Scuba Diver ANZ Issue #19

GUADALUPE ISLAND

DIVE THE PHILIPPINES

GREAT BARRIER REEF

EMBARK ON A BUCKET-LIST TRIP TO CAGE DIVE WITH GREAT WHITES IN MEXICO

OVERVIEW OF DIVING HOTSPOTS IN THE AWARDWINNING PHILIPPINES

HOW HOLMES REEF PROVES THAT CORAL CAN BOUNCE BACK TO LIFE

South Australia

SCUBA WEEK CELEBRATING ALL-THINGS DIVING WITH THE SCUBA DIVERS FEDERATION OF SA

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EDITOR’S NOTE BUSH FIRES RAVAGE AREAS OF AUSTRALIA, BUT THERE IS SOME POSITIVE NEWS In recent weeks, large swathes of Australia have had to contend with catastrophic bush fires. Our sympathies lie with those who have lost loved ones or properties, and our thanks go out to the firefighters who risk their lives to try and control these blazes. On the face of it, bush fires have nothing to do with diving, but such is the scale of the situation that all walks of life are been affected. Both Brisbane and Sydney had been subjected to horrendous air quality, and many businesses have been negatively impacted even if they are not in direct danger. We are just coming into high seasons for diving, especially in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, and dive centres are reporting numerous cancellations.

On a more-positive note, in Tasmania, kelp forests that have been hit hard by global warming are been replanted using lab-bred, super-kelp, which should be able to tolerate warming sea temperatures. Further north, the muchmaligned Great Barrier Reef is receiving more enthusiastic feedback from divers. In this edition of the magazine, we feature Holmes Reef - after suffering damage from repeated bleaching events, this impressive part of the outer reef was closed for several years, however it now looks like the reef is well along the road to recovery.

The Barrier Reef is also home to Australia’s first-ever underwater hotel. Located at Hardy Reef and accessed via the Whitsundays, this luxury accommodation offers guests the opportunity to literally sleep with the fishes. Glass panels on the floor and huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows offer guests a truly unique nights lodging.

Adrian Stacey Editor-at-Large (Australia and New Zealand)

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Mark Evans Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com

DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER Matt Griffiths Email: matt@griffital.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND AND SOUTHEAST ASIA TEAM

Adrian Stacey Editor-at-Large (Australia and New Zealand) Tel: +61 422 611 238 Email: adrian@scubadivermag.com

Mario Vitalini, Richard Stevens and Hailey Elizabeth, Deborah Dickson-Smith

Paul Lees Editorial Manager (Southeast Asia) Email: paul@scubadivermag.com

ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP

MAGAZINE

Ross Arnold Email: ross.arnold@scubadivermag.com

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PUBLISHERS

Rork Media Limited Tel: +44 (0) 800 069 8140 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, England, WC2H 9JQ Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers. Copyright for material published remains with Rork Media Limited. Use of material from Scuba Diver is strictly prohibited unless permission is given. All advertisements of which the creative content is in whole or in part the work of Rork Media Limited remain the copyright of Rork Media Limited.

is a registered trademark of Rork Media. ISSN 2515-9593

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GUADALUPE ISLAND

DIVE THE PHILIPPINES

GREAT BARRIER REEF

EMBARK ON A BUCKET-LIST TRIP TO CAGE DIVE WITH GREAT WHITES IN MEXICO

OVERVIEW OF DIVING HOTSPOTS IN THE AWARDWINNING PHILIPPINES

HOW HOLMES REEF PROVES THAT CORAL CAN BOUNCE BACK TO LIFE

ON THE COVER

South Australia

SCUBA WEEK CELEBRATING ALL-THINGS DIVING WITH THE SCUBA DIVERS FEDERATION OF SA

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF: SEBASTIEN LANDAT

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

6 News

20 Mexico

14 Medical Q&A

28 Underwater Photography

An event promoting South Australia’s diving, underwater accommodation on the Great Barrier Reef, a fire on a liveaboard in the Red Sea, and a scheme to plant super-kelp in Tasmania.

Dr Oliver Firth answers reader questions about the issues of diving and alcohol.

16 Dive Like A Pro

This issue, our panel of experts offer useful hints and advice about what safety equipment should be in every diver’s kit bag.

66 Scholar

Joanna Smart learns all about seaweed farming when she heads to the Faroe Islands as part of her epic world tour.

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Black Manta Photography’s Richard Stevens and Hailey Elizabeth tick off a bucket-list experience when they venture to Guadalupe Island to cage dive with great white sharks on board the luxurious Socorro Vortex liveaboard.

Seasoned underwater snapper Mario Vitalini is in the hotseat this month, and this time around, he looks at the importance of light in the composition of underwater photographs, and how it can make - or break - an image.

32 Shoot Like A Pro

In the second of a two-part special, two of our panel of underwater photography experts - Mario Vitalini and Anne and Phil Medcalf - talk about how to get creative when working with models.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

36 Australia

54 What’s New

42 The Philippines

56 Gear Guide: Test Extra

Deborah Dickson-Smith joins a Mike Ball expedition to the remote Holmes Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, and is staggered at how it has regenerated back to health after severe bleaching events over a number of years.

Overview of this Southeast Asia diving Mecca, focusing on some of the diving hotspots, including Dumaguete, Malapascua, Oslob, Apo Island, Anilao and Bohol.

50 TECHNICAL: Mikhail Lermontov

Pete Mesley from Lust4Rust takes us on a grand tour of the 20,000-tonne, 175-metre ocean liner/cruise ship Mikhail Lermontov, which sank off the coast of New Zealand in February 1986 after colliding with rocks, taking one of her crew members with her.

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New products recently released, including the Mares EOS 10RW video kit, Fourth Element’s Heritage collection, and Bare Exowear exposure protection.

Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans heads for North Wales to dive the Atomic Aquatics BC2 and notches up a world exclusive by diving the Apeks MTX-RC regulator.

64 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team reviews a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Otter Watersports Atlantic drysuit, Mares Genius dive computer, Apeks XL4+ regulator, and the Aqua Lung AquaFlex wetsuit.

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Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on our various social media (@scubadivermag) www.scubadivermag.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

SCUBA WEEK

The Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia organized an event to celebrate diving in the region, and the headline act was an underwater photography competition. SDFSA’s Heather Creech reports on November’s inaugural Scuba Week

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ooking for a challenging new location for your underwater photography? Come to South Australia the marine life here is as wildly diverse and splendid as that of Australia’s better-known tropical reefs. To celebrate the State’s unique ecosystems (and 19 marine parks), the Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia (SDFSA) held its first photo competition this November.

Photographers were encouraged to share the best of their images of diving in South Australia, from freshwater caves to ocean jetties and beyond.

Out of the dozens of entries submitted, first prize went to a close-up of the elusive pygmy leatherjacket, taken

by Sebastien Landat, at Port Hughes, and it is Sebastien’s shot which graces this month’s cover. Karolyn Landat took second place for her evocative rendering of light and depth on the pylons at Rapid Bay. Sebastien’s documentation of a tiny parasite on a black-throated three-fin placed third. The winners received mounted enlargements of their photographs, printed on canvas.

While the primary criterion of the three judges was the ‘wow’ factor, a number of design and technical elements helped to assess a photo’s impact. In all cases the judges were looking for an accurate reflection of real life in South Australian waters. Karolyn’s image in particular was felt to provide a genuine sense of marine life and jetty structures at Rapid Bay – this was what a diver might see on any given day at that location. Composition and technical excellence were also considered, and judges were particularly impressed with the clarity and depth of field of Sebastien’s macro images, as well as the challenges presented in getting the shot. As the lead judge commented: “It is hard enough to find a pygmy leatherjacket, let alone getting it to stay still to photograph it.”

Sebastien and Karolyn have been avid divers and photographers for nearly a decade. On moving to South

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Pygmy leatherjacket, Port Hughes, SA

Australia three years ago, they began exploring the State’s near-shore reefs and jetties (Edithburgh being their alltime favourite for night dives). When asked why they took up underwater photography, Karolyn says that ‘it was sort of a natural progression - at first we used to do it more for documenting what we saw to share with friends and family, but now I think it’s a lot more artistic - trying to get ‘different’ shots of relatively common subjects. We’ve always done a lot of macro, but I find the scenery under the jetties here quite

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Pylon, Rapid Bay jetty

spectacular and unique, so Black-throated I’m switching to wide angle triple fin more and more - it’s harder but rewarding I find’.

The photo competition was part of SDFSA’s inaugural SA Scuba Week, which ran from 17-23 November. This event brought together dive shops, clubs and NGOs in a celebration of our sport and the beauty of SA’s underwater world. Divers joined in underwater clean-ups and hunts for prizes, vintage gear experiences, and story telling with icons of South Australia diving (Ian Lewis, of the Cave Diving Association of Australia, and treasure hunters John Bent and Paul Lunn, were in attendance). A big dance party wrapped up the week. Funds raised from the profits were donated to RECLink (Rebuilding Lives through Sport) for their snorkelling programme, and to the South Australia Sea Rescue Squadron.

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AUSTRALIA’S GREAT BARRIER REEF HOSTS UNDERWATER HOTEL’S REEF SUITES Fancy sleeping with the fishes?

Well now you can, as a lavish $10 million hotel floating above the Great Barrier Reef has opened its doors – and reef suites.

The two two-person-occupancy reef suites at Hardy Reef sit around 4m below the surface, and the three-inch-thick glass, floor-toceiling viewing windows allow the occupants an uninterrupted view of the surrounding reef and its inhabitants.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones described the hotel and reef suites as a ‘game changer for the local tourism industry’ and said: “This will be one of the mosticonic tourism experiences in Australia.”

The project – the brainchild of Cruise Whitsunday and the Queensland Government – began in 2017 when the floating pontoon was rebuilt after being damaged by Cyclone Debbie.

Luke Walker, from Journey Beyond (parent company of Cruise Whitsunday) explained: “This is a landmark moment for Australia. We are extremely privileged to have access to such a truly breath-taking and remote part of the country, and to provide both local and international guests the chance to gain a deeper appreciation of our wonderful Great Barrier Reef.” If you want to stay at Hardy Reef, you will be looking at $799 per person, and that includes transfers (from Hamilton Island or Airlie Beach), water activities, meals and drinks. For more information or to make a reservation, check out www.cruisewhitsundays.com

SNORKELLING GRANNIES UNCOVER SEA SNAKE POPULATION IN NEW CALEDONIA There is a saying ‘you’re never too old’ – and a team of seven snorkelling grandmothers are proving that as they have assisted scientists with research into a sizeable population of deadly sea snakes in New Caledonia’s Baie des Citrons, an area popular with tourists.

‘The Fantastic Grandmothers’, as they refer to themselves, have been working closely with a team of scientists from the University of New Caledonia and Australia’s Macquarie University since June 2017.

The seven, who are all in their 60s and 70s, are dedicated snorkellers, and they actively volunteered to take part in the research, which involves them photographing the venomous sea snakes.

Now their efforts have helped show in a new report – published in Ecosphere Journal – that there is a much larger and well-established population of one-and-ahalf-metre greater sea snakes (Hydrophis major) in the bay than was first thought.

Claire Goiran, the lead researcher and scientist at the University of New Caledonia, commented: “I have been studying sea snakes in the Baie des Citrons for 20 years, and thought I understood them very well – but the Fantastic Grandmothers have shown me just how wrong I was.”

She went on to say that the seven had ‘transformed our understanding of the abundance and ecology of marine snakes in this system. It’s a great pleasure and privilege to work with them’.

Between 2004 and 2012, there had been only six sightings of this toxic but thankfully calm species in that area, and while this had grown to 45 individuals by the end of 2016, it was only from photographs taken by the Fantastic Grandmothers and Goiran herself that enabled them to record more than 140 greater sea snakes between October 2016 and November 2018.

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ISLAND NATIONS COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS DEVELOPING A ‘BLUE ECONOMY’ By 2050, the combination of global and local stressors will threaten almost all coral reefs.

Without actions taken to minimise local stressors, the percentage of threatened coral reefs worldwide will rise to 90 percent by 2030 – and close to 100 percent by 2050. The damage is swift, and the recovery is prolonged. The ocean needs a faster solution with sustainable actions.

The Biorock Indonesia team participated as speakers, facilitators, and side event organisers in the Archipelagic & Island States Start-up & Business Summit 2019 in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia on 30 October – 1 November.

The AIS Forum consists of 46 countries and the event was attended by 21 archipelagic countries and island states.

