Sea has been present there for over 30 years, it is considered a new and alien species of Baltic fish to this day. It is not large, males are usually larger than females and in the Gulf of Gdańsk reach up to 25 cm, while females about 19 cm. However, compared to its Baltic cousins, which reach, depending on the species, a maximum of a few to 12–13 cm, it seems to be huge. Round gobies live relatively short, and their life expectancy is estimated at three to four years. Males, like sprat, die after the first spawning. Females, however, can spawn twice and only then die. Because of their coloration (brown-gray, yellow-gray or black with numerous dark stripes) and a large and wide head, these fish are not considered very beautiful.

They live at the bottom, that is why their food are mainly mussels (over 90 % of the total diet). It also happens that after the mass death of males after reproduction, their dead remains become

food for other round gobies. This makes them sometimes scavengers. Although there are no organisms in the Baltic Sea that are fond of them for dinner, the round gobby must be on guard against cormorants. Studies of scientists prove that it constitutes almost the total diet of these birds.

Male gobies, like most members of the goby family, actively look after the sprawned eggs. Nests in which round cobies lay their eggs usually consist of hard bottom elements to which females stick their eggs. Interestingly, roe is usually laid by more than one female in one nest. Immediately after sprawning, the roe is fertilised by a male who almost immediately takes care of it. Until the young hatch, their dad chases away intruders and fans its pectoral fins to increase the flow of water through the eggs and thus improve their oxygenation.

In the Baltic, the goby was recorded for the first time on June 9, 1990 in the vicinity of the Hel Peninsula, and less than 10 years later it could be found in the entire Gulf of Gdansk. Its success is due to its extremely high tolerance to temperature changes, salinity and oxygen deficiency, which are quite common in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is not an easy sea to live for marine organisms. The low water exchange with the North Sea, a large amount of pollution carried by river flows, and significant temperature changes (from 0°C to above 20°C) make many organisms unable to survive in our sea. However, the round cobby perfectly copes with all these problems, making it currently a diving companion at both shallow and slightly deeper dives. In addition, its population is so large that it is impossible to overlook it. Next time you set off to conquer the Baltic Sea, you will certainly meet the round goby on your way.

coots

temperamental divers

Tekst i zdjęcia wojciech jarosz

coots are feisty water birds, which especially during mating season do not let up on their rivals. what's more, they are up to facing birds much larger than themselves when those inadvertently breach the borders of the territory the coots occupy.

To chase away your recent buddy from the wintering habitat is one thing, but to throw yourself at a swan that is many times bigger is something completely different. Coots are capable of such bravery.

How to distinguish a coot from other water birds? There are several features that will allow us to recognize them avoiding mistakes. When these birds swim a little further from the shore and it is difficult to see the details of their build, we are certainly able to observe the characteristic head nodding back and forth while swimming. When they are a little closer, a conspicuous white spot above the beak

of the same colour leaves no doubt that we are dealing with a coot in person. The whiteness of the beak and forehead contrasts with the very dark colouration of the bird. If the coot swims close enough to spot it's eyes, it turns out that the iris is beautiful, red colour! The aforementioned white spot on the head is a featherless, thickened and calloused skin, which may resemble baldness – hence comes the generic name. In addition, such baldness also occurs in chicks whose appearance is almost infernal. The dark background of black feathers is brightened by ruffled red and yellow feathers – I encourage you to look around in the spring during trips to the water – seeing such a tiny devil among the reeds is a peculiar experience. And finally the legs of the coots – these are just surprising! First of all, they seem disproportionately large. Too big! Secondly, the toes are equipped with broad fleshy lobes, which support the propulsion during swimming, and also make it easier to walk on aquatic vegetation and muddy shores. Big toes also make it easier to accelerate on water, without which the coot can't take off.

