Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific - Issue 9

MAGICAL MINKES

Q&A: MEHGAN HEANEY-GRIER

DEEPER INTO BUNAKEN

SNORKELLING WITH DWARF MINKE WHALES OFF THE BARRIER REEF

CANDID DISCUSSIONS ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL EXPEDITIONS, AND BEING A HOLLYWOOD STUNT DOUBLE

BEYOND RECREATIONAL DEPTHS IN INDONESIA’S FAMED MARINE PARK

Why EYE-CONTACT is an essential part of COMPOSITION in underwater photography

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Socorro Islands

‣ Philippines ‣ How to maintain your equipment

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DRYSUITS | UNDERSUITS | WETSUITS | ACCESSORIES | SWIMWEAR | LIFESTYLE

EDITOR’S NOTE

WHAT ARE YOUR DIVING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS? And so another year comes to an end. It has been a whirlwind 2018, notching up a second year for Scuba Diver magazine, launching our area-specific Asia-Pacific version, and now being in the throes of organising the inaugural GO Diving show (which as you all know is happening at the Ricoh Arena on 23/24 February 2019).

I have had some epic dives in Murcia, Grenada and especially Fiji - an unexpected encounter with a fiesty threemetre-plus tiger shark has a habit of sticking in your memory!

- as well as right here in the UK. And I am sure that 2019 holds plenty more of the same in store for me.

However, I also want to expand my horizons, and so after years of being brow-beaten by my friends over at DeeperBlue. com, I am finally going to succumb and have made my first New Year’s Resolution - ‘try something new in diving’, which in my case means signing up for my first-ever freediving courses. Whether I will get bitten by the bug, or just dip my toe into the world of breath-hold remains to be seen, but there is something refreshing about stepping out of your

comfort zone. I have dabbled with CCRs and sidemount in the past, and while it is not something I am smitten with, I am pleased that I have at least given them a go and got the certs under my belt. I may drift back into this realm, who knows? I have a lousy breath-hold at the moment, I will freely admit, so I am intrigued to see what I can achieve with some proper guidance and training.

One thing I can say for certain is that I will never, ever be venturing into cave diving, it just doesn’t hold any appeal to me, but I love to see photographs and footage from deep inside systems around the world, and as Andy Torbet explains this issue, getting those shots is far from easy. It gives you a whole new level of respect for these guys. Here’s a challenge.

Drop me an email about your diving aims for 2019 and let’s see how many of us manage to tick them off the bucket list before the end of the year.

Mark Evans Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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DESIGN

Paul Lees Email: paul@scubadivermag.com

Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers. Copyright for material published remains with Rork Media Limited. Use of material from Scuba Diver is strictly prohibited unless permission is given. All advertisements of which the creative content is in whole or in part the work of Rork Media Limited remain the copyright of Rork Media Limited.

Mark Evans Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com Matt Griffiths Email: matt@griffital.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

Mario Vitalini, Adrian Stacey, Neil Bennett, Nigel Marsh, Byron Conroy, Jeremy Cuff

Ross Arnold Email: ross.arnold@scubadivermag.com

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3

Wakatobi land-and-sea combination

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

Wakatobi’s Resort provides divers and snorkellers with a unique opportunity to discover Indonesia’s best coral reefs and marine life while also enjoying all the perks of a luxury resort, including beach time, fine dining, spa treatments and impeccable guest services. And, by combining a stay at the resort with a one-week voyage on the luxury dive yacht Pelagian, they can broaden their horizons and add an additional dimension to the Wakatobi vacation experience.

All arriving guests are met at Bali’s international airport by Wakatobi’s concierge staff. This team handles all details of transfers and can assist with layovers before morning flights by private air charter, which bring guests directly to the resort’s remote island in the Sulawesi region in just two-anda-half hours.

At Wakatobi, a collection of beachfront bungalows and oceanfront villas overlook the waters of a private marine reserve that encompass some of Indonesia’s most-protected and pristine coral reefs. A fleet of custom-built dive boats provide daily excursions to more than 40 sites that showcase colourful slopes, dramatic underwater walls and an intriguing collection of marine life. Both divers and snorkellers can enjoy these sites, as many underwater formations rise to within a few metres of the surface, creating ideal conditions for viewing with mask and snorkel, along with chances for divers to perform long multi-level profiles that often reach beyond the one-hour mark. Experienced divers are given appropriate freedoms to pursue their personal goals, while experienced guides are always on hand to ensure guest safety, provide assistance when needed, and point out rare and hard-to-find creatures such as pygmy seahorses and pipefish. Guests also have day-and-night access to

the House Reef, which has been called the world’s best shore dive. With critter-filled grass beds and colourful coral formations beginning just yards from shore, this famous site offers endless hours of exploration. To reach more distant portions of this site, the resort operates a fleet of taxi boats.

In addition to diving and snorkelling, guests can try watersports such as kayaking, paddleboarding and wakeboarding, relax with indulgent spa treatments, and broaden their interests with cultural presentations such as Indonesian cooking classes. The Wakatobi staff takes pride in delivering the highest levels of personal service by not just meeting requests, but by always making the extra effort to learn and anticipate each guest’s needs.

Meals are served at the waterfront restaurant, and can also be enjoyed in the privacy of a bungalow or villa, or for special occasions in a romantic setting on the beach. Many visitors comment on the exceptional quality and variety of the food created by the resort’s culinary team. In addition to serving ever-changing offerings of international and Indonesian dishes, the chefs are able to accommodate special requests and dietary requirements.

The second half of the Wakatobi land-and-sea experience

office@wakatobi.com www.wakatobi.com

takes place aboard the dive yacht Pelagian. This 35-metre vessel departs from the resort for week-long cruises to the outer reefs of the Wakatobi archipelago, as well as the critter-rich muck diving sites of Buton Island’s Pasarwajo Bay. To ensure the highest levels of personal comfort and service, Pelagian accommodates just ten guests, who are attended to by a crew of 12. The yacht’s spacious staterooms are more reminiscent of an upscale hotel room that a typical tight cabin, and include features such as rain showers, individual climate control and entertainment centres. Daily diving and snorkelling activities are conducted from fast launches that visit a wide range of sites from shallow coral gardens to dramatic underwater pinnacles. For many, the highlight of a week aboard the Pelagian is the time spent in Pasarwajo Bay. The otherwise unremarkable shallows of this bay hold treasured finds such as wonderpuss and blue-ringed octopus as well as enigmatic ghost pipefish. The most-famous residents of Pasarwajo are the mandarinfish, which stage nightly courtship rituals to the delight of divers and underwater photographers. Pelagian cruises can be added before or after stays at the resort. n Learn more at: www.wakatobi.com

MAGICAL MINKES

Q&A: MEHGAN HEANEY-GRIER

DEEPER INTO BUNAKEN

SNORKELLING WITH DWARF MINKE WHALES OFF THE BARRIER REEF

CANDID DISCUSSIONS ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL EXPEDITIONS, AND BEING A HOLLYWOOD STUNT DOUBLE

BEYOND RECREATIONAL DEPTHS IN INDONESIA’S FAMED MARINE PARK

ON THE COVER

Why EYE-CONTACT is an essential part of COMPOSITION in underwater photography

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Socorro Islands

‣ Philippines ‣ How to maintain your equipment

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: MARIO VITALINI

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

6 News

20 The Philippines

Thai cave rescue divers crowned Australian of the Year 2019, Japan to resume whaling in July, and Carlsberg do away with plastic can wrap.

14 Medical Q&A

Dr Oliver Firth answers reader questions about recompression treatment, and ectopic heart beats.

16 Dive Like A Pro

This issue, our panel of experts discuss how regular maintenance and general care can prolong the life of your diving equipment.

64 Scholar

Olivia Johnson heads to the Philippines with the Large Marine Vertebrate Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE).

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Adrian Stacey has travelled the world extensively, but he had never been to the Philippines - until now. He enjoyed a whistlestop tour of some of the region’s diving hotspots on a liveaboard, and now he is counting the days until he can go back!

26 Underwater Photography

Experience underwater photographer Mario Vitalini talks about the importance of ‘eye contact’ and why ensuring this is integral to your underwater imagery is vital in making your images stand out from the crowd.

30 Mexico

Jeremy Cuff extols the virtues of the Socorro archipelago in Mexico - a remote set of islands known as the ‘Mexican Galapagos’ - which he thinks provide a stunning window to an underwater era from another time.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

36 Q&A: Mehgan Heaney-Grier

52 What’s New

40 Australia

54 Test Extra Special

Candid chat with the Discovery Channel presenter, Hollywood stunt double, adventurer, freediving champion and ‘Mom’, about expeditions, getting friendly with predatory animals, and dealing with the world of film-making.

Nigel Marsh reports on an awe-inspiring liveaboard trip to the Ribbon Reefs on the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel with dwarf minke whales, as well as scuba dive on some of the legendary location’s most-iconic diving sites.

46 TECHNICAL: Indonesia

Byron Conroy is amazed at the wonders that lie beyond recreational depths in the Bunaken Marine Park, including coral-smothered abyssal walls and even the odd shipwreck.

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New products recently released, including Fourth Element’s winter range of apres-divewear, Zeagle’s Bravo BCD, the Mares DCT Canister Light, and the Hollis Seeker Reels.

In-depth Test Extras on a range of products, including the well-specced Aqua Lung i770 dive computer, Seiko’s special-edition PADI dive watch, technologically advanced Bare Ultrawarmth gloves and base layers, and the Mares Active Heating vest and trouser set-up.

62 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team reviews a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Aqua Lung Rogue BCD and the Mares Quad Air dive computer.

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

AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR 2019

GOES TO RICHARD HARRIS AND CRAIG CHALLEN Two key members of the international dive team who rescued the trapped soccer team and their coach in Thailand last year have been jointly awarded Australian of the Year 2019 PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON BROWN / BARDOCREATIVE

Cave divers Richard Harris and Craig Challen have been named joint Australian of the Year for their heroic work in helping to rescue 12 soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

In June 2018, the whole world tuned in to see if the trapped children and their coach could be brought out of the cave system after being trapped inside by heavy rain and flooding.

Central to the rescue mission were Australians Dr Harris, an anaesthetist, and Dr Challen, a retired vet, who were presented with their trophies by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a ceremony at the National Arboretum in Canberra.

The pair, who were long-term friends before their sudden

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fame, were nominated for Australian of the Year from their respective states, Dr Harris in South Australia and Dr Challen in Western Australia.

A statement from the Australian of the Year Awards said the diving duo had shown ‘unwavering and selfless bravery’, for which they had also received the Star of Courage, and continued: “The pair have remained humble about their role in the rescue, but have been embraced proudly by Australians as quiet heroes whose efforts are admired and applauded.”

It was a mission that could very easily have failed, had it not been for the expertise of those involved in extracting the trapped soccer team.

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It is the first time two state finalists have been jointly awarded the title of Australian of the Year. In December, Richard and Craig joined many of the core team on stage at Eurotek in Birmingham for a packed talk about the rescue effort.

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EMPEROR DIVERS OPENS NEW MALDIVES RESORT IN RAA ATOLL The brand-new Emperor-managed dive centre at You & Me in Raa Atoll brings the number of resort-based diving centres to two, along with Emperor Divers Laamu, Gan (Laamu Atoll). You & Me in Raa Atoll is for adults only and perfectly set up for all things diving.

Emperor is also managing the state-ofthe-art watersports centre with a range of activities for divers and non-divers alike, offering everything you need for those watersports thrills; from snorkelling to jet skis, there is a complete range of watersports equipment and activities.

This brand new five-star resort is opening 1 February 2019 and is just 20 minutes by speedboat from Ifuru domestic airport, or a 45 minute seaplane ride from Male’s international airport. Divers can enjoy channel, thila and wall diving for all levels, colourful soft and hard corals, sharks, rays and large schools of reef fish, mantas and feeding stations. Emperor’s Dive Centre is right on the arrival jetty with direct access to the lagoon. This is also where the dive dhonis (boats) leave for an exciting range of dive sites, which suit all levels of experience.

For the more skilled there is wall and current diving with eagle rays, grey reef sharks, tuna, snapper, mantas and more.

Guests can also opt for two-tank and full-day trips as well as a full range of PADI courses from beginner to professional level. You will find brand-new Scubapro rental equipment, aluminium cylinders, equipment room, rinse facilities and a teaching area. Emperor Maldives consistently offers value, variety, quality, service, professionalism, easy booking, local knowledge, flexibility and fast response to guest requests, as seen in the numerous five-star Feefo guest reviews. Guests can also choose from five, soon to be six, Maldives liveaboards for ‘further afield’ diving, where Emperor’s policy promises no hidden extras on board. www.emperormaldives.com/youandme-diving.php

IF CARLSBERG DID OCEAN CONSERVATION...

