HONDURAS LONG HAUL
SHARKS AND MUCH MORE
SULAWESI CAVES
MICHELE WESTMORLAND EXPLORES THE BAY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS BY YACHT
ADRIAN STACEY EXPLAINS WHY JULIAN ROCKS IS SUCH A DIVE HOTSPOT
A CRACK TEAM OF CAVE DIVERS LOOK FOR NEW SYSTEMS IN INDONESIA
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EDITOR’S NOTE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE COVID-19 TUNNEL With the continually shifting COVID-19 landscape, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that this surreal situation we find ourselves all in will end at some point. State borders have reopened in Australia, and eager divers are already back in the water across the country. The talk of a Trans-Tasman bubble with New Zealand edges ever closer and now there is talk of a Bula Bubble with Fiji. I think that there is a good chance that other Pacific islands and several countries in South East Asia will also share their very own bubbles in the not-too-distant future. Many other nations are also opening their borders, especially those that rely on tourism. Most of the Caribbean countries are once again welcoming tourist, and Europe is also slowly opening up. While it’s not business as usual just yet, it can’t hurt to stop dreaming and start planning for the inevitable return of international travel. With this in mind, PADI has put together a convenient interactive dive map of the world. This map allows divers to click on a desired destination and view the current status regarding travel and diving restrictions in these uncertain times. International travel might still be a bit of a guessing game but what is for sure is that issue 24 is packed full of the usual fantastic content, including great photography tips, the informative DAN medical column, industry news, equipment reviews and hot conservation topics. Plus, of course, great features, including a look at the highlights of winter diving in Byron Bay, the highlights of Anilao in the Philippines, a tour around the Bay Islands of Honduras with the Roatan Aggressor liveaboard, and for the more adventurous, the delights of a cave-diving expedition into the wilds of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Times are changing, and to keep the magazine free, we’re asking dive stores to cover their own postage costs. If you enjoy reading the magazine, think about helping out your centre with a small donation to help cover their costs.
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Mark Evans Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com
DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER Matt Griffiths Email: matt@scubadivermag.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Happy diving.
Adrian Stacey Editor-at-Large (Australia and New Zealand)
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
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Rork Media ANZ Pty Ltd 193 Latrobe Terrace, PADDINGTON, QLD 4064 Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers. Copyright for material published remains with Rork Media Limited. Use of material from Scuba Diver is strictly prohibited unless permission is given. All advertisements of which the creative content is in whole or in part the work of Rork Media Limited remain the copyright of Rork Media Limited.
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HONDURAS LONG HAUL
SHARKS AND MUCH MORE
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MICHELE WESTMORLAND EXPLORES THE BAY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS BY YACHT
ADRIAN STACEY EXPLAINS WHY JULIAN ROCKS IS SUCH A DIVE HOTSPOT
A CRACK TEAM OF CAVE DIVERS LOOK FOR NEW SYSTEMS IN INDONESIA
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8 News
18 Australia
A tribute to Walindi Plantation Resort founder Max Benjamin, a programme aimed to get more children into scuba diving, World Champion snowboarder Alex Pullin dies while spearfishing, tourism operators help plant 1,000 corals, a shark attack at Fraser Island, a prestigious award for Mama Ranger in the Philippines, and HEAD - which owns Mares - buys Zoggs swimming equipment.
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, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
6
It may be the winter months, but as Simone Caprodossi explains, there are plenty of reasons to get in the water, including some cool diving at Julian Rocks in Byron Bay. Expect to see large schools of fish, as well as grey nurse sharks, wobbegongs, eagle rays, marbled rays and huge bull rays, as well as turtles, including Terrible Ted, who has a reputation for taking a close interest in dome ports...
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 dive trip.
26 The Philippines
Crystal Blue Resort’s Mike Bartick extols the virtues of Anilao as the ultimate diving destination, especially for underwater photographers in search of elusive critters. As he explains, it is one of those unique places that offers divers a perfect mix of healthy coral reefs teeming with colourful fish, pinnacles, small walls, coral gardens and some of the finest macro diving.
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CONTENTS
...CONTINUED
GEAR GUIDE
33 Diveplanit column
54 What’s New
Deborah Dickson-Smith focuses on the Great Barrier Reef’s ‘Great 8’ and how they mate.
34 Underwater Photography
Underwater photography guru Martyn Guess looks at opening up the aperture to create a more arty look to your macro images.
42 Honduras
Michele Westmorland explores the diverse waters around the Bay Islands in Honduras on a luxury liveaboard, and finds rich pickings in terms of marine life, coral reefs and shipwrecks.
48 TECH: Indonesia, part one
Crack cave diving team Maria Bollerup, Rasmus Dysted and Pete Mesley go in search of undiscovered and unxplored cave systems in remote parts of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and are astounded by what they find beneath the jungle interior.
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New products, including the Apeks RK3 HD fins and VX1 mask in a new gun-metal colour scheme, the Mares Psycho Calavera limited-edition backplate-and-wing, Aqua Lung’s Dynaflex range of wetsuits, Fourth Element’s Expedition Series duffel bag, now in vibrant blue, and heated gloves from Thermalution.
56 Group Test: Regulators
This issue we return with our latest group test, and we are looking at mid-range regulators from all of the major manufacturers.
64 Test Extra
Mark Evans goes back to his drysuit diving roots when he dons the new Hydra neoprene drysuit from Fourth Element.
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Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on our various social media (@scubadivermag) www.scubadivermag.com.au
O
n the morning of Wednesday 15 July, Max Benjamin, the owner and founder of Walindi Plantation Resort, passed away in Cairns after a battle with cancer. Jayne Jenkins and Don Silcock both knew Max well, and wanted to explain their experiences with one of the pioneers of diving in PNG.
DON SILCOCK
I met Max for the first time over 20 years ago – in the domestic terminal of Port Moresby airport, where we were waiting to board a flight to Kimbe Bay. The trip leader introduced him as ‘this is Max, he’s the owner of Walindi’, which was where we were going to. My first impressions turned out to be pretty accurate… before me was a man who would look you straight in the eye and quickly understand your intent - no BS with Max, he seemed to be able to read you like a book! Over the years, I got to know Max much better and always found him to be an intelligent, thoughtful, forward-looking and very astute person. I also developed a deep regard for what he and his wife Cecilie achieved in Kimbe Bay. If you were to arrive at Hoskins airport in Kimbe Bay earlier this year, prior to the Covid-19 induced state of emergency in PNG, you would find a reasonably new airport. You would pass through a relatively prosperous and bustling town of Kimbe and arrive at Walindi Resort with its central lodge, carefully tended garden, guest bungalows, fully equipped dive shop, three dayboats and two liveaboards! It was nothing like that when Max arrived in 1966 and Cecilie arrived in 1972… Both were agricultural officers with the PNG government who learned to dive in Kimbe Bay and thought that what they saw there was the norm. It was a trip to the Red Sea in 1978 that made them realize just how special Kimbe Bay is and was also the genesis for what became
Walindi Plantation Resort. The rest is kind of history now and well documented on the resort’s website by Cecilie. Less well known though are the things that I personally learned about from my trips to Kimbe over the years. Such as the incredible work done by Mahonia Na Dari (Guardian of the Sea), an NGO established in 1997 by Max and Cecilie. Or the support that Max and Cecilie have always provided into quantifying the incredible biodiversity and ecosystems of Kimbe Bay and the north coast of New Britain. Or the more than 100 permanent moorings put in to protect those ecosystems and the support provided to local clans to do their part to monitor and protect their reefs and outer islands. Or the Max Benjamin Elementary School, the Walindi Primary School and the way the actual resort is effectively a village in itself with housing for most of the staff, many of whom have never worked anywhere else! There is much more that could be said about Max and Cecilie, but it all comes down to putting something back! As Cheyne Benjamin said, when he let it be known that his father had passed away – “you lived an incredible life, you did incredible things, your legacy will always be remembered, you impacted so many lives for the better. We will miss you dad.”
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Scuba diving • PADI dive courses • Liveaboard Kayaking • Snorkeling Tours • Land Tours
JAYNE JENKINS
I first met Max in 1989 when I was working in dive travel. Part of my job was leading groups and my first time in PNG was to Walindi Plantation Resort. This was going to be my first dive ever in PNG, the images looked amazing. I was told before leaving that if I arrived at Walindi with a bottle of Cointreau it would be well appreciated by Max, the owner, and we would get on well. My first day diving there was with Max, I was so excited about going to see beautiful corals and reefs. After loading the boat with numerous thermoses of tea (Max liked his tea), we headed out. Max decided enroute we were going search for hammerhead sharks; he had seen some previously and wanted to go back. I will never forget that dive, hanging in blue water, Max rattling his bottle to call in the sharks. Did we see any? No, but the experience was great. Other times, if Max did not join the dive, he was always at the wharf to greet you and find out what you had seen. I have to add not only at Walindi was there fun to be had, the PNG booth at dive shows such as DEMA, Antibes and ADEX was always the best and the parties that they held were legendary. Max with his fun-loving nature was always the force behind these wonderful events and many a sore head turned up the next day! Visits to Walindi just got better and better over the years. Max and Cecilie were a wonderful team and once you had visited you became part of the family. One of my last trips to Walindi I loved seeing Max the grandad, so proud and so happy, the gentle side of Max, not the Max who loved an argument! Don has covered most of the achievements both Max and Cecilie have set up over the years, always giving back. Together, they have given so much to the community, and ecosystems of PNG. One thing close to my heart where Max and Cecilie have been been supportive over the years is hosting scholars from the Our-World Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS). A scholarship which is dedicated to providing young leaders with exemplary experiences in the underwater world. It strives to cultivate an organization built on mentorship, encouragement, tolerance and mutual respect, thereby engendering a welcoming environment for all. All scholars that have visited have loved the time gaining both knowledge and hands on experience at Walindi, Oceania and the Mahonia Na Dari. It was wonderful to finally get Max and Cecilie to New York a few years ago to experience the OWUSS family and what the scholars that have visited are now doing. Visiting the Explorers Club and New York Yacht Club was a first for Max, I don’t think I had ever seen Max in such a big city before where there was no dive show and before we left to go, Max was quite worried he had no tie - a quick scrounge through Colin’s selection and he was sorted. Max, you are a legend and lived such an incredible life and even a few days before the end, you were still planning how to get PNG back on track after the devastating start to 2020. We will miss you, but your legacy will live on through Cheyne and the family. n
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9
Fantastic success for local manufacturer.
© Reef Ecologic, Johnny Gaskell
Over four decades Oceansuits in Hallam, Melbourne has enjoyed a steady growth. Genuine old fashioned market responsive service has now ensured Oceansuits has become the most active manufacturer and repair facility in Australia’s Wetsuit and Drysuit business.
Custom made suits. Oceansuits is one of a very small group of Australian manufacturers who still make to order custom wetsuits and Drysuits. Helping people who are not of a standard size. Catering for all of Australia and all sports (See website) Almost a “rack size” suit? If you require just a small change to improve your suits comfort and performance. Say you needed the arms and legs shortened or maybe lengthened no problem. Grown out of your suit you love? Perhaps your existing suit has “shrunk” and is now “too small” Oceansuits can basically just add stripes to let it out. Repair broken wet and dry suits Offcourse everyday repairs like broken zippers, torn seams or Knee replacement are Oceansuits bread and butter. You can contact Oceansuits Today through their website. www.oceansuits.com.au Or phone them on 03 9702 4993
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20/07/2020 17:00
TOURISM OPERATORS HELP PLANT 1,000 CORALS During a challenging time for tourism, local operators have dived in to help plant almost 1,000 corals and conduct research on the archipelago’s key reefs. As part of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative, more than 30 tourism guides and operators have been trained and upskilled in local reef restoration, led by Reef Ecologic. Vessels and staff from Red Cat Adventures, Ocean Rafting, Prosail, True Blue Sailing and Daydream Island, along with Coral Sea Marina and Whitsunday Regional Council representatives, have worked alongside Reef Ecologic to deliver the coral planting and research, and staff were thrilled to be back out on the water and contributing to the health of local reefs. Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said the Great Barrier Reef is our unique living icon, and we should be proud that it’s our responsibility to look after it. “This irreplaceable ecosystem is home to thousands of species of marine life, and reef islands play a critical role in saving the Reef for future generations. “However, our Reef and its marine life are coming under pressure from a growing combination of threats. Our Reef needs a network of climate change refuges and the Whitsundays has been identified as a critical site that needs to be future-proofed through the Reef Islands Initiative. “Since launching the Reef Islands Initiative in the Whitsundays in February, we’ve been working closely with the local community to identify the priority actions and areas for restoration, and we’ll work with them to make these important projects happen.” The Reef Islands Initiative is a ten-year programme pioneered by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative is supported by funding from Lendlease, the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Queensland Government and the Fitzgerald Family Foundation. Adam Smith, Reef Ecologic, said: “Often scientists just work alone, but to amplify your message and create champions you’ve got to go on a journey with people. “It is brilliant seeing these volunteers work with us and pointing out the fish they know and looking at their favourite bommies and seeing us collectively heal them and help them.”
