Scuba Diver Asia Pacific - Issue 4

JILL HEINERTH Q&A:

BUOYANCY AT THE BACK:

SPEARO HINTS AND ADVICE:

THE CANADIAN ICON TALKS ICEBERGS, CAVES, CCRS AND WHAT DRIVES HER

THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS SIX HIGH-END BACK-INFLATE BCDS

SEVEN ‘DRY’ TRAINING EXERCISES THAT WILL HELP YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR SPEARFISHING EFFORTS

SHOOTING

SHARKS How to take the ULTIMATE shark photographs

SHARKS, REEFS &

macro critters EXPLORING 'STRADDIE' IN AUSTRALIA, CORON BAY IN THE PHILIPPINES AND PHUKET IN THAILAND

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Thai cave rescue efforts CAPTIVATE THE ENTIRE WORLD I had been waiting to write this editorial. When the news broke about the 12 children and their soccer coach going missing in a cave system that had subsequently flooded, I feared the worst, and as the days dragged on and they still had not been found, I was presuming it would become a body recovery. Experts from around the world flew into Thailand to assist, and the number of people on the ground swelled to more than 1,000.

But then, amazingly, elite British cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen made a push deeper into the cave complex and discovered the bedraggled group sheltering on a dry area of rock.

The entire world, which had been glued to their media channels for news, erupted in joy.

However, the discovery was tempered by the fact that to get to where the group were, the divers had had to negotiate an extremely challenging route to get there when our chaps described it as ‘gnarly’, you know that in reality that means nigh on impossible.

Tragically, proving just how arduous the route was, former

Thai Navy SEAL Petty Officer Saman Gunan died while ferrying tanks into the system.

Discussions on leaving the group in-situ for possibly four months, to allow flood waters to subside, were swiftly dropped, meaning a risky cave-diving rescue was the only viable option. This began on Sunday 8 July, and the world cheered when the first four children were successfully extracted. Four more followed on Monday 9 July, and as I happily write this, on Tuesday 10 July, the final four and their coach had made it safely out of the cave complex.

To say this mammoth rescue operation was simply beyond anything ever attempted before does not do it justice. It just shows that in a real crisis, people from around the planet can come together and pull off the impossible. I tip my hat to Rick, John and everyone else involved in this amazing feat, and offer my condolences to Saman Gunan’s family. Never mind the football, this was an inspiring tale involving real heroes in the purest sense of the word.

MARK EVANS, Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR IN CHIEF

ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP

DESIGN

MAGAZINE

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHERS

Mark Evans Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com Matt Griffiths Email: matt@griffital.co.uk David Jones, Jill Heinerth, Mario Vitalini, Stuart Philpott, Adrian Stacey

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Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers.

Copyright for material published remains with Rork Media Limited. Use of material from Scuba Diver is strictly prohibited unless permission is given. All advertisements of which the creative content is in whole or in part the work of Rork Media Limited remain the copyright of Rork Media Limited.

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ISSN 2515-9593

05

JILL HEINERTH Q&A:

BUOYANCY AT THE BACK:

SPEARO HINTS AND ADVICE:

THE CANADIAN ICON TALKS ICEBERGS, CAVES, CCRS AND WHAT DRIVES HER

THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS SIX HIGH-END BACK-INFLATE BCDS

SEVEN ‘DRY’ TRAINING EXERCISES THAT WILL HELP YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR SPEARFISHING EFFORTS

ON THE COVER

SHOOTING

SHARKS How to take the ULTIMATE shark photographs

SHARKS, REEFS & SHARKS,

macro critters EXPLORING 'STRADDIE' IN AUSTRALIA, CORON BAY IN THE PHILIPPINES AND PHUKET IN THAILAND

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PHOTOGRAPHER: STUART PHILPOTT

24/07/2018 09:19

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES

A new wreck sunk off the coast of Australia, and details of the successful Thai cave rescue.

Before he settled in Oz, Adrian Stacey went on a tour of Australia, and during his time near Brisbane he discovered the popular getaway hotspot of Stradbroke Island. Find out what he thought of the diving.

8 News

22 Dive like a Pro

A panel of training agency experts offer advice on how to get your weighting correct.

31 Our-World UW Scholar

Olivia Johnson cruises from Fiji to Tahiti, and goes freshwater diving in Australia.

32 Underwater photography

Mario Vitalini discusses how to use get the very best and most-striking shark images.

66 The Course Director

Marcel van den Berg looks at how YouTube demonstrations videos can help your IDC.

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18 Australia

26 Thailand

Stuart Philpott goes hunting for macro critters in the waters off Phuket, Thailand, accompanied by three very different guides. Would he find the elusive nudibranch that he was looking for?

36 FREEDIVING: Women in freediving

DeeperBlue.com’s Francesca Koe takes a look at some of the mostpowerful women currently on the freediving competitive circuit.

39 SPEARFISHING: Hints and advice / What’s New Issac Daly talks about how ‘dry training’ can help improve your spearfishing, plus two new products from the Mares spearfishing range, the Sealhouette mask and snorkel, and the Smart Apnea computer.

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CONTENTS

40 Philippines

David Jones explores the World War Two Japanese shipwrecks that litter the seabed of Coron Bay in the Philippines, and finds them rich in historical artefacts as well as being smothered in a wide range of vibrant marine life.

46 HOUSE REEF: Indonesia

Monthly focus on a particular house reef in some farflung part of the world. This issue, we venture on to the house reef of Papua Paradise in the diving hotspot of Raja Ampat in Indonesia, which is a heaven for underwater photographers.

48 TECHNICAL: Q&A with Jill Heinerth

Canadian Jill Heinerth - explorer-in-residence of the Canadian Royal Geographical Society - is world-renowned for her groundbreaking expeditions and photographs/films, often in the mostinhospitable places, including far into the frozen north, and here she discusses what drives her interests.

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GEAR GUIDE 52 What’s New

New products recently released or coming soon, including Fourth Element’s summer 2018 range of apres-divewear, Aqua Lung’s innovative Rogue BCD, Mares X-Free mask, and the BARE Ultrawarmth base layers.

54 Group Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team heads to North Wales to trial a selection of high-end back-inflate BCDs from a range of manufacturers.

62 Test Extra

The Mares Kaila SLS BCD is rated and reviewed by Samara Ironside.

64 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team gets to grips with a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Apeks RK3 fins.

07

NEWS

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

EX-HMAS TOBRUK SCUTTLED OFF QUEENSLAND COAST AS ARTIFICIAL REEF

PHOTO CREDIT: QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT AND SUBSEA WORKS

Former Australian Navy ship HMAS Tobruk has been scuttled off the Queensland coast, where it will become a dive site and tourist attraction. The sinking had been rescheduled twice due to unfavourable weather conditions, but the 127-metre-long amphibious heavy-lift ship – the jewel in the Royal Australian Navy’s crown when it was purpose-built in the late 1970s was finally sent to the bottom at the end of June, halfway between Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, and about 15 nautical miles off the coast. Queensland Minister for the Environment and Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch used a flare to signal for the scuttling to begin, before the valves were opened and the ship was flooded and sunk within 30 minutes. Hundreds of spectators had sailed out to see the vessel go down. It came to rest in 28m on its starboard side.

It was the culmination of a five-year local campaign to use a military vessel to create an artificial reef in the area. Project manager Steve Hoseck said it had taken months of work to reach this point, but the ship would be a unique drawcard for divers from across the world.

“It’s a very proud moment, but bittersweet too,” he said.

“This dive is going to be like no other wreck in Australia. It is a massive void inside there, there’s huge areas for people to swim around in. There are lots of nooks and crannies for divers to explore, and the contractors have left behind as many historic items as possible to make this an authentic dive experience. You’ll be able to swim 110 metres in one direction inside the ship, and the wildlife that’s going to habitat this artificial reef is just going to be outstanding.”

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Ex-HMAS Tobruk was decommissioned in 2015 after 35 years of service, mainly as an Army transport vessel.

Hervey Bay fisherman Nick Schulz came up with the idea for the wreck, and said it was needed to boost fishing and tourism. He said: “It’ll keep improving our fish stocks for the next 50 to 100 years, just that alone is worthwhile doing, let along all the tourism.” Federal Member for Hinkler Keith Pitt, who lobbied for ex-HMAS Tobruk to be sunk in his electorate, said it was a fitting way for the former Navy vessel to continue its service. He commented: “For our service personnel, our sailors, for them it was home… it’s a very, very big deal. We said from the outset that we would treat the ship with the dignity that it deserves and I think we’ve done that. It’s been great that we’ve had the opportunity for so many people to reboard her and give one last visit, but it does have a new role to play for the Australian people, and that will be as a tourism facility for diving.” It is hoped that divers will be able to dive the site as early as August.

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DIVING DS N E I WITH FR CORAL REEFS UNDER THREAT – FROM RATS New research has stated that rat control should be considered an urgent conservation priority on remote tropical islands to protect coral reefs. An international team of scientists, led by Professor Nick Graham of Lancaster University, conducted a study into the ecosystems in the northern atolls of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and their work has revealed that invasive rats decimate seabird populations on tropical islands, and this has direct and dire consequences for the coral reefs surrounding these land masses.

The paper (Seabirds enhance coral reef productivity and functioning in the absence of invasive rats), which has been published in the journal Nature, shows how invasive predators such as rats – which feed on bird eggs, chicks and even adult birds – are estimated to have devastated seabird populations within 90 percent of the world’s temperate and tropical island groups, but until now the extent of their impact on coral reefs wasn’t known.

Professor Graham explained: “Seabirds are crucial to these kinds of islands because they are able to fly to highly productive areas of open ocean to feed.

They then return to their island homes where they roost and breed, depositing guano – or bird droppings - on the soil. This guano is rich in the nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus. Until now, we didn’t know to what extent this made a difference to adjacent coral reefs.”

An extraordinary set of remote tropical islands in the central Indian Ocean, the Chagos islands provided a perfect ‘laboratory’ setting as some of the islands are rat-free, while others are infested with black rats - thought to have been introduced in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This unusual context enabled the researchers to undertake a unique, large-scale study directly comparing the reef ecosystems around these two types of islands. By examining soil samples, algae, and counting fish numbers close to the six rat-free and six rat-infested islands, scientists uncovered evidence of severe ecological harm caused by the rats, which extended way beyond the islands and into the sea.

Rat-free islands had significantly more seabird life and nitrogen in their soils, and this increased nitrogen made its way into the sea, benefiting macroalgae, filter-feeding sponges, turf algae, and fish on adjacent coral reefs. Fish life adjacent to rat-free islands was far more abundant with the mass of fish estimated to be 50 percent greater. The team also found that grazing of algae – an important function where fish consume algae and dead coral, providing a stable base for new coral growth – was 3.2 times higher adjacent to rat free islands.

“These results not only show the dramatic effect that rats can have on the composition of biological communities, but also on the way these vulnerable ecosystems function (or operate),” commented co-author Dr Andrew Hoey, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Australia.

Professor Graham concluded: “The results of this study are clear. Rat eradication should be a high conservation priority on oceanic islands. It could tip the balance for the future survival of these reefs and their ecosystems.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS TEENAGE FOOTBALLERS AND THEIR COACH RESCUED FROM THAI CAVE SYSTEM The world breathed a collective sigh of relief when 12 boys, aged between 11-16, and their football coach were successfully rescued from a Thai cave complex they had been stranded in by flood waters for over 16 days.

A massive rescue operation involving Thai special forces and locals along with an array of international specialists, including Australian divers Dr Richard Harris and Dr Craig Challen, and British cave experts Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, Chris Jewel, Jason Mallinson, Connor Roe, Jim Warny, Josh Bratchley and Rob Harper, raced to initially find the boys and their coach, and then get them out of the flooded cave system. The 13 went missing on 23 June when they ventured into the Tham Luang cave network – Thailand’s fourth longest cave - and were then cut off from the exit by flood waters. The search operation proved fruitless for several days, until on day nine, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen discovered the children and their coach sheltering on a dry area of rock some 4km from the entrance of the cave. There then followed a tense few days as various scenarios to rescue the trapped group were discussed, before on Sunday 8 July, cave divers went in and managed to extricate four of the youngsters. Four more were brought out on Monday 9 July, followed by the final four and their coach on Tuesday 10 July, bringing to an end a truly impressive global operation.

Sadly, one of the volunteers – former Thai Navy SEAL Petty Officer Saman Gunan – tragically died while ferrying cylinders into the cave system. He will be honoured by a state funeral.

ARE YOU READY TO #GODIVING? A brand-new dive exhibition is being launched in February 2019 which aims to inspire and enthuse existing divers as well as attract newcomers to the sport.

GO Diving, which runs from Friday 22 February to Sunday 24 February, is being co-ordinated by the team behind Scuba Diver and DeeperBlue.com. The event is being well supported by many of the major players in the dive industry and is set to be an exciting way to see in the New Year’s diving exploits. It will be hosted at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, an exciting venue with good transport links and centrally located for ease of access, wherever you live.

BBC stars Andy Torbet (Beyond Bionic, The One Show, Operation Iceberg) and Miranda Krestovnikoff (The One Show, Coast) are the comperes on the main stage and will also be talking about their adventures, while joining them as keynote speakers are the likes of freediving legend Umberto Pelizzari, TV favourite Monty Halls, technical and cave diving icon Jill Heinerth and underwater photography guru Alex Mustard MBE. There will also be dedicated stages in the disciplines of underwater photography, freediving and technical diving, with hosts of dynamic speakers discussing a wide range of subjects in talks, Q&A sessions, masterclass workshops and presentations.