Marine ecotourism is one of the fastestgrowing industries with the most-significant multiplier in creating job opportunities, economy, infrastructure, and also the environment. In many places, marine ecotourism creates a substantial impact on both environmental degradation and restoration. The focus of this session was to discuss the expansion of marine ecotourism as a path towards a sustainable future with equitable distribution of resources and responsibilities through peaceful partnership and the pursuance of the blue economy and associated development frameworks.

Thomas JF Goreau, PhD, the technology co-inventor and scientific advisor of Biorock Indonesia, and was one of the speakers of a session on the ‘future of marine ecotourism’.

He spent his childhood in several Pacific countries and experienced first-hand how fast the coral reefs have degraded in the last 60 years. He has also witnessed that so many coral reef restoration efforts are useless because they could not

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Photographs courtesy of Beginer

Subhan

beat the speed of degradation – and the pressure on water quality is becoming bigger all the time.

“Regenerating our dying marine ecosystems will become even more critical in the years to come, and without it, there will never be a ‘blue economy’,” said Dr Goreau.

Biorock Indonesia also held the Sustainable Marine Ecotourism Workshop as a side event of AIS Forum 2019.

Students from Sam Ratulangi University attended the events to gain more knowledge and awareness on marine ecosystem restoration and blue economy. Prawita Tasya Karissa, the Executive Director of Biorock Indonesia, explained how the technology has helped to restore an eroded beach in Gangga Island, North Sulawesi, in just a few months after installation.

This could be applied in other areas facing beach erosion and coral degradation by involving the local community and beachfront resorts to actively restore and protect the marine environment. www.biorock-indonesia.com

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BRITISH TOURIST SUSPECTED DEAD FROM SHARK ATTACK OFF REUNION A British tourist is thought to have died from a shark attack after he went missing while snorkelling in early November – and his hand, complete with wedding ring, was subsequently found inside a tiger shark.

The 44-year-old Scot is believed to have been on a weeklong holiday with his wife in Saint-Gilles, and according to witnesses had not been in the water long when he disappeared. Airplanes, helicopters, boats and other swimmers searched for the missing man, but to no avail.

Then a tiger shark – among several caught for research purposes by the Centre de Securite Requin (CSR) a few days later – was discovered to contain the man’s dismembered hand, still wearing his wedding ring. However, it is not known whether the man was attacked and killed by the shark, or had drowned and was later eaten by the animal, which are known to be opportunistic scavengers.

Reunion Island is infamous for shark attacks – there have been two fatal incidents this year – and local authorities had implemented a ban on swimming and watersports across virtually all of the island’s beaches following attacks back in 2013.

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TASMANIA’S GIANT KELP FORESTS REGENERATED BY SEAWEED SCIENTISTS In Tasmania, some 95 percent of the giant kelp forests have been destroyed by rising sea temperatures, but a dedicated team of ‘seaweed scientists’ are fighting back and helping to regenerate these lost marine forests.

The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) will be transplanting laboratory-grown giant kelp into the waters off southern Tasmania in the summer. It is thought that the surviving five percent of help is more-tolerant of warmer waters, but by bringing in the fresh kelp from the lab, they can help recreate some of the lost habitats.

Crowdfunding for the project has been organised by The Climate Foundation, together with sustainable travel company, the Intrepid Foundation, and the documentary 2040. Intrepid Foundation’s Kira Day explained that the crowdfunding exercise, which reached its first goal of $350,000 in four months, sparked a lot of attention from the community, but that they have set a new goal to raise an additional $250,000 to scale the project, continue restoration research, and to trial marine permaculture systems offshore in Tasmania’s Storm Bay.

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CULINARY MAGIC to QUESTS FOR COLOR

· Bahamas· · Belize· · Cayman Islands· · Cocos Island, Costa Rica· · Cuba·

· Djibouti· · Dominican Republic· · Egypt· · Galapagos· · Hawaii·

· Indonesia· · Maldives· · Mexico· · Oman· · Palau· · Philippines·

· Red Sea· · Roatan· · Sri Lanka· · Sudan· · Thailand· · Turks & Caicos·

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INTERNATIONAL SCUBA DIVING HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES 2020 INDUCTEES The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT) has announced the four new members who will be inducted into the prestigious 2020 Hall of Fame.

Hand-picked by the ISDHF board of directors, the latest inductees include Tom Ingram (United States of America), Jill Heinerth (Canada), Jim Gatacre (Canada) and Avi Klapfer (Israel for Cocos Island), who will officially join fellow esteemed dive industry pioneers taking the plunge to help cultivate and revolutionise the sport of scuba diving in the Cayman Islands, and throughout the world.

On 25 September 2020, the newest ISDHF members will be inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame during an official ceremony and dinner held on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.

The following individuals have been selected for induction in 2020: Tom Ingram (United States of America) With more than 40 years of experience in the recreational diving industry, Tom Ingram has served as the President of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) since 2002. His leadership of DEMA has elevated his profile globally and has become the ‘face’ of the USA’s diving industry, developing strategic alliances with international diving groups around the world. As the longest-servicing president in the history of DEMA with more than 17 years of service, Ingram’s managerial skills have brought a much-needed stability to the association. Additionally, he was recognised by the members of the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences with the 2017 NOGI Award for Distinguished Service.

Once the Department Head of the Sport Diving Operations Programme at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), Ingram established the first four-year degree programme in Recreational Diving Management (RDM) at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, solidifying the recreational diving professional career. At FIT, Ingram worked as Manager of the East Coast Shipwreck Project, coordinating the efforts of Mel Fisher’s treasure salvors, the State of Florida, and Marine Archaeologists to recover and catalogue treasure from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet as well as recovering the Nuestra Senora de Atocha off Key West.

Jill Heinerth (Canada) As a pioneering underwater explorer and film-maker, Jill Heinerth’s passion lies beneath the surface. Heinerth’s photography and writing have been featured in prominent publications around the world, and she has received the KEEN Footwear-STAND Award for environmental

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photography. Her work in environmental film-making has been recognised with countless awards, including International ‘Deffie’ for the Best HD Documentary, Best Educational Film Explorer’s Club Film Festival, Cine Golden Eagle’s and others.

In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Heinerth was awarded the inaugural Medal for Exploration, recognising singular achievements and the pursuit of excellence by an outstanding Canadian explorer.

Jim Gatacre (Canada) Jim Gatacre is the founder of the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA), a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation that has allowed handicapped people around the globe to enjoy the wonders of the underwater world. As the leading authority on recreational diving for handicapped people, the HSA has trained and certified over 10,000 recipients, expanding Gatacre’s vision of an international organisation that promotes enhanced self-image and social interaction through the unifying sport of scuba.

Gatacre’s diving journey began after an accident in 1972 that left his right arm partially paralysed. In 1973, while attending the University of California Irvine (UCI), with the use of only his left arm, he earned his NAUI Open Water Scuba Diver certification.

Avi Klapfer (Israel for Cocos Island) Avi Klapfer is an Israeli underwater photographer based in Costa Rica who has explored and protected the remote Cocos Island since 1990.

Klapfer co-authored Costa Rica Blue, a comprehensive dive guide for Costa Rica with an emphasis on Cocos Island, the first book of its kind for the country and an important step in drawing attention to protecting the waters in a country under constant fishing pressure. As part of the Cocos Island’s preservation efforts, Klapher’s company, Undersea Hunter Group, has since declared the island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing visual evidence of illegal fishing practices within its boundaries, using his ‘Deep See’ submarine.

To Klapfer, one of the most-important elements in keeping Cocos Island protected has always been spreading word of its novelty through video and media images. His dedication to submarine exploration and service to researchers has aided making Cocos Island, one of the best protected dive sites in the world.

To learn more about the 2020 ISDHF inductees, please visit the following link: www.visitcaymanislands.com/en-us/isdhf/inductionweek/new-inductees

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TRAGEDY AS RED SEA AGGRESSOR CATCHES FIRE On 1 November, the Red Sea Aggressor I liveaboard caught fire in the middle of the night, just north of Port Ghalib in the southern Egyptian Red Sea, tragically leaving one of the guests dead, and the rest of the passengers and crew having to jump into the sea to escape the burning vessel.

The investigation into the cause of the inferno is still continuing, but on 9 November, Aggressor Adventures CEO Wayne B Brown released this statement: “As you know, misinformation is common in the initial days following unforeseen events. We are being very open and honest on what we know as facts become available, but unfortunately, factual information is emerging slowly, even to us. We do not speculate. So as we’re able to review all statements given, we begin to get a better picture of what has occurred.

“However, we know in the big picture that, unfortunately, there was a tragedy of a diver losing their life, and the rest had to evacuate with little to no possessions. The ground team in Egypt responded quickly in getting everyone into an all-inclusive resort to ensure their basic needs were being met and then assembled cash so they could get some clothing and sundries at the limited shops available in Port Ghalib.

“They also spent a day and a half working with tourist police gaining approval for us to relocate them to Cairo.

Egypt does not allow tourists to relocate without prior approvals that usually occurs behind the scenes. We immediately secured hotels and transportation to the embassies in Cairo, even before they ever left Port Ghalib.

The Cairo team then helped everyone with rearranging and paying for their return flights as well as some more shopping for clothes, luggage etc.

“Once on land, was everything executed perfectly, no.

But rather accept it given the challenging circumstances, we are regrouping to assess how we can continue to improve our procedures and practices.

“As a company and divers ourselves, we have always been extremely safety-driven, and when any event happens anywhere in the dive industry, we use that to look internally for any changes we may need to make to try and prevent that occurrence with our own guests.

“After the recent Conception fire, we directed every destination to ensure that no charging was done unattended and that all lithium charging was done outside at the designated charging areas. We also had them review their emergency exit plans, fire escapes and smoke detectors for proper working order and that their firefighting gear was operational.

“Also, some research shows smoke detectors having a history of testing okay with the test button but not activating with actual smoke – we will start requiring the testing of our smoke detectors with cans of fake smoke.

That is just one of the many procedures we are looking to implement across our fleet to further strengthen our guest safety and of course, customer confidence.”

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MEDICAL Q&A Dr Oliver Firth is a diving doctor with over 22 years of diving experience. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE and a medical referee for the UK Diving Medical Committee, performing many hundreds of diving medicals a year. As the senior doctor at London Diving Chamber for the last 13 years, he has supervised the treatment of hundreds of cases of decompression illness. He has now set up Hyperdive (www.hyperdive.co.uk) to continue his diving medical work with a global audience. With his accumulated experience, he has seen most things a diver might come across, but remains eager to hear from anyone with a medical conundrum they need a solution to! divingdoctor@scubadivermag.com

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Q: I’ve read somewhere recently that people are saying it’s okay to drink beer between dives during a surface interval. Being South African, I’m partial to a cold beer or ten, and I know some divers who insist on drinking beer before, during and after their dives. Are there any real dangers in this, or is it all scaremongering?

A: Well, I read somewhere that ‘alcohol can never make you do a thing better, it can only make you less ashamed of your mistakes’. This makes sense when I’ve had a few beers and then try to play pool. I know it’s the season to be jolly and all that but, sadly, there are good reasons not to overindulge when you’re diving. One of the myths is that small amounts of alcohol aren’t a problem. Even one drink does actually produce a measurable decline in performance, with diminished awareness of cues and reduced inhibitions. Another important point is that the deleterious effects of alcohol are consistently underestimated by people who drink. One study involved recording 13 divers performing pool dives at different blood alcohol concentrations and rating their injury risk. They had objective ‘sobriety’ tests and rated their own performance afterwards – at higher alcohol levels, injury risk was increased, but divers weren’t aware of their degraded performance. Other research has shown that there is a definite reduction in the ability of an individual to process information, particularly in tasks that require undivided attention, for many hours after the blood alcohol level has reached zero. This means that the risk of injury in a hung-over diver is increased significantly, particularly if high blood alcohol levels were reached during the drinking episode.

22.01.19 12:00

Deaths have been directly attributed to excessive alcohol consumption, as it exacerbates the effects of nitrogen narcosis and can lead to drowning.

In addition to these dangers, we all know that alcohol causes dehydration, through a direct diuretic effect on the kidneys. This will prolong your offgassing times. Any and all of these factors may of course increase your DCI risk too.

Q: I have a question about alcohol and pressure. Although I don’t drink and dive, I’m asking purely from a scientific point of view - if there was alcohol in my blood, would its effects be augmented by depth and pressure, in a similar way to a gas (such as nitrogen, or carbon monoxide etc)?

Obviously, alcohol is a liquid, not a gas (unless your beer has been in the sun far too long), but would the effect of having one beer and then diving to 20m have the same narcotic results as guzzling three beers at the surface?

And what about alcohol with bubbles in it? What would happen under pressure if you drank and dived on champagne?