Since we already know how to recognize coots, the next question is: where can we find them? These are common birds, occurring primarily in freshwater, especially where

Before immersion, the coots perform a characteristic bounce and then go down to a depth of several meters. r ather no more than 5–6, and usually much shallower.

coastal rushes occur. But a coot can also be found on the sea coasts. Although the numbers of these birds have been decreasing in recent years, it is still not a problem to meet a coot in our country. Besides, the coots can be seen in many places outside of Poland. Our species, the Eurasian coot (or common coot – Fulica atra) is found in most European countries (except the most northern), but also in North Africa, Central Asia, and even in such exotic locations as India, Ceylon or Japan. Other subspecies of the coot are also found in Antipodes – New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. Add to this the other 9 species of the coot (and there was one more, the mascarene coot, which has already become extinct), and it turns out that the coot is almost ubiquitous. The largest variety of species of this genus is found in South America,

from where the coot probably originates. It is among others there where lives the largest of the coots (the giant coot – F. gigantea), as well as the horned coot (F. cornuta), the white-winged coot and rred-fronted coot (F. leucoptera and F. rufifrons) or the Andean coot (F. ardesiaca). Even in Hawaii you can find the coots – of course Hawaiian coot (F. alai). And how is it with coots diving? These birds dive willingly, because in this way they get food. Most often they eat aquatic plants (e.g. chara, pondweed, elodea) and invertebrates, not despising roe or frogspawn. Unlike ducks, they don't usually swallow food underwater, but only on the surface. Before immersion, the coots perform a characteristic bounce and then go down to a depth of several meters. Rather no more than 5–6, and usually much shallower. Observations were carried out in Italy, which found that the average coot dive time was just over 5 seconds. The maximum recorded time in immersion was 20 seconds. If there is enough food and the water does not freeze, then the coots can stay throughout the year in Central Europe – they often form large flocks. In colder winters, they move to Western and Southern Europe. In the spring they start mating, during which they become cheeky and bold. Males choose territories that they fiercely defend, and fe-

males who observe the fight, choose males. After mating, a nest is prepared among aquatic vegetation, to which leads something like a ramp or ladder. Interestingly, the male carries the material and the female builds the nest. After laying 5 to 10 eggs (although a dozen or so can happen), after a little over three weeks the young hatch. If the nest is lost, the coots are up to planting their eggs into the nests of other birds. A case was described, in which the coots' eggs were planted in the nest of the marsh harrier – a predator who, of course, likes coots... for it's dinner. The fate of the young from that breeding is unknown ... An interesting fact in the breeding behaviour of the coots is that in favourable conditions, when another brood takes place, the juvenile from the first brood helps parents look after their younger siblings. It is also worth mentioning that young coots quickly become independent, because they dive already in the third week of life, and in the eighth they can already fly!

Knowing all this, let's watch the coots at every possible opportunity, while they are still quite numerous. And remember – not all that swims on the pond is a duck! The coot is a family of the rails (i.e. birds related to cranes), and although they may seem similar to ducks, they have a completely different origin.

aBc: mask, snorkel, fins

HOW TO SElEcT AND SAFElY USE SNORkEllING GEAR

a snorkel (a tube). The snorkel should be adjusted taking into account the comfort of the mouthpiece and the bend of the snorkel (a rigid one or the one with a flexible joint). We should also choose the type of the snorkel:

a. a traditional, open-top snorkel, whose main advantage is the price

b. a semi-dry snorkel, with a cap partially protecting against flooding with excess water

c. a so-called "dry snorkel" with protecting against pouring water.

It is worth paying attention to whether the snorkel has relief valves. Thanks to the valves, it is easier to empty the snorkel from the water, but it requires extra care in use. Reflective elements on the snorkel are very important, because thanks to them we will be visible on the water surface. We attach the snorkel on the left side of the mask (and face) with a clip or an elastic band. Put the mouthpiece in your mouth, hold it lightly with your teeth and put your lips around it to form a tight system. The FIRST thing we do after putting the snor-

Text margita Ślizowska photos wiktor zdrojewski

kel in your mouth is to EXHAUST. Thanks to this, we will get rid of any water that might be inside...

FINS and... SHOES. We can use two types of fins for snorkelling. Full-foot fins that we put on a bare foot or a neoprene sock. Such fins are best for swimming or snorkelling from a boat (in deep water). More functional are the open-heel fins (fixed on the strap or elastic band or a spring). We put them on the neoprene shoes that should fit the foot tightly.