Scan to find a dealer near you.

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Plastic rings around beer cans are to become a thing of the past thanks to Carlsberg. The beer brand is becoming one of the first brewers to do away with plastic rings in packaging, with the firm announcing that its beer cans will now be glued together instead. The move by the Danish company is said to be a ‘world-first’ and will decrease the ‘use of plastic to package products by 75 per cent,’ according to the Telegraph. Carlsberg claims that the blobs of adhesive bonding the multi ‘Snap Packs’ of cans together are strong enough to withstand the shop-to-customer journey, but also easy enough to break when twisted. The ecofriendly packaging, which has undergone a three-year development process, will be debuted in the UK and is being supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

When the new Snap Packs are introduced worldwide, Carlsberg will reduce its plastic use by 1,200 tonnes per year. Head of sustainability at Carlsberg, Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, told the news outlet: “It’s glued together so you can’t actually see the packaging. It’s almost not there, and that is what is extremely exciting from a sustainability perspective.” Myriam Shingleton, vice president of product development at Carlsberg, said: “It’s a global problem and we are very happy we are at the front end to propose that. “As always in Carlsberg, we will not keep this for ourselves. I’m sure other players will follow when they see that – and that’s a very exciting journey if more and more players are coming.”

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QUEENSLAND BEACHES CLOSED AS THOUSANDS STUNG BY PORTUGUESE MAN O’ WAR Australia’s Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast were swamped by swarms of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish in early January, leading to the closure of some of the main hotspot beaches.

According to Surf Life Saving Queensland, there were over 13,000 stings recorded over the preceding week – which is three times more than the same period in 2018 – and some 2,600 people had to receive treatment just over the weekend.

Despite a fearsome reputation, stings from Portuguese man o’ war – also known by the far-more-benign name bluebottle jellyfish – are painful, but generally not life-threatening.

Applying ice or hot water is normally enough to counteract

the sting, though some people did require treatment from paramedics.

It is thought that unusually strong winds had driven the jellyfish into shallow waters and on to the beaches.

However, Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin, a jellyfish expert from Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services, said that while it was unusual to see such numbers at this time of year, given the abnormal weather conditions, which included strong winds and warm periods, it was to be expected that the jellyfish would thrive. Portuguese man o’ war are generally seen off the coastline during the summer months.

12 INJURED IN DIVE COMPUTER EXPLOSION AT BOOT DUSSELDORF The 50th anniversary Dusseldorf International Boat Show was rocked by an explosion on the afternoon of Saturday 26 January, leaving 12 people injured.

Boot Dusseldorf, often referred to as just ‘BOOT’, is held annually at this time of year, and had been running since 18 January. It is believed that today’s blast was caused by a dive computer battery exploding in Hall 3.

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On-site doctors checked on the 12 injured people, and five were taken to hospital for further examination and treatment.

According to reports, none of the injuries were serious. After talking to other exhibitors at the show, it appears there was no real panic after the explosion, with people just referring to ‘a very loud bang’, and the show was up and running again a short while after the incident.

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SSI LAUNCHES MISSION DEEP BLUE Have you heard about Mission Deep Blue yet? Launched recently at last year’s DEMA Dive Show in Las Vegas, the SSI Mission Deep Blue movement supports the conservation and sustainable use of aquatic environments, including oceans, seas, coasts, and waterways and their magnificent diversity of plant and animal species.

“We have created a well-researched, holistic ecology programme that is available to any diver and will identify how and where one can contribute to protecting our oceans, as even the smallest contribution helps,” says Guido Waetzig, CEO, SSI International GmbH. Lack of education, training, carelessness, and negligence by people can cause great damage to the oceans. With the free Mission Deep Blue programme, SSI educates beginners and advanced divers about the importance of protecting the oceans and how everyone can make an impact to this cause in their daily lives.

“Each of us must start with ourselves to make a difference. As divers, we can be role models and pass along our commitment to others. We must open the eyes of our families, friends, and acquaintances and encourage them to become marine ambassadors. Education and training are the first steps,” says Guido Waetzig.

With this in mind, SSI have opened the Mission Deep Blue programme up to divers and non-divers alike. To access the programme, all you need to do it download the SSI App and register for the programme. Completion is entirely online, and participants will receive a digital recognition card to mark their achievement. The programme content will be dynamic and progressive, so new topics and information will be available for members to constantly develop their knowledge regarding environmental challenges, and reassess the ways that they can minimise their environmental impact.

The programme will launch with three main topics, and more to follow.

• Coral Reef Loss • Ocean Plastic • Shark Finning Accompanying the online programme, SSI Dive Centres can now participate in this cause by becoming a Mission Deep Blue Centre. To create the largest impact on the environment, SSI has partnered with Mares, rEvo and HEAD to reach divers worldwide. Become part of the movement to protect our oceans! For more information on Mission Deep Blue, and to register for the programme, visit: www.missiondeepblue.com

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JAPAN TO RESUME COMMERCIAL WHALING IN JULY In a move that has drawn criticism from conservationists across the globe, Japan has announced that it is withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) – the organisation tasked with whale conservation – and will resume commercial whaling in July. Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after several species were driven to the brink of extinction, but Japan – a member since 1951 – has flouted the ban, continuing to hunt the marine mammals for what it calls ‘scientific research’, but still selling the meat, despite demand declining for many years. Even Japanese newspaper Asahi said that whale meat makes up only 0.1 percent of all meat sold in the country.

The decision to resume hunting means that Japanese whaling ships will be able to freely hunt down species that are protected by the IWC, such as the minke whale. Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said commercial whaling would be restricted to Japanese territorial waters and economic zones, which means they will cease operations

in Antarctic waters and the southern hemisphere, where they have been targeted by the likes of Sea Shepherd. Outrage at the move has been widespread. Even before the formal announcement was made, Nicola Beynon, head of campaigns at Humane Society International in Australia, said Japan would be ‘operating completely outside the bounds of international law’, and that ‘this is the path of a pirate whaling nation, with a troubling disregard for international rule’. Greenpeace Japan urged their government to reconsider, and warned it would risk criticism as the host of the G20 summit in June.

Sam Annesley, Greenpeace Japan’s executive director, said: “It’s clear that the government is trying to sneak in this announcement at the end of year, away from the spotlight of international media when the G20 summit arrives in the country in June, but the world sees this for what it is. “The declaration is out of step with the international community, let alone the protection needed to safeguard the future of our oceans and these majestic creatures.”

ADIDAS TO CREATE 11 MILLION PAIRS OF SHOES CONTAINING RECYCLED PLASTIC German sportswear company Adidas is continuing to take steps forward to help the planet as it plans to produce 11 million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic in 2019. In 2018, Adidas created more than five million pairs of shoes made from recycled plastic waste in a collaboration with environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans. The partnership involves intercepting plastic waste on beaches before it can reach the sea.

That upcycled plastic waste is made into a yarn becoming a key component of the upper material of Adidas footwear. The company also produces apparel from the recycled material.

“With Adidas products made from recycled plastic, we offer our consumers real added value beyond the look, functionality and quality of the product, because every shoe is a small contribution to the preservation of our oceans,” said Eric Liedtke, Adidas Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands.

“After one million pairs of shoes produced in 2017, five million in 2018, we plan to produce 11 million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic in 2019,” Liedtke added.

Recently, Adidas signed the Climate Protection Charter for the Fashion Industry at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, and agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

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The brand is also committed to boosting its green credentials in other ways, as it plans to use only recycled polyester in every product and on every application where a solution exists by 2024. As a founding member of the Better Cotton Initiative, Adidas sources only sustainably produced cotton and has not used plastic bags in stores since 2016. www.adidas.co.uk/parley

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GOFUNDME FUNDRAISER SET UP TO FINANCE PROJECT WITH DDRC

Expeditions On the Wild Side The Best Diving at the Coral Sea & Great Barrier Reef!

For more than 20 years, Dr Elmer Mejia of Honduras risked his life to treat the Moskito Indians who live on the east coast of Honduras and Nicaragua. They suffered injuries using scuba equipment to hunt for lobster – all to feed American and European markets.

Throughout that period, Dr Mejia treated thousands of cases of Moskito Indians with severe decompression illness, including exceptional paralysis and incontinence.

Often, Moskito Indian divers were carried into his clinic in Puerto Lempira, Honduras, and were able to walk out under their own power several days later. Most had residual symptoms but were not paralyzed.

His treatment protocols fly in the face of conventional wisdom treating decompression illness, often beginning days after the injury with tremendous success. His success in many of these cases is nothing short of miraculous.

He has patient records, case histories and in many cases follow-up examinations on each of these divers.

Dr Mejia is working with two non-profit organisations the Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC) in Plymouth, England, and the American 501(c)(3) organisation called the Chronic Disease Registry - to compile his patient records in a way that his work can be analysed and used for extensive research. His patient records were written by hand using paper and pencil and have to be entered into a computer for analysis.

Donations will go to the Chronic Disease Registry, and they will distribute funds to the DDRC as they prepare the database and analyse the data for future publication.

They will also distribute some of the funds to Dr Mejia to support him while he does the painstaking work of translating and recording the data.

The results of this research will revolutionize the care for all injured divers and others who need hyperbaric treatment for wound care.

Donations to this fundraiser will make the lives of all divers safer by improving the care they receive after an injury while helping to improve the lives of the indigenous Moskito Indians, who have long been exploited for their ability to dive and their lack of other choices to support their families. https://www.gofundme.com/research-program-tosave-lives-of-divers

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MEDICAL Q&A 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: I have a recompression treatment question. Do you use different recompression tables when treating a diver with DCI, depending on what depth they got symptoms, or which gas they have been using? If someone has been diving on a rebreather or trimix, does that change things?

A: Basically, the answer is no. Diving physicians select from a range of treatment tables, but the choice is rarely influenced by depth or gas mix; more by the clinical picture and severity of the symptoms. There are several different sets of tables in use, but the primary purposes of recompression are threefold: • To compress gas bubbles to relieve local pressure and restart blood flow • To allow enough time for bubbles to redissolve and be breathed out • To increase blood oxygen content and oxygen delivery to damaged tissues Success in achieving these three aims is largely independent of the depth and gas mix used in the accident.

Over the years, countless divers have been guinea pigs to the fine tuning of the commonly used tables, and the protocols that have evolved are tried and tested in all sorts of diving accident situations. Some macabre research has been performed recently on rats, and the rate of recovery was the same whether they were treated with oxygen or heliox. So in this model there’s no advantage to using heliox to treat trimix DCI over good old oxygen.

Sometimes, when DCI symptoms are very severe or not responding to the usual tables, deeper ones are used, and in these cases we often use heliox.

This is because 100 percent oxygen at the depth of these tables can become toxic, so a 50 percent oxygen and 50 percent helium mix is used.

Theoretically, diving on a CCR where

the pO2 is kept constant reduces the amount of nitrogen absorbed, thus lessening DCI risk, but treatment-wise the tables would be exactly the same.

Q: Before Xmas I experienced six days of ectopic heart beats. For the first few days they were extremely frequent, up to ten a minute, gradually decreasing on the sixth day to an infrequent two or three an hour. I am 56 years old, and generally fit and healthy. My resting pulse is normally 45-50 and my blood pressure approximately 110/65.

I have seen a cardiologist and all my blood tests have been normal.

A 24-hour ECG monitor showed up a number of ectopics, but at a rate low enough to be considered normal. An echocardiogram was also normal. No explanation could be given.

My question is this, therefore - do these ectopics have any impact on my ability to dive?

A: The 2.5 billion beats a heart generates in an average lifespan are by and large regular as clockwork, thanks to the sino-atrial node, a little clump of cells that act as a natural pacemaker. Occasionally though, another bit of the heart tries to muscle in and fire off its own contraction; an ectopic is the result.

Basically, they’re extra beats out of sync with the regular heart rate. The vast majority are harmless, but if they occur too frequently or in long runs, they can indicate a diseased heart. Reassuringly, your blood tests and echocardiogram were normal.

Sometimes these ectopics can be due to excessive fatigue, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine or other drugs, so have a think if any of these factors are relevant. But if your cardiologist is happy, then I think you’d be safe to dive again.

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Our panel of experts offer some useful hints and advice on how best to maintain and look after your diving equipment PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

A

s the traditional British dive season draws to a close – though there are those hardy souls who continue to dive all year round regardless of the weather – it seemed a good time to look at equipment maintenance and care.

