Scuba Diver #47

TRIED AND TESTED

TRAIN WITH TORBET

AFRICAN ADVENTURE

WALT STEARNS RATES AND REVIEWS THE DIVE RITE O2PTIMA CM

ANDY TORBET OFFERS ADVICE ON GETTING FIT TO DIVE IN 2021

AL HORNSBY WAXES LYRICAL ABOUT THE DIVING IN AFRICA

WHY YOU NEED TO EXPLORE THE RED SEA NOW #47 | £1 03

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Barefoot luxury in the heart of Indonesia

Bunaken National Marine Park I had a fantastic time at Siladen Resort. The resort itself is a quiet and idyllic oasis, the food was outstanding, but it’s the fishes that will have me coming back. The dive crew were some of the friendliest folk I have met. Always smiling, and so happy. I can’t wait to dive there again.

Dr. Richard Smith

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MAGAZINE

CONTRIBUTORS

Al Hornsby, Andy Torbet, Sonia Goggel, Luke Atkinson, the UWPOTY team

I think by now we are all champing at the bit to get back into the water for a dive. I am even eyeing up the water butt in my garden...

However, things are looking up - as I write this, more than 18 million people have had the vaccine jab here in the UK, lockdown is slowly starting to relax, and diving could be back on the cards within a matter of weeks. The news that every adult in the UK could be offered a jab by July is even more positive.

If you needed any more incentive to get wet, check out our showcase of the winners from the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.

Normally we unveil the winners and runners-up of this prestigious competition at the GO Diving Show, but with this being postponed until September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are doing the next best thing and featuring them within the magazine. These stunning images just make me even more keen to get back underwater!

Following on from our piece last month by Nick Lyon, in which he urged divers to get ‘dive-fit’, this issue we have adventurer, stuntman, tech diver and all-round Action Man Andy Torbet giving some hints and advice on simple and easy exercises that anyone can do to get themselves in shape and ready to hit the water as soon as we are able.

Eleswhere, we look at the new releases coming from Apeks in 2021 in a special extended What’s New, as well as seeing why this year is the perfect time to visit Egypt, finding out about adrenaline diving in Africa and going channel diving in the Maldives - on a scooter.

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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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TRIED AND TESTED

TRAIN WITH TORBET

AFRICAN ADVENTURE

WALT STEARNS RATES AND REVIEWS THE DIVE RITE O2PTIMA CM

ANDY TORBET OFFERS ADVICE ON GETTING FIT TO DIVE IN 2021

AL HORNSBY WAXES LYRICAL ABOUT THE DIVING IN AFRICA

WHY YOU NEED TO EXPLORE THE RED SEA NOW #47 | £1 03

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‣ UWP 2021 winners revealed

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: PETER ZET

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

8 News

16 Egypt

BSAC branches out in Egypt, Ghost Diving launches two UK chapters, a plan to use facemasks in road construction, a rare pearl found in Thailand, Cornish crabs get renamed, and Miranda Krestovnikoff becomes a PADI AmbassaDiver.

Legendary Egyptian dive guide Sonia Goggel waxes lyrical about the extraordinary diving conditions she experienced through 2020 and urges people to get out to the Red Sea in 2021 to witness it for themselves.

22 Underwater Photographer of the Year

The team from DAN Europe answer diving-related medical queries, including hypertension.

We showcase the winners of the prestigious underwater photography competition, which still managed to pull in more than 4,500 photos from around the world despite the best efforts of COVID-19 to put a dampener on proceedings.

46 Divers Alert Network

30 Underwater Photography

14 DAN Europe Medical Q&A

The DAN team looks at the risks involved in scuba and freediving on the same day.

66 Wreck Hunter

We have all been out of the water much longer than we would have liked, and here, underwater photography guru Mario Vitalini offers a few tips to ease back into the underwater photography world.

Mike Haigh discusses surveying an archaeological site underwater.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

34 Train with Torbet

54 What’s New

Adventurer, technical diver, stuntman, climber and all-round Action Man Andy Torbet knows a thing or two about keeping fit. Here he gives some basic advice to help us all get back into shape for when we can hit the water again.

40 Africa

An avid topside photographer as well as underwater shooter, Al Hornsby is a regular visitor to Africa - and here he extols the virtues of diving in the waters off and within Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana, which are home to sharks, rays and even crocodiles.

48 The Maldives

Channel dives are one of the most-exhilarating things you can do in the Maldives, but throw a scooter into the mix, and you have all the ingredients for a massive amount of fun.

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First look at the new products coming from Apeks Marine Equipment through 2021, including the Luna torch line-up, the Lifeline reels, exposure protection such as the ThermiQ 8/7 wetsuit and ThermiQ Carbon Core range, and the selection of dive bags.

58 Test Extra

Scuba Diver Editor-at-Large Walt Stearns rates and reviews the O2ptimaCM closed-circuit rebreather from technical-diving specialists Dive Rite.

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

BSAC DIVES INTO THE

RED SEA WITH THE LAUNCH OF BSAC EGYPT

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SAC has launched an exciting new licence agreement that will take BSAC diving and training in Egypt to a whole new level, with many more BSAC Diver Training Centres set to be created.

Following on from the success of BSAC’s longstanding license agreements with BSAC Japan, BSAC Korea and BSAC Thailand, BSAC Egypt will set the standard for BSAC diving and training in this key diving destination.

With the contract between BSAC and Blue Pearl Ltd (trading as BSAC Egypt) now formally signed, the new Hurghada-based

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licensee will welcome non-divers as well as all agencyqualified divers to dive and train with one of the newly accredited BSAC Centres across Hurghada, Sharm, Dahab, Marsa Alam and Safaga.

Yasser Ragab, the new CEO of BSAC Egypt, who has worked in Red Sea diving for over 17 years, said he welcomed the opportunity to establish BSAC’s standards and training throughout the region.

He said: “The Red Sea is one of the wonders of the world and a bucket lister for all new and experienced divers. By

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working closely with BSAC, we want to grow the love of diving and this will enable us to issue diving qualifications in our own country.”

BSAC Egypt will work with both BSAC and Egypt’s Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS) to help deliver high standards of diving and training across the region. Sixteen Red Sea diving instructors and two snorkelling instructors have already undergone training to become BSAC accredited instructors, with work now ongoing for more centres to gain their BSAC Centre status.

The longer-term vision for BSAC Egypt is to have 30 percent of all Red Sea centres accredited to BSAC as soon as possible.

In the meantime, BSAC is providing all the necessary instructor and centre development to support BSAC Egypt through its first few years. BSAC Egypt will translate the core diver training materials into German, French, Polish and Russian to support the training of divers from around the world.

BSAC’s Business Development Officer, Adrian Collier, said the partnership would open up opportunities for BSAC, as well as its clubs and members. “One of the most-popular diving destinations, Egypt offers a wealth of diving for all abilities and any BSAC member will be welcomed to dive or train with any of BSAC Egypt’s centres. We will also be working closely with BSAC Egypt to get more people into diving, potentially leading to new club members back in the UK.” BSAC Chair Maria Harwood welcomed the new partnership with BSAC Egypt.

“The Red Sea is one of the world’s most popular diving destinations,” Maria said. “We’re thrilled to be working towards introducing more holidaymakers from around the world to diving the BSAC way. To work with Yasser and the team at BSAC Egypt is an exciting opportunity for all involved.” www.bsac.com

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GHOST DIVING ANNOUNCES NEW CHAPTER IN THE UK Ghost Diving, the international volunteer diver organisation formerly known as Ghost Fishing, has announced the establishment of a new country chapter in the United Kingdom. The Ghost Diving Foundation is headquartered in the Netherlands but has a worldwide presence. Through its international chapters in the Adriatic, Costa Brava, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Ghost Diving volunteers can be found in almost every sea and ocean – just like the ghost gear their missions aim at recovering.

Several technical divers will form two teams within Ghost Diving UK, each operating in their own area in both the north and south of the UK. Team North will be operating out of Tynemouth with their own boat, while Team South is based in Cornwall.

In line with the organisation’s modus operandi, Ghost Diving UK will also participate in global missions in collaboration with other international chapters. On a national level, partnerships will be established with local diving and

conservation groups to form a strong front in the fight against marine pollution, especially that caused by lost fishing gear.

They have already established a partnership with Healthy Seas, a non-profit environmental organisation that will take the nets and make sure they become a valuable new resource. www.ghostdiving.org

FACE MASKS COULD BE USED TO BUILD ROADS We have heard the threats that discarded face masks pose to the aquatic environment and marine life, but now there is hope that a novel use for them could reduce their impact.

Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have found that the right mixture of shredded face masks and aggregate forms a strong base layer for road building, with the addition of the old masks actually improving the mix.

It is thought that up to 6.8 billion disposable face masks are used across the world on a daily basis, but scientists have calculated that up to 3 million masks could be used in every kilometre of a two-lane road, massively reducing how many end up in landfill or our oceans.

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SHIPPING INDUSTRY TAKES NEW STEP TO PROTECT MARINE ENVIRONMENTS

EMPEROR PRICING MEANS NO HIDDEN EXTRAS WE ARE DIVING IN THE RED SEA AND MALDIVES NOW! TO HELP YOU PLAN, WE’RE CONTINUING OUR “NO DEPOSIT SCHEME“ Contact us for the latest updates on new flight arrivals Cleaning a ship’s submerged parts from barnacles and other growths, while the ship is in the water, can transfer invasive species to local marine environments unless it is properly cleaned and the debris is captured.

To combat this problem, and to provide clarity and quality assurance to shipowners, ports and government authorities, BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have published the first industry standard on in-water cleaning of ships.

“This standard will help protect the environment in the port. Not only that, it will also help every organisation that is part of this process by raising the minimum standard of cleaning several notches higher and ensure that the end result is both a clean ship, and safe working practice,” says David Loosley, BIMCO secretary general.

The organisms growing on the ship increases its drag through the water and can reduce fuel efficiency of the ship by as much as 35 percent, leading to higher fuel bills and higher CO2 emissions. It is therefore important to remove the growths every couple of years.

A number of countries and regions have put biofouling management high on the agenda, with regional and national regulation on the drawing board or already in place. This includes the USA, Australia, the Baltic Sea region, New Zealand, Hawaii and California.

According to the industry standard, at least 90 percent of the macro fouling must be captured by the cleaning company, and effluent water coming back into the sea will have removed organisms and materials down to a microscopic size (0.000001 metres).

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MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFF UNVEILED AS PADI AMBASSADIVER FOR 2021 PADI has announced new AmbassaDivers on the 2021 team, and GO Diving Show Main Stage speaker Miranda Krestovnikoff is one of the ‘new faces’.

PADI launched the AmbassaDiver programme in 2015 to help amplify the stories of divers who inspire others to love and care for our ocean planet. PADI AmbassaDivers are part of a team committed to elevating diving, bringing awareness to social or environmental issues, and encouraging more people to explore, protect and experience the underwater world.

In their unique ways, these individuals are sharing their love for diving, acting to safeguard ocean health and exciting others to pursue their own passions. Together, they are a motivating force in their communities and across the globe, leading and encouraging others to seek adventure and save the ocean.

Miranda Krestovnikoff has been travelling and diving the world for more than 20 years as a TV and radio wildlife presenter for networks like FOX and BBC. When she learned to dive while studying zoology at Bristol University, she had no idea that diving would become such a major part of her career. When she’s not travelling, Miranda is a mother of two and loves diving the chilly waters around the UK. Through her work on and off screen, she hopes to connect people with nature and the need for conservation. Miranda is joined in 2021 by Paris Norriss, Yukie Higashinita, Francisco Delgado, Tom Park, Martyna Skura, and Kaoruko Inou.

