EXPLORING THE MALDIVES
SCUBAPRO HUD
LOST IN A SHIPWRECK
BYRON CONROY AND LENA KAVENDER VENTURE ON THE EXPLORER LIVEABOARD
THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS THE SCUBAPRO HEAD’S-UP DISPLAY COMPUTER
PETE MESLEY RECOUNTS AN INCIDENT ON THE MIKHAIL LERMONTOV
Does this AUSSIE SUPER-SITE live up to expectations?
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Kids Sea Camp in Fiji
‣ Scholar ‣ Photography hints and advice
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EDITOR’S NOTE AUSTRALIAN ROADTRIP TO THE LEGENDARY FISH ROCK DIVE SITE In this edition of the magazine we feature part one of my road trip to northern New South Wales (NSW), and the legendary Fish Rock dive site, located at the small town of South West Rocks. With bush fires still raging in many parts of the country, it might seem like a strange time to go on a road trip to some of the areas that have been affected. However, now is a good time to visit some of the amazing dive destinations that these fire-ravaged locations offer and to help get these struggling communities back on their feet. While researching a recent post on our news feed, I was struck by the difference in the way sharks are portrayed in the media. The same story drew the following headlines and commentary from two different media outlets: Hundreds of sharks are filmed lurking in shallow water just metres away from stand-up paddle boarders and swimmers at a popular beach The frenzy included a number of species, including thresher and hammerhead sharks. While the other reported: Why hundreds of baby sharks were seen ‘sunbathing’ at Great Barrier Island Incredible drone footage showed the juvenile sharks swimming close to the shore of Tryphena. Use of the word ‘lurking’ and ‘frenzy’ cast the sharks in a negative light, as if they were doing something wrong. In fact, all they were doing was congregating in shallow waters for protection from larger predators. It is no wonder that sharks have such a bad reputation with such sensationalist reporting.
Adrian Stacey Editor-at-Large (Australia and New Zealand)
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Mark Evans Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com
DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER Matt Griffiths Email: matt@scubadivermag.com
CONTRIBUTORS
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND AND SOUTHEAST ASIA TEAM
Adrian Stacey Editor-at-Large (Australia and New Zealand) Tel: +61 422 611 238 Email: adrian@scubadivermag.com
Mario Vitalini, Byron Conroy, Pete Mesley, Deborah Dickson-Smith
Paul Lees Editorial Manager (Southeast Asia) Email: paul@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.
is a registered trademark of Rork Media. ISSN 2515-9593
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For some, adventure is sharing space with jungle cats on a safari, or passing time in the midst of the largest Asian elephant gathering in the world. For others, it’s diving crystal blue waters watching rays glide among rainbow coral or getting up close and personal with a giant whale shark. However you define adventure, let Aggressor take your expedition to the next level. Small groups, decadent meals, luxurious accommodations and amazing service are what sets our journeys apart and helps you create an experience you’ll never forget. Whatever your destination, choose your adventure with Aggressor!
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AGGRESSOR LIVEABOARDS
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OF
WORLDWIDE LUXURY TRAVEL
AGGRESSOR RIVER CRUISES
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+1-706-993-2531 · info@aggressor.com · www.aggressor.com · Bahamas· · Belize· · Cayman Islands· · Cocos Island, Costa Rica· · Cuba·
· Dominican Republic· · Egypt· · Galapagos· · Hawaii· · Indonesia·
· Maldives· · Mexico· · Oman· · Palau· · Philippines·
· Red Sea· · Roatan· · Sri Lanka· · Thailand· · Turks & Caicos·
EXPLORING THE MALDIVES
SCUBAPRO HUD
LOST IN A SHIPWRECK
BYRON CONROY AND LENA KAVENDER VENTURE ON THE EXPLORER LIVEABOARD
THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS THE SCUBAPRO HEAD’S-UP DISPLAY COMPUTER
PETE MESLEY RECOUNTS AN INCIDENT ON THE MIKHAIL LERMONTOV
ON THE COVER
P hotographer
Does this AUSSIE SUPER-SITE live up to expectations?
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‣ Scholar ‣ Photography hints and advice
ISSUE 21 | FREE MAGAZINE!
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PORTFOLIO SHOWCASING THE TALENTS OF STEVE JONES
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF: DIVEPLANIT
REGULAR COLUMNS
FEATURES...
6 News
18 The Maldives
A study into sharks and why people are afraid of them, cuttlefish wearing 3D glasses, new species of walking shark discovered, first training on the Mares Horizon SCR, turtles dying from red tide in Mexico, the effect of the Australian bush fires and how one woman survived them by using her scuba gear.
14 Medical Q&A
Dr Oliver Firth answers reader questions about vertigo and collagen issues.
74 Scholar
Joanna Smart explores the Great Southern Reef, which extends along the entire southern coastline of Australia and, while relatively unheard of, is just as important as its morefamous northern counterpart.
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Lena Kavender and Byron Conroy board the majestic Emperor Explorer liveaboard and venture off on an action-packed itinerary taking in some of the best dive sites in the Maldives.
26 Q&A: Sarah Richard
Scuba Diver chats to Sarah Richard, the founder of Girls That Scuba, to find out how she first got started in diving, and what drives her passion regarding women in the sport.
30 Underwater Photography
Seasoned underwater snapper Mario Vitalini provides some insight into how you can make your photographs stand out by using different speeds of exposure.
34 Photographer of the Month
Each month we focus our attention on one particular underwater photographer, and showcase some of their best images, alongside a short Q&A. This issue - Dan Bolt.
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CONTENTS
...CONTINUED
GEAR GUIDE
39 7 best places to dive with sharks
62 What’s New
In this issue’s Diveplanit column, Deborah Dickson-Smith highlights seven of the best places in the region to get up close and personal with various species of shark.
40 Australia
It took ‘our Man in Australia’ Adrian Stacey five years to finally get round to diving the iconic Fish Rock dive site and meeting its resident grey nurse sharks, but would the legendary location live up to expectations?
48 Fiji
Well-travelled photo-journalist Al Hornsby heads to Fiji for the very first time, and as it is a Kids Sea Camp, he’s got his wife and young daughter in tow!
56 TECHNICAL: Lost in a shipwreck
Being lost in a shipwreck has to be one of a wreck diver’s greatest fears, and as Pete Mesley explains, it can happen after something as simple as a misunderstanding of communication.
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New products recently released, including the Mares Dual and Dual Adj regulators, Fourth Element’s Hydra drysuit, and Scubapro’s MK235 Evo/D420 regulator and MK19 Evo/D420 regulator.
64 Gear Guide: Test Extra
Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans heads for North Wales to dive the innovative Scubapro HUD (head’s up display) dive computer, and sees how warm the Bare Evowear keeps him in truly cold-water conditions.
72 Long Term Test
The Scuba Diver Test Team reviews a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Roho X-Flex Solo drysuit, Mares Genius dive computer, Apeks XL4+ regulator, and the Aqua Lung AquaFlex wetsuit.
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Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on our various social media (@scubadivermag) www.scubadivermag.com.au
ARE YOU SCARED OF
SHARKS?
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has revealed new national research that uncovers Australians’ attitudes towards sharks, with the objective to help raise awareness of and help reduce the threats that the species face in the wild PHOTOGRAPHS BY DHIMURRU INDIGENOUS LAND AND SEA RANGERS AND GHOSTNETS AUSTRALIA
A
re you one of the 72 per cent of Australians that are scared of sharks, or do you sit with less than five per cent of the Australians that know how many shark species there are in the world? In light of the international Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN’s) latest stats that reveal roughly 30 percent of the world’s shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has conducted national research that looks to uncover Australians’ attitudes towards sharks. Encouragingly, the research revealed that 77 per cent of Australians would support a national initiative to help reduce threats to sharks in the wild. The Aquarium now aims to use this insight to inspire Australians to respect, appreciate and live harmoniously with sharks and continue to work with experts to offer solutions to help reduce the risks that sharks face in the wild. Rob Townsend, Marine Scientist at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium says: “Looking into the attitudes of Australians has highlighted some really encouraging insights. 61 per cent of Aussies admitted that they didn’t know that such a significant number of shark species were in an imminent or severe status of danger and only 30 per cent of Australians knew that grey nurse sharks are critically endangered. While this highlights knowledge gaps, it also tells us there are huge opportunities to educate our guests on the topic of sharks. “Through our Animal Rescue Centre, daily Aquarist talks, feeds and interactive animal encounters, the team are committed to driving awareness, debunking myths and championing sharks. Just last month, we rescued and relocated a grey nurse shark from Lake Conjola and safely released it in to the waters off Ulladulla. We were informed by
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the DPI that a grey nurse shark had been isolated in the lake and with dropping water levels, increasing water temperatures plus the school holidays fast approaching, we were becoming concerned for the shark’s welfare and wanted to move quickly. We successfully caught and transported the shark in our custommade shark transport tank and then watched as she safely swam into the waters off Ulladulla.” “Grey nurse sharks are critically endangered on the East Coast of Australia, so it was particularly important to us that we released the shark back into the wild in the hope that it continues to breed and support the recovery of the species,” added Rob. Rescue operations such as this provide the team at SEA LIFE with the opportunity to remind the public that grey nurse sharks are threatened and highlight some of the challenges they face in the wild. Another major threat to sharks in the wild are ghost nets - lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets that are drifting in the ocean currents, ensnaring, harming and killing wildlife. These floating nets trap other nets, plastic and organic debris, as well as a range of fish, turtles, seabirds and marine mammals and are often referred to as the ocean’s silent killer. “Today, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is unveiling a four-metre-long sculpture of a grey nurse shark that was created by Ghost Net Art Project. This beautiful sculpture is a heartbreaking reminder of the major threats that sharks face in the wild,” added Rob. Ghost net art has proven to be a great vehicle for alerting the general public to the damage that ghost nets inflict on the marine environment. Sue Ryan from Ghost Net Art Project says: “We were honoured to work with SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium on the creation of this grey nurse shark sculpture. The net was collected by Mapoon Aboriginal Community Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers from beaches around their community on the eastern side of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The sculpture took a team over 160 collective hours to create and will be displayed in SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium from February - we love creating engaging art that alerts the public to the alarming problem of marine debris and the deleterious effects it has on marine life and hope that by making the public aware of the dangers of ghost nets, we can help reduce its impact on wildlife.” When asked what they thought the top five biggest threats to sharks are, Australians responded: 1 - Illegal Shark Trade 2 - Commercial Fishing 3 - Plastic Pollution 4 - Habitat Degradation 5 - Ghost Nets Encouragingly, Australians were familiar with the impact of ghost nets - but this again highlights that there is an opportunity for the team at SEA LIFE to spread the message and highlight ways that the public can help. For more information, visit: www.sydneyaquarium.com.au
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ENDANGERED GREEN SEA TURTLES KILLED BY RED TIDE IN MEXICO Since Christmas nearly 300 endangered Pacific green sea turtles have been killed by red tide on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico. A red tide is cause by huge algae blooms that are so large that they turn the water red. They can be caused by warm ocean surface temperatures, high nutrient content, low salinity and calm seas. This can result in the oxygen in the water becoming depleted and toxins been released. The office for environmental protection said: “That autopsies showed the turtles had eaten sea salps, gelatinous blobs that may have accumulated the algae toxins.” Twenty seven turtles were saved by the combined efforts of the authorities, researchers and volunteers. To make matters worse, the green sea turtle is listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
GREAT BARRIER ISLANDS SHARK SPECTACULAR Residents of the Great Barrier Islands in New Zealand were treated to an amazing sight in early January when hundreds of sharks congregated at a local beach. While not everyone was pleased to see them, most people enjoyed the spectacle. Hundreds of juvenile sharks were reportedly sunbathing in the shallow water off Gooseberry Flat Beach in Tryphena. Several species of shark were spotted, including juvenile hammerheads, thresher sharks and schooling sharks. Hammerheads are know to have nurseries in the area. One local, Sarah Judkins, whose son Zach took some amazing drone footage of the event, said: “There has been a lot of talk of sharks in Tryphena this summer, but I was not expecting there would be quite this many! Sharks of all shapes and sizes were basking in the sun along with the swimmers at Gooseberry Flat!” Shark scientist Riley Elliot said there was nothing unusual about them being there. “They’re sharing the same space because perhaps that environment is indicative of the sharks being safe, because it’s shallow and it’s warm and it’s a good place for the little guys to hang out. They’re there for a reason – likely to hide away from predators.” Elliot said: “These days, New Zealanders generally have a positive perception of sharks, and that’s reflective of our healthy marine ecosystem.”
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THE STATE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S JETTIES The Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia (SDFSA) was invited by the South Australia Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) to prepare a written submission on what should be considered in a State-wide jetty management plan. Jetties are important structures for the sports of scuba diving, freediving and snorkelling as locations for training, unique dive experiences, marine citizenscience research, and underwater photography. They are also easy dive sites for those with disabilities. The State’s jetties serve a South Australian diving community of 50,000 certified divers. They have the potential to attract thousands more from a global community of 28 million active divers. The SDFSA submitted four recommendations: Put in place a standard for a safe and useable jetty and maintain jetties to that standard. That standard should consist of: • Safety and accessibility: Good design of wide stairs with non-slip treads and handrails, and subsurface platforms; Availability of safety equipment (life buoys, etc); Discourage the potential presence of sharks (enforcing rules against dumping unused bait, etc); Clear signage and enforcement of rules (eg, no spearfishing); Consider accessibility for disabled persons taking up the sport. • Related amenities to support divers: Adequate parking near jetties, benches for gearing up and places to lock gear trolleys near jetty stairs; Shade/sun protection, seating, toilets and fresh water sources. • Ecosystem protection considerations: Enforce littering fines for those who damage the ecosystem by allowing plastic bags and other debris to blow into the water; Consider ecosystem impacts of changes to jetties (damaging ecosystems through the removal of pylons; ensuring jetty surfaces allow light penetration below).