There’s even an area for The Next Generation of scuba divers, all those keen kids and talented teens already attracted to the underwater realm.

There will also be competitions, treasure hunts, interactive exhibits, two massive pools for trydives, technical sessions and freediving workshops, not to mention hundreds of booths showcasing training agencies, equipment manufacturers and distributors, and many other dive-related businesses.

To find out more about visiting or exhibiting check out the website: www.godivingshow.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS AQUA LUNG CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND CONSERVATION There are few companies with as rich of a history, heritage, and passion for our oceans as Aqua Lung. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the company is both known as a true pioneer and the leader in innovative products in the dive, snorkel, and swim world.

A TIMELINE OF EXCELLENCE

It all began in 1943 when French Naval Officer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Air Liquide engineer Emile Gagnan developed an autonomous diving system with a demand regulator, (scaphandre autonome) – later named the ‘Aqua Lung’. Prior to this invention, the underwater world was virtually a mystery, craving much needed discovery, attention, and preservation.

This was the ground-breaking piece of equipment that made underwater exploration possible, and kick-started the company’s deep commitment to revolutionise scuba diving and continually improve, develop, and acquire products and companies to further the pursuit of adventure, exploration, and recreation on and underwater. Over the decades, the entire industry has benefitted from Aqua Lung’s impressive timeline of success as they set industry standards for technology, safety, design, and comfort.

COMMITTED TO CONSERVATION

With 75 years of experience and dedication to ocean and water environments, Aqua Lung is known for its commitment to conservation.

While Aqua Lung’s products have empowered people’s ability to discover, learn, and embrace the vast underwater world, the company is looking to the future with a positive outlook on our global oceans. Brand Ambassadors Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau lead the way by raising environmental awareness on a global scale through powerful content, advising on sustainability, and political activism all for the mission of long-term ocean health. While few companies truly change the world, Aqua Lung was key to unlocking 70 percent of our globe, and through an unyielding commitment to create technically advanced products to pursue their mission, the company continues to lead by example. www.aqualung.com

SCUBA DIVERSION LAUNCHES ‘OFF THE CHART’ MYANMAR EXPEDITION Scuba Diversion has launched an exclusive new 2019 liveaboard expedition to dive Black Rock and the Burma Banks as part of its successful series of ‘Off The Chart’ expeditions. Led by host Ric Parker, guests will have the opportunity to contribute to manta ray research, improve their photography skills and take part in a ‘blackwater dive’.

Joining Ric will be Anna Flam, a leading manta ray scientist from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, and Alex Tyrrell, a professional underwater

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photographer and founder of dive4photos in Koh Tao. The trip takes place from 10-18 March 2019 and will be returning to the Mergui Archipelago. www.scuba-diversion.com

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SHARK CHARITY BITE-BACK GETS SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL BOOST Entrepreneurs from across Europe have contributed £18,500 to support Bite-Back Shark and Marine Conservation, following an exclusive shark-diving trip to the Galapagos Islands organised by businessmen and shark-conservation fans, Swen Lorenz and Marcel Maschmeyer.

The eight-day trip involved encounters with scalloped hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, Galapagos bullhead sharks, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, plus spotted eagle rays, sea lions, mola molas, turtles and dolphins in the protected waters around the famous archipelago. The funds, collected from all participants of the trip through a visitor philanthropy scheme of adding a donation to each package, will significantly boost the organisation’s typical annual budget of around £50,000. The charity says the funds will be crucial in its campaign to make Britain the first major country

in the world to ban the trade in shark products.

Graham Buckingham, founder of Bite-Back, said: “This generous donation will invigorate our campaigns to rid the UK of all shark products by 2022.

We can now look forward to launching new initiatives to end the current 20kg personal importation of shark fins to the UK and eliminate the sale of shark meat, fins, teeth, jaws and supplements.” www.bite-back.com

CORONER RULES BRITISH DIVER ‘NOT GIVEN ADEQUATE DIVE TRAINING’ A coroner has ruled that a British student who drowned on the Great Barrier Reef while scuba diving for the first time ‘was not given adequate training’. Bethany Farrell, who was 23 and from Colchester in Essex, lost her life off the coast of Queensland in Australia.

Bethany had become separated from her diving instructor but ‘had not been given appropriate supervision,’ said Coroner David O’Connell at Queensland Coroners’ Court. He also ‘criticised “serious shortcomings” in how the dive was conducted.’ Farrell, who was a University of Southampton graduate and had studied English and media, died in February 2015 at Blue Pearl Bay in the Whitsunday Islands, just six days after arriving in Queensland for her gap year. While around 7m underwater, Farrell had become separated from diving instructor Fiona McTavish, an inquest in Australia found. The court heard that the diving instructor had briefly ‘turned away to negotiate some coral in poor visibility conditions.’

According to the report, novice diver Farrell panicked and reached the surface for approximately 40 seconds, but wasn’t able to stay afloat.

Witnesses said they heard her call out and ‘wave her arms in distress’, but the skipper conducting the surface watch did not see Farrell. An hour later her body was discovered on the seabed.

Coroner David O’Connell said there was “no suggestion that any introductory diver was properly instructed about achieving and maintaining positive buoyancy on the surface”.

O’Connell also made 12 recommendations for the diving industry following the three-day inquest into the death of Bethany Farrell.

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INDUSTRY NEWS ROB STEWART’S SHARKWATER EXTINCTION DUE FOR RELEASE IN OCTOBER 2018 Sharkwater Extinction, the final film by the late Rob Stewart, is scheduled for release in October 2018. The Canadian director and conservationist tragically died last year while attempting to collect deep-water footage for Sharkwater Extinction in the Florida Keys, which is the follow-up to Sharkwater and Revolution. Part of the movie’s soundtrack will include the song Child of the Water, a tribute to Stewart, written and recorded by Chantal Kreviazuk. www.sharkwater.com

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THAI TOURIST BOAT ACCIDENT DEATH TOLL INCREASES TO 44 The death toll of a tragic boat accident which occurred near the Thai holiday island of Phuket in early July has now risen to 44.

Reuters reported that three more bodies were pulled from the Andaman Sea on Tuesday 10 July, with relatives and authorities setting about identifying more than 40 dead from the boating disaster. 101 people were on board the Phoenix tourist boat when it sank in rough seas and bad weather on Thursday 5 July, 89 of them tourists, and all but two of them from China.

There were also 12 Thai crew aboard the ship. The conditions reportedly created waves up to five metres high which caused the Phoenix to overturn off the coast of Koh He, an islet known for its coral formations.

Officials confirmed the death of 44 people on 10 July, which means this is ‘Thailand’s worst tourist-related disaster in years’ and underscores ‘safety concerns about the industry,’ the Reuters report outlined. 54 people survived the accident and the search for three missing people will continue if the weather allows. Divers have been searching inside the submerged boat for any survivors.

It has been reported that two other boats capsized in the same area the same week, but passengers were brought safely to the shore.

Police said that the captain of the Phoenix has been charged with negligence causing death. He has denied the charges.

THE DAN ROLEX DIVER OF THE YEAR 2018 IS... JARROD JABLONSKI Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) and Halcyon President Jarrod Jablonski has been named the 2018 DAN Rolex Diver of the Year in recognition of his contribution to diver training and safety.

According to DAN President and CEO Bill Ziefle: “We received nominations from around the world, and Jarrod stood out because of his outstanding contributions to diver training and safety. It is our great pleasure to recognize Jarrod’s important work with this award.”

As well as his roles within GUE and Halcyon, Jablonski has also served as the training director for the Woodville Karst Plain Project, where he recognized the need to provide enhanced education for cave and technical divers with a greater emphasis on safety.

Jablonski said: “I’d like to express my deepest appreciation to DAN and Rolex for their significant contributions to the sport of scuba diving. Throughout my career, both DAN and Rolex have remained prominent voices for underwater excellence. I’m very honoured to join such a prestigious group of award recipients.”

With Rolex supporting many of DAN’s activities and initiatives, Jablonski’s award includes a specially engraved Oyster Perpetual Submariner watch.

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15

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

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

Q: My ten-year old daughter Lucy has asthma, which she’s had since birth.

In her first few winters it was quite severe and she ended up in hospital on several occasions. Thankfully this has become less frequent as she’s got older, but she still has to take a daily preventer inhaler and a tablet to keep it under control. My husband is a dive instructor and is keen on Lucy trying out diving, but obviously only when it’s safe enough for her.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

A: Childhood asthma was, until relatively recently, considered a psychosomatic disorder. The plaintive wheeze was interpreted as a child’s suppressed cry for its mother, and the treatment of depression in such children was therefore the focus of their management. In these moreenlightened days, we know that many children with ‘episodic wheezing’ will grow out of it as they get bigger and their airways become larger.

I’m not sure Lucy’s quite there yet though. Use of daily preventitive oral medication in a child is indicative of moderate to severe asthma, and there’s also the issue of how she might respond if an attack occurred underwater – panic and a rapid breath-holding ascent are much more likely in a child. My advice would be to hold off until her teenage years and reassess then. She’ll be older, wiser, hopefully fitter and healthier, and diving will be still be around. Unless we’ve all been swamped by global tsunamis, of course.

Q: Over the last year I’ve been working my way around the Pacific as a dive instructor. I thought I’d be immune to most waterborne diseases by now but I seem to get ear infections more than most. After a few days of diving my ears get itchy and painful and I have to stay

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out of the water, which is bad for business (and I’m sick of being sick all the time!) Do you have any tips on how to stop this happening?

A: Most certainly I do. If there was a 100 percent reliable cure for this I’d be happily retired (and probably working my way around the Pacific as a dive instructor, too), but I can point you in the right direction.

Prevention is always better than cure, and my preferred regime is to mess with the ears as little as possible.

Earwax is naturally antibacterial, so doesn’t need to be dug out by dirty implements at all costs. A daily freshwater rinse of the ear canals will wash out any residual bug-infested seawater, but for even better effect this can be diluted with vinegar (proportions vary, but a third vinegar to two thirds water is about right).

Some use alcohol in there as well, but it can smart terribly if put on inflamed skin, so I tend to avoid this. Plus, you can’t put it on your chips afterwards.

If you do get an infection then treating early is key. Touching or pulling on the outer ear will cause pain in otitis externa, so if this happens start antibiotic drops as soon as possible.

The best ones contain an antibiotic and a steroid, so it’s a good idea to carry a bottle with you on liveaboards, or if diving in remote areas. I’d also recommend is a trial of a mask with earpieces, which basically seal the ears off in (theoretically) watertight spaces, connected to the mask and nose space via two flexible tubes.

Fitting them can be fiddly but many divers find them a boon, for equalising issues as well as for preventing recurrent ear infections.

Do you have a question for Dr Firth?

Email: divingdoctor@scubadivermag. com and we’ll pass it on.

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oming from London, I did not usually associate living in a city with good diving, so when I found myself living in Brisbane for a few months I was surprised to hear that there were some excellent dive sites on my doorstep. Just one hour from central Brisbane is North Stradbroke Island. ‘Straddie’, as it is known by locals, is located 30km southeast of Brisbane and is the second largest sand island in the world, 32km long and 11km wide. It has a population of around 2,000 locals, but is also a popular place for the citizens of Brisbane to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and can swell to up to 60,000 on holidays. Straddie has the requisite white sandy beaches, picturesque lakes and lush forests. It also offers the usual above-water activities associated with life in Australia. There is, of course, surfing but also sea kayaking, whale-watching and fishing. If you have had enough of been in or on the water, hiking or taking a 4WD tour of the island is a drier option.

The diving at North Stradbroke Island has two distinct seasons. Water temperatures in the summer can range from a very pleasant 25-27 degrees C. Visibility can reach 30 metres but averages between 15-20 metres. In the winter the visibility also averages around 15-20 metres, though it can drop to five metres on some of the dive sites closer to shore, and the water temperature can drop down to a rather brisk 19 degrees C. The summer months from November to April are when leopard sharks can be found resting on the ocean floor, and manta rays use the reef as their playground. The manta rays aggregate in large numbers here at the aptly named Manta Bommie. A study by the university of Queensland (Project Manta) is been carried out to learn more about these impressive and graceful creatures. As the temperatures drop, the mantas head north for warmer waters, many of them arriving at Lady Elliot Island. They can be identified by the unique markings on their bellies or from the tags that have been attached to them. Unfortunately, these majestic creatures are now listed as vulnerable, in part due to the use of their gills in Chinese medicine.

THE SHARKS OF Adrian Stacey enjoys some serious shark action during his visit to North Stradbroke Island, which lies a short distance from the hustle and bustle of Brisbane PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY

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However, my joy at having had such a fantastic dive soon ebbed away upon hearing that the group that had descended a mere minute before me had seen the aforementioned humpback whale cruise gracefully past them as they made their way down the mooring line

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This prehistoric-looking creature, unfazed by our presence, nonchalantly cast his eye over us before going back to staring at the rock directly in front of him

The winter months, as the water temperatures begin to drop, welcome the arrival of humpback whales on their annual migration. The cooler water also attracts the ferocious-looking but placid grey nurse sharks. The sharks begin arriving in ones and twos around June, soon swelling to a much-larger population as the water gets cooler.

Divers are sometimes treated to 30 or so specimens in a single dive.

There are three main diving areas around North Stradbroke Island: Manta Bommie, Flat Rock and Shag Rock.

Manta Bommie is a large cleaning station that can be prone to strong currents. It is usually dived in the summer months when the manta rays and leopard sharks are in residence. I was diving in the winter months, however, so instead visited Flat Rock, where the grey nurse sharks congregate, and Shag Rock, which is the closest dive site to shore and the most-sheltered from adverse weather conditions.

