Scuba Diver ANZ #23 by scubadivermag

DIVING, POST-COVID-19

SUPERLATIVE SIPADAN

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

ADRIAN STACEY LOOKS AT DIVING HOTSPOTS OFF THE AUSSIE COASTLINE

AL HORNSBY HEADS TO MALAYSIA AND THE MUCHACCCLAIMED SIPADAN ISLAND

JOANNA SMART IS CAPTIVATED BY THIS WILD ISLAND NATION

IMPRESSION DAVID ALLEN’S STUNNING BLACK-AND-WHITE MARINE LIFE DRAWINGS

CONSERVATION CORNER

‣ UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

ISSUE 23 | FREE MAGAZINE!

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EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTE IS THERE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE COVID-19 TUNNEL? It seems like a lifetime ago when we were first confined to our homes, and state and international borders were closed. A lot has happened in the intervening months. Our hearts go out to the people who have lost loved ones, and our gratitude is with the front-line medical staff that have been putting their own lives at risk. Now, with the relaxing of restrictions, there seems to be some light at the end of the Coronavirus tunnel. It is perhaps once again time to start feeling positive about what lays ahead, and what has been achieved during the lockdown. Manufacturers turned their hands to producing face masks instead of diving masks, dive centres and resorts used their forced downtime to concentrate on conservation projects. At the same time, others took the opportunity to look at ways to come back even bigger and better than before. Reefs have had a chance to recover, and wildlife had the chance to flourish without human influences. For the time being, it looks like we will be getting a lot more familiar with the exceptional diving that Australia has to offer. We often overlook what is in our backyard, so now is the time to discover exactly what we have been missing. If the recovery keeps heading in the same direction, travel between New Zealand and Australia will open up and even more fantastic dive sites will become available, followed by the rich and vibrant waters of the Pacific islands. In this issue, we will be featuring just some of the great diving each Australian state has to offer, plus articles on destinations that we can dream about for when the world opens up again, including PNG, and the Maldives. We also have a new section focusing on conservation. After a rough start to 2020, It is great to be back doing what we love.

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@scubadivermag.com

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, Michele Westmorland, David Allen, Stuart Philpott

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

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DIVING, POST-COVID-19

SUPERLATIVE SIPADAN

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

ADRIAN STACEY LOOKS AT DIVING HOTSPOTS OFF THE AUSSIE COASTLINE

AL HORNSBY HEADS TO MALAYSIA AND THE MUCHACCCLAIMED SIPADAN ISLAND

JOANNA SMART IS CAPTIVATED BY THIS WILD ISLAND NATION

ON THE COVER

IMPRESSION DAVID ALLEN’S STUNNING BLACK-AND-WHITE MARINE LIFE DRAWINGS

CONSERVATION CORNER

‣ UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

ISSUE 23 | FREE MAGAZINE!

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IMAGE COURTESY OF: DAVID ALLEN

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

8 News

20 Australia

Coral conservation projects in New Caledonia, Aussie-based company Sharkskin stepping up to create PPE from their factory, Iceland cancel their 2020 whale hunt, SSI launch ecology courses to keep divers busy during lockdown, Django the whale rescuer narrowly avoids a hefty fine for his heroics, a new hard-hitting documentary focusing on a tragic closed-circuit rebreather dive in Hawaii, and interesting news about Australia’s giant cuttlefish.

16 Medical Q&A

The experts at Divers Alert Network Asia-Pacific discuss getting back to diving after COVID-19.

66 Conservation Corner

New series focusing on conservation projects in and around Australia and New Zealand.

Adrian Stacey celebrates a return to diving in certain areas of Australia post-COVID-19, and presents a round-up of some of the best places to go diving within the continent. So dust off your dive kit and prepare to head off for some home-grown underwater adventure!

28 Malaysia

Al Hornsby ventures to the much-acclaimed diving destination of Sipadan, and finds that it is one of those locations that truly deserves all of the accolades it has received over the years.

34 Divers Alert Network Asia-Pacific

The DAN Asia-Pacific team look at the case of a diver who experienced severe decompression sickness while on a foreign liveaboard trip.

36 Hawaii

Michele Westmorland boards a luxury liveaboard to explore the rich and diverse waters around the islands of Hawaii, which includes an aweinspiring night dive with manta rays.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

44 Q&A: David Allen

Due to COVID-19 restrictions severely limiting the ability to travel, we have been unable to venture out and get into the water to go diving with the latest test products, so until normal service resumes - which hopefully will be in the not-toodistant future - we bring you a special extended What’s New to round-up everything that has been released on to the market in the last few months.

We speak to talented artist David Allen, who specialises in producing exquisitely beautiful black-and-white drawings of marine life which are so strikingly life-like they are often mistaken for actual photographs.

48 Papua New Guinea

Joanna Smart heads to the wild, untamed island nation of Papua New Guinea, and finds it visually arresting both topside and underwater.

52 Underwater Photography

Underwater photography guru Mario Vitalini continues his focus on particular marine life, this time concentrating on the humble moray eel.

56 Costa Rica

Say ‘diving’ and ‘Costa Rica’ and most people think of ‘Cocos Island’, but as Adrian Stacey explains, there is great diving off the mainland.

61 Diveplanit column

6 places in-country you should put on your ‘to-dive’ list.

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62 What’s New

New products released over the last few months, including clothing from Apeks Marine Equipment, Santi Diving and Fourth Element, Good To Dive kit disinfectant, Sharkskin’s Chillproof Titanium exposure protection, Santi Diving’s Cube backpack, and the compact SeaLife Micro 3.0 underwater camera.

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

REPORT ON NEW CALEDONIA’S

CORAL REEFS OFFERS A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

cientists on the Global Reef Expedition have surveyed and mapped New Caledonia’s most remote coral reefs – some for the first time. A new report from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) provides a promising assessment of the status of coral reefs in New Caledonia. The Global Reef Expedition: New Caledonia Final Report summarizes the Foundation’s findings from a research mission to study the health and resiliency of the coral reefs of New Caledonia, part of KSLOF’s larger efforts to study the reef crisis unfolding around the world. They found many of the coral reefs to be in surprisingly good health, even in unexpected places. This research initiative was conducted as part of the Global Reef Expedition, a five-year scientific mission that circumnavigated the globe to collect valuable baseline data on the state of the reefs and the threats they face. Of the 22 research missions, the Foundation conducted in the western Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, the reefs of New Caledonia stood apart as some of the most beautiful and well-preserved.

“The reefs of New Caledonia are simply spectacular. Incredible diversity. Remarkable morphology,” said Dr Sam Purkis, KSLOF’s Chief Scientist as well as Professor and Chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. “But in New Caledonia, as elsewhere, the reefs are gravely threatened by local impacts and climate change. The Living Oceans Foundation achieved two important objectives in the country – first, they mapped, using satellite, many of the remotest reef systems in New Caledonia for the first time. Second, the field data collected by the Foundation set a baseline condition for these reefs which can be tracked into the future to understand change.

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“We hope that future change takes the form of an improving condition of the reefs, as new conservation initiatives are sparked by the Living Oceans dataset.” Working closely with local experts, researchers from the Institut de Recherche pour le Développment (IRD), and marine scientists from around the world, scientists at the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation spent more than one month at sea conducting comprehensive surveys of the coral reefs and their fish in New Caledonia, as well as creating detailed seabed maps. In October and November of 2013, these scientists conducted over 1,000 surveys of corals and reef fish and mapped over 2,600 km2 of shallow-water marine habitats in 10 locations throughout the country, including reefs in the Entrecasteaux Atolls, Cook Reef, Ile des Pins, and Prony Bay. On the Global Reef Expedition mission to New Caledonia, scientists found most of the reefs to be relatively healthy, with abundant and diverse coral and fish communities. Reefs far from shore, or protected in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), were in particularly good condition, but many nearshore reefs showed signs of fishing pressure with few large and commercially valuable fish. One notable exception was Prony Bay, which had the highest live coral cover observed in New Caledonia. “One of our most surprising findings from New Caledonia was coral reefs thriving in unexpected locations, such as Prony Bay,” said Alexandra Dempsey, the Director of Science Management at KSLOF and one of the report’s authors, who was shocked to find such high coral cover in the bay’s murky waters. This was unexpected given the nutrient and sediment runoff from nearby copper mines and the presence of hydrothermal vents in the bay. “Corals were surprisingly abundant in what would normally be sub-optimal conditions for coral growth. This gives us hope for the future of coral reefs. More research is needed, but this finding shows us that at least some corals can adapt to survive in high-stress environments.” New Caledonia is a global leader in marine conservation. Home to the second largest MPA in the world, New Caledonia has already made great strides to protect their reefs and coastal marine resources. The report released today provides new information on the status of coral reefs and reef fish in New Caledonia, including baseline information on reefs inside Le Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail, an MPA established in 2014. Although several years have passed since the research mission, these baseline data could be very helpful to marine managers in New Caledonia, by helping them identify areas which may be in need of additional protection and allowing ecosystem changes to be tracked through time. “This report provides government officials, marine park managers, and the people of New Caledonia with relevant information and recommendations they can use to effectively manage their reefs and coastal marine resources,” said Renée Carlton, a Marine Ecologist with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and one of the authors of the report. “We hope the data will inform ongoing marine conservation and management efforts to protect coral reefs and fisheries in New Caledonia, so that these reefs continue to thrive for generations to come.”

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SHARKSKIN SUPPORTS FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS When the Coronavirus pandemic reached Australian shores, both domestic retail sales and international exports were impacted, leaving many local manufacturers in hot water. But using some Aussie ingenuity, watersports apparel manufacturer Sharkskin has risen to the challenge, transforming their factory into a production line for protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers. Sharkskin, who is a proud partner of Surf Life Saving NSW and manufactures wetsuits and other watersports apparel in Newcastle, was among the local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many manufacturers, they were hit with an immediate downturn in demand for their products and faced the real possibility of having to stand down their 30-strong workforce. “We got hit pretty hard with our overseas exports suffering the most. We lost 80 percent of our export business overnight. It was a lot,” said Shane Holliday, Sharkskin’s Managing Director. “Normally winter in Australia is our busiest time because we produce thermal wear. And the Sharkskin NSW IRB Championship series usually props us up through winter, but then that got postponed too,” he said. In an effort to avoid standing down their team, Sharkskin came up with a solution that would not only keep their factory operational, but also benefit Australian healthcare workers encountering shortages of PPE (personal protective equipment) as they battled the Coronavirus on the frontline. Since March, the team at Sharkskin has produced more than 3,000 reusable anti-microbial theatre gowns and 1,000 anti-microbial hospital privacy curtains. They also have a new re-usable facemask product which will soon start rolling off their production line – with production numbers expected to top 5,000 units a year. “We’ve created a washable, reusable face mask for public use. It’s made from permanent ani-microbial material and silver thread so it’s very durable,” said Shane Holliday. “Wearing a face mask will soon become the new normal for people going out in public – just like putting a pair of undies on. You’ll just wear one! “We’re actually expecting that wearing a mask may soon become mandatory for spectators attending large sporting events. So this is a product we may need to produce for some time,” Holliday concluded. Sharkskin is an Australian success story with their Newcastle factory producing specialised watersports apparel for both the Australian and overseas markets. They export to more than 70 countries around the world. As the COVID-19 restrictions on watersports activities ease, Sharkskin will ramp up production to service its core watersport markets globally, thanks to the PPE production which has kept the Sharkskin staff and factory in full production through this challenging period. www.sharkskin.com

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YOUR DIVE DATA’S NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD.

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This picture is for illustration purposes only. Actual product may vary due to product enhancement of the dive mask paired with the Galileo HUD hands-free dive computer.

THREE MARINE ECOLOGY COURSES TO HELP VANQUISH THE COVID-19 BLUES

Stuck at home, bored, isolated, and looking to add some fun – well, there has never been a better time to get educated. And these three Marine Ecology courses from SSI might be just the ticket. Fiji’s Volivoli Beach Resort is on hand to help and is running a range of exciting and informative SSI Marine Ecology courses that you can complete at home in the safety and comfort of your own home without any need for face-toface contact. Enrol in the Sea Turtle Ecology course to discover different types of sea turtles, how to easily identify different species of sea turtles, how old they date back (some over 100 million years!), mating and breeding, including nests, eggs and hatching, migrating patterns, and threats and conservation. Enrol in the Manta and Ray Ecology course to discover rays are also known as batoids, that a ray’s skeleton is made from cartilage, just like a shark, that some rays can live in water

3,000m deep, how to identify a ‘cleaning station’, that some rays can produce electric current up to 220-volts, that a fully grown manta ray can consume up to 27kgs of food a day, and smart ecotourism practices. Enrol in the Shark Ecology course to gain an understanding of the living order of sharks, how we know the word ‘shark’ dates back to the 1560s, what a shark’s largest organ is, why a female shark has up to three or four times thicker skin than male sharks, the difference between ‘ram ventelators’ and ‘buccal pharyngeal pumpers’, and what percentage of its body weight do ‘active sharks’ need to consume per day. All of these courses are fun, educational, full of interesting facts, and suitable for anyone, diver or non-diver alike, with an interest in the marine environment. To register, enrol or for more information, contact Fiji’s Premier Dive Resort via email at: simon@volivoli.com and they can have you under way in no time!