“This esteemed group epitomizes what it means to seek adventure and save the ocean,” says Kristin Valette-Wirth, Chief Brand and Membership Officer for PADI Worldwide. “They are true torchbearers, dedicated to exploring and protecting the underwater world. And we are committed to amplifying these AmbassaDivers’ stories to inspire more people around the globe to deepen their connection with our water planet.” www.padi.com

THAI FISHERMAN FINDS RARE ORANGE PEARL WORTH £250,000 A Thai family are celebrating after finding a rare orange pearl worth a staggering £250,000, with the father stating ‘the money won’t just change my life, it will change my destiny’.

Hatchai Niyomdecha and his brother Worachat Niyomdecha were wandering along the beach on Nakhon Si Thammarat in the Gulf of Thailand at the end of January when they saw a marine-encrusted fishing buoy washed up on the shoreline.

They pulled three snails off the buoy for a tasty snack, but when their 60-year-old father Bangmad Niyomdecha was cleaning the haul, he made an astonishing discovery.

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Pearls found in the Melo Melo sea snail take many more years to form than those in traditional oysters, and can range in colour from tan or brown to the more-sought-after orange.

Mr Niyomdecha found a tangerine-hued pearl that weighed nearly 8g – and it is thought to be worth more than £250,000.

Apparently he is in discussion with a buyer from China who is offering $10 million Baht following a live appraisal.

This valuable discovery comes just weeks after another Thai fisherman found a 15lb lump of ambergris, the waxy, foulsmelling substance found in the stomachs of sperm whales, that was thought to be worth more than £165,000.

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UK REEFS TO BE PROTECTED BY WIDESPREAD BOTTOM-TRAWLING BAN Conservationists have welcomed a government proposal for a widespread bottom-trawling ban in protected English waters to save threatened cold-water corals.

A consultation was launched on Monday 1 February that puts forward the argument for banning the destructive fishing practice from four Marine Protected Areas – The Canyons; Dogger Bank; Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge; and the South Dorset Marine Conservation Zone. This would be the first attempt to limit trawling in protected offshore English waters. The Canyons is a deep-water habitat off the Cornish coastline which contains coral gardens and coral reefs. Dogger Bank in the North Sea is host to populations of sand eels.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge are marine-life hotspots off the North Norfolk and Lincolnshire coastlines. The South Dorset Marine Conservation Zone is home to sea squirts, sponges, crabs, starfish and scallops.

The proposal has been welcomed by conservation groups, many of whom have criticised MPAS as being ‘paper parks’, with nothing stopping them being targeted by British and foreign fishing vessels. The move comes after the Marine Conservation Charity said that bottom-trawling took place in a staggering 98 percent of offshore Marine Protected Areas in UK waters between 2015 and 2018.

These MPAS are all sites that were identified as needing protection due to the ecological importance of their seabeds.

Chris Thorne, an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “There are still hundreds of other equally important marine areas still open to all forms of destructive industrial fishing. Action in these four sites is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the scale needed to solve the crisis facing our oceans.”

SPIDER CRABS REBRANDED AS ‘CORNISH KING CRAB’ The Cornish fishing industry is renaming some of its catches to sell more postBrexit, so spiders crabs, for instance, will be rebranded as ‘Cornish king crab‘.

Up until now, 95 percent of megrim fish and 85 percent of spider crab have been exported to Spain, but post-Bexit, to boost their appeal with British consumers, the megrim will be known as ‘Cornish sole‘, and the aforementioned spider crabs will be ‘Cornish king crab‘.

This rebranding of a species is nothing new – the Patagonian toothfish was renamed Chilean seabass in the US and Canada.

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Q: Is it safe to dive with a perforated tympanic membrane?

A: A perforated tympanic membrane (ear drum) can be caused by diving, or have other non-related causes.

Most traumatic perforations heal spontaneously.

Following an appropriate time after they have healed, you can return to diving if your physician feels the healing is solid and there is no evidence of Eustachian tube problems. This usually takes about two months after it is healed. If the perforation does not heal, then an ear surgeon can repair the damage. Chronic perforations that do not heal are a contraindication to diving. Some have advocated the use of ear plugs for these individuals, but if there is any water leakage, it could cause a severe infection.

Q: Can I dive with hypertension?

A: Basically, an increase in blood pressure or hypertension is not a contraindication for recreational diving. However, it is important to know how pronounced the increase in blood pressure is and whether there is already consequential damage.

Since in most cases an increased blood pressure requires treatment with medication with partly possible significant undesirable side effects, we first recommend determining whether these medications are compatible with recreational diving.

Q: Are there any contraindications to diving with breast implants due to pressure and to nitrogen being absorbed by the silicone?

A: Three types of breast implants were tested in an experiment. The researchers simulated various depth/ time profiles of recreational scuba diving. There was an increase in bubble size (one to four percent) in both saline and silicone gel implants, depending on the depth and duration of the dive. Bubble formation in implants led to a small volume increase, which is not likely to damage the implants or surrounding tissue. If gas bubbles do form in the implant, they resolve over time.

Breast implants do not pose a problem to diving from the standpoint of gas absorption or changes in size and are not a contraindication for participation in recreational scuba diving. Avoid buoyancy compensators with constrictive chest straps, which can put undue pressure on the seams and contribute to risk of rupture.

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O

ur beloved Red Sea, named by Jacques Cousteau ‘The Corridor of Miracles’, lived up to its name last year. 2020 was not a great year in many, many ways, but for the experience of diving in the Red Sea, it was truly miraculous. The diving business, like so many other industries, was deeply affected by the sudden halt in global travel, but when those small numbers were able to think about travelling again in early summer and beyond, it was a blessing for divers and dive guides.

Egypt was one of the first countries to welcome travellers back and opened the borders on 2 July. It’s no surprise - tourism is a hugely important part of the Egyptian economy, employing over a million people.

It was not a cavalier approach by any standards - Egypt had very low numbers of the virus and was keen to ensure that continued for the health of the citizens and tourists. They ensured there were stringent anti-COVID measures employed by any Ministry of Tourism establishment in place before they could re-open, and new certification was gained to prove it. One of the most-aggressive and most-conspicuous measures was limiting the capacity of any dive boat or liveaboard to 50 percent of normal to allow easy social distancing no matter whether relaxing in the saloon, eating in the restaurant, kitting up on the dive deck or anywhere else onboard.

Working as a dive guide mostly in the Red Sea for nearly 25 years, I have probably spent more than 14,000 hours underwater admiring its many wonders, and I can safely say that this year’s dives were the mostspectacular and magical of my diving life by far 16

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Legendary Egyptian dive guide Sonia Goggel waxes lyrical about the extraordinary diving conditions she experienced through 2020 – and urges people to get out to the Red Sea in 2021 to witness it for themselves PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER ZET / PETER ZET.SMUGMUG.COM

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This measure, still in place at time of writing, meant we could only run half-full boats, single travellers almost always did not have to share their cabin, and guests had space like never before. If you were lucky enough to travel, the reward was priceless. Not only would you encounter a maximum of 13 or 14 other divers on board, but as a boat we also were mostly alone on the dive sites. Due to the small number of incoming flights, few operators started up and those that did, like us, only operated a small number of the usual fleet. Now, I have been a dive guide in the Red Sea since 1997, and not even back then did we experience the privileged feeling of being completely alone during two consecutive weeks at Tiran, Ras Mohamed, the wreck of the Thistlegorm, the wrecks of Abu Nuhas, the wreck of the Dunraven, Gubal Island, the Brother Islands, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone… I could go on, but you get the idea!

If you have dived the Red Sea in the last few years, you know that being alone at those wrecks and named reefs is a true privilege. They are excellent and famous dive sites, some in the category of world class, and while the Red Sea is always spectacular, even in busy times, being alone in paradise is a totally extraordinary feeling.

When diver numbers in general are low, we can expect to experience a boost in marine life - no matter how careful we are as divers, nature always fares best when left totally alone.

Egypt has had many experiences of this over the decades, so we know better than most! Some of these positive effects are hard to see, just more vibrancy, diversity and health on the reef itself for example, but of course we will also usually be blessed with some very special marine life sightings.

Probably the most-special sightings in 2020 were two mola molas at the Little Brother North West cleaning station - we could almost not believe our eyes as we turned around the corner and saw two mola molas lying on the soft corals, being cleaned by eager cleaner wrasse. As our small group of divers arrived, they slowly moved away, giving us a chance to appreciate their graceful beauty. Special sightings are usually so because they are either very large or very rare, this particular sighting fell perfectly into both categories!

There were also very close up hammerhead sightings, very leisurely cruising and very friendly, at the Brother Islands and Daedalus Reef. I have dived with hammerheads all over the world and am always amazed by how positively friendly the Red Sea ones are compared to their international cousins. Of course, there were close up Longimanus encounters at the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone, a Red Sea highlight most years, but this year it was like a private showing! Of note

The toilets and bath tubs on Yolanda Reef

Soft corals adorn the Red Sea reefs

The famed stern of the Giannis D

Truck inside the Thistlegorm

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Not only would you encounter a maximum of 13 or 14 other divers on board, but as a boat we also were mostly alone on the dive sites Red Sea anemonefish

though, we had many more than usual whaleshark sightings all over the Red Sea - our divers managed to dive with them at Tiran, Ras Mohamed, the Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, and all along the shore sites. The evasive dugong was also very accommodating at southern shore sites, our team at the Marsa Alam diving centre had some particularly intimate encounters with Dyson and a new individual who is yet to be formally identified.

Numerous bottlenose dolphins joyfully played with us at Sha’ab El Erg, Abu Nuhas and Ras Torombi, dives that are usually at the start or end of a liveaboard trip, and so dolphins are a very welcome addition to either set the tempo of the trip, or add a treasured memory on the final day.

We also had some sailfish sightings at Elphinstone, a sighting any diver is pleased to witness.

Now, we all adore big fish, but what about good old normal reef fish and soft corals? How about spending dives all alone on our all-time favourite Tiran reefs and Ras Mohamed, whose copious soft coral growth and fish density never cease to amaze. How about not being run over by any other divers, while leisurely enjoying the tremendous soft coral wall and huge snapper school of Shark Reef and the gorgeous soft coral pinnacles at Yolanda? It was the case many times this year - truly miraculous!

They are excellent and famous dive sites, some in the category of world class WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

And imagine if you can be all alone on the world-famous and, usually, very busy wreck of the Thistlegorm. Completely alone in its holds; just motorbikes, trucks, airplane wings, soldierfish schools, you and your buddy! How about spending some time at the Thistlegorm bow surrounded by fusiliers, anthias, jacks and not a single mooring rope? How about hovering for 20 minutes at the NW cleaning station of Little Brother or the Southern cleaning station of Big Brother with just ten other divers? How about being half an hour on the North Plateau of Elphinstone with just ten other divers and nobody else?

How about having three Longimanus sharks circling only ten divers off the Southern tip of Elphinstone for a whole dive?

How about diving all the four wrecks of Abu Nuhas with only ten other divers? How about spending a whole dive enjoying the extraordinary soft corals and anthias of the wreck of the Carnatic with only ten other divers, or the whole dive inside the stern of the Giannis D with no other boat falling on you?

And, how about not sharing the extraordinary Gubal Barge critters with more than ten divers; and how about Sha’ab El Erg bottlenose dolphins playing only with your group? These were the dive realities every week for the 2020 divers in the Red Sea. Unimaginable, really, but true. Absolute bliss only starts to describe the feeling…

It has been a truly magical year for divers and dive guides.

Not only has diving been spectacular, but the feeling of relief for every diver who travelled, to finally make it and escape the feeling of the strange new normal of 2020, even if only

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The upturned hull of the Dunraven

for a week or two, was palpable. We often left the harbour with eight guests or ten, but even the maximum number of 14 was a true treat, as our crews were able to offer even more personal service and, of course, were absolutely thrilled to be back at sea, doing what they love. There were often even more dive guides onboard than usual, as we all were thirsty to go out diving, so our divers often enjoyed diving in small groups of three to four per guide - VIP treatment indeed.