• Priority jetties to address: Edithburgh, Port Hughes, Second Valley (stairs, accessibility); Edithburgh and Rapid Bay (amenities), Kingscotte and Vivonne Bay jetties (revitalizing tourism on Kangaroo Island); All jetties, but Second Valley and Rapid Bay in particular (signage). • Address impediments to jetty maintenance: Repair jetties in a timely manner; Consult with stakeholders when major works will be done on jetties that might irrevocably change their character (such as removing pylons or resurfacing with materials that block sunlight to waters below); Put mechanisms in place for long-term funding; Invest in research that will increase our appreciation of the value of the scuba industry to the State economy, and find ways to promote SA diving nationally and internationally. The full report is available on the SDFSA website: www.sdfsa.net
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WOMAN DIVES INTO HER POOL ON SCUBA GEAR TO SURVIVE BUSH FIRE An Australian mother-of-two survived a fierce bush fire that tore through her property in Conjola – by donning her scuba tank and taking cover in her swimming pool. Marine biologist and oceanographer Samantha Kneeshaw was the only person at home on New Year’s Eve – her husband David and teenage daughters Darcy and Manny, along with the family dogs, were safe in Ulladulla and Milton after leaving earlier, before the fire warning was announced – when she got a call from a neighbour saying a bushfire was heading her direction. As the fires approached, the 45-year-old put her wellprepared fire-plan into action and watered down her property, but once there was nothing more she could do, she donned her tank and regulators and sheltered in her pool. She didn’t have her mask, so was unable to see properly, and spent some ten minutes submerged in the shallow end of the pool as ash and debris came down around her. When she emerged, she was astonished to see that the only damage to the house was two cracked windows and melted bathroom vents – the homemade roof sprinkler system and firefighting pump she’d installed had managed to keep the fire at bay. The intense heat had scorched most of the leaves off the trees and bushes on the four-hectare property, and the flames had killed seven of the family’s eight chickens and a rooster.
Barefoot luxury in the heart of Indonesia
FOUR NEW SPECIES OF WALKING SHARKS DISCOVERED OFF AUSTRALIA Four new species of walking shark have been discovered in the waters off Northern Australia and New Guinea, almost doubling the current number of known species to nine. The walking shark, part of the Hemiscylliidae genus, also known as bamboo or epaulette sharks, gets its name from its ability to ‘walk’ using its fins. While it might be a little bit generous to call what they do walking, they have adapted to the environment very well. They use their pectoral and pelvic fins to crawl over the rocks during low tide to give them access to prey that would otherwise be out of reach. The walking sharks were discovered during a 12-year study with Conservation International, the CSIRO, Florida Museum of Natural History, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Dr Christine Dudgeon from the University of Queensland said: “Data suggests the new species evolved after the sharks moved away from their original population, became genetically isolated in new areas and developed into new species.”
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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
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CUTTLEFISH IN 3D GLASSES EXPERIMENT In a recent experiment, scientists placed miniature 3D glasses on a cuttlefish and showed it some films. While this may sound like something that was dreamed up after a few to many drinks at the staff Christmas party, the people involved did have a very clear objective. The experiment was designed to ascertain if cuttlefish use depth perception to hunt. Previous experiments on octopus and squid had shown that these creatures do not have 3D vision, so the team from the University of Minnesota wanted to discover if the same could be said of cuttlefish. A cuttlefish was placed in a tank, the glasses were attached and a shrimp was projected onto the wall of the tank. The cuttlefish would then move into a strike position and attack using its tentacles. PHOTO CREDIT: DR TREVOR WARDILL / The glasses help to make the shrimp appear WWW.WARDILL-LAB.COM in 3D and more life-like and the use of the projector allow the scientists to alter the perceived distance of the shrimp. The results showed that the College of Biological Sciences, said: while the cuttlefish could still hunt with just one eye, it was “How the cuttlefish reacted to the disparities clearly much quicker when it had the use of both. This was a clear establishes that cuttlefish use stereopsis when hunting. When indication that the creature uses depth perception much only one eye could see the shrimp, meaning stereopsis was not possible, the animals took longer to position themselves like humans. correctly. When both eyes could see the shrimp, meaning The use of depth perception is known as stereopsis, it they utilized stereopsis, it allowed cuttlefish to make faster is the perception of depth produced by the brain when it decisions when attacking. This can make all the difference in receives visual stimuli from both eyes in combination. catching a meal.” Trevor Wardill, assistant professor at the university’s
THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH FIRES AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE OCEANS AND WATERWAYS With the bush fires in Australia ravaging the country for many months, there has been much debate about the roll that climate change has played in this catastrophe, and the effect that the fires had on the oceans and waterways. The Climate Council reports that these horrendous bush fires were aggravated by climate change. They post that ‘for well over 20 years, scientists have warned that climate change would increase the risk of extreme bushfires in Australia. This warning was accurate’. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the past decade was the hottest on record. The Sea Save Foundation Commented: “The scale of damage to the environment above the water is clear to see. So far, over 18 million acres of wilderness have been affected by fire, including national parks and other protected areas. The tragic loss of life is unimaginable; already at least 24 people and over one billion mammals, birds, and reptiles have died (according to 8 January estimate by University of Sydney ecologist Chris Dickman.) They go on to say “With the burning of the forests carbon is released, not only is the excess carbon bad for the climate, but it is also dissolving into the oceans, where it becomes carbonic acid, which gradually increases the acidity of the sea, making it hard for plankton and juvenile shellfish to form their calcium shells. These animals are the base of the entire ocean food chain. Anything that affects them will impact all marine life.” Already the impact on some of Australia’s waterways is evident. The fires in NSW are believed to be responsible for the mass deaths of hundreds and possibly even thousands of dead fish in the Macleay River in the mid-north coast of the state. A spokesman for the NSW Department of Primary Industries stated: “Current rainfall events are adding ash from the extensive bushfires throughout the region into local catchments, as well as other organic material and sediment. This can cause rapid drops to oxygen levels in the water.”
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FIRST MARES HORIZON SCR TRAINING CONDUCTED IN AUSTRALIA
December 2019 saw the first training conducted in Australia on the innovative Mares Horizon SCR. From 7-10 December, two candidates were put through their paces by Mares Horizon SCR trainer Chris Serfontein at Manta Lodge on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland. Paul Leslie, XR Instructor Trainer, from Adreno, and Dan Fitzgerald, XR Instructor Trainer from Manta Lodge, will be the first two Mares Horizon SCR instructors in Australia once they complete the required hours on the unit. Rubens Monaco certified on the Mares Horizon SCR several days later, and will be delivering training on the unit in the Melbourne area. www.mares.com
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MEDICAL Q&A IEN R F DIVING WITH
DS
MALDIVES INDONESIA THAILAND EGYPT SPAIN OMAN MAURITIUS JAPAN CROATIA
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Dr Oliver Firth is a diving doctor with over 22 years of diving experience. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE and a medical referee for the UK Diving Medical Committee, performing many hundreds of diving medicals a year. As the senior doctor at London Diving Chamber for the last 13 years, he has supervised the treatment of hundreds of cases of decompression illness. He has now set up Hyperdive (www.hyperdive.co.uk) to continue his diving medical work with a global audience. With his accumulated experience, he has seen most things a diver might come across, but remains eager to hear from anyone with a medical conundrum they need a solution to! divingdoctor@scubadivermag.com Q: I have been diagnosed with EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, not sure which type but either classical or hypermobile). I get a lot of pain in my joints, muscles and nerves (and sometimes pins and needles in feet and hands). I also have bulging discs in my neck, occasional bouts of sciatica, and a winging shoulder blade. Should any of this stop me from diving? Carrying tanks, weights, etc, while diving didn’t seem to bother me in the past. Also, I was wondering if you think joint instability/EDS-type defects would predispose you in any way to DCS? A: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of genetic disorders, whose common feature is defective or inadequate amounts of collagen. The commonest type involves so-called ‘hypermobile’ joints, contortions of which were the stock-in-trade of Victorian circus performers. And so to diving. The issues I would anticipate are several. Due to the laxity of the joints, dislocations are common, so hauling your wet self and gear up a ladder in choppy waters might put you at high risk of a popped shoulder or hip. Degenerative joint disease can occur, which might render the joints more susceptible to damage from microbubbles in the long term, similarly to commercial divers. The pins and needles you experience could present us with the old diagnostic conundrum – is this your EDS or DCI? So being very aware of your pre-dive condition takes on extra importance. The other possibility is mitral valve prolapse (MVP), where the defective collagen renders one of the heart valves very floppy. MVP is quite common (five to seven percent of the population), and in general quite benign, but it can sometimes
cause chest pains, palpitations, and breathlessness. I don’t think any of this rules out diving completely, but sensible precautions and regular check ups would flag up any potential problems before they became apparent underwater. Q: On a trip to Thailand last summer my buddy had a case of terrible dizziness which has put her off diving completely. She was just recovering from a cold when we dived, had a bit of trouble descending but got down to 20m okay. The dive was fine but on the way up she looked like she suddenly panicked. Luckily we were at about 5m so she surfaced but missed her safety stop. She was choking and said she felt drunk, and vomited on the boat afterwards. It all went away quickly so we didn’t think it was DCI. Trouble is, I really want her to get back on the horse but she’s frightened it might happen again. What do you think the problem was? A: This has all the hallmarks of alternobaric vertigo. The left and right middle ear spaces are never perfect mirror images of each other, so it’s usually the case that one ear equalises slightly out of sync with the other. If for some reason one side clears and the other doesn’t, then different signals from each side are sent to the brain, and the poor thing can’t work out which pressure is ‘right’. Vertigo is the end result: the whirling sensation of spinning and drunkenness is the classic consequence, and nausea and vomiting often follow. Once the pressures in the ears become equal, the stimulus stops and the condition resolves. It’s impossible to guarantee it won’t happen again, but this is one very good reason not to dive with any hint of congestion.
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Byron Conroy and Lena Kavender board the majestic Emperor Explorer and venture off on an action-packed itinerary taking in some of the best dive sites in the Maldives PHOTOGRAPHS BY BYRON CONROY
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The vast salon
Stingray fly-over
O
ne of my favourite moments in regards to a liveaboard experience is waiting for the pick up before boarding the ship. That’s when I get the exciting task of guessing who else of the people around me I will be living, dining, and diving with for the next week. I find the best technique to spot fellow passengers already at the airport is to analyse suitcases, T-shirts or watches. You can typically identify a diver by one of those three items. While waiting at the Emperor Divers meeting point at a crowded Male airport, my partner and I spotted a couple around our own age accompanied by some Ursuit dive bags. I happily noted we would have some Finnish divers joining us! A liveaboard experience is so much more than diving. It’s a place where you get to know new people and hopefully make some friends with the same passion for diving and lust for adventures. My bucket list always tends to get a lot longer at the end of the week as fellow liveaboard guests tend to have a lot to share in terms of previous travels, experiences and recommended dive destinations.
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At the meeting point we were greeted by cruise directors Gabriel and Maria from Argentina. From Male harbour we were transferred by a traditional Maldivian dive boat, referred to as the Dhoni, before reaching the majestic-looking yacht Emperor Explorer, which was to be our home for the week. Once on board and with a chilled welcome drink in hand, we sat down in the saloon for Gabriel’s briefing and a crew and guest presentation. Emperor Explorer (www.emperormaldives.com) was built in 2019 and we were truly impressed by this 42-metre vessel. It’s spacious, luxurious, holds two bars with extensive drink menus and skilled bartenders, and oh, I almost forgot to mention the spa Jacuzzi. Yet the best part are the cabins. As we all know, liveaboard cabins have a tendency to be pretty tight and basic, with a tiny toilet where you can hardly move. We entered our cabin and realised that this was far from the truth here. We were thrilled to see a spacious double bed plus a single bed, a wardrobe for storage, desk for our cameras, and a large private bathroom with a five-star hotel-looking shower with complimentary toiletries. We spent the first afternoon and evening getting to know the other guests, filling out the beloved diving safety paperwork, having a fantastic dinner cooked by chef ‘Baby Anthony’ and a happy hour beer in the sunset bar. Diving was to start tomorrow morning with a 6.30am briefing.
The Fish Factory is an everyday Christmas dinner buffet for the marine life of the Male atolls WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU
Huge shoal of snapper
Manta rays
Turtle
WHO SAID CHECK-OUT DIVES ARE DULL?
I woke up well before my alarm went off and trust me, this only happens when I have a full day of diving ahead. It turned out we were doing the first dive at a manta cleaning station called Lankan Reef, located in North Male Atoll. Gabriel started by briefing us on the general dive procedures and then moved on to tell us about the dive site. We learned that there had unfortunately only been occasional manta sightings here this season, however since it was a check-out dive, the main focus anyway was to make sure everyone got a nice and easy dive with a chance to sort out weighting, equipment and dive teams. Sabre squirrelfish
DHONI DIVING
The main vessel has no dive deck, instead all diving is done from the Dhoni, which holds all the tanks, compressors, toilet, sundeck and everything you need for the diving. In most other places, the typical way to dive from a liveaboard is to either dive directly from the main vessel, or to have a small tender/ dingy acting as a shuttle to and from the dive site. I´ve been on quite a few liveaboards around the world, including working on one myself, and I now have to say I wish more liveaboards used Dhonis. It’s such a comfortable way to dive, no awkward cramped up backward rolls or ‘oh damn, my fin strap snapped!’ halfway through the bumpy tender ride. It also gives a lot more space on the main vessel by not having a dive deck. A short ride later and the Dhoni had arrived at our dive site Lankan. We geared up and did a giant stride into the water. While slowly diving along the reef wall I heard someone banging their tank and as I looked up a manta flew above my head! My partner and I ascended towards the top of the reef and we made it there just in time for the show. No less than 11 huge manta rays were circling around the cleaning station. They kept swimming back and forth, doing circles and loops. Our one-hour dive time limit was up in what seemed like a few short minutes. Back on the boat, Gabriel and Maria told us the previous record for this season was four mantas at this site, and today we’d had 11. What an incredible check-out dive!
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Vast shoals are a Maldivian specialty
SHARK MANIA
The day continued with two dives in the Rasdoo Atoll, seeing several good-sized grey reef sharks and eagle rays on both. In time for the night dive, we had made our way south and were now in the North Ari Atoll. The cruise itinerary for our trip was called The Best of the Maldives and includes North and South Male Atolls, known for beautiful pinnacles, grey reef sharks and eagle rays; Rasdoo Atoll for pelagic encounters; North and South Ari Atolls for whalesharks and mantas; plus Vaavu Atoll, famous for shark channels and nurse shark dives. At Miyaru Kandu and Fushi Kandu, we had the pleasure of doing two channel dives. A channel is where the open ocean connects with the shallower water of a lagoon, allowing water movement between the two. At incoming current, the nutrient-rich water coming from the deep is funnelled between the atolls, providing food for smaller fish which, in turn, attracts pelagic-like sharks. During our two dives here, we saw well over 50 reef sharks, but when the timing is right, there can be several hundred sharks patrolling these channels. The Explorer has plenty of space
Despite being two to three metres long and weighing as much as a human adult, the nurse sharks of Alimatha Jetty reminded me of puppies wanting to cuddle up in your arms 22
Nurse shark
NURSE SHARKS AT NIGHT
I’m typically not a huge fan of night diving on a liveaboard. After three nice day dives I’m quite happy to enjoy an hour or two with a good book while watching the sunset. I also find night dives to sometimes get a bit messy, with many boats going to the same places as night sites preferable should be shallow and with none to small current. However, the night dive offered at Alimatha Jetty was supposed to be something very special and for sure I was not missing out on this one. We arrived to Alimatha, located in Vaavu Atoll, in the afternoon. Being such a unique site we were to do an afternoon dive followed by a night dive. This, we were told, would give us the chance to observe two different behaviours from the resident nurse sharks living here. Gabriel told us there would be a lot of sharks and that they would come close. The truth is, there were hundreds of sharks and they would quite literally hug you and slap you around at the same time. Despite being two to three metres long and weighing as much as a human adult, the nurse sharks of Alimatha Jetty reminded me of puppies wanting to cuddle up in your arms. It seemed these guys were yet to learn the rule of no touching! This was an experience I will remember for a long time, and it also provided a great and unique opportunity for underwater photography.
