Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific - Issue 10

CRITTER HEAVEN

UPY 2019 WINNERS

MID-PRICE REGS

BYRON CONROY GOES EXPLORING INDONESIA’S ICONIC LEMBEH STRAIT

WE UNVEIL THE WINNERS OF THE PRESTIGIOUS UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

THE SCUBA DIVER TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS AN ARRAY OF MIDDLE-OF-THE-RANGE REGS

years on...

DIVE INTO HISTORY as Scotland’s legendary SCAPA FLOW commemorates the 100TH ANNIVERSARY of the German Navy High Seas Fleet scuttling

+

Solomon Islands

‣ Record-breaking freedive in NZ ‣ Raja Ampat

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EDITOR’S NOTE

DIVE INTO HISTORY AT SCAPA FLOW Most dedicated wreck-heads have heard of Scapa Flow, and such is its status that even those with only a cursory interest in wreck diving will be aware of it. It genuinely does deserve to be right up there with the likes of Truk Lagoon and Bikini Atoll.

Now yes, the Orkney Islands, which lie off the northeast coastline of Scotland, are a hell of a long way from Australia and New Zealand, but believe me, the remains of the German Imperial Navy’s High Seas Fleet lying on the bottom of the natural harbour of Scapa Flow are well worth the time and effort needed to get there.

There are seven vessels left to explore - three cruisers, a minelayer and three monstrous battleships - and despite being on the bottom for 100 years (2019 sees various commemorative events occurring to mark this historic moment, so this year is the perfect time to make a pilgrimage to this wreck-diving mecca) they are in remarkable condition.

Torpedo tubes, battle bridges, deck guns, main battle guns, teak decking, propellers and much more is all there just

waiting to be explored. And despite all the deep, dark and dangerous talk that always seems to surround Scapa, as long as you are comfortable in a drysuit, happy dropping down to a maximum depth of 35-40m and not worried by relatively limited visibility (six to eight metres is common on the German wrecks), then you can dive in the Flow.

And it is not just massive German warships on the menu. You can also dive the shallow-and-scenic blockships, which were sunk to prevent enemy U-boats entering the harbour area, not to mention various other vessels which have ended up on the bottom of the Flow over the years, either war victims or the result of a maritime accident.

I have dived in Scapa nine times over the years, and it is one of those places that gets under your skin. I firmly believe everyone should experience the diving at least once, but don’t blame me if you come away aching for more.

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

Martyn Guess, Neil Bennett, Lawson Wood, Byron Conroy, Olivia Johnson

Ross Arnold Email: ross.arnold@scubadivermag.com

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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

CRITTER HEAVEN

UPY 2019 WINNERS

MID-PRICE REGS

BYRON CONROY GOES EXPLORING INDONESIA’S ICONIC LEMBEH STRAIT

WE UNVEIL THE WINNERS OF THE PRESTIGIOUS UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

THE SCUBA DIVER TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS AN ARRAY OF MIDDLE-OF-THE-RANGE REGS

ON THE COVER

years on...

DIVE INTO HISTORY as Scotland’s legendary SCAPA FLOW commemorates the 100TH ANNIVERSARY of the German Navy High Seas Fleet scuttling

+

Solomon Islands

‣ Record-breaking freedive in NZ ‣ Raja Ampat

ISSUE 10 | FREE MAGAZINE! WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: JASON BROWN

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

8 News

22 Indonesia: Lembeh Strait

William Trubridge completes record-breaking freedive in New Zealand, environmental disaster in the Solomons, and the UPY2019 winners.

16 Medical Q&A

Dr Oliver Firth answers reader questions about the potential issues of diving with a cast, and whether diabetes can mean the end of diving.

18 Dive Like A Pro

This issue, our panel of experts offer useful hints and advice on how best to deal with surge, swells and currents.

66 Scholar

Olivia Johnson enjoys exploring the temperate waters off the west coast of the United States of America.

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Lena Kavender and Byron Conroy continue their Indonesian odyssey, this time exploring the wonders of the iconic Lembeh Strait, often referred to as the birthplace of ‘muck diving’. During his stay at the Solitude Resort, they are blown away by the sheer number of weird-and-wonderful critters they find on the local dive sites.

30 Underwater Photography

Experienced underwater photographer Martyn Guess discusses how to ensure you get the right exposure in your underwater images, and explains the ‘Exposure Triangle’, as well as how to make most use of the Histogram on your digital camera.

34 Indonesia: Raja Ampat

Fresh from the critter-heaven of the Lembeh Strait, Lena and Byron hopped on a flight to Sorong in West Papua to catch the luxurious Solitude Adventurer liveaboard and embark on an epic voyage through Misool and Raja Ampat, encountering massive shoals of fish as well as playful manta rays.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

42 Scotland: Scapa Flow

54 What’s New

The Orkney Islands off the northeast coast of Scotland may be on the other side of the planet, but it deserves to be on the ‘must-dive’ list of any dedicated wreck fanatic, thanks to the remains of the German Imperial Navy’s High Sea Fleet lying on the bottom of the natural harbour of Scapa Flow. As Lawson Wood explains, if you are going to make the epic trek to get there, 2019 is the year to do it, as the Orkneys commemorate the 100th anniversary of the scuttling of this immense naval force.

48 TECHNICAL: Solomon Islands

Neil Bennett rounds out his series of articles focusing on some of the deeper shipwrecks and wartime remnants in the Solomon Islands with an overview of the diving in the area, highlighting some of the morerecreational depth dive sites that can be explored alongside the deep technical locations.

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New products recently released, including the innovative Tank Trolley, Apeks t-shirts, the 360 Observe mirror, Fourth Element’s Gulper water bottle and the Mares Epic 82x regulator.

56 Group Test: Mid-price regs

The Scuba Diver Test Team headed up to North Wales and the Snowdonia National Park to brave low single-digit temperatures for the latest group test - mid-price regulators.

64 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team reviews a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Shearwater Research Teric, Zeagle Scope Mono mask, Momentum Deep 6 dive watch, and the Halcyon Infinity backplate-and-wing set-up.

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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

WILLIAM TRUBRIDGE COMPLETES NZ CHANNEL CROSSING BY FREEDIVING

World champion freediver William Trubridge, who holds the world record for the deepest dive in one breath, has achieved another first - swimming underwater, like a dolphin, across the planet’s second-most-difficult open water channel PHOTOGRAPHS BY SUUNTO / KANE GRUNDY

T

rubridge emerged exhausted and hypothermic from the frigid waters of New Zealand’s Cook Strait on Friday 15 February evening after spending nine hours 15 minutes swimming 32km across the notoriously unpredictable and dangerous stretch of water.

“We had strong currents, cold water patches, and rough seas,” Trubridge said. “It was like being in a washing machine at times. I was getting leg cramps, cold, blisters, the usual stuff. But I still feel like I got off lightly; there were so many things that could have gone wrong, and if any one did I probably wouldn’t have made it. I’m feeling a lot of relief and jubilation to have made it.”

The Cook Strait separates New Zealand’s North and South islands, and is considered one of the world’s mostunpredictable and treacherous stretches of water. At its narrowest points, it’s a mere 23km across. But what it lacks in lengths it makes up for in fierceness: wild unpredictable weather and powerful currents, chilly water that can cause hypothermia, stinging jellyfish and a healthy population of sharks. It is ranked second in difficulty in the Ocean Sevens marathon swimming challenge.

Trubridge used his unparalleled breath-hold diving ability to swim under the surface with a monofin before surfacing, and diving under again, all the way across in what he calls the world’s first ‘human aquatic crossing’. During Trubridge’s swim, his Suunto D6i Novo dive computer recorded an incredible 943 dives. He followed

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conventional channel crossing rules, such as not resting on his support boats, except for two changes: all propulsion had to take place underwater on a breath-hold, and the use of a wetsuit and fins/monofin was permitted.

Struggling against a powerful current and a bracing 14°C sea temperature, thoughts about the plight of New Zealand’s Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins, and wanting to save these precious and intelligent animals, kept Trubridge moving forward. “The main reason for doing it has always been to bring more awareness to the situation with the dolphins,” says Trubridge, a vocal ocean conservation advocate. “These are the two subspecies of New Zealand dolphin that occupy the North (Maui’s dolphins) and South (Hector’s dolphins) islands. Both subspecies are threatened by extinction.

“I made it across about five times slower and with five times as many dives as it would take a Hector’s dolphin to make the same crossing, but it showed that if we can swim like a dolphin between our two islands, then they too should have the freedom to do the same.”

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Trubridge is calling on the New Zealand Government to act quickly to save the dolphins. The fishing industry must be better regulated to protect the dolphins.

He invites divers around the world to pressure the New Zealand Government to act before it’s too late.

A population of a few thousand Hector’s dolphin remain, but only around 50 Maui’s dolphins are left. Experts say there is enough genetic diversity for them to repopulate if they are protected. For this to happen changes to commercial fishing regulations must be made.

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

9

SOLOMONS MARINE RESERVE FACING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER PHOTO CREDIT: AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION IN SOLOMON ISLANDS / DFAT

Find out more about a luxurious holiday in one of the world’s premier diving destinations... +44 1926 421100 www.bunakenoasis.com info@bunakenoasis.com

• Luxury air conditioned cottages with sea-view balconies • Fresh water infinity pool • Cocktail bar and panoramic restaurant • Custom-built spa • PADI dive centre • Dive boats with showers, toilets and space • Dedicated camera room • Full range of hire equipment

Image courtesy of Hung from Canada

www.bunakenoasis.com

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An environmental disaster is unfolding in the Solomon Islands, on the island of Rennell, where tonnes of oil is spilling into a UNESCO marine reserve.

At the beginning of February, the Hong Kong-registered MV Solomon Trader was caught by Cyclone Oma and smashed into the shoreline of Kangava Bay, wedging itself on the reef and tearing open a huge gash in its hull, allowing as much as 60 tonnes of oil into the surrounding pristine waters. And it could get worse, as more than 600 tonnes remain onboard.

Experts from as far afield as the United States and Australia were flown in to combat the toxic situation, but still the spill has not been contained, leading the authorities to say this could well be the islands’ worst environmental disaster ever. Efforts to refloat the ship, which had been chartered by the Bintan Mining Corporation, have been hampered by inclement weather and the remoteness of the region. The reef it sits on is part of a World Heritage Area, recognised by the United Nations as a global site of ecological significance that’s already under threat from climate change. Rennell is the largest raised coral atoll in the world, and contains diverse and unmodified forests, coral and species.

SAVE THE DATE – PADI WOMEN’S DIVE DAY 2019 For the past four years, PADI® Dive Centres, Resorts and Professional Members have hosted thousands of events in more than 100 countries to celebrate PADI Women’s Dive Day. With record-breaking participation in 2018, the day brought together divers of all genders, ages and experience levels. Be part of the fifth annual PADI Women’s Dive Day on 20 July 2019.

As a recreational diver, ask your local PADI Dive Shop if they will be hosting an event. For dive professionals, you can promote your dive business and strengthen both the local and global dive community by hosting an event.

Registration will open soon. Stay tuned to padi.com/women for more information in the coming weeks.