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DIVERS DEN LAUNCH SCUBA KIDS TO GET YOUNGSTERS INTO DIVING
Iconic Cairns dive operator Divers Den has seized on the current lull in tourism to launch an innovative new scuba experience aimed at local schoolchildren. ‘Scuba Kids’ provides an immersive experience for local children aged eight and up who are interested in learning the basics of scuba diving. The three-hour sessions are held in the purpose-built Divers Den training centre, located at 319 Draper St. Sales Manager Katherine Cutler says the launch of Scuba Kids is a natural pivot for the business. “Pre-COVID, our training pool was hugely popular with international visitors learning how to dive, so this felt like a great opportunity for us to change tack and encourage more local kids to get into scuba diving,” she says. Each Scuba Kids session is supervised by highly skilled Divers Den PADI instructors and includes a safe and fun overview of how scuba diving equipment works and how to use it safely. Sessions are held daily in the shallows of the pool and include snorkelling, swimming with scuba gear, underwater games and even a ride on an underwater scooter. Children also learn about the amazing wildlife found on the Great Barrier Reef and everyone receives a certificate of completion and a photo pack of their achievement. Eleven-year-old Maya was one of the first children to experience Scuba Kids and she is keen to encourage her friends into the pool. “I want all my friends to do it too, the scooters are so much fun!” Until the end of August, locals can save 40 percent on the regular price of a Scuba Kids programme, as well as Divers Den’s trips to the Great Barrier Reef and selected adult dive courses. Cutler hopes this will encourage more locals to experience the Great Barrier Reef. “Scuba diving is an incredible experience for young and old and I would encourage every Cairns local to get out there and help support the local tourism industry.” www.diversden.com.au
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MAMA RANGER WINS BIODIVERSITY AWARD She’s affectionately called ‘Mama Ranger’, a term of endearment which is something considering that she has to enforce laws and ends up putting violators in jail. Angelique Songco is the top park manager of Tubbataha Reef and was recently honoured with the prestigious KfWBernard-Grzimek-Preis award. This award is only given every two years and comes with a cash prize of 50,000 euros. Angelique, or Mama Ranger, has quite a big responsibility. She’s in charge of protecting the vast Tubbataha Reef that comprises 96,828 hectares and that was declared in 1993 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Tubbataha is home to 360 species of corals – 75 percent of the world’s species, 600 pelagic and reef-dwelling fish – 40 percent of the world’s species, and 12 species of dolphins. Although a UNESCO World Heritage Site, illegal fishing and tourism continued to jeopardise this sensitive ecosystem. Mama Ranger, who has been managing the park since 2001, has developed an innovative and powerful strategy - it focuses especially on thorough educational work and on reaching out to convince people in person. In consequence, she has succeeded in raising awareness of environmental issues among the local community and, as a result, people have been taking greater care in using the Marine Protected Area. Above all, her work aims to develop an understanding among locals that increased conservation efforts are essential to securing their livelihoods and to improving living conditions in the area permanently.
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WORLD CHAMPION SNOWBOARDER ALEX PULLIN DROWNS WHILE SPEARFISHING World Champion snowboarder Alex Pullin has drowned while spearfishing near his home on the Gold Coast. Nicknamed ‘Chumpy’, Pullin was Australia’s flagbearer at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and a two-time world champion. It’s understood Pullin suffered a medical episode while spearfishing off Palm Beach on Wednesday morning. Pullin, 32, was found unresponsive after a snorkeller had spotted him unconscious underwater on an artificial reef. He was treated by paramedics at the scene but could not be revived. Pullin was given CPR for about 45 minutes before being declared dead. Only weeks before, Pullin shared a photo to Instagram of himself spearfishing off the Gold Coast. ‘Unreal day in the ocean, whales singing and breaching around us,’ he wrote. The sport’s Australian top body, Snow Australia, said it was ‘shocked and saddened’ by Pullin’s death, stating ‘he was always prepared to give his time to build winter sport in this country because he was so passionate about what he did. His enthusiasm was infectious and his impact on Olympic sport can’t be overstated. An incredible athlete, beloved teammate and role model, you will be sorely missed’.
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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
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#HOLIDAYHERETHISYEAR Now more than ever is a good time to #HolidayHereThisYear and discover Australia’s amazing underwater world. While in lockdown, the team at Diveplanit has been researching new and exclusive ways to explore Australia’s underwater world, from diving Ningaloo Reef and Lady Elliot Island by liveaboard, to exploratory dive certification on Lord Howe Island.
SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF BY LIVEABOARD
Dive the remote world-class dive sites of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, including Lady Musgrave, Fairfax, Hoskyn and Lady Elliot Islands. Accommodation is on Lady Musgrave HQ, a brandnew pontoon located right on the reef within the secluded Lady Musgrave Reef Lagoon. The pontoon has liveaboard bunk-style accommodation for up to 24 guests within the underwater observatory, or guests can upgrade to a more-private retreat in a double swag on the outer and upper decks. Available now for dive groups with a minimum ten divers, with a three-night/15-dive trip costing only $1,260 per person, including all meals.
EXPLORE NINGALOO’S MORE-REMOTE REEFS AND WRECKS
Dive Ningaloo Reef aboard one of Australia’s newest luxury liveaboards, Shore Thing. This marine safari sails between Coral Bay and Norwegian Bay, accessing remote parts of the reef not accessible on dayboats. Expect numerous sightings of mega-fauna, including turtles, rays, dugongs, dolphins and reef sharks, as well as the reef’s many historic wrecks. Three-night trips start at $2,250 per person on these boutique tours – have Ningaloo Reef all to yourself!
NAME A NEW DIVE SITE ON LORD HOWE ISLAND
Lord Howe Island has a multitude of unsurveyed dive sites to explore and Pro Dive Lord Howe is now offering divers an opportunity to survey and name new dive sites and qualify as a PADI Exploratory Diver in the process. Seven-night/ten-dive packages start at AU $1,555 per person twin share. Diveplanit is dedicated to finding new and unique ways to discover Australia’s underwater world. Contact the team for a bespoke itinerary for your next dive trip – whether that’s for the best deal for a large group, or a honeymoon special for two. www.diveplanit.com
DID YOU KNOW?
Diveplanit Travel is a Platinum Partner of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, donating a percentage of profits each year and helping to promote the admirable campaigns the society undertakes.
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SHARK ATTACK TRAGEDY AT FRASER ISLAND In early July, keen spearfisher Matthew Tratt died after been bitten by a shark off the coast of popular holiday destination, Fraser Island. Mr Tratt was spearfishing with his brother when a shark bit his leg. Although medics were quickly on the scene, Mr Tratt lost too much blood and died in his brother’s arms. Rob Tratt said no words could describe what it was like as his brother bled out, but knew Matt had no regrets about getting in the water. “My brother, he died in my arms, doing his favourite passion – spearfishing. And I don’t think I could’ve been with a better person,” he said. It would appear that Matthew Tratt had a very philosophical way of looking at life, Just moments before venturing into the water, a fisherman asked both he and his brother how they could get in the water knowing sharks frequented the area. Rob Tratt commented: “My brother said ‘well, we’re big, they see us, and they typically just move along because there’s smaller things that take their fancy’. “The guy asked me, why do you get in there? And I said ‘I just don’t think about it’. It’s just like anything, you get out there and have fun, the statistics are pretty small, the chances of getting taken, he’s the first person to have diver fatality in 100 years on Fraser Island..”
MARES PARENT COMPANY HEAD ACQUIRES ZOGGS HEAD, which owns the HEAD, PENN and Mares brands, has announced the acquisition of Zoggs, the world-class swim brand famous for its goggles, swimwear and equipment and holding leading market positions in the UK, Australia and various distributor markets. HEAD swimming and Zoggs will be merged into a combined swimming business unit led by the current Zoggs CEO Mark Hammersley. The medium-term view is to further strengthen the Zoggs brand via an extended product portfolio and expanding distribution globally by leveraging HEAD’s worldwide distribution network. Swim Schools International, owned by MARES’ sister company SSI, with its world-class swim training programmes from babies to adults will become available for Zoggs Aquatic and Leisure centres worldwide. Mark Hammersley “The acquisition by Head is the opportunity for Zoggs to realise the potential that we have been developing for many years and move to a wider international presence with our unique Zoggs brand positioning.”
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MALDIVES
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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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15
MEDICAL Q&A IEN R F DIVING WITH
DS
MALDIVES INDONESIA THAILAND EGYPT SPAIN OMAN MAURITIUS JAPAN CROATIA
LET’S GO DIVING! Discover the beauty of the underwater world!
BOOKING AND INFORMATION:
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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: How long does COVID-19 survive on surfaces? DAN Answer: The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent pandemic has altered the way we approach the world. Divers can better understand and control their risk of infection by learning how long the virus that causes this disease can survive on various surfaces. Cleaning rental equipment, especially that which comes in contact with the mouth and face, has always been an important practice to ensure cleanliness and safety. Because of the highly transmissible nature of COVID-19, the act of disinfection is now more essential than ever. Survival times of the virus are particularly important to consider on surfaces that cannot easily be decontaminated, such as fabrics. Research on the virus that causes COVID-19 is still developing, forcing researchers to apply knowledge about similar viruses to the novel coronavirus for answers. Because they are closely related, the coronavirus responsible for the 2003 SARS epidemic has been studied as a surrogate for the current virus, as have other surrogate coronaviruses, such as human coronavirus 229E. Human coronavirus 229E was found to survive for two to six days on plastic, five days on steel, glass, PVC, silicone, TeflonTM and ceramic, up to eight hours on latex, and two to eight hours on aluminium. The SARS virus was found to survive up to nine days on plastic, five days on metal, four to five days on paper, and four days on wood and glass. Studies of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, found that it can survive for two to three days on plastic and steel, up to four hours on copper, up to three hours in aerosols (from a cough or sneeze) and 24 hours on cardboard. Little data exists on the survivability of SARS-CoV-2 on fabrics. Best practices are derived based on available information about infectious agents of similar structure. The novel coronavirus is an enveloped virus, which means the virion, or the form the virus takes when outside the body, is wrapped in a fatty layer to protect it during transmission. If the envelope is damaged or dries out, the virus will die. Experts postulate that the survival of the virus depends on porosity of the fabric. More porous fibres may trap, dry and break apart virus particles more easily. Others have said that viruses may survive for shorter times on natural fibres and longer on synthetics. Due to the lack of data about survival times on fabrics, there is unfortunately insufficient evidence to assess how long SARS-CoV-2 might survive on equipment made of synthetic fabrics, such as BCDs and wetsuits. Definitive timeframes for the survivability of viruses on various surfaces are not collectively agreed upon at this time. For this reason, disinfection — in conjunction with additional practices, such as social distancing — remains a vital part of reducing the risk of viral transmission between divers using rental equipment. For more practical COVID-19 information as it relates to divers, visit: www.DANAP.org/DAN_newsevents/covid-19.php
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Winter diving
BYRON A YB It may be the winter months, but as Simone Caprodossi explains, there are plenty of reasons to get in the water, including some cool diving at Julian Rocks PHOTOGRAPHS BY SIMONE CAPRODOSSI
yron Bay is synonym with surfing and chilled beach life, but not everyone knows that under its waters lies one of the best dive sites in the world. Julian Rocks, a volcanic island just a few minutes by boat from Byron Bay’s main beach, was established as a marine reserve in 1982 and, thanks to the over-35 years of protected status, it is surrounded by thriving marine life. It recently made it to the National Geographic list of the top 20 dives sites in the world and was named among the top three snorkelling spots in Australia. Just off the most-easterly point of Australia, Julian Rocks has dramatic seasonal changes, with water temperatures ranging from 18-20 degrees C in Winter up to 26-27 degrees C in the peak of Summer. This creates a unique level of biodiversity year round, with over a thousand cold and warm water species found at the site. Summer diving is extremely popular, as Byron Bay gets packed with tourists and divers enjoying the lovely weather, gorgeous beaches and warm water. Julian Rocks thrives with marine life, featuring one of the largest aggregations of leopard sharks in the world, and frequent visits from iconic warm water species like manta rays.
