THE MACRO WORLD OF THE BALTIC SEA UNDER GDYNIA'S TORPEDO STATION
DOROTHEA QUARRY PALAU
Wojciech Zgoła Editor-in-Chief
We have entered the astronomical autumn. And this is a sign that visibility in freshwater reservoirs, lakes and quarries will improve.
Many of us are waiting for this moment with longing.
September 2024 will go down in disgrace due to the heavy and prolonged rains that caused flooding in many regions of Europe. The struggle to cope with its consequences will continue for many years to come. We encourage people from places not affected by flooding to support those who suffered, using reliable and safe organisations that collect donations for this purpose.
September is also the time of clean up actions in many lakes. Several such actions took place, for example, in Poland: in Warsaw, Czarnogłowy, and finally in Poznań on Lake Kierskie. In total, the divers collected many hundreds of kilograms of garbage.
In the current issue of the Perfect Diver Magazine, you may be surprised by the material prepared by Michał Bazała, who is making his debut on our pages writing about the Baltic Sea. His is the cover and the first article :)
It's just as interesting next. We have for you the deepest (probably) quarry in the UK – Dorothea, we have Przemek and Monika Zyber's material about safari, we have Palau from the pen of Sylwia Kosmalska-Juriewicz.
There is the topic of underwater the youth and their opportunities, multi-level diving or hyperventilation. There is also an interesting article on whether to decide to become a diving instructor.
Inside there is also an interview with Marek Bochniak, information about the innovative warmer, pipit birds and where to buy Fourth Element in Poland.
For those who want to travel to little-known places without diving infrastructure, there is material about Lake Zagłębocze.
This magazine is for you. Step inside!
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WOJCIECH ZGOŁA
Passionate about diving and pure nature. He likes to say that he travels by diving. He learned to swim when he was less than 6 years old. At the age of 15, he obtained a yacht sailor's license and has been diving since 2006. He has completed over 800 dives in various regions of the world. He wrote and published many articles.
Co-author of photo exhibitions. An advocate of leaving the place of residence clean and unblemished. Diving promoter. Since 2008 he has been running his own website www.dive-adventure.eu
Based on extensive experience, in 2018 he created the new Perfect Diver Magazine, which has been successfully published regularly every two months in Polish and English for 6 years.
A graduate of geography at the University of Wrocław, an incorrigible optimist... permanently with a smile on her lips
I have been diving since 2002, which is more than half of my life I started diving in Polish waters, to which I willingly return during the year – and it gives me great pleasure! :) I must have come to Activtour by destiny and I have stayed here for good... for over 10 years! I am passionate about fulfilling people's dreams by preparing diving trips around the world! Personally – I fly and dive in different seas and seas whenever I can, because it is one of the loves of my life Since the beginning of the existence of the PD magazine, I have been transferring my memories of diving trips to paper, sharing my passion with others and I can't stop writing ;) 2023 permanently in the PD editorial office – hoping to bring her some "fresh blood" ;) A diving dream come true: Galapagos! Still ahead of me… Antarctica! If I don't dive, I choose skiing, tennis or strong rock sounds! ;) The motto that I really like is: "Be realistic – start dreaming"! :) anna@activtour.pl; www.activtour.pl;
SYLWIA KOSMALSKA-JURIEWICZ
A traveller and a photographer of wild nature. A graduate of journalism and a lover of good literature. She lives in harmony with nature, promotes a healthy lifestyle: she is a yogini and a vegetarian. Also engaged in ecological projects. Sharks and their protection are especially close to her heart. She writes about the subject in numerous articles and on her blog www.blog.dive-away.pl. She began her adventure with diving fifteen years ago by total coincidence. Today she is a diving instructor, she visited over 60 countries and dived on 5 continents. She invites us for a joint journey with the travel agency www.dive-away.pl, of which she is a co-founder.
My adventure with photography began long before I started diving. From the very first dive I dreamed that I would be accompanied by a camera. As I became more adept at diving, my photography gear evolved as well. From a simple gopro camera through a compact and SLR camera to a full-frame mirrorless camera. Now I can't imagine diving without a camera. I have the impression that underwater photography gives meaning to my diving. www.facebook.com/przemyslaw.zyber www.instagram.com/przemyslaw_zyber/ www.deep-art.pl
Karolina Sztaba, and professionally Karola Takes Photos, is a photographer by education and passion. She is currently working at the Trawangan Dive Center on a tiny island in Indonesia – Gili Trawangan, where she moved to live four years ago. She photographs above and below the water. In addition, she creates photographic projects against littering the oceans and polluting our planet with plastic ("Trapped", "Trashion"). She cooperates with NGO organizations dealing with environmental protection and actively participates in pro-ecological actions (coral protection, coral planting, cleaning the world, protection of endangered species). She is also the official photographer of Ocean Mimic – a brand that creates swimwear and surfwear from rubbish collected on the beaches of Bali. She cooperated with many brands of diving equipment for which she created advertising campaigns. In 2019, she became the ambassador of the Polish company Tecline. She has been a technical diver for two years.
Laura is a journalist, instructor trainer, CCR and cave diver. She has been developing her diving career for over a decade, gaining knowledge and experience in various fields. Her specialty is professional diving training, but her passion for the underwater environment and its protection drives her to explore various places around the world. From the depths of the Lombok Strait, caves in Mexico and wrecks in Malta to the Maldives, where she runs a diving center awarded by the Ministry of Tourism as the best diving center in the Maldives. Laura actively contributes to promoting the protection of the marine environment, takes part in scientific projects, campaigns against ocean littering and cooperates with non-governmental organizations. You can find her at @laura_kazi_diving www.divemastergilis.com
ANNA METRYCKA
KAROLA TAKES PHOTOS
LAURA KAZIMIERSKA
PRZEMYSŁAW ZYBER
He has been diving for 35 years. He has spent more than 16,000 hours underwater, most of them diving technically. He has been an instructor and mentor instructor for many organizations including CMAS, GUE, IANTD, PADI. He co-created the training programs for some of them. He is a professional with vast knowledge and practical experience. He has participated in many diving projects as a leader, explorer, initiator or speaker. He was the first Pole to dive the HMHS Britannic wreck (117m). He was the first to explore the deep part of the Glavas Cave (118m). He made a series of dives documenting the wreck of ORP GROM (110m). He has documented deep (100-120m) parts of flooded mines. He is the creator and designer of many equipment solutions to improve diving safety.
Technical Director at Tecline, where, among other things, he manages the Tecline Academy a research and training facility. Author of several hundred articles on diving and books on diagnosis and repair of diving equipment.
He dives in rivers, lakes, caves, seas and oceans all over the world.
He has been diving forever, he does not remember his first dives. The only thing he remembers is that diving has always been his passion. He spent his entire childhood on Polish lakes, which he still prefers to distant destinations. With great success, he turned his passion into a way of life and business. Curiosity of the world and constant striving for perfection are the main features that definitely hinder him in life. Professional diving instructor, photographer, filmmaker.
Creator of the DECO Diving Center, PADI Course Director, TecTrimix Instructor Trainer TECREC.
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was chaos...
…that is, the multitude of thoughts and delights after my first immersion under water in 2005 in the form of INTRO while on vacation in Egypt. By then I had completely immersed myself in the underwater world and wanted it to have an increasing impact on my life. 2 years later, I took an OWD course, which I received as a gift for my 18th birthday, and over time, further courses and skills improvement appeared.
"Photography" appeared not much later, but initially in the form of a disposable underwater "Kodak" from which the photos came out stunningly blue I am not a fan of one type of diving, although my greatest weakness at the moment is for large pelagic animals. The Galapagos Islands were my best opportunity to photograph so many species of marine fauna so far.
I share my passion for diving and photography with my buddy, who is my wife IG: luke.divewalker www.lukedivewalker.com
A graduate of two Poznan universities, the Academy of Physical Education (coaching specialization – handball) and the University of A.Mickiewicz, Faculty of Biology (specialty of experimental biology). He connected his professional life with this first university trying to influence the direction of development of future professionals on the one hand, and on the other planning and implementing research, pushing laboriously in the right direction of the stroller called science. In his free time he spends his time actively – his main passions are sailing (sea helmsman), skiing (downhill skiing instructor), riding a motorcycle, recreational diving and many other activities, as well as photography, mainly nature.
A graduate of the Poznań University of Technology, financier, the auditor. A diver fascinated by theory diving – physics and physiology. In love passionate about history in underwater archaeology Ancient Rome, active Centurion in the group reconstructionist Bellator Societas (Rome I century BC). He dreams of attending at least once underwater archaeological research a then describe everything in a series of columns.
It can be found as often as under water in Japan, whose culture and history he has been fascinated by nearly three decades.
Zoopsychologist, researcher and expert in dolphin behavior, committed to the idea of protecting dolphins and fighting against keeping them in dolphinariums. Passionate about Red Sea and underwater encounters with large pelagic predators. Member of the Dolphinaria-Free Europe Coalition, volunteer of the Tethys Research Institute and Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, collaborator of Marine Connection. For over 15 years, he has been participating in research on wild dolphin populations, auditing dolphinariums, and monitoring the quality of whale watching cruises. As the head of the "Free & Safe" project (formerly "NO! for a dolphinarium"), he prevents keeping dolphins in captivity, promotes ethical whale & dolphin watching, trains divers in responsible swimming with wild dolphins, and popularizes knowledge about dolphin therapy that is passed over in silence or hidden by profit-making centers. on this form of animal therapy.
WOJCIECH A. FILIP
ŁUKASZ METRYCKI / LUKE DIVEWALKER
DOMINIK DOPIERAŁA
MICHAŁ CZERNIAK
JAKUB BANASIAK
WOJCIECH JAROSZ
Better known as Wąski
Professionally, the main health and safety specialist, fire protection inspector and first aid instructor. Privately, husband and father of his daughter. A member of the Bellator Societas, where he is called St. Marcin, because every year he plays the character during the name day of the street on November 11 in Poznań. Of course, for many years an avid diver. He loves technical diving, especially those on wrecks and everything related to activity above and below water :)
For Tomek, diving has always been his greatest passion. He started his adventure at the age of 14, developing into a recreational and technical diving instructor, a first aid instructor and a diving industry technician. Currently, he runs the 5* COMPASS DIVERS Pobiedziska Diving Center near Poznań, where he passes his knowledge and skills to beginners and advanced divers, which gives him great joy and satisfaction from being part of their underwater adventure...
