Scuba Diver #32 by scubadivermag

DIVING 'OFF THE GRID'

KEVLAR OTTER

HMS HERMES

JEREMY CUFF VENTURES TO THE LAID-BACK CARIBBEAN ISLAND OF MONTSERRAT

WE REVIEW THE OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC HD KEVLAR DRYSUIT

DIVING THE WORLD'S FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT AIRCRAFT CARRIER

ADRIAN STACEY continues his INDONESIAN ADVENTURE on board a phinisi-style LIVEABOARD en-route to Raja Ampat

Team Scuba Diver WITNESS THE SCUTTLING of AQABA'S latest diving attraction

Using strobes and lights

‣ Shoot Like a Pro ‣ Intro to boat diving

#32 | £3.25

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EDITOR’S NOTE RAY SHOWS YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO DIVE I consider myself lucky that despite only being in my mid-40s, I have been diving for 35 years, since taking the plunge for the very first time at the young age of ten, but that number pales into insignificance when you look at the achievements of Ray Woolley. The exceptionally spry great-grandfather, who turned 96 on 28 August, has now been diving for a stonking 59 years, and to celebrate he broke his own record as the world’s oldest active diver for the third year running when he dived the monstrous Zenobia rollon, roll-off ferry out of Larnaca in Cyprus. Together with 47 other divers, Ray – a World War Two radio operator originally from Port Sunlight in the northwest of England but now settled on the Mediterranean island – clocked up a proper dive too. He descended to a depth of 42.4m for a total dive time of 48 minutes. His previous record was 40.6m for 44 minutes, which itself topped his 2017 tally of 41 minutes to a maximum depth of 38.1m. Speaking after the record-breaking dive, Ray said: “It’s just unbelievable. I’ve been diving now for 59 years, and these are the sort of dives that you remember because there are so many divers with you.” But Ray is not ready to hang up his fins just yet. He aims to keep diving until he reaches 100 years old, and is already planning to have a crack at breaking his own record yet again next year! So whenever anyone says to you they are too old to start diving, point them in the direction of Ray. He only started shortly before turning 40, and look at him now! I just hope I am still pulling on my dive gear when I am in my 90s!

Mark Evans Editor-in-Chief

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Mark Evans Tel: 0800 0 69 81 40 ext 700 Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com

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ISSN 2514-2054

DIVING 'OFF THE GRID'

KEVLAR OTTER

HMS HERMES

JEREMY CUFF VENTURES TO THE LAID-BACK CARIBBEAN ISLAND OF MONTSERRAT

WE REVIEW THE OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC HD KEVLAR DRYSUIT

DIVING THE WORLD'S FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT AIRCRAFT CARRIER

ON THE COVER ADRIAN STACEY continues his INDONESIAN ADVENTURE on board a phinisi-style LIVEABOARD en-route to Raja Ampat

Team Scuba Diver WITNESS THE SCUTTLING of AQABA'S latest diving attraction

Using strobes and lights

p001_ScubaDiver-32.indd 1

‣ Shoot Like a Pro ‣ Intro to boat diving

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MARK EVANS

#32 | £3.25

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20/09/2019 10:54

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

6 News

22 Monserrat

30 Dive Like A Pro

34 Malta

66 Underwater Photography

42 Jordan

98 OWUSS Scholarship

50 THE NEW GENERATION

Deptherapy team helps with Truk survey, mao sharks are given protection, and Alex Mustard gets ‘highly commended’ in prestigious comp.

Martin Sampson focuses on boat diving, and discusses the different types of boats used by divers, and what you should look for.

Anne and Phil Medcalf talk about strobes, and explain why underwater photographers use these advanced pieces of kit.

Kim Hildebrandt finishes up in the Maldives before heading to Iceland to dive in the iconic Silfra Rift.

Jeremy Cuff and family enjoy heading off the beaten track, and to add to their list of ‘off the grid’ destinations, they visited Montserrat, which is better known for its volcanic eruption than its diving.

Concluding piece of a two-part article looking at how Malta fits the bill as a short-haul diving destination that is ideal for families, non-divers and those ‘dry days’ when you can be tempted away from the water.

Team Scuba Diver headed out to Aqaba in Jordan at the end of August to witness the sinking of the latest diver attraction - a massive Lockheed TriStar airliner - and log the first dives on it.

The latest from Blackburn’s Youth Diver Network, a trydive for 32 scouts in Merseyside, and a Case Study on Neve Westwood, a new Junior Open Water Diver from Cheshire.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

52 Q&A: Sarah Daily

82 What’s New

We talk to Sarah Daily, who as well as being a scuba diving and freediving instructor, also specialises in underwater dance routines, some in her mobile ‘dive tank’, and others out in the open water, often with predators such as sharks and alligators as unlikely ‘dance partners’.

56 Indonesia

Adrian Stacey continues his epic 1,300-mile liveaboard voyage from Komodo to Raja Ampat, this time visiting the dive sites of the Banda Islands.

74 DAN Europe: Barotrauma in Bonaire

This month, the DAN team looks at the case of a diver who suffered a barotrauma while exploring the waters off Bonaire.

76 TECHNICAL: Sri Lanka

Mark Powell heads to Sri Lanka to dive the remains of the world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier, the HMS Hermes, which was sent to the bottom in World War Two after being attacked by Japanese aircraft.

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We take a look at new products to market, including the Atomic Aquatics BC2, Fourth Element’s Zambezi and Ridley board shorts, xDeep mask, and Mares Flexa Z-Therm semidrysuit.

84 Test Extra Special

Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans heads for North Wales to dive in the Otter Watersports Atlantic HD Kevlar, the Beuchat Focea Comfort 6 wetsuits, and the Mares Juno and Jupiter masks.

94 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team rate and review a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Otter Watersports Atlantic drysuit, Suunto D5 dive computer, and the Aqua Lung Aquaflex wetsuit.

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

DEPTHERAPY GUIDES CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ON SHINKOKU MARU

team of military veterans from the charity Deptherapy and Deptherapy Education, supported by Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), set out in August 2018 to Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia, to collect critical ecological data from the Shinkoku Maru, a shipwrecked World War Two vessel, and now the fruits of their labours have been released. Following extensive training at ROOTS Red Sea in May 2018 with CCC members, the Deptherapy team set out to undertake preliminary data collection protocols through scuba to ecologically map the fauna and benthic community residing on the Shinkoku Maru. The aim was that the data, and subsequent report, would be delivered to resource managers and government bodies in Chuuk Lagoon, to provide greater ecological clarity and evidence to facilitate management practices. This expedition contributes to a wider effort by Deptherapy following the launch of their ‘Protecting our Oceans’ campaign, where Deptherapy members ‘give back’ to the oceans that have given so much to them. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans, and for Deptherapy programme members to make their own practical contribution to environmental protection. © DMITRY KNYAZEV

The resulting scientific report from the expedition, authored by CCC’s Head of Science, Tom Dallison, and Deptherapy member Ben Lee, and supported by Bear Grylls OBE, highlights, notably, that personnel suffering from various physical and mental ailments hold the ability to undertake such studies and that efforts to conserve our oceans are accessible to all; overcoming the barriers associated with the rigorous physical demands of undertaking scientific data collection protocols through scuba. The coral reefs of the Pacific region, including the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Chuuk Lagoon, are in relatively good health and account for approximately 25 percent of the world’s coral reefs, making the region a diver’s paradise. Chuuk Lagoon is one of the world’s largest lagoons, composed of over 2,000km2 of coral reef and lagoon habitat (with an additional 200km barrier reefs), and is an important bio-geographical link between the Coral Triangle and other Pacific island groups. In addition to boasting some of the most-extensive coral reef systems in Micronesia, Chuuk Lagoon also has a rich military history and is well known among the dive community as the lagoon hosts approximately 50-60 World War Two shipwrecks, including 12 aircraft wrecks. One of these shipwrecks, and the wreckage assessed by Deptherapy team members, is the Shinkoku Maru, which is a large Japanese oil tanker, found sitting upright between 11m-37m. In addition to the localised physical impacts to coral reefs caused by World War Two, the lagoon has continued to experience severe environmental impacts through overfishing, pollution and rising ocean temperatures. Derelict vessels have

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often been utilised, or intentionally positioned, to compensate for natural reef habitat loss and the loss of biodiversity, with evidence presenting high levels of diversity and fish biomass. However, evidence further suggests that, in fact, derelict vessels or shipwrecks support distinct reef-associated fish and benthic communities, possibly increasing an area’s resilience to environmental impacts. As such, Deptherapy’s assessment provides insight into the current ecological status of the Shinkoku Maru wreckage, delivering incentives to the dive tourism industry and contributing to conservation efforts in the region. In order to effectively assess the ecological community of the Shinkoku Maru, the wreck was split into two segments (bow and mid-section) to record fish diversity and abundance data. The wreck was then further split into three segments (bow, mid and stern-section) to record the relative composition of benthic substrates that included hard coral and the respective lifeform (branching, massive and sub-massive, etc). Ben Lee summarised the Chuuk Lagoon expedition and the achievement by the survey team: “Completing the study was a massive achievement for the Deptherapy team, not only because we had accomplished our set aims in Truk (Chuuk), but also proved to the world that we, as disabled veterans, missing limbs and having mental health issues, can conduct our own conservation-orientated studies and help in the protection of our oceans – a pledge we have made through our ‘Protecting the Oceans’ campaign. “For me it was a challenging task to achieve, not only for the guys involved but for Tom Dallison at Coral Cay Conservation, having to train and educate seven injured veterans that had no knowledge of the marine biology world or any idea of how the coral reef ecosystem worked underwater. To then hand that knowledge down to more of our team and complete the task of mapping the life of the Shinkoku Mary wreck proved that we had the power to use the knowledge to educate others on Deptherapy programmes, and we will continue to do so on our future courses. © DMITRY KNYAZEV “The study we carried out helped the charity promote our new ‘Protecting the Oceans’ campaign, showing the scuba world that even with some of the worst physical and mental injuries we, as one, can help educate the world about the damage we are causing to our oceans, and carry out data collection that is vital to presenting the problem to the required governing bodies.” www.deptherapy.co.uk

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REEF ART SCULPTURES CREATE NEW UNDERWATER EXPERIENCES As if a stunning reef was not enough to excite locals and tourists, two of Queensland’s iconic Great Barrier Reef destinations are gearing up for raft of new underwater art discoveries - and the opening of Australia’s first underwater accommodation! In a Great Barrier Reef first, The Whitsundays has unveiled a series of underwater sculptures - a Maori wrasse at Blue Pearl Bay off Hayman Island, two different manta ray sculptures at Manta Ray Bay off Hook Island, and a turtle at Langford Spit. Six Australian artists were chosen to have their sculptures submerged and on display in various key locations throughout the marine park, with two more sculptures still to be revealed. The next instalment will be an enormous creation called Anthozoa, which is a four-metrehigh concrete single coral polyp, © RIPTIDE CREATIVE to be installed at Blue Pearl Bay in late September. Nathan Cook, Applied Marine Scientist from Reef Ecologic, one of the project leaders, said: “The locations chosen for these installations, previously beautiful coral gardens, were devastated by Tropical Cyclone Debbie. The installations will not only provide alternative underwater experiences for visitors, but they will hopefully start conversations around the challenges faced by the Great Barrier Reef, and hopefully educate and inspire positive behavioural change to address the Reef’s primary threat: climate change. “Another important feature of these installations is that two of the four, at Blue Pearl Bay and Manta Ray Bay, are co-located with active coral gardening projects, providing further educational opportunities for visitors.” And in a first for the Southern Hemisphere, the announcement of the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA), created by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, will be installed within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (near the coast of Townsville), aiming to drive awareness to the importance of the Great Barrier Reef. The works will be installed across numerous locations, such as Magnetic Island and Palm Island, showcasing partially and fully submerged sculptures. The first of several artworks, Ocean Siren, will be revealed this December at the Strand in Townsville and is modelled on a local Aboriginal girl that will change colour in response to changing water temperatures. Furthermore, a Coral Greenhouse sculpture is planned for the John Brewer Reef site, offering a worldclass dive and snorkel experience. But if you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with one of the seven wonders of the natural world, Cruise Whitsundays have recently launched Australia’s first underwater accommodation located on the Great Barrier Reef!

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A Deptherapy member has scaled Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain on the European continent – and raised nearly £6,000 for the charity in the process. Thomas Swarbrick was shot in the chest by a sniper while serving with the 1 Royal Anglian Regiment in Afghanistan in 2012. He lost five pints of blood on the battlefield and was only saved by the prompt actions of battlefield medics and rapid transit to waiting surgeons in Camp Bastion. After being medically discharged he faced various mental health issues through Chronic PTSD, which impaired his ability to maintain a job and healthy relationships. He also suffered some loss of movement and strength in his left arm, meaning he struggled with various ‘normal’ day-to-day activities. However, since he became involved with Deptherapy, learning new skills in the world of scuba diving, he has found it easier to connect with people and build new relationships. Tom said: “Deptherapy supported me - and countless other veterans with mental health conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety and survivor’s guilt through some of their darkest days, and so I wanted to give something back - the money I raise through this climb can help out other veterans in the future, and potentially help save someone else’s life.” It took Tom and his fellow adventurers from the Wilderness Navigators team, including military comrades Jake Gardner and Dean Charles, eight days to hike up Mount Elbrus, which is on the Russian/Georgian border, stands at 5,642 metres above sea level and is included in the ‘Seven Summits’. Tom commented: “I was at breaking point multiple times, which was a whole new experience for me! I was in tears at some points wanting to just stop and call it a day, but then I took a knee, had serious words with myself - ‘I’m not a quitter’ and ‘I have never given in on anything and I didn’t plan to start now’ and thinking of all the people back home who were supporting me, I started to dig in deeper and harder than I have ever had to do in my life. And I made it! I was in ecstatic tears at the summit!”

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‘CHEETAHS OF THE SEA’ – MAKO SHARKS – GAIN PROTECTION FROM CITES Mako sharks – known as the ‘cheetahs of the sea’ due to their phenomenal speed – have gained protection from CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). The proposal for 18 threatened species of sharks and rays, which also included wedgefish and guitarsharks, was passed on Sunday 25 August. It was tabled by Mexico, with its representative saying ‘mako shark populations are on the verge of collapse, and that is no exaggeration’, and supported by some 102 countries, though disappointingly, 40 – including the US, China, Japan and New Zealand – opposed it. Matt Collis, director of international policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said: “In the past, the US and others have supported listing other shark species under CITES, but not so in this case, with commercial interests at stake. For a lot of these countries, they were happy to list shark species when it was ones they weren’t so heavily involved in fishing. Suddenly, when you’re being asked to be responsible, rather than asking other people to be responsible, they’re less keen to take it on board.” The demand for shark-fin soup is rapidly depleting the amount of sharks in our oceans, and this proposal means that the identified species can no longer be traded unless it can be proven that their fishing will not impact the possibility of their continued survival. Mako sharks have virtually vanished from the Mediterranean, and their numbers elsewhere are shrinking quickly.