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DIVERS ALERT NETWORK STANDARDIZES GLOBAL FIRST-AID TRAINING PROGRAMMES As Divers Alert Network (DAN) endeavours to advance safe diving worldwide, efforts to enhance the services available in the Asia-Pacific region are well underway. Over the next six months, every DAN Instructor in the region will have an opportunity to participate in a bridging workshop to maintain their active teaching status. These bridging workshops will ensure instructors have the support and resources they need to offer top-of-the-line training courses throughout the geographically and culturally expansive Asia-Pacific region.

For this transition to run smoothly, DAN Instructor Trainers in the region will conduct numerous bridging workshops in the coming months. Earlier this month, DAN director of training Patty Seery took the first steps toward standardising training globally by travelling to the DAN World office in Melbourne.

There she ran a bridging workshop for DAN Instructor Trainers, who have now begun offering bridging workshops of their own.

Participating Instructor Trainers from Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong reviewed DAN Instructor Qualification Course (IQC) standards and delved into the specifics of DAN’s e-learning platform. To ensure that all skills are taught and in turn performed consistently, participants practiced a variety of methods of teaching first aid skills, including adult, child and infant CPR with AEDs, ventilation using bag valve masks and manually triggered ventilators, managing obstructed airways, controlling bleeding, performing neurological assessments and many more.

After the skill review, participants discussed the elements of effective student and instructor candidate evaluation, and each participant then demonstrated skills for evaluation by their peers. The workshop culminated in a series of discussions to prepare Instructor Trainers to successfully conduct their own bridging workshops for DAN Instructors

throughout the region.

After participating in the workshop, DAN World’s AsiaPacific regional manager, Scott Jamieson, expressed excitement about the future of DAN training in the region.

“The e-learning platform is great — it will be a saviour for instructors in this region who have previously had to pay high customs duties on materials,” he said. “They will no longer have to stockpile supplies for courses that may not ever happen or put students on hold for weeks while waiting for hard-copy materials to arrive. Overall, the trainers who attended left the programme feeling quite positive and excited about the opportunities that will be forthcoming under this new system.” www.DAN.org

PHILIPPINE POLICE FIND 1,500 TURTLES AND TORTOISES IN LUGGAGE

WWII AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS HORNET DISCOVERED NEAR SOLOMON ISLANDS

Philippine police have seized more than 1,500 live turtles and tortoises – valued at more than £60,000 in the illegal wildlife trafficking market - found wrapped in duct tape at Manila airport. The reptiles were discovered in four unclaimed pieces of luggage, and police believe the bags were abandoned after the carrier – a Filipino passenger who was onboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong - found out about the harsh penalties for illegal wildlife trafficking, which can be two years in jail and a fine of up to 200,000 pesos.

A total of 1,529 turtles and tortoises of different species were found in the luggage in the arrivals area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday. The animals have now been handed over to the Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit.

Turtles and tortoises are often kept as exotic pets, but are sometimes also used as a form of traditional medicine, or served as a delicacy, across parts of Asia. Their meat is considered by some to be an aphrodisiac, while the bones are powdered for use in medicine.

The advanced research vessel Petrel is continuing her run of amazing discoveries, with the announcement that the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, lost some 77 years ago, was found at the end of January lying in more than 5,000m in the South Pacific.

The USS Hornet, which is best known for launching the important Doolittle Raid in April 1942, and its role in winning the Battle of Midway, was bombed by Japanese aircraft in the fierce Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942, with the loss of 140 crew. After the remaining crew abandoned the ship, she was sent to the bottom by enemy torpedoes.

The ten-man expedition team pieced together data from national and naval archives that included official deck logs and action reports from other ships engaged in the battle to generate a starting point for their search grid. However, they end up discovering the shipwreck on the very first dive mission.

As with previous wrecks found by the Petrel, the USS Hornet was in remarkable condition, with anti-aircraft guns clearly visible, and even an aircraft tug sat on the hangar deck.

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TOURIST HANDLES BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS OBLIVIOUS TO LETHAL VENOM

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A tourist in Australia has appeared on a now-viral video holding the small but deadly blue-ringed octopus.

The tiny yet vibrant octopus, which is endemic to Western Australia and northern Tasmania, has the ability to kill a human in just a few minutes with its lethal venom.

The Ocean Conservancy claims the species, whose blue rings appear as a warning signal to predators, has venom that is ‘1,000 times more powerful than cyanide,’ and that these powerful creatures have enough of the stuff to kill 26 humans within minutes.

The octopus feeds primarily on small crustaceans, including shrimps and crabs, but is able to produce a potent neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, a potentially-deadly substance also found in pufferfish.

The venom works by blocking nerve signals in the body, causing muscle numbness, nausea, vision loss or blindness, loss of senses and loss of motor skills. Eventually muscle paralysis sets in, including the muscles humans need to breathe, which leads to respiratory arrest.

There is currently no known anti-venom to treat a person who has been bitten, but according to the Ocean Conservancy, ‘victims can be saved if artificial respiration is started immediately.’

Its painless bite could go unnoticed at first, so if you see one of these little creatures it pays to be careful. It is only likely to bite you if cornered or handled, and there have been no known deaths from blue-ringed octopus bites since the 1960s, but this person was still incredibly lucky!

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HUNTING SHARKS GRAB INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE UK diver Richard Barnden’s shot taken in French Polynesia nabbed him the title of Underwater Photographer of the Year

A thrilling photograph showing the exact moment a pack of grey reef sharks catch and devour a parrotfish saw British photographer Richard Barnden named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 at the GO Diving Show.

Barnden’s photograph triumphed over 5,000 underwater pictures entered by underwater photographers from 65 countries around the world.

The Gauntlet was taken underwater, late at night on the reefs of French Polynesia in the centre of the Pacific Ocean.

Barnden explains: “As I descended, hundreds of sharks covered the bottom. This unlucky parrotfish flinched, and that tiny movement alerted the swarm of sharks. The mayhem hurtled straight towards me and I instinctively pressed the shutter, moments later all that remained was a rain of parrotfish scales in the darkness, and this photo on my camera.”

Barnden, 40, is originally from Brighton, England, but now lives on the small island of Palau, in Micronesia.

Chair of the judges, Dr Alexander Mustard MBE, commented: “Photography is about preserving moments and what an unforgettable instant this is. Using a wide-angle lens, the photographer takes us into the full drama of the hunt, as a melee of grey reef sharks rise like a breaking wave to tear apart their prey, truly revealing the ocean’s wilder side.”

Spanish photographer Eduardo Acevedo, from Tenerife, was named Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2019 for his photo showing a loggerhead turtle entangled in a discarded plastic fishing net. Acevedo says: “The turtles come

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Spain’s Acevedo was winner in Marine Conservation, and also named Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2019

to the Canary Islands by crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean and have to avoid many man-made dangers, like plastics, ropes and fishing nets. This individual was one of the lucky ones because we were able to free it and recover the net.”

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Francois Baelen from Reunion won Wide Angle

Judge Mustard added: “Plastic pollution and ghost fishing are ever-increasing serious issues threatening the ocean, this sad image highlights both issues.”

The Underwater Photographer of the Year competition also aims to promote new photographic talent. Korean Taeyup Kim was named as Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 for a technically challenging image half in and half out of the water. Paradise shows healthy corals growing in front of a resort in French Polynesia. Kim explains: “This photo was physically tough to shoot, holding the heavy camera exactly in this position while floating in the water.”

Competition judge Martin Edge commented: “A perfect under and over split. One of the best examples I have seen of this type of image for some time.”

The title of Most Promising British Underwater Photographer 2019 goes to Malcolm Nimmo from Plymouth in England. His image Marine Compass was taken while snorkelling in the Scilly Islands, in the UK. Nimmo explains: “Maintaining both the surface features and subject illumination requires high strobe power settings and hence careful strobe positioning. Hopefully this image highlights the beautiful marine environments we are lucky to have around the UK.” Competition judge Peter Rowlands commented: “Composition, colour vibrancy and contrast combined with an unusual angle kept it rising in the rankings with each viewing.”

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that seeks to celebrate photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes and even swimming pools. British photographer Phil Smith was the first underwater Photographer of the Year, named in 1965. Today’s competition has 13 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck photography, as well as four categories for photos taken specifically in British waters. This year’s judges were experienced underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Martin Edge and Alex Mustard.

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MEDICAL Q&A Dr Oliver Firth is a diving doctor with over 22 years of diving experience. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE and a medical referee for the UK Diving Medical Committee, performing many hundreds of diving medicals a year. As the senior doctor at London Diving Chamber for the last 13 years, he has supervised the treatment of hundreds of cases of decompression illness. He has now set up Hyperdive (www.hyperdive.co.uk) to continue his diving medical work. With his accumulated experience, he has seen most things a diver might come across, but remains eager to hear from anyone with a medical conundrum they need a solution to - keep those queries coming! divingdoctor@scubadivermag.com Q: I recently broke my thumb (tripping over my wet dog in the dark, would you believe), and have an appointment to have it treated later this week. In five weeks time, I am booked on the liveaboard of a lifetime in the Galapagos…

So, my questions are probably obvious! Will this injury pose a problem for my diving in itself? And if my hand/arm is put in a cast, will I be able to dive? I have no intention of missing out on this chance if at all possible, but I’m now 65 and I’m aware my healing will be slower than a younger person’s, so I will be longer in a cast (if that’s the treatment).

A: All sorts of factors need to be considered here - injury severity and complexity of the surgery, your individual recovery speed (which as you say may be slowed by your advancing years), the type of diving you are doing, etc. It is possible to dive with a ‘waterproof’ cast (no such thing exists in reality) but if it is your dominant hand that is affected, it can present practical difficulties as your pincer grip is rather important.

There is also a theoretical concern over an increased risk of DCI at the site of recent injury, due to heightened blood flow to the damaged area. However, I have not seen any good evidence that this has actually contributed to DCI, and after five weeks I would expect this risk to be negligible.

If you’re out of the cast and have reasonably good hand function before you go, then I think it’s safe to proceed with the trip.

Scan to find a dealer near you.

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Q: I have been diving since 1988 and have only had to break from diving while carrying my twins.

During my pregnancy four years ago

I experienced gestational diabetes and this completely cleared the day I gave birth to my boys. However, I was warned that the diabetes could return. Well, unfortunately, it appears to have done just that. Last week I had a blood test and the result was high glucose. However, the only symptoms that pointed me towards having diabetes were gum problems, athlete’s foot and thrush! I had no other symptoms. I’m going to be 40 in August. My doctor has recommended that I take metformin and I have an appointment to see a diabetic nurse.

What I am most concerned about is not being able to dive! I’ve got many trips planned this year. Please can you advise me regarding diving on metformin and with diabetes, I am feeling very ‘gutted’ at the moment!

A: There are many different types of diabetes, but it’s still a mystery as to why being up the duff would bring it on. Anywhere from three to ten percent of pregnancies are affected.

The currently fashionable explanation is that pregnancy hormones interfere with the action of insulin, leading to insulin resistance and a similar condition to type 2 diabetes. Once the pregnancy resolves then often the diabetes does too, but in some cases the condition becomes lifelong.