ICELAND CANCELS 2020 WHALE HUNT Good news for minke and fin whales as Iceland cancels its annual hunt for the second year in a row. Iceland’s two commercial whale-hunting companies IPUtgerd, and Hvalur have cited Covid-19 and an extension to the no-fishing coastal zone as the main reasons for abandoning the hunt. Coronavirus social distancing regulations will make processing the whale meat almost impossible. Hvalur chief executive Kristjan Loftsson said: “Whaling station workers need to work very closely together and would all need to quarantine if any tested positive for Covid-19.” Loftsson added: “The decision was also due to stiff competition with Japan, the main market for whale meat

consumption and where commercial whaling resumed in 2019. Food safety requirements for imported meat were more stringent than for local products, rendering Icelandic exports more difficult.” Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, the managing director of IPUtgerd, said of the situation: “It is no longer financially viable to hunt for whales in Icelandic waters. The hunt had become too expensive after a no-fishing coastal zone was extended, requiring whalers to go even further offshore. While this will be music to the ears of many people, Norway and Japan persist in ignoring the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) 1986 moratorium and continue to hunt whales in their coastal waters.

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WHALE RESCUE LANDS GOOD SAMARITAN IN HOT WATER

Barefoot luxury in the heart of Indonesia

A Good Samaritan diver who performed a risky rescue of a humpback whale tangled in shark nets off Queensland in May narrowly avoided being fined a hefty sum for his heroics. The man, who called himself Django, noticed the juvenile animal in peril at Burleigh Heads and dived into action, managing to eventually free the creature. He explained: “I saw the whale, and I thought, ‘that is pretty cool’. Then I saw he was in the net, and I thought, that is not cool’. “He just had his pectoral fin sort of wrapped up, and he was about 8-9m deep. Adrenaline just sort of kicked in. Basically, I just tried to untangle him. I had a knife, I didn’t really need to use the knife though. “Obviously it was dangerous. I wouldn’t recommend everyone go and do it, it’s highly dangerous. But it’s done. I didn’t drown. I wouldn’t recommend anyone doing it.” It then appeared that the hero diver could receive a substantial fine - interfering with shark nets can lead to a fine of almost $27,000. Approaching whales is also illegal. A crowdfunding page was set up to assist Django with any potential fines for his humpback whale rescue and had raised around $15,000 before the furore surrounding the incident led to the news a few days later that he would not face a fine, and just be issued with a formal warning from the QLD Fisheries Department instead. The money raised went to Sea Shepherd Australia. A Fisheries Queensland spokeswoman said: “To be clear, this incident could have had a tragic outcome. The actions we saw were reckless and completely unnecessary. The Marine Animal Rescue Team [MART] was just minutes away when this person went into the water. “He put himself in serious danger, as well as potentially injuring the whale, and creating a situation where MART could have been at significant risk trying to rescue a trapped swimmer next to the thrashing whale. “In 1992, a surfer drowned after becoming entangled by shark control equipment. This is why there is a 20-metre exclusion zone around shark control equipment. “MART trains every year for whale rescue situations, and has the necessary equipment to undertake a safe rescue.” This incident has once again ignited the debate about the use of shark nets along some of Queensland beaches, with some environmental groups calling for them to be removed.

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Bunaken National Marine Park w w w.s i l a d e n.c o m

Siladen-UK half--88x262.indd 1

09/10/2019 09:04

IF ONLY… DOCUMENTARY ABOUT CCR TRAGEDY High-risk diver and human factors expert Gareth Lock has joined forces with American widow Ashley Bugge to make a film – titled If Only… – about the sudden death of her husband Brian, an experienced open circuit diver, who drowned in Hawaii two years ago.Gareth, who lives in Wiltshire and who travels the world sharing his knowledge of how human behaviour can affect diving, has privately funded the documentary and hopes it raises awareness of the important role human behaviour can play in diving. He said: “One of the inspirations for this film was ‘Just a Routine Operation’ by Martin Bromiley, which had a huge impact on developing human factors practice in healthcare. “I hope that If Only… has the same effect in diving and further afield too – showing that the multiple factors which lead to an accident are not easy to see at the time, and that by discussing these context-rich stories, we can improve safety for all. We must understand how it made sense for those involved to do what they did, even if it appears irrational in hindsight.” If Only… launched virtually on Wednesday 20 May on the second anniversary of Brian’s death. It is the latest awareness campaign by Gareth, who is also a published author, to encourage the diving community to embrace personal responsibility in diving, ensure continuous professional development of instructors and to understand that it’s not just technical problems which can crop up in diving. Gareth has been supported by Ashley Bugge, Brian’s widow and mother to his three children. She said: “For me, it’s not about who is to blame and who did this or who did that. This is not a blame game for me. “This is about Brian’s life and death being the inspiration for everyone in the diving community to consider how their thoughts, feelings, instincts and behaviour all play a critical role in being safe in the water. “I’m hoping the pain and trauma of losing Brian will encourage divers to never take anything for granted. Every day must be a school day when it comes to diving.” Gareth went to Hawaii in November last year to film the story of Brian, who was an officer with the US Pacific Fleet’s Integrated Undersea Surveillance Systems department. He died on 20 May 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii, while off duty on a training dive. He was 35 and Ashley, a diver herself, was weeks

away from having their third child. On the day of the accident, Brian was using a closedcircuit rebreather. Unfortunately, he did not turn on his oxygen supply for his rebreather before entering the water, and within minutes, he passed out and sank to the ocean floor. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The manufacturer of the equipment was not found to be at fault in Brian’s death. Gareth said: “I hope this film will act as an example of what can be done when a story can be told, and save lives in the process. This is only the start of a very long journey to improve diving safety by looking at the role of human factors in diving incidents.” Gareth, who lives with his family in Malmesbury, had a 25-year career with the RAF as a squadron leader and flight instructor. His company – The Human Diver – educates divers, or any team undertaking any activity, the importance of decision-making, situational awareness, communication skills, leadership, teamwork and managing stress and fatigue. www.thehumandiver.com

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GIANT CUTTLEFISH FISHING RESTRICTIONS LIFTED IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

MALDIVES

Submerge with Prodivers Maldives Temporary restrictions in place since 2013 on commercial and sport fishing for giant cuttlefish have been lifted by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA). PIRSA has issued a statement that the permanent restriction zone around Point Lowly, Whyalla for the annual aggregation of giant cuttlefish remains in place, but the Department believes the population levels have returned to the point that fishing for cuttlefish can now be resumed in the Gulf. The Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia (SDFSA) is seeking more information from PIRSA about this. There is growing concern that the economic cost to tourism with the potential reduction in numbers of giant cuttlefish has not been calculated. Updates to this news will be posted on the SDFSA website: https://sdfsa.net Professor Bronwyn Gillanders, President, Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries and Deputy Dean Research, Faculty of Science, University of Adelaide has provided the following statement: “The Upper Spencer Gulf (USG) closure was only ever going to be temporary and so now that the numbers have rebuilt it was been removed. The more recent changes in abundance (since the initial closure to fishing) are we suspect part of a natural cycle in abundance potentially linked to temperature anomalies. Apart from the initial decline in the late 1990s, there is no indication fluctuating numbers are linked to fishing. There is also relatively little commercial fishing (e.g. prawn trawling) in that USG region. The recreational fishing numbers do allow individuals to take either up to 15 cuttlefish or a combined total of 15 squids and cuttlefish (boat limits 45 cuttlefish or a combination of three or more people) – I think perhaps a review of these might be warranted in relation to cuttlefish but I’d also like to see better data on recreational fish catches and cephalopods. From my perspective, there is a clear need for ongoing monitoring of abundance as has occurred since 2008. Given the uniqueness of the breeding aggregation ongoing monitoring is essential as significant declines in abundance of this ecotourism resource may impact the economy.”

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LHAVIYANI ATOLL Famous dive spots such as Kuredu Express and Caves are reachable by boat within a few minutes. The Lhaviyani Atoll is an absolute must if you want to see big fish. Schools of grey reef sharks, silvertip sharks and eagle rays can be seen on a scooter dive through the channels!

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MEDICAL Q&A The Divers Alert Network (DAN) is the diving industry’s largest association dedicated to scuba-diving safety. Serving divers for more than 30 years, DAN provides emergency assistance, medical information sources, educational opportunities and more. www.danap.org Question: Can I dive after recovering from COVID-19? DAN Answer: COVID-19 symptoms range from mild to severe. Some people have no symptoms at all while others require complicated stays in ICUs with ventilatory support to recover. In addition to the impact of the primary viral infection, factors such as underlying medical conditions, age, secondary complications and more will affect recovery. COVID-19 shares many features with other serious viral pneumonias and requires a period of convalescence before returning to normal activities. The amount of time needed to recover will vary, as will the long-term effects of COVID-19, such as pulmonary function. As information becomes available it will be incorporated into COVID-19 prevention, treatment and follow-up guidelines. Determination of your fitness to return to diving after a COVID-19 infection will require assessment by your physician team confirming your full recovery and ability to safely perform unrestricted vigorous activity. If your doctor needs to consult with a dive medicine specialist, DAN doctors are here to help. We also have a database of dive medicine doctors and can provide referral information. DAN Director of Medical Services, Dr Matias Nochetto says: “As scientists discover more about how COVID-19 affects sick and recovered people, we continue to advance our knowledge on how it could affect divers. We need to be prudent and patient.”

WHAT TO DO

• If you had COVID-19 focus on recovery, which can take several months. • Once fully recovered, contact DAN for a referral for fitness to dive. • Continue to monitor recommendations from local authorities. We urge all divers who have recovered from COVID-19 infection to call DAN for upto-date information. As always, continue to follow all recommended precautions and stay safe. Got a medical question? Call the DAN Medical Information Line at +1-919-6842948, or send us an email (medic@dan.org). Our team is standing by to assist you.

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As lockdown restrictions relax and state borders open up, and with international travel still a little way off, it is time once again to be thankful that we live in Australia PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY, SIMONE CAPRODOSSI, JONATHAN MUELLER, MATT KRUMINS, KAREN GOWLETT-HOLMES, MICHAEL BARON, RODNEY FOX SHARK EXPEDITIONS, DAVID GORDON, SCOTT PLUME AND JOHANNA POOL

ew, if any countries in the world, can boast such a varied assortment of diving. From the vivid corals of the Great Barrier Reef to the spectacular kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef, from whalesharks at Ningaloo to leafy sea dragon at the Mornington peninsular. You can dive with great white sharks or swim with humpback whales. Perhaps witness

the mass migration of the spider crabs, visit one of the many beautiful islands, or dive one of the hundreds of wrecks that litter the shores of this diving Eden called Australia. The list of places to go to, and of creatures to see is almost endless. For a little inspiration, we have compiled a selection of world-renowned heavyweights and some lesser-known gems of Australian diving.

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Queensland

Where better place to start than in Queensland, home of the iconic Great Barrier Reef. This fantastic living structure is over 2,300km long, is comprised of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, and can be seen from space. But diving is not just limited to the GBR, with some amazing wrecks and spectacular dives around the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Stunning array of corals

Frogfish Turtle

Moon wrasse

NORTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF | CAIRNS

Cairns is the most-popular location to access the northern areas of the reef. Divers have the option of day trips out to the likes of Norman, Saxon or Hastings reefs or liveaboard trips to the more-remote Ribbon Reefs and Osprey Reef. I was lucky to be on the Spirit of Freedom for their final voyage before the lockdown came into effect. The waters were teeming with life, the hard corals on the Ribbon Reefs were pristine, and the soft corals at Osprey Reef were spectacular. Mike Ball is currently operating five-day minke whale trips and will be running five-day tours to Osprey Reef and Cod hole from August.

www.mikeball.com

NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND | BRISBANE

Accessible by ferry from Brisbane, North Stradbroke Island attracts manta rays during the summer month and grey nurse sharks in the winter months. Deep gutters offer the ideal hiding place for loggerhead turtles and wobbegong sharks. If you are really lucky you might even see a humpback whale on its annual migration.

Divers Den are open for courses and day trips to Norman Saxon and Hastings Reefs.

