Scuba Diver Asia Pacific - Issue 7

GETTING SEXUAL IN PALAU: AMAZING PELAGICS, WARTIME WRECKS AND THE CHANCE TO WITNESS A FISH SEX-FEST

SIDEMOUNT V BACKMOUNT:

MID-RANGE FINS:

WE LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF BACKMOUNT AND SIDEMOUNT DIVING

THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS FINS IN THE MID-PRICE BRACKET

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ADVENTURE ONCE THE SOLE PRESERVE OF LIVEABOARDS, NOW YOU CAN DAYBOAT DIVE THE BEST SITES

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Scholar

RIB diving

The Philippines

Cavern photography tips

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Medal of Valour FOR FIVE OF THE THAI CAVE RESCUE HEROES Many of the divers involved in the Thai cave rescue of the 12 schoolboys and their football coach in June and July this year have been recognised for their outstanding efforts and achievements in their home countries, but now dive training agency PADI (Professonal Association of Diving Instructors) has created a brand-new accolade, the Medal of Valour, to recognise the courage, strength, honour and dignity that was displayed during the epic, ground-breaking rescue operation inside the Tham Luang complex.

Five of the cave divers involved in the campaign have been selected to receive this honour - Australian doctor Dr Richard Harris, and Brits John Volanthen, Rick Stanton, Jason Mallinson and Chris Jewell.

Rick and Jason accepted the Medal of Valour on behalf of the group at the DEMA trade show in Las Vegas in November.

Some have questioned why, when so many were involved in the operation, these five were highlighted by PADI, but Dr Richard Harris played a critical role in the rescue, administering sedatives to the boys to facilitate their

extraction under extreme and complex conditions, and staying with them in the cave for several days.

Likewise, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen were a driving force in the whole operation, and were the pair which first discovered the lost soccer team and their coach. They then, along with Jason Mallinson and Chris Jewell, made repeated journeys through the flooded cave to extract the boys to the section of the cave where other team members could assist.

Everyone involved in the whole operation were amazing, and I think instead of finger-pointing, people should just applaud the fact that PADI has chosen to recognise the efforts of the cave-diving community in an international moment of need.

PADI CEO and President Drew Richardson said: “It was an awe-inspiring example of humanity at its best, focused on a single noble purpose, and on behalf of the entire PADI family, it is an honour to recognise these heroes and extend our gratitude for representing ‘diving’s finest hour’.”

MARK EVANS, Editor-in-Chief

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Mark Evans Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com Matt Griffiths Email: matt@griffital.co.uk Mario Vitalini, Adrian Stacey, Al Hornsby, Rose and Udo Kefrig

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05

GETTING SEXUAL IN PALAU: AMAZING PELAGICS, WARTIME WRECKS AND THE CHANCE TO WITNESS A FISH SEX-FEST

SIDEMOUNT V BACKMOUNT:

MID-RANGE FINS:

WE LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF BACKMOUNT AND SIDEMOUNT DIVING

THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS FINS IN THE MID-PRICE BRACKET

ON THE COVER

Andaman

ADVENTURE ONCE THE SOLE PRESERVE OF LIVEABOARDS, NOW YOU CAN DAYBOAT DIVE THE BEST SITES

+

Scholar

RIB diving

The Philippines

Cavern photography tips

ISSUE 7 | FREE MAGAZINE!

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: Adrian Stacey

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09/11/2018 16:48

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES

Ultrasounds on whalesharks, newest members of Women Divers Hall of Fame, Space Invaders for sharks, and PADI presents Medals of Valour to several of the Thai cave rescue heroes, including Aussie doctor, Dr Richard Harris.

Our eclectic panel of industry training gurus look at the pros and cons of rigid inflatable boat diving, and explain how these nimble vessels can reach dive sites out of reach of other boats.

8 News

18 DIVE LIKE A PRO: RIB diving

22 Thailand

Mario Vitalini focuses his attention on cavern diving and how to shoot these sites.

Paul Lees has spent many years in Thailand, and so has the inside track on the diving. The Andaman Sea used to be the sole preserve of liveaboards, but as Paul explains, you can now reach the majority of dive sites via fast, well-equipped dayboats.

36 Our-World UW Scholar

30 Palau

26 Underwater photography

Olivia Johnson gets up close and personal with humpback whales in Tonga.

66 GO Diving

The GO Diving Show teams up with the Discovery Channel to present virtual reality shark dives to visitors to the February 2019 exhibition.

06

Rose and Udo Kefrig are blown away by Palau, and its rich offerings both topside and underwater. Diving with masses of pelagics and exploring sunken wartime wrecks is one thing, but being in the middle of a sprawling fish sex-fest was not something they expected!

38 Philippines

After Al Hornsby’s fantastic trip to Dumaguete, he didn’t think the diving

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CONTENTS

GEAR GUIDE could be topped, but Puerto Galera literally left him speechless when each dive site just kept delivering encounter after encounter.

44 SPEARFISHING

We link up with DeeperBlue.com to bring a Beginner’s Guide to Reef Hunting. Plus, What’s New takes a look at the Cyrano HFT 1.1 speargun from Mares.

46 FREEDIVING: Industry News

News from the world of freediving, including details of the recent CMAS World Championships.

48 TECH: Backmount v sidemount

Recreational diver Gavin Jones is roped into being a guinea pig and trying out two methods of diving with dual tanks - a back-mount twinset and independent sidemount - with RAID Director of Training Garry Dallas, and then reviewing the pros and cons. Which of the two disciplines will he prefer?

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54 What’s New

New products recently released or coming soon, including Fourth Element’s new winter lifestyle selection, Divelogs logbooks, Hollis Seeker reels, Zeagle Bravo BCD and Mares’ T-Light drybag collection.

56 Group Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team heads to the wilds of Llanberis in North Wales’ Snowdonia National Park to trial a selection of mid-range fins from a range of manufacturers.

62 Test Extra

Mark Evans reviews the SeaLife DC2000 compact underwater camera and housing.

64 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team gets to grips with a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Mares Quad Air dive computer, Apeks RK3 HD fins and the innovative Aqua Lung Rogue BCD.

07

NEWS

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 social media. www.scubadivermag.com/news | .com/scubadivermag | @scubadivermag

UNDERWATER ULTRASOUND AND FIRST-EVER

BLOOD SAMPLING ON ADULT WHALESHARKS

R

esearchers in the Galapagos have successfully completed ultrasounds on free-swimming whalesharks, and taken blood samples from adult whalesharks for the first-time ever in the wild.

The incredible results allowed them to see and identify reproductive organs, such as the ovaries, and even developing follicles. These technologies hold promise for finally unlocking the mystery of breeding in the world’s largest sharks.

A team of global whaleshark experts, comprised of scientists and conservationists from the Galapagos Whaleshark Project (Ecuador), Galapagos National Park (Ecuador), Okinawa Churashima Foundation (Japan),University of San Francisco/Galapagos Science Centre (Ecuador) and the Marine Megafauna Foundation (USA), has just returned from a two-week expedition to Darwin Island, in the far north of the Galapagos Archipelago.

This remote volcanic island is one of the few places where huge adult female whalesharks, up to 14 metres in length, are commonly seen each year. The main aim of the expedition was to assess the sharks’ reproductive state.

Jonathan R Green, the expedition leader and founder of the Galapagos Whaleshark Project, notes: “Almost nothing is known about the reproduction of these giant sharks. After I first saw these huge female whalesharks in the far north Galapagos, I realised that this was a great opportunity to learn more. We’ve been able to put together an experienced team to research sharks in this remote area, one of the world’s most isolated dive sites.”

Dr Simon Pierce, an expedition member from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, explains further: “Whaleshark breeding is a mystery. Only one pregnant shark has been physically examined so far, back in 1995 in Taiwan. That ‘megamamma’ shark had 304 little whaleshark eggs and pups inside, all less than 60cm in length.”

The team conducted scans using a 17kg ultrasound system in a waterproofed case. Whalesharks have tough protective skin, more than 20cm thick on some individuals, so the 30cm penetration of the ultrasound waves proved a challenge – not to mention the difficulty of carefully checking the whole belly area of a gigantic shark while it is swimming. Dr Matsumoto had to use a propeller system mounted on his tank to keep up with the sharks.

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“We use some interesting technology anyway, but working with the Okinawa team was something else”, commented Dr Pierce. “I felt cool by association. We saw dive groups a couple of times at the site, and I can only imagine what they thought – why is that guy diving with a briefcase? And a jetpack?”

Dr Matsumoto reports that the initial results were promising: “We confirmed the presence of follicles in the ovaries but none of the images captured embryos or egg capsules inside the uterus. These adult female sharks we saw at Darwin Island might be on their way to mate further offshore. I am confident that we can judge the sexual maturity, and probably also determine the pregnancy of whalesharks in the field, using the underwater ultrasound”.

The researchers attached satellite-linked tags to the sharks to track their onwards movements. Professor Alex Hearn from the University of San Francisco/Galapagos Science Centre explains: “We’ve tagged whalesharks in Galapagos before, but there are lots of predatory sharks at Darwin and they often try to eat the tags, which can rip them out of the whalesharks almost immediately. To reduce early tag loss, we tried a different method on this trip, clamping the tags to the tip of the dorsal fins. All tags are transmitting well, so we should get great information on where these sharks swim over the months to come.”

Project member Dr Alistair Dove, from Georgia Aquarium, notes that these tags could document some amazing behaviours: “Whalesharks are already known to be the deepest-diving of all fish. The current depth record is 1,928 m – well over a mile – set by a juvenile whaleshark. Larger, older animals can generally dive deeper than young smaller ones, so perhaps we will challenge that record.”

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Photo credit: Simon J Pierce / www.simonjpierce.com

Kiyomi Murakumo, from Okinawa Churashima Foundation, successfully collected blood samples from six adult sharks – no easy job. Her colleague, Dr Ryo Nozu, analyzed the results immediately following the trip: “Sex steroid hormone levels in the blood are an excellent way to monitor reproduction in individual sharks. This study measured levels of estradiol, progesterone and testosterone of wild, adult female whalesharks for the first time in the world. Estradiol could be associated with follicular development, and progesterone could be involved in ovulation and pregnancy. Over time, as we sample more whalesharks, we can build up a complete picture of their reproductive cycle by combining the blood sampling with the ultrasonography.”

Jonathan R. Green added: “These big female sharks are not going to give up their secrets easily. One thing is clear: there’s a lot of work still to do to understand the reproductive processes of this endangered species. However, this trip proved that it is possible to research their breeding in the wild. We’ll continue to hone our techniques and build upon this knowledge, as we need to understand these enigmatic sharks and protect them through their life cycle.” n

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09

INDUSTRY NEWS

WOMEN DIVERS HALL OF FAME

WELCOMES NINE NEW MEMBERS IN 2019 Dedicated to recognising and honouring the contributions of women divers, the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is an international non-profit professional honour society whose member contributions span a wide variety of fields including fine arts, science, medicine, sports, exploration, underwater archaeology, media, service, dive training and education, safety, business, marine environment and conservation, free diving, commercial diving, and military diving. The Hall is proud to announce the selection of nine new members who will constitute the Class of 2019:

TWILA BRATCHER-CRITCHLOW (1911-2006)

Diving pioneer, philanthropist, malacologist Twila Bratcher was a diving pioneer and adventurer, and learned diving from Conrad Limbaugh in 1951 and E.R. Cross in 1953. She formed Sea Nymphs, a women-only dive/spearfishing club, was an underwater television show actress, underwater photographer, pilot, and Platinum Pro 5000 Diver. Bratcher’s Living Terebras of the World is the definitive book on terebra shells. She described 35 species, authored 73 papers on malacological topics, with four species named for her.

ELLEN CUYLAERTS, BELGIUM AND CAYMAN ISLANDS

Ocean advocate, photographer, explorer Ellen Cuylaerts is an international, award-winning underwater photographer, ocean advocate and visionary. Ellen was inducted into the Ocean Arts Society, and accepted as a Fellow International in the Explorers Club, where she serves as a member of the Flag & Honours Committee. In June 2017, Ellen addressed heads of state on World Oceans Day at the General Assembly of the United Nations, highlighting the plight of photographers and film-makers engaging in protection of the oceans. She curates the United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition. Ellen loves cold diving in Arctic conditions and the darkness and silence of cave diving.

HONOR FROST (1917-2010)

Underwater archaeologist, philanthropist, archaeological pioneer Honor Frost was a scholar, explorer, author, and underwater archaeologist. An early pioneer in the field of underwater archaeology, as early as 1959, she pioneered recording methods and photography on submerged shipwreck and harbour sites. Her work inspired and facilitated the broader scholarly study of these resources and she was an advocate for the protection of underwater cultural heritage.

SARA OLSEN, USN, MARYLAND, USA

Diving project leader, unit commander, non-profit visionary Sara became a Navy Diving Officer in 2000. Her life of service began aboard USS Grapple and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO before becoming an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer

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#GODiving Catch Ellen on stage at the GO Diving Show at the Ricoh Arena on 23-24 February 2019 – book your tickets now! www.godivingshow.com/ dive-show-tickets

trained in underwater mine disposal. She was hand-picked as one of two Mediterranean-based force protection diving officers post-9/11, was project leader involving underwater test preparation of an experimental hull, and mission leader for underwater searches in Louisiana intercoastal waterways. Sara transitioned to the Reserves where she commanded three units, and served in multiple staffs. She co-founded a non-profit to bring inclusionary sport and fitness, including diving, to people with disabilities.

SABINE KERKAU, GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND

Technical diver, photographer, wreck conservationist Sabine Kerkau is a technical wreck and mine diver, writer and photographer. She has dived on several hundred wrecks down to 125m, and has identified many new wrecks. She has been on expeditions to the HMHS Britannic and the HMS Victoria in Lebanon. She was an expedition member of the MINEQUEST 2 project in Newfoundland and was part of the founding team of the Baltic Sea Heritage Rescue Project in Lithuania, which is committed to ghost net salvage, and wreck search, identification, and protection. She reports on her projects at international conferences, for several television productions, and in the magazines, Wetnotes, Divemaster, Unterwasserwelt.De, Unterwasser, X-Ray Magazine, and Tauchen.

JULIE OUIMET, QUEBEC, CANADA

Explorer, expedition cinematographer, conservationist Julie is an expedition videographer, film-maker and professional diver. She is a Fellow of the Explorers Club, an

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INDUSTRY NEWS Associate Member of the Boston Sea Rovers, and a Member of the Ocean Artists Society. She has twice been awarded and has carried the Explorers Club Flag, and has co-led and organised two scientific missions that contributed to the creation of a Marine Protected Area. Julie is a Trimix diver, a PADI Assistant Instructor, DAN Instructor, and the past owner of a PADI five-star IDC that won three North American awards.