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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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SOUTH ARI ATOLL The South Ari Atoll offers some of Maldives' best dive spots and a enormous diversity of marine life. Strong currents provide the atoll with enough nutrition so that even manta rays and whalesharks can be seen all year round.
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Vibrant reef adorned with colourful corals and sponges
THE BIG FISH
The following morning, we dived the 7th Heaven in South Ari Atoll. In Gabriel´s briefing, he mentioned a stunning wall painted with soft corals in all the colours of the rainbow, with soft coral-covered overhangs and beautiful caverns full of schooling reef fish and moray eels. The Dhoni took us to the site and I geared up. The second I was ready with my mask on and ready to jump, someone shouted whaleshark! I jumped, looked down and the whaleshark was right there underneath me. It was a young shark, five to six metres long, slowly and peacefully swimming along. I was having a magical moment where I could only see this majestic animal and everything else around me disappeared. A few minutes later I woke up from my whaleshark trance realising I should probably find my dive team (which by the way was just beside me in the same dream-like state of mind).
BBQ UNDER THE STARS
Eagle ray
As mentioned, a liveaboard experience is not just about the diving. It´s also a social event and a chance to see and experience new things. One night, the incredible crew of Emperor Explorer arranged a BBQ dinner under the stars on the local Island of Dhangethi. Despite being just 900 metres long, it´s the capital of the South Ari Atoll and inhabited by about 1,000 people. We arrived at the tip of the island on a paradise-looking beach with sand white as sugar and fine as flour. It was a funny feeling to feel the steady ground under your feet after close to a week of living on the ocean. A local artist had created a real-size whaleshark and a manta ray in the sand, lit up by candles in the dark. The BBQ dinner was fantastic and consisted of freshly caught snapper and emperor, chicken, beef and sweetcorn. Alongside all this, our chef Baby Anthony and his team had prepared pizza, pasta, salad, sauces, bread, tropical fruits and a mouth-watering fruitcake to finish off the meal. What a fantastic way to end the day!
THE FISH FACTORY
Bannerfish
On the last day, the Emperor Explorer was steaming back towards the Male atolls. The last dive of the trip we did was at the Fish Factory, and it turned out to be probably my favourite dive of the week. As the name suggests, there was a fish factory and the workers simply throw the inedible parts of the fish back into the ocean. Massive tuna heads and other fish scraps rest on the reef and sand of the island. This, of course, attracts a lot of other marine life looking for a free meal. This site is like swimming in an overcrowded fish tank. Stray more than three metres from your buddy and you won’t be able to see each other for all the fish! Bannerfish, surgeonfish and oriental sweetlips in thousands. The fattest giant moray and honeycomb moray eels I´ve ever seen, living up to five of them in the same hole. Schools of 12 stingrays constantly making loops around the area. Sometimes guitar sharks and even tiger sharks can be seen here. The Fish Factory is an everyday Christmas dinner buffet for the marine life of the Male atolls. An incredible sight - and what a way to finish a fantastic week of diving! n
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Q&A: Sarah Richard Scuba Diver chats to Sarah Richard, the founder of Girls That Scuba, to find out how she first got started in diving, and what drives her passion regarding women in the sport PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SARAH RICHARD
Q: When did you first get into diving, and how did you discover the sport? A: My first dive was in 2009 in the Maldives – I was hooked at first dive and knew, even at 19 years old, that I needed scuba diving to be a big part of my life from then on! Q: You worked your way up to Divemaster, and were based in some exotic locations – where did your professional diving career take you? A: My first professional job was in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia the wreck-diving capital of the world. It was quite a big jump, from recreational diving on the opposite side of the world to penetrating wrecks in Micronesia, but I embraced it and learnt so much there, from working on a liveaboard, to dealing with technical divers. After that I travelled around the Middle East, mainly diving the Red Sea, and it was then I started to build Girls That Scuba. Q: You got into Blogging through Coffee then Travel, how did that start? A: I started a travel blog when I was 23 on my first big backpacking trip. I travelled from Argentina to Mexico all on bus (minus one flight from US – Mexico). It took me eight months and 15 countries. As I travelled solo through Central America, I realised not many solo female travellers were writing about their experience, so I set up a blog and went about sharing my adventures online. A large part of that included scuba diving around these destinations, again something that was even less covered. After a few years the demand for scuba-diving content was rising and I decided to launch a dedicated site on diving, focusing on female empowerment and female issues in diving with more of a community feel - and Girls That Scuba was born.
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Q: How did Girls That Scuba come into being? A: Alongside seeing a demand for real-life scuba content, I noticed females weren’t really recognised or risen up within diving. I had personally experienced sexist behaviour in diving and knew that if I did more, women would have too. I started GTS as a private Facebook group in 2016 – a place where women could connect, celebrate each other and discuss problems or issues they were facing. Fast forward to 2020 in our fourth year, Girls That Scuba is now the world’s largest female dive community, with a network of over 700,000 members and followers. Q: What is your most-memorable moment while diving? A: It’s hard to pinpoint one moment. The first-ever time I saw a shark (during that backpacking trip in Panama), bumping into a group of six manatees on a safety stop in Mexico, current dives in Komodo, or freediving with pods of dolphins in Egypt. A lot of my favourite moments have also been in boats, or on the surface - I don’t need to be submerged in water to be in my element, just on it.
It was quite a big jump, from recreational diving on the opposite side of the world to penetrating wrecks in Micronesia, but I embraced it and learnt so much there 27
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After a few years the demand for scuba-diving content was rising and I decided to launch a dedicated site on diving
Q: On the flipside, what is your worst experience while diving? A: Unfortunately, they’ve only ever been with people, not animals or water conditions. Bad divers are dangerous to everyone around them, it’s why training and learning should always be a constant in your diving career. Q: What does the future hold for Sarah Richard and Girls That Scuba? A: Oceans the limit for Girls That Scuba! We are still only three years old and we still have a lot more women to reach in diving, but we hope that with talks like ‘celebrating women in diving’ at the GO Diving Show we can show a younger generation how awesome it is to be a Girl That Scubas. Last year, we launched our GTS trips where we take groups of women (we also do mixed trips) to some of the best dive destinations in the world, and not only dive, but create strong bonds, and help empower each other and learn along the way. I’m so excited to be hosting seven of these trips myself this year, and have another four trips run by incredible GTS women too. n
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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
SLOWING THINGS DOWN Mario Vitalini explains how using a slow shutter speed, combined with a range of different techniques, can add a whole new dimension to your underwater image portfolio PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI
P
hotography is about capturing an instant to allows you to tell a story in a single frame. The challenge for underwater photographers is how to do this when your subjects are constantly moving, from corals gently wafting on a reef to fast-moving pelagics, such as sharks or dolphins. To do so we rely on selecting a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze the moment. The result is a perfectly still subject, but your photo may not convey this dynamic environment. After all, life is rarely still underwater. To try to inject dynamism, drama or a sense of action, you can use lighting as a compositional element. This can help a traditional image ‘pop’ and I have previously talked about the different ways we can use strobes to create more interesting three-dimensional pictures. However, you can also create different effects using your camera settings and, in this article, I want to look at shutter speed in particular.
This crinoid makes a vibrant subject for a spin
A stonefish resting on some hard coral is a perfect subject for a spin
WHAT HAPPEN TO YOUR IMAGES WHEN YOU SLOW THE SHUTTER SPEED DOWN?
You should be familiar with the role shutter speed plays in achieving an even exposure. We already use shutter speed to control the ambient light. The slower it is, the brighter the picture will be, while a fast shutter speed will yield images with a dark or even black background. However, there are some techniques that use shutter speed differently for purely compositional and creative effect. All of these techniques seek to convey the idea of movement by slowing down the exposure time and creating the sensation of motion by blurring the background elements. How the end result looks will depend of the specific technique used.
Corals and Caves on
Hurricane 21st May 2020 £1425 excluding flights ESCORTED BY MARIO VITALINI
Holiday highlights... Mario Vitalini will teach you to work with natural light and wide angle photography, as well as the secrets of amazing fish portraits and using strobes. He will help you build a stunning selection of classic Red Sea images, from the decks of the stable steel hulled Hurricane. There are 18-21 dives over the workshop, as well as all park fees included, 12lt tank/weights and FREE Nitrox.
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The dive guide on a recent trip to the Philippines. Using a slow shutter speed and zooming in during the exposure, I was able to blur the surrounding environment to focus attention on the diver’s face
SPINS
A good place to start is the spin, as this is a great technique to introduce movement to relatively static subjects and probably one of my favourite techniques. It works very well on subjects that stand out from the reef, like tube sponges, but it can be used to photograph subjects such as stonefish or a willing dive buddy. Use a shutter speed of around 1/10 to start with and change the settings if needed. Try to direct the light to the subject but not to the surrounding area. Inward lighting (point the strobes to yourself instead of aiming them forwards) using only the outer edge of the cone of light to illuminate the subject is a lighting technique perfectly suited for spins. Turning the camera during the exposure will produce a circular motion-blur effect to the background while the light from your strobes will freeze the subject. To better accomplish this, you need to avoiding lighting the background, otherwise the light of the strobes will freeze the hole image. You do not need to spin the camera too fast to get the best results, but the speed you need to rotate your kit depends on the ambient light conditions. Do a few tests to get the perfect settings. Start the movement before you press the shutter button and carry on after the curtain has closed.
into the blue as a clean background will show much better the movement of the subject and I don’t need to worry about avoiding light from your strobes reaching the background. You do need to think about the flash sync timing and settings for this technique. If you can select front or rear curtain on your camera, I tend to prefer rear curtain when I’m not moving the camera and the subject is swimming across the frame, or if I’m shooting macro. If you use a front curtain, the strobes fire at the beginning of the exposure and freeze the subject, but the subject will carry on moving forward. The end result will look like the fish is moving backwards. A rear curtain sync will make the strobes fire at the end of the exposure, creating a trail behind the subject. If instead you are ‘following’ the subject with the camera, it is a good idea to use front curtain. Doing so, you will be able to stop the movement of your subject exactly where you want it and then create the blur by following the fish with the camera. To get a good movement effect, you need to move the camera fairly quickly.
Jumping for a night dive at The Barge in the Northern Red Sea, I saw the light of some divers over the wreck, a 0.4 of second exposure allowed me to use the flood lights from the liveaboard to light the scene
PANS
Pans are similar to spins but instead of rotating the camera, you will either move the camera horizontally or let the subject swim across the frame. Pans are great at conveying a sense of dynamism and speed. They work much better when your subject is a fast-moving creature, eg sharks, but also small fish like anthias can yield excellent results.As with spins, a slow shutter speed will create the motion blur and the strobes will freeze the movement. I prefer to shoot
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11th Sept 2020 £1295 excluding flights
Photo Finish
Malapascua
Holiday highlights... Join photo pro Mario Vitalini on this Philippines workshop to hone your images of the biggest sharks to the smallest critters. The workshop includes 20 nitrox boat dives plus daily presentations covering all aspects of underwater photography. Your holiday package includes 7 nights in a deluxe room on an full board basis – optional room grades available. Airport transfers are included.
..award winning dive experts
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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY This reef shot of a shoal of butterflyfish takes on a new dimension when you adjust the exposure
Your dive buddy can always pose for you and will be more patient than most fish, or so you would hope
If the sun is high in the sky and the ambient light is strong, using a slow shutter speed will produce overexposed images. Pans work better when the light levels are low, overcast days early mornings and afternoons are ideal. If you want to attempt pans when the sun is high, using a neutral density filter is handy to control light levels.
The round shape of this balled anemone was perfect for this spin. Because it was raised from the seabed the inward lighting technique was ideal
As the name says, this technique relies on using a zoom lens on your camera. It involves zooming in or out during the exposure - this creates a blur from the centre outwards, as if the subject is moving towards you. When trying zoom burst, starting to move the zoom just before you press the shutter and zoom in or out all the way through the exposure.
carefully, areas with a lot of fish work remarkably well as the schooling fish can create beautiful trails. On long exposures it is important to keep the camera as still as possible. Some cameras have excellent image stabilizers and are great for these pictures, but otherwise you can rest the camera on a rock or use a tripod. Never under any circumstances rest the camera on the coral. At night, if the camera is stable and you use extremely slow shutter speeds, you can swim and use a torch to ‘paint’ a section of the reef, an area of interest or even fish passing by.
LONG EXPOSURE
CONCLUSION
ZOOM BURSTS
There is one last technique I’ve been using lately. The good old-fashioned long exposure. Long exposures work very well during dusk dives or even night dives. I try to jump as the sun goes down, so the ambient light is very low. Pick the dive site
All these techniques utilise a very slow shutter speed to convey a scene of movement. When used properly the end result can add variety to your portfolio and hopefully enable you to tell the story of a fast-moving world underwater. n
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Underwater photographer DAN BOLT relays his UW adventures from UK diving escapades in south Devon and western Scotland, through to hair-raising snorkelling encounters with manatees over in Florida – to Lorna Dockerill PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN BOLT
Best of Manado
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29th Sept 2020 ÂŁ2895 excluding flights
Holiday highlights... With an action packed 29 boat dives plus 9 unguided, house reef dives and free nitrox! Martyn Guess & Manado workshop will enable you to go hone and advance your key photographic skills at Murex Bangka and Lembeh resort. The workshop will spend 5 nights at Murex Bangka followed by 6 nights at Lembeh resort, both on a full board basis (2 people sharing).
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DAN BOLT DAN BOLT
Award-winning photographer Dan Bolt first learned to dive with Torbay branch of BSAC back in 1987 when he was 13 years old. Some years were spent with Brixham SAA/BSAC as well as the branch at his university in Cheltenham, and he is now a member of Totnes BSAC. Much of Dan’s spare time is spent exploring new diving and snorkelling sights, from the shore and from his kayak. These methods have given him a new perspective on the UK coastline and in-land sites. Over the past few years, Dan has written a number of articles on diving, snorkelling and marine life in the UK. He also contributes images to The Wildlife Trusts and Seasearch freely for use in their campaigning for protection for the UK’s coastal waters. See more of Dan’s work on his website at: www.underwaterpics.co.uk or on Instagram at @DanBoltPhoto
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20th June 2020 £1395 excluding flights
Relaxed Red Sea
Holiday highlights... Join Martyn Guess for a week focused on getting more out of your camera! Departing from Hurghada, you will spend 7 nights on board on a full board basis (twin share cabin). Based in Northern Red Sea with up to 21 dives over the week but the itinerary will vary, depending on the photo opportunities. All marine park fees, 12lt tank and weights are included in your package.