Manta Lodge is now open for business and taking bookings.

www.diversden.com.au

www.mantalodge.com.au

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SS Yongala

The reefs are very healthy

Turtle

SS YONGALA | TOWNSVILLE

Speaking of the spectacular, the SS Yongala is often touted as one of the best wrecks in the world, and with good reason. Resting on the sand at a depth of 30m, it is a beacon for marine life. Immense schools of fish swarm the coral-encrusted hull, huge rays, sharks and turtles frequent this oasis of marine life, while huge nudibranchs and numerous other critters call the Yongala home. Adrenaline Dive are once again taking divers to the SS Yongala from their Townsville base.

www.adrenalinedive.com.au SS Yongala

SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF GLADSTONE TO BUNDABERG

At the southernmost reaches of the Great Barrier Reef are the Capricorn and Bunker group of islands. Not quite as well-known as their northern counterparts, the diving in this region is every bit as stunning. Some of the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highlights include Heron Island. This is a tropical paradise with a wealth of beautiful dives, including Heron Bommie, which Jacques Cousteau even listed in his top ten dive sites. Lady Musgrave Island boasts pristine reefs set against the backdrop of a vast turquoise lagoon bustling with life, while Lady Elliot Island has become synonymous with the majestic manta rays which inhabit these waters year-round. Heron Island Resort is open for business and also operates trips to Wilson Island for snorkelling.

www.heronisland.com Lady Elliot Island is open once again at a time when the mantas are most active.

www.ladyelliot.com.au Lady Musgrave Experience are operating day trips out to the island and will soon be opening a dive platform on the lagoon that will even offer underwater accommodation. This will give guest easy access to all the surrounding reefs.

www.ladymusgraveexperience.com.au

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Grey nurse sharks

New South Wales

New South Wales is blessed with a vast array of excellent dives and offers a unique underwater experience as warm tropical waters collide with the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. It is probably one off the best places on the planet to dive with grey nurse sharks, it is home to plentiful wobbegongs, boast an annual whale migration and has some magnificent scenery both above and below the water. Expect vast shoals of fish

FISH ROCK CAVE | SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Grey nurse sharks, grey nurse sharks and then some more grey nurse sharks, plus wobbegongs, massive schools of fish the occasional school of hammerheads and did I mention grey nurse sharks, and a cave. A truly fantastic place to dive. South West Rocks Dive Centre are taking divers out again to see the grey nurse sharks.

www.swrdive.com.au

JERVIS BAY | JERVIS BAY

Some 200km south of Sydney is the idyllic setting of Jervis Bay, home to a vast marine park. Here divers are treated to sheer soft coral walls, multiple caves and swim-throughs, wrecks including planes and ships, shark nurseries, macro life and miles of rocky coastline. Not to mention a resident fur seal colony and the elusive weedy sea dragon. Dive Jervis bay offer day trips to all of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best dive sites.

www.divejervisbay.com Grey nurse shark

JULIEN ROCKS | BYRON BAY

Just a five-minute boat ride from Byron Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main beach this great dive site is carpeted with, well, carpet sharks! Wobbegongs are everywhere. In the summer months, manta rays and leopard sharks can be found in abundance, and in the winter months, the docile but fearsome-looking grey nurse sharks lurk in the shadows of this rocky dive location. Sundive Byron Bay are once again operating trips out to Julien Rocks.

www.sundive.com.au

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Victoria

Above the water, Victoria is perhaps best known for the Great Ocean Road scenic drive which includes the famous 12 Apostles, but below the water is every bit as spectacular, with hundreds of wrecks and numerous jetties that support a wealth of weird and wonderful marine life. Plus, the surreal spectacle of the annual giant spider carb migration. Explore ex-HMAS Canberra... ...inside and out

Blairgowrie Pier/Marina

MORNINGTON PENINSULA | MELBOURNE

Under Rye Pier

The piers at Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay provide divers with all-weather diving opportunities, being on a bay there’s always a sheltered side where divers can get in and enjoy interacting with resident critters. None more popular than the annual spider crab migration made famous by David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, with the Rye Pier as the famous ‘go to’ dive site. Additional to this annual event, there are an incredible array of colourful nudibranchs, with the Blairgowrie Pier/Marina as a destination of choice for the sea slug fanatics. These aren’t to be outdone by our state marine emblem, the weedy sea dragon commonly encountered around the Portsea Pier. Bay Play offer trips to all of the best dive sites in the area.

www.bayplay.com.au

PHILIP BAY WRECKS | MELBOURNE

If the pursuit of rusty metal floats your boat (or sunk it, in this case), Melbourne has it all! From historic wrecks inside the bay such as the Eliza Ramsden through to a fleet of World War One British J-class submarines, scuttled after decommissioning, to the more recent and purposely created artificial reef in the ex-HMAS Canberra. From 8m of depth to its resting depth of 29m, the Canberra is a great fun dive for divers of all levels. With 138 metres of wreck to explore across numerous levels, this is a magnet for divers and marine life alike. Scuba Culture offer regular trips to the area’s wrecks and the piers of the Mornington Peninsular.

www.scubaculture.com.au

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Weedy seadragon

Tasmania

With more than 4,850km of coastline and 45,000 hectares of marine reserves, the clear coastal waters of Tasmania offer some of the best temperate diving in the world. From the dramatic walls at Bicheno to the impressive wreck of the SS Nord. Marine life is also plentiful, as dolphins, seals and even penguins call the brisk waters of Tasmania home. Plus of course, the weedy sea dragon - the specimens found in Tasmania are the largest and the most colourful. Vibrant reefs await

TASMAN PENINSULA | EAGLE HAWK NECK

The Tasman Peninsula region offers huge caves, tunnels and canyons, particularly in Waterfall Bay, an area well known for its sea caves. The largest, Cathedral Cave, which is the largest sea cave system in Australia, consists of a massive entrance (maximum water depth 21m), extending back into smaller caverns with narrow tunnels and cross passages. The walls are covered with brightly coloured invertebrates typically found in much deeper water. In addition, there are stunning sponge gardens, the impressive wreck of the SS Nord and colonies of the ever-playful fur seals. Eagle Hawk Dive Centre is open for business and are taking customers to some of Tasmania’s favourite dive sites.

www.eaglehawkdive.com.au

South Australia

Perhaps best known for cage diving with great white sharks, this state has so much more to offer. The rugged coastline provides a host of excellent diving opportunities. There is the picturesque Kangaroo Island, the macro diver’s favourites Port Hughes and Edithburgh jetties on the Yorke Peninsula, and unique to South Australia, the amazing giant cuttlefish aggregation near Whyalla each winter!

NEPTUNE ISLANDS | PORT LINCOLN

The Neptunes are a pristine, wild and rugged paradise – an elemental tour de force – where the planet’s most-amazing prehistoric survivor congregates. Male great whites (up to five metres) inhabit the islands all year round. The seal pups are born in summer (December to January), but don’t start entering the ocean until winter (April to August). That’s when the giant female great whites (up to six metres) come to the Neptunes. That extra metre almost doubles their bodyweight. They are incredible creatures. Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions have resumed their tours to see these magnificent creatures.

www.rodneyfox.com.au

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Great white shark Giant cuttlefish

Topside is stunning too

FLEURIEU PENINSULA | ADELAIDE

The Fleurieu Peninsula offers a variety of shore dive sites, including Port Noarlunga Jetty, Second Valley, and The Bluff at Victor Harbour. However Rapid Bay is generally regarded as one of Australia’s best jetty dives, and although you can dive it from the shore, the best part of this large dive site is nearly 500 metres offshore. It is therefore most easily accessed by boat. It is one of the best spots for sighting the unique leafy sea dragon. Rapid Bay is also the site of the ex-HMAS Hobart, a stunning coral encrusted wreck. Underwater Sports visit all of the best dive sites in the Adelaide region.

www.underwatersports.com.au

Western Australia

Huge shoals of fish are a common sight

This vast state has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to diving. It is home to the longest fringing reef in the world, Ningaloo, the untouched Rowley Shoals and the remote Abrolhos Islands. In addition to this is highly regarded wrecks of the ex-HMAS Swan and ex-HMAS Perth, Rottnest Island, Murion Island, Point Murat Navy Pier, an annual humpback whale migration and whalesharks galore.

Whaleshark

NINGALOO REEF | EXMOUTH

Ningaloo Reef has it all! This sprawling reef offers pristine corals a remarkable amount of tropical fish and the chance of some spectacular, big animal encounters. This UNESCO World Heritage Reef is home to turtles, reef sharks and stingrays, manta rays, dugongs and humpback whales. Plus, the biggest fish in the sea, the whaleshark, feasts here for six months following the annual coral spawning. Exmouth Dive operates daily trips out to the reef and for whaleshark swims.

www.exmouthdiving.com.au Grey nurse shark

Colourful anemones and corals

ROTTNEST ISLAND | PERTH

Rottnest Island is located a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw from the city of Perth. This beautiful island is home to a myriad of wildlife, including a fur seal colony, vibrant corals and numerous shipwrecks. The other very different feature of diving around Rottnest and surrounding areas is that the reef is mainly made of limestone. This means lots of caves and swim-throughs as well as a whole new range of marine species which come with this type of reef. Underwater caves which lead from cave to cave and cavern to cavern make some dives feel like you are in a different world. The limestone reef structure differs to the boulder type reef of the south west and it does offer some fantastic underwater landscapes and topography. Perth Scuba are taking divers out to the stunning Rottnest island once again.

www.perthscuba.com

CONCLUSION

I have only just scratched the surface of the wealth of fantastic dive destination that this diverse country offers. There has never been a better opportunity to experience this diving paradise, so now is the time to plan a road trip or jump on a flight, before the crowds of international tourist return. n

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SSSnee Meebourne

Sipadan is one of those locations spoken of in revered terms, and Al Hornsby discovers it has lost none of its magical charm PHOTOGRAPHS BY AL HORNSBY

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lie back at the bow of our dive boat, eyes closed, warmed by the tropical sun. As we skim across the flat, smooth water, my mind begins to spin a dive fantasy… there’s a small, remote island topped with rich jungle, suspended alone between the blue of the sea and an equally blue sky. The island’s white-sand beach, directly ahead, is bordered by the clear, cobalt water of a drop-off, all along the island’s front and to one side; in the other direction, the reef-line extends outward, enclosing an area of the bright, turquoise waters of coral-filled shallows. Turtles poke their heads up from the surface, here, and there, another. The water glistens with the bright colours of many-hued reef fish, swirling across the drop-off edge; a bit further, the sea ripples, disturbed by a gigantic school of trevally that forms a silvery, ball-shaped mass moving slowly along the border between the shallows and the deep… As the boat suddenly slows, I look up… and my dive fantasy comes to life - we have arrived at Sipadan. The tiny island is a rarity, a place where nature has conspired to create something truly unique. Though located not far from the huge, shallow shelf of seafloor that extends out from the northeastern coast of Borneo in the Malaysian

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state of Sabah, Sipadan is actually a true oceanic island, the top of an ancient volcano that rises straight up from nearly 600m of water in the northern Sulawesi Sea. It has been described in the most-superlative tones; even Jacques Cousteau felt it was perhaps the most-unique dive spot on Earth. Its location in the centre of where marine life first developed in the sea has given it a degree of biodiversity unsurpassed anywhere. And, with its combination of deep ocean and shallow coral shelf influences, the range of life that can be seen by divers is amazing; large pelagics and exotic small critters are found on virtually every dive, regardless of the dive site chosen. When dives around Mabul (the nearby resort island for diving Sipadan) - one of macrocritter diving’s most-celebrated locations - are added, the total dive experience is nothing short of remarkable. Despite all of this, perhaps the most-profound aspect of visiting Sipadan is its essence, a feeling of being far away in a natural place, a place that remains as it was born from the sea. From the moment you reach this beautiful spot, the rest of the world seems to disappear and be forgotten. There is a stillness, a quiet solitude that is pervasive and calming to the spirit. The sounds are those of a pristine world; the soft lapping of the ocean against the shore, the cooing of doves in the forest and the rustle of the sea breeze through the overhanging trees. And its ocean environment has a pristine richness that can scarcely be imagined. Even getting there lets you know you are in for something special.

There is an airplane ride to the small city of Tawau, Malaysia. Then, all seamlessly arranged by your resort, there’s a 45-minute tour by bus across rolling hills of jungle and palm plantations to Semporna. From there, there’s another 45 minutes by speed boat to Mabul. Sipadan itself sits as a small, forested hump on the horizon, less than 30 minutes away. Designated as a national park in 2004, the island has a small dock and visitor beach area, which also contains small administrative and dormitory facilities for park and security personnel. The rest of the island has been left to nature, with resident birds, monitor lizards and nesting turtles. Access to Sipadan is carefully controlled, with a limit on the number of divers and boats maintained through a permit system. A dive week will typically include several four-dive days around Sipadan and the remainder around Mabul. Once arriving at Sipadan, the dive sites are all very close by, because the island is so small (it could be walked completely around in ten minutes) and virtually any spot on the oblong-shaped reef drop-off is a dive of note. A typical day on Sipadan begins early, with breakfast at your resort on Mabul, and boats heading to Sipadan typically between 7-8am. Some groups like to leave even earlier to catch a dawn dive, and the resorts are typically very accommodating. After a quick check-in at the park’s jetty office, the morning dive immediately commences, followed by a brief trip back to the beach for after-dive snacks (having ‘snacks’ in Malaysian

Emperor angelfish Coral grouper

Longnose hawkfish

terms basically means eating small, delicious meals all day long) and some surface interval before another boat dive around 10.30am. Then, there’s lunch and a dive around 1.15pm; followed by snacks and a dive around 3pm before heading back to Mabul. And, if you wish, the Mabul resorts are blessed with wonderful house reefs off their jetties, for ‘at will’ night dives to see surprising collections of macro-critters.