Whether you are cleaning, drying and storing your kit till spring, or just aiming to keep it in tip-top condition after each and every dive, our expert team has some pointers on what you should do to prolong the life of your gear: Phil Alberts, BSAC HQ Team, said: “Your diving equipment is your life support system, so it goes without saying that if you look after your dive kit, your dive kit will look after you. A good kit maintenance routine not only enables you to dive safely and enjoyably, but it also ensures you can get the most out of your investment.

“Good dive equipment is not cheap… and we all know that the spending continues as you progress with your diving. So maintaining your kit is essential if you want to keep getting the best out of your equipment – and your investment - for many years to come.

“The key to a good kit care routine is to know what you can do yourself and when to call on the professionals. And prevention is undoubtedly better than cure when it comes to potential kit problems.

“Start with the calendar on your mobile phone and diary in the ‘non-negotiables’ – your cylinder testing due dates and annual reg servicing, etc. Then step back and look at your typical and future diving plans so you can start your dive year with a clean bill of health for your kit. At the start of the season, run through all your kit, from your fin straps to the drysuit zip, and check for signs of wear and tear. Simple fixes now can save you lost dive time, but don’t forget to try out any repaired or replaced kit in the pool or sheltered water first if you can before heading open water.

“And when your dive season is up and running, make sure you get into a good routine of checking kit before each dive or trip to ensure everything is ship-shape and dive ready. This includes the box of essential spares you have in your kit bag… spare batteries can leak, latex seals can deteriorate, lids can come off and seawater can corrode.

“However, if your kit needs repairing and you are in anyway unsure, leave it to the professionals. A few missed dives may be irritating, but a bad repair job can shorten a dive… or worse.

“And lastly, how you pack and store your kit at the end of your dive season - waxed zips, rinsed regs, cylinders and BCDs, drysuits stored in a dry area, etc - will get you off to a sprint start next year and back in the water.”

Matt Clements, PADI Regional Manager UK and Malta, said: “I still have kit from the 1990s which is still in great working

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® order (albeit a tad faded and possibly more serviced than Trigger’s broom). I put it down to my training from centres who made sure kit is looked after. You need to properly clean and dry (possibly re-lube) everything that gets wet. After replacing vast amounts of faded gear, I would be careful of leaving things in the sun to dry. Once dry, try to hang or store the items as your centre or the manufacturer suggests, I have half my garage filled with racking and big boxes which are left open to allow air to circulate.”

Emma Hewitt, PADI Regional Manager, UK and Ireland, said: “Don’t leave your equipment to be serviced only when you need it, be sure to keep it regularly serviced to avoid unnecessary additional damage. When taking care of your equipment, remind yourself that it is a life support!”

Alex Griffin, PADI Course Director and Trimix Instructor Trainer, commented: “While it’s tempting to throw all your gear into the boot of a car and hope the servicing pixies see to it overnight, it’s essential that you actually maintain your equipment. One method is to seal yourself in a darkened room until you have learned to strip and rebuild your regulator by touch alone in under ten minutes all while repeating the mantra ‘This is my regulator. There are many like it, but this one is mine’. Alternatively, rinse everything in fresh water (discovering that your kit has grown an attractive coating of fungus over Christmas is a bad surprise), hang or roll your suits up rather than ball them into a bag and remember that as well as your regs, you’ll need to get your BCD and drysuit serviced too. Get your local dive centre to sort them out as DIY disasters aren’t great in the context of life support equipment.”

Emily Petley-Jones, PADI Regional Training Consultant and Course Director, said: “This is the time of year when many divers put their kit away to hibernate over winter. Ensuring your kit is completely dry before you store it should go without saying. When you are thinking of storing your drysuit, in particular, you should always check if there are any special recommendations from the manufacturer for this. Tips such as leaving the zip open to help prevent it from ceasing, and putting some talc on latex seals to stop them from sticking, can help to lengthen the life of your suit. Consider getting your kit serviced now so that you know it is ready to go for your next trip.”

Vikki Batten, PADI Examiner and Training Supervisor, said: “Your washing machine is a part of kit maintenance!

I once had a Divemaster who turned up to help with a very stinky undersuit. I mentioned to him that he was a one-man exclusion zone and he explained that the undersuit came with

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instructions not to use washing powder! That may be true, but they didn’t say ‘don’t wash’, they just gave guidelines on washing the garment while maintaining wicking efficiency, so check with the manufacturer on how to wash your thermal protection. Wetsuits can be even worse if (like 99 percent of divers) bladder control escapes you the moment you put on a wetsuit. You can buy specific washing liquid to combat the issue. I just put mine in the washing machine, I know it probably reduces the lifespan of my wetsuits (and maybe also my washing machine), but they smell nice and I don’t suffer from salt or sand abrasion when I next use it.”

Garry Dallas, Director of Training RAID UK and Malta, said: “Scuba diving is quite an equipment rich ‘sport’, agreed.

We almost have/should have a symbiotic relationship with our equipment, meaning that, for our kit to take care of us underwater, we need to take care of it above water.

“Unfortunately, not unlike our relationship with our vehicles, when our kit loses its lustre, sometimes we lose the appeal to spend the time looking after it as much in detail.

This is where things go downhill… just rinsing the salt water off your kit is not always enough care, but it will help.

“A common issue is to assume as it worked perfectly yesterday, therefore it will also today! I generally assume that equipment will at some point fail, so this gives me the mind set to want to check things very regularly.

“You don’t need to be a service technician to maintain your kit well, but some good tips to assure good working order before submerging will make your dives more pleasant.

“As with all your kit, rinse with clean fresh water and dry regardless, then check…

“Tanks/valves: for corrosion, O-ring failure, damage to valve and clean threads. Valve wheel getting stiff. Store with some pressure (50 bar).

“Regulators: general wear and tear, anything that swivels must swivel freely, SPG needle present, zeroed and working, SPG free from orange/brown stains and water droplets, quick-release connectors work freely when pulled and twisted, suck on the second stage while blocking the first stage inlet to create a vacuum there should be no air leaks, mouthpiece secure and not split. Rinse with dust cap on the first stage.

“BCD/wing: Rinse inside bladder with sterilising agent, check dump and inflator valves for correct operation, store partially inflated.

“Accessories: especially piston clips for seizing. Lines are not frayed. DSMBs operational. Mask cracks, pinholes and seal tears, fin straps. n

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The key to a good kit care routine is to know what you can do yourself and when to call on the professionals

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Adrian Stacey has dived extensively around the world, but until now he’d never been to the Philippines.

One liveaboard later and this destination is now firmly on his return list PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY

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Philippines W

hen Mother Nature was handing out marine bio-diversity, the West Pacific region of the world was certainly one of the more-favoured areas of the planet and it is fair to say that the Philippines received more than their far share of spectacular marine life. As one of the countries that makes up the fabled ‘coral triangle’, the Philippines offers a vast assortment of different dive locations.

Comprising of over 7,000 islands, it can be a bit daunting choosing where to go. So what better place to start than on a liveaboard that included Anilao, the birthplace of diving in the Philippines, as one of the numerous destinations on a seven-night trip. Apo Island, Puerto Gallera and Verde Island were also on the programme. The All-Star Philippines liveaboard, the Stella Maris Explorer, is offering a sampler menu of a diving itinerary with something for everyone, from wide-angle to macro, from the sedate to the thrilling.

The All-Star Philippines (www.allstarliveaboards.com) boat is a sturdy-looking, 30-metre, steel-hulled vessel with a capacity of 22 guests and just as many crew who tend to your every need. The cabins are clean and comfortable and all equipped with air-conditioning and an ensuite with hot running water. There is a sundeck at the stern and a further sundeck at the bow next to the jacuzzi. Also towards the bow, on the upper deck, there is a covered out-door area with tables, seating and bean bags, a great place to relax with a beer after a gruelling day of diving and eating. Small details, such as universal adaptors in every room, mean that you do not have to rummage through your adaptor draw at home to find the right one.

Transformers are also in every room, so your electrical equipment does not get fried when they switch generators, and it shows that a lot of thought has been put into making a stay on the All-Star Philippines as easy, relaxing and pleasant as possible.

The service that we received on the boat also made a big difference to the enjoyment of this trip. I took my boots off after the first dive and by the time I had taken off my wetsuit, one of the crew had already washed them and hung them up. When my regulator started leaking just before the first dive, I was furnished with a spare and when I got back on the boat and went to identify the cause of the troublesome leak, the crew had already found it and resolved the problem. There is a never-ending supply of towels and when you return from a dive there is a crate full of them waiting for you; fresh ones are supplied after every dive. My only gripe would be the food - there is far too much of it and it tastes far too good, so you feel obliged to eat copious amounts and never skip one of the four meals per day, plus snacks.

One of the advantages of this particular itinerary is that the boat departed from the port of Batangas, which is about a three-hour drive from Manila. This means that you do not have to catch an internal flight, which you would have to do if you were visiting some of the dive hotspots in the Philippines.

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FREE NITROX

Vibrant soft corals and sponges Fish swirl around a coral-encrusted cross

Our first destination was the marine sanctuary of Apo Island, located just off the southwest corner of the Island of Mindoro.

After travelling through the night we arrived at our tropical island paradise, a more-tranquil setting to spend a couple of days you could not hope to find. The diving at Apo Reef is all wall diving, a gentle current carried us along sheer walls that drop into the depths. Tuna and trevallies provide the entertainment as they constantly patrol these waters, looking to make a meal out of one of the many smaller reef fish that try to find sanctuary in hard corals that cling to the plunging wall. We saw whitetip or blacktip reef sharks on almost every dive, turtles also made regular appearances and we even had sightings of a manta ray. To further add to a serene start to the trip, on day two we had lunch on Apo Island, after which there was plenty of time to snorkel in the warm water, explore this tiny tropical Eden, or simply relax on the beach. The only inhabitants on the island are the park rangers, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

If the first two days were typified by relaxing, both above and below the water, the next few days were conducted at a brisker pace, underwater at least. After a great start to the trip at Apo Island, we moved to Puerto Gallera, a small resort town nestled in the forest-covered hills on the Island of Mindoro. This is where the current junkies could get their fix. The most-memorable of the dives here was at a site called

My only gripe would be the food - there is far too much of it and it tastes far too good, so you feel obliged to eat copious amounts and never skip one of the four meals per day, plus snacks

Nudibranchs cruise past crinoids

Canyons. This is where we had a white-knuckle ride over acres of undulating reef that is completely carpeted in pink soft corals. Hurtling along at breakneck speed, the guide would suddenly disappear from view as he ducked into a canyon; we all followed his lead and gained some respite from the current. This little breather would allow us to catch our breath, take a few pictures and watch the procession of fish battle their way through the rushing water. Then it would be time to leave, up over the canyon wall to continue our ride to the next safe haven. Puerto Gallera also boasts some small coral-encrusted wrecks and if ripping currents are not your thing, there are plenty of other dive sites that offer colourful coral gardens and a chance to spend your diving looking for

The Stella Maris Explorer

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Tuna and trevallies provide the entertainment as they constantly patrol these waters, looking to make a meal out of one of the many smaller reef fish that try to find sanctuary in hard corals that cling to the plunging wall The topside scenery is equally stunning

nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses and other strange critters.

The town itself is a mixture of bars and diving resorts and it is well worth having an evening off the boat to explore this entertaining little place.

Our next port of call was Verde Island; this is only about a two-hour journey from Puerto Gallera across the Verde Passage. More thills abounded on the dives close to this aptly named, very green island. We were only here for two dives, so unfortunately we did not have time to discover all the sites the island offers, but the dives we did were fantastic. Both dives were at The Rocks, this is an undersea mount that just breaks the surface. Below the barren rocks that poke above the lapping waves there was a visual explosion of colour and activity. The whole reef pulsed to the agitated movements of thousands upon thousands of orange anthias. We dived on the leeward side of the site; sheltered from the current, we zigzagged our way up from 30m. Marine life was abundant on this gem of a dive. Other than the anthias that danced above the jagged hard coral reef, an impressive school of jacks collected in large numbers just of the reef, fans sprouted from the steep slopes and frogfish disguised themselves in the patch work of colours and textures that fought for space on this craggy rock.

In the blink of an eye our last of six diving days was upon us. Anilao was our final destination and having sampled some of its delights the day before, after having left Verde Island, Anthias swarm around a huge seafan

I was looking forward to the encore. Anilao covers a large area around the port town of Batangas, where we started our journey. Numerous bays house small resorts, all with easy access to a multitude of diving opportunities. This region is well known for its macro life but as we discovered, it offers a lot more. Some dives in this vast area are along seafan-covered walls, others provide swift drift dives over coral fields and closer to Batangas there are muck dives.