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On a good day, you could just lay motionless at 15m for a whole dive and watch a train of grey nurse sharks swim past you non stop until 45 minutes have past and it’s time to get out
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While the Summer diving is certainly spectacular at Julian Rocks, Winter diving is no less amazing, yet very few divers outside the local community know how good it is. The colder water temperatures make it less appealing, but with water not reaching below 18 degrees C, even Winter diving is pretty warm compared to diving in the rest of NSW and Victoria, and all it takes is a 5mm wetsuit with an extra warmth layer to be perfectly comfortable underwater. Air temperature is also never too cold in Byron’s mild Winter, and the ride to the rock is just under ten minutes, so it’s a quick way out and back to a cup of hot coffee. Weather is a lot more reliable in Winter, with calmer sea and more consistent visibility reducing the risk of cancellations due to weather that are common in Summer with cyclones and streaks of heavy northerly winds. Daring the mildly colder waters will reward divers with some breathtaking underwater encounters. In Winter, large numbers of grey nurse sharks (Charcarias Taurus) come up to Julian Rocks from further south. Ferocious looking with their irregular pointy teeth, they are actually extraordinarily placid and harmless animals and very chilled around the divers. Great encounters with grey nurse sharks are possible in many dive sites along the NSW coast, but usually require diving deeper or in strong currents in moreexposed locations. At Julian Rocks, they’ll be swimming placidly, mostly in shallower than 15m water. While grey nurse sharks are the Winter stars of the show, many other sharks and rays call Julian Rocks home year round. Three different species of wobbegongs live here in large numbers and are extra active in the Autumn and Winter months. The spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) is the most common and can be seen everywhere swimming around or laying camouflaged on rocky outcrops. The Hale’s wobbegong (Orectolobus halei) is probably the most impressive, with beautiful coloured patterns and an imposing size, reaching three metres in length. The smaller ornated wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus) is actually more rare and endemic of New South Wales. At Julian Rocks, there are so many that they are often piled on each other. Resident elasmobranchs also include the beautiful white spotted guitar fish and small, very rare sharks like the
Colclough’s shark, as well as many majestic eagle rays, huge bull rays and small blue spotted rays. The other iconic year-round residents are three species of sea turtles. Young green turtles (Chelonia mydas) hang in the shallows close to the top of the rocks. Confident hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata) are found a bit deeper around the coral bommies. Then there are a few substantial resident loggerheads (Caretta caretta) that call the rock home. One of them, known to the locals as ‘Terrible Ted’ very often comes to greet the divers and likes to nibble at fins and BCDs. He also loves to engage with his reflection in big camera dome ports offering a very detailed view of his tongue and mouth. To access Julian Rocks, the dive boats launch from ‘The Pass’, one of Byron’s surfing hotspots at the end of main beach. The ride to the rock takes less than ten minutes and different dive sites open up around the base of the ‘Rocks’, each with its unique characteristics. Wobbegongs
SUNDIVE BYRON BAY
If you would like to experience Julian Rocks, Sundive Byron Bay is a PADI five-star dive centre located in the centre of Byron and has been operating for over 30 years. They offer daily diving and snorkelling trips, as well as Try Scuba experiences for non-divers. For more information, you can visit www.sundive.com.au
Queensland grouper
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Turtles often put in an appearance
Grey nurse sharks
As the wind often comes from the Expect epic South/South East in Winter, one of the shoals of fish best dive sites of Julian Rocks is almost always accessible - the Cod Hole. The Cod Hole is a large swimthrough at the eastern edge of the island facing the open ocean ranging from 15m-20m depth. It is always absolutely packed with marine life and in Winter it is surrounded by huge schools of fish, including big grouper and kingfish. Massive Queensland grouper and black cod patrol the waters around the deeper side. The sand trenches around the cave are the main grey nurse shark playgrounds. On a good day, you could just lay motionless at 15m on the sandy trenches on the north side of the rock for a whole dive and watch a train of grey nurse sharks swim past you non stop until 45 minutes have past and it’s time to get out. Another excellent Winter dive is Hugo’s Trench. It is a canyon formed into the cut between the walls of the two large rocky outcrops that form Julian Rocks. When the wind
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blows from the north and creates strong current conditions around the island, a lot of the marine life moves in there to find shelter. The grey nurse sharks fill the trench with heavy shark traffic swimming back and forth along its length, while tens of wobbegongs carpet the sandy bottom piled onto each other. Looking up, green turtles swim in the surge near the surface and eagle rays and bull rays occasionally fly past. The walls of the trench are also literally covered in nudibranchs, corals, sponges, sea stars and all sorts of small marine life if one ever had the time to pay attention. When the sea is calm, it is possible to circumnavigate around half of the Rocks. Descending in the protected north side and diving past the Cod Hole resisting the urge to stop there too long, the dive site opens up to its deeper side
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turning around the eastern corner. Here a big sandy arena will often host more grey nurse sharks, rays and keeping an eye into the blue pretty much anything can be seen. Swimming around a few big rock formations with the right guide you will find the Cray Cave, a much smaller swim-through tapered with soft coral and sponges and filled with small fish with lionfish hunting. Ornate ghost pipefish often hide in some big black coral branches just behind the cave. The south-facing side of the Rock is a quite steep wall covered in colourful sponges and macro life, and eventually leads back to the opening of Hugo’s Trench to have a lastminute peek before surfacing. Winter is peak humpback whale migration time and it is very common to enjoy whale sightings while getting to the Rock and gearing up. At the end of Winter when they come back down, calves often delight us with close breaches by the boats and on a few lucky occasions come for a friendly inspection of the funny humans underwater. But the magical experience is the sound of the whales singing that often accompanies the whole dive, and closer and closer as you ascend to the surface, making you feel the invisible presence of these giants. Snorkelling is also extraordinary at Julian Rocks, with many of the younger turtles patrolling the shallows and the sharks also being easy to spot from the surface. In winter the snorkellers also get the most of the whale action that is happening at the surface. n
Grey nurse shark
One of them, known to the locals as ‘Terrible Ted’ very often comes to greet the divers and likes to nibble at fins and BCDs
Terrible Ted close-up
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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
ONE HOUR AFTER DIVING, THE ROOM STARTED SPINNING… A DAN member experiences severe dizziness, tingling and impaired balance post-dive. The Diver: Male, in good general health. The Diver’s Experience: Advanced Open Water certified. The Trip: Dive holiday in Anilao, Philippines. The Dives: On the day of the incident, the diver had completed three dives on air. He went into deco on his final dive, so he performed a six-minute deco stop at 3m. Along with his Divemaster, he descended to 5m to complete a 15-minute safety stop.
THE PROFILES
Dive 1: 25.3m for 59 minutes; surface interval of 1 hour. Dive 2: 19.7m for 1 hour and 11 minutes; surface interval of 1 hour and 15 minutes. Dive 3: 17.4m for 1 hour and 11 minutes.
ONSET OF SYMPTOMS
Upon surfacing the diver had no apparent problems. However, one hour later while resting in his bed at the hotel, he started to feel as though the room was spinning. This was followed by an episode of vomiting. A few minutes later he developed a tingling sensation in both hands. He informed the dive resort of his symptoms and was put on oxygen for 20 minutes via nasal canula with no relief, so was taken to a nearby hospital by road. Requiring further treatment, the diver was transferred to another hospital 90 minutes away (also by road) for higher level care, including further evaluation and management. (Note: A nasal canula provides insufficient oxygen for managing a diving accident. With a flow rate of only 1-6 litres per minute the percentage of oxygen inspired is quite low at 24-44%).
TREATMENT
On admission to the hospital the diver was given oxygen. While he was in the emergency department the doctor wanted him evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and referred him to a neurologist, who ordered a cranial CT scan. The stroke was ruled out, and the diver was treated for DCS Type II. It was found that while he could sit up on his own, he could not stand due to severe dizziness. It was also found that his tongue was deviated to the left. He underwent a US Navy Table 6 treatment. After this treatment, the diver could stand but staggered when trying to walk, falling to one side, and he was still dizzy. The decision was made for the diver to undergo a second Table 6 treatment. Although there was improvement after
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this treatment, he still had trouble with his balance. The diver underwent a final recompression treatment (Table 9). Diagnosis: Decompression Sickness Type II
RECOVERY
The diver was discharged the day after his final treatment. While his balance had not fully recovered, he was in much better condition, and the dizziness has nearly fully resolved.
COSTS
Hospital: US$3,441.28 | Chamber: US$6,100.00 Total: US$9,541.28 Fully covered by DAN
ANALYSIS
Brain injury can result from external trauma (blunt injury, falls) or from interruptions in blood flow within the brain. The latter is known as a cerebral vascular accident (CVA) or stroke, which is what the doctors first suspected when the diver arrived at the hospital. The fact that this diver also had tongue deviation was another possible indicator that he had experienced a stroke. However, it is likely this doctor was not familiar with diving medicine. After testing, stroke was ruled out and the diver was diagnosed with Type II DCS. Symptoms of Type II DCS are serious. They typically fall into three categories: neurological, inner ear and cardiopulmonary. Neurological symptoms may include numbness; pins and needles or tingling (paraesthesia); muscle weakness; an impaired gait (difficulty walking); problems with physical coordination or bladder control; paralysis; or a change in mental status, such as confusion or lack of alertness. It is common for divers to be assessed by a neurologist before being treated for DCI to rule out CVA. Type II symptoms can develop at different speeds. A slow build-up can obscure the seriousness of the situation by allowing denial to persist. Less common symptoms such as difficulty walking, urinating, hearing or seeing can prompt faster recognition and action. DANAP.org
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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KEEPING DIVERS SAFE AROUND THE WORLD
SAFETY MATTERS
JOIN DAN + + + + +
24/7 Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Medical Evacuation Assistance Membership & Assistance Coverage First Aid Training Online Dive Safety Resources
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Anilao Crystal Blue Resort’s Mike Bartick extols the virtues of Anilao as the ultimate diving destination, especially for underwater photographers in search of elusive critters PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE BARTICK
J
ust a few hours away from the bustling mega city that is Manila, exists a place that is tranquil, quiet and red hot for divers. Anilao is not only the birthplace of scuba diving for the Philippines, but it is also the place where many new divers from Manila finish their check-out dives. The sandy, shallow dive sites have spawned thousands of divers over the years, learning their essential skills and how to breathe underwater for the first time. The irony of this is that the same divers then spend the rest of their dive careers travelling outside of the Philippines in search of that one special dive destination. Anilao is one of those unique places that offers divers a perfect mix of healthy coral reefs teeming with colourful fish, pinnacles, small walls, coral gardens and yes, some of the finest macro diving one could ever hope for. One of the questions I field a lot is what camera gear should I bring, wide angle or macro, and my usual answer is ‘bring it all’. And why not, with direct flights to Manila from almost anywhere on the planet, the generous international luggage weights of most carriers allow for this. When visiting Anilao, there are no more connecting flights to worry about, no ferries, no hassles, no problem. The name Anilao comes from a very small township. In the ‘old days’, Anilao was where people would go to hire a local boat, park their cars and head to their private house or maybe one of the few dive resorts that existed at that time. Eventually, the road further extended and became a national highway which snakes along the ridge-line of the peninsula. The entire area is now known as Anilao, which basically covers all of the 45 or so dive sites within reach of the Balayan Bay, Batangas Bay and Maricacaban Island. What makes the Anilao peninsula so unique is a perfect storm of natural elements combined together in great geological proportions - the combination of the nutrient rich ocean driven currents of the Verde Island Pass, which are fed from the Western Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, seasonal wind and ancient volcanic activity. These abstract components come together, fusing something seen in very few places on the planet, and is continuously changing.
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Anilao is one of those unique places that offers divers a perfect mix of healthy coral reefs teeming with colourful fish, pinnacles, small walls, coral gardens and yes, some of the finest macro diving one could ever hope for
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Anilao’s reefs are teeming with life
Consider the Verde Island Passage as the massive pumping heart of a complex marine bio-system. This massive pumping heart is fed by the arteries of ocean driven waterways. These strong tidal flows pump the blood that exchanges gases, with the two deep-set bays as if they are massive lungs. Slowly inhaling at every incoming tide bringing in fresh oxygenated water, then exhaling the excess of nutrients back into the main arteries of the pass to be blended back together and circulated once again. Both of the bays (Balayan and Batangas), being deep set, create a massive eddy system allowing the different planktonic subjects the opportunity to settle, shelter, feed and gain strength, further populating the reefs. Both of these bays play an important role by providing the needed shelter for larval fish, spawning and other crucial developmental needs of marine life both in and outside of the bays. Strong trade winds also come into play here blowing from the east for approximately four months of the year and then the west for another four months, pushing the top layers of water against the current, enhancing the already present upwellings. These natural elements work together to mix the nutrients of the colder deeper waters with the warmer surface layers transforming the VIP into a huge blender, distributing eggs, spawn and other free drifting organisms throughout its path. These combined elements makes Anilao rugged during the off season, but helps to keep the reefs healthy and vibrant all throughout the year.