Zodiac Libra. Enthusiast of a healthy lifestyle, fond of active leisure. Lover of the underwater world and underwater photography. HR employee, and after hours SDI diving instructor, Vital Mentor, Diet coach. Thanks to her passion for psychology, working with people and the ability to listen, she knows that everything starts in the head. He highly values the ability to communicate without words underwater. Water helped her discover completely unknown mobility possibilities, and overcoming her own limitations, as well as learning something new in the natural environment, in the context of communing with nature, helped her rebuild her mental condition.
Author of the website https://aldonadreger.pl and https://wellbeingproject.pl Partner of the diving school https://wewelldiving.pl
„Kindness” entire adult life, as her friends call her, is professionally related to diving. She has been diving every day for over ten years as a professional PADI diving instructor, working and running diving centers in Egypt. Extremely meticulous and pedantic about safety. Specializes in training children, teenagers and women. It's impossible to miss her because she dresses her pink lifestyle in this color underwater. An accountant by education and second profession, in private she is the mother of two "terrorists". Co-owner of the DECO Diving Center.
From an early age, Michał Bazała was fascinated by aquatic ecosystems, developing his passion for the underwater world as a biologist and aquarist. In 2014, he fulfilled his dream of personally exploring the depths. Underwater, he is almost always accompanied by a camera, and since 2022, also by students, as an instructor of the Polish IDF federation and a technical diver. He founded the Wilanówbased dive center Royal Divers, where he promotes mindful diving and emphasizes the richness and fragility of aquatic ecosystems, even in small, local ponds.
He honed his underwater photography skills while diving after work with the Group Exploring Suburban Dive Sites around Warsaw. A two-time finalist of the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition, Michał actively supports environmental protection initiatives, participating in campaigns that raise public awareness about the need to safeguard our underwater world. His greatest dream is to explore the little-known reefs of the Pacific Ocean, where he hopes to discover and document the untouched beauty of nature. www.facebook.com/bazala.fotografia www.instagram.com/michal_bazala/ royaldivers.pl, bazala.pl
Snap-pop and diving came back into my life. And it changed my landscapes – and it was nice, and it changed my perspective – and it was great! Well, if someone has a nice life like me, diving would have to be included in it... hi-hi. That's my approach. I don't want to count the days, I want the days to count (preferably every day!) That's why diving is another adventure that I enjoy with delight (in small bites, so as not to have hiccups!) And I like it very much, because it is accompanied by great company, great views and thrill.
MICHAŁ BAZAŁA
DOBROCHNA DIDŁUCH
PIOTR KOPEĆ
ALDONA DREGER
TOMASZ KULCZYŃSKI
MONIKA ZYBER
POLISH ANILAO
The Macro World of the Baltic Sea under Gdynia's Torpedo Station
Text and photos MICHAŁ BAZAŁA
When
we dream of ideal places for macro marine photography, we instinctively think of Indonesian spots like Anilao, Lembeh, or Raja Ampat. However, if time and budget for such a trip are currently out of reach, I invite you to the Polish version of this photographic paradise – the GULF
OF GDAŃSK.
Just hop on an underwater scooter and head toward Gdynia’s Torpedo Station, where the magic of macro photography awaits you in all its glory. The area around the Torpedo Station is a true treasure trove of underwater shots and an excellent testing ground for equipment – not just for macro – before an oceanic expedition. It’s a place where you'll encounter rich marine life and challenges that will make you a better and more aware underwater photographer.
A scooter ride to the underwater testing ground
In our climate the adventure begins with monitoring the weather. The Torpedo Station, a Nazi relic from World War II, is lo-
cated about 400 meters from the beach at Babie Doły. It lies near military units, so don't be alarmed if a boat filled with commandos passes by. Reaching the dive site requires additional logistics, although fortunately, you don't need to be a professional to handle the task. The easiest way to get there is by diving boat, rented from one of the diving centers in Gdynia. Underwater scooters are becoming an increasingly popular option, allowing for efficient and quick travel from the shore to the dive site, giving us independence and the ability to return to shore quickly.
Of course, it's best to choose a day with low waves and no wind, which reduces the risk of fighting sea currents and surf that could make returning to the beach more difficult. Diving around the four walls of this monumental structure is considered shallow – the average depth does not exceed a dozen meters.
Enclave of biodiversity
What makes this place so special? The Torpedo Station, submerged in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea, offers conditions that can be challenging. Waves, shifting sea currents, limited visibility, numerous sharp objects, ghost nets, and a significant distance from the shore – all of this makes diving here like a survival course for an underwater photographer. So why did I return to this site several times? This half-submerged structure has begun to function as a local artificial reef. Over time, various marine organisms settled on its concrete walls, creating ideal conditions for smaller forms of life to thrive.
When you add the fact that the water in this area is relatively shallow and well-lit, you get the perfect environment for
rich biodiversity to develop. The monumental slabs and pillars, detached from the main structure, lie on the seabed, providing additional shelter from destructive waves, currents, and predators. The multi-layered nature of this environment encourages the use of unconventional angles and various approaches to photographing the subjects. During my first dive in this area in 2019, I was surprised by how many sponges, barnacles, and mussels were present per square meter of surface, compared to popular nearby wrecks such as the training sites Bryza, Delfin, or Groźny. Pioneer organisms settle much more easily on concrete than on steel. Closer to the shore, filter-feeding animals have more particles to consume, and the water warms up faster, promoting their growth. How many such objects do we have in our part of the Baltic Sea? A negligible number. That's why, in my opinion, the Torpedo Station at Babie Doły is a unique feature of the southern Baltic coast, and it deserves to be appreciated and protected. Transforming the site into a hotel or other invasive human activities would mean that we would lose this exceptional environment for a long time.
Vertical meadows, underwater beaches, and nooks
What to look for and where? Start by exploring the bottom between the shore and the structure. There are many concrete pillars lying on a seabed made of sand and countless shells. On top of the concrete, in the brown algae, you'll encounter numerous dwarf crabs – shy during the day but more active at night. I can’t wait for a night dive in this place!
In the algae, you’ll also find pipefish. These fish are about 20 cm long and belong to the needlefish family. They have perfected the art of mimicry – the ability to resemble their environment in shape, color, and movement, specifically the seagrass. One time, wanting to pick up a bundle of thick fishing line lying on the bottom as trash to discard, I withdrew my hand at the last moment. I almost destroyed their perfectly camouflaged, modernist little home.
Under the large slabs, in a place of eternal twilight, you’ll find white carpets made up of millions of common jellyfish polyps – a settled form of our Baltic jellyfish. This “rocky fur” provides an excellent backdrop for the islands formed by mussels, Bryoza, algae, and barnacles.
Practically in every crevice of concrete on the seabed, numerous gobies are hiding. These are bottom-dwelling fish, reluctant to swim in the water column. They build nests from shell remnants. They are quite skittish, making it a challenge for photographers to get a good portrait. It’s worth waiting a moment and observing the spots where they have hidden – after a while, they get used to our presence.
In the calm, sheltered nooks from the currents, you might say in underwater hollows, you’ll encounter schools of Mysidacea, small shrimp-like crustaceans. They live in large groups, moving quickly and in jumps. This presents another challenge for getting the focus right.
I was incredibly impressed by the life-covered vertical walls that look like vertical meadows built from creamy sponges,
where you’ll find “grazing” schools of shrimp. In my opinion, the highlight is the sight of these crustaceans surrounded by velvety, ruby red fringes created from mats of cyanobacteria. These small organisms, although less colorful than their tropical cousins, have their own unique charm. Photographing them is not only a technical challenge but also an artistic one. It is those moments when we strive for the perfect shot that make macro photography in the Baltic so rewarding.
How to prepare your photography equipment?
Unlike the tranquil lakes, where the water is calm and visibility remains consistently low, the Torpedo Station presents us with challenges similar to those encountered in the open ocean. Currents can change direction in the blink of an eye, visibility can suddenly worsen, and waves can reach shallow bottoms, as if testing our readiness for a close encounter with a protruding sharp rebar nearby. It’s an excellent place to test your equipment and prepare for scenarios we may face in more exotic waters. It’s also an opportunity to learn patience and precision, which are essential in macro photography, and training in Poland will cost us significantly less than on the target trip.
It's worth preparing a macro lens that allows for considerable magnification. In the frame, we will most often have creatures ranging from 10 cm to 1 cm. If we intend to focus on details, additional macro lenses will be indispensable. Each of the aforementioned animals has unique patterns and colors that beg to be
highlighted with high magnification. We should also include two small flash units in our kit.
If we’re lucky and find several meters of visibility on our first dive, I recommend bringing a wide-angle lens for the second dive as well. Numerous underwater objects and a good model among them will allow us to diversify our portfolio further.
When and how to dive?
The site is accessible pretty much year-round, and as long as there’s no wind and wave action, diving there is very enjoyable. If we are caught off guard by wind, current, or waves, we should use the walls of the structure as shelter. Special attention should be paid to protruding sharp elements, both from the bottom and on the surface of the structure. In winter, for longer photography sessions, I bring electric heating from Santi for my dry suit. A buoy and a strobe are, in my opinion, essential equipment in the Baltic, as they significantly increase the chances of being found in case we get lost or swept away by the current. We rented Seacraft scooters, which are reliable and can tow two heavily equipped photographers and divers, from Marcin Bramson at Deep Adventure.
If you want to get to know this artificial reef better, I would be happy to organize macro photography workshops in this area. It’s a perfect opportunity to learn techniques that will be useful during trips to places where there won’t be time or opportunity for configuration changes, as well as to experience the raw beauty of the Baltic in the company of other underwater enthusiasts. Thanks to Aldona Prokopiuk and Marcin Trzciński for the photos and safe dives!
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Heavenly Views of PALAU
Text SYLWIA KOSMALSKA-JURIEWICZ
Photos ADRIAN JURIEWICZ
”Nature has no boundaries, like the human mind. Often, it is the only teacher truly devoted to your understanding, without prejudice, without comparisons, and without expecting anything in return.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
The setting sun on the horizon turned amber as our plane gently touched down on Koror's airport tarmac. An hour later, we were on a bus heading to our hotel, just twenty minutes away from the airport. The road snaked through, revealing beautiful landscapes of Palau before us. Amid lush vegetation dominating the island, the blue of the ocean showed through, where the last rays of the setting sun dissolved. Day turned to night by the time we reached the hotel.