Metformin is one of the mainstays of oral treatment for diabetes of any type. It’s a very safe drug that lowers blood sugar but at recommended doses is very unlikely to cause hypo’s (low sugar attacks). It doesn’t cause weight gain, but does handily lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels too. Once you’re used to the lifestyle changes and medication coming your way, you should be able to make those dive trips you’ve planned.

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This issue, our panel of industry experts offer some useful hints and advice on how best to deal with surge, swells and currents PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS AND JASON BROWN

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here can be nothing more off-putting for some divers than dealing with a hefty surge and swell on entry and exit, but with the right mindset and technique, if the conditions allow, it can be dealt with safely and you can still have a great dive. The same goes for current – many divers love a drift dive, others not so much, but as long as you have the right equipment and dive skills, it can be no different to pootling along a reef.

Our experts offer some useful advice on how best to deal with surge, swell and current.

A spokesperson from BSAC HQ said: “Safety first is the mantra when considering diving in – or finding yourself in – surging waves, large swells or strong currents. If planning to dive in conditions that are ‘a tad lumpy’, then an honest and informed assessment of the conditions to ensure it can be done safely and enjoyably is a non-negotiable.

“Swells are best avoided as the entry/exit can be dangerous, from either boat or shore. But if it’s agreed that the sea state is safely do-able or the current is running at a pace everyone is happy with, then diving the plan is essential.

“It goes without saying that you will need surface cover as you can drift a long way in a tide. Try to make it as easy as possible for them - the skipper/cox’n needs to be aware of your position and the speed and direction of the current, plus planned dive times, so they can monitor and anticipate.

“Try to enter together rather than in waves so the surface cover can track you as a group. Use an SMB to mark your position, or deploy a DSMB right at the start of the dive. If buddy separation is a concern, consider using a two-metre line with a clip on each end to make it easier to find your buddy. Or simply give them a section of your DSMB line to hold. Also, consider taking a surface detection aid just in case something does go wrong.

“To dive in surges or currents you have to be confident in your core buoyancy skills to avoid unplanned ascents or an unhealthy saw-tooth profile. Underwater surges can also mess with your head - just go with it and don’t get fixated on the ‘moving’ bottom, but keep your line of vision ahead and where you want to go.

“Anything more than one knot of tide and finning against the current will be exhausting - and will deplete your gas so if you need to move somewhere, fin across rather than against the current. And if you do need to grab the bottom to hang on or get stabilised, make sure you don’t damage anything or disturb the marine life.

“We all know drift diving can be exhilarating, but it should also be safe and enjoyable. If you get caught in a downcurrent, fin across it and inflate your BCD. Just make sure you dump the gas when you start to ascend. And always be prepared to bin the dive if the current is faster than expected,

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or you feel out of control. There will always be other dives.”

Garry Dallas, Director of Training, RAID UK and Malta, said: “It’s the weekend and the weather is looking glorious for diving! As you arrive at the site, the weather changes slightly, but all looks very promising. There’s no account for experience in our coastal seas, it goes without saying, you must respect them and be cautious when exploring new dive sites.

“Learn about the water movements in our seas from our extensive RAID literature and go diving with someone with more local diving experience. Listen carefully to briefings as you never know when conditions underwater might change.

These come in the form of surges, swells, surface/mid/bottom and vertical currents.

“Special attention should be paid to your in-water breathing rate in a current. Over-breathing/exertion is definitely not recommended. Using a shotline is very useful in these circumstances, but if not available, then deploy your SMB or DSMB before you ascend.

“Normally, you’d be neutrally buoyant on your DSMB, but in the case of ‘vertical up/down currents’ it’s safest to be negatively buoyant, providing your bag is full enough to support you from uncontrollable descents and ascents caused by the currents close to shores. The constant taut line and opposite buoyancy characteristics of your DSMB and you create the safest midwater buoy.

“Don’t fight a current, its futile! Swim across and out of it when in a ‘rip current’. Simply go with the flow in a long mid/ bottom current, as found when on a ‘drift dive’, the skipper

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will always pick you up from your DSMB location.

“Mild currents are manageable in the sea when your kicks are efficient and using good fins, but never ever work too hard, monitor your depth, direction and breathing always.

Start your dive plan into the current, then drift back.

“Swells, or long period waves, can be nauseous at times, when a body of water moves back and forth, especially when the kelp sways in the opposite direction to you and the floor is stationary! So, focus on your computer, compass, the diver in front (unless they are nauseous) or the underwater horizon and don’t be too close to the floor.

“Enjoy your diving and train to be safe!”

IANTD’s Tim Clements said: “Water is 25 times denser than air - we need to respect that with our streamlining and propulsion when it is still and even more so when it is moving.

Dealing with surge and current starts at the planning stage - jumping in and disappearing like washing in a gale is not diving like a pro! Use tidal current and weather resources to work out just what you will face. Ask yourself if you need to minimise water movement, then plan for slack or no waves.

However, if the object of your dive requires water movement, for example a scientific study of animals in surge, then you’ll need to deal with the movement.

“When you arrive at the dive site, spend some time watching the water patterns - think like a surfer and watch waves sets - use any previous knowledge of the dive site (a no-movement dive is definitely recommended before anything adventurous). Is it getting to be too severe? Talk through with

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your buddy how you will stay together and complete, or safely abort, the dive if it’s all too lary.

“Finally when you get in the water, ensure everything is tucked away neatly and assess what the movement is doing.

Understanding the water and anticipation is key - good vis helps for rapid drift current dives - I can recall inadvertently diving the Menai Strait Swellies on Spring ebb in half-metre vis, which didn’t go so well.

“Position yourself so that water movement does not carry you into objects and identify any possible lee behind boulders or wrecks that might offer refuge to gather your thoughts or team.

“In surge gullies, watch other floating debris such as kelp fronds to estimate the range of each surge. Allow yourself to move forward and back with the water before finning in and being forced into anywhere narrow.

“Finally, remember that current and surge create some of the most incredible dives - prepare in benign conditions and you’ll get more out of the adventurous days.”

GUE’s John Kendall commented: “Water movement causes dives that should be fairly easy to become stressful. The best thing in these situations is not to try and fight the sea, but to be more intelligent.

“Generally speaking, currents will be reduced if you stay in the lee of the wreck, or close to walls/seabed, so think about this when you find yourself being moved around underwater. Also, having good control of your buoyancy and stability, so you don’t feel the need to touch the floor will also help, as any surge currents will simply move you backwards and forwards rather than rolling you around.

“If you find yourself caught in an unexpected current, and you are struggling to swim against it, then aborting the dive is never a bad idea. Signal to your team, start ascending and then put a DSMB up to allow your top-cover to know where you are and what is happening. With smaller currents, it’s often best to start your dive swimming against the flow, so when you turn around to return the flow will help you.”

Matt Clements, PADI Regional Manager UK and Malta, said: “Make sure you are comfortable in your equipment, know how it works and have straps and your gear properly attached.

Knowing how to deploy a DSMB is (I consider) a vital skill, you should comfortable using it that when conditions become a tad challenging, getting attention from the surface should not one of them. I used to have to pop a DSMB from depth in a six-knot current with swell while keeping a close eye on those I was guiding, it was/is second nature and could save you a lot of bother.

“Having the right fins can really pay off when trying to move against water movement, but if you are fighting the flow make sure you keep an eye on your rate of breathing as this will dramatically affect your air supply.

“On the surface keep your BCD/wing inflated and your snorkel in as this will save your back gas and keep water

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out of your mouth. Sometimes the current is that strong you will need to just change your plans and go with the flow but make sure if you are drifting that you have someone on the surface that will be able to pick you up. It is in situations where you are not where you planned that having some form of Emergency Signalling Gear is going to make it easier for a boat to pick you up.”

Emma Hewitt PADI Regional Manager, UK and Ireland, said: “Be sure to do a current check on the surface before beginning the dive and plan accordingly. Stay close to the bottom or wall wherever possible to stay in the lower strength currents. Don’t try to fight the currents or swells, go with them as much as is safe and always look out for the vertical currents.”

Emily Petley-Jones, PADI Regional Training Consultant and Course Director, said: “In certain areas you may encounter surges and swells. When you feel that you are being pushed forwards, then pulled back, it can be tempting for divers to try and keep kicking as much as possible to constantly fight your way though it – but there is an easier way! Only kick as you feel you are being pushed forwards, and relax as you are pulled back. This will mean that you won’t use all your energy as quickly, and will help keep you relaxed and therefore use less air.”

Vikki Batten, PADI Examiner and Training Supervisor, commented: “Learn how to use your fins to coast the currents, surf the swells and sidestep the surge. I remember my Dad asking how I seemed to be moving against the current without even finning. In fact, I was just making the most of two different areas of water movement to go where I wanted to without any effort. It takes time, but advanced finning techniques allow you to use the water rather than fight it.” n

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f you’re into muck diving, critter spotting or macro underwater photography, you have most likely heard of or even visited Lembeh – the ‘mecca of muck’. The Lembeh Strait is situated between the island of Lembeh and the mainland of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It’s an area developed through volcanic eruptions and therefore the bottom of the strait is mainly made up of very fine black sand. The strait itself is 16km long and 1.2km wide, but despite its limited size, this fantastic place hosts over 80 top dive sites and is home to some of the most-stunning and rare critters on the planet.

INVALUABLE GUIDING

When you first jump in the water you very often see nothing but black sand. The trick when muck diving is to swim slowly and look closely, and soon the magic will happen. I’m a diver that on most dive trips prefers to dive just with my partner/buddy and no dive guide. We enjoy planning our own dive, taking our time for photography and we typically dive much slower than many guides prefer. However, in Lembeh, the local dive guides are worth their weight in gold. They are pure experts on critter spotting and without a guide you will find only a fraction of what’s there to see.

At Solitude Lembeh (www.solitude-lembeh.com), we had the pleasure to dive with one of the best and friendliest guides in the area, Epit. On the first day, Epit asked what we wanted to see during our week in Lembeh, and planned the dive sites so that we would have the best chance of spotting our ‘requested’ critters. Day one in the water we saw blue-ringed octopus, several common sea horse, yellow goby, juvenile bamboo shark, ribbon eel, cardinal fish with eggs in its mouth, painted frogfish, robust ghost pipefish, and that’s only to mention a few! Half of our wish list was now already ticked off after three dives, and so we spent the rest of the evening making it much, much longer.

Next day, Epit took us to probably one of the mostfamous areas of the strait - the ‘TK’, made up by the dive sites TK1, TK2 and TK3, all black sand muck diving with what turned out to be an abundance of critters. Diving in Lembeh is incredibly exciting because you never quite know what you will see, just that you will for sure see some very cool stuff. We descended down the black sandy bottom at TK, following Epit’s experienced search pattern, while still of course keeping our own eyes on the sand. Most critters are found between 15-30m depth and so Epit quickly led us down to this ideal depth. The fun began right away with a hairy frogfish about 10cm long sitting next to a tiny sponge. Not far from there a painted frogfish, and then a warty one. Before the first dive was over we also spotted a pair of robust ghost pipefish, thorny seahorse, and clownfish polishing its eggs, in which we could see a pair of eyes

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Byron Conroy and Lena Kavender visit the Solitude Resort in the Lembeh Strait eager to log some serious critter-spotting dives in the ‘mecca of muck’ PHOTOGRAPHS BY BYRON CONROY WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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Anemonefish

in each egg. Again, this is only mentioning a few highlights of the dive. The groups are always kept small when diving with Solitude. Often you will find you and your dive buddy alone with a guide, and private guiding can of course be requested in advance. This together with the huge selection of dive sites ensures that you will never be too crowded at any site, and only occasionally you will see other groups during your dive.