Expect colourful shoals of fish
Topside is lush and green
Your guides will find your quarry
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Verde Island sits at the east end of the pass (not considered as a part of Anilao) and Sombrero Island sits at the west end of the pass. It is here at Sombrero that several current lines converge and where the divided waterways of the VIP once again reunite and combine with the tidal flow of Balayan Bay, creating some very strong current lines during the full and new moon cycles. Diving at Sombrero will remind you of diving in a magazine cover, as so many of them have been shot here. The sunlight penetrating the shallow waters and current swept walls. Schools of small triggerfish moving from one place to the next with some unknown urgency. Small barracuda, big mouth mackerel, colourful anthias feeding in the current, busy cleaner wrasse, yellow snapper, sea turtles, flamboyant nudibranchs, pulsing xenia coral. Wow, it is impossible to explain it all - and even harder to photograph. Beatriz, is another area of the Sombrero island reef complex that is fully exposed to the intersecting currents. The main wall area and fingered canyons can create a swirling vortex-style current - caution should be exercised when diving here but it is well worth the effort.
Getting ready to depart Weird and wonderful critters abound
Beneath the dive boat
Vibrant crinoid on the reef
CRYSTAL BLUE RESORT
Crystal Blue Resort is set on the stunning backdrop of the bay area known as Anilao, Philippines. Crystal Blue Resort is the ideal getaway for your next adventure where nothing has been spared to bring you the finest in accommodations, facilities, dining, relaxation, and fun! www.divecbr.com
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H
ave you ticked the Great Barrier Reef’s ‘Great 8’ off your dive bucket list yet? These living icons are at the top of everyone’s ‘must see’ list when visiting the Reef, but they are also a reflection of the diversity of life on the Reef. Ranging from mammals to molluscs - and they all procreate in very different ways. Here’s a deep dive into how the Great 8 mate.
WHALES
The most commonly sighted whales along our Great Barrier Reef are humpback whales and dwarf minke whales, with humpback whales visiting from June to September - up to 10,000 whales migrate north from Antarctica’s colder waters to the warm shallows of the Reef to breed. The mating process usually starts with a song, followed by a bit of argybargy between the males before one establishes ‘dominance’. You can swim with humpback whales in Hervey Bay and each year both Mike Ball Dive Expeditions and Spirit of Freedom run special Minke Whale Expeditions in June and July.
GIANT CLAMS
The giant clam is the world’s largest species of mollusc and can be found the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef. Living to more than 100 years old, an adult giant clam can weigh around 200kg and stand almost a metre high. All clams start out as males, and only when they grow past a certain size do they ‘mature’ into females capable of producing eggs. In terms of the actual reproduction, on some kind of signal, all the clams in the area release their eggs or sperm into the water.
turtles return to the beach where they first hatched to lay their own eggs. Male turtles, having worked this out, hang out around the beaches regularly use around mating season. So, when the females turn up, the waiting males simply mount them, holding onto the front of the carapace. Turtles lay their eggs from October onwards, and from December onwards, you can see the turtle hatchlings scampering down the beach in places like Heron and Lady Elliot Island.
SHARKS
Shark-sex is a pretty rough affair – especially for females. In common with mantas, the male has claspers, one of which needs to be inserted into the female for a few minutes, but to do that, the male needs to get a purchase with an amorous bite around the gill area.
MANTA RAYS
When a receptive female manta is encountered, males line up behind the female who leads them all on a merry dance, twisting and turning through the ocean trying to throw them off - a sight referred to as a manta ‘love train’. Eventually when she has whittled her suitors down to just one, he is permitted to mate. In a rather tortuous ordeal, he has to grab her left wing tip in his mouth, hold on via a row of tiny teeth, before they arrange themselves belly to belly for copulation.
POTATO COD
CLOWNFISH
MAORI WRASSE
TURTLES
Contact the team at Diveplanit Travel to start ticking the Great 8 off your dive bucket list. Diveplanit.com
The female clownfish is always at the top of a clownfish colony hierarchy and when she dies, the most dominant male changes sex to replace her. Eggs are laid very close to the anemone and it is the male that is responsible for looking after them. Indeed, he spends up to two weeks fanning the eggs to help they develop.
By some still little understood method, pregnant female
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Potato cods, a type of grouper, are among the largest of all bony fish. All grouper are born girls and at some point, become boys. The transition is usually related to age and size and works to ensure there are enough members of each sex to come to the party when it’s time to get on down. During an aggregation and spawning event, usually triggered by something like a full moon, the females release their eggs in open water, and the mates release sperm.
The Maori wrasse is the largest member of the wrasse family. Like grouper, they are protogynous hermaphrodites, with some female members of a population becoming male at about nine years old. With Maori wrasse preferring to live singly, aggregation events are infrequent, when they do aggregate for procreation, it’s the usual ‘spray and pray’ method.
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Recently, blackwater diving has become yet another layer added to the diving element in Anilao, offering photographers the ultimate in photo-ops
Healthy hard corals
The entire Verde Island Passage is at the centre of the coral triangle and both Beatriz and Sombrero are the perfect place in Anilao to get an example of what this actually looks like. While much of the Earth’s shallow reefs have been effected by global warming and coral bleaching, the cooler waters that wash over the reefs in Anilao have so far protected them. Kirbys is an all-time favourite of mine. It’s basically two pinnacles, one of which protrudes from the surface. The lower pinnacle is more like an underwater island, sloping away to the depths. The area is covered with bright yellow sea cucumbers which seem to thrive here and no place else. The current runs along the wall and through the tight space created by the underwater island, the reefs are thriving, with every inch of space covered in life. While the coral gardens are certainly nice to drift through, it is the sandy substrate that holds the real secrets of Nudi laying Anilao. These seemingly featureless sloping eggs seabeds nestled between the reef systems offer some exciting, if not legendary, critter experiences. Consider first that this tiny little peninsula is home to more than 1,000 described nudibranch species on its own, and you will begin to get a picture of the interesting fauna that exists here. What really makes the macro sites such a favourite is the abundance of ornate subjects that are camouflaged so well within their habitat that a guide is nearly Scorpionfish
mandatory for finding them. Some nudibranchs appear as nothing more than a wad of white thread all bunched together on the reef, while others are so large that they resemble hard coral. The slug known as the Miamira alleni has become one of the must-see subjects when visiting Anilao. At a glance, the hairy frogfish seems as innocuous as a ball of algae. Nevertheless, their appearance allows them to ambush their prey by remaining perfectly motionless. Once a victim enters into the strike zone, the hairy frogfish deploys its oversized lure. The movement excites the fish with the promise of a quick meal and as it moves in for the kill, the hairy frogfish inhales the fish using a quick gape strike. The mouth of the frogfish is so large and opens so quickly that it creates a vacuum of water, pulling in its victim entirely, before they are even aware of being in danger. It is subjects like the hairy frogfish that are so difficult to
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Anilao topside adventures
While the coral gardens are certainly nice to drift through, it is the sandy substrate that holds the real secrets of Anilao Blackwater diving
find that have made the dive guide’s services such a necessity in Anilao. Over the years, Anilao has developed its own society of ‘Macro Spotters’ to ensure that quality guides are well trained in the art of critter hunting. The guides assist divers and photographers to locate and observe the subjects that they want to see or photograph. The best dive guides in Anilao are all locals, born and bred, and no one knows these dive sites better than they do. If the critters on the substrate aren’t enough for you, then stay up late and try a little of the local nightlife - blackwater diving. Recently, blackwater diving has become yet another layer added to the diving element in Anilao, offering photographers the ultimate in photo-ops. Imagine drifting in the night sea, using a downline of lights to attract some of the ocean’s most-guarded secrets. Planktons and their predators, larval fish and settling subjects use these two bays as a nursery. If the coral gardens aren’t quite enough, then the blackwater dives will certainly send you into overload. Get up early, stay up late, dive, eat, sleep, repeat. Timing is everything for Anilao and the best diving can be seasonal. Plan to visit from mid-September through mid-June for the best topside conditions. The water is the coolest (22 degrees C) in February, while May is considered the high season, also offering the warmest waters (29 degrees C). Resorts can be hard to book last minute, so plan your trips accordingly and don’t forget, when you’re trying to decide which camera gear to pack, bring it all! n
The reefs are truly stunning
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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY OPENING UP THE APERTURE Following his last article on snoot lighting, Martyn Guess provides some insight into, and also tips on, opening up the aperture for an arty look to your images PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTYN GUESS
I
n photography, we are always looking for ways of showing a subject or a scene in a more-creative or dynamic way. In underwater photography, there has been a trend towards more surreal images, with photographers of note using slower speeds for motion blur and also more open-aperture images with dreamy and soft bokeh. The oceans are full of the most-vibrant coloured subjects and backgrounds and adopting more-creative techniques provide stunning and different images for our audiences (See tomato anemonefish). In order to start shooting with open apertures, we need to understand the technical effects of doing so. The technical bit about apertures: Aperture is one of the three elements that build up the exposure besides shutter speed and ISO. The aperture in a lens is an adjustable hole or, more technically, the diaphragm. A good analogy is that aperture is like the pupil of an eye. In low light conditions, the aperture or pupil generally needs to be large to let more light into the camera’s sensor and in bright light, the converse and the aperture, or pupil, shrinks to restrict the amount of light getting to the sensor. The aperture in the lens is reduced or increased mechanically by changing the aperture control in the camera. In photography, the aperture is measured by the F-stop scale. To confuse beginners (and some more-experienced photographers too), the lower the F-stop, the wider the aperture, and the higher the number, the smaller the aperture. The most-important thing to understand is that as the numbers rise, the aperture of the lens decreases to half its size with every stop, i.e. it lets half the amount of light onto the sensor. The opposite happens as the numbers reduce and by ‘opening up’ the aperture by selecting a small number F-stop, you are letting more light onto the sensor. It is important to understand this as we explore the effect of opening up the aperture on our images, as the exposure will need to be adjusted to compensate for this extra light by reducing either the ISO, or increasing the camera speed. (Check out my article for this magazine on ‘the exposure triangle’ for a
Best of Bunaken
Tomato Anemone fish opening image for article: Tomato Anemone fish taken with very wide aperture F2.8
more-detailed explanation). You should be using your camera in either Manual mode where you have complete control, or Aperture priority, whereby you can select the aperture and the camera then compensates for the exposure automatically. The main creative effect of aperture, though, is depth of field. DOF is the distance at which the subject will stay in focus behind and in front of the lens. If a large aperture is selected, the area of focus will be very small and visa-versa with a small aperture. In macro photography, traditionally images were taken with a small aperture for maximum detail and pin sharp focus, i.e. an F-stop of circa F22. However, tastes and creativity have changed and in order to portray subjects in a more-artistic way, more open apertures are used to give an almost-surreal and dreamy look to the subject. Apertures of say F4-F7.1 depending on the type of camera being used. Full Frame cameras, for example, will provide a nice blur or Bokeh at around F7.1-F10 and Cropped Sensor cameras or Mirrorless
ESCORTED BY MARTYN GUESS
29th Jan 2021 £2675 excluding flights
Holiday highlights... Join photo pro Martyn Guess on a workshop in the the heart of the coral triangle, the Bunaken Marine National Park with Siladen dive resort. The workshop package includes 8 nights garden view villa on an full board basis – optional room upgrades available. 21 nitrox boat air boat dives. Local taxes are prepaid. Return airport transfers in Manado are included. Ask for a quote to add international flights.
+44 1483 411590 www.scubatravel.com/photography Book your holiday with the...
BIOGRAPHY: MARTYN GUESS
Image 1: Anthias taken across the focal plane to retain sharp skin texture and eyes
Martyn has been diving for over 30 years and taking underwater images for nearly as long. He has been very successful in National and International competitions and regularly makes presentations to Camera and Photography clubs and diving shows as well as The British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSOUP) and other underwater photography groups. Today he shares his passion and knowledge - As well as teaching underwater photography courses he leads overseas workshop trips for Scuba Travel and his articles regularly appear in Scuba Diver Magazine. Image 3: Anthias with sharp eyes which are bang on the focal plane
cameras at F5.6 or even wider. When reading up about DOF, often F-stops quoted are for full frame cameras. A good comparison is F8 on a full frame camera equates to about F5.6 on a 1.5x cropped sensor camera, and F4 on Micro four thirds, 2 x crop cameras and F2.8 on a 2.7 x crop factor Compact. It is important to know also that the subject to camera distance and also the focal length of the lens will also impact on Depth of Field. I often use a 150mm macro lens for more bokeh than my standard 105mm will produce as generally the longer the lens the softer the bokeh. (See Image1). Be aware that cheaper lenses might display Chromatic Aberration at wider apertures – strong colour fringes appear around the edges of subjects especially in high-contrast situations. If this happens, try stopping down slightly (reducing the aperture). You can also suppress this fringing slightly in post processing. It is definitely worth investing in good quality glass to avoid much of this issue. The distance between the subject and the background using open apertures is important to understand too. For example, if you have a subject which is away from its background and select say F5.6, then the subject will still be sharp, but the background will be nicely out of focus. If you can select a subject or angle yourself so the subject is closer to the background at the same F5.6 aperture, then everything will become more blurred depending on how close you are. In macrophotography we tend to be close, so this helps with creating a more out of focus look. The position of the subject is important at wider apertures. If you want to blur the background more but keep the subject more in focus, then the subject needs to be across the focus plane and not receding back, i.e. from nose to tail. See the image of the anthias in Fig 3 taken at F5.6. The difference between open apertures is subtle but the bigger the difference, the more marked. I quite often when working a subject will take the same shot with a range of apertures. In Fig 2, there are two images of the same blue-
ribbon eel taken at F7.1 and F10 on a full frame camera. The reduction in the detail and the softness of the background bokeh are quite marked. At F10 you can still make out the teeth but when taken at a wider aperture they become quite blurred. It is important that however soft the image becomes the subject’s main features are kept sharp. In subjects such as fish, then the eyes have to be ‘bang on’ the focal plane – the sharpest point of the focus. See fig B of the anthias. The eyes are sharp, but the rest of the body and the background are soft. I use single point or 3D tracking focus so that I can move the focal point exactly where I want it so that part of the subject is sharp. For mirrorless cameras, select continuous AF as the camera will find the subjects eye and hold it in focus even if you recompose and put the subject to one side.