Of course, COVID-19 could not be ignored, rules apply on our Emperor Boats as they do across the country to ensure that guests can relax and enjoy their trip while everyone’s welfare is maintained. Since September, everybody needed to arrive in Egypt with a negative PCR test. Onboard, temperatures are dutifully taken at least once a day and signs/symptoms of guests and crew members monitored by responsible dive guides. Social distancing is encouraged, luggage and supplies are disinfected, personal disinfection stations are copious around the boat, buffet meals have been replaced by an equally fantastic a la carte menu service, masks are worn in the salon and dining room by dutiful crew members, and no efforts are spared to make everybody feel safe yet relaxed.

While ensuring safety on our Emperor liveaboards, a feeling

of normality, missing in our everyday lives in Europe, so hoped for during a true holiday, prevailed on our boats and on land in the Red Sea. A sense of normality in these tough times, so gratefully accepted by everyone. A true holiday feeling, not only out of work but also a feeling of being out of the pandemic could be enjoyed - a true treasure!

Emperor Divers crews are famous for being extremely professional while making you feel at home in their uniquely Egyptian family way. Just imagine the ratio of a dozen attentive crew members on a half-full boat… again, VIP service only starts to cover the situation!

Many of us have to plan trips to far-off destinations many years ahead. Mass cancellations and rescheduling adventures drove divers and travel agents berserk during the whole of 2020, and it will probably go on for some time in 2021. The pandemic has changed our lives in many ways, and of course, deeply affected many individuals and families. Our hearts go out to anyone who has lost a loved one, and our thanks go out to everyone who has done anything, no matter how small, to help another during this difficult period. For everyone, there must be a yearning to travel again and for divers, the call of the sea must be stronger than ever. The Red Sea is so close to Europe, so accessible on a four- to five-hour flight, and they have been and will run again.

Your courage of jumping onboard when the time Anthias swarm is right, and reaching the Red Sea’s myriad of Red Sea reefs wonders will be rewarded in more ways than you can imagine. It is definitely worth a try! Working as a dive guide mostly in the Red Sea for nearly 25 years, I have probably spent more than 14,000 hours underwater admiring its many wonders, and I can safely say that this year’s dives were the most-spectacular and magical of my diving life by far. Maybe you can join me in 2021 for your own piece of the magic. n NB: Sonia would like to thank Luke Atkinson for his valuable advice, corrections and editing efforts on this article.

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28/01/2021MDS_half.indd 14:38 2

28/01/2021 14:38

RENEE CAPOZZOLA WINS

WITH HER IMAGE SHARKS’ SKYLIGHT We showcase the winners of the prestigious underwater photography competition, which still managed to pull in more than 4,500 photos from around the world despite the best efforts of COVID-19 to put a dampener on proceedings

U

nderwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools. British photographer Phil Smith was the first underwater Photographer of the Year, named in 1965.

Today’s competition attracts entries from all around the world, has 13 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck photography, as well as four categories for photos taken specifically in British waters. This year’s judges were experienced underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Martin Edge and Dr Alex Mustard MBE. A graceful photograph of blacktip reef sharks cruising at sunset in French Polynesia saw Renee Capozzola from the USA named as the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021, as well as winning the Wide-Angle category.

Her image, Sharks’ Skylight, triumphed over 4,500 underwater pictures enter by UW photographers from 68 countries around the world. She is the first female

photographer to be named overall winner of the prestigious competition.

To shoot Sharks’ Skylight, she travelled from California to Moorea in August 2020. She explained: “I dedicated several evenings to photographing in the shallows at sunset, and I was finally rewarded with this scene - glasscalm water, a rich sunset, sharks and even birds.”

Chair of the competition judges, Dr Alexander Mustard MBE, commented about the overall winner: “This is a photograph of hope, a glimpse of how the ocean can be when we give it a chance, thriving with spectacular life both below and above the surface. The photographer not only persevered until this serendipitous scene unfolded, but more importantly Renee had the talent to capture this precise moment. The gorgeous lighting is sympathetic, but the picture is made by the elegance of the composition as sharks, sunset and seabirds fleetingly converge. Judging this year’s competition was a pleasure, a much-needed escape into the underwater world, I hope everyone enjoys immersing themselves in these fabulous images.”

This backlight image of a very small pygmy sea horse is superb.

The composition is so strong, just a hint of the branch and nothing more. Snooting this particular image is ideal. It’s bright within the pygmy itself but low key and subtle. The stark black background makes this image sing so loudly. Deserved winner of the macro category

SPECS

Credit name: Galice Hoarau Nationality: Norway Caption: Pontohi pygmy seahorse Location: Siladen, Indonesia Camera make: Olympus E-M1 II Lens: 60mm macro ISO: 200 Aperture: f22 Shutter: 1/160 Lighting used: Backscatter mini flash + snoot Housing: Nauticam

MARTIN EDGE

MACRO CATEGORY

Galice Hoarau from Norway took the title with this image of a Pontohi pygmy seahorse from Siladen, Indonesia.

He said: “Pontohi pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi) is one of the smallest and most recently discovered seahorses. They usually live on reef walls and can be hard to find. We had found two during the morning dive so I decided to dedicate the afternoon to getting a backlit photo. We were lucky to find this particular individual hanging out from the wall, allowing the use of a snoot to backlight it with the help of Rando, my dive guide. After setting up the camera and strobe we had to wait for it to get used to us and finally turn toward the camera for a brief moment.”

SPECS

Credit name: Renee Capozzola Nationality: USA Caption: Sharks’ Skylight Location: Moorea, French Polynesia Camera make: Canon5D Mark III Lens: Canon 11-24mm f/4 ISO: 400 Aperture: f20 Shutter: 1/200 Lighting used: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2’s Housing: Nauticam

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021 (AND WIDE ANGLE WINNER) Renee Capozzola from the USA was crowned the Underwater Photographer of the Year for her image Sharks’ Skylight, which was taken in Moorea, French Polynesia.

She explained: “In French Polynesia there is strong legal protection for sharks, allowing them to thrive and balance the marine ecosystem. In August, 2020, I visited the island of Moorea, which was not only open to visitors but also happens to be my favourite place to photograph sharks.

During this trip, I spent several evenings in the shallows at sunset, hoping to capture something unique. Instead of focusing on split-level images that I am known for, I decided to try something different. I envisioned and aimed to capture the sharks underwater with the sunset seen through Snell’s window. It took many attempts, but on this particular evening the water was calm, the sharks came into a nice composition, and I got lucky with the birds as well. Since many shark species are threatened with extinction, it is my hope that images of these beautiful animals will help promote their conservation.”

A sunset ballet of reef sharks and sea birds in a tranquil corner of the Pacific Ocean is a richly deserved winner of the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021.

This is an image of hope a glimpse of how the ocean can be when we give it a chance, thriving with spectacular life both below and above the surface ALEX MUSTARD

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Judging this year’s competition was a pleasure, a muchneeded escape into the underwater world, I hope everyone enjoys immersing themselves in these fabulous images ALEX MUSTARD

AND COMING UNDERWATER 12021UP PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AND MOST PROMISING BRITISH

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER 2021

SJ Alice Bennett, originally from the UK but now living in Mexico, took both titles for her image Tying In, which was taken in the Cenote Mayan Blue in the Sistema Ox Bel Ha in Tulum, Mexico.

SJ said: “As this shot was taken during cave training, we had a pretty intricate plan in place, which is not usually how I run caves shoots. I swam ahead and waited just beyond the permanent mainline watching the team swim towards me, followed closely by the lighting assistants creating those beautiful halo effects. Suddenly everything just lined up perfectly, so I pressed the shutter just as Max turned to tie into the mainline.”

BRITISH UNDERWATER 2 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR (AND MY BACKYARD AND BRITISH WATERS WIDE ANGLE WINNER)

Mark Kirkland took this image at Malls Mire in Glasgow, and said: “Malls Mire - small woodland in Glasgow, between a housing estate, supermarket and factory - is an unlikely haven for wildlife. As winter thaws, for a few nights each year a small muddy pond comes alive with common frogs. This shot is a culmination of 25 hours over four nights of lying in darkness, covered in mud, waiting on nature’s unpredictable elements to align.”

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MARINE CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021

Karim Iliya of the USA took the title with this aerial view of a crowded island in Guna Yala, Panama.

He explained: “A tightly inhabited village off the coast of Panama in Guna Yala region serves as a microcosm reminder of how humans across the planet are consuming land and space at a rapid rate. The importance of human’s relationship with nature and the need to protect it is becomes very apparent when you look at our species from a bird’s eye perspective and see how much space we take up.”

4 WRECKS CATEGORY

Germany’s Tobias Friedrich took this shot – titled Bowlander – in the Bahamas near Nassau.

He said: “Due to bad weather at Tiger Beach and in Bimini we had to look for shelter near Nassau in the Bahamas and do some regular dives. This wreck was totally new to me and a big surprise when we descended as the bow is almost completely over an overhang.”

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BEHAVIOUR CATEGORY

Karim Lliya claimed his second victory in the competition with this shot of a striped marlin on a high-speed hunt in San Carlos, Baja, California.

He said: “This is a terrifying scene for the small fish, fleeing for their lives as a striped marlin hunts them. The slightest mistake means life or death. I had to rely on all my instincts and practice underwater to take this photo.”

6 PORTRAIT CATEGORY

Pyohei Ito from Japan took the win in the Portrait category with this image titled Guardian Deity, taken at Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture.

She explained: “As the Asian sheepshead wrasse grows older, it changes sex from female to male and at the same time it develops a large lump on its head. I thought about the lighting and composition so that the image of the bump and the powerful face could be conveyed.”

7 BLACK AND WHITE CATEGORY

Australian Diana Fernie won the Black and White category with this shot taken in Leru Cut in the Solomon Islands.

She said: “This photograph was taken at Leru Cut in the Solomon Islands. I was lucky enough to have won a trip on the Solomons PNG Master liveaboard and was very excited to have the opportunity to visit this site again.”

8 COMPACT CATEGORY

Jack Berthomier from New Caledonia won the Compact category with this shot of a doule taken in the Ouenghi River in New Caledonia.

He explained: “I used to go fishing in the river to take some shots a few days after big rains which make the riverbed go higher and make some big floods. The current is strong but still practicable for freediving with dislodged plants, leaves and branches.”

9 BLACK WATERS MACRO

Malcolm Nimmo took the British Waters Macro category with this shot of a variable blenny taken in Plymouth Sound.

He said: “The variable blenny (Parablennius pilicornis) is a relatively new arrival to UK coastal waters. The image was captured using snooted lighting to emphasise only the face of the blenny, with the snooted light being positioned from above enhancing the facial features.”

BRITISH WATERS LIVING TOGETHER 10 CATEGORY

Kirsty Andrews snapped up the win in the British Waters Living Together category with this image of the SS Hispania in the Sound of Mull in Scotland.

She said: “The UK, in my view, has some of the finest wreck diving in the world, and the SS Hispania in the Sound of Mull is one of my favourites. Every inch of metal is covered in anemones, seaweeds or sponges.”

WATERS COMPACT 11 BRITISH CATEGORY

Ian Wade won the British Waters Compact category with this image of a mute swan feeding underwater in St Georges Park, Bristol.

