Q&A: STEVE LEWIS
MANATEE MAGIC
AWESOME APO REEF
RAID’S DIRECTOR DIVER TRAINING TALKS CAVE AND WRECKS
DAVID JONES IS ENTRANCED BY THE MANATEES OF CRYSTAL RIVER
HEALTHY REEFS AND MEGA MARINE LIFE COME TOGETHER IN THE PHILIPPINES
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Escape your bubble.
There’s a whole world waiting just below the surface in The Florida Keys, and we can’t wait to share it with you. With the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S., hundreds of wrecks and thousands of species – all within a 2,900 square-nautical-mile protected marine sanctuary – it’s never too soon to start planning your escape. For the latest protocols on health and safety in The Florida Keys, please visit our website. fla-keys.com/diving
EDITOR’S NOTE NOW IS THE TIME TO DIVE IN THE UK
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Mark Evans, Editor-in-Chief
MAGAZINE
CONTRIBUTORS
Walt Stearns, David Jones, Steve Lewis, Don Silcock, Martyn Guess
As I send this magazine to the printers, we are literally just days away from outdoor activities resuming after the recent lockdown - and scuba diving is the one we are most looking forward to! Most of the UK’s inland dive sites were aiming to reopen their doors on 29 March, and I will have been right at the front of the queue up at Capernwray to get a much-needed underwater ‘fix’. Being in land-locked Shropshire, and with only local travel permitted, I have not been able to head to the coast, so my last dive was at Christmas! My gills are seriously drying out! Right on schedule, the weather is looking up as well, and so that is even more reason to hit our country’s inland sites and coastal diving locations, be that for a shore or a boat dive. Even if you are normally a warm-water diver only, with doubts being cast on the chances of a foreign summer holiday - and travel maybe not getting back on track until the autumn/winter - then why not give British diving a go? There are a plethora of diving opportunities available, from shallow dives with playful seals, snorkelling with basking sharks, seaweed-covered reefs teeming with marine life, shipwrecks from all eras in depths from a few metres to technical depths, and much more. If you are feeling a bit apprehensive about heading off with just your buddy for your first UK dives, get in touch with your local dive centre - they will be more than willing to offer helpful hints and advice, and in some cases, will organise guided shore diving to get you into the swing of things.
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Rork Media Limited Tel: 0800 069 8140 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, England, WC2H 9JQ Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publishers. Copyright for material published remains with Rork Media Limited. Use of material from Scuba Diver is strictly prohibited unless permission is given. All advertisements of which the creative content is in whole or in part the work of Rork Media Limited remain the copyright of Rork Media Limited. is a registered trademark of Rork Media.
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MANATEE MAGIC
AWESOME APO REEF
RAID’S DIRECTOR DIVER TRAINING TALKS CAVE AND WRECKS
DAVID JONES IS ENTRANCED BY THE MANATEES OF CRYSTAL RIVER
HEALTHY REEFS AND MEGA MARINE LIFE COME TOGETHER IN THE PHILIPPINES
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REGULAR COLUMNS
FEATURES...
8 News
16 The Bahamas
Survey of the remote Chagos Archipelago, Santi Diving provide PPE for front-line workers, the world’s first Scuba Escape, a new dive centre in Pwllheli, TEKCamp 2021 cancelled due to COVID-19, and a walrus on tour in Ireland and Wales.
14 DAN Europe Medical Q&A
The team fanswer diving-related medical queries, including can COVID be found in a scuba cylinder?
46 Divers Alert Network
The DAN team looks at the depression, and how treatments work with diving.
In the first of a three-part series, Scuba Diver’s newly appointed Senior Travel Editor Don Silcock ventures to the Bahamas to dive with three of the world’s most-spectacular sharks, beginning with the magnificent oceanic whitetip.
24 Q&A: Steve Lewis
We chat to Steve Lewis, the Peckham-born technical, cave and wreck diver who is the Director Diver Training with training agency RAID, and was responsible for their cave-training programme.
30 The Philippines
The Philippine healthy coral reefs meet meet the rich fish population at Apo Reef, with an abundance of marine life, from macro to pelagics, says Roni Ben-Aharon.
66 Wreck Hunter
Mike Haigh discusses the use of metal detectors in diving archaeology.
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CONTENTS
...CONTINUED
GEAR GUIDE
36 Underwater Photography
56 What’s New
Following his article on photographing in black and white, Martyn Guess provides some insight into, and also tips on looking for and capturing, interesting behaviour in the subjects we find to shoot in macro.
40 How to improve your air consumption
Scuba Diver Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans talks about air consumption, or more specifically, how to increase your dive time by lowering the rate at which you empty your dive tank.
48 United States of America
David Jones is entranced by the manatees of Florida’s Crystal River, and says it is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life.
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First look at the new products coming from Aqualung, including the Xscape 3/4mm wetsuit and range of matching rash guards, plus the summer 2021 summer collection of lifestyle wear from Fourth Element.
58 Gear Guide round-up
Before we kick off the 2021 series of group tests, now that COVID-19 lockdown has been eased for outside leisure activities, Scuba Diver Editorin-Chief Mark Evans does a quick glance back at some of the award-winning products from previous reviews.
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Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from right here in the UK, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on our various social media (@scubadivermag) www.scubadivermag.com/news
CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE MOST-REMOTE CORAL REEFS ON EARTH?
S
cientists from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation have published their findings on the state of coral reefs in the Chagos Archipelago, considered the last frontier for coral reefs. In the middle of the Indian Ocean lies some of the last coral reef wilderness on Earth. The Chagos Archipelago, a collection of atolls, including Earth’s largest – the Great Chagos Bank – is home to reefs that have been largely undisturbed by humans for the last 50 years. Some estimates indicate the Chagos Archipelago may contain more than half of the healthy coral reefs remaining in the entire Indian Ocean. These reefs are protected both by their remote location, and in one of the world’s largest no-take marine reserves — the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) marine protected area. In 2015, scientists at the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) came to the Chagos Archipelago to assess the status of the reefs. Over the course of two months at sea, an international team of scientists conducted thousands of surveys of the benthic and reef fish communities at over 100 locations across the archipelago. This research was conducted as part of the Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition (GRE), a five-year research mission that circumnavigated the globe to assess the health and resiliency of coral reefs. “The Global Reef Expedition was designed to evaluate the status of the benthic and reef fish communities and assess the impact of anthropogenic and natural disturbances on coral reef ecosystems,” said Alexandra Dempsey, the Director of Science Management at KSLOF and one of the report’s authors. “One priority for us was to study reefs with minimal human disturbance, and there was no better place on Earth to do that than the Chagos Archipelago.” Their findings are detailed in a new report, the Global Reef Expedition: Chagos Archipelago Final Report, which contains detailed information on the diversity and abundance of corals and reef fish species along with valuable baseline data on the state of the reefs at a point in time. What they found during the research mission were reefs with a stunning diversity of coral and an abundance of fish. Of all of the reefs surveyed on the Global Reef Expedition – the largest coral reef survey
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and mapping expedition in history – the reefs of the Chagos Archipelago were some of the most diverse and had some of the highest coral cover and fish biomass. They also had more fish per square meter than in any country studied on the GRE. “When we first arrived in the Chagos Archipelago, the reefs were stunning,” said Renée Carlton, Marine Ecologist at KSLOF and lead author on the report. “We saw reefs covered in a diverse assemblage of live coral, and surrounded by an astounding abundance of fish. It was refreshing to see such thriving reefs.” However, even here in what may be the most remote and wellprotected reefs on Earth, there were signs of human impacts. Towards the end of the research mission, KSLOF scientists witnessed the beginning of what would become a catastrophic and global mass coral bleaching event, illustrating the expanse of the coral reef crisis. The data contained in the report released yesterday (1 March) are the last data collected in the Chagos Archipelago before this disastrous bleaching event caused mass coral mortality on the reefs. “Of all the reefs visited on the Global Reef Expedition, those of the Chagos Archipelago were surely the most remote and the most undisturbed,” said Sam Purkis, KSLOF’s Chief Scientist as well as Professor and Chair of the Department
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of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. “To witness a coral bleaching event develop during our research mission was heart-wrenching, but there’s compelling evidence that reefs which are spared direct human pressures such as overfishing and coastal development, have amplified resilience, so there was hope that the archipelago would bounce back to health relatively quickly.” During the first signs of bleaching, corals in the Chagos Archipelago turned cotton-candy coloured shades of pink, blue, and yellow before turning white, as the corals tried to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays after losing their symbiotic algae. As the warm waters persisted, the extent of the bleaching was readily apparent and impacted the vast majority of the shallow-water corals. A study shortly after the bleaching event found live coral fell dramatically from the relatively healthy 31-52 percent observed on the Global Reef Expedition, to only 5-15 percent. Since then, there have been promising signs the reefs are recovering, however, it is unlikely the reefs have returned to the same state they were in prior to bleaching. The report released yesterday will provide marine managers with information on what the reefs were like before the devastating bleaching event, so changes to the reef can be tracked over time and monitor how the ecosystem is recovering. The Foundation has shared the report with representatives from the BIOT Marine Protected Area (MPA) as well as scientists and conservation organizations invested in the preservation of these remarkable reefs. The Global Reef Expedition mission to the Chagos Archipelago gave scientists the chance to study some of the most pristine coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. Their findings illustrate what reefs can be when protected in large no-take MPAs, but they also highlight the perils all reefs face in a changing world.
THE STUDY
“Global Reef Expedition: Chagos Archipelago Final Report” was published online on 1 March 2021. The study’s authors include Alexandra Dempsey and Renée Carlton from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, and Sam Purkis of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami. Copies of the report are available to view and download on the foundation’s website at lof.org
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SANTI DIVING SUPPORTS LOCAL HOSPITALS IN COVID-19 FIGHT The coronavirus pandemic is back on an upward trend in Poland, and one year on, the third wave of infections has begun – and Santi Diving has once again stepped up to assist local hospitals in the fight against COVID-19. To support the frontliners once again, Santi decided to donate and deliver more orange protective suits of various sizes on a complimentary basis to help local hospitals battle the COVID-19 virus. In March, Santi donated nearly 300 protective suits amounting to more than PLN 100,000 to the Emergency Medical Service at F. Ceynowa Specialized Hospital in Wejherowo, Gynecology and Obstetrics Ward of the University Clinical Centre in Gdansk, and a temporary hospital at the AmberExpo in Gdansk.
With the suits, the healthcare professionals – those at the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus to safeguard the lives of those affected – will be able to protect against the infection and provide help to those who fall ill. Santi’s Agnieszka Szymczyk said: “Our sewers are wonderful people who willingly joined the initiative. It would not amount to much if it was not for them behind making it happen. Thanks to their mobilization, hard work and full commitment, the team of Santi Diving and Santi Workwear finished sewing the suits in a short period of time, which allowed the prompt handover of the protective equipment to hospitals. “This is not the first donation – last year we decided to use our long-term expertise in drysuit manufacture to join the nationwide #BusinessSupports action by donating the suits for initial testing and preliminary assessment in order to best protect the medical personnel.” www.santidiving.com
TEKCAMP 2021 CANCELLED DUE TO COVID -19 The TEKCamp event at Vobster Quay scheduled for early September this year has been cancelled due to COVID-19. The popular try-tech event, due to take place from 6-9 September, had already been postponed once from its original date in 2020 – and sadly, it seems highly likely that it will not happen in 2022 either. In a statement released today, the organisers said: “There are many reasons why we’ve been forced to take this difficult decision. In particular, we remain concerned that the continuing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 will not allow us to run this fantastic event in the same format that has proven so popular over the years whilst ensuring the safety of all participants. “This is not a decision that we are taking lightly. After much soul-searching, it became increasingly clear that the only logical – and responsible – course of action was to cancel the event.” If you have already booked a TEKCamp ticket, or had a booking for 2020 carried over, you will be getting a full refund – the organisers will be in contact from 29 March (when Vobster Quay will be reopening for normal diving activities) to begin the refund process. www.vobster.com
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ARE YOU READY FOR THE WORLD’S FIRST SCUBA ESCAPE? Something new and exciting is around the corner in the form of Scuba Escape – and yes, it is exactly what it says… the world’s first scuba escape room! Scuba Escape is brought to you by Clare Dutton, PADI Course Director and founder of Duttons Divers, based at Vivian Quarry in North Wales, and Leanne Clowes, who is launching a new dive centre in Warrington called Palaemon Divers. The innovative duo have revealed there will be six different underwater ‘escape’ experiences on offer at the scenic Snowdonia dive site, and there is definitely something for everyone, from defusing a nuclear bomb and finding hidden loot to rescuing a princess and dodging predatory zombies. A maximum of six divers will enter each game, which will begin with a briefing from your game hosts. Once behind the gates, which will be locked once you are inside, the entire quarry site will be set up for that ‘escape world’ and it will be the team’s task to work together, solve the game and make good their escape! To make the games even more memorable, you will be given a Scuba Escape logbook on your first escape, to collect all of the game decals. Even more exciting, the first to complete all six will win a prize! Clare said: “We are really excited to be bringing something new and exciting to the UK dive industry, and cannot believe that it has not been done before. We have deliberately been pretty vague with giving anything away on what the escapes entail, which will make it more of a surprise to those that book, but I am pretty sure they won’t be disappointed… I mean, there are zombies, DPVs, mermaids, and even a princess… what’s not to like? “In my opinion, Vivian Quarry is a perfect location for this – being able to literally close the gates on the divers, they will have the entire quarry to themselves during the game… how cool is that?” Leanne added: “We have worked around the clock for this, but had so much fun together designing everything around it! Acting out parts to see if it sounds okay, my work colleagues have probably had enough of me reading scripts out to them randomly now! “I think it has come at a perfect time, divers will likely be in the UK for much of this year while dive travel gets back on track and wanting to do something new, especially when (despite UK coastal diving being amazing) the weather is unpredictable. Vivian Quarry has the benefit of never being ‘blown out’ and so divers will have the security of being able to get their dives in while having fun in a completely different way, where you get the whole quarry to just your group and being able to perfect / practice your skills underwater.” A full marketing campaign to give more of an idea about the games will be shown on their social media page and website over the coming weeks, including trailers for each scenario. Follow Scuba Escape on Facebook, @scubaescape, and check out the website for more information and to book: www.scubaescape.org Bookings made online now do not require immediate payment, but you can still reserve your date! The only pre-requisite to take part in Scuba Escape is that you are a qualified diver (so PADI Junior Open Water Diver (or equivalent) or above).