The final dive of the trip was a night dive under a pier that promised plenty of opportunities for critter spotting. I am assured that this was indeed the case, but unfortunately I was unable to go on the dive due to a prior appointment with a San Miguel on the sun deck. What I can say from first-hand experience is that this was a very enjoyable liveaboard, the food was amazing, the crew were fantastic and the dive guides were always eager to please, often going above and beyond. The diving, however, is the reason for going on a liveaboard and as this was my first in the Philippines, I was not sure what to expect. I was not disappointed; there were some truly stunning dives, and I would definitely come back to this stunning archipelago. n Frogfish

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY THE EYES HAVE IT!

Mario explains the importance of eye-contact, and how this element of composition can make an image stand out from the crowd PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

Good eye contact is essential when photographing marine animals

subjects get shared over and over again. Composition is king.

One of the most-important compositional rules is to maintain good eye contact with your subject. It is human nature to seek eye contact and when we are looking at a picture, regardless of what the subject is, our brain will always look for the eyes… to the point that we look for them even on subjects such as sponges or corals! Like it or not, the eyes are almost always a defacto focal point of your photo, even when the main subject of the image is something entirely different.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE EYES

Irrespective of the style you are aiming for in your finial picture, make sure the eye or eyes of your subject are pinsharp and properly lit. This is particularly important when using soft focus (bokeh). Soft focus eyes just don’t ‘speak’ to us with the same power.

The best shots are those when both eyes are looking directly at you. Sounds easy, right? But for some subjects it is impossible because of the size or shape. Think about a

U

nderwater photos are becoming mainstream.

Check any social media platform and you can find hundreds of images of exotic fish, sharks or crazylooking critters. Many are technically good shots, but there are a handful that manage to stand out from the clamour. This is not always because the image is of an unusual subject or a unique behaviour.

The most-successful images always boast compelling composition with a strong connection between the person looking at the image and the subject. In the digital world, the old rule still applies – eye contact is a winning element of any successful photo. That’s not to say you can ignore the technical aspects. But try not to get too distracted by the settings. A technically perfect image with excellent focus and perfectly controlled exposure fails if the subject is not engaging or badly composed. On the other hand, we’ve all seen a non-so-technically perfect pictures of engaging

The diver eyeline guides your attention towards the clownfish

Getting into the right position to get contact with both eyes can be challenging

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New to underwater photography or want to take your skills set to the next level? Join Mario on an escorted photo workshop, with award-winning tour operator Scuba Travel. Workshops in 2019 are running in classic destinations such as the Red Sea, as well as the ‘PhotoFINISH Malapascua’ workshop Philippines. There’s something for everyone. Mario’s workshops are open to all experience levels, but in particular anyone using a compact camera or mirrorless set-up. His prizewinning 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, noncompetitive environment. Dive, eat, sleep and shoot!

manta ray or a hammerhead. Getting both eyes is out of the question. So make sure you get the one eye in perfect focus.

When you can get both eyes in, be prepared to move around your subject for the clearest view. The best angle may not be from the front, but rather above or even underneath.

Make sure you take your time, approach your subject as slowly as possible and be ready to shoot when the eyes are in the right place. Marine creatures have the ability to rotate their eyes independently, which means they can be looking at you

...but make sure it is sharp

A single eye can work...

with one eye and at the same time looking at something behind them. Try to avoid images of critters with wonky eyes… unless you are going for comedy value!

SHOOTING DIVERS

If you are photographing your fellow divers, eye contact works in a slightly different way. When a diver looks directly into the camera, it looks somehow strange and staged. If there is nothing else more interesting on the reef for them to look at? Try instead to direct your model so they are facing the camera, but appear to be looking at something on the reef.

Ideally this will be the real subject of your photo (fish/manta/

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY If both eyes are visible, it is essential that the critter is looking at you, otherwise it may look a bit funny

The sharpness of the rhinophores offsets the extreme bokeh in the rest of the image

coral, etc). When looking at the resulting picture, you will follow the eyeline of the diver to the focal point of the photo.

And remember - the closer the diver is to the camera, the more critical is the lighting. A clear mask that does not cast shadows across their face is better than a dark one. Fixing this in post production is a tricky job!

The eye contact draws in the viewer

WHAT! NO EYES?

Not every subject has eyes as we know them. How about nudibranchs? These little slugs are a favourite of many photographers and do not have eyes, instead have a couple of antennae-like sensors on the top of their head called rhinophores. From a photographic point of view, these work exactly the same way eyes work on other subjects. Ensure you photograph the nudi head first and the rhinophores are sharp.

USING THE VIEWFINDER OR SCREEN

DSLR users have the advantage of an optical viewfinder which shows the image in real time, while compact and mirrorless users have to learn to cope with the marginal delay caused by the LCD screen or EVF (electronic view finder). I’ve been using mirrorless cameras for about six years now and found that it helps to frame your shot using the screen, but then look over the camera directly at your subject. This way you have the composition you want and a better chance at pressing the trigger at the right moment (and not a fraction of a second too late). Great photos don’t happen by accident.

To go beyond the odd lucky fluke of a shot, slow down and think before taking your picture. Check your composition, face the critter and make absolutely sure the eyes are pin sharp.

Improving eye contact is one of the simplest – and strongest – compositional tools a photographer has to take better shots.

And it won’t cost you a penny at the camera shop! n

BIOGRAPHY: MARIO VITALINI

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

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

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WWW.PROJECTAWARE.ORG Photo copyright Dan Charity

MEXICO’S

The remote Socorro Islands - or tongue-twisting Revillagigedo Islands - are sometimes referred to as Mexico’s ‘Galapagos’. They’re located on Mexico’s Pacific side, some 250 miles due south of the tip of the Baja California peninsula. Jeremy Cuff reckons you could describe the action- packed diving as simply sensational PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY CUFF / WWW.JA-UNIVERSE.COM, RODIGO FRISCIONE, AND JORGE HAUSER / PELAGIC FLEET.COM

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The Solmar V

T

he Socorro Archipelago is made up of four islands - San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida and Clarion, of which the first three are possible to visit. They’re volcanic in origin, with the last recorded activity at San Benedicto dating back to the 1950s, and on the larger Socorro Island, as recently as the early 1990s.

The area is very remote and it’s a full 24-hour voyage south to the nearest island of San Benedicto from the departure point of Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja California peninsula. To get there, I travelled on the excellent Solmar V liveaboard (www.pelagicfleet.com), which visits the area during the Socorro season, which lasts from the end of October through to the end of June.

The Solmar V has a long track record of visiting the area, with an established and experienced crew who know the area well. The exact dive sites to be visited cannot be known in advance, as the prevailing conditions dictate the itinerary.

However, the general plan is something like this; start at San Benedicto for a late-afternoon try-dive followed by a full day, then moving to Socorro Island for a day before moving off to the Roca Partida seamount for two days. After Roca Partida, it’s a return to San Benedicto for another full day of diving before the long return journey north.

Although nothing can be guaranteed in diving, the trip itinerary talks of encounters with some big stuff such as giant Pacific mantas (familiar with divers) and a true ‘sharkfest’ that includes hammerheads, whitetips, silvertips, silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, duskies and the possibility of tiger sharks and even whalesharks. The area is also known for mobula rays (related to mantas, but smaller and with a different mouth), bottlenose dolphin, wahoo, schools of jacks and tuna, bonitos and even marlin. Whales are represented by humpbacks in season, and sporadic encounters are possible with other species, often in the open ocean crossings between islands or enroute to and from Cabo San Lucas.

Bottlenose dolphins

This dive was a real stroke of luck; we’d been dropped into the path of a huge school of silky sharks, possibly numbering a thousand individuals

Massive shoal of silky sharks

The journey out was quite bumpy, even though the Solmar V is quite stable in the water, but to everyone’s delight the weather improved as we headed further south and would remain good for the entire trip.

As we approached San Benedicto, dolphins joined us for the final push to the first dive site, riding the bow wave of the Solmar V as seabirds such as boobies and frigatebirds swooped past for a closer look. It’s an inhospitable place unless you’re a seabird; isolated, desolate and with little foliage, but we were glad to get there.

Our late-afternoon arrival allowed time for a check-out dive at the El Fondeadero site. It was a chance to get that all-important dive routine in place, do buoyancy checks and get a taste of the diving to come. We were soon acquainting ourselves with the ubiquitous and unafraid Mexican hogfish, flag cabrilla (a kind of grouper) and the endemic clarion angelfish, each of which we would see on most dives in the Socorros. Scorpionfish, moray eels and flounder were also spotted, and close to the anchor line, our first manta swept past before cruising back into the blue.

Next day, the captain had originally planned a visit to Boiler, a site known for mantas and other big action, but there was too much swell, so had to go for El Cañón on the south of the island instead, which was more sheltered. This site is also

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renowned for shark and manta encounters and so it proved, with the mantas being the stars of the show throughout the four dives that we did there. They seemed interested in the divers and granted us several close fly pasts. It’s thought that they like the sensation of diver’s bubbles.

We also glimpsed a few scalloped hammerheads (my first!) lurking in the deep on the edge of visibility, and also a tiger shark was encountered by some divers, though it vanished at the prospect of its privacy being invaded, not to be seen again. Overall, a great first day.

After San Benedicto, it was off to the larger Socorro Island for the next day’s adventure, with two dives at Cabo Pearce and two dives at the Aquarium site.

Cabo Pearce is another site known for encounters with the big stuff. It’s a rocky outcrop that protrudes from the island into the ocean and is often swept by currents. We had a brief encounter, perhaps lasting a minute or so, with a dolphin before getting back to the excellent manta action we had already become accustomed to from our dives the previous day. Both dives here yielded more manta encounters, including an impressive black specimen (mostly black with a few patches of white). Other sightings included a distant turtle, more scalloped hammerheads in the deep, plus some whitetip reef sharks.

In the afternoon, after the mandatory passport checks by the Mexican military outpost, we were able to move to the Aquarium site where octopus, lobster, red-tailed triggerfish, giant hawkfish and the ever-present trio of clarion angelfish, Mexican hogfish and flag cabrilla were abundant. The site can also deliver bigger things, with a lone silvertip shark filling that category nicely.

Overnight, we headed to Roca Partida, a remote seamount with no other land for some 60 or 70 miles. You need good weather to go there, as there’s no shelter and it’s the kind of The islands from the air

In the thick of the action

Dancing manta rays

place where diving dreams can be fulfilled.

On the first dive at ‘the rock’, as I scrambled to get my camera from the boatman (or ‘Pangero’) after a backwards roll into the water, Dany blurted excitedly: “Jeremy, quick, get the camera - sharks!”

This dive was a real stroke of luck; we’d been dropped into the path of a huge school of silky sharks, possibly numbering a thousand individuals. The school moved quickly, forming and reforming in a swirling vortex as divers kicked hard into the blue to get as close to the action as possible. We also noticed that a few dolphins joined the fray too. It was an incredible sight and is often referred to in the diving community as ‘shark wallpaper’. “You don’t see that everyday,” remarked one diver, with more than a touch of understatement.

The crew of the Solmar V, including Dany (a veteran of diving these remote volcanic isles) and marine biologist Erick couldn’t contain their enthusiasm for what we had witnessed.

It was the most sharks that they’d ever seen in a single dive.

As alluded to, it’s an increasingly rare spectacle in today’s impoverished seas, with many species of sharks now scarce, threatened or even critically endangered thanks to massive overfishing on a global scale. The Socorros are a designated conservation area and offers hope that healthy marine ecosystems can remain viable (or recover viability) given the right protection.

But that isn’t it at Roca Partida; on other dives scalloped hammerheads and Galapagos sharks swirled and roiled in the deep below us, well out of range of safe diving and photography, but possible to see. I was told that on some occasions, they can sometimes be seen at shallower depths.

Roca Partida is also a ‘world’s best address’ for whitetip reef sharks (or ‘great white tips’ as they were amusingly renamed on the boat). It really is a fantastic place to observe and photograph these sharks, which can often be found snuggling together on the numerous ledges. I found that if I edged towards them slowly, they would sometimes tolerate a close approach. This was a real opportunity for me, as I’ve never managed to get good images of whitetips until this trip – usually you can get ‘so near, but so far’. It was also thought that many of the females were heavily pregnant.

Other splendid sights out on ‘the rock’ included schooling jacks, tuna and bonitos and a lone mobula ray out in the blue.

Other wandering leviathans such as mantas and whalesharks are also encountered on occasions.

It’s possible to swim around the whole of Roca Partida in one dive, and if you spend time close to the wall, you’ll notice that it’s cut by many vertical cracks and crevices, each

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The mantas will approach very close

of time hanging out in the blue, watching and waiting for pelagic action. The visibility was generally good although it can vary tremendously, often from dive to dive, with currents changeable as well. None of the dive sites are what you would call ‘pretty’ in a Red Sea kind of way as it’s mostly rubblestrewn and rocky, with scattered hard corals. It’s what swims past that makes it so worthwhile.