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DORA SANDOVAL, TEXAS, USA

Dive travel leader, non-profit founder, marine conservationist Dora is the co-owner/operator of Rocio del Mar and Quino el Guardian liveaboards in Mexico. She created a citizenscience programme providing scientists with a venue to reach remote areas to conduct their research involving recreational divers. Dora serves as a board member of COBI, which works endlessly with Mexican coastal communities in undertaking the responsibility for conservation of marine biodiversity.

SUSAN L. WILLIAMS, PH.D. (1951-2018)

Marine biologist, conservationist, sanctuary advocate Dr Susan Williams was an American marine biologist and Distinguished Professor of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis, where she directed the Bodega Marine Laboratory from 2000-2010. She researched and utilised her scuba skills in many marine coastal ecosystems (in particular seagrass, seaweed, and coral reef habitats) and how they are affected by human activities.

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TANYA G. BURNETT, FLORIDA, USA

Oceanambassador,underwaterphotographer,expeditionleader Tanya earned a BA in Diving Industry Sport Management from Barry University and owned one of Florida’s first technical dive training/retail facilities. She holds recreational and technical instructor ratings from PADI, NAUI, TDI, and SDI. She was a co-founder of TDI, and was a sales executive for Uwatec and Dräger Rebreathers. She is a professional underwater photographer and writer, having authored and/or produced images for over 100 published articles in dive and travel magazines. She has organised and led dive expeditions globally for over two decades.

Tanya is closely involved with marine conservation groups in South Florida and the Bahamas.

For more information about the Women Divers Hall of Fame, log on to: www.wdhof.org

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INDUSTRY NEWS BRITISH MAN DIES AFTER BEING BITTEN BY SEA SNAKE IN AUSTRALIA

A British man has died following a sea snake bite in Australia. Thought to be a backpacker, the 23-year-old was bitten by the snake while he was working on a fishing trawler in early October. Although emergency crews rushed to the boat near island Groote Eylandt, which is around 650km east of Darwin, they were unable to save him.

The incident happened while the man was pulling a net onto the boat he was working on, which was five hours from land, police say. He had passed away once the trawler arrived at the town of Borroloola. A post-mortem will be conducted, say Northern Territory Police. The species of snake which caused this has not yet been confirmed. Associate Prof Bryan Fry, from University of Queensland, told the BBC: “By and large they are very gentle animals, and people do go scuba diving with them all the time.

“But in a fishing trawler situation, where they’ve been potentially dragged through the water in a net, they’ll be injured and perhaps looking to lash out.”

AIR NIUGINI AIRPLANE ENDS UP IN WATER AFTER OVERSHOOTING RUNWAY IN CHUUK One person died and several others were injured after an Air Niugini plane overshot the runway in Chuuk, Micronesia, and ended up semi-submerged in the lagoon. It came to a stop close to a market where fishermen had come to sell their catch, and they jumped straight into their boats and started hauling people to shore, which probably helped prevent any more fatalities. Flight ANG73, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 35 passengers and 12 crew, was enroute to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, to Pohnpei in Micronesia, with a stopover in Weno Island. Those onboard – mainly locals and US and Australian visitors - were taken to hospital for checks, at the time allegedly suffering ‘minor injuries’, but later reports said some suffered ‘serious injuries’. The cause of the crash is unclear, but investigations are due to start shortly. Apparently, Air Niugini had only recently begun flying that route with the larger Boeing planes.

EXPLORE DEEP SITES OFF COCOS ISLANDS WITH BECKY KAGAN SCHOTT Calling experienced rebreather/trimix divers!

If you’re hoping to discover deep dive sites off Costa Rica’s Cocos Island, look no further.

Underwater photographer and videographer Becky Kagan Schott has announced a first-ofits-kind trip to do exactly that from 10-20 March, 2020. It will be the first one to do deep dives with closed-circuit rebreather gear off the island.

As part of the group, you’ll fly to San Jose, Costa Rica, to stay overnight. Then you’ll ride to the Pacific Coast town of Puntarenas, where you’ll board the ARGO liveaboard and spend ten nights onboard, with days spent doing deep dives.

Beginners need not apply. There’s no decompression chamber aboard, so you’ll definitely need to know what you’re doing.

For more info, visit the website: www.megdiver.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS BITE-BACK SEA INVADERS - DON’T

LET IT BE ‘GAME OVER’ FOR SHARKS

Forty years after Space Invaders captured the imagination of video gamers around the world, Bite-Back Shark and Marine Conservation has replicated the iconic format in a short animation — SEA INVADERS — to highlight the speed and ferocity of industrial shark fishing and the urgent need to support shark conservation efforts.

In the time it takes to watch the 60-second film - 120 sharks will be killed around the world. On screen, the film plays out in ‘real time’, with two sharks being slaughtered every second. As each shark is killed by the fishing boat it explodes to reveal a shark fin, the most valuable part of shark, used as the title ingredient in shark fin soup.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “In the 40 years since Space Invaders appeared in arcades many shark populations have shifted closer towards extinction. It’s no longer enough for a small section of the public to be concerned about the unsustainable fishing of global shark populations. We need everyone to understand that the lions and leopards of the ocean are being wiped out. We’re not going to let it be ‘game over’ for sharks and hope that people who watch this will feel compelled to stand up for sharks and join forces with Bite-Back.”

Every year around 73,000,000 sharks are killed, with one in four shark species listed as threatened. To show the extent of the global problem the film ends with a table of hi-scores, listing the top ten shark fishing nations in the world.

London-based graphic design and animation agency, Studio La Troupe, created the pro bono film for Bite-Back. www.bite-back.com

DIVING DS N E I WITH FR MALDIVES INDONESIA EGYPT S PA I N NEW: Euro-Divers in Lanzerote!

OMAN M AU R I T I U S JA PA N C R O AT I A

PADI AWARDS MEDAL OF VALOUR TO THAILAND CAVE RESCUERS In recognition of their heroic efforts and leadership, divers instrumental in the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand earlier this year will be the first-ever recipients of PADI’s Medal of Valour. This high distinction will be awarded to Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, Dr Richard Harris, Jason Mallinson and Chris Jewell. The courage, strength, honour and dignity displayed during the rescue operation propelled the PADI organisation to create the medal to formally recognise their contributions to one of diving’s greatest moments in history. Rick Stanton and Jason Mallinson will represent this distinguished group and accept the PADI Medal of Valour at the PADI Social on 13 November during DEMA Show 2018 in Las Vegas, USA. In June and July 2018, the world watched as top cave divers and other experts from around the globe converged on Thailand to find and save the Wild Boars soccer team, which had become trapped deep inside the Tham Luang cave system. For 18 days, the international effort involved more than 1,000 men and women, who combined their collective talents for the extraordinary recovery of the team.

“It was an awe-inspiring example of humanity at its best, focused on a single noble purpose,” says Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide.

“This complex rescue operation demonstrated action and focus propelled by the unshakeable conviction that those boys would not die on diving’s watch. Rick Stanton, Jason Mallinson and everyone who was part of this effort faced and accepted the difficulties, dangers and risks inherent in the rescue. On behalf of the entire PADI family, it is an honour to recognise these heroes and extend our immense gratitude for representing diving’s finest hour.”

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Dr Oliver Firth has gained considerable experience in the field of diving and hyperbaric medicine since joining LDC in 2006. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE, and a medical referee for the UK Sport Diving Medical Committee. He is involved in the management of all types of diving-related illness, including recompression treatment, as well as providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for non-diving conditions.

He remains a passionate diver and has participated in various expeditions and conservation projects throughout the globe.

Q: Hi there, I am an avid diver and I have been diagnosed with ME. As little is known about ME I need to know whether I should continue diving. Most of my dives are 40m plus. The vast majority of time I don’t feel well enough, but on the rare occasions I do, is it advisable?

A: In 1955 the Royal Free hospital in northwest London had to shut for two months due to a mysterious illness which caused fever and persisting fatigue in 292 staff members.

Initially called ‘Royal Free disease’, investigations into the cause led to the coining of the term ‘myalgic encephalomyelitis’ (ME) for the condition. The fact that it now goes by a plethora of names including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), post-viral fatigue syndrome and ‘yuppie flu’ just goes to show how poorly understood a problem it is. Interestingly, many veterans with Gulf War syndrome have the same symptoms.

Diagnosis is difficult, relying as it does on subjective criteria, but generally it involves unexplained fatigue of six months or more, which is not due to exertion and which is unrelieved by rest. Numerous other symptoms may occur, such as memory problems, sore throats, joint and muscle pains, and unrefreshing sleep. If any other illness could cause the symptoms then ME is excluded. So there’s plenty of scope for controversy here, as you can see; initially the medical community was sceptical even of the existence of the disease. The stigmatising ‘attentionseeking’ label is still very much a problem in the public arena.

Not surprisingly, most sufferers do not feel well enough even to contemplate diving. This, in some ways, is the best guide, as it’s very difficult to give concrete advice on whether it’s safe to dive or not. All sorts of theories as to the cause of ME abound. The only

fact is, no-one knows. As such, the best advice I can give you is if you feel up to diving, then make sure you get a full diving medical first. If you can put in a good showing on the ears, heart, lung and exercise tests, then I’d say you could dip your toe into the water.

Q: I’m a bit embarrassed to ask this but hope you can help. I’m a new diver, and I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) recently. I’ve done a few open water dives and I find that I get really gassy during them, and afterwards my stomach feels bloated and I have to pass a lot of wind. Is this normal? I’m guessing it might have something to do with the IBS but it’s a bit awkward having to run off to the loo as soon as I finish a dive! I am going on my first liveaboard soon so any advice would be very helpful.

A: Unfortunately, production of some intestinal gas is an unavoidable part of digestion. A human can generate anything up to two litres of wind a day, although your average is nearer 600ml. Its major component is nitrogen, but sadly farting a lot does not reduce your DCI risk! The problem is that all this gas has to obey Boyle’s Law when diving, so it will expand, contract and generally cause discomfort unless it is expelled, from either end of the gut. Some IBS sufferers do generate a lot of wind, and diving will therefore exacerbate the discomfort, but as long as there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, as it were, then the gas will escape and relief will ensue. The best advice I can give is simply to avoid anything ‘flatogenic’ on a dive trip. The obvious culprits include beans, cabbages, onions, mushrooms, etc, but also fizzy drinks and milk. With any luck you can then spare your cabin buddy a fragant night on your first liveaboard…

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RIB (rigid hull inflatable) diving is a staple of many diving hotspots, and our panel of experts offer up some handy hints and advice for the next time you step aboard PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

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IBs – also known as RHIBs (rigid hull inflatable boats) – are often called the Land Rover Defender of the sea, as they are tough, durable, designed to cope with less-than-ideal conditions and, shall we say, fairly basic when it comes to creature comforts.

There is a breed of ‘leisure RIBs’ available now, as more and more dayboaters came to understand the benefits of a RIB on the open sea over a more-traditional speedboat, and these have bench seats and other useful additions. It is possible to dive from these, but most dive RIBs will be more spartan, with maybe the odd jockey seat and usually a stainless-steel tank rack to securely fasten the BCDs/cylinders in place.

Being out on the water in a RIB is exhilarating, and speeding to a dive site in one will be something familiar with many British divers, but if you have never had the opportunity yet, never fear, just soak up the advice that follows and you will be fine.

Adrian Collier, BSAC National Instructor, said: “Gone are the days when we tested how much fuel we had on our RHIB by a bamboo cane while we were 14 miles offshore getting ready to head back to harbour after an amazing dive. The old Johnson two-stroke engines that ate fuel and smoked the divers making them sick are distant memories of how it used to be out on the water.

“So what has changed? Technology has moved on, we now have modern two-stroke engines that are computer controlled with bluetooth technology to operate them. The first engine service comes after three years of usage and you get a tenyear warranty - how amazing is that! We also now have 3D sidescan sonar and chartplotters that are very much affordable for local diving clubs. All these things make diving safer.

“Incidents of broken-down engines are getting less and less due to the advent of new technology. Divers are being trained better with more going for qualification such as the BSAC Diver Coxswain Award, which is a recognised International Certificate of Competence. We now have strict guidelines we have to adhere to which came into force on 1 July 2002 SOLAS V Regulations. If we have not applied the basic outlines when we go to sea and there is a boating accident, you could be prosecuted. So, it is in our best interest to prepare and plan going to sea well before.”

Gary Asson, National Diving Officer of the Sub-Aqua Association, commented: “I have done some fantastic diving from RIBs. They were a great improvement on the inflatable, in terms of comfort, carrying capacity, equipment, potential distance. and safety. Their only real downside was that you could not just carry them across the beach to launch.

“Remember, the Coxswain is in overall charge of anything that happens on the RIB. The Cox will tell you where to store your scuba set, weightbelt, and even where to sit. This sound

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very dictatorial. However, the shape and size of the RIB makes its trim very important. The Cox will understand how weight distribution effects the vessel, and sort things out accordingly.

“When diving from a RIB, you are not really a passenger, you are part of the crew. Keep things tidy, be prepared to assist with kitting others up and helping divers back into the boat. Listen to the brief that will be given before the vessel moves off. Make a note of any safety feature that are pointed out, especially the location and use of the boat’s radio, flares, and spare kill switch clip. Just remember it may be the Coxswain that needs help.

“You should arrive at the RIB with your kit ready to go.

Scuba set ready (Bottle, regs and BCD put together), dry/ wetsuit donned. All the rest of your kit should be kept together in a suitable flexible bag. The goody (string) bag is ideal for this. “Entry and exit should be explained and preferably practiced before the day. Rolling backwards off the RIB while holding your mask and ancillaries is quite easy.

Once mastered, passing the weightbelt/ pouches and scuba set, while maintaining contact with the vessel, is easy, but requires some thinking about. The actual method of getting back onto the RIB is a combination of pulling, finning and assistance. It is great watching a group of divers who know what they are doing getting everyone back onto the boat. A word of warning though, when you first start helping. It was quite funny watching two of the larger rugby-types getting a

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bit carried away, pulling my mother out of the water on one side of the RIB and depositing her in the water of the other!

“There very few tablets of stone when it comes to diving.

However, please please, please. If the Coxswain refuses to use the kill cord, refuse to get on the RIB.” Mark Powell, TDI/SDI’s Business Development Manager, said: “Diving from a RIB is one of those skills that many divers have never experienced. With more and more divers using hardboats and the switch from club-based diving to commercial operations, it is becoming less and less common. Many technical divers will turn up their noses at RIB diving. This is a shame because RIB diving has a number of advantages. The ability to get out to and back from a dive site quickly can be very convenient. It is also much more cost effective to run dives with smaller numbers of divers. When you know the right techniques, it can be relatively easy to dive from a RIB. Even technical diving can be carried out very easily from a RIB if you have the experience, knowledge and support.