Photographers can take the time needed with each critter to get the shot while your guide will search for the next subject.

Nice and relaxed, just as diving should be.

EASY LOGISTICS

At Solitude, you can choose to do up to four dives a day, with a surface interval and usually a meal or a snack in between each dive while relaxing at the resort. Every dive site is within a 20-minute boat ride from the resort, and most sites are simply no more than a few minutes away, making the logistics very easy. Photographers can, for example, change their batteries or lenses between the dives in the very spacious camera room, dedicated for photographers only, and complete with separated working stations including power outlets, drying area, air-con, as well as inspiration in the form of photographs, books and magazines.

Lizardfish

EVENTFUL EVENINGS

Thursday evenings are your chance to see the illusive mandarinfish, as the resort offers an additional dusk dive especially allocated for this species. Dive site Bianca is home to some of the largest and most-active mandarin fish in the world.

Just after dusk, the mandarinfish come out from their home in the staghorn corals, and start the mating process where two fish slowly dance together just above the corals. A show not to be missed! The fish do not only perform on Thursdays, however the different resorts at the strait have an agreement between them to ensure the site never gets too crowded by divers and have therefore split the days between them.

Another event not to be missed is night diving in the strait. We did so at Aer Prang, meaning the ‘water pier’. The characteristics of the site is black sand with small patches of corals. Here we met several shoals of colourful squid (squid

fishing at night is popular among the locals), tiny bobtail squid, coconut octopus, stargazer, red devil scorpionfish, dragonettes and Shaun the Sheep nudibranch, along with a ton of other nudis. What felt like a second later, our dive computers were showing a dive time of 90 minutes and it was unfortunately time to ascend.

Diving in Lembeh is incredibly exciting because you never quite know what you will see, just that you will for sure see some very cool stuff

Peacock mantis shrimp with eggs Gobies

Seahorse Tiny frogfish

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

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At Solitude, you can choose to do up to four dives a day, with a surface interval and usually a meal or a snack in between each dive while relaxing at the resort

Hairy frogfish

Jawfish

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Emperor shrimp

If you don’t want to dedicate your whole holiday week to diving, Solitude Lembeh also offers a selection of interesting land excursions. Local guides can take you to the Minahasa highlands and the Tangkoko national park for a chance to see some rare wildlife. The black macaque, hornbills and the world’s smallest primate (the tarsier) can be seen through a two-hour jungle trek. Trips to the local fish market, or the ‘extreme’ market, in Manado can also be arranged by the resort. In other words, plenty to do if you opt for a couple of non-diving days.

The resort itself is the ideal place for relaxation.

Surrounded by nothing but jungle and a stunning sea view over the strait. To see the sun rise over Lembeh Island and the water is a very special experience and definitely worth getting out of bed for. We were lucky enough to get some very nice drone footage of this event.

EASY DIVING

Shrimp nestled inside an anemone

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It is relatively easy to dive in Lembeh. You need to be on top of your buoyancy for the sake of not landing on top of any critters or to kick up sand, but you are unlikely to encounter any major currents or rough surface conditions. You will be diving with a guide who takes care of the navigation for you, and the helpful boat crew will assist you with getting in and out of the water if you wish. n

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

DECENT EXPOSURE

Following his last article on underwater composition, Martyn Guess provides some more tips on how we can all get better underwater images PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTYN GUESS

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Creating an exposure which is harmonious using the three elements is a fine balancing act. Once you have made a

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THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE

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In any type of photography, exposure is a critical element that dictates what is recorded on a camera’s sensor. There are three elements that control exposure excluding your strobe power - Aperture (F stops), Shutter speed and ISO (your camera’s sensor’s sensitivity to light). In a previous article in this magazine, I discussed how important it is to take control of these elements of exposure by using the camera’s manual setting. Without this, you cannot choose the combination of aperture, speed and ISO that will give you the best exposure for the picture you want to create, whether it is a sharp macro image (Image one) using a small aperture, a wide-angle shot of a reef scene with a natural-looking blue background, using a lower speed (Image two) or a slow-motion shot of a shark with motion blur, using a very slow speed (Image three) or a slightly out-of-focus bokeh macro shot, using a large aperture (Image four).

In underwater photography we want to bring colours to life and the reason we use strobes is to do just that. It is important though that the strobe power is used to paint the image with light and that the exposure is, of course, right in the first place. The following might seem complicated, but please bear with me!

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f you study a good underwater image and look at the components that help it to be memorable - whether it be an interesting subject exhibiting some particular behaviour, or maybe something brightly coloured or lit in a different way - if it isn’t well exposed, the picture simply won’t stand out and command attention from the viewer and you, the photographer, will be disappointed. In this article, I want to look at how to get the best exposure and to be sure it is right underwater.

LESS EXPOSURE

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decision about one element, say aperture for depth of field reasons, then you will have to adjust the other two. It is very important to get all three elements in harmony together and spending some time understanding this will have massive benefits as your photography progresses.

APERTURE

Controls the lens diaphragm, which controls the amount of light getting through to the camera sensor. It also controls depth of field (DOF), the amount of the picture in focus from foreground to background. A small aperture or high F-stop, such as F22, will give you the biggest DOF, but the smallest amount of light getting through so will require an adjustment of the speed and/or ISO to get more light to the subject and more strobe power. A big aperture or small F-stop, such as F4, will blur the background and give you some nice bokeh, but will let a lot more light get to the sensor so again will require the speed and or ISO to be adjusted and the strobe power to be turned down.

Image 1. Shot with small aperture for Max DOF– F22. 1/200 sec ISO 400 to compensate for smaller light getting to sensor

SHUTTER SPEED

Is the speed at which the camera’s curtain opens and shuts and thus controls the amount of time that the light hits the sensor. It is important in freezing the action with moving subjects and with underwater photography generally to freeze the shot when we are swaying around – it is almost impossible to be as still underwater as it is on land! If you have to use a faster shutter speed to freeze the action, then you will have to adjust to a bigger aperture (smaller F-stop) to allow more light in or increase the ISO. With underwater photography, there are other aspects to take into account. Speed can control the background water colour. A lower speed will give you a lighter colour be it blue or green water, and a higher speed the converse. When using dome ports, it is best not to use too wide apertures as the corners of the images will not be sharp, this is particularly the case with full-frame cameras so lower speeds or higher ISO settings, or a combination of both can help once a smaller aperture is set.

ISO is how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light. Each ISO number, higher or lower, is a doubling or halving of the sensor’s sensitivity to light. Beware however that higher ISO numbers will start to introduce digital noise and degrade the image quality, so be aware of the optimum range of ISO for your particular camera. More recent cameras can handle higher ISO numbers very well and thus ISO is a very useful tool in the Exposure triangle as it lets you choose the optimum combination of aperture and speed.

Correct use of the Exposure Triangle lets you decide how to adjust the triangle. Referring to the diagram (Image five) when you increase the exposure for one element (green arrows), you need to adjust it for one or both of the others (red arrows) If you can master this relationship, you will have control over the images that you create.

MY ESCORTED TRIPS

Want to learn how to take or improve your underwater images?

Why not come on a photo specific trip? These trips are meticulously planned to the best destinations at the best time of year where the conditions should be perfect for building a portfolio of great images. The workshops, which are for all levels of experience but mainly aimed at people with a few trips under their belts, include classroom sessions and presentations as well as in water help and guidance, all done in a relaxed and non-competitive friendly environment. This year there are trips back to Bali in August for wide angle and macro photography opportunities and a joint trip with Mario Vitalini to the Southern Red Sea in May. There is a Northern Red Sea trip in November and again in July 2020. There are also to Lembeh/ Manado and Dumaguete Philippines in 2020.

Image 2. Slower speed for Blue 1/80 Sec. F14 and ISO 200 to compensate for more light getting to sensor

Image 3. Slow speed for motion blur – 1/8th Sec – 1/320th ISO 200 to compensate for more light getting to sensor

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY HISTOGRAMS AND LCD

The most valuable tool we have on our digital cameras to help us get the exposure right is the Histogram setting. But before I explain a little more about how to use Histograms, I want to talk about the LCD. It’s a brilliant feature when compared to film days when you had no idea whether your images worked or not until much later after the dive, and often weeks later when the film was processed. However, while it works perfectly on land, underwater the LCD-reviewed image can appear much brighter than it actually is. Remember we are shooting images at depth underwater and the ambient light is far less than at the surface. When you see your image on the LCD at depth, it will definitely look brighter than reality because the surrounding light is darker, and this will give you an inaccurate interpretation of the reality. How often have you got back from a dive and the pictures are disappointing because they are too dark? One solution to help is to turn the brightness of your LCD down. I turn mine down by -1 for daylight and -2 for night dives. Experiment and work out what’s best for you.

The best solution to fully understand whether the image you have taken is best exposed is to use the camera’s Histogram. Because I use them all the time, I have set my camera up so that I can easily review the histogram for each image by a thumb press on the rear multi-function button.

Check out your camera instructions to see how you do this on your camera. I review my Histograms religiously. I have learnt to read them and understand what they show.

A Histogram is a graphical representation of the tonal values of your image. It shows the tonal values of the brightness in your image, varying from 0% black on the far left of the graph to 100% white on the far-right hand side. People often look at the Histogram and are totally confused by what

Image 6. Screen shot showing good exposure Histogram

Image 4. Open aperture for blur F5.6 - 1/320 and ISO 100 to compensate for more light getting to sensor

it represents. However, if you look at the picture of the screen grab from my computer of the jellyfish (Image six) you will see that the Histogram in the top right-hand side shows a neat pyramid. This is pretty much the perfect exposure. The graph reaches fully from edge to edge without a space on one side or another. It just touches the left- and right-hand edges and does not spill up the sides.

If the Histogram goes up right on the right-hand axis of the graph this means that some pixels have been burnt out. If it goes up on the left-hand side, then these pixels are black. Of course, not all Histograms are perfect pyramids. Some images such as macro shots with black backgrounds will be biased towards the left-hand side and those with a lot of white will be biased towards the right-hand axis. They are very useful tools though in determining underwater whether the exposure needs to be adjusted or whether the strobe power needs to be increased.