A: An interesting question, and not one that has been investigated, to my knowledge. Alcohol and nitrogen are additive, so one beer at the surface would definitely feel more like three when at depth. Luckily, the nitrogen wears off quickly after ascent (one big advantage over alcohol – perhaps we should serve nitrous oxide in pubs). All the gas bubbles in a fizzy drink are contained in the gut, and although they speed up absorption of alcohol, they don’t pass into your blood themselves – they sneak out as judicious belches. No real risk of an exploding diver; just one expelling large amounts of fragrant gas.

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This issue, our panel of industry training gurus focus on safety gear, and discuss what safety equipment should be in every diver’s kit bag, regardless of experience PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF GARRY DALLAS, BSAC/JANE MORGAN AND NICK WATSON

D

iving is generally not a dangerous sport, as long as you stick to the limits of your training, are mindful of weather conditions and complete all your buddy and equipment checks, but occasionally, the proverbial can hit the fan, and so it pays to have a suitable supply of safety kit to hand to deal with whatever emergency situation has shown its ugly face. We asked our panel what safety equipment should be in every diver’s kit bag, regardless of experience.

Dai Atkins from BSAC, said: “I’ve cut my foot! It’s bleeding!

My buddy said ‘You’ll die”, If only I had a plaster on that dive trip in July…’

“Sporting activities carry with them some inherent risks – and diving isn’t any different. But being prepared for any risky encounters or to enable a quick response to an incident helps maintain a good safety record for our hobby.

“Now the usual refinements for more commonplace risks like cuts, burns, decompression illness, hypothermia and such like will be addressed by more significant items of kit (hopefully) put in place by the Dive Manager. First aid kits of all different sizes, and oxygen kits containing a variety of administration masks, will have been thought of, and a responsible person placed in charge of them.

“But there are other things we can personally carry that give us a fighting chance of improving overall safety on a dive. Summoning assistance is one area to consider – beyond the yelling at the top of your voice, technological advances have been made by way of whistles, and air horns, that can audibly alert surface support you need some help. If you’re out of earshot, visible means of attracting attention instead of exhausting yourself by waving include things like dive

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flags, large, highly visible DSMBs and reflecting mirrors which can be put to good use. And for the more-discerning diver, EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) and PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) may be carried to report your location at the surface in an emergency, ensuring you have, of course, registered them, RTFM and activated them before you get in the water. Strobes are also a useful aid to be seen in low-light conditions – just don’t scrimp on the batteries, and check them regularly.

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“On the dive itself, tools to get out of a fix will be handy – so shears or a line-cutter will be of use if you find yourself trapped in that nasty monofilament stuff or even a bit of someone else’s line (do be sure it’s not someone’s guideline before you chop through it*). Simple incidents like losing your way back to the shot could be prevented if you took a bearing, or knew which general direction the shoreline was, so a compass could be useful, or a spare reel which may be used to line off and find your way back - assuming no one got tangled in it and has chopped through it with their aquasnips (*see above). A buddy line – or short piece of rope or webbing - may be useful to maintain contact with your buddy (although not as adaptable or reliable as your hands) if the visibility starts to get a bit murky, allowing some communication by rope pulls, but don’t fix it to you! A small waterproof notebook and pencil for writing messages could also be handy - attaching a note (or slate) to a DSMB can alert surface support of a problem and give more information to start making some early decisions.

“Carefully locating all of these items on your kit, where they won’t foul up your dive – but are equally easily located and retrieved takes some fettling – but be innovative with the clips, bungee and elasticated pantyhose. And of course, get some tutelage and be practised in their use.

“Don’t forget the more-benign risks that can still have an impact – being out on a boat all day in standard British sunshine can bring on effects of heatstroke, sunburn, and dehydration, so to stop the delirium associated with these remember to pack your sunscreen, floppy hat, sunglasses and take plenty of water.”

Garry Dallas of RAID UK and Malta, said: “Rocking up on a boat dive or driving a fair way to the dive site, we really don’t want to find out that a piece of our equipment isn’t working.

“Covering all bases - what if your regs had a problem, do

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®

you have a spare working regulator, i.e. a stage regulator set, maybe some basic tools to deal with this scenario. If you’re not on a club-organised event, maybe a shared O2 set-up between friends. List of contact numbers for friends, family, coastguard, etc. All this just needs to be accessible after a dive, in the unlikely event it’s needed.

“Then we can look at fixing something on a dive, or at the surface. Did anyone in your group bring an SMB for that shore dive to highlight a diver is underwater? Has EVERY member of the group got their own DSMB and spool/reel? A planned route or map for the underwater terrain, entry and egress.

If it’s a night dive, then a flashing marker fixed to the SMB and one on each member of the team. These items are never needed when a dive goes perfectly to plan, it’s if someone gets separated from the group.

“When you look at your personal kit, it’s very useful to have a cutting device, and I don’t mean a James Bond type, SAS 12inch blade, strapped to the outside of your ankle, but a morecompact and practical Eezycut Trilobite or Z-knife attached to your computer. A signalling device both audible and visual for attracting attention, compass, a spare cylinder valve wheel (I kid you not, I’ve seen them fall off), spare torch in case your primary fails, spare mask, nasal spray, wet notes or slate, even a spare double-ender boltsnap - one day I’ll explain why this will be a vital piece of kit every diver should have.

“A great bit of useful equipment can be cable ties, bungee or line from say a reel or spool.”

GUE’s John Kendall explained: “Since diving involves putting ourselves in a place where we cannot naturally survive, everything that enables us to exist there could be considered safety gear. As a cave and technical diver, I consider carefully every piece of equipment that I carry, and make sure I have adequate back-ups as well.

A great example of this is lights. I carry a minimum of

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three lights on every dive, a primary light and two back-up lights. That way I have practised using my lights on every dive, and know that they work for when I need them to. My lights enable me to communicate with my team underwater, but can also be used to help signal to a boat from a distance. Another vital piece of communications equipment when boat diving is a decent DSMB. I personally like to use oral-inflate closed circuit ones, as these I find very easy and controllable to deploy, while maintaining their inflation even over a long decompression hang. Regular practice of deploying an SMB is key to making this safe rather than a risk.

“In addition, for offshore dives I carry a portable, waterproof VHS/GPS radio. While this will only work over a short distance (VHS is line of sight, and with an antenna only a few centimetres from the surface of the water, that’s not very far), it can help a dive boat find us if we start drifting on the surface.

“Underwater I always carry a minimum of two cutting devices, a knife in a sheath on the waist band of my harness, and a line cutter in my drysuit pocket. That way I can always get to one of them in the event of any kind of entanglement. I also carry a spare mask on every dive, and while many people consider this to be overkill, I have experienced mask failures on more than one occasion, and in one case it was during a particularly restricted bit of cave. Having my mask dismantle itself did not make the situation particularly enjoyable, but being able to simply reach into my pocket and pull out my spare made it a minor issue rather than a major incident.

“The last things that I carry in my pocket are a pair of waterproof spanners. One is a stainless steel adjustable, and the other is a cunning quad spanner with allen key ends.

Between these two tools I can repair most regulator issues.”

PADI’s Vikki Batten said: “A DSMB and reel/spool are one bit of kit I never dive in the sea without. Depending on the dive I may have a small back-up or, for a tec dive in the UK, I would have three of each – a primary, a back-up and one to signal the need for my emergency gas supply to be lowered from the boat.

When I’m in cave, the DSMB stays at home but we still carry reels and spools. Always at least one safety spool, but often many different sizes and length for different jobs. In

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fact on dives with complex navigation, teams diving in caves often pass spools and reels to the person laying line, rather like passing a relay baton, to maintain the continuous line to the surface. Perfecting line laying and passing equipment through the team is lots of fun and a true test of working together.”

PADI’s Emily Petley-Jones said: “While a good spares kit might not be considered as ‘safety gear’, having a complete spares kit available can help to prevent divers from making unsafe decisions. There is nothing more frustrating than travelling for hours to reach a dive site only to discover that one of your fin straps is broken. If you have a spare, this is a quick and easy fix and everyone gets to dive. Without a spare, the correct decision would be to abort the dive, however, the ‘summit fever’ aspect of getting so far and not wishing to disappoint anyone can take over. Unfortunately, it can happen that a diver will opt to botch together a quick fix so as not to disappoint their buddy. This is when poor judgement can potentially lead to an accident. To help prevent this sort of situation from arising, consider having a kit check list (on a slate or laminated) so you can thoroughly check all your kit before leaving home.

“From a safety point of view, there are several considerations such as the risk assessment for the location you are diving in, and how you are going to communicate should an emergency situation arise. One major thing to consider is that while most people these days will carry a mobile phone round with them, there are some locations where getting a signal can be a challenge, in which case you should review other communication options such as a radio, or a personal locator beacon.” n

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Richard and Hailey from Black Manta Photography had ‘great white sharks’ on their bucket list for years, and finally ticked it off on a memorable voyage on the Vortex liveaboard PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD STEVENS AND HAILEY ELIZABETH / BLACK MANTA PHOTOGRAPHY

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T

here’s such a strong temptation to start this article with that famous music score from John Williams, you know, the one that first hit the silver screen in the Summer of 1975, but that would just be far too much of a cliché… wouldn’t it?

Great white sharks - the ‘El Jefe’ of the shark world, the pinnacle of many scuba divers’ hit list of things to see, the largely unchanged prehistoric creature that has dominated our oceans since a time long forgotten, but also a creature now feared thanks to the events in the fictitious town of Amity.

The film Jaws has a lot to answer for - it’s the reason as kids we were so obsessed with sharks, but also takes the blame for a large majority of the world population being too scared to enter the water, even in waters that are impossible to support great whites. Hardly surprising that when we told our family and friends we were going to Guadalupe to cage dive with great white sharks, their first question was ‘aren’t you scared they will eat you?’ Our answer was simply planting our head firmly in the palm of our hands!

The opportunity to get in the water with great white sharks, and to stay on board the Socorro Vortex liveaboard, was just too good an opportunity to pass up! Combining a bucket-list dive destination with the crème de la crème liveaboard of the moment was not to be missed. There are some trips that get you good. A perfect combination of location, marine life, crew, guests, accommodation and weather - this had all.

Prior to travel we really had to engage the mindset of managing expectations. We had no real idea how many sharks we would see, how close they would come, what the vis would be like - and there’s always that niggle in the back of your mind that you are travelling halfway around the world for just three days in the water. Would we get the shots we wanted?

After two flights from London, via LAX, we landed in San Diego, and with only one night to explore we ventured out for dinner in an area called Little Italy. It took eight hours before we were trying to work out how we could move there!

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This exhilarating dive gives you 360-degree views of the sharks at depth, and in most instances, we had anything up to five in view at a time Surface cage offers close-up interaction

Other fish are also attracted to the bait

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Great white chasing the bait

The city is vibrant, full of culture, blazed in sunshine and surrounded by water - what’s not to love?

The following morning the guys from the Pelagic Fleet (www.pelagicfleet.com) sent the most-amazing ‘shark bus’ to pick us up, which took us over the Mexican border to the port of Ensenada, where the Socorro Vortex awaited our arrival. The journey down gave us the chance to meet the other guests who we would be sharing the next few days with, and man did we luck out!

Our group was ten strong and consisted mainly of Americans, including the reservations manager from the Pelagic Fleet on vacation, a shark-mad couple from Texas, two brothers-in-law from Arizona, and two professional photographers, one from Croatia and the other a surf dude from Venice Beach. We were also joined by ‘sharkman’ Andy Dellios, who had been to Guadalupe eight times and knew all of the recorded sharks off by heart.

The Socorro Vortex is huge – 42 metres long - and really stood out from other boats in the marina. In a previous life, the Vortex was named the Lestralaur, formerly James Sinclair, and lived its life as a Canadian Coastguard vessel, so speed was already in her DNA. Her maiden voyage as the Vortex was in April 2019, making her the new flagship for the Pelagic Fleet company, and sister ship to the already well-established Solmar V. The motto of the Vortex is ‘Where Adventure Meets Luxury’, and the mastermind behind her creation was Jorge Cervera Hauser.

He wanted to create a liveaboard experience for the discerning diver that sat in the upper echelon of dive experiences.

But how do you create that experience? Well, you ensure everything is custom made and handpicked to the highest

of standards. You design a boat that caters to only 14 divers, providing everyone on board will oodles of space, huge rooms, add a jacuzzi, and ensure the lens aficionados on board have plenty of room to work with their camera rigs. Just to clarify yes, we did say 14 divers only! The result of this gives you the feeling you’re visiting a wealthy friend on their luxury yacht, and not on a liveaboard with a bunch of strangers!