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Scuba Schools International (SSI) continues its mission to raise public awareness on how to protect our oceans with their free conservation-based programme, Blue Oceans. “Since its release in November 2018, we have received a lot of positive feedback on our Mission Deep Blue programme. The number of students enrolled in the Mission Deep Blue programme is increasing daily. We are proud that so many people live the philosophy and help to make a difference in saving the environment we all care for! Thank you for all your support!” states Guido Waetzig, CEO, SSI International GmbH. Now SSI needs your help even more! “Due to licensing issues, we cannot continue using the name Mission Deep Blue. This is unfortunate, as many SSI Training Centres, SSI Professionals, and students around the world use and share this name and philosophy, but we will not lose sight of our goal and will continue to fight for our ocean and its inhabitants,” says Guido. “SSI is excited to announce the new name of its conservation programme – Blue Oceans. This new name represents SSI’s deep commitment to protecting all of our Blue Oceans around the world.” The Blue Oceans programme encourages SSI Training Centres and their customers to think about environmental challenges, and to take positive actions that benefit the environment. It was initially launched with three main topics - Coral Reef Loss, Ocean Plastic, and Shark Finning. www.divessi.com

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The global diving fraternity has been shocked to the core by the tragic liveaboard disaster that unfolded in California at the beginning of September. The cause of the incident is not yet known, but what is certain is that the 22-metre dive charter vessel Conception was engulfed in flames in the early hours of 2 September while at anchor near Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands. A mayday call was heard at 3.15am, sparking a massive search and rescue operation. Crews from the Coastguard, Santa Barbara Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department and Vessel Assist rapidly responded, and the fire departments present were busy battling the fierce blaze when the vessel sank some 20 metres offshore in 20m of water. Of the 39 people onboard, five crew escaped on an inflatable boat and made it to a pleasure craft, The Grape Escape. They were all soaking wet, and the captain had apparently broken his leg. According to the owners of The Grape Escape, Bob and Shirley Hansen, two of the crew returned to the water in the inflatable to search for any other survivors, but their mission proved fruitless. Sadly, that left the other 34 people aboard the Conception – part of a fleet of vessels operated by Santa Barbara-based Truth Aquatics – unaccounted for. It was feared the passengers may have been trapped below deck given the fire broke out in the middle of the night. These worst fears were soon realised, as on 3 September the authorities confirmed that 25 bodies had been found. According to Coastguard Lieutenant Commander Matthew Kroll, rescue and recovery teams recovered 20 bodies from the sunken vessel on 3 September, and the remainder once the remains of the boat were deemed safe to enter.

AIDA INTRODUCES FIRST AID COURSE DESIGNED FOR FREEDIVERS AIDA is pleased to announce the launch of the FEMR (Freediving Emergency Medical Responder) course, a new first aid course that includes a special emphasis on freediving-related medicine. While traditional first aid courses contain useful information for daily medical incidents, they do © Kostas Madouros not include sufficient material on specific freediving-related injuries. AIDA Education Officer Brian Crossland decided to make a change. After attending a Diver Medic course run by Chantelle Newman, Brian approached her and, together with Dr Oleg Melikhov, they put together a first aid course for freedivers. The FEMR course introduces the pathophysiology of illnesses and injuries, with an emphasis on freediving-related injuries such as barotrauma, squeezes, lung injuries, hypoxia, narcosis and decompression illness.

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Archaeologists working in Siberia think they may have uncovered the Queen of the ‘Russian Atlantis’ after finding a skeleton - adorned with an enormous gemstone belt buckle - that dates back more than 2,000 years. The tomb of the young woman, nicknamed Natasha by archaeologists, was found during the annual draining of the massive man-made Ala-Tey reservoir in the Republic of Tuva, which covers a mind-blowing 240 sq miles. The necropolis is known as the ‘Russian Atlantis’ because it is submerged under nearly 18m of water all year round apart from a few weeks when it is drained. Natasha’s potential royal lineage is suspected because of the black gemstone belt buckle found on her body. Made from jet, it dates back more than 2,000 years, measures a whopping seven inches by 3.5 inches, and is inlaid with turquoise, carnelian and mother-of-pearl. Archaeologist Dr Pavel Leus, from the St Petersburg Institute of Material History Culture, said: “Natasha’s was the only belt decorated with Chinese wuzhu coins, which helped us date it to 2,137 years old.” Previously, two partially mummified skeletons of young women have been uncovered. One was dressed in silk and first thought to be a priestess, but is now assumed to have been a leather designer, while the other was a weaver, who was found alongside her wooden spindle and sewing bag. Expedition leader Dr Marina Kilunovskaya described the Ala-Tey site as ‘a scientific sensation’, and said that graves of prehistoric civilisations dating from the Bronze Age to the time of Genghis Khan are located at the reservoir.

MONTY AND FAMILY RETURN FROM EPIC FILMING SCHEDULE IN THE GALAPAGOS GO Diving Show favourite Monty Halls, his wife Tamsin and their two children have arrived back home in the UK after wrapping up filming on the second series of My Family and the Galapagos. Accompanied by the team from Seadog Productions, Monty and co spent two months on the iconic islands, collating fascinating wildlife stories that will make up four onehour programmes, which will be shown on Channel 4 in 2020. The new series is sure to form a central part of Monty’s talk when he returns to the GO Diving Show Main Stage in February 2020. Tickets for this immersive and interactive event, which runs from 21-23 February (Friday is trade-only, Saturday and Sunday is open to all), are available now from www.godivingshow.com – quote BUDDY2020 to get a fabulous buy-one-get-one-free deal! www.seadogproductions.co.uk

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Dr Oliver Firth is a diving doctor with over 22 years of diving experience. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE and a medical referee for the UK Diving Medical Committee, performing many hundreds of diving medicals a year. As the senior doctor at London Diving Chamber for the last 13 years, he has supervised the treatment of hundreds of cases of decompression illness. He has now set up Hyperdive (www.hyperdive.co.uk) to continue his diving medical work with a global audience. With his accumulated experience, he has seen most things a diver might come across, but remains eager to hear from anyone with a medical conundrum they need a solution to! divingdoctor@scubadivermag.com Q: I have a nine-month-old baby who I am still breastfeeding. My periods have not yet returned following this delivery. Last week, I travelled abroad and dived six dives to a max of 28m over a two-day period. However, I have just found out since then that I am pregnant again and could be anything between four to nine weeks. Clearly I didn’t realise that I was pregnant at the time of my diving, and I didn’t have any symptoms of the bends, but I am concerned about possible effects on my unborn child. Do you know of any evidence that diving when pregnant is harmful? I would be grateful for your advice. A: There is a yawning chasm of inadequate data on diving in pregnancy, which is unlikely to change due to obvious ethical problems with conducting experiments on those ‘in the family way’. Most authorities therefore advise delaying diving until after the pregnancy has ‘resolved’ – nine months’ abstention from diving is far more preferable than a lifetime worrying about (or dealing with) an unforeseen problem. The nearest thing to ‘evidence’ we have, albeit of a questionable analogous nature, are case reports in which pregnant mothers with carbon monoxide poisoning were treated with hyperbaric oxygen in a chamber. When they were followed up, no adverse effects were seen in the foetus, but long-term outcomes in these children were not described. Conversely, many animal (and some human) studies have noted an increase in the incidence of foetal abnormalities and spontaneous abortions in those who dived while pregnant. Very early in pregnancy, up to two weeks or so, there is no effective blood circulation between the placenta and foetus, so problems are unlikely. Once such a circulation develops, there might be. In adults, rogue bubbles are cleared by the so-called ‘pulmonary filter’ as they circulate through the lungs. In the womb, the foetus lacks this filtering mechanism,

and there are theoretical concerns that a diving mum might transfer bubbles to the developing foetus, which cannot clear them. This might lead to heart or lung malformations. However, so many other variables are involved that it is impossible to extrapolate causality from the information we have. Although we no longer recommend diving during a recognised pregnancy, there is no solid scientific data to prove that diving is dangerous to the foetus. Q: My partner had breast cancer last year. Luckily it was confined to a lump, which she had removed very quickly. She has been put forward for augmentation (implants), but she wishes to start diving and we would like to know what we have to do to get her started, i.e. dive medical, dive insurance and when she has the augmentation, are there any limits on depth, etc. She is otherwise healthy and fit - at work her role includes being a trained instructor for Breakaway Techniques and Therapeutic Management of Violence and Aggression (Control and Restraint). Thanks for your advice. A: Breast implants are almost always saline- or siliconebased, and as such they are not thought to be susceptible to pressure-induced damage. Various implants were subjected to simulated dives in a hyperbaric chamber in one study, which found negligible bubble formation within the implants, and only minor volume changes which resolved with time. Therefore in general, no diving restrictions apply. A couple of words of advice though - avoid tight BCD chest straps as these can increase the risk of rupturing the implants, and if they’re silicone-based, they may affect buoyancy as they’re heavier than water (saline ones are obviously neutrally buoyant). Clearly she shouldn’t dive around the time of the procedure, but once all has healed up she will be fine.

ALEX MUSTARD ‘CIRCLE OF LIFE’ AWARDED IN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR A stunning black-and-white image of swirling bigeye trevally taken last year in Egypt has nabbed Alex Mustard a ‘Highly Commended’ in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The photograph, shot in the waters off Ras Mohammed National Park at the bottom of the Sinai Peninsula, was taken on a Nikon D850 with a Nikon 28-70mm lens and Nauticam’s WACP, a super-wide-angle system which Alex helped develop, inside a Subal housing and using Seacam 150 strobes. Alex – who will be announcing the winners and runners-up in the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year awards on the Main Stage at the GO Diving Show (www.godivingshow.com) in February 2020 – said: “I am thrilled to be awarded in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest again this year.” www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy.html

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Stuart Philpott explores the myriad ships which have come to grief in the waters off Bermuda over hundreds of years Alex Mustard offers ten top tips for budding underwater snappers wanting to enter the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition Adrian Stacey concludes his epic 1,300-mile journey through this massive archipelago. This time, he finally gets to the iconic Raja Ampat

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Byron Conroy heads to the paradise island of Bali and is left speechless by the range and diversity of the marine life he encounters The waters around the Greek islands hold many technical-depth wrecks - we head out to sample a few, including the Burdigla

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Imagine a place where the entire hub of government, administrative functions, infrastructure, and ports of entry and exit have been destroyed. It’s somewhat akin to a war zone, but that’s what happened to the island of Montserrat thanks to the Soufriere Hills volcano. Today, Montserrat is recovering from its ordeal, and makes for a very interesting and offbeat place to visit. Jeremy Cuff went to investigate PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY AND AMANDA CUFF / WWW.JA-UNIVERSE.COM

Diving 22

Off The

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he island of Montserrat is located in the Caribbean and is part of the group known as the Leeward Islands (part of the Lesser Antilles, to add further complexity). Beginning in 1995, the devasting eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano changed things forever, destroying the capital city of Plymouth, the airport, the port, homes and livelihoods. It forced thousands to evacuate the island, never to return. The volcano isn’t erupting currently, but it still sits within an exclusion zone and is closely monitored by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. As a result, Montserrat is a very interesting ‘off the grid’ kind of place to visit, most easily reached by travelling via the nearby hub island of Antigua. I talk about my ‘to do list’ quite a bit in my features, and Montserrat was no different. It had been on there for some time, but as with all these things you want to do, it has to bubble up to the top of the list in order to become a reality. The time had come. It took a bit of research to work out how best to do it, but with the wonders of the worldwide web, we soon built a picture of the options. There are regular flights from the UK to Antigua, so that was straightforward. For accommodation, we chose a self-catering house called Gingerbread Hill - I decided we had to stay there from the minute I finished looking at their website, so we got in touch and booked off our dates. I’d also been corresponding with Andrew from Scuba

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Montserrat, who gave us some useful information about the diving. The biggest palaver was booking the flight across to Montserrat from Antigua, as options are limited. We were also concerned about the weight and amount of our luggage (including, of course, our dive kit and camera gear), but in the end nobody challenged it, it was crammed in, the flight ran and it all worked out. There is an alternative of a foot passenger ferry that regularly shuttles between Antigua and Montserrat - it’s known as the ‘vomit comet’. We chose the Easter holiday period in which go there, which was considered by Andrew to be as good a time as any, and outside of the hurricane season (July to November/ December). It would also mean ‘topping and tailing’ the trip with stays on Antigua, which was fine by us - a night on the way out, and two on the way back. We chose the small, independently owned Anchorage Inn, very old-style Caribbean in its vibe, which we quite enjoyed and world’s apart from the international resort hotels that have proliferated there. You know you’re going ‘off the grid’ when the plane that takes you there has capacity for six passengers (five were on it, including ourselves). As we lifted off out of Antigua over the water, turning towards Montserrat, we could clearly see some rays cruising the shallows beneath us. It was a fabulously clear day as we headed away from Antigua on the 20-minute flight to Montserrat, to a very different world. As we approached, the still-smouldering Soufriere Hills

Colourful swimthrough

Vibrant yellow sponges

dominated our attention to the south of the island. At the tiny airport, David was waiting to collect us, who with his wife Clover own and run Gingerbread Hill and the popular Hilltop Coffee House, where memorabilia from the now-abandoned Air Studios has been curated. David was also significantly involved in documenting the Soufriere Hills eruption. It was a great place to stay, and hard to leave when our departure day came around. Our accommodation was on the hillside at ‘canopy level’, which allowed us to watch the local birdlife, such as hummingbirds, bananaquits and tremblers, at close quarters, and below we could spot iguanas and an introduced species of mammal, the aguti. Our balcony also afforded magical views over the Caribbean towards the remnant volcanic islet of Redonda, with Nevis in the distance beyond. We found that most mornings we got up very early, mostly owing to early nights (10pm was a rarity on this trip), though we were assisted by the dawn bleatings of some goats that roamed the grounds - we called it ‘goat ‘o’ clock’. And if you

still weren’t relaxed enough, there was also a hammock that David and Clover had installed nearby. I would sometimes retreat to it with my headphones. We found it very useful to hire a car to get around (a very old Toyota RAV4), which Clover arranged on our behalf, and although Andrew from Scuba Montserrat lived and had his tiny dive centre close by (underneath the JavaLava Art Café coffee shop), it was very handy for transporting our dive gear to and from the ‘new’ port at Little Bay (some distance away from Gingerbread Hill) from where he would take us diving. It also gave us our independence to explore when we weren’t diving. Like most places, the diving conditions and visibility in Montserrat can vary considerably depending on the wind direction and prevailing conditions. We discussed this with

Once inside, you can pop up to the surface and see a large roost of bats hanging from the ceiling, with some flying around

Montserrat’s reefs are home to all sorts of weird critters

Unusual volcanic seabed

Andrew early on, who kept a close eye on the weather forecast. Later in our stay, the wind direction was forecast to change, making some dives more difficult (or impossible) to do. We would make the most of this ‘optimum weather window’. Scuba Montserrat is run by Andrew and Emmy, a ‘couple team’ who have lived on Montserrat for a number of years, making them almost certainly the most-knowledgeable divers on the island. Emmy was away visiting family during our visit, so we dived exclusively with Andrew. We enjoyed his enthusiasm, laid-back style and dry sense of humour. On a more-serious side, they also developed a locally based marine conservation group which built and designed an artificial Zac on the dive boat reef and works to protect marine habitat called the Montserrat Reef Project. Also, they are both listed as Reef Ball Foundation Coral Experts. Though a heavy cold frustratingly curtailed my diving activities from what I had hoped to do (including a night dive), it was still enough to get a good impression of Montserrat’s underwater realm. We explored sandy expanses, seagrass beds,

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rubble and flat reef expanses at sites such as Sea Studios, where jawfish (some with eggs) peered from the safety of their holes, and out on the sand, we were able to get close to a surprisingly approachable species of stingray on numerous occasions. Other sites such as Little Redonda and the bizarrely named Donkey Paradise on the north of the island are only possible when the conditions are calm, so we took advantage. I wondered about the Donkey Paradise name - was it named after a proliferation of the delightfully named donkey dung sea cucumber, perhaps? Well no, according to Andrew it was supposedly named after a braying donkey on the clifftop (or something like that!). Who knows? It’s funny and infinitely better than unoriginally named dive sites such as Coral Gardens or Aquarium. On these sites around the northern tip, we found the most-interesting topography, with overhangs,

On these sites around the northern tip, we found the most-interesting topography, with overhangs, ledges and cuts in the reef adorned with assorted reef growth