The next morning, I was awakened by the gentle songs of birds, and a pink glow filled the hotel room. I looked out the window and what I saw took my breath away. The emerald waters of the lagoon gently washed the coral hotel beach. Several wooden lounge chairs and orchid-colored umbrellas were set up on the sand. Small limestone hills surrounded the lagoon,
as if they were holding it in their arms. Dense tropical rainforest covered the hills, teeming with life, while birds flourished in the treetops. Morning animal sounds mixed with a light breeze from the ocean, filtering through the hotel curtains and filling my room. "How good it is to be back here," I thought.
A few years ago, we visited Palau, staying at the same hotel, although the view from the window was somewhat different then. Every morning, right after breakfast, we went out for two or three dives. Between dives, we rested on one of the uninhabited islands, of which Palau has plenty. The islets are small and very picturesque, with white, coral sand and water so clear that shells, small fish, and ripples in the sand created by the gentle ocean movement are visible. In the shade of the palm trees covering the islands, we had lunch, relaxed, and enjoyed the unparalleled views. The best diving spots, like Ulung Channel, are an hour away from Koror by fast boat. The moments spent on the boat passed quickly; during the ride, we admired heavenly views, blue lagoons, green islets multiplying on the ocean.
We approached them so closely that I could smell the sunburnt earth rising above them.
After five years, we returned to Palau, to this Micronesian archipelago associated with the United States, which gained independence in 1994. Oceania attracts divers from around the world, tempting them with unforgettable dives in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. In the depths of these waters lie true treasures, such as ship or airplane wrecks.
This time, we decided to combine hotel relaxation with a seven-day safari boat trip. On land, we visited the most spectacular places on the island, such as Ngardmau Waterfall or the lighthouse. A narrow jungle path leads to the waterfall, and the crossing is not easy due to the numerous hills to overcome under the hot sun. The jungle is incredibly beautiful; a living organism pulsating with life, where every plant and creature plays its role. Colorful butterflies fly overhead, orange flower calyxes attract insects to feed on them, green lizards cross our path, and vines hang and twist on thick tropical tree branches. Animal sounds echo off the limestone rocks. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a completely different world, a world where nature reigns and humans are mere guests. After forty minutes of peaceful walking, we reached the waterfall. Crystal-clear water flows with immense force, washing over rocks and merging with the river. We enter the icy water slowly, seeking relief after the long hike. Bathing in this natural place brings me indescribable joy, a gift of nature that will remain in my memory for a long time.
We boarded the safari boat two days after spending time on land. This impressive vessel was moored a considerable distance from our hotel and can accommodate 22 passengers. Guests have access to eleven very comfortable cabins with bathrooms, three decks, a Jacuzzi, dining room, two bars, a billiards room, and a small library. The spacious boat offers us everything we need during the seven-day voyage. During this time, we changed location only a few times, usually short sailings, which is quite unusual for "diving safari" vacations. All the best diving spots are about an hour away from Koror by fast boat. Our boat usually docked in beautiful bays surrounded by limestone rock formations covered with tropical vegetation, and we went diving in Zodiacs.
Over the next seven days, we visited the most spectacular diving spots in the area. In some of them, we dived twice due to their unique beauty. Ulung Channel, one of the most famous diving spots, amazed us with its dual nature – from a calm, almost meditative atmosphere to dynamic drift in strong currents. Ulung Channel is a natural channel among the Rock Islands archipelago, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. These green hills submerged in the emerald waters of the Pacific Ocean are a true paradise, and their beauty is awe-inspiring. Diving in Ulung Channel can be done in two ways: in a strong current that turns our dive into a fast drift, allowing for freely admiring the underwater world, or in silence and peace when the current subsides, and we can
enjoy every detail of the fabulous coral garden. This place reminds me of diving in Raja Ampat, one of the most beautiful diving spots on Earth.
During our trip, we also reached Fish n Fins, where the wreck of Jake Seaplane rests. This beautiful wreck was discovered relatively recently, namely in 1994 by a fisherman, and immediately became a symbol of Palau's underwater world. There are few wrecks in this area that are so well preserved and evoke such huge emotions as Jake. The plane dates back to World War II and belonged to the Japanese Navy. It rests at a depth of 15 meters in a coral garden and is an excellent subject for photography. Due to its location and depth, both experienced divers and beginners can dive here. The wreck is also visible from the surface, making it popular among snorkeling enthusiasts. The best visibility in this location occurs during low tide and can exceed 30 meters. Jake Seaplane likely crashed during takeoff or landing after the engine stopped. This is indicated by the perfectly straight propellers, which were not damaged during the collision with the water surface. The coral reef surrounding the wreck has already been significantly damaged by numerous divers visiting the site and trying to capture it in photos and videos.
Palau is a paradise both above and below the water's surface. The richness of fauna and flora in this region is stunning. Every dive is unique, and every Zodiac trip to a new location remains etched in memory for a long time. However, there is one place that particularly amazed me, namely German Channel. This channel in the barrier reef connects the lagoon with the open
Pacific Ocean. Passing through the German Channel, one might feel that all the beauty of this world has concentrated in this one place. The water in this location shimmers in all shades of garnet, blue, and emerald; these beautiful colors intertwine to create a beautiful palette that stretches to the horizon. It is also an excellent diving spot where we can encounter large marine animals such as sharks or manta rays.
German Channel is famous not only for its breathtaking views but also for unforgettable dives with mantas. These extraordinary creatures regularly visit this location to indulge in grooming sessions, during which small, colorful fish remove parasites from their bodies. While mantas are at the "cleaning station," we can observe this incredible process and enjoy the presence of these majestic creatures, which occasionally swim overhead. Meeting mantas is magical, and every moment in their company is priceless. In the same location, among the coral formations covering a small hill, we encountered transparent shrimp, which also provided cleaning services to moray eels.
One of the most spectacular diving spots on the Pacific Ocean map in Oceania is Blue Holes. These seemingly inconspicuous, irregular four holes in the barrier reef hide wonders of nature. During a slow descent into one of the holes, we witness an amazing play of light, its streaks dancing on the walls of a rocky chamber. Descending freely, we enter an underwater grotto – a majestic sanctuary open to the ocean, filled with shells, sand, marine creatures, and corals. Looking up, we see a blue dome through which bright light enters the cave, creating an atmosphere full of peace and mysticism.
Between dives, the crew prepared a surprise for us in the form of dinner on one of Palau's uninhabited islands. A spectacular sunset created an incredible backdrop for a delicious barbecue dinner served by the chef.
The next morning, we submerged in a location called Blue Corner, considered one of the most spectacular diving spots in Palau, where underwater landscapes evoke awe. Dives in this location usually occur in very strong ocean currents, which attract an endless variety of marine life of different species, such as schools of colorful fish, majestic sharks, shiny tunas, barracudas, or serene sea turtles. This area is a protected zone subject to legal regulations to protect marine life and control tourist traffic. During each dive at Blue Corner, divers should be equipped with reef hooks, allowing them to anchor in the current and freely admire the school of sharks and other beautiful creatures emerging from the blue.
In Jellyfish Lake on Eli Island, the sky was mirrored in the still surface of the water as we traversed the jungle to reach our destination. This brackish body of water formed about 12,000 years ago due to geological changes is one of the most fascinating places on Earth. Separated from the rest of the ocean, the lake became home to jellyfish that, having evolved away from their natural predators, lost their stinging cells. This
makes snorkeling in this area completely safe for people. Just a few years ago, the lake was home to around 10 million jellyfish. Today, to see a single representative of this species, we have to swim half the lake. Diving with a tank is completely prohibited in the lake; only snorkeling is allowed, and even that in limited amounts. Jellyfish Lake is a very delicate and sensitive ecosystem that reacts to all changes, such as climate warming, reduced water salinity, the introduction of new species, expansive tourism, or the warm sea current El Niño. All these factors have caused the jellyfish population to nearly go extinct. While snorkeling, we could only see small, white buds of jellyfish, resembling white stems with protrusions, that clung to the submerged tree branches on the lake's bottom.
Places like Jellyfish Lake or Blue Holes are a testament to the fragility of the underwater world, reminding us of the need to protect them for future generations.
The time spent in Palau flew by relentlessly, but the memories of this epic journey will stay with us forever. Both the stay in a luxury hotel and on the safari boat were exceptional experiences that will undoubtedly bring us back to Micronesia to immerse ourselves again in this underwater kingdom.
FULL SPEED AHEAD Toward a new adventure!
A diving safari usually lasts a week. During this time, you almost become part of the marine ecosystem. Here, the sea sets the conditions. It’s either merciful or offers lessons to be learned. During the cruise, not only do you enjoy the charms of life on the ship, but you also follow the rules and laws that govern here.
Get to know a few principles that will help you feel comfortable during this extraordinary adventure. Who are these safari expeditions organized for, and how do you prepare for them?
A diving safari is probably the most convenient way to spend a diving vacation. In just one week, you can do up to 20 dives – four a day. Each dive takes place in a different location, as the boat moves to a new spot after every dive. You don't have to carry your equipment or set it up for every dive. You simply need to unscrew the first stage to fill the tank with air, and you're
Text and photos MONIKA ZYBER & PRZEMYSŁAW ZYBER
ready for the next dive. The food is always fresh, and your appetite after diving is strong. Between dives, you can lounge in the sun, and in the evenings, enjoy the view of the setting sun. Is there anything more beautiful?
In this article, I'll focus on safaris in the Red Sea, as it's the most frequently chosen destination.
The sun is already up, and you're not?
On a safari, the day starts at 5:30 a.m.
A knock on the cabin door and the word "morning" signal a new day and new adventures.
The wake-up time seems cruel for a vacation trip, but a 6:00 a.m. dive and the awakening underwater fauna make up for the lack of sleep. The sun rises higher, and the water changes from gray to an increasingly deep blue. The corals gain color, basking in the morning rays of the sun.
A moray eel yawns lazily after a night of hunting. Lionfish slowly retreat to rest. This is the moment when nocturnal predators hibernate, and the other inhabitants of the reef safely leave their hiding places and timidly dance to the rhythm of the waves.
The morning dive stirs the appetite. We're just moments away from a delicious breakfast.
Pancakes, toast, scrambled eggs, fruit... delicious! After breakfast, it's time for coffee, stories, lounging, sunbathing, and catching up on sleep.
A safari trip is a great opportunity to develop your skills and complete more courses. With four dives each day, it's the perfect time to fine-tune your gear and perfect your skills.
My hair is dry, so…
Around 11:00, it's time for the second dive.
At this time, the sun is at its highest, bringing out the best colors of the reef.
It's the perfect moment for photo shoots and video recordings.
The dancing fish, synchronized as if by design, dart into the coral only to emerge moments later, shimmering with rainbow colors in the sunlight.