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NORTH WALES GAINS NEW DIVE CENTRE IN PWLLHELI North Wales is getting a new dive centre, which will be based in the marina in Pwllheli, as Duttons Divers expands its operation. Duttons Divers, which is currently based at Vivian Quarry in Llanberis, Snowdonia, is set to open the new centre in mid-April. The new dive dive centre will be operating from the Hafan Marina in Pwllheli, and their dive RIB Little Viv will be based in the marina itself, making it even easier for divers to park right next to the boat in the car park. Once the boat comes back to shore, it is just a short walk to the dive centre for showers, refreshments and any air fills. The centre will have a large classroom area, perfect for all levels of training, from beginner to instructor level – it will be the new home of Course Director Clare Dutton’s Instructor Development Courses – and, if that wasn’t enough, there is also a 6.5-metre-long freestanding heated pool for training as well! On the first floor there will be a dive shop offering a wide range of equipment, and specialising in Apeks and Aqualung gear. Clare said: “It seems like a lot has happened since I decided to start freelancing from the back of a trailer at the age of 18! Never did I imagine that the business would
grow to this extent, first with Vivian and a dive boat, now to another huge dive centre with even more exciting prospects. “The new location will enable us to offer even more guided shore and boats dives, at different locations, as well as enhancing the facilities we have on offer across North Wales. “We have worked hard to make sure that Duttons Divers as a centre can offer everything… and I believe that the new Hafan Marina centre is a great addition to the quarry. It now means that we have access to our own classroom, shop, pool, quarry, boat and shore dive vehicles for your dives… which is pretty cool!” www.duttonsdivers.com
WALRUS ON TOUR – FIRST IRELAND, THEN WALES! A walrus seen off the Irish coast in the middle of March then made his way to Pembrokeshire in Wales. The walrus was first seen by Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann off Valentia Island, County Kerry. The mammal then appeared to swim over to Wales, and he was sighted lounging on rocks off South Pembrokeshire. Welsh Marine Life Rescue, along with members of the RSPCA and CIP, monitored the walrus, which appeared a little underweight but otherwise uninjured. He was seen reentering the water and swimming off after chilling for a few hours. Walrus did live off our coastlines until they were hunted to extinction. Marine biologist Kevin Flannery reckoned this walrus was from the Arctic and most likely fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted south. Let’s hope this majestic chap finds enough to eat, and then is able to make his way back home to the Arctic.
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SEAWEED FEED FOR COWS TO REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS Scientists in the USA have come up with a novel way to reduce methane emissions from cows – by feeding them on seaweed. Methane is one of the mostpotent greenhouse gases, which traps some 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide, and a phenomenal amount of methane is released into the atmosphere from cows by burping and passing wind – in fact, cattle are responsible for around half of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by livestock. Now scientists from the University of California, Davis, have found that a particular type of algae, known as Asparagopsis taxiformis, can substantially reduce the amount of methane cows produce by establishing neutralising enzymes in their digestive tract. In the report, which was published in the journal PLOS One, Professor Ermias Kebreab explained: “We now have sound evidence that seaweed in cattle diet is effective at reducing greenhouse gases and that the efficacy does not diminish over time. This could help farmers sustainably produce the beef and dairy products we need to feed the world.”
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LONDON SEAL EUTHANISED AFTER FEROCIOUS DOG ATTACK A seal named Freddie Mercury – after the late lead singer of the band Queen – that had been delighting people in London with his antics in the River Thames has had to be euthanised after a ferocious dog attack. The distressing attack happened in front of shocked onlookers on Sunday 21 March when the nine-month-old seal was basking on the shoreline. The off-lead dog savagely bit the seal several times, causing severe injury including a broken bone, dislocation, and joint, ligament and nerve damage. The dog also bit people who came to the aid of the stricken seal, and they then held on to Freddie until marine mammal medics could arrive on the scene. Freddie – who was only aided by BDMLR last month to have a fishing lure removed from his mouth – was taken to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital in Tilbury for treatment, but alas, to no avail. The seal would not be able to return to the wild if the flipper had been amputated, and BDMLR have a firm policy on not putting animals into captivity – the seal’s welfare is put first and foremost. Alan Knight OBE, CEO of BDMLR, said: “Freddie was a wild seal and after the ferocious attack on Sunday, he suffered a serious broken and dislocated flipper. We contacted one of the UK’s leading orthopaedic surgeons, and he said that unfortunately, the only option was to euthanise the seal.”
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To find out more, why not visit us for Aptitude Day? Experience a Surface Supplied Dive, view the Facilities and meet the Training Team Please visit the website for more details 2021 Course Dates available www.commercialdivertraining.co.uk info@commercialdivertraining.co.uk 01726 817128 | 07900 844141
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Q: Is it possible that COVID-19 could be found inside a cylinder filled with compressed air? A: There is still no scientific evidence regarding the viruskilling capability of the filling process for diving cylinders. The presence of enriched air nitrox (EAN 32) does not offer any guarantee. What could have a favourable effect, apart from conducting the operation in a well-ventilated area without humans gathering nearby, is the fact that the compression process involves high temperatures that can reach 128 °C in the final stages, sufficient to destroy the virus. However, it is not known how long the compressed gas remains at those temperatures. So, theoretically, the charging process should be ‘SARS-CoV-2 free’, but there is no technicalscientific evidence for this yet. Q: What possible impact does soaking in a jacuzzi or hot water after diving have on off-gassing and DCS? Many people go straight from the dive to the hot tub. Is this safe? A: Getting into a hot tub immediately after diving does alter decompression stress. As with many factors, the net response can be positive or negative, depending on the magnitude of the inert gas load and the heat stress. The hot tub or hot shower will warm the extremities and enhance peripheral circulation which might facilitate inert gas washout (or inert gas elimination). Large inert gas loads, however, can be problematic. Since the solubility of gas is inversely related to temperature, tissues will hold less in solution as they warm. Warming tissue with significant gas loads can promote bubble formation. Since the warming of the superficial tissues precedes the increase in blood flow, such bubbles can pose problems before the increased circulation can remove them. There is no simple formula to compute what constitutes a minor, significant or substantial peripheral inert gas load. The actual conditions vary as a function of the individual, thermal protection, physical activity and dive profile. We encourage a simple rule of thumb: delayed gratification. Enjoy the thought of the hot tub or shower for a while instead of jumping in immediately. Q: I have been invited to a diving weekend where the accommodation is at an altitude of about 1,000 metres. There will be two to three dives per day, different depths. What should be the minimum surface interval before ascending to the accommodation? A: A change of altitude post-dive, in excess of approximately 700 metres, is considered carrying the same risk as flying
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after diving. As the transition in this case will be of 1,000 metres, then this applies. The most prudent is to leave 24 hours before flying or going to high altitude, but the minimum guidelines established by DAN and the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society for flying/altitude (Sheffield and Vann 2004) are: • A single dive within the no-decompression limits: 12 hours • Repetitive dives or multiple days of diving: 18 hours • Decompression dives (planned or unplanned): substantially greater than 18 hours This means that, with two to three dives a day you would be required to wait at least 18 hours. Since this seems impossible to do, you are strongly advised to either restrict your diving to a single dive daily, to permit yourself an adequate surface interval, or change accommodation.
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The Oceanic
WHITETIP SHARKS of Cat Island
In the first of a three-part series, Don Silcock ventures to the Bahamas to dive with three of the world’s most-spectacular sharks, beginning with the magnificent oceanic whitetip PHOTOGRAPHS BY DON SILCOCK
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I
t seems almost unbelievable that as recently as the mid-1960s, the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) was widely considered to be one of the most-abundant large animals in the world. Now, almost 60 years later, these sharks are on the IUCN Red List as ‘vulnerable’ globally and ‘critically endangered’ in the north and central western areas of the Atlantic Ocean. Largely because a diminutive, but incredibly resilient, former general seized control of the Middle Kingdom and unleashed the economic reforms that have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of abject poverty. In the process a burgeoning middle class has been created, currently estimated at around 130 million - but growing rapidly - and all looking for ways to show off their new wealth, one of which is the thick, fibrous and expensive concoction called shark-fin soup. While there is much to admire about Deng Xiaoping and the incredible economic growth he enabled, the most-visibly obvious dark side of letting the Chinese entrepreneurial genie out of its bottle is the rampant corruption and terrible pollution the country is suffering from.
Less obvious though is the appalling impact that the conspicuous consumption of the Chinese middle class is having on the world’s oceans. While we hear about the shark fin trade and periodically see the hideous images of row upon row of fins drying on the roofs of Hong Kong warehouses, as divers we know first-hand the impact – we rarely see sharks underwater…
ROAMING FREE
In so many ways, the oceanic whitetip personifies this hidden impact. An open-water pelagic animal, near the top of the marine food-chain, that has evolved superbly to wander the upper water column of the world’s oceans. Found in all tropical and sub-tropical waters across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, but rarely seen in coastal waters, oceanics roamed free in a never-ending search for food and, with few predators and limited industrial-scale fishing, the sheer bounty of the oceans had allowed it to become such a populous species.
But as the market for shark fins expanded almost exponentially in China, so did the demand for large, open-ocean fish such as tuna, mackerel, mahi-mahi and swordfish, leading to the development of the deadly fishing methodology referred to as ‘long-lining’. Despite the rather innocuous sounding name, long-lining is designed to catch those apex open-ocean fish and does so with devastating efficiency, using a thick main line that is laid out and suspended from buoys every 100 metres or so. Connected to those main lines are many shorter lines that have baited hooks attached to them and a single long-line can be up to 50km long with over 12,000 baited hooks! While the ethics of long-line fishing can be debated, with proponents arguing it is simply meeting a demand for the highly prized open-ocean fish, what cannot be defended is the devastating by-catch that it produces. Yet another innocent sounding term, by-catch refers to the creatures that are not the object of the overall mission and are simply caught by accident.
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OCEANIC WHITETIPS AS BYCATCH
Oceanics spend the vast majority of their time roaming in what scientists call the ‘surface mixed layer’ of the water column, which in layman’s terms means from the surface down to about 150m. This is basically their domain and where they are the apex predator, travelling slowly but efficiently over great distances with their large, almost-winglike pectoral fins - longimanus is roughly translated as ‘long hands’ in reference to those fins. In that mixed layer are the tuna, barracuda, swordfish and white marlin that are the oceanics principal source of food, but it is also where the long-lining fishing boats concentrate much of the effort. As they are such opportunistic feeders, oceanics are drawn on to the line of death in astonishing numbers, with very clear indications that it has caused population declines of at least 70–80 percent in all three ocean basins. While oceanic whitetips are not specifically targeted by the long-liners, they provide a lucrative sideline as their large and distinctive fins are highly prized in the international fin trade. Size matters to the Chinese and the fact that the key ingredient in the trophy soup served at banquets and weddings comes from an apex predator carries a very special cachet to the increasingly status-conscious middle-class. The really appalling aspect of oceanic bycatch though, is that because their meat is considered as low value, the sharks are usually separated from their prized appendages and then thrown back into the water to drown! This hideous practice has gone on for many years and while there are signs it is now changing in the regulated areas such as the US Northwest Atlantic, there is little doubt that it continues unabated in less-controlled areas.
Cat Island beach
The oceanics are attracted by the bait, but are not actually fed, as the mere scent seems to be enough to keep them engaged…
Photographers love oceanic whitetips
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Oceanic at the surface
Oceanics are certainly not shy
Mandarin translation is ‘fish wing soup’. Furthermore, about 19 percent of those surveyed believed that the fins actually grew back again! Yao Ming’s commitment to the campaign has had a huge impact and it is said that eating shark-fin soup is now almost shameful for young middle-class people. Which is an incredibly positive development, but in a country of 1.3 billion people and a middle-class of 130 million, it is obviously just a drop in the ocean. More significantly perhaps, is the way the Chinese government is getting behind certain aspects of conservation and specifically the shark fin campaign. Whether that is because they really care or are simply using it as way of improving the generally tarnished global reputation of China is impossible to know. But the actions taken so far are very positive, such as closing shark-fin speciality restaurants in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, plus making it illegal to consume the soup at all official banquets. Recent studies of the global shark-fin trade indicate that the market is, in fact, declining and so while there remains much to do, it would appear that the lowest point may be behind us.
UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL…
While it is far too early to declare, or even consider declaring, any kind of victory in the journey to reverse the population decline of oceanic whitetip sharks, there is cause for a degree of optimism. Two main things have brought this about, starting with the recruitment of prominent Chinese celebrities, such as former Houston Rockets basketball star Yao Ming to the WildAid campaign of raising awareness of the impact of eating shark-fin soup. The fame that the 7.5-foot-tall Yao Ming gained in the USA has made him a mega-star in China, so the credibility he brings to the campaign is simply immense. When WildAid began its campaign in 2006, their research showed that 75 percent of the Chinese surveyed were unaware that shark-fin soup actually involved sharks because the
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Until recently the Red Sea was generally considered as the best place to see and photograph oceanic whitetips – typically in remote locations such as the Brother Islands and Elphinstone in Egypt, or the isolated reefs of southern Sudan. Significantly though, these sightings are generally of lone individuals or very small groups and little is known about the overall population of oceanics in the Red Sea or their migration patterns. Oceanic whitetips are formidable animals that can reach almost four metres in length when fully mature and have a reputation to match their size… with Jacques Cousteau once describing them as ‘the most dangerous of all sharks’. When encountered underwater they have an intimidating presence and are very inquisitive, seeming to have no fear whatsoever, a combination that comes over as naked aggression when first experienced. They will come in very close and even bump you – often repeatedly, which is obviously quite disconcerting to the uninitiated… but it seems that this is simply their way of checking you out.
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Oceanic flypast
CAT ISLAND
Once a common sight in the deep offshore waters around the Bahamas, from around the early 1980s oceanic whitetips became increasingly rare and it was generally assumed they had been completely cleared out by long-lining. Although it seemed much too late for the oceanics, as part of their overall conservation programme, the Bahamian government banned long-lining completely in the early 1990s. Then, around 2005, the fishing community at Cat Island started to complain about sharks stealing their catches behaviour that oceanics are renowned for - but it was another year before it became clear that something quite special was happening. Cat Island is a long, thin island that is in the middle of the Bahamian archipelago, on the eastern boundary of the main limestone carbonate platform called the Great Bahama Bank. Its eastern and southern shores sit right on the edge of that bank and just offshore are the deep blue waters of the western Atlantic Ocean Basin and the rich Antilles Current that sweeps up the coast as it heads north. It is a perfect location to fish for large ocean-open pelagic fish like marlin and tuna - exactly why the fishermen were there… but it’s also the perfect spot for oceanic whitetips to reappear again after their enforced absence! Quite who made the discovery is not clear, as it seems both a BBC film crew and National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry were there about the same time, both following up on the same lead. The significance of the discovery though is incredibly important, because there on the south-eastern tip of Cat Island was what appeared to be a healthy population of oceanic whitetips – almost completely opposite to what was happening everywhere else in the world, where declines of 80-90 percent had become the norm. It also provided the first opportunity anywhere for scientists to tag whitetips and track
The business end of an oceanic
Boats in the harbour
their movement patterns to try and understand why they were recovering - lessons that could be applied elsewhere. Serious research began in 2010 and since then some 100-plus oceanics have been tagged with satellite tracking devices. Several important results have come to light so far, starting with the fact that while the tagged sharks roamed far and wide in the Atlantic - in some cases up to 2,000km away from Cat Island - overall, they spent most of the year in the protected waters of the Bahamas. Probably the two mostsignificant results however are that over time, it has become apparent that the overall population of oceanic whitetips at Cat Island may be as low as 300. And secondly, while many of the sharks are pregnant females, there are no indications that they give birth at Cat Island, so the challenge now is to find the birthing grounds and establish a full cycle of protection. There are indications that the north coast of Cuba may hold the secret to this as government scientists there have reported significant numbers of juvenile oceanic whitetips off from the small village of Cojímar!