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Q: Favourite location for diving and underwater photography? A: If I had to choose just one spot, it would be Babbacombe in south Devon. I’ve been diving and snorkelling there for more than 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me with the variety and abundance of marine life that can be found here throughout the year. Getting to know its character as the season changes is a real privilege too. But, if I were allowed to widen the area, it would be the sea lochs of western Scotland for the sheer majesty of the scenery both above and below the water. Q: Most challenging dive (and why)? A: One of the most-iconic marine species we have in the UK are basking sharks, and I’ve had a couple of trips to the island of Coll in Scotland to try to nail a decent shot of one - failing both times. The challenge is manifold – firstly, the weather in a Scottish summer can be less than perfect (to say the least). Secondly, baskers don’t like to be disturbed; a competent skipper will put you in a good position but it’s up to you to read the situation and swim into the ideal spot for a close pass. The final challenge is resisting the urge to swim towards, or with the shark – if you do this it will close its mouth and turn away from you, ruining any potential photographic opportunities. I have another trip booked for this summer… I’m hoping it’ll be third time lucky for me!
Q: How did you get started in underwater photography? A: I learned to dive when I was 13 years old in the days when underwater photography was still a niche and expensive past-time. A few years later some cheaper (film) camera models were becoming available, and to be honest it was the gadgetry of it all that first attracted me. But I quickly became hooked on the ability to capture the stunning marine life that I was seeing, and this still drives me today. Q: What came first - diving or photography? A: Actually, snorkelling came first! We had a beach hut when I was growing up and my summer holidays were spent rock-pooling and snorkelling in the sheltered waters of Torbay. When I was old enough to learn to dive that was all I wanted to do, and I’ve not stopped since. Q: What’s in your underwater photography kitbag? A: It may be easier to ask what isn’t in my kit bag! I’m a micro four-thirds shooter and have an Olympus OMD EM-1 in my trusty Aquatica housing. The small size of this set-up suits my snorkelling and kayaking adventures while still giving me the ability to capture professional-grade shots.
Master Macro 9th May 2020 £2895 excluding flights ESCORTED BY MARTYN GUESS
Holiday highlights... 10 nights in resort, full board divers plan & 24 boat dives – FREE Nitrox Join pro photographer Martyn Guess in the critter mecca Dumaguete. With 24 boat dives plus free nitrox (3 dives/day plus 1 day Apo reef) and Martyn’s workshop throughout, this workshop packs a real punch. Additional travel options available, ask for details.
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Q: Who are your diving inspirations? A: In the 1990s, I trained as a freediver and got involved in running a few international freediving competitions in the UK and Cyprus. This period was when I first started to try and take properly thought-through photos, rather then just snapping away at anything that moved. So my early influences were taken from Zena Holloway, Fred Buyle and Dan Burton. Latterly when I became aware of the talented British underwater photography scene, Alex Mustard and Peter Rowlands became (and still are) huge influences and mentors for me. Q: Which underwater locations or species are still on your photography wish list and why? A: In the UK I’d love to see a wolf fish. They are a cold water species so we don’t have them in Devon, but they are known from a few locations in Scotland. Internationally I’d love to dive around Vancouver Island in Canada. This is cold-water diving at its best and the marine life looks like it’s on steroids. Plus, there’s whale-watching and the giant Pacific octopus to see too. Q: What advice do you wish you’d had as a novice underwater photographer? A: Underwater photography is a journey, not a destination. And the more time you take to learn not only the craft but also time to observe the marine ecosystem, the more accomplished your imagery will be. Don’t rush. To this day, I still see images taken by my peers and think to myself, ‘Damn, I wish I would take shots like that!’
Q: Hairiest moment when shooting underwater? A: Some years ago I visited Three Sisters Springs in Florida to photograph the manatees that congregate in the warm springs over the winter. Some of these gentle giants actively seek out human contact for a good scratch of their algaeencrusted skin. While I was at the bottom of the spring (it’s a snorkel-only site, so I was breath-holding) taking shots of one individual who was having a snooze, a large female swam over and sat on top of me to get my attention! Having a tonne of blubber on top of you while holding your breath is not a good situation to be in. But some gentle scratching made her shift her weight and we both floated to the surface so that I could breath and she could get some well-needed scratching from me. (Please note: the rules around manatee interaction have now changed, my actions were permissible at the time). Q: What is your most memorable dive and why? A: Earlier this year, I had the immense privilege of travelling to Sri Lanka to photograph whales. This was a snorkel/freediving photography trip which was carefully conducted under license from the Sri Lankan government. Nothing can prepare you for that first moment when you come face to face with a whale; the speed, majesty and sheer scale is hard to comprehend – it certainly makes you feel like a small insignificant speck in a large ocean! We were so lucky during the week to photograph seven species of whales and dolphins, making it a trip I’ll never forget. n
ESCORTED BY MARTYN GUESS
11th July 2020 £1495 excluding flights
Relaxed Red Sea
Holiday highlights... 7 nights onboard Whirlwind, tanks, weights and open dive deck at least once a day! Photographers can go at their own pace on a photography itinerary that is as relaxing as it is productive. Welcome to the world of the Red Sea Relaxed Photo Finish. Dive a host of incredible Red Sea dive sites with an open deck policy, chosen by our photo pro based on their reliability as top notch photo-worthy dive sites.
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A
recent survey conducted by SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium suggests that 72 per cent of Australians are afraid of sharks – it’s likely the same percentage would NOT apply to divers. Education is key to changing attitudes about sharks, and diving with sharks is one of the best ways to learn about them. We take a look at the 7 of the best shark dives:
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SHARK FEST FIJI Fiji now has five shark-feeding dives. With four in Beqa Lagoon, perhaps the most-famous being The Cathedral, established by Beqa Lagoon Resort, which primarily attracts tiger sharks. Other fantastic shark dives in Fiji include The Bistro, managed by Aquatrek, the original Beqa Lagoon Shark Dive, and The Awakening at Barefoot Kuata Resort in the Yasawa Islands, established by Dr Thomas Vignaud.
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MALAPASCUA, PHILIPPINES Thresher sharks are possibly the world’s prettiest sharks, their long tails giving them a graceful appearance. There are a number of resorts on Malapascua Island where you can get to see these creatures up close year-round, including Sea Explorers at Ocean Vida Beach Resort. A great way to see the sharks of Malapascua and the Visayas, is to attend Seadoors Shark College with Dr Thomas Vignaud, which runs each July, or their Visayas Shark Specials in October and November.
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FULIDHOO, MALDIVES Fulidhoo, in the Maldives’ Central Atolls, is home to the world’s largest aggregations of nurse sharks. Night dives are particularly popular, especially to Alimatha house reef, where divers can encounter dozens of schooling nurse sharks. It’s also an inexpensive way to dive the Maldives, at a locally managed resort accessible by ferry or speedboat from Male.
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PALAU’S SHARK SANCTUARY For many divers, Palau is the Holy Grail of scuba diving. The fact that in 2015 the small nation declared 80 per cent of their territorial waters off limits to commercial fishing is one of the reasons why. There are several dive centres and
liveaboards from which to base yourself for a shark-diving adventure, including Fish n Fins and their liveaboard Ocean Hunter III, Sam’s Tours, Solitude One and the Palau Siren.
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COCOS ISLAND, COSTA RICA Widely held as the most-exciting dive in the world, in Cocos you can expect to see schooling hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, silky, silvertip and grey reef sharks, as well as mantas and mobula rays. Cocos Island is very remote, only accessible by liveaboard – and there are several, including Aggressor’s Okeanos I and Okeanos II, the Argo and Sea Hunter.
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FISH ROCK… OR WOLF ROCK? There are several places on the northern NSW and southern Queensland coasts where you can dive with grey nurse sharks, but Fish Rock is consistently voted the best by divers. But what about Wolf Rock? This remote pinnacle off Queensland’s Fraser Coast is gaining notoriety as a shark dive, with grey nurse sharks in winter, leopard sharks and mantas in summer. We’re undecided.
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PORT LINCOLN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA Of course, you could go all the way to Guadalupe or South Africa to dive with great white sharks, but we have a world-class great white shark experience in South Australia’s Neptune Islands. This great white shark experience is one of the most-exciting shark dives in the world, and a liveaboard trip on the brand new MV Rodney Fox is the best way to see them. n For more information, ask the experts at www.diveplanit.com
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It took our ‘Man in Australia’ Adrian Stacey five years of living Down Under to finally get to dive Fish Rock, but would this iconic site live up to the hype? PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY
A
fter living in Australia for almost five years, I finally had the opportunity of a road trip to dive the legendary Fish Rock. My journey would also take in some of the other well-known dive destinations in this picturesque part of Australia, but my first port of call was the sleepy town of South West Rocks, in northern New South Wales. This is the home of Fish Rock and, more to the point, home to a large amount of resident grey nurse sharks. By Australian standards, it was a short 500km, six-hour drive down the Bruce highway from my base in Brisbane. The long drive gave me plenty of time to daydream about the upcoming promise of diving with numerous grey nurse sharks. After all that I had heard and read about Fish Rock, my imagination ran wild, and as my excitement built I began to wonder if I would be disappointed when it came to the actual dives! Fish Rock is regularly voted as one of the top dive sites in Australia, so it is up against some pretty stiff competition. While it is renowned for its grey nurse sharks, it boasts a lot more. Schooling hammerheads can be seen from October to February, bull sharks are often sighted in January and February, silkies and bronze whalers sometimes make an appearance from November to March, and leopard sharks
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can be seen in March and April. Cow nose rays, bull rays and turtles are also regular visitors. I had booked two days of diving with Fish Rock Dive Centre (www.fishrock.com.au), which is run by Peter and Bia and is located on the outskirts of this little seaside resort. I was staying at the Costa Rica Motel, conveniently located next door. On the first day we met at the dive centre and after the obligatory paperwork, Pete explained how the day would unfold. After a short drive to the estuary where we would launch the RIB, we would be whisked out to the dive site, which would take about 30 minutes. We would then dive and see lots of sharks - simple. I asked if he was guaranteeing sharks and his reply was that in all of the years he had been diving Fish Rocks, he had only ever not seen sharks on one occasion. I liked those odds!
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It is rare for a destination to live up to its reputation, and it is even rarer for the reputation to be exceeded. I am happy to say that Fish Rock exceeded my expectations
Grey nurse sharks
It’s not just sharks at Fish Rock
The dive site itself is nothing more than a large rock that pokes several metres out of the ocean, and the topography underwater is that of rocky ridges and sandy gutters, of algae-covered traces and sheer walls, plus of course, there is a large cave that runs through the middle of this rocky formation. The deep entrance to this cave is at about 24m, a tight chimney that leads into a long cavern that exits at around 12m. As with most temperate-water diving, conditions can vary and on the first day of diving surge, current and wind direction reduced visibility and made the deep entrance to the cave untenable. Instead, we made our way to the shallow entrance, and here framed in the gaping gloom of the cave hovered several grey nurse sharks. As we approached they drifted nonchalantly away. Cave sweepers formed a fishy curtain and wobbegong sharks littered the rocky mouth of the entrance. After our foray into the cave, we made our way over a ridge and into the area known as the aquarium. Aptly named, huge schools of yellowtails, fusiliers and snapper parted as a constant procession of sharks ambled through their ranks. The second dive was very similar, and it was difficult to say how many sharks we saw – 20, maybe even 30, per dive. In addition to the sharks and schooling fish, Fish Rock is home to a very friendly parrotfish, moray eels, large grouper and a surprising variety of nudibranchs. For the second day of diving, I was looking forward to more of the same. On the way out to the dive site, Pete shared some of his philosophical musings about diving at Fish Rock Cave. This destination comes with quite the reputation, which can sometimes be quite daunting for a diver. The cave, the conditions and the sheer number of sharks can cause pause for thought and maybe even a little trepidation before the dive. Unlike at some holiday destinations where a diver is perhaps there for a week and gets to know the guides and the dive sites quite well, Pete and Bia only have a few hours. Pete calls it the five-hour relationship, and in this time they have to put people at ease and relieve any stress they might be feeling. In true Aussie-fashion, this is usually achieved with humour and a bit of good-natured banter. Conditions for day two were much improved from the first
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day and the greater visibility really opened up the site to something close to its full potential. For the first dive we made our way to the deep entry point of the cave, through massed ranks of schooling fish and sharks stacked up onto of each other in dense numbers. I could have quite happily spent my entire dive in this area, such was the profusion of marine life and shark activity, but the cave beckoned and I did not want to be left behind, so with a final plaintive look over my shoulder I disappeared into the void. At the other end of the cave were yet more sharks milling around the exit, accompanied as before by large schools of cave sweepers and snapper. The aquarium was even more spectacular, with the fish more numerous and the sharks in even greater numbers. Grey nurse sharks are the star attraction
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Grey nurse sharks are quite placid animals
For the final dive we went in search of hammerheads. We dropped in at a deep pinnacle just off the main dive site, a location where they often cruise past. While on the pinnacle we encountered a dizzying number of snapper that were being relentlessly hunted by a large number of wahoo. Unfortunately, after several laps there was no sign of our quarry. Giving up our search, we made our way back to the main site for more grey nurse interactions and a more-thansatisfactory end to a stunning couple of days. Recently one shark expert said that for every shark you see, there are probably ten to 100 that see you. If this is true, then South West Rocks can lay claim to truly staggering population of these stunning creatures. Diving with grey nurse sharks is an amazing experience. They are a large, aggressive-looking animal with rows of sharp teeth jutting out of their mouths. However, their looks are deceptive, they are docile during the day and for the most-part unfazed by our presence. That said they can grow up to around three metres, so it is always best to treat them with the respect that they deserve. Grey nurse sharks are
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Grey nurse sharks are often seen in aquariums
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Enviable beachside location
Grey nurse shark approaches from overhead
For the first dive we made our way to the deep entry point of the cave, through massed ranks of schooling fish and sharks stacked up onto of each other in dense numbers WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU
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Grey nurse sharks are undoubtedly impressive animals
unfortunately listed as vulnerable and are one of the most-endangered species of shark in the world. Although after a visit to Fish Rock and witnessing their huge abundance in this area, you could be forgiven for thinking that they are in no danger. Perhaps they are doing so well in Australia because it was the first country to protect them? Other than diving, South West Rocks offers all you would expect from a resort town on the NSW Coast - stunning beaches that go on for miles, beautiful national Fish swarm in parks and great surfing, among a multitude the cave of other watersports. Diving with Fish Rock Dive Centre was a pleasure. Pete and Bia were friendly and accommodating and good fun to dive with. They are just about to open a new lodge-style resort, with future expansion onto a nearby island planned for 2021. With the addition of the new boat, a converted fishing vessel with hot shower, toilet, fridge, coffee machine and even a BBQ, there will be a moreluxurious way to visit Fish Rock than the current thrill of the fast but sometimes bumpy RIB. A huge amount of marine life inhabits the waters of South West Rocks, but to be able to swim with grey nurse sharks in such abundance and in their natural habitat was a real privilege and the true highlight of diving in this area. It is rare for a destination to live up to its reputation, and it is even rarer for the reputation to be exceeded. I am happy to say that Fish Rock exceeded my expectations. n
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Sunset over the beach
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WORLD CLASS
SHARK AND CAVE DIVING
Family owned and operated, Fish Rock Dive Centre has been in operation since 1987 as a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Resort and training centre. We have recently received the PADI 30 Years Excellence award. WHAT WE OFFER!