Several dive centres from the mainland make the hourlong boat journey to North Stradbroke most weekends. We chose to dive with Manta Lodge, who are located on the island and who go out on a daily basis, provided they have the numbers required. Passenger ferries leave Cleveland, which is about a 30-minute drive from the centre of Brisbane, on an hourly basis, so it is possible to take an early ferry, do two dives and then catch a ferry back the same day. A more-relaxed option is to stay at the YHA hostel above the dive centre and enjoy more than one day of diving without the painfully early commute.

The day began with an early 4.30am start in order to catch the 5.55am ferry. While approaching the ferry, the heavens decided to open - not a great omen. Things only got worse when the ferry decided to break down. Fearing the worst I was relieved when a replacement boat was hastily organised. Thirty minutes later, we landed on North Stradbroke Island, where we were picked up and whisked off to the dive centre.

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Wobbegong

Straddie also boasts some nice corals

After a detailed safety briefing, a tractor towed the RIB we would be diving from down to the beach. We climbed aboard and were launched into the surf. Ten bumpy minutes later, after having sighted several humpback whale water spouts in the distance, we arrived at Flat Rock, which has around five dive sites to choose from. The captain somewhat unsurprisingly opted for Shark Alley. This site offered the best chance of finding the grey nurse sharks that had started to arrive in the area. On my travels I have quite often found that if a dive site is named after a particular creature, the chances of finding said animal there are usually slim to none.

Thankfully, this was not the case at Shark Alley.

While I patiently waited on the surface for the rest of my group to enter the water, I heard the captain exclaim that he had seen another whale water spout not too far away.

Once the others had joined me, we descended down the mooring line that dropped 25m to the ocean floor. A wide

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sandy alley cut through the reef, gradually becoming narrower and narrower. Our guide had told us to hug the reef walls rather than plough down the centre of the alley as this would probably scare the sharks away. After a few minutes we came across a huge loggerhead turtle resting on the sandy bottom.

This prehistoric-looking creature, unfazed by our presence, nonchalantly cast his eye over us before going back to staring at the rock directly in front of him. Seconds later, a large, toothy grey nurse shark slowly cruised towards us as if in a daydream. Snapping out of its trance when it became aware of our presence, it quickly turned and with a flick of its tail disappeared over the reef.

In another much-narrower alley just off the main one, we found two more sharks suspended in the water, but they also quickly dispersed as we approached. Our guide explained that they can be a bit skittish until all of their friends turn up, apparently becoming bolder in larger numbers.

Throughout the dive, we had a good number of shark encounters. Although they were not as close as I would have liked to get a really good picture, they were fascinating to watch. Apart from the grey nurse sharks, Shark Alley provided us with several varieties of turtles, eagle rays and wobbegongs. All in all, a very impressive dive.

However, my joy at having had such a fantastic dive soon ebbed away upon hearing that the group that had descended a mere minute before me had seen the aforementioned humpback whale cruise gracefully past them as they made their way down the mooring line. After saying how pleased I was for them for witnessing such a breath-taking spectacle, I then began cursing them under my breath.

The surface interval was spent watching numerous humpback whales getting tantalising close to the boat; at one point, a pod of three or four came within 100 metres of us. Even seeing these massive creatures from the surface is a memorable and humbling experience.

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Grey nurse sharks

The next dive we spent at the Nursery. Tufts of multicoloured soft corals clung to the surface of the large boulders that are scattered across this site. A large school of barracuda swam back and forth in the shallows. Schools of colourful fish drifted out from the reef, quickly darting back to the shelter of the rocks as we approached. Once a little bit away from the reef, a current pushed us swiftly over a rocky plateau, where I lost count of the number of turtles we came across.

The diving around Shag Rock is shallow, no deeper than 16m and consists of large rock shelves that rise to the surface. Bamboo sharks hide in their numerous crevasses.

Wobbegongs bask on large sandy patches or sprawl over small coral bommies. Aggressive damselfish guard their territory ferociously, nipping at anyone or anything that enters their domain. Many different types of nudibranch inhabit the reef, including very large Spanish dancers. Turtles are also regularly found at Shag Rock, as are cuttlefish and octopus.

The diving from North Stradbroke Island offers some interesting topography. Deep channels and gutters gouge through some of the terrain, while other areas are strewn with boulders, creating an almost-lunar landscape. Colourful corals appear in sporadic patches over the reef, while turtles and wobbegongs can be found everywhere. But the draw of Straddie for me is the chance of seeing the big animals, massive ones if you are very lucky. n

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This month, our panel of experts tackle the subject of WEIGHTING, and offer up a host of helpful hints and advice to ensure you can maximise your in-water comfort and air-consumption PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

WEIGHTING

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othing beats the feeling of floating completely weightless in mid-water. Master achieving and maintaining neutral buoyancy and your diving will move on to a whole new level. You will effortlessly be able to swim around, through and under obstacles; stop to watch or photograph some neat marine life without having to move your arms and legs to hold your position; and hover at your safety stop looking like a boss. Whether you dive dry, or in a wetsuit in warmer waters, getting your weighting right is one of the most-important aspects of diving, and until you have it spot-on, your buoyancy is never going to reach the level you aspire to.

Martin Robson, PADI TecRec Instructor Trainer, said: “Take time out of a dive to check your weighting. Underwater, have your buddy look at your trim and experiment in the shallows with changes in weight positions to get your trim just right.

Over- or under-weighted can be anything from uncomfortable to dangerous, so take your time to get it right.”

Emily Petley-Jones, UK Regional Training Consultant at PADI, said: “Don’t forget your buoyancy check! You should complete a buoyancy check: a) before every dive with different gear (including different cylinders/undersuits/wetsuits); b) on your first dive on holiday; c) if you haven’t been diving for a while. The few seconds it takes to check your weight at the beginning of the dive can mean you get a longer dive as you won’t be using up your air while you struggle with your buoyancy.”

Vikki Batten, Director of Rebreather Technologies, Training Supervisor and Instructor Examiner at PADI, said: “It may take several dives in a new location or equipment to get your weighting right, so make a note of your equipment, location and the weight you use in your log book/calendar, etc. Then when you next wear the same kit in a similar location, you will have a much-better starting point.”

John Kendall, GUE instructor trainer, said: “Getting your weighting right is a really important part of buoyancy control.

It is often the case that beginner divers are overweighted by their instructors in order to keep them down, and make it easier to do drills, but this just starts a buoyancy problem that can go on for years if not corrected. For every 1kg of extra weight that someone is wearing, this requires one litre of extra gas in their BCD. Getting this extra gas out during an ascent can be difficult and will often lead to runaway ascents. Unfortunately, the normal response to this is to add more weight, rather than remove it.

“The best way of getting your weighting right is to get into shallow water with a cylinder that only has around 30-40 bar

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in it (don’t worry, you’re not going for a dive with it). Then dump all of the gas out of both your BCD and drysuit, and see if you sink. If you don’t then you need a little more lead. If you do sink, then take a big breath in. If you can hold neutral buoyancy like this, then your weighting is about right. If you are firmly stuck on the seabed, then you have too much lead. Get rid of some of it and try again.

Doing this will make your diving a lot more comfortable and enjoyable, and you’ll probably find that your gas consumption goes down too.”

Garry Dallas, Director of Training for RAID UK (Recreational/Technical/ Cave Instructor Trainer), said: “Weighting and buoyancy go very much hand in hand.

Being correctly weighted gives divers much better buoyancy control. To achieve this, we have to consider the effects of weighting during positive, neutral and negative buoyancy.

E.g. to float on the surface, hover easily in good profile/trim underwater, and sink when we descend.

“Consider the elements affecting weighting: exposure suit, weight of equipment, water salinity, minimum gas needed in the cylinder/s, air in the buoyancy compensator and the divers’ lungs, especially during anxiety.

Accessibility to dump weights are a requirement only for certain environments.

“There are various ways to achieve correct weighting,

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some more accurate than others, but must always be done prior to any open water dives in a controlled and safe environment. RAID advise, wearing only your exposure suit (squeezing all the air from the drysuit, holding half your tidal volume) and a weightbelt, establish the weight needed for the diver’s head to just breach the surface. Estimate the amount of lead to start, then add to it. Doing this without fins prevents offsetting the result by the diver inadvertently creating an upward motion. Ensure they can sink, by breathing out while looking upwards. This is weight ‘A’.

“Secondly, determine the weight of the equipment without air in the BCD, 30bar in cylinder/s and empty counterlungs on a CCR unit. Secure a lift bag to the equipment, adding air to the lift bag to make everything neutrally buoyant. Then, remove the lift bag carefully and add measured lead weights to make it neutrally buoyant again. This is weight ‘B’. Subtract A - B = Correct weight for the diver with equipment.”

IANTD General Manager Tim Clements said: “All divers aspire to that weightless astronaut feeling and it’s reassuring to know that it’s a fairly simple balance of physics to achieve. However, like all good humans, it’s possible to get in a bit of a pickle. Taking it all back to some very simple rules is essential to sorting out your weighting. Simply put, you and your thermal protection are buoyant - you need to add lead to counteract this. Where this lead goes is relevant - your ‘trim’ and stability will be affected. It’s worth understanding this early, as effort to maintain desired trim can be interpreted as not being heavy enough and lead to incorrect weighting.

“Start with a simple test, with just 50bar in your cylinders. Stop finning!. If you can stay at 5m or your shallowest stop, with no gas in your wing and only a squeak of comfort gas in your suit, plus minimum loop on CCR, then your weight is correct. You can move onto trim.

“If you find you are floating or sinking, make small adjustments until your weight is stable. Remember that if you have too much weight in a drysuit, you will balance that with too much gas in the suit and could feel unstable - some divers interpret this as ‘floaty’ and add yet more lead... The same goes for CCR - make sure you are on minimum loop, or you are merely compensating for gas that you don’t need, except this time, your PO2 can become less stable and increase your O2 use. Mojo loss alert!

“Trim - whatever you want, you need to feel stable. Work out if you are tipping

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forwards, backwards, side to side and make some changes move the weight you have, such as cylinders or lead. Go for a good swim to get used to and analyse how your changes are working. It’s easy to get so tied up with fiddling here - go for a swim! Some divers hit this dead-on first time, others take a while to feel comfortable, so don’t be afraid to take the time you need to get your stability right before going for proper dives time spent understanding what you are doing will be valuable in the long run.”

SSI referred to their Perfect Buoyancy course materials, which explain that the challenge to proper weighting in scuba diving is understanding that your buoyancy is not constant. Your buoyancy is always changing because your volume is continually changing.

One reason is because some of the equipment you wear such as your exposure suit and BCD - contain gas spaces that vary in volume as you descend (increasing pressure) and ascend (decreasing pressure). In addition, you displace slightly more or less water depending on whether you inhale (which expands your volume) or exhale (which decreases your volume).

Your Buoyancy Control System allows you to adjust changes in buoyancy by adding or removing air to keep your displacement constant throughout the dive. Experienced divers know how important proper breathing (lung volume) and body position is to maintaining neutral buoyancy, and once you master Perfect Buoyancy, you will easily compensate for these continual changes in buoyancy.

Although we don’t normally think about air having weight, it is another consideration in achieving Perfect Buoyancy. The air in question is the quantity contained within your dive cylinder.

For example, air weighs 1.293 grams per litre. The air in a 12-litre cylinder, filled with 200 bar, weighs 3.103 kg. When the 12-litre cylinder (2,400 litre) reaches 50 bars, the air weighs .775 kg.

Though it may seem trivial, this weight must be considered to avoid being too positively buoyant at the end of a dive after most of your air has been used.

Dave Lock, BSAC National Diving Committee adviser, commented: “Correct weighting of a diver can mean the difference between a comfortable, effortless dive or misery with constant adjusting of buoyancy in the BCD or drysuit.

“Many instructors overweight their students to make their life easier, this goes forward into the diver thinking they need much more weight than they do. A simple rule of thumb is to start with ten percent of body weight for UK sea diving (seven percent for freshwater) with an appropriate protective suit and single cylinder. This obviously will need adjusting for different types of

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suit, cylinder types and size plus body fat. You’ll need to get in the water to try this and should be able to hold position at 3m with cylinders that are at reserve level.

“Having the correct weight for buoyancy is good practice, however, correct weight alone does not always solve the problems of balance and control; weight needs to be evenly distributed about the body so as to achieve optimum buoyancy for the type of diving to be undertaken. This is known as trim and can be achieved by moving the cylinder in the BCD or moving the weightbelt to a better position on the diver’s body. If you have integral weights in your BCD there are usually trim and weight pockets higher up to allow for adjustment.”

Mark Powell, Business Development Manager for TDI/SDI, said: “The first step to good buoyancy control is correct weighting. It is a fact that the majority of divers carry too much weight. This ranges from a couple of kilos to tens of kilos overweight. Again, this is not just restricted to novices. Experienced divers are often over-weighted, some to a remarkable extent.

“There are many reasons why divers dive over-weighted.

Sometimes it stems right back to their initial training, where they are encouraged to start off with more weight than is needed so that during their confined water and initial open water dives they can focus on basic skills. Unfortunately, this has the effect of getting the student comfortable when they are negatively buoyant. In conjunction with this, trainee divers are often worried about the risk of a rapid ascent. They mistakenly add extra weight in an effort to ensure that they do not have a rapid ascent without realising that by doing this they are actually increasing the risk rather than decreasing it.”