He said: “I had been watching a couple of mute swans at my local lake. I decided to attach a small weight to the back of my GoPro and threw it into the lake. I waited until one of the swans was in the correct position and with its head underwater and shot a high-speed burst of images enabling me to capture this picture.” n

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AFTERDIVE

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

BACK TO BASICS Underwater photography guru Mario Vitalini offers a few tips to ease back into the underwater photography world PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

W

e all know that when you do not use a skill, you get rusty, muscle memory fades, and things you used to know by heart get a bit foggy. Unfortunately, underwater photography is no different.

Many of us have been stuck indoors for what seems like a very long time without the chance to get in the water. No surprise you may feel a bit apprehensive about your first diving trip in a while. Today, I would like to go through some basic skills and techniques we all can review to help us get back into underwater photography.

Lionfish are a photographer’s favourite

BEFORE YOUR TRIP

Start a few days before your trip. Especially if you have not used your camera in a while. Fully charge the battery and refamiliarize yourself with all the controls. Take a few pictures around your house or garden to remind yourself of the position of all the buttons and controls. If your housing is not too heavy, repeat the process with the camera Control of the ambient light inside it to get that muscle memory back. is essential when using wide Many housings have vacuum systems built-in. angles. These Caribbean reef sharks are perfectly framed These handy devices work with batteries so make against the blue background sure you put a new one in and test it to make sure is working properly. Once the pressure is set, push the buttons and work the levers to check all the small O-rings are in good working order.

During lockdown we all found small projects around the house and, if you are like me, you have raided your camera toolbox for Allen keys or any other bit. Check all your tools and spares are back where they belong. The last thing you want is to be away on a boat and realize you are missing the exact tool you need.

The last thing I tend to do before any trip is to check my camera and strobes are working fine, set up your kit as if you were diving, and take some test shots ensuring the flashguns

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Fast moving fish such as this school of blue parrotfish will not give you time to change settings. Having the camera pre-set will increase the chances of getting a good shot Silky sharks swim close to the boat. An accurate control of the ambient light helps to bring out the beautiful textures of the surface A cuttlefish stands out against a black background

are synchronizing properly. Taking pictures of a mirror or a reflective surface usually works great as you can clearly see the light of the flashguns. Change the strobe settings if needed and test the flash at different power settings to check everything is working ok.

WHEN YOU GET TO YOUR DESTINATION

You have finally arrived at your destination, unpack your kit and find yourself full of excitement. Be careful, this is the moment when many photographers make some catastrophic mistakes by rushing the set-up of their rig.

Take your time to set your kit up, ensure all the O-rings are clean and properly greased, your batteries are fully charged, and you have plenty of space in your memory card. Do not forget to secure your lanyards. If you have a vacuum system in your housing, pressurize it and leave it overnight.

Task loading can be a serious problem while diving and can lead to accidents. If you haven’t dive in a long time is not a bad idea to take it easy and if needed, leave your housing on dry land for the first dive. Get back your buoyancy skills before you start taking pictures. Okay, camera and housing are in perfect working order and you are happy with your trim and buoyancy and you are starting your descent. Give yourself some time to remember some basic skills before you unleash your creative mind on that unsuspecting clownfish.

If you are using a wide-angle, this is a good time to practice how to control the background exposure and colour.

Keep in mind the sun position, after all, it is your main source of light and try, whenever possible to keep it behind you to avoid washed-out blues and to get beautiful surface textures.

Remember that increasing your shutter speed will reduce the amount of ambient light the camera sees and therefore make the background darker. Slowing the shutter speed will do the opposite and make them brighter. I always take a few test shots pointing my camera into the blue, first choose a midrange aperture that will yield a good depth of field, then vary

Opening the aperture wide reduces the depth of field leaving only a small portion of the image in focus

the shutter speed until you are happy with the background colour. Be prepared to change it if you change your depth or point the camera in a different direction. At this point do not worry about the foreground, it will be lit by your flashes and the shutter speed will not have any visible effect.

Work on carefully positioning your strobes, pull them as far back as possible to avoid hotspots and reduce backscatter. If your subject is far away, position your strobes wide apart and the closer you move to the creature you are photographing, the closer to the housing you will have to bring the flashguns.

Be prepared to increase the ISO a bit if you find that to

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY Lionfish on the deck of the Rosalie Muller.

The decks of this wreck lie at around 35m. Be prepare to increase the ISO to have enough shutter speed to freeze the movement while achieving a pleasant background colour

Check all your tools and spares are back where they belong. The last thing you want is to be away on a boat and realize you are missing the exact tool you need

BIOGRAPHY: MARIO VITALINI

achieve the background colour you are looking for your shutter speed has to be too low to prevent camera shake.

If your strobes creep forward too much, you will start to see backscatter and hotspots on the sides of the images. Always remember to zoom in when you check your pictures and adjust the position of your flashguns if needed. If on the other hand, you decide to keep your rig a bit smaller and try a bit of macro, there are a couple of things you want to practice. Black backgrounds and shallow depth of field.

A black background in macro will always help to make the subject pop and focus the attention of the viewer directly where you want. It will also be very useful when trying to hide the distracting environment. The easier way to achieve a black background is by framing the subject against the blue so the strobes will not light the surrounding area. Using a very fast shutter speed, a small aperture and low ISO will ensure only the light of the flashguns can be seen by the camera making everything else black.

Another technique you can practise getting up and running is shallow depth of field or SDF. SDF produces very soft images with only a key element of the subject in focus (usually the eyes) giving a very light and ethereal feeling to your images.

To obtain this effect you will need to completely open the aperture and to get as close as possible. These two things will

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

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

dramatically reduce the area of the picture in focus (depth of field) and create the ‘Bokeh’ effect. By opening the aperture, you will let a lot of light through, for this reason, you may have to reduce the power of your strobes and move them away from the subject to avoid overexposing the image.

Hopefully, you will be soon preparing for the first diving trip since lockdown started and after a long time is not a bad idea to treat your first photo dive like a scuba review. Give yourself the time to refamiliarize with these basic techniques and use them to rebuild the skills needed to get those fantastic shots you want. Just remember, take your time and do not rush. A bit of patience and practice will get you ready to start working on those amazing pictures you have been planning in no time. n

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WRECK HUNTERS SEASON ONE 2021

Calling would-be undersea detectives!

A unique opportunity to take part in the beginning of a diving archaeology programme is opening up in the summer of 2021* on the Caribbean island of Utila.

The Wreck Hunters project is offering a onemonth, limited availability window for divers to be a part of the Season One team.

The focus this year is about getting to the heart of the story of a wreck called ‘The Oliver’, its rich history and the life of 18th Century mariners.

Learn the skills of undersea archaeology, from traditional to cutting edge techniques.

If you’re a relatively experienced diver with skills or experience in drawing (artistic or technical), surveying, photography or in construction work this could be just what you’re looking for (See website for full details).

Project Director Mike Haigh’s ideal candidates have a ‘good sense of humour’ and enjoy teamwork. Check out www.wreckhunters.co.uk Or Telephone: 0117 9596454

So if you think this project would help put a smile on your face, why not get in touch to find out more at

www.wreckhunters.co.uk 0117 9596454

info@wreckhunters.co.uk

*COVID restrictions may result in a change of operation dates.

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19/01/2021 11:48

There is also evidence that a greater level of health and fitness can help us reduce the effects of things like decompression illness and immersion pulmonary oedema

F

ollowing on from Nick Lyon’s article last month, I was asked about my own approach to dive fitness.

It’s a question that I’ve been asked, in different formats and forums, many times. Do you need to be fit to dive? And to answer this question, I want to tell you a story about Hitler.

When I was in training in the Forces, we were asked to write an essay entitled ‘Was Hitler a good leader?’. We all went on to conclude ‘no, he was not’. And we were all wrong.

We’d mistaken ‘capable’ for ‘ethical’. History shows Hitler was excellent at leadership. He used his skills of command to rule over some of history’s greatest atrocities. He was evil, both as a human being and leader. He was not a ‘good’ leader, however, he was good at leading. So, now I have your attention, what has this to do with dive fitness? It is simple, one cannot say ‘you have to be fit to dive’, because a significant number of recreational divers over the last five decades have been neither physically fit nor healthy by any sensible measure. But they have still managed to dive. It takes skill to dive, it takes a certain psychology to dive, but as has been proven by history - although one can argue you should be fit to dive, you don’t actually have to be fit to dive… provided everything goes perfectly.

I have used a line in the talks and Q&A sessions I’ve given over the years on diving, risk and emergencies – ‘everyone’s a great diver… until something goes wrong’. In diving, as in life, we truly find how good people are when adversity hits. I am not trying to convince you to become super-fit athletes, there’s no need. But I am saying that you need to be fit enough to rescue yourself and your buddy from the types of situations you may find yourself and, most importantly, to

ensure these situations aren’t directly caused by your lack of health. After all, the most-effective way to limit your future diving is to be dead.

I’m not suggesting you join a gym, hire a personal trainer or start on the latest evidence-less diet hack. You just have to be fit enough to dive safely, and this means not only in perfect conditions, but also be able to cope with all the things that could go wrong.

The term ‘fit enough’ is a subjective one and, for our sport, is determined by the type of diving you do. If you only dive to 20m in static, tropical seas

Adventurer, technical diver, stuntman, climber and all-round Action Man Andy Torbet knows a thing or two about keeping fit. Here he gives some basic advice to help us all get back into shape for when we can hit the water again PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ANDY TORBET

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from a boat, then the level of fitness required is less than that of an active British cave diver (in a recent example, myself and Chris Jewell had to dive into a cave system on twin 15-litre cylinders carrying another four cylinders, metal dry tube with camping kit inside, drills and batteries, and dive kit.

All this equipment then had to be carried and dived through various dry cave sections and four more underwater sumps – a bit like a 12-hour cross-fit session in a wetsuit).

I think there are two benchmarks for measuring your fitness to dive. The first is ‘can you begin your dive without undue stress’. If carrying whatever equipment you normally use, kitting up and getting to the water forces you to the limit of your physical capacity, perhaps you need to improve your abilities. The second is ‘can you cope with problems you’re likely to encounter on your dives’, e.g. cramp, current picks up, broken lift on the dive boat, towing an unconscious or exhausted casualty, long walks with kit. As a rule of thumb, I’ve found the more technical the diving, the greater the physical requirement. There is also evidence that a greater level of health and fitness can help us reduce the effects of things like decompression illness and immersion pulmonary oedema. And the best way to improve our diving, both short and long term, is to avoid getting dead.

Squats

I have used a line in the talks and Q&A sessions I’ve given over the years on diving, risk and emergencies – ‘everyone’s a great diver… until something goes wrong’ Farmer’s walk with scuba cylinders

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This is not meant to be an article on training or nutrition, but having just lectured you, it would seem remiss not to offer some basic guidance on where to start for those who are complete beginners. Training and nutrition has been made very complicated, mostly because people are trying to make money.

For the high-end athlete, it is complicated, but for the other 99.9 percent of people, it is not. Keep it simple and don’t worry about perfection or the details. As long as you’re doing something, regardless of how imperfect, you’re ahead of the curve.

If you have no idea where to start, consider that, from a strength perspective, your body does five basic things – push, pull, squat, hinge and carry.

This is not a fitness magazine and there are an inordinate amount of videos online that will show simple exercises to work these basic movement and how to make them easier or harder. A simple example of each, that you can do at home with no kit or just a weight belt or cylinder, would be:

Buy actual food and cook it. And by food, I mean fruit, veg, meat, fish, etc. Pringles is not food. Haribo is not food Single-arm bent-over row

Push ups are always a good staple

• Push - Press Up and Over Head Press with weight belt.

• Single Arm Bent Over Row – Using a weight belt.

• Squat – Stick to body weight.

• Dead Lift – Body weight only to minimise risk of injury from poor technique. If you want to lift big, then see a professional for a coaching session. Trust me - avoiding poor, injury-inducing technique is worth £40.