Cat Island however is very much a three-dimensional experience, because you are in blue water and your only point of reference is the white bait crate that is suspended at about 10m WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
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IN THE WATER WITH THE CAT ISLAND OCEANICS
Over the last five or six years, the Bahamas has firmly established itself as the ‘shark diving capital of the world’ largely because of the tiger and lemon shark encounters at Tiger Beach on Grand Bahama and those with the great hammerheads at Bimini. Those encounters are what I would describe as a two-dimensional experience, where you are typically kneeling on a sandy area in shallow water and the sharks usually approach you from the front. So, it is all reasonably predictable and relatively easy for the support divers to literally ‘watch your back’. Cat Island however is very much a three-dimensional experience, because you are in blue water and your only point of reference is the white bait crate that is suspended at about 10m. The oceanics are attracted by the bait, but are not actually fed, as the mere scent seems to be enough to keep them engaged… and engaged they truly are, exhibiting no apparent fear and approaching extremely close – often to the point of bumping your dome port! They also sneak up from behind, above and below, often coming so close that they touch you with those long fins. As exciting as all that is, I never really felt in any real danger as it all seems part of their pattern of testing to see if you are the weakest link and worthy of further investigation.
DON SILCOCK
In more normal times, Don is based from Bali in Indonesia, but is currently hunkered down in Sydney… His website www.indopacificimages.com has extensive location guides, articles and images on some of the best diving locations in the Indo-Pacific region and big animal experiences globally. Oceanics will often ‘bump’ divers
Oceanics are sometimes accompanied by smaller fish
THE LAST PLACE
HOW IT WORKS
Options to dive with the oceanic whitetips at Cat Island are somewhat limited as the season is short, from the end of March to mid-June, and the island lacks much of the tourism infrastructure of the more-popular locations in the Bahamas. I booked my trip with Andy Murch of Big Fish Expeditions and he worked with Epic Diving, who base themselves and their boat MW Thresher at Cat Island during the oceanic season. Run by husband-and-wife team Vincent and Debra Canabal, Epic’s story is worth telling as they both put their professional careers on hold to pursue their passion for sharks, shark diving and shark conservation. In Vinnie’s case, that was being a hospitable emergencyroom physician in New Jersey, something he still does in the off-season, while Debra worked as an animal nutritionist after completing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science.
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The Bahamas was one of the first countries to understand the importance of sharks to their seas and fish stocks, plus the growth of shark tourism has proven that live ones are much more valuable than the dead and de-finned variety! The establishment of the Bahamas National Trust in 1959 to manage the world’s first marine protected area – the 112,640 acre Exuma Cays Land an Sea Park - can now be viewed as an incredible piece of foresight. The Bahamas have since added another 26 national parks covering over one million acres of land and sea. Then in 2011, the government went one step further and became the fourth country in the world to establish a shark sanctuary by formally protecting all sharks in Bahamian waters. It seems clear that the reappearance of a small, but healthy population of oceanic whitetips at Cat Island would never have happened if the government had not taken those measures. Nature is an amazing thing that can produce astonishing things if we humans can only give it the chance to do so… n
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Barefoot luxury in the heart of Indonesia
Bunaken National Marine Park I had a fantastic time at Siladen Resort. The resort itself is a quiet and idyllic oasis, the food was outstanding, but it’s the fishes that will have me coming back. The dive crew were some of the friendliest folk I have met. Always smiling, and so happy. I can’t wait to dive there again. Dr. Richard Smith
w w w.s i l a d e n.c o m
Q&A: STEVE LEWIS We chat to Steve Lewis, the Peckham-born technical, cave and wreck diver who is the Director Diver Training with RAID, and was responsible for the agency’s cave-diving programme PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF STEVE LEWIS
Q: You are now well known in the technical and cave diving circles, but how did you get into scuba diving in the first place? A: Well, first, we should address the Peckham issue. I read a lot in my spare time because I don’t own a TV and enjoy reading instead. So, just a couple of days ago, I finished a who-done-it by Elizabeth George. In it, there are lots of mentions of Peckham, the Elephant and Castle, Southwick. All areas of South London where I grew up. No worries there. However, all Elizabeth George’s South Londoners seem to be thugs, drug addicts, and light-fingered tealeaves. I protest. New Cross and Peckham were lovely places to grow up… All this other stuff about gangs and violence, even the talk of a peculiar accent, is fake news and should not be considered relevant. However, it has to be said that I got the hell out as quickly as possible. Anyhow, now that’s settled, let’s move on to your question. Simple, really simple, it was a fortunate accident. A good mate won a trip to the Red Sea and I tagged along. We learned to scuba dive (good old BSAC) because of that trip, and seeing what there was to see off the coast of Egypt, I was hooked. Sometime later, after moving to Canada, I recertified with another agency based in North America, which will remain nameless. The whole learning-to-dive again thing was because someone here in Canada explained that there are lots of wrecks in the Great Lakes. And there are.
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Q: When did you first discover the worlds of technical and cave diving, and what was it about these particular disciplines that caught your imagination? A: Control and finding out where personal limits lay. There’s a whole bunch of related line-items such as it’s meditative, calming, instructive, promotes personal growth, encourages responsibility towards the environment, offers a personal introduction to Mother Nature, and so on. But at its base, learning about personal control and limits were the big draws for me. Okay, as a kid, I was fascinated by geology, fossils, caves – dry caves – and things along those lines. At some point when my personal diving was focused primarily on sunken sailing ships in the Great Lakes, it was pointed out that people actually scuba dived in flooded caves. I signed up. That was my real entrée into what’s called technical diving. By this time – by the time I started cave diving – I’d visited a bunch of deep wrecks including some virgin sites, but to me then and now still today, caves represent diving, technical diving, in its purest form. On a broader reach, you might also peg the influence of the nitrox and mixed gas ‘revolution’ of the early 1990s. Not sure I can call myself an early adopter, but anything that carried a promise of improved performance, longer bottom time, and a safer ride out and back, appealed to me… still does.
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That revolution, as you know, was driven almost entirely by the sudden appearance of ‘technical diving agencies’. Basically, before IANTD and TDI stuck their corporate necks out, recreational scuba diving steered well clear of anything underwater that was bold and cheeky. Even a simple staged decompression dive for anyone not a commercial or military diver was verboten… considered audacious, reckless, a bad idea, and foolhardy. Also, diving anything other than compressed air was viewed as suicidal by most of the organizations then teaching open water programmes. It was a perfect situation for anyone even slightly nonconformist. So, I ended up teaching a lot of nitrox and then mixed gas (trimix and heliox classes) for Bret Gilliam and TDI. It was fun, challenging and granted access to some interesting dive sites, and thought-provoking people. Oh god, I was well into that scene when I did my first trimix dives with a crazy bugger called Larry Green. This was in ’95 or ’96. It was a one-on-one class with Larry and way more fun that it should have been. Part of the reason for diving with him was that he held the keys to a cave in North Florida called The Eagles Nest. I wanted to see that particular hole in the ground, and he obliged. It was glorious. Larry of course was, is, a great storyteller, a great mentor and has a unique teaching style. We did a lot of work together, including sitting on TDI’s training advisory panel. All that helped sew up my interest in all things cave and complex. Yeah, thinking about it, I blame Larry Green. Q: You are originally from Peckham in London, but now reside in Canada. In November 2015, you were appointed as a member of the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. What did it mean to you to earn this recognition? A: There’s that Peckham things again! LOL. I am tempted to start chanting: “We’re Millwall and nobody likes us…” Anyhow, yes, I am a Canadian by choice now, have been for decades and love the country. Like every other nation, we have our faults. But overall, Canada’s a great spot. Earning the Steve has conducted various expeditions
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Steve is a big cave-diving fan
recognition of the RCGS was a very proud moment for me. Not quite like the Order of Canada or a Governor General’s Award, but important to me. The Society’s mandate is, and I’m going to quote here: ‘imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada—its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges’. That’s a big ask, but it seems a small price to pay for an uninvited guest sitting here in paradise. Actually, when you think about the overall premise of that mandate, it sort of fits in with covering yourself in expensive and heavy crap before jumping into the water, just for the hell of it. Q: You joined RAID back in February 2016, initially as an instructor-trainer, and you were then pivotal in the development of the agency’s cave-diving programme. Tell us a bit more about what you wanted to achieve with the creation of this set of specialised certifications? A: That’s easy. Comfort, Safety, and Respect. A watchword at RAID is diver comfort… well, two watchwords at RAID are diver comfort. If we can produce divers who are comfortable executing dives at level A or B or C and D, we’re more than halfway there. Conducting safe dives in an overhead environment, and respecting the opportunity we have to visit those places, makes up the rest of it. Everything else, the procedures, the best practice, the technology, the inclusiveness, all that becomes the cherry on top of the cowgirl, to quote Tom Robbins. At its most essential, everyone involved with diver training, at their core and without interference from phyco-babble and commercial considerations, wants to turn people on to what it is about diving that quickens their pulse. As an instructor, as an educator, as a coach, if we lose the drive to open
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As an instructor, an educator, a coach, if we lose the drive to open eyes, hearts and minds, we’ve lost the plot
Steve hanging out on a deco stop Steve kitting up for a dive
eyes, hearts and minds, then we’ve lost the plot. To be given the privilege to take some enthusiastic but uninformed punter and hold their hand as they see, as they experience, what this planet is really about for the first time… or the thousandth time… well, that’s golden, isn’t it? Actually, I’ve misspoken, perhaps. Cave diving doesn’t quicken my pulse; it slows it down. And reflecting on things, perhaps that’s what I wanted to get across to students in RAID Cave Programmes. Q: You have conducted several expeditions to the Bell Island iron-ore mine (see Jill Heinerth’s article on page 78 for more about this unique location). What is it about this place that has made it such a focus for your attentions? WWW.MIFLEXHOSES.CO.UK | WWW.MIFLEXHOSESHOP.CO.UK
A: Ha! How long have we got? Well, Jill’s article sums it up pretty nicely, but in a nutshell the Bell Island Mine and the four wrecks off its coast, are world-class, and abundantly more accessible than anything that comes close. First off, Newfoundland, Canada’s easternmost province, is unique. The topography, the people, the culture, the diving, even the language is, well, different. Certainly not quite the same as the rest of Canada, and most definitely unlike the rest of North America. Call a Canadian, ‘American’, and they are likely to whack you with a hockey stick. Call someone from Newfoundland, ‘Canadian’, and they’ll explain your error. Call them ‘American’, and they’ll whack you with a hockey stick and then chop you up and feed you to a moose. So how does that translate to Bell Island Mine? What is extremely difficult to explain in a few words, is the character of that mine. Mines are different to caves; caves are different to wrecks; and Bell Island Mine is different to all three. It has a tremendously powerful presence. There is not a better way to describe it except that is has a powerful vibe. A buddy you may know, Phil Short, after one of our early exploration dives there, took me aside and explained how strongly that vibe, the mine’s presence, affected him. He said he felt connected with the people who worked there. Phil travels a bit, and that coming from him says a lot in my opinion. Same with my younger sister, Jill Heinerth. But I’ll let her speak for herself… Page what is it again? Every member of the crews who worked on the various Mine Quest expeditions, exploration divers, support divers, surface support, the local community folks who helped out, feels the same. It’s odd, but it’s lovely. Of course, as you also know, we lost a team member, Joe Steffen, in the mine during our first expedition in 2007, so there is that energy there too. If anyone is really interested in my take on the mine, read my book ‘Death In Number Two Shaft’. That sums things up pretty well.
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bleached white cave in the Yucatan. I was told later that the bones are the remains of a long-extinct species of giant sloth. Another was taking couple of students for their last dive before graduation. It was a tourist cave. Well within the range of the average cave diver and a spot that too many people swim by without taking note of how stunning it is. Anyway, a spot that I’d passed by with tons of students before. But this day was a little different. Perhaps we all had powerful lights, perhaps I’d done a good job making these folks comfortable, but anyway as we rounded a corner in the passage to the spot where things opened up into a huge gallery, I heard one of them say: “HOLY F**K!” And the two of them sort of stopped kicking and hung in the water while they drank it all in. That was a satisfying moment. Steve enjoys being outdoors How many cylinders is too many?
Q: In all your years of diving, what is your mostmemorable moment? A: Oh, my. What a question. One of the challenges with that sort of question is that as soon as you’ve answered it, you think of something better. You might say the very first dive in Bell Island Mine or laying the first exploration line in a Brazilian cave, or looking at a collection of clay pipes in the captain’s desk in a newly discovered shipwreck. Certainly, one of those moments was my first dive on a wreck called the Empress of Ireland, which sits in the St Lawrence River near Rimouski, Quebec. Massive, historic, breath-taking, scary and humbling all at the same time. We might also count the first-time swimming past the bleached white skeleton of some palaeolithic animal in a
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Q: On the flipside, what is your worst diving memory? A: Worst and one of the best too. Calling off a big mixed gas, multiple stage cave dive almost before we got into the overhead. Bummer. Things just did not seem right. We went for a beer and came back the next day, and crushed it. But at the time, the exact minute I thumbed it, it felt like the worst time ever. Q: What does the future hold for Steve Lewis, and for RAID as a training agency, as we look to a future after COVID-19? A: Hang on. Hang on. Let me pull out my crystal ball and Tarot cards. I’m enjoying RAID. Lots of respect for Toomer [Paul Toomer, RAID’s President] and the team I work with at HQ. They all want to make a difference. They all believe in the industry. They are a talented bunch, and I honestly believe they have had and can continue to have a positive effect on the diving community. As a group, we have a load of ideas; there are some very interesting products ready for launch; the future looks good. As odd as it sounds, we have grown, and extended our market reach, particularly in the third quarter of 2020. All that said though, the adventure-travel industry has changed and will never go back to what it was, and how it felt. That flavour has all gone and we cannot re-order it. Currently, most of us have not stepped inside an airport for six or seven months. This is record-breaking. Almost everything expedition-related has been postponed or cancelled completely. Scores of resorts and dive centres have been bled white. Yet, I believe underwater exploration will continue. Divers will get back to diving. And non-divers will want to give frolicking underwater a try. So, it’s going to be up to us, you, me, our mates and colleagues, to make that possible. But it will be on new terms, the consumer’s terms possibly, rather than the 1980 paradigm we’ve been working in for the past… well, since the 1980s. In the meanwhile, we should chill out a little, dive often and dive safe. n
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WRECK HUNTERS SEASON ONE 2021 DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE UK SINCE 1981
Calling would-be undersea detectives! A unique opportunity to take part in the beginning of a diving archaeology programme is opening up in the summer of 2021* on the Caribbean island of Utila. The Wreck Hunters project is offering a onemonth, limited availability window for divers to be a part of the Season One team. The focus this year is about getting to the heart of the story of a wreck called ‘The Oliver’, its rich history and the life of 18th Century mariners. Learn the skills of undersea archaeology, from traditional to cutting edge techniques. If you’re a relatively experienced diver with skills or experience in drawing (artistic or technical), surveying, photography or in construction work this could be just what you’re looking for (See website for full details). Project Director Mike Haigh’s ideal candidates have a ‘good sense of humour’ and enjoy teamwork. Check out www.wreckhunters.co.uk Or Telephone: 0117 9596454
So if you think this project would help put a smile on your face, why not get in touch to find out more at
www.wreckhunters.co.uk 0117 9596454
All ROHO dry suits for men, women and children are available for MADE TO MEASURE AT NO EXTRA COST. The ROHO team are also available to help you bespoke your suit with size, colour and accessories to make your suit truly original and unique.