Mark concluded: “It is good practice for all divers, no matter how experienced, to do a buoyancy check at the start of each diving season, midway through the diving season, whenever they dive with a new or different kit configuration, if they haven’t dived for a while, or if they are diving in a different environment, for example moving from fresh to seawater, or vice versa.” n

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THREE WAYS!

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ombining Thailand with a full-on macro photography week had exciting prospects, but having the additional benefit of three experienced dive guides searching for camera targets was just far too good an opportunity to miss. Each guide had a favourite dive site and fish species, so fingers crossed I would come back with some worthy results.

I met the owner of Freedom Divers, Nicolas Lurot, at an underwater photography event held in London. We got chatting about Thailand, and in particular macro photography. Nico said he offered a bespoke service in Phuket especially for photographers and videographers.

Repeating his exacts words: “We offer a diamond service for pro-photographers right down to compact camera users”. Nico had carefully selected his staff, choosing the most-experienced guides and instructors. He said: “We are patient because we know how long it takes to get a shot”. Nico said that along with his own fishspotting talents, he had brought onboard two other guides that offered the same high level of service, Neng Narongchan and Taquya Miyazawa.

Nico said he was trying to break away from the standard dive centre mould. His ideology begins with the name Freedom Divers. He explained: “The name is multi-layered” - this takes into account the feeling of being underwater, good working conditions for staff, and providing divers with a sense of fun and adventure. I could see that Nico wasn’t the standard Brit working abroad. He could fluently speak Thai and held a current Thai boxing title.

The dive centre was run from a modern-looking building with white-washed walls and chrome fittings.

There was a small area dedicated to equipment and camera sales, the bulk of which is located in a separate unit on the main road. Along with guided dives, Freedom

Divers offered exclusive boat charters and the full range of PADI training courses in nine different languages.

Although many underwater photographers think macro is far easier than wide angle, I don’t particularly go along with this summation. In my mind, there are fish ID shots and then there are arty macro shots which take a lot more time and effort to produce. Having some extra help from three expert guides would be most welcome.

Yet again the weather was messing with my karma.

I was dodging heavy rain showers for most of the week and diving got cancelled on at least two occasions. Next time I will plan a visit during peak season! We were picked up outside Freedom Divers and ferried down to the main jetty. There were hundreds of divers and kit bags being dropped off all at the same time, it was absolute bedlam. I counted at least 20 dive shops along the roadside during my five-minute bus ride, so hazarding a guess, Phuket’s grand total must easily reach triple figures.

Most of the bigger dayboats were around 20 metres long with either two or three deck levels and offered a combination of breakfast and lunch with either two or three dives. The popular dive sites were about one hour 30 minutes boat ride away. World-famous Phi Phi Island was about two hours 45 minutes. I followed Nico onto the boat and made camp inside the saloon area. This gave me plenty of dry space for playing about with cameras - and first dibs at any food being served up. Nico’s stepfather Daize had joined us for the day trip. Daize was sporting a brand-new (as yet unused) Olympus mirror-less camera and housing. It looked really impressive and was far less bulky than my Nikon D800. With divers and equipment safely stowed aboard, we made a heading for Racha Yai, which happened to be a particular favourite of Nico’s.

Having a dedicated dive guide hunting for marine life subjects meant I could channel all of my efforts on picture composition and lighting

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Stuart Philpott was in underwater photographer heaven when he had not one, but three expert spotters searching out elusive macro subjects in Thailand’s rich hunting grounds PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART PHILPOTT

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Anemonefish

I soon got to grips with the rules of the road, which basically meant anything goes, including cutting across lanes, riding on the pavements, etc, etc 28

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Moray eel portrait

I had mixed feelings about my first dive. For some reason I expected to see a hard coral reef but the seabed was mainly sand and gravel dotted with small rocky outcroppings.

Underwater visibility was in the ten to 15 metre range which, again, was less than expected. At least there was no shortage of marine life, including morays, batfish, anemonefish and a beautiful-looking mantis shrimp. Nico had brought along a white slate, he said: “We write down the names, including Latin names, as well as facts and features and any special information for photographers”. In this instance he told me not to put my camera too close to the mantis shrimp as their powerful claws have been known to shatter glass. Nico searched around the Freedom wreck for a brightly coloured pikachu nudibranch, but there were none to be found so I had to make do with a feisty yellow damselfish instead.

Goby City came up trumps for, believe it or not, gobies, leaf fish and cuttlefish sightings. I would never have spotted the leaf fish on my own. Nico said: “I take great pride when at the end of the dive, the newer dive guides come up and both they and their clients believe that the dive site was bad; whereas my clients are beaming. It’s a nice feeling knowing a site so well that it actually sets you apart from the rest”.

Back on dry land Nico sorted me out with a moped.

Taxis are really expensive so it’s much more economical and convenient to whizz about on two wheels, although be warned most of the local accidents involve mopeds and, judging by the way everyone drives, it would be really stupid not to wear a crash helmet, especially in wet weather. I soon got to grips with the rules of the road, which basically meant anything goes, including cutting across lanes, riding on the pavements, etc, etc. No wonder there are so many accidents!

Neng had lived and dived around Phuket for most of his life. He had organised an action-packed three-dive day starting at Koh Doc Mai, followed by the King Cruiser wreck and Shark Point. Neng turned out to be a top-rate critter spotter. As soon as I had finished taking pictures of one subject he had lined up another for me. This was constant throughout the dive. He even found a number of tigertail seahorses; one was being particularly photogenic, with its tail hooked onto a gorgonian seafan. Nudis were everywhere, apart from the popular pikachu. Spending so much time in the water didn’t come without a price. Neng had picked up a rare skin condition on his hands which was a form of dermatitis. The specialist doctors had only seen two similar cases in the past 15 years. The condition cleared up if he stayed out of the water for several days, which was a frustrating dilemma.

The King Cruiser wreck was better suited for wideangle rather than macro photography, but all the same it turned out to be an excellent dive (I managed to suppress the urge to use my fisheye lens). The 85-metre-long ferry Vibrant sea urchin

Nico with a tigertail seahorse

Bizarre nudibranch

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Cuttlefish

Whip coral goby

Nudibranchs came in all shapes....

hit Anemone Reef and sank in May 1977. Nico said there were three stories surrounding her demise. The captain fell asleep at the wheel, the captain was drunk at the wheel, or it was an out-and-out insurance scam. Either way, Phuket had gained an excellent wreck dive at a depth range of 14m-31m. Neng guided me down to the props but, due to deco obligations on our previous dive, there wasn’t much time for a thorough exploration. The whole wreck was exploding with fauna and flora. The shallower decks were awash with colourful soft corals in all shades of pink, purple, yellow and green. We found an abundance of lionfish by a row of toilets, glassfish shoals, snapper, trevally and yet more nudis.

Taquya was originally from Japan and had lived in Phuket for the past 11 years. We had no influence over the dayboat’s choice of dive sites, which meant that Taquya had to guide me around Racha Noi (twice), followed by Banana Bay, instead of his own personal favourite. The seabed was a series of giant boulders. With less sand and sediment flying about the underwater visibility had improved considerably. Taquya said that manta rays were often sighted, which was definitely way too big for my macro lens, unless I was after a close-up eye shot. By now my visual perception was purely focusing on small animals, so if a manta or a whaleshark had passed overhead, I wouldn’t have noticed. Taquya pointed out multiple morays, scorpionfish and a strange-looking giant purple nudi. The commonly sighted pikachu still eluded me.

Having a dedicated dive guide hunting for marine life subjects meant I could channel all of my efforts on picture composition and lighting. I’m sure that every underwater photographer would benefit from this service. Nico’s underwater ‘slate of knowledge’ added a different dimension to my dives and, at times, his tips were extremely helpful. The tigertail seahorse shot was definitely my favourite of the week. I thought the local dive sites had enough macro life to keep me busy, although missing out on Phi Phi Island was a huge disappointment. If there ever was a next time, I would like to combine a short liveboard trip, probably to the Andamans, with some local dayboat diving. Question – ‘why don’t you play hide and seek with a nudibranch’? Answer – ‘Because it will pikachu’! (peek-at-chu). n ...and sizes

Photographer in macro mode

Barracuda

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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

CRUISING FROM FIJI TO TAHITI, AND FRESHWATER DIVING IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF OLIVIA JOHNSON

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f you were offered the chance to sail from Fiji to Tahiti, exploring islands and diving the warm tropical waters all along the way, chances are you would say ‘yes’ as fast as I did! Thanks to Lindblad Expeditions, and the magnificent vessel, National Geographic Orion, we were immersed in new cultural, island-based and underwater experiences every day for two weeks.

I was extremely lucky to be able to dive in Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia along the whole expedition. Particular highlights for me included Taveuni Island, the third-largest island in Fiji, and we were lucky enough to visit the village of Waitabu on our last day in Fiji. The village, with the aid of marine biologist Helen Sykes, initiated a Marine Protected Area (MPA) for Tourism to conserve marine resources for future generations in 1998. Since the initiation of the Waitabu Marine Park, which was one of the first MPAs to exist in Fiji, it became one of the founding members of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA) in 2001. Over time, species richness has vastly increased and annual monitoring of the area has allowed the community to improve the ecological state of the marine park.

Local guides in Asau, Savai’i, and Apia, Upolu, Samoa, also provided us with some unique diving in yet another part of the Pacific, where were lucky enough to explore old plane wrecks as well as beautiful swim-throughs, with reefs exploding full of life from hundreds of species of fish, invertebrates and so many other species! Once we reached Aitutaki, Cook Islands, we were greeted with sunny blue skies and crystal-clear waters. Brooke, our local dive guide, took us to explore one of her favourite reefs not far from where the ship was anchored and where we were greeted by the gorgeous Napoleon wrasse, Frank! The diving in the Cook Islands was definitely a highlight of the expedition, particularly with so many fantastic interactions with the large charismatic

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animals such as Frank, lots of large female green sea turtles, to a group of over 50 Spotted Eagle Rays! Our last day was very special, the weather was perfect and our final two dives were just outside the channel of Taha’a, Society Islands, guided by local French dive guides. We were delighted to see some of the best and healthiest hard coral reefs we had seen the whole expedition!

Most recently I have been in South Australia with the 2013 Australasian Rolex Scholar Stefan Andrews, where I have for the first time dived in freshwater, including Piccaninnie and Ewens Ponds, and undertaken my PADI Drysuit Specialty course with the amazing team at Diving Adelaide. The course was undertaken in the incredible Kilsby’s Sinkhole, but to be honest I never thought I would be diving in a freshwater sinkhole in the middle of a farm, but this was definitely an amazing introduction to drysuit and freshwater diving with spectacular conditions and 80 metres plus visibility (it also made me change my mind about learning to cave dive)! I was also lucky enough to spend a week with the Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries team for Cuttlefest 2018. We took over 500 schoolchildren and community members snorkelling to witness the annual cuttlefish aggregation that happens in the Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Sanctuary. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to educate and show every-day people the amazing underwater world. To finish off a wonderful few weeks, I got to experience the unique and elusive leafy seadragon, the state emblem of South Australia. Next, I am heading to Coral Bay in Western Australia to work with photographer Alex Kydd, as well as conduct conservation work with local manta ray and tiger shark populations. n

Olivia Johnson

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

THE EVOLUTION

OF A SHARK PHOTO

Guest photo-pro Mario Vitalini takes centre-stage this month, discussing how to get the best possible shark photographs regardless of your camera set-up PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

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iving with sharks is undeniably thrilling. I’ve seen many a photographer exhilarated by the presence of sharks in the water, but desperately disappointed with their pics. I’ve been lucky to photograph oceanic whitetips many times in the Red Sea and want to share some of my hard-earned tips, so you can keep your cool when the adrenalin is pumping. Evolve your photography and take stunning shark shots.

PICK YOUR SHARK, PICK YOUR ENCOUNTER Not all sharks make for easy photo subjects. I time my workshops carefully to be on the right sites at the right time of year for the best encounters with each specific shark species. I love the Red Sea for oceanics. On deep walls, oceanic whitetips swim all day in shallow water, often right under the boat, giving you plenty of time with them. They are very inquisitive, and relatively used to divers.

In several destinations sharks are attracted by organised feeding sessions. However, chummed dives are not without their controversy, and often there are restrictions on diver position and kit. Oceanics offer a more-natural encounter where the sharks come to you independently. You have much more freedom as a photographer.

SAFETY FIRST Before you get in the water, think long and hard about safety.

It is essential you understand the behaviour of the specific shark. Oceanic whitetips are apex predators, a scavenger species that need careful consideration. Like many other sharks, they feed mainly at dawn and dusk - be extra vigilant around these times. I’ve seen oceanics lure divers away from the reef or the boat into the blue. Do not give in to the temptation to follow them. Their attitude quickly changes and

Oceanic portrait, complete with pilot fish Diver checking out an oceanic

The sunbeams add another dimension

can become much more aggressive. Erratic movements and downwards fins are key indicators that it is time to get out.

Stay close to your buddy. I always give a safety brief before we get in the water, as will your guides. Don’t ignore hardwon expertise!

GO WIDE! Choosing the right lens is essential. Some sharks won’t come close enough for a fish-eye lens. You end up with a very small subject in a big blue frame. Luckily, oceanics like to get right onto your dome port, so fish eye vs wide angle is less of a consideration. Personally, I still prefer a wide-angle zoom lens with a mirrorless camera or DSLR. With a compact camera, use the widest setting (but never the camera zoom).

STROBES OR NO STROBES?