While on first glance all of this might seem complicated, I recommend you practise different combinations of settings to achieve a good exposure and Histogram on the surface before you dive next. Learn the effect of adjusting speed and ISO with different apertures and strobe power and check your Histograms regularly and your pictures will soon be far better exposed on a more-regular basis. n

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After a week of fantastic critter-spotting in Lembeh, Byron Conroy and Lena Kavender head off on the luxurious Solitude Adventurer for an epic liveaboard trip taking in Misool and Raja Ampat PHOTOGRAPHS BY BYRON CONROY

SOLITUDE ADVENTURER Misool –Raja Ampat 34

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We spent the whole dive being literally surrounded by enormous shoals of fusiliers, yellow snapper, jacks, trevallys, sweetlips, barracudas, batfish and several large grouper

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fter a week in Lembeh, we caught a flight from Manado to Sorong in West Papua. After spending all my time peering through a macro lens, it was time for big stuff and pristine reefs in Misool and Raja Ampat. Rated as the most-biodiverse marine environment in the world, hidden under the most stunning of landscapes, it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

LUXURIOUS CATAMARAN

From Sorong we boarded the most-impressive liveaboard I’ve ever seen. The Solitude Adventurer (www.solitudeadventurer.com) is a 36-metre aluminium catamaran built in 2000 and fully renovated in 2017. It was originally built as a private yacht, which can be seen in the many luxurious features this vessel has to offer. I have been on a number of liveaboards both in Raja Ampat and elsewhere, but none of them can compare to the Adventurer.

Lena and I met up with the rest of the group in the spacious indoor lounge featuring several tables, sofas, huge flat-screen TV, library and even a free massage chair.

Cruise director Diego gave a welcome briefing followed by a presentation on safety and dive procedures. Once the paperwork and induction was out of the way, we spent the next hour getting to know our new friends and exploring the ship. In addition to the great indoor lounge, we found no less than three outdoor relaxation areas on the bow of main deck, stern area at upper deck and a huge sun deck on the top.

The eight ensuite cabins are all way more spacious than I have seen on other liveaboards, located on the upper floor with floor-to-ceiling windows. The state room is bigger than some people’s apartments and has even got an ensuite private sauna!

Topside is just as stunning as underwater

Massive shoals were the trip highlights...

...as were healthy reefs

RARE FISH SIGHTING

For this trip, all guests had arrived early in the morning and so Diego decided that we had time to start diving on day number one. We did the checkout dive at a site with the catchy name Red Light District. Raja Ampat is known for its potentially strong and unpredictable currents, but this site was easy, shallow and protected. It was a nice, relaxed first dive of the trip still with plenty to see, such as blue-spotted lagoon rays, mantis peacock shrimps and a beautiful pair of the rarely seen copperband butterflyfish.

MANTAS IN MISOOL

Overnight we steamed south to Misool and woke up the following morning to a day full of diving. Our daily routine was: Dive 1 followed by big breakfast (light breakfast for the hungry before the first dive), Dive 2 then lunch, Dive 3 followed by snack, and dusk or night dive followed by dinner and dessert. There was no shortage of either diving or food.

We spent three days cruising around Misool and were lucky enough to dive some of the best sites the area had to offer. At Nudi Rock I experienced the most-fishy dive of my life. We spent the whole dive being literally surrounded by enormous shoals of fusiliers, yellow snapper, jacks, trevallys, sweetlips, barracudas, batfish and several large grouper.

At the safety stop we were accompanied by two hawksbill turtles busy eating soft corals and sponges.

The highlight of Misool was our dive at Shadow Reef.

Diego mentioned in the briefing that mantas can be seen at the site, and the excitement immediately started to build up. He also mentioned that currents can be strong and recommended doing a negative entry from the zodiac. As the zodiac driver counted down – ‘3,2,1 go!’ - for our backward roll, I rolled in the water negatively buoyant and realised that I was descending right into an enormous manta ray.

I quickly had to inflate my wing in order not to literally crash land on top of the manta. What an awesome start to the dive! The rest of the dive went on with the same level of excitement as we saw no less than four huge mantas including a black one. Lots of batfish, snapper and other reef fish were also joining in. All in all, a fantastic dive that I will not soon forget.

Anemonefish

Huge corals were commonplace

In Misool we also got to dive the photogenic Boo Window’s and the Farondi Cave. Both offer phenomenal silhouette photo opportunities with a diver sitting in the window of the cave opening. Farondi Cave is like a long tunnel starting shallow at 5m, and goes down to 30m, where the divers come out and can follow a wall back to shallower depths.

On this one dive we spotted at least 15 Bargabanti pygmy seahorse - Misool really is a pygmy seahorse haven.

RAJA AMPAT AND THE JOY OF GIVING

On day 4 we steamed towards Raja Ampat, diving our way up north. In the afternoon the friendly crew of the Adventurer took us to one of the most-iconic places in Raja Ampat, the incredibly photogenic Piaenemo viewpoint. After climbing the many stairs to the top of the mountain, the reward is priceless - dozens of perfectly shaped green islands sticking up from the mirror-like turquoise ocean. It is hard to think of anything more beautiful and peaceful than this place, and

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After climbing the many stairs to the top of the mountain, the reward is priceless - dozens of perfectly shaped green islands sticking up from the mirror-like turquoise ocean

Gigantic seafan dwarfs the diver

is a sight I wish all people would get to experience during their lifetime.

Later on we also got to visit one of the local inhabited islands. The crew of Solitude Adventurer visits one of the islands every week providing gifts for the children as a way to give back to the local community. This week, the zodiac was loaded with children’s backpacks, pens, shoes, clothes and toys. The children and adults alike greeted us with big smiles and welcoming faces. You can truly feel how much they appreciate the gifts and it also seems like they really enjoyed our visit. The island’s mayor took us on a walk around the small island containing maybe 100 houses, a church and a tiny shop.

Raja Ampat offers just as good, if not even better, diving than Misool. The area offers a great variety of dive sites such as mangroves, walls, bommies, slopes and jetties. We had the pleasure of completing two dives at Cape Kri. This site is known for having the most-biodiversity ever recorded on a dive site, and I have to say that it definitely lives up to its reputation. Here we were diving with a shoal of over 100 ribbon sweetlips that let us take photographs from every angle without moving an inch. Above groups of barracuda and jacks circled us. At the same time we spotted a huge bumphead parrotfish and a giant grouper. Oh, I forgot to mention the blacktip reef sharks cruising by. It is almost too much to handle and the adrenalin levels were sky high.

Macro critters were everywhere Shoal of barracuda

Time to dive!

BBQ UNDER THE STARS

On the last night, the chef and the kitchen team arranged a wonderful BBQ up on the top deck under the stars. The crew were singing some local Indonesian songs and some proved to be quite skilled with the guitar. What a great way to finish a fantastic trip and to reflect upon the week together with the other guests aboard before heading back to Sorong and reality. n

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Why is a German Navy underwater? Why and when did it happen? What’s the attraction, and why are we still diving these wrecks 100 years later? Lawson Wood explains the lure of Scapa Flow PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAWSON WOOD AND JASON BROWN

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J

ust a short ferry ride off the north coast of Scotland lie the Orkney Islands. Created by submergence, the islands of Orkney give the impression of tipping westwards into the sea and there are great sea stacks, arches, caves and caverns all around the coast, some of which are world famous, such as the Old Man of Hoy. On the same latitude as southern Greenland, Alaska and Leningrad (all places which are synonymous with extreme cold), Orkney is bathed in the warm waters of the North Atlantic Drift that first started out as the Gulf Stream in the Caribbean.

Subsequently, the islands have a fairly equable climate and sea conditions are generally fair all year round.

To its credit, Orkney has the almost-perfect naval base with calm sheltered waters surrounded by protective islands, creating a deep natural harbour first named by the Vikings. Scapa Flow to the south of the islands was the base chosen by the British Naval Fleet having been used over several generations and had already served the nation well during the Napoleonic War and the American War of Independence. The large natural harbour of Scapa Flow has a protection of surrounding islands and was therefore the perfect place for housing the combined navies from two countries.

As a direct result of the negotiations of surrender within the armistice terms at the end of World War One, it was agreed that the entire German High Seas Battle Fleet would be interred in Scapa Flow, the base of the British Home Fleet. On 23 November 1918, the people of the Orkney Islands woke up on a cold winter’s morning to the most-amazing spectacle of the largest assembly of naval shipping on the planet. 96 ships and over 70,000 men all appeared out of the early morning mist. This included 74 German naval ships and comprised of her top 11 battleships and five battlecruisers.

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The diving is actually fairly simple and uncomplicated – jump off a boat, dive down a shotline, do some wreck exploration and perhaps some photography within your time limit, back up the shotline and onto the boat again!

Due to the ignominy of this surrender and internment, the German fleet’s commander, Ludwig von Reuter, took it upon himself to scuttle the entire fleet lest it fall into the hands of the Allies. Taking advantage of the coincidence of the almostentire British Fleet leaving on exercise at the same time, with the aid of various coded messages within the fleet, von Reuter co-ordinated the sinking of the entire German Fleet on Midsummer’s Day, 21 June 1919. This was the largest intentional sinking of any ships, anywhere in the world, at any time, before or since. Over 400,000 tons of enemy shipping sunk that day.

Several salvage companies were employed in raising the fleet and between 1923 until the mid-70s, these ‘scrappers’ systematically raised, scrapped and reduced these sunken ships into their constituent parts (some of which were then resold back to Germany to help build their next fleet as events moved steadily towards a second world conflict!).

When war broke out once more, the British Admiralty did not expect a hostile intrusion into the base of the Home Fleet, however, just six weeks after the outbreak of war, the German U-Boat U47 gained entry into the Flow and sank HMS Royal Oak with the loss of 733 officers and men. Until this time, the open sea entrances into Scapa Bay were protected from enemy shipping by various booms, nets, barriers of various varieties and principally by placing derelict ships, which were sunk as ‘blocking’ or block ships. As a direct result of this overwhelming and tragic attack, Winston Churchill visited Orkney and ordered the building of the Churchill Barriers.

Built by over 1,400 Italian prisoners of war, the Italians not only left behind a lasting legacy (of hardworking, expertise, friendship and respect), they also built a chapel out of a disused Nissan hut. The ‘Italian Chapel’ is fully restored by the original artist and is a must see when visiting the islands.

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Anchor capstan

Divers kitting up for a Flow dive

Scapa Flow has now risen to become one of the top scuba-diving destinations on the planet with wrecks dating from the world’s last great conflicts. The German fleet wrecks are located in the centre of Scapa Flow near an obvious outcrop of rocks, the Barrel of Butter. The Blockships to the west in Burra Sound are visited by the day diveboats, but only at slack water.

The Blockships to the east at the Churchill Barriers are done as shore dives.

Scapa Flow is undoubtedly recognised as the best wreck diving in Europe and certainly ranks in the top five of the world. There is more wreckage in Scapa Flow than any other location on the planet. At present there are still three Inside one of the blockships German battleships; three light cruisers; one mine-layer; five torpedo boats (small destroyers); a World War Two destroyer; one submarine; 27 large sections of remains and salvor’s equipment; 32 Blockships and two British battleships (the Vanguard and the Royal Oak – restricted War Graves); a further 19 identified British wrecks and many other bits of destroyed aircraft; supply barges and shipping wreckage as yet, still unidentified.

DIVING THE FLOW

Sitting in the early morning calm, the cold air of daybreak was leaving a slight foggy residue around the dive boat. We could see no land, or in fact any other living thing, except a tiny orange marker buoy with a frayed bit of line attached. I could hear seagulls, but couldn’t see them, indicating that we were fairly close to some land mass, but it was invisible.