Then there’s the water on the boat - it’s all filtered. We’re not talking about specific drinking taps, oh no, every single tap/hose/shower head is fully filtered drinking water, from the shower and toilet in your cabin to the hot shower on the back of the dive deck, and the water in the camera rinse tank.

Luxury personified, or an extreme – regardless, we were very grateful for not having to leave our cabin to get a drink of water during the night! Oh, and did we mention the top deck doubles up as a heli-pad? Another nod to her past life.

The Vortex has four luxury staterooms that are entrylevel (San Benedicto, Clipperton, Clarion and Cerralvo), two junior suites (Socorro and Guadalupe) and one master suite (Roca). Roca provides you with panoramic windows and a shower as large as most bathrooms, but even the entry-level accommodation comfortably fits a huge king-size bed, and all have high-end showers inside.

On boarding the Vortex, we were met by the friendly crew and our leaders and Divemasters for the trip - Matias and Luke. After the introductions and mandatory paperwork, guests were then treated to cocktails and an abundance of Mexican snacks with a huge bowl of freshly made guacamole and chips giving a taster of the amazing food to come. The remainder of the first evening was spent on the top sun deck, chatting away to the other guests and watching the sun go down as we set off across the Pacific to our final destination 165 miles away - Isla de Guadalupe.

The first morning we arrived in Guadalupe around 6.30am to the sun rising on the horizon, casting the most-beautiful hues of oranges and pinks across the sky, and the weird bellows and grunts of the fur and elephant seals that litter the shoreline of the island - otherwise known as shark food!

Fur and elephant seals lounge on the shoreline

The sharks are simply magnificent

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Aerial shot of a great white

Freshly made cappuccinos and pancakes filled our bellies to sit alongside the butterflies as we waited for the first Great white on a sightings of the sharks. The crew got to shallow approach work lowering the cages into the water and securing them in place, and even before the bait touched the water we spotted our first great whites swimming alongside the boat. Even from own eyes is one of those milestones-logged-on-your-brain above, their size and beauty was clear and we were even more kinda moments! However, it’s the sheer girth of this fivemetre-plus-long living missile with huge teeth that just makes desperate to get in the water and see them up close. you skip a heartbeat or two...

Each of the two surface cages allow for three people at There’s a misconceived idea that these sharks are a time, so we were straight in there, kitting ourselves up as monsters, and out to eat anything and anyone they come fast as we could! This is easier than diving as you don’t wear across, yet, when in the water with these creatures, this a BCD or fins, and there is no need to travel with regulators doesn’t cross your mind at all. The only thing they are really either, making packing for the trip a doddle! interested in is the severed head of the fish floating in the Instead, you have a weighted harness and ankle weights water in front of them. The water around the cages is filled that help keep you on the bottom of the cage as you are just with mackerel and even hungry tunas, all wanting a taste of inches below the surface with a regulator called a ‘hookah’ the action as they teem back and forth, but the sharks don’t fed through the bars from the boat supplying your nitrox mix. even seem to notice them. It’s also interesting to see how It’s an exhilarating experience getting into the cage for the they try to catch the bait as they change their approach each first time - they take great care to keep you steady as you time and sometimes swim up from below so as to evade the step down, only closing the cage when you are firmly down eyes of the wranglers. That’s not to say they weren’t curious and safe. The first thing that hits you is the water temp, as it’s a little on the chilly side at around 20 degrees C, but a good thermal rash vest and a 7mm wetsuit meant you could easily manage over an hour in the water no problem.

In the cage, you are solely focused on the gap between the bars and the bait line in front of you. We needn’t have worried about how often and close the sharks would come, as from the moment we hit the water they were just there - continually swimming by, between the cages, chasing the baited lines, back and forth in a continual movement and breaking the surface for the people on the boat to enjoy.

One thing that really surprised us was the size - I mean, Socorro Vortex yes we know how big they can grow to in length, and we’ve all seen them on TV, but seeing one for the first time with your

These sharks truly are striking and surprisingly, when face on, give the impression they are smiling at you as their mouths curve upwards

of us in the cage - the sharks look you dead in the eye as they swim past, paying close attention to your movements and how you might interfere with their game of cat and mouse.

There is an endless list of positives to mention about cage diving with sharks on the Socorro Vortex, one being that because the surface cages are literally under the surface, there is no requirement for a scuba qualification, making the opportunity open to everyone. However, if you want a different perspective then the submersible cage is an absolute must for you. The submersible cage The view from inside is lowered to a depth of 10m, is larger than the cage is awesome the surface cages, but only houses two divers and a guide, who is kitted in a full-face mask for constant communication with the team on the surface.

It just so happened that we had a government official onboard Weirdly, you notice the gaps in the bars are that much bigger, our trip from the Mexican Conservation Team. Rodrigo Pérez and again, your regulator is surface-fed.

Weil is an analyst ensuring practices in Guadalupe are as they This exhilarating dive gives you 360-degree views of the should be, and to monitor the sharks for research. In the three sharks at depth, and in most instances, we had anything up days we were at Guadalupe, Rodrigo identified 11 of the 34 to five in view at a time. We also found that the larger sharks different great white sharks we saw. Yes, 34 sharks in three were the ones hanging around down here, although the water days - guess we needn’t have worried if we were going to see was definitely a little chillier! However, for this, you do need any or not! to hold a minimum of an Open Water qualification.

The service, accommodation, quality of the boat, the food, the set up of the cage diving - everything was just simply As much as we would love to fill this article with just sharks, first-class and delivered to the highest of standards. The huge we have to touch on the ‘Panga’ boat ride. The Pelagic Fleet TV on the wall in the lounge isn’t just for show - there’s a full are the only operator in Guadalupe with the license to operate multimedia library of hundreds of films and documentaries, boat trips to the shore of Guadalupe Island to see the fur and as well as dozens of books and shark-related reading material. elephant seals up close, and this was undoubtedly one of the You’re constantly being asked if there is anything they can get highlights of our trip! To see them lazing around on the rocks you, and there is always a crew member on duty 24 hours a day. while the tiny pups jumped around playing is a memory we will never forget. We’d rebook on the Vortex just to this alone!

If you are like us and always wanted to go to Guadalupe for the great white sharks but are put off by the potential long As you would expect with any luxury holiday, the food travel for what might only be three days in a cage, then let us onboard the Vortex is outstanding! Lunchtime is by far and tell you, it’s totally worth it and will hands down be one of the away the best meal of the day and is when chef Savine really greatest things you’ve ever done in your life! Go to Guadalupe, comes into his own - our first day consisted of paninis, squash see what’s going on - you will be utterly amazed in every soup, mac & cheese, cookies and chocolates. Yes folks, that’s sense! Between the two of us, we spent close to 30 hours in just one meal! The second day consisted of the biggest burger the cages over the three days, and hand on heart have it down we had ever seen, with equally huge potato wedges served as the most-exhilarating experience ever! Would we go back on the side, and then the third day we were treated to a to Guadalupe now that we have done the ‘shark thing’? Yes, ramen noodle soup and poke bowls… I mean come on, what in a heartbeat, but it would have to be on the unbelievable liveaboard covers three cuisines in as many days? As well as Socorro Vortex! n breakfast and dinner, the team make afternoon snacks to keep you going, as well as fruit-infused water out on the dive deck with as many nuts/crisps as you Bait wrangler in action want. When the diving is done for the day, they then make you the most-amazing cocktails with the best mojitos and margaritas you will ever find!

Sunlight plays on the side of this shark

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BIG REASONS TO DIVE PALAU If you like ‘big stuff’, Palau is the capital city, and Diveplanit’s Deborah Dickson-Smith reckons this is one of the best places in the world to dive with sharks, mantas and big schools of pelagic fish PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAYNE JENKINS AND DEBORAH DICKSON-SMITH

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Ulong Channel

For Diveplanit Director Simon Mallender, Ulong Channel is reason enough to dive Palau. “Since my first drift dive, I’ve never lost that temptation to spread my arms wide, and assume the posture of a Spitfire flying at high speed and low altitude over the terrain below. Start the dive reef-hooked on, watching Ulong’s Shark Show, until the dive guide calls you over to start flying.

“The Channel has a coarse sandy base with coral of all types lining the shallow sides which are abundant with fish, and the flight ends in what can only be described as an entire forest of lettuce coral.”

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Wrecks

For author and underwater photographer Nigel Marsh, it’s Palau’s wrecks that are the main attraction. “The Iro Maru stands out for me as a memorable and fantastic wreck and well worth a few dives. After taking a direct hit to the engine room, the Iro now sits in a perfectly upright position in 40m of water. At 143 metres in length there is so much to explore with large guns on both the bow and stern.”

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German Channel

German Channel would have to be one of Palau’s most-famous dive sites. Jayne Jenkins explains why.

“At German Channel there is excitement from the moment we drop in the water. Manta rays are the highlight at this dive site, and we were not disappointed as two mantas cruised by to be cleaned and were soon joined by three more.

The way they can glide with the slightest of motion or just hover in the current is simply mesmerizing. Having one of these intelligent creatures look into your eyes is an experience never to be forgotten.”

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Jellyfish Lake

Palau was Diveplanit Content Director Deb DicksonSmith’s first big dive adventure, and her favourite Palau adventure is Jellyfish Lake. “Most people that have heard of Palau almost certainly heard of Jellyfish Lake, a lake created when water levels surrounding this limestone island changed, trapping two species of jellyfish within. The two types of jellyfish here, the golden and the moon jellyfish, are harmless, having lost their sting in an evolutionary process.

“The golden jellyfish follow the sun and move around the lake so always look where the sun is shining. As the numbers increase into thousands, it feels like you are snorkelling through a massive lava lamp.”

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Bumphead Parrotfish Spawning

Reason number five for Jayne Jenkins is possibly her most-exciting Palau diving adventure. “After 45 years of diving, this was one of, if not THE, most-exciting dive I have ever experienced.

“Dropping into clear blue water, the bumpheads slowly began to cruise by, with numbers increasing by the minute.

It was amazing, imagine 1,000 bumphead parrotfish! It is definitely one of the biggest adrenalin rushes being in middle of this circling mass orgy. Bumpheads form groups of up to ten individuals, charging to the surface to release their eggs.

The speed they travel is incredible and when the eggs are released, they continue on their journey.”

If you’d like to join Jayne Jenkins on a special expedition to Palau to witness the bumphead parrotfish spawning and Palau’s many pelagic wonders, send an expression of interest to: enquiry@diveplanit.com, or visit diveplanit.com and search ‘Jayne Jenkins Palau Trip’. n

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

LET THE LIGHT SHINE Mario Vitalini looks at ways in which photographers can work on composing with light underwater PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

A

t its most basic, photography means drawing with light and, as such, light is the key element in any shot you take - in many ways, more important than the subject you choose to portrait. Rather than simply thinking of light as something you have to measure and control technically, I’d like to encourage you in this article to think about it is as an important element in your composition too. Many an image is made (or broken) by the quality of light and how it moves through your picture.

An atmospheric pic of a diver inside a shallow cave in the Red Sea. To capture this kind of images you need to position yourself in a dark section of the cave, and use a slow shutter speed and high ISO in order get the right exposure for the sunbeams

Diver silhouetted against the sun. By using a fast shutter speed and a small aperture, I was able to expose for the sun and capture the beautiful sunbeams

AMBIENT LIGHT

Many of us started underwater photography using only ambient light and so the first thing we learn to take into consideration is the sun. It is your primary source of light and responsible for illuminating most of your frame. But if it is not properly handled, it can ruin an otherwise great image.

An over-exposed background will make the image dull, take all the contrast away from the shot, and a blown-out sun ball will draw your eyes away from the subject, becoming a hugely distracting element in the picture. On the other hand,

Corals and Caves on

if properly framed and exposed, the sun can help to highlight a subject.

As a rule of thumb, I try to keep the sun behind me, so it can light the scene I’m shooting. If not possible, try to hide

Hurricane 21st May 2020 £1425 excluding flights ESCORTED BY MARIO VITALINI

Holiday highlights... Mario Vitalini will teach you to work with natural light and wide angle photography, as well as the secrets of amazing fish portraits and using strobes. He will help you build a stunning selection of classic Red Sea images, from the decks of the stable steel hulled Hurricane. There are 18-21 dives over the workshop, as well as all park fees included, 12lt tank/weights and FREE Nitrox.

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The first image was taken with the strobes positioned close to the port. By moving them further away, the light will reach the subject from an angle, creating strong shadows that accentuate texture and volume

it behind a section of the reef, or position it just outside your frame. To create a more-dramatic composition, you can use adjust your settings to create beautiful sunbeams. A fast shutter speed and correct position of the sun outside the frame are essential, as well as choosing the right time of the day to dive. Morning and afternoons when the sun is low are the best. Otherwise you can place the sun behind your subject to create a striking silhouette, again a very fast shutter speed and small aperture are necessary. This way you can use the light from the sun as a compositional element. It goes without saying that the quality and quantity of ambient light changes throughout the day. Different times of day on the same site and subject will affect the overall mood and tone of a picture.