• Variety of PADI courses available. • We cater for all levels of experience including tech and rebreather divers. • Year-round dive site, home to one of the biggest colonies of Grey Nurse Sharks. • Patrolled by a great variety of marine life including cownose rays, hammerheads, bull sharks, whales, dolphins and many others.
Timor-Leste is one of those hidden gems in the diving world that only a select few have heard of – something which is becoming increasingly more difficult to find in this modern era. Scuba Diver was keen to find out more… PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ATAURO DIVE RESORT, AQUATICA DIVE RESORT, COMPASS CHARTERS & ADVENTURES, DIVE TIMOR LOROSAE AND DREAMERS DIVE ACADEMY
T
imor-Leste, or East Timor as it is also known, might be well off the beaten track when it comes to dive destinations, but what’s even more extraordinary is that it is not some distant speck of land somewhere in a remote sea, it is located in Southeast Asia. Timor itself is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with Australia sitting to the south across the Timor Sea, while to the north are the Ombai Strait, Wetar Strait and the greater Banda Sea, the latter which is becoming increasingly known in diving circles thanks to liveaboards making the trip to the diverse waters. The territory of Timor-Leste is comprised of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an enclave on the northwestern side of the island surrounded by Indonesian West Timor. It is the only Asian country to be located completely in the southern hemisphere. Timor-Leste has a wild, untamed natural beauty, and as a result of differing micro-climates, things change as you travel around, from dry, open savannah vegetation to dense forest cover into the mountains. Monkeys and spotted cuscus (a tree-dwelling marsupial) live in the forests, ruse deer can be found in the highlands, and reptiles including snakes and tokay lizards can also be encountered, along with estuarine crocodiles around the coast and in Lake Ira Lalaro, while sea turtles are common visitors to the beaches to lay their eggs. However, what is really starting to put Timor-Leste on the map are the pristine fringing reefs, abyssal drop-offs and clear tropical waters. Lying within the famed Coral Triangle, Timor-Leste boasts amazing marine life – in fact, Atauro has recently been found to have some of the most biodiverse waters in the world in terms of reef fish. Researchers
You can expect some awesome vis in-country
Whitetip reef shark
Checking out a coral bommie
discovered a total of 642 species around the island, and saw a maximum of 314 at a single site. As if that wasn’t enough to tempt you, Timor-Leste is also regarded as a global hotspot for whales and dolphins, which can be spotted year-round, but especially during the migration season, which runs from October to December.
HISTORY OF TIMOR-LESTE
Timor-Leste (although the official name is the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) has had quite a colourful past. Archaeological evidence, including ancient rock art and stone carvings, show that people have been living there for over 4,000 years. It was heavily involved in trading networks with the Chinese and Indians, in the 13th century exporting sandalwood, honey and wax, and it was the abundance of the former – sandalwood – that first attracted European explorers in the 15th century. The Portuguese founded the city of Dili in 1769, and the colony of Portuguese Timor was declared. A definitive border between the Dutch-colonised western half of the island and the Portuguese-colonised eastern half of the island was established in 1914, and interestingly it remains the international boundary between the successor states of Timor-Leste and Indonesia. During World War Two, first the Allies and then the Japanese occupied Dili, and the mountainous interior became the scene of a guerrilla campaign, known as the Battle of Timor, which was waged by Timorese volunteers and Allied forces against the Japanese. The Japanese eventually drove the Allied forces out, after a bloody conflict that cost between 40,000 and 70,000 Timorese, but
As you explore around the pinnacle, which starts in around 12m-14m and drops to over 40m, you can see turtles, whitetip reef sharks, jacks and schooling barracuda after the war ended, Portuguese control was reinstated. This continued until November 1975, when the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor declared the territory’s independence. Fearing a communist state within the Indonesian archipelago, the Indonesian military – with support from Australia, Britain and the United States – invaded just nine days later and occupied the territory. It was then declared Indonesia’s 27th province on 17 July 1976. There then followed a 24-year conflict between separatist groups and the Indonesian military, which cost the lives of more than 200,000 Timorese, until in 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored independent referendum, Indonesia finally relinquished control. Timor-Leste became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on 20 May 2002, and joined the UN soon after.
THE DIVING
Most of the diving operations and dive sites are located around Dili itself and Atauro Island, and as you can imagine, there are a multitude to choose from, but we have selected some of the top sites that you absolutely have to explore. Haruina has been described as one of the most-biodiverse
Photographer with baitball
A mouthful of young A happy diver returns to the surface
Timor-Leste has some great snorkelling sites
reef systems on the planet, and it has to be said that the coral architecture – comprising stunning hard coral tables and terracing staghorn gardens – is simply stunning. As well as the vibrant soft and hard corals and sponges, myriad varieties of reef fish can be seen, along with all manner of macro life, not to mention turtles, banded sea kraits, eagle rays and even, if you are lucky, the elusive dugong. Located alongside the reef is a deep wall smothered in coral growth, in particular vast table coral formations in the mid-section along with seafans, sponges and sea whips. As well as the colourful and impressive coral growth on an immense wall that leaves even veteran divers open-mouthed, expect to encounter schools of snapper, sweetlips and jacks, as well as the occasional hammerhead, blacktip, silvertip or grey reef shark, or other pelagic species, such as mola mola. Big Fish is a thrilling drift dive for experienced divers only, but those with the necessary skills and abilities will be blown away by this ripper off the southwest end of Atauro. Thanks to the swift water movement, you have much higher chances of seeing big fish – hence the name! The list is endless – Napoleon wrasse, barracuda, giant trevally and sharks all put in an appearance, while on the surface you can see superpods of pilot whales, Risso’s dolphins and melon-headed whales.
Iliana is often touted as one of the prettiest dive sites on the whole of Atauro, Iliana promises a wide variety of coral and fish species, and the dramatic wall is home to schooling sweetlips, snapper and unicornfish, while the occasional pelagic can also put in an appearance. Watwai Reef is an extensive reef system of hard and soft corals featuring both a sloping terrace and an impressive drop-off. Along the sheer wall are many overhangs, caverns and swim-throughs which attract vast numbers of shoaling fish, from red bass, midnight and twin-spot snapper to grouper. In the shallows, endless streams of neon fusiliers are preyed upon by blue-fin trevally, and black-and-redtooth triggerfish fill the water column in constant movement. Keep an eye out for the smaller stuff, too. Like Big Fish, Akrema Point is reserved for moreexperienced divers, as it is often exposed to strong currents. The reef system comprises of extensive ancient hard coral bommies peppered across a wide field of white sand that leads to an abrupt corner and drop-off. You can see swirling tornadoes of schooling barracuda, roaming groups of large bumphead parrotfish, not to mention hammerhead sharks. In the shallows towards the end of the dive, you can find garden eels and several species of ray on the sand. Tasi Tolu is a classic muck dive located close to Dili. It
DIVE CENTRES
Atauro Dive Resort – www.ataurodiveresort.com Aquatica Dive Resort – www.aquaticadiveresort.com Compass Charters & Adventures – www.compassdiving.com Dive Timor Lorosae – www.divetimor.com Dreamers Dive Academy – www.timordiveacademy.com Anemonefish
Topside is just as stunning as underwater
Pristine soft corals adorn the reef
is excellent for smaller critters such as seahorses, pygmy pipefish, shrimps, octopus, leaf scorpionfish and so on. It is also known as a feeding ground for dugongs, so while you might be concentrating on searching for the small stuff, keep an eye out underwater or on the surface for a dugong sighting. Dili Pinnacle is a boat dive just five minutes from Dili, and it makes for an exciting, adrenaline-fuelled dive for experienced divers. As you explore around the pinnacle, which starts in around 12m-14m and drops to over 40m, you can see turtles, whitetip reef sharks, jacks and schooling barracuda, but remember to scour the wall too, as you can find all manner of nudibranchs and other little critters. Lone Tree (also known as Anemone City) is a shore dive one-and-a-half hours drive out of Dili. It offers gorgeous corals and unusual topography, and as well as the usual selection of reef dwellers, and a massive anemone garden, you can also see the occasional big trevally or tuna off the deep wall a short distance from the sloping reef. Black Rock is a boat dive off the east coast, and is famed for its unique topography – a wall accessible from the beach drops off to well over 100m, and can often be swept by strong currents, especially in the shallows. However, this does mean that experienced divers are treated to a gorgeous display of a diverse range of coral, various species
of schooling fish, and the chance of pelagic encounters, including thresher sharks.
TOPSIDE ATTRACTIONS
There is far more to Timor-Leste than simply fantastic diving, there is also a wealth of activities topside to keep non-divers, and divers on non-diving days, occupied. You can hike on some of the many trails that criss-cross the country. Go with a guide, and you can embark on epic, multi-day treks into the interior. The mountainous nature means that the territory is perfect for some high-energy mountain biking, and in fact it is host to one of the world’s toughest races every year – the Tour de Timor. If you relish a challenge, head into the hills. It is not just underwater where Timor-Leste has scored highly in terms of species counts. For those who like their creatures airborne, more than 240 species of bird have been recorded, including some globally threatened species. If you just can’t get enough of Timor-Leste’s underwater realm, you can explore many of the sites by snorkelling. And as mentioned earlier, Timor-Leste is regarded as a global hotspot for whales and dolphins, with a huge variety of species being sighted, including blue, orca, sperm, shortfinned pilot, beaked, melon-headed and pygmy killer. n
ATAÚRO ISL AND
T
imor-Leste, or East Timor as it is also known, is one of those hidden gems in the diving world that only a select few have heard of something which is becoming increasingly more difficult to find in this modern era. What’s even more extraordinary is that it is not some distant speck of land somewhere in a remote sea, it is located in Southeast Asia. The territory of Timor-Leste is comprised of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an enclave on the northwestern side of the island surrounded by Indonesian West Timor. What is really starting to put Timor-Leste on the map are the pristine fringing reefs, abyssal drop-offs and clear tropical waters. Lying within the famed Coral Triangle, Timor-Leste boasts amazing marine life – in fact, Atauro has recently been found to have some of the most bio-diverse waters in the world in terms of reef fish. Researchers discovered a total of 642 species around the island, and saw a maximum of 314 at a single site. Plus, there is always the chance of pelagic sightings. As if that wasn’t enough to tempt you, Timor-Leste is also regarded as a global hotspot for various species of whales and dolphins, which can be spotted year-round, but especially during the migration season, which runs from October to December. This month, we focus on Atauro, which is acclaimed for its walls, rich biodiversity, and epic visibility.
TOP DIVE SITES: ATAURO
Haruina Reef - This reef has been described as one of the most-biodiverse reef systems on the planet, and it has to be said that the coral architecture – comprising stunning hard coral tables and terracing staghorn gardens – is simply stunning. As well as the vibrant soft and hard corals and sponges, myriad varieties of reef fish can be seen, along with all manner of macro life, not to mention turtles, banded sea kraits, eagle rays and even, if you are lucky, the elusive dugong. There is also a deep wall smothered in coral growth, in particular vast table coral formations in the mid-
section along with seafans, sponges and sea whips. Expect to encounter schools of snapper, sweetlips and jacks, as well as the occasional hammerhead, blacktip, silvertip or grey reef shark, or other pelagic species, such as mola mola. BIG FISH – This thrilling drift dive is only for experienced divers, but those with the necessary skills and abilities will be blown away by this ripper off the southwest end of Atauro. Thanks to the swift water movement, you have much higher chances of seeing big fish – hence the name! The list is endless – Napoleon wrasse, barracuda, giant trevally and sharks all put in an appearance, while on the surface you can see superpods of pilot whales, Risso’s dolphins and melon-headed whales. ILIANA – Often touted as one of the prettiest dive sites on the whole of Atauro, Iliana promises a wide variety of coral and fish species. The dramatic wall is home to schooling sweetlips, snapper and unicornfish, while the occasional pelagic can also put in an appearance. WATWAI REEF – This extensive reef system of hard and soft corals features both a sloping terrace and an impressive drop-off. Along the sheer wall are many overhangs, caverns and swim-throughs, which attract vast numbers of shoaling fish, from red bass, midnight and twin-spot snapper to grouper. In the shallows, endless streams of neon fusiliers are preyed upon by blue-fin trevally, and black-and-redtooth triggerfish fill the water column in constant movement. AKREMA POINT – Like Big Fish, this dive site is reserved for more-experienced divers, as it is often exposed to strong currents. The reef system comprises of extensive ancient hard coral bommies peppered across a wide field of white sand that leads to an abrupt corner and drop-off. You can see swirling tornadoes of schooling barracuda, roaming groups of large bumphead parrotfish, not to mention hammerhead sharks. Pods of melonheaded whales, spinner and bottlenose dolphins can often be encountered enroute to the dive site. n
DILI
T
his month, we focus on Dili, also known as ‘City of Peace’, which is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of Timor-Leste. It is famed for its muck diving, delivering macro critters in spades, as well as colourful reef fish, epic night dives and the occasional pelagic visitor.
DILI ROCK WEST
This is a beautiful sloping reef with hard and soft corals smothering the seabed until around 15m, when it becomes more sandy, and you start to encounter huge barrel sponges, seafans and whip croals. Expect to find scorpionfish, nudibranchs, shrimps and crabs hiding in the shallows, as well as the occasional turtle, blue-ring octopus or even a bumphead parrotfish.
loads of shrimps, nudibranchs, seahorses, pipehorses, eels and much more. It gets even more intense macro action as an exciting night dive.