“The other aspect of RIB diving is that it forces the diver to learn about tides, currents, navigation, wreck location, boat handling and many other skills that are usually left to a charter boat skipper. Far from being an inconvenience, these additional tasks can significantly add to the overall enjoyment of diving and increases a divers’ overall knowledge and experience. On diving expeditions I often find that I enjoy the dive planning and boat handling sides of the expedition

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almost as much as the actual dives. Driving a RIB is a hugely enjoyable activity and is something that is not open to the vast majority of people unless you are a diver.

“A RIB can also be launched and operated in areas that are not served by hard boats and so can open up new areas and allow wreck hunting. Diving an unknown wreck is the goal of many divers, but it is even more satisfying to plan a dive, launch the RIB, navigate out to the target area and then successfully find the wreck before then diving it for the first time.”

Garry Dallas, Director of Training for RAID UK and Malta, said: “Access to your favourite wreck or reef in the sea often requires transport of a RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat). They’re fast, agile and furious when cranked up and on plane. However, while enjoying the ride out, take a moment to consider the instability of passengers, their kit and spatial awareness.

“The skippers’ primary responsibility is your safety and his craft. Every skipper has their own methods of preparation prior to ‘ropes off’, so listen very carefully to his briefing and requests.

“Important tips to note: • Absolutely adhere to the skipper’s requests while on board.

• Everything must be tied down securely, if not you’ll lose it, damage it, injure someone or damage the vessel.

• Learn your knots. Especially ‘bowline’, ‘roundturn and two half hitches’ and ‘clove hitch’.

• For safety in case of falling overboard, keep drysuits zipped up.

• Keep your equipment in a tidy compact space beside you, seriously avoid having to climb over anyone or anything to retrieve a piece of equipment when you’re kitting up.

• Take a few moments before stamping your name on your preferred seat to plan how you’ll enter/exit the water with your kit.

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• Find out the entry procedure for the RHIB – does it have a lift, ladder or lifeline pulls?

• Avoid sitting near the bow while travelling - it can be… interesting.

• Don’t forget to undo your tank from where its attached to the boat before you start kitting up.

• Keep your knives away from the tubes/collars.

• Carry a save-a-dive spares kit.

• Listen carefully to the dive briefing, it’s for your safety.

• Never enter the water without express permission of the skipper.

• Keep well away from the outboard propeller/s when returning to the boat.

• Work as a team and look out for each other.

• Always carry a compass and suitable DSMB spool/reel (with more line than the planned dive depth) even if your buddy has one and master how to deploy it.

• Take a RAID Boat Diving Speciality course prior to the trip. This comprehensive programme teaches you seafarer protocol and terminology. You’ll certainly impress the skipper with your knowledge!

“Dive as often as you can in the sea, it’s what you’ve been training for!”

GUE’s John Kendall said: “Space on small boats is always tight, so my biggest bits of advice for divers new to RHIB diving is to think carefully about what equipment you take with you, and don’t take things you don’t need. Since there is not much space, it is always a good idea to fully build and test your gear before loading it onto the boat, and then once on the boat, make sure everything is neat, tidy and near to where you are sitting. A net bag can be invaluable when it comes to keeping your mask, fins, gauges and pocket contents all together.

Generally you’ll want to get into your suit before getting onto the RHIB too, so make sure you take plenty of water with you, and avoid overheating before the dive. Finally, make sure you know how you’ll be getting out of the water before you get into the water. Some larger RHIBs will have a ladder which you can climb fully kitted, but for many small boats you will need to de-kit in the water and pass your set up to someone on the boat. It’s best to practice this procedure somewhere nice and calm prior to trying to do it in large waves.”

Rich Somerset PADI Instructor Examiner and Territory Director, PADI EMEA Ltd, said: “Getting back into a RIB requires

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some effort – to get back in, first remove your weightbelt, and then remove your scuba unit, passing each in turn to the skipper. Remember to keep your fins on and use them to drive yourself up onto the tubes of the boat. Once up onto the tubes, many divers like to lie on their bellies and raise their legs, so the skipper can remove their fins - this makes it easier to the swing around into the RIB, and avoids accidentally kicking your buddy on the way!”

Tim Clements, General Manager for IANTD, said: “RIB and inflatable diving is an excellent tool to access some complex or small dive sites, either deployed as a tender from an expedition vessel, or from a coastal location that does not support larger craft. It is also an exhilarating and close-knit enterprise that encapsulates the spirit of small team diving and exploration. However, small boats and lots of kit require a respect for others in that space, obedience to the craft helm and a maximised ‘s*** together’ co-efficient.

“Having conducted pleasure, training and scientific survey or specimen collection dives from small boats, I would place organisation, personal and team at the top of my list. Ensure you have everything, but no surplus. It should be stowed in neat, easily stored containers - a twinset or rebreather plus neat pair of fins is acceptable. A pile of car boot sale ancillaries is not - these should be in pockets or a mesh bag.

Remember, this boat will move, divers will move, so protect delicate item such as masks and especially cameras. Boat space should be planned, avoiding blocking emergency gear.

“Kitting up is a team effort - accept help and be prepared to give it. The rule of one hand for you, one for the boat means working with team members - this is not a venue for a bunch of solo divers to simultaneously wrestle for the ‘first in’ prize. Recovery and return to shore are similar - work as a team to bring divers aboard, store gear with respect and thought, and ask the coxswain if you are unsure. For me, the most-important and rewarding aspect of small boat diving is teamwork.” n

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Andaman Sea

IN A DAY Dive sites in the Andaman Sea were once the sole preserve of liveaboards, but as Paul Lees explains, now you can get to most of the locations via faster, well-equipped dayboats PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL J LEES

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he Andaman Sea off the western coastline of Thailand is an established and popular destination for liveaboard excursions, but there’s also plenty to see virtually on the doorstep at a number of the beach and island destinations. Dive trips depart on a daily basis to virtually all the local sites, along with some further afield – those previously only possible to frequent by the liveboards themselves – but nowadays with better and faster boats, all the sites are, at most, around 90 minutes away from one place or another!

Although year-round diving is possible, preferred conditions fall between the latter parts of October and May - with hot, sunny conditions and light winds, the seas are generally calm and have an average temperature of 28oC. The rest of the year can allow for diving a number of the nearer sites, which due to fewer visitors can run on a ‘on-demand’ basis. For weather info during the ‘more-erratic period’, it’s always best to contact the dive centre for advice at the intended time of travelling.

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The romantic notion of scything through the waves onboard the iconic Thai longtail boat are, generally speaking, long gone, although some dive operators do still charter them, but only to visit sites just a handful of minutes away from their centre. Nowadays, your ‘floating home for the day’ is a muchhigher class. Boats specifically built with rufty-tufty divers in mind all have, as standard, proper dive decks, toilets, some form of shower, freshwater tanks for rinsing photographic equipment throughout the day and dive gear on the way back to port; there’s also shaded and sundecks with plenty of space to gear up and listen to the dive briefings and relax in between. Lunch is served onboard between dives, with a long enough surface interval to fill out logbooks, check out those just-taken photos, do a spot of dive planning, and more relaxing all with a nice hot drink, which are free-flowing and complimentary, as is drinking water. Soft drinks are also available and are either included in the price of the trip, or are an added cost – best to find out the procedure ‘before’ plunging into that ice box!

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The deeper waters around Koh Racha Noi island offer good diving for the more-experienced divers, while alternately the shallows lapping Koh Racha Yai are ideal for novices and those wishing to get acclimatised

Anemonefish

The way the trips are co-ordinated and the overall layout of the boats is also a pleasure for student divers and complete beginners; there’s no need to fight for space before, during and after kitting up in order to acclimatise, and as many sites are near to each other, it’s not necessarily the case that everyone dives the same site, as some will not be suitable for first-time divers or those having not dived for a while. Divers will be grouped up according to their level of experience and abilities, with each being assigned a dive leader or instructor and, in some instances, the groups will be divided up to visit neighbouring, more or less demanding sites, it’s all very adaptable. The experienced divers or those not requiring any ‘hand holding’ will be treated as such, which is also very welcoming - there’s nothing worse than being herded up either above or below your comfort zone if it at all can be avoided, and here it can and is!

Local diving offered from the island of Phuket depart on a day of the week basis, with specific sites being visited on set days, allowing divers to plan their own time-tables. Schedules also differ between dive centres, which to a certain extent helps to minimise the number of divers at the same site at the same time. Two or three dives are the order of the full-day trips, and on a super-day, four, with guests being picked up from their accommodation from 7.30am onwards and returned sometime around 5pm, well in time for more relaxing and settling down for dinner.

A similar way of diving life occurs at the coastal resort Octopus

Many sites are suitable for snorkellers

haven of Khao Lak, with its casuarina-palm-fringed coastline it is only a mere 45-minute drive away from the International Airport on Phuket. The full beauty of this area is yet to be fully discovered – there are no high-rise blocks, the only thing with any really noticeable elevation are the forest-clad hills which act as backdrop to the long, sandy, pristine beaches.

This is also a very convenient place to base yourself to enjoy some of the best diving found anywhere in the country - fullon day trips to the Similan and Surin Marine National Parks, just a couple of hours away, with their star attractions of manta rays and whalesharks, are nowadays offered on a daily basis. However, for those just wanting to enjoy the nearby underwater treasures, there’s also plenty of macro encounters right on the doorstep on the Boonsung Wreck – but don’t just concentrate on the smaller stuff, have the occasional glance upwards as whalesharks are also encountered here. Setting a fine example to the daytrip diving scene on the island of Phuket in Khao Lak, Sea Bees Diving (www.sea-bees.com) dive centres and resorts take things that one step further.

For instance, their boats are designed with a very

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Local diving offered from the island of Phuket depart on a day of the week basis, with specific sites being visited on set days, allowing divers to plan their own time-tables

Mating cuttlefish

Manta ray

Spacious dive deck

high standard of comfort and service in mind, they are very airy and include such extra niceties as a fully stocked cocktail salon and bar, deck showers, reference library and space for setting up camera equipment. Another big difference is that the service too leaps up a notch as soon as the boat is boarded – divers and non-divers alike are greeted and treated to a lavish breakfast spread, with a choice of fruits, yoghurts and a selection of cereals, breads and pastries and, of course, a good selection of fry-up favourites!

The onboard lunch menu is also a very tasty affair, generally comprising of a variety of local favourite dishes accompanied by rice or noodles. There’s also a salad selection for those with gentle taste buds. Vegetarians and those with

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any religious or special dietary needs are also catered for, as are those with any allergies that must be avoided - it’s highly recommended to notify the dive centre of any requirements in advance of the day of diving in order to avoid any unnecessary hunger!

SITES FOR SORE EYES The visibility is generally reasonable and perfectly adequate for enjoying the high representation and diversity of marine life.

Shark Point consists of a series of hard and soft coralcovered pinnacles configured north to south. Leopard sharks rest here and many a diver has had the wonderful experience of observing at close hand this harmless bottom feeder.

The site has many cleaning stations that are hosted by a multitude of cleaning fish and shrimps. Regular customers include a variety of snapper, jacks, trevally, mackerel and the occasional barracuda.

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Seahorse Huge gorgonian seafans

Christmas tree worms

The shallowest part of Anemone Reef is a mere 7m below the surface and is somewhat blanketed by sea anemones hosted by numerous species of clownfish, anemone crabs and cleaner shrimps, only visible by their translucent internal organs. Soft corals provide the backdrop for prides of Indian lionfish, wrasse, parrotfish and fusiliers.

The artificial reef of the King Cruiser acts as a haven for schools of juvenile reef fish, which hover around the barnacle encrusted frame of the old car ferry. Although daylight penetrates the majority of the wreck, there are still a number of areas that have collapsed and should not be entered.

The east wall of Koh Dok Mai features healthy seafans, barrel and encrusting sponges and sea whips. The marine life mainly consists of reasonably sized morays, black banded sea kraits, honeycomb grouper and angelfish.

The deeper waters around Koh Racha Noi island offer good diving for the more-experienced divers, while alternately the shallows lapping Koh Racha Yai are ideal for novices and those wishing to get acclimatised.

The Phi Phi sites are generally graced with good visibility and mild currents and the representation and selection of corals is good. Although there are numerous sites around the islands, three stand out as the most-frequently visited. The seascape found at Nui Bay can be divided into a couple of sections. The waters off the eastern face are shallow and are equally ideal for snorkellers; colourful reef fish flit around sponge-encrusted boulders and rocks. More colour is added Leopard shark

by a multitude of Christmas tree worms and branches of soft corals. The western side of the site features a wall that drops down to a much-greater depth of 31m. The wall features a wealth of marine life, there are many moray eels, squadrons of lionfish, and pairs of angelfish. This site is also a good location for spotting the smaller critters, including harlequin ghost pipefish and seahorses.

Two large rocky outcrops, Koh Bida Nai (Inner) and Nok (outer), feature many gorgonian seafans, sea whips and colourful soft corals at all depths. Many bearded scorpionfish disguise themselves amid the rocks, and various species of lionfish hover between. If that’s not enough, leopard sharks and a terrific variety of blennies and gobies reside in the sand! Another bonus is that mantas and whalesharks are frequently spotted here in the latter months of the diving season, when the waters are at their warmest.

All in all, day-trip diving around the Andaman Sea is a great experience and one that can, and is, enjoyed by all levels of divers - and one that keeps them coming back for more!

There’s plenty to see, plenty to eat and drink on the way to and from the dive sites - yes, cakes, pancakes and fruit are served during the inbound journey. But, best of all, all this doesn’t cost nearly as much as you would expect! n

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURING LIGHT AND SHADOW

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CAVERN PHOTOGRAPHY Overhead environments present certain challenges but from the photographic point of view, can offer very rewarding results PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI / WWW.FISHINFOCUS.CO.UK

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here are many kinds of overhead environments, but some of the most photogenic are caves and caverns. Rock formations such as stalactites can be very striking and light filtering from openings in the ceiling can form beautiful sunbeams. In this article I will discuss how to photograph these places, so you can come home with some great shots.

Before I start I would like to clarify the difference between cave and cavern diving. Both are overhead environments, therefore, not appropriate for inexperienced divers. However, the biggest difference has to do with ambient light. In a cavern, there is always an exit in sight.

Not having an exit in sight makes cave diving a muchmore-advanced practice which should only be done if properly trained and with the right equipment. I will only refer to caverns and other overhead environments safe for recreational diving.

WHERE TO GO There are many destinations offering the opportunity to visit some sort of caverns. The cenotes in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula are probably the most famous ones but similar sites can be found all over the world - Chandelier Cave in Palau comes to my mind.

We do not have to travel long distances to enjoy beautiful caves. The Red Sea has some amazing reefs packed with caverns and swim-throughs, all very easy to explore and a dream to photograph.