Zac on a Montserrat dive

Andrew and Jeremy

ledges and cuts in the reef adorned with assorted reef growth, including wire corals and large barrel sponges. Underneath some of the ledges, it’s possible to find lobster and nurse sharks, both of which we spotted, but were unable to photograph due to their inaccessibility. Other sites such as Rainbow’s End and Sunshine Boulders revealed a variety of inhabitants, such as flamingo tongues, pufferfish, secretary blennies, arrow crabs, hermit crabs, morays, garden eels and lionfish. No matter how far off the grid Montserrat might be in human terms, it’s certainly no barrier to the lionfish as they complete their relentless invasion of the Caribbean. Though we didn’t see any, seahorses and snake eels are also present and for the bigger stuff, you could expect jacks, turtles and perhaps the odd surprise. Andrew had reported a humpback whale in the area recently, though it wasn’t seen on a dive. We found little or no current on our dives, which made them all easy and enjoyable, and there’s at least 50 sites that The reefs are full of marine growth

are theoretically possible to visit depending on the conditions and the experience levels of the divers. The deepest dive we recorded was 21m. One site that is very dependent on calm water is the Bat Cave, offering divers a most unique experience. It’s located on the northwest side of the island fairly close to Little Bay. The dive involves a pleasant reef dive fairly close to the cliff, a roving safety stop at 5m followed by a swim up a channel at a shallow depth into a cave. Once inside, you can pop up to the surface and see a large roost of bats hanging from the ceiling, with some flying around. As you’re directly beneath them, unpleasant things can rain down on you (so to speak!). Our son Zac had a quick look, but didn’t hang around, which I ribbed him about later. I remembered the Steve Irwin quote ‘I love bats, but not when you’re underneath them’. There can’t be many dive sites that promise sightings of bats! We allowed ten days on Montserrat itself (not including our Antigua stopovers), which was an adequate amount of time, although more would always be good. As well as diving,

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USEFUL LINKS

Montserrat Tourism www.visitmontserrat.com Accommodation (Montserrat) gingerbreadhill.com Accommodation (Antigua) antiguaanchorageinn.com/v2 Scuba Montserrat www.scubamontserrat.com Scriber’s Tours (Nature and Trekking) scribersadventures.com Montserrat Island Tours montserratislandtours.com Montserrat Volcano Observatory www.mvo.ms Fly Montserrat www.flymontserrat.com

Tiny blenny

Zac just floating around

Rugged Montserrat coastline

there’s plenty of other things to keep interested travellers busy that are worthy of mention. It’s possible to trek rainforest trails, perhaps with island legend and nature guide to royalty James ‘Scriber’ Daley, who was once scalded by his parents because they didn’t understand his love of the forest and outdoors. With Scriber, you’re virtually guaranteed to see the endemic Montserrat oriole, which is the island’s national bird. You can also enjoy largely deserted beaches, and hangout in great places like Hank’s Beach Bar, where you can while away an afternoon watching pelicans hunting while the sun goes down. Then there’s the abandoned Air Studios (strictly speaking off-limits, but we had a sneaky visit), once used by bands and artists such as The Police, UFO, Jimmy Buffet, Black Sabbath, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones and Rush. But no visit to Montserrat can fail to include aspects of the Soufriere Hills eruption. It’s possible to visit the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, where volcanologists study and carefully monitor the brooding menace of the volcano. Best of all, perhaps, is that it’s possible to take a tour into the ruined city of Plymouth, a modern-day Pompeii if ever there was one. On Montserrat, you could say that the current period of time is the calm after the storm, or perhaps more accurately ‘an interval of calm’ before the next storm, as ‘the Soufriere’ will certainly erupt again. We found Montserrat very rewarding and were glad that we made it happen. If you like ‘off the grid’, it’s most certainly worth a visit. n

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Martin Sampson looks at boat diving and the benefits of choosing a good skipper, whether you are on a RIB, a hardboat or a liveaboard PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

“

I’m not sure what was more exciting, the dive or the ride out in the boat!” said one of my students recently. She is new to boat diving but, even so, after all these years I have to agree. I’m seldom happier than when there is a deck gently rolling beneath my feet and our ever-more-crowded lands are on the distant horizon. For true adrenaline junkies, a wavebashing ride in a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) is just as exciting - in a cold, wet, salt-in-your-face sort of way. The key to successful boat diving is a knowledgeable and experienced skipper. Naturally, a boat that is safe and up to the job is vital too. Having had experience of a RIB that kept trying to sink by the stern (it had been ‘modified’ to accept a different outboard engine) as well as a perfectly good liveaboard yacht skippered by a confident incompetent (he ran us aground on day one and again on day four), I can testify to the fact that boat and skipper are a complete package. My first piece of advice would be to accept that a good charter operation costs good money because the overhead costs can be considerable if the boat is to be safe and reliable. Many countries require boats to be licensed and the UK is no different. All vessels that carry fee-paying passengers have

I like calls from divers who have no boat diving experience. Calls from divers who want to do deep wrecks sometimes make me wonder if they can walk the walk as well as talk the talk

to be licensed, including commercially operated dive boats. In the UK the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) licenses are granted only after a rigorous survey of the boat and qualifications of the skipper. Surveys are a regular event and, when you add in insurance, repairs and replacements, and of course the spiralling costs of fuel, you can see that even a modest-sized RIB costs a lot of money to keep shipshape. For that reason most skippers charge a non-refundable deposit and, with liveaboard vessels, it will be full fees up front. This is no different to any other holiday that you would book, so it’s well worth considering taking out cancellation insurance.

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What are you getting for your money? Dive charter boats can be broadly considered as three types: Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB), ‘hard boats’ - day boats - and liveaboard boats. RIBs usually have minimal shelter on board so are particularly suited to ‘shuttle’ diving; short trips out to dive sites and back to shore for a comfort break and air fill. Hard boats are often slower and have greater range, but will need better facilities. Some of the charter boats operating in the Red Sea have accommodation standards on a par with luxury hotels. The same may not be said of all parts of the world. In Egypt the authorities are adopting European standards on competency and, in Tenerife, I have seen a ‘skipper’ diving with his group, leaving an empty, unattended RIB on the surface - a highly risky practice that has cost lives in the past. The unbridled joy of boat diving is a safe mobile dive platform that can take you to destinations that are otherwise unreachable. More than that, if you charter a liveaboard vessel it’s like having your own floating hotel following you everywhere. UK liveaboard boats are typically smaller than their Red Sea counterparts, but don’t let the cosiness put you off. The food is usually legendary and someone else will be taking care of air fills, leaving you with lots of free time to indulge yourself in your sport or simply relax. Of the thousands of dives in my logbooks, the expeditions that I have been on in UK waters using liveaboards have undoubtedly been the most rewarding. The UK is, of course, a very fickle place for weather, so the other benefit of using a charter

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boat is the local knowledge of the skipper. This expertise often saves the day. On one trip, the weather forced us to abandon our plans of reaching St Kilda and, although disappointing, our skipper Mark Henrys of the Hjalmar Borge knew that we could get into the rarely dived and spectacular Loch Tilasavey, just north of Taransay in the Outer Hebrides. It helps to have a flexible approach to dive planning. The more narrowly defined the objectives, the less tolerant you will be of changes to your itinerary. Well in advance of the trip do discuss Plan A and a potential Plan B with the skipper. Every skipper I have ever used has worked tirelessly to balance the desire for a great dive trip with the diving conditions and the abilities of the group. You don’t need to be a vastly experienced diver to start boat diving. Just be up front about your experience and capabilities. I asked local skipper Aubrey Diggle of SBS Charters in Trearddur Bay about this: “I like calls from divers who have no boat-diving experience. Calls from divers who want to do deep wrecks sometimes make me wonder if they can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.” One frustration for some skippers is divers making a booking and then failing to turn up, especially when they have made their own assumptions about the weather from the comfort of their armchairs 200 miles away. Get in contact with the skipper a day or so before the trip to confirm the arrangements. They are as keen as you are to be able to get you in the water, and they may have access to a sheltered site that you are unaware of. n

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Team Scuba Diver continues to explore the clear, warm waters off Malta and Gozo, showcasing how this archipelago is the ideal short-haul family holiday location PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

he torpedo ray eyed me suspiciously as I very slowly dropped down until I was hovering just a metre or so away from it. It was lying on a clear patch of sand surrounded by seagrass. I signalled to Luke and pointed out the ray. Fair play to him, he looked extremely excited, but didn’t just dart forward, instead remembering what I had told him about approaching marine life slowly. I motioned for him to drop down behind it for a photograph, and he stealthily ‘crawled’ in behind the ray, with his body just off the bottom and using his fingertips in the sand, looking for all the world like a human-gurnard hybrid! He positioned himself where he was looking at the ray but I could clearly see his eyes in his black-skirted mask, and we bagged a few decent images. Once we were done, I gave him the OK sign and he gently pushed himself off the bottom, and made sure he didn’t disturb the ray or any sand. I was very proud to see such conscientious behaviour from a 12-year-old. I had taught the young Padawan well… Hunting for scorpionfish

Luke on the P31 patrol boat

THE LURE OF THE BLUE

After a ‘dry day’ for Team Scuba Diver – Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans, his wife Penney, and their 12-year-old son Luke, and Publishing Director Ross Arnold, his wife Gemma, and their two sons, 13-year-old Ryan and five-year-old Ethan - exploring some of Malta’s topside attractions, we were back at Divewise (www.divewise.com.mt) for more underwater fun and games. Long-time Divewise instructor Sarah Shaw was once again pressed into action as our guide and driver for the next three days. Knowing how much Luke had enjoyed the wrecks we had visited, Sarah lined up a shore dive at the Two Tugs at Zonquor Point in Marsascala as our first port of call. Despite visiting Malta extensively over the last 20-odd years, this was a site I had never done, so I was keen to check it out, and Luke was already bouncing with the thought of not one, but two wrecks on one dive. Sarah tried to temper his enthusiasm by explaining that these were not as visually impressive as the P31, but all he was bothered about was seeing some sort of boat on the seabed! The actual highlight of the Two Tugs dive was seeing the aforementioned torpedo ray – the biggest I had seen in the Med – but the two vessels are also worth checking out. As Sarah had mentioned, they are not in the same league as the P31, or many of the other deeper wrecks around Malta, such as the Um El Faroud, Rozi and the P29, but lying in 21m-22m, they have been down since May 1998, so are completely encrusted in marine growth, which in turn plays host to all manner of critters.

Luke approaches the torpedo ray

The 20-metre St Michael is a Tanac-type tug that was built in Canada, while the 16-metre Number 10 is a Melita-type tug. Both were a common sight in the Grand Harbour during their working life, but after being laid up at Jetties Wharf, they sank on-site, and were partially submerged for several years before being raised, cleaned and scuttled for divers. They lie a short distance apart next to the rocky reef, sitting upright on a sandy bottom. We found scorpionfish, lizardfish, moray eels, numerous nudibranchs and various crabs on and around the wrecks, and on the way back to the entry/exit point along the reef in the shallows we found more scorpionfish and a couple of octopus. The tugs are not huge and there is no real penetration, but there are a couple of nice swim-throughs which Luke duly discovered. After a quick stop for much-needed sustenance, we headed off to shore-dive number two, and a site that ranked highly on the ‘top dive list’ of one Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Ghar Lapsi is a large natural swimming area, popular with general tourists and snorkellers, but it is also the entrance to one of the mostpicturesque cavern systems on the islands. After kitting up in the car park at the top of a steep slope – thankfully equipped with steps down either side! – you trudge down to the water’s edge and giant stride into the blue. The water is only shallow, a few metres at most, but once you make your way over to the corner, you drop down under an archway and enter the cavern system. Light streams down through holes in the rocky reef above, especially in the afternoon, so torches are not necessary, and there is a reasonable amount of room inside. There are various exits, and when you pop out on to the outside of the reef, you are faced with huge boulders, beds of seagrass and that lovely deep blue that characterises Maltese waters. The actual cavern section is very short, and the majority of the dive is spent exploring the reef, before making your way back into the swimming area to exit the water – and steel yourself for the walk back up the slope! The reef is full of life, with bream, wrasse, juvenile barracuda, moray eels, scorpionfish and octopus.

For our second day back in the water, we headed back out to Comino on a Luzzu, to revisit the P31 patrol boat and Santa Maria Caves. This gave Ryan the opportunity to see the imposing patrol boat himself on his final qualifying dive of his RAID Open Water 15 course (the full story of this course will be in The Next Generation in a future issue), but also allowed Luke to really enjoy a more-relaxed second dive on this vessel. The first dive I think he was a little shell-shocked, as it was by far the biggest shipwreck he had dived on, but this time he was more-prepared and really enjoyed mooching about looking inside areas of the superstructure and spotting more critters that have made the P31 their home. Our group enjoyed a return visit to the famous Santa Maria Caves for our next dive, and this system of large cathedrallike caves and interconnecting caverns, which are well lit by natural light, are truly spectacular. Most of the bigger caves are only semi-submerged, and boats often cruise in, so make sure you stay close to the bottom and aware of surface traffic during the dive. The topography of the site really holds your attention, and it is a safe and shallow introduction to this type of diving.

Malta film studios

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Ryan on the P31 for his final qualifying dive

The Rolling Geek buggy

Ross and Gemma managed a dive together

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Goatfish on the Maori

Our third – and sadly final – day of diving in Malta saw us heading towards Marsamxett Harbour off Manoel Island at the start of Lazzaretto Creek. Our destination was the wreck of the X127, or the X-Lighter as she is also known. Interestingly, you get to dive a World War One and a World War Two vessel in a single dive! The X127 was a 24-metre landing craft built in 1915 in the UK for the Royal Navy. Initially she was converted into a water lighter, and then later again into a fuel lighter. It was sunk in March 1942, and for many years was known as the Carolita, or Coralita, by divers, who referred to it as an ordinary barge, but in 2003, an underwater survey identified it as a lighter. First it was thought to be the X131, but in 2006 it was finally confirmed to be the X127. She lies on a slope, with her bow in just 5m, and her stern in 22m. To reach her, you get into the water via some sturdy metal steps, and then swim along a reef, which is littered with old bottles and other artefacts from the past, as well as seemingly innumerable scorpionfish. The vis is generally not great given its location, and sure enough, when we eventually reached the X127, the visibility around the stern section was down to a few metres – it was like a UK dive in warm water! However, you could still peer inside and see some of the pumping machinery, and as you headed up the side of the vessel to the bow in shallower water, the visibility dramatically increased to double figures. After dekitting and repacking the van, we headed round into Valletta and parked up for a relaxed surface interval and a picnic in the sunshine in St Elmos Bay. Then it was time for the last dive of this trip, and one of my favourites - HMS Maori.

Most of the bigger caves are only semi-submerged, and boats often cruise in, so make sure you stay close to the bottom and aware of surface traffic during the dive The Maori was a 115-metre-long World War Two British destroyer which was sunk in the Grand Harbour by a German air raid in February 1942. In July 1945, the wreck was raised, though it split in half, and the fore-section was scuttled in its current position in St Elmo Bay near the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour. It now lies in a maximum depth of just 16m, making it a genuine wartime shipwreck that can be explored by all levels of diver. Although her shallow depth means she has suffered at the hands of winter storms, the Maori is still an impressive dive site. The wreck is half-buried in the sand, with 40-odd metres of the forward superstructure still recognisable, and while the guns were removed soon after she sank – to be used on land as a shore battery – there is still much to find, including hatches, gun-mounts, bollards, cables, anchor chain and more. Luke was in his element poking about the scattered debris surrounding the main part of the wreck, and he discovered some porcelain artefacts partially protruding from the sand that looked to be part of an electrical set-up. He had enjoyed all the other wreck dives we had done in Malta, but the fact that this was a true military ship appealed to his sense of adventure, and he stated it was his favourite of the trip, along with the P31. In fact, I had a hard time getting him away from the wreck at the end of our dive time, and I think he would have happily completed a few more dives on the Maori. It made a suitably epic finale to the diving portion of our trip.

In the caverns at Ghar Lapsi

TOPSIDE ATTRACTIONS

As we said last issue, where Malta and Gozo come into their own is the vast array of activities and places to visit available above water, making it ideal for groups who aren’t going to be diving every day, have nondivers with them, or who just want the ability to mix it up. We now had a couple of free days before flying home, so as we had visited Valetta on our first ‘dry day’, this time we headed to the Three Cities and Mdina.