AFTER ALL THERE ARE NO TWO DIVERS THE SAME, SO WHY NOT HAVE A DRY SUIT THAT REALLY FITS YOU!
Contact our team on 01924 444888 dive@roho.co.uk
info@wreckhunters.co.uk
*COVID restrictions may result in a change of operation dates.
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25/03/2021 05:24
The Coral Triangle is an imaginary triangle including six aquatic nations, whose waters are home to 76 percent of the world’s shallow-water reef-building coral species and 37 percent of the world’s reef fish
The Philippines’ healthy coral reefs meet the rich fish population at Apo Reef, with an abundance of marine life, from macro to pelagics, says Roni Ben-Aharon PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREG PIPER, BEN PHILLIPPS AND DYAN DEPASUPIL
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Gigantic fan corals
T
here are very few such precious moments - shortly after your morning coffee, mentally waking up being surrounded by gliding grey reef sharks, sleepy whitetip sharks and curious blacktip sharks. Sharks before breakfast are the best! We enjoyed a warm (27 degrees C) welcome to our first early morning dive on Apo Reef. With incredible visibility (we estimated to be roughly around 40 metres of crystal blue water), we pass a school of blue tangs beautifully intertwined with the cloud of white, yellow and black vagabond butterflyfish, orange anthias and turtles are everywhere, while we drift along the colourful, healthy, corals wall, spotting grey reef sharks gliding over the edge in the blue. The biodiversity of marine life on the wall is astonishing - moray eels, giant hawksbill turtle and a school of barracuda closer to the surface mix with the vivid colours of the soft corals on the wall. Giant sea fans, home to the exquisite pygmy seahorse, pulsing xenia - which look like a cross between a delicate flower and a mushroom - and bright purple and orange sponges dot the sight with various colours. Apo Reef is in the heart of the Coral Triangle, and it shows! The Coral Triangle is an imaginary triangle including six aquatic nations, whose waters are home to 76 percent of the world’s shallow-water reef-building coral species and 37 percent of the world’s reef fish. This means that every time we dive within the Coral Triangle, we will witness greater biodiversity than anywhere else on the planet. The Philippines is located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, and Apo Reef is a perfect example of that! Located approximately 33km off the coast of Occidental Mindoro Island, in the northwest side of the Philippines, it cannot be reached as a day trip from the main island, creating a pristine remote location where the wandering traveller can snorkel or dive, bird watch, dolphin watch, kayak, raft in the lagoon and see a turtle nesting and hatching in the turtle sanctuary.
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We depart from Puerto Galera, Mindoro, after dinner and cruise overnight to Apo Reef. Eager, we exit the cabins straight to the sundeck, the bright light blurs our eyes for the first moment, slowly clearing to the incredible view of the endless sea, dotted with three islands, separated by lagoons, white sandy beaches, with incredible mangrove forests, surrounded by reefs. During low tide we can see the shallow reefs exposed. With no humans in sight, this place is truly an untouched paradise. A Philippines Natural Park, Apo Reef spreads over an area of 34sq km, approximately 26km from North to South and 20km from East to West, making it the second largest contiguous coral reef system in the world, right after the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and the largest in the Philippines. It is an atoll-like reef that is comprised of two isolated coral reefs separated by a 30m deep channel, with clear water and white sandy bottom, that runs East to West, and opens to the West. Sunset on a deserted beach
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DIVING SEASON
Just like the Philippines as a whole, you can dive at Apo Reef the whole year round! It is recommended to go during the dry season from January to April, when the vis is averaging 40 metres (it can be half that during rainy season). Water temperatures range from 25-30 degrees C, coldest months are January and February, and warmest are May through July. Apo Reef National Park is located 15 nautical miles from Mindoro Island, making it way too long of a boat ride for day trips; local wooden outrigger boats offer an overnight trip (sleeping on communal wooden benches), and diving a couple of dives the next day, after which they head back. The regulations, along with very limited facilities on shore, make it nearly impossible to spend the night in a tent on the islands. You can, of course, opt for a liveaboard trip, where you can be comfortable, not to mention well pampered, while diving Apo Reef on board Atlantis Azores. With a spacious dive deck, dedicated camera set-up area, freshwater jacuzzi and a full-time accredited chef, Azores crew offers five-star service, keeping the smallest details in mind. www.atlantishotel.com
Dense coral growth Coral-encrusted Ship Wreck
Apo Reef has over 20 declared dive sites, the majority of which are off the main island. The East side of the island is facing the channel, with a white sandy bottom, and shallow wall of about 20m, while the Western side’s strong currents offer excellent drift dives along the dramatic walls of about 70m deep, comprised of mostly hard corals on the top, spotted with soft corals throughout. The shallow areas of the submerged plateau offer excellent macro diving, we spotted juvenile fish of all kinds, with the adorable juvenile yellow boxfish on its kiss-calling lips topping them all. Apo Island East would remind one of Palau’s Blue Corner plateau, diving in a cloud of butterfly fish with whitetip sharks all around, and a school of teira batfish in the blue. Apo Island North is a dramatic wall with massive tube corals, shy lobster hiding at the rocks, and a curious hawksbill turtle who swims alongside us, as we pass a school of yellow sweetlips cruising all around. Boxfish
The reef itself is actually a submerged platform, with three islands poking their tiny nose above water - Apo Island, Apo Menor (Binangaan) and Cayos del Bajo (Tinangkapan). All of these are uninhabited by humans, but are flourishing with birds and aquatic life. The three islands are distinct in their formation, Apo Island being the largest (22 hectares), with a stunning white beach lagoon covered with beach vegetation, where hawksbill turtles often nest, and a shallow mangrove area, an excellent nursery for sharks. Apo Menor is a rocky limestone island with relatively little vegetation, and Cayos del Bajo, the smallest island, is a coralline rock formation with no vegetation.
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Barracuda
In Menor Island’s (Binangaan) shallow white sandy bottom, we spot sleeping whitetip sharks and a huge Napoleon wrasse! On Binangaan Drop Off, we spot schools of snapper and tuna, and a couple of spotted eagle rays in the blue, gliding and smiling under their beak-like nose. In the shallow sandy bottom of Corde Point, we dive in a magical light - there are hard corals everywhere, as the afternoon sun penetrating through the clear water paints everything in glowing orange; hundreds of orange anthias and yellow pyramid butterflyfish swim around us, this dive redefines the experience of a coral garden! There is even one proper wreck in Apo Reef. Originally named Ship Wreck, a skeleton of unidentified ship which has been in the water for what is estimated to be over 70 years, it is a well-preserved skeleton, overgrown by hard corals where heaps of reef fish, such as trumpetfish, snapper and big red eye fish reside. Incredible visibility, dramatic walls, and remoteness - that’s the consensus among all divers on the trip as the top three outstanding memories of Apo Reef, as we marvel at the curtain of stars above us at night - with no light pollution, the star formations are an adequate experience to the underworld.
Whitetip reef shark
TOP SIDE
Do not miss an opportunity to walk Apo Island’s white sandy beach and visit the turtle sanctuary! The islands that comprise the land mass of Apo Island Marine National Park are uninhabited by humans (except for rangers), and are home to 46 species of terrestrial flora (aka trees), including tamarindo, agave and coconuts, and 47 species of birds, of which 17 are migratory birds finding rest on their journey across the sea. It is not only birds who migrate across the seas, but also marinieres, who may encounter the dangers of hitting the shallow reefs on their journey. For that purpose, in 1903, the historic lighthouse was erected on Apo Island (the largest island), as part of the Spanish Maritime Lighting Plan, after its foundations were laid in 1986. The construction was delayed by the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution and the SpanishAmerican war, but it was finally lit in 1906. The lighthouse is 36 metres tall, and is currently equipped with solar panels to support the lights in this remote area. A visit to the lighthouse, along with its view deck, offer a breath-taking 360-degree view of crystal clear waters and mangrove forest. Since the declaration of the Philippines government ‘no take zone’ policy at Apo Reef Natural Park in 2007, the marine park environmental fees are nearly the sole source of its funding. The marine park environmental fee helps generate the funds for the park’s protection, as well as provide an alternative livelihood for hundreds of fishermen in the area. n
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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURING SUBJECT BEHAVIOUR
IN MACRO IMAGES
Following his last article on photographing in black and white, Martyn Guess provides some insight into, and also tips on looking for and capturing, interesting behaviour in the subjects we find to photograph in macro PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTYN GUESS
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ehaviour is defined as the actions and mannerisms made by individuals and organisms in conjunction with themselves or their environment, which includes other systems or organisms around. We have all done it and shot the subject that the guide points out and more times than not, the subject might not actually be in a position that is conducive for a good or particularly interesting image. The guide is doing his or her job, but it is up to you to see if you can get a good shot. Quite often it is worth watching very carefully to see if the subject moves or perhaps displays any interesting behaviour. You might need to wait a minute or two and carefully study the surrounding habitat to see if there are any eggs or babies or a mate, for example. Good guides will be very aware of interesting behaviour and will look out for it if they find a subject which can or commonly displays something which they know will elevate the images you are taking. I urge you all to improve your fieldcraft, read up about different species and definitely ask the guides if there is anything interesting currently going on with the subjects that you are likely to come across. It is amazing how quickly your knowledge base builds up. It is interesting behaviour which will make for a more-compelling image and capture the interest of viewers. For example, when I see cardinalfish hanging out maybe under an outcrop of rocks or under a wreck, I will always carefully look out for the egg brooding males (see image 1) or when there are little damselfish displaying some aggression to me, I will always then look out for their nest where their clutches of eggs have been laid – quite commonly in very open places on the surface of flat rocks. The fact that they are in these very accessible places is why they have to tend them carefully and ward off potential predators. When I spot
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Male cardinalfish with brood of soon to hatch eggs
the little blue tunicates on the reef I look out for gobies with eggs (see Image 2) When I find an anemone with clownfish, I will always look around the base of the anemone where it fixes to the rocks for the little eggs and the behaviour of the fish cleaning and aerating their clutch of eggs by blowing water over them (See image 3). We have all heard of cleaning stations and it is a very typical behaviour on the reef whereby the fish or other species get themselves cleaned up of parasites, dead skin, etc, by cleaner wrasse or shrimps and this can make for an excellent behaviour shot (See image 4).
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Goby minding its eggs on a blue tunicate
Images of a peacock mantis shrimp are always characterful as they are a photogenic subject, but when you find one with eggs this will elevate the image considerably (See image 5). The point here is that everything on the reef at some point will do something more interesting than just sitting there or hanging around in the water column be it feeding, cleaning, mating, aggregating or aggression. Fish in particular are also creatures of habit and they will often swim in a pattern and come back to the same spot so with behaviour photography you have to be patient and watch and wait for the peak of the action to occur as that is the precise moment you want to shoot. The male cardinalfish with the bigger square jowls will move around in a set pattern. When I see shoals of these fish I look out for the males and try to spot the one with eggs and then watch and wait and stay still working out my camera settings, lighting and the angle of shot I want to take. He will move around and sometimes disappear for a minute or two but almost always (unless you frighten him off) come back to the spot where you have the shot set up for. If you wait, every few minutes, he will open his mouth wide to move the eggs he is holding in his mouth to aerate them, albeit very quickly. You need to consider using as fast
Anemonefish aerating its eggs
Marbled moray being cleaned Peacock mantis shrimp with a huge clutch of eggs
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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY Mandarinfish rising from the reef to mate
Ceratasoma nudibranch with emperor shrimp in symbiotic relationship
a speed as you can to capture the image sharply as the aerating process is over in a second or two. Watch out particularly for the fish with the silver eggs – these are the ones about to hatch and they are more photogenic than the orange eggs which are young. With a bit of practice, you will be able to find and see all sorts of behaviour on a macro dive or even on a dive with a wide-angle lens with bigger subjects. You need to be aware of the time of year or moon phase when planning your dives and have an idea of what to look out for. This is why local knowledge is king. Certain phases of the moon or time of day or tide will provide opportunities for seeing subjects with their eggs or mating. For example, a mandarinfish dive at dusk in the tropics is often on offer for most macro diving destinations and it is well worth putting in the effort and reserving the time just before dusk to go and explore the patches of broken and dead coral at the edge of the reef to see if you can capture these amazingly colourful fish in their mating ritual (see image 6). Photographing the mating pair rising from the labyrinth of dead staghorn coral or rocky bottom can be extremely difficult but if you get a good shot you will be very pleased that you made the effort. My recommendation is to use a torch with a red light or shielded carefully by
your other hand to spot the male fish in the depths of its coral home and wait and watch. The colour or careful use of your torch will not frighten the fish away or stop them mating. You will see females in the harem moving towards the male, maybe several at a time and then watch carefully. As it gets darker there will almost certainly be rises where the pairs of fish come together and rise off of the bottom into the water column in an almost trance-like slow dance and then immediately turn and dash for the safety of the reef when the egg laying, and fertilization act, is complete. This entire spectacle will only last a few seconds, so you have to be ready. I use a long macro lens - my Nikon 105mm - and push the strobes right forward on their arms. I also sacrifice a higher ISO in order to get a relatively fast speed and an aperture with a reasonable depth of field. Image 6 was taken at 100th sec/ F 16 and 800 ISO. I also put my strobes on low power and the shutter on 3 or 4 frames a sec so I can get a few shots off. Image 7 shows off some interesting behaviour with the emperor shrimp riding on the back of the Ceratasoma sp. nudibranch displaying a symbiotic relationship between both of the subjects. One protecting the other and the other keeping his friend nice and clean. Not a common sight, but when you find opportunities like these, make the most of it. This image was lit with a snoot to hide the distracting and ‘mucky’ sea bottom and highlight the subjects in the snoot’s harsh light, helping to bring out texture. Next time you dive, make a point of moving slowly and watching subjects carefully for interesting behaviour. If you can get more interesting images like these into your portfolio, your photography will move on in leaps and bounds. n
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Mark Evans talks about air consumption. Or more specifically, how to increase your dive time by lowering the rate at which you empty your dive tank PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS
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ow long can you dive on one tank? is one question I get asked more than anything else. I have to say, it is usually by a non-diver, who has also asked ‘have you seen a shark’, but I also get quizzed about air consumption by divers of all experience levels too. And I think this is part of the problem – people get way too obsessed with how quickly they consume their air supply, and that fixation with how fast the needle drops on your SPG can override everything else on the dive. Now don’t get me wrong. I totally understand the desire to not be the first person to signal the instructor or your dive buddy to say you are at half a tank and need to turn the dive, or that you are at 50 bar and need to surface, but don’t try to compete with other divers – every person has their optimum breathing rate, and yours might never attain their level whatever you do. It doesn’t matter whether you are a newbie diver with a few hundred dives, or an experienced diver with thousands of dives under your belt, chances are there are always going to be plenty of people out there who just don’t use as much gas as you do. Believe me, I know. After over 37 years of diving around the world, I am more than happy with my air consumption. I hit my optimum level about 25-odd years ago, and it has remained much the same ever since. However, I was left feeling like I had the air consumption of a novice open water diver on one trip to the Maldives. We were doing two back-to-back channel dives, which involved us dropping down to 30-odd metres in a ripping current, fighting to get to the edge of the channel entrance, reef hooking in for 20 minutes or so, and then finishing with a swift drift to the dive boat. They were exciting, adrenaline-fuelled dives. Each dive ran approximately 40-45 minutes, and I got back on the boat from dive one with around 80 bar left in my ali 80.