Up close and persona Black-and-white shot

MY ESCORTED TRIPS

Some sharks, like threshers, can be scared by flash. Not oceanics. Be prepared for the electronics to pique their interest! Position your strobes far apart and behind the port to minimise backscatter. Use a low power to prevent overexposing the white underbelly of your shark. If the shark is more than two metres away, chances are you will end up lighting the water column in front of your camera and not the shark. Wait until the shark is close to you before firing.

If you don’t have a strobe, stay shallow and use manual white balance. Don’t use the internal flash – it’s not powerful enough and just increases the risk of backscatter.

Oceanics tend to be found in the shallows

Want to take your own shark shots? Join Mario on an escorted photo workshop, with award-winning tour operator Scuba Travel. Learn the secrets of shark photography on the exciting new Shark Quest photography itinerary, or master your macro skills in the Far East. There’s something for everyone. Mario’s workshops are open to all experience levels, but in particular anyone using a compact camera or mirrorless set up. His prize-winning images prove it’s not the kit that makes the shot, but the photographer! If you need some help getting to grips with your camera underwater, Mario’s your man. His calm, patient approach is just what you need to improve your photos. Mario tailors the tips and techniques to your needs, both on the surface and underwater. Improve your skills in a relaxed, non-competitive environment. Dive, eat, sleep and shoot! Workshops in 2018 and 2019 are running in classic destinations such as the Red Sea, as well as far flung photo hotspots like the Philippines, Caymans and Indonesia.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY BRING OUT THE BLUE! Controlling the background exposure is critical. Oceanics are typically shallow, and a blown-out surface ruins many pictures. Position the sun behind you for better control over the surface exposure. This is essential if you do not use strobes and shoot ambient light.

If the sun must be in shot, think about silhouettes instead.

Turn off the flash, pick a very fast shutter speed (above 1/400th) and small aperture (f11+) and use the shark to cover the sun ball. When using strobes, the shutter speed will have little or no effect on the foreground exposure - this is lit by your flash.

Use the shutter speed instead to control the exposure of the background for a pleasing blue. Take a few test shots of blue water, changing the shutter speed, until you are happy with the colour. Factor in the time of the day and sun position.

I have found that in the shallows values above 1/125th usually gives a good exposure. Then you are ready when the shark passes.

COMPOSE WITH CARE Wait for the shark to come to you. Oceanic tend to pass repeatedly, giving you time to try different shots. Experiment with the composition. Chances are there will be other divers. A diver in shot gives a sense of scale, but be careful of bubbles or random limbs creeping in. These erroneous elements can ruin what would otherwise be a great shot.

BIOGRAPHY: MARIO VITALINI

For nearly 30 years, Mario sailed the globe and dived the seas, working as a PADI instructor and dive guide.

Today, he shares his passion for underwater photography.

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

Head-to-head shoot-off

By getting lower (shooting upwards) you get good eye contact and a better view of the mouth, gills and characteristic pectoral fins. If you are near the boat, position yourself so that the hull covers the sun and creates sunbeams.

This can be a stunning compositional element. You will need to be shallow!

AFTER THE DIVE Shark pictures will nearly always need some degree of postproduction. Oceanic whitetips benefit from fine-tuning the highlights and bright areas. Wherever possible, shoot in RAW so you have a greater capacity to make corrections.

Converting a picture into black and white or monotone increases the atmospheric feeling of your shot… and help if the colours or exposure are imperfect.

Oceanics are one of my favourite sharks to shoot, and with a little prep, you too can take exciting photos. Keep your calm, prepare your exposure and wait for the right approach.

Digital means you can afford to take more shots than you keep, but even with the smallest camera, stunning shark photography is possible. n

The

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WOMEN FREEDIVING FIN. GLIDE. SWIM.

THE MOST-POWERFUL WOMEN IN FREEDIVING TODAY In keeping with our celebration of women in diving, DeeperBlue.com’s Francesca Koe focuses on those competitors who are making waves in the freediving world PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAAN VERHOEVEN, KALINDI WIJSMULLER AND SAMO JERANKO

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f there has ever been a golden age for women in freediving, it is likely happening right now. At this very moment in time there are so many exceptionally strong female freedivers competing, it makes me giddy to think of all the possibilities of where each of these individually powerful women will go.

Standing on an impeccable legacy for world-class performances (set-up by the unforgettable Natalia Molchanova), this next generation of female freedivers will be setting records and personal bests that are simply astounding.

And while everyone typically does like a good ‘top ten’ list, for this particular incredible list of talented ladies, I’d rather think of it as a dynamic inventory that will grow, change and expand over time. In other words, this article is not meant to be an all-encompassing critique but rather a provocative dialogue of what many of us have observed as of late in terms of an amazing leader-board, and an overall increase in the number of women with all-around strength in all of the self-propelled depth (ocean) disciplines (we’ll save the pool conversation for another day!)

To organise the contenders among the top-tier female athletes, let’s use a rubric of four categories for depth: Finners for constant weight (CWT); Gliders for free immersion (FIM); Swimmers for no-fins (CNF) and All-around athletes (Triple As) for the ladies who boldly perform incredibly well in all categories, combined.

records of 102m, 103m, and 104m at last year’s Vertical Blue.

Alenka Artnik of Slovenia made her dive to 100m CWT at the world championships look easy, and Tomoka Fukuda of Japan announced her arrival in this august group earlier this year when she realized a personal best dive of 100m in Grand Cayman, just a week after Alessia pushed the world record to 105m. We are just weeks away from the start of OriginECN Vertical Blue 2018, where all four of these current contenders in CWT will be competing together at the same time, for the first time ever. Whatever happens you can be sure it will be electrifying.

Alenka Artnik

FINNERS The discipline of Constant Weight (CWT) has become the real bleeding-edge of advancement for women’s freediving. Natalia Molchanova was the first woman to break the 100m glass ceiling, but since that time four other women have not only joined the club but pushed the limits even further.

Hanako Hirose of Japan and Alessia Zecchini of Italy battled back and forth with consecutive world

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GLIDERS Slowing your heart and mind to the perfect pace to be able to pull yourself up and down a line for free-immersion (FIM) can be trickier than it looks - timing and relaxation are key.

Jeanine Grasmeijer of the Netherlands is the current world record holder in FIM at a depth of 92m, but she has plenty of company nipping closely at her heels as Sofia Gomez Uribe of Colombia, Sayuri Kinoshita of Japan and Jessea Lu of China are just 6m off of her personal best at 86m - and Alessia Zecchini of Italy is creeping even closer within 4m at 88m.

What makes this race even more interesting is the variability in the styles in which these athletes approach this discipline.

Alessia is fuelled by determination, Sofia is a fine-tuned athlete, and Sayuri is demonstrably dedicated to her training, while then on the other hand you have Jessea, who has never trained as a swimmer and doesn’t consider herself an athlete, and Jeanine who is a natural talent.

Sayuri prepares on the surface

Alessia in Deans Blue Hole

SWIMMERS

The present and future of female freediving

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The gruelling discipline of no-fins (CNF) is not for the faint of heart. It is what many people deem the ‘purest’ form of freediving and requires the most mental and physical strength to truly compete at a world-class level. This is the reason that there a fewer names to pull out of the hat. The current world record holder Sayuri Kinoshita of Japan has had virtually no competition within striking distance of her 72m since she set it back in the spring of 2016.

Amber Bourke of Australia gave it a go this past March but ultimately did not reach the promise-land of world record white card. However, Bourke does remain the second deepest active female in the category with an Aussie national record of 68m CNF. The next pair of female freedivers in the category have both taken time off recently from the competitive circuit to focus instead on motherhood. Ashley Chapman (nee Futral) of USA and Alena Konecna (nee Zabloudilova) of Czech Republic, were dominating the no-fins field back in 2012 with respective dives to 67m CNF (a world record for Chapman) and 65m for Alena, but it remains to be seen if they are to make a return to the arena and IF they do... IF they will still be in fighting form. There are three potential ‘sleepers’ of the discipline, who might just make their presence known this year if Nataliia Zharkova , Sofia Gomez Uribe or Jessea Lu decide to focus on improving the 60m depth they all share.

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WOMEN FREEDIVING Amber attempts no-fins

Sayuri rising

ALL-AROUND ATHLETES

Champion ladies (L to R) Alessia Zechini, Alenka Artnik, Nataliia Zharkova

To excel in one category of apnea takes patience, time and practice, but to be a triple-threat, a ‘Triple A’ contender is even more daunting as the techniques and methods for perfecting one discipline may clash with the requirements of another. Sheer finesse and inner fortitude is what the following four females all share. Sofia Gomez Uribe of Colombia, Kate Middleton of New Zealand (by way of Canada), Sayuri Kinoshita of Japan and Natalia Zharkova of Ukraine are all amazing freedivers who hold myriad records, but what’s most impressive is their ability to succeed in all of the depth disciplines - and the pace at which each of them has progressed in just a few years’ time.

The mastery in which they apply their skills to the varying disciplines is nothing short of astonishing; to be in the top ten in at least two or usually all three depth categories manifests their unique and adaptable strength. To visualise it in another way, just imagine that every time one of these powerful ladies attempts a target depth, they are actually diving down (and propelling themselves back with only the air in their lungs) the average distance of the height of the Big Ben clock-tower of London!

It will be very interesting to see where and when each of these ladies decides to focus their efforts, because that will be game-changing.

Join me in applauding all of their impressive efforts so far; with some premiere competitions coming up shortly on the 2018 competitive calendar, we are all holding our breath to see what seismic shifts will occur on the ladies’ leader-board, but one thing is for sure - it will be awesome. n

Hanako and Sayuri playing in the shallows

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SPEARFISHING NEWS & GEAR A GUIDE TO ‘DRY’ TRAINING FOR SPEARFISHING Isaac ‘Shrek’ Daly from Noob Spearo discusses ‘dry’ training and explains why it can make a huge difference to your spearfishing exploits

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common question I hear is: “How can I increase my breath-hold for spearfishing?” Well, ‘dry’ training can help you to increase your breath-hold when you consistently practice.

When done correctly, dry training exercises can help you to train your body to get used to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) and even reduce your oxygen (O2) consumption. While it’s not a magic bullet, it is a crucial part of improving, or at least maintaining, freediving fitness, especially when you can’t get into the water for a while. Getting wet every day is not a reality for most of us that work, have families and deal with classic weather stitch-ups.

I’d like to tell you that breathing for freedive spearfishing is simple and training is just a matter of getting in the water and having a go, but it’s not. It’s really not. There are some huge simple things you can do right now to avoid some of the biggest dangers in breath-hold spearfishing, but I thoroughly recommend doing a freediving course to learn about the whole breath-hold and freediving process.

THE BASICS • Don’t over breathe - over-breathing flushes CO2 from your body. Without CO2, your body’s signals to breathe disappear and without this message your body doesn’t get the information it needs to warn you to breathe. Overbreathing also reduces your breath-hold time capability • Spend at least twice your breath-hold time on the surface breathing between dives • Always have a dive buddy in the water while training and spearfishing SURFACE INTERVALS Between dives your body needs to replace the oxygen in your blood, so at least double your surface interval relaxation should be your primary focus on the surface.

One of the most-effective ways to do this is using a ‘rate yourself’ relaxation technique developed by Luke Potts. The technique helps you to understand exactly how relaxed you are before diving.

SPEARFISHING NEWS? Competition coming up? Recently taken part in an event?

New product you want to shout about? Spearfishing story or photograph you can’t wait to share? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Email: mark@scubadivermag.com to be included in a forthcoming issue.

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MARES SEALHOUETTE MASK AND DUAL SNORKEL This premium-quality, lightweight mask is made from top-grade silicone and comes in a unique camouflage pattern, ensuring that divers can effortlessly blend in with the underwater world around them.

The Sealhouette was designed with the dual lenses positioned in a way that creates the shortest distance between the eyes, and also within close proximity to the face, meaning a reduced internal volume and better peripheral vision.

The soft, premium grade silicone used for the skirt makes Sealhouette highly adaptable, creating an incredibly comfortable and effective seal across a wide range of facial structures. The soft-touch buckles are also attached directly to the skirt, creating a more-secure and reliable seal than similar models and reducing turbulence during the dive.

The Sealhouette SF co-ordinates perfectly with Mares new Dual Camo Snorkel. A classic, J-shaped snorkel, Dual is made in two materials with two different softness levels to decrease vibrations and noise when moving about during the dive. It also features a comfortable silicone mouthpiece, along with a snorkel keeper. www.mares.com

MARES SMART APNEA COMPUTER The name ‘Smart’ truly defines Mares’ approach to creating a sophisticated, highly functional, and stylish freediving computer.

The Smart Apnea boasts many improved features and functions, including a max operating depth of 150m. Both its firmware and software are easily updatable using your PC. The LCD segmented display provides a sharp and crystalclear platform for easy-to-read diving information. Depth information, dive time, descent/ ascent speeds and present water temperature can all be instantly accessed and displayed during every dive.

Smart Apnea offers users a wide range of information that is helpful in managing freedives more efficiently, while maintaining control over challenging situations and specific data in order to help prevent symptoms caused by syncope, taravana syndrome, or hemoptysis. www.mares.com

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The wrecks are superb for penetration

LOVER’S DREAM

A WRECK

David Jones reckons that the World War Two Japanese wrecks lying on the bottom of Coron Bay in the Philippines rate as one of the top wreck-dive sites on the planet PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID JONES

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n 1944, the tide of World War Two in the Pacific was turning. Two years earlier, General MacArthur had only just managed to escape from the Philippines, breaking through a Japanese blockade in March 1942, arriving in Australia famously declaring ‘I came through and I shall return.’ Well, now he was returning, and the power of the Allied war machine was making slow, but steady, inroads into Japanese-held territory. Key to this was the powerful carrier-based US Navy. In March 1944, Operation Hailstone had decimated a large proportion of the Imperial Japanese Navy at Truk Lagoon, an attack that effectively cleared the way for the Allied advance.