Ross on the P31

The Maori is full of marine life

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The wreck is half-buried in the sand, with 40-odd metres of the forward superstructure still recognisable

Penney and Luke in a P31 swim-through

Massive superyachts in Vittoriosa

The Three Cities – Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua – lie close to Valetta, and were the first home of the knights of the Order of St John, so the churches, forts and bastions pre-date its near-neighbour. Vittoriosa, also known as Birgu, existed since the Middle Ages, with the other two cities being founded by the Order of St John. The Three Cities were besieged during the Great Siege of Malta, and the impressive and imposing Cottonera Lines – massive fortifications – were built to repel any future attacks. They were heavily bombarded during World War Two, and many areas were rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s. The Three Cities covers quite an area, and it would be impossible to explore it all on foot in a day, but we headed out with Rolling Geeks, a ‘talking’ electric car. This pimped-up golf buggy can take four people, and is equipped with a pre-programmed GPS that navigates you around an 18-mile winding loop, with your vehicle ‘talking’ you through what you are seeing as a guide. It is a fun way to get out and about in the Three Cities and see some areas you most-definitely would not discover if you set out on your own, including the Malta Film Studios, the Inquisitor’s Palace, Fort St Angelo, the Rinella Gun and Battery, Fort Ricasoli, and the Grand Harbour Marina. For our final day we went to the ‘silent city’ of Mdina, which can trace its history back more than 4,000 years, where after exploring some of the winding streets and passageways in this walled city, we watched a short film about the Order of St John, and also ventured around an exhibition of dioramas featuring very-detailed waxworks which also delved into the history of this ancient organisation. After working up an appetite, we took some local advice and visited the Fontanella Tea Garden for absolutely enormous – and delicious – slices of chocolate cake, all served while you admire stunning views from the top of the walls out across the Maltese countryside. n

Clan Evans with the Rolling Geek

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The Jordan coastal city continues to evolve its artificial reef scene, adding a gigantic Lockheed TriStar civilian airliner into the mix PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

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artificial reef

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he huge ghostly white shape was clearly visible beneath our dive boat, and the excitement on board was evident as everyone kitted up and prepared for our first dives on Aqaba’s newest artificial reef. Ever since seeing the enormous Lockheed TriStar aircraft scuttled a couple of days before, we had been champing at the bit to check it out in its new home on the seabed – and now was our chance. Dropping into the water off the back of the dive boat, we began descending towards the aircraft, which looked even more massive ‘in the flesh’. The visibility was a little milky, but we could still see 90 percent of the aircraft clearly, which only reinforced the sheer size of its bulk – it absolutely dwarfs the C-130 Hercules military transport airplane that was sunk a couple of years ago.

The TriStar dwarfs this C-130

As it was still fresh in the water and hadn’t been ‘cleared’ of sinking paraphernalia, there were still ropes attached to the cockpit and scattered around the wings and tail fin, but during our time on the water in and near the wreck, we saw clean-up teams removing and recovering these items, so by the time it is being dived by members of the public, it was be free of all this. The cockpit sits pointing up the slope in just 15m, and then the bottom of the tail fin is in 28m, which provides something of interest for all levels of certification, though I wouldn’t be taking open water divers inside the aircraft.

Immense coral growth on a wing of the C-130

The cockpit of the TriStar

However, there is much to enjoy and explore even if you don’t have a camera, and once this aircraft has become colonised, it will appeal to those who aren’t that into wrecks

Ross emerges from the front doorway

Where to begin with something of this magnitude? Let’s start at the cockpit, which can be accessed through the open main door on the left-hand side. All of the controls have been left in-situ, which means it is a bit of a squeeze getting through the access door in your scuba kit, but it is amazing to see all the dials, switches and levers. It will be interesting to see these slowly but surely disappear under a coating of marine growth in the coming years. From the cockpit you can swim down the interior of the main fuselage. It is simply huge. The central row of seats has been removed, but the sets of three on either side remain in place, and even still you can have several divers shoulder to shoulder and not feel claustrophobic. You can explore the staff sections, with the spaces left for food carts, etc, and – if you so wish – check out some of the many bathroom facilities! Moray on the reef alongside the TriStar

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Light streams in through the various open doors and through all of the windows, so it does not feel dark inside, and a torch is not needed. However, at the rear of the aircraft a section of flooring has been removed and you can drop down into the cargo hold. This area gets relatively tight and once you head around the corner and back under the main fuselage, it is very dark, so you’ll need a dive light if you decide to head down into this area. We surprised a small cuttlefish that had already set up home down here – amazing considering it had literally been down two days. Also at the rear of the aircraft, you can swim up and into the vast turbine from the monster central engine. This makes for a great photograph, with the blades of the turbine clearly visible, and then you can turn around and head out through the vent on to the top of the aircraft – again, this can make a fun photograph with your dive buddy hovering in the middle of it. Outside the aircraft, you can roam around under and over the giant wings, and around the back of the jet engine vents. As we said, at the moment it is a bright, shiny white, but give it a few weeks and I am sure this will be well coated with marine growth which will tone it down somewhat. Photographers will have a whale of a time on the TriStar. As well as the aforementioned turbine, vent and cockpit areas, shots of divers around the outside can also be very effective, and I look forward to seeing the creative images people come up with in the coming months.

There are plenty of areas to penetrate

However, there is much to enjoy and explore even if you don’t have a camera, and once this aircraft has become colonised, it will appeal to those who aren’t that into wrecks. The C-130 Hercules is a prime example of how artificial reefs develop. It only went down in November 2017, but already, the main fuselage is heavily coated in algae and marine growth, and under the wings is draped with large, vibrant soft corals.

DOWN SHE GOES!

Just two days previously, we had joined a horde of media from around Europe to witness the scuttling of the TriStar. We had a prime seat on board one of the many boats jockeying for position around the aircraft, which was secured in place with various ropes and lines. The interior is cavernous

The TriStar is still very ‘white’

The central row of seats has been removed, but the sets of three on either side remain in place, and even still you can have several divers shoulder to shoulder and not feel claustrophobic 47

We were surprised how close to shore it was located, but at the chosen site - next to the existing King Abdullah Reef dive site, and adjacent to Aqaba Container Terminal – the reef drops down fairly quickly to a decent depth, which meant that the plane would end up on a slope in 15m-28m, providing something for all levels of diver. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) obtained the L-1011 TriStar plane, a non-Jordanian commercial that had been out of service and parked at King Hussein International Airport for several years, with the intention of sinking it as an artificial reef, further bolstering the already impressive line-up along Jordan’s coastline. There is the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport plane, which was put down in late-2017, close to another sunken oddity, the M42 ‘Duster’ tracked anti-aircraft gun; the Cedar Pride, a 74-metre cargo vessel that was sunk in 1985 and is now smothered in coral growth; and two technicaldepth wrecks, the Taiyong and the Al Shorouk. And just a few weeks before, a vast collection of military vehicles – light tanks, heavy tanks, armoured cars, anti-aircraft guns, field guns and even helicopter gunships – were put down in a ‘battle formation’ along a sandy ‘road’ between two relatively barren reefs. These are going to be ‘off-limits’ to the public for at least six months, to allow marine life to colonise them before divers are allowed to visit, but it means next year Aqaba’s artificial reef collection will be an amazing sight. We had a sneak peek at them and they present a truly awesome dive site, and already damselfish had laid eggs on them, squirrelfish were in the engine rooms, moray eels had staked a claim to nooks and crannies, and a starry pufferfish was vociferously defending two of the light tanks it had taken a fancy to.

Ross emerging from the cargo hold

Ross inside the main turbine

Exit - that will be the way out, then!

Ross alongside the gigantic airplane

ASEZA had assigned a national company to dismantle the TriStar aircraft, transport it to Aqaba port and re-assemble it there. The sinking site was completely devoid of healthy coral reef, and ended up in a sandy area surrounded by seagrass meadows and some fairly ropey coral heads, so the presence of the aircraft will create a rich habitat for fish and other marine organisms. Before the sinking, all hazardous materials were removed to comply with the environmental best practices. Initially, the TriStar seemed reluctant to head to its new home, but slowly, ever so slowly, she began to settle, with her left wing disappearing below the surface first, then the back end. She then evened herself out, and with increasing speed began to sink lower into the sea. Within minutes, only her tailfin was visible, and then that too was gone, leaving frothing water as the final air spaces emptied. A cacophony of boat horns, whistles and sirens accompanied her final departure to the seabed. n

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DEVELOPING

THE NEXT GENERATION A troop of 32 scouts was recently introduced to the wonders of diving by Mersey Divers. John Rice reports

ersey Divers is a forward-looking scuba club that is not willing to rest on its laurels, and instead is determined to make sure that our sport continues to grow and, through that, its own existence for another 65 years can be assured. It was with this in mind that it recently put on a trydive experience for a troop of 32 scouts of both genders, ranging from ten to 13 years old, to inspire them in the many, many benefits of scuba. Tony Fitzpatrick, the Diving Officer of Mersey Divers, said “ The divers of today owe it to our sport, our passion for the underwater environment, to share it with future generations in order to empower them to understand more deeply what the sea is, and what exists within it, and how we all, old and young together, need to work to do more to protect it.” Mersey Divers is in the process of seeking Approved Activity Provider status within the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in both physical and skills in order to assist young people from across our communities to see scuba not just as a sporting activity, but also a set of skills involving learning, organisation, discipline, kit maintenance, and team building and working.

Mark Sheil, Scout Troop leader, said: “Whilst it has taken a lot of work to put together this event, the experience of today has left a very deep impression on our scouts. We are grateful to all at Mersey Divers for making it real!” Alan Jones, Chair of Mersey Divers, commented: “It is essential that the scuba community as a whole works together to make sure ‘Generation Z’ and the next generation is afforded every opportunity to get to know ‘The Sea, once its casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever!’ as Jacques-Yves Cousteau said.” Thanks to Vince Clegg and Elaine White for their photography of the event, and all the many, many volunteers who gave up their Sunday to introduce these scouts to scuba. www.merseydivers.com

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RECOGNISING AND CELEBRATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCUBA DIVERS The Next Generation section is aimed squarely at keen kids and talented teens, those youngsters who have embraced the underwater realm and are driving new blood into the diving fraternity. Tune in each month for Case Studies, reports, kit reviews and articles from our diving youth. Got a story to share about a young diver? - Email: mark@scubadivermag.com to be included in a future edition of The Next Generation!

NEVE CAITLIN WESTWOOD 12, HIGH LANE, CHESHIRE

On 31 July, I was introduced to the world of scuba in the swimming pool at our hotel in the Dominican Republic. After I did my trydive in the pool, I decided that I wanted to take it further and do my Junior Open Water Diver course. Luckily, just down the beach from the hotel, there was a small dive centre called Nexus Tours Watersports, where I was able to go through each step to complete the course. On the first day I had to sit through four hours of videos about each module. I found these videos quite interesting, but would have preferred it if I could have watched one or two videos and then done those two modules in the pool one week, and then the rest another week. But because we only had a couple of days to do it in, we did not have enough time to spread it out. After I had watched the videos of the different modules, it was time to do my online assessments, which I really liked, as I could do them in my own time back at the hotel and I did not have to rush them. Once I had completed/passed the assessments, my Divemaster Mario asked me to go back to learn the different modules practically in the pool. But before I got in the pool, I had to learn how to set up my scuba gear. In the pool we learned how to control our buoyancy, clear our masks, inflate our jackets manually and put our gear on in the water. My first-ever dive in the Caribbean was at an island called Catalina. I did not like it at first, because I had trouble equalising my ears, so my instructor Rony helped me to clear them by taking me back up by about a metre and taking me back down slowly. Other than that, I really enjoyed my first dive, seeing all the different fish and the reefs. Later that day, I did another dive a bit further round the island and again I had trouble equalising my ears. I preferred

the second dive to the first one, because I had a better understanding and wasn’t as worried. The next day I had to complete another two dives before I could pass. The first dive on the Atlantic side really freaked me out, because the visibility was not very good. I did not feel very comfortable down there, so therefore we cut the dive short and did a controlled emergency assent. Then I remembered I had another dive to do in that area, and was a bit nervous to do it, but I made myself get back in the water and it turned out to be a really good dive. I really enjoyed completing my PADI Junior Open Water Diver course - the only thing that could have made it better was if I had seen a shark. Hopefully I will see one on a future dive.

YOUTH DIVER NETWORK LATEST

The Youth Diver Network at Canary Divers has been very busy over the last few months. Sophie O’Dea has become one of the Youth Diver Networks ambassadors! She is currently testing and reviewing several products for the Canary Divers YouTube channel! Sophie’s review of the Zeagle Covert XT is now live! Daniel Hargreaves and brother Connor Hargreaves have been attending a diving workshop lead by instructor Kris Fearnley. Daniel is on the Canary ‘Box of Trim’ - at Canary Divers, we like to promote good buoyancy and trim, and encourage qualified divers to come along on workshops to progress their diving. Well done to Liam making a great start on his Tech Basics workshop, enjoying his first time in a twinset. www.canarydivers.com

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Scuba Diver talks to Sarah Daily, who as well as being a scuba diving and freediving instructor is an ‘aquatic entertainer’ who has performed underwater dance routines with alligators and sharks PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SARAH DAILY, MADE IN WATER, CHRIS GILLETTE AND TANKSPACE

SARAH DAILY 52

See Sarah Daily at the brand-new interactive dive show GO Diving at the Ricoh Arena on 23-24 February 2019! Early bird tickets available now from: www.godivingshow.com

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Sarah is used to diving with predators

Sarah with Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas

Q: How on Earth did you become an aquatic entertainer? A: I’ve always worked in and around water, I’ve always smelt of chlorine and gone through shampoo like crazy - never have I owned a car whose interior doesn’t feel just that little bit damp. I started my career as a swimming coach, which I still dabble in. I would regularly receive comments from the parents of my students requesting further classes after they had completed all of their stages with me, so I started running synchronised swimming clubs - fun sessions where the children would create routines for their parents, which I would film below the water for them to take home. I’ve been diving for about 12 years now, being an instructor for seven of them. Though it had occurred to me to turn this into an art form, I never really had the tools nor support to fulfil it until I came for a photoshoot in the tank at Mermaid Cove. I hopped in and just performed to the music they had playing at the time. It was from there that not only did I receive a request for a formal interview to become a performer for Mermaid Cove, but I discussed my ideas of freedive dancing with Elle and Kai, the Directors. From there, the Danseaqua was born. ...and with a huge sculpture in the Bahamas

It wasn’t until I was living out in Thailand that I heard the word ‘freediving’ Underwater routine in the tank...

Follow Sarah Daily on Instagram Danse_aqua and YouTube Danseaqua

Q: You are a scuba diver and a freediver, but how did you first get into diving? A: I blame my godparents for the financial drain that is being a diver. Back in the 1990s as a child in the fens, I didn’t know any divers except them. They used to come in and film the synchronised swimming classes I used to attend. I thought they were the coolest people in the world in their 1990’s neoprene glory, (they still are pretty damn cool by the way, but with far less neon yellow these days.) I completed my Open Water course at 19 back in Cambridge and that was it. As for freediving, it was certainly something I had been doing for years previous though not knowing much about it, or even knowing it was called freediving back then. It wasn’t until I was living out in Thailand that I heard the word ‘freediving’. I was taught by the late, great Stephen Keenan, who sadly passed away a few years back. Stephen certainly played a large role in igniting the flame and starting the foundations of where I am today.

Q: You are a scuba diving instructor and a freediving instructor, which is closest to your heart? A: Coming from a world of mermaids, I have this argument a lot! I very much believe there are benefits to both, and I enjoy them both the same. I guess without trying to sound too pretentious, freediving is about mostly discovering yourself, scuba is for discovering the unknown. I love the freedom of just slipping into the sea in minimal gear, or getting nice and close to aquatic life without the bubbles scaring them away, but if there’s something to really see, to study, like a wreck, I find it far more enjoyable to be weightless with your buddy for 45 minutes and take my time discovering it.

Sarah in mermaid guise

Q: With your company Danseaqua, you – and your 10,000-litre portable tank – have performed at a huge variety of events, but what are some of the most unusual? A: This summer has been an explosion of incredible gigs that I have been lucky to be a part of with Danseaqua’s cousin company Mermaid Cove, including lots of pirate festivals - yes this is a thing. Who knew? This year we performed to a crowd of around 10,000 people during the New Forest Fairy Festival, it was amazing looking out into a sea of fairies, unicorns and walking trees. Not many people can say that.