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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY Image 2: Blue ribbon eels taken at F7.1 and F10 to show subtle difference in sharpness/blur
It is possible to adjust the aperture and control the depth of field to exactly where you want it. In the image of the box cowfish, I wanted the facial pattern as sharp as possible, but the background and the foreground blurred (fig 4). This was taken at F10. It is worth using the cameras DOF Preview button. This works better with Mirrorless cameras than with Full frame or Cropped sensor cameras, but it is possible to see what is in and out of focus with different apertures. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, when you open the aperture a lot more light is let into the sensor. While the exposure can be adjusted to compensate for the light it is also important to keep an eye on the Histogram to make sure that highlights in the subject have not been blown out. In Macro photography we also use strobe lighting and therefore the power of our strobes need to be turned down and the highlights checked constantly. One of the lenses I like using is a manual Trioplan 100mm, which is known as the soap bubble lens. Mine is a modern version of a lens that was originally manufactured over 50 years ago. This is shot wide open at F2.8 (See Fig 5). I have found it difficult to restrict the light getting into the sensor and use my strobes on the absolute minimum power and with two stacked diffusers fitted. I also sometimes shoot with a Neutral Density filter which has a 67mm thread so that I can screw it onto the outside of the port when needed. You can
Image 4. Box Cowfish to show control of depth of field
Image 5. Blurred Skunk Anemone Fish taken with Trioplan 100mm at F2.8
buy cheaper versions of this filter than you would normally use on land cameras, as they tend to get a little bashed and salty. The main issue with this is that the brightness through your viewfinder is less, so it becomes harder to see the subject, but they work very well to restrict the light getting through to the sensor and become another ingredient in getting the right exposure. I use the ND filter with my other macro lenses when taking very open aperture shots and where the subject is light coloured. The subjects in these instances reflect light which needs to be compensated for. You can get a similar effect as this with your macro lens by shooting at the widest aperture you can but watch out for chromatic aberration. Try opening up the aperture on your next dive and see how creative you can be! Happy snapping! n
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Q&A: DR LAURA WALTON We chat to Dr Laura Walton, who through her website: www.scubapsyche.com, aims to offer her services to everyone from non-divers to professional divers IMAGES COURTESY OF DR LAURA WALTON, YVONNE PRESS (DARK HORIZON DIVING) AND MAREK RUDNICKI
Q: You are both a diver and a clinical psychologist. Which came first, and when did you seen the benefits of combining the two? A: That’s an interesting question because they’ve been running in parallel for well over a decade now. If pressed, I’d have to say the interest in psychology came first, because I didn’t try scuba diving until after I’d began working towards the career in Clinical Psychology. I was diving for three or four years before I qualified as a Clinical Psychologist. After that I worked in the NHS while also training as a PADI Divemaster, then teaching as an Instructor at Deep Blue Scuba, Edinburgh… eventually buying and running the centre with friends. I remember seeing the benefits of applying psychology in diving from dive one, in fact I do not think I would have continued diving if it hadn’t been for psychology. Initially, it was a way to help myself through the various challenges we face as divers. But when I started diving as a professional guide and instructor, helping other people to dive, I realised how useful it could be to all divers. Q: You operate in the diving world via your website: www. scubapsyche.com, and as well as dealing with divers on a one-to-one basis, you also offer online courses. Tell us how these online courses came into being. A: As anyone who’s ever shared a ride from Loch Long with me knows, if I wasn’t thinking about diving, I was thinking about the psychology of it. Whatever happened at the dive site, or even in the pool, I’d be working through psychological explanations. During the week at work, I’d learn something new and get excited about how it helped me to understand scuba diving. For years I’d been talking about how dive
psychology should be a thing, but didn’t really know what to do about that. In 2015, I set up the first version of the website, mainly to have somewhere to write down all these ideas. I also created PADI Psychological Diver as a course to share all of the theory that helped me over the years. There was so much of it I decided it would work well as an online course that divers could work through at their own pace. As the website grew, more divers talked to me about the problems they have in diving, so I created more courses as a way for people to access useful information.
Laura has various onine courses
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The first dive. That moment you realise there is a hidden world underwater, and you can breathe there
Sidemount on a shipwreck
Q: You offer a wide range of courses, aimed at everyone from non-divers to professional divers. Who do you think can benefit the most from participating in your courses, and why should they sign up? A: I’m a recreational diver, and an instructor, so most of my courses are aimed at recreational scuba divers. However, what I cover is not found in diver training so it can be something that technical divers and professionals have not had the chance to learn about - not formally at least. I’ve found that knowledge of psychology has been like having a toolbox for times I’ve had difficulties in diving, and it’s hard to know of course, but I think it’s helped me avoid problems. It offers ways to understand why we do what we do, or what has got us stuck. Q: As well as your courses and one-to-ones, you also use your website as a host for all manner of interesting and useful information that people can access for free. What was the thinking behind that service? A: Essentially it evolved. At first I used the site to collect links to other people’s work in the psychological aspects of diving. There was surprisingly little! Then I began to explore my own ideas in writing, long essays that delved into deep topics. But as I heard from more and more divers, I realised there were common Laura in dive problems that I was able to explain. Also, instructor mode the issue with setting up a dive psychology service is that there hasn’t been one before. So nobody knows it exists, and no one thinks to look for ‘dive psychology’, so I make resources that fit with the actual problems divers look for help with. Q: You help people wanting to get into diving who are feeling anxious, but also, are there to offer support for those divers who have experienced a distressing or traumatic incident. Do you think enough people are aware of the psychological
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impact of a diving incident, and how can we raise the profile of this side of diving? A: It’s well known that scuba diving, (with correct training and procedures) is actually a pretty safe activity. But so is driving a car. Similarly, bumps and crashes are a possibility. In most cases, people are a bit shaken up, but gradually work through it. This is easier when people are able to talk about what happened, can make sense of what went wrong and work out how to avoid it in future. The impact of distressing, or even traumatic incidents, on divers is not well-researched. So, it is hard to say how much of an issue it is, but, because I have an interest in this area, people tell me about their experiences, and so I know it does affect people. Occasionally, divers do experience ongoing issues following an incident, sometimes subjectively minor ones that turned out okay… but left an impact. For some people, they simply stop diving, for others, they work through it. But for some people, things get stuck, and it’s quite common that when divers ask me for help, they are really keen to dive, but having a lot of trouble getting/ staying in the water and enjoying being there. And, I think there is often a silence around that, on that last point it’s creating spaces to talk about these incidents in a way that is
healing, and also highlights what we can do to avoid similar things happening again. Q: As we always do in our Q&As, we like to find out your most-memorable diving moment. A: The first dive. That moment you realise there is a hidden world underwater, and you can breathe there. Q: On the flipside, what is your worst diving experience? A: Probably one that had nothing to do with diving! On the themes we are talking about, one that was particularly intense was, as a Divemaster trainee, going with an Instructor and students on a PADI Advanced course (I can’t say worst, because I learned so much from it). It was the Deep Adventure dive, max 30m. Being Loch Long, it was pitch black, and then one of the students stirred up the silt, got a little freaked out and the vis dropped to zero. All I could see was two torch beams flashing, eventually I figured out one was the Instructor and the other was me, but I couldn’t see the student I was buddied with. A few seconds later I caught sight of her and held on. The instructor decided (quite rightly) the dive was over and signalled to me to start ascending with my buddy as she kept sight of the others. Relieved, I started to ascend with her. But, checking my computer I saw we were going nowhere, we were sinking. Stressed and task fixated I kept finning, trying to pull her up.
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The combination of narcosis, psychological stress and hypercapnia meant I was feeling the full effects of a near-panicked state… including the aptly named ‘sense of impending doom’ – I really thought we were going to die. In the foggy thinking, I slowly realised that the reason we were not ascending was because she was negatively buoyant. So I signalled she add air - she didn’t, so I did it for her. We began to ascend in black water. At about 5m, the instructor met us, and I pretty much threw the student at her with relief! Back on the surface, that same student reflected that ‘the deep dives are not much different from 18m’, I smiled, and encouraged her to swim to shore. Q: What does the future hold for Dr Laura Walton and www.scubapsyche.com? A: I’m continuing to work out dive psychology as a specialism, helping divers who are stuck and also more preventative psychology too, and learning as much as I can. In the past, such a specialist service for a small but widely spread community would not have been an option. However, as the evidence for online work is growing, it is now possible to work across a wide geographical area online, which means being able to gain the experience and knowledge needed to offer this. I’ll also be teaching people to dive at The Fifth Point Diving Centre, Blyth. And for me, lot’s more diving, I hope. n
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lying into Roatan off the coast of Honduras, the reasoning behind the name of the country becomes clear. Honduras means ‘the depths’ in Spanish, and there is deep blue water everywhere you look. Roatan and the other Bay Islands of Guanaja and Utila are part of Honduras and less than an hour from the mainland. Roatan, once the territory of Spanish conquistadors and pirates, sits on the southernmost point of the second largest barrier reef in the world. These extensive reef systems draw in divers from all across the globe, and the islands are bustling with dive activity. After organizing gear and getting a good night’s sleep on board the Roatan Aggressor, we made our first dive off Roatan’s far western point at a location called Eel Reef. Upon arrival at the site, I was surprised to observe a platform surrounded by several small boats. The Honduran flag was flying above the few people who were clearly preparing for an event. When I asked about what was taking place, I learned it was the Freediving World Championship. Teams and individuals from five continents were on this small island to participate in a sport that pushes the limits of the human body. I cannot imagine what it would be like to freedive to depths over 100m without fins and hold my breath for over four minutes. There is nothing like the
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thought of that to make me feel grateful to have a tank of air on my back and scuba gear at the ready. It made me smile to know that I would be able to take my time to truly soak in the reef scenes and marine life below.
WALLS, WRECKS AND REEFS Depending on the weather conditions, the Roatan Aggressor’s itinerary includes well-known sites around the island of Roatan, and then crosses to Utila, Cayos Cochinos and an extraordinary seamount just off this small island. Over the two weeks I was aboard the boat, we dodged two big bullets – Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The weather was still respectable
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Michele Westmorland was captivated by the underwater delights around Roatan, in the Bay Islands of Honduras PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHELE WESTMORLAND
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for us and although we could not cross to Utila, we still had plenty to explore. Tavianna’s Wall, our first stop, is a place to look at small subjects as well as the bigger reef system and fish life. This variety makes it difficult to choose which lens to put on the camera, but I was lucky – I had more than just the one dive at the wall. I planned to shoot macro on my first experience here because I heard there were some tiny creatures that snaked in and out of the reef structure. It took patience to find them and rest near a tiny little hole in a rock to watch for the male sailfin blenny to appear. It took even more patience to wait for him to come entirely out of his protected space to flare his pectoral fin in a territorial display. The next dive on Tavianna’s, we left the little creatures and headed for the larger corals, sea fans and marine life that form a winding pattern of structure and colours throughout them. What is actually a school of fish was, in my opinion, a ‘herd’ of blue tang. They moved over the reef, quickly stopping to munch on algae on the coral, then tromping on to the next mound providing the food source for a hungry mass of blue. It is a beautiful scene to watch but must be done hastily as it is challenging to keep up with these reef cleaners.