• Farmers Walk – Grab a couple of cylinders. They’ll work well and are exactly what you’ll use in the real world.

To improve cardiovascular ability, which will help in strong currents, towing casualties and general health and performance, it can be as simple as going for a walk. Or even better, when the pools re-open, a swim.

And finally, one of the best ways to reduce unnecessary body fat (we do need some, too little is just as dangerous as too much), is eat better food. There is endless information out there on nutrition, but at this stage keep it simple – eat like your Gran. Buy actual food and cook it. And by food, I mean fruit, veg, meat, fish, etc. Pringles is not food. Haribo is not food. But don’t worry about eating perfectly. I spoke to an Olympic nutritionist once and he recommended the 80 percent rule – i.e. try and eat like a grown-up 80 percent of the time. If you’re eating three meals a day, 21 meals a week, you can ‘cheat’ on about four of them. The important thing, with both exercise and food, is long term consistency. Having a bad day or even week doesn’t matter in the slightest if you’ve been doing okay over the weeks that preceded and followed.

One gym session won’t make your muscles grow, but missing one won’t make them shrink. And one salad won’t make you healthy, but one pizza won’t kill you either. Judge yourself, kindly, by how well you’ve done this month rather than today.

Now… which way’s the beach? n

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An avid topside photographer as well as underwater shooter, Al Hornsby is a regular visitor to Africa – and here he waxes lyrical about Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana PHOTOGRAPHS BY AL HORNSBY

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B

eing rather a fanatic about both underwater and topside wildlife photography, I’ve managed to do some fair wandering around southern Africa over the years, where both pursuits are world-class, and often very close together – rather a ‘where safari meets the waterline’ kind of place. And, when you get the chance to combine the two pleasures into easily organized trips, it’s something special, indeed. I tend to use Johannesburg as the centre-point, driving to dive destinations in Mozambique and Durban, South Africa, and with an easy flight to Botswana, all which provide unique big-animal diving and big-game photography.

PONTA DO OURO, MOZAMBIQUE

With a favourite African ocean-diving destination being Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique, an incredible dive/game park travel experience is simple to organize - fly into Johannesburg, rent a four-wheel drive vehicle, grab a map and head north-east.

Over the 700km journey, you can spend a couple of side-trip days in South Africa’s Kruger Park, with its incredible host of lions, leopards, cape buffalo, rhinos,

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elephants and all the rest. Travelling on, after passing through beautiful scenery and remote villages, you can spend another couple of days at coast-side iSimangaliso Wetlands Park, with its lakes, bayous and rivers entering the sea, where elephants, hippos and other marshland species abound. The last leg takes you into Mozambique, with its rolling, sandy grasslands and its own incredible game parks, such as Gorongosa – known as a place to spot ‘the big five’ - and Limpopo.

You’ll meet the sea at your final destination, the village of Ponta do Ouro – ‘Ponta’, as it is familiarly called by South Africans - along the curving, sandy beaches of the Mozambique Channel, just north of the South African border.

It’s what lays offshore that makes this secluded spot so amazing. The sea here, after all, is the warm, Indian Ocean, with all the exotic life one would imagine, with swarms of schooling fish and colourful reefs covered in hard and soft corals, sponges and gorgonians. And, out a few kilometres where much of the diving takes place, the water is also Indian Ocean-clear, with vis of 25 metres and more.

As enjoyable as all that is, it’s what’s on the big end of the life spectrum that makes this place so special… like sharks – Zambezi (bull sharks), silvertips, whalesharks, hammerheads and the occasional tiger, plus turtles, mantas, eagle rays and, on the bottom, huge blotched rays. If that isn’t enough, there is a resident pod of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins commonly seen just off the beach (who aren’t shy of snorkellers) and, from May through November, migrating humpback and southern right whales can be watched offshore.

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Blue-striped snapper

Whaleshark Manta ray

The resulting footage was priceless – the shark’s open mouth and teeth over-filling the frame, with the accompanying soundtrack the shriek of those sharp teeth scoring the aluminum housing as it pulled away Throughout my dives around Ponta, a special place called Pinnacles remains my favourite. Just a quick 3.5km ride out from the beach, Pinnacles is a collection of mounds that rises up from a 50m sand bottom, the shallowest top at 30m. It is action-central from the very beginning… huge schools of blue-striped snapper meander over the brightly-colored coral slopes, large honeycomb morays extend from crevices and huge, resident potato grouper – seemingly curious of divers – appear on cue as you reach the bottom.

Most exciting, however, especially from September through May, are the many sharks that can be seen. Lovely silvertip sharks usually show up first, and when you are lucky (we always were), large Zambezi sharks soon follow. In our dives here, we always had several, big Zambies hanging around, nearly three metres in length and nearly a metre across the snout. Not aggressive, but definitely not shy, they seemed interested in us, especially in photographers (and really-especially) our buddy with his large beta-cam system (as if the electronics were noticeable). On one dark, sunset dive, a particularly active Zambie bumped the cam’s dome port several times before opening wide and trying an exploratory bite. The resulting footage was priceless – the shark’s open mouth and teeth over-filling the frame, with the accompanying soundtrack the shriek of those sharp teeth scoring the aluminum housing as it pulled away.

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DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

Just 500km south of Johannesburg, the city of Durban enjoys both remarkable wildlife viewing, in the nearby Kwazula-Natal Nature Reserve area, and exciting diving, especially at Aliwal Shoals, located just offshore, about a 50km drive to the south.

In open water, the shoals have a maximum depth of 30m, with boulders, swim-throughs and coralline overhangs.

While it has lots of marine life, including dolphins and many species of fish, it is most known for sharks, especially large oceanic blacktips in the water column and ‘raggies’ (ragged-toothed sharks) and grey nurse sharks congregating around the bottom. But far more impressive at Aliwal are the large Zambezi sharks, tiger sharks and whalesharks; with even an occasional great white. And, when a feed-drum is added to the dive, things quickly become action-packed indeed.

I have never forgotten my first dive at Aliwal, a most unusual one, many years ago. As we motored out, the normally-blue sea began turning a perfect, pea-soup green hue. Our Divemaster said it was very unusual, but that a windshift the day before had caused an upwelling and the green water had come up; but, not to worry, that it cleared up upon reaching depth.

As we descended at the shoals, vis was no more than a metre, if that. We stuck close together, in order not to separate, being able to see nothing of our surroundings

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Tiger shark

Baby crocodile

Then, bottom-time expended, we headed up… I know we all paused as we reached the opaque, green boundary above us, watching the sharks cutting in and out, all around, at high speed. Then, it was into the murk, this time knowing fullwell what was surrounding us, just metres (and less) away.

I doubt history has ever recorded a closer-knit diver group on an ascent and deco stop… or more accidental tank bangs ever heard on a single dive. Further to Durban’s regular diving, don’t forget that it is also only a five-hour drive up the coast from South Africa’s famed, annual Sardine Run, which occurs in June-July each year.

THE OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA

Leopard

except impenetrable, deep-green colour. It was weird, heading down like this in a place we had never been before; past 10m, 15m, and more… at 20m, we broke through the underside of the murk, to find very clear water extending in every direction, and to the bottom some 10m further below us.

What we especially could then see were sharks, tens and tens of them, rapidly cutting in and out of the murky curtain, in every direction, mainly big blacktips and raggies. It was a sudden, remarkable sight after having seen nothing at all since we left the surface. The dive that followed was a great one, with as many sharks as I have seen anywhere.

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The Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa, known as one of the most-exciting wildlife and bird-watching locations on the planet, turns out to also be one of the most-fascinating diving locations conceivable. In July-August, the dry, winter season in Botswana, it’s the one time of year when you can dive with Nile crocodiles… the nights and water are cool, slowing their activity; the water is not muddy, clear enough for imagemaking; the previous season’s young crocs have moved away from protective mothers; and it’s not quite mating season yet, so the males are at their least-aggressive (for big crocodiles, anyway) – at least, that’s the story.

Imagine spending your days in a small boat, travelling along the delta’s central river and hundreds of small tributaries, the banks lined with tall stands of papyrus, cane and arching trees; sandbars and grassy banks here and there. As you move, searching, you pass birds by the thousands - African fish eagles, kingfishers, storks, bee-eaters, egrets, herons…

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Elephant on safari

the sightings go on and on. And there are big animals as well, including elephants, hippos, antelopes, buffalo and many more. Then, you spot what you have been looking for – a fourmetre-long Nile crocodile, basking in the sun at river’s edge.

At your boat’s approach, it slides into the water, disappearing from sight. You watch carefully to see which direction it heads then, out at mid-stream, three divers - two guides and you, the photographer - back-roll simultaneously and go straight to the bottom. There is no time spent on the surface when silhouette-hunting crocs are near.

Slowing yourselves on the clay bottom in the 1-2 knot flow, you make your way through the 13 degree C water to near the bank, where the crocs will go to hide, usually some 3-5m down.

The visibility is but a greenish body-length or two as you peer hard through the murk among the fallen trees, papyrus roots and irregular bottom terrain, searching for a croc’s shape.

Suddenly, there’s the startling realization that you are staring at the superbly camouflaged, jaw-dropping vision of a prehistoric creature, somehow right in front of you, huge on the bottom, its rough, leathery hide dinosaur-like, its glarepotential ramifications of technique failure); and the sheer white teeth shining oddly in the gloom. With a four-meter physicality of the long, diving days, this was a unique and length, it seems gigantic, the legs and feet oddly muscular unparalleled dive experience. Indeed, a high-adrenalin state and over-sized, toes spread to grip piercing, black claws into was evident from the moment of awakening each morning until the bottom in the fast-moving current. The face is that of a falling asleep each night, without surcease, and that ongoing cold, primitive predator, seemingly all jaws, with a dragon’s thrill became a part of the very fabric of the adventure. yellow-slit eyes. The animal simply exudes strength and And, once a diving day was over, the exhilaration didn’t power. Oddly, on the occasions when one does allow you to really diminish. Most late afternoons, just at sunset, our approach closely, it sometimes seems fairly oblivious to your second boat’s captain, Bart Young, a well-known professional presence, permitting many minutes of image-making before it fishing guide, would quickly catch a few fish for photographing rockets away, with a sudden whip of its powerful tail. fish eagles - throwing a fish into the river under an eagle’s Once the croc has moved on, or if you hadn’t found one tree-top roost was all it took for a wild, 60km per hour snatch within 10-15 minutes, you move back out to mid-channel to to immediately occur in front of you. On some nights, we went about 6-10m of depth, where the boat moves in above you. out among the quiet tributaries with lights, and spotting the Again simultaneously, the three of you take off your scuba orange-glow of crocs’ eyes, learned the special technique for gear at the bottom, ascend straight up under the ‘shadow’ of catching baby crocs by hand (and, don’t worry – they are fierce, the boat (ahem, still no silhouettes allowed), hand up your tough little guys, and after being examined and photographed, cameras and equipment, and immediately pop over the side. they were released, completely unharmed).