Sharks make an unusual dance partner

Face to face with an alligator

Sarah out freediving

Q: You have freedived – and completed underwater dance routines – in the company of toothy predators such as sharks and alligators. Have you ever had any hairy moments? A: I am lucky to know and have worked with some very knowledgeable people in their field, with safety divers, and procedures in place and adhering to a more-passive approach, allowing the animals to come to you and not the other way around. I have never felt ‘out of my depth’. During shooting with eight alligators in the Everglades, while signing a plethora of paperwork, I did ask Chris (a biologist and conservationist for reptile welfare in the Everglades) the question as to how he would know the alligators would react in the same way with me as they do with him, to which he replied: “What do you think all the paperwork is for?” I laughed, he laughed. I went and hid in the bathroom for ten minutes... I’ve had far more hairy moments getting cramp while having my legs strapped together in a 14kg silicone tail, or getting suctioned to the bottom of the tank via my fluke.

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Mermaid photo-shoot with a difference

Q: On the flip side, what is your worst diving experience? A: After an unexpected bend spending a week in Lanzarote looking for angel sharks, I was diagnosed with a PFO, something that for me, whether it was mentally or physically, put a stopper on my career. I spent a good year not enjoying or avoiding diving through a fear that may or may not have been called for. In 2018, I decided to have it closed and after being given the all-clear, this was mentally the game changer to kickstart myself back into starting up Sirens Diving and begin to enjoy diving again. Mermaiding in the tank

Q: You devote a lot of time to speaking at schools and universities, about marine conservation – particularly sharks – and other ocean-related topics. How did this come about, and what are your main aims? A: I think, when you spend most of your time with divers, you work as a diver, a lot of your friends are divers, all your Instagram is filled with divers, you forget that a lot of people haven’t been able to receive the same information that you have in regards to what’s really going on in the ocean. This isn’t just in regards to sharks, but a lot of things. I would never consider myself an expert, but I love to learn, and I’ve been privileged enough to have incredible experiences and learn from other people. I feel it’s important to share that knowledge with others. We certainly can’t leave it to the media. I enjoy chatting to primary school children about diving, you can see their eyes light up when you talk about the ocean. I think the importance of installing that passion for wanting to share your life with the sea, respect it but don’t fear it, take care of it and learn from it, is more important now that it has ever been. The more divers in the ocean the better. Q: You are a freediver and a scuba diver. What is your best diving experience? A: I think the most distinct, was my first experience diving with bull sharks. I was 19, in mid, milky water, and to have the first come straight between my legs... It was so unexpected and surreal, but from there I was hooked. Freediving with basking sharks in Scotland was also something I will never forget, I’ve never seen anything so prehistoric, they calmly approach you, and at the last second drop below you, snaking off into the green. Amazing.

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Q: What does the future hold for Sarah Daily? A: I have a few super-exciting projects just on the cusp at the moment, but for the remainder of this year and for next, as well as continuing to perform with Danseaqua and Mermaid Cove, I would love to secure a sponsor to collaborate with and continue my underwater dance videos. I consider this year’s a trial run. I want to return, with a bigger budget, better cameras and a bigger team. I have a few new species and locations in mind. Alongside this, I will be putting time into expanding and growing my school. Watch this plaice! (pun intended) n Striking a pose

Promoting diving and freediving - with the help of a couple of mermaids

Indonesian

EXPEDITION Komodo to Raja Ampat Adrian Stacey continues his epic odyssey on board a traditional phinisi-style Indonesian liveaboard travelling from Komodo to Raja Ampat

PART TWO

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY

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Vibrant seastar adds a splash of colour to the reef

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was on a pilgrimage from Komodo to Raja Ampat, part of an expedition that would take 19 days and provide those on board a host of unique and amazing experiences both above and below the water. The first leg of the trip was from Komodo to Alor (see last issue), and we had left the small town of Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo, seven days earlier and already there had been some fantastic dives, stunning topside scenery and even an exploding volcano. The second leg of our journey would take us from Alor, across the Banda Sea, to the Banda Islands. These relatively unexplored territories promised to provide even more wonderful sights and memorable encounters, especially as this was hammerhead season in the Banda Sea. Before venturing out into the wilderness of the open ocean, we had our first scheduled dry day. While the crew stayed behind to restock the boat with more fuel, water and provisions, we ventured onto land to soak up the local culture. Located east of Flores, the Alor archipelago is beautiful. Villages dominated by domed mosques or spired churches are perched sporadically on steep tree-covered slopes. The inhabitants, especially the children, are always happy to meet new visitors to the area. They would paddle out to where we were diving in tiny carved-out wooden canoes. Some would duck dive under the water and stare at us through unusual homemade goggles while others would wait until we popped up from our dives before greeting us with wide smiles. The locals are still very reliant on fishing, but it seems to be carried out in a sustainable way and the intricate wooden traps they use sit on top of the reef looking like extravagant decorations.

Liveaboard at sunset

Diver admiring the pristine reef

The diving in Alor is spectacular. It is not yet as well-known as it more famous neighbours, Komodo and Raja Ampat, but I think it will be in the not-too-distant future. The reefs are varied and pristine, and the currents can be every bit as strong as Komodo. There is also a rich diversity of marine life in the area, ranging from rhinopia to thresher sharks and occasionally even mola mola. At Arch Wall, we found a beautiful wall boasting numerous overhangs, colonised by sponges, sea fans and whip corals. Large gatherings of fusiliers hung out in the blue, while schools of red-tooth triggerfish stayed close to the safety of the reef. My favourite dive was at the stunning Clown Valley Boulders. A slope covered in hard coral leads down onto an immense plateau littered with pinnacles, and every inch of its substrate is covered in hard corals, soft corals, whip corals and sponges. Fighting for space in among this profusion of growth are literally hundreds of anemones with resident clownfish. Great visibility, schools of fusiliers, tuna and a multitude of small reef fish contributed to the sensory overload. Fish traps like man-made decorations

Anemonefish add a splash of colour

Gili Manuck really is a magical place - unless you have a phobia for snakes, then it would be just terrifying WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

The reef growth comes in all shapes and colours

to a beautiful palm-fringed beach and an ill-fated attempt to snorkel with a large pod of pilot whales, more than made up for the two dive days. Not to mention that it gave us the chance to relax, off gas and simply enjoy the fact that we were cruising through a beautiful and remote part of the world. With only two days left before arriving at the Banda islands, we reached the huge, submerged reefs of Dusburgh and Nil Desperandum. Karang Dusburgh (Karang is the Indonesian word for reef) was our first port of call. Hiding only a few metres under the surface, a vast plateau sits on top of steep walls adorned with sea fans and barrel sponges. Blacktip reef sharks patrolled the shallows and large schools of shy humphead parrotfish grazed relentlessly on hard corals - reef conservation was clearly not a priority for them! Out in the blue was a frenzy of activity as massive tuna torpedoed through the ranks of a large school of the constantly picked-on fusiliers. Then gliding along the reef came the creature we had all been hoping to see and what this reef is well known for - a hammerhead shark. The moment was fleeting, but it was a good start to the day. Three hours northeast was our next site, its topography and marine life are very similar to that of Karang Dusburgh but out of the two, I preferred Karang Nil Desperandum. The reef was just a little bit prettier, the marine life a tad more prolific and the action slightly more frenzied. Not to mention it has a much cooler name. Translated Karang Nil Desperandum means Do Not Despair Reef. We dived twice on this fabulous reef, and where Dusburgh had provided a great start to the day, Nil

Fish Galore provided more stunning reef and a close encounter with a thresher shark. The night dive showed off Alorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critter credentials with a variety of nudibranchs, scorpionfish, decorator crabs and many other weird and wonderful nocturnal creatures. The next three days would be spent island hopping across the Banda Sea, diving by day and travelling by night. The first island we reached was Pulau Wetar, followed by Pulau Nyata, Pulau Mitan, Pulau Damar and Pulau Terbang Utara. At each of these destinations we had some amazing dives along sheer, plunging walls, all with their own characteristics and all teeming with fish. At Wetar, the walls were scarred with deep crevices and decorated with sea fans and sponges. Nyata boasted soft Hard and soft corals nestle corals and whip corals along with a beautiful alongside sponges hard coral garden on the fringing reef. Mitanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s walls were home to several species of nudibranchs and were infested with feather stars, as was the shallow, bommie-covered plateau that sat on top of this spectacular drop-off. Damar offered a great mixture of hard and soft corals, while Terbang Utara was covered in thick, bushy black coral. Due to choppy seas hindering our progress on some of our night-time crossings, we were only able to dive twice a day on this stretch of our journey. However, a close encounter with a huge fin whale and her calf, a visit The coral seems to stretch for miles

Banded sea krait

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The soft corals are so colourful and healthy

Frogfish

Huge sponges dominate the reef

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SOLITUDE ACACIA RESORT

Sometimes the reef... ...just never seems to end

Desperandum gave us a fantastic finish with at least four hammerhead sightings throughout our final dive. The privileged feeling, mixed with a hint of smugness, which accompanies such sightings soon evaporated upon hearing that a few days earlier another liveaboard had seen a school of hundreds of these unique creatures. The final destination before our next restock and land visit day was the amazing Gili Manuck. This small volcanic island in the middle Banda Sea looks like something out of a Jules Verne novel. Its steep slopes are covered in thick forest which is home to hundreds of noisy sea birds. They endlessly circle the island, occasionally plunging into the water to search for food. While we were there we rescued two frigates and a boobie that had injured themselves on entry - their fishing techniques clearly needing a little more practice. But what makes this place really special is beneath the surface. On a single dive we encountered at least 50, sometimes quite large and often over-friendly, sea snakes. Completely unfazed by our presence they would swim between our legs or creep up stealthily from behind, materialising just in front of our masks. It was great fun to watch when it happened to other divers, but a little scary being on the receiving end. We had three dives here, all of them superb. The snakes were the undoubted stars of the show, but by no means the only stars. We had a fleeting glimpse of a hammerhead, several encounters with eagle rays, a huge marble ray and for the macro enthusiast, there was a good smattering of large, colourful nudibranchs. The reefs themselves are also beautiful and varied. There were plunging drop-offs and huge plateaus, littered with coral-covered boulders and bommies. Massive barrel sponges and patches of plate coral engulfed areas of reef while ridges of jagged black rock supported abundant soft coral growth. Gili Manuck really is a magical place - unless you have a phobia for snakes, then it would be just terrifying. After a 12-hour night time crossing, we arrived at the Banda islands. On this leg of the expedition we had travelled over 500 miles, enjoyed 16 dives and had encounters with hammerhead sharks, eagles rays, whales and of course plenty of sea snakes. The journey so far had been an amazing experience - and we had not even reach Raja Ampat yet. n

Out in the blue was a frenzy of activity as massive tuna torpedoed through the ranks of a large school of the constantly picked-on fusiliers Honeycomb moray eel

Idyllic island scene

Next issue: Adrian completes his epic journey as his liveaboard finally arrives in Raja Ampat.

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

LET’S GET FLASH

Using strobes generates a lot of questions on Anne and Phil Medcalf’s Alphamarine Photography Facebook group, so they thought it would be a good idea to talk about them in a little more detail PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHIL AND ANNE MEDCALF / ALPHAMARINE PHOTOGRAPHY

o, what is a strobe? In underwater photography terminology, it’s an external flash - and the first question we are often asked is what is the difference between a strobe and a video light. A strobe functions like a conventional camera flash, giving a powerful, short burst of light. This light is so strong and brief that it can freeze the movement of the photographic subject lit by it, very useful when taking shots of fast-moving marine life. All but the most-powerful video lights cannot match the output of even a relatively small strobe. This combined with the fact that video lights give constant illumination means they can’t freeze movement in the same way that a flash does. As well as not being able to freeze movement, using a constant light creates other issues that you don’t encounter with strobes. Marine life tends to react more to video lights than flashes. From our experience using constant lights and diving with other people who have them, creatures will often turn away from them and sometimes move to get out of their area of effect completely and when light levels are low, you can find yourself dazzled by carelessly aimed beams. Animals will tolerate flash much better and usually don’t react at all. This may stem not just from the light itself, but also the heat generated by powerful video lights. So is a strobe or video light better? When asked by customers about video lights for underwater, the question we ask is ‘how much video do you shoot?’ If the answer is more The perils of other divers using video lights, which show red on other’s photos

Best of Manado

The strobe Anne is using in this picture has a guide number of 32 but the diffuser fitted to it increases its spread to 120° from 80°, but reduces output to a guide number of 20

than 50 percent, then a video light is a good option. The clue is in the name - video lights are what you need for video when you haven’t got enough available light. For still underwater photography, we’d always recommend a strobe over a video light, as much because of its impact on marine life and other divers as the issue with background exposure control in your pictures. Constant lighting does, however, offer some fun, creative options particularly in macro photography with coloured and snooted lights being made by a number of manufacturers. They can also be less costly and easier to set up for doing off-camera lighting. We often suggest to customers that they get a focusing light with an auto flash-off function. These can be used as a light source for macro photography (beam widths are usually too narrow for wide angle) or when using flash to light your shots you can use it to aid the camera to focus and to see what you are doing when ambient light is low. But

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BIOGRAPHY: ANNE AND PHIL MEDCALF

Phil and Anne Medcalf have nearly 40 years of diving experience between them and have been using underwater cameras of one sort or another for most of that time. They have had substantial competitive success with their images and have now made their passion into a business. Alphamarine Photography Ltd is an underwater photography equipment dealer offering tailored solutions for any level of budget and also runs workshops in the UK and soon in the Red Sea. Anne and Phil also give talks to dive clubs and offer advice online through their Facebook group Alphamarine Photography Q&A and via a blog on their website: www.alphamarinephoto.com. For more information about what they do, email: info@alphamarinephoto.com

overall the best option is to buy a strobe if you are looking for a complete lighting solution for all types of still photography underwater. TTL and manual strobe modes can also cause confusion. TTL stands for Through The Lens and relates to how cameras control the amount of light their flash puts out. In reality this is how long each flash of light lasts, the brightness of the flash doesn’t actually change. In very simple terms the camera works out how long the flash should stay on for based on how it thinks the exposure of the shot should be. Cameras do this either by firing a pre-flash and measuring what is reflected back from the subject before firing the flash for the actual shot, by exposure metering to work out how much light needs to be added to the shot, or a combination of both. In all cases the camera uses the information it measures to decide how long the flash fires for. TTL relies on your camera and strobe electronics to decide how your image will be lit and often you’ll find this won’t match what you actually have in mind. This is why almost all the big names in underwater photography shoot with their strobes on manual. From our own experience we’ve rarely used TTL since our first dives with a strobe. Despite what plaudits of TTL say about it being more consistent, we found it actually less so, with many shots not being lit as we would have liked. Using TTL also means you’ll use more battery life in a lot of cases as you need the camera’s flash to be on Auto for the exposure to be matched. In some cases you can adjust the strobe output while on TTL by setting your camera flash to

A common prawn taken in shallow water during the day using a compact camera with a single strobe. The dark background was made easier as there was no maximum sync speed

manual and altering its power, but then you are back to the question ‘why not just alter the strobe output directly?’. All these factors add up to why we’d always recommend buying a strobe with manual controls rather than a TTL-only option. Guide numbers are used by manufacturers of strobes, but what do they mean? It is basically an expression as a number of how powerful a flash is. Most strobe manufacturers use a guide number based on the flash being fired in air. The number itself is based on a formula of f number x distance = guide number at a constant ISO (INON and Sea & Sea base their GNs on ISO100). In land photography, this formula can be used for how far away to place a flash of a certain guide number for a particular aperture setting, or what aperture setting to use with your flash at a certain distance. This generally isn’t used in this way for underwater photography, but merely as a number to show how powerful a strobe is at

This relaxed turtle is undisturbed by strobes firing

Strobes are needed to get a shot of a leopard blenny, they are very skittish and hide from constant lights

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Relaxed Red Sea

Holiday highlights... Join Martyn Guess for a week focused on getting more out of your camera! Departing from Hurghada, you will spend 7 nights on board on a full board basis (twin share cabin). Based in Northern Red Sea with up to 21 dives over the week but the itinerary will vary, depending on the photo opportunities. All marine park fees, 12lt tank and weights are included in your package.