The sun’s rays reach the deepest at this hour, making it ideal for a deep dive on a wreck, where you can fully admire the sunken, steel giants.
And shortly after getting out of the water... The bell rings, the sound everyone has been waiting for. It’s the call to lunch. The aromas from the kitchen can be smelled on every deck, so without delay, we head to the dining area.
The sound of the bell can signal three possibilities: a call for a briefing, a meal, or an alarm.
How do you know where to go? It’s simple:
Æ dry hair – it’s time for a dive,
Æ wet hair – a meal after diving,
Æ a continuous signal – an evacuation alarm.
Lazing around again
After lunch, it’s time to relax, play games, and have fun. Some people take a nap before the next – the third – dive.
The afternoon dive is similar to the earlier one. The sun is still high, so we continue to enjoy the brilliant underwater colors.
It often happens that during afternoon dives, there is a stronger current. In such situations, the zodiac (a small inflatable motorboat) takes us to the other end of the reef.
The swift current pulls us toward the boat, and we effortlessly enjoy the sights, letting the force of nature carry us. You can’t fight the ocean current. Let it carry you, relax, and enjoy the moment. Sometimes, when you look away from the reef wall into the endless blue, you might spot a manta ray, a shark, or a turtle. Longimanus sharks, tiger sharks, or reef sharks are common sightings. If you’re really lucky, you might even encounter a whale shark.
Siesta :)
On family safaris, after the afternoon snack, it’s time for more fun activities for the little ones. For example, riding a banana boat pulled by the zodiac. The contest to see who can stay in the saddle the longest stirs up a lot of excitement, cheers, and laughter. The techniques vary, and the kids' imagination is boundless.
The girls put on a mono-fin and transform into mermaids for a while, while the boys become tritons.
When the fun in the water, accompanied by the setting sun, comes to an end (sunset in Egypt – even in summer – happens quite early, around 6:30 p.m.), it is time for...
Whoever guessed dinner is wrong. Don’t worry, we won’t go to sleep without dinner either...
We’re not saying goodnight just yet...
Ahead of us is the last, fourth, and special dive.
When darkness falls over the Red Sea, it’s time for the final dive.
The currents calm down. The water is like a sheet of glass. Fish and squid, attracted by the light, swim near the boat.
We jump in.
The undisturbed tranquility at this hour doesn't yet hint at the bloody scenes of the predators' nighttime hunts.
It's during this dive that we can observe moray eels and lionfish hunting.
Unsuspecting small fish are attacked by lionfish hovering above them.
In the open water, schools of silver fish sparkle, reflecting the moonlight.
This dive is the cherry on top of an exciting day.
As a reward, we enjoy a delicious dinner and evening conversations with fellow diving enthusiasts.
No one stays up late because they know that tomorrow brings new adventures, and it’s important to save energy for them.
How to cope with the rocking?
Many people avoid spending a week on a boat due to the fear of rocking and seasickness. But there's nothing to worry about. Medicine comes to the rescue. Just one morning tablet of Dramenex (the Egyptian equivalent of Aviomarin) will easily calm the inner ear, and the effects of the rocking will be completely under control. Every safari boat is well-stocked with this remedy, so that problem is taken care of! ;)
Which destination to choose?
There are plenty of options. Choose according to your certifications or passion.
Are you fascinated by reefs and colorful, dreamy dives? Head to Sataya or St. Johns reef.
Need adrenaline and want to face a shark? I recommend Brothers and Elphinstone.
Love exploring sunken wrecks? The northern wreck route is for you.
Are you passionate about World War II history? You’ll fall in love with the SS Thistlegorm wreck and other historical sites.
There’s something for everyone here.
What should you know before going on a safari?
The Red Sea is accessible all year round. There’s no "season" here. Trips are organized almost every month. The only differences are the water temperature and winds. In the winter, the water temperature hovers between 23-24°C, which is still very warm. However, with four dives a day, your body cools down. From November to April, I recommend diving in a dry suit. During this period, the winds are the strongest, amplifying the feeling of cold and making it hard to warm up. From May to June, a 5 mm wetsuit should be more than sufficient. For those who feel cold easily, I recommend a 7 mm suit. From July to the end of September, the water feels like soup, around 29-32°C. A lycra suit or a 3 mm wetsuit will be absolutely enough. I advise against diving in short sleeves and shorts, as you could accidentally brush against the reef, and such scratches take a long time
to heal. In October, the water cools down again, but a 5 mm wetsuit will provide the right thermal protection.
For tips on selecting weights based on wetsuit thickness, check the knowledge section, where I describe the proper weight selection in detail.
Who is this trip for?
Safari trips are organized for all certified divers, regardless of skill level. It's important to match your skills with the difficulty of the diving route – the trip organizer will always provide the necessary information. It's clear that on family safaris, where entire families with beginner or young divers can participate, picturesque routes with shallow, simple dives are chosen. More experienced divers can opt for more challenging routes.
Don’t forget!
Since you’ll be doing up to 20 dives in 5 days, make sure to protect yourself from potential chafing.
Even the most comfortable shoes and fins can cause injuries with that much time spent underwater, and subsequent dives will only make it worse. Wear lycra or neoprene socks to avoid irritation. A simple plastic bag will help you put on your wetsuit. Thin gloves will protect your hands from blisters. Use sunscreen to prevent burns. A hat will protect sensitive ears on windy days. Sunglasses are a must.
Bring a flashlight for night dives and a basic buoy – it's mandatory.
You won’t need these!
Elegant clothes – you’ll spend most of your time in a swimsuit anyway. Socks – you’ll be walking barefoot on the boat. Jewelry – no need to worry about valuables. Online work – there’s no signal anyway.
Before the trip
Be sure to check all your diving equipment.
Your regulators must be in working order and ideally freshly serviced. Replace and lubricate the pressure gauge fitting, as it often starts "bubbling" in contact with salt water. Check if your wing is airtight and adjust your straps to the thickness of your wetsuit. Refresh your skills on how to deploy a buoy.
Relax – an adventure of a lifetime awaits you.
Remember, the safari motto is: eat, dive, sleep – repeat
I
DECIDED TO BECOME A DIVING INSTRUCTOR
Text MAJA MIKUCKA
My name is Maja Mikucka, I am a student at the Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Gdańsk, I am 21 years old, and my favourite diving configuration is sidemount. This year, I became the youngest diving instructor in Poland, in the KDP PTTK CMAS federation
My adventure with diving began when I was 8 years old. It all started with my dad, Paweł Mikucki, who founded our school, Włocławskie Centrum Nurkowania, in 2005. Dad has been actively training in recreational and technical diving for many years. My mom, Gosia, is not a diver, but she has been supporting me from the surface for years. For me, as a child, diving was something natural; back then, I thought that most people did it, looking at all those people around me. So, when I was 8, I asked my dad to take me underwater for the first time in full gear.
Even though I was a little kid, I remember my first dive quite well. At that time, it seemed to me that I was very deep, although in reality, it was probably just a meter. I enjoyed being underwater, but I didn’t think much of it – like a child, I just thought,
"Well, that was cool." I repeated dives with my dad from time to time, but I didn’t feel the need to take a course. Everything changed 3-4 years later when children came to the youth course at our centre.
Looking at my peers, I decided I wanted to earn my first official certification with them, thinking, "How is it that they dive so often, and I don’t?" From that moment on, I began to develop my skills. I completed the P1 course with my dad at the age of 14, and then instructor M2 KDP/CMAS Robert Osiński guided me through the rest of the path to P3. I didn’t want anyone to think that my dad was giving me qualifications on the basis of favouritism because I am his daughter. Another aspect was that dad is always a dad; despite being a great instructor, a child is always a child, and that relationship is completely different. I believe it’s impossible to separate the two completely. Interestingly, I often told everyone around me that I would never become an instructor, no way. I was afraid it would take away my joy of diving; I didn’t want to mix my passion with work. However, I started helping my dad with conducting courses, acting as his assistant. I then realized that I truly enjoyed seeing people overcome their fears or make progress, and that was the first trigger for wanting to become an instructor. After
Photos AUTHOR'S ARCHIVE
much contemplation, this year I went for an instructor course at Lake Piłakno, which lasted two weeks. I was the only woman. It wasn’t easy; I often stayed up until 3 AM preparing for the next day’s classes, which included both practical and theoretical components. I did the course with some great guys. During those two weeks, we helped each other as much as we could, which didn’t have to be the case. I often get asked if I think it was harder for me because I’m so young and a woman. I think it might have had an impact, as that’s not a typical situation in this environment, but I didn’t back down; I went there with the mindset that I would do it and didn’t entertain any other thoughts.
It says a lot that in CMAS, only 12 women are trained, while there are over 300 men. After the instructor course, I immediately began training and gaining experience officially on this “other” side. When I started conducting courses, those who were supposed to train with me were surprised when they found out I would be their instructor. A good example is the recent camp at Hańcza. We had students from all over Poland, and when my dad introduced me as part of the instructor staff, it was a big surprise because they thought I had come for a basic course, just like them.
When I train, I pay the most attention to safety; I believe my students will confirm this. I think that without this aspect, diving cannot be enjoyable, and we go underwater to relax, not to add stress. I can’t imagine a situation where my student is not adequately prepared for diving after completing the training. I wish that my passion, which has turned into work, always brings me as much joy as it has so far, and that the people I have trained feel confident, safe, and also discover the beauty of the underwater world. I believe I manage to find a balance between being an instructor and still being an ordinary diver. When I go underwater as just a diver for myself, I feel calm; it relaxes me a lot, and even after so many years, I still don’t feel bored. I especially enjoy diving in warm, clear waters. When I’m underwater as an instructor, it’s different; then I try to keep my eyes everywhere I can. These two roles evoke completely different emotions, but they are all positive. Even though I currently dive less purely for myself, when the opportunity arises, I enjoy it twice as much as before.
To summarize, let me say: “Wanting means being able to,” and age or gender doesn’t matter; if you really care about something, even though the path to your goal is not always straightforward and obvious.
The child has been infected with your passion; they are completely hooked. When signing up for a diving trip, you no longer ask, "Who else is going?" "Who will I dive with?" "Who will be my buddy?" etc., because you know your diving partner better than anyone else in the world.