The natural harbour of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands has the largest concentration of shipwrecks in the world and I was about to dive on one of those ancient warhorses, in both eerie and spectacular fashion. This dive is set in a bay amid some of the most-dramatic scenery in Europe, considerably heightening the diving experience. Jumping into the water, the first cold splash of water on my face almost

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took my breath away. Soon though, my training took over and I dropped down the shotline from the buoy, dropping through 25m of water to arrive near the stern of a German light cruiser called the Karlsruhe, just one of the three remaining German light cruisers, one mine-layer and three battleships which were scuttled in 1919.

Through the descending gloom, the graceful arch of the stern approached and my dive buddy and I dropped to the shelly, stony seabed to gaze upwards in awe at this massive ship lying on her starboard side. The hull is completely festooned in plumose anemones (Metridium senile) and feather starfish (Antedon bifida). From here we swam along the remains of the near-vertical decking, past the superbly scenic rear guns and approached the superstructure which is mostly collapsed. Maximum depth is 27m, but with average depths much shallower than this, you do get plenty of time to make a first exploration of this amazing shipwreck, but all too soon it is time to make the way up the mooring buoy line to the dive boat. The Karlsruhe is regarded as one of the wrecks often seen as a ‘training’ dive before facing the rest of the deeper German fleet, but in reality it is a superb dive and

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The main guns on the Kronprinz

The natural harbour of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands has the largest concentration of shipwrecks in the world

most divers plan to explore the wreck more than once during a week’s dive trip.

Over the years, a certain unfounded and unjust notoriety has evolved when talking about diving on the wrecks of Scapa Flow. Nowadays, divers are more informed, better trained and have the very latest of diving computers to guide them through the complicated variables of multi-level diving. For those divers who only use air or nitrox, all of the wrecks can be dived without any decompression penalties. Yes, this may cut down your time on the wrecks, but no matter what your level of expertise is, safety should always be your top priority.

Those doing more technical diving with trimix and closed circuit all have their own sets of rules with extended time on the wrecks, but inevitably the penalty of this diving time at depth results in the length of time taken to get back up to the surface safely. This can also dramatically reduce your range of dives in a week’s diving in Scapa Flow. In reality, diving in Scapa Flow should never be overlooked or even passed over by anyone – no matter what the level of expertise is. The diving is actually fairly simple and uncomplicated – jump off a boat, dive down a shotline, do some wreck exploration and perhaps some photography within your time limit, back up the shotline and onto the boat again! The shallowest parts of the German Fleet are in only 15m and the shallowest blockship remains are in less than 6m, so the wrecks of Scapa Flow are well within the reach of every diver.

All of the shipwrecks in Scapa Flow have protected status under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1974 and are scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas 1979. For those visitors who do not understand what this means – do not penetrate the wrecks; do not touch and do not remove any ‘souvenirs’! For those who do, you will be arrested, taken to court, heavily fined and may have the possibility of incarceration. n Diver lifts make things so easy

Karlsruhe gun lying on the seabed

LAWSON WOOD: BIOGRAPHY

Lawson Wood is from Eyemouth in the southeast of Scotland and has been scuba diving since 1965. Now with over 15,000 dives logged in all of the world’s oceans, he is the author and co-author of over 50 books, including some specifically on Scapa Flow and the Orkneys. He made photographic history by becoming a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers solely for underwater photography. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Lawson is founder of the first marine reserve in Scotland, co-founder of the Berwickshire Marine Nature Reserve and co-founder of the Marine Conservation Society.

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DIVING the Solomon Islands

T

he Solomon Islands is a Melanesian nation to the northeast of Australia. It stretches between Papua New Guinea to the west and Vanuatu to the southeast. Made up of 922 islands, 350 of which are inhabited, the Solomon Islands were formed by volcanic and earthquake activity over the years. The islands have been largely untouched by tourism in the last 100 years.

As such, there hasn’t been pressure placed on the various underwater environments, and many of the gorgeous dive sites remain uncrowded.

In ancient times, the Solomon Islands were inhabited by the Melanesian people, Austronesian speakers and the Polynesians. The first European to arrive was Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira. He was followed in the 19th Century by a series of missionaries who largely failed in their mission due to the custom of recruiting locals into forced labour in Queensland and Fiji.

As a result of this labour trade, violence erupted and Great Britain declared the islands as a protectorate in 1893.

Throughout World War Two, the Solomon Islands were the scene of intense fighting between the United States and Japan, particularly during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Finally, independence was gained in 1978.

Today, the country enjoys a constitutional monarchy under the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. In recent history, ethnic violence threatened the stability of the country between 1998 and the early 2000s. However, in 2003, an Australianled peace force disarmed the ethnic militants and improved the situation on the ground. In recent years, the country has enjoyed peace and stability, making it a safe and beautiful destination.

You now get a true feeling of island life in some of the most-stunning unspoilt scenery. The islands have a rich history and there is no escaping the impact that World War Two has had on her, providing a major form of tourism, which is now deeply imbedded into the fabric and economy of the country. If you are into diving, then you will certainly not be disappointed - this is diving heaven!

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For incredible reefs, lots of fish, and very few divers - the Solomon Islands is the place to be. You have some of the best wrecks in the world (including aircraft), caverns, pristine reefs, large seafans, soft corals, lots of macro and pelagic species. There is an incredible diversity of hard corals. In fact, the diversity of the Solomon’s is hard to beat, rivalling any other Indo-Pacific destination for coral reefs, marine life and diversity and a bonus, topside you get great cultural experiences and fascinating historical tours.

The major dive areas can be defined as Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Munda, and South Marovo Lagoon. Guadalcanal and Tulagi host a wide variety of World War Two wrecks as well as many other shipwrecks. Munda and South Marovo Lagoon feature beautiful reefs, sheer walls, muck diving and some sites that attract a number of pelagic species. While most of the reefs begin just offshore, the wrecks might require a bit of a swim or a boat ride.

Some of the wrecks can be quite deep, reaching over 70m or more.

Don’t be put off by this, as many wrecks sit at more accessible depths under 40m.

While there are a huge number of wrecks around the islands, the majority of the famous and documented ones are situated on the coastline of Honiara, or at the island of Tulagi. Our tours are based between these two destinations. Tulagi is home to several deep wrecks featured in previous articles, including the USS Aaron Ward and the Kanawha. Also in this area are the Catalina and Mavis flying boats, which rest in a comfortable depth for sport divers.

Basing yourself at the Raiders Hotel will provide you with the opportunity to dive these wrecks, easily filling a two-week tour of prime diving.

On the other side of the channel is Honiara and along her coastline are several great wreck dives, including the John Peen

Neil Bennett has been showcasing the technical delights of the Solomons Islands, but as he explains, there is much for all levels of diver, so a mixed-certification group can all explore this wondrous, unspoilt destination PHOTOGRAPHS BY NEIL BENNETT

supporting divers

Prop from a war plane Taking a closer look

and Azumasan Maru, both deeper dives, while the B17 bomber, Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru all are accessible as beach dives with stunning underwater scenery.

If you do decide to take the shore dives be prepared for a bone-jarring truck ride to get you to the destinations as these are not all close at hand and the roads resemble a motocross track rather than a highway. Time too is a factor, as they will take a full day to complete.

The Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru are both very simple dives allowing you to walk in off the shore and descending to shallow depths where the wrecks are very open and accessible. On the Hirokawa Maru, the coral life is beautiful with stunning gorgonian fans that fill the

supporting manufacturers

Not all the sites are deep...

deep depth. There is another challenge too, with the very silty bottom that almost covers her hidden treasure. It is not until you get very close can you make out what is now hidden away.

Moving in the opposite direction along the coast lies the John Penn. Again this is a deeper wreck and can present herself as a challenging dive due to the currents that can often frequent her. In contrast to the Azumansan Maru, due to her location at a mouth of a river estuary, visibility can often be restricted too. Moving back across the Guadalcanal to Tulagi are a number of sites which are often not covered in articles; such as the RNZA Moa; the only divable New Zealand warship lost in an act of war.

The RNZN Moa lies in 36m-42m of water. Vis can be poor (for the tropics that is), but well worth the visit. Be sure to check out the depth charge racks at the stern and the 4” gun at the bow. The depth of this wreck allows plenty of ...but there is plenty for time for exploration. techies Also in this area lie several sea planes from both US and Japanese forces. Several Kawanishi (code name Mavis) four-engine reconnaissance / VIP transport seaplanes, were sunk. The two main sites lie in 30m of water and wrecks are big enough to keep you occupied for an entire non-decompression dive and more.

Sitting upright in approximately 26m of water sits a Catalina flying boat which is often used as a shallow non-decompression second dive for the tech divers. Largely intact, she is an interesting dive and provides a contrast to the shipwreck dives.

New Zealand Diving runs tours Marine life is to the Solomon Islands – plentiful visit the website for more information. www.nzdiving.co.nz

passageways as you swim though the wreck.

Both wrecks provide great photographic opportunities, with natural light penetrating the wrecks with shafts of beams in a background of cathedral structures. They are now both broken due to time and weather, but there is plenty of structure left to remind you of their sizes.

In the same area lie the Azumansan Maru and Sasako Maru - both much deeper wrecks and both need boat support to dive. The Azumansan has to be one of my favourite wrecks with her huge cargo holds and surprise cargo of Japanese motorcycles with sidecars. This is a wreck you could spend hours exploring, but time is against you with the relatively

To be able to summarise the Solomon Islands is very difficult as you are in danger of understating how good the diving is here

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Silt covers some of the wrecks

Tail end of a downed aircraft

The Azumansan has to be one of my favourite wrecks with her huge cargo holds and surprise cargo of Japanese motorcycles with sidecars

For those of you requiring a little more variation to wreck dives there are a number of stunning reefs to explore. One particular dive are the Twin Tunnels. The top of the reef is in 12m-16m of water and features two tunnels eroded in the edge of the reef descending down to a common cavern exiting to the wall at 35m-40m. The walls are lined with gorgonian fans and the caverns crammed with fish life. The top of the reef is spectacular in its own right should you wish to stay outside.

Away from this area is the Leru Cut at Russell Island.

Probably the most-famous dive site in the Solomon Islands, Leru Cut is an indent into the side of a small island which runs for about a hundred metres, around 12m deep. You can surface at the end of the ‘cut’, and feel bizarre being in scuba gear in the interior of the island, while looking up at huge trees with vines hanging down and birds calling.

Mbulo Caves at Mbulo Island has a series of caves cut into the reef around the island. This dive is a photographers’ dream swimming in and out of caves, finding beams of light to shoot with a green jungle canopy above you providing a stark contrast to the view below.