As I was swapping out my cylinder so I had a fresh one ready for dive number two after our surface interval, I noticed our dive guide plonking her kit down in the corner and leaving it. I didn’t think anything of it until a couple of hours later when we kitted back up to dive again, she just grabbed her gear and we went diving. Sure enough, on surfacing from dive two, I had around 80 bar again. Once we were onboard, I asked our guide how much gas she had left out of interest, and was frankly gobsmacked when she said 70 bar! She had done two full-on dives on one cylinder! And more incredibly, she was using a smaller ali 63 tank! She was a very experienced Japanese instructor, who had been out in the Maldives for the better part of 20 years, so she was well used to this type of diving, and her incredible air consumption rate was also helped by the fact that she was absolutely tiny! To this day I have never met anyone who has had an air consumption rate as low as she did. Just mindblowing.
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And I think this is part of the problem – people get way too obsessed with how quickly they consume their air supply, and that fixation with how fast the needle drops on your SPG can override everything else on the dive
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Your air consumption is never going to improve if you are panting like a winded dog after simply fighting your way into your wetsuit
Stay relaxed whether you are in warm water... ...or cold water
Spend more time on wrecks...
That said, there are some things you can do to aid your air consumption, and nailing these things will assist with helping you reach your own optimum breathing rate sooner rather than later. First up, get your weighting right. Nothing pushes up air consumption more than being overweighted. If you are overweighted, ten-to-one you will not be in a nice flat position, so you will be pushing through the water like this, which requires more effort, and thus more gas. Even if you are able to get into a nice flat position when you are overweighted, your BCD will be inflated, so you are still going to be pushing more mass through the water. When you are correctly weighted – that is, with the least amount you can get away with – this reduced resistance will help your air consumption. I mentioned it before, but your actual body position in the water is vitally important. If you are ‘in trim’, nice and flat, so are streamlined to push through the water, you will use less gas than if you are finning along at an angle. Basically, it is a case of moving around your weight positioning, how high or low your tank is on your BCD, and your actual body position to be able to quickly and effectively get into that nice flat dive position. If you find your feet and legs are dropping down, try shifting your cylinder up a bit in your BCD tank bands (but not too high you hit your reg when you look up). If that isn’t enough, try moving some of your weights – trim pockets on the tank bands are handy for this. If you find your legs floating upwards, do the opposite – move your tank down a bit, and if necessary, shift your weight as low as possible. It is all a balancing act, and it takes practice, but once you hit the sweet spot, there is no looking back. As well as weighting and body position, your actual dive equipment can affect your air consumption. If you have a big, bulky jacket-style BCD, or have lots of accessories dangling off you like a Christmas tree, then that is going to create more drag than if you have everything tucked away and are in a smaller, more-streamlined rig, such as a back-inflate BCD
...or with big animals, like this Goliath grouper
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or a backplate-and-wing. If you are diving in warm waters in a backplate-and-wing or a BCD with no pockets, and don’t want your DSMB and spool, torch, etc, hanging off your D-rings, get some tech shorts and then you can store all those accessories in the pockets. This keeps you nice and streamlined. So that’s weighting, body position and dive gear. Now the focus turns to you. Ideally, you will be in decent fit to dive shape, with good cardio and stamina, but if you are carrying a few extra pounds from being in lockdown, or haven’t been keeping your fitness level up to task, then get on your bike, go for a hike, dig out the rowing machine or whatever. Your air consumption is never going to improve if you are panting like a winded dog after simply fighting your way into your wetsuit. I am not suggesting you need to be Olympic athlete standard, but a decent level of general fitness will make a vast difference to your air consumption.
The next thing to talk about is actually breathing. We all do it, day in, day out, but when you are underwater, that nice, smooth rhythm we have on land goes out of the window. It doesn’t help that we use our lungs as our primary buoyancy tool for fine adjustments when we are diving, and these extra inhalations and exhalations can further throw smooth breathing through a hoop. You can breathe however you want on land, it doesn’t matter – we have a plentiful supply all round us, but when we are underwater, we have a finite supply in our cylinder. To help it last as long as possible, you want to develop a nice smooth breathing action. My advice is to relax and try to get into a slow rhythm – breathe in for a count of three, and then breathe out for a count of three is a good starting point. Get nice and comfortable with this, and then move up to a count of four. If you can get up to a count of five or six, then you will be doing well. Don’t get too fixated on the count, though – being nice and relaxed with your breathing is the main thing. Also bear in mind that there will be things out of your control. If you are diving in cold water, then your air consumption will be more than if you were doing the same dive in warmer waters, as your body will be working harder to keep your core warm, which will push up your breathing rate. It doesn’t matter if you are in the best undersuit and drysuit, with drygloves and so on, basic physiology can only be combatted so far. Eyeing up some soft corals
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Buddy team on a wreck dive in Florida Air checks before a dive
Equally, if you are fighting against a current, deep down on a wall, or just having to work hard on your dive for whatever reason, then you will use more air than if you were simply cruising along a reef in the shallows. It’s not just that you are physically more active and so having to pump more oxygen around your system, those sort of dives increase your mental workload more, and that will also push up your air consumption. Experience helps – even when you are on a dive that more-novice divers might consider quite full-on, if you can find your zen place and stay relaxed, your air consumption won’t suffer too much. My final piece of advice? I mentioned it before, but just don’t get too hung up on air consumption. Diving is all about enjoying yourself underwater, and if you spend all your time below the surface stressing about how quickly you are using your gas, guess what – you’ll only end up using it quicker. Plus, you are spoiling the whole reason you are on the dive, whether that is on a wreck, on a reef, wherever. Enjoy your surroundings and don’t obsess over your SPG. You’ll find as soon as you stop worrying about your air consumption, it will start to improve dramatically anyway. n
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TOP DIVE SITES Socorro, San Benedicto, Roca Partida and Clarion are four volcanic islands that make up the Revillagigedo Islands, some 250 nautical miles south of Cabo San Lucas
Diving at the Socorro Islands is recommended for experienced divers, due to the often choppy seas, strong currents and abyssal walls. You need to be confident in your buoyancy and happy dealing with surge, swell and currents.
The Socorro Aggressor
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ROCA PARTIDA
Roca Partida is only a small, guano-covered rocky islet poking out of the Pacific Ocean – it measures just 40 metres in height, and some 100 metres in length – and is so compact that divers can circumnavigate the entire site a couple of times on one dive. However, what it lacks in size it makes up for in content – the vertical walls attract hordes of pelagics, from various shark species (silky, gray, hammerhead, whale) to dolphins, manta rays and even humpback whales.
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THE BOILER (EL BOILER)
The Boiler is one of the most-famous dive sites at San Benedicto Island and it is considered the premier spot for interacting with giant manta rays in the whole of the Socorro chain, as they congregate here to be cleaned by clarion angelfish. It is a large pinnacle that rises up from the depths to within 6m of the surface. Like Roca Partida, the site can be circled several times on a single dive. As well as the friendly mantas, which seem to bask in the exhaled bubbles of the divers, you can also expect to see dolphins, sharks and whales.
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THE CANYON (EL CANYON)
San Benedicto’s other ‘must-dive’ site is The Canyon. While mantas sometimes put in an appearance, this site is all about sharks – expect to see silkies, Galapagos sharks and hammerheads, the latter usually in vast schools numbering hundreds of individual animals. As with all sites in Socorro, you never know what else might turn up out of the blue.
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CABO PEARCE
Cabo Pearce is a top dive site on Socorro Island. It is effectively a long, thin finger of rock that stretches out off the east coast of the island and extends into the current. Massive schools of hammerheads characterise Cabo Pearce, although you can also encounter silky sharks and manta rays. The best bet is to drop down and take shelter from the sometimes-strong current among the rocks and wait to see what comes cruising by.
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Hints and advice
Socorro Aggressor
Socorro is known as Mexico’s ‘Little Galapagos’ due to their remote location and plethora of pelagic animals that you can encounter, although it is often compared with the likes of Cocos Island and Malpelo as well. It is by far the easiest to get to from the USA, with the Aggressor departing from San Jose del Cabo, which has its own airport.
Length: 41 metres | Beam: 8 metres Passengers: 26 | Staterooms: 13 The Socorro Aggressor is a spacious yacht built for comfort, safety and stability. Each of the staterooms has individual air-con, a private head and shower, porthole view window, hair dryer, fresh towels and a 32-inch flat-screen. There is a beautiful salon that is airconditioned and well-equipped with an LCD TV and satellite telephone. There is also a large sun deck with shading, chaise lounges and deck chairs, a bar, and a complete photo/video centre. www.aggressor.com
It can take 24 hours to travel to this magnificent area, so make sure you take some good books, catch some ZZZs so you are ready for the diving to come, and catch up with your fellow adventurers on board. Plus, there will be plenty of movies to while away the hours in the main salon, or in the comfort of your own stateroom.
Manta ray
Safety is paramount, especially when you are diving way offshore as at the Socorro Islands. All divers must carry a whistle and an inflatable safety sausage or DSMB at all times, and will also be provided with individual Lifeline GPS/radio beacons.
You will always have amazing dives at Socorro regardless of when you go, but the Socorro Aggressor aims to hit some of the optimum months, operating from mid-November to the end of June (the vessel moves to Guadalupe Island from August to early November).
Diving at the Socorro Islands is recommended for experienced divers, due to the often choppy seas, strong currents and abyssal walls. You need to be confident in your buoyancy and happy dealing with surge, swell and currents.
The main deck offers plenty of space to relax and unwind after a day of diving
It can take 24 hours to travel to this magnificent area, so make sure you take some good books Divers head off on the RIB for a dive
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O’NEAL ROCK (ROCA O’NEAL)
O’Neal Rock is also known as Hammerhead Central, which might give you an inkling as to what you might see at this Socorro Island dive site. As well as the seemingly ever-present hammerheads, you can also see Galapagos sharks, grays and silkies, but if you can tear yourself away from the pelagics, on the plateau at 7-9m, you can find smaller critters such as lobster, and there is also a photogenic cavern. n
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DEPRESSION
WHO GETS DEPRESSED? Laurie Gowen looks at medications for depression and fitness to dive
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t’s not as uncommon as you may think. Even divers get depressed. Some of the more-frequently asked questions on the DAN Medical Information Line concern medications divers take for depression and how these drugs can affect their fitness to dive. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, each year more than 17 million Americans experience a period of clinical depression. Fortunately, with appropriate treatment, nearly 80 percent of those diagnosed with depression experience significant improvement. Depression isn’t simply in your head - it affects both body and mind. Symptoms of depression vary from person to person, as does their severity. Obviously, those individuals who are out of touch with reality, are suicidal or have hallucinations should not dive. Also, any condition that could affect one’s physical or rational decisionmaking ability would not be safe for the diver or a dive buddy. However, many people dive successfully while they take medication and receive treatment for everyday depression.
SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
According to the National Depression and Manic Depression Association, some symptoms of depression include: • Prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells. • Significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns. • Irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety. • Inability to concentrate, indecisiveness. • Unexplained aches and pains. • Recurring thoughts of death and suicide. For divers, here’s an extra consideration - some of the symptoms associated with depression could also mimic those of decompression illness (DCI). Unexplained aches and pains or an inability to concentrate could make a differential diagnosis very difficult. Diving at depth is not a place to lose focus on the immediate dive tasks - following the dive plan, monitoring one’s air supply or just being an observant dive buddy. Should divers with depression be cleared to dive? Yes and no - each diver should be considered on an individual, case-by-case basis. Factors should include each diver’s medical history, type and dosage of the medication,
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the individual’s response to treatment and motivation for diving. In-water safety for the diver and buddy is the primary consideration.