The signature location in Roatan is Mary’s Place. Divers can remain shallow or explore the cracks that formed when a peninsula broke apart in a powerful earthquake. The cracks are anywhere from three to ten feet in width and are full of coral. With good timing, divers can not only enter and exit the swim-through, but they might find it filled with thousands of silversides. If that doesn’t pan out, maybe a free-swimming moray eel out for a day of hunting will surprise you. We had more than one dive to look for creatures and the highlight for me was the discovery of a small frogfish who chose a picturesque location to settle in – a purple vase sponge. There he was, perfectly perched with antennae out to lure in a nice dinner morsel. Half Moon Bay, located on the north side of the island, displayed a variety of interesting fish life – and behaviour. Angels and eels were present in large numbers but what I wasn’t expecting was to come across a red-lipped batfish. This is a species I have only seen once in the deep waters of Cocos Island off Costa Rica. I had no idea they could be found here in Roatan and in only 20m of water no less. What was even more humorous than the fish with lipstick was a Nassau grouper, which appeared to like the attention
Silversides swarm inside the wreck superstructure
Frogfish
The spacious external dining area Wall diving
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Divers above a healthy reef
It is a multi-level ship with lots of ladders, a large bridge area and plenty of holds to explore
The Roatan Aggressor
ROATAN AGGRESSOR YACHT SPECS Length: 40 metres Beam: 7 metres Passengers: 18 Staff: 6 1 Master Stateroom with queen-sized bed 8 Deluxe Staterooms
Green moray eel
of divers. He nudged, prodded and came right up to our dive masks as everyone admired the frogfish seemingly trying to tell us ‘Hey! Pay attention to me!’ In another fascinating encounter, I notice a pair of indigo hamlets. Normally, I only see one at a location but these two had more amorous plans in mind. It was remarkable to watch them dance around each other then rise in the water column to continue their courtship ritual. Interestingly, they are somewhat unique in that they possess both male and female reproductive organs but do not practice self-fertilization. When they do find a mate, they take turns between which one will act as the male and which is the female. These colourful
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beauties are not at all interrupted by the voyeurism of divers. In 30 years of diving, this definitely was a first. Since the weather was not co-operating for traveling to Utila, heading south from Roatan to the small island grouping called Cayos Cochinos was a welcomed diversion from Roatan. It is a peaceful location made up of two tiny islands away from the hubbub of Roatan. The surrounding reefs are in a Marine Protected Area managed by the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation and part of the well-known Meso-American Barrier Reef. No wonder we had the opportunity to experience the reef shark population! Cara A Cara, which is Spanish for ‘face-to-face’, is just that. Divers are face-to-face with many
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Caribbean reef shark
predators coming in close including sharks and grouper. My personal favourite was a dive site named Toon Town. Want to guess where the name was derived from? Certainly not from any cartoon characters, but instead from the enormous numbers of tunicate colonies. At first, I did not see much in the way of these purple colonies until I rounded a corner on the reef. The little bunches of them looked like patches of flowers blooming across the reef. Honduras and the Meso-American Reef is also known for many pirate stories and sunken ships. Divers do not have much chance of seeing remnants of the wooden ships of the past, but there is certainly a fabulous selection of vessels, large and small, that are used today as artificial reefs. I found diving three of the most-known sites on my list of favourite diving experiences on this trip. El Aguila is the remains of a 70-metre ship that was originally used as a concrete carrier. In 1997 she was sunk as an artificial reef and although now broken up a bit from a hurricane in 1998, she is still a dynamic home to many species from morays and grouper to the smallest of critters. Since we had the chance to make multiple dives, all the divers on our boat came to the surface completely satisfied with the experience. This was especially true for Chris and Patricia.
Roatan’s wrecks are heavily encrusted with marine growth
The wrecks make great props for photography
With good timing, divers can not only enter and exit the swim-through, but they might find it filled with thousands of silversides 46
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The wreck of the Odyssey
The reefs are truly stunning
The Bay Islands boast clear waters
There was no one, with the exception of the two Mikes conducting the Jim Church School of Underwater Photography courses, who knew what was to happen. I had a confused look behind my mask when I saw a little sign brought out that said ‘Will You Marry Me?’. Even better was the confused look on the bride-to-be’s face when she saw the sign from Chris and a ring in his hand. We shared moments of celebration both underwater and later on board the Roatan Aggressor congratulating them with a glass of champagne. While the other wrecks were dived on several occasions, The Odyssey only gave us one chance. Sitting in 33m, she is a large 100-metre freighter and Roatan’s largest wreck dive. The ship was sunk as an artificial reef in 2002, but already hosts plenty of large predator fish and has good sponge coverage. It is a multi-level ship with lots of ladders, a large bridge area and plenty of holds to explore. Because of the depth, it does
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require a more-experienced diver to investigate the massive wreck. The one dive I made was exciting and had me wishing I could get back to it again. It will just have to wait until another trip to Roatan. That brings me to the smallest but mightiest of the wrecks in Roatan – Mr. Bud. It is sometimes listed as an old shrimp boat, but many say it was a small cargo vessel at a mere 25 metres in length. It sits in 20m of water while the bridge is only at 15m. It sounded rather boring at the initial dive briefing, but I can tell you that I was never bored the multiple times I explored its small spaces. I discovered anemones on the hull hosting a species of shrimp I had not seen before, then turned to watch sergeant majors make circular patterned egg nests. Toward the end I had a great time in the wheelhouse with thousands upon thousands of silversides inhabiting the interior. What a great time trying to photograph my dive buddy swimming through and being encircled with the massive school of tiny fish. When we passed the location of the freediving competition on our way back to port, I wondered ‘Who won? What depth? From what country?’ Those thoughts quickly faded as I looked back on the magical creatures and underwater habitats my air supply had allowed me to see in the water around Roatan. Sometimes being slow and steady really does feel like winning. n
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SI’S
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ndonesia is well known for some of the best ocean diving in the world. I know, I have been fortunate enough to log numerous dives from East to West. But in Southeast Sulawesi, this little cave diver had her experience of a lifetime, searching for caves in dense jungle, swampy mosquito ponds, and inside local villages. Equipped with the absolute A-team as dive buddies and surface interval entertainment, it was hard, sweaty work, but worth every second! Over the years, I have spent much time cave diving in Florida and Mexico. All my training has been done in these caves that, between the two countries, are diverse and challenging in their own ways. Once my initial cave training was concluded, I had the pleasure of joining my husband Rasmus Dysted when he was travelling with his groups of cave diving students. And when we went for our own private ‘leisure trips’, I had the joy of joining shorter expeditions, scouting for new caves in the jungles of Mexico. I loved every dive, and every challenge the caves would hand me. And then, after eight years as a smitten cave diver, the ultimate challenge presented itself - a cave exploration expedition in Southeast Sulawesi. It all started when a Malaysian friend invited us to come cave diving with him in Indonesia. Neither Rasmus or I had heard of any cave diving worth travelling for in Indo, but we were assured that they were ‘highly decorated, but yet, still vastly unexplored’. He said this casually, almost apologetically. It didn’t take long before we were in contact with the instructor of our Malaysian friend, who was indeed cave diving on mainland Sulawesi and out on the island of Wakatobi. It turned out that Robin Cuesta, a French dive instructor and cave explorer, had been setting up his base on Wakatobi, and sporadically over the last few years, explored a vast number of caves that were found in the apparent area.
A crack team of cave divers embarks on an epic adventure to seek out the cave systems beneath Sulawesi in Indonesia, but as Maria Bollerup explains, just getting to the potential caves was an experience in itself PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETE MESLEY, RASMUS DYSTED AND MARIA BOLLERUP
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Talking to Robin, we understood that he had found a ridiculously high number of caves in Southeast Sulawesi, most still needing mapping. He further explained that the northern part of Pulau Buton (Butur area) was completely unexplored, but showing several sinkhole prospects on Google Earth. That’s all the convincing we needed. Flight tickets were booked, and gear lists were created. We knew it would take a lot of hiking, possibly some climbing, and hopefully extended hours of explorative diving. This became the first time where our bags were just as heavy with climbing gear as with dive gear. Hauling a few kilometres of cave line, 70 metres of climbing rope, harnesses, carabiners, helmets and OC sidemount gear, along with kit for multiple stages on small Indonesian airlines, was in all honesty the biggest mental challenge of the whole expedition! Luckily, we got around carrying camera gear as well. Calling up our good friend Pete Mesley, the infamous wreck explorer, for some advice on camera lightning, Pete barely heard the full story before he burst out with an oath of joining – ‘I am in Maria, this is too good to miss!’ As a diver, you know how important it is to have a trustworthy buddy, and for exploration diving, the skills of the team is inarguably what gets you home alive. Rasmus and I have been diving together for years, he is the most skilled and composed diver I have ever come across, and I’d trust him with my life. Cave goddess Jill Heinerth and Rasmus taught Pete to cave dive, and Pete has been running wreck expeditions in some of the most-remote parts of the world, so if anyone would be a positive addition to the team, it would be Pete! And also, he loves (with sparkles in his eyes) taking his camera underwater, and since one of the most-important things on an expedition is documentation... The team was complete. After meeting up with Pete and Robin in Bau Bau, and checking all the gear that had been collected by a joint effort, we took to the road and headed north. Our initial base would be the small town of Ereke, and the drive up there involved nearly eight painful hours on the main road, which consisted of muddy jungle track and battered ‘sporadically concreted’ roads with potholes perfectly positioned to best secure the absolute destruction of your internal organs. But arrive we did, and found ourselves staying at the only Fossilised coral and shells
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The villagers look on in amusement
hotel in the area. It is safe to say that this is far… FAR… from a tourist area. The fact became apparent upon arrival in Bau Bau, where I jumped in the back of an open truck with all our gear. As we drove through town, people were waving and squealing as if they had never seen blonde hair before. This turned out to be nothing compared to the reactions we caused further north. I have never had people waiting in line to take selfies with me before. To secure best chances of a positive outcome, Robin had prepared a team to help carry gear, fill tanks, and talk to the local community for hints on potential water-filled caves. We also were accompanied by another cave-diving team on this first part of the trip. Two local Indonesian cave divers and their Russian buddy Igor (of course) would be one team, Pete and Robin another, and Rasmus and myself a third. Beside the cave-diving exploration teams, an ocean exploration team joined in on the party too. The coastal waters in the north are still vastly unexplored and, this American/Indonesian team spent several days scouting prospective ocean dive sites. But that’s a whole other story, and not mine to tell. Spending the first few days checking out the lakes and sinkholes that stood out like sore thumbs on Google Earth, it quickly became apparent that caves were present all over. The whole area is limestone and perforated to hell with brackish water. But we also found cave and lakes with tidal water, coral sponges and saltwater fish. The potential cave entries were spanning wide in their location and feel. We were optimistic and eager to push as many first entries as possible, in the hope of finding the ‘mother system’ that would open up enough for us to dedicate our time to explore it in depth.