The Solomon Islands still produces some amazing discoveries. With so many aircrafts and shipwrecks still missing in action, more and more are being discovered as new dive sites. During our time at the Raiders, we were lucky to help identify a recently discovered Wildcat fighter plane located very close to the hotel itself. Events like this bring a new meaning to the dives you are undertaking, and it takes a destination like this to give you these opportunities. To be able to summarise the Solomon Islands is very difficult as you are in danger of understating how good the diving is here. This is a destination that has everything with respect to diving in a true, raw, adventure-style which is mirrored by the country itself. If you love diving then you won’t be disappointed with the Solomon Islands. n

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Penetrating one of the wrecks

Find us at ADEX at the Tourism Solomons booth and meet Solomon Islands ambassador, internationally acclaimed underwater photographer and videographer, GERALD RAMBERT! PHOTOGRAPHY © GERALD RAMBERT

WELCOME TO PARADISE

Explore an unspoiled paradise comprising 992 islands, all relatively untouched by the modern world, on our 7 night/8 day Discovery Cruise. The perfect mix of relaxation and adventure!

TEL: +677 789 6869

sidcruises@dive-solomon.com www.sidcruises.com.au

RAIDERS HOTEL & DIVE EXPLORE • DISCOVER • RELAX • TULAGI • SOLOMON ISLANDS

• REEF & WRECK DIVING • ACCOMMODATION • BAR & DINING • SNORKLING • HIKING & MORE Located one hour from Honiara, on the waterfront of the historic Tulagi Harbour, Solomon Islands

Office: +677 32070 Mobile: +677 7494185 / 7938017 raidershotel@solomon.com.sb www.raidershotel.com

What’s New

APEKS T-SHIRTS

360 OBSERVE MIRROR

Small, hand-held mirrors are very useful tools for divers, but most people think of them as a signally device.

The 360 Observe, however, has far more uses than just that.

The 360 Observe is a small, convex mirror about 5cm across, with an adjustable webbing strap to mount it to the back of your hand, or attach it to your BCD/wing.

From dive pros being able to quickly glance at the group behind them, technical divers having a quick look at their manifold for any signs of bubbles, or even divers swimming on the surface back towards the boat being able to see where they are heading, this little unit is very handy.

www.facebook.com/360observe

FOURTH ELEMENT GULPER INSULATED WATER BOTTLE

These high-quality, custom-designed T-shirts are manufactured from 165gsm ring-spun carbon-brushed pima cotton. They’re lovely and soft and pre-shrunk, so there’s no nasty surprises on laundry day.

Featuring a bold screen-printed design, an Apeks woven tab on the front and a printed logo on the rear, these unisex T-shirts are available in a range of five sizes (S – XXL), two designs and two colourways. www.apeksdiving.com 54

Every adventurer needs a canteen of water. The Gulper is more than just your everyday water bottle though. Pro-grade stainless steel double wall vacuum insulation means that iced drinks stay cool for up to 24 hours, and a hot drink will stay that way for up to 12 hours.

Every time you refill this 900ml-capacity bottle instead of buying bottled water (look out for refill stations cropping up everywhere), you are helping to reduce the production of plastic waste which may end up in landfill or in the oceans. The versatile BPA-free, polypropylene-and-silicone lid means you can drink on the go thanks to the twist-and-sip valve, and the wide aperture makes filling and cleaning quick, simple and spill-free. www.fourthelement.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

RATIO IDIVE COLOUR

FINNSUB BANG TORCHES

Ratio’s latest iDive computers use a matrix TFT fullcolour screen, providing a clear, easy-to-read display.

The user can choose from up to nine different colours to personalise the screen. The rechargeable Li-ion battery can be used for up to 20 hours in dive mode and one to two months in watch mode. All variants have a 3D compass as well as being compatible with multi-transmitters.

The iDive Colour Easy features a two-nitrox mix and retails for £549. The iDive Colour Deep has three-mix capability. It is £649. The iDive Colour Tech+ offers up to ten gases, and full trimix with CCR options. www.ratio-computers.com

MARES EPIC ADJ 82X

The Epic ADJ 82X is the new top-of-the-line regulator from Mares, combining the traditional advantages of the company’s regulators with the latest-generation technological innovations and an exclusive design.

The balanced diaphragm first stage incorporates a 360-degree swivel turret, and has a unique design for the high-pressure ports allowing you to orientate them to your preference regardless of the first-stage position. The high number of low-pressure ports allows for more flexible configuration.

The pneumatically balanced second stage features the ‘motorcycle-throttle’ venturi control and wide pivoting purge button first seen on the highly regarded Fusion regulator, both easy to use even while wearing thick gloves. The VAD/VAD+ Twin Power System offers more control over air flow in all situations. It also comes with a Superflex hose. www.mares.com

Finnsub have added two innovative new torches to their line-up – the BANG Spot, and the BANG Wide. The Spot has a 5 degree beam, while the Wide has a 10 degree beam, and both put out 1,100 lumen for two hours at 100 percent power, or 366 lumen for ten hours at 30 percent.

They are depth-rated to 100m, and are powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and they can be charged up without having to ‘open’ the torches thanks to the charging points being at the back of the unit.

Both are switched on and off, and the power levels changed, via a unique system where you lightly ‘tap’ on the ‘BANG’ space on the light body. It is designed to be used with gloves, and comes with a soft Goodman handle mount for the back of your hand. www.finnsub.com

TANK TROLLEY Tank Trolley provides an innovative solution for divers who struggle to carry their tanks on their backs on their way to and from the dive site. It’s an easier way to transport scuba tanks - with wheels.

The effective design allows for easy attachment to scuba tanks so divers can roll them through car parks, along paths and even over sandy beaches.

This is especially useful for those who can’t support the weight of their tanks topside for extended periods of time. www.tanktrolley.net * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: MID-PRICE REGULATORS

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

MID-PRICE REGULATORS

This issue, we again look at one of the mostvital pieces of the modern divers’ kit bag - regulators, or more specifically, middle-of-theprice-range regs.

Without a solid, reliable reg, you aren’t going anywhere underwater, as this is your true life-support system.

As many of our readers dive in the UK, and some all year round, we always test regulators in February and March, when water temperatures are at their lowest in the inland sites - much to the chagrin of the Test Team members. We push the units to their max by extensively purging them underwater and topside, over-breathing them underwater to simulate a panic situation, breathing them in every orientation, working any Venturi and/or cracking resistance controls, and various other trials - if they can handle this over-the-top usage, they can handle a normal diving situation.

A large array of manufacturers produce regulators, and our aim here at Scuba Diver is to give you the widest selection in each review. Now that Oceanic and Hollis are back in the UK market through Huish Outdoors, we have a good array from these two manufacturers, along with Apeks, Aqua Lung, Zeagle, and Scubapro. Mares and Atomic Aquatics are missing as they had nothing available in this price bracket.

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • APEKS XL4+ • AQUA LUNG CORE SUPREME • HOLLIS 100LX DC3 • OCEANIC ALPHA 10 SPX • SCUBAPRO MK17 EVO/ C370 56

• ZEAGLE ONYX II Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis

www.viviandivecentre.com

Water temp: 5 degrees C WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

APEKS XL4+ Blackburn-based Apeks Marine Equipment has been around for over 40 years, and since that time the company’s regulators have found a special place in the heart’s - and kit bags - of many British divers. The XL4+ is their newest regulator - effectively an XL4 but with an added high-pressure port and a nifty white colour scheme - and as with its predecessor, was designed from the outset to be a very lightweight, travel-friendly unit, but crucially, also cold-water rated. The body of the second stage is reminiscent of the lightweight Flight reg, except this has a large purge on the front, and an easy-to-operate venturi lever.

This over-balanced diaphragm reg features an innovative over-moulded first-stage endcap, one high-pressure port, four low-pressure ports and comes with a braided hose.

The XL4+ is a nice-looking regulator, especially with that white finish, and its subtle styling is matched by a stunning performance.

The first stage is chunky but quite compact, while the second stage is extremely small and lightweight - you almost don’t feel it in your mouth. The Comfo-Bite mouthpiece is also very comfy. The large purge is easy to locate and depress, and the Venturi, while fairly small, can be operated even with thick gloves. The wide exhaust tee disperses exhaled bubbles well clear of your face. www.apeksdiving.com

CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST

REGULATORS

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 923kg | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: Neat little regulator, the perfect blend of cold-water performance and travel-friendly weight.

Great all-round regulator.

SCORE

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AQUA LUNG CORE SUPREME Aqua Lung has been making diving equipment for 75 years, and their regulators have always been solid units, but they have really come on in recent years - the Core Supreme is a belting little unit for just over £300. It has a chrome-coated brass balanced diaphragm first stage with two highpressure ports and four low-pressure ports, which is paired with a balanced demand valve equipped with a Venturi control and a large purge button.

The Core Supreme is a decent-looking regulator that delivers a smooth breathe, doesn’t break the scales when it comes to weight, and at just over £300, represents excellent value for money. The large purge is easy to locate and operate even with thick gloves, and the same goes for the venturi lever. The exhaust is fairly compact, but the routing is sound and it disperses exhaled bubbles efficiently.

The first stage is pretty small, which helps keep the weight down, and with its shiny chrome and polyurethane protector it certainly looks eye-catching. It is equipped with Aqua Lung’s patented Auto Closure Device, or ACD, which prevents any accidental water ingress if you accidentally submerged it without putting the cover back on the DIN or Yoke fitting. www.aqualung.com

BEST VALUE 2019 GROUP TEST

REGULATORS

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 874kg | HOSE: rubber | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: Eye-catching regulator with a great all-round performance, large purge, comfortable mouthpiece and efficient exhaust.

SCORE

••••••••••

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

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HOLLIS 100LX DC3 It is great to see Hollis back in the spotlight. While all the behind-the-scenes wheeling-and-dealing was going on as AUP sold Hollis to Huish Outdoors, the company’s products were missing from many group tests, which is a shame as they are well worth checking out.

The 100LX features a braided hose and large venturi lever, and has a big purge. It can also be converted from right-hand to left-hand.

It has four low-pressure ports and two high-pressure ports on its DC3 first stage.

As with all Hollis regulators, it comes with a lifetime warranty, only requires a service every two years - and you get service kits free-of-charge for the life of the regulator.

It is easy to see the benefits of being part of the Huish Outdoors family. The super-comfy mouthpiece, which is soft but has harder inserts in the ‘bite’, is very reminiscent of Atomic Aquatics. The breathe is smooth and dry in all orientations, and the big, chunky venturi lever, which has a rubber grip built in, is easy to use even wearing drygloves, as is the monster purge, which is effectively the entire front of the second stage. It looks good too, in an understated way, and I like the red-and-black colour scheme. www.hollis.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.08kg | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: Good-looking regulator with its black-and-red colour scheme. Huge purge and venturi lever, comfortable mouthpiece and awesome warranty.

SCORE

••••••••••

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

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new in ladies first line

OCEANIC ALPHA 10 SPX It is great to see Oceanic back in the limelight. As with Hollis, while all the discussions was going on as AUP sold Oceanic to Huish Outdoors, the company’s products were missing from many group tests, which again, was a shame as they are generally good units.

The Alpha 10 SPX is a budget-priced regulator - it is the cheapest here by quite a margin - but it doesn’t skimp on performance. This test model came with an SPX piston first stage, with two high-pressure ports and four low-pressure ports. The second stage is pneumatically balanced and has a compact venturi lever and a shaped purge.