SUNBEAMS, CAVERNS AND CAVE OPENINGS In my opinion, the most-important element when photographing caves and caverns is the light. Cracks in the ceiling can create striking sunbeams. Cave openings will show the beautiful blue light of the open water offering great chances to create amazing silhouettes.

A classic cavern shot. Notice the sunbeams crossing the frame starting in the cavern sealing and finishing on the sand. The divers torch help balancing the image.

Sha’ab Claudia, Egypt

A diver swims by a stalactite in Chandelier cave, Palau, where you can find some amazing rock formations. When using a diver in your image, make sure the eye line of your model goes to a focal point in your shot and not into the camera

A blue spotted stingray inside the cave system of Sha’ab Claudia in the Southern red Sea. The general exposure is set on the background where the opening of the cave gives a sense of depth. By using a snoot on my strobe I concentrate the light on the stingray

good idea to look around for a section of the cave where you can brace yourself and your housing. Be very mindful if you do this not to damage any marine life.

Once your exposure is sorted, look through the viewfinder or LCD screen and think about the composition. Sunbeams look better when you can see where they start and finish. A diver in the scene will act as a focal point. Framing your shot from the inside of a cave towards the outside opens a great range of compositional options. Have a chat with your dive buddy before the dive, agree some

BIOGRAPHY: MARIO VITALINI To capture spectacular sunbeams, you have to find a good spot in the shadows, so look for a nice dark place that offers you the best possible view. Set your camera metering to spot so you can have the most-accurate readings. Make sure to find a good balance exposure between the darker cave and the light beams. The ceiling openings tend to be too bright and exposing there will underexpose the whole picture, reducing the impact of the sunbeams. If you expose on the cave itself, because it is too dark the resulting image will be overexposed and lacking contrast.

A good practice in these situations is to increase your ISO to allow you to shoot at a fast-enough shutter speed to prevent camera shake. If you want to keep the ISO low it is a

For nearly 30 years, Mario has sailed the globe and dived the seas, working as a PADI instructor and dive guide. Today, he shares his passion for underwater photography.

His students love his real-world expertise and patient approach. He has an extensive working knowledge of all underwater camera systems, having spent several years at the UK’s largest photo retailer. Mario’s images have won several awards and he has featured not once, but twice, among the top categories at the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year, including Most Promising British Underwater Photographer in 2015.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY A sunbeam lights the face of a diver in a shallow cavern. Abu Dabab 2 reef Egypt

ESCORTED PHOTO WORKSHOPS

Get more from your camera in 2019 with an escorted photo workshop with Mario, on some of his favourite Red Sea reefs. There’s something for everyone. These overseas workshops are open to all experience levels, but in particular anyone using a compact camera or mirrorless set-up. His prize-winning images prove it’s not the kit that makes the shot, but the photographer! If you need some help getting to grips with your camera underwater, Mario’s your man. His calm, patient approach is just what you need to improve your photos. Mario tailors the tips and techniques to your needs, both on the surface and underwater. Improve your skills in a relaxed, non-competitive environment. Dive, eat, sleep and shoot!

basic communication signals and help each other by acting as a model. From the inside, expose for the open water outside, this will usually imply using a fast shutter speed, a diver or a passing fish will be perfectly silhouetted against the blue.

Caves and cavern photography is mostly an ambient light affair. For that reason, I usually leave my flashguns on the boat so I have a bit more manoeuvrability. However, if there are some great rocks or coral formations, a strobe can help lighting it. If that is the case, set up the exposure as on any other ambient light shot, set the strobe power relatively low and try to aim it so you are lighting only the subject and not the rest of the cave. Over the years I have found that a strobe with a relatively narrow beam or a wide-ish snoot works perfectly in these situations. A snoot will also help to control the backscatter which inside a cave can be a serious consideration.

This shot is based on a famous picture from Martin Edge. A soft coral encrusted seafan structure in the foreground is the image focal point, it helps framing a diver silhouetted against the cavern entrance in the background

CAVES Some dives such as the cenotes in Mexico or Chandelier Cave in Palau will take you a bit deeper underground, but always have a faint glimpse of light in the distance marking the exit and quite probably a pocket of breathable air above you, though you will be in a much darker environment. Because the ambient light is negligible, you will depend entirely on the light from your flashguns.

This means that the shutter speed is irrelevant. Use the aperture to control the power of your strobe and aim it carefully to avoid backscatter or hot spots. A diver in the shot will help to give a sense of scale to your shot.

FINAL NOTES We are all used to colourful pictures of fish and corals however there is something special about caverns and caves. These atmospheric shots always give me a peaceful feeling. The purity of working with ambient light to create a moody atmosphere always takes me back to my beginning as a photographer shooting landscapes. n

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Rose hovering above an aircraft wreck

The Eden of the Pacific As Rose Kefrig discovered, Palau has a lot to offer: Sun, good hotels, excellent diving, currents, lots of wrecks, sharks, manta rays and a fair amount of historical stuff. The fact that ‘sex’ also comes into play was a new one to her!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY UDO KEFRIG / TEAM OCEANPICS.DE

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Turtle chilling on the reef

Almost as if on command, countless reef sharks and grey reef sharks with impressive proportions gather at this spot Huge seafans

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very island has its own shape and unique characteristic. Situated between Guam, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, the 700kmlong archipelago of Palau, with its Rock Islands, boasts some of the most-unique natural wonders in the world. It is home to spectacular dive sites, wrecks, history, rich coral life, mass spawning, a rich diversity of fish, especially of the large predatory kind.

From above, Palau looks like a magical place. There are about 500 uninhabited green islets of coral limestone rising out of the turquoise blue waters, stirring the imagination.

The best way to explore the islands is with a kayak tour offered by the dive centre. Canoe paddles are plunged into crystal-clear turquoise water. Starfish in all imaginable colours are visible on the seabed, and between the coral reigns a lively flurry of fish, while thick roots and vines cling like sticky fingers firmly against the rock walls. One would like to stay a bit on every little island, but there is no place to stay, no five-star hotel, no tent. Not surprising, because Palau is a pristine jewel that must be preserved and has the mostrigorous Micronesian nature conservation policy to protect its unique fauna and flora.

PALAU Diverse language and cultural traditions led to the independence of the small island, which, despite intensive western influence in recent centuries, was able to retain its independence. Which is why there are many reasons why you should visit Palau; be it the exciting history, the unique dive sites in the area, or maybe you are fascinated by the many legends? A friend mentioned how spectacular the country and especially the diving is. Curious, I scoured the internet.

Rose examines a wartime wreck Palau is spectacular from the air

Facebook, magazines, tour operators and dive centres praised it. And so began the great geography quiz. ‘Where’s Palau?’ My finger was racing over the map until it finally stopped on a little dot. A bit shocked, I realised ‘that’s a bloody long journey and it’s going to rip a big hole in our wallet!’ But that’s another myth. Palau is easy to reach by plane and there are great deals on dive packages.

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THE HISTORY OF THE ISLAND It was somewhat more difficult to reach Palau for the Spaniard Ruy Lopez de Villalobo. Searching for sea routes to eliminate his Portuguese competitors in Asia, he was the first European to reach the island state in 1543. But let’s fastforward the history of the island. There is evidence that it has been inhabited since 1,000BC, although the origin of the first inhabitants is not known. It is suspected from Australia, Indonesia or Polynesia. Palau’s traditional form of society was a complex matriarchal system; the traditional belief Modekngei still exists today alongside Christianity. In 1783, the English captain Henry Wilson was stranded with his crew and unseaworthy ship Antelope in Palau. They soon settled, became merchants on the islands and introduced weapons.

Soon, the locals used them in fierce disputes against each other and the village wars only stopped when the island was officially awarded to the Spaniards in 1885. However, after the Spanish-American War, war-torn Spain sold the island. This is how the German Reich acquired its ‘place in the sun’ between 1899 and 1914. The number of indigenous inhabitants was severely decimated at that time due to imported diseases.

The Germans initiated numerous infrastructure projects, built coconut plantations and improved medical care. The island of Angaur, which lies outside the reef, was diligently exploited for rich phosphate mines and shipped to Koror. At the beginning of the 20th century, to shorten the transport route, a passageway was blown through the coral reef from Angaur Island outside the reef to the north-eastern port of Koror. Nowadays it is known as the ‘German Channel’, a kind of sea motorway which shortens the way for divers to wellknown places like Blue Corner and the renowned Blue Holes in the south-western outer reef. If you really want to experience the subterranean attractions, you must immerse yourself in the fascinating underwater world with its colourful coral reefs and rich diversity of fish. But it is not only the corals, fish, manta rays and sharks that attract diving tourists. Numerous warships and aircraft wrecks rest as silent witnesses on the sandy seabed and have something ghostly about them that is very hard to describe. Could it be the terrible thought of a sinking ship and the many lost lives - or is it the image of them destroyed at the bottom of the ocean? Irrespective of their attraction, for adventurous divers and photographers, shipwrecks are the perfect destination for a dive.

Manta ray in full flight

Palau even has caves and caverns

Boxes of ammunition

TESTIMONIALS OF TODAY On the little island of Ngermeaus, a stone path leads past old Japanese cannons and destroyed relics. Despite nature taking control, there are signs of a time when Palau came under Japanese control in 1914, where phosphate continued to be exploited and the island was used as a military hideout.

Despite an agreement, from 1933 Japan began to massively expand Palau as a military fort because of its sheltered location as a base both for the air force and navy and as a supply base. These included two airfields, one on Peleliu in the south and another on Babeldaob, the largest island in the archipelago, where today’s capital Melekeok is located. It was also designed for long-range aircraft; in addition, there were landing facilities for seaplanes, piers for submarines, anchorages for ships of all kinds with appropriate fire-fighting facilities, communication and repair facilities, fuel and

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weapons depots. During the Palau battles of 1944, no less than 60 Japanese ships and over 200 aircraft were destroyed by the end of the war. The Americans lost a minesweeper, 40 aircraft of various types, 50 Corsair aircraft and eight B-24 bombers. The Battle of Peleliu and Angaur Island in 1944 is known in history as one of the bloodiest of the entire Pacific War. Not all the ships that were sunk off Palau in 1944 can be dived today. Immediately after the war, 27 wrecks were salvaged or dismantled due to a shortage of raw materials, especially those that had been stranded on the beaches or were still jutting out of the shallow water. Many of them, however, lie forever on the bottom of the sea and, despite their sad past, are great diving attractions. They include the Iro, Buoy Nr. 6 Wreck, Chuyo Maru, Helmet Wreck and Jake Sea Plane. One interesting wreck to dive is the Haifa-Day. She rests almost intact on the seabed. And yet Palau has even more to offer besides wrecks.

DIVING ON PALAU Blue Corner is a site nearly every diver has heard about, as this spot promises a lot of variety, especially when the current is ripping. Almost as if on command, countless reef sharks and grey reef sharks with impressive proportions gather at this spot. If you are lucky, you can witness sharks mating. In addition, schools of barracuda and shoals of mackerel, but also extremely friendly Napoleons arrive in large numbers. The soft coral landscape may not be the best at Blue Corner, but we are interested only in the big fish.

After a two-tank dive, we headed back keen to experience another attraction which occurs in Palau - the mass spawning of various fish species that can be experienced in these waters. Back at Sam’s Tours (www.samstours.com), we Shoal of snapper

checked the board and scribbled our names in the two last remaining places. The dive centre is conveniently located in Malakal, right on the water and with fantastic views of the Rock Islands. It is an award-winning PADI five-star Instructor Development Centre and Sam’s Tours facilities have a welcoming feel and are built for comfort and relaxation.

And yes, there is a House Reef! Simply don your dive gear at any time of the day and visit the intriguing mandarinfish located right by the dive centre, or check out the imposing Chandelier Cave, a tunnel system under the tidal zone that leads to the interior of an island. It consists of four chambers, and in some, you can breathe freely. Amazing stalactites glisten and sparkle in the light of our torches. And, if that doesn’t take your breath away, sit back with a sundowner and enjoy the stunning sunsets at the Bottom Time Bar and Grill with specially designed tables and fresh local food.

A must! We too enjoy the culinary delights and I make my way to the bar to order a drink. There, I notice a somewhat glum-looking chap staring forlornly into an empty beer glass.

With a polite ‘hello’, I try to draw attention to myself. No response! Lost in thought, his piercing blue eyes continue to stare, almost as if he wishes the glass to be full again! I laugh out loud and ask if he wants a refill and what seems to be troubling him. Like a shotgun, he answers ‘Porno’! This was not the answer I expected and felt myself blush. But then he gave a big grin and said: “Actually, fish porn, I’m Paul and we run Unique Dive Expeditions at Sam’s Tour and offer divers special events like the red snapper spawning. I watched you take the last two places”. Being curious, I take a seat and want to know everything. An hour later I know all I need to know. The early bird gets the worm - and it’s a 5am start.

TANTRIC LOVE RITUAL “When I say dive, you dive, no time to hang about. No extras for the photographers, we are not waiting for you” Welshman Paul Collins barks his orders. Just time for one last check and Paul shouts. “Ready, dive!” It’s a straight descent but everything goes smoothly, and everyone assumes a position in a dreadful current. What the hell are we here for? Oh yes! Raw ‘fish sex’! Within seconds thousands of red snapper hang over our heads. It’s a bit kinky watching a massive fish gang-bang and I felt like a ‘Peeping Tom’ observing the masses of silvery, glistening bodies rub against each other and releasing clouds of sperm into the water. I truly hope all this mess will wash out of my hair.

We are not the only ones observing this spectacle. Gigantic bull sharks prey on the sex-mad fish. Time and time again they shoot into the ball of fish, disrupting their pleasure for a mere minute. The current is pumping, and I find it totally exhilarating and white-knuckle. Fish really seem to have a good time having sex! Palau has many fantastic dive sites, is rich in adventure, fauna and flora, you simply must do the out-of-the-ordinary to experience the extraordinary and visit this magical Eden of Palau. n

It’s a bit kinky watching a massive fish gang-bang and I felt like a ‘Peeping Tom’ observing the masses of silvery, glistening bodies rub against each other and releasing clouds of sperm into the water WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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World-class diving meets first-class service

Dive vacations take many shapes. For some, it’s all about the diving, and less about what happens during surface intervals.

For others, resort amenities and relaxation are as important as what takes place under the water. But no matter whether you are a die-hard aquanaut or an easy-living vacation diver, Wakatobi Resort has you covered.

For starters, you’ll be diving in a private marine preserve in SE Sulawesi, Indonesia, that nurtures some of the healthiest reefs in the Indo-Pacific. By simply staying at the resort, you’ll be part of the solution, as a portion of all guest revenue goes to funding the preserve and supporting local communities. And the payoff isn’t just a ‘feel-good’ thing, as the reefs remain pristine and the marine life is diverse and abundant. This win-win approach to marine conservation ensures that each and every dive or snorkel excursion is a first-class experience.