Every diver knows that annoying feeling underwater when you look for your partner who should be on your right side – that’s what you have agreed on the surface – and they’re not there. You look left, right, up, and nothing. If visibility is poor, you feel a slight flutter of your heart, a thrill of excitement; it can be a stressful situation. If you don’t know your dive partner (and I don’t mean whether you know what they do for a living, where they live, what car they drive), you don’t know how many dives they’ve done, what their diving certification is. You don’t know if they listened to the pre-dive briefing, or if they will know what to do if you can’t find each other shortly? Now imagine that your dive partner is your child. You both participated in training, you both took the Rescue Diver course, and you dive together. You are a well-coordinated team, you know each other's gear configuration and skills. You look to the right; your buddy should be there, but they are not. You know you just need to wait a mo-
ment because they have a camera and are probably taking the photo of their life. You also know they have a shaker attached to their BCD and soon you will hear the characteristic sound of the bell, and if that fails, each of you has a SMB buoy with you and thanks to your training, you know how to use it, and soon you will meet on the surface. One situation, so many scenarios, some with happy endings, and some could be quite the opposite.
In the previous article, I wrote about training opportunities for 12-year-olds and the prestigious title of Master Scuba Diver, which every diver receives after completing the Rescue Diver course and obtaining 5 diving specializations. If you haven’t done this yet, it’s not too late; there is no maximum age limit, and for children aged 15 and older (we can confidently say for teenagers), new opportunities open up. I will try to describe the most important and useful ones, of course, in my opinion, and encourage you to obtain the remaining available special-
izations. I often hear conversations among divers at dive sites and statements like, “I have a certification; I don’t need anything more, it’s a waste of time and money on training; basically, what else can they teach me?” There are probably few such ignorant persons, and fortunately, most divers are hungry for knowledge and new challenges.
Deep Diver – this specialization is the most sought after, by both young and old; everyone wants it. It’s a much-anticipated specialization because it’s only available from the age of 15 and somewhat shrouded in mystery, which everyone talks about, and we want to catch it like Harry Potter's “golden snitch.” Training that allows diving to depths of 40 meters. At first, you might think – cold, dark, why do I need this? Sometimes it can be like that, for example, in Poland. I myself am not fond of dives where I go underwater to freeze just to reach a depth without any other goal. We have other opportunities in warm waters, such as the Red Sea. Going for deep dives, between 20m and 40m, we will see fauna and flora that we can only read about or see in pictures or at our Dive Centre. Due to climate warming, the water is getting warmer, and creatures are moving deeper in search of cooler water. On my last trip, I had a group of teenagers during
this specialization, and we managed to see shrimp, spiny lobsters, very large groupers, and octopuses at 25m. And you know how it is with them? Not with teenagers, but with octopuses – if you place something colourful, like a spring with a carabiner, a mirror, etc., in front of them, even if they hide in a hole, out of curiosity, after a while, the octopus will extend one tentacle to touch and check what it is, and if it likes the “toy,” it will try to take it for itself. There are many wrecks below 20m or they start shallow but go deep, and naturally, we move to the topic of the Wreck Diver specialization. There’s always some diver who will say, “Why do I need another specialization when I’ve dived around a wreck without it?” But after a short conversation, we find out that they haven’t actually dived on the wreck but only around it. It’s like licking a candy through the wrapper (I can’t think of a more annoying feeling than when you’re almost tasting it, but actually, you don’t know what it was like). Lately, we often come across sunken attractions underwater, such as a car, helicopter, tank, and many others. This is a way to diversify a dive site, but also a great habitat for fish. Divers enjoy swimming into these artificial wrecks, making funny videos and photos; it’s also a good training form before diving into the
“real” wrecks. Entering historical wrecks that sank during the war or due to hitting a reef gives you a thrill, as if the hairs on the back of your neck were standing up a bit. Before every dive, we always hold briefings, discussing the circumstances that caused the object to become a wreck, and generally, there are always few questions beforehand, but I know they will come later. After coming out of the water, there is a moment of silence, a time for reflection, to sort out in your mind what you saw, and only
then do detailed questions begin. “Was that a real shopping cart?” “Was the suitcase real?” as happens after diving on the wreck of a passenger ferry. We have the thought in our heads that maybe someone dropped it there for a better effect. In Egypt, near the city of Safaga, there is the sunken ferry Salem Express, which, after hitting a reef, sank within 20 minutes. One source states that about 500 people died there. When swimming to this wreck, I always notice the emotion and nostalgia in the crew. This wreck is a tragic site for the local community, which often doesn’t want to go there, and on the boat, we can notice their collective prayer for the deceased. The wreck specialization is certainly for divers who are curious about history and for those who are looking for new challenges.
Most of my stories are about diving in the Red Sea; at 18, I got my first job as a Divemaster in Egypt, and since then, diving has become my beloved way of life. In the next article, I will describe the Junior Divemaster course, which is a great introduction to making diving a lifestyle rather than just a hobby. You can dive in a different place in the world every holiday, experiencing all the famous spots “behind the scenes.” This doesn’t have to be just a dream, but the reality!
MANY LEVELS OF DIVING
Text and photos DOMINIK DOPIERAŁA
WHEN WE FIRST ENROLL ON A DIVING COURSE, WE CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT OUR DIVING FUTURE WILL LOOK LIKE. WE USUALLY DON’T REALIZE WHAT ADVENTURE LIES AHEAD OR HOW MUCH KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL WE’LL NEED FOR OUR DREAMS TO COME TRUE.
As our confidence grows, our buoyancy gets better, our air consumption drops, as we gain in grace and ease, our expectations grow as well. We want to dive more and more, 20 meters down doesn’t scare us anymore. We begin to approach the limits of recreational diving more bravely. We ascend to new levels, broadening our knowledge with specialist training. We acquire equipment that is to make sure we are comfortable and safe. Quite often we act on impulse. We like to own. Our reality is flooded with ads every day and we think we can choose consciously. We buy what we need. At least we think that.
I often advise my trainees who want to buy an entire rig. They usually pay the least attention to the diving computer. They would much rather buy tanks than a computer.
In this article, I’ll try to encourage you to make conscious decisions and pay more attention before you buy gear. I’ll go as far as to encourage you to complete a multi-level diving programme. Let me remind you that recently I described what affects the length of our dives and one of the three benefits of knowledge and experience are enriched air mixtures called nitrox.
The other two are multi-level diving and a diving computer. It’s best to combine all three. Comfort, safety and the length of your dives will reach new highs. I don’t want to tell you to buy a model A, because it’s better than model B, but perhaps model C looks nicer... I want to show you the way towards making an informed choice. I want you to need a computer fit for your needs and one that you have the necessary skill to use.
I often tell a joke before dives. One particular one. Using diver signs. Especially when I am with people who dive for the first time in Egypt.
That morning we were going to a specific reef. For quite a few days it had been possible to see... let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It was a special day for me. For the first time in his life my dad was supposed to dive abroad, even though he used to dive all his life with me. I would take him for a far drift dive in order
to increase our odds. We had nitrox, computers and I knew we needed to make the dive as long as possible, in order to have a better chance for the meeting. My dad was a great diver. The toughest one I’d ever met. He also was an extraordinary man and... the luckiest one too – he was born on Friday the 13th. It simply had to work.
Of course I told him my joke before the dive. We were standing on the platform, ready to jump in. Well, he saw it as a... joke. We were alone, no one jumped so far. The boat crew wanted to make sure if I was sure that they were supposed to take us so far away to dive.
We had no problems jumping in and submerging. A few moments later we ended up at a depth of 30+ meters, next to a vertical wall, overgrown with gorgonias a couple meter large. The current was strong and it carried us. The views were spectacular and we were suspended in crystal-clear water, even by the standards of Egypt. My dad’s giant moustache would rise time and again as he made his characteristic grin. Time went on and slowly but surely our NDL drew closer. Thanks to the combination of computer and nitrox we were within the limits of a recreational dive all the time, but everything has it’s limits. Unless... you add yet another level to your diving. We rose a few meters, drifting all the time next to the wall in an unbelievably clear water. The limit moved and we got a couple extra minutes. The dive was very calm, but I kept looking around anxiously. Being in the right place and time is very important in diving. My dad could see that I was looking for something, but he kept getting distracted by things that were new to him. After some time he stopped paying attention to me. He did not see what was coming.
When we were kids, instead of singing lullabies to us, dad used to put us to sleep by testing our knowledge of dive signs. Mistake was not an option. He could see what I was signing clear as day. Obviously some signs were not the official canon, but I showed them to him on the platform before we jumped in.
DUDE... SEE... GIANT... F......ING... SHARK... BEHIND YOU
He turned around grinning. He was ready for anything but the fact there was a ten meter long whale shark less than two meters behind him.
The conscious use of your computer and using it along with changing your dive levels allows us to do many a spectacular dive.
Understanding the rules of saturation and desaturation of our bodies in conjunction with the tools to monitor our vitals underwater will only work if we use it consciously. It’s hardly an achievement to go deeper and deeper, it’s also hardly an achievement to go straight to technical dives. By consciously using your knowledge and gear, you can do long, deep, non-decompression dives. Or just do many long dives.
Of course it’s not enough to simply buy the most expensive computer available. You also need to understand how it works. And know what to expect of it. Computers today have astounding functions, I probably couldn’t do without them for recreational diving.
I haven’t taken a compass with me when I go diving for years. I rarely even used it in the first place, but more importantly I have one in my computer.
Every computer available in the market has a manual explaining a multitude of details, which surely required a lot of
work. It will probably never cease to amaze me that almost nobody reads them, despite having spent the annual budget of a small army on their diving computer. I seriously recommend reading the manual before buying a specific model.
And that’s not all. Many models have the option to connect to a transmitter screwed into your regulator. And the fact that this shows you a gauge reading changes little. The information which actually matters is how far you are from hitting your reserves with your current consumption and depth.
Is 70 bar little? Yes... and NO. It depends. During your course you were taught that 50 bar is a fixed, ironclad reserve. Your margin of safety. You glance at your computer and it reads 70 bar. Drat, not much, isn’t it? But wait, you have a wealth of data sitting just next to it. Your depth, non-decompression limit and the time before you reach 50 bar. 18 minutes? Yup, because you’re relaxed and already at a shallow depth. And that’s so much time to see a number of interesting things on the reef.
If you were to buy JUST ONE piece of equipment and travel wit it... You should buy a diving computer. A good one. Don’t skimp on it. This one piece of gear is really worth investing in. It will pay out in many incredible dives. However...
Whether you’ve had one for years or you’re just about to buy one, make sure you know how to use this wondrous device. And that you know how to do multi-level dives. If not, ask your instructor and extend your knowledge and skills. An entirely new level of diving awaits you!
ZAGŁĘBOCZE
An expedition into the unknown evokes different emotions than a trip to a lake we know, where there’s a diving base and easy access to the water. I have always been intrigued by those special emotions that come from exploring lakes that are hard to reach, less known, or where it’s unclear how to get to the water's surface.