DILI PINNACLE
This boat dive just five minutes from Dili makes for an exciting, adrenaline-fuelled dive for experienced divers. As you explore around the pinnacle, which starts in around 12m-14m and drops to over 40m, you can see turtles, whitetip reef sharks, jacks and schooling barracuda, but remember to scour the wall too, as you can find all manner of nudibranchs and other little critters. On a lucky day you might even see dolphins, eagle rays or a sailfish.
PERTAMINA PIER
The main feature of this dive site is a stunning coral bommie between 16m-25m which is surrounded by schools of snapper, hunting trevallies, several batfish, and massive lionfish. Scour the shallows for cuttlefish and octopus, and if you are lucky, a frogfish.
Divers love a good pier dive, and here in Dili you can explore underneath the jetty of an Indonesian fuel company. Each support strut is smothered in sponges and seafans, and you can encounter schools of sweetlips and batfish, barracuda, snapper and some giant scorpionfish. With a maximum depth of just 12m-13m, you can enjoy long, relaxed dives looking for critters.
TASI TOLU
FRONT SIDE OF CRISTO REI
DILI ROCK EAST
This is a classic muck dive located close to Dili. It is excellent for smaller critters such as seahorses, pygmy pipefish, shrimps, octopus, leaf scorpionfish and so on. It is also known as a feeding ground for dugongs, so while you might be concentrating on searching for the small stuff, keep an eye out underwater or on the surface for a dugong sighting. It is also a prime night dive spot, when you can find bobtail squid and coconut octopus.
This sloping reef is home to a wide selection of hard and soft corals, which are prolific until around 12m-13m, when you then go on to a sandy slope that has some huge whip corals. Expect plenty of colourful reef fish, as well as nudibranchs, shrimps and crabs. Occasionally you might see whitetip reef sharks, devil rays or even a turtle.
BACK SIDE OF CRISTO REI RODA REEF
This is an artificial reef made out of old tyres and concrete, which sits on a sandy seabed. It is easy to gain entry and exit at any time, and it makes a fantastic muck dive for those who love the little stuff! Expect
Like the ‘front side’, the ‘back side’ is also a sloping reef, and again it is populated with all manner of the usual reef fish, plus nudibranchs, ribbon eels and crustaceans, but do keep an eye on the blue for the occasional pelagic visitors, including hammerhead sharks or eagle rays. n
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Al Hornsby’s first trip to Fiji proved to be a real eye-opener, and during a week with Kids Sea Camp, he found out why the island nation is such a hotspot for scuba divers PHOTOGRAPHS BY AL HORNSBY
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Fijian dive guide on a soft-coral wall
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e are about 25 minutes into an exhilarating dive on a site known as Chimneys, in Fiji’s Namena Marine Reserve, looking up from a 30m sand and rubble bottom towards where we have just descended, circling round and round, down a steep, Matterhorn-looking pinnacle. The dive had begun just below the surface, and all the way down the rock face has been absolutely covered in soft corals of yellow, orange, purple and white – seemingly every colour of the rainbow – with hard corals, sponges, sea whips and gorgonian fans everywhere, crowded closely together. The water is very, very clear, the only seeming-limitation a blizzard-cloud of fish – especially purple anthias - that completely surrounds the spire (and us). The cloud repeatedly expands outward, then instantly contracts back among the corals as groups of marauding blue trevally streak in to strike. Then, like a pulse beat, the cloud swells back out, until the next pass by the trevally. The mesmerizing scenes had continued as we slowly spiralled downward along the sides of the spire. At the bottom, several grey reef sharks patrolled nearby, and coral grouper peeked from among the crevices and boulders scattered across the bottom. Looking about 30 metres off in the distance, a dark, looming mass marked the rise of the second of the paired spires, which we will circle back upwards to the surface, to spend many minutes at the end of the dive watching anemonefish and other reef fish on our safety stop at 4m of depth…
Vibrant gorgonian seafan
Sweetlips are just one of many species on Fiji’s reefs
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This was my first dive trip to Fiji, and despite a lot of research, I hadn’t been able to form a clear expectation. I had heard of long-famous sites like soft coral-covered White Wall (actually also in Namena Reserve) and Fiji’s famous tiger shark dive in Beqa Lagoon. However, given the huge spread of Fiji’s hundreds of islands, the diving described was quite varied. Our destination on the island of Vanua Levu turned out to have been one of Fiji’s most-famed areas. Perhaps the most-remarkable aspects of the dive sites there were the waterquality and the amazing richness of Fiji’s reefs are visually the hard and soft corals. Fiji doesn’t stunning have a large population, heavy coastal development, shipping, manufacturing or much commercial farming. As a result, there is little run-off, silting, fertilizerproduced algae, chemical pollution and so on – among the chief negative influences on coral health. Also, the island group is located farther south than most Asia-Pacific dive destinations, nearer to the cooling waters of Antarctica. While certainly warm enough to support massive coral communities and comfortable diving (I was fine wearing a full-length skin with a long-sleeved rashguard underneath), it appeared that ocean global-warming, which has affected most areas of the oceans in recent times, had not had a noticeable effect on the reefs where we dived. In clear, sparkling waters that hovered around 25 degrees C, with lots of life-sustaining currents, the soft and hard coral life was as thick, unspoilt and vibrant as I have seen anywhere. Christine back in the water
Fimbriated moray on the hunt
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A favourite image was of a long, fimbriated moray, which boldly hunted across the reef, seemingly completely unconcerned over us and my flashing strobes
While this particular trip, to the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort to attend Kids Sea Camp (www.familydivers.com), was already special enough – my 12-year-old daughter, Juliet, would be completing her PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification, and my wife, Christine, would be doing a refresher after some time away from diving - the diving itself was world-class, with unique photographic opportunities. But, before writing more about the diving, I will explain this article’s strange-sounding ‘bula bula’ title a bit. Fiji is oft-described as ‘the friendliest place on Earth,’ and for good reasons. The local people are openly welcoming of visitors, and without exception, everyone you pass will give you a smile and the local greeting – ‘bula bula’ - which means, roughly, ‘wishing you continued health and life’. The big smile and greeting are quickly habit-forming, and one can’t help but respond in kind, with all the emotional rewards brought on by such simple kindnesses and personal interactions. Also, evenings at the resort were full of local music, song and traditional dances performed by nearby village groups, along with ceremonies featuring the local pastime, imbibing the mildly-sedating, local drink known as kava. Now, back to the really fun stuff – the diving. With a lot to choose from, my other favourites were… Not far from the resort, we dropped into flat, calm water, under a late-afternoon sky, on a site called The Corner. Beneath the surface, all seemed golden-lit and quiet, revealing a long, complex, sloping coral wall, cut through with narrow channels, gullies and crevices. The sheer density and variety of hard corals was remarkable, with numerous acropora, pillar, star, table and other stony coral species crowded together. In the soft light, muted colors in yellowbrowns, pinks and lavender seemed to almost glow all-round us, and large soft corals, most in pink-tipped white, sprouted
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Hard and soft corals everywhere
here and there. At one point, as I paused to photograph a female tomato anemonefish with juveniles, a large eagle ray swooped past, giving us a quick look-over. At dive’s end, riding the gentle current up in the shallows, we spent a long, long safety stop gliding into a warm, setting sun… For our first night dive, we visited a lovely offshore reef known as Golden Nugget, a meandering collection of live coral mounds rising up from a brilliant, white-sand bottom at 20m. Besides being a lovely dive with beautiful corals and schooling fish, it is also quiet, with protected water around the reef, with lots of life - perfect for night diving. We saw and photographed lionfish, lizardfish, surgeonfish and numerous live shells leaving long trails across the sand bottom. A favourite image was of a long, fimbriated moray, which boldly hunted across the reef, seemingly completely unconcerned over us and my flashing strobes. Another favourite was my very last dive of the trip, on another pinnacle called Dreadlocks, which rises up to near the surface from an 18m, hard-coral bottom. The entire pinnacle was basically bright yellow – it was near completely-covered by yellow soft corals. Along the sides, there were crevices
Along the sides, there were crevices and large overhangs, home to a large number of many-spotted sweetlips who were surprisingly calm and unafraid of being closely photographed Juliet acing a hover
A smorgasbord of colour
and large overhangs, home to a large number of manyspotted sweetlips who were surprisingly calm and unafraid of being closely photographed. The water was very clear, with practically no current, making for both a beautiful and relaxing dive – a perfect ending for an extraordinary trip. Bula bula!
KSC AT THE JEAN MICHEL COUSTEAU RESORT, FIJI
Beyond being one of the most-beautiful resorts you’ll ever see, the resort was a model of luxury and Cousteau-infused environmental ethic, planning and community involvement, with the effects on the local environment, the local population and its guests – especially the children – obvious. Moreover, for those unfamiliar with Kids Sea Camp, the concept is a collection of families-only, all-inclusive dive events conducted every year in many of the dive world’s top locations (there were 27 events on the 2020 schedule, last time I looked). It has solved the problem divers with families know all too well - how to continue diving actively once having children. Instead of the usual remedy (i.e. the diver doesn’t get to dive as often as he or she likes), KSC is designed to take care of every member of the family. Young children have kids’ group activities, including supervision, snorkelling and games; slightly older kids have PADI
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You have to look through fish to see the reef
Bubblemaker and PADI Seal Team added to the mix. Children ten or older can also take PADI Junior Open Water or Open Water certification courses, and those already certified can take PADI Advanced Open Water, etc, or refreshers if they haven’t dived for a while (and adults have similar options). While all this is going on, the dive boats are operating at full schedule, typically with separate boats available for young teens, older teens, and adults, as may be desired. Uncertified adults can snorkel, take Open Water certification courses or participate in non-diving activities such as sight-seeing tours. And, it works – everyone is happy (especially the suddenly guilt-free divers in the family!). And, given that these events typically have 50 or more attendees, and dinners and evening entertainments (every night) are as a group, long-lasting friendships and new dive buddies quickly develop, at all ages. This aspect was especially impressive – while this was our second event, most attendees had attended multiple times. The veterans at KSC Fiji went back generations… one collegeaged grandson there with his grandparents told us this was his 11th KSC, having begun as a child. Surrounded by lots of young, adept divers was very interesting, and their skills were impressive. A common thread among most of them, I quickly realized, was PADI Seal Team – PADI’s course for kids beginning at age eight. Basically, Seal Team is an introduction to scuba for kids. Conducted in a pool, kids learn the basic dive academic information and scuba
The JMC Resort in Fiji
Coral grouper
skills through a series of fun, game-like Aqua Missions. Juliet, then already a good freediver, had taken Seal Team two years ago at our first KSC, and wanted to wait until our next one to become Junior Open Water Diver-certified. Well, the time finally came, and in preparation for our Fiji trip, she took PADI e-Learning, so her first day at KSC could be in the pool, academics completed. As a PADI instructor, I have always appreciated Seal Team. But until I saw the real, long-term effects on my own child, I had never appreciated it enough. The idea of dive academics is often a bit daunting, but to Juliet’s surprise, it was clear immediately that she understood practically everything, finishing the programme rapidly, with very high scores. When
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I asked her how she could learn it so quickly, she replied that ‘she remembered most of it from Seal Team,’ or at least enough to figure it out, as ‘it seemed to all make sense’. At the resort, she confidently went into the pool, also remembering all her confined water skills from her Seal Team experience. More than anything, what I saw throughout was that she had no fear of or discomfort with the unknowns of learning to scuba dive - the normal, underlying impediments most people face as new dive students. Seal Team had simply taken care of all of that for her. Armed with these insights, I watched her and the other kids all week-long – careful, inspired divers and learners, already - like their older siblings who had attended typically five to ten previous Kids Sea Camps – lovers of the ocean and serious, motivated marine environmentalists, all. It was all very easy to enjoy… guilt-free diving, learn-to-dive or luxury vacation. And, when Juliet asked her mom and me to dive with her and her new friends on the kids’ boat, it was the greatest diver’s gift one could ever ask for… Salud! n
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20 y e a r s Some of our 2020 trips you might like:
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Palau: Sam’s Tours & Palau Royal Resort JULY 18TH - JULY 28TH Indonesia: (Empty Nester
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Bankga & Lembeh Resort SEPT. 26TH - OCT. 6TH FIJI: Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort NOV. 21ST – NOV. 28TH
Some of our 2021 trips you might like:
Palau: Sam’s Tours & Palau Royal Resort JUNE 22ND - JULY 2ND
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Some of our 2022 trips you might like:
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BEYOND TECHNICAL
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O
ne of the biggest fears for a wreck diver is to penetrate a wreck, become disoriented, can’t find the way out, run out of gas, drown and die! What a terrible way to go. There are stories of people who were lost in wrecks, their bodies eventually found where they had scratched messages to their families on their dive tanks. The thought of this just sends a shiver down my spine. If you had time to write a message to your loved ones, surely you had time to use every breath finding a way out? What goes through your mind when this happens? Is the will to live stronger in some than in others? What circumstances put these people into these bad situations? Is it lack of training? Is it complacency? Is it overconfidence? A misunderstanding of communication? Is it peer pressure? Or is it just sheer bad luck? I want to share a situation that I was involved in recently. I plan an annual dive trip for a week diving the Russian ocean liner Mikhail Lermontov, and the following happened on my latest trip.
SETTING THE SCENE
As those who read the full article on the Mikhail Lermontov in issue 19 of Scuba Diver Australia and New Zealand will know, this is a 176-metre-long, 20,500-ton Russian ocean liner which sank on 18 February 1986 after striking a shallow reef between a lighthouse and a headland. This impact tore an 18-metre gash in her port hull, sinking her in a few hours. The ship lies in Port Gore in the Marlborough Sounds, South Island, New Zealand. She sits in 36m of water hard on her starboard side, with the port gunnels in 12m of water. So is not a very deep dive, and the wreck is a popular destination for avid wreck divers. Conditions on and in the wreck can be
challenging, but all experiences of diver can enjoy her. I have been taking trips to this wreck for over 24 years now, spending five days on the wreck on a liveaboard dive boat normally hosting 12-14 divers each trip. Penetration dives are carefully choreographed so each group knows exactly where everyone is going in the wreck. This avoids crossing paths while in the wreck.
THE DIVE
We were halfway into a five-day trip. The divers in question, one a highly experienced instructor (Andrew) and the other an experienced diver (Darryl), were both Advanced Trimix rebreather divers. Darryl and Andrew entered the water. Some 56 minutes into the dive, Andrew and Darryl entered the forward hold. A wide-open space, it is box shaped with natural light. Darryl, who had lost his primary light earlier on the dive, was now on his back-up light. The both of them swam into the open hold. At the end of the hold on the after part of the area was a room. Both guys entered the room. Andrew spotted an open door, and looked up into the opening. He immediately recognised the crew stairwell. Andrew called Darryl over, pointed to the stairwell and through the rebreather verbalised and hand-gestured ‘Check this out mate, when we ascend I will explain to you, look at the charts where we are and the significance of these stairs’. Darryl was recollecting that he saw the door. Before the dive, Andrew had briefed Darryl that they would be going into the chain locker, where he would enter through an opening and swim through and out of another hole. At this point in the dive, Darryl had thought that this was part of the dive plan already explained. So when Andrew gestured about going into the doorway, Darryl entered on that premise.