If you are the type that is always eager for more bottom time, Wakatobi’s got you covered. The resort’s large, stable dive boats make three daily trips to sites within the marine preserve. With reefs that rise to within a few feet of the surface, multi-level profiles routinely stretch to 70-minutes and beyond. To add to this daily bounty of bottom time, there’s the House Reef, which has been called the world’s best shore dive. This expansive coral reef is a particular favourite for its easy access and tremendous diversity of scenery and marine life.

Divers can enter the House Reef from shore or from the resort jetty, and will discover hundreds of acres of underwater terrain that includes critter-rich grass beds and coral heads and a dramatic drop-off riddled with crevices that shelter an even-greater assortment of marine life. To access an even-wider swath of the House Reef, divers can take advantage of the resort’s taxi boat service, which will drop them off at more-distant parts of the site. Add it all up, and the only limits are those set by your dive computer.

Want to ditch the tanks, but not get out of the water?

Wakatobi has also earned a reputation as a world-class snorkelling destination. Between the House Reef and dozens of dive sites that include shallow formations, there’s literally weeks of snorkelling adventures to discover. Even better, snorkellers aren’t treated as second-class citizens, and have equal access to dive boats and snorkeling guides.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to come up for air at Wakatobi. The beachside setting is stunningly beautiful, with a collection of Indonesian-style bungalows and villas nestled into a waterfront palm grove. If you are into watersports, you might try kiteboarding, or grab a kayak or paddleboard to explore along the shoreline.

‘The best diving we’ve had in 22 years underwater’ ~ Bill and Dessa Barnes

office@wakatobi.com www.wakatobi.com

Relaxation is as close as a shaded verandah, or a chair on the beach. And did we mention the service? Wakatobi is renowned for its warm, attentive and personal take on guest service. It’s beyond ‘all you need do is ask’, because you’ll likely find that our team are quite good at anticipating your needs before you even ask. As if all this wasn’t reason enough to start packing, there’s also mealtime. Dining at Wakatobi isn’t just about appeasing hunger. It’s a three times a day chance to treat your taste-buds to a world of flavours with everything from familiar favorites to regional and international explorations of the culinary arts.

Though remote, Wakatobi is easy to reach via direct flights from Bali to a private airstrip. Once there, you can leave the world behind, while remaining connected through phone and internet service if need be. We invite you to learn why this unique dive resort is consistently ranked among the world’s best. n

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

DIVING WITH OCEAN GIANTS PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLIVIA JOHNSON

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small group of us were on the deck waiting, watching, listening for the signs of… whales! I headed off again to warm waters, but this time I was extremely lucky to be invited to join Jayne Jenkins, the Australasian Vice-president of the Our WorldUnderwater Scholarship Society and tour leader with Quest Tours, to Vava’u, Tonga.

I was given the most unique opportunity to witness the glorious ocean giants, humpback whales! This was an opportunity to be in the presence of these ocean mammals, up-close and personal like never before. The humpback whales who occupy the warm waters around Tonga and the South Pacific migrate from Antarctica over the winter months to spend their time giving birth, raising their calves and mating. To say the encounters were magnificent would be an understatement – seeing whales like this was overwhelming and I had to keep putting my head above the water to check this was actually real life.

From the surface you can see the whales coming up to breathe from the small fountain that is pushed up on their exhale, and if the light hits it on the right angle, you even get a beautiful little rainbow. If you are lucky to be in the right place at the right time you may even see a whale breach and then you definitely know they are around. But the first whales which our skipper had spotted were relaxed, just breaking the surface of the calm Tongan waters to slowly exhale and then they hung just below the surface. We had come across a pair of adult whales slowly on the move! As we all prepared to make the first plunge into the water to witness these incredible animals, it was a big wave of emotions. This was the second-time I have been lucky enough to swim with humpback whales during my Scholarship year, but the ocean conditions as well as the whale behaviour in Tonga is quite different to that of Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. We all had our cameras ready, fins and mask on, snorkels in, ready in anticipation for what we were about to witness. As soon as our skipper Vili got us into the perfect position, our

local whale guide Pillar yelled ‘okay… slide in!’, and as the bubbles disappeared from the jump, there below us were two enormous, yet graceful, humpback whales slowly cruising past us. It was an incredible visual feast, but just like that it was over. These huge cetaceans although moving slowly, are still so powerful with just one beat of their tail, plunging them into the depths of the ocean.

Over the week I spent in Tonga, I witnessed and had interactions with various types of humpback whale behaviour.

Heat-runs with multiple males powering through the water chasing a female to be the best of the best and prove they should be the one to mate with her, and mother and calves (only a few weeks old) relaxed at the surface just resting or followed by an escort, to mothers hanging below keeping a watchful eye of their calf while it played with us at the surface. Even being eye to eye with a calf – this was a next level crazy nature experience for me. These animals as huge as they are, knew exactly where we were at all times, demonstrating their sheer intelligence. There were ‘singers’ – male humpbacks that hang vertically in the water and sing for up to 12 minutes, the same melody in several variations, but the song vibrating deep into your bones as you float above and listen in awe. To finally, but quite possibly my favourite interaction, a huge male just playing at the surface, spinning, dancing and spy-hopping for over an hour! This experience was such a highlight for me and gave me the most-wonderful opportunity to witness these magnificent ocean giants like never before, but also see how important eco-tourism, research on their behaviour, as well as their conservation and protection for the future of this species is. n NB: Apologies for a typo in the header of issue 6’s Scholar report – it is Adam Stern, not ‘Alex’, as was in the title.

Olivia Johnson

DIVE MUNDA

DIVE THE UNEXPLORED Dive Munda is a multi award winning SSI Instructor Training Centre in the Western province of Solomon Islands committed to sustainable dive eco-tourism. Scuba dive unexplored reefs, WWII history, Kastom culture, hard and soft coral, cuts and caverns along with pelagic life and shark action, all in one of the last wild frontiers left on planet ocean.

• Direct weekly flights from Brisbane to Munda starting with Solomon Airlines in early 2018!

• SICCI Tourism Business of the Year Winner 2017 • Experience Magical Munda at Agnes Gateway Hotel • Untouched and unspoilt DIVE MUNDA, AGNES GATEWAY HOTEL, MUNDA, SOLOMON ISLANDS T: +677 62156 (SHOP) OR +677 789 6869 (CELL)

divemunda@dive-solomon.com www.divemunda.com

TEACHING A COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF COURSES FROM BEGINNER TO EXPERT, OFFERING A RANGE OF DIVE TRIPS, IN NEW ZEALAND AND OVERSEAS AND PROVIDING THE BEST QUALITY DIVE GEAR ONLINE AND INSTORE.

For more informaaon visit us at

132 Beaumont St, Auckland Phone: +64 9 9205200 Email: info@globaldive.net

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e had dropped in on Fantasea Reef just moments before, after a two-minute (really) boat ride from the resort’s beach.

The shallow site is a sprawling, complex collection of hard and soft corals, intermittent sand patches, vibrant colours and loads of life. Today, we were on a mission – the afternoon before, we had found two pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti), hidden in the branches of a massive red gorgonian fan, the male hugely pregnant (as ‘huge’ as a tiny seahorse can be, anyway).

I had been shooting with a 60mm micro lens and had images of the miniscule creatures, but they were just not quite as close-up as I wanted. Today, I had a 105mm macro and was ready.

We quickly found the place, but to our surprise, someone else had already laid claim to the spot – a gigantic green turtle was rubbing its lovely shell back and forth against the trunk and lower branches of the fan, causing the branches to sway like a tree in a violent wind. Being respectful of the turtle, we tried to find the seahorses without disturbing it. We soon located the head-of-a-pin-small male, but my attempts to focus the 105mm in the turtle-produced gale were both dizzying and hopeless. I looked up at Rodil, my dive guide, and gradually my bemused smile turned to chuckles, then broke into one of those mask-filling bouts of underwater laughter that only divers can truly appreciate.

We waited patiently for a while, until Rodil finally moved over to the turtle to gently push it away, but it resisted, refusing to give up its prime rubbing-post. This went on for a while until the turtle finally relented – although it didn’t leave, but kept coming back for another go. I managed to slip into the spot where the seahorse was perched, tail wrapped around a small branch, and, with the turtle watching closely, began shooting.

I remember thinking that a wide-angle lens would have captured an amazing series of images of the turtle in this situation, but… as I mentioned, I had a 105mm on (I did manage a very nice close-up of the turtle’s face and one of the nearly metre-long, yellow and green shark suckers on its back, however.) And, oh yeah, I got my pygmy seahorse, yes indeed.

As special as this particular dive was, in my four and a half days of four and five dives a day, from early mornings on into the nights, it was really just one of many special dives. In all my years of diving, I can honestly say that I have never before seen such a remarkable, multitudinous array of exotic marine life – especially unusual macro creatures – as I found around Puerto Galera. Whether on coral reefs, in sandy-muck channels, on grass beds, around an ocean pinnacle off a neighbouring island or even on a nearby offshore wreck – the 30m-deep Alma Jane - every dive was a ‘creatures on parade’ experience.

Given the location, in the heart of bio-diversity for the world’s oceans, I

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guess this shouldn’t have been a complete surprise, but the remarkable richness of the life there… still was. The night dives were, if anything, even more amazing, with something new and exotic seemingly every few moments.

The ease of the diving also made finding ‘more’ simple to accomplish… with the boats just steps away from the Atlantis Dive Resort’s gear lockers, and boat rides generally a matter of a few minutes, doing four to five dives a day was not a strain, with plenty of time between dives for a hot shower, a meal, coffee or tea, camera prep and so on. And, the sharp-eyed dive guides knew their home territory and its resident denizens very well, indeed.

It’s difficult to choose a list of favourite sites but, like Fantasea Reef, a number of them stood out. One would be the location of my first dive upon arrival (and a couple of my night dives), an area just minutes straight out from the resort called Sabang (named for the town, Sabang Port and its bay). Averaging 15m and less of depth, it’s an area of shipwreck debris, sand and intermittent coral patches, with turtle grass beds toward shore.

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Marine life EXTRAVAGANZA IN THE

Philippines After the delights of Dumaguete, Al Hornsby moved to Puerto Galera and found it defied all of his expectations, delivering some truly unique diving experiences PHOTOGRAPHS BY AL HORNSBY

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…with the boats just steps away from the Atlantis Dive Resort’s gear lockers, and boat rides generally a matter of a few minutes, doing four to five dives a day was not a strain My first dive there was memorable – we quickly found a large, orange giant frogfish, and shortly thereafter, one of the creatures on my ‘hoped-for’ shot list peeked out of its lair beneath a small coral head – a large, brilliantly- colored peacock mantis shrimp. It was shy at first, continually ducking back into its hole, but finally it emerged and moved quickly away. I followed slowly, giving it space, but keeping it in sight until it ducked into another hole. As I approached, the bold mantis (they are indeed bold), apparently tired of being followed, suddenly came out, marched across the sand to me and stood up in challenge, allowing me a series of very close images.

Just moments later, my guide, Aires, excitedly pointed toward a whitish, pebbled area on the sea floor… where I could see – nothing. He kept insistently pointing – obviously at something very, very small. I looked more closely and finally saw an exquisite, less than pea-sized, white, juvenile blue-ringed octopus, who made a splendid image.

In this same area on night dives, I also photographed – among many others - a lovely fingered dragonette, which went into full display as I approached, two pairs of sea moths, several peacock flounders, an intricately-patterned dwarf lionfish and a large, hairy hermit crab in a huge Triton’s trumpet shell, which came marching out of the darkness across the sand bottom, coming right to our lights.

Lionfish sheltering near seastar

Pygmy seahorse

Monstrous coral dwarfs diver

A lovely Napoleon snake eel, head sticking up out of its burrow, was also an exotic creature I had never photographed before.

Another remarkable site was reached by a quick trip around the point from Sabang Bay. The sand beach turns to steep, jungled iron-shore, and Sinandigan was one of several great sites up against the coastline. Underwater, the shallows are a maze of crevices, swim-throughs and tumbled coral gardens, in clear, still water. Beyond the colourful beauty of the hard and soft corals, whip corals (with whip coral shrimp and gobies), swirling reef tropicals, patches of yellow sea cucumbers and many anemones with anemonefish, it is a nudibranch treasure-trove. Down the slope, the drop turns steep, to become a wall with bigger fish, turtles, and many overhangs – one was home to a blue-spotted ray. Back in the shallows toward dive’s end, another ‘shot list image’ was captured, when a bold banded krait interrupted its feeding to swim directly to my camera.

After several days of macro, we headed eastward on a 50-minute boat-ride to nearby Verde Island, a mountainous isle that rises out of the sea. Just offshore, the

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Lionfish

ATLANTIS DIVE RESORT PUERTO GALERA

For the resort and dive operation, a PADI five-star Dive Centre, the owners’ designed goal was ‘To create a great resort that makes sure guests don’t have to sacrifice anything in their search for the best diving’. They work to provide an all-inclusive offering centred on great service, great diving, modern, comfortable rooms, wide-ranging activities (including a luxurious spa), delicious food and a friendly, well-trained staff.

The resort’s 40 rooms, which extend from near the beach up a hillside for wonderful views of Sabang Bay, have full facilities and amenities, including Wi-Fi. Atlantis Dive Resorts and Liveaboards operates Atlantis Dive Resorts Puerto Galera and Dumaguete, as well as the liveaboard vessel, Atlantis Azores. www.atlantishotel.com Peacock mantis shrimp heads for cover

top of a submerged pinnacle is visible, which provided us two remarkable dives along an area called The Drop-off. On the first, we dropped down to 30m on a brisk current along a steep, gorgonian, soft coral and barrel sponge-blanketed wall, swirling fish surrounding us – including bands of spadefish and a large school of long-jawed mackerel. In calm water around a corner, we saw grouper, snapper, sweetlips and hordes of reef fish, plus several large, green turtles. On our second dive, we stayed more shallow and discovered a brightly-coloured wall area completely covered with soft corals and sponges, home to many fish and several very calm banded kraits nosing about the nooks and crannies.