By September of the same year, the dominance of US sea and air power was almost total. The Japanese were frantically trying to reinforce ground forces in the Philippines, but their supply ships had already been hit and sunk in Manila Bay by marauding fighter bombers. A decision was taken to move many of them to the ‘safety’ of Coron Bay to the southwest of Busuanga Island in Northern Palawan.

In spite of the tragedy of Truk (where 32 merchant vessels were destroyed), the Japanese continued to adopt a strategy of concentrating supply vessels in small areas. While potentially reducing the requirement for defensive assets, such a plan inevitably led to vulnerability. Such was the situation in Coron Bay.

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Looking at the massive bent metal plates it is hard to comprehend the ferocity of the explosion needed to cause such damage and send this huge vessel to the bottom

Patrols reported a large On 23 September 1944, Combat Air of Coron Bay. The report area amount of enemy shipping in the l’ Halsey, commander of the US was sent to Admiral William F ‘Bul s away, and an air assault plan Third Fleet situated some 350 mile air attack this was a significant was rapidly put together. For an et, however, surprise was distance, with limited time on targ ters were launched from figh 96 and total. Around 24 bombers Admiral Mitscher on board the Task Force 38, commanded by Vice utes, many of the 15 vessels in carrier USS Lexington. Within min Consecutive waves of aircraft k. the bay had been damaged or sun by lunchtime. pretty much finished off the job safety, 12 were sent to the to ed limp els While some vess this sad period of history bottom around Busuanga. While destruction, from a diver’s resulted in much loss of life and le location with a great deal to sing a perspective it has provided island with a group of divers offer. So I decided to return to the after a 12-year absence. ning. Not because they Diving in Coron Bay takes some plan wan is a fairly remote Pala hern nort but are technically difficult, is everything. Ideally you part of the Philippines and timing tides and outside of the rainy need to dive the wrecks on neap based ourselves in D’ Pearl Bay season for the best visibility. We D’ Divers. Flying into Busuanga near to Concepcion, diving with r an overnight stay in Manila, airport at around lunchtime, afte by 2pm we were on the dive we were quickly into the hotel and Olympia Maru. Well, I say the boat heading for our first wreck t I was told it was called when Olympia Maru, because that is wha suggests she is actually the I dived her 12 years ago. Research Morazan.

Japanese in 1941 in The SS Morazan was seized by the Ekkai Maru, but the name the med rena Shanghai and apparently g! Anyway, descending for the was not changed. All very confusin side of the ship at the bow first dive we dropped onto the port ten metres) as the tidal und (aro in 22m. Visibility was not great nearby town of Coron. The stream was bringing silt from the ck is size. There are some big first impression as you hit the wre 120 metres in length, this was wrecks around Busuanga and at the deck you can enter her past n no exception. Descending dow huge holds with ease and safety.

The wrecks are covered in marine growth

Getting ready to dive

Coral and sponge growth is prolific

Anemonefish

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Huge fan corals catch particles in the currents and lionfish cruise around the shoals of baitfish feeding in the current. Getting to the stern and with air to spare, I returned along the port side, covered in coral, fish and macro life before ascending to the waiting banka.

What a great first dive; this was going to be a good week!

Second wreck on the itinerary was the Kogyo Maru. Like the Morazan she is resting on her starboard side and perhaps because of positioning in the bay, marine life and growth was even more prolific. At 158 metres, this is another big wreck - ten metres longer than the Aeolian Skye, to put it into perspective. The Kogyu Maru had previously survived an attack in Manila Bay and the crew were still trying to camouflage the ship when she was attacked. She was carrying construction materials at the time and you can see a bulldozer and tractor hanging from chains in one of the holds.

Diver with anemonefish

Divers head off to explore a shipwreck

At 158 metres, this is another big wreck - ten metres longer than the Aeolian Skye, to put it into perspective The Coron wrecks are very colourful

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You can easily access the engine room and bridge sections, and while it is 38m to the bottom, most of the good stuff is around the 30m range.

The Irako is the deepest wreck in Coron. She was trying to hide between Lusong and Tangat islands when direct hits set her on fire and she started to sink. She eventually went down with a lot of casualties. At 34m to the deck, this is a fairly deep dive that has a reputation as one of the best wreck dives in the Philippines; it didn’t disappoint. She sits upright and her deck is covered in corals and sponges. Her twin masts reach towards the surface, providing an easy reference back to the shot line. It was 45m to the bottom and we were not equipped to explore too deeply into her holds. Instead we swam around the superstructure and explored the deck. Tuna, barracuda and big grouper were everywhere, as well as the ubiquitous patrolling lionfish.

A great dive to follow the Irako is the Lusong Gunboat.

Sitting on the reef in 11m of water, the stern breaks the surface at low tide, so it is also popular with snorkel

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trips. As you would expect, it is covered in corals and various reef fish and is great for photography. She is only 25 metres long, so it only takes 20 minutes to slowly cover the wreck, but the reef nearby is also well worth exploring.

Our location in D’ Pearl Bay was not only picturesque but was also only a ten-minute boat ride to the Okikawa Maru. At 160 metres long, this is the largest of the Coron wrecks. She sits upright in 26m of water and makes a pretty impressive ‘house reef’ for the two hotels in the bay. It is possible to enter the wreck through the hole left by the prop shaft directly into the enormous engine room. You can swim through the entire length of the wreck, going from hold to hold, coming out at the twisted bow section. Looking at the massive bent metal plates it is hard to comprehend the ferocity of the explosion needed to cause such damage and send this huge vessel to the bottom. There are clear exits above throughout the dive and it is a spectacular swimthrough. You need to dive this wreck at least twice (actually the same is true of all the big wrecks) and the deck is covered in marine life. The biggest issue I had was whether to go with wide angle or macro - there was so much to see.

Many years ago I dived what was then called the Tangat Wreck (aka Taiei Maru or Japanese Freighter) close to the Kogyo Maru. It is now pretty much confirmed that it is the Olympia Maru, thereby solving that particular mystery. The Olympia Maru had been bombed and hit in Manila on 21 September, and survived; this time she was not so lucky.

The third wave of bombers hit her engine room, causing an explosion in the fuel tanks. Without the ability to move she was a sitting duck and successive bombs finally sank her in the early afternoon.

Many references I looked at believe that the Irako is the best wreck dive in the Philippines, but for me, this is it. It is 23m to the deck and it teems with life; batfish, tuna, grouper, even turtles are everywhere. It is the perfect wreck dive. I posted an image of it on Facebook and received a comment asking where the wreck was, so prolific was the coral growth.

Next on the list was the Akitsushima.

This vessel was a seaplane tender and was one of the most heavily armed in the conflict - twin anti-aircraft guns rest on the seabed next to the huge gantry that used to lift the plane.

Visibility in this area was not as good as the other dives and neither was the coral growth, but it was still an excellent dive with plenty of life and huge schools of fish hovering within the gaping split in the ship at the stern; evidence of the direct hit and subsequent explosion that caused her to sink in minutes.

Fish life swarms over the wrecks

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Exploring one of the wrecks Diver entering a wreck

Lionfish

With time running out our final dive was the Nanshin Maru, a tanker that sank close to the white sandy beaches of Black Island. Many Japanese vessels were called Nanshin Maru and this was ‘Number 27’. Unarmed and converted to carry a cargo of fuel, she probably made an easy target. The wreck lies on sloping sand, with the stern at 18m and the bow at 30m. There is no penetration on the wreck, but the clear water makes it a delightful dive and excellent for photography.

We never managed to get to the Tangat Gunboat, nor the Kyokuzan Maru in the northeast of the island, but we had done pretty well in a short space of time. We were fortunate with visibility, even though with the exception of Black Island it was never more than 15 metres. But you know, it didn’t matter. This is a world-class dive site for the wreck enthusiast. It has history, some incredible diving within the range of recreational divers, and you can find diving and accommodation packages that are very reasonable. Busuanga and Coron Bay is definitely a diving destination worth putting on your bucket list. n

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Papua Paradise This month, we look at the coral playgrpound right in front of the Papua Paradise Eco Resort in Raja Ampat, Indonesia PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF PAPUA PARADISE ECO RESORT

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ou might want to spend all your waking moments in Raja Ampat underwater, but there will be times when you can’t dive. So, what can you do in the 24 hours before you fly, or even between dives?

If you really can’t resist getting in the water, get your snorkelling gear out or just float in the crystal-clear waters.

The water temperature is between 25-28°C all year round, so if you’re not from the tropics, you might not get to swim in water like this for a while… unless you have a very big bath.

Right off of Birie Island, where Papua Paradise Eco Resort is located, there is a fabulous house reef. You’ll see thousands of fish, critters and maybe even something a bit bigger like a turtle, reef shark or ray. Dugongs are sometimes even spotted here.

Another option is exploring the sand flats that emerge with the ebb of the tide. You might spot starfish, octopus, and jellyfish in the shallow pools.

Have you ever heard of a dugong? If you’re a diver you probably have, and it could be one of the creatures you have wanted to spot for a long time. This rare creature has

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been spotted off of Papua Paradise Eco Resort several times, making it a very special place to visit. Dugongs are found in warm coastal waters from the western Pacific Ocean to the Eastern coast of Africa, usually in protected shallow bays.

They are found in their largest numbers between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay on the east coast of Australia, but there have been numerous sightings in Raja Ampat as well.

In fact, Birie Island, where Papua Paradise Eco Resort is located, is one of the best sites for dugong spotting. Dugongs feed mainly on seagrass, which is plentiful around Birie Island, and especially in the shallow bay where the resort’s overwater bungalows are located.

Saying this, it is still rare to see a dugong. They are very shy and gentle creatures and like their peace and quiet.

In Indonesia dugongs are listed as a protected species, however this doesn’t necessarily mean protection is always enforced. There are a number of conservation groups working hard in Raja Ampat to ensure the safety of dugongs though, and the Papua Paradise team does all they can to enforce and educate on conservation issues. n

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Q: What first ignited your passion in the underwater world, and when did you first start diving?

A: Like many kids my age, I was inspired by watching Jacques Cousteau on television. It was also the Apollo Missions, too. Watching men drive around on the surface of the moon influenced me to explore.

Q: You are perhaps best known as a cave diver. What is it about caves that capture your interest, and how did you initially get into cave diving?

A: I suppose it is a bit of a primal drive. Caves are like the veins of Mother Earth and I am attracted to go into the body of the planet in a spiritual sense. But I was also drawn toward the opportunity of being able to document places that nobody has ever seen before. Sharing images from remote, unexplored territory is a great privilege in an age when most of humanity believes that the age of exploration has already passed them by.

Q: You were the first person to dive in the ice caves of Antarctica?

What was this momentous series of dives like?

A: That National Geographic project was perhaps the most-dangerous undertaking I have ever been involved in. It felt like the closest thing to going to another planet. Every moment was wild and unscripted. I had to be at my very best at every moment for the entire 60 days in the Ross Sea. The caves inside the icebergs were stunningly beautiful in their own right, and the garden of life we found beneath the great ice masses was colourful and abundant.

Q: You have been given many high-profile awards, including being a Fellow of the Explorers Club and Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and as well as being inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Which are you most proud of?

A: Representing the Royal Canadian Geographical Society as Canada’s chief explorer is perhaps the greatest honour of all.

In my role, I spend a lot of time with the next generation of young explorers. That feels like my most-important mission to date.

JILL

HEINERTH

www.narkedat90.com

In her element in a cave

Canadian Jill Heinerth is a world-renowned cave diver, photographer and film-maker. Scuba Diver talked to her about how she first became interested in diving, what drives her need for exploration, and what the future holds in store for her PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JILL HEINERTH

supporting divers

supporting manufacturers

Q: You are well known in the technical diving world for your ground-breaking explorations. Which endeavours mean the most to you, and have left you with the most indelible memories?

A: My work at Wakulla Springs with the US Deep Caving Team feels like a stepping-stone for almost everything else I have done in my career. We began that mission over 20 years ago and yet those dives still stand as some of the most-ambitious dives ever conducted in technical and scientific diving. More importantly, it set the stage for my understanding of our water resources and my efforts as a water advocate.

Since that time, I have continued to work with Dr Bill Stone on numerous efforts. The mapper we first deployed at Wakulla is now an artificially intelligent robot that will head to space.

Q: Technical diving is quite a male-dominated discipline.

Did you find being female a disadvantage, or were you accepted with open arms because of your impressive diving credentials.

A: It hasn’t always been easy working within maledominated endeavours like cave diving and even underwater cinematography. There are time when I was flat out turned away as a woman. There are times when I got a job but got paid less than a male colleague. Believe it or not, I still face challenges as a woman in the sport today. We have a long way to go to reach full gender and racial parity in diving.

Not all discriminatory behaviours are intentional. Many are a reflection of long-practiced societal norms. One day I hope that I won’t be celebrated as a pioneering woman in diving.

I hope I will just be celebrated as a diver who did some cool work. I hope we won’t need a Women Divers Hall of Fame or scholarships to lift women into career mentoring and scholarships. I hope we will just be diverse figures in diving, working collaboratively to do great work.

Fantastical formations deep underground

Q: You adopted closed-circuit rebreathers quite early on. What are the advantages of CCRs for the type of diving you are doing?