SIPADAN’S DIVES

Dense shoal of jacks

Sipadan’s morning dive is usually reserved for Barracuda Point, less than five minutes away from the park jetty by boat. Regarded as Sipadan’s signature adrenaline dive, it begins with a ride on the current toward the eastern tip of the reefline along the steep wall. There are many turtles, schools of spadefish, and Sipadan’s massive school of some 200 bumphead parrotfish is usually seen grazing on coral along the reef top. A huge school of bigeye trevally will be found as well, and where the wall flattens out as the reef turns to the south, a large, resident school of blackfin barracuda moves about in shifting, swirling conflagrations. For photographers,

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Ribbon eel

Especially dramatic when the current is running, Hanging Gardens is a drift wall dive that starts just a few minutes boat ride to the west of the jetty

Topside is stunning

Seahorse

Lionfish

it is the best spot I’ve ever found for capturing those unique shots of circling, schooling fish. Grey reef sharks and whitetip sharks are also seen in large numbers and, in recent times, a large great hammerhead makes a brief appearance almost every day. As a very special addition to this area of ‘bigs’, on the bottom of Barracuda Point’s channel there is a small, resident dragon sea moth, a rare and unusual creature the best Divemasters can find. One of Sipadan’s other favourite dives is The Drop-off, the first dive discovered when the island was initially explored by divers. The spot is a steep wall, just a few metres off the sand at its closest point, that runs in front of the park’s jetty and beach. Its top is covered with vibrant corals and the area is frequented by Napolean wrasse, sweetlips, coral grouper, whitetip sharks and many resting green turtles. Down the steep face, there are numerous anemones with various species of anemonefish and porcelain crabs, and beneath a large overhang at 15m there is a pair of resident ornate ghost pipefish. Especially for experienced divers, a unique feature of the Drop-off is found at 15m of depth just out from the jetty. Here,

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a large overhang opens into Turtle Caverns, a cave system that extends for 60 metres back into the island. Of special interest is the strange sight of the skeletal remains of turtles that became lost in the caves and drowned. In the back reaches of the system, there are lovely stalactites and stalagmites, from a time when the caves were above the water level. Especially dramatic when the current is running, Hanging Gardens is a drift wall dive that starts just a few minutes boat ride to the west of the jetty. It gets its name from the huge gorgonians and soft corals that grow along the sheer face of the drop. There are many turtles, which can often be seen perched on the gorgonians and black coral bushes. Pelagics will be frequently seen here, especially dog-tooth tuna; there are also many grey reef and whitetip reef sharks. Schools of fusiliers, unicornfish and spadefish will be found as well. To the south, on the wall’s top is Sipadan’s most-beautiful congregation of hard corals, which grow in brilliant profusion for several kilometres along the curving reefline. With some careful searching, leaf scorpionfish of several different colours can be found here as well.

MABUL’S DIVING

Mabul, as a famous ‘muck diving’ area, would be considered a must destination even if it weren’t the jumping-off point for Sipadan. Perched on a large, coral and sand plain with a wall on its west side, the small island’s diving is exotic-critter intensive. The number and variety of interesting species is truly remarkable, all found in calm, shallow water, with most dives less than 20m in depth. The resorts’ house reefs (which generally allow jetty walkin diving, as much and whenever you choose), are along a shallow coral embankment sloping down to a sand bottom. There are many lionfish of different species, cuttlefish, mandarinfish, schools of barbed catfish, spadefish, bluespotted stingrays, pipefish, seahorses, morays, several species of squid, turtles and much more, all congregated in very small areas (as I write this, I realise I saw all of these on one 45-minute dive on my recent visit). By boat, with all sites reachable within a few minutes, are spots like Lobster Wall, a coral wall that is known for pygmy seahorses, frogfish, anemonefish and leaf scorpionfish. Around the Seaventures Oil Platform there is an astounding collection of life, with lionfish, ribbon eels, leaf scorpionfish, ghost pipefish and several species of seahorses and pygmy seahorses. Eel Garden, off Mabul’s northern tip, has garden eels, cuttlefish, giant frogfish, and in the sandy shallows, incredible peacock mantis shrimps. With all my diving at Sipadan and Mabul over the years, I’m always still surprised and amazed each trip. There is so much to see in such a small area; so much that can be experienced in such a brief period of time. I always leave with a sense of discovery of some rare, shy creature I had never found before; with a sense of lingering, electric thrill from some big animal encounter that had set my imagination on fire; with a sense of having seen nature in its finest, most-precious splendour; and promising myself that soon, once again, I’ll return. n

Juvenile batfish under a pier Shooting a turtle chilling on the seabed

One of Sipadan’s other favourite dives is The Drop-off, the first dive discovered when the island was initially explored by divers Whitetip reef sharks

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DIVERS ALERT NETWORK: ASIA-PACIFIC Divers Alert Network, widely known as DAN, is an international non-profit medical and research organisation dedicated to the safety and health of divers. WWW.DANAP.ORG

CRISIS ON A LIVEABOARD A DAN member experiences severe decompression illness, requiring six recompression treatments, while on an overseas liveaboard trip with his dive club.

walk unassisted. He was advised to not fly for an additional 72 hours and was required to undergo a diving medical examination prior to returning to diving.

The Diver: A 60-year-old male in good general health with no significant medical history. The Diver’s Experience: Advanced Nitrox certified. The Trip: Liveaboard diving holiday in Coron, Philippines. The Dives: Multiple air dives over three consecutive days with safety stops completed on each dive.

RECOVERY

ONSET OF SYMPTOMS After exiting the water the diver took a warm shower, and within ten minutes he noted progressive numbness and weakness of both legs. The symptoms commenced in the lower left leg and progressed toward the left abdomen and chest, with gradual pain and increasing difficulty walking. The diver also experienced gradual progression of a sensation of fullness in the abdomen, bloating of the stomach, and pain when urinating. On the boat, oxygen was immediately provided by nonrebreather mask and administered throughout the journey to Coron. The diver was also given oral analgesics to help with the pain, although they provided little relief. When the call was made to the DAN Emergency Hotline, the liveaboard was on its way to Coron. However, due to the severity of the diver’s condition, DAN wanted the diver to receive a higher level of care, and action was taken to transport the diver via air ambulance to the chamber in Manila.

TREATMENT

The diver arrived at the chamber on a stretcher; he was conscious and coherent with stable vital signs. The key complaints were weakness and numbness in both lower extremities, abdominal fullness and discomfort, as well as moderate lumbar pain. Due to difficulty urinating, the diver had a catheter. Because his symptoms were so severe, the diver received six recompression treatments over six days. After each of the first two treatments (U.S. Navy Table 6 treatments — 4h 45 minutes each, to a depth of 18m), the diver advised that the pain in his lower back was bearable and the numbness was diminishing. He was able to stand independently, but he was wobbly, weak and uncomfortable. With the symptoms persisting, the diver underwent a further three shorter US Navy Table 5 Treatments (at 2h 16 minutes each, to a depth of 18m), followed by a Table 9 treatment (also at 2h 16 minutes, but to a reduced depth of approximately 14m) to deal with the residual symptoms. At the end of all treatments, the diver’s catheter was removed, he had improved balance, and he was better able to

The diver continued to improve slowly after returning home. He was tested for a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale – a mild, congenital hole in his heart), and the test was positive. The diver elected to have the PFO closed. The procedure took place approximately nine months following the DCI incident. Four months after the procedure the diver was given clearance to dive on the proviso he dived conservatively.

ANALYSIS

This member was fortunate that the liveaboard he was diving from had plenty of oxygen and crew that understood that he needed oxygen to manage his condition while the boat was travelling to Coron. This contributed to his eventual recovery. The call to DAN was made shortly after the onset of symptoms, and this enabled DAN’s assistance team to organise the evacuation to Manila and advise the chamber team so they would be ready to receive the diver. All divers should remember that DCI can occur on what some would consider to be relatively benign dive profiles. Even though his profiles were well within the limits of his computer, he became seriously ill. Further steps should be taken — particularly in remote areas — to reduce the risk of DCI, such as using a conservative setting on your computer. Through testing, it was found that this member had a hole in his heart (PFO). We are finding that PFOs are not uncommon — one in every four people has one. In this case the hole allowed bubbles to cross the heart, bypassing the filtering by the lungs, and serious symptoms resulted. Having a PFO does not mean the end of a diving career. It does mean that the diver needs to have a serious discussion with a physician trained in dive medicine to determine what options are available and how to best manage the increased risk of DCI. In this case, the decision was made to have the hole repaired and to dive more conservatively to reduce bubble loading in the body. n

DAN EMERGENCY HOTLINE

In the event of a diving incident, we encourage all divers to call the DAN EMERGENCY Hotline promptly for advice: • Within Australia: 1800 088 200 • Outside Australia: +1 919 684 9111 • Within Indonesia: 21 5085 8719

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Michele Westmorland boards a luxury liveaboard to explore the mythical islands of Hawaii PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHELE WESTMORLAND

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of the

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Healthy hard corals abound

n the Hawaiian Islands, one goddess reigns supreme. Pele (pronounced ‘pay-lay’) is the goddess of fire, lightning, wind and volcanoes in Hawaiian mythology, and nowhere else does she show her power more vividly and forcefully than on the Big Island of Hawaii. Pele, according to legend, lives in the Halema’uma’u crater of Kilauea, and when you fly into Kailua-Kona airport you get an extraordinary glimpse of her presence in one of the most-active volcanoes in the island chain - and in the world. There are many myths and stories about Pele, and most Hawaiians claim to have seen her at least once in their life. She is so powerful that she can change her shape and appearance at whim. Maybe she is a dancing plume of fire, smoke and ash. Other times, she appears as an old woman, bent over with age. I have come to Kona to seek out my own underwater goddess - one that may appear in the form of a beautiful fish, dolphin or manta - and maybe even catch a glimpse of Pele herself. I will spend the next week onboard the Kona Aggressor II, a liveaboard dive yacht that travels the coast of the Big Island in search of creatures that inspire and amaze. Anxious to see what mysteries await me underwater, I set up my dive gear on the boat’s spacious dive deck, head to my roomy cabin to store my personal items, and assemble my underwater camera system. Once set up and ready to go, I feel my excitement build as our captain and Divemasters, tell us about the dive sites we will visit during the week. We don’t have to travel far from the marina to make our first dive of the trip. The Meadows is a nice secluded spot for our check-out dive, allowing us divers to make sure our gear is working properly and that we are correctly weighted. For me, even more important is making sure my camera equipment is properly set up and there are no dreaded problems! As we get our bearings in the water, we are treated to a preview of the week ahead, during which we will get an up-close look at fish, creatures and corals that can only be seen in these waters. It is estimated that some 20 percent of the reef fish and 25 percent of the coral species found here are endemic to Hawaii. One of the most-thrilling adventures in Hawaii is the night time manta dive, and participating in this event comfortably from the Kona Aggressor II is a huge advantage. Anchored in calm waters, we enjoy a fabulous dinner as we watch the sun go down and other day boats pull in to prepare for the dive. On their menu - packed sandwiches and snacks. On our menu - a lovely salad, grilled skewers of fish and vegetables, and dessert. With plenty of time to let our incredible meal digest, we get our lights, cameras and gear ready to go. It is a virtual light show at the site. Snorkellers on the surface light ‘the stage’ with their torches, and divers circle around a large underwater light system used to attract small plankton creatures – the mantas’ own dinner menu.