There, grinning uncontrollably if you had found one, you catch Plus, every chilly night, there was a great, safari-style your breath for just a moment… before starting the search for dinner, followed by drinking and croc stories around the everyour next croc. Whew. burning campfire, all under the incredible blaze and swirl of Averaging five to six dives a day under these circumstances millions of southern stars hanging just above us in the clear, is interesting of itself, but when combined with the incredible utter-blackness of an African night. n natural beauty of the environment; the utter electricity of photographing crocs underwater (and we saw crocs every day); the intense FACE TO FACE focus on the dive protocol (with the dramatic, Face to Face – Up Close with Mother

Suddenly, there’s the startling realization that you are staring at the superbly camouflaged, jaw-dropping vision of a prehistoric creature, somehow right in front of you 44

Nature is a collection of Al Hornsby’s most-exciting underwater and topside wildlife encounters, as captured through his camera and words. With forwards by two longtime friends and dive buddies, Jean-Michel Cousteau and Amos Nachoum, the colour and B&W images feature sharks, whales, crocodiles, grizzly bears, leopards, cobras and many more of nature’s most lovely and exciting creatures. The accompanying text, Al’s first-person impressions of the encounters that led to the images, share his feelings and emotions during those oft-times intense, face-to-face moments. Available at www.alhornsbyproductions.com

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An experience without equal “The reef systems here are some of the most pristine I have seen anywhere in my dive

travels around the globe, and Wakatobi resort and liveaboard are second to none. The diversity of species here is brilliant if you love photography.” ~ Simon Bowen

www.wakatobi.com

DIVERS ALERT NETWORK: EUROPE DAN Europe is an international non-profit medical and research organisation dedicated to the safety and health of divers.

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SCUBA AND

FREEDIVING ON THE SAME DAY

What are the current DAN guidelines on scuba diving and freediving on the same day?

FREEDIVING BEFORE SCUBA

The answer varies depending on the intensity of the exercise when freediving, and the depth you reach. If you freedive without straining yourself and at shallow depths, you can scuba dive afterwards without much worry. Obviously, the more breath-hold dives you do, the more difficult it could become to keep equalizing over and over. On the other hand, if you go deep and strain yourself a lot, you will need longer surface intervals before you can scuba dive. If you freedive to a depth of only 12m-15m and for a limited number of times (two-three), all you need to wait before scuba diving is 30 to 60 minutes. For deeper, more-strenuous free dives - a common practice in spearfishing - the surface interval needs to be much longer, even if there’s not enough data available at present to allow for definite suggestions.

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FREEDIVING AFTER SCUBA

If instead you choose to freedive after scuba diving, it is another story. You need to be aware that you already have gas bubbles in your system from scuba diving, therefore even if you freedive at shallow depths, there are risks. The mostobvious one is that freediving involves physical exercise, and straining after scuba diving may increase the amount of bubbles circulating in your body. Another maybe lessevident risk is that, during freediving, the circulating venous gas bubbles that are already in your body from having scuba dived get compressed and shrink because of the pressure of the water, thus they could pass through the lung filter much faster than normal and reach the arterial circulation.

It is also worth mentioning that freediving alone, especially if deep, repetitive and strenuous, can produce a

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If you freedive to a depth of only 12m-15m and for a limited number of times (two-three), all you need to wait before scuba diving is 30 to 60 minutes

high quantity of bubbles in the system. We’ve all heard of extreme freedivers, such as record holders who dive very deep, showing neurological symptoms after surfacing from a single deep dive. These symptoms, which can be compared to the decompression sickness that scuba divers can suffer from, are referred to as Taravana, and can go from simple nausea, dizziness or headache to very serious visual, hearing or speech problems, paralysis, and in the worst cases loss of consciousness and death.¹ Needless to say, it’s never a good idea to carry a high bubble load in the body, so it would appear more prudent not to scuba dive and freedive on the same day if the dives undertaken are long, deep and strenuous, thus creating significant bubble formation in the body. Each person and each case is different, but it is always better to be more cautious than less.

To summarise, if you freedive deeper than 15m and do strenuous physical activity, such as spearfishing, it would be better to scuba dive and free dive on separate days. Even long surface intervals between the two activities, if involving long, deep and strenuous dives, do not eliminate the risk of overloading the body with bubbles. As aware divers, it is simply wiser to avoid this risk. n

DAN MEMBERSHIP

Join DAN to get a number of benefits, including answers to all your diving-related medical questions: www.daneurope.org

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Channel dives are one of the most-exhilarating things you can do in the Maldives, but throw a scooter into the mix, and you have all the ingredients for a massive amount of fun PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS AND STUART PHILPOTT

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PRODIVERS

Prodivers has been exploring the Maldives for over 33 years, opening the doors on Kuredu Resort and Spa back in 1988. Since then it has grown to become one of the biggest dive operations in the area, with centres on Hurawalhi, Innahura, Komandoo, Lily Beach and Vakarufalhi as well. They can offer a wide range of courses, including entry level and various specialities, as well as cater for snorkellers and those in search of topside watersports. They are also a PADI fivestar IDC centre, and run dive pros courses periodically through the year, and if you fancy trying something new, they also offer closed-circuit rebreather trydives.

There are more than 60 dive sites accessible from Kuredu, so even if you are on-island for an extended holiday, chances are you could dive and never hit the same site twice, though believe me, iconic locations such as Kuredu Express and Kuredu Caves demand more than one visit.

Safety is paramount with Prodivers, and so all qualified nitrox divers use oxygen-enriched air free of charge on their dives, and if in the unlikely event there is a diving incident, there is a hyperbaric chamber and team of dive doctors right on the island of Kuredu. www.prodivers.com

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Scootering in on an eagle ray

Large shoal of blue-striped snapper

Combining scooters with channel dives is a masterful move, but I had now been ruined forever – no channel dive would ever compare again!

T

he current was buffeting my mask, and my bubbles were being ripped away from my exhaust as I breathed out. The hose on my primary second stage was undulating like a snake in a tornado, so I gripped my mouthpiece tighter between my teeth. I was in the midst of a channel dive in the Maldives, the famed Kuredu Express site, and the blue water in front of me was full of swirling grey reef sharks effortlessly gliding on the currents flowing into the atoll.

Below me, I could see the edge of the reef where it dropped away into the abyssal depths. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our guide Karola gesturing to follow her along the reef, and tilting my shoulders slightly in her direction, the current pushed me sideways and then the power of the Apollo scooter nestled between my legs kicked in and I zoomed off, feeling like a pelagic predator as I swooped and dived in the blue.

I felt sorry for the other divers below who were reef-hooked into the bottom of the channel and were unable to move, especially when we blasted past them and swept down on a huge group of spotted eagle rays hanging in formation in the current. Combining scooters with channel dives is a masterful move, but I had now been ruined forever – no channel dive would ever compare again!

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING

The Maldives is world-renowned for its adrenaline-fuelled channel dives. These sometimes narrow channels funnel water flowing in and out of the atolls at quite phenomenal speeds, and this is a magnet for marine life, especially sharks, rays and the like. The standard way to ‘do’ a channel dive is to drop into the water up-current of the entrance and drop down the wall as you drift towards the ‘mouth’. As the edge of the entrance comes into view, you fin like hell to get as close to

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the drop-off as possible and then reef-hook into the rocky bottom. Once secured in position, you can then inflate your BCD and buffet around in the current like a kite in the wind and watch the endless parade of sharks, barracuda and other pelagics as they ride the currents in front of you. Once you bottom time is up, you release your reef hook and zoom off in a drift dive before being picked up by your dive boat.

That is the ‘normal’ routine, but Prodivers on Kuredu decided to put their own spin on channel dives, and bring in the use of Apollo AV2 Evolution scooters. Now riding a scooter on any dive brings another dimension to the dive, as you can cover so much more ground, plus there is the fact that just whizzing around on one of these things will put a huge smile on your face! However, add a scooter into the mix with Maldivian channel diving and you are right on course for a memorable experience.

I have ridden various scooters and DPVs over the years, from small hand-held units like those from SeaDoo to clip-on beasts like the Suex XK1, but I had never used an Apollo. These units are quite big and heavy compared with some of the newer scooters out there, but they have one unique quality which is what attracted Prodivers to them in the first place – with the addition of a plastic ‘saddle’ on the front, you can sit on and ride them. There are many advantages to this, not least it leaves your hands free to hold and operate your camera, but also it is far less tiring than controlling a scooter with your hands. It takes a little while to get used to ‘driving’ one of these Apollos, but you soon get the gist of angling your body from your shoulders to steer left and right and go up and down.

Prospective scooter channel riders first have to go on a test drive on a normal reef dive to demonstrate they can handle a scooter and have mastered the techniques required to ‘fly’ one safely and proficiently. Don’t see this as a ‘wasted dive’,

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APOLLO AV2 EVOLUTION SCOOTER Apollo has been making underwater scooters since 1988, and the AV2 Evolution is the latest model. It features a runtime of up to 190 minutes per charge, is depth-rated to 230ft, offers three speeds – up to a maximum of 2.8 mph, which might not sound much, but believe me, underwater it feels rapid!

– and is made from sturdy ABS resin. On the surface they are quite a lump, weighing in at around 47lb, but underwater, they are only negatively buoyant by a matter of a couple of pounds, so very easy to handle. www.apollosportusa.com

Flypast an overhang in the channel Apollo scooters at the ready

Anemonefish

as like I said, zooming around on any dive on one of these scooters will leave you grinning like a Cheshire cat. You attach the scooter to a D-ring on your BCD with a short tether, so if you stop and come off the ‘saddle’, it doesn’t disappear into the depths, though it is only slightly negatively buoyant and despite its size, easy to handle. The controls are simplicity itself – you just reach down between your thighs and operate a lever – from the off position, you can then set different speeds, from a gentle cruise to a full-on blast at top speed.

Once you have been ‘signed off’, you are now able to head out for a channel scooter dive. We did a few of these through the course of our trip, but the first one mentioned at the

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Happy scooter divers ready for the off

Turtle flypast

On one occasion we dropped in on a huge shoal of spotted eagle rays, which were hanging in the current like a squadron of otherworldly spaceships 52

start of the article was the most-memorable. The incoming current was nice and strong, so we entered the water on the outside reef, clipped on our scooters, dropped down to about 15m and then engaged power to fly along the reef in formation.

As the reef edge appeared in front of us, we switched up to full speed and headed out into the channel proper.

It is simply mind-blowing flying around in the current ripping through the channel. Having been so used to being anchored in one place on a reef hook, the level of freedom afforded by being on the scooter was incredible. We would motor along the edge of the drop-off and, when we came across some frenetic action, we would steer directly into the incoming current. With the scooters on full power, we were able to just about hold position in the raging torrent, and it was just amazing to be in the midst of the sharks as they glided around in the blue. Once they moved on, or we tired of what we were seeing, we just leaned one way or the other and off we went to another location. On one occasion we dropped in on a huge shoal of spotted eagle rays, which were hanging in the current like a squadron of otherworldly spaceships, another time we raced alongside a shoal of barracuda.

As our NDL approached, the real fun started. Karola signalled for us to turn around and head into the channel, and as soon as we wheeled around and had the current behind us, we literally flew through the cut. With the scooters on full speed and the flow with us, the underwater topography whipped by at a serious rate of knots. Now and again we’d spot something of interest, pull a sharp 180 degree turn, allow the scooter’s power to hold us in position while we had a look, and then arc back round to resume our speed drift. A truly high-speed way to round out an awesome channel dive. n

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There are many moments like this in the future.

EUROPEAN MADE

www.xdeep.eu

What’s New

Mark Evans: I am going to be giving you a sneak peek of the brand-new products you can expect to see being released by British-based Apeks Marine Equipment through 2021.

Throughout the year I will be thoroughly rating and reviewing these bits of kit, but while we wait to actually get back in the water after lockdown, this is a brief overview to whet your appetite.

Generally, manufacturers tend to stagger the release of new ranges across several months. However, for 2021, Apeks Marine

Equipment announced all of this year’s new releases on 10 February. Apeks Marine Equipment has carved out an enviable reputation in the market for its robust and high-performance regulators, its range of purposeful backplate-and-wing and sidemount BCDs, and most recently, its VX1 mask and RK3 fins.