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COMPUTERS • O2 CELLS • GAS ANALYSERS CABLES & CONNECTORS • REBREATHER PARTS PATHFINDER STROBES • SENSORS TOOLS • SOLENOIDS Preparing for a check dive
But so far, this system was still in hiding. We found many caverns, and smaller systems with either shallow water or horrid visibility. We were treated to daily unforgettable experiences with the village residents, who were so inquisitive at what we were doing. My personal favourite moment was when we got led to the pond inside a local village. Rasmus and I were to do the exploratory dive on this potential lead, after Pete had scouted the immediate entrance with a little three-litre tank, mask and fins. My heart was racing when he surfaced with his corrupted Kiwi/Zimbabwe accent and calmly said: “I think we might actually have something there, eh?”. This one could go both ways. It was crystal clear, and disappeared down into two tunnels, but it was also in line with a few other ponds, which could mean that it was part of a simple fracture, and not a system. Robin, who has spent much time studying the geography and the caves further down South, couldn’t kill my excitement though. After I had changed into my wetsuit in some kind lady’s house (she was now the star of the village), Rasmus and I walked back down to the pond. Chickens and goats fled in all directions as we were closely followed by a growing crowd of playful kids and curious adults eager to see what strange things we were going to do. Unfortunately, this too was a dead end. Rasmus and I
When doing an initial scouting dive on a prospect cave, it is a constant balance of your own safety and being as sure as possible if the cave goes or not
Maria heading off on an exploratory dive
followed several tunnels, which all ended depressingly narrow. Too narrow and too silty to continue, but I was struck by the beauty of the fossils that the cave was carved out off. Rasmus was laying the line, which gave me time to study the surfaces of corals and shells from the ancient coral reef. Finding the caves became more and more challenging. We had checked the ones that were near the roads, and Pete’s drone came in handy to fly over patches of jungle that seemed extra dense with higher trees (a good indicator that there is water beneath), or smaller lakes that were more challenging to get to. But before all the gear gets hauled to the water,
Some of the caves were stunning
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We were optimistic and eager to push as many first entries as possible, in the hope of finding the ‘mother system’ that would open up enough for us to dedicate our time to explore it in depth a volunteer jumps in the water with a little three-litre tank, speedos (not mandatory), fins, mask and a light, of course. This check could prove either simple and short, or longer and a little more intimidating. Also, for the ones waiting on the surface. At one of the prospective sites, Rasmus was doing the scouting dive. This was a little lake outlined by stunning mangroves and a thick blanket of mosquitos. Rasmus has done plenty of these checks in the past, but as his bubble trail disappeared from the surface, and a white cloud started spreading in the lake, my heart skipped a few beats. My anxiety was unnecessary. His smiling face emerged back on the surface. “There are tunnels trailing off in three directions, one tunnel for each team,” he announced. The entrance was as deep as 14m, with an initial slope down to 22m. Rasmus and I laid the main line, and picked the tunnel to the right, which dived down around a corner to 28m, opening up to a small chamber, with white silty walls. The chamber split the cave into two tunnels, one was a vertical drop, the other moved back on itself and ended at 31m. Having previously discussed and agreed upon safe parameters with regards to gear limitations and remote location, we tied off the line and turned the dive to avoid decompression. The small chamber had lost all visibility due to percolation (our bubbles hitting the ceiling), so the rest of our exit was in complete silt-out. The tunnel Pete and Robin explored also went way beyond the point we could go on this trip. The days were slowly turning, and even though we were checking high and low, bushwhacking in dense jungle looking for signs of cave entries, finding small systems and laying quite a bit of line, the team was starting to get antsy. There was obviously cave here, but where was that grand system we were hoping to discover? Robin, a man of many talents, speaks Indonesian. And by chance, he stopped the right man on a scooter, as we were driving away from another little hole in the ground. This man led us to a stunning dry cave. It was very cool, ducking down under the jungle like a cone with a little pond at the bottom, stalactite formations on the walls and bats in the ceiling. I volunteered to do the scouting dive on this one. It felt right. So I undressed down to my swimwear, and let myself slip into the crystal clear and chilly water. This place felt good. There was no silt, just bare rocks and carved down coral reef. With the three-litre tank under my arm, I was weighed down enough to gently pull myself down through the crack and
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The entrances to some of the caves were extreme
a little deeper into the cave. I took it slow, savouring every second and enjoying the fresh water after the sweaty hike. As I slowly sank down to the bottom of the first chamber (a mere depth of 2m, a perfect little pool) I saw a crevice in the wall, dictating the obvious path of the tunnel. As I neared, I realised that the restriction might be tight for us, and most definitely a no-mount restriction for some of the team members. But in my bare skin, I could easily glide through the lips to follow the tunnel around a corner, where it opened up into another small chamber. Here, the cave ducked down through another restriction, this one was too narrow. This too, was a dead end. Before swimming back out, I sat down with my back facing the wall. Just for a little while, enjoying the space of the cave. When doing an initial scouting dive on a prospect cave, it is a constant balance of your own safety and being as sure as possible if the cave goes or not. This avoids having to carry all dive gear to the sites only to find that the cave goes nowhere. Our time up north was over. We packed up all our gear, and headed back on the intestine-killing roads. It never got any easier crossing numerous fragile wooden plank bridges that shrieked with decay when we crossed over them! n Next month: The team ventures into previously found caves to push the exploration on further, and are blown away by what they discover.
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What’s New
APEKS VX1 AND RK3
The Apeks VX1 mask and RK3 fins are now available in a striking new colour – a stealth-like gun-metal grey. Designed and produced in Italy, the VX1 is a frameless mask that is lightweight and low-volume, and with the pure clear lens, it provides maximum optical clarity with no distortion. The quick-release buckles with stainless-steel rollers allow easy adjustment for the bestfit, even while wearing dry gloves. Matt and gloss areas on the surgical-grade silicone skirt create a better seal and improve fit and comfort. It is supplied with a comfortable silicone mask strap and an additional neoprene strap, all in a resusable zipped protective case. Designed in collaboration with the US military and renowned for outstanding performance and reliability, the RK3 is a rugged thermoplastic rubber fin featuring an over-sized foot pocket to accommodate drysuit boots and a spring strap for easy donning and doffing. The short, wide blade provides maximum forward thrust while maintaining great manoeuvrability. www.apeksdiving.com
FOURTH ELEMENT EXPEDITION SERIES Fourth Element‘s bright-orange Expedition Series duffel bags, which are available in a range of sizes, from 60 litres to 120 litres, have become a familiar sight at dive sites around the country, as well as on airport luggage belts. Now, the orange version has been joined by a vibrant blue edition, available in the same three sizes – 60, 90 and 120 litres. The bags are made from heavy-duty mesh PVC and the base is double-lined for durability. They come with shaped and padded rucksack straps, and high-quality clasps. Buckles and compression straps complete a rugged specification. www.fourthelement.com 54
AQUA LUNG DYNAFLEX
The Dynaflex range, in 5.5mm and 7mm, is a complete modular wetsuit system, with premium styling and features. It offers environmentally friendly, great-looking thermal protection in a wide range of dive conditions. All the suits feature male and female styling with their own unique colour scheme, YKK zipper with smooth-skin inner flap, high-quality Supratex abrasion protection, ergonomic panels with double-glued, double-thread seams, and a removeable right-hand-side 3D pocket. They are made from high-quality neoprene, including nonoil-based products or polyaromatic hydrocarbons – Aqua Lung uses eco-carbon from recycled tyres. www.aqualung.com
THERMALUTION HEATED GLOVE SYSTEM
Thermalution, who brought you the heated vest (which could be used under a wetsuit or a drysuit) and full heated undersuits, have now released a heated glove system. You can get these as standalone products, or you can add them on to existing Thermalution undersuits (some they can just be added into the system, others will require new batteries – if in doubt, contact the Thermalution team). These would be perfect underneath a dryglove system, such as KUBI DryGlove System, but as they can be used wet, they can even be used under a wet glove. They are depth-rated to 100m, have three heat settings, and via a nifty magnetic switch, you can turn them on/off and adjust the heat settings on the fly even while you are diving. www.thermalution.com
HOLLIS, OCEANIC AND ZEAGLE NECK BUFFS
Huish Outdoors has released multi-purpose neck buffs for their brands Hollis, Oceanic and Zeagle. The buffs, which are fully machine washable, can be used as a face guard, beanie, do-rag, neck warmer and more. www.huishoutdoors.com
MARES PSYCHO CALAVERA
Hand’s down winning the title of ‘coolest name for dive kit’, the Psycho Calavera is a limited-edition single-cylinder backplate-and-wing set-up. It comprises of a 16-litre donut wing, 3mm aluminium backplate, 6mm aluminium black D-rings, black buckle, standard webbing harness, two tank straps with aluminium black buckles, and black flathead bolt screws. Weighing in at just 2.7kg, the backplate-and-wing is light enough to be the ideal travelling companion, and its one-size-fits-all harness system, means it can adapt to any body shape and size. The name – Psycho Calavera – relates to the funky designs on the backplate itself and the wing. This eye-catching colour scheme is inspired by famous Mexican celebrations, apparently. www.mares.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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THIS ISSUE: MID-PRICE REGULATORS Each month, the SCUBA DIVER test team assembles to rate and review a selection of dive equipment from a range of manufacturers. Products are split into price categories and are then evaluated for performance, comfort, ease of use, build quality, looks and value for money. The Test Team comprises Editor in Chief Mark Evans and a squad of volunteers, whose dive experience ranges from a couple of hundred dives to well over 7,500.
MID-PRICE REGULATORS
This issue, we are back in the water after a forced hiatus due to COVID-19, and once again, we are looking at one of the most-vital pieces of the modern divers’ kit bag - regulators, or more specifically, middle-ofthe-price-range regs. Without a solid, reliable reg, you aren’t going anywhere underwater, as this is your true life-support system. As many of our readers dive in all year round in a range of temperatures, we generally test regulators in February and March, when water temperatures are at their lowest in the inland sites - much to the chagrin of the Test Team members - but because of the coronavirus, we have ended up testing the mid-price and top-end regulators in July instead. We push the units to their max by extensively purging them underwater and topside, over-breathing them underwater to simulate a panic situation, breathing them in every orientation, working any Venturi and/or cracking resistance controls, and various other trials - if they can handle this over-the-top usage, they can handle a normal diving situation. A large array of manufacturers produce regulators, and our aim here at Scuba Diver is to give you the widest selection in each review. We have a good array from Apeks, Zeagle, Hollis, Mares and Scubapro. Aqua Lung and Atomic Aquatics are missing as they had nothing available in this price bracket.
ON TEST THIS MONTH: • APEKS XL4+ • HOLLIS 150LX / DC7 • MARES DUAL ADJ 52X
• SCUBAPRO MK21 / C370 • ZEAGLE ONYX
Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis www.viviandivecentre.com Date tested: 10/07/20 Water temp: 11 degrees C 56
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APEKS XL4+ Blackburn-based Apeks Marine Equipment has been around for over 40 years, and since that time the company’s regulators have found a special place in the heart’s - and kit bags - of many divers. The XL4+ is one of their newest regulator effectively an XL4 but with an added highpressure port and a nifty white colour scheme - and as with its predecessor, was designed from the outset to be a very lightweight, travelfriendly unit, but crucially, also cold-water rated. The body of the second stage is reminiscent of the lightweight Flight reg, except this has a large purge on the front, and an easy-to-operate venturi lever. This over-balanced diaphragm reg features an innovative over-moulded first-stage endcap, one high-pressure port, four lowpressure ports and comes with a braided hose. The XL4+ is a nice-looking regulator, especially with that white finish, and its subtle styling is matched by a stunning performance. The first stage is chunky but quite compact, while the second stage is extremely small and lightweight - you almost don’t feel it in your mouth. The Comfo-Bite mouthpiece is also very comfy. The large purge is easy to locate and depress, and the Venturi, while fairly small, can be operated even with thick gloves. The wide exhaust tee disperses exhaled bubbles well clear of your face. www.apeksdiving.com
CHOICE 2020 GROUP TEST
REGULATORS
TECH SPECS & VERDICT VENTURI: Yes | CRACKING RESISTANCE: No | PROS: Compact, lightweight, smooth breathe, comfortable mouthpiece. CONS: No cracking resistance control.
SCORE
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* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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HOLLIS 150LX / DC7 Hollis popped back into the market with a bang last year, and the 150LX follows on nicely from where the 100LX left off in this price bracket in 2019. The 150LX features a braided hose and large venturi lever, and has a big purge. It can also be converted from right-hand to left-hand. It has four low-pressure ports and two high-pressure ports on its DC7 first stage, which is pneumatically balanced and chrome-plated brass. As with all Hollis regulators, it comes with a lifetime warranty, only requires a service every two years - and you get service kits free-of-charge for the life of the regulator. It is easy to see the benefits of being part of the Huish Outdoors family. The super-comfy mouthpiece, which is soft but has harder inserts in the ‘bite’, is very reminiscent of Atomic Aquatics. The breathe is smooth and dry in all orientations, and the big, chunky venturi lever, which has a rubber grip built in, is easy to use even wearing drygloves, as is the monster purge, which is effectively the entire front of the second stage. It looks good too, in an understated way, with the 316 stainless steel elements, and I like the red-and-black colour scheme. www.hollis.com
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TECH SPECS & VERDICT VENTURI: Yes | CRACKING RESISTANCE: No | PROS: Good-looking regulator with well-designed venturi lever. Two-year service interval. Lifetime warranty. CONS: No cracking resistance control.
SCORE
•••••••••
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MARES DUAL ADJ 52X Mares were absent from this price bracket last year, and it is good to see them back in the mix with a new regulator. The Dual Adj is made from an ultralight technopolymer, which is abrasion resistant but extremely lightweight, making it ideal for coldwater use, but also for travel. It features an oversized purge button, superflex braided hose, and a chunky knob on the side for adjusting the cracking resistance of the inhalation effort. It incorporates Mares’ VAD (Vortex Assisted Design), an air bypass tube which delivers air to the mouthpiece, creating a swirling vortex with a low-pressure area in the centre that keeps the diaphragm down during inhalation, for easy breathing at all depths. It is paired with the trusty 52X balanced diaphragm first stage. This has double DFC (Dynamic Flow Control) ports, which minimise intermediate pressure drop during inhalation, thus maximising gas delivery. The 52X also has an NCC (Natural Convection Channel), which increases cold-water performance by creating a flow of water across the regulator. It also has pre-orientated lowpressure and high-pressure ports and a neat pearl-chrome finish. It provided a smooth breathe in all positions, and the cracking resistance control gave a nice degree of control to the user. www.mares.com
TECH SPECS & VERDICT VENTURI: No | CRACKING RESISTANCE: Yes | PROS: Well-made, high-performing regulator, at a stunning price point. CONS: No venturi control.