On the return journey to Cabo San Lucas, the captain slowed the boat as he’d seen something - it was a whale.

Although I won’t go on the record as confirming the identity of the mystery cetacean as we didn’t get close enough to be sure, the general view was that we’d seen a blue whale, the largest animal ever to live and now extremely rare. Someone amusingly exclaimed: “Wow, I can’t believe it, now we’ve seen a (expletive deleted) blue whale!”

Our trip was considered to be one of the best of the season, where we were offered a glimpse into a bygone era, of seas teeming with life. For divers looking for a different kind of experience, that of remoteness and distance from overcrowded and over-dived resorts, this trip must surely be a major contender. It’s a truly great diving adventure. n

of which seems to be home to a large green moray eel and sometimes several. It’s also worth keeping a look out for lobster and octopus, with several divers reporting an octopus attempting to devour an inflated pufferfish!

With two great days of diving at Roca Partida, it was time to head back to San Benedicto for the final day of diving before the long voyage back to civilisation.

The Boiler site was diveable this time and is known as ‘the’ site for mantas. We saw them on each dive sure enough, but they seemed less Various species of shark can be seen in the tolerant of us on the day we spent there Socorros compared with a few days earlier at El Cañón, where they were more interested and curious. That said, if the mantas happen to be shy, there’s plenty of other attractions, including sharks.

For me, the different style of diving on this trip made a refreshing change.

Instead of staying close to the reef or wall like I often do, we spent a lot

The Solmar V at anchor

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Our trip was considered to be one of the best of the season, where we were offered a glimpse into a bygone era, of seas teeming with life in all its brutal beauty

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MEHGAN HEANEY-GRIER 38

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World-class freediver, adventurer, ocean advocate, stuntwoman and TV presenter – and not forgetting a proud mum – Mehgan Heaney-Grier talks to Scuba Diver about her past exploits, and what the future holds for this endlessly enthusiastic explorer and marine educator PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT MCKIBBEN, PETER ZUCCARINI, KEFSKI PHOTO, CLAY WISEMAN AND COURTESY OF MEHGAN HEANEY-GRIER / MEHGANHEANEYGRIER.COM Q: You made a name for yourself in the freediving arena when you set the first US record in the constant weight category way back in 1996. When did you first get into freediving, and what is its appeal for you?

A: When I was 11, my family moved to the Florida Keys. That was the start of full-time ocean access for me and I spent much of my childhood underwater skin diving, lobstering and spearfishing. When I was 17 years old, I began deep freediving to depth, which was a whole new world, and really set my path for life and work from there.

The appeal of freediving for me? It’s all in the connection – with the ocean and with myself. It is like a meditation for me as well, and kind of a spiritual experience. There’s really nothing else like it. Freediving comes directly from my heart.

Q: Time to put you on the spot - freediving or scuba diving? Which is your favourite?

A: Freediving, hands down! I like scuba too, and have done plenty of it – but it has all been work-related with stunts, expeditions and research. I have more than 550 scuba dives logged and I think only about five or so were of my own accord, taking family or friends that wanted to scuba dive.

I wish I’d kept track of my freedives all these years – ha!

Q: You were one of the original inductees into the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame back in 2000. What did it feel like to be included into such a prestigious ‘club’?

A: Being part of the Women Divers Hall of Fame is an absolute honour. Back when I was inducted in 2000, as you mentioned it was the founding year, so the organisation was brand new and I was still such a kid. Since then, I have become increasingly involved and active in WDHOF. It truly is an impressive and influential group of women divers in this awesome non-profit organisation, all working together to help women divers rise. Last year, WDHOF offered more than 62k in marine and diving-focused scholarships and grants to young women!

Q: You have been a stunt diver in big Hollywood films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and In the Blue. What are the challenges of working ‘in the movies’, and is this something you still get involved in?

A: Of course, like anything there are challenges. It is heavy on adventure and promises diving every day though – which I love and is an appealing trade off! The biggest challenge, I would say, is the long periods of time spent on location. When

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you are there for so long it becomes your day-in, day-out life.

Then there is the re-entry into your own life when the project is over. It’s not unlike any job where you are gone for long periods of time – it can be really jolting to go between the two worlds. Yes! Still stunt diving and doing plenty of television as projects come up. Since earning my degree however, a good portion of my focus has been in the non-profit sector with conservation and marine education. But I definitely have an adventurous spirit, so when it calls… I must go!

Q: You’ve been up close and personal with marine and land-based predators for more than 20 years. Any times that things got a little too close for comfort?

A: Hmm… yes, but only a few times really! I will say that the snakes have been pretty intense at times. There have been so many snakes. I like them alright in general, but just don’t have as much ease around them as I do with other predators.

Believe it or not, the encounter that comes to mind with this question is not an animal you’d likely expect. The only time I’ve ever been bitten (knock on wood!) was a ‘love bite’ from a river otter – ha! And on the nose, nonetheless… Not the coolest bite, so no bragging rights earned there. I call it a ‘love bite’ because if it had been a true bite, I believe I’d be sporting a prosthetic nose (is there such a thing?). As the story goes, it was a ‘trained pet’ otter that I was swimming with while filming my Animal Planet series back in the late-90s. It was being playful, dodging and swimming all around as otters do, then it crawled up on my shoulder, was sniffing around my face with its whiskers and… crunch! Right on the nose.

My take-away lesson from this experience… cuddly is only an appearance with these critters. They are fantastically designed to be swift and effectively do what they do, with powerful jaws and teeth. As it should be, they are truly and naturally wild. No more swimming with otters for me… All that wisdom gained, plus seven stitches on the nose - ugh.

In my experience with freediving, stunts, adventuring and animal encounters – I have found it beneficial for the preservation of my life, to have a healthy respect for Mother Nature, Mother Ocean and all the creatures big and small.

Beyond it spurring action, fear can actually get you into a lot of trouble when it comes to survival. Respect and understanding however, is the recipe to keeping your cool and being able to take proper action. ‘Breathing through it’ has become a very useful tactic as well. It keeps me calm and my head clear… or clear enough to keep my wits about me and allows me to work well under pressure.

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Q: For the documentary web series A Rising Tide, you took things one step further, being host and executive producer. Did you enjoy being involved behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera?

A: I do really enjoy production and actually have been working that side of the camera for quite a long time! I started back in the late-90s on my Animal Planet series as a producer and I have worked in that role on television specials and other projects over the years. So, the production process is definitely a well-known area for me, and the role of Executive Producer a natural transition.

Q: You were an integral part of the team on the Discovery Channel series Treasure Quest: Snake Island. What was it like being part of an expedition for a big-budget television production company?

A: In just a few words, I would describe it as a crazy adventurous mess. Mostly, big budgets accompany movies vs television, but what it lacked in budget it delivered in hairraising experiences. Some of which were quite possibly caused by the lack of budget.

The Golden Lance head pit vipers on Snake Island in general are no joke… still counting my blessings that I made it out alive and uninjured on that one. While we all made it off the island alive, we barely survived the excessively nonseaworthy vessels they seemed to enjoy sticking us with. At one point we joked that the boat was so bad - with rotten, spongy wood in the hull and a totally rigged engine - we’d probably sink and have to swim back to hang out with the snakes for refuge. Funny… but not funny because shortly after that, just as we had waved goodbye to the island, the engine died and the boat began taking on water and, of course, there was bad weather coming in fast too. Luckily though, the RIB with twin engines was there that day for support. From somewhere we dug out a sturdy line to tow the big boat, which miraculously didn’t snap, and the RIB towed the larger boat, and all of us, very, very slowly back to the mainland of Brazil. That was messy. Despite the messes though, overall it was all epic adventure and ultimately churned out a lot of crazy good memories.

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Q: You are a Mum – is your son following in your adventurous footsteps?

A: Yes! And, becoming a mom by far is my absolute best, most thrilling and humbling adventure yet. My son is five now and in so many ways is really showing signs of having a similar spark for adventure. Both his dad and I have that inclination, so it’s in his genes for sure. When it comes adventuring, he loves getting out there and exploring but definitely has his own style too. Surprisingly, he’s quite a bit more cautious that I ever was. He is really observant and tends to approach things in a very calculated, scientific way - when he’s good and ready, he takes the leap!

He is also very passionate about nature and the environment, and seems to have a good understanding of his role and responsibility in taking care of it as well. He will ask the best questions about plastic pollution and other humandriven environmental issues, and loves to problem solve and try to come up with ways that we can all do a better job. It’s just fascinating to me. He is just such a cool person.

Q: You have been on all manner of expeditions and dive trips over the years. What is the most-memorable experience you can recall?

A: There are so many freedives that I can picture when I close my eyes. Most memorable dives for me always have the same ingredients – 80-90ft of water, laying in the sand on the bottom, and watching the ocean unfold around me while I just soak in the bottom time. Unparalleled, best feeling EVER! Q: On the flipside, what is the worst thing that has happened to you while diving/on an expedition?

A: I’ve had some really intense dives and close calls with ’gators and other wildlife in the swamps, and the nasty river waters of South America had their own batch of challenges.

But I figure when you purposefully dive in to those places, you are pretty much signing up for danger and should be prepared to expect the unexpected. Falls under occupational hazard, I suppose. All in though, I am just super thankful that I have had and survived all the experiences underwater I’ve had so far. I am looking forward to many, many more.

Q: You have one hell of a back catalogue, but what does the future hold for Mehgan Heaney-Grier?

A: It really has been a hell of an adventure so far, and there’s definitely more of that to come! After so many years of working in the ocean, I have also fully embraced my sense of responsibility to work for the ocean, as an ocean advocate. So that is what the future holds for me - adventure, freediving, and working for the ocean.

On that note, I’ve got some exciting and diverse projects lining up. I’m forever inspired by working with kids, and passionate about connecting people with the ocean environment. In the coming months, I’m doing an increasing amount of public speaking and other events. I have some collaborative expeditions in the works, and a couple of exciting dive-centric television adventures in development as well. Lots of good things to come, so stay tuned! n

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ON THE RIBBON REEFS

The Great Barrier Reef can still deliver on the ‘coral’ front, but Nigel Marsh was there with one target in mind – the dwarf minke whale PHOTOGRAPHS BY NIGEL MARSH / WWW.NIGELMARSHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

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taring into the blue, I prayed I was a tempting target. Would the animal think I am interesting enough to be worth investigating, or was it going to be shy? For 20 minutes I twisted and turned to cover every angle, waiting for a close encounter with the smallest of the baleen whales, the dwarf minke whale.

Finally, I was rewarded when a dark shape materialised from the blue. The creature was sleek and streamlined and heading straight for me. I got my camera ready and watched in awe as the graceful animal slowly swam past only metres away. Elated by the encounter, I was even more thrilled when the whale turned around for another close pass. After an hour in the water, and eight more close encounters with the sixmetre-long whale, the animal had satisfied its curiosity and swam off.

The majestic dwarf minke whale only grows to eight metres long and is thought to be a subspecies of the Northern Hemisphere minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). However, these whales are only found in the southern hemisphere, spending the summer months feeding on krill and small fish in sub-Antarctic waters and migrating to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef in winter to breed and give birth. Once on the Great Barrier Reef, dwarf minke whales do something extremely unexpected - they like to hang around stationary boats, often staying around for hours and days. This has allowed scientists to study these whales and also allow snorkellers to have very close encounters. While it is possible to see dwarf minke whales almost anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef, the only place you can guarantee an encounter is on the Ribbon Reefs in June and July. I first snorkelled with a dwarf minke whale on the Ribbon Reefs 15 years ago.

Spirit of Freedom

This year I finally returned, joining the liveaboard Spirit of Freedom (www.spiritoffreedom.com.au) for a three-day Ribbon Reefs trip in July. Spirit of Freedom is one of the most-luxurious and comfortable liveaboard vessels operating on the Great Barrier Reef. Based in Cairns, each week the 37-metre-long vessel offers a three-day trip to the Ribbon Reefs, followed by a four-day trip to Osprey Reef, which can be combined into a week of amazing diving.

Boarding the vessel in the late morning, I settled into my ensuite cabin, met the crew and my fellow divers and sat through the boat and safety briefings. We were soon underway, enjoying a very filling smorgasbord lunch, the first of many incredible meals prepared by chef Hannah.

For our check-out dives we moored on the outer reef off Cairns, exploring a site called Troppos on Norman Reef. This site has pretty coral gardens and a great variety of fish life, and with 30-metre visibility we had two great dives. Overnight we headed north, and the next morning woke to find ourselves on Ribbon Reef No 3, moored at Steve’s Bommie. I had barely taken a mouthful of breakfast when there was a cry of ‘minke’.