My most-productive dive, however, was saved for last, my final dive before packing up the gear and heading home. On the side of Puerto Galera away from Sabang Bay are several small islands that create a series of protected, sand-bottomed channels – the sites for muck-diving in its truest sense. One called The Hill is a series of sandy slopes with a winding, 20m-deep channel meandering inbetween. This particular afternoon, a large dive group had just left the resort, and a couple of the guides, having nothing on their dive schedules, asked if they could go along with us. What resulted was unique – the four of us, spaced about ten metres apart in a long line, effectively covered nearly 40 metres of bottom. As we moved along, waggling lights and tank-banging from both sides had me constantly moving from discovery to discovery for a non-stop 75 minutes, even into a long, safety stop. At The Hill, shooting hundreds of frames, I got images of several pairs of spiny waspfish, flamboyant cuttlefish and eggs, an unusual ocelated poison octopus who stood up in a defensive posture (they bite from underneath, of course) on tip-toes for a portrait, three species of seahorse, a goldbar sand diver, an unusual chiagra mantis, magnificus shrimp on tube anemones, a seldom-seen rubrolineata nudibranch, stumpyspined and reaper cuttlefish, an unusual saddled snake eel... the list goes on, and on – wow.

Lush topside scenery

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This dive trip was one that takes its place as special, even after so many years of being fortunate enough to dive many of the world’s most-celebrated locations. And, as other divers and couples I met at the resort told me, the surrounding town of Sabang Port, a small, bustling, resort-beach village of winding streets lined with restaurants, bars and clubs, was of itself a vacation treat. For me however, I never made it out on the town – with every dive being so remarkable, I could not have been tempted to miss even one. n Flamboyant cuttlefish

As we moved along, waggling lights and tank-banging from both sides had me constantly moving from discovery to discovery for a non-stop 75 minutes, even into a long, safety stop WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

SPEARFISHING NEWS & GEAR BEGINNERS GUIDE TO... REEF HUNTING Chad Carney has written a series of articles for DeeperBlue.com aimed at novices to the world of spearfishing. Below is a truncated version of his overview on reef hunting

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oral reefs make up one of the largest fish habitat areas where spearos can hunt, so it’s fitting these fish are known as reef fish. Unlike pelagic or blue water fish, these fish live in or closely around the coral reef - it’s their home and when threatened, it’s where they seek shelter.

Coral reefs vary quite a bit, from sheer walls starting in waters as shallow as 5m and dropping off to depths of thousands of metres, to limestone ledges which may resemble a street curb with reliefs of just 15cm. All of these structures, no matter how small, are ecosystems with huge varieties of life, which support the prey we seek.

A useful reef hunting technique is to follow small prey, instead of shooting them, and let them take you home. This tactic has often brought me to trophy-sized fish!

If you know your prey, and you know their terrain, you’ll know what gear to bring. Most reef sites that are not walls, sinkholes or don’t have deep undercuts and honeycomb caverns, can be hunted with a freeshafts shot from guns or slings, which are faster and longer shooting than line shafts.

Obviously, the shots need to be carefully chosen to seriously disable or stun the fish, but when this skill is mastered the results can be amazing.

If the sites do have exceptional structural difficulties and added strong current issues, then long shooting enclosed lineshaft spearguns with sleek flopper shafts and extra band power are probably the best choice.

Here are some things that can attract fish.

Try creating a hot spot.

Many times divers drop to the bottom and do not see any fish or action, even though the reef has excellent structure, tropicals, and baitfish.

In this case, rather than spending your bottom time doing nothing, try throwing up some sand, or scratching a rock on the bottom (not on coral), wait a bit then ascend a little bit and slowly turn around 360 degrees. If you have made a few dives or spent a few minutes on the bottom and still nothing works, consider shooting a fish to use for chum. Often the shot itself will start some action, bringing in curious fish, or causing a camouflaged fish to flinch. Fish sense the hunt, and if they are not the prey, they often come in to see if they can get something to eat. n To read Chad Carney’s full, in-depth articles, head to: www.deeperblue.com/beginners-guide-spearfishing

MARES CYRANO HFT 1.1 The recent release of the Mares Cyrano HFT 1.1 pneumatic gun sees the redesign of what was already a popular and successful pneumatic speargun. The new model has reverted back to the previously used blue handle, but now includes a contoured bottom which greatly enhances the grip.

A shapely hydro-formed barrel is beautifully styled, adding buoyancy and putting the spear close to the top of the barrel, thus offering better aiming characteristics and again providing a great grip when holding the gun by the barrel.

The complete redesign of the stainless-steel trigger mechanism and line release have greatly improved the strength and durability compared to previous versions of the gun. The internal barrel measures at 11mm and holds a 7mm Tahitian single barb shaft. This robust, pneumatically powered speargun propels the shaft at great speeds and

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with remarkable penetrating power, superior to powerband spearguns – crucial in the longer gun lengths when stalking large species of oceanic fish where a slim, compact speargun with a slender ‘nose’ is quick and intuitive to aim.

The new Cyrano HFT 1.1 is available in two sizes – 110mm and 90mm – and each comes with a handy carry bag for transporting the gun safely and easily. Lightweight, reliable and powerful, the Cyrano HFT 1.1 is a high-quality gun with an unbeatable price-quality ratio. www.mares.com

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THE ULTIMATE DIVE VACATION IN PALAU WORTH OVER US$825!

Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific has teamed up with Sam’s Tours to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a fantastic trip to experience the world-class diving off Palau.

To be in with a chance of winning, simple log on to: www.scubadivermag.com/competition and enter your details. It’s as simple as that!

Palau

Palau is constantly voted among the top ten dive destinations worldwide and in the days of over-tourism and polluted oceans, it is no wonder that the Pacific archipelago off the beaten path is increasing in popularity among divers and nature lovers.

Palau was the first destination to declare its 200-mile-zone a shark sanctuary and is now about to complete the transformation into a marine sanctuary where commercial fishing will be banned, with the exception of a small take-zone for local fishermen.

Besides natural encounters with sharks, divers can enjoy fantastic wreck diving, steep walls with an abundance of healthy marine life and around full and new moon, the gathering of thousands of fish for spawning.

Palau’s premier dive centre, Sam’s Tours, is an independent five-star PADI IDC Dive Centre and eco-adventure tour company. The full-service dive centre offers a complete range of scuba experiences, from introductory scuba programmes through PADI Dive Instructor certification and includes technical diving services and rebreather support.

Sam’s Tours offers complimentary nitrox up to 32% with proof of certification. www.samstours.com

The prize, which is worth US$825, is a voucher for one person for five days of diving with Sam’s Tours and includes two dives a day (including tanks, weights and nitrox up to 32% with proof of certification), professional guide, lunch and refreshments, Sam’s Tours’ resusable water bottle, and hotel transfers. The closing date is 20 January 2019 and the editor’s decision is final.

Terms and conditions

Not included are airface, accommodation, meals other than specified, required government permits, and rental gear.

Voucher is valid until 31 January 2020.

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FREEDIVING NEWS CMAS WORLD FREEDIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS The CMAS World Freediving Championships were held in Kas, Turkey, in early October.

In the Men’s Free Immersion (FIM) discipline, Alexey Molchanov’s 116m dive earned him the gold medal, as well as a new CMAS World Record, while Andrey Matveenko took home the silver with a 100m dive and Daniel Koval and Same Jeranko tied for bronze with 95m dives apiece.

For the women, Alessia Zecchini took home the gold plus her own World Record with a 94m dive, while Sayuri Kinoshita nabbed a silver medal with her 90m dive and Hanako Hirose and Sofia Gomez-Uribe tied for bronze with 86m dives apiece.

In the men’s Constant Weight with Bi-Fins (CWT BF) discipline, Alexei Molchanov won the gold with his 107m dive, while Arnaud Jerald took home the silver with his 101m dive, and Antonio Mogavero earned a bronze with a 91m dive.

For the women, Natalia Zharkova nabbed the gold as well as a World Record with her 89m dive, with Alenka Artnik and Sofia Gomez-Uribe taking home silver medals with their 86m dives.

In the men’s Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) discipline, Mateusz Malina took home the gold medal with his 78m dive, while Michele Giurgola took silver with his 76m dive, and Remy Dubern took the bronze with his 75m dive.

For the women, Alessia Zecchini and Natalia Zharkova shared gold medals with 70m dives respectively, while Sayuri Kinoshita took home the bronze with a 66m dive.

This was the third annual CMAS Freediving World Championships, but they were marred by safety fears and were, in fact, cancelled for two days due to these concerns which were raised after a Spanish competitor blacked out

during their dive and was not rescued until after drifting from 35m to 61m in depth.

The organisers have brought in Jonathan Sunnex, the head of safety for rival federation AIDA International, to help ensure both equipment and protocols for safety were being followed, but it meant that the competition lost two diving days that were scheduled for Constant Weight (CWT) athlete dives, meaning divers who wanted to compete in Constant Weight would have to do that each day, in addition to the disciplines already scheduled for that day.

TRUBRIDGE, NERY AND GAUTIER NAMED OCEAN QUEST GLOBAL CORAL REEF AMBASSADORS understated, they not only provide them with food and Champion freedivers William Trubridge, Guillaume Néry and Julie Gautier have joined environmental advocacy organisation Ocean Quest Global’s campaign as ambassadors to protect and rehabilitate coral reefs.

While protecting and rehabilitating coral reefs via scuba diving is a viable option, it isn’t the only one. As such, Ocean Quest Global is working towards including freediving so that the members of those local communities can be fully involved in the process as well.

Coral reefs are traditionally monitored and rehabilitated by those with the financial capacity to do so, with the costs of scuba certification and equipment amounting to several months of average income in many countries across the world. Such efforts also tend to be occasionally inhibited by the operational issues presented by scuba diving equipment, particularly in remote or non-tourist areas.

According to Ocean Quest Global: “The importance of healthy coral reefs to their surrounding communities cannot be

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revenue (through fisheries and tourism), but also stave off coastal erosion, thereby safeguarding land property from damage and reducing the risk of population displacement.

It is estimated that coral reefs worldwide provide goods and services valued to be close to $30 billion on an annual basis.”

Consequently, Ocean Quest Global has been developing and is now finalising a new and specific method of coral reef rehabilitation using freediving to this purpose. It’s been working with Apnea Total Freediving, its instructors and master students, getting advice on how to adapt the advocacy organisation’s methodology and techniques to freediving.

Specific education in coral reef rehabilitation is scheduled to begin in early 2019. The objective over time is to set up protection and rehabilitation campaigns with local communities that will become fully self-regulating within a reasonable period after launch.

For more info, check out the website: www.oceanquest.global

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DeeperBlue.com is the World’s Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. We’ve been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

NEW CROSSTRAINING FOR FREEDIVING BOOK NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY Just because you don’t live near the water doesn’t mean you can’t stay fit for freediving. To that end, Dr Jaap Verbaas’ new book, Longer And Deeper, describes the cross-training methods and techniques he uses to improve your diving skills. According to the book’s back cover, the reader will learn: How your muscles work; what to do if CO2 tables fail; how to minimize drag; how to delay the onset of contractions; how to stay fit all year long; how to adapt muscles to hypoxia; how to reduce leg burn; and how to recover from exercise.

Ian Almasi, PFI freediving instructor, says of the book: “Longer and Deeper was easy to digest and interesting.

It makes the dry training of freediving seem both fun and doable. Anyone can excel in this sport with land-based training.”

The book is available from Amazon for US$24.99/€21.63 Euros.

FREEDIVING NEW ZEALAND POOL NATIONALS The results are in for the Freediving New Zealand Pool Nationals competition, held in September. The event was hosted by Queenstown and featured several individual competitions and a club contest.

Overall: F - Gemma Cookson with a point total of 179.5.

M - Guy Brew with a point total of 240.7.

Static: F - Kathryn Nevatt with a time of 7:07.

M - Guy Brew with a time of 8:11.

Dynamic: F - Kathryn Nevatt with a distance of 176m.

M - Jarrod Briffa with a distance of 170m.

Dynamic No Fins: F - Gemma Cookson with a distance of 111m.

M - Guy Brew with a distance of 138m. www.freediving.co.nz/fnzpoolnats2018

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MARES SMART APNEA

The name ‘Smart’ truly defines Mares’ approach to creating a sophisticated, highly functional, and stylish freediving computer for use in and out of the water. The Smart Apnea boasts many improved features and functions, including a max operating depth of 150m. Both its firmware and software are easily updatable using your PC. The Dive Link USB interface is the conduit to update Firmware, as well as download your diving history into a log book App provided

by Mares. The LCD segmented display provides a sharp and crystal-clear platform for easy-to-read diving information.

Depth information, dive time, descent/ascent speeds and present water temperature can all be instantly accessed and displayed during every dive. An intuitive interface is navigated by two easy push buttons located on the side, so scrolling through all parameters and diving information has never been easier. Smart Apnea offers users a wide range of information that is helpful in managing freedives more efficiently, while maintaining control over challenging situations and specific data (speed control, surface interval, hydration alarms) in order to help prevent symptoms caused by syncope, taravana syndrome, or hemoptysis.

The new micro-processor in the Smart Apnea is a high performer, combined with the latest-generation pressure sensor; optimising power consumption for a longer-lasting battery life. All of this functionality is not left without attention to style. Dive in comfort with an ergonomic design – a unique dual-material strap available in two colour combinations; black/grey and black/orange, matched to a handsome case, make this the watch to wear every day. www.mares.com

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Backmount vSIDEMOUNT

Forget McGregor versus Mayweather, the big showdown when it comes to technical diving is sidemount versus backmount. Recreational diver Gavin Jones took the plunge with RAID UK Director of Training Garry Dallas to try out both forms of twin-cylinder diving PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

www.narkedat90.com

B

ack in the day, when it came to open-circuit technical diving, the default ‘base’ from which to develop your skill set was a trusty twinset, either manifolded or two independent cylinders. Having twin ten-litre or 12-litre cylinders on your back gave you ample gas and redundancy over a solitary tank to venture a little beyond so-called recreational diving depths, and then by adding one or more side-slung cylinders as your training in the world of technical diving progressed, you could really start to explore those alluring depths.

Then sidemount burst on to the scene. Now diving with two cylinders, one on either side of your body, with a streamlined wing on your back for buoyancy, was nothing radically new – cave divers had been utilising this set-up for many years – but several years ago it became very en vogue, and suddenly diving sidemount on reefs and wrecks became the ‘in’ thing. It also provided a stable base from which to

supporting divers

add more cylinders as tech training developed.

So you are a recreational diver, with a few years of diving under your belt and a couple of hundred dives in your logbook, and you are looking to enter the work of technical diving. Now you have a choice – sidemount or backmount?

We recruited Gavin Jones, a keen single-cylinder Master Scuba Diver and RAID 40 diver from Shropshire who was showing an inclination to ‘go technical’ in the future, to be our ‘guinea pig’ and try out both forms of twin-cylinder diving. He has trained with Shrewsbury-based RAID centre Severntec Diving, and already uses a backplate-and-wing and long-hose set-up, so was well on his way to the technical ‘dark side’. Gavin said: “As I progressed through various courses and my depth limits, one thing that was always at the forefront of my mind was redundant gas supply. While I acknowledged the buddy system, I didn’t want to rely on the ability and skills of an unknown diver while diving on holiday.