As with the Hollis, the Oceanic reg benefits from being in a family with Atomic Aquatics, and features the same soft-with-harder-insert mouthpiece. The venturi is a bit dinky compared with the Hollis, so a bit more awkward with gloves on.

The purge is effective, buy it feels a bit odd being a hard plastic ‘button’, compared to the soft, tactile Hollis. Despite the SPX first stage not being environmentally protected, it didn’t falter in the cold even with robust testing. www.oceanicworldwide.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 860g | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: Cheap-and-cheerful budget regulator, with braided hose, comfortable mouthpiece, and it benefits from a great lifetime warranty.

SCORE

••••••••••

* = 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

SCUBAPRO MK17 EVO/C370 Scubapro has been churning out high-quality dive gear for over 50 years, and the MK11/ C370 certainly slots into the roll-call well.

The tried-and-tested air-balanced diaphragm MK11 has a compact chrome-plated brass body and boasts four low-pressure ports and two high-pressure ports. The C370 second stage body is made from fibreglass reinforced nylon and now features a balanced valve (a major change from the C350 predecessor) and new exhaust tee. It retains its good looks, though - when SubGear was still in existence, the earlier incarnation of this was their regulator for the next price bracket up. It is one of only two regs in this price segment to feature both a venturi lever and a cracking resistance control.

The MK11/C350 was a nice little unit, with good looks matched to a decent performance, but the C370 has upped the ante, and the performance is now noticeably improved.

Scubapro has managed to retain the high-end good looks of the second stage while providing an even-smoother breathe. It was nice and dry in all positions, coped admirably with whatever we threw at it, and the venturi - and in particular, the cracking resistance control - really did make a difference to the breathe. Nice large purge, comfy mouthpiece, neat first stage and awesome price point. www.scubapro.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.23kg | HOSE: rubber | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: The MK11 EVO/C370 pairing at under £330 is excellent value for money, and with its flashy metal second-stage inserts, it looks to be worth far more.

SCORE

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

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ZEAGLE ONYX II Zeagle is a US brand that has built up a strong following for its robust, well-made BCDs, and it looks set to follow suit with its regulators.

The Onyx II blends an environmentally sealed balanced diaphragm brass first stage equipped with two high-pressure ports and five low-pressure ports with a thermoplastic second stage via a flexible braided hose.

This was one of only two regs in this price bracket to feature both a venturi lever and a cracking resistance control.

The Zeagle Onyx II is a great-looking regulator, benefitting from a stylish metal insert into the front of the second stage around the large, soft purge, which belies its price point and you’d be mistaken for thinking it was in the next test bracket. The first stage, with its black finish, neatly sets it off. In the water, it breathed effortlessly in any orientation, and the venturi and cracking resistance control really made a difference to the air flow, allowing us to finetune it.

The mouthpiece is very comfortable, and the exhaust sends exhaled bubbles up the side of your head. This is one of the more-expensive regulators on test, but it has plenty of features of merit, and it has a fantastic performance to match its eye-catching good looks. www.zeagle.com

VERDICT

Regulators are something we rely on underwater, so you want to know you can count on it, and none of these regs was found wanting, despite some, shall-wesay, robust testing!

In the Best Value category, it was a close-run thing between the Oceanic Alpha 10 SPX and the Aqua Lung Core Supreme. The Oceanic is a capable little unit, but the Aqua Lung just took things to another level for a little bit more expenditure. At just over £300, it is a bargain, and well deserves the Best Value Award.

The Choice category was a tougher battle. The Hollis 100LX DC3 and the Scubapro MK11 EVO/C370 put up a good fight, and both are great regulators, offering up decent performance at a good price, but in the end, it was a straight up battle royale between the Apeks XL4+ and the Zeagle Onyx II. Both the Apeks - in its previous XL4 guise - and the Zeagle had been recipients of the Choice Award. In the end, there was literally nothing to separate the two, with both offering sublime performance, solid build quality and good looks, so we decided to make them joint winners of the Award.

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST

REGULATORS

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.09kg | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: The OnyxII is a great-looking regulator whose neat design points are matched by a fantastic performance.

SCORE

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Long Term Test SHEARWATER RESEARCH TERIC Mark Evans: Shearwater Research are renowned for their dive computers, and now they have targeted the wristwatch-style market. In short, the Teric has all the features divers have come to love in the company’s computers - and more. It has four buttons rather than the usual two, but Shearwater have applied situationally adaptable logic to their menus and buttons, making it easy to figure out. It also comes with a wirelessly rechargeable INFORMATION Arrival date: December 2018 battery, and it has tech, Suggested retail price: * OC tech, CCR and Number of dives: 0 freediving modes.

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

BARE ULTRAWARMTH 7MM HOOD Mark Evans: The Ultrawarmth series from BARE incorporates Celliant technology, and I had had previous experience of this development from a past DEMA trade show. It almost seems too good to be true, a fabric interwoven with this stuff that absorbs your body heat and then reflects it back to you, but you know what, it really works!

Even though the water temp was low single digits, my head was toasty above and beyond the warmth you get from a standard 7mm hood. www.baresports.com 64

INFORMATION Arrival date: November 2018 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 3 Time in water: 3 hrs 15 mins

MOMENTUM DEEP 6

Mark Evans: I only tend to dive in my dive computer currently a rather lovely Shearwater Perdix AI - and then whatever other units I am in the process of reviewing.

However, to see how the Deep 6 holds up to being used as a genuine dive watch, I have been wearing it on the other INFORMATION Arrival date: June 2018 wrist. So far it is coping Suggested retail price: * well - there is not a mark Number of dives: 19 on it.

Time in water: 17 hrs 15 mins www.momentumwatch.com

ZEAGLE SCOPE MONO

Mark Evans: The Scope Mono has been diving with me a few more times, and these dips have confirmed my previous findings that it is very comfortable on the face, easy to clear and that ski-mask-style elasticated strap is bloody marvellous.

Another neat aspect of this strap is the fact that you can take it off and swap it for a completely different INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 coloured one if you want Suggested retail price: * to be colour-co-ordinated, Number of dives: 10 or just fancy a change.

Time in water: 9 hrs 25 mins www.zeagle.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG ROGUE

Mark Evans: The Aqua Lung Rogue has been back in morelocal waters after its jaunt to Grenada, and I am still liking its blend of comfort and back to basics design.

The lightweight nature of the padded backpad and the detachable waist strap and shoulder straps means that Aqua Lung were able to retain their nifty metal tank-band clamp, which securely locks the cylinder in place with minimal effort - and thanks to its clever design, you INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2018 don’t risk trapping your fingers under it as it clamps Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 37 into place.

Time in water: 36 hrs 55 mins www.aqualung.com

HALCYON INFINITY Mark Evans: A few more dives done on the Halcyon Infinity and I am still liking this backplate-andwing combo.

I hate wearing a weightbelt these days, and thankfully the Infinity comes equipped with a set of Halcyon’s neat integrated weight pockets, which hold the pouches containing your lead securely in place using chunky pinch-clip releases. They are mounted in a vertical orientation, so once you release them, the INFORMATION Arrival date: October 2018 pouches can be jettisoned Suggested retail price: * or removed very easily Number of dives: 5 single-handedly.

Time in water: 4 hrs 55 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

MARES QUAD AIR Mark Evans: And so the Mares Quad Air comes to the end of its run in Long Term Test. This computer has accompanied us on dives both here in the UK and in warmer waters abroad, and it performed well in all conditions.

In a time when colour screens are all the rage, the large LCD display on the Quad Air proves that old-school can still be effective, and it is easy to read even in low-vis environments.

Even with its large screen, it is lightweight thanks to its construction, and the buttons are easy to use INFORMATION Arrival date: May 2018 even with gloves. A great Suggested retail price: * air-integrated computer for Number of dives: 34 the price point.

Time in water: 33 hrs 10 mins www.mares.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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SCHOLARSHIP DIARY

The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society is a non-profit, educational organisation whose mission is to promote educational activities associated with the underwater world. It has offered scholarships for over 35 years. owuscholarship.org

DIVING US TEMPERATE ECOSYSTEMS PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLIVIA JOHNSON

I

was lucky enough in November to make my way up the west coast of the United States, from San Diego all the way up to Juneau in Alaska!

I was very keen to dive in the incredible kelp forests of the US and compare them to my home state of Tasmania’s kelp forest ecosystems, my favourite type of system and one which I had conducted my studies in.

On top of my list of places to visit during my Scholarship year was the Channel Islands National Park. Known for its incredible kelp forest ecosystems and immense temperate reef diversity, I was fortunate enough to head out with the US National Parks team and dive Anacapa Island. It was the moststunning kelp forest I had ever had the privilege of diving in. I was surrounded by a huge towering forest that had me craning my neck to look up to see the stop of the kelp. It was absolutely incredible, and as a lot of our forests have disappeared in Tasmania due to climate change influences, it was so humbling to see a forest in such amazing health, including all the life that lived in it.

Also known for its incredible temperate reef ecosystem is the famous Monterey Bay. I was extremely fortunate to be hosted by Monterey Bay Aquarium for three days, where I had the absolute honour of working with their dedicated group of volunteer scuba divers and learn all about the diving programme and what happens behind the scenes at a world-famous aquarium such as this one. It really was amazing to learn about the rehabilitation facilities, and most of all for me the incredible science-education and communication message an institute like this provides to the public. So many critical conservation and key messages were portrayed in a variety of ways at this facility, from lectures, to aquarium shows, and with specialised staff in every corner of the aquarium,

there was never a moment where you could not seek clarification.

I was extremely fortunate after meeting much of the diving team, to then dive in the Kelp Forest exhibit while the aquarium was open to the public. Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first in the world to successfully grow and maintain giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, in an exhibit, and to be able to stare up at the giant kelp forests from the glass windows inside was quite wonderous. A big part of my Scholarship year was learning how we could bridge the science-communication gap and change the out-of-sight, out-of-mind perspective when it comes to ocean-related issues. I think that Monterey Bay Aquarium provides an incredible facility, allowing the average person who may not be able to just jump into the water an opportunity to have a first-hand experience and encounter with some of the most-incredible parts of our ocean.

They provide a world-class platform to learn more about what lies underneath the surface.

My final stop of my west coast diving experiences would take me to Sitka and Juneau in the south-east of Alaska, where I would be working with the University of Alaska South-east to learn about their scientific diving programme. I got to experience some very cold-water diving, as the temperatures didn’t get to more that 3°C! There were many similarities as well as differences to the temperate reef ecosystems that I had previously been diving in further south. Overall, Alaska also hosted an incredible array of temperate life, that left me in awe and eager to get back at any opportunity that arises! I cannot thank everyone enough who made my US experiences so memorable. Next, I will be heading back to Australia to face a big personal challenge, where I will be diving with great white sharks with the Rodney Fox crew in South Australia. n

Olivia Johnson

EXCITE / EXCITE PRO

CENTRE OF POWER.

EDGE OF PERFORMANCE. • • • • •

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Be powerful. Take the edge of performance.

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A complete, exceptionally comfortable BC system weighing in at only 2.3Kg. Perfect for the traveling scuba diver. A revolutionary design and cutting edge materials, coupled with no compromises on quality has created a tough and durable BCD unrivaled in recreational diving.

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