TREATING DEPRESSION
Part of the treatment for depression can include the use of central nervous system (CNS) medications that have varying but similar side-effects. Dozens of anti-depressant medications currently on the market effectively treat depression. Each group has its own distinct properties that react chemically in the brain. Unfortunately for divers, some medications have side-effects similar to the symptoms of decompression illness. Side-effects such as visual disturbances, weakness, dizziness, lack of co-ordination, numbness and tingling, when occurring after a dive, may require evaluation for possible DCI. Sometimes finding the optimal medication involves trial and error. People should never change dosage or discontinue medication without direction from their physicians. Individual reactions and effective therapy may take several weeks, even months to achieve, so any diving would have to be postponed until the patient has adjusted to the medication. The following are the most-common medications used in treating depression: SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) Although SSRIs typically cost more than other antidepressant medication, they tend to be relatively safe for divers. They do, however, have a side effect of drowsiness; this can influence the safety of the dive. TCAs / HCAs (tricyclics / tetracyclics / heterocyclics) Dizziness, drowsiness, and blurred vision may be among side effects from TCAs / HCAs. Any medications that affect concentration, decrease alertness or impair decision-making are not compatible with safe diving. Other anti-depressants such as Wellbutrin(r) or Zyban(r) (generic name for both is bupropian), Desyrel(r) (generic
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For divers, there is little available research about diving with depression or diving while taking anti-depressants
name: trazodone) and Effexor(r) (generic name: venlafaxine). Fainting, excitability and difficulty breathing are among the rare side effects of venlafaxine. Bupropian may have side effects of agitation, CNS stimulation, seizures, psychosis, dry mouth, headache, migraine, nausea, vomiting, rash, tinnitus, muscle pain and dizziness. Obviously, a diver with these symptoms could experience safety risks. For divers, there is little available research about diving with depression or diving while taking anti-depressants. When divers taking CNS medications report problems while diving, most commonly come of nitrogen and the side effects of the drugs. The diver should discuss the possibility of seizures with a doctor. Every case should be evaluated independently, with honest communication from the diver or prospective diver, a physician and the training organization. Divers who respond well to medication over a long period, have appropriate decision-making abilities and are cognizant of potential side effects, may be considered for some types of diving. This should be a joint decision reached by the diver and physician. *Usually foods that are aged or fermented. These foods contain an amino acid called tyramine which, when inhibited by MAOIs, can lead to a hypertensive crisis. n
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David Jones is entranced by the manatees of Crystal River, and says it is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID JONES AND WALT STEARNS
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F
lorida – it truly is the place of ‘things to do’. You only have to type it into Google and you’re instantly inundated with fun facts, figures, images and tempting offers to visit the Everglades, the Kennedy Space Centre, the sandy beaches and, of course, a plethora of amusement parks all vying for your patronage. Surprisingly what didn’t appear on Tripadvisor’s top ten attractions was swimming with manatees, but that was what I decided to do when a short business trip to Orlando presented me with the opportunity. With very little time available, I decided to skip the Magic Kingdom and jumped into my hire car at the airport for the two-hour drive to Crystal River. As I left the outskirts of the big city and Mickey Mouse finally disappeared in the rear view mirror, the roads became quite empty and even though it was dark outside, I couldn’t fail to be struck by how flat and wet the whole place was. It’s worth remembering that Florida was once an enormous coral reef and that deep below the limestone crust, water freely flows through thousands of miles of channels and tunnels. This is the Floridan aquifer, vast stores of fresh water that has been collecting underground for thousands of years. When the limestone erodes, potholes can form, often becoming lakes, while channels erupt on the surface as springs. The consistent temperature and reliability of this water source is what attracts the manatees to the area, particularly in the winter months. For most of the year, the Florida manatees, which are
A mother and her calf
It was an educational and entertaining journey as our knowledgeable skipper and guide provided a non-stop monologue of facts, figures and anecdotes about the Crystal River
Aerial view of the manatees
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a sub-species of the West Indian manatee, are dispersed around the coastline and its numerous estuaries and rivers, but as the weather cools they congregate, sometimes in large numbers, around the warmer water provided by the springs. Anyway, back to the trip, and it’s not long after you leave the airport parking lot before you start to see Manatees. No, Kayaking to see not in the rivers, or lakes at the side of the manatees the road, but on the billboards. Manatees are clearly big business in Florida and the closer you get to the areas they are found the more advertising there is. They are also the Florida State’s ‘marine mammal’ of choice, although if I’m being honest I’m struggling to think what else they might have picked. Arriving quite late at night in the small town of Crystal River on the West Coast I checked into the reasonably priced Best Western and with restaurants closed, ‘dined in’ from the selection of goodies available from the hotel lobby vending machine. By now, the number of manatee billboards had grown exponentially and I suddenly realised that I had become unwittingly immersed in the whole manatee experience. Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by manatees. Shop windows were festooned with manatee products. There were manatee lights, manatee T-shirts, even manatee snow globes, the irony of which was not lost on me as I sat in shorts and T-shirt nibbling my rather unsatisfactory snacks while the drone of air-con reminded me that this was still a sub-tropical part of the country. As I climbed into bed surrounded by leaflets about... yes, you guessed it, manatee trips, I set my alarm clock and settled down for a couple of hours sleep - no doubt dreaming about manatees…
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To get the best chance of seeing manatees, you have to go in the winter and you have to get up early - and boy, was this early! Once the sun comes up and the waters get warmer, the animals will spread out and move away from the springs, but when that alarm went off at 4am after only three hours of sleep and with my body still struggling to get over the flight and drive from the day before, I seriously started to question my decision to go for the early morning boat trip option. Those doubts faded away when on the short drive to my boat I diverted through a well-known fast food store that was open 24/7 for something vaguely resembling sausage and egg in a bun (how did I miss it the night before?). All was good in the world again. I had chosen to join Birds Underwater Manatee Dive Centre for my manatee experience. There were plenty to choose from and they all look very professional, but perhaps I was swayed by the fact they had been operating for over 30 years and that they had enough positive reviews on Tripadvisor to make any business owner seethe with jealousy. It was still dark when I and the other half dozen or so excited participants rocked up
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to their dive centre, only to be surrounded, yet again, by even more opportunities to make a purchase of something in the image or shape of a manatee. This animal was starting to feel like the biblical golden idol of the West Floridians. As a National Wildlife refuge and a State Park, the Crystal River area is highly designated and regulated, so the first order of business when we arrived was a thorough briefing about what we could and couldn’t do. This was followed by another televised version of the rules just to reinforce the point, but to be fair the images also served to increase the excitement of the assembled observers in the room. Once that was done equipment was issued. I had taken my own 5mm wetsuit, mask and snorkel, but for those that hadn’t the center provided high-quality gear that was included in the price. Once we had signed the omnipresent liability release forms, we were ready for the adventure. The flat-bottomed aluminium boats are designed for this one purpose in life and with engines gently ticking over, we gracefully puttered into Kings Bay. It was an educational and entertaining journey as our knowledgeable skipper and guide provided a non-stop monologue of facts, figures and anecdotes about the Crystal River, the geography and geology, the manatees and any other wildlife that came into view. Gliding past hundreds of pretty impressive shoreline properties with private moorings and busy marinas packed with expensive-looking pleasure boats, the prosperity of this area was in full view. So too was the main source of the wealth of the region - the natural environment that surrounded it. After a couple of stops we finally pulled up outside a small inlet either side of which were some more substantial properties. It was still pretty dark and we were the only boat there. The skipper explained that this was one of the ‘hotspots’ for seeing manatees. While he went on to explain more detail about the source of this particular spring, the guide silently entered the water and swam towards the shore. A wave of the hand from the guide and the eight of us entered the water, excitedly but quietly as instructed, to join her. The sun had barely come up over the horizon and the residents of the houses that bordered both sides of the inlet had not even contemplated breakfast. The water was surprisingly murky and at 21 degrees C, might best be described as ‘refreshing’ in spite of the 5mm of neoprene. As we got closer to the shore, large grey objects covered in places with algae and shaped a bit like the London Gherkin building for want of a better description, could be seen lying still on the bottom. Growing to up to three metres in length and weighing over half a tonne when fully grown, these gentle giants are an impressive sight. As we swam over them the odd stream of bubbles would appear to be coming out of them, rising to the surface. Amusingly, we noticed that these did not come from the breathing end! Well, what did you expect? If you ate the equivalent of ten percent of your own body mass of marine vegetation every day, you would emit gas! This also accounts for their distinctive shape by the way - digesting that much greenery needs a large digestive tract. As the sunlight finally started to brighten the area, some of the manatees began to move, coming up for air, or taking the first of what would undoubtedly be many bites on the vegetation that covered the river bed. We hovered on the surface and watched in fascination. You’re not allowed to approach the manatees and need to keep a reasonable
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distance, but inquisitive young animals would often come quite close, wanting to interact. The desire to reach out and touch them was enormous, but as I watched, everyone resisted that temptation, kept their distance and ensured the animals had the space they needed when they decided they wanted to move. After a while it became apparent that there were different-coloured wetsuits swimming next to me and looking up, I could see there were now three more boats parked where ours was. The opportunity of getting a decent photograph without other people in shot had gone, but it really didn’t matter. To be honest, I was just happy to float around watching as these incredible animals went about their business, seemingly untroubled by their captivated audience and definitely not threatened. After about two hours, I eventually got out of the water, not because my time was up, but because I was starting to get cold. Back on the boat I was offered a cup of hot water – not to drink, but to pour into my wetsuit to warm me up; it was a nice touch. The skipper was in no rush to get back and clearly had more stories to tell, and as we slowly cruised back, we continued to be entertained by the never-ending stream of information. The conversation was only about one thing - how
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Manatees are very friendly
amazing the whole experience had been. I could leave this article there and thoroughly recommend that you all go and take the opportunity to swim with manatees if you get the chance. That would be my recommendation, by the way. However, recent events dictate that I can’t finish there. The manatee swimming experience business has generated a lot of controversy in the past, and the recent discovery of a manatee with the word ‘Trump’ scratched into the algae on the back of one animal is only likely to renew the criticism. There are a number of people and organisations who argue that swimming tours should not be allowed, and that close interaction should be prohibited. I suspect that the local community that benefit from the millions of dollars generated every year by people coming to see them would disagree. So, too, would the hundreds of thousands of visitors who enjoy the ‘spiritual’ experience of what may be the only close up encounter with a large truly wild animal they are ever likely to have. The problem is that sustainable conservation is a difficult and often conflicting three-way process. It is a delicate and complex balancing act between the needs of the environment, society and the economy. Every stakeholder in any situation will have their own interests, concerns and priorities and trying to please everyone is always going to be difficult, if not impossible. When I look at the manatee situation, I see an environmental phenomenon, a local community working together and most of the time in harmony. The manatees are essentially the source of a multi-million dollar industry that supports the local community and its economy. Tour operators have a role to play as an educational and public engagement conduit, but they also act as environmental stewards providing a regulatory function which supports the more-formal park regulations and statute protecting
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the animals. Will it always work successfully? No. Will there inevitably be some individuals who transgress from the rules in place? Yes. Writing on the back on one of the manatees was despicable and disrespectful, but it was an incident that I am pretty certain didn’t happen during an organised tour and one that can, because of the protection measures in place, be investigated and the perpetrators potentially prosecuted. The manatees have been in the area for thousands of years, but due to human development they have now become an urbanised wildlife species. Numbers have increased over recent years and, in 2017, they were reclassified from ‘endangered’ to ‘threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act, a clear indication of the success of protection efforts. The biggest danger they face is the high number of leisure boats. Like it or not, the fact is that neither the manatees, nor the people in whose backyards they now find themselves, are going anywhere soon – their lives are forever intertwined. Unfortunately, however, we have a pretty shocking record when it comes to interacting with the environment. Anthropogenic activities have contributed to the eventual extinction of far too many species of animals in the past and it is important that we adopt a precautionary approach moving forward with an emphasis on environmental protection. Urban development in coastal regions is likely to increase rather than decrease, and the continued existence of the Florida manatee will be increasingly dependent on our conservation efforts in the years to come. That said, I believe that the opportunities that limited and regulated interactive experiences such as this provide can only serve to enhance those efforts, and I would urge you to grasp the opportunity if you get the chance to swim with them – I can guarantee that the little stream of bubbles they emit in the morning will put a smile on your face. n
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Q&A: PATRICK WIDMANN CARIBBEAN SHIPWRECKS
PART TWO OF A WHISTLESTOP TOUR AROUND SOME OF THE CARIBBEAN'S BEST WRECKS
THE FAT OF THE LAND
BLACKWATER DIVING
WE CHAT TO THE RENOWNED NICK LYON TELLS DIVERS TO £50 CAVE DIVERSOCO AND RRO INSTRUCTOR MASK TAKE A LONG, HARD LOOK AT OVER SQ&A: PASC AL VAN SUPERB ERP RATES TO DIVE TEAM ABOUTKEPIC EXPEDITIONS THEIR FITNESS TEST THE WE TALK TECHNICAL DIVING SILCOC DIVES THE RICH
DON WATERS OF THE 'MEXICAN GALAPAGOS'
F-THES TOP-O AND REVIEW GHOST NET RETRIEVAL AND RANGE MASKS SCIENTIFIC DIVING
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MIKE BARTICK REVEALS SOME OF THE TRICKS OVER : THAILAND OFVIEW THE TRADE
AL HORNSBY TAKES YOU ON A WHISTLESTOP TOUR OF THAILAND'S DIVING AREAS
BP/W V JACKET STYLE WE LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF BP/W V JACKET-STYLE BCD
HOW TO GET STUNNING IMAGES OF TURTLES DON SILCOCK GOES IN SEARC H OF OCEAN GIANTS
ERWATER JILL HEINERTH EXPLORES THE UND OF AST CO THE OFF TS DELIGH NEWFOUNDLAND
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The currents of
Adrian Stacey waxes lyrical about the adrenalinefuelled drift dives that can be enjoyed in the wild waters of the Komodo National Park PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY
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THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS
he outboard motor on our speed boat wined in protest as a furious current tried its best to thwart us from reaching our destination. The texture of the water was another clear indication that this dive was going to be far from sedate. Resembling a fastrunning river rather than an ocean, in some parts the sea seemed to boil and performed an agitated little dance, in other areas whirlpools drifted along the fast-moving surface. In contrast, different sections of the sea were as flat as glass and, for a split second, we were afforded a brief glimpse of the utter mayhem below. Our experienced driver dropped us a little way in front of the reef, to give us some hope of reaching our target. We aimed to get down to 20-25m as fast as possible and to find a good place to secure a reef hook before the current swept us off the dive site. With this feat completed, it was now time to watch the show. Immense schools of fusiliers and yellow-masked surgeonfish had congregated where the current first hit the reef, known as ‘the split’. They, in turn, attracted the unwanted attention of a whole host of predators. Huge gangs of the thuggish-looking giant trevallies casually mingled with the fusiliers, grey
The US Virgin Islands are made up of four main islands - St Thomas, St John, St Croix and Small Water Island. St Thomas has some really nice wrecks but is not often visited by UK divers. Choices are limited to a handful of dive centres, including JJ Divers and Coki Dive Centre. Blue Island Divers has just closed down. Originally owned by a Brit, Aitch Liddle, they ran a friendly, professional service at the Crown Bay Marina Suite. In all there are 40 sandy beaches. Accommodation varies from selfcatering apartments to resort hotels. Dive centres usually offer pick up from hotels with water frontage, otherwise for all other accommodation it’s best to hire a car. There are more than 20 wrecks scattered along the south coast. Most are at a depth of around 30m and no more than 5km offshore (35 minute boat ride). Some even have portholes and brass fittings still attached. The WIT Shoal II is probably the best wreck dive on St Thomas. The 99-metre-long LST (Landing Ship Tank) was built in 1943 by Kaiser Co Inc. She saw intense action in the Pacific during World War Two and was involved in a number of the infamous beach landings. By the early 1980s she had become a non-functioning derelict and was sunk during Hurricane Klaus on 6 November 1984. She was re-floated in order to be scrapped but sank while being towed to her final destination. She now lies at a max depth of 28m, just 3km outside of St Thomas harbour. There are five deck levels to explore. The engine room is well worth a visit, although finding a way in can be quite tricky. The stern, wheelhouse and crane are the best areas. Two knot currents are quite common, but diving with some water movement does have its advantages. Monotone bulkheads transform into a blaze of colour when thousands upon thousands of tiny orange cup corals open up to feed. This wreck is perfect for night dives.
Stuart Philpott has dived around many Caribbean islands, and he has trawled through his archives to bring this round-up of some of the best shipwrecks in the region PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART PHILPOTT 22
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Byron Conroy heads to the Maldives in search of big-animal encounters – and he is not left wanting
have always wanted to visit the Maldives for its pure beauty of white sand, blue water and magical sunsets. Also, just hearing someone mention the Indian Ocean makes me start dreaming of a tropical underwater paradise. When starting to do some research on this place, I quickly found out that shark fishing has been completely banned in all Maldivian atolls since 2010, and ray fishing since 2014. I suddenly got even more excited for our trip. My partner and I arrived at the Dhigali resort in a tiny propeller-driven seaplane, some 45-minute flight from Male international airport. The island is located in the Raa Atoll in the northern part of the Maldivian archipelago. We got a warm welcome and a useful orientation briefing by manager Kate. My first impression of Dhigali was that the island was very green and jungle-like, creating an authentic and exciting atmosphere. The island is one kilometre long, which is quite big compared to many other resorts with similar guest capacity. This, together with the owner´s intention of keeping as much natural vegetation as possible, has created a very lush, genuine environment.