I rushed to the dive deck in time to see the small whale surface only 20 metres away. I was keen to jump straight in the water, but trip director Lucy Hutchinson said it would be best to do a dive first and then snorkel with the minke.

We quickly finished breakfast, geared up and after the dive site briefing (including information about dwarf minke whale protocol), it was time to dive Steve’s Bommie. A pinnacle of coral rising from 35m to 5m, Steve’s Bommie is always packed with marine life.

I jumped in the water to find the visibility 30 metres plus, and descending on the bommie I could see all the regulars – schools of snapper, goatfish, fusiliers, basslets, unicornfish and trevally. Dropping to 25m I photographed the gorgonians, A graceful dwarf minke whale glides by in the blue water at Steve’s Bommie

Schools of five-lined snapper at Steve’s Bommie

sponges and soft corals that decorate the deeper parts of the bommie, then looked up to see a wonderful sight in the distance, a dwarf minke whale. The whale was on the edge of the visibility, doing a cruise-by to see what was happening.

Doing slow circuits around the bommie, we spotted nudibranchs, pipefish, reef stonefish, green turtles, stingrays and anemonefish. Usually I would spend over an hour diving this site, but keen to see the minke, my buddy and I returned to the boat after 45 minutes.

By this stage the crew had already fed out a special surface line. Spirit of Freedom is one of only a handful of boats that have a special swim-with-whales permit, and they follow a strict code of practise to minimise the impact on the whales.

While dwarf minke whales are very curious animals, they don’t like to be chased, and also get startled by splashes. The best way to get close to these animals is for them to inspect you, by floating on the surface and holding onto a fixed line.

Several snorkellers were already in the water when I joined them. But after ten minutes of waiting around, the others decided to head in for second breakfast. I didn’t care about food, so stuck it out and was rewarded ten minutes later when the curious whale slowly swam by only metres away.

On each pass I got a chance to study the whale’s

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Whitetip reef sharks and giant trevally hunting for fish on the night dive at Challenger Bay One of the colourful gorgonians at the base of Steve’s Bommie

identifying marks. Each dwarf minke whale has a distinctive white patch around their pectoral fins and lighter patches along their sides. They also have scars that help to identify individuals. Researchers have been using these patterns and marks to identify the whales in a research project that has been on-going for almost 30 years.

I could have stayed in the water all day with this curious whale, but with the whale losing interest we headed back to the boat and dived Steve’s Bommie once more.

Cruising north our next stop was Google Gardens. This site has spectacular and very healthy coral gardens. If you believe reports in the mainstream media, you would think that most of the coral on the Great Barrier Reef was either dead or dying after two recent coral bleaching events. But nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the Great Barrier Reef is still one of the healthiest coral reefs in the world, but with threats from climate change, cyclones, crown-of-thorns starfish, agricultural run-off and water quality issues, the fight to save this reef, and others around the globe, is an ongoing battle.

Our afternoon and night dive were at Challenger Bay. This is one of my favourite dive sites on the Ribbon Reefs, but the crew warned me that the coral had suffered a lot of damage from a cyclone since my last visit. While I was saddened to see dead and broken corals in the shallows, it is amazing how resilient other corals are. But this site is not really about the corals, as it was always the fish life that impressed, and it still does. On the afternoon dive we saw garden eels, trevally, batfish, reef sharks and schools of diagonal-banded sweetlips.

But it was the night dive that was outstanding, with a range of predators on the hunt. Staying in the shallows we first saw a giant moray eel looking for prey, but then the sharks arrived.

We soon had a dozen whitetip reef sharks searching every nook and cranny for fish to eat. They were joined by packs of giant trevally. The action was incredible.

The next morning we moored at Lighthouse Bommie, one of the dwarf minke whale hotspots. During June up to a dozen

whales can be seen at this spot, but in July their numbers drop. We first did a dive, exploring this totem pole-like coral pinnacle. Like all pinnacles on the Ribbon Reefs this site was swarming with fish; schools of snapper, trevally, fusiliers and surgeonfish. We encountered reef sharks, turtles and grouper, but the highlight was a curious olive sea snake.

Upon surfacing we learnt that a minke had been spotted, so I was quickly back in the water on snorkel. This time the whale was very shy. From the boat they could see it circling just beyond me, but it wouldn’t come close. After an hour I was ready to give up, when suddenly not one, but two whales slowly swam below me. It was a magical sight, but they were too far away for a photo. I hung out for another ten minutes, but that was the only encounter I would get today.

After another incredible dive at Lighthouse Bommie we moved to the most-famous site on the Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole.

It had been a few years since the last time I had visited this site, but it was like returning to see a few old friends. Four potato cod were hanging around for the free feed, but only one bossy individual got all the food. With the food gone the grouper settled down and it was great fun just closely observing these very large fish.

With my gear packed, the next morning I reluctantly departed Spirit of Freedom. I was very jealous of the group arriving that would explore Osprey Reef, my only consolation was a wonderful low-level flight back to Cairns. This spectacular flight was a great way to farewell the Ribbon Reefs, but I know I will be back to explore more of this amazing area, and maybe have a few more close encounters with those magic and majestic dwarf minke whales. n Hanging out with one of the very friendly potato cod of Cod Hole

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B

unaken Marine Park is home to five islands, with the largest being Bunaken Island. In 2017, a new resort opened up on the island, Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa (www.bunakenoasis.com).

The island resort prides itself on the quality of both the resort and the service it offers. In its first year, it had already been voted among the world’s top dive resorts, and in 2018 they opened up the first technical diving centre in Bunaken, Oasis Explorers.

I have been visiting Indonesia for many years, drawn by its colourful reefs and bio-diversity, which is the most varied the world has to offer. But as a tech diver, I had never had the opportunity to do any technical diving in Indonesia before, so I was full of expectation when we were picked from a nearby island by one of Oasis’ brand-new luxury wooden dive boats, and our guide for the week, Chi, welcomed us with a warm smile and enthusiasm for a week’s tech diving.

Chi is originally from the UK and, along with her German husband Spencer, they manage the Oasis Explorers Tech Centre based at Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa. They bring with them a wealth of experience in tech diving and between them are able to teach all PADI and TDI open circuit tech courses from entry level all the way to Advanced Trimix.

The centre also offers recreational rebreather trydives on the Poseidon unit, and the shop also has four units available for qualified guests to use during their stay.

As we approached the resort from the ocean, we were immediately struck by the grandeur of the appearance. The resort is built into a hill and as such, many of the rooms and the swimming pool are elevated to offer magnificent views over the sea. Chi gave us a quick run-down of the diving operation, showing us the amazing dive centre they have built. The centre is a full trimix blending station and offers dream facilities for any technical or recreational diver, or underwater photographer. I was able to put all of my camera equipment into the custom-made, air-conditioned camera room that also featured compressed air and freshwater for rinsing and drying of equipment, along with every spare tool you could ever need, including vacuum pumps and spare batteries. The dive centre also offers amazing rental equipment for both tech and rec divers, they have all Apeks regulators, and BCDs for both twinsets and sidemount. The centre is also an official partner for Shearwater and can provide rental Shearwater tech computers for your stay.

After dropping off our dive equipment and underwater camera, Chi then introduced us to Roby, the assistant resort

manager, who showed us to our room. Bunaken Oasis Resort say that ‘There is only one standard of accommodation at Bunaken Oasis – luxury’. We were blown away with how good the room was, a luxury 70 sqm bungalow situated on the hillside with amazing views over the neighbouring islands and the ocean. The room came with air-conditioning, a luxury bathroom, coffee machine and a balcony with stunning views.

After checking in and enjoying our first lunch, we took the opportunity to use the hillside pool at the resort. The pool is an infinity pool offering views of the fantastic sunset over the local volcano, and was the perfect backdrop to begin our dive trip. Bar manager Gusty also came over to us, delivering icecold lemon tea to drink in the pool while watching the sunset.

We woke up early the next morning to begin the dive day, and Chi checked medical forms and certifications. It was great to see an operator so safety conscious. For dive number one we decided to do a simulated deco dive as a checkout. We went to a local wall site, Lukuan 3, and did a dive to 40m using twinsets of air and a stage of 50 percent O2. We started the dive with bubble checks, then S-drills at 6m, before descending to our maximum depth of 40m. During the dive we were amazed by the beauty of the wall, being able to dive down a sheer vertical drop to 40m and still have no bottom in sight made us realise the opportunities for technical diving within the local area. As we ascended back up the wall, there were large fans and barrel sponges along the way.

After switching to 50 percent at 21m, we slowly ascended to 6m making simulated stops along the way, with Chi checking that we could maintain stops in line with the plan and were comfortable with stage handling and NOTOX gas switching. At 6m on the last deco stop, it was amazing to hang out on the top of the reef with a rich mix of hard and soft corals, along with plenty of fish life.

For the afternoon dive, we headed to Mandolin, using air and a 50 percent mix – again, we had a max depth of 40m and 20 minutes of deco. During the dive, the local turtle population became apparent, as we saw 15 - completing deco dives while turtles were swimming up to you was magnificent. The increase in the local turtle population has been helped by the local conservation efforts of the dive resorts. Faisal, the resort manager, is currently working with local fishermen and island residents to educate and help with marine conservation efforts. The resort also now raises turtles from eggs and then releases them back into the ocean when they are large enough to fend comfortably for themselves.

Over dinner and drinks in the bar in the evening, we were

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Bunaken

MARINE PARK INTO THE UNKNOWN

North Sulawesi’s Bunaken Marine Park has iconic status due to the variety of marine life within its confines, but who knew that it held infinite possibilities for technical diving as well.

Byron Conroy strapped on his twinset and stage to explore Indonesia’s deeper attractions PHOTOGRAPHS BY BYRON CONROY

supporting divers

supporting manufacturers

During the dive, the local turtle population became apparent, as we saw 15 - completing deco dives while turtles were swimming up to you was magnificent lucky enough to talk to Gusty. Our iced tea was served with a straw, and Gusty was very proud to tell us all about the straw. On first appearance, it seemed to be made of plastic, however Gusty informed us that it was actually made from corn, and showed us the box of straws the resort uses. The resort is trying very hard to minimise the plastic it uses, and takes both its environmental and social policies very seriously.

The resort is the first in Indonesia to receive recognition from the Minister of Environment for Indonesia for employing over 90 percent of its staff from the island itself. From 86 staff there are only five people who are not from the island.

In order to do this, the resort offers lots of training and internships for island residents and conducts training itself.

Faisal regularly teaches English, hospitality and housekeeping in the village.

For day two of diving, we had decided to dive a local wreck, the Mola’s Wreck. The wreck is a perfect tech-diving depth at 43m. We completed a 40-minute dive on the wreck before 25 minutes of deco. The wreck itself is encrusted with coral from years of being submerged in the Coral Triangle. The wreck itself is a Dutch freighter that was sunk at the end of World War Two in 1945, and it has a permanent mooring line connected to the bow, making the descent very easy. Upon arriving at the bow, the first thing you notice is that the wreck is sat very nicely in an upright position.

The wreck is home to lots of fish life, including batfish and sweetlips. We did a short survey of the length of the ship from The Mola’s Wreck

Lena chilling with a turtle on a deco stop Inside the Mola’s wreck

bow to stern, and found the propeller fully intact at the stern.

We then did a penetration into the main cargo hold - the hold offered amazing lighting conditions as the portholes allowed natural light to enter the hold. After 40 minutes, it was time to ascend. To ascend in nice blue water with batfish greeting you on the safety stop was extremely pleasant. We switched gas at 21m and then completed our deco stops along the line, finishing at 6m with a 15-minute stop.

After a second tech dive in the afternoon, we decided to do a night dive. Bunaken Marine Park is famous for its walls, coral life and turtles. However, due to its close proximity to the North Sulawesi coastline, it is also home to some worldclass muck diving. At night is when the muck diving really comes to life. We took a dive at Tiwoho. Our guide was Cindy, a local tech diver trainee who had also been assisting us on the tech dives. She had an amazing eye underwater and was able to show us a whole host of macro life, from leafy scorpionfish, orangutan crabs, whip coral shrimps, frogfish and many more. Before the dive I had challenged her to find

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There is plenty to see while you are decompressing

Returning to the boat after a deco dive

a creature I had long wanted to photograph - the very small bobtail squid. Cindy had no problem seeking one out for us, a 1cm squid buried in the sand with only his eyes on show.