While exploring the eastern part of Poland, we occasionally stopped at a lake we happened to pass by. Many of these "eastern" lakes are peat lakes. They are clean but brown and less interesting for diving. Fortunately, some of them are sandy, and that’s what we were looking for. We visited Lake Rodcze, located between Lakes Sumin and Uściwierz. It looked inviting, and a stork strolling along the shore, wading through the lake gave it some more charm. From the beach, many people were constantly entering the water to cool off. On the pier, two lifeguards were watching over the swimmers. I asked them about the most interesting lakes for diving. They mentioned Piaseczno, but they didn’t surprise us there. They mentioned Lake Białe, but the visibility there has sig-
nificantly decreased in recent years. Finally, the word "Zagłębocze" was mentioned. Such a name for a small lake, partially located in the forest, with a large resort. It’s 100% sandy.
The next day, while refilling our tanks with Piotr Tokarski at Extreme Divers in Lublin, we confirmed that this lake might be quite nice for diving.
The next day, we were supposed to head to Biebrza, but we decided to extend our journey by stopping at Lake Zagłębocze, which lies within Poleski National Park. It’s just over 40 km from Lublin towards the eastern border of Poland.
When we arrived, it turned out there was a problem getting to the lake itself; there were numerous cars and narrow roads, to the point where we had to pull aside to let oncoming traffic pass at times.
At one point, we reached a fence. It stretched for a while, and since we didn’t want to waste time, we parked the car and walked to the reception of the Zagłębocze Recreation Center. There were cabins amidst the forest, right by the lake. One larger sandy beach, sports fields, bars, and sanitary facilities. It looked decent. We entered, and initially, the girls behind the counter wanted to get rid of us.
Car access was only for clients who had booked a cabin:
But we’d gladly pay for parking; we just want to dive…
Unfortunately, only our resort guests can drive in.
You know what, we’re from a diving magazine, and we’d like to dive here to explore a new body of water and maybe even write something about it.
Just a moment, we’ll ask the director.
A moment later, a smiling director
came out, and after 15 minutes of friendly conversation, we were invited inside, the "staff" gate was opened for us, and we were led practically to the lake's surface. The director asked us to return to the reception after diving to tell her what the lake was like underwater. It turned out that if you drive a little further beyond the resort from the "main" road, you can turn right and pass through the forest to reach the spot where we were.
Anyway, we prepared for diving, and soon we were entering the water from a "wild" spot. The beginning was difficult because the bottom was soft, but soon the sand became hard. We submerged our heads and saw a large amount of vegetation, small fish, mainly perch, and quite good visibility for summer, reaching up to 4 meters.
The freshwater vegetation was dense, and only at a depth of 4-5 meters did it start to loosen up. We spotted two small
dwarf catfish that quickly darted away in fright. There were small pikes, but only the perch boldly explored the path we were following. Lake Zagłębocze has an area of about 59 hectares and is circular. It measures approximately 942 m by 798 m, with a maximum depth of 23 m.
The vegetation is rich and reaches high, often ending just below the water's surface. We encountered several species of pondweeds, lakeshore bulrush, red water lilies, water milfoil, rigid hornwort, filamentous green algae, and more.
Upon our return, we told the director what it looked like underwater. We found some trash, but overall, not much. The bottom is sandy, and the sand is quite heavy, settling quickly, which positively affects visibility. We didn’t dive near the bathing area.
In short, the little lake can be confidently recommended. Renting a cabin allows for easy diving. You can bring a small compressor or drive to nearby Lublin to refill tanks. It’s nice to know that besides Piłakno, there’s another lake on this side of Poland waiting to be discovered :)
UNDERWATER UNITED KINGDOM
A place exceptional and dangerous in equal measure
DOROTHEA QUARRY
Text and photos TOMEK KULCZYŃSKI
COME ONE, COME ALL AND ENJOY ONE OF MY LAST “UNDERWATER UK” ARTICLES. FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS I’VE SHARED MY MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES CONCERNING THE MAJORITY OF IMPORTANT DIVING SPOTS IN THE UK WITH YOU.
Itold you about smaller quarries, medium size reservoirs, as well as some beautiful and easily accessible sea diving spots.
As you know, the diving community is keen to elevate certain reservoirs to the status of a veritable Mecca. This transformation is usually caused by a number of factors, such as depth, history of the site or a particularly interesting wreck at the bottom. In the case of the UK, the Dorothea Quarry, affectionately dubbed “DOTTY” by the divers, surely holds the status of such a revered site.
The Dorothea Quarry is located in the north of Wales, near the town of Tylysarn in the Nantlle valley. It is a decommissioned slate quarry, which had for years been one of the more important slate production sites in Wales, as well as an important loca-
tion on the economic map of the region. Its history dates back to the 1820s and ends in the 1970s.
During its most prosperous times, some 350 people were employed in slate production and the quarry supplied high quality product used for roofing. When the demand for slate started to decline, it was decided to shut the quarry down. It was flooded over time, which created a deep reservoir. Despite the lack of any “official” diving infrastructure, the quarry has quickly become well-known among divers, especially those interested in technical diving at significant depths.
The Dorothea Quarry consists of 6 shafts, the deepest one descending to 106 meters, which makes it the deepest “diveable” quarry in the UK and probably the deepest quarry
you can dive in Europe. This means that diving there requires not only advanced gear, but also experience in deep diving and decompression. It’s hardly a place for anyone – cold water and rough conditions make diving here available only for qualified technical divers.
Another attraction of the Dorothea Quarry are the remnants of this place’s industrial character. Various pieces of infrastructure can be found underwater – from carts used for moving slate to concrete platforms. Exploring the reservoir can be quite exciting, but at the same time, it requires a lot of caution from the diver, particularly at greater depths. There are also numerous platforms at various depths in the quarry, available for divers to practice their technical and decompression skills, as well as handling advanced gear.
I remember my first time at Dotty very well – following the voice from my GPS app, I found myself at the outskirts of a small town, where a tarmac road turns into a dirt one. I double checked if I were on the right track, but the app led me further deep into the forest. Various car parts sheared off vehicles that tried to navigate the gigantic holes, which rain turned into muddy puddles, littered the road. For anyone who didn’t drive an ATV, braving this road was a real challenge. Until this very day I can hear the sound of the clanking of the tanks in my trunk. Along the way, there were ruins of various buildings (presumably abandoned by the quarry employees who used to live there), quite characteristic for this area of Wales.
To be frank, I have no idea where the affectionate pet name “Dotty” came from. Dorothea Quarry is one of the most terrifying reservoirs I’ve ever visited. Let’s begin with the fact that
the weather in Wales is, to put things mildly, less than lovely. I can’t recall a single sunny trip – at best we saw glimpses of the sun through the clouds. Usually there was a drizzle and the aura altogether was gloomy with no sun at all. As we submerged, things quickly turned worse. The light disappears almost instantly, we go through two thermoclines and below the 12th meter the water temperature oscillates between 6 to 3°C. When you dive there, you can’t help but think: it’s cold, dark and far, far from home :)
Diving in the Dorothea Quarry comes with a high level of risk. In the diving community it is said that Dotty is hard and demanding. Beginner divers are discouraged from diving here. As there is no official infrastructure or emergency services, divers have to be fully self-reliant and prepared for anything. Fatal accidents have happened here in the past. Descriptions of various incidents can be found in the media articles. The majority of diving agencies firmly advise against diving in this quarry. According to the available data from the years 1994–2004, as many as 21 divers died in this reservoir, and 3 of them died in a single month in 2001. Dotty has always been a villain in the media. Newspapers such as The Daily Post published articles entitled “This Madness Needs to Stop!” The BBC also aired reporters critical towards what was going on at the quarry. Actually, you can even find an audiobook on Spotify entitled “The Dorothea Quarry Disaster” which tells the stories of those who never came back safely to the surface.
My story with Dotty began when I dove to the bottom of NDAC Cheepstow, which I described in one of my previous ar-
ticles. It is in the nature of a man, when they reach their goal, to set the new one, and the Dorothea Quarry was on the top of my list. Believe you me that diving in the deepest quarry in the UK turned out to be quite the enterprise, exerting a significant toll on me. Even now, as I write about the experience, shivers are running down my spine. The story goes like this: It all started with an idea; as it’s quite common in diving, I needed a partner to make it happen. My technical diving partner at the time was Artur. Thus, like in any other case, we met and discussed the plan. We decided that this year we would dive to the bottom of the quarry. I’ll spare you descriptions of the technical diver preparations, such as gear, gas, calculations – it would be enough to fill a whole separate book. We needed training before diving to such a depth. For the better part of the year we would dive to depths of approximately 70 meters, in order to achieve depth progression. It is very important when diving so deep.
By the end of summer, the time had come to dive in the Dorothea Quarry. As we continued our depth progression, we planned our first dive to 80 meters. It went exceptionally well and it showed us that all stories about Dotty were all very true. The place was scary. I can still remember Artur telling me after we finished diving that no matter how much light we would take with us (as in flashlights) it would still not be enough. There was a ladder leading down to the depth of 80 meters, with reinforcement bars protruding everywhere around it. The water was very cold and crystal clear, we could see clearly wherever the beams of light from our flashlights went. The place itself was
really depressing and it seemed unreal. Those who went diving in the Dorothea Quarry weren’t too keen on sharing any details regarding the dive. I guess they didn’t want to put other divers in danger. Even though there were maps of the place, they didn’t actually disclose the exact location of the 106 meter spot. It egged us on even more, as it wasn’t a simple downline dive, but there was another task ahead of us to find the deepest spot.
During our second dive with Artur, we were able to reach 90 meters, and alas, we couldn’t find the deepest spot. We run out of time, we couldn’t see anything that could lead us to the deepest spot and, to our regret, we had to finish our dive.
In hindsight, it was a very successful dive, as we progressed down to 90 meters, and everything was safe. This gave us a taste of what lay ahead and where too look, however we had an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction with our failure to achieve the goal.
To make matters worse, I also knew that it was my last dive this year, as it’s quite costly to dive so deep (just to mention the gas cost). I also couldn’t take any more vacation days from work to continue our adventure. I simply knew that it was over for the year. On top of that, just 2 weeks later Artur called me and told me about his plans to try again to reach the very bottom of the reservoir, which he later managed to achieve. There is no need for me to explain to anybody what I felt. On the one hand I was happy for him, on the other I was very upset that I didn’t get to experience it myself... This time I was forced to yield to the Dorothea Quarry, but I knew it was far from over. Do you want to know the rest of my story? Read all about it in the next issue of Perfect Diver!