DOING THE JUNGLE WALK
While exploring the island, we stumbled upon the ‘jungle walk’. Here, 80 percent of the vegetation is preserved and joined by little wooden signs with interesting facts about the wildlife and the plants found here. As we continued along the jungle walk, a group of flying foxes landed in a fruit tree just in front of us. We could also hear many different species of birds around us. On the ground, a small lizard made its way into the bushes.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BYRON CONROY
The
However, the next moment I reminded myself that I actually get up at 6am every morning just to fit in three or four dives a day, and I suddenly felt a lot better! 28
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winter waters of the Arctic that even in midwinter the area can support the food-webs necessary to sustain a complete marine ecosystem. So, while the rest of the North Atlantic is practically barren at that time of the year, the Gulf Stream creates rich upwellings around the mountains and seamounts of the Azores that become fertile oases to which the large pelagic animals of the region aggregate. Come spring and rising temperatures, the Azorean waters burst into life with huge planktonic blooms and krill spawning events, creating the perfect feeding conditions for the hungry great whales of the northern hemisphere as they migrate to their Arctic summer feeding grounds.
THE GREAT WHALES OF THE AZORES LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION…
Swept by the warm tendrils of the southern Gulf Stream, rich in tropical nutrients and dissolved organic nitrogen, the Azores archipelago is far enough south from the frigid
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The deep waters, undersea mountains and overall ecosystem of the Azores make it an almost perfect location for sperm whales - deep-diving animals that hunt and feed on the giant squid that abound in the depths around the archipelago.
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BEYOND TECHNICAL
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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
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Jill Heinerth waxes lyrical about the underwater delights that lie in store for adventurous divers off the coast of Newfoundland around the picturesque Bell Island
n the pale light of a wintery Canadian dawn, the Arctic blast persuades me to snug my hat securely down over my ears. Emerging from the neck of my parka, my muffled voice emits curly wisps of white vapour into the cold air. A barrel-chested John Olivero vaults clear of his truck in a long-sleeved T-shirt loudly announcing ‘let’s go diving!’ My sturdy Canadian resolve cannot hide my disbelief. “First, we have to get out of the driveway, Johnny!” I mumble. “No problem!” he smiles backs. “We have a secret weapon!” Who would have imagined that a diving expedition would require a snowplow? On this day, we need it to move the metre-deep snow that has accumulated overnight. But the list of necessary tools is even more peculiar. For months, John Olivero and Ocean Quest Adventure Resort (www.OceanQuestAdventures.com) owner Rick Stanley wrangled volunteers, convincing them to heft pickaxes and shovels to prepare for our visit. The group of selfless volunteers moved tons of iron ore, built decks and benches, and installed critical lighting in preparation for us to dive into the depths of the Bell Island Mine. February never deterred their dedication. On the contrary, there is plenty of time in the winter for projects and diversions. In Newfoundland, summertime is an orgy of outdoor activity – 18-hour days crowded with whales, World War Two wrecks, beach picnics and icebergs, leaving little room for manual labour. Winter is work time. Summer is for play.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY JILL HEINERTH WWW.INTOTHEPLANET.COM
Newfoundland
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ention the words ‘wreck diving’ on a club RIB or a dive charter boat and it’s guaranteed to get a reaction. In the UK, wreck diving is king. Who doesn’t enjoy exploring shipwrecks? Some get their kicks from the historical aspect, while others are attracted by an oasis of marine life. There is another contingent I would describe as ‘trophy hunters’, but the shallower wrecks were stripped yonks ago, leaving only the sub-50m tech wrecks laden with brass. Back in the good old days, every wreck diver was tooled up with a lump hammer, chisel and lifting bag. I would like to think that today’s discerning wreck diver has a moreconscientious approach, with thoughts more on preservation rather than plunder, but I’m sure there are still a few divers out there that would disagree! Our whole coastline is littered with tens of thousands of shipwrecks at varying depths to suit every level of recreational and technical diver. The English Channel alone has more than 40,000 recorded wrecks! The Dorset coast has its fair share and, fortunately for me, this has been my stomping ground for many years. I have explored most of the favourites in the 0m-40m range and taken a few reasonable pictures along the way. There are far too many amazing wrecks to mention in detail, so I have skimmed across the surface, detailing a selection of the very best. Except for the Royal Adelaide, Nor and Landing Craft wrecks lying off Chesil Beach, all of the sites I’ve mentioned are boat dives.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DON SILCOCK
Sat as they are, roughly halfway between the edge of southern Europe and the tip of North America, the nine islands of the oceanic archipelago of the Azores offer the only shelter from the notorious seas of the North East Atlantic. Underwater, that archipelago sustains an incredible ecosystem because those nine visible peaks are just a fraction of the 100-plus underwater mountains and seamounts that are both a beacon to marine life and a catalyst for the interaction between the many pelagic species that aggregate there.
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Don Silcock made the long haul from Australia to the Azores in search of some big-animal encounters – and he was not disappointed
ike the tips of icebergs, the islands of the Azores archipelago are just the visible peaks of a remarkable chain of underwater mountains that rank among some of the highest in the world. They rise up from the Azores Platform, a huge area of nearly 6 million km2, which in itself is just a small part of the incredible Mid-Atlantic Ridge, that runs the complete length of the Atlantic Ocean - from the far north and the Arctic Ocean, to the deep south and the Southern Ocean. The Azores Platform is some 2,000m below the ocean surface, but the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is grounded on to the seabed another 2,000m below that, while the tip of Pico (the tallest island of the archipelago) is 2,350 metres above sealevel, making the mountain that is Pico about 6,500 metres high in total elevation.
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Up currents, down currents, washing machines, currents that do not go in the direction they are supposed to, and currents that just come out of nowhere, can all be encountered in the national park
These sites are well protected from rough weather which means virtually guaranteed diving throughout the year
It is also one of the few places in the world where, under a special permit from the Regional Environment Directorate, it is possible to be in the water with those sperm whales – which is what convinced me to undertake the marathon journey from Sydney! September is the optimum month as it has the best visibility, reasonable water temperature, most tourists have departed and it’s the end of the calving season, with the highest chance of curious juvenile sperm whale encounters. I based myself in Madalena, the main town of the picturesque island of Pico in the central Azores, which is dominated by the Mount Pico volcano - the highest point in the archipelago and in all of Portugal. Thankfully dormant since its last eruption in 1718, a drive up to the flanks of Mount Pico affords a view that seems to stretch to eternity and puts into perspective the sheer isolation of these islands. It is that very view, combined with the nature and tenacity of the Azorean people, that allowed a shore-based sperm
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Stuart Philpott takes a whistlestop tour of some of the most-popular wreck dive sites along the South Coast PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART PHILPOTT
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What’s New
FOURTH ELEMENT SUMMER 2021 COLLECTION (SRP: £29.95-£69.95)
As we start to emerge from a pandemic that has dominated our lives for the past 12 months, we feel a change in the air as things have shifted off kilter in a way that stops us going back to the life before. New ways of working, shopping, socialising and being. A revived appreciation for human contact, a renewed gratitude for the natural world and the value of fresh air and clear waters. This is a time to consider what is really important to the health and well-being of ourselves and the planet, to ensure we change for the better. Summer 2021 starts Fourth Element on a path to a new kind of collection, with even greater focus on sustainability, one we see as more transient, that flows between seasons. Fourth Element co-founder Jim Standing said: “We’ve brought some Fourth Element favourites back to this collection and restored them with a fresh, organic aspect with messages of awareness and hope interlaced throughout. You’ll also find new environmentally considerate accessories to aid you in your adventures.” www.fourthelement.com
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AQUALUNG XSCAPE 3/4MM (SRP: £315)
According to Aqualung, the Xscape wetsuits ‘offer enhanced comfort for warm waters between 20-28 degrees C’, and ‘due to the flexible and lightweight material can be used for snorkelling, freediving, paddling and any other ocean sport’. The big thing about the Xscape wetsuits is that they are not made from neoprene – instead, they are constructed from Yulex, a composite material made of a natural rubber, laminated with water-based glue and a fabric made of recycled plastic bottles. Could this be the ultimate eco-friendly wetsuit? A ThermoShield chest panel with an inner fleece layer provides additional warmth around the torso, while Supratex kneepads provide high abrasion resistance combined with excellent flexibility. The rear zipper is made with a double flap and silicone seals at the wrists and ankles help prevent flushing. The Xscape come
in male and female variants, and both suits certainly stand out from the crowd. The men’s suit is an unusual green combined with vivid red, with some cool detailing under the arms of tropical leaves and branches. There are Storm fins and a Plazma mask in this green colour scheme to match. The women’s suit is predominantly a deep blue, with turquoise and white detailing on the right lower leg and upper body and arms. The tropical leaves and branches from the men’s suit are incorporated here, but in a far-more-visible fashion. The Xscape wetsuits come in plastic-free packaging – instead a handy mesh bag, which can be used for transporting your wetsuit or for collecting rubbish off the beach - and have hangtags made from recycled cardboard. www.aqualung.com/uk
AQUALUNG XSCAPE RASH GUARDS (SRP: £35-£53) Designed to match the Xscape wetsuits, the Xscape range of rash guards are meant to protect you from sunburn and jellyfish stings, above or below the surface, and can also be used as an additional layer under your wetsuit. The rash guards are made from recycled plastic bottles, and the chloride-resistant polyester will make the bright colours last longer. A slightly raised neckline on the tops gives additional sun protection during surface activities, and stops your BCD from rubbing against your skin during warm-water dives. Mesh panels below the arms allow air circulation to cool down body temperature. As with the wetsuits, the rash guards come in
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male and female variants. The men’s range is two tops – a short-sleeve version (£35) that is bright red with a hint of the green on the side, and a long-sleeve version (£41) that is mainly the green colour, with a splash of red on the left cuff, and a bit of the tropical detailing on the right shoulder. The women’s range comprises a long-sleeved top (£41) which features the same tropical design on the shoulder, with a predominantly white body, and a set of leggings (£53) which are completely covered in the colourful design. The rash guards also come in a mesh bag. www.aqualung.com/uk
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Gear Guide
THIS ISSUE: AWARD WINNER ROUND-UP
Normally, each month, the SCUBA DIVER test team assembles to rate and review a selection of dive equipment from a range of manufacturers. Products are split into price categories and are then evaluated for performance, comfort, ease of use, build quality, looks and value for money. The Test Team comprises Editor in Chief Mark Evans and a squad of volunteers, whose dive experience ranges from a couple of hundred dives to well over 6,000.
AWARD WINNER ROUND-UP
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging around the world, and the UK - as with many other countries - on lockdown with only essential travel allowed, the Test Team has obviously not been able to get out and run the next group tests. These tests will be conducted as soon as we are permitted to travel, which was right as we sent this magazine to print, so Group Tests and Test Extra should resume next issue. In the meantime, we thought we’d bring you a round-up of our previous Group Test Choice and Best Value winners.
ON TEST THIS MONTH: • PRIMARY CUTTING TOOLS • BACK-UP CUTTING TOOLS • PRIMARY DIVE LIGHTS • ENTRY-LEVEL REGULATORS
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Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis www.viviandivecentre.com Water temp: N/A Surface temp: N/A WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
AQUA LUNG SMALL SQUEEZE KNIFE | SRP: £30-£61 Aqua Lung have become experts at producing well-made and useable dive knives, and the Small Squeeze Knife range continue this tradition. That name is used to signify the use of Aqua Lung’s patented ‘Squeeze Lock’ design, which securely holds the knife in its sheath, but when the diver needs it, a simple squeeze of the hand and the knife is deployed with a minimum of fuss. The handle and sheath are nylon with fibreglass fill. There is a lanyard hole in the hilt, and the sheath has drainholes. It comes with mounts to attach it to grommets in your BCD or wing. The 304 stainless steel versions (£35) come in either blunt tip or sheep tip. The blunt tip has a screwdriver tip, sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and a bottle opener. The sheep tip has sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and bottle opener. There is also a spear tip version in titanium (£68) which is supremely lightweight. This has all the features of the others just with an extremely sharp spear tip. All three easily sliced through every test, and the handle was comfy and easy to use even with thick gloves on. All-round winner. www.aqualung.com/uk
CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST
KNIVES
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: titanium 72g / sheep 111g / blunt 103g VERDICT: The perfect BCD knife, whichever version you choose. Lots of features, and efficient locking/release system, and a very competitive price.
SCORE
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MARES HAND LINE-CUTTER B TITANIUM | SRP: £49 The styling of the Trilobite is also evident in this line-cutter from Mares. However, Mares being Mares, they have elevated it to another level with this ‘B’ version. The ‘B’ version features a ceramic cutting blade on one side, which is ultra-sharp and needs no apres-dive care as it won’t rust, and a military-grade titanium serrated blade on the other, which is safely behind a hinged protective shield. When you need to use it, you just flip up this shield and away you go. There is also an ‘A’ version (£35), which more-closely resembles the Trilobite, and has a line-cutter on either side, but each of these blades is ceramic, so it will never rust and needs no after-dive care. Both versions have a finger hole to aid deployment from its webbing sheath which can attach anywhere on your BCD or wing - and a webbing ‘hilt’, but they also have generous thumb and forefinger grips so you can firmly hold it in use. Well designed and with two very useful sections, it proved a formidable tool, slicing through every test product with ease and being easy to handle even with thick gloves on. Great as a primary or back-up cutting tool. www.mares.com
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CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST
KNIVES
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 36g VERDICT: The Trilobite influence is easy to see, but Mares have lifted it to another level. We like the blend of cutting blade and serrated edge, and the use of ceramic/titanium.
SCORE
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BIGBLUE TL3500 | SRP: £299 BigBlue have successfully carved out a niche for themselves in the competitive world of underwater lighting, and I am seeing many videographers utilising their products now, as well as divers for general lighting purposes. The TL3500 delivers - as the name suggests - 3,500 lumens at full power for oneand-a-half hours via its three ultra-highintensity LEDs, and while much of this is concentrated in a ten-degree spot, there is also a wide peripherary beam as well. This makes it great for penetrating through floating detritus - as often encountered in UK waters - and also for signalling. The halo of peripheral light is also enough to illuminate wider surroundings without burning everything out. There are four power settings - 100 percent, 50 percent, 25 percent and 10 percent, with the latter giving an awesome burntime of 15 hours! There is also an SOS setting. The push button is easy to operate even wearing thick gloves, and the colour indicator - blue at full charge, green as the power drops, and red when nearing re-charge time - is handy too. It is quite comfortable just held in your hand, but also comes with a lantern-style handle, and a soft Goodman handle. www.liquidsports.co.uk
CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST
TORCHES
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 447g RECHARGEABLE: Yes VERDICT: The BigBlue TL3500 is a compact unit, but it sure pumps out some light, and we like the design of the push-button on/off with indicator light.