Apart from a gun-metal grey colour VX1 joining the line up in 2021, none of this core equipment is changing. Where Apeks have branched out is into accessories. www.apeksdiving.com/uk

LUNA TORCH RANGE First up, let’s look at the torch range. It comprises three dive lights – the Luna Mini, the Luna, and the Luna Advanced. All three are made right here in the UK – rather than reinvent the wheel, Apeks looked to a market leader in the world of lighting and then worked together to create these three unique products. They are all depth-rated to 100m, and all are supplied in plastic-free packaging. All three Apeks torches utilize so-called Intelligent Thermal Management, which is basically patented circuitry within the lights which reduces power to the LEDs if they go beyond the optimum temperature, keeping the light as efficient as possible to maximise output and battery capacity. Once the lights have cooled, the power is automatically restored.

LUNA (SRP: £492) This is designed as a primary dive light and at full power can churn out 2,000 lumens for a two-hour runtime via its three XPL2 LEDs. It will give four hours at medium power, and eight hours on low power, and charge time is again four hours. It is obviously larger than the Luna Mini, but it still isn’t that heavy. One major difference between the Luna Mini and the Luna is that instead of a colour indicator on the back regarding the power settings, it actually has an LED display panel, so you can clearly see exactly how long you have left in hours and minutes. It is even possible to imput three additional runtime programmes yourself. It comes in a zippered protective case, with a neoprene and webbing handle for hand’s free operation. As with the Mini, it uses a USB connector for charging, which plugs into the bottom of the torch, but this unit also comes with a multi-region plug. It is only available in grey.

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LUNA ADVANCED (SRP: £668)

This is aimed at the serious explorer and adventurer, according to Apeks, and boasts 3,600 lumens from its six XPL2 LEDS for two hours on full power. The Luna Advanced doesn’t simply offer different power settings, it has an industry-first Optimised Mode Selector, which features six pre-set programmes offering a variety of run times and power settings so you can choose your power settings to optimize run time, low, medium or high power depending on the dive you are doing.

The longest runtime is a staggering 36 hours. It also has SOS mode. As with the Luna, it has an LED display panel showing runtime remaining in hours and minutes, and comes in a zippered protective case with its USB charging cable. Like the Luna, it also has the multi-region plug. Like the Luna, it is only available in this grey colour.

It comes complete with an anodized aluminium Goodman handle, which is actually capable of holding two torches, or a torch alongside an action camera. You can also buy this handle separately to use with the Luna, or any other torch from a different manufacturer with the appropriate attachment, priced £80.

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LUNA MINI (SRP: £257)

Right off the bat, let’s just say these are all extremely well made torches. The anodized marine grade aluminium body feels nice in your hand, but isn’t too heavy, perfect for its role as a back-up torch. This would easily slot in a BCD pocket, or the pocket on your tech shorts. However, despite its compact size, it pumps out an impressive 1,000 lumens on full power via its single XPL2 LED, while still giving a burn time of one-and-a-half hours, which means it could easily act as a primary dive torch in warmer waters for poking around in caverns and shipwrecks, or on night dives.

It has three power settings – medium gives you a three-hour

runtime and low six hours - and you cycle through them via the push-button control on the bottom of the torch. There is also an SOS strobe setting.

It can be recharged in four hours via this charging cable, which handily is a USB connector, so you can use any phone charger plug with it. There is no chance of flooding the Luna Mini as it is a fully sealed unit – you simply charge it up by plugging the cable on to the bottom.

The Luna Mini is supplied in a zippered protective case, complete with a lanyard, and comes in a range of four eyecatching colours.

REELS Many divers already use one or more of the Apeks spool range. These anodized aluminium spools are a thing of beauty, and as well as looking fabulous, work well too. Now they have been joined by two reels which ooze the same outstanding aesthetics.

LIFELINE ASCEND (SRP: £185-£216) The Lifeline Ascend is the Rolls Royce of DSMB reels, constructed from forged and anodized aluminium and highgrip rubber. It comes in two variants – 30m or 60m of high-tensile, high-visibility line – and can be set up for left or right handed operation. The lever to operate the spool is nice and chunky, so there will be no issues pressing this when you are wearing thick gloves. There is a stainless steel attachment point so you can clip it off to a D-ring, and it has an integrated attachment point for your DSMB so that it is all together ready for deployment.

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LIFELINE GUIDE (SRP: £225) The Lifeline Guide has 120 metres of highstrength, highvisibility line, and is designed to be a userfriendly cave or wreck diving guide reel.

Like the Ascend, it is made from anodized aluminium and high-grip rubber, again with a stainless steel attachment point. It can be used left or right handed, has an oversized locking screw and winding knob to make them easy to use even when wearing thick gloves, and the textured friction plate allows the user to manually add tension to the spool when laying line. The Ascend and the Guide come in four colours –eyecatching orange, which matches the Goodman handle on the Luna Advanced torch, and also purple, green and grey.

And so sure are Apeks of the durability of these reels that they both come with a lifetime warranty.

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BAG RANGE

What’s New

Once you have all your dive kit, you are going to need something to cart it all around in, and Apeks have got you covered with a neat bag range.

DRY RUCKSACK (SRP: £80)

90L ROLLER BAG (SRP: £171) The 90-litre roller bag is, as the name suggests, a roller bag with a 90-litre capacity, which is more than enough to swallow a full set of dive kit. Entry is gained into the main compartment via this large top flap, and there are three inner mesh pockets to store smaller items. There is also a top dry pocket. It is made from hard-wearing, durable 500D PVC tarpaulin, and has compression straps so you can cinch it down depending on how full it is. There is a telescopic handle that zippers away, and it has grab handles top and bottom for when you are loading it in and out of your car, for example.

Apeks have also got two neat drybags in the range as well.

I really like the grey finish of the TPU material, very classy.

The 30-litre dry rucksack has a roll-top closure to the main compartment, which features an internal padded laptop sleeve. There is also an easy-access water-resistant pocket on the front, and these bungees are designed to hold a wet towel at the end of the diving day. It has a great vented system on the straps and back, which will let you remain cool no matter where you are in the world.

This is perfect as a day-boat bag, but Apeks also designed this to be a compact commuting bag for going to work – remember those days when we left the house to go to work?

40L ROLLER BAG (SRP: £144) Alongside the big roller bag is the 40-litre roller bag. This is apparently the right size as a carry-on with most airlines, though it looks a little on the large size to me – I guess we’ll see when I try and fly with it! It is the perfect size as a weekend bag, though, so I can see this getting plenty of use outside of the diving arena. It is effectively a smaller version of the larger bag, with the same basic design and features, and made from the same tough material.

I like the fact that both of these bags are quite subtle with the branding – as you will know if you have watched my packing for a dive trip video, I prefer dive bags that don’t shout ‘I contain expensive dive equipment’.

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DRY BAG (SRP: £23) The rucksack is accompanied by a small dry bag with rolltop closure, which is intended to keep your phone, car keys, wallet and other smaller essentials safe and dry.

The internal phone pouch paired up with the transparent screen lets you use the phone inside the bag.

It can be mounted on a belt on your hip, although it comes with a removeable carry strap.

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SUITS Apeks has its range of undersuits and drysuits. Now these are joined by a wetsuit, redesigned Tech Shorts, and tops that can be worn wet or dry.

THERMIQ CARBON CORE RANGE (SRP: £107-£116)

THERMIQ 8/7 (SRP: £541) Apeks already has a range of undersuits and drysuits, but it has now added to its exposure protection offerings with the ThermiQ 8/7. Described as ‘the ultimate in wetsuit luxury’, it is made from environmentally friendly materials, including rubber tyre and limestone-based neoprene, water-based glues and a lining made from recycled plastic bottles. The ThermiQ features an 8mm core for warmth, with 7mm on the arms and legs for flexibility. Liquidsealed seams and fused edges on the sleeves and legs, as well as a face seal on the attached hood, help minimize water entry to keep you warmer for longer.

What makes the ThermiQ stand out from the crowd is this innovative semi-dry chest zipper, and also the cargo pockets on the thighs, which feature internal bungee cords.

There are male and female versions of the ThermiQ 8/7, and it comes with a neat carry bag that doubles up as a changing mat. This nifty bag is also available to buy separately, priced £41.

TECH SHORTS (SRP: £135)

Joining the ThermiQ 8/7 is the Carbon Core range. Apeks say these ‘set new standards in base layer thermal protection’.

The ThermiQ Carbon Core tops, which come in male and female versions, both long and short sleeve, feature a triplelayer soft shell fabric combined with a graphene lining, which acts as a superconductor, regulating skin temperature by transferring heat from warm spots to cold spots on the body.

These can be used as a stand-alone thermal rash guard in warm waters, or as an extra layer under a drysuit.

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Apeks’ popular tech shorts are back in 2021, with a slightly more tailored fit on the legs, and redesigned pockets more akin to those found on the drysuit range.

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BEYOND TECHNICAL

www.narkedat90.com

DIVE RITE O2PTIMA CM (SRP: US$6,300) Walt Stearns: ‘Incredibly versatile, self-contained, and travel ready’. That’s how Dive Rite describes their O2ptima CM rebreather. It is an electronic, fully-closed system, and in case you are wondering, CM stands for chest mount. Compact and tipping the scales at just 14.4lb - not including scrubber material or oxygen cylinder - the O2ptima CM is a truly unique design.

While I am no stranger to closed circuit diving, having dived various systems for the better part of 18 years, I have never before encountered a fully closed chest-mounted design like this. And so, I was eager for the chance to evaluate O2ptima CM when Lamar and Jared Hires offered me the opportunity to try the unit in North-central Florida’s spring country. On initial examination, several features sparked my interest. The first was the breathing loop, which is reported to be the shortest of any rebreather on the market. The standard configuration includes a solidly built Dive Surface Valve (DSV) joined to the unit’s counter lung by two 30cm loop hoses. These hoses have threaded loop connections for easy removal and cleaning.

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Unlike military design chest-mount oxygen rebreathers like the Draeger Lar V, the Dive Rite O2ptima CM doesn’t have a large single counter lung, instead utilizes two separate three-litre lungs. The counter lung covers are made from Rhinotek, which is highly abrasion-resistant material that is still relatively flexible. The twin counter lungs actual working volume is closer to 5.5 litres (2.25 litres per counter lung) due to the counter lung covers, but when you add in the gas present in the CM’s scrubber, the total loop volume is brought back to six litres. Something to consider if you are an individual with a large tidal lung volume.

What is a bit of a surprise given the CM’s compact design is that it shares the same horizontal cylindrical housing for its scrubber and Shearwater DiveCAN electronics system used in Dive Rite’s larger back-mount O2ptima CCR models. Mounted horizontally below the counter lungs, the CM’s scrubber is designed to accept the same Micropore ExtendAir SR-081C cartridges as its big brother.

You can also utilize a self-pack scrubber that holds 2.2kg of 812 mesh granular CO2 absorbent.

The CM’s electronic oxygen solenoid and four AI R22 oxygen sensors are governed by one of two devices. One configuration utilizes a Shearwater Petrel 2 controller paired with a basic triple LED HUD. The second configuration includes a Shearwater NERD 2 model controller mounted securely atop the CM’s DSV, paired with same HUD system. Because I am a big NERD 2 fan (having one on my personal CCR), I feel that this option is the way to go, as it makes the CM less cluttered by eliminating that cable running down your wrist to the Petrel controller. In addition to the Shearwater controller, the CM is fitted with an Oxygen Manual Add Valve (MAV) located on the right side of the counter lung, and an Automatic Diluent Valve on the left side. I found both of these to be conveniently located for easy activation with a press of forefinger or thumb.