The blades of the fins (the simpler the better) should be medium soft to medium rigid – depending on the degree of snorkelling training. Too soft will be inefficient. Too rigid increase the risk of a cramp. It is best to put on the fins in the water or just before jumping into water. But if we have to walk in them on the ground – we should walk sideways or backward looking at what is behind us. And if we enter the unknown waters or get among the coral reef – we should obligatory wear diving shoes!

eQuipment configurations

Part 2

Text wojciech a f ilip

One of the most important features of the "backmount" configuration (cylinder or cylinders mounted on the back) is the highest possible stability of the cylinder, in every position of the diver.

Imagine a diver who wants to hover head down, or to turn around his own, horizontally positioned body (such

skills are useful inside tight wrecks). If the configuration is well chosen and well-fitting, there will not be a problem. So the diver's equipment will move with the diver as if they were one.On the other hand, if the cylinder on the back moves, it affects not only the comfort, but also the safety of the diver.

Photo Przemysław Zyber

bcd or wing?

why should my configuration suit me perfectly?

What is a BCD?

Probably the vast majority of you can answer this question in length – compare what you know with the information below.

BCD is a kind of vest (eg. Polish full name name is ‘rescue and buoyancy vest’), which the diver puts on, and matches it to the body using 3, 4 or more regulatory elements. In the back of the vest there is a stiff plastic backplate with a strap or straps, with which we attach the cylinder to our BCD.

The main part of a BCD consists of two layers of material, between which air is pumped in when we press inflate button on the inflator. The space for air is spread across the back and sides of the diver (the reason why while filling the BCD on the surface we can have the impression of pressure on the ribs, or trouble with easy breathing). It may also be problematic to put in or take out something from a pocket of the BCD when it is full of air. This distribution of air chambers in the BCD means that none of them stabilizes the cylinder (BCD is around the diver, not the cylinder), and on the surface the diver is placed belly up (the largest air chambers are located on the sides of the diver).

Wing*

This name is a shortcut.

The wing (called also a bag) is one of the elements that make up the modular buoyancy system (in this system the bag, when filled with air, sticks out slightly to the sides of the diver. Hence the term "wing".

bcd pros:

` widely known

` instructors like to use BCDs for their students

` on the surface the diver is placed belly up

` associated with a piece of clothing 

b cd cons:

` does not keep the cylinder in one position on the diver

` allows the cylinder to move towards the head and sideways of the diver

` partially blocks the possibility of easy breathing (squeezes the diver after filling)

` does not maintain high position on the surface

` there is no proper size for people very tall and slim, short and stocky or children

` when completely filled with air, it can block access to pockets for extra equipment

Photo Alfred Lee

Photo Tomasz Płociński

The wing itself is only an air bag, it still needs to be connected to the diver and the tank.

The first connecting element is a backplate, similar to those used in BCDs. It can be made of durable, lightweight plastic (e.g. carbon) or metal (aluminum or stainless steel).

From a distance the backplate appears to be flat and resembles a metal plate.

A harness attached to the back plate fits a diver very tightly. A well-chosen and well-fitted harness means that you cannot move the back plate without moving the diver's body.

A cylinder is attached to the back plate – for such a connection to be stable, a metal adapter is rigidly mounted to the plate. The adapter has 2 straps which hold the cylinder. The cylinder mounted in this way is stationery on the diver's back.

The wing, which is a bag for air, is attached in a very simple way between the back plate and the cylinder adapter.

Backplate, harness and the wing together form modular buoyancy system.

why modular?

Because each of the elements of this system can be chosen / replaced independently of the rest (like a module) – the back plate can be made of various materials, from very light, less than 0.5 kg (nice to travel) to very heavy. We can freely choose and what is important: change size – buoyancy of the bag, its colour and shape. This allows one plate with harness to be used both for diving with a single cylinder and a double cylinder set (only the bag is replaced then).