Once we start using strobes, the possibilities and your options to play with the light really open up. Having complete control of the light source will give you a wide range of creative choices. You not only have the ability to select how to light your subject, but also the choice of what not to light.

With a few tweaks of your lighting and strobe positions, you can convey depth, volume and textures that will make a subject pop. Here are a few helpful techniques I would like to highlight. This are techniques I regularly use and have found are incredibly helpful.

Hairy frogfish lit with cross lighting.

The strobes were positioned facing each other and close to the port so the light reached the face of the subject and not the body

By using a cross light technique, I was able to direct the light into the sponge and the squirrelfish and avoiding lighting the messy background

CROSS LIGHTING

This technique is ideal to accentuate textures. After all, underwater is a 3D space. When shooting with a macro lens all you have to do is to position your strobes further apart.

Because the small field of view of the lens, the light from the strobes will reach the subject from the sides creating strong shadows and in doing so, accentuating volume and textures.

Wide-angle cross lighting requires you to bring the strobes back behind the dome port, so you prevent hotspots and reduce the risk of backscatter. It is important to use long arms to keep the strobes away from the dome-port.

Aim the flashguns directly at the subject, creating a strong directional light.

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Photo Finish

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY INWARD LIGHTING

This is an extreme version of cross lighting when you position your strobes pointing backwards towards yourself. It is an excellent technique that allows you to control which parts of your image not to light. With inward lighting you can light part of your composition and hide distracting elements in darkness – ideal when your main subject is on a messy background. The idea is to use only the corner of the cone of light to light your subject.

For wide-angle photography, long arms are essential to achieve even lighting. Align the strobes with the hands of your housing and aim them to your ears, or even further back.

It seems counterintuitive, but you will achieve light on your subject with the outer edge of the cone of light, leaving the background untouched. If you are using a macro lens, I tend to align my strobes with my subject and pointing to me, the results are the same.

When using inward lighting, it is a good idea to remove the diffuser of your flashguns so the beam of light is sharper and more defined. This will give you a crisper result.

Inward lighting allowed me to direct the light right into the cuttlefish face and not on the reef. By controlling the exposure, I also darkened the background making my subject ‘pop’

By combining inward lighting on one strobe with a bit of backlight from the other, I managed to capture this evocative shot of a peppered moray. The left-side strobe brings out the textures and the right one the transparency

BACK LIGHTING

Backlighting is another technique that uses directional light from behind the subject to highlight the edges and create transparencies. This form of lighting can be a bit tricky as you want to light the subject from behind, but at the same time avoid getting light into the lens. Position your flashgun wide enough to ensure the beam falls away from the lens field of view. These techniques, used on their own or combined, can be powerful tools to help you use light in a creative way.

Accentuate or hide particular features and textures of your subjects. Let the light do the work for you.

The quality and placement of light in a photo can completely change the way your image looks, or the feelings it elicits. Light is not merely an element of the exposure, but also a fundamental part of the composition in the mostsuccessful images we see. Don’t just take my word for it! I’d like to finish with a quote, and hope that you a persuaded to rethink your use of light next time to you press the shutter. n

I really believe that creative lighting remains an area of great potential for expansion in underwater photography. If you want to differentiate you work and really make it stand out, there is a lot to do in this area.

Dr Alex Mustard

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In the second of a two-parter, Anne, Phil and Mario discuss working with models, and explain how to make maximum impact from having a diver in your photographs.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI AND ANNE AND PHIL MEDCALF

Using other divers as models in underwater photography is a really useful way of giving your wide-angle shots some perspective and giving a human aspect to the world beneath the waves. Many people don’t dive, but seeing a diver in a photo means they can imagine being there themselves.

It is also a great way of showing how big some of the wrecks we dive are - when photographed with a diminutive diver next to them for scale, it can make the underwater world even more impressive.

By the nature of our business, we need to take a lot of photos with divers included and using models is not without its pitfalls! You can be lucky and get an excellent shot of a diver by chance, but some preparation and planning before the dive will make for much more successful outcomes.

Agree hand signals with your model before you get in the water - you can have a look at our Alphamarine Photography YouTube channel for a demonstration of the ones we use. It is essential that your model knows what position you want them to adopt even if they are some distance away from you. Trying to convey this underwater with no preparation beforehand can be frustrating and time consuming.

ANNE AND PHIL MEDCALF

Photographs of people always look better if you can see their faces well, which is difficult when kitted out with full dive gear, so having a better view of facial features really helps

Master Macro 9th May 2020 £2895 excluding flights ESCORTED BY MARTYN GUESS

Holiday highlights... 10 nights in resort, full board divers plan & 24 boat dives – FREE Nitrox Join pro photographer Martyn Guess in the critter mecca Dumaguete. With 24 boat dives plus free nitrox (3 dives/day plus 1 day Apo reef) and Martyn’s workshop throughout, this workshop packs a real punch.

Additional travel options available, ask for details.

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If you are taking close up pictures of divers, then there are other things to consider about their appearance. Unruly hair isn’t very noticeable when a diver is silhouetted in the distance but when you want a shot of someone using a camera underwater, it’s good to get them looking their best. If your model is wearing a hood, bald or with close-cropped hair there isn’t an issue, but if your model has hair long enough to float like Anne then finding something to keep it under control is helpful. We have used a range of hair-managing solutions over the years for warmer waters, including bandannas and neoprene skull caps, which in Anne’s experience tend to slip off during a dive. The most successful seems to be stretchy wide yoga hairbands sold by sports clothing companies, which are also quite cheap to buy.

Masks with black skirts are very popular with photographers, although neither of us use them personally.

They do tend to have a less-pleasant look photographically than clear ones. Twin lens masks have a tendency to make people look cross-eyed and they can put one eye into shadow, so it’s definitely worth encouraging the person who models for you to get a single lens mask which is easier to get good eye contact through, and also much easier to light properly with a strobe. Photographs of people always look better if you can see their faces well, which is difficult when kitted out with full dive gear, so having a better view of facial features really helps. Also make sure your model is looking friendly, get them to smile even with a regulator in their mouth as it translates to the look in their eyes.

When doing quite close-up pictures of people’s faces, the mask should be clean too, nobody wants to see mould growing round the edges of the lenses and dirty spots! For ladies modelling, or perhaps the men too, wearing mascara can also help to make the eyes more noticeable, but do make sure it is a good waterproof one. Smudged make up isn’t very flattering, but it is worth trying different techniques and equipment so that the viewer sees the person behind the dive gear to connect with.

ESCORTED BY MARTYN GUESS

11th July 2020 £1495 excluding flights

Relaxed Red Sea

Holiday highlights... 7 nights onboard Whirlwind, tanks, weights and open dive deck at least once a day!

Photographers can go at their own pace on a photography itinerary that is as relaxing as it is productive.

Welcome to the world of the Red Sea Relaxed Photo Finish. Dive a host of incredible Red Sea dive sites with an open deck policy, chosen by our photo pro based on their reliability as top notch photo-worthy dive sites.

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Our underwater photography professionals have, between them, literally thousands of hours of dive time and countless hours spent travelling the world shooting underwater images and teaching workshops. If you have a question you’d like them to address, email: mark@scubadivermag.com

As underwater photographers, we are always on the look for exciting new MARIO subjects and often overlook our fellow VITALINI divers as an important element in a picture. A diver in a photo can help to give a sense of scale, and adds a human touch, usually making the image more interesting.

You can take two approaches to using models underwater.

The first one is opportunistic. Simply look for the right diver in the right position. No preparation or pre-planning needed. It can yield some good results, especially when you are placing a diver in the background as a compositional element to balance an image. However, it is not very efficient when the diver is an important part of your picture. And you should always ask fellow divers for permission before taking their pic.

The second approach involves more preparation.

First of all, you need to find someone willing to pose for your pictures. An experienced diver will give you better results, as his or her position will be much more relaxed. It is fairly obvious to state that communication underwater is fairly compromised, so it is essential to agree on a set of signals that allow you to guide the model into the right position.

Once you have found the right location, take a test shot and show it to the model indicating where you

in the A diver swimming bject of su in ma the blue is rface su e Th this picture. lement and lights comp the image

On these two images, the line of sights of the model guides the eyes of the viewer to a focal point in the image

want him/her to be positioned. The model can also use their reflection on your dome-port to get in the right place.

Where you position the diver can make a big difference in the general look of the picture, you can use the model to balance a shot or to add a focal point. Ensure there is good separation between the diver and the environment such a reef wall, cave or a wreck.

If you are planning to create a silhouette, make sure the diver is not swimming directly into the camera otherwise they become a shapeless blob. Instead they should be on an angle, preferably with the head slightly higher than the feet.

Best of Manado

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Pay special attention to the arms and legs avoiding flapping limbs at all cost, they make for very messy images. Arms straight in front do not look good in pictures. Asking the model to hold a light with two hands at chest level and to keep the legs straight or just slightly bent to gives the arms a much more relaxed feeling.

When your model is relatively close the face becomes a very dominant feature. For this reason, you need to pay special attention to the eyes. With most subjects it is important to achieve a strong eye contact. But when photographing divers, this rule should be immediately discarded unless you want to go for a comedy approach. When a diver looks into the camera the image gets an unsettling feeling. The best thing is to have a subject and direct the diver to look at it. The line of sight will guide the viewer to the subject.

If you have the possibility to select what kit is your model going to wear, choose classic fins with a traditional shape.

There are many models with unusual shapes. These can be very good pieces of kit, but they do not look great in photos.

Selecting a good mask is also important. Some models make people look a bit boss-eyed and dark or black skirts will make evenly lighting the face of the diver very difficult.

Using divers in your images can make for great shot. It does not matter if you have a regular dive buddy but spend some time before the dive to discuss with your model what to do when the next photo opportunity comes along. n

When using a model as a silhouette the position of the legs is essential

When positioning a model make sure is not clipped like in the second image where the divers head has been cut by the wreck

Book your holiday with the award winning dive experts at Scuba Travel!

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CORAL SEA

WONDER T he remarkable recovery of Holmes Reef

Diveplanit’s Deborah Dickson-Smith is excited to visit the Coral Sea for the very first time, and is amazed to see how it is recovering from a severe bleaching event PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEBORAH DICKSON-SMITH

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WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

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Sabre squirrelfish

s I board my first-ever trip to the Coral Sea on Mike Ball Dive Expeditions’ dive liveaboard Spoilsport, I’m told conditions have never been better. Calm seas, clear skies and hardly a breath of wind.

Conditions are predicted to be so good for the next four days, the skipper is planning the ‘Fair Weather’ route, taking in remote Holmes Reef and Bougainville Reef, as well as Osprey Reef.

The crew is excited. No one on board has been to Holmes Reef before. It’s rarely visited - and not just because of its remote location. This particular reef was closed for several years following damage from a bleaching event. So, we’re all keen to see what it looks like now.

Our first night is spent steaming to Holmes Reef, and after a good night’s sleep, I wake up to an expanse of blue. The Pacific Ocean, as smooth as a lake. After a quick briefing, we take the plunge. Our first dive site, Nonki Bommie, is a large coral pinnacle that drops down to 40m, covered in soft and hard corals and large gorgonian fans.

In the middle of the pinnacle, there’s a slot, its entrance framed by a large yellow seafan, one of the largest I’ve ever seen. My buddy and I spend about ten minutes here before continuing on around the reef wall, but we keep returning to this beautiful slot, approaching it from different directions and swimming through from the opposite side of the pinnacle.

Along its length, the slot is adorned with yellow fans, red, white, pink and blue soft corals, bright red whip coral, with yellow damsels and purple basslets adding even more colour to this coral kaleidoscope. Parrotfish, wrasse and surgeonfish graze along the top of the reef and overhead, large schools of jacks patrol the pinnacle, rushing past in formation, glinting in the sunlight.

Along its length, the slot is adorned with yellow fans, red, white, pink and blue soft corals, bright red whip coral, with yellow damsels and purple basslets adding even more colour to this coral kaleidoscope Huge fish shoals swarm over the area

Large seafan

On our second dive we head to a smaller bommie nearby, adorned with a seafan so large I can’t fit it in frame as I try to photograph it. Schools of yellow-striped snapper arc over the huge fan and its soft coral adornments, while sweetlips and coral trout hover by feather stars waiting to be cleaned. Grins all round – our first day underwater is going well so far.