This quiet refuge is a favourite for spinner dolphins to bring their young calves and rest after a night of hunting in the open ocean Boxfish

Whaleshark

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KONA AGGRESSOR II STATS AND FACTS Length: 24 metres Beam: 8.5 metres Cruising Speed: 10 knots Range: 1,200 nautical miles Builder: Nichols Brothers, Whidbey Island, Washington Staterooms: Six Passengers: 14

Night time manta dive

With the new carpet, couches and other touches, it made me feel like I was in the living room of my own home. The deluxe cabins are roomy enough and easily accessible from inside the salon area – no more damp feet by treading on an exterior walkway. There is a quad stateroom that was shared by a lovely family. The two young ladies, ages 10 and 11, received their PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification through the caring instructors on board the boat. Talk about lucky young ladies! Both the crew and the guests were delighted in sharing their first underwater adventure. Great job by the crew and instructor for making it fun – and safe! In the main story, I’ve already mentioned the food. I’ll mention it again – it was no doubt some of the best I’ve had anywhere. www.aggressor.com

Spinner dolphins

Attracted to this critter soup, the mantas appear from the darkness. Our Aggressor dive team remains on the fringe. Anxious to get closer, we are carefully instructed to be patient – and we will be rewarded. Once the other visitors start to leave, we are ready to move in. At depth, we see more than ten large, graceful mantas dancing above our heads, giving us an incredibly memorable performance. We are privileged to have these creatures all to ourselves, and they are obviously enjoying themselves, too. As we leave the site, several mantas follow us back to the boat, continuing their dance as they feed under the lights of the Aggressor. Back on the boat, we all wonder what can possibly top our exciting manta dive for the balance of the week. The west

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coast provides all the dive action you need for a wide variety of experiences, from colourful swim-throughs to fascinating lava tubes. The lava formations are, for the most part, blanketed in brilliant red and orange encrusting sponges. Light streams from overhead through openings and crevices, where fish hide from the elements – and predators. Sites with names like Catacombs, Stoney Mesas and Tubastrea Tunnel are clear indicators of the interesting structures. The sites are visually amazing, but even more striking are the different sounds you hear. What stood out to me was not the typical crunching of coral by parrotfish, or even the muted calls of the humpback whales during the winter months, but the distinctive whooshing noises of small rocks and boulders being tumbled by the surge.

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MADE TO EXPLORE

The rocky reef offers many swim-throughs

Smiling faces are always a good sign

Probably my favourite area on the week’s itinerary is Manuka Bay, located midway between the town of Kailua-Kona and the southern tip of the island. This quiet refuge is a favourite for spinner dolphins to bring their young calves and rest after a night of hunting in the open ocean. They are not always in the bay, but when they are, it is a treat that creates a lasting memory. Because these dolphins do not like the bubbles created from regulators, we leave our scuba tanks on the boat and grab our snorkelling gear. Clearly, the dolphins love to play with ‘human toys’— at one point, there are more than 40 animals frolicking around us. Babies come close to investigate us, while their mums stay nearby to herd them off if they spend too much time around us. I watch my friend, who is an excellent swimmer, dive down, twist and turn alongside several beautiful dolphins. But once they become bored with him, they quickly let him know his time is up with a nod and a vocal sound. Seconds later, all that could be seen are tails moving off into the blue. After so much physical activity, it’s wonderful to get back onboard the Kona Aggressor II and be treated to some of the best meals served on any liveaboard. Grace is an accomplished chef who creates fabulous dishes, such as fish filet on a bed of couscous drizzled with a lovely caper and lemon sauce. We finish each meal with a dessert that would make any pastry chef jealous. How can food of such a high quality be prepared in a little galley on a boat? No wonder our fabulous chef received an award for being the best in the fleet. As a dive location, Manuka Bay is as memorable as it gets. Just below the boat are rock and hard coral outcroppings in a variety of delightful formations. Several arches make for interesting swim-throughs, but what I find most delightful is a soccer ball-sized frogfish. He (or she) is a brilliant red, and its chosen site for hunting is right on the wall of one of the arches. Here, I am able to photograph the grumpy-looking fish with every imaginable lens. I start with an 8mm-15mm fisheye lens, which is generally used for very large subjects and landscapes, allowing me to focus within a few centimetres and still include some of the scene in the image. Then I move

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Four spot butterflyfish

to macro lenses to get a lovely close portrait and to capture facial details. I am also treated to eels I’ve never seen before. I see dragon and viper morays and a sizable conger out on the hunt, and brilliant blue male boxfish, the peacocks of the reef. Our captain navigates north to our next site, Never-Never Land. Here, a large pinnacle protrudes out of the water, but below the surface is a beautiful coral-filled ledge along the crater’s drop-off. Never-Never Land features plenty of raccoon butterflyfish, but what fascinates me are the juvenile and

VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK

Rent a car and drive to the volcano. The landscape changes dramatically from the rocky shoreline into the vast lava fields with steaming vents from the active volcano. If you are lucky, you may even see some action from molten hot lava flowing from a couple of locations. Contact the park service for information on the activity.

Light streams from overhead through openings and crevices, where fish hide from the elements – and predators

Kona Aggressor II at anchor

adult peacock razor wrasses. These small sand-dwellers are not the easiest to photograph, but they are fun to watch as they skip across the bottom searching for morsels of food. I spot a lovely strawberry nudibranch slowly making its way over some rubble. Off the wall are two larger species of marine life – a lone hammerhead cruising and a slow-moving green sea turtle, oblivious of the apex predator. Down deep, the Divemaster points out two of Hawaii’s most-stunning residents that are found nowhere else in the world - the bandit angel and Tinker’s butterflyfish. We move on to a new location, a crew favourite called Au Au Crater. This underwater crater of an extinct volcano is a testament to the power of the Earth’s (and, no doubt, goddess Pele’s) activities. The walls of this subaquatic basin are decorated with hard corals, fish, and nudibranchs. I also come across a little octopus love - perfect timing as it happens to be Valentine’s Day! And the gorgeous red colours of the reef, thanks to the endemic lionfish and strawberry nudibranchs, only add to the romantic effect. Romance is also in the air (or water, to be precise) for the humpback whales who call the Hawaiian Islands home this time of year. It’s their calving and breeding season, and the whale songs are so loud that it feels like the creatures must be right on top of us.

Octopus

However, the fact is that these calls can travel great distances, and many times during the early morning and late afternoon we are treated right to spouting, tail lobbing and occasionally breaching whales. Continuing north, our captain, Carl, spots something I’ve never experienced before. It is a group of seven logging hammerhead sharks, resting on the surface of the glasssmooth water. Who knows how many are below? According to long-time friend and marine biologist Doug Perrine, this is something that only happens this time of year. The reason is still unknown. We stay right next to them for an unforgettable half hour. After a night at the mooring, we venture north to wrap up the trip at Turtle Pinnacle. This is a cleaning station for turtles to be manicured by the local tang population, but they elude us today. I only see one very sleepy giant under the ledge of the pinnacle. However, I do find a little frogfish on the reef, and off the wall I observe a spotted eagle ray casually gliding over the top. I end the week with precious memories of brand-new sensations and experiences - and a deep appreciation of the goddess Pele in all her many manifestations. If, as legend has it, she can transform herself at will, then I am sure she was diving with us all week, making her presence known among the gliding mantas, playful spinner dolphins, and spectacular humpback whales. n Undulated moray eel

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Q&A: DAVID ALLEN

David Allen specialises in stunning black-and-white drawings of marine life, from tiny porcelain crabs to mighty great white sharks. Scuba Diver chatted to David about how he got started, what drives his creative passions, and why he chose to stick with black-and-white as a medium IMAGES COURTESY OF DAVID ALLEN

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Q: You spent many years working as a dive professional in the UK and abroad, how did those experiences set you up as a marine-orientated artist? A: I guess all that time has given me a head full of memories and experiences. I have been lucky enough in my diving career to see so many amazing things. All of that is still there for me to draw inspiration from. The majority of my artwork so far has come from the Maldives and other tropical seas, but I spent a fair few years diving the UK and there are great wreck dives and marine interactions that I would love to produce on paper. Also I think without the photography and video, I probably wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have started drawing again. When you are filming and taking photos, you are thinking in artistic terms - composition, lighting, scale, they are all going through your mind, whether you realise it or not. So the combination laid the groundwork for a step into another medium. Q: You were an avid underwater photographer. What made you move into the art world, or have you always had an artistic flair? A: As a liveaboard dive guide, I was seldom in the water without a camera, filming the safaris was part of the job and as an artistic medium I loved it. When I finished in the

Working white on black was a little trickier to get the hang of, as essentially itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the opposite of morerecognised drawing techniques 45

industry I missed the camera work a lot and needed to do something both artistic and to keep myself in touch with the underwater world. In some ways it was a small step as I studied fine art for my degree, but I also hadn’t touched a pencil in 20 years. The catalyst to doing it was my wife. I had promised her a drawing of a manta when we first met and after a fair bit of cajoling, she got her wish - ten years late! Q: You currently work exclusively in black and white, using white pencils on various black papers. Why did you choose this medium to create your artwork? A: I guess it’s unusual as the marine world can be so colourful. There are not that many artists specialising in marine life and those that do, produce some amazing colourful work. I wanted to do something different. I’m a big fan of black and white photography for the simplicity and timeless look it can create. I wanted to bring those same elements to my view of marine life. I am also interested in showing individual animals, isolating them from background distraction to highlight their characters. Pencil drawing had always been a favourite in the past, so it felt like an easier step having not produced any art for so long. Working white on black was a little trickier to get the hang of, as essentially it’s the opposite of more-recognised drawing techniques. You are creating highlights instead of shadows. Q: The black-and-white is certainly visually arresting – when I first saw them I thought they were black-andwhite photographs! Do a lot of people mistake your artwork for photographic prints? A: They certainly do. The GO Diving 2020 show in Coventry was the first time I have publically displayed my work and throughout the weekend, people would comment how they liked my photos, so I was constantly explaining they were

DAVID ALLEN

To see more of David’s amazing work, or to purchase your own prints, check out his website: www.davidaallen.co.uk

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drawings. It was a nice to see the surprise on their faces. It really made people take a better look. Q: Unlike a photograph, your art is painstakingly created by hand. How long does it take you to create a single piece of art? A: They do vary, but somewhere between 30 and 50 hours. The porcelain crab was the longest, at least 50 hours, probably more, but to be honest I don’t really count. Black paper is very unforgiving if you make a mistake, so I start very slowly. Once I have the image very lightly drawn out, it’s a process of building up layers to achieve the right result. The more detail and the larger areas of highlight, the longer it takes. Knowing when to stop is also tricky, so close to the end I tend to put a drawing away and come back to it several days later for a fresh look. I might do that several times until I convince myself it’s finished. Q: Your prints are a good size, which really shows off the workmanship of your artwork. How large are the originals that you create? A: The originals are pretty close to the largest print size I do, so somewhere around A1 paper size, or 24 x 33 inches in old money. Any smaller and its hard to capture the detail I’m looking for. The maximum size I can work to is really only limited by the paper I can buy. At the moment I work with a paper called Fabriano black, which is great, it’s the deepest black I have found and can take a lot of layers of pencil. So far I haven’t found it any larger than A1 size, but if I could I probably would try drawing on a bigger scale. Q: What is your most-memorable diving experience? A: Oh crikey! There are so many to choose from, Darwin Arch in the Galapagos, seals at the Farne Islands, the Thistlegorm without another diver. But there’s one that still gives me goose bumps - Hani Faru lagoon in the Maldives, August 2010! For several weeks that year it was the most-insane experience. At its peak there were over 300 mantas feeding on the thick plankton soup trapped in the lagoon by the current and the tide. The sheer mass of animals in this small lagoon, including at one point five whalesharks, was intimidating

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enough for some of our guests to get out of the water. I particularly remember an afternoon dive where several guests and myself were being pushed backwards across the sand by the current the mantas were producing. It was a privilege to witness such an amazing spectacle. Q: On the flipside, what is your worst diving memory? A: I think anyone who has dived for long enough or worked in diving will have had some bad experiences - in general, I’ve been fortunate. What often sticks in the memory is poor diving behaviour. Some things are understandable due to a lack of experience or poor training. But on one beautiful site, I particularly remember seeing some large porites coral heads, which divers had carved their names into! I couldn’t for the life of me understand why anyone who has spent the time and effort learning to dive would do something like that. Thankfully, I haven’t seen the same thing again. Q: What does the future hold for David Allen? A: Certainly more drawing, there are many more subjects on my mind. I’m also interested in exploring other media, so possibly sculpture and heaven forbid maybe even colour. On the diving front I’m looking forward to a Socorro Islands trip early next year, which I’m sure will give me plenty of inspiration for artwork. Bring on the giant mantas! n

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Wild waters of

PAPUA NEW GUINEA Joanna Smart makes the trek to Papua New Guinea, and discovers this wild, untamed country is simply awe-inspiring both topside and underwater PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOANNA SMART

apua New Guinea is one of the world’s last great wild places. It’s a place where towering mountains, luscious green rainforests, remote coral reefs and sunken volcano craters combine to create an environment beckoning for exploration. However, paradise here has a sense of rugged, untameable wilderness, where nature still rules unequivocally. I am struggling to find the words to do this country justice. Pristine is one of the first that comes to mind. Until recently, Papua New Guinea’s contact with the outside world has been limited. A land of towering terrain, dense jungle and a labyrinth of islands, communication was often limited by geographical means. Even today, only 18 percent of the population live in urban centres. For these reasons, travelling around Papua New Guinea compares to no-where else on earth. Papua New Guinea is a diverse place, both ecologically and culturally. There are over 850 known languages, representing a staggering 12 percent of the world’s languages. Culturally, it is estimated that more than 1,000 distinct groups exist in the country, each with their own customs, language, art, weaponry and architecture. It is also a place with a tumultuous history. Having been ruled by several changing external powers, the country gained independence in 1975. To this day, one of the main challenges of New Guinea is governing hundreds of diverse and isolated communities.

