Scuba Diver May 17 - Issue 3

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WILD WEST

COAST

FREEDIVING FOR ALL

BREATHING ON A BUDGET

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DIVING DRY

THE LOWDOWN ON DRYSUIT BUOYANCY, WEIGHTING & MAINTENANCE

WALLS, WRECKS & MEGA-VIS IN

IRELAND

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TOP TIPS ON COMPOSITION AND FRAMING

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An experience without equal

“A fantastic and unique location with some of the best dive sites we’ve ever experienced. The sites are great at 25 metres, 15 metres and 5 metres, so perfect for any kind of

At Wakatobi Resort, we take great pride in providing the ultimate in exclusive and personalised service. Our dive staff and private guides ensure your in-water experiences are perfectly matched to your abilities and interests. At the resort, or on board our luxury dive yacht Pelagian, you need only ask and we will gladly provide any service or facility within our power.

For all these reasons and more, Wakatobi takes top honors among discerning divers and snorkellers.

preference. The service and support was downright luxurious!”

T. Marshall Manson

www.wakatobi.com

EDITOR’S NOTE Stormtroopers at dive shows

A VISION OF THE FUTURE? Darth Vader and a cohort of Imperial Stormtroopers and Scout troopers is the last thing you’d expect to encounter at a dive show. And you don’t think you’d run into a monstrous T-rex wandering the floor with its ‘handler’, or see real-life mermaids cavorting in the central display tank. But that is just a few of the oddities visitors were exposed to at the second incarnation of The Great Northern Dive Show, at EventCity in Manchester on 8-9 April.

Founder Ruth Mort is a mega-keen diver, and she is bound and determined to create an event that has plenty to keep both non-divers and divers - not to mention their families - occupied for a few hours.

Hence why alongside the usual dive-show fodder of distributors, manufacturers, tour operators, training agencies and dive centres, not to mention a solid line up of speakers, you had Sith Lords, dinosaurs, mythical creatures, fire-dancers and so on.

It is only a fairly small show at the moment, and it was disappointing to see how few of the bigger players in the industry came along to support it. Footfall, while not spectacular currently, was up on last year’s inaugural event, but it is only going to keep on increasing if the industry does its bit and ensures that there is enough on show to satisfy the divers. Ruth and her team can bring in all the peripheral goodies, but she needs support from the diving world if this is going to keep on growing year on year.

Personally, I found the event had a great atmosphere, and I have never seen so many children at a dive show. Bravo to Ruth for trying to do something different, and the Scuba Diver team looks forward to seeing what she comes up with in 2018 and beyond.

MARK EVANS Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR IN CHIEF

MAGAZINE

Mark Evans Tel: 01691 661626 Email: mark.evans@scubadivermag.com

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

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ON THE COVER

PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK EVANS

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES

The family of Rob Stewart launches lawsuit, and Grenada gains a new shipwreck.

The wild west coast of the Emerald Isle is a place of stunning walls, interesting wrecks, diverse and colourful marine life, and simply mega-vis.

Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans headed across the Irish Sea for the ‘craic’.

8 News

32 Dive like a Pro

A panel of experts from all the main training agencies offer advice on drysuit diving.

42 Underwater Photography

‘Duxy’ rounds out his two-part series looking at composition and framing.

64 Industry News

Up-to-the-minute news and information from the main dive training agencies.

98 The Zen Diver

Tom Peyton from Kids Sea Camp offers sage advice on how you should approach your diving.

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26 Ireland

36 The Sultanate of Oman

Egypt and Jordan may garner most of the interest when it comes to diving in the Middle East, but neighbouring Oman has much to offer, including amazing coral formations in the Daymaniyat Islands.

46 Yap

Al Hornsby heads to the Pacific to explore the tiny island of Yap, and relishes the opportunity to interact with and photograph their resident population of manta rays.

52 FREEDIVING: Dive Ability and News

Freediving guru Emma Farrell introduces Dive Ability members to the wonders of breath-hold diving, plus the DeeperBlue team compile more freediving news from around the world.

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CONTENTS

58 Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands are dinky little specks in the middle of the northern Caribbean, but these three rocky outcrops - Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman - are among the most-popular diving destinations on the planet. We explain why.

66 Indonesia

The Lembeh Straits in North Sulawesi in Indonesia is the birthplace of so-called ‘muck-diving’, and while there have been an increasing number of pretenders to the throne, as Scuba Diver found out, it can still hold its own as the ‘muck-diving capital of the world’.

72 SHOW REPORT: The Great Northern Dive Show Stormtroopers. Dinosaurs. Fire dancers. These were just some of the attractions at The Great Northern Dive Show in Manchester, along with trade stands, tour operators, manufacturers and training agencies.

76 TECHNICAL: Utila

Stuart Philpott is delighted to just be able to don boardshorts and a rash vest before heading off down to 60m in the warm waters of Honduras.

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GEAR GUIDE 84 What’s New

New products recently released or coming soon to a dive centre near you, including a neat travel set from Aqualung, and Szanto dive watches.

86 Group Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