Being lost in a shipwreck has to be one of a wreck diver’s greatest fears, and as Pete Mesley explains, it can happen after something as simple as a misunderstanding of communication. PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETE MESLEY 64
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There are stories of people who were lost in wrecks, their bodies eventually found where they had scratched messages to their families on their dive tanks. The thought of this just sends a shiver down my spine
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It felt like one of those Tetris games, having to move and make yourself fit a round peg through a square hole!
The interior of the Lermontov can be eerie
Andrew, knowing that it was a stairwell, felt his way round. He went up a flight. He was in zero vis, disoriented, with no clean water. His light was doing nothing to cut through the orange silt. He swam up and finally saw a red chair. He knew immediately where he was – the crew’s mess. After looking around in the crew’s mess, he dropped back down into the lobby, through a doorway and into a corridor (familiar from past dives, it leads to the Leningrad Restaurant). Noticing an orange line in the corridor, Andrew tied off his line to the orange line, and exited through the Leningrad Restaurant. At this point, Andrew came out the wreck, then wrote on his wetnotes what had happened.
DARRYL’S RECOLLECTION
This white line was Andrew’s line and Darryl, with his intermittent light, followed the line along the corridor (which was leading towards the Leningrad Restaurant). When he reached where Andrew had tied off to the orange line, he stopped. Not wanting to follow an older line, he turned round and swam back along the line, going back the way he had come. Darryl looked up and then saw ambient light. He ascended into a room, and noticed rows of round ‘green lights’, which were portholes. He found a broken porthole and deployed his yellow marker buoy through it, marking his position (this would end up being the main reason for his safe recovery).
Shortly after Darryl entered the doorway, but only three to four metres inside, and not feeling comfortable with being there, he turned round to exit. At this point, the visibility was reduced to nearly zero. Feeling his way to what he thought was the exit, Darryl became more disoriented. The vis was now totally backed out. At this point his back-up light went out. Something was above his head, and with his feet jammed behind him, he had nowhere to swim. He was cramped, hands and arms in silt. Not happy. He didn’t want to move. He stayed 15 minutes in the same position. Getting his shit together. On the rebreather. Got all the time in the world. MEANWHILE, TOPSIDE... Darryl recollects: “No light, zero vis. Blacker than black. I was Dive Safety Officer and in control of the dive deck, Need to keep my wits. There’s clear water somewhere, need checking divers in and out of the water. Next thing, a dive to find clear water. If you got into here, you can get out.” He managed to turn 180 degrees out of the It can be easy to become restriction, and wriggled and wriggled. He felt his disorientated way out. Into a corridor. He checked the light again and it came on. Clearer water. He saw red chairs. Swam aft. He saw orange line and fresh white line...
ANDREW’S RECOLLECTION
Andrew thought Darryl was just going to have a look at the room, but swam straight into it. He got a scoop of silt on top of him as Darryl went past. After one minute, Andrew called out to Darryl. He could only see his NERD in the silt out. It was very low vis. He gave Darryl a few minutes to get out, and then waited a few more minutes while calling out to keep position at the doorway. He then tied off and reeled into the doorway. It was zero vis, but
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team surfaced and handed me a wetnote page (from Andrew, who was conducting a safety stop on the line). It read ‘Darryl lost in wreck, tried to find him, entered through forward cargo hatch, presumed he is in Atlantic Deck’. I started getting geared up in my drysuit, and prepping my rebreather. Andrew surfaced a short time after. While he was still in the water at the back of the dive boat, a yellow marker buoy popped up to the surface about ten metres astern of the dive boat. It was Darryl’s marker. We all breathed a sigh of relief. I asked Andrew to go back down and be with Darryl. Knowing that Andrew would stay with him, I asked Dave (another instructor) to go down with Andrew and surface immediately afterwards to inform me what the latest information about Darryl was. Over ten minutes went by, and Dave still hadn’t surfaced. I thought there must be a good reason for this. Dave surfaced, and relayed information back to me - Darryl was stuck inside the wreck, and had deployed his SMB through a broken porthole. Andrew had gone to try and locate him. Andrew surfaced shortly afterwards – he couldn’t locate Darryl. By this point, all the other teams of divers had surfaced.
THE RECOVERY
I entered the water at 4.27pm and went down the yellow marker line. I got to the bottom at around 13m. I communicated with Darryl by small finger touches through the broken section of the porthole. I noted it was a round porthole, then I swam directly perpendicular to deck level. I saw it was the first set of round portholes, so I knew it was on the restaurant deck. I then arm-span counted the distance to where the main lobby entrance was. This gave
PETE MESLEY
Pete Mesley, owner of Lust4Rust and Shock&Awe Big Animal Diving, is an accomplished deep wreck explorer and photographer running specialised trips like this to some of the world’s best wreck sites. You can see where Pete is heading on his next adventure on: www.petemesley.com
He was in zero vis, disoriented, with no clean water. His light was doing nothing to cut through the orange silt
me a rough idea of how far forward from the lobby door he was. I entered through the Bolshoi Lounge stairwell and descended three flights into the Leningrad Restaurant lobby. I tied off my reel, then entered through the doors and ascended up to the starboard corridor, heading forward towards the Crew’s Mess. I entered every vertical opening and doorway, methodically searching the whole internal space. I finally got to the Crew’s Mess and knew that this was too far, but still entered and checked all the area. Not finding Darryl, I repeated the search process. I came across a very small window opening above my head. I looked in and could see rows of ‘green windows’, signifying portholes. This was the room I found Darryl in. I squeezed into the hole and saw Darryl some 5m above me. Staying in position as I didn’t want to lose feeling of where the opening was (there were lots of chairs, debris, etc, in the opening), I called for Darryl to come down to me. He responded. When he descended to me, there was a long exchange of ‘Bro Hugs’ (boy, was I really glad to find him!). But we weren’t out of the woods yet - we still had to get out of the wreck! I noticed he had another three-litre O2 cylinder dangling off him. Where did that come from? This was clever thinking from Andrew - he widened the porthole opening and handed Darryl more O2 to manually feed his rebreather, and also additional lights. I noted Darryl’s O2 supply and he had more than enough 02 to complete the exit without the additional cylinder. I took it off him as it would be very difficult to get through the window opening with it attached. I handed Darryl the line and we then proceeded to feel our way back out the hole. It felt like one of those Tetris games, having to move and make yourself fit a round peg through a square hole! It took a bit of time to get out through the hole. Once both of us were back in the corridor, the zero vis was starting to clean up. We could see walls, ceilings, etc, now. We followed the line back out into the Leningrad Restaurant, then out the wreck and back up the line. We were met by Andrew at the base of the line, where he had an extra battery pack for Darryl’s heated suit. The dive was finished after completing Darryl’s deco. We all surfaced at 5.45pm. Darryl had spent a total of 244 minutes underwater. That night we all sat round and reflected on what happened. Everyone was just so happy, and relieved for a positive outcome. What started out as an innocent misunderstanding of communication turned into a full-scale rescue. n
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YOUR DIVE DATA’S NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD.
NEW
GALILEO® HUD™ HANDS-FREE COMPUTER
Introducing the revolutionary mask-mounted, hands-free dive computer with a virtual, floating heads-up display, giving you more freedom to experience your dive. scubapro.com
This picture is for illustration purposes only. Actual product may vary due to product enhancement of the dive mask paired with the Galileo HUD hands-free dive computer.
What’s New
FOURTH ELEMENT HYDRA
The Hydra Neoprene Drysuit has a close-fitting, streamlinedstyle, and is warm and flexible thanks to the use of 4mm High-Density Neoprene (HDN) throughout the suit. HDN fuses the thermal protection of neoprene with a greater consistency of buoyancy throughout the dive. HDN is laminated with hardwearing fabric on the outside for excellent abrasion resistance, and smoother linings on the inside to increase comfort and aid donning. Supratex linings protect critical wear areas in the crotch and underarms without limiting freedom of movement. Parts of the suit normally exposed to additional abrasion, such as shoulders, waist and knees, have a tough Durawear print. Seams are fused and blindstitched before being taped on the inside, and external plasma seams prevent abrasion from your equipment or environment. Mobility is often the trade-off when choosing a neoprene drysuit. The Hydra maximises this mobility with underarm gussets and the same composite YKK dry-zipper used in the Argonaut drysuit, which is much more flexible and lighter in weight than the traditional brass zips. These zips, if looked after properly (a small amount of silicone grease applied to the zipper head every few dives) will give excellent performance. The 4mm compressed neoprene dryboots used on the Argonaut are fitted as standard on the Hydra. With double-layer reinforcement, good grip and Fourth Element’s now-ubiquitous ergonomic footbed, these boots are comfortable and reliable. Fitted with Apollo Bio-Dry inflate and dump valves, the specification of this suit makes it the ideal companion for many cold-water adventures. Available in Men’s and Women’s styles in off-the-peg sizes. www.fourthelement.com
SCUBAPRO MK25 EVO/D420 OR MK19 EVO/D420 Combining the iconic design of the original D-series regulators with the latest advances in breathing performance technology, Scubapro engineers have created the D420, which features a brand-new balanced valve inside a housing supported by a full metal structure. Called the Progressive Flow Control Valve, it is able to deliver abundant airflow for the best breathing performance, with a natural smoothness comparable to what you might experience breathing on the surface. The uniquely shaped fibreglass-reinforced nylon casing is ultra-durable and allows the LP hose to be connected on either the right or left side for maximum rigging flexibility. A new dive/pre-dive system includes a switch on the top of the casing with a thumb tab for adjusting the direction of airflow right out of the valve. It is paired with the tried-and-tested MK25 Evo balanced piston first stage, or the brand-new MK19 Evo balanced diaphragm first stage, which is environmentally sealed to prevent water and pollutants from fouling the inner mechanism, and is substantially smaller and lighter than the original MK19. www.scubapro.com 70
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OMNISWIVEL 2.0
A swivel fitted between a regulator second stage and the hose can make things a whole lot more comfortable when you are diving, and that is where an Omniswivel comes in. The original Omniswivel was very popular, but now there is a 2.0 version out, which has an O-ring to keep sediment out of the main swivel screw, and a new side interlocking feature makes it impossible for the swivel to come apart. Best of all, existing swivels can be retrofitted with the new features! www.miflexhoseshop.co.uk
SANTI FLEX 2.0 HEATED UNDERSUIT The Flex 2.0 heated undersuit is designed as part of the complex Santi heating system. Made of high-quality Climashield Contour fabric, with a weight of 180g/m2, it allows for full flexibility of fabric in every direction, which leads to unique mobility and less bulk when compared with BZ400 Thinsulate insulation. The undersuit contains very efficient heating wires that provide optimal thermal comfort during long and cold dives. In this configuration, most of the generated heat is passed on directly to the diver’s body. www.santidiving.com
MARES DUAL AND DUAL ADJ
SUBLUE SEABOW
Sublue’s Seabow is a great underwater photography platform that allows you to capture amazing underwater sights while propelling through the ocean currents. Using industry-leading sealing and waterproofing technology, the Seabow can perform at 40m in depth and has three speeds for easy manoeuvring, cruising and jet propulsion, travelling up to 2m/s. The battery life per single charge delivers a maximum of 75 minutes and at 158WH, the battery is compliant with aviation air transportation standards, allowing you to take your Seabow on global scuba diving trips. You can now save energy and consume less air during your next scuba dive and have plenty of time to capture the ultimate underwater photography and videography - add as many or your underwater cameras, lights, housings and balance weights that you can fit on! www.dronepacific.com.au
Mares’ Dual range of regulators provide an affordable but efficient way to bring the company’s proven heritage into your gear arsenal. The Dual 15x is a lightweight technopolymer reg, offering high air flow and an oversized purge button. The 15x first stage features pre-orientated ports (two high pressure and four low pressure), an ACT value for reliability, and a Dynamic Flow Control (DFC) system which minimises intermediate pressure drop during inhalation, thus maximising gas delivery. The Dual Adj has all the features of the basic Dual, but adds a cracking resistance control on the side so the user can tweak the breathe to their preference. It is paired with the high-performance 52x first stage (two high pressure and four low pressure ports), a tri-material valve with dual DFC ports for superior performance and a Natural Convection Channel (NCC), which increases the cold-water performance by creating a flow of water across the regulator. There are matching Dual and Dual Adj octopus regulators to complement the primary regulators. www.mares.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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Test Extra
SCUBAPRO HUD
Mark Evans: There has often been talk about fighter-pilotstyle head’s-up displays for divers, but for a long time, it was just that - talk. Then Oceanic launched the Datamask, which was marketed as a HUD mask, but was more an ‘eyes-downto-the-right’ mask. It had a small screen mounted into the bottom right-hand side of the mask, so you needed to angle your eyes down to the right to look at it. It made the mask bulky, you lost a lot of peripheral vision to your right-hand side because of the battery compartment and innards of the computer itself, and to be honest, it wasn’t that advanced a computer in the first place, so it seemed a lot of effort for little gain. There was no real benefit over glancing at your wrist and a normal dive computer. Things went quiet in the world of HUD, until the launch of the innovative NERD by Shearwater Research. Originally designed for use with CCRs, a second-gen model was released that could be mounted on a second stage regulator. This ground-breaking piece of kit was more what people envisaged when they said ‘head’s up display’. Thanks to clever technology and design, a small screen that was located in front of the right lens of the mask appeared as a much-larger display a couple of feet away when you focused on it, but when you looked ‘past it’, as it were, it all but disappeared. The NERD II was essentially the company’s tried-and-tested Perdix AI in a smaller form, so it was a well-specced computer in its own right, but with the advantage of being a genuine head’s up display computer. The only downside was the computer being mounted on the regulator - fine when you are shore-diving or off a hardboat,
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but if you are in a RIB and need to de-kit for reboarding, you didn’t really want to see your precious and expensive computer disappearing beneath a pile of BCDs and cylinders, not to mention feet as other divers got back on board. Now mainstream manufacturer Scubapro has got in on the act, with the Galileo HUD dive computer. The Galileo series of computers was well received when they first came on the scene, and later generations - such as the G2, currently in our long-term test stable - were equally welcomed with open arms by the diving fraternity. So the functionality was there, Scubapro just decided to engineer that into a head’s-up display product. Like the Shearwater Research NERD, the Galileo HUD features a small OLED screen suspended in front of your right eye, which when you focus on it, essentially becomes a larger screen in front of you because of the precision near-eye optics. When you look ‘past
it’, it all but disappears from your line of sight. However, the big different here is that the Galileo HUD mounts directly on to the mask itself, not the regulator. Because of the way it attachs to the central section of the mask, it can literally be swung up and completely out of sight, if so desired. A series of spacers lets you align it from side to side in front of your eye quickly and easily. The Galileo series were among the most-simple computers to navigate around the menus, thanks to the screen displaying what the buttons did at any given time. Now the HUD can’t quite manage that given its size and design, but an innovative push-wheel knob makes it almost as easy as, say, the G2. A short push takes you to the next stage in the menu while a long push takes you back a step (and it tells you this at the bottom of the display), and by dialling the knob you can scroll up and down the menu. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of it and, because of a neat design, it is easy to operate even wearing thick neoprene gloves or drygloves. * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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Test Extra
SCUBAPRO HUD
It is not only easy to use, it is also very well-specced. It has four modes - scuba, gauge (for tech diving - it is depthrated to 120m), apnea and CCR - and it has two algorithms to select from. You can go for the Predictive Multi-Gas Buhlmann ZH-L16 ADT MB PMG, or the ZH-L16 GF. The predictive algorithm programmes up to eight selectable gases, including nitrox and trimix, in scuba mode, plus two set points for CCR diving. To further personalise its functionality, you can incorporate microbubble levels and Profile Dependent Intermediate Stops (PDIS) into the algorithm. Via hoseless air integration with a transmitter, the HUD can monitor your tank pressure, and also show your true remaining bottom time (RBT). The Galileo HUD also features a 3D full-tilt digital compass, which allows you to store three pre-programmed headings, and the 2GB memory means it can store 10,000 hours of dive profiles, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of space! When you do want to download your logbook, you can do this either using a USB cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth. And it is compatible with Apple and Android using LogTRAK. You never have to worry about running out of battery, * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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XR SIDEMOUNT SETS
Test Extra
SCUBAPRO HUD
either, as the HUD has a rechargeable battery, and fully charged, this will give you some 20 hours of dive time. A compatible mask mount is included in the box, and several existing Scubapro masks can be retro-fitted to hold the Galileo HUD, such as the Zoom Evo that came for the test. The brand-new D Mask has been designed from the outset to work with the HUD. However, the HUD will also work on many other brands of mask, so you might not have to dump your ‘old-faithful’ to be able to wear the computer. So what is it like in use? Well, first off, it is very lightweight, and while visually it might look quite large sat on top of the mask, in reality you hardly notice it is there, especially once you are in the water. There is no real drag or heavy feeling. It was quite handy being able to swing the HUD completely up and out of the way. When it is in place, it isn’t too noticeable, until you want to read your computer, but when I was taking photographs, I sometimes found it was easier to do this with the HUD flipped up out of the way rather than in the ‘down position’. I had no trouble using the control knob to dial through the menu. It is a decent size, and I had zero issues finding and using it wearing 3mm gloves, 5mm gloves and even drygloves with a thick under-glove. As stated before, it is relatively simple to get to grips with the HUD, as with the G2 and previous Galileos, and the screen display is very clear - all I had to do was raise my view point slightly and then the computer screen came into sight. This was literally a slight tilt of my eyes upwards, not a very exaggerated down-to-theright as with the old Datamask. All of the prominent information is well displayed in the default setting. You can tweak the layout but I actually found the default setting was perfect for me. The green digits appeared nice and bright underwater and on the surface, and I liked how warnings came in orange and red - for instance, as you ascend, a green line extends up the side, but if you go too quickly, it goes orange, and if you continue to accelerate towards the surface, it goes red. No way you will miss that! I think that the NERD II had the edge in terms of sharpness of screen display, but the HUD is still very easy to see, and easy to control/use, and I like how it is actually mounted on your mask rather than on your regulator. You can detach it quickly and easily from the mask, and it comes in a neat case along with the charging cable, transmitter (if you opt for the full set) and mask mount. www.scubapro.com
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FOR EVERY ADVENTURE.