The harness may be of different hardness and with additional elements (so-called d-rings) for attaching additional equipment. There are also several adjustment options: adjustable once only – it then fits perfectly the particular diver, or universal, adjustable just like the BCD straps.

For people who do not like configurating, each equipment manufacturer has prepared ready-made modular sets. They are set up to suit perfectly various situations. In addition, there are more comfortable sets for females, for traveling or diving with different cylinder configurations – just ask the seller (by the way – modular system protects effectively against spending money to buy equipment many times )

Photo Bartek Trzciński

pros of the modular system:

` ensures perfect stability under water

` allows you to be in any position with ease

` it can be adapted perfectly to any body shape

` it has many options for mounting various accessories useful during the dive

` regardless of the amount of air in the bag it does not squeeze the diver

` a properly selected bag allows you to stay in a safe, high position on the surface

` allows any configuration changes without having to buy all the equipment again

what is worth knowing about the modular system?

This system came to recreational diving from cave diving. Difficult dive sites require not only perfect buoyancy control, but also equipment that supports divers in everything they do. In addition, such equipment must be extremely durable in terms of both diving and transport conditions, i.e. it should cope well with poor treatment by its owner...

These specific features mean that recreational diving was enriched by unique equipment, worth using. The combination of harness, plate and bag gives unlimited possibilities to every diver, no matter if he is starting to learn diving

cons of the modular system:

` an incorrectly selected bag (too high behind the head) can put the diver face down on the surface and making buoyancy control difficult

` an incorrectly fitted harness / crotch strap will not ensure a stable cylinder position on the diver's back

or planning to acquire new skills. This is the only system that the diver can use on the course and during following dives at the basic, advanced, wreck and cave level, fitting it, if necessary, with an additional bag only – the rest works just as well.

what to choose then? is b cd obsolete?

We want to be better divers, we want to have the best equipment that will work flawlessly for many years.

Each of us likes tailor-made things – learn more about the modular buoyancy system and test it. If you don't like it, you can always go back to a BCD.

Photo Tomasz Płociński

Photo Marcello di Francesco

the secret – that is why not everyone uses modular systems?

The reason is very simple: because they do not know it well enough to use all possibilities it gives. All we have to do is acquire some knowledge and carry out some practical tests. Here are the key questions that we should answer before testing it in the water:

1. Plate – why should it not be treated as a way to reduce the amount of weights?

2. Harness – how to fit it well and why the hip straps should not be placed on the stomach?

3. The bag – how does the shape of the bag affect the diver's position and buoyancy control?

Many people can influence your choice of equipment, but it depends only on you what you get and how you will use it.

The combination of harness, back plate and bag gives unlimited possibilities to any diver who plans to acquire new skills. This is the only system that the diver can use on the basic, advanced, wreck and cave courses, fitting it with an additional bag only – the rest works just as well.

Listen to what other divers have to say about your choice. It's definitely worth seeking help from people who encourage you to explore different solutions by trying them out.

Building your perfect configuration, start by learning about it. Then find a Diving Centre or a store where you will be allowed to test your chosen equipment.

Be accurate: record any observations, ask questions and search for logical answers.

Your perfect configuration is the equipment in which you dive – not someone else.

Jacket or wing is used to increase the safety and comfort of our stay under water. We always choose our diving equipment bearing in mind the type of dives we want to do and bearing in mind the development of own skills (higher levels).

Very often, we can't choose the best solution because of the training system, i.e. how we learn to dive. The instructor wants to follow the training standards and... he chooses the equipment solution most convenient for him to conduct the course, but not necessarily the best for us – divers.

I invite you to the next part of the article Equipment

Configurations – you will get to know the details related to the selection and adjustment of the modular system. I invite you to the next issue of Perfect Diver. WAF.

*some companies offer hybrids: a combination of a BCD and wing, in which air chambers are around a cylinder, or a cylinder and a diver. Moderate interest of divers in this solution is due to a large complication in the construction, considerable weight, high price and lack of a crotch belt (probably the only exception are Zeagle wings, equipped with crotch straps).

Photo Michał Motylewski

PHOTO BY