Spoilsport cruises along the reef while lunch is served to a site called simply Amazing. It could be called so because of the labyrinthine caverns and swim-throughs at this site, or because that’s how divers describe the dive as they emerge afterwards.

We follow the mooring line down through crystal-clear water and swim towards the reef wall along a sloping sandy bottom, passing a grey reef shark and a few black tip reef sharks along the way. A few small coral bommies dot the underwater landscape before we reach the wall, which we stop to explore before heading to the maze of swim-throughs.

Looking closer at the sandy bottom, we see hundreds of garden eels swaying in the gentle current and on the bommies, purple basslets hover in front of brightly coloured fans and whip corals, while cardinal fish hide in the crevices and overhangs. Everywhere we look, the reef is alive with colour and movement. So… what’s all this about the Great Barrier Reef dying?

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Reef sharks

Iridescent coral growth

After reading this report, written only two years ago, you’d be forgiven for writing off Holmes Reef. Apart from anything else, it’s difficult visually to apply percentages to coral cover on a large reef. But, right now, to see so much life on this dive, is heart-lifting to say the least. It really is not too late to save the Great Barrier Reef.

It’s not too late to save all the world’s coral reefs – because they are all under threat. The media focus on the Great Barrier Reef’s demise is a reflection of how well known and well-loved this reef is globally, a message shared by Dr David Wachenfeld, chief scientist, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), who said: “We’ve got the most-famous reef in the world.”

Dr Wachenfeld was speaking on a panel at the Australian Society of Travel Writers recent convention in Cairns, along with Quicksilver Cruises Master Reef Guide Dr Glen Burns and Wendy Morris, Chair of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ).

The panel did its best to explain the threats faced by the Great Barrier Reef, while outlining the strategies in place to save it and how everyone, media included, can contribute.

“It’s time to toughen up and do what we can to save the Reef – these are challenges we need to lean into.

And collaboration is the new innovation,” he said. This collaboration brings together science and tourism.

There’s no doubt the Great Barrier Reef, like all coral reefs around the world, is under threat, climate change bringing with it storms of increasing intensity and warmer waters causing increasingly frequent coral bleaching events. But this reef gives me hope.

After diving Holmes Reef, I’m told that this same reef suffered several bleaching events and cyclone damage in recent years. A quick Google search and I find reports of bleaching events in 2002, 2006 and as recently as 2016 - the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies survey reports: ‘At Holmes Reef, the most northern of the reefs surveyed, almost 80 percent of corals show some sign of bleaching, and of those 40 percent were fully bleached and 25 percent dead’.

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My four-day Coral Sea dive trip with Mike Ball included Bougainville Reef and Osprey Reef, and much like Holmes Reef, both equally colourful, bio-diverse and teeming with life WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

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A number of collaborations have been launched recently, including citizen science-driven projects such as GRRMPA’s Eye on the Reef, which invites visitors to contribute data for scientists to review, and the Master Reef Guides programme, which helps educate visitors on the intricacies of the world’s largest living organism on every guided tour to the Reef.

Other programmes, such as Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, show people around the globe what they can do at home to help save the Reef, and share live updates on the many scientific programmes currently in place on the vast Great Barrier Reef system, with their incredible Citizens Atlas – everything from following a tiger shark’s movements around the Coral Sea to coral spawning and seagrass monitoring.

In fact, according to TTNQ Chair Wendy Morris, “tourism is driving Reef knowledge, you are contributing simply by visiting”. A percentage of every dollar spent by visitors to the Reef goes towards the Reef’s protection and ongoing research.

When questioned if the Reef was affected by ‘over-tourism’, Dr Burns informed media that, compared to international definitions; “even the Great Barrier Reef’s most-intensively used areas are not ‘intensively used’ by global standards.”

My four-day Coral Sea dive trip with Mike Ball included

Reef shark

The coral growth is simply amazing

What coral bleaching?

The reef has certainly ‘bounced back’

Bougainville Reef and Osprey Reef, and much like Holmes Reef, both equally colourful, bio-diverse and teeming with life.

Highlights included a large school of drummer in the shallows on the wreckage of the Antonio Tarraboccia, Bougainville’s beautiful Southern Wall and, of course, the famous shark feed site at Osprey Reef.

So, the message to divers? If you’re thinking of ticking the Great Barrier Reef off your Dive Bucket List, there are lots of reasons to book that dive trip soon. n

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

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The Philippines is now firmly on the map as a top diving destination, with a diverse range of locations, and here we showcase just a few of the hotspots PHOTOGRAPHS BY BETH WATSON, ROB WILSON, SYLVIA JENKINS, BUCEO ANILAO, MAGIC OCEANS AND THRESHER SHARK DIVERS

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Philippines Overview

T

he Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is located in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from the other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorised broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. There are diving opportunities throughout the Philippines, from quiet spots like Cabilao and Anilao to tourist hotspots like Boracay, Puerto Galera and Alona Beach, not to mention the world-class sites off Dumaguete, Moalboal, Malapascua, Donsol, Coron Bay and Subic Bay, and we take a look at a few over the coming pages.

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

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Crinoids decorate a seafan as they seek to feed in the nutrient-rich waters

Anda, Bohol

Anda is a quaint little town located in the southeast of the lush tropical island Bohol, away from the mass tourism. It has a local population of 17,000 people and has ten miles of diving pleasure to offer.

This picturesque town represents all the best things you will see in the Philippines and is aptly called the ‘Gem of Bohol’. You will find pristine tropical beaches, a serene countryside, pool caves, prehistorical sites and much more.

On top of that, Anda offers a great biodiversity both on land and underwater. For the most part, Anda is still largely undiscovered by tourists, making it the ultimate place to experience the best of the Coral Triangle. This is the perfect getaway for divers to find untouched, colourful and extremely healthy reefs and coral gardens.

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Diving around this peaceful location is incredibly extensive and versatile, with more then 25 dive sites to explore, offering a great combination between sandy slopes, mangroves, small caves, reefs and walls full of marine life. On top of that, there are several islands nearby, such as Lamanok and Camiguin, that provide great diving opportunities. Several land-based resorts in Anda can organise daytrips to these islands.

The marine life here varies from XXS to XXL. The black hairy frogfish, blue-ringed octopus, tiny tiger shrimp and a lot of different nudibranchs can easily be found in the waters of Anda, making it a true critter paradise.

On top of that, huge turtles and big schools of jack fish can be seen, as well as a frequently passing whaleshark and even an occasional manta.

It’s the perfect getaway for every type of diver and underwater photographer, from beginner to professional.

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

Anilao

Anilao is the Philippines’ answer to the Lembeh Strait, where multitudes of fascinating muck diving critters await the sharpest of eyes. It has been dubbed by many as the ‘nudibranch capital of the world’, with close to 600 nudibranch species already identified, and more being discovered all the time.

There are more than 50 dive sites, and these range from macro and muck dives to coral reefs and even wrecks, and depending on site are suitable for everyone from beginners up to veteran experienced divers.

There is an enormous biodiversity of marine life around Anilao. As well as the aforementioned nudibranchs, you can also find seahorse, frogfish, octopus, cuttlefish, squid, mandarinfish, harlequin shrimp, Lembeh sea dragon, blueringed octopus, rhinopias, and much more.

However, while muck and macro diving might be the main highlight of this area of the Philippines, you can also sample the increasingly popular blackwater diving, which can turn up all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures in the dark.

Macro critters abound, like tiny crabs, lobster and miniature shrimp

Resorts like Buceo Anilao can have enviable positions right on the beach

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

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M alapascua

The sleepy island of Malapascua in the Philippines is fast making a name for itself in diving circles and is already on many an avid diver’s bucket list. Initially made famous by its daily sightings of thresher sharks, Malapascua’s diving offers a lot more than sharks. But let’s start with the main event.

Malapascua is the only place in the world that the beautiful and rarely seen thresher shark can be seen on a daily basis. In a wonderful twist on the usual story, shark sightings have actually become much more prolific in recent years and you can see ten or more on a single dive, often with very close encounters.

The thresher dive leaves early morning, around 5am, as this is when the sharks come up from the blue to Monad Shoal, an underwater mound about 20 minutes from Malapascua.

They are attracted to its ‘cleaning stations’, which are like a carwash for fish - small fish called cleaner wrasse will pick the dead skin and parasites off the bodies of bigger fish.

The best way to dive Monad Shoal is with one of the operators that has their own mooring line and dives a separate place from other shops. That way you will have a swimming dive rather than a ‘sitting’ dive, with greater chances of multiple shark encounters, and you will see other plentiful marine life along the way.

Once you’re back from your early dive, it’s time for breakfast and there is still a whole day ahead of you! And being situated in the middle of the Coral Triangle, the global centre of marine biodiversity, there is plenty more to see! The diversity of marine life is incredible and the diving has something for everyone – big fish and macro life, wrecks and walls, coral gardens and muck diving, novice diving and advanced dive sites. Even seasoned dive pros who have been diving there for years still find new marine life after thousands of dives around the island.

Common creatures found in Malapascua’s waters include large rays, banded sea snakes, cuttlefish, a huge number and variety of nudibranchs,

Amorous mandarinfish put on a display at dusk

unusual shrimp and crabs, seahorses and pipefish, and frogfish.

The dive sites spread out in all directions from Malapascua and their varying depths and different environments make each dive site unique. Gato Island has an amazing variety of life but is known especially for its whitetip sharks and the elusive pygmy seahorse. It has interesting rock formations and an underwater tunnel that goes right under the island.

Malapascua is a great place for beginners. There are many novice-level dive sites that make it easy to progress and build up confidence before trying out the shark dive. More advanced divers will find there is something for them as well with the shark dives, the wrecks and the walls. There are also chances for technical diving, on the various shark dives and the wrecks including the World War Two Pioneer shipwreck at 55m.

Malapascua’s specialty thresher sharks

Many centers use outrigger dive boats, like ‘Amy’ from Thresher Shark Divers

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Whalesharks feeding

Dumaguete

Situated just 20 minutes south of the provincial capital of Dumaguete City, Dauin is a mecca for macro diving. There are so many reasons to dive this part of the Philippines, so let’s just look at a few…

The majority of dive sites span nine miles from Bacong to Zamboanguita, and it’s no surprise that Dauin is right in the centre of these two villages. The area sits at the base of Mount Talinis, which is responsible for the dark black volcanic sand along the coast. Like Lembeh, the black sand attracts a wide variety of small, colourful and unusual critters.

The coastline is best known as paradise for frogfish (warty, hairy, painted, giant, etc), ghost pipefish (ornate, robust, roughsnout, delicate, etc) and smaller octopus (wonderpus, mimic, blue ring, coconut and even the mototi).

Dauin doesn’t fail to impress when it comes to weird, wonderful and unusual critters to photograph – depending on the time of year, here’s a quick snapshot of what you can expect to see: Skeleton shrimp, harlequin shrimp, tiger shrimp, Shaun the Sheep nudibranch (Costasiella Kuroshimae) plus countless more colourful and captivating nudis, flamboyant cuttlefish, anemonefish (pink, clown, tomato and more), bobtail squid, lionfish, mandarinfish, Ambon scorpionfish, and grouper.

Macro critters abound, like tiny lobster, shrimps and crabs

CORON BAY

In 1944, in the midst of World War Two, Coron Bay - to the southwest of Busuanga Island in Northern Palawan – saw a huge military operation in which the US forces despatched 12 Japanese supply vessels to the seabed.

Now wrecks like the Okikawa Maru, SS Morazan, the Kogyo Maru and the Irako await keen wreck divers, and as well as containing interesting military artefacts, they are also smothered in marine growth and support plenty of fish life. This is a world-class dive site for the wreck enthusiast. It has history, and some incredible diving within the range of recreational divers. Busuanga and Coron Bay is definitely a diving destination worth putting on your bucket list.

Apo Island

For those who like to shoot a variety of subjects and sizes, just a short boat trip will get you to Apo Island, where you can dive gorgeous rolling coral gardens (massive table corals, brain coral, cabbage coral, etc). Apo has an abundance of green and hawksbill turtles, banded sea snakes, as well as schools of jack fish and all the trimmings you’d expect to see on a healthy coral landscape.

Most resorts in the area treat Apo Island as a day trip, so as well as your dives and snorkelling, you get to enjoy lunch on the boat while taking in the spectacular views of white sandy beaches and limestone cliffs of the island. n

Relax in comfortable, welcoming resorts

Oslob

If snorkelling or diving with the gentle giants of the oceans, whalesharks, is on your list, a day drip to Oslob will have you getting as close as possible, with lots of wide-angle photo opportunities.