The Proteus has consistently been rated as the warmest wetsuit in its class for the last 8 years. Where will it take you?
Image by Alfred Minnaar
fourthelement.com
Test Extra
BARE EXOWEAR
Mark Evans: Bare have built up a well-deserved reputation for quality exposure protection, be that drysuits, undersuits or wetsuits, and the innovative Exowear range looks set to add another string to that already loaded bow. Exowear is one of those products that crosses boundaries, and even Bare themselves say that it has been designed for divers, but also snorkellers, kayakers and stand-up paddle board enthusiasts, but you could add jetskiers, boaters, windsurfers, etc, to that list quite easily. I’d even say that it goes further than that, and could be used by other sports fans, such as mountain bikers, hikers, etc, when the temperatures plummet. So what is it? Well, in the words of Bare, it is ‘a lightweight, layerable and neutrally buoyant exposureprotection garment that provides maximum thermal warmth and protection against the harshest elements’. When you first get it out of the box, Exowear feels like an extremely thin neoprene wetsuit material, but closer inspection shows that it is more-akin to soft-shell jackets, except that it is extremely stretchy. Look inside, and it has a super-soft, fluffy fleece interior - and it is here that the ‘magic’ happens. Bare utilise so-called Omnired technology, which basically sees 13 thermo-reactive minerals embedded into the fabric, and these in turn convert outbound body heat into infrared energy and reflect it back to the body, allowing the user to main their optimal body temperature, and thus keeping them warmer for longer. According to lab tests, Exowear has slowed thermal loss by 36 percent compared to diving in swimsuits and rash guards alone. This may sound a bit Harry Potter, but it actually works! I have used Bare neoprene gloves and hoods in the past with the Omnired technology woven into the material, and I was astounded at how warm they kept my hands and head respectively. The 5mm gloves, in particular,
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were extremely effective - I was doing hour-long dives in single-digit temperatures and my hands were still warm at the end of it. And now Bare have put this technology into the Exowear range. As we stated previously, initially it feels like an ultra-thin neoprene wetsuit, but it is actually made up of three layers - an inner later (featuring the Omnired technology), a membrane, and then an outer layer. Together, these make up a product that is water repellant, windproof, breathable, quick-drying, wicking, and anti-microbial. I said before that it was very stretchy, and the secret is in the four-way stretch design. This is a more-superior knit fabric than two-way stretch, since it stretches in both directions - crosswise and lengthwise - rather than just in one direction. This translates into it being extremely easy to get on and off, and there being zero restrictions
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to movement - you literally don’t feel like you are wearing anything. The Exowear comes in a wide selection of styles, from full suits - as I tested here - to long-sleeve tops, front-zip jackets, vests, pants, shorts, hoods, gloves, and socks. They also come in male and female versions. The range is designed in that it can be layered up according to conditions. Thus, the front-zip jacket can be combined with a vest, or long-sleeve top, when it gets a little cold, or be used alone in warmer temperatures. The great thing about the Exowear range is that it can be used wet and dry. So take it with you to use as a standalone product on your next warm-water diving trip, or to add under your 3mm or 5mm wetsuit if somewhere a little colder - the Med in winter, for instance - but you can also wear it under your drysuit, as an ultra-warm base layer. Now as I wasn’t heading off anywhere sunny to go diving, unfortunately, I decided to test out the full suit under my Fourth Element Argonaut Stealth drysuit. Now my normal undergarments with this trilaminate suit is the Halo 3D undersuit, sometimes with the X-Core vest if
it is really chilly. However, to give the Exowear a proper workout, I just wore the full suit under the Argonaut - in temperatures around 7 degrees C! Now this far exceeds what it is designed for - it would be ideal worn as a base layer under a normal undersuit, for example - but I wanted to see how it coped, and I was impressed. Initially on entering the water, I could feel the cold of the water more than normal, as you’d expect given the thickness of the Exowear, but within five minutes, after some vigorous finning to get the blood flowing, I was surprised at how warm I felt, and the suit maintained this feeling for a good 45 minutes, before the inexorable cold started to take its toll. If I had put this under my Halo 3D, I would have been exceptionally warm. The full suit is very comfortable, with foot stirrups to stop the legs riding up, and a sturdy Velcro closure at the top of the zip near your neck. So the Exowear gets the thumbs up from me as an extremely versatile all-rounder, which is handy to have in your dive bag for use both in this country and abroad. www.baresports.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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Long Term Test ROHO X-FLEX SOLO
Mark Evans: The X-Flex Solo is Roho’s latest offering - a frontentry telescopic suit featuring the soft-and-supple X-Flex fabric, triple-bonded and taped seams, Melco Cordura kneepads, dual tech pockets on the thighs, 4mm neoprenelined boots, latex seals (neoprene optional), Apeks valves, and BDM dry zip. www.roho.co.uk
SEALIFE SEA DRAGON MINI 1300S
INFORMATION Arrival date: November 2019 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins
SUUNTO D5
Mark Evans: The Suunto D5 might only be wristwatchsized, but that full-colour screen is certainly easy to read. Here Ross is in the depths of the hold in the TriStar in Aqaba and the screen is even clear when I have INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 just triggered my strobes Suggested retail price: * to banish the blackness of Number of dives: 67 the plane’s interior. Time in water: 65 hrs 15 mins www.suunto.com 80
Mark Evans: Luke made full use of the Sea Dragon Mini 1300S when he was out in Malta. He found the torch the perfect size for his then12-year-old hand, and also the right size to securely slot into the pocket on his Pro HD BCD for when he was descending and ascending. He used it inside the wrecks and inside the INFORMATION Arrival date: July 2019 Santa Maria Caves, where Suggested retail price: * it showed off how bright it Number of dives: 25 really is on full power. Time in water: 23 hrs 45 mins www.sealife-cameras.com
MARES GENIUS Mark Evans: The Genius is like having a widescreen, highdefinition TV mounted on your wrist. That fullcolour screen is just unbelievably bright and easy to read at a glance. The clear colourcoding in place for the relevant information is intuitive, and the large buttons make navigation simple, even wearing thick gloves. Thanks to its design, though, it doesn’t feel ridiculously huge on your wrist. www.mares.com
INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2019 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 14 Time in water: 13hrs 40 mins WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU
AQUA LUNG BALI Mark Evans: The Aqua Lung Bali 3mm arrived just in time for the Clan Evans to head off to Grenada for the Dive Fest event. Penney found it was extremely comfortable and easy to get on and off, and kept her core nice and warm. From my point of view, the coral polyps on the arms looked great in photographs and added a splash of colour where otherwise it might have just been black neoprene. www.aqualung.com
APEKS VX1
INFORMATION Arrival date: October 2019 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 16 Time in water: 15 hrs 55 mins
AQUA LUNG AQUAFLEX
Mark Evans: Our dual test AquaFlex wetsuits have been getting plenty of use, and again, as with the Bali above, the use of colour on the arms of the women’s suit really adds another element to any photographs. I always hate shooting black wetsuits, as they just absorb the light of your strobes, and so it is a welcome change when a suit has some colour on it. The ‘Galaxy’ design certainly INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 stands out - and also Suggested retail price: * makes it easy to find it on Number of dives: 89 the drying rack! Time in water: 86 hrs 45 mins www.aqualung.com
Mark Evans: Finally got the VX1 back from a long-term loan, which was great timing, as sadly my Hollis M3 mask died when I was in Grenada through a tank-mask interface. I have long been a user of black-skirted masks, so it felt a little odd moving over to a white-skirted mask, as in this test version (they do a black version too), but you know what, I like it. It still blanks off any light coming in the side as per clear-skirted masks, which I detest, but it somehow doesn’t feel so restrictive. It is also supremely INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2019 comfortable, which with Suggested retail price: * a mask is of primary Number of dives: 33 importance. Time in water: 31 hrs 25 mins www.apeksdiving.com
OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC Mark Evans: The Otter Watersports Atlantic has come to the end of its stint in the Long Term Test stable, and guest tester Jason Brown has been hammering it on recreational and technical dives throughout the year. The suit is well made, durable, looks good, and can cope with the rigours of British diving with no issues. And backed by Otter’s legendary customer service, it should definitely be on your list when it comes to checking out potential drysuits. www.drysuits.co.uk
INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 85 Time in water: 84 hrs 15 mins
* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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SCHOLARSHIP DIARY
The Our-World Underwater Scholarship Society is a non-profit, educational organisation whose mission is to promote educational activities associated with the underwater world. It has offered scholarships for over 35 years. owuscholarship.org
RESEARCHING THE GREAT SOUTHERN REEF OF AUSTRALIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JOANNA SMART
T
he Great Southern Reef extends along the entire southern coastline of Australia. Although relatively unheard of, this reef system is just as important as its northern counterpart. Fisheries, recreation and tourism all flourish in this section of coast but unfortunately, thanks to the unwavering presence of our friend climate change, is just as threatened. Growing up in Tasmania left me with a deep appreciation for this reef’s importance and the need to learn more about it. I wanted to make this a big part of my Scholarship year so in December, I travelled to Perth, Western Australia, to join the University of Western Australia’s Wernberg lab for three weeks of Great Southern Reef research. Headed by Dr Thomas Wernberg, the lab explores all aspects of the Great Southern Reef from climate change to reef ecology. I started off in the laboratory helping the PhD students with their research. After my time in the lab, I was excited to get out in the field and joined PhD students for a trip to Port Gregory, six hours north of Perth. Over the course of a week, we completed a number of dives to find heattolerant seaweeds, collect coral samples and drill pins into new sample sites. The diving was fascinating, I had never seen a mix of corals and seaweeds in the one place before and it was interesting to see the number of different fish species all in one place. Long days on the boat in 38 degrees C+ weather left us sunburnt, weathered and slightly parched, but the field trip was a success, with everyone accomplishing what they needed. The five of us then piled back into a Hilux for a cramped, but scenic, six-and-a-half hour drive back to Perth. During my time in WA, I gained a new appreciation for the dedication of the PhD students. Coming from Tasmania, I had never experienced so much harsh sun and hot temperatures before. Working long hours in harsh conditions is tough, but this group is incredibly dedicated to the cause and are working hard to ensure the Great Southern Reef is not forgotten. n
Joanna Smart
Correction In issue 19 of Scuba Diver Australia and New Zealand, the header for the OWUSS piece mistakenly read ‘Farnes’, when it should have been ‘Faroes’.
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MARES GENIUS
THE MOST EVOLVED DIVE COMPUTER ON THE MARKET
• • • • • • • •
New zh-l16c algorithm with gradient factors and predictive multigas Nitrox and trimix capable, up to 5 gases Full color high-resolution display Hoseless tank data integration for up to five transmitters Color coded tank pressure for at-a-glance readability Brilliant logbook with multiple graphs Smart battery management system with 40 hours divetime per full charge Bluetooth connection for direct connection to smartphone