Over lunch with Chi and Spencer, we were able to talk more about tech diving in Bunaken and were amazed to hear the story of the Indonesian coelacanth. This is a fish thought to be extinct for 66 million years, however in 1997 Mark Erdmann found a specimen in a Manado fish market. After only being able to get a few photos, he returned in 1998 and found another in a local market, but this time he was able to acquire the specimen. The fish was still alive and lived for six hours, allowing Mark to photograph its true colours. After DNA testing in 1999, it was shown to be a new species, the Indonesian coelacanth. This fish is thought to live in the 100m Heading off a steep wall

range, and Chi and Spencer have an ambition to be the first divers in the area to photograph one in its local environment.

After talking to them further, their passion for tech diving was infectious. They were explaining the possibilities of the area, and the fact that the diving we were doing was real exploration. Many recreational divers come to Bunaken Marine Park each year, but only a handful of tech divers, and that has only been happening for six months. Diving into the unknown with no idea of what you will find is true exploration - Oasis Explorers are really living up their name!

On our final days diving, we decided to do a deeper dive to 60m. We dived down the wall of Likuan 2 and found ourselves on a slope at 57m. After the previous day’s conversations, knowing we may be the first people to have ever seen this slope was an amazing feeling, a feeling of real exploration.

In near-perfect conditions of 40-metre visibility in clear blue water, we soon reached our max time at depth and began our ascent. For this dive we had been using a trimix blend to minimise narcosis, along with a 50 percent O2 and a 100 percent O2 for the final deco stops.

At 21m, we completed our first switch and the current began to pick up. Bunaken Marine Park is famous for its currents and is one of the prime reasons for the health of the reef. The current allowed us to drift gently along the wall soaking in the marine life, and we saw tuna in the blue along with blacktip reef sharks. As we hit the final stop of 6m, a turtle came in for a look and to inspect our deco gas!

We returned to the Oasis resort via their luxury local boat, and relaxed in the amazing hilltop pool in five-star luxury reflecting on the diving we had done. The opportunity to tech dive on shipwrecks, see world-class macro diving and explore places that have never been seen before will be a memory that lasts forever. n

Diving into the unknown with no idea of what you will find is true exploration - Oasis Explorers are really living up their name!

www.narkedat90.com

ScubaDiverUK.ai 1 17/5/2018 14:27:43

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What’s New

DIRZONE 52MM BLACK FACE GAUGE WITH PVD COATING High-quality brass pressure gauge, with a cool black dial, suitable especially for main tanks and stages. The body has been given the black nickel treatment, and the stainless steel ring has PVD, which is 300 times harder than chrome.

The synoptic dial scale goes up to 360 bar, and it comes with a swivel and viton O-rings. www.dirzone.com

MARES DCT CANISTER LIGHT

ZEAGLE BRAVO

The Bravo is the next evolution of the Sport line. It has generous, easy-to-access pockets, six stainless-steel D-rings, an adjustable cummerbund, tough 1,000-denier black bladder material with 10mm thermoplastic polyurethane coating which resists fading and abrasion, and reinforced, colourcontrast stitching. There is an octo pocket, knife mounting positions on both sides, and it also has integrated weights and non-dumpable rear trim pockets. www.zeagle.com

DIVELOGS FULLY WATERPROOF UNDERWATER DIVE LOG

The Mares DCT Canister Light is made from hard-anodised aircraft-grade aluminium and features a rechargeable lithium battery, that can offer a maximum runtime of up to 27 hours. It has three O-rings to ensure it is depth-rated to 200m, and has an overheat protection function.

It has a 12-degree narrow flashlight head, with three CREE LEDs that put out a maximum of 3,200 lumens. This has 5mm toughened glass on the front, and a magnetic switch. www.mares.com 52

Divelogs has released a fully waterproof underwater dive log. Commonly known as wet notes, the team has reinvented them as a compact, waterproof, slate and refill system, with a patent pending resuable spiral binder.

The pages are printed on heavyweight 170 micron polyester that is tear-proof and ready for hard use. The patent-pending spiral binder makes changing the refills quick and easy, even between dives.

Each system includes a backing slate (with or without waterproof pencil) and two thicknesses (light and heavy duty). The slate includes bungee retainers and a lanyard hole, and a flexible but tough plastic cover page helps to keep the refills protected.

Everything in the system is modular and designed to work together, and there are extra options such as extracapacity spiral coils and placeholders.

You can kick off with a starter pack, with refills available in packs of ten and 20 pages. You can also buy everything singly as required. www.dive-logs.com

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

HOLLIS SEEKER REELS

The Hollis Seeker reels are made from high-tensile Delrin for durability and abrasion resistance, and feature a hard-anodized aluminium handle. It has a left and right hand handle design for easy switching between hands, and the knurled stainless steel lockdown screw provides single ‘on-off’ with gloves on.

It comes in two sizes, both with ultra-bright line – 60 metres for jumps, or shooting a DSMB, and 152 metres, for reaching the main cave line or for deeper explorations. www.hollis.com

FOURTH ELEMENT LIFE WINTER COLLECTION

The brand-new Fourth Element Life Winter Collection is a return to the roots of the brand. Strong dive designs with a light-hearted play on diving terminology are combined with promoting the brand’s environmental objectives as well.

This collection is the first to be entirely packaged without single-use plastic, from the obvious plastic/paper bag swap to the plastic swing-tag replaced by a paper sticker.

The company’s Mission 2020 initiative is being adopted by many diving organisations around the world as a statement of their commitment to the oceans, and with this collection, which includes garments made from recycled cotton and polyester, shows Fourth Element’s own resolve to do better for the environment. www.fourthelement.com

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

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Test Extra

AQUA LUNG i770

Mark Evans: Aqua Lung is really becoming quite a force in the world of dive computers, and the arrival of the fullcolour, wrist-mounted i770 means they are now taking on the big guns from established manufacturers like Suunto, Scubapro and Mares.

First of all, let’s talk about that screen. It is extremely bright and vivid, which makes it easy to see underwater even when it is decidedly murky – one test dive, at 32m, the vis was a grotty 50cm or so with lots of detritus in the water, and yet the screen was still easily legible. The secret to the screen is in the cutting-edge TFT (thin-filmtransistor) LCD technology.

The navigation around the menus is controlled by three buttons – two on the bottom, and one on the top right corner. All three are a decent size and can easily be depressed even when wearing 5mm neoprene gloves.

Markers on the bottom of the casing show that the lower buttons scroll up and down, and then the right-hand button is for entering – or leaving – a particular area. In set parts of the menu – setting your gases, for example – it even shows you on screen what the buttons do as well.

Everything is very simple and easy to use. One of my tests of every dive computer I get is to attempt to navigate the menus without referring to the instructions, and the i770 passed this with aplomb.

As with all computers of this ilk, it is capable of handling multiple gases (and multiple transmitters - £232 each - for hoseless air-integration), so perfect for the entry-level techie. For those venturing beyond this it has a gauge mode, and it has a freediving mode as well.

The ‘dive’ screens are uncluttered and well laid out, so you can instantly see the important information, and regularly utilised features are clearly visible, such as the all-important three-minute safety stop, which counts down in minutes and seconds.

The three-axis full-tilt compass is very clear and easy to read, and proved simple enough to follow around in the gloom of a chilly British quarry or the warmer, clearer waters of Grenada.

The webbing NATO-style strap is a welcome change from

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the usual rubber, and can be securely fastened around a drysuit- or wetsuit-covered forearm. An optional bungie version is also included for those that want that style.

It is equipped with a lithium battery, which is easily recharged via a USB cable. I found that even with the computer set to full brightness, it was still giving me several days of use before needing recharging, but it was also useful being able to drop down the intensity when it wasn’t needed – for example, in the Caribbean, I didn’t need it as bright as I did in the depths of Vivian. And unlike the old i750, that TFT LCD screen is still clear to read even in the shallows in direct sunlight. It comes in a neat zippered storage case.

However, one of the i770’s greatest attributes is down to how well it works with the DiverLog+ app (which is available for iOS and Android). The i770 seamlessly interacts wirelessly via Bluetooth Smart technology, and you can control all aspects of the computer from your phone or computer. I found it easy to jump into DiverLog+ and adjust all the settings – gas mix, salt or fresh water, alarms, etc – and then it is a simple matter to just fire that over to the i770 and, you are ready to dive. Far quicker than doing it all manually on the computer.

On completing your dive, you can then throw over all your dive data from the i770 into your DiverLog+ app logbook. Your dive profile, time and date, water temperature, etc, are all brought over from the i770, and you can then add additional information, such as what gear you were using, your location, any photographs or videos you took, and so on. You can even get your buddy to digital ‘sign’ your logbook. Once complete, you just hit the ‘share’ button and can send it out via all the usual channels – email, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, etc.

The DiverLog+ app has many features beyond those described above – you can build up a file of buddies, locations, ‘gear bags’ for different conditions, and much more.

With all of its capabilities, and coming in at a cracking price, it represents excellent value for money and is a nice userfriendly piece of kit, especially as it works so well with the DiverLog+ app. www.aqualung.com

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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

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Test Extra

SEIKO SOLAR PADI SPECIAL EDITION

Adrian Stacey: I was recently asked to review the Seiko Solar PADI Special Edition dive watch (code: SNE499P1) while on a trip to the Philippines. Of course, I had a look online before the watch arrived to see what sort of timepiece would be adorning my wrist for the next few weeks. My first impressions were good, and I liked the look of the watch. The Solar appeared simple and durable, it looked chunky, like a good dive watch should, but without being ostentatious. But looking at pictures can only tell you so much, you need to feel the watch and wear it to be able to comment on its effectiveness as a chronometer with any confidence or accuracy.

The Seiko has the mandatory hour, minute and second hands, and a bold face with a subtle wave pattern. Bold luminous discs have replaced the conventional 1-12 numbering system, the only other markings on this uncluttered face are the watch name, the PADI logo and the depth rating - 200m. Other features include a chunky crown, a date window, and a rotating bezel. A robust, navy blue hard plastic casing protects the watch, and a colourmatching strap completes the ensemble.

I found the watch comfortable to wear, with enough weight to let you know you are wearing a watch but not too much so as to make it an encumbrance. The Seiko Solar was easy to read, the unfussy face and luminous hands made it as effortless to tell the time underwater and in low-light situations as it was on dry land. Another small detail that made this a pleasurable watch to wear was the location of the single large crown that the watch boasts, instead of the usual three o’clock position, it was shifted slightly to the four o’clock position. This meant that although the crown is quite large, it did not dig into my wrist and there was less chance of it getting caught on my clothes.

Due to its sturdy structure, I was confident that it could handle the rigours of a dive trip as well as day-to-day life. While I resisted the urge to drop a scuba tank or weightbelt on it to see how it would fare, I was sure the watch could take the inevitable knocks that come with being worn on a liveaboard. The strap felt secure but had enough elasticity that it did not feel like it would be ripped off my wrist while extricating myself from my BCD in choppy waters, or while getting stuck on any other snagging hazard.

The simplicity of the watch is its most-endearing feature and the reason why it complements a dive computer so well - rated to 200m, it is more than capable of handling the pressures that a good dive watch should. The Seiko Solar looks good, feels good and does the job it is supposed to do extremely well. www.seikowatches.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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THE ULTIMATE BIG 5

DIVE, EXPLORE, ADVENTURE

www.scubadiveadventures.co.uk

Test Extra

BARE ULTRAWARMTH GLOVES

Mark Evans: When the waters get cold, it is all well and good being wrapped up in layers of undersuits and a quality drysuit, but if your hands get frozen, you are done – you can’t operate suit or BCD controls, torches or cameras efficiently, and it is just damn uncomfortable and unpleasant. And let’s not even talk about the pain back topside as the feeling slowly returns to your fingertips…

BARE reckon they have solved some of these issues with their Ultrawarmth gloves, which come in 3mm and 5mm versions (we have the 5mm versions on test). As with other BARE gloves, they feature a double-glued and blindstitched four-panel design to improve overall stretch by reducing the number of seams, making the glove easier to don and doff, and the anatomically correct pre-curved fingers reduce hand fatigue and improve overall dexterity.

Glideskin-in wrists act as another line of defence from water entry. So far, so good, but what makes them different? Well, for added warmth, the BARE Ultrawarmth gloves incorporate the low-loft Celliant Infrared Technology – 13 thermo-reactive minerals embedded in the fabric of the material catch heat leaving your body, convert it to thermal energy, and reflect it back to your body for maximum warmth and comfort.

Now I have become a convert to drygloves in recent years, and so I was more than a little dubious how warm these wet gloves were going to be, but you know what, that Celliant Infrared Technology really works! They were much warmer than my existing 5mm wet gloves, and even gave my trusty back-up three-finger mitts a run for their money.