A: I jumped into rebreathers in the mid-1990s as a tool to increase my range in exploration. Used properly with adequate open circuit bailout and dedication to safety procedures, I believe they can offer increased safety for deep and technical dives. They have offered me a chance to get closer to wildlife, do scientific work that leaves the water column undisturbed and do longer decompressions with a little less bulk.

Q: You have worked with James Cameron. What was it like consulting with a massive Hollywood director, albeit one with a love of the underwater world?

A: Numerous people warned me that James Cameron might be tough to work with. I absolutely loved working with him.

He is indeed a taskmaster, but is right alongside working the long hours too. He is passionate about underwater exploration and technology and that can be infectious. I recall a moment when we surfaced after several hours of filming in a cave. We were really hungry and rather than getting out of the water, he and I shared a pizza at the surface before heading down again.

Jill enjoys inspiring the next generation of divers

Jill has explored caves inside icebergs

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Q: In all the amazing dives you have conducted, what is your most-memorable experience?

A: That is actually a really tough question. I am so fortunate to have had many incredible and diverse experiences. A pod of a hundred humpbacks off Newfoundland, getting pulled to the surface by a stellar sea lion tugging on my drysuit hood, leaving an iceberg cave after being trapped for almost two hours, entering an unexplored room of the most-delicate crystalline speleothems in Mexico, returning to The Pit to shoot a photo that stuck in my head for 20 years, or diving into the Monte Corona volcano… how can I choose? Most days I simply pinch myself and plan for the next!

Q: On the flipside, what is the worst experience you have had while diving?

A: Well, I would say the ‘most-memorable’ and ‘the worst’ are often intertwined. I have come home from some scary moments in diving. I have been trapped inside an iceberg cave from current that pinned me down. I have been stuck behind a scientist who got stuck in a tiny cave not much taller than my helmet. I have been bitten by a water moccasin, a fresh water eel and gotten bent deep in the jungle a long way from help.

I have also had to write my fair share of eulogies for friends who died in caves.

Those were horrible experiences but they all built the diver I am today. At times I was lucky, at other times smart. But today I carry all those experiences and friends with me as lessons on how to do things better and safer.

Jill thrives in arduous conditions

Jill exploring with her trusty camera

An iceberg underwater

Q: So, what does the future hold in store for you, and what projects have you got coming up?

A: This week I head to the Arctic. In a few days, I will be camping 800km north of the Arctic Circle and beginning a summer of filming a documentary on climate change.

I feel like this is urgent work. The north is changing so rapidly and I feel a great need to communicate that to the world.

I’ll be filming narwhal, bowhead, walrus, and skinny polar bears while documenting how the changes in sea ice are changing their territory and further affecting the people of the north. n

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What’s New

BARE ULTRAWARMTH BASE LAYERS

When the water gets cold, you want to be nice and warm in your drysuit, and the BARE Ultrawarmth Base Layers can certainly help out with that.

The top (£79.95) and bottoms (£64.95) increase thermal energy, provide more endurance and faster recovery thanks to Ultrawarmth Celliant Infrared® Technology embedded in the fabric of the material. The Ultrawarmth Base Layers seal in warmth and create a protective heat barrier, while the advanced stretch-breathable fabric draws moisture away from the body to create a dry zone, while moisture is dispersed over a larger surface for quick evaporation.

The Base Layers are available in men’s and women’s top and pant, making them essential to a diver’s drysuit system and ensuring ultimate warmth in all cold conditions. www.baresports.com

MARES X-FREE This extremely low-profile freediving mask has an internal volume of under 80cm³, which gives an increased field of vision and also makes it very lightweight.

It has an over-moulded frame and anatomical skirt (which uses a new silicone that reduces fogging), a matte finish for anti-reflective properties, and a hydrodynamic profile to reduce drag. It has ergonomic mask strap buckles for easy operation, and an embossed grip area on the nose for perfect fitting with a nose clip. Available in blue, black, white/black, brown/black and apple green/black. www.mares.com 52

OMER APNEA

The Apnea freediving mask from Omer benefits from a low inner volume and great peripheral vision, and a special finish on the nose pocket to ease equalisation.

The Apnea mask, by Momo Design, comes in all-black, a unique brown/green finish, and black with mirrored lenses. www.omersub.com

SHEARWATER RESEARCH TERIC In short, the Teric has all the features divers have come to love in Shearwater Research computers and more. It is the company’s most-compact unit, yet it is also their most-feature-rich unit and, in spite of having the smallest screen, it is more visible than the Perdix. Many divers like the simple and intuitive two-button navigation, but the Teric has four buttons.

Shearwater have applied situationally adaptable logic to their menus and buttons, making the Teric easy to figure out. It is also very configurable. You can configure one of the four buttons to give you a single press access to different tools like compass, stopwatch, countdown timer, etc.

It is AI compatible and can monitor up to two pressure transmitters in two different tanks. It has tech, oc tech, and CCR tech modes with up to five trimix and nitrox gases. It also has a freediving mode with configurable sampling/ logging rates. The Teric also comes with a wirelessly rechargeable battery. Add to this the Shearwater Bluetooth communications protocol for downloading logs and updating firmware, and you have a fully enclosed unit with reduced flooding risks, since the user will never need to open it up. www.shearwater.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

FATHOM HYDROS DRYSUIT Hydros is Fathom’s robust, no-nonsense, rear-entry option. With long bias cut panels, comfort and flexibility come as standard, as do the SiTech Valves, neoprene-lined boots, double layer knee pads and latex seals.

Durable nylon trilaminate fabric with a weight of up to 440g/M2 means this suit is built for regular diving, making it an ideal option for schools, clubs and hire as well as being superb value.

The embroidered zip cover protects the waterproof YKK plastic zipper and the elasticated waist, coupled with the adjustable braces, allow the diver to fit the suit close to the body, thereby reducing drag underwater.

Fancy optional pockets or an upgrade to silicone seals? No problem. Fathom drysuits are hand-made by their specialist team, on-site in their factory in Devon, UK. The Fathom Hydros Drysuit is a made-to-order suit to fit you. If your size is not available, contact the team at Fathom Diving. Every Hydros Suit is supplied with an inflation hose. Hoods and bags are available to purchase. www.fathomdiving.com

C&R TESTING MONITOR Knowing that your compressor consistently produces pure breathing air is paramount. But as with all mechanical machinery, your compressor needs to be looked after on a daily basis, to ensure it continues to perform and prevent problems.

The Monitor was unveiled at DEMA 2017 and it does what it says on the tin. The classic model checks carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2) and moisture levels in the outgoing air. It will even tell you when the compressor requires a service or the filter needs changing. In the event that the Monitor is not happy, it will stop the compressor and send you an email alert stating what the problem is.

The Monitor has been specifically designed to be integrated into the Alkin range of compressors, but after being approached by other compressor manufacturers, C&R Testing has made it available to all compressor users. It can now be retro-fitted to pretty much any other compressor provided you have a separate power source and connection to the internet (Either hardwired in, or via wireless). www.candrtesting.co.uk

MARES PRESTIGE SLS Stability, comfort, control, convenience and durability – such are the benchmarks of a great BCD. The Mares Prestige SLS encapsulates the essence of these characteristics, channelling years of extensive research and development into a single, top-of-theline product that meets and exceeds these traits.

The Prestige SLS offers excellent lift capacity, but is lighter than ever before, making it a great solution if you intend to travel with your dive kit. The reduced total weight, which ranges from 3.3kg to 4kg, is made possible with the use of rugged and durable 420 denier nylon, which is not only extremely lightweight, but highly resistant to tears and abrasions.

Prestige SLS uses the innovative second generation of Mares recently introduced SLS system (Slide and Lock), which has now been reduced in size while maintaining its most successful characteristics. The most notable of these traits is the innovative guided tunnel to direct the pouch effortlessly into place. When this is performed successfully, the weight pocket will show a green tab as visual confirmation of correct insertion, and will actively lock the pocket into place, so you’re assured of stable and secure weight retention. The quick release mechanism also means the pouches are swiftly and easily ditched if necessary.

Available in two colour options, a smart blue or crisp white, the new Prestige SLS is not only functional and comfortable, but strikingly sleek and sophisticated as well. www.mares.com

FOURTH ELEMENT SUMMER 2018 DIVEWEAR COLLECTION

The Fourth Element Summer 2018 divewear range has been announced, and there is some super-stylish clothing in the line-up, as you’d imagine. There are a selection of male and female cut T-shirts, with names such as Hawaii, Reef, Galapagos, Mexico, Maldives and Wreck, plus a cool Adventure sweatshirt, a Florida baseball top, and a Dive Word zip hoodie. www.fourthelement.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: BACK-INFLATE BCDS

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.

HIGH-END BCDS This issue, we kick off our group tests of back-inflate BCDs, beginning with the top-of-the-range models from several major manufacturers. Back-inflate BCDs - and we are not talking about backplate-andwing set-ups, they will be reviewed later in the year - are increasingly finding favour with recreational divers, who like the uncluttered design of these BCDs, and the fact that the basic design (with the buoyancy all at the rear) makes for a lighter weight BCD than a more-traditional jacket-style BCD, which means these are ideal for UK divers who also like to travel to more-exotic locations and want a BCD that can handle both cold and warm water diving.

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • APEKS BLACK ICE • AQUA LUNG ROGUE • HOLLIS HD200 • OCEANIC EXCURSION • SCUBAPRO SEAHAWK • ZEAGLE STILETTO

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Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis, North Wales www.viviandivecentre.com Date tested: 24/5/2018 Water temp: 8 degrees C WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

APEKS BLACK ICE The Black Ice has been around for many years now, and it can still hold its own in this competitive arena. It has a thick padded backpad, utilises the Wrapture Harness System, has two pockets (one zippered, the other a spacious drop-down design with a Velcro flap), five stainless steel D-rings, and no less than four dump valves.

It comes in a range of modular sizes (SM/MD, ML/ LG, and XL/XXL) allowing for a ‘custom fit’, and has dual-channel SureLock II integrated weight pockets, and non-dumpable trim pockets at the back.

It can also be rigged for a twinset via an optional twin cylinder kit.

The Black Ice is a chunky back-inflate BCD which is robustly constructed and perfectly suited to UK diving (it is a bit of a heavyweight for travelling).

It holds you nice and snug on the surface and underwater, and everything just falls neatly to hand.

Extremely comfortable, thanks to the Wrapture harness and thick padding, and built to last. www.apeksdiving.com/uk

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 5kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Bulletproof back-inflate BCD that is built to last, can move into entry-level ‘tech’ with you as your skills develop, and is exceptionally comfortable.

SCORE

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AQUA LUNG ROGUE The Rogue is like the big brother of the strippedback Outlaw. It uses the same innovative ModLock connectors, allowing a custom fit to be easily achieved by mixing and matching different sizes, and comes complete with SureLock II integrated weight pockets, two folding pockets, an octo holder, knife grommets and four stainless steel D-rings.

Optional extras include non-dumpable trim pockets, an SMB pocket, and a waistband extender.

The Test Team were all fans of the Outlaw - currently in Long Term Test - and while it could handle UK diving, it was far more at home in tropical waters. The Rogue, on the other hand, is the best of both worlds it is more-robustly constructed than the Outlaw, with a few valuable added extras (the ability to fit trim pockets, the two pockets, etc), but still remains a very lightweight jacket perfect for travelling with. It is very comfortable, the front is totally uncluttered, and it holds you securely topside and underwater. It is also very eye-catching in its minimalistic design. www.aqualung.com/uk

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.2kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Eye-catching, well-made BCD with some neat features, lightweight but still strongly constructed to last.

Perfect companion for travel or use at home.

SCORE

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

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HOLLIS HD200 At first glance, the HD200 looks like a backplateand-wing set-up, complete with crotch-strap, etc. It isn’t, but the robust design has a very technical look to it, which will appeal to many prospective buyers.

It is made from 1000 denier Cordura with PU lamination outer shell, and it has a secure pinch-clip integrated weight system, along with non-dumpable trim pockets on the back. It has eight D-rings, including four mounted tech-style on the back, multiple pull dumps, two zippered pockets, and knife grommets on both sides.

The HD200 is a solid back-inflate BCD that seamlessly blends recreational and technical styling in a goodlooking package. It is very comfortable, and has a nice, durable feel to it, a feeling reinforced by the stainless-steel waiststrap clip and the heavy-duty Cordura material. The pinch-clips on the integrated weights are well-designed and simple to use, and the zippered pockets can be easily accessed while underwater. Efficient pull dumps and inflator. www.hollis.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 4.3kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Striking good looks in its red-and-black colour scheme, and a neat blend of recreational and technical.

Solidly built, and extremely capable in the water.

SCORE

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OCEANIC EXCURSION The Excursion is another jacket that has been around for a while, and it still stands up well today.

The rear-inflate bladder, made from patented BioFlex material, is bungeed to stay streamlined on the diver, while around front, the shoulder straps are well padded, as is the back pad. It has a patented depth-compensating cummerbund, two zippered pockets (with knife mounts), eight prebent D-rings, integrated weight pockets and nondumpable trim pockets.

The Oceanic Excursion is an extremely comfortable BCD both on the surface and underwater. Everything feels nice and tight to your body, and there is no tank movement whatever position you go into while diving. The pockets are easily accessible, and the inflator and pull dumps are efficient. It is robustly built, and so it is not exactly lightweight, but yet it still packs up remarkably small, so if you had the weight allowance, it would still work as a travel jacket. Equally at home in warm or cold waters. www.oceanicworldwide.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 3.8kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Subtle styling helps this BCD remain easy on the eye but not in your face. Well made, great performance and a decent price point.