Papua New Guinea contains five percent of the world biodiversity, on only one percent of the world’s landmass. The country is rich in endemic species both above and below the surface with countless species of mammal, bird, fish and invertebrates found nowhere else on Earth. New species are frequently discovered in the area, most recently by an Australian expedition, who discovered three new species of mammal in the country’s interior. Such discoveries are an incredibly rare occurrence in the modern world. Underwater, Papua New Guinea resembles a figurative garden of Eden. Part of the coral-triangle, this ecoregion contains more than 75 percent of the world’s known coral species and 37 percent of the world’s fish species. Towering seamounts, sunken volcanoes and stunning coral lagoons await any diver who is willing to explore the region. My journey into Papua New Guinea’s wild places took place in the province in New Britain, 560 kilometres north of the country’s capital, Port Moresby. The largest island in the Bismarck archipelago, this region is volcanic, green and mountainous. Known for its palm oil plantations, the island is flanked to the north by the Kimbe Bay, a globally renowned diving hotspot. I was in New Britain to join the new liveaboard, MV Oceania, for a ten-day trip around Kimbe Bay, the Witu Islands and Fathers Reef. After being collected from the rural

The experience left me with a taste of what pristine reefs truly look like and a new appreciation for the importance of effective marine conservation

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Hoskins airport, transport to the boat involved a scenic ride through small towns, tropical rainforest and palm oil plantations. I arrived at one of the most impressive liveaboards I have seen. MV Oceania is a 27-metre catamaran with accommodation for 16 guests. Lovingly renovated by Captain Dan Johnson and his local crew, the boat is spacious, modern and provides the perfect platform for comfortable diving. All cabins have ensuites, air conditioning, windows and power outlets, and I can safely say the beds are some of the most comfortable I have ever slept on, be it on land or at sea. After a briefing and introduction to the friendly and superlative crew, we departed for our first destination, Vanessa’s Reef. Unsure of what to expect, I jumped in the water ready for anything. As I descended into the warm, blue water, my world was transformed into a backdrop of shimmering colour. Schools of fish glinted in the sunshine and soft corals, larger than me, covered the seafloor. As I swam through the jungle of life, I knew that my trip to Papua New Guinea was off to a cracking start. Our next two dives of the day provided just as much excitement. Joelle’s Reef and Anne Sophie were characterised by giant sea whips, giant sponges and schools of jack and barracuda, which swam around divers like a living river. It was a photographer’s paradise, providing opportunities for the macro enthusiast and wide-angle pro alike. A new opportunity presented itself at every turn. I was quickly beginning to understand why world-renowned underwater photographers list the region as one of their all-time favourite dive sites. For the next leg of our journey, it was time to make the overnight motor to the remote Witu Islands, to the North West of Kimbe Bay. As the gently rocking of the boat over the choppy seas lulled me to sleep that night, my dreams were of galaxies of silver fish and forests of coral, showing the diversity of life at its finest. Vibrant soft corals

MV Oceania

Awaking the next morning I found ourselves anchored off a picture-perfect tropical island, where lush green rainforest met sandy beaches and azure blue seas. As I prepared for the day of diving, a pod of dolphins swam past and I felt myself in a scene from a Blue Planet documentary. The next three days diving at the Witu Islands proved just as fascinating as the first. A variety of seamounts, walls and drift dives kept providing a plethora of life. Highlights included the creatively named Krackafat, where schools of barracuda, tuna and jacks are so dense they almost block out the sunlight and witnessing two eagle rays mating at the wall dive, Swamp-Tinny. At night, Captain Dan would take us into a large bay, the remnants of a sunken volcano crater where we were able to explore the sloping crater depths at night. All manner of critters from moray eels to alien-like shrimps could be found on the crater’s edge. Such diving provided an addictive treasure hunt. After several days of non-stop diving, we pulled anchor and set sail for the remote Father’s Reefs, on the eastern side of Kimbe Bay, where we were to spend the remainder of our journey. Arriving just before dawn, we anchored in mirror-calm water and prepared for our first dives. Fathers Reefs lie offshore and are made up of several coral pinnacles rising up from several hundred metres. As such, they are known for large inquisitive pelagic species, which can be seen on almost every dive. Friendly turtles, schools of tuna and the healthiest shark population in Papua New Guinea ensure these dive sites are actioned packed and memorable. We spent our days on seamounts, watching the daily lives

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Turtle

Anemonefish Barracuda

Crinoid feeding in the current

of fish, sharks and turtles pass by. Following the standard set in the rest of Papua New Guinea, the corals were healthy and plentiful, adjourned with large sponges, soft corals and sea whips. The seamounts and pinnacles conjured images of large underwater cities, buzzing with highways of sparkling fish. The reefs remain this way in part due to their remoteness and in part due to the conservation efforts of local organisations who value the importance of such a unique, untouched environment. Upon returning to land, I spent several days at the beautiful Walindi Plantation Resort, whose tropical gardens and beautiful bungalows provide the perfect base for exploring the surrounding region. Walindi not only introduces tourists to the Kimbe Bay region but also plays an incredibly active role in conserving the underwater environment of New Britain. Founded by the owners of Walindi Resort, Max and Cecilie Benjamin, Mahonia Na Dari is a not-for-profit organisation based in the grounds of the resort who work with local school children, scientists and communities to understand and conserve the natural environment of Kimbe Bay and Papua New Guinea for the benefit of present and future generations. Having reached more than 150,000 school children, the organisation is an exceptional advocate for marine conservation and education within Kimbe Bay and New Britain. Diving in Papua New Guinea changed my opinion of what is truly wild. The experience left me with a taste of what pristine reefs truly look like and a new appreciation for the importance of effective marine conservation. My ten days at sea left me wanting more - and Papua New Guinea quickly cemented its way into my psyche. n

I was quickly beginning to understand why worldrenowned underwater photographers list the region as one of their all-time favourite dive sites WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

THAT’S A MORAY

Our resident photo pro Mario Vitalini continues his series looking at specific photo-friendly critters, this time focusing on the humble moray eel PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

ome of us might not be able to go diving at the moment, however we can use this ‘dry’ time that has been forced upon us to look at a great subject that can be sometimes overlooked. Plan what to do when we next encounter them, or even revisit old images and re-edit them with a different perspective. I look at a moray sticking its face out of a hole on the reef and the image of a witch always comes to mind. With their green skin and a big nose, morays have beady little eyes, long faces and generally look a bit miserable. They are not the prettiest creatures we encounter, but without a doubt, they do have a lot of personality. These are super subjects for photographers. Here are my tips and tricks to get the best shot of a moray on your next dive.

Ribbon eels can be hard to photograph as they live in messy areas with loads of rubble. A shallow depth of field will help with this problem

THE CHALLENGE

Morays come in different sizes and colours. Species like the pretty coloured ribbon eel are constantly moving, others are easier to spot at night when they patrol the reef in search of an easy prey. But for the most part, the vast majority of morays stay in their holes or around the same area day after day, poking only their face out. This can make them simple to locate and shoot.

For spins, use a very slow shutter speed (around 1/10 of a second), pull your strobes back and use inward lighting. This will light only the face of the moray freezing the movement while the rest of the photo gets the spinning effect

A relatively stationary subject is a gift to us underwater snappers. Morays have a tendency to pull back into their holes if you get too close, especially when using a wide-angle lens. Getting close enough to fill the frame can be challenging. The next problem to solve, is how to get a good separation between the background and the subject. This is essential because most of the time you find morays hiding in areas of the reef that are not very photogenic. Finally, remember, a lot of morays are dark coloured. They suck in light, especially juvenile ribbon eels and older giant morays. You may have to be more creative with the lighting (snooting or cross lighting) to sculpt texture and shadows. Eye contact becomes even more important.

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TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Giant morays are some of the most commonly encountered morays and probably the most photographed. They can grow up to over two metres and can look very grumpy. This just adds to their character. That’s the personality you are trying to convey in your image. When shooting them, try to get below the moray and if possible, try to get them against some blue background and not the reef (unless it is colourful). This will help strengthen the image. Occasionally you can find two or more morays together. Even better! Old individuals have a very textured face, cross lighting or a black and white with strong contrast treatment in post-production can enhance this wizened characteristic. If you are shooting with a wide-angle, try to A white eyed moray include divers in your shot, this will give a sense of in his hiding place scale and add depth to your picture. If the area of reef where you see the moray is not particularly interesting, try to fill the frame George is a famous with the face and point your strobes toward yourself (inward moray at The Barge, lighting). This will minimise the amount of light that reaches in the Northern Red Sea. He’s been the background. Using a snoot to channel the light into the living in the area subject’s face is another option. This way of lighting can be for more than 20 Morays at the barge

trickier so be patient and take lots of pics, repositioning your strobes as you go to refine the effect. Peppered morays are very cute and one of my favourite morays to photograph. They are a bit more mobile than their giant cousins, but I find them quite co-operative for the most part. I love the effect of back and top strobe lighting with their white, almost-translucent skins. Using a fast shutter speed will help you get a very dark or even black background, making the moray really pop. Ribbon eels, as I mentioned early, move their head constantly, and nearly always have their body buried in the sand or rubble. These have to be one of the hardest morays to make work for you. Try to shoot from a safe distance and get very low on the ground to avoid getting the sand and rubble on your picture. Give yourself some time so the eel gets

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years and has a face only a mother could love. None the less, he’s a brilliant subject

BIOGRAPHY: MARIO VITALINI

For nearly 30 years, Mario has sailed the globe and dived the seas, working as a PADI instructor and dive guide. Today, he shares his passion for underwater photography. His students love his real-world expertise and patient approach. He has an extensive working knowledge of most underwater camera systems, having spent several years at the UK’s largest photo retailer. Mario’s images have won several awards and he has featured not once, but twice, among the top categories at the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year, including Most Promising British Underwater Photographer in 2015.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY used to you. I have found that inward lighting or snoots work very well with these little guys. By using a wide aperture and a shallow depth of field, you can blur the background. This will help to hide the messy reef.

A yellow edged moray looking into the camera

LOOK OUT FOR…

Often you will see cleaning wrasses getting to work inside the moray’s mouth or around their faces. This is always a very interesting behavioural opportunity.

WHY NOT TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

When you find a subject that does co-operate, I like to try different techniques. I have found that with giant morays, swirls can yield very fun pictures. For this, you should use a very slow shutter speed (around 1/10 of a second), pull your strobes back and use inward lighting. This will light only the face of the moray, freezing the movement while the rest of the photo gets the spinning effect.

Masked morays like this one are very territorial and can be very aggressive A snoot gives this peppered moray the impression of glowing in the dark

WORD OF ADVICE

Morays are generally speaking gentle creatures. They do look mean and aggressive as they open and close their mouth, but that is only them breathing. There are however some species such as the masked moray that are very territorial and won’t hesitate to bite your hand if you get too close to their burrow. I experienced this behaviour first hand in the Maldives. Thankfully these guys are not big and even if they do land a bite, the effects are nothing more than a small cut. Big or small, morays are very common creatures and will always be a great addition to your portfolio. Next time you are swimming along the ref and spot one of these guys, give it a chance. You could finish the dive with a cracking shot in the bag. n

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osts Rica is known in diving circles mainly for Cocos Island. But is Cocos Island all that Costa Rica has to offer? Of course, they are what immediately springs to mind when we think of diving in Costa Rica, but in these times of austerity, they are possibly not within most divers’ budgets (around $5,000 not including flights for a ten-day trip). Fortunately, Costa Rica has a lot more to offer than just Cocos Island, both under the water and on land. Costa Rica means ‘rich coast’, and Columbus gave it that name because he was struck by its lush vegetation and diverse wildlife. Sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama, this Central America country has several distinct regions, with greatly differing climates and vegetation, from rainforests that stretch down to the shores (very Jurassic Park) to cloud forests in the mountains and grass plains in the low lands. The country is littered with volcanoes – well over 100. There are two distinct seasons - the rainy season from May to November, and the dry season from December to April. The only months I would recommend avoiding are September and October, as it can literally rain for weeks on end without respite. On some occasions there is so much rain that you can kayak down the main street in Playa Del Coco! The local currency is Colones, but most places accept US dollars. The best diving is considered to be on the Pacific Coast, mainly from either Drakes Bay in the south, where you have access to Cano Island, or the Gulf of Papagayo in the north, with the majority of the dive centres located in Playa del Coco (not to be confused with Isla del Coco) and the adjacent bays of Hermosa and Ocotal.