SCORE
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MARES EOS 20RZ | SRP: £266 Mares have produced a strong line-up of torches with the EOS RZ range, and the 20RZ is the top of the line, but it doesn’t have a ridiculous price point, coming in at £266. It is one of the larger units in this review, and it weighs in at 594g, but even then, it is no beast, comfortably sitting in your hand. Part of the reason for the weight is the enlarged front of the light, which offers a nifty zoom function - twist that chunky head and you can alter the beam from a tight, bright 11 degree spot to a wide 75 degree flood, which still retains an even spread. A narrower beam penetrates well in lower vis, and the wider beam can light up a wide area when things are clearer. The three CREE XP-L LEDs put out 2,300 lumens at full power, and it has three settings - high (100 minute burntime), low (three-hour burntime) and SOS mode. It is depth-rated to 120m, and recharges by simply unscrewing the end cap and then plugging in a cable to your laptop or a wall socket (via a mains/USB plug). To turn the 20RZ on and off is easy - you just slide the locking mechanism across and thumb the slide switch forward. Ever push forward cycles through the settings. www.mares.com
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BEST VALUE 2019 GROUP TEST
TORCHES
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 594g RECHARGEABLE: Yes VERDICT: Great torch for use as a primary dive light. The zoom beam is a neat feature, and the on/off is simple to use even with gloves on. Great unit.
SCORE
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There are many moments like this in the future.
EUROPEAN MADE
www.xdeep.eu
AQUA LUNG CORE SUPREME | SRP: £249.95 Aqua Lung has been making diving equipment for more than 75 years, and their regulators have always been solid units, but they have really come on in recent years - the Core Supreme is a belting little unit for just under £250. It has a chromecoated brass balanced diaphragm first stage with two high-pressure ports and four low-pressure ports, which is paired with a balanced demand valve equipped with a Venturi control and a large purge button. The Core Supreme is a decentlooking regulator that delivers a smooth breathe, doesn’t break the scales when it comes to weight, and at just under £250, represents excellent value for money. The large purge is easy to locate and operate even with thick gloves, and the same goes for the venturi lever. The exhaust is fairly compact, but the routing is sound and it disperses exhaled bubbles efficiently. It comes with a lip shield, which does actually assist in keeping your lips warm(er) in cold water, but if you don’t want this, it is quick and simple to remove it. The first stage is pretty small, which helps keep the weight down, and with its shiny chrome and polyurethane protector it certainly looks eyecatching. It is equipped with Aqua Lung’s patented Auto Closure Device, or ACD, which prevents any accidental water ingress if you accidentally submerged it without putting the cover back on the DIN or Yoke fitting. www.aqualung.com/uk
CHOICE 2020 GROUP TEST
REGULATORS
TECH SPECS & VERDICT CRACKING RESISTANCE: No VENTURI: Yes VERDICT: Excellent little regulator which could hold its own in the mid-range price bracket. For just under £250, this is exceptional value for money.
SCORE
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MARES ROVER 15X | SRP: £242 The Mares Rover 15X is an entry-level unit from this well-known Italian brand, and it doesn’t break the bank. The 15X first stage has pre-oriented ports - two high-pressure and four low-pressure, including one DFC port (Dynamic Flow Control), which minimises intermediate pressure drop during inhalation, thus maximising gas delivery - for optimum routing, yet retains a compact, travel-friendly size and weight. It also has an attractive sandblasted finish. The second stage is very lightweight, and it has a purge that lurks behind a flexible mesh grid on the unit, which helps eliminate freeflows in currents. It has a soft, comfortable mouthpiece, and utilises Mares’ Fluid Dynamic Deflector, which receives and properly directs the airflow from the Vortex Assisted Design bypass tube to the mouthpiece. The Vortex Assisted Design creates a swirling vortex with a low pressure area in the centre that keeps the diaphragm down during inhalation, for easy breathing at all depths. The Rover has subtle styling, but its performance is outstanding at this price point. www.mares.com
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BEST VALUE 2020 GROUP TEST
REGULATORS
TECH SPECS & VERDICT CRACKING RESISTANCE: No VENTURI: No VERDICT: Lightweight regulator with very subtle styling, but superior performance that belies its price point. Well worth checking out as an entry-level reg.
SCORE
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t: 01296 317787 e: u2scubaducks@gmail.com a: 34 Edison Road, Rabans Lane Ind. Estate, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP19 8TE We pride ourselves on being the most professional and friendliest dive centre. and club around. www.scubaducks.co.uk
t: 01843 621188 e: dive@kentscuba.com a: 23 Maple Leaf Business Park, Manston, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 5DG Scuba is our passion and we want to share that by enabling others; turning your dreams into realities. www.kentscuba.com
DORSET UNDERWATER EXPLORERS t: 01305 824555 e: info@underwaterexplorers.co.uk a: Unit 1, Maritime Business Centre, Mereside, Portland, Dorset, DT5 1FD Leading Dorset dive centre stocking all major brands, air, nitrox, trimix fills, rentals and servicing beside Portland Marina and across from Chesil Beach. www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk
ESSEX BESPOKE SCUBA DIVING LIMITED t: 01708 837032 e: contact@bespokescubadiving.co.uk a: Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Althorne Way, Dagenham, Essex, RM10 7FH Our mission is to provide quality & professional scuba training in a relaxed friendly environment. www.bespokescubadiving.co.uk
BLACK WATER DIVING t: 07841 561680 e: info@blackwaterdiving.co.uk a: 18 Lower Park Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 4NA PADI Dive training focussed on beginners. Try Scuba Diving for £20. Private swimming pools. Learn to scuba dive with 1:1 instruction at Blackwater Diving. www.blackwaterdiving.co.uk
DIVERSE SCUBA t: 01375 892444 e: info@diverse-scuba.co.uk a: Ye Old Plough House Motel, Brentwood Road, Bulphan, Essex, RM14 3SR Diverse Scuba are one of the leading 5 STAR PADI IDC dive centres in the UK providing scuba diving courses and services to the Essex region. www.diverse-scuba.co.uk
ORCA SCUBA DIVING ACADEMY t: 01268 520111 e: info@orcascubadivingacademy.co.uk a: 17 Repton Close, Burnt Mills Estate, Basildon, Essex, SS13 1LN Established in 2007 the Academy a vision of Gary to deliver the very best Scuba Diving School in Essex. www.orcascubadivingacademy.co.uk
KENT BLUE OCEAN DIVING t: 01622 212022 e: scuba@blueoceandiving.co.uk a: West Park Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 7AF 5* PADI scuba diving courses and training, organised diving trips and events, scuba equipment and friendly advice based in Maidstone. www.blueoceandiving.co.uk
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KENT TOOLING DIVING PRODUCTS t: 01227 700374 e: sales@divingproducts.co.uk a: Windgates, Church Lane, Waltham, Near Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5SS Kent Tooling Diving Products produce the widest range of rebreather and diving supplies and accessories in Kent and the UK. www.divingproducts.co.uk
HARROGATE DIVESHACK UK t: 07779 605863 e: tim@diveshack.uk.com a: 17 Station Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1UF Harrogates number 1 dive store. www.diveshack.uk.com
PLYMOUTH AQUANAUTS t: 01752 228825 e: info@aquanauts.co.uk a: 88 Vauxhall Street, The Barbican, Plymouth, PL4 0EY Waterfront full service centre with direct access to the best wreck and reef diving the UK has to offer. www.aquanauts.co.uk
ROTHERHAM DREAM DIVERS LTD t: 07976 526050 e: info@dreamdiversltd.co.uk a: 18-20 Greasbrough Rd, Parkgate, Rotherham, S62 6HN PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre based in Parkgate, Rotherham. Our instructional team has been teaching PADI courses together in the Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and surrounding areas of South Yorkshire since 2005. www.dreamdivers.co.uk
SHROPSHIRE SEVERN TEC DIVING
LANCASHIRE CAPERNWRAY DIVING AND LEISURE LTD e: info@dive-site.co.uk a: Jackdaw Quarry, Capernwray Road, Over Kellet, Lancashire, LA6 1AD The UK’s finest inland dive site... Welcome to Capernwray, the beautiful diving venue on the edge of the Lake District. www.dive-site.co.uk
MILTON KEYNES MK SCUBA DIVING t: 07957 710334 e: contact@mkscubadiving.co.uk a: Unit 50A, I-Centre, Howard Way, Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes, MK16 9PY Friendly, professional and patient PADI, SDI and TDI scuba instructors, we proudly offer you high quality service, equipment and facilities. www.mkscubadiving.co.uk
NORWICH CHRISTAL SEAS SCUBA LTD t: 01603 485000 e: info@scuba4me.co.uk a: 62 Whiffler Road, Norwich, NR3 2AY We are Norfolk’s Premier dive centre with our own on-site swimming pool and well stocked shop with the latest equipment. www.scuba4me.co.uk
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE GO DIVE t: 01332 665353 e: sales@godive.net a: Nottingham Road, Spondon, Derby, DE21 7NP Take your diving to the next level with GoDive, the UK’s first fourth element concept store. Start shopping with us today! www.godive.net
t: 01939 291303 e: severntecdiving@gmail.com a: The Glyders, Church Road, Baschurch, Shropshire, SY4 2EG We are a Scuba Diving Training Center with over 20 years experience with a multi-agency approach to scuba diving. www.severntecdiving.com
SOMERSET DIVE ACADEMY t: 01935 353525 e: info@dive.academy a: Unit 7-8 Boundary Avenue, Commerce Park, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8UU Somerset’s Premier. Scuba Diving Centre. Book a lesson. www.dive.academy
STAFFORDSHIRE SCUBA COURSES t: 07743 719172 e: info@scubacourses.co.uk a: Trent House, Trent Walk, Joiners Square, Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 3HE Offering a full range of training, servicing and expert advice. www.scubacourses.co.uk
SUSSEX OYSTER DIVING t: 0800 699 0243 e: info@oysterdiving.com a: Maritime House, Basin Road North, Portslade, E. Sussex, BN41 1WR PADI 5-star IDC centre in London and S.E. Holidays around the world, active club and local dives. Exclusive lake in Surrey. www.oysterdiving.com
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SUSSEX PLANET DIVERS t: 07889 883232 e: info@planetdivers.co.uk a: Planet Divers, The Angling Club, Royal Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 7AA A Friendly Crew, Great Diving all year round. Excellent, Fun trips UK & Abroad for all levels, non-divers welcomed. www.planetdivers.co.uk
WEST MIDLANDS AQUASPORT INTERNATIONAL t: 0121 706 6628 e: info@aquasportonline.com a: The Dive Centre, 50 Lincoln Road, Olton, Solihull, West Midlands, B27 6PA The only purpose built diver training centre and dive shop in the West Midlands and the only PADI Dive Centre in the whole of Greater Birmingham and Solihull. www.aquasportonline.com
YORKSHIRE DIVEWORLD t: 01142 332995 e: info@learn2dive.co.uk a: 185 Holme Lane, Hillsborough, Sheffield, Yorkshire, S6 4JR Welcome to Diveworld, dive school, dive club, dive retail and servicing, dive travel and more, the complete scuba package. www.learn2dive.co.uk
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WILTSHIRE DM SCUBA TRAINING t: 07920 556116 e: instructor@hotmail.co.uk a: Filton leisure Centre, Elm Park, Fiton BS34 7PS DM Scuba hold pool training sessions in Bristol, Swindon and Bath giving you plenty of choice. www.dm-scuba.co.uk
BAHAMA SHARKFEST
Don Silcock his three-part focus on sharks in the Bahamas, this time with majestic great hammerheads in Bimini.
Q&A WITH SIMON LORENZ
We chat to UW shooter Simon Lorenz about leading specialist trips, and why you don’t want to dive Palau with your lens cap on...
THE RETURN OF UK DIVING
At long last, we are now able to drive around the country and stay overnight, so what are you waiting for? Get out and dive!
BACK TO THE MALDIVES
Stuart Philpott gets back on an airplane and heads to the Maldives, first stopping on the diver favourite island of Vilamendhoo.
PROJECT BASELINE: TRUK
Marcus Blatchford and Pete Mesley showcase the wrecks of Truk Lagoon as never before using photogrammetry.
GEAR GUIDE: 2020 REVIEW
As we wait to get stuck into 2021 products, Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans looks back at some of his favourite bits of kit from last year.
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THE USE OF METAL DETECTORS IN DIVING ARCHAEOLOGY, PART ONE By Mike Haigh, Project Director, Wreck Hunters
T
he image that most people have of ‘detectorists’ (as metal detector enthusiasts are often called) is probably derived from reports in the media of treasure being found in remote locations. Archaeologists’ traditional view of this activity was not positive – many regarding these activities as nothing better than the vandalism of historic sites. In recent times, however, relations between metal detector users and archaeologists have improved. Metal detectors are used in diving archaeology in three principle ways: During the pre-disturbance survey of the site to map concentrations of metallic objects and other isolated contacts; secondly, to ascertain the approximate position of objects in a layer which is about to be removed; The third use is to locate metal artefacts on bedrock, which are either invisible due to a covering of silt, because they are hidden in holes and crevasses, or in many cases disguised by marine growth. Underwater metal detectors, like the Aquascan AQ1B unit which we use, are called pulse induction metal detectors. The detector normally comes in two parts, an electronics pod containing the battery and circuitry which is attached to the coil or probe by a cable. The diver will see the presence of metal objects on a display, or more commonly by sound signals, either by using headphones or by using a ‘bone phone’. Instruments vary in the ways they report the presence of a target. In the case of the Aquascan unit, a steady pulse tone builds to a continuous signal when the coil is over a piece of metal.
SO HOW DO THEY WORK?
In the case of the AQ1B unit, the detector works based on alternating a transmit and receive signal at a rate of a few hundred cycles per second. In the transmit stage a strong direct current pulse, lasting a fraction of a second, is sent out. This pulse energises the surrounding area and creates a response from any conductive material, this is called an ‘Eddy Current’. In the receive part of the cycle any increase
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in sampled returned energy, from proximity of a conductive object, will raise the level in the receive path above the ‘at rest’ level. This produces the audible response we described earlier. Most metal detectors used on land are known as VLF (very low frequency) detectors. The problem with these is that their signal is significantly absorbed by saltwater and generally relies on continuous motion to generate a response. Pulse induction (PI) detectors on the other hand are able to work well in saltwater and without requiring motion. Due to the conductive nature of seawater, a level of returned energy is generated for a short time after the end of the transmit stage - this energy increases in level and duration as water depth increases. A switch setting allows the point of sample to be slightly delayed allowing this unwanted early energy to dissipate. A secondary control allows the optimum threshold to be restored at any depth. Maintaining optimum sensitivity allows maximum yield of contacts, albeit in many cases this will yield an old drink can or other discarded modern debris. However, the seabed will also provide many more metallic clues relating to maritime history. Sorting the ‘wheat from the chaff’ will probably only come with excavation of the site. I would add in here a word about the care of these units. Most modern underwater metal detectors have undergone a long production span and most ‘weaknesses’ have been weeded out. They are, however, reasonably expensive pieces of equipment and care should be exercised by those using them. Try not to drop your weight belt or tank on them! Rinsing them in fresh water after use is a sensible idea. www.wreckhunters.co.uk
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Explore with a clear conscience
XENOS & PROTEUS II Recycled rubber tyres and limestone neoprene
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Thermal protection is essential for enjoying our time in the water. At fourth element, we strive to find the best materials and processes to create products that are better for the environment D POLY LE E C whilst maintaining their performance. That’s why our range of wetsuits is made with sustainable rubber and recycled nylon, as well as limestone neoprene, so that you can pursue your adventures with peace of mind.
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