SCORE

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

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RECYCLED

FROM THE SEA NEW PIONEER Swimwear Collection

fourthelement.com/oceanpositive

SCUBAPRO SEAHAWK Scubapro has been making rock-solid back-inflate BCDs for many years, and the Seahawk continues the tradition started by the Knighthawk. Made from 1000 denier nylon and 420 denier nylon, it is robustly constructed, with a well-padded backpad and shoulder straps. It has two zippered pockets, six D-rings, pinch-clip integrated weights and non-dumpable trim pockets. It also has Scubapro’s Super Cinch metal clamp to securely hold the cylinder in place.

I have always been a fan of the Scubapro power inflator, which is one of the most-powerful on the market. Combined with the pull dumps on this BCD, it makes a great combo. The pinch-clip integrated weights are nice and secure, and the zippered pockets, while being impacted somewhat by the integrated weight pockets, can still stash a back-up torch, etc. It fits closely to your body, and it holds you well on the surface and underwater. It doesn’t bust the scales, either, making it a true all-rounder for use in the UK and in warmer waters. www.scubapro.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 3.66kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Good-looking, very well-made BCD with efficient power inflator and pull dumps, and secure pinch-clip integrated weights. Great all-rounder.

SCORE

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

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ZEAGLE STILETTO Zeagle have been making robustly constructed rear-inflate BCDs for many years, and the Stiletto is made from 1000 denier nylon, yet thanks to clever design, it still only tips the scales at 3.3kg, making this viable for UK use and taking on foreign trips.

It features the Ripcord weight system, which is by far the quickest emergency release on the market - one control releases all of the front weights - the red zippers house the weights, the black zippers are the storage pockets. There are also non-dumpable trim pockets on the back. There are five D-rings, and a well-padded backpad.

The Stiletto is a comfortable jacket, and its supports you well on the surface and underwater. There is plenty of lift, yet the front is very uncluttered. The Ripcord system is efficient, with the release control falling nicely to hand on the left-hand side. The build quality is plain to see, and with the weight coming in just over 3kg, this would suit a UK diver also wanting warm-water capabilities. www.zeagle.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 3.3kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Durable build quality and a reasonably light weight combine to create a solid UK/travel back-inflate BCD. Comfortable and performed well.

SCORE

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VERDICT

There are more and more back-inflate BCDs coming to market, as divers continue to realise the benefits of having the buoyancy at the rear, leaving the front uncluttered. All of the BCDs here put in a strong performance, and none would leave you wanting. The Best Value was a shootout between the Scubapro Seahawk and the Oceanic Excursion. Both BCDs were very comfortable, held you well topside and underwater, and tipped the scales at a weight that made them viable as a travel jacket and UK BCD. There was not a lot in it moneywise, but in the end, the Oceanic just edged out the Scubapro to take the Best Value title.

The Choice award was a different matter. The brand-new Aqua Lung Rogue came in all guns blazing against old-favourites the Apeks Black Ice, Zeagle Stiletto and Hollis HD200. All four are fantastic BCDs - strong performances, exceptionally comfortable, robustly constructed - but in the end, the weight of the Black Ice and HD200 left the Rogue and the Stiletto to go head-to-head. The Aqua Lung just pipped the Zeagle at the post - this modular BCD is lightweight, well-made and ideal for use in the UK and abroad. * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

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

For more informaaon visit us at

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

Test Extra

MARES KAILA SLS

Samara Ironside: The Kaila SLS is a part of their womenspecific She Dives range, and is the female-cut version of the Dragon SLS BCD. It incorporates the Fusion Bladder, which combines features of the backmounted and classic bladder, and gives a high lift capacity while also offering unrestricted movement, and has aircell slides on the shoulders for increased comfort when inflated.

The position of the corrugated hose retaining epaulette can be adjusted, as can the cummerbund. It has highcapacity cargo pockets with stretch panels, and 50mm swivel buckles. It features the SLS weight system with visual confirmation of proper pouch insertion, as well as personalisable labels on the weight pockets.

This robust and durable BCD was a dream to dive with. It has ample space for weights, both in the SLS pockets and in non-dumpable trim pockets hidden away at the back.

There is a knack to locking home the integrated weight pockets, but it is reassuring to hear a definite ‘click’ when it goes home properly, and I liked seeing the ‘green’ symbol to show it was in-situ.

It fit me very comfortably, and retained its comfort both underwater and on land – sore shoulders is not a concern with this BCD. I also found the adjustable cummerbund very convenient – you would be able to attain a perfect fit in both a wetsuit and a drysuit.

It is quite a chunky BCD, so perhaps not for those looking for a lightweight travel BCD, but if you are in the market for a solid, robustly constructed jacket with some neat and practical features, you couldn’t go wrong with a Kaila. I also liked the white trim – users are very distinguishable (and fashionable) in and out of the water. www.mares.com

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Long Term Test MOMENTUM DEEP 6 Mark Evans: The traditional dive watch is under pressure from the rise of the wristwatch dive computer, but there are still plenty of people out there who want a good, oldfashioned diver’s watch adorning their wrist, both for actual diving and to make an apresdiver statement.

Momentum make some truly eye-catching watches, and the Deep 6 - classed as ‘oversized’ - certainly fits the bill, especially in this orange-andblack colour scheme, with nifty FIT silicone rubber INFORMATION Arrival date: June 2018 strap. Even better, it will Suggested retail price: * match the orange Apeks Number of dives: 0 RK3s!

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

APEKS RK3 Mark Evans: I am still waiting for my orange RK3s to arrive from the Apeks factory, but I did actually manage to go diving with some when I accompanied Dean Martin and Ryan Hoole from Apeks for a dive in Anglesey. Ryan was wearing black fins and Dean had the orange RK3s, and boy, did they show up well. The vis was an acceptable six to seven metres, but the vivid orange of the fins certainly ‘popped’ in the murk when he was at the extremes of visibility. Instructors will love being so visibile, but I can also see buddy teams appreciating INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2018 their other half being easy Suggested retail price: * to spot when things get a Number of dives: 0 little murk.

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

AQUASKETCH MINNO 1

MARES QUAD AIR Mark Evans: The Quad Air might be a pretty big, chunky computer, but it benefits from a long battery life thanks to the dot-matrix display, but when it does finally run out on you, it is userreplaceable - simply use a coin to whip off the cover on the back, swap out the battery (available in most electrical shops), check the O-ring is INFORMATION Arrival date: May 2018 clean and undamaged, and Suggested retail price: * then screw it securely back Number of dives: 2 into place. Job done.

Time in water: 2 hrs 10 mins www.mares.com 64

Mark Evans: I have tried various slates over the years, generally when testing kit for group reviews, and the one thing that is always irritating is that the pencil usually floats around on a rubber bungee, or dangles on a string, and you always have to fish around to find it, or you try to jam it somewhere safe. The Minno 1 has a neat solution - the pencil securely INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2018 slides into a hole in the Suggested retail price: * side of the unit, ready to be Number of dives: 6 deployed when you need it.

Time in water: 5 hrs 40 mins www.aquasketch.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

SANTI DIVING FLEX 360 Mark Evans: The Santi Flex 360 has been keeping me nice and warm through the winter months, not only while diving, but also while out sledging with my son.

However, the stylish jacket has also come into its own as a neat piece of apres-dive wear.

It is extremely warm, has hand/wrist warmers built in, and it certainly garnered plenty of positive comments from even non-divers who were not aware this was INFORMATION part of an undersuit system Arrival date: January 2018 Suggested retail price: * and just assumed it was a Number of dives: 19 sports jacket.

Time in water: 17 hrs 55 mins www.santidiving.com

AQUA LUNG OUTLAW

Mark Evans: The Outlaw will be heading off to Spain next week, when its light weight will come in handy not only for the flight out there, but also moving about between hotels and dive centres (it is a whistlestop tour of the Murcia region, with a lot of relocation involved in a short period).

However, while being very stripped back, it still retains the nifty Aqua Lung camband clamp, which stops in this INFORMATION position before locking home Arrival date: February 2017 Suggested retail price: * to prevent trapped fingers Number of dives: 27 very neat and effective.

Time in water: 26 hrs 15 mins www.aqualung.com

SUUNTO EON CORE Mark Evans: The beauty of the EON Core - and its bigger sibling, the EON Steel is that they are exceptionally easy to use. Yes, they both boast an extraordinary amount of features once you start to really utilise their capabilities, but for just jumping in and going for a basic dive, then they have got you covered with the minimum of fuss. I had an 18-year-old over from Canada for three weeks of work experience, and her first drysuit dives, and so I kitted her out with the Core. A few minutes explaining what was what, and we were good to go. She had no trouble recognising the salient points on the INFORMATION Arrival date: March 2018 display, and was blown away by her first encounter Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 11 with a full-colour display.

Time in water: 9 hrs 50 mins www.suunto.com

SHEARWATER RESEARCH NERD 2

Mark Evans: We become accustomed to what we are used to, and for me that meant a wrist-mounted computer. I am just used to glancing at the inside of my left forearm to get my dive data from my Shearwater Perdix AI. However, the innovative Shearwater Research NERD 2 just turned that all on its head as it presents that information right in front of your face. It felt odd for a short while, but it soon became second nature to just alter my focus and - heh presto - all my dive info was in front INFORMATION Arrival date: December 2017 of me. Awesome for photographers, but a useful Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 12 bit of kit for any diver.

Time in water: 11 hrs 25 mins www.shearwater.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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THE COURSE DIRECTOR

Marcel van den Berg is a PADI Platinum Course Director working at Sairee Cottage Diving, based on the picturesque island of Koh Tao in Thailand, and here he offers an insight into recreational diver training and professional-level courses, and how these can be rewarding experiences with far-reaching consequences. www.saireecottagediving.com

USING YOUTUBE CAN MAKE YOUR PADI IDC A LOT EASIER

U

sing YouTube during the PADI IDC can make the IDC course significantly easier to complete, and it will be priceless during your PADI IE Exam.

A lot of IDC candidates complain that the course is too short. The official PADI Standards state that the PADI IDC course can be completed in seven days. Many PADI Course Directors around the world believe this is not enough time and have extended the IDC course duration to around ten or 12 days.

Here on Koh Tao in Thailand, many IDCs run for 14 to 18 days. Even then, we still get a lot of people complaining it was not enough time to practice the in-water diving skills.

How much time a person need to succeed in the water skills with high scores depends on the person, the quality of his or her previous training, have they switched between dive organisations, and previous training locations.

For this reason, some IDC candidates are stressed about their skill demonstration performance and this is where YouTube can significantly lower the stress levels of the IDC candidate.

According to PADI Standards you need to perform all 24 dive skills in the Skill Circuit Evaluation, scoring a minimum of 82 total points, with no individual score below three. Here at Sairee Cottage Diving on Koh Tao, we conduct two PADI skill circuits and we do not send people to the IE unless they get a five (full points) on all skills. An IDC candidate also needs to demonstrate a PADI skill during the IDC Confined Water presentations.

Since I started presenting our IDC YouTube training videos (www.youtube.com/IDCKohTaoThailand) to our candidates, it became an easy thing to get full scores on their Skill Circuit demos. My tip to new PADI IDC candidates is to start by preparing before the IDC course. Go to our YouTube Channel and start watching the PADI Skill Circuit videos, or get a cup of coffee and watch the compilation with all the videos in one place. Another tip is to also do a ‘dry’ run after watching - this can easily be done in your own house, in front of the mirror or a friend. This might cause some laughs, but it can be really effective!

PADI is about to revise the IDC course and will add the new PADI Open Water Diver skills in the skill circuit of the IDC. If you already want to prepare yourself for this, then please check out the Sairee Cottage Diving Extended IDC Skill Circuit YouTube videos here. There are so many different ways and styles to get a good score on your IDC confined presentation. Sometimes this is a great thing knowing you can have your own style, but sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming the first time you have to give an IDC confined water presentation.

To have the best chance of a great score on your IDC confined water presentation you can use different confined water YouTube videos that I have made. First of all, you can use the Confined 66

Water Briefing YouTube videos to get full points on your IDC confined water dive briefing. Then after that you can use the different PADI IDC confined water skill presentation videos that includes the demo for the skill, how to organise it and how to appropriately correct re-occurring problems. The IDC Open Water presentations can be a bit more tricky than confined water as you have a make up for confined and not for the open water presentations on the IDC and IE. This means it is even more important that we don’t get a failing score on the IDC Open Water presentations and these YouTube IDC videos can help a lot.

IDC skills can be organised in many different ways, but if you follow the way that you see in our IDC Open Water presentation videos, you will get the highest score of a five on your IDC or IE. Especially skills like Underwater Navigation, Lift Bag, Knot tying, PADI Rescue Diver Out of Air and the CESA can be tricky to organise in open water. For all these skills we have made YouTube training videos.

We don’t always have to go into the water to practice IDC diving skills. On our YouTube Channel you will find a lot of workshop videos explaining diving skills on land. These videos are also great to use later when you want to teach these skills to your students after completing the IDC course.

Right now we are living in a world where thinking about the environment is very important. Our oceans are in trouble and we have to deal with a lot of plastic trash, coral bleaching events and overfishing. On our channel we have made some YouTube videos about our eco conservation efforts at Sairee Cottage Diving and these will hopefully help you to organise your own eco-conservation events.

I hope that these YouTube videos will help you to prepare for your PADI Divemaster and IDC course and that they will help you pass not only the IDC course, but also the PADI IE. Please don’t forget to Like these videos and subscribe to our channel to stay updated on future IDC training videos. n WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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