The CM featured on Dive Rite’s website is pictured with a 13 cubic-foot aluminum oxygen cylinder which is attached below the scrubber with two 1.5-inch cam straps. This configuration allows for a wide range of side or back-mount diluent tank

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We design, manufacture and retail scuba and rebreather equipment. We have fully equipped test and certification labs, and can pressure test large items in our vacuum chambers, as well as run fully automated leak test and dive simulations down to 400m. Our EMC and EMF lab is filled with state-ofthe-art equipment for testing electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic fields. We also have a large in-house laser for cutting and engraving on plastics and metals. www.narkedat90.com

configurations. The CM is also most travel-friendly fully closedcircuit rebreather on the market, as it has the uniquely ingenious advantage of being a true add-on rebreather. By that I mean you don’t necessarily have to change out your current open-circuit equipment to enter the world of silent diving.

All that is required of your existing harness/BCD (be it single tank, doubles, or side mount), is that the shoulder straps can accommodate a single D-ring atop each shoulder, with a second set on each side of the waist strap. From there, CM’s four bolt-snaps are able to securely fasten it to your harness with the quick disconnect for the CM’s dil making the fifth and final attachment.

My test rig utilized a standard Dive Rite Transpac XT harness with a EXP 25lb Travel Wing and 120 cubic-foot back-mount tank. Jared’s unit was attached to his Nomad LS side mount harness, while Lamar slung his CM on a Transpac XT harness with a larger 45lb Rec Wing and a set of small doubles. Having the ability to easily clip or unclip the CM either in or out of the water opens a diver’s range of possibilities. For example, in a cave-diving scenario, where a diver needs to pass through a tight restriction, he could the

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view all products online

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undo the CM’s two waist clips and swing the rebreather out front to move through a given opening without going off the loop. In a recreational line where a diver is on a trip in the Florida Keys, you could use the CM for the first dive on a deep wreck such as the Spiegel Grove or the Duane, then leave it in the boat while using the same tank they used on the first dive for the second dive on a shallow reef.

POST DIVE THOUGHTS AND IMPRESSIONS

In a fully closed-circuit rebreather, the counter lungs are positioned one of three ways – on the back, over the shoulder, or on the chest. The positioning of the lungs has a direct effect on user comfort and the work of breathing (WOB) – meaning how much effort is involved when breathing through the loop while in a prone position.

A rebreather with back-mounted counter lungs is highly desirable to some as it frees up the diver’s chest. With this configuration, the counter lungs are above the diver’s own lungs when in a prone position, requiring more effort during the inhalation side of a breath cycle than during the exhalation side.

With a chest mount-system, the reverse is generally true, as the diver can expect some resistance during exhalation.

This occurs because the counter lung is below the diver’s body, and the gas in the lungs wants to rise. This can create enough back pressure to cause what most CCR divers call ‘chipmunk cheeks’. Even properly positioned over the shoulder counter lungs, which some attest as being the best of both worlds, can generate the same effect.

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MK19 EVO BT/G260 CARBON BT

PREMIUM DURABILITY IN A SHARP CARBON FIBRE FINISH

DEEP DOWN YOU WANT THE BEST

COMPUTERS • O2 CELLS • GAS ANALYSERS CABLES & CONNECTORS • REBREATHER PARTS PATHFINDER STROBES • SENSORS TOOLS • SOLENOIDS Having the ability to easily clip or unclip the CM either in or out of the water opens a diver’s range of possibilities

Given its chest-mounted counter lungs, the work of breathing on the CM was not what I expected. The dual counter lung design, which I should mention feature dual water traps, actually provided a very comfortable WOB with just a touch of back pressure when resting in a prone position. Even when rolling all the way over to an inverted position CM’s breathing comfort was still good.

One niggling issue I have with all electronic CCRs is that when you are at depths shallower than 9m, the oxygen solenoid generally fires more often to retaining a high constant volume in the loop. As a result, the counter lungs may already be filled before you try to exhale, requiring you to vent off that excess gas through the nose or out the corner of your mouth. One work around to this phenomenon is to place the controller’s set point around .5 or .6, shut off the dil, dump everything from the counter lung and replace it with pure oxygen, which will cause the solenoid to take a break. This was something I forgot to do during our trial dive, as I was focused on photographing Lamar and Jared demonstrating their CMs in the shallower depths of Blue Grotto’s spring basin.

On a final note, although the CM is compatible with a number of oxygen cylinder sizes all the way up something as hefty as a HP steel 32, but I would say not. I am what would be described as average height and build (5’ 9” at 175lb) and not at all too happy with the position of the AL 13. Despite

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it being the recommended cylinder size for streamlining, it added enough length to the unit’s overall profile to make it annoying when trying to take my fins on and off, or simply climbing a set of stairs or ladder to exit the water. Dive Rite recommends that people with a shorter frame might want to reposition that cylinder (or one larger) off board, perhaps under their right arm in sidemount fashion. If it was my personal system, that would be exactly what I would do, thus reducing its overall profile underneath. Because the CM is not dependent on one particular size cylinder for oxygen or diluent, and is void of a hard frame or backplate, it can become a really small carry-on for airline travel. Place a Micropore ExtendAir SR-081C cartridges in the scrubber, with two in the check bags and you’ll have 12 plus hours of diving. Alternately, you could include the self-pack scrubber for whatever granular absorbent is provided at your destination, and configure your diluent based on preference and tank availability. Ah, the possibilities. www.diverite.com

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Explore with a clear conscience

XENOS & PROTEUS II Recycled rubber tyres and limestone neoprene

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Thermal protection is essential for enjoying our time in the water. At fourth element, we strive to find the best materials and processes to create products that are better for the environment D POLY LE E C whilst maintaining their performance. That’s why our range of wetsuits is made with sustainable rubber and recycled nylon, as well as limestone neoprene, so that you can pursue your adventures with peace of mind.

BAHAMA SHARKFEST

Don Silcock kicks off a three-part focus on sharks in the Bahamas, beginning with the oceanic whitetips off Cat Island.

Q&A WITH STEVE LEWIS

We chat to RAID’s Director of Diver Training Steve Lewis about cave diving, and making the move from London to Canada.

BREATHE EASY

Air consumption is one of those topics that often rears its ugly head. Mark Evans offers some hints and advice on improving yours.

PHILIPPINES PROMISE

Roni Ben-Aharon waxes lyrical about Apo Reef National Park, where healthy coral reefs host an abundance of marine life.

MANATEE MAGIC

David Jones is entranced when he spends time in Florida’s Crystal River with the sougly-you-have-to-love-them manatees.

GEAR GUIDE: 2020 REVIEW

Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans looks back at some of his favourite bits of equipment from last year.

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t: 07976 526050 e: info@dreamdiversltd.co.uk a: 18-20 Greasbrough Rd, Parkgate, Rotherham, S62 6HN PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre based in Parkgate, Rotherham. Our instructional team has been teaching PADI courses together in the Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and surrounding areas of South Yorkshire since 2005. www.dreamdivers.co.uk

ESSEX BESPOKE SCUBA DIVING LIMITED t: 01708 837032 e: contact@bespokescubadiving.co.uk a: Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Althorne Way, Dagenham, Essex, RM10 7FH Our mission is to provide quality & professional scuba training in a relaxed friendly environment. www.bespokescubadiving.co.uk

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Excellent, Fun trips UK & Abroad for all levels, non-divers welcomed. www.planetdivers.co.uk

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ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE NEXT ISSUE! SHELL Q&A: PATRICK WIDMANN

WE CHAT TO THE RENOWNED CAVE DIVER AND INSTRUCTOR ABOUT EPIC EXPEDITIONS

THE FAT OF THE LAND

NICK LYON TELLS DIVERS TO TAKE A LONG, HARD LOOK AT THEIR FITNESS TO DIVE

BLACKWATER DIVING MIKE BARTICK REVEALS

TRICKS SOME OF THE CARIBBEAN SHIPWRECKS

OF THE PART TWO OF ATRADE WHISTLESTOP TOUR AROUND SOME OF THE CARIBBEAN'S BEST WRECKS

SUPERB SOCORRO

DON SILCOCK DIVES THE RICH WATERS OF THE 'MEXICAN GALAPAGOS'

MASKS OVER £50

THE TEST TEAM RATES AND REVIEWS TOP-OF-THERANGE MASKS

HOW TO GET STUNNING IMAGES OF TURTLES

JILL HEINERTH EXPLORES THE UNDERWA TER DELIGHTS OFF THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND #44 | £1

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SURVEYING AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE UNDERWATER

By Mike Haigh, Project Director, Wreck Hunters

S

o, you have found a wreck of archaeological interest, either by extensive research and exploration or just by chance. So, what now?

The first activity in the investigation of a site is what is called a ‘pre-disturbance survey’. The object of this survey is to record the site as it is, including all topographical information and all other useful data, in order to tell ‘the story so far’. From this data, a more-detailed survey of the wreck can be planned, as well as any further investigative processes on the site. This may include excavation. The basic requirement is the production of an accurate three-dimensional picture of the area, recorded as a two-dimensional plan with supporting descriptions and measurements.

So, what methods and techniques can we use to meet this objective? One big factor here is visibility. If you are working in clear warm water, then you have a choice of many methods. If you are working in a low visibility situation your options will be more limited. The type of seabed will be another factor, as will the type of wreck itself. It is straight forward enough to establish a grid around a site which is predominantly horizontal with a few exposed timbers. It is a totally different story if your wreck is a jumble of huge marble blocks. So, as ever in diving archaeology, your approach must be flexible.

As anyone who has done any relatively complex tasks underwater knows, it is much easier to plan a certain activity underwater than to do it. My advice is – as far as it is possible - to practice all procedures on dry land first!

Allowing for individual circumstances I would list ten key activities that, when combined, will allow you to collect enough information on your site to move forward.

• The establishment of a grid of fixed points which act as a reference point from which survey measurements can be taken. The grid needs to encompass the whole site if possible, with a margin of at least one metre around it.

Basically, what you end up with is your wreck site divided up into grid-squares which are numbered. Think rope/cord here rather than anything more permanent.

• Setting up a baseline either following part of the visible remains of the wreck such as the keel or through the centreline of the gridded area.

• Produce an outline plan of the site using measurements

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taken from the baseline and the grid.

• Using a compass and tape measure, record the orientation of the grid and the wreck itself.

• Make a sketch of the site and any other visible parts of the wreck. When the Studland Bay wreck was discovered in 1984, a member of the original Technical Committee made a sketch of the site. When compared to the photomosaic made three years later, the sketch proved to be remarkably accurate.

• Make a contour plan of the gridded area using grid intersections and an accurate measuring device.

• Produce a probe survey of the site. Same method as for the contour plan but this time getting some idea of the depth of material covering the remains.

• Detailed drawings of visible remains of the wreck using planning frames along with photography of these areas – do not forget to use a scale.

• Photographic and video recording. If the visibility is very good a basic photomosaic can be produced.

• Metal detector survey - if you are fortunate enough to access to one. Set up lines within each grid along which the coil can be directed. Great for indicating where metallic remains may be located.

The key point is that you need to record relationships not measurements. Get lots of sketches and photos. Just taking a lot of measurements is what is called Cultural Resource Management. Archaeology is about stratigraphy not just measurements. You are possibly recording the remains of a once-proud vessel. A part of maritime history – you need to bring it back to life!

Of course, there is the option to survey the site electronically. This of course has a cost implication. You could set up an array of transponders around the site sending sonar impulses back and forth. Modern side-scan sonars can produce a contoured plan picture which is a sort of survey.

We are here talking about an initial survey, so I think we can leave the discussion about the use of acoustic positioning systems in archaeology to another day.

Next time we will be looking at how underwater metal detectors can be applied to assist the diving archaeologist. www.wreckhunters.co.uk

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Escape your bubble.

There’s a whole world waiting just below the surface in The Florida Keys, and we can’t wait to share it with you. With the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S., hundreds of wrecks and thousands of species – all within a 2,900 square-nautical-mile protected marine sanctuary – it’s never too soon to start planning your escape.

For the latest protocols on health and safety in The Florida Keys, please visit our website. fla-keys.com/diving