PLAYA DEL COCO

Playa Del Coco is a small fishing village built around a large bay with one main street leading down to the beach and several bars, clubs and restaurants along the way. At certain times of the day you can go down to the beach and watch the fishing boats unload the day’s catch, usually large mahi mahi in the hundreds. The easiest and quickest way to get to Playa del Coco is to get a flight into Liberia, the capital of the Guanacaste region, which is not to be confused with the African country of the same name. From Liberia airport, an hour-long taxi ride brings you to Playa del Coco. It is possible to fly into the capital city, San Jose, but then you will need to take a bus or taxi, which can take up to six hours. Accommodation ranges from backpacker low budget to five-star luxury. Most of the low- to mid-range accommodation can be found in the village, with the larger more-exclusive resorts to be found on the neighbouring beaches.

ABOVE THE WATER

Above the water, Costa Rica has plenty to offer. Surfers have been flocking here for years, enjoying the waves all down the Pacific coast. Close to Playa del Coco is the volcano Rincón de la Vieja, where you can go zip lining through the forest, tubing down the river and horse riding to the hot springs. Another popular volcano is Arenal. It is still active and at night you can see lava flowing down its slopes. The closest town is La Fortuna, and here you can arrange white-water rafting tours. You can visit the cloud forests at Monteverde or visit the picturesque Manuel Antonio National Park. Huge leatherbacks use Playa Naranjo on the Pacific coast or Tortuguero Beach on the Caribbean coast to lay their eggs.

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Mentioned ‘Costa Rica’ and ‘diving’ and many people immediately think ‘Cocos Island’, but as Adrian Stacey explains, this country has much more to offer PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY

Monkey Head and Virador have very similar underwater topography and marine life - both of them shallower on one side, then dropping to a sandy bottom at around 30m on the other side

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THE DIVING

The diving can be spectacular - and it can also be pretty bad. The water temperature can drop down to 18 degrees C and on rare occasions as low as 15 degrees C. Visibility can get down to three or four metres of very green pea soup, which is fine if your favourite colour is green, but otherwise it is not so good. While the visibility is generally the best around June, July and August, it can vary greatly from week to week and, let’s face it, there are never any guarantees in diving. Even if you go to Cocos Island, you will not always see schools of hammerheads in the hundreds; in fact, unless you go in or around August, it is pretty unlikely. But enough negativity! Diving around the waters of Playa del Coco is generally excellent and its unpredictability means it is always interesting. Visibility can get up to 20 metres but is usually between ten and 15 metres. Do not expect wonderfully coloured corals. There is very little coral to speak of. Instead, you have some stunning volcanic topography and abundant marine life, something to suit all tastes from macro to big stuff, to really big stuff! There are three main areas for diving - the local dive sites which are ten to 30 minutes from shore; the Catalina Islands about an hour or so away; and Islas Murciélagos (Bat Islands), which are around one and a half to two hours journey. It could take a lot longer if the weather conditions are not favourable.

LOCAL DIVE SITES

The term ‘local dive sites’ is associated with easy dives with not so much to offer. To some extent, this holds true in Costa Rica but, that said, you can have some truly fantastic dives. Manta rays and whalesharks have been spotted here and on several occasions I have seen humpback whales on the surface while travelling between dive sites. On very rare occasions killer whales have also been known to pass through these waters. These are some of the sites: Punta Argentina is a rocky mound that just breaks the surface. One side drops down to around 25m, where it is met by a sandy bottom that gradually tapers off to deeper waters. This is a popular spot for huge table-size whiptail stingrays to hang out. Occasionally you can observe a squadron of eagle rays flying past in formation. At any point on the dive you can expect to swim through huge schools of snapper. In the shallower areas it is worth taking your time to look in the small caves and crevasses that punctuate a shallow canyon running the length of the dive site, as juvenile whitetip reef

Manta ray flypast

sharks sometimes use it a as place to sleep. Macro lovers can be treated to critters like the gregarious harlequin clown shrimp and tiny nudibranchs. Sorpresa is an underwater pinnacle which rests on the sand at around 30m, the top of which is around 15m below the surface. This is a more-advanced dive and can have reasonable strong currents and surge. Highlights can include schools of jacks and massive schools of the ever-present snapper, which can sometimes seem like they envelope the whole site. Large stingrays inhabit the sandy bottom, and turtles can be found grazing on the rocks, which are also often inhabited by scorpionfish. Monkey Head and Virador have very similar underwater topography and marine life - both of them shallower on one side, then dropping to a sandy bottom at around 30m on the other side. While Virador just breaks the surface, Monkey Head derives its name from the rock that sits on top which, at a certain angle, looks a lot like the head of a gorilla. Underwater, divers are treated to a profusion of schooling fish – butterflyfish hug the rocks searching for food, while large schools of jacks swirl around closer to the surface in-between large schools of snapper intermingling with trevallies, grunts and fusiliers. Devils rays can sometimes be observed here as well as eagle rays, sometimes flying solo, sometimes in a school. Seahorse

Bull shark

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CATALINA AND BAT ISLANDS

The Catalina and Bat Islands are more-advanced dive sites due to surge, stronger currents and rougher surface conditions that sometimes require the need for negative entries. These are non-anchored dives and most dive centres will only take divers that are advanced or higher and used to drift and deep dives. The Catalina Islands are located a little way off the coast adjacent to Flamingo Bay near Tamarindo (a popular place for surfers) about an hour-long boat journey from Playa del Coco. The journey takes you south along the stunning Guanacaste coast - pods of dolphins often join you for the journey as well as the occasional pod of pilot whales. These islands can be dived year round, but the best time of year is from November to April since this is when the manta rays can be seen. While there are many dive sites in this area, the two most dived are the Wall and the Point since they are generally where most of the action takes place. If you like rays of every description and size, then this will be your idea of heaven even in the surface interval the action sometimes continues

with mobulas jumping out of the water. On one occasion when I was there, ten or so exited the water in a line one after the other in what seemed like a synchronized display. The Point is at the tip of the island. Its faรงade tapers off to a sand and stone plateau that gradually descends into the deep. Large schools of jacks sometimes congregate here attracted by the strong currents and, of course, so are the mantas who glide along the point and up and down the wall (some large, some small) either feeding on the plankton swept in by the currents or taking advantage of one of the many cleaning stations the area has to offer. The Wall actually runs into the point and stretches along the length of the island. It drops from the surface to around 15m-20m, where it is met by a rocky slope that gradually descends into the depths. At the right time of year, huge manta rays can be found here in abundance. The Bat Islands are dived mainly from May to October. It is possible to dive here outside these months, but fierce winds streak across the Gulf of Papagayo, making it very difficult

You might also encounter several three-metre bull sharks beneath you, creating the need for a speedy descent Harlequin shrimp

Porcupine pufferfish

The topside scenery is equally diverse

Expect massive shoals of fish

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to reach the islands, which are located in the Santa Rosa National Park. Leaving from Playa del Coco, the boat travels north across the gulf; the journey takes in some fantastic scenery and you really feel as though you are travelling to remote, untouched destinations. The two main dive sites are Big Scare and Black Rock. Three dive days are available in which case people often do a second dive on Big Scare or try out Los Arcos, which does not seem to attract so much of the big stuff, but has some very interesting geological formations. Big Scare is aptly named. It is famous for its bull sharks. You can feel the anticipation and excitement emanating from the divers as you approach the site, a barren rock that juts out of the ocean forming a crescent-shaped bay. Waves crash against the jagged boulders that just break the surface, lending an almost-prehistoric feel to the site. Under the water, cleaning stations sit either side of a wall that drops about 15m to a stony bottom which slopes off into the deep. This is where the bull sharks lurk. Negative entries are usually required, due to strong surge which threatens to sweep the unwary onto the rocks. You might also encounter several three-metre bull sharks beneath you, creating the need for a speedy descent. Once down on the stony bottom, you lie down and wait for a few minutes. If no sharks appear you gradually make your way down the slope. All of a sudden you will hear a sharp bang on a tank, or a muffled scream of ‘ark’ through someone’s regulator. Suddenly the sharks are all around you, varying in size from one-and-a-half metres to chunky threemetre specimens. Sometimes they stay on the edge of your vision and at other times it seems as though they are playing chicken with you before veering off a couple of metres before impact. Visibility can differ greatly from day to day and can even change drastically on a dive. One minute you can have 15-20 metres visibility and the next you can see a thermocline creeping up the slope from the deep, bringing with it murky green waters concealing the sharks apart from a vague outline or occasional tailfin. Huge schools of jacks and travelly hover-mid water and manta rays can be seen passing overhead on the way to one of the cleaning stations.

Whaleshark

Black Rock is a pinnacle that just breaks the surface and drops down 40-50m. Starting at around 30m, divers spiral their way up the rock. Strong currents and surge attract a large variety of marine life. I worked for a company called Rich Coast Diving, a five-star IDC centre. It is a Dutch-run dive centre with multi-lingual staff. Local dives cost around $80 for a two-tank dive trip. A two-tank trip to the Catalinas is around $110 and the Bat Islands will set you back around $160 for two tanks (not including equipment). Usually a minimum of four divers is required for a Bat or Catalina Island trip. I worked here for two years as an instructor and photographer and got to see it at its murky worst and at its glorious best. I have had some of the best dives of my life here, so my advice would be to go to Costa Rica. You might be unlucky but, on the other hand, you might hit the jackpot. n

Whitetip reef shark and moray eel

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s Australia begins to recover from the double whammy of Covid-19 lockdowns and the worst bushfire season in history, now more than ever is a good time to spend your tourism dollars right here and discover Australia’s amazing underwater world. Here are 6 (other) good reasons to book an Australian diving holiday!

SWIM WITH WHALESHARKS ON NINGALOO REEF Whalesharks can grow up to 16 metres in length, with a mouth over a metre wide. So-named because it is as big as many whales and like many whales, a filter feeder. On Australia’s west coast, Ningaloo is the place to go for a whaleshark encounter. Between mid-March and mid-July, whaleshark swimming tours are operated from the towns of Coral Bay and Exmouth. Top Tip: Pick a package that includes some dives on another world-class site in Exmouth - Navy Pier.

Dive the wreck of the SS Yongala One of the world’s great wrecks, this adrenalin-pumping dive is absolutely teeming with pelagic life, including several species of rays, sharks, large schools of jacks, giant trevally, and barracuda, and the site’s signature species - olive sea snakes. Top Tip: Spirit of Freedom has a special expedition to the Yongala in November – but with only two trips this year, you’ll need to get in quick. Another monthly liveaboard option for the SS Yongala is Townsville-based Adrenalin Dive, who run two and three-day trips.

SWIM WITH MINKE WHALES ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF The dwarf minke whale is the smallest member of the baleen whales, growing to only eight metres in length. This species is only found in the Southern Hemisphere, spending the summer months feeding in sub-Antarctic waters and migrating to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef over winter to breed and give birth. These small whales are very different to their larger cousins, as when in reef waters they are strangely attracted to stationary boats, often hanging around for hours and even days. Dwarf minke whales travel through the Great Barrier Reef each winter, with most sightings occurring during June and July. The Great Barrier Reef is the only location where snorkel and dive tours with minke whales are available. Top Tip: Mike Ball Dive Expeditions is running special fiveday expeditions in July – but you need to get in quick, these trips are very popular.

DISCOVER THE ROWLEY SHOALS Discover Australia’s remote Rowley Shoals, a chain of three pristine coral atolls located on the edge of the

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widest continental shelf in the world, a day’s sailing north west of Western Australia’s Kimberley Coast. Discover over 200 species of coral and over 650 species of fish. With visibility in excess of 60 metres and a warm tropical climate. Top Tip: Trips are only possible in October, with liveaboard trips on The Great Escape and The Odyssey.

SWIM WITH MANTA RAYS ON THE SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF There are mantas at Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave Islands all year, with numbers peaking between mid-May and mid-August. Mantas can be seen while snorkelling as well as diving, and there are a couple of known cleaning stations, at Lighthouse Bommie and Fairfax Island where mantas are reliably sighted. Top Tip: Contact the team at Diveplanit about a brand new liveaboard option for groups in the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

DIVE WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS To come face to face with a great white shark underwater is one of the mostexciting experiences available to divers today. This trip has been described as the ultimate adventure that Australia has to offer. Adventure Bay Charters run one- to three-day charters to the Neptune Islands to dive with great whites and snorkel with sea lions, while Rodney Fox Expeditions run four- and five-day trips departing Port Lincoln, South Australia. Top Tip: while they can be seen year-round, the best time of year for viewing great white sharks is from April through to June. n To find out more about any of these amazing marine experiences, visit diveplanit.com/specials.