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY maximum output. But guide number really doesn’t tell the whole story about a strobe’s output. The spread of a strobe and how even the light from it is are big factors. A strobe with a narrow beam may have a higher guide number than one with a broader spread but to get the coverage for your shots, you may have to add a diffuser which can reduce its guide number significantly. Ideally you want as even a light as possible so you don’t end up with hot spots or under lit areas in your photos. Diffusers are used to soften the light coming from your strobes, reducing the harshness, which in turn reduces shadows and contrast in your images. They can also change the spread of light, increasing the angle but in doing this the output is reduced. Colour temperature of strobe light can be changed using diffusers that combine the softening and spreading properties with a change to the light temperature. Manufacturers such as INON also make filters that only change colour temperature without softening or spreading light. These can be used to give a warmer light than the standard strobe output. Other specialist filters and diffusers for strobes include Neutral Density (ND) filters that significantly reduce strobe output, these can be used in situations when only a very tiny output is wanted from your strobes and even minimum power is too much. They are most likely to be useful when using a very large aperture to achieve a shallow depth of field when doing macro photography. In addition you can buy special blue excitation filters to fit on your strobes that when combined with a yellow filter on your camera allow you to use flash to take A compact camera set up with a strobe and a focusing light

pictures of fluorescent marine life. Another area of questioning is what sync speed is and what effect does it have? Sync speed is the highest shutter speed at which a flash can be used with a camera that has a mechanical shutter with curtains, these are usually in DSLR and mirrorless system cameras. If you exceed the sync speed, you may get shadows appearing on your image caused by one of the shutter curtains. This varies from camera to camera, but as an example the current crop of Olympus OMDs have a sync speed of 1/250. For underwater photographers keen on getting dark backgrounds in their daytime images, a fast sync speed is an important feature when looking to buy a camera. One of the big pluses of using most compact cameras is because the shutter design is different in that they don’t have a maximum shutter sync speed. This means a dark background can be achieved without too much difficulty as long as your camera allows you to control shutter speed manually. Many compact cameras will let you use flash at shutter speeds of 1/2000sec! It is possible to buy strobe triggers that connect to a camera hot-shoe (if your camera has one). As well as reducing battery consumption and keeping camera temperature down these can often give you another stop or two of sync speed. For example, taking 1/160 sync speed of the Sony A6500 up to 1/250. These triggers do require space within your housing and because of this aren’t compatible with all housing/camera combinations. Once you start using a strobe triggered by a built-in flash you may notice a greater drain on the life of your camera battery charge. Here is a great tip for anyone who has a camera with a manual flash setting (sorry Sony users) such as a Canon compacts or Olympus TG5 or mirrorless. If you are using your strobe on manual rather than TTL, you can set the built-iwn flash on your camera to its lowest output, and it will still trigger a strobe via a fibre-optic cable. For Canon compacts, there is a choice of three settings, put it on minimum. For Olympus users, either the TG5 or a micro four-thirds, you can set it down to 1/64 power and most other cameras will let you do similar. If you don’t have a manual flash control but are using the strobe on manual, you can reduce flash output to some degree by using Flash Compensation to skew it. By reducing flash output you’ll get more shots out of your camera battery and reduce heat produced by the camera, which can lead to fogging inside your housing port, particularly with large polymer housings. While this may have whetted your appetite to buy a strobe set-up don’t be dismayed if you haven’t the budget, you can achieve quite a lot with built in flash or available light. That’s how we started out. n

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Our underwater photography professionals have carved out a niche for themselves as mentors to the next wave of snappers, but how did they all get started in taking pictures below the surface? PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTYN GUESS, PAUL DUXFIELD AND ANNE AND PHIL MEDCALF

My journey in underwater photography was a natural progression, which followed quickly after MARTYN I learnt to dive. I had always been interested in GUESS photography, having taken it up at college to help me illustrate projects. I suppose I was also fairly arty having done well at A Level at school, so there was a little bit of natural talent there. In the summer following me qualifying as an Open Water diver, we went on holiday to Grand Cayman and I found myself diving at a centre where Cathy Church was based. Cathy and her husband Jim wrote the bible on Nikonas film cameras and this was the state-of-the-art camera at the time. There were no digital cameras 27 years ago! I was taken away by the pictures adorning the dive centre walls and wanted to take pictures like these, so I signed up for a course with Cathy. This was the ‘slippery slope’ moment in my UW photographic journey. In those days you were limited to 36 exposures and the slide film was then developed overnight. When my first film came back there were some images of arrow crabs, nudibranchs and basically anything which didn’t move, as you had to place the subject between two prongs which stuck out from the macro lens. There was no auto focus or LCD screen! However, I was amazed with the clarity and colours and immediately wanted to learn more. When we got home, I went to Alan James in Bristol and bought a second-hand Nikonas V, strobes, arms and lenses and not long after realised that I was on a very steep learning curve. I used the camera with mixed results for a couple of years until the first to say they transformed taking pictures underwater, even digital cameras came out. I have though they were very basic and had awful shutter lag. Later I met some people on a Red Sea boat who were members of something called BSOUP –British Society of Underwater Photographers. I went to a few meetings and at one of these met Martin Edge. The ‘slippery slope’ got more slippery because in no time I was doing a course with him down in Bournemouth. For years afterwards we went on his workshop trips to some pretty exotic locations around the world and I started to learn a lot. I have now completed the circle as I host workshops for Scubatravel and am able to impart the knowledge I have built up over the years to new and budding UW photographers!

Master Macro 9th May 2020 £2895 excluding flights ESCORTED BY MARTYN GUESS

Holiday highlights... 10 nights in resort, full board divers plan & 24 boat dives – FREE Nitrox Join pro photographer Martyn Guess in the critter mecca Dumaguete. With 24 boat dives plus free nitrox (3 dives/day plus 1 day Apo reef) and Martyn’s workshop throughout, this workshop packs a real punch. Additional travel options available, ask for details.

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I’ve always been interested in photography, since PAUL I was in my early teens, moving in to a DUXFIELD more-professional scenario when I left school and worked for the local press and in a specialist local camera store. So photography in one shape or another has been a way of life to me. A long time before I learnt to dive in the early 1990s, I used to snorkel and put my film SLR inside a flexible UWA Marine housing for snorkelling while on holiday. I was then by a series of very lucky chance encounters introduced to the world of scuba, by my long-time friend Bob Johnson (Ras Bob), who was working with the late Mike Portelly, who had made a landmark underwater film out in Sharm with Bob, and who had also shot a Next modelling campaign underwater. Mike very kindly paid for my ticket to Sharm in 1992 in return for some video work I had done for them, where I stayed with Bob and learnt to dive. I then travelled back and forth to the Red Sea in the mid-1990s, staying for longer and longer each time under the mentorship of Mike and Bob. I got the chance to run rolls of film through Nikonos cameras and housed film SLRs, but most of the time I was involved with filming jobs for TV, helping Bob and being a general dogsbody and buddy. One job in 1997 with Granada TV paid for me to stay in Sharm for a couple of months and complete my Rescue and Divemaster training, and so I set up home there. I dabbled a bit in stills photography, but for me the running costs were still too expensive, and so I concentrated mostly on video, where I could make a few extra quid filming guests on the boats.

I left Sharm just as digital still photography with compact cameras was starting to become a thing, and become more affordable to the masses. I moved to London and joined Cameras Underwater at the crest of this digital wave. I first shot with compact Sony and Olympus, then the Canon compacts pretty much took over, and I like to think we made underwater photography much more accessible to the mainstream divers, as housed DSLRs were, and still are, very expensive. This led to me writing for another magazine and giving talks on the subject, while producing content for adverts and articles and the like. Then I started working back out in the Red Sea and beyond, sharing my skills and experience, combining my old job as a guide with my background in photography going all the way back to my teens. And I continue to learn, but I love to share what I’ve learned along the way. I’m very lucky.

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11th July 2020 £1495 inc flights from Gatwick

Relaxed Red Sea

Holiday highlights... 7 nights onboard Whirlwind, tanks, weights and open dive deck at least once a day! Photographers can go at their own pace on a photography itinerary that is as relaxing as it is productive. Welcome to the world of the Red Sea Relaxed Photo Finish. Dive a host of incredible Red Sea dive sites with an open deck policy, chosen by our photo pro based on their reliability as top notch photo-worthy dive sites.

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Our underwater photography professionals have, between them, literally thousands of hours of dive time and countless hours spent travelling the world shooting underwater images and teaching workshops. If you have a question you’d like them to address, email: mark@scubadivermag.com

Phil Medcalf The first time I used a camera underwater was in 1994 in the Red Sea having learned to dive a few years earlier with Sunderland Polytechnic Sub Aqua Club. My first efforts were with a Fujifilm 35mm disposable waterproof camera that cost about £10. A couple of years later I bought a Bonica Snapper, a very basic 35mm compact camera in a housing which I used until 2006. I’d shoot a lot of film and spend a lot on developing, but the results were always hit and miss, with a lot more misses than hits. Changing to a digital camera with the ability to review pictures underwater and near-unlimited shots with no developing costs was a real boon. Having started with Fuji, then Canon compact cameras, we both moved to Olympus Micro-Four Thirds mirrorless system cameras and it is really helpful for us from a teaching point of view having had experience with different camera brands and designs. Once Anne and I started going on regular underwater photography trips, we both had a steep learning curve and also a lot of fun along the way. The competitive spirit we have between us helped to push us to get better shots and learn the skills we needed to improve our photography. Entering competitions both for underwater photography and mainstream ones was a great motivator to spend time looking through our pictures and planning what we wanted to achieve on trips. When we started to have some success, it spurred us on to get involved in the professional side of things by doing some teaching - and it spiralled from there!

ANNE AND PHIL MEDCALF

Corals and Caves on

This picture of a porcelain crab was the first image by Phil to be published. It was a runner up in BBC Wildlife Magazine’s monthly competition Anne with her current Olympus mirrorless camera

Hurricane 21st May 2020 £1425 inc flights from UK ESCORTED BY MARIO VITALINI

Holiday highlights... Mario Vitalini will teach you to work with natural light and wide angle photography, as well as the secrets of amazing fish portraits and using strobes. He will help you build a stunning selection of classic Red Sea images, from the decks of the stable steel hulled Hurricane. There are 18-21 dives over the workshop, as well as all park fees included, 12lt tank/weights and FREE Nitrox.

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Anne Medcalf Before learning to dive in 2006, I only used a camera for snapshots of my children and holidays. I started using a Fuji f30 digital camera right after I had qualified as a diver, this was bought as a shared camera with Phil and as I gained confidence diving I found that I had got hooked on having a camera with me underwater and resented it when it was Phil’s turn! That was the point where another camera and housing was bought so we each had our own camera, which does mean we have doubled our underwater photography costs. Initially I wanted to take photos on a dive as an aide memoir for writing my logbooks and so I had a record of what marine life I had seen, but once I had gotten a few nice shots, mostly through luck, I wanted to improve my photography and get pictures like the ones I saw in the diving press. After doing an internet search I found some articles and blogs about how to improve underwater photos. Learning some basics made a big difference, but deciding to book on an underwater photography workshop was the step that led to massive improvement and a real passion for taking photos. It also improved my diving as I needed to go slowly and take my time to look for tiny subjects. Having longer and more-relaxed dives meant that I could spend time trying new techniques and equipment. Getting to the point where we are teaching others and running workshops ourselves has made it all worth it, we love being able to share our passion for underwater photography and help others to get better results. n

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11th Sept 2020 £1295 excluding flights

n Anne with a Cano e S95 compact. Th to d ve mo we ra came for after using Fuji several years

This image by Anne of a staghorn coral was her first success in a competition. She won a camera

Photo Finish

Malapascua

Holiday highlights... Join photo pro Mario Vitalini on this Philippines workshop to hone your images of the biggest sharks to the smallest critters. The workshop includes 20 nitrox boat dives plus daily presentations covering all aspects of underwater photography. Your holiday package includes 7 nights in a deluxe room on an full board basis – optional room grades available. Airport transfers are included.

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BAROTRAUMA

IN BONAIRE THE DIVER

On a recent trip to Bonaire with his dive club, Rick (a pseudonym) was completing his fourth dive of the day, which was his 14th dive in a three-day series and his 145th lifetime dive. Certified approximately two years prior, Rick was 38 years old and in good health, with no significant medical history except what he describes as ‘athlete’s asthma’ as a child.

THE INCIDENT

Prior to beginning his third dive of the day, Rick felt tightness in his chest. He discounted it as a result of eating leftover

pizza for lunch and even mentioned that he needed to take an antacid. The chest discomfort resolved during the boat ride to the dive site, so he proceeded with the dive, descending to a maximum depth of 13m. He took lots of photos during the dive and occasionally inverted himself to see inside the reef. After he surfaced from the next dive, Rick boarded the boat and immediately noticed a change in his voice, a sore throat and crackles under the skin around his neck. When Rick was completing the second dive of his Wreck Diver certification a year before, he surfaced completely exhausted with a burning sensation in his throat. After he

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removed his gear he noticed a change in his voice and what he describes as water under the skin around his neck. Others in his group discounted his symptoms as bad gas, or water in the ears. That evening he took an over-the-counter pain reliever and Benadryl and went to bed early. All symptoms had resolved by the following morning, and he completed the last two dives of the certification without any problems.

THE DIAGNOSIS

A doctor at the local hospital on Bonaire performed a complete neurological assessment on Rick and diagnosed pulmonary barotrauma (pressure injury to the lungs) and subcutaneous emphysema (air under the skin). The chest X-ray was unremarkable. The treating physician noted no complications besides the subcutaneous emphysema in the neck, which did not affect the airway, so he administered high-flow oxygen and allowed Rick to return to his resort. A CT scan the following day revealed abundant mediastinal air around the heart and lungs and in the neck. It also showed at least two large blebs (cystic air pockets) in the apical regions of Rick’s lungs. He returned to the hospital daily so doctors could monitor his progress. Due to the risk of a pneumothorax during air travel, Rick was admitted to the hospital two days after the incident to breathe 100 percent oxygen for six hours. The doctor took these aggressive measures to speed Rick’s recovery and allow him to travel home with his group. A follow-up CT scan three days after the incident (and one day prior to his scheduled departure) showed the same blebs as before, but much less extra-alveolar air in the mediastinum. After consulting with pulmonary specialists both locally and in the US, the treating physician cleared Rick to fly home with his group.

DISCUSSION

Pulmonary barotrauma generally occurs at the end of a dive when trapped gas causes alveoli (air sacs in the lungs) to expand during ascent and ultimately rupture if normal exhalation is impaired by breath-holding or a lung problem. Gas from a ruptured lung can leak into one or more of four places: 1. The area around the heart (pneumomediastinum, also known as mediastinal emphysema) 2. The pleural space between the lungs and chest wall (pneumothorax) 3. The bloodstream (arterial gas embolism [AGE]) 4. Under the skin around the upper chest and neck (subcutaneous emphysema) The risk of pulmonary barotrauma is greater in people who have blebs in their lungs. Blebs are abnormal balloon-like air sacs most often caused by inflammation, which destroys the thin walls that separate alveoli. Although these are common in smokers, they have also been found in non-smokers. Blebs empty air slowly because of their thin, nonelastic wall. On exhalation during ascent, pressure can build, causing rupture. People with blebs are also at risk for spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung). People with a history of spontaneous pneumothorax are automatically disqualified from diving due to the high risk of pulmonary barotrauma. There is a consensus among dive physicians that, despite the appearance of normal lungs via testing or imaging, someone with a history of spontaneous pneumothorax should not dive under any circumstances.