SCORE
••••••••••
* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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SCUBAPRO C370 / MK21 Scubapro has been churning out highquality dive gear for over 50 years, and the MK21/C370 certainly slots into the roll-call well. The MK21 is Scubapro’s most-compact air-balanced piston first stage has a compact chrome-plated brass body and boasts four low-pressure ports and two high-pressure ports. The C370 second stage body is made from fibreglass reinforced nylon and now features a balanced valve and new exhaust tee. It retains its good looks, though - when SubGear was still in existence, the earlier incarnation of this was their regulator for the next price bracket up. It is one of only two regs in this price segment to feature both a venturi lever and a cracking resistance control. The MK21/C370 is a nice little unit, with good looks matched to a decent performance. It was nice and dry in all positions, coped admirably with whatever we threw at it, and the venturi - and in particular, the cracking resistance control - really did make a difference to the breathe. Nice large purge, comfy mouthpiece, neat first stage and awesome price point. www.scubapro.com
BEST VALUE 2020 GROUP TEST
REGULATORS
TECH SPECS & VERDICT VENTURI: Yes | CRACKING RESISTANCE: No | PROS: Venturi and cracking resistance controls, smooth breathe, good looks, amazing price point. CONS: Nothing significant.
SCORE
••••••••••
* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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Dive into happiness WWW.FIJI.TRAVEL
ZEAGLE ONYX II Zeagle is a US brand that has built up a strong following for its robust, wellmade BCDs, and it looks set to follow suit with its regulators. The Onyx II blends an environmentally sealed balanced diaphragm brass first stage equipped with two high-pressure ports and five low-pressure ports with a thermoplastic second stage via a flexible braided hose. This was one of only two regs in this price bracket to feature both a venturi lever and a cracking resistance control. The Zeagle Onyx II is a great-looking regulator, benefitting from a stylish metal insert into the front of the second stage around the large, soft purge, which belies its price point and you’d be mistaken for thinking it was in the next test bracket. The first stage, with its black finish, neatly sets it off. In the water, it breathed effortlessly in any orientation, and the venturi and cracking resistance control really made a difference to the air flow, allowing us to finetune it. The mouthpiece is very comfortable, and the exhaust sends exhaled bubbles up the side of your head. This is one of the more-expensive regulators on test, but it has plenty of features of merit, and it has a fantastic performance to match its eye-catching good looks. www.zeagle.com
TECH SPECS & VERDICT VENTURI: Yes | CRACKING RESISTANCE: Yes | PROS: Looks bely the price, great all-round performance, venturi and cracking resistance controls. CONS: First stage is quite heavy.
SCORE
••••••••••
VERDICT Regulators are something we rely on underwater, so you want to know you can count on it, and none of these regs was found wanting, despite some, shall-wesay, robust testing! In the Best Value category, it was a close-run thing between the Scubapro MK21 / C370 and the Mares Dual Adj 52X. The Mares Adj is a capable unit, with an excellent performance, but the Scubapro just took things to another level, and at an amazing price point. It is a bargain, and well deserves the Best Value Award. The Choice category was a tougher battle. The Hollis 150 LX / DC7 put up a good fight, and is a great regulator, offering up decent performance at a good price, but in the end, it was between the Apeks XL4+ and the Zeagle Onyx II. Both the Apeks - in its previous XL4 guise - and the Zeagle had been recipients of the Choice Award. In the end, there was not much to separate the two, with both offering sublime performance, solid build quality and good looks, but the Apeks just pipped the Zeagle to the post for the Award. * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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FOURTH ELEMENT HYDRA Mark Evans: I started out my drysuit diving, many moons ago, in a 7mm non-compressed suit, which was undoubtedly very warm, but gave you that classic ‘British diver’ silhouette, with your arms out from your sides as if you were carrying a box under either arm. People often used to think we walked around like that as a bit of a swagger, but really it was just that was the natural shape of the suit and it was too much effort to fight against it! Now things have moved on massively in the world of neoprene, but so has the development of trilaminate, and so I went from being a hardcore neoprene drysuit user to a huge fan of trilaminate suits, which are just so lightweight, comfortable, easy to get in and out of, and quick-drying. So with that in mind, why would anyone go the neoprene route? Well, there are various plus points for neoprene. One, it is easy to fix with neoprene glue if you happen to snag it on something sharp, and two, the closer fit of a neoprene suit more-closely resembles a wetsuit, and so is perhaps less-daunting for those coming from warmer waters due to the familiarity. Also, neoprene suits are usually cheaper than trilaminates, and due to their inherent warmth, do not require such a thick, bulky undersuit. The downside is they are heavier than trilaminates, and take longer to dry than their neoprene counterparts. So, there are pros and cons to both types of drysuit. Now there is a new neoprene drysuit on the market, and it comes from Fourth Element. One look at the Hydra and you can tell its heritage – it has all the design flair and attention to detail we have become accustomed to from the Cornish company’s range of wetsuits, and their existing drysuit, the trilaminate Argonaut. The Hydra is made from high-density neoprene, which is compressed from 7mm to 4mm, which is a great combination of the thermal protection afforded by neoprene but with a greater consistency of buoyancy at all points of the dive. The outer surface of the high-density neoprene is laminated with a hard-wearing fabric, which offers superior abrasion resistance, while the inside has a smoother lining to aid donning and increase general comfort. There are Supratex linings in critical wear areas, such as under the arms and in the crotch, which provide extra toughness without limiting movement. The shoulders, waist and knees, which are the points that will get maximum wear, there is a Durawear print for additional protection. All of the seams are fused and blindstitched before being taped in the inside, while the outer seams are treated to plasma finishes. The Hydra suit has a traditional cross-shoulder rear-entry zipper, but inside of the usual brass zip, it is a composite YKK dry-xipper – as used in the Argonaut – which is more flexible and lighter in weight.
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Fourth Element’s excellent 4mm compressed neoprene dryboots are fitted as standard, and their combo of doublelayer reinforcement, good grip and ergonomic footbed make them exceptionally comfortable. I had been looking forward to trying the Hydra after seeing it in the flesh at previous dive shows, and the production version did not disappoint. It is a smart-looking suit, with nice use of printed graphics, especially the huge Fourth Element logo on the back – you are not going to be missed in this suit! I had not dived in a neoprene suit for a long time, but even by those standards, the Hydra is – by design – a slim-fitting suit. You will not get a thick undersuit under it. I opted for a base layer, but if you wanted additional warmth, you could wear an X-Core vest around your torso. I was not cold after an hour-long dive in 11 degrees C water. The neoprene wrist and neck seals are very comfortable, and I am already a big fan of the Fourth Element dryboots, as they are the same as fitted to my Argonaut. The cut of the boots allows lots of ankle movement for delicate finning actions, and the Velcro-closing webbing strap helps prevent air migration into the feet. That said, the very close fit of the Hydra really keeps air movement to a minimum, and I could
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see this making the transition from wetsuit to drysuit not such a daunting process. Even though it is a close-fitting suit, the 4mm compressed neoprene does have some flex to it, and underarm gussets help retain a high degree of movement for this kind of suit. One thing I noticed immediately was the unusual inflate and dump valves. These Apollo Bio-Dry items were completely new to me. I had used a side-inflate valve once in the past, but the vast majority of inflate valves on the market have a push button on the front, so I was surprised to see a hinged side-inflate button on the Hydra. However, while it might be different from the norm, it worked extremely well, and I quickly got used to locating and pressing the lever with my thumb. The shoulder dump was brand new to me. In fact, at first, when I was faffing with the suit fresh out of the bag, I was trying to twist the entire thing to open and close it, before I realised that a small slider was all that was needed to render it open or closed. I have to say, I was a little dubious about this, especially as to how easy it would be to locate and operate this slider when wearing neoprene gloves on cold hands. How wrong was I! In use, I found it very easy to get my finger on to the slider and move it to open or closed, or
wherever I wanted it in between. I was able to easily adjust the deflate rate, and when fully open, it certainly vented nice and fast. It is also a nice, compact design. Overall, I was very impressed by the Hydra. It is comfortable, easy to get on and off, gives you ample movement, and combined with a decent base layer will keep you warm and toasty. This is not a ‘technical diving’ suit. It has some nice features – the comfy boots, the valves, the YKK dry-zipper – but it lacks pockets and some of the other features found on the more-technicalorientated (and more expensive) Argonaut. It is aimed at recreational divers who want to dive in colder waters comfortably, not spend a fortune, and have a good-looking, high-performing suit. And it more than ticks all the boxes on that front. The Hydra comes with a Hydpro Smooth Pro low-pressure hose, which is a braided hose encased in a polyurethane coating, which ensures low friction, flexibility and excellent durability, a 5mm neoprene Fourth Element hood, and a Hydra bag, which doubles up as a changing mat. The nifty Hydra drysuit bag is also available separately. www.fourthelement.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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Series focusing on conservation projects in and around Australia and New Zealand, as well as further afield on our ocean planet
Livestreaming turtle hatchlings
I
n the midst of the worldwide Covid pandemic, it is heartening to hear stories of the natural world going on as normal, especially from places that are popular destinations for divers. Even more so when it concerns baby turtles. A conservation organisation in Sabah, Malaysia, has taken a unique way of bringing these uplifting stories to many - by livestreaming turtle hatchling releases online. SEAS (Sea Education Awareness Sabah) has released over 500 green turtle hatchlings from nine nests since the start of this year, with eight nests due to hatch during the next four weeks. So far five of these have been livestreamed in a bid to lift the spirits of many who may be in quarantine, or unable to travel as usual. The Mabul Turtle Hatchery, run by SEAS with permission from the Sabah Wildlife Department, is based at the dive operator Scuba Junkie’s Mabul Beach Resort, a mere 20-minute boat ride from the iconic Pulau Sipadan. The hatchery, which has been in operation since 2011, has released over 16,000 turtle hatchlings to date – of which 5,000 were released in 2019 alone, their busiest year yet. David McCann, Conservation Manager for SEAS, said: “In the past, many of the releases have been witnessed by tourists to the island – adding a major bonus to their diving vacation. This usually happens at sunset or in the early evening, when we gather people on the beach to form a ‘guard of honour’ for the hatchlings, as they make their first crawl towards the ocean.” “It is a fantastic sight – the hatchlings move surprisingly quickly, with a quirky gait. It is an experience that people remember for years afterwards.” He continued: “Since the COVID pandemic and travel restrictions started, obviously there have been no guests to witness the hatchling releases. But people haven’t forgotten us or our work - we are getting messages from people asking if there are any baby turtles. So, we decided to livestream the releases, and it has proven remarkably popular.” The livestream is hosted on both the Scuba Junkie SEAS and Scuba Junkie Facebook pages. The videos have also been shared with people via email, as well as being picked up and shared by bloggers and PADI. “It’s been amazing to get such positive feedback,” said
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David. “People are thanking us for brightening their day, when really they are giving our morale a boost, inspiring us to keep going with our conservation programmes in these uncertain times. “We hope that when the current crisis is over, people will come back and be able to witness it in person again and get involved in our conservation projects once more. “Turtle conservation is only one of our conservation programmes here at SEAS. We actually have six conservation areas - sharks, corals, turtles, tackling marine debris, supporter engagement and eco-friendly resort. “As well as the hatchery, we also operate the Mabul Turtle Rehabilitation Centre in collaboration with the SWD’s Wildlife Rescue Unit, where we rescue and treat sick or injured turtles before releasing them back into the wild.” David explained: “We are fortunate enough to live and work within the Coral Triangle, the region of highest marine biodiversity on Earth. As divers, we get to experience the beauty of the underwater world – it is only right that we give back in some way by acting to assist conservation efforts in this area.” A key part of SEAS work is engaging people in conservation efforts to protect the unique marine ecosystem in Sabah. “If the recent COVID lockdown means that we can’t do it in person – we will find other ways to do so. Livestreaming the turtle releases is an easy way to remind people of the beauty of the world out there, keep spirits up and bear in mind that when this crisis is over, we can return to places we love,” said David. n www.sabahtourism.com www.scuba-junkie.com
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THE NEW STANDARD IN
EXPLORATION DRYSUITS DISCOVER THE NEW OTTER ATLANTIC DRYSUIT... the choice of diving explorers worldwide. Whether you’re pushing the boundaries of exploration or just diving for fun, choose the drysuit that is a cut above the rest...
MARKET-LEADING FEATURES... l NEW Seamless underarm pattern
for even greater flexibility l NEW turbo boots with ankle strap l Telescopic body with crotch strap
and front entry zip l CHOICE OF RipStop, Armour Skin
or ultra-tough Kevlar material
l Large bellowed Velcro side pockets l Strong internal braces l OPTIONAL Made to measure available l OPTIONAL SITech ring system l OPTIONAL Otter balanced pee valve l OPTIONAL KUBI glove ring system
l CHOICE OF Apeks or SITech valves
0% FINANCE ASK US ABOUT OUR
SPREAD THE COST! Only available to UK residents over 18, subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. We may pay brokers some consideration if they introduce business to us.
WWW.DRYSUITS.CO.UK l SALES@DRYSUITS.CO.UK
OTTER DRYSUITS THE CHOICE OF EXPLORERS WORLDWIDE
AMBER OCEANOGRAPHER
D420 REGULATOR
“RELIABLE, NATURAL BREATHING AND EASY TO MAINTAIN.”
DEEP DOWN YOU WANT THE BEST
OAHU, HAWAII