CHIRPING ON THE SEASHORE
Text and photos WOJCIECH JAROSZ
A seaside cliff. You can hear the incessant and momentous sound of the crashing waves, but from time to time a soft squeak can be heard from between the rocks and stones. Maybe even chirping? Yes, it must be chirping, since its author is a seaside bird called a pipit!
Walking on rocky ground and occasionally flying from one patch of grass to another, it patrols its coastal territory in order to maintain control and find something to eat. At the same time, it does not stand out too much thanks to using the strategy
of good camouflage. So the pipit blends perfectly with the area in which it lives, due to its camouflage plumage – a bit like a sniper during a mission, with the difference, however, that the pipit is unlikely to shoot, but rather to avoid easy spotting by predators always interested in small
birds. The European rock pipit (Anthus petrosus) is one of the representatives of its genus that is strongly associated with the coast, but its cousins can also be found by the water, although mainly during migrations and the winter season. Since these birds are found near waters, we cannot fail to mention them in the pages of this Periodical!
In principle, all pipits are very similar to each other. These are small birds, about the size of a sparrow. All of them, like the protagonist of the first lines – the European rock pipit – have a perfectly camouflaging coloration, which however, differs in details. Experienced observers will notice slight differences between species, e.g. in the colour of the eyebrows, the brightness of the underside feathers and the presence of characteristic stripes (the so-called streaking and barring), but also in the shade of the skin of the legs, and even in the way of descending and
European rock pipits while patrolling their territory, perch on coastal rocks and stones
approaching the selected landing site. It is a bit easier to distinguish them by their voice (and if we are not familiarised with bird's voices, the apps recognising them can be of great help). When morphological and behavioural differences are not clear to us, it remains to look at ecological differences, because it is easiest to classify a pipit by its habitat, i.e. the nature of the environment in which we meet pipits. Therefore, the European rock pipit can be found on the coasts of northern Europe, often rocky (the Latin species name "petrosus" leaves no illusions, because it means "rocky"), while the meadow pipit (A. pratensis) is usually found on... meadows, and of course, most often the wet ones, also in Central Europe (but also in distant, cold Iceland). On the other hand, the tree pipit (A. trivialis) will be looked for at the edges of forests or in places with higher vegetation, while the water pipit (A. spinoletta), surprisingly, will live in the mountains and in their higher parts. However, the environmental preferences of pipit birds mainly concern their breeding season, because most birds after breeding, often two in one season, go to warmer regions, and then do not necessarily look for the same destinations as those where they nest. Therefore, many of these birds can also be found on the banks of stagnant and flowing waters, fresh and salty. And then, we have a good chance to look at them and feast our eyes
on them, because we, water lovers, also stick to the water!
Now let's take a closer look at the European rock pipit, with which this text begins. Compared to other pipits, the European rock pipit is quite large, but objectively it is only about 20-30 grams of body weight and around twenty centimetres of wingspan – maybe not as small as the goldcrest, but still a small bird. It resembles the tawny pipit in its dimensions, and is larger than the meadow and tree pipit. The rock pipit is fond of the seaside rocky shores, so it is most often found in Scandinavia, and more to the south in
the British Isles (separate subspecies are distinguished in these locations). It also finds suitable conditions in the northern Baltic Sea, so, for example, on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia, it is also present in the warmer part of the year. In places with a more temperate climate, coastal pipits form sedentary populations and do not migrate to southern Europe or Africa. Many northern and central European species of pipit head in an understandable and reasonable direction before winter, i.e. opposite to the indications of the compass needle, however, in the case of a close relative of the European rock pipit, i.e. the water pipit, some of its populations migrate northwards! But these are the highlanders who want to escape from the high mountains for the winter time, so even the northern direction guarantees some improvement in living conditions. As for the European rock pipits: among the rocks and coastal vegetation, they not only build their nests, but also look for food. To do this, they peck at stones, grasses and other plants to catch a variety of invertebrates, such as molluscs, annelids, crustaceans and insects. Sometimes pipits also manage to hunt for small fish, and in the winter season they do not disdain a vegetarian diet and chase away hunger by consuming seeds. When feeding, birds usually stick to their territories. What can persuade a male pipit to enter the territory of its neighbour
Pipits, thanks to their camouflage plumage, can be difficult to spot, in the photo the European rock pipit on a cliff
European rock pipit while bathing in a puddle formed in a depression of the rocky terrain
is the appearance of an intruder. A very rare behaviour has been observed in this species, consisting in providing mutual neighbourly assistance in chasing away a dangerous invader. Apparently, the pipits (in the evolutionary sense) calculated that it is worth suspending neighbourly disputes and quarrels in order to face threats from the enemy, i.e. a predator interested in adult birds, chicks or eggs.
Pipit usually nests close to the ground, carefully hiding their nests. The threats that may affect nesting birds are not only related to the pressure of predators. Sometimes a cuckoo can lie in wait for the nests of pipits! It turns out that cuckoos are eager to "give" their eggs to pipits. Very often this applies to tree and meadow pipits, whose powerful instinct telling them to feed the chick in their nest ensures breeding success. Except that
in this case it is the success of a cuckoo planting its egg. The cuckoo chick hatches earlier and, guided by its own instinct, gets rid of the pipit eggs from the nest, becoming the only beneficiary of the hard provisioning work of its "foster parents". They tirelessly try to keep up with the enormous caloric demand of the rapidly growing chick. So quickly that in a short time it becomes larger than its guardians. Some ornithologists claim that the second brood in the same season may be a kind of strategy used by pipits subjected to the pressure of cuckoo brood parasitism. Then the chance of pipits to prolong the existence of their own genetic line increases, and apparently this is what all this fuss, hidden under the general term "life", is all about.
Pipits can be found in almost every corner of the world. In the Anthus genus
European rock pipit on a rock
The meadow pipit in a wet meadow often perches on dry plants
there are more than twenty species, and the proof of their ubiquity can be found in the species names containing geographical "origin": the Correndera pipit (in Polish called: the Patagonian pipit), the Paramo pipit, the South Georgia pipit, the Siberian pipit, the Pampas Pipit or the Peruvian pipit. In Polish, many species have names referring to the type of habitat they occupy most often: the taiga pipit (Olive-backed pipit), the tundra pipit (Pechora pipit), the prairie pipit (Sprague's pipit), the swamp pipit (Buff-bellied pipit), the grass pipit (Hellmayr's Pipit), the scrub pipit (Bushveld Pipit), the mountain pipit (Anthus gutturalis – the Alpine pipit), the meadow pipit, the tree pipit, the coastal pipit (the European rock pipit). There are also species of pipit with a name referring to their own morphology: the rosy pipit, the ochre-breasted pipit, the yellowish pipit, the red-throated pip, the Sokoke pipit (in Polish called the white-throated pipit), the short-tailed pipit or the shortbilled pipit. There is one species left that created the categories for itself, and there is probably no surprise, since it is called in Polish the solitary pipit (en. the Nilgiri Pipit).
Listen and look for chirping in the field, and when you see them, let them please your eyes with their undoubted charm!
Careful looking around can allow the predator to escape in time, but also locate something to eat
BALLAST
Your friend or foe?
Text and photos PRZEMYSŁAW ZYBER
During every trip, before a check dive (the first dive) the same question gets asked: “Instructor, how much ballast do I need to take?” Right, how much then?
What does it depend on and what would it affect – there is enough material for an entire book.
Let me tell you what I saw and what my conclusions are. Some may surprise you and positively affect your comfort and diving security, as well as reduce the amount of air you use, lower the risk of injury and improve your well-being. What are the far-reaching consequences of taking too much or to little ballast with you?
Is ballast just lead or perhaps it also includes other parts of your diving gear? How to distribute your ballast in a reasonable and clever way.
I will answer these and many more questions in the following article.
What do I need ballast for?
This simplest question can be answered by a beginner diver who completed their Open Water course. To descent and balance elements with a positive buoyancy, such as your wetsuit or drysuit.
Because of that we need to take the right amount of weights to set off other diving gear elements, in particular the thickness of your wetsuit or the undersuit used with a drysuit. The colder the water, the thicker your suit should be, which logically means you’ll need more ballast.
In some cases, ballast is not used to descent, but to trim. This is the case with a twin set – two tanks connected together. The set itself with regulators, along with the plate in the wing, the clamps and screws, weighs some 50 kg in the case of the two 12 L steel tanks. In theory, you don’t need any more weight, as the set itself is enough to make you go down.
On the other hand let’s remember one of the first Open Water test questions. What makes an excellent diver?
a. they can swim really fast.
b. they can hoover in perfect trim for extended time without moving.
The correct answer is of course the latter.
In the case of a twin set, you can attach your ballast along the entire length of the tank, making it perfect for trimming right, while appropriately heavy fins can be additional help – more on that later.
Check dive – a must
As I said before, the thickness of your suit needs to be matched to the water temperature, to avoid hypothermia.
From July to September the water temperature in Egypt is approximately 30°C, so all you need to protect from potential abrasions is Lycra. As this material provides no buoyancy, we can go underwater with no ballast at all, or with no more than 2 kg. When the temperature drops to 27 degrees, I recommend 3 mm, then 2–4 kg will surely be enough. A temperature between 24–26°C requires a 5 mm suit, so 4–6 kg of ballast should do the job, while a 7 mm suit for 21–23°C will require 6-8 kg ballast.
The guidelines above refer to salt water, which provides more buoyancy due to higher density. While diving in freshwater, you can drop 2 kg from each of the above.
As all your gear is dry during your first dive, it also has higher buoyancy. If that’s the case, we can either add 2 kg just for the
first dive, and then remove it, or before going under hoover for a while in the water and let your suit soak in, then push yourself under using fins.
To confirm that you don't have too much ballast, during your safety stop, with approximately 50 bar in the tank, all you have to do is to reach the wing with your hand and squeeze it. If there is still air in the wing, you need to remove some ballast before the next dive. Keep doing it until the wing is empty, with no air at all, during your safety stop.
Let’s remember that the air in the wing evens out any excess weight. So, if by the end of the dive there’s still air in the wing, the logical conclusion is that it balances out ballast that we do not need.
How can you explain that?!
It is all too common a situation, when someone is radically overburdened and the still get pulled up from the safety stop.
For the next dive they put on even more weight and the situation repeats. The answer is surprisingly simple. They have too much ballast!!! I can see a 3 mm suit and 10 kg of ballast. Obviously they get pulled up.