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Gavin had great trim in sidemount in no time

“As I reached the limits of recreational diving, I opted to always carry a stage cylinder with the same gas for non-deco dives deeper than 20m for my own peace of mind and to be self-reliant. This reduced my anxiety, gave me comfort and allowed me to enjoy the dive.

“My first experience with a twinset was unloading our club’s van - I enquired how they managed to even stand up with that on! The reply was ‘you get used to it’, and ‘you don’t notice in the water’. Sidemount seemed easier to manage at the dive site, but the set-up looked nothing like my backplateand-wing, so I was sceptical if I’d be able to understand a different way of doing things.”

We then roped in Garry Dallas, Director of Training for RAID UK and Malta, as our mentor to take Gavin on extended try dives both in backmount and sidemount so that he could see the pros and cons of both forms of technical diving.

TO THE DELPH A bright, sunny morning greeted us as we rolled into the car park at the Delph. Garry maintains a classroom here, so it made sense to conduct the trydives at this location.

After introductions and the obligatory coffees, we went into the classroom and Garry immediately went into ‘instructor mode’, explaining the differences between backmount and sidemount, and getting Gavin sized up with the right wings and harnesses. Although he is well known in sidemount circles, Garry also teaches and dives in backmount (as well as with rebreathers), so he was the perfect guide to show Gavin the ropes with both systems. First up was sidemount.

SIDEMOUNT This was a totally new concept to Gavin. He commented: “I carried both cylinders to the water, placed them in the shallows and returned to get into my harness. I noted how easy it was to get set up and at no point was I carrying anything heavy. Once the sliding D-rings were correctly positioned and the cylinders were bungeed up, the whole system was very neat and streamlined - nothing protruded wider than my shoulders or deeper than my body.”

It took a little while for him to get properly rigged up with the cylinders sitting in the correct position, but at least he was used to the long-hose set-up, and this meant that that aspect of sidemount didn’t feel completely alien to him. I know from back when I did my sidemount course with Garry,

I instantly felt comfortable with how everything was set up and worked - until we discussed and went through shutdown procedures

Cylinders rigged securely either side

it does feel very odd to be in the water with nothing on your back, and to have the valves on two cylinders sitting either side of your chest. On the other hand, this positioning also helps you achieve a nice horizontal trim very quickly.

One thing that Gavin did have to get used to was swapping between his regulator second stages to evenly deplete the gas out of his two cylinders. One sits round the neck on a bungee, as per normal long-hose recreational or twinset diving, while the long hose is equipped with a P-clip so that when that regulator is not in your mouth, it can be securely clipped off onto a D-ring on your right shoulder strap.

Under Garry’s watchful eye and tutelage, Gavin soon got to grips with sidemount diving. His trim and position in the water was nicely horizontal within a matter of minutes, and I could see he was enjoying the ease of access to both pillar valves for shutdown drills, etc. Garry doesn’t do anything by halves, and really worked with Gavin to ensure he got the best possible introduction to this form of diving. He also put him through several skills and drills, including back-finning, turning, and so on. Gavin concluded: “The whole system felt very balanced, streamlined and stable. I liked the fact that everything was right there and accessible, I could easily see and manipulate valves, check SPG and hose routing. Entering and exiting the water was easy, and rigging up was much easier and quicker than I envisaged.”

BACKMOUNT Gavin immediately looked more comfortable out of the blocks with a traditional twinset on his back. As he was used to diving with a backplate-and-wing and a long-hose set-up,

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THE GOSPEL OF GARRY

Gavin looking relaxed on sidemount

There’s so much subjectivity regarding the pros and cons of backmount and sidemount, that it’s hard to see the wood for the trees - and egos.

From an unbiased POV, given my earlier technical diving path on twinsets, from diver training through to trimix instructor, seeing the differences was obvious, hence I’m still diving religiously today.

For the last 60/70 years, innovation has improved on all scuba systems, so now RAID have released, alongside the twinset, the most up-to-date sidemount training manual – the primary author being me.

Fundamentally, every unit should keep you safe, redundancy being your safe, accessible back-up. For this main reason, sidemount cave divers found this configuration the safest choice. If anyone can’t - or really struggles to - reach their valves easily every time, without losing buoyancy, then they need to change configuration. Period!

Other reasons you’ll learn on a RAID course are minor in comparison, for instance… carrying double the weight on land as opposed to singles, while L4 and L5 vertebrae screams on the way back to your vehicle.

Can sidemount be a faff? Of course, when someone hasn’t trained on it.

Everything is hard work when you don’t know what you should be doing.

Train ‘hard’, dive easy!

Gavin practising his hover

other than the fact he now had two cylinders on his back instead of one, everything else was very familiar and fell easily to hand. However, there was that weight to get used to.

Gavin said: “I’ve suffered with a bad back on and off for many years from a motorcycle accident, so I wasn’t particularly looking forward to hoisting all that weight up and walking to the water. However, I was pleasantly surprised that once I’d got it up and everything secure, it wasn’t too bad - I managed the walk and the entry to the water without a problem.”

One of the key skills when using a backmounted twinset is the S-drill, or shutdown drill, and Gavin found there was a definite knack to reaching up and over your shoulders to turn the knobs on the cylinder pillar valves and the central manifold knob. Garry said the skill does become easier over time, as a result of muscle memory and increased flexibility, but this was the only aspect of twinset diving that Gavin appeared to find a bit awkward. He commented: “I instantly felt comfortable with how everything was set up and worked until we discussed and went through shutdown procedures. In

One thing that Gavin did have to get used to was swapping between his regulator second stages to evenly deplete the gas out of his two cylinders

my drysuit I struggled to reach the valves to turn them. Maybe with some practice this wouldn’t become an issue.”

Once under the water, Gavin’s trim and buoyancy in the water was very good, and he didn’t seem to have any major issues, even through all of the skill-and-drill circuits directed his way by Garry. He said: “I liked the instant familiarity with the set up and rig, and once on my back it wasn’t as heavy and bulky as I thought it would be. However, I wouldn’t of liked trying to get out on slippy rocks or up a boat ladder.”

CONCLUSION So, which is best? Well, it isn’t quite as straightforward as that. What works well for one person doesn’t necessarily tick all the right boxes for someone else. Either set-up makes a sound starting point for technical diving. Sidemount allows a lot of flexibility – for example, it is a simple matter to just rig up one cylinder and go diving if that is a better option for a particular dive than needlessly lugging two tanks. Many sidemount devotees note the reduced strain on your lower back, and the enhanced freedom of movement from having the cylinders on your side rather than mounted on your back.

On the flipside, you get those who see rigging sidemount as a real faff, and prefer just being able to sling a twinset on their back and go diving. Technical divers do tend to be tinkerers and are always fettling their kit anyway, but sidemount divers can take this to a whole new level of ‘tweaking’, so I understand this viewpoint to an extent.

Which one came out on top for Gavin? Well, he was undoubtedly more comfortable in the twinset from the outset, however he liked the flexibility of the sidemount system and was looking very streamlined and trim in the water. A few weeks later, he bit the bullet and did his first course using two cylinders – in sidemount, in case you were wondering… n

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FOURTH ELEMENT STORM

Fourth Element’s Storm is an all-weather poncho that is warm, fast-drying and packs down small, enabling you to take it anywhere. Throw it on to get changed into your wetsuit at the beach or on the boat. Use it to warm up after a session in the water, or to cover up between dives.

The waterproof, fleece-lined fabric is lightweight, cosy and manufactured using an environmentally friendly fluorine-free waterproofing treatment. With side vents secured by poppers, getting changed is simple, with generous hand-warmer pockets adding to the comfort factor when warming up. The adjustable hood features a peak, providing excellent protection even in the worst of weather, making this a piece of gear you’ll never want to be without.

Available in XS, S, S/M, L/XL, and XL/XXL sizes.

This product is also part of Fourth Element’s OceanPositive range. Using fabric manufactured according to the Bluesign® standard, the Storm Poncho is produced using innovative, resource-conserving and environmentally friendly techniques. The fleece backing contains 37 percent recycled yarn with S.Café® technology, derived from post-consumer plastic bottles. S.Café® process embeds coffee grounds into the recycled yarn surface, changing the characteristics of the filament and provides faster drying times, along with increased odour resistance and enhanced reflection of UV rays. www.fourthelement.com 54

FRANGIPANI THE BIG BLUE

Frangipani shirts have announced their exclusive collaboration with Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) for a fourth year, and has created a limited-edition shirt – The Big Blue. With 25 percent of the sales of every Big Blue shirt going directly to the charity, Frangipani is not only on a mission to redefine the ‘beach to bar’ shirt, but to also raise awareness of the protection of the oceans and the overall marine ecosystem and environment.

Frangipani was established by husband-and-wife team Ben and Clem Wilmot in 2010. They decided to produce an annual range of 12 men’s beach to bar shirts. This is their fourth year of collaboration with Blue Marine Foundation and their commitment to protecting the oceans has led Frangipani to be worn by the Blue Safari Seychelles team (www.bluesafari.com) when they launched their exciting new concept to the world at the renowned travel show, We Are Africa that took place in Cape Town, South Africa in May. Frangipani shirts are made from a rare, delicate but strong Indian cotton which took Ben and Clem three years to source. It is also exclusive to Frangipani. The shirts are fitted on the sides but loose around the tummy, meaning men can have those beers while sailing across the oceans without a care in the world! www.frangipani-style.com

XDEEP NX SERIES BOLT SNAPS The humble bolt snap has been given a makeover by the team at XDeep. The NX Series small bolt snap has a large, smooth anti-tangle trigger, a curved finger support, a 14mm opening in an evenly rounded hook (for easy clipping) and a compact eye. The large bolt snap features all of this, but instead of a dinky eye, it has a large ring with an off-centre swivel to provide more space. www.xdeep.eu WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

MARES CRUISE T-LIGHT RANGE

Mark Evans: Every diver needs drybags, they are just such a handy piece of kit, and the Mares Cruise T-Light range meets all your requirements.

The five-litre version makes a great compact daybag, or to keep essentials in like your wallet and smartphone.

The ten-litre version is ideal as a daybag on the dive boat, and you can easily stuff your clothes and a towel in there. The 25-litre version of the T-Light has plenty of room for clothes, towels, and other necessities, and is also perfect for storing undersuits. All three are made from reinforced lightweight polyester with heat-sealed stitching and are fully waterproof, with a neat quickclosure system. www.mares.com

MARES PRIME Mark Evans: The Prime is an entrylevel jacket-style BCD, which is made from light, strong and durable 420 denier Cordura material, and has built-in stowage for an octopus and your pressure gauge. The air cell is shaped so it envelopes the diver on the sides and back, providing a high lift capacity and a comfortable position on the surface. It has a monoplate backpack for rigidity, two large cargo pockets for storage, features five heavy-duty technopolymer D-rings, and has Mares’ efficient ergonomically designed power inflator. It can also be upgraded to accept the Mares standard pinch-clip integrated weight system. www.mares.com

FINNSUB ULTRALITE The Finnsub Ultralite is an extremely light and compact set of twolayer wing made from Cordura and nylon with dual tank bands and an ultralight harness and aluminium backplate – perfect for travelling!

Even with solid metal components and stainless steel D-rings, the weight of the complete set – including the weight pockets – is less then 3kg. There are two versions available – the Ultralite 13, and the Ultralite 10. www.finnsub.com

NO GRAVITY GLOVES (POLARTEC POWER STRETCH) The Polartec Power Stretch Gloves are great if you’re looking for an additional thermal layer. Perfect for autumn and spring while diving with a drysuit. Keep your hands warm and dry, with added protection against the cold. www.nogravityworld.com

ZEAGLE RECON The Zeagle Recon fins have been developed for optimal responsiveness, and provide stability for technical dives and alternative kicking styles, like frogkick and helicopter turns.

Aerodynamic surfaces, four strategic strakes on the top and underside, and thick side ribs combine to generate optimal thrust and performance across the entire fin. Made from compression-moulded rubber, the fins are negatively buoyant and have a quick-fastening stainless steel buckle system. For those who want to add a spot of colour to their kit, there are colour-accent kits for the buckles and soft pad. www.zeagle.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: MID-RANGE FINS

Each month, the SCUBA DIVER test team assembles to rate and review a selection of dive equipment from a range of manufacturers. Products are split into price categories and are then evaluated for performance, comfort, ease of use, build quality, looks and value for money. The Test Team comprises Editor in Chief Mark Evans and a squad of volunteers, whose dive experience ranges from a couple of hundred dives to well over 6,000.

MID-RANGE FINS

This issue, we continue our group tests of fins, this time looking at the middle of the range. Fins are one of the most-important parts of a diver’s kit, as without them you will not be going anywhere! A set of fins is very personal, and once people find a fin they like, they can end up being very loyal. A good pair of fins needs to fit well, be comfortable, easy to get on and off, and work with a variety of fin strokes.

With each pair of fins, we looked at ease of donning and doffing, comfort of the foot pocket, and what power/control they provided in a selection of fin strokes, including a ‘normal’ finning action, frogkick, back kick, helicopter turns, etc.

In this price bracket, all the fins follow the paddle fin approach, albeit some with a few little tweaks (vents, etc).

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • AQUA LUNG PHAZER • MARES WAVE • SCUBAPRO TWIN JET MAX • ATOMIC X1 BLADEFIN

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Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis

www.viviandivecentre.com

Date tested: 20/9/2018 Water temp: 9 degrees C WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG PHAZER The Aqua Lung Phazers are a robust pair of fins, which feel nice and solid. They are quite large fins, with a broad blade, and this incorporates Wave Rib Technology, which according to Aqua Lung translates as the elastomeric rubber sections of the ribs working together with the wave-shaped structures down the side of the blade to accumulate the energy of every kick that is released during the kick cycle.

The Phazers also have a bungee heel strap with large thumb loops.

CHOICE 2018 GROUP TEST

FINS

BEST VALUE 2018 GROUP TEST

The Phazers incorporate a lot of technological advances in terms of design and materials, and this translates into a pair of fins which generate lots of power in all fin kicks - though like their cheaper siblings reviewed last month, you need strong legs to get the most out of them - but while they are a big fin, they are still reasonably easy to manoeurve around in. The bungee heel strap makes donning and doffing the fins a doddle. www.aqualung.com

FINS

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.40kg per pair | STRAP: Rubber bungee / thumb loop VERDICT: Robust, eye-catching fins at a decent price - you just need strong leg muscles to get the best out of them due to the sheer size of that blade.

SCORE

••••••••••

ATOMIC AQUATICS X1 BLADEFIN Atomic Aquatics are well known for their highend regulators, but now they are building a similar reputation in the fin department also.

The X1 Bladefin is a robust paddle fin which has rigid, low-profile side rails and a stiff blade designed to make turning and pivoting easier, while vertical ‘strakes’ on the tips of the fins add stability and lower drag.