Okay, so they were not as warm as drygloves, and I didn’t expect them to be, but they are significantly warmer than other 5mm gloves I have tried. Even after two one-hour dives in sub-5 degrees C temperatures, only the tips of my fingers were starting to feel cold, the rest of my hand was still relatively warm. www.baresports.com

BARE ULTRAWARMTH BASE LAYERS Mark Evans: BARE have also incorporated the Celliant Infrared Technology into their new Ultrawarmth Base Layers. As you have seen above, we saw a real difference between a 5mm glove with the technology and one without, and so we were interested to see how it worked in a base layer.

As with most base layers, the advanced stretch-breathable fabric draws moisture away from the body to create a dry zone, while moisture is dispersed over a larger surface for quick evaporation. However, where the Ultrawarmth Base Layers come into their own is through the use of that nifty Celliant Infrared Technology. While the fabric draws the moisture away from your body, the thermo-reactive minerals that are embedded into the material capture your escaping body heat and then reflect it back at you. Having this advanced fabric covering virtually all of your body under your main undersuit and drysuit makes a massive difference to your comfort and warmth underwater. I definitely felt warmer than usual after two one-hour dives in sub-5 degrees C waters.

The Ultrawarmth Base Layers are soft and stretchy, and very comfortable next to your skin. They are not bulky at all, so you could wear these under a neoprene or

trilaminate suit and benefit from that Celliant Infrared Technology.

They are so light and comfy, I even pressed them into cycling wear when I headed up into the Welsh hills for a spot of winter mountainbiking. There was a serious frost on the ground when we set off, and I was sure glad I had the BARE Base Layers on, but they actually proved to be too warm, and within 30 minutes I had to shed the bottoms, and then a short while later the top went into my rucksack too. They went back on double-quick when we completed our ride and headed into the café for a hot chocolate, though!

As we head into the colder months, I’d be checking these out as a New Year present to myself! www.baresports.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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PRESTIGE SLS

CENTRE OF BALANCE. EDGE OF PERFORMANCE. • Excellent lift capacity • Light, strong and durable denier 420 • Improved fit: swiveling buckles, shoulders, low-cut aircell • SLS integrated weight system • 3-Dimensional zippered self-draining pockets • 2 Rear trim weight pockets • Reduced weight: travel friendly Be balanced. Take the edge of performance

mares.com

Test Extra

MARES ACTIVE HEATING VEST AND PANTS

Mark Evans: As I write this review, it is January, and the waters in the UK – both in the sea, but particularly in inland sites – are getting decidedly chilly. Good thermal protection is, therefore, paramount, and there are all manner of base-layers and undersuits to don under your drysuit to try and keep the cold at bay. However, we live in an era of technological development, and so it makes sense to tap into all of this clever stuff – and that is where heated undersuits come in. I have tried a few heated vests over the years, but Mares have come up with a neat set that provides warmth for your upper torso and your legs.

In their literature, Mares say that the Active Heated Vest ‘provides heat to the back kidney area and to each side of the chest, giving a feeling of complete warmth to the upper body’ and the trousers ‘provides heat to the back iliac area and knees in order to give a feeling of complete warmth in the lower body’.

The vest is constructed with a windproof 100 percent polyester outer, with two handy zippered pockets – perfect for keeping your hands warm when topside. Inside there are two Velcro-closing pockets – one for the lithium battery pack, and the other for essentials. There is a double zip up the front. The Active Heating Pants are made from polyester, nylon and spandex, so combine some of the windproof elements of the vest around the front of your legs, but at the back are super-stretchy and thin for minimal bulk and ease of movement. The elasticated waist is closed with a zippered fly and metal popper, and there is a single zippered pocket on the left for the battery pack.

Stirrups at the bottom of the legs prevent them from riding up as you put your legs into your drysuit.

It says not to use the vest and trousers against your skin, so wear a base-later underneath them.

The battery packs provide four different temperature settings, providing between two and five hours of heating time from each supplied lithium battery (which only take around twoand-a-half hours to recharge). The battery packs feature a charge level and battery level indicator.

Undersuits can develop a particular aroma after several days of use, as anyone who has been on a cold-water liveaboard can testify, but thankfully both the vest and the trousers are hand-washable – after you remove the batteries, of course!

So, what are they like in use? Well, warm as toast springs to mind! The vest and trousers run on small battery packs, but man, do they pack a punch. Whack them on full power and within a few minutes you can really feel the heat. I found

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that if I switched them both on at full power while I was getting the rest of my dive kit sorted, by the time I was due to get into the water, I could knock it down a couple of power bands as I had built up a good residual warmth. That said, on one particularly cold day, I just left them on full power the whole time and it was very bizarre to still be feeling very warm at the end of an hour in low single-digit temperature water! The heating elements are in the perfect spots, accurately generating the warmth to the right locations. The battery packs are simple to use – once turned on with the power button, you can then ‘cycle’ through the heat settings, or press-and-hold to turn off. Obviously, once you are in your drysuit and ready to dive, your battery pack is all sealed up inside. So, you have two options. You can either set the heat to the level you want pre-dive and then leave it at that, or if your drysuit is a reasonably thin trilaminate, and you ensure the battery pack is seated so that the control button faces out, you can change it ‘on the fly’.

Both the vest and the trousers are lightweight and flexible, so you do not feel restricted when you are wearing them. In fact, I even pressed the vest into use when I went mountain biking when there was a thick frost on the ground, and it was great to be able to warm up while I was in the car and getting my Kona off the car bike rack, and then switch it off once I was out on the trails. I soon switched it back on when I

returned to the car park though!

Perfect way to finish, a nice warm core combined with a large hot chocolate! It would equally be useful when out and about walking the dog, hiking, out on a RIB or jetski, or any number of outdoor activities when keeping yourself warm is essential.

The vest and trousers come in sizes ranging from XS to XXL, and the supplied charger has different attachments for plug sockets depending on where you are in the world. www.mares.com NB: The Active Heating Vest and Pants are not suitable for people with pacemakers. * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Long Term Test BARE ULTRAWARMTH 7MM HOOD Mark Evans: The new BARE Ultrawarmth hood has an Elastek outer fabric for great stretch and fit, and high-loft Celliant inner fabric to help conserve lost body heat and accelerates thermal recovery. It is double-glued and blind-stitched with Securelock construction, which improves isolation and reduces flushing, keeping you warmer and diving longer.

The Elastek/Glideskin-in trimmable face and neck glides nicely over your hair, and the hood neck seal mates with drysuit seal/wetsuit collar. www.baresports.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: November 2018 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins

MARES QUAD AIR

Mark Evans: The Mares Quad Air, as the names suggests, is an air-integrated dive computer, and it gets its info on your tank contents via the LED Tank Module, which screws into your first stage. As well as permanently pairing with the computer, and having a user-replaceable battery, it also has a vivid colour LED on the end which allows for a quick tank check on the surface and also alerts your buddy of INFORMATION Arrival date: May 2018 a low-air situation on the Suggested retail price: * dive itself. It’s also handy Number of dives: 25 on a night dive.

Time in water: 23 hrs 45 mins www.mares.com 62

MOMENTUM DEEP 6

Mark Evans: As well as a uni-directional rotating bezel on the front, another must-have feature on a ‘proper’ dive watch is a screw-down crown.

The Momentum Deep 6 has a chunky body and a suitably robust screw-down crown, which keeps it watertight INFORMATION Arrival date: June 2018 and also allows you to adjust Suggested retail price: * the time and the date quickly Number of dives: 17 and easily.

Time in water: 15 hrs 45 mins www.momentumwatch.com

ZEAGLE SCOPE MONO

Mark Evans: A few more dives under my belt with the Scope Mono, and I am really liking the ski-mask-style elasticated strap. It is just so comfortable and easy to get on and off.

It also does not more at all either on the back of your neoprene hood or on the back of your head. The broad nose pocket is very soft and makes it simple to clear INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 your ears. Single-lens Suggested retail price: * masks don’t often fit my Number of dives: 7 face, but the Scope does.

Time in water: 6 hrs 15 mins www.zeagle.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG ROGUE Mark Evans: The Aqua Lung Rogue has just accompanied me to the island of Grenada for the annual DiveFest event. This saw me diving extensively in both Grenada and neighbouring Carriacou over the course of a week, which involved two island-hopper flights in the middle of the trip. At this point I was extremely thankful of the Rogue’s light weight, and also the fact that it dries out very quickly - a couple of hours in the bright Grenada sunshine and it was left slightly damp, which meant INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2018 I didn’t get clobbered on excess baggage charges for Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 32 the inter-island flights.

Time in water: 31 hrs 25 mins www.aqualung.com

HALCYON INFINITY Mark Evans: First dives completed on the Infinity wing and I was impressed.

The one-piece harness is well padded, as is the backpad, and this makes the whole set-up very comfortable.

The integrated weight pouches sit neatly on the waistbelt, and the twin cambands securely hold the cylinder.

It is set up for a long-hose configuration, so those using a standard reg set will find a lack of D-rings around the upper chest area for your INFORMATION Arrival date: October 2018 octopus, etc, but this could Suggested retail price: * easily be recified if this was Number of dives: 3 your thing.

Time in water: 2 hrs 45 mins www.halcyon.com

FINNSUB 20D AND COMFORT HARNESS

Mark Evans: The brand new Finnsub 20D and Comfort Harness is still being finetuned, so watch this space for when it arrives! www.finnsub.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins

APEKS RK3 HD Mark Evans: And so the RK3 HDs come to the end of their stint in Long Term Test. They have been used both here and in the UK, in a variety of conditions, and were not found wanting in any situation.

They are comfortable, easy to get on and off thanks to that big heel tab and spring strap combo, but most importantly they provide lots of thrust in a range of finning styles.

I particularly like the bright orange colour, but for traditionalists the HD also comes in black, or grey.

If you want the standard version, you can get them in white and yellow as well as black, but I found the stiffer HD version suited me better. Well made, well priced and a top performer what more do you want? www.apeksdiving.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2018 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 26 Time in water: 24 hrs 55 mins

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

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WHERE IT ALL BEGINS WWW.EGYPT.TRAVEL

HURGHADA RED SEA THIS IS A FRIENDLY LOCAL

ASK YOUR TRAVEL AGENT

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

MANTA BOWL PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLIVIA JOHNSON

M

y next Scholarship experience would take me to a remote island in the Philippines, Ticao Island, where I would be working alongside scientists and researchers from the Large Marine Vertebrate Research Institute Philippines, also known as LAMAVE. I would spend the next month working as a research assistant with the diving team, lead by Joshua Rambahiniarison, where we would be undertaking research in one of the most-famous manta ray dive sites in the Philippines - Manta Bowl.

This particular site provides refuge for both oceanic mantas, Mobula birostris, and reef mantas, Mobula alferdi, but unfortunately there is no protection to this site. This means that all ocean-goers, from divers to fishermen with various fishing gear, can use the area. Despite the implementation of CITES and CMS Fishery Code, these amazing animals still face threats such as bycatch.

Working alongside the LAMAVE team and a group of volunteers, we were up at the crack of dawn, heading out on a banka, a traditional Philippine boat with the diving team at Ticao Island Resort to Manta Bowl. Our mornings consisted of retrieving and installing RUVs, also known as Remote Underwater Vehicles, throughout the bowl, where they had been carefully placed to monitor reefs termed ‘cleaning stations’, which the manta rays would visit daily in order to be cleaned by small cleaner wrasse.

Every second day we would analyse the data we had collected from the cameras, which consisted of a series of time-laps photographs of the manta bellies, which is used to identify individual manta rays. This then allowed a catalogue to be built, along with the help of the guests that were staying at the resort and diving, providing a form of citizen-science data to the database. In the month I was there, over 50 new manta

rays were identified, and as this was a base-line study, there were a range of other animals using the stations that was unknown, including thresher sharks and whalesharks.

The Manta Bowl project is part of LAMAVE’s efforts to conserve and restore mobula populations in the Philippines. The project collects extremely important baseline data about the site, in order to help make the most-effective management and conservation decisions for the species.

By the end of the project, LAMAVE hope to be able to provide the local community and the local government with the tools they need to work together and with other stakeholders to design conservation strategies and develop sustainable wildlife tourism.

This was an invaluable experience for me, to get hands on diving research experience in a remote part of the world and contribute to a fundamental study that is endeavouring to provide the most-effective management solutions for the wildlife as well as the locals who use the reefs for their survival. I can’t thank the LAMAVE team enough for my time with them, and could not recommend this experience more to those that are seeking hands-on research experience.

My next experience will take me up the west coast of the United States exploring the temperate reef ecosystems! n

Olivia Johnson

EXCITE / EXCITE PRO

CENTRE OF POWER.

EDGE OF PERFORMANCE. • • • • •

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

Be powerful. Take the edge of performance.

seikowatches.com