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BEYOND TECHNICAL

www.narkedat90.com

‘RUSTY RUSKY’ Pete Mesley is a regular visitor to the enormous ocean liner Mikhail Lermontov, and here he takes us on a whistlestop tour of New Zealand’s iconic tech-wreck PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETE MESLEY / WWW.PETEMESLEY.COM

GET A LUST4RUST

Fanatical wreck diver and highly experienced tech instructor Pete Mesley set up his Lust4Rust trips to some of the world’s best wrecks/wreck-diving locations after becoming increasingly frustrated with the other offerings out there for experienced recreational and technical divers, especially those using CCRs and mixed gases, and they are now an institution for his legions of devoted fans. Destinations include Truk Lagoon, Solomon Islands, the Great Lakes and Bikini Atoll, and particular wrecks include the Hermes, the Oriskany and the Mikhail Lermontov. www.petemesley.com/lust4rust WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

We design, manufacture and retail scuba and rebreather equipment. We have fully equipped test and certification labs, and can pressure test large items in our vacuum chambers, as well as run fully automated leak test and dive simulations down to 400m. Our EMC and EMF lab is filled with state-ofthe-art equipment for testing electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic fields. We also have a large in-house laser for cutting and engraving on plastics and metals. www.narkedat90.com

If you carefully angle yourself up into the opening, you are confronted by hundreds of faces staring down with their perfect blue eyes

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O

n the morning of Saturday 15 February 1986 The Lermontov is smothered in at midnight, the 155-metre, 20,000-tonne marine growth Russian ocean liner Mikhail Lermontov departed Wellington to cross the treacherous Cook Straight for Picton at the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound on the northern coast of the South Island. It had been chartered to travel company CTC for a summer cruising season in the South Pacific.

The following day she departed Picton at 3pm for Milford Sound on the southwest coast of the South Island. Captain Don Jamison, a Marlborough Sounds harbour pilot, was to remain aboard the vessel instead of leaving her at Long Island, so that he could be available to pilot the vessel into Milford Sound. A total of 743 people were on board. Of the 372 passengers, 327 were Australians, including five children, 36 British, six Americans, two Germans, and one New Zealander. Of the 348 crew members, 330 were Russian, 18 were British, another nine were Australians, and there were 13 British CTC staff members in transit.

The weather was overcast with heavy rain and a 25-knot southerly wind, which was not conducive to sight-seeing, but Captain Jamison continued with taking the huge vessel very The eerie sight of close to shore, as he had been doing since hundreds of dolls coming aboard. This finally proved fateful when the ship struck rocks at Cape Jackson.

The situation was further exacerbated by the failure of the Russian Captain Vorobyov to initially accept DIVING THE LERMONTOV assistance as the vessel rapidly took on water, and they The lure of the Mikhail Lermontov is becoming far stronger, limped towards Port Gore, where the mighty liner steadily and more and more people are venturing into the depths of its slipped beneath the surface, thankfully with just one fatality holds and passageways these days. Dubbed by Richie Kohler as among the crew, though the evacuation of all of the guests ‘the Andrea Doria of the South Pacific’, the Mikhail Lermontov sits in 36m of water lying hard to starboard. She rests in Port was rather fraught!

Gore, off the top of the South Island in New Zealand.

The port gunnel of the ship lies in just 12m of water, and not far from the shotline is a stairwell leading to the ‘Winter Garden’ on the Salon Deck. The Winter Garden plays host to many rooms which are now accessible by the windows, which have been broken to gain access.

In the forward quarter of the Salon Deck is the social area.

There are a number of bars onboard. Nevsky Bar is situated on the shallow (port) side of the wreck, while Astoria Bar is on the deeper starboard side. Further forward is the Bolshoi Lounge. This is where the crew entertained the passengers with traditional Russian dancing and music.

Heading aft on the same deck, just past the cinema is the library. There isn’t much in the library, but in the lobby just outside is a set of stairs. Under these stairs, stacked from floor to ceiling, are all the same books - Fundamental Law of the USSR! Some light reading for the passengers!

There is much to Swimming further aft you drop down through a double see within the ship

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COMPUTERS • O2 CELLS • GAS ANALYSERS CABLES & CONNECTORS • REBREATHER PARTS PATHFINDER STROBES • SENSORS TOOLS • SOLENOIDS There are still piles of VB Bitter, a popular Australian beer (only popular to the Aussies!) in the store room just behind the bar doorway (though the doors have long since gone) into the pool area. There is Neptune’s Bar, where you can enjoy a nice beverage while you cool off in the pool! There are still piles of VB Bitter, a popular Australian beer (only popular to the Aussies!) in the store room just behind the bar.

One of the stand-out dives of this massive wreck is what has been dubbed ‘The Dolls Room’ dive. Situated on the starboard side of the Lounge Deck near the stern of the ship, this dive is no walk in the park.

Swimming over the top of the swimming pool conservatory, down past a set of stairs heading towards the Atlantic deck, you are soon at the entrance way. As you enter the deck at mud level, all ambient light is soon lost and the darkness of the wreck engulfs you.

You make your way forward keeping the ceiling (the right wall now) hard to your right side. Soon this becomes apparent as you pass a major danger obstruction - the pool store room bulkhead that is hanging by only one hinge! Once you make your way past that, the signs that you are really close to the dolls is clear - a small pair of feet protrude out of the silt and a single limb makes an attempt to get attention. As you edge forward some more, you will spot something on the floor. Skin coloured. Is that hair? As you get closer, a little face will come into view. Haunting eye open. Staring. Divers all report the hairs on the back of their neck pricking up. All the hair used on these dolls was made using human hair, which often freaks people out even more!

As you push forward, there is an open door above your head, and fabric wallpaper strands hang down from the doorway like a spider’s web waiting to entangle its prey.

If you carefully angle yourself up into the opening, you are There are numerous bars and lounges in the Lermontov

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The silty wreck demands respect

The interior is starting to deteriorate

confronted by hundreds of faces staring down with their perfect blue eyes. It doesn’t matter how many times I do this dive, I can’t but help but think about that infamous sinister doll movie – Childs Play - where the main actor is Chucky the doll. So when my light pans over these lifeless faces in the blackest part of the ship, my heart rate increases!

The engine room is another spectacular experience. Access is fairly easy through the skylights. Swimming into the main ventilation shaft, the most-powerful lights are quickly gobbled up by the vast expanse of darkness of the engine room space.

Then out of the abyss, the top of the engine covers come into view. These Salzer diesel engines powered the twin screws, giving her a cruising speed of up to 21 knots.

Make no mistake, this wreck is a lot of fun, but also extremely silty and dangerous. In the first three years of her sinking, three divers lost their lives. But this was all due to lack of proper equipment, experience and training. n

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What’s New

FOURTH ELEMENT HERITAGE COLLECTION

As Fourth Element celebrates 20 years in existence, the brand looks back to its roots and re-imagines some of its iconic earlier designs for this nifty Heritage Collection.

The Origin hoodie is made from recycled polyester/organic cotton and printed with a simple design using water-based inks.

The Heritage T-shirt has a classic, collegiate-style print and bold placement, reminiscent of Fourth Element’s earlier brand designs, but with a more-contemporary twist.

The Manta Attack T-shirt was Fourth Element’s best-seller for 54

many years, and imagines mantas as aeroplanes on approach.

The redesign gives the creatures a sun-ray burst from which to appear.

The Pressure Seeker T-shirt originally featured a diver silhouette, diving headfirst into the depths, but as now the classic diver profile is ‘in trim’, the redesign has a horizontal diver exploring the depths.

All the T-shirts are made from 100 percent organic cotton, and printed with water-based inks. www.fourthelement.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

MARES EOS 10RW VIDEO SET

The complete set for videomaking and photography – simply add a compact camera or action video camera.

It features two EOS 10RW torches, which have CREE LEDs, and give out a wide beam, thus being perfect for videography. They have a visual battery indicator, multi-function switch to cycle through on, low, SOS and off modes, and have rechargeable batteries.

The set also comes with an aluminium tray for attaching the camera/action cam, and flexible arms for getting the lights into the perfect position.

The whole set-up securely packs away in a dedicated zipped padded case. www.mares.com

BEST DIVERS TOOL KIT

All divers need a wellequipped travel tool kit for dealing with those last-minute emergency fixes when you are out and about. The Best Divers Repair Kit includes an O-ring kit, silicone grease, and two microtools. www.bestdivers.co.uk

BEST DIVERS EXTENSION CLIPS

Best Divers have added another colour to their extension clip line-up – fuscia, which is a vibrant pink. It joins the green, orange, yellow and black clips already available in three different styles – standard carabiner, strong carabiner, and Vela carabiner. Handy for securing cameras, torches and other accessories. www.bestdivers.co.uk

BARE EXOWEAR Bare make wellregarded wetsuits, drysuits and thermal undergarments, and now the latter has been bolstered by the launch of the ExoWear range, which is available in male and female cuts.

The ExoWear utilises Omnired infrared technology in the fabric, which converts your outbound body heat into infrared energy, and reflects it back to your body for thermal warmth. The three-layer material is also water-repellent, windproof, breathable, quick-drying, wicking, and anti-microbial. And the four-way stretch provides maximum elasticity and breathability.

There is a wide selection of Exowear products, which can be used on their own or in conjunction with other items. These range from a one-piece suit to a top and pants, a zippered jacket, vest, shorts, and hood, gloves and socks. www.baresports.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Test Extra

APEKS MTX-RC STAGE 3 SET

Mark Evans: Apeks have built a solid global reputation for their high-performing and robust regulator systems over the years, from their TX range, through the ATX, to the current XTX, their lightweight travel-friendly XL4 and XL4+, and their range-topper, the MTX-R. The MTX-R, which stands out thanks to its whiteand-satin-finish colour scheme, was based on the MTX, a regulator that was developed in accordance with the United States Navy Experimental Dive Unit. Its heritage was immediately apparent – okay, the name gave it away (M in MTX stands for military, and the R for recreational version), but just look at that beautiful first and second stage. With its laser-etched, military-style lettering, which contrasted well with the vivid white plastic/elastomer and satin-finish brass, it was stunning, yet strangely purposeful.

As you’d expect, coming from a military regulator, it was one super-tough, rugged, high-performance, go-anywhere regulator. It was purpose-built to meet all aspects of the NEDU (Navy Experimental Dive Unit) military requirements for diving in very cold water.

It did this in several ways. The forged first stage had a unique over-balanced diaphragm design – as the diver descends, the over-balancing feature allows the medium pressure gas in the hose to increase at a faster rate than ambient. This results in superior performance at depth.

So far, so good, but what made the MTX-R stand out further was the innovative world-first over-moulded first-stage endcap and sealed diaphragm, which helped prevent ice build-up that could cause first stage freeflow in extreme circumstances. This also had the handy ability to protect the first stage from impact damage – well, you know what divers can be like!

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The first stage body, which had a ribbed diaphragm clamp for improved heat exchange in cold-water conditions, was equipped with five medium pressure ports (the fifth was covered with a protective bumper when it is not in use) on a rotating turret, and two high-pressure ports angled for optimal hose routing.

The second stage featured a patented heat exchanger which surrounded the valve mechanism, dissipating the cold caused by gas expansion while drawing in the warmth of the ambient water. Large elastomer bumpers on the sides and on the top protected the second stage from impacts and

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WORLD EXCLUSIVE REVEAL!

scratches in the most-vulnerable places. The exhaust tee was user-interchangeable, from a wide version to a narrow, smaller shape. A flexible nylon braided hose which has a better cold-water performance than a traditional rubber hose linked the first and second stages.

The MTX-R breathed fantastically well, but Apeks were swift to realise that not everybody needed a regulator that was tuned to perfection to deal with extremely cold water use - and thus the MTX-RC was born. Effectively, the MTXRC is an MTX-R (without the military-style laser-etching on the front) but with the addition of a venturi lever and a cracking resistance control, which allows the user to finetune the performance to the conditions they are diving in, or for their own personal preference.

As well as the aforementioned venturi lever and cracking resistance control, the MTX-RC is instantly recognisable from its stablemate thanks to its subtle-buteffective grey-and-satin-finish colour scheme.

In use, the MTX-RC provides a sublime breathe. With * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Test Extra

APEKS MTX-RC STAGE 3 SET

the cracking resistance dialled fully open and the venturi set to ‘dive’, inhalation is effortless and silky smooth, regardless of orientation, but in situations where you need to temper this performance – in extreme cold water, for instance, or if you were using a powerful scooter, you can increase the cracking resistance, which in its highest setting is more akin to the original MTX-R. From the fit in your mouth, with the excellent ComfoBite mouthpiece, it is much the same as any other Apeks reg (which is no bad thing), and the large purge is easy to locate and operate.