Let me reiterate – the air in the wing evens out any excess weight.
If there is too much ballast, excess air decompresses quickly, it increases in volume and pulls the diver up.
And what if the wing were empty? What would pull them up then? ;) Nothing – it’s that simple :) Believe me, I’ve seen way too many such cases during my trips. I recommend reducing the ballast down to 4 kg. And there we go...
The panic, the stress, that they’ll surely get pulled up, that they’ll never descent, that they’ll have to fight for their lives...
Here is the descending technique: upright position don’t move your legs release all the air in the wing exhale.
You’ll descend at a glacial pace, but your own ears will thank you for it later ;)
After the dive
It turns out that there was no problem at all, nothing pulled them up, they had a much better trim, it was easier to balance pressure in their sinuses and they had no fatigue effect after the dive.
One of the consequences of having the right amount of ballast is the less air consumption. (Seriously ;))
Your dives can be longer and more comfortable, you’ll practically never be touching the inflator. Why? Because the air you use to breathe doesn’t get used up to maintain buoyancy.
What do you mean: never touching the inflator?
If you have a perfect amount of ballast, you add just a tiny little bit of air to the wing as you go down to 20-30 meters. As you go up, the tiny amount of air doesn’t decompress significantly, so you don't have to release it every meter or so, and then add even more, because you released too much.
Doesn’t it all fall into place? ;)
What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
You mentioned ears and fatigue after the dive. How does ballast relate to this? If you take too much, you’ll drop down like a rock. The pace of descent is too high, so it’s hard to balance the pressure right. You do it only after you feel pressure and this means it’s already too late.
A smaller amount of ballast means you’ll go down at a slower, snail-like pace. Not turtle-like pace, as these are actually quite quick and nimble under water. When you descent slowly, you have all the time you need to balance out the pressure, before you feel any discomfort.
And what about well-being? That can’t be right! Right? Quick changes of pressure – and depth – affect the way we feel more.
Too much ballast means we use the inflator more, we go up and down more dynamically. Believe me, your head doesn’t like it when it happens – hence you feel fatigue after the dive. If you have the right amount of ballast, you descent very slow-
ly, and the lack of air in the wing means you don’t get pulled up, which would cause the rapid change in pressure.
After the safety stop
Never ascent quickly after your safety stop.It’s key to how you’ll feel afterwards. The fact that the computer clears you to the surface, doesn't mean you have to get there in 3 seconds.
It’s in the final 5 meters is when our head feels the changing pressure the most. Be as slow as you can. Let it take you 3 minutes and you’ll be surprised with the results. No headache, no more feeling sleepy or tired.
And what does ballast have to do with any of it? If you take too much, large amount of air in the wing will decompress quickly, and you’ll get pulled up dynamically to the surface.
No air in the wing means you have full control of the pace at which you ascent. All it takes is a deeper breath to initiate ascending and fuller exhale to stop at a given depth.
ENOUGH of this heresy!
But you need more ballast to balance the increase in buoyancy caused by using air from the tank.
Yes, you’re correct. Only remember that the volume of your lungs is 4.5–5 L for a man and 3.5–4.5 L for a woman.
BREATHING, HYPERVENTILATION AND DIVING
HOW BREATH CONTROL CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Understanding the impact of breathing techniques on health and diving
EVERY DIVER KNOWS PERFECTLY WELL HOW CRUCIAL IT IS TO CONTROL BREATHING UNDERWATER. IT IS NOT ONLY A MATTER OF MANAGING AIR CONSUMPTION, BUT ALSO MAINTAINING BOTH PHYSICAL BALANCE, CALLED BUOYANCY, AND MENTAL BALANCE. HOWEVER, WHEN ANXIETY COMES INTO PLAY, AND WITH IT HYPERVENTILATION, EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED DIVERS CAN FEEL THREATENED. WHAT EXACTLY IS HYPERVENTILATION AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT UNDERWATER?
Hyperventilation – the invisible enemy of the diver
Hyperventilation is excessive, rapid breathing that often occurs in stressful situations. When anxiety begins to take over, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid, leading to dangerous disturbances in the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. Underwater, the consequences of such a state can be
dangerous – from dizziness, through tingling in the limbs, to loss of control over the body and a serious risk of panic.
A vicious circle of anxiety and hyperventilation
When anxiety begins to dominate, our body enters either fight or flight mode. The heart beats faster and we start breathing chaot-
Text and photos ALDONA DREGER
ically. Such a state, especially underwater, can lead to deepening panic. Anxiety causes hyperventilation, which in turn intensifies anxiety – the diver falls into a vicious circle from which it is difficult to break out.
How to break the vicious circle?
Breathing is an activity that most of us do automatically, without thinking especially about its quality.
Breathing control is the key to mastering hyperventilation. Slow, deep inhalations through the nose and calm exhalations through the nose allow you to regain control of your breathing and calm your mind. Relaxation techniques, such as meditation or progressive muscle relaxation, may also prove effective in preventing anxiety even before immersion.
Here pranayama practice may be useful – one of the most important elements of yoga, which treats the vital force of breath and proposes a number of techniques to control the inhalation and exhalation of air. Regular work can help to limit breathing (less inhalation and exhalation) and reduce the intake of oxygen under water.
In addition, by mastering your breath in a safe and controlled environment (under the supervision of a qualified teacher), you can get used to respiratory arrest (kumbhaka), which translates into composure and calmness during diving. The average person's reaction to temporary apnea is anxiety, panic and faster inhalation of air leading to hyperventilation. Regular practice of lengthening and holding your breath can help control this stressful response and turn the tide.
Building awareness of the breath and its impact on the nervous system allows for a controlled reaction adequate to the situation and emotional state, both above and below water.*
Diving: When Breathing Through the Mouth Is a Necessity
Breathing through the nose is not possible underwater due to the use of a regulator that delivers air through the mouthpiece. In diving, especially deep diving, breath control becomes crucial for safety and comfort. Even people who tend to breathe excessively through their mouths on a daily basis end up learning how to manage their breathing to reduce air consumption and improve their performance underwater. Thanks to regular diving, they can bring these skills to the surface, which helps them to develop healthy breathing habits on a daily basis. Understanding the mechanisms behind our reactions to stress not only allows us to enjoy our underwater adventures more, but above all ensures safety – both underwater and on the surface.
Nasal Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing
Breathing through the nose is a natural and recommended way of breathing, as the air is then cleaned, humidified and warmed before it enters the lungs. Unfortunately, many people tend to breathe through their mouths, which can lead to chronic problems such as dry mouth, snoring, and even respiratory disorders like hyperventilation. Dr. Buteyko, known for his work on techniques to improve breathing, emphasises that excessive breathing can lead to a number of health prob-
lems, including increased anxiety levels and reduced physical performance.
Diving as a therapy for breathing
By becoming a diver, a person is forced to rethink their way of breathing. Underwater, where air is supplied from limited resources, breath control becomes a priority. Divers who breathe excessively through their mouths quickly learn that this habit not only wastes air, but can also lead to fatigue and discomfort. Over time, the scuba diver can adopt a healthier way of breathing, which leads to more efficient air use – about 4-6 liters per minute – which is the recommended level for both underwater and land.
Back to breathing through the nose on the surface
It is worth noting that diving not only improves breathing technique, but also teaches us a different approach to our own body and mind. Diving underwater is a unique experience that requires full concentration, peace and harmony with your surroundings. Breathing then becomes a key element of this balance.
Interestingly, many divers notice that after regular underwater sessions, they become more aware of their breathing on the
surface as well. Breathing becomes deeper, more rhythmic and balanced, which has a positive effect on overall health, reduces stress and improves sleep quality.
So it can be said that diving is not only a passion, but also a form of meditation in motion. It teaches us patience, control and humility towards nature. Breathing underwater, although through the mouth, can paradoxically help to develop deep calmness that carries over into everyday life. Regular diving can lead to lasting changes in the way we manage stress and anxiety.
What's more, the experience of a scuba diver teaches us the importance of conscious breathing – both underwater and on the surface. Whether we breathe through the nose or through the mouth, the key is to be able to focus on the breath, which becomes our ally in difficult moments. This is a lesson worth taking with for your everyday life: drawing peace and balance from deep, controlled breathing.
Let's reach for healthy breathing habits
On this occasion, it is worth reaching for the conclusions contained in the book "Oxygen advantage" by Patrick McKeown, which sheds light on the invaluable role of proper breathing in our lives. As McKeown writes, one of the biggest obstacles
to health and excellent physical fitness is excessive mouth breathing. Although it seems trivial, it is the incorrect way of breathing that can cause serious health problems, reducing our quality of life.
McKeown points out that you only need to make a few simple changes to the way you breathe to improve the amount of oxygen you get to your muscles and organs, including your heart and brain, in minutes. For divers who are learning to control their breathing, this finding is particularly relevant. Underwater, where precise breath control is crucial, the introduction of healthy breathing habits has not only a direct impact on the safety and comfort of diving, but also on improving health on land.
Diving can become a practical test of these principles – forcing you to consciously manage your breathing. Over time, divers can reduce excessive mouth breathing in everyday life as well, leading to better oxygenation of the body and improved overall well-being. This is a great example of how knowledge of respiratory physiology can translate into real health benefits, both in and out of water.
Summary
Breathing is more than just gas exchange – it's the foundation of our health and efficiency, both on land and underwater. Diving, while forcing you to breathe through your mouth, can help you learn conscious breath control, which benefits you far beyond the water. Freediving, on the other hand, shows how important it is to be able to avoid hyperventilation to stay safe. By using the knowledge of experts and implementing simple changes in breathing technique, we can significantly improve our health, efficiency and well-being.
* MARTA SUCHOROŃCZAK
Yoga lover and qualified teacher since 2015.
She completed her first Ashtanga yoga teacher training course (led by Basia Lipska-Larsen and Beata Darowska) in Wrocław. Since then, she has participated in many workshops with renowned teachers in Poland and abroad.
She travelled to India four times to learn ashtanga yoga from Sharath Jois at the Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAY) in Mysore, Rolf & Marci Naujokat, Balu and VJ Kumar. In 2020, she completed postgraduate studies at the University of Wrocław in the field of Classical Yoga.
In 2021, she landed on the ‘Earth moon’ – as she likes to call Mauritius – which made her fall in love with her to such an extent that she decided to share yoga on this paradise island for a year and a half.
She conducts group and individual classes, moving within styles such as: ashtanga yoga, hatha, yoga, yin yoga, aerial yoga.