The X1 Bladefins are equipped with Atomic’s EZ-Lok buckle system, which allow the buckle to snap on and off easily.

The X1 Bladefins are well-made paddle fins with some neat design touches. In use, we found they provided immense levels of propulsion, but as with most large paddle fins, you do need strong leg muscles to really get the best performance out of them. That said, they were designed to work with all kick-styles, and for a relatively long fin, cope well with frog kicks, back kicks and helicopter turns.

I’d prefer a spring strap, but the EZ-Lok buckles are the next best thing, and effective even with gloves on. www.atomicaquatics.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.06kg per pair | STRAP: EZ-Lok buckles / rubber strap VERDICT: Strongly made, stiff paddle fins, which provide lots of power in all kicking styles provided you have the muscles for them. EZ-Lok buckles work well, but we’d prefer a bungee strap.

SCORE

•••••••••

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

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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MARES WAVE Mares are past masters when it comes to fin design, and the Wave utilises tri-material construction to produce a strong, robust fin which is also very lightweight, tipping the scales are under 2kg. The vast superchannel that comprises much of the lower blade is designed to produce plenty of thrust, and the foot pocket is anatomically designed for comfort. The Wave is equipped with Mares’ tried-and-tested ABS+ buckles, which lever open for you to get them off, and lock forward into place to tighten the strap on to your heel.

The Test Team was left astounded by the Avanti Superchannels in the Budget Group Test (see issue 6 of Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific), which made a clean sweep of both the Choice and Best Value awards, but the Wave failed to live up to expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it is a well-made paddle fin, and produces decent power, but it can’t hold a candle to its cheaper sibling. It is also still fitted with ABS+ buckles rather than Mares’ efficient bungee heel strap as seen on the Superchannels. Good fin, but we’d suggest seeking out the Superchannels. www.mares.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.82kg per pair | STRAP: Rubber strap / ABS+ buckles VERDICT: Robust, well-made fins, which perform as you would expect a large paddle fin to, but can’t compete with their budget siblings. ABS+ buckles work but we’d prefer a bungee strap.

SCORE

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SCUBAPRO TWIN JET MAX Scubapro have a great reputation for making top-quality dive kit, and the Twin Jet Maxs continue this tradition.

According to Scubapro, the blade is a dual-compound design that offers a stiffer blade with more feedback.

Semi-rigid side rails enhance stability, while the vents reduce drag, and the soft foot pocket provides lots of comfort. The extended sole plate gives additional leverage to improve the power transfer from foot to fin.

A few years back, splitfins dominated most of the price brackets, but so far, in the budget and mid-range group tests, these are the first splitfins to put in an appearance. They combine the design elements of a split fin with a traditional vented paddle fin - and bizarrely, it works well.

You get masses of propulsion from a normal fin stroke, though you can feel those leg muscles working, and though they are long and broad, you can also perform a reasonable frog kick, back kick and helicopter, though the sheer size makes the latter a bit of a chore. www.scubapro.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.86kg per pair | STRAP: Rubber straps with pinch clips VERDICT: Big, heavy fins combining paddle and split fin designs, with decent performance, comfy foot pocket and a functional stainless steel spring heel strap with large thumb loop.

SCORE

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

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VERDICT

It is interesting to see how the fin market changes from year to year. It doesn’t seem two minutes since everything was ‘split’, but now the good old paddle fin definitely seems to be back in vogue, at least at the budget end of the scale, and now in the mid-range too.

The Best Value was a battle between the Mares Wave and the Aqua Lung Phazers. The Waves are nice and light for travelling and well made, but to be honest, the cheaper Mares Avanti Superchannels from last month are a far better fin and would have given the Phazers a run for their money. As it is, the eye-catching Aqua Lungs took the title.

The Choice Award saw the Aqua Lung Phazers go head to head with the Atomic Aquatic X1 Bladefins and the Scubapro Twin Jet Maxs. The Atomics are a quality fin, well made, robust and with some nice features, and the Scubapros are big and heavy but perform well overall, but the Aqua Lung Phazers nudged just ahead of its rivals. A close run thing - all three are undoubtedly top fins with great performances - but the Aqua Lung Phazers took top spot to be double winners in this price bracket.

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

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SEAWING NOVA The multiple-award-winning Seawing Nova delivers the power, acceleration and maneuverability of a blade fin, with the kicking comfort, speed and efficiency of a split fin. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a fin more comfortable to wear or fun to kick.

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Test Extra

SEALIFE DC2000

Mark Evans: There was a time when, rightly or wrongly, SeaLife Cameras were regarded as being one-step-up from a basic point-and-shoot, and didn’t really factor on the radar of anyone who was seriously looking at getting into their underwater photography. However, times change, and over the past few years, the offerings from this progressive company have started to incorporate some impressive features and statistics. The DC2000 is their current rangetopper, and while it comes in at a relatively budget price, you get quite a bit of bang for your buck.

For starters, the actual camera itself, which has a large Sony 1-inch back-illuminated 20MP CMOS image sensor and 3-inch 920K LCD monitor, is waterproof down to 18m, which means if you are snorkelling or pootling around in the shallows, you don’t even need to put it into the housing.

It also means it is the perfect ‘boat camera’ - no concerns about it getting splashed, wet, etc, as you capture the action topside. The SeaLife has no less than eight shooting modes - manual, aperture, underwater, shutter, programme, intelligent auto, land, and panorama - and on top of that, with both Jpeg and RAW imaging formats available, it gives the user near-endless photo-editing options.

There are four underwater shooting modes, and three builtin digital colour-correction filters - shallow water/snorkelling, deep water (normal diving) and even green water, which SeaLife says is for ‘algae bloom’ but actually works well in British waters to compensate for the standard green!

There are a staggering 25 land scene modes to adjust the camera settings for specific shooting environments - portrait, landscape, sunset, dawn, backlight, kids, night scene, fireworks, beach, snow, sports, party, candlelight, night portrait, soft skin, food, background defocus, self-

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portrait, smile shutter, HDR, time lapse, GIF capture, art effect, continuous shooting, and even love portrait - while the intelligent auto mode selects the optimal land scene mode. If you like take control, with the manual, shutter and aperture settings, you can adjust to your heart’s content shutter speed can be from 15 to 1/2000 seconds, and F-stop ranges from F1.8 to F11. Manual white balance means you can tweak and customise the underwater colour correction ‘on the fly’ to suit your specific depth and water conditions.

Auto focus goes from just 9cm to infinity, and the macro focus can cope with 3.8cm-10cm (with the optional Super Macro lens).

It has an ultra-fast shutter response of 0.1 seconds, meaning you will never miss the crucial action shots, and it will accept Micro SD, SDHC, SDXC and UHS-1 memory cards up to 64GB, so you will never run out of room. The lithium rechargeable battery will let you shoot more than 200 photographs, or two hours of video, and can be back to full charge in just two-and-a-half hours.

In this day and age, it is all about sharing your images, and the DC2000 uses wifi and bluetooth to preview, download and share photographs and videos to smart phones and tablets via the free Link123 Plus app. The robust housing, which is rubber-armoured and shock-resistant well, you know what divers are like with their kit! - is depthrated to 60m, which is more than enough for most people.

I found the DC2000 quite simple to get on with in use. As with any camera, constant use means everything becomes more intuitive, but you can be in the water and snapping away in a relatively short time. The underwater modes actually work very well, and while I am used to shooting fully manual, I would suggest these are a good starting point for those just getting into UW photography, as it lets

you concentrate on your composition.

The large ‘piano-style keys’ - a regular feature on SeaLife cameras - and the rotary dial on the back of the housing are a good size and you can operate them even with thick neoprene gloves on. Some compacts I have used in the past can be a bit fiddly when it comes to cold water.

It might not have all the bells and whistles - and capabilities - of a DSLR or a mirrorless system, but for the money, it offers a great way to start capturing your underwater adventures and then showing your resulting photos and videos to your friends. The DC2000 camera and housing can be paired up with Sea Dragon video lights, strobes and SeaLife wet lenses, and the former will be reviewed in conjunction with the camera in a future issue. www.sealife-cameras.com

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

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Long Term Test ZEAGLE SCOPE MONO

Mark Evans: The Zeagle Scope Mono is a low-volume, over-moulded single-lens frameless design mask which benefits from a large nose pocket and a wide field of vision. It has a soft-touch silicone face seal for optimal comfort, and a thumb-operated buckle for simple and easy adjustment.

What makes the mask INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 stand out from the crowd Suggested retail price: * is the elastic ‘ski-maskNumber of dives: 0 style’ strap.

Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins www.zeagle.com

MARES QUAD AIR Mark Evans: The Mares Quad Air is the ideal computer for all kinds of diving environments, whether it be warm, cold or limited visibility. It is very lightweight thanks to the construction of the body and the widescreen design.

The well-organised display offers excellent readability in all conditions, no matter if you are diving in crystal-clear waters or conditions with less-than-perfect visibility. The durable rubber strap is comfortable on bare INFORMATION Arrival date: May 2018 wrists, but will also Suggested retail price: * fit around a drysuited Number of dives: 17 forearm with no issues.

Time in water: 16 hrs 25 mins www.mares.com 64

AQUA LUNG ROGUE Mark Evans: I like the Aqua Lung Outlaw, but found that with only the single mounting points on the back for integrated weight pockets or trim weights, it could not handle both at the same time, whereas the Aqua Lung Rogue can mount two integrated weight pockets and two trim pockets, opening up a multitude of weighting options for cold and warm water usage. www.aqualung.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2018 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 14 Time in water: 13 hrs 20 mins

AQUASKETCH MINNO 1

Mark Evans: The Aquasketch Minno 1 is a regular fixture on my right arm now - it is handy having a slate and pencil right there when I need it, instead of having to fish around in my thigh pocket for a separate one. In Dive Like A Pro this month, having a slate to write messages on INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2018 was flagged up as a great Suggested retail price: * safety tool, and the Minno Number of dives: 16 1 certainly fits the bill.

Time in water: 14 hrs 50 mins www.apeksdiving.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

MOMENTUM DEEP 6

Mark Evans: While the Momentum Deep 6 is more than capable of accompanying you on your dives, it is also very at home adorning your wrist while topside. I have said before that it is a good-looking unit, especially in this colour combo, but surely one of the highest compliments that could be paid to it was from a friend who spotted it on my wrist and asked if it was an Omega or Citizen!

Now being mistaken for a watch that commands a farhigher price tag has to be the ultimate accolade. He INFORMATION Arrival date: June 2018 couldn’t believe it when I Suggested retail price: * told him what it retails for Number of dives: 5 under!

Time in water: 4 hrs 50 mins www.momentumwatch.com

APEKS RK3 HD Mark Evans: Few more dives under my belt with the RK3 HDs, and they are settling in well.

They are very comfortable, and don’t feel too heavy on your feet, but when you need to apply some get up and go, the power is right there at your disposal. They work well with a frogkick, but also generate plenty of power with a normal finning action, and thanks to their shape, they are adept at backfinning and helicopter turns, and all the other movements you find INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2018 yourself making while Suggested retail price: * trying to get in position for Number of dives: 8 a photograph!

Time in water: 7 hrs 15 mins www.apeksdiving.com

FINNSUB 20D AND COMFORT HARNESS Mark Evans: With the unexpected departure of the Shearwater Research from Long Term Test, the Finnsub 20D and Comfort Harness has stepped into the breach.

The 20D is designed to work with single or twin tanks (up to a maximum of two 12-litre cylinders), and is made from Cordura 500 TPU-coated for the inner material, and Cordura 2000 for the outer material. It features a high-quality power inflator, and has two exhaust valves.

The Comfort Harness can be fitted with either an aluminium or stainless-steel polished backplate, and features anatomically shaped and padded shoulder straps (in two sizes – S-XL, and XXL), stainless steel D-rings, stainless-steel slides, a rear SMB sleeve, an adjustable crotch-strap with D-ring, and an integrated weight system INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 that has a D-ring on the Suggested retail price: * left pocket and a Finn Light Number of dives: 0 holder on the right pocket.

Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins www.finnsub.com

SUUNTO EON CORE Mark Evans: The Suunto EON Core has been a worthy addition to the Long Term Test stable. Suunto have long been a computer of choice for many, and with the advent of the Core - and its big brother the Steel - users have now got a vivid full-colour display, intuitive push-button menu and a userrechargable battery. The Core is compact but robust, easy to use even with thick neoprene gloves or even drygloves on, and wouldn’t look out of place on a smaller wrist, say a woman or a child. Well priced, incredibly wellINFORMATION Arrival date: March 2018 specced and air-integrated Suggested retail price: * - what more do you want Number of dives: 42 from a dive computer?

Time in water: 41 hrs 35 mins www.suunto.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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EXPERIENCE A VIRTUAL SHARK DIVE

WITH DISCOVERY CHANNEL AT GO DIVING The GO Diving show has teamed up with the Discovery Channel to bring an exciting virtual shark dive to the February 2019 event

#GODiving

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hether you are already an avid diver, or looking to take the plunge into this exciting sport, you cannot miss the opportunity to don a VR headset and find yourself in the midst of the action on an adrenaline-fuelled Discovery Channel Shark Week dive in the Bahamas.

Sharks, widely misunderstood by the general public and unfairly vilified in the mainstream media, are Follow us on social media one of nature’s most-graceful and at /godivingshow to get impressive predators, and being in the latest updates on the the water with any of the multitude show – use the hashtag of species is simply mind-blowing. In #GODiving this exciting virtual reality film, you will be able to see exactly how amazing these creatures are, as they surround the divers and approach from every angle.

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Want to try it out for yourself? Get down to the GO Diving show and make your way to the Discovery Channel VR booth. Whatever your age, you too can get up close and personal with some of the ocean’s greatest apex predators.

Come and experience a virtual shark dive at GO Diving at the Ricoh Arena on 23/24 February 2019 – head to www.godivingshow.com to find out more details and to book early bird tickets! n

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Innovative materials for a more harmonious thrust Enhanced channel thrust Excite: optimised for low fatigue Excite Pro: optimised for maximum thrust Colour coordinated bungee straps

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“A fantastic and unique location with some of the best dive sites we’ve ever experienced. The sites are great at 25 metres, 15 metres and 5 metres, so perfect for any kind of

At Wakatobi Resort, we take great pride in providing the ultimate in exclusive and personalised service. Our dive staff and private guides ensure your in-water experiences are perfectly matched to your abilities and interests. At the resort, or on board our luxury dive yacht Pelagian, you need only ask and we will gladly provide any service or facility within our power.

For all these reasons and more, Wakatobi takes top honors among discerning divers and snorkellers.

preference. The service and support was downright luxurious!”

T. Marshall Manson

www.wakatobi.com