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A doctor at the local hospital on Bonaire performed a complete neurological assessment on Rick and diagnosed pulmonary barotrauma (pressure injury to the lungs) and subcutaneous emphysema Rick’s pulmonary barotrauma manifested as pneumomediastinum. The principal symptom is a substernal ache or chest tightness. This is likely what Rick was feeling prior to his third dive. On occasion a diver may experience sharp pain in the shoulders, back or neck that may be aggravated by deep breathing, swallowing, movement of the neck or trunk, coughing or lying flat. Voice changes, such as the ‘Donald Duck’ voice that results from breathing helium, are also common. The crackling sensation Rick described under the skin around his neck is known as subcutaneous crepitation (grating or rattling). The air trapped under the skin was caused when air escaped from the chest cavity and into the soft tissues of the neck. Breath-holding, rapid ascent and certain lung diseases can cause pulmonary barotrauma, the risk of which is increased by lung diseases such as asthma (if not optimally medicated) because of the risk of bronchospasm and/or obstruction of air passages. Lung scarring or inflammation caused by sarcoidosis or interstitial fibrosis prevents proper gas exchange and increases the risk of pulmonary barotrauma. In addition, individuals who have previously experienced a spontaneous pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum are at an increased risk. Generally speaking, people with lung conditions that may increase the risk of pulmonary barotrauma are advised to avoid scuba diving. For those with underlying lung diseases, the risk of pulmonary barotrauma increases with rapid ascents, especially when conducted close to the surface, where the relative pressure changes are greatest. Physicians trained in dive medicine recommend that anyone who has experienced pulmonary barotrauma be properly evaluated before returning to diving. Unfortunately, Rick didn’t recognise his symptoms during training dives a year earlier as subcutaneous emphysema, so he continued diving without talking to a doctor. Fortunately for Rick, he recognised his symptoms after the second occurrence and was properly treated. Rick has since returned to diving after two successful surgeries to correct the blebs. n

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BEYOND TECHNICAL

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The Hermes is an impressive wreck

EXPEDITION 76

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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

An epic journey, bureaucratic red-tape and engine problems couldn’t stop Mark Powell revelling in the chance to dive the world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier

r The mysterious circula structure on top of the control tower

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK POWELL, CHARLES HOOD AND PETE MESLEY

here are not many diveable aircraft carriers in the world, so diving any aircraft carrier is a special experience, but diving HMS Hermes - the first purpose-built aircraft carrier - is a truly unique experience. There had previously been a number of merchant ships that had been converted for use as an aircraft carrier, but HMS Hermes was the first to be commissioned specifically as a carrier. World War One had shown the advantage of aircraft in warfare and, despite the fact that it was only 20 years since the pioneering flight of the Wright Brothers, the use of aircraft had started to change the face of warfare. Shell cases remain Previously, naval power has been based on the intact on the wreck ideal of Capital ships. Large battleships had ruled the waves and the introduction of the Dreadnaught Class of ships had ratcheted up the arms race between the Great Powers and had been a significant factor HMS Hermes and HMAS in the complex political situation that had led to World War Vampire were ordered to leave Trincomalee on the east coast One. The use of aircraft for aerial reconnaissance and then for of Sri Lanka and head towards Freemantle, but were recalled bombing had started to change the balance of power. to Trincomalee. The Royal Navy, despite a very-traditional approach in On 9 April, the Japanese launched their attack with more many areas, was at the leading edge by ordering the first than 80 Japanese Zero fighter bombers attacking Hermes. Due purpose-built aircraft carrier in July 1917. She was laid down to a lack of fighter cover, Hermes had to defend herself, but in January 1918 and launched in September 1919 and so was despite opening fire with every gun it was clear that she was too late to be of any use in World War One. She was finally almost helpless against such an onslaught. Numerous bombs commissioned in July 1923 and so didn’t see active service struck the ship and she sank in less than an hour with the until World War Two. loss of the Captain, 19 officers and 288 ratings on board. Despite a refit in 1933, she was decommissioned in 1937 Despite being an incredibly important historical wreck, and reduced to Reserve Fleet, where she was used as a HMS Hermes has lain almost unknown until recently. This training vessel. Within a year, the growing political crisis in was because between 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka was ravaged Europe resulted in Hermes being recommissioned for active by a vicious civil war which had meant that the Hermes was service. Hermes saw action in the Western Approaches, East inaccessible to divers due to the political situation. Since the Coast of Africa, the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf before end of the civil war, it has finally become possible to dive her. returning to the Indian Ocean, where she patrolled between The aim of this project was to carry out a series of dives Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. on the wreck to determine if it was feasible to dive it using In March 1942, the Japanese Navy was ordered to carry out a liveaboard, as all previous dives have been done from the an aggressive raid on Sri Lanka and any British shipping in shore using local boats. We also wanted to determine the the area. Vice Admiral Nagumo, who was also responsible state and layout of the wreck. A secondary objective was to for the attack on Pearl Harbour, had a large fleet of aircraft search for some of the other wrecks that were sunk at the carriers, battleships, cruisers and destroyers. In mid-March, same time as HMS Hermes. These were two support vessels,

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www.narkedat90.com HMAS Vampire and HMS Hollyhock, as well as the RFA tankers SS British Sergeant and SS Athelstane, and merchant cargo ship Norviken. Despite the end of the civil war, it was still a major effort to get to the wreck. Sri Lanka is a ten-hour flight, which is followed by a seven-hour bus journey to get from the capital Colombo to Trincomalee, where the boat departs. The plan was to do a couple of warm-up dives on the way to the wreck, to make sure that all of the kit was working. On day three we were finally in a position to dive HMS Hermes. As we dropped down the line we could see that the visibility was excellent. It reduced a little after 30m, but was still impressive. The shot was right on the wreck, near the flight control tower and almost on top of one of the guns. After we tied in the shot, it was time to explore the wreck. She lies on her port side and I headed along the deck towards the stern. The shot was at the forward end of the flight control tower so I could see the main part of the hull on my left and the tower on my right. As I got to the end of the tower I came across the second of the main guns. From this point onwards I was swimming along the side of the hull where the flight deck should have been exposed, but in this area the wreck was almost inverted, so it was difficult to see the scale of the flight deck. I passed another main gun before getting to the stern. The starboard prop was standing clear and made a very impressive sight. The portside prop was partly buried in the sand and was only partly visible. I made my way slowly back along the wreck until I got back to the shot and had a look around this area before reaching my planned bottom time of 45 minutes. We all had similar plans and so the whole team ascended together with smiling faces all round. The next day we were up early in order to dive and then have sufficient surface interval for a second dive. The plan for this dive was to explore the flight control tower and then swim forward to the bows. With the shot midships, it made it easy to go off in either direction. We swam along the control tower that lay along the sand, looking into the intact bridge area where gauges, complete with glass, are still present, as well as a range of other fittings. Above the bridge area was a large circular structure that looked like a mini helipad. I assumed this must have been a mounting point for some sort

The wreck is covered in marine life

Intact gun

The wreck is immense

The Royal Navy, despite a very-traditional approach in many areas, was at the leading edge by ordering the first purpose-built aircraft carrier in July 1917 78

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The shot was right on the wreck, near the flight control tower and almost on top of one of the guns of instruments, but interestingly this looked different to the structure shown in the pictures I have of Hermes. Either the structure shown in the pictures was mounted on this circular platform and had fallen off, or possibly it was changed when the ship was retorted. A review of pictures before and after her refit should help to solve this mystery. We swam back over the control tower towards the bow. The anchor chains as well as the anchor were clearly visible. At the bow the recount had come away from the bow and it was possible to see right into the fo’c’sle of the ship. A row of toilets were clearly visible together with an intact lamp fitting in the ceiling. Beyond this it was possible to see down through several decks, and light penetrating through the hull showed that there was a hole in the hull a couple of decks down. Looking in through these holes gave a clear indication of the layout of the forward part of the ship. I couldn’t help but think of the men who served, and in many cases died, on this wreck. The wreck serves as a museum to this unique piece of history, as well as a monument to the men who perished on her. I hope that anyone who dives this wreck takes the

GET A LUST4RUST

Fanatical wreck diver and highly experienced tech instructor Pete Mesley set up his Lust4Rust trips to some of the world’s best wrecks/wreck-diving locations after becoming increasingly frustrated with the other offerings out there for experienced recreational and technical divers, especially those using CCRs and mixed gases, and they are now an institution for his legions of devoted fans. Destinations include Truk Lagoon, Solomon Islands, the Great Lakes and Bikini Atoll, and particular wrecks include the Hermes, the Oriskany and the Mikhail Lermontov. www.petemesley.com/lust4rust

opportunity to remember these men and treats the wreck with the respect it deserves. The vis on the ascent was spectacular and I could see divers spread out along the shotline. The next dive we dropped onto the middle section of the ship and then started to swim back from the control tower towards the stern. It was clear that there was a gap between the main deck and the control tower, as if it had broken away and was just lying next to the main deck. Behind the control deck I could start to see what had happened to the rest of the ship. The hull has almost inverted and the flight deck, which rather than being an integral part of the hull in the rear section was effectively just a platform mounted over the main deck, has flattened under the rest of the wreck. Further back, where the hull was more on its side than inverted, the flight deck was more exposed. At the very stern the main deck was very open, with no hull between the main deck and the flight deck. In this area the flight deck had come away from the wreck and formed a debris field next to the stern. From here we followed the hull up to the starboard prop, which stands up above the hull. The propshaft leading forwards and disappearing into the hull was also visible. From here I swam back along the hull before arriving back at the shotline. On every dive we had seen an amazing variety of fish. Large tuna, grouper and jacks flocked around the wreck, as well as a huge number of other fish. Some of these were an impressive size, with one grouper being considerably larger then me. Some of the tuna were also a very-impressive sight. As well as the fish, a huge variety of coral and other marine life means that there was significantly more life on this wreck than on the vast majority of reefs. As we steamed back to Trincomalee, I reflected that we had dived a truly world-class wreck. The historical background behind HMS Hermes, the fantastic state of the wreck and the abundance of marine life set this wreck apart. n

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O2 KIT (SRP: £499)

The O2 kit comprises of a DIN G5/8 first stage with dialable flow rate from 0-20lt / min, and a constant flow reservoir mask. It also comes with a demand valve with face mask to allow an unconscious diver to breathe on demand. The system also contains a pressure gauge. This is an ideal system for using in a school or training scenario, as not only can you have a designated bottle, but once this runs out then you can also use any higherpercentage oxygen supplies which are commonly found, such as stage cylinder and rebreather bottles. It’s more compact than a standard assembled system, and the unit can come with an optional hard case, which protects and shields the assembly from adverse environment conditions. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk

DIVER’S SLIP ONS (SRP: £13)

Have you ever struggled to get your hands and feet through the arms and legs of your wetsuit? Are you one of those who has resorted to putting a plastic carrier bag over your hand or foot to aid its passage through the neoprene of the suit? Well now you can get yourself into your suit with no dramas using these nifty Diver’s Slip Ons, a nylon and spandex product that you slide on to your hand or foot, and then glide them through the neoprene of the suit arm or leg. They come in S/M and L/XL sizes, and are sure to be a popular and handy addition to many divers’ travel bags. For more information and where to buy them, contact: info@divingdistribution.com

NAUTILUS STROBE (SRP: £119.95)

XDEEP MASK (SRP: £60) Polish brand xDeep have earned a reputation for top-quality, durable and robust wings, and its foray into the world of fins also garnered plenty of fans. Now the company is branching out again, this time into mask territory. The xDeep mask comes with a black or clear silicone skirt, and can have either clear or tinted lenses. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk 82

This new strobe from Nautilus boasts a CREE XM-L2U2 LED, which gives out a maximum of 2,500 lumens with an irradiation distance of 200 metres. It is depth-rated to 100m – having been tested to 130m – and has a magnetic rotate switch for off/continuous/strobe functions. It comes with a 26650 battery, along with a zippered box, charger, lanyard and clip. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

ATOMIC AQUATICS BC2 (SRP: £1,095) The BC2 is the backinflation evolution of the acclaimed Atomic BC series, and the Atomic BC2 incorporates the same futuristic, incredibly tough, corrosion-resistant materials as the jacket-style BC1. A result of the Atomic ‘design studio’ approach, the BC2 is a radical design departure from conventional back-inflation BCDs, and is what Atomic claim to be ‘the toughest back-inflation BCD in the world’. The double-laminated, polyurethane-coated fabric has an attractive, matte-coated finish, and sheds water so that it is virtually dry seconds after surfacing. It is also nearly impenetrable, and resists abrasion, tears and punctures, as well as being resistant to chemicals, mould and mildew. It is equipped with the EZ-Lok integrated weight system, and has Atomic’s ratcheting Cam-Lok tank band, which is similar in design to the bindings on ski boots. It comes in sizes ranging from small to extra-large. www.atomicaquatics.com

OCEAMA BONITO (SRP: £130) Oceama is a German brand that is not that well known in the UK, but the Bonito is sure to change that. This is a well-priced little torch, which comes with all manner of neat accessories. The Bonito is made from anodised aircraftgrade aluminium, and is depth-rated to 200m. It is operated by a stainlesssteel push-button on the hilt, and can run at 100 percent, 50 percent and 20 percent power settings. The CREE XPL-5V HI LED has a ten percent hot-spot wideangle beam, and at full power – 1,200 lumen – you get a burntime of 120 minutes. It comes in a zippered protective pouch, and the package includes the torch itself, along with a soft Goodman handle, wrist lanyard, 26650 battery, battery charger, charging cable and Euro two-pin USB plug, and even adaptors to allow you to use a 18650 rechargeable battery, or three AAAcell batteries. For more information and where to buy the Bonito, contact: info@divingdistribution.com

FOURTH ELEMENT RIDLEY/ZAMBEZI SHORTS (SRP: £54.95/£59.95)

MARES FLEXA Z-THERM (SRP: £400) The Mares Flexa Z-Therm is described as ‘the ultimate expression of semi-drysuits’, and it certainly stands out from the crowd. First thing you notice is that drysuit-style cross-torso diagonal zipper – this G-Lock front zip, with inside flaps to increase thermal comfort and skin protection, allows self-entry into the suit. It is made from 100 percent 7mm Ultrastretch neoprene, and has trilastic elements in critical areas – waist, neck, back, and armpit. It also has increased thermal protection around the waist and lumbar region, and has a built-in hood. It also has a drysuit-style telescopic system, which allows for a custom fit using the crotch strap. There is a compact but stretchy pocket integrated into the suit on the right thigh, and there are gaskets on the wrists and ankles to achieve a better seal and reduce water entry. www.mares.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

Fourth Element’s new Ridley and Zambezi shorts are made using recycled plastic from post-consumer plastic bottles. Roughly 8 bottles are recycled to make each pair of shorts meaning that these shorts not only look great, they are also good for the environment. Made with quick drying, stretch fabric for freedom of movement and comfort, the Zambezi’s have a classic boardshort design with a zipped back-pocket and cord closure at the waist. The Zambezi shorts are available in slate or patterned and sit just above the knee. The Ridley Shorts are at home on land and sea, with a traditional look, button waist closure and mesh lined pockets for fast draining and drying. Both shorts have a UPF of 35 meaning that they block approximately 97% of harnful UV rays. Sizes available: XS – XXXL. www.fourthelement.com 83

Test Extra

OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC HD KEVLAR | SRP: £1,750 Mark Evans: What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Kevlar’? I bet ‘bulletproof’ is in the top three for sure, and Kevlar is certainly an extremely durable, robust and strong material. These qualities mean it is ideal for the world of diving, where - let’s be honest - equipment does take more than its fair share of a battering, especially right here in the UK. Over my 20-odd years in the diving industry, there have been a few Kevlar products come across my desk. I recall a pair of wet gloves which had an outer skin made from Kevlar. They were extremely abrasion resistant, it has to be said, but the dexterity left something to be desired. Then I had a Fourth Element Argonaut Kevlar drysuit. This was my first encounter with a suit made from this material, and it was a revelation. Now the Kevlar that the Fourth Element suit was made from was a weird breathable fabric, which was very thin and appeared to actually ‘weep’ liquid as it allowed moisture from inside the suit to escape to the outside. It was lightweight, very flexible and gave plenty of manoeuvrability. However, it seems that there was an issue getting the seam glue to bond with the Kevlar, as the majority of the seams on my suit gave up the ghost after a couple of years, and I know of several others that had the same issue. Fourth Element have rectified this by dropping the Kevlar from the line-up and moving on to a similarly thin but stretchy material they call ‘Stealth’. Now Otter Watersports are getting in on the act, with a Kevlar version of their latest membrane drysuit, the Atlantic. The Atlantic has been garnering rave reviews, and is currently in our Long Term Test line-up, being given the once-over by long-time contributor and technical diver Jason Brown.