The routing from the first stage is well thought out, and the primary reg benefits from having a swivel at either end, for greater freedom of movement and comfort.

In short, just like its sibling MTX-R, it looks fantastic, performs like a champion, and doesn’t hammer the bank account too much – what more could you want from a toplevel regulator?

The MTX-RC is available with DIN and Yoke, and is nitrox compatible up to 40 percent out of the box. The ‘Stage 3’ set – Apeks uses this term to describe a regulator system that includes the primary regulator (first and second stage) and an octopus – includes a neat regulator bag. If, like me, you don’t tend to use a regulator bag to store/carry

your regulator, you will be pleased to hear that the Apeks bag has been designed so that it is capable of holding a laptop, so you can use it as a more day-to-day accessory.

The Velcro pad on the front flap can be personalised, and while it comes with Apeks and MTX-RC badges, any Velcrofastening patch will attach on here.

The MTX-RC can also be purchased in a complete setup for a single-cylinder, long-hose configuration, which comprises the first stage, second stages, long hose, bolt snaps, SPG, etc. www.apeksdiving.com

* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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AVANTI HC PRO

The Evolution of an ongoing Success

The Avanti HC Pro includes all the wonderful features of the Avanti HC - a large hyperchannel for increased performance/effort ratio and soft, comfortable foot pocket - with tri-material technology!

The extra material means added elasticity when kicking, for super efficiency!

• • • •

Soft ergonomic foot pocket with lateral inserts Hyperchannel-induced thrust effect with an increased performance/effort ratio Ridges on the back of the blade: reinforce the blade while optimizing pivoting geometry Overmolding on the back rib further optimizes thrust and performance

Test Extra

ATOMIC AQUATICS BC2

Mark Evans: Atomic Aquatics has long been held as the epitome of high quality and durability in the world of diving, and their aim to create the best possible products has carried across from their initial regulator range through fins, computers, masks and now BCDs. The BC1 jacketstyle BCD was acclaimed in many diving circles, and was built to their usual trying standards.

The BC1 has now been joined by the BC2, which is a back-inflation evolution of the Atomic BC series, and it incorporates the same futuristic, incredibly tough, corrosion-resistant materials as the jacket-style BC1.

A result of Atomic’s so-called ‘design studio’ approach, they describe the BC2 as ‘a radical design departure from conventional backinflation BCDs’. Further, Atomic claim the BC2 to be ‘the toughest back-inflation BCD in the world’. Don’t imagine a lightweight travel BCD just because it is a backinflate design – the BC2 is quite weighty, as you’d expect given the build quality and materials used, but the harness and bladder combo mean you are uncluttered up front, which I much prefer over an enveloping jacket-style.

When you first look at the BC2, you might think Atomic’s first description is a bit misleading, as to be fair, it does resemble several other back-inflate BCDs currently available, right down to integrated weight pockets, pull dumps and so on. However, it is when you look a little closer that you see the craftsmanship and thought that has gone into seemingly every element of the BCD that you can understand where they are coming from.

Let’s talk about that unusual finish first. The doublelaminated, polyurethane-coated fabric has an attractive, matte-coated finish, and is designed to ‘shed’ water like a waterproof jacket, so that it is virtually dry seconds after surfacing. I have to say, it really does work well, and it was a little odd to be packing away a BCD which was cold – it was winter-time in a UK quarry! – but was not wet just 30 minutes after exiting the water. As well as looking eye-catching and shedding water, Atomic states that the material is also nearly impenetrable, and resists abrasion, tears and punctures, as well as being resistant to chemicals, mould and mildew. Without attacking it with

a knife or dragging it behind my car, I couldn’t really put this to the test, but judging from the look and feel of the material, I can well believe it is up to the task.

The BC2 also has a quilted backpad and adjustable lumbar pad, which makes it feel extremely comfortable when you have got it on. It feels nice and supportive when you are walking around on the surface, and once in the water, there is little to no cylinder roll, and you can quite happily twist and contort into any position to want. The hydrodynamic shape of the bladder means that when you are in that horizontal trim position, you glide through the water with minimal effort.

It is equipped with Atomic’s EZ-Lok integrated weight system, which is great – the weight pouches (capable of holding 5kg each) slide smoothly into the pockets, and there is a reassuring ‘snap’ as they lock into place. * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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E S C A P E T H E O R D I N A R Y

fourthelement.com

Image by Franco Banfi

Test Extra

ATOMIC AQUATICS BC2

They will not release accidently, but when you do need to remove the pouches, a simple tug on the large handle is all you need. The BC2 is further equipped with non-dumpable trim pockets, but instead of being on the camband, or fastened on to the backplate, here they are seamlessly designed into the wing itself – you just open the zippers and slot in a weight (up to 2.5kg per side).

The BC2 also has Atomic’s ratcheting Cam-Lok tank band.

After being used to standard cambands for so long, it took me a minute or two to figure it out, but once you get it through your head that it is similar in design to the bindings on ski boots or snowboards, it is an absolute joy to use –

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and once it is secure, your cylinder is not going anywhere.

The drive for quality continues down to the smallest detail.

The D-rings, which are a thing of beauty in their own right, are made from 316 stainless-steel and have a titanium PVD coating to make them ultra-corrosion resistant.

And the exhaust pull dumps are made from low-friction stainless-steel – it is called ‘dry glide’ by Atomic – and have patent pending anti-floating pull knobs with lengthened tails, which while being relatively small compared with some of the competition, are easy to locate and operate thanks to the innovative design, even when wearing thick neoprene gloves.

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Even the zippers used on the BC2 have been designed to be ‘sand-resistant’! There is a neat extra pocket on the right-hand side (removeable if not wanted) mounted above the integrated weight pocket, which is perfect for a back-up torch, or even a small DSMB and spool. It also has grommets on the side for mounting a dive knife. The two zippered ‘pockets’ on either side of the integrated weight pockets are quite rudimentary and are better described as ‘slots’ – when you zip them open, it reveals a couple of D-rings per side for attaching accessories. Whatever shape or size you are, Atomic have got you covered, as the BC2 comes in sizes ranging from small to extra-large.

Finally, that price. Some people might have a coronary considering that amount of money for a BCD, but you have to look at the superior build quality and the design elements, plus it has a two-year warranty on the BCD itself, and a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship in the Ai power inflator. Atomic is the selfstyled ‘supercar’ brand of the diving industry, and just as a Dacia will get you from A to B the same as a Porsche or Ferrari, you will always get people who buy the premium brand for that exclusivity, performance and quality feel. www.atomicaquatics.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Long Term Test APEKS VX1

SEALIFE SEA DRAGON MINI 1300S

Mark Evans: The VX1 is the new frameless mask from Apeks, available in black and white, and is designed to be comfortable, easy to clear thanks to its low volume, and it folds flat so it will fit in your pocket as a back-up if INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2019 necessary. It comes with a Suggested retail price: * spare neoprene strap and Number of dives: 13 nifty zippered case.

Time in water: 12 hrs 30 mins www.apeksdiving.com

SUUNTO D5 Mark Evans: The Suunto D5 has been on its travels again, this time accompanying Ross when we headed to Malta for our family diving adventures, and as I put this issue to bed, we will be visiting Aqaba in Jordan again. It is so user-friendly, you forget this is a test unit, and even after just a few trips, it just feels ‘normal’ to have it perched on your wrist. The fact that it is comfortable, not too chunky and makes a perfect watch as well just rounds out the package. www.suunto.com 64

Mark Evans: The Sea Dragon Mini 1300S had its first outing on our family diving trip to Malta, and it was soon commandeered

by Luke. The compact size meant it fit his 12-year-old hand perfectly, and he was in his element shining the tight beam into nooks and crannies searching for crabs and the like. The light is impressively bright for its size. www.sealife-cameras.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: July 2019 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 9 Time in water: 8 hrs 50 mins

MARES GENIUS

INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 44 Time in water: 43 hrs 15 mins

Mark Evans: The Mares Genius has just arrived on my doorstep, which is perfect timing as in two days I am heading to Aqaba for the sinking of the TriStar airliner, so it will be getting its first dives in the Red Sea. I was impressed when I first saw the Genius at the BOOT INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2019 show, and am looking Suggested retail price: * forward to checking out all Number of dives: 0 of its many features.

Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins www.mares.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC

Mark Evans: Guest tester Jason Brown has been logging plenty more full-on technical dives and inland bimble dives in his Otter Watersports Atlantic, and he is still INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 totally enamoured with Suggested retail price: * the cut, fit and comfort of Number of dives: 55 the suit.

Time in water: 54 hrs 55 mins www.drysuits.co.uk

AQUA LUNG AQUAFLEX

Mark Evans: The Aquaflex wetsuits came to Malta on our family trip, and both Ross in his blue variant and Penney in her ‘Galaxy’ trim were nice and warm even on extended dives. They also benefitted from the ease of donning/doffing, which when it was high-30 degrees C temperatures in direct sunlight, they were very happy about. It is off to Jordan again now for Ross’, but INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 Penney will be using hers Suggested retail price: * in UK waters with an Number of dives: 54 undervest, it is that warm.

Time in water: 53 hrs 55 mins www.aqualung.com

APEKS XL4+

Mark Evans: Luke Evans is looking forward to using his Apeks XL4+ on our forthcoming trip to Malta. It is so easy and simple to swap mouthpieces out with the reuseable clip - simply flick back the locking clip, unhook and remove, then the mouthpiece can be pulled INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 off, a new one popped on Suggested retail price: * and you are good to go Number of dives: 53 again.

Time in water: 51 hrs 55 mins www.apeksdiving.com

APEKS TECH SHORTS Mark Evans: The Apeks Tech Shorts have come to the end of their stint in the Long Term Test stable, and I have to say, they have been an absolute godsend for diving abroad.

Whether I was wearing a 3mm or 5mm fullsuit, these shorts fit snugly over the top and provided me with two full-size expandable pockets more than capable of swallowing a spool, DSMB, back-up torch and other essentials. I’m a bit lost without them, to be honest, and it is great to be able to avoid having to attach INFORMATION Arrival date: March 2019 all and sundry to your Suggested retail price: * wing D-rings. Well-made, Number of dives: 42 durable and efficient.

Time in water: 40 hrs 55 mins www.apeksdiving.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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SCHOLARSHIP DIARY

The Our-World Underwater Scholarship Society is a non-profit, educational organisation whose mission is to promote educational activities associated with the underwater world. It has offered scholarships for over 35 years. owuscholarship.org

SEAWEED FARMING IN THE FARNES PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JOANNA SMART

S

ituated halfway been Norway and Iceland lies a remote set of islands, known for towering mountains, deep fjords and harsh, sub-Polar weather conditions.

The Faroe Islands are incredibly beautiful, very isolated and unlike anywhere I have been before.

I visited the Faroe Islands as the third stop on my trip through Europe as the 2019 Our-World Underwater Scholarship Societies Australasian Rolex Scholar. I spent several weeks learning the ins and outs of seaweed farming with the incredible team at Ocean Rainforest.

Ocean Rainforest is a seaweed farm with a particular appetite for innovation and technology development.

The company specialises in the cultivation and processing of seaweeds. They grow kelp on a commercial scale in the pristine fjords of the Faroe Islands and process it themselves. Ocean Rainforest’s focus on research and innovation has enabled them to develop world-class cultivation methods, making them a pioneer in the seaweed industry. The company works with other experts in the field to improve their cultivation and processing methods. Some of their current projects involve the development of new harvesting methodologies and the development of offshore seaweed farming.

During my time at Ocean Rainforest, I received a crash course in seaweed farming. I was able to learn about the process from start to finish. I learnt how the seaweed ‘babies’ are looked after, how the lines are seeded, how the seaweeds are harvested and how the different products are processed. I was also able to dive on the seaweed farm and see seaweed cultivation in action. While I was diving, I filmed the harvest process from underwater and filmed the condition of the lines. The team hadn’t had a diver in the water filming before and I was able to provide valuable footage of the deeper sections of the lines The team at Ocean Rainforest showed me what is possible for sustainable businesses working in the marine space. Their hard work and dedication stem from a passion to give back and contribute to the preservation of the Faroese environment. My time in the Faroe Islands gave me hope that with the right people and the persistent development of new ideas, a sustainable future ocean is possible. n

Joanna Smart

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MAGELLAN

THE TRUE TRAVEL BCD • • • • • • •

Extremely lightweight Integrated quick release weight system Optional trim weight on tank band Foldable with no rigid backpack Strap loop backpack for easy adjustment 1 Roll up pocket Ergonomic shoulder straps. Increased comfort in chest/shoulder area

The perfect travelling companion