What’s New

FOURTH ELEMENT SUMMER 2020 COLLECTION

Fourth Element has released its Summer 2020 Collection so we can emerge into the sunlight looking cool. In a statement, Fourth Element explained: “For Summer 2020, there are messages of hope for the environment and celebrations of unity, splashed by a colour palette that is anything but gloomy. For divers, freedivers, conservationists and ocean lovers alike, it’s time to come together and tell the world what we believe the future should look like.” They added: “All our designs are printed in water-based inks, these are free from harmful chemicals and therefore more gentle on the environment. Each T-shirt in this collection is made from 100 percent organic cotton, traceable from farm to factory, GMO-free and grown without the use of chemicals. They all come packaged 100 percent plastic-free too!” The Summer 2020 Collection is available to buy online now! Many designs come in male and female cuts, but there are some women-only designs as well. www.fourthelement.com 62

GOOD TO DIVE

Exposure protection and dive wear powerhouse Fourth Element has joined forces with The Diver Medic to create an ocean-friendly disinfectant and labelling system which shows when a piece of dive kit has been cleaned and is ready to use. The world is going to be a very different place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the diving fraternity is going to have to embrace the changes that come with that. Thankfully, diving as an activity is naturally socially distant, and through a medium that prevents virus transfer - I have yet to see a study that shows coronavirus can ‘swim’ through a couple of metres of fresh or salt water! - but it is the kit side of things that can pose an issue. Personal gear is not such a problem, as it is only used by the owner, though the octopus element needs dealing with, but for dive schools and dive centres, where students and those renting equipment will be coming into contact with different pieces of kit, it is more of an issue. That’s where Good To Dive comes in, the brainchild of the creative forces behind Fourth Element and The Diver Medic. Available in a powdered form, it dissolves and is effective in fresh or salt water, and can be used to safely disinfect masks, regulators and BCDs. The Good To Dive system also includes paper-based tape, which can be applied to regs, masks and their boxes to show that they have been treated with a disinfectant. Good To Dive is available in 1kg tubs, and just 15g is required to prepare a gallon of sterilising fluid. Even better, once you are done, Good To Dive can be safely discarded without damaging the aquatic environment. www.goodtodive.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

KUBI DRYGLOVES ICELANDIC WOOL INNER GLOVES

Drygloves are becoming an increasingly familiar sight on cold-water divers, and the KUBI dryglove system is one of the most-popular, thanks to its ease of use and robust construction. Now KUBI has launched a new thermal inner glove made from 100 percent Icelandic wool. Designed with a thinner cuff, they are available in three sizes – small, large and extra-large. www.kubistore.com

MARES 28XR / HR

The HR is Mares’ first reg developed for a stage or sidemount (a complete sidemount set is available). It has four low-pressure ports on a swivel, with an additional inline low-pressure port, and two symmetrical high-pressure ports. It has a balanced diaphragm and environmentally sealed ‘TBP’ (twin balanced piston), and offers adjustable cracking resistance. www.mares.com

SEALIFE MICRO 3.0

SeaLife is introducing the new Micro 3.0 underwater camera, the latest and third generation of its popular permanentlysealed Micro camera series. The camera is leak-proof with no O-rings to lube or maintain, so there is never a worry about flooding the camera. Like its forerunners, the Micro 3.0 features an ergonomic, compact design with easy-to-use controls and menus. The camera has a 16-megapixel Sony CMOS image sensor and offers 4K ultra-high definition video. Since it’s permanently sealed, the Micro 3.0 has a large three-plus hour battery good for a full day of diving and built-in 64GB of memory to store thousands of photos and hours of video. The camera’s ease of use starts with the three wide piano key type buttons that are easy to locate and control, even with dive gloves on. The intuitive camera’s Easy Set-up feature quickly guides you through the correct settings based on the shooting environment, depth and lighting accessories used. While the Micro 3.0 takes away the fuss and fiddling with

camera controls that plague most underwater cameras, the Micro 3.0 does have an easy option for fine-tuning underwater images with manual white balance adjustments and the ability to capture images in RAW format, for those that want to edit their images later. The built-in wide angle 100° lens allows the diver to get close to the subjects while still keeping everything in the picture. The Micro 3.0 offers WiFi sharing ability, so you can wirelessly preview, download and share pictures and videos to a smart phone or tablet with the free Micro 3+ app available at Google Play or Apple App stores. The larger 260K high-resolution 2.4” TFT colour LCD display makes capturing and reviewing photos and video easy. The Micro 3.0 includes the Micro 3.0 camera, wrist strap, USB adapter, 3’/90cm USB cable and camera pouch. The optional ‘Screen Shield’ is available for the camera’s display window to protect it from fingerprints and scratches. www.sealife-cameras.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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What’s New

APEKS MARINE EQUIPMENT CLOTHING RANGE

SHARKSKIN CHILLPROOF TITANIUM RANGE

Just in time for the summer, Apeks Marine Equipment has launched an eye-catching new clothing range, including T-shirts and hoodies. The Manta Heritage Collection is in memory of the first-ever Apeks Marine Equipment regulator. These retro-inspired T-shirts, hoodies and jumpers celebrate both the produce and the product logo, which was actually hand-painted on to the regs during production! ‘Designed for life after your safety stop’, the entire Apeks Marine Equipment range is made from 100 per cent highquality organic cotton, made in wind and solar-powered factories, printed in the UK, printed using water-based inks, and shipped in plastic-free packaging. They are printed on-demand, so there’s no over-stock or wasted material. www.lifestyle-apeksdiving.com

SANTI DIVING CUBE BACKPACK Drysuit and exposure protection supremos Santi Diving have added this nifty backpack to their line-up. According to Santi Diving, the Cube is ‘designed to meet the needs of every user with its multi-tasking’. It is made from 100 percent waterproof PVC, and has a unique rectangular shape to maximise its load space. There are side clip straps for attaching additional items, and a small mesh pocket inside the top flap. Inside there is a padded compartment for a laptop, along with pockets for smaller items. The wide padded shoulder straps are comfortable for extended use, and there is a chest strap for greater stability. www.santidiving.com 64

Australian brand Sharkskin have always been at the cutting edge of exposure protection technology, and with their new Chillproof Titanium, they claim this is ‘a game-changing new fabric that will revolutionise the way you dive’. The Chillproof Titanium offers unprecedented warmth in a neutrally buoyant trilaminate garment due to far infrared captured, generated and radiated by titanium nanoparticles impregnated in the fabric. Sharkskin Chillproof Titanium, which is made in their Australian factory, retains all the features of traditional Chillproof – neutrally buoyant, breathable, windproof, waterrepellent, flexible, lightweight and anti-microbial. While being incredibly warm, the Sharkskin Chillproof Titanium looks incredibly cool with a stylish new outer fabric, complimented by a chunky stainless steel zip and Titanium-look reflective graphics. www.sharkskin.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

THERMOCLINE FRONT-ZIP JACKET AND FULL-SUITS, AND QUARTER-ZIP TOPS

In response to popular demand, Fourth Element has added several front-zipped designs to its OceanPositive Thermocline range. Featuring the same breathable, machinewashable, neutrally buoyant alternative to 2mm neoprene, the new Thermocline garments are made with fabric using ECONYL(R) regenerated nylon from ghost fishing gear and other post-consumer waste. A zip-through jacket for men and women, front-zip full-suits and quarter-zip tops complement the range of existing styles and are available now from retailers. www.fourthelement.com

HOLLIS KATANA 2 / DUAL-BLADDER VERSION According to Hollis, the Katana 2 harness sets a new standard in sidemount diving. Designed in collaboration with Edd Sorenson from Cave Adventurers, Hollis developed a unique new ‘quick-fit system’, which allows users to easily tailor the onesize-fits-all harness to their specific size or adjustment preference in a matter of minutes (the design allows for an H- or Y-style harness configuration, depending on user preference). Hollis has added more lift, more weight capacity, single and dual bladder options, and the best-quality materials the company is renowned for. The Katana 2 is also the first sidemount harness in the world to be designed with closed-circuit sidemount capability, with integrated mounts for the popular KISS sidewinder. www.hollis.com

ATOMIC AQUATICS SCUBA HEAT

SCUBAPRO LEVEL The Level front-adjustable BCD, with its Super-Cinch tank band, brings together all the best performance and comfort features you’ll need for any recreational diving scenario. It is lightweight yet extremely rugged – the bladder is made of EndurTex high-tenacity 420 nylon fabric – but what the Level BCD really delivers is comfort. Convenient swivel shoulder buckle straps, a sternum strap and adjustable cummerbund with double-pull over-strap enable you to dial in the perfect fit. The bladder is designed to comfortably wrap around your body without squeeze, and the full-sized backpack, working together with the Super-Cinch tank band, holds the tank rock solid for maximum stability. The integrated weight system loads easy and ditches even easier with its low-profile 40mm flat buckles. Also included are two large Velcro-closing cargo pockets, one of which offers metal grommets for attaching a knife, four D-rings for clipping on additional gear, and two Octo pockets for storing both a safe second and a console hose. www.scubapro.com

There are all manner of gadgets and equipment designed to keep you warm when diving in cold water, from advanced heat-retaining fabrics to heated undersuits and drygloves. Now Atomic Aquatics has entered the fray with the Scuba Heat, which not only prevents your reg from freezing up and freeflowing, but warms up the air that you are breathing! Described as ‘the personal thermal protection device for you and your regulator’, the Scuba Heat’s coil mounts on to your tank band and is routed between your first and second stage. As air from the first stage enters the coil, it is instantly warmed by the surrounding water, then exits the coil toward your second stage. There are no moving parts, batteries or heating elements. The heat-exchanging coil is made of a special thermally conductive and corrosionresistant copper nickel alloy that will not reduce air flow or otherwise degrade your regulator performance. www.atomicaquatics.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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New series focusing on conservation projects in and around Australia and New Zealand, as well as further afield on our ocean planet

Volunteers passionate about coral planting

oral planting and maintenance has resumed at Hastings Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, with Passions of Paradise making weekly trips to the coral nursery now that local travel is permitted, with volunteers passionate about coral planting. The crew-only trip has minimum numbers to ensure social distancing restrictions are adhered to, and has attracted funding from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Passions of Paradise Chief Executive Officer Scott Garden said the family-owned company had donated the state-of-theart catamaran Passions III to take four enthusiastic crew and a scientist to Hastings Reef for the Coral Nurture Programme prior to the COVID-19 lockdown in Queensland. “We have been assisting Dr David Suggett’s team from the University of Technology Sydney who are conducting reef resilience research at one of our 26 reef sites,” he said. “I have been working with Passions of Paradise Environmental Sustainability Co-ordinator Russell Hosp at the site most weeks recording data for the project and establishing a coral nursery.” Mr Hosp and Passions of Paradise marine biologist Kirsty Whitman, who are both Master Reef Guides, are keen to help advance the project as volunteers while the business is closed.

Project co-ordinator and PhD student Lorna Howlett said Passions of Paradise was one of five Cairns and Port Douglas reef companies participating, with Wavelength, Ocean Freedom, Sailaway and Quicksilver Cruises also involved. “The Coral Nurture Programme gives operators yet another stewardship activity they can do at their reef sites in addition to crown-of-thorns eradication and the Eye on Reef monitoring programme,” she said. “There are two new things about this programme. It is the first time on the Great Barrier Reef that tourism operators have worked alongside researchers and the first time that a coral clip has been used to attach corals to the reef. “It involves finding fragments of opportunity – coral fragments that have naturally broken off – and attaching them back on to the reef using a coral clip. “We can only use fragments of opportunity found at the site, so Passions of Paradise has installed six frames at the site which can be used as a nursery to grow more corals. Once they find a coral fragment they attach it to the nursery to grow and as it grows they can take fragments from it to attach to the reef giving them a continual source of new corals. “The 12-month project finishes next month, however, the operators can continue to operate the nurseries and outplant the corals.” Mr Garden said about 1,000 pieces of coral had been planted on Hastings Reef. “When tours resume passengers will be able to snorkel over the site which boasts healthy marine life and corals near the nursery,” he said. “Passions of Paradise is committed to preserving the World Heritage Area that sustains our locally-owned business through a number of initiatives including being carbon neutral.” n

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Underwater... feels like home

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relaxing spa Pulau Gangga, Desa Gangga Satu, Likupang Barat, Manado, 95375, Indonesia.

Scuba Diver ANZ #23

Articles inside

Crisis on a liveaboard

6 Reason To Dive In Australia

Conservation Corner

What’s New

Costa Rica – Diving from the mainland

Underwater Photography

Wild waters of Papua New Guinea

Q&A: DAVID ALLEN

Islands of the Goddess

A Special Place Of Nature

Open for business – where to dive in Australia post-COVID-19

News