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Described by Otter as ‘the new standard in explorationgrade drysuits’, the Atlantic and the Atlantic HD are visually very similar to the award-winning and best-selling Britannic II, but they feature a nifty seamless underarm pattern designed to give more flexibility, especially for those reaching over their heads to cylinder valves on twinsets, or cave divers having to work around tight restrictions. I currently own and dive an Otter Watersports Britannic II, so was used to the build quality and feel that the company are famous for - along with their legendary customer service - so I was excited to receive a box containing the Atlantic Kevlar. First impression? It looks cool. I was quite taken with the colour scheme of the Kevlar material, which almost defies description. It is a strange green/yellow/grey, but when it is wet it almost goes a gun-metal grey. Whatever colour you want to call it, I like it, and it certainly stands out from the crowd. It doesn’t feel as thick or stiff as the material of my Britannic II, and it was certainly easier to get on and off.

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Test Extra

OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC HD KEVLAR | SRP: £1,750

There is definitely more flexibility in this Kevlar material, so it is not just a case of it being more durable, there are other benefits to be had. As with the standard Atlantic and the HD version, there are loads of personalisation options available. It can be equipped with soft ‘socks’ to go inside Otter’s Rock Boots, or as in my test version, the neat Turbo boots, which have a sturdy sole, but are made from flexible, comfortable neoprene. I love these boots, which fit close to your foot more like a wet bootie, reducing any potential air space, and the Velcro-closing strap around the ankle further reduces air migration into your feet. You can have standard latex seals, or you can opt for a factory-fitted dryglove system, either a SiTech set-up, or a KUBI. My test suit was fitted with KUBIs, which I am very familiar with having them on my Britannic II, and retrofitting them to my Fourth Element Argonaut Stealth. They are very easy to get on and off, and with a decent pair of under-gloves, you will have toasty warm hands regardless of the temperature you are diving in. This particular suit was also equipped with an optional

pee valve, and as well as the standard internal braces, also had a useful pocket which attaches at the front of the braces, and is perfectly placed for you to be able to reach a hand in through the cross-torso zipper and stash/retrieve your car keys, wallet, etc. The spacious thigh pockets are well equipped with bungee cords ad D-rings to secure the contents - slates, back-up torches, etc - and they have a neat zippered pocket on the ‘flap’. So what was it like to dive? Well, first and foremost, as you’d expect, it kept me nice and dry. The soft neoprene neck seal and the KUBI drygloves eliminated any potential water ingress. I tried contorting myself into all manner of shapes and positions, and while I obviously was aware I was wearing a drysuit and thick undersuit (Fourth Element’s Halo 3D), it didn’t feel overly restrictive. Definitely worth looking at if you want a durable, wellmade and robust drysuit which most certainly does not blend in with the endless line up of black suits. As with all Otter suits, it came with a soft and comfortable 5mm hood, and a neat bag-cum-changing-mat. www.drysuits.co.uk

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XL4

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Test Extra

BEUCHAT FOCEA COMFORT 6 | SRP: £295

Mark Evans: Beuchat have long made some well-regarded wetsuits, and the Focea Comfort 6, available in both 5mm and 7mm, is right up there with the best. I got the 5mm version on test, and it looks pretty eyecatching in black with various imprints and zips in a vibrant lime, as well as abrasion-resistant Black Shield protection on the shoulders, legs and seat area. It is an effective design, not too outlandish that will soon date, but better than plain black. The build quality is superior, with lots of neat features - all the zips, for instance, are reinforced at the ends with neoprene to avoid any risk of tearing if you get a little rough with them. This one-piece suit comprises 44 panels and 20 different grades of neoprene, which is pre-formed for an anatomical cut ensuring maximum comfort and ease of movement. I have to say, it was exceptionally easy to get on and off, with zippers on the wrists and ankles, and it felt more like a 3mm when I was twisting and bending around. This ease of movement is helped massively by the Flex System 2 sections on the inside of the elbows and back of the knees - these reduced any effort when it came to crouching down or flexing my arms. It is fitted with a universal computer holder, which is designed to hold your dive computer in place on the suit. You slot the holder on to the back of your computer by threading the straps through it - in this instance, a Shearwater Research Teric - and then the Velcro pad on the back docks with the matching pad on the arm of the wetsuit. It adds an element of additional security with the computer’s strap by holding it solidly in place. Now when I dive in the UK, regardless of the time of year, I dive in a drysuit. Call me ‘nesh’, but I like to be warm. However, this time I forced myself out of my comfort zone and donned the Focea Comfort 6 for a dive in Trearddur Bay in Anglesey.

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Test Extra

BEUCHAT FOCEA COMFORT 6 | SRP: £295

The water temperature was a balmy 15 degrees C, so I twinned it up with a Beuchat 2mm hooded undervest (£95) for a bit of extra warmth around my torso. This 5mm Focea Comfort 6 is classed as ‘category B’, which means it is the equivalent of a 7mm, and I have to say, it was a bit of a revelation. Water ingress was minimal to say this is a wetsuit and not a semi-dry, and any water that did get inside stayed there - there was little flushing. I happily mooched about through the kelp, and even though I didn’t get much depth - around 8m maximum - I encountered pollock, wrasse, lobster, crabs, squat lobster, prawns and blennies. Before I knew it, I had been in 45 minutes - and I didn’t feel the slightest bit cold! It apparently uses Fireskin, a water-repellent fabric with a specially structured weave that offers a high degree of thermal protection, and I can honestly say it works! I fully expected to be shivering after 30 minutes! So will I now be in a wetsuit in the summer months off our shores? Well no, I am still a devotee of drysuits, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the performance of this suit, especially in a combo with the vest - so much so, as you read this, I will have been back into Welsh waters wearing it for a ‘Dad and lad’ dive with Luke in his Beuchat 6.5m Focea children’s wetsuit! If you are more of a travelling diver, it would be perfect for use in the Mediterranean, or in the Red Sea during the winter. Paired up with the undervest, it can handle relatively low temperatures, so this would also be a good bet if you were heading for the likes of the Galapagos, where the temperatures can vary dramatically. www.beuchat-diving.com

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Test Extra

MARES JUPITER AND JUNO | SRP: £35

Mark Evans: Masks are a very personal thing, and once people find one that fits well and doesn’t leak, they will cherish it like their first born. However, it is highly unlikely that one mask will suit everyone - it might be too wide for some, not have a big enough nose pocket for others, have the wrong kind of strap, and so on. Mares have decided to tackle that problem by essentially offering two versions of the same mask. The Juno is a frameless single-lens mask, that has a firm but comfortable silicone skirt, and neat, pivoting buckles that are mounted directly on to the skirt, so they can fold flat if you want to pop it into your drysuit pocket as a back-up mask, for instance. The stretchy strap is adjusted by pressing two buttons in either side of the buckle - these are chunky enough that you can find and depress them even wearing thick neoprene gloves. It is low profile, so easy to clear, and it offers decent peripheral vision. It comes in a wide range of colours - blue/white, green/ black, pink/clear, red/white, white.clear (same as this test model), white/black, white/blue, and red/black. The Jupiter is the ‘big brother’ of the Juno. It is the same style as the Juno - single-lens design, silicone skirt, pivoting buckle - but with an ‘XL’ skirt fit for bigger faces. It comes in less of a range of colours - black/white (same as this test model), blue/black, red/white, and white/black. Externally they do not look that different, the Jupiter lens is very slightly wider, but internally the skirt is that bit wider than the Juno. And it does make a difference. I could comfortably wear the Jupiter, but the Juno was a bit narrow on my face, but 13-year-old Luke found the Juno a perfect fit on him. They offer a decent range of vision all-

round, and we found it easy to clear from a partial and full flood. And they come in at a stonking price. www.mares.com

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Long Term Test AQUA LUNG BALI

Mark Evans: The Bali is made from 3mm highquality nonpetroleum-based neoprene, has flatlock stitching, O-ring seals on the wrists and ankles, Supratex knee panels, and printed designs on the shoulders (against abrasion from the BCD) and on the wrist (to help hold the dive computer in place). www.aqualung.com/uk

SEALIFE SEA DRAGON MINI 1300S

INFORMATION Arrival date: October 2019 Suggested retail price: £112 Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins

SUUNTO D5 Mark Evans: The Suunto D5 has been doing the rounds again, this time in UK waters, and has been seeing plenty of use in ‘watch guise’. It does make a comfortable, sporty-looking timepiece. The full-colour screen always generates plenty of positive comments, and I never worry about burning through the battery with it being rechargeable - just clip on the magnetic charger which slots securely in place and a few hours later, you are good to go. www.suunto.com 94

Mark Evans: The Sea Dragon Mini 1300S is a great little compact dive light. It can slot into your BCD pocket, or thigh pocket of your drysuit, and it is there when you need it. We also liked the fact that there is a coloured battery indicator around the push-button control for on/off and the different modes/ powers. Green indicates INFORMATION Arrival date: July 2019 full, yellow is medium, and Suggested retail price: £130 red means you are on low Number of dives: 13 power. Neat and effective. Time in water: 11 hrs 55 mins www.sealife-cameras.com

MARES GENIUS

INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 Suggested retail price: £545 Number of dives: 48 Time in water: 46 hrs 25 mins

Mark Evans: Like the Mares Quad, the Mares Genius has a very large screen, but this one is high-resolution full colour LCD and it is impressively bright and easy to read, even in the full sun of the Middle East. This display is all neatly colour-coded, which really INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2019 helps you to identify the Suggested retail price: £711 salient information quickly Number of dives: 8 and easily at a glance. Time in water: 7 hrs 30 mins www.mares.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC Mark Evans: Guest tester Jason Brown continues to ‘beast’ his Otter Watersports Atlantic drysuit, and has not found it wanting. He has been clocking up dives in his local inland site of Vobster Quay, and also taking it for forays off the South Coast. As he ably demonstrates here, the Atlantic is nice and easy to get on through its telescopic torso, frontentry zipper. www.drysuits.co.uk

INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 Suggested retail price: £1,560 Number of dives: 75 Time in water: 73 hrs 45 mins

AQUA LUNG AQUAFLEX

Mark Evans: A return to Aqaba for Ross’ Aquaflex, and it was actually quite amusing watching him having to constantly flush it through as he was far too hot in the 28-29 degree C water! The Aquaflex is right at home in low to mid-20s, when its thermal properties will be deeply appreciated, and Penney even used hers in the waters off Wales, which was down to 15 degrees INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 C in the summer. Stick an Suggested retail price: £260 undervest on and you could Number of dives: 67 UK dive in this. Time in water: 65 hrs 55 mins www.aqualung.com/uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

APEKS VX1

Mark Evans: The VX1 really is an outstanding mask, but as a package, it is not just the mask that impresses. It also comes with a neoprene and webbing strap for those who prefer it over the supplied standard strap - I actually like the normal one better. However, the stand-out is the mask box, or rather moulded zippered hard pouch, which INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2019 keeps the mask safe and Suggested retail price: £69 sound but also looks the Number of dives: 21 business. Time in water: 20 hrs 15 mins www.apeksdiving.com/uk

APEKS XL4+ Mark Evans: The Apeks XL4+ has come to the end of its stint in the Long Term Test stable, and the performance has been sublime. Whether we were in UK waters, the Med, or the warmer waters of the Red Sea or the Caribbean, it never missed a beat. Lightweight so it didn’t eat up too much of our luggage allowance, but cold-water proof so it wasn’t phased by low single digit temperatures, it is the ideal regulator for a travelling diver who also does the odd dip in the UK. We had been impressed INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 by the XL4, and the Suggested retail price: £409 XL4+ is just as solid and Number of dives: 68 dependable. Time in water: 67 hrs 45 mins www.apeksdiving.com/uk 95

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SCHOLARSHIP DIARY

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

MANTAS, BELUGAS, PUFFINS AND DIVING BETWEEN TWO CONTINENTS PHOTOGRAPHS BY KIM HILDEBRAND AND LENA KAVENDER

or the last week in the Maldives, I was invited to the Manta Expedition by Eco-Prodivers, who focus strongly on running eco-friendly dive trips by reducing single-use plastic, providing biodegradable shampoos, and educating their guests about the marine environment and importance to protect it. For this reason, they also work together with local research organisations like the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and Manta Trust, who give presentations onboard, and aim for their guests to actively contribute to research of these. This mainly involves teaching them about Photo Identification, and the behavioural ecology of these marine species. Because I had been lucky enough to experience the work of both these organisations in-field prior to this week, it was particularly interesting for me to see yet another aspect of their work, the outreach and education of interested scuba divers, whose enthusiasm was really rewarding to see. We were lucky enough to spend one entire dive with four mantas at a cleaning station, and they even turned out to be 12 individuals in total, which we could pro-actively find out through comparing the ID-shots we collected with the mantas in the Manta Trust´s catalogues. Another highlight was a night dive, which we entirely shared with the juvenile manta Sea Spirit, who was attracted by the plankton that collected up around our dive lights. Next, my Scholarship journey took me from the tropical waters of the Maldives to the windiest place in Europe - the Westman Islands in Iceland. Here, I have spent two weeks at the Sea Life Trust´s Visitor Centre, which serves as the base for the world´s first beluga whale sanctuary and puffin rehabilitation centre. I came here just in the right time for the puffling season, and helped out in the ‘Puffling Patrol’. Every year in late-August, about 5,000-10,000 juveniles of the world´s biggest colony of puffins fly out from their nests at night and mistake the town´s street lights for the reflection of the moon on the ocean, which is where they are supposed to head out to, and the town´s children patrol the streets to catch lost pufflings. The next day, they bring them to the centre in numbers of up to 500, where we weighed them, measured their wings, and ringed them. All this data has been collected for several years and helps monitor the resident puffin population.

Kim Hildebrandt

The sanctuary´s two eluga whales have got an amazing 40-hour journey behind them. In June, they travelled from a marine park in Shanghai to Iceland, and will be released into their new natural forever home, Kletsvik Bay, next spring. They are currently still cared for in the visitor centre, where they acclimatise to colder waters and are worked with so that they will accept the stretcher, that will bring them out to their sanctuary, free of stress. They are also trained medical behaviours, which prepare them for potentially necessary veterinary examinations like blood draws, gastric sampling or ultrasound scans. It was a great opportunity to, firstly, experience these highly interactive and intelligent animals from so close and personal, and secondly, to learn first-hand about cetacean´s ethology and training from Tricia Kamolnick, who has worked with cetaceans all her life. Back on the Icelandic mainland, I then, thanks to Arctic Adventures and Magma Dive, ticked off a big point on my bucket list - a dive between the American and European continent in the world-famous Silfra crack. I can´t find the right words for the incredible and other-worldly beauty of this place, with the clearest water in the world with more than 100 metres of visibility after filtration through lava stone for 100 years. All in all, the big contrast between the Maldives and Iceland in the last month has left me incredibly appreciative of the diverse landscapes and life found on our planet, and it really made me realise that every place has its very own beauty. n

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LETÂ´S EXPLORE. TOGETHER.

SUUNTO D5 The new Suunto D5 is designed to be so clear and easy-to-use that you can just enjoy and focus on exploring the wonderful underwater world. Play with style by changing the strap to match your looks. After diving, connect wirelessly to the Suunto app to re-live and share your adventures with friends. www.suunto.com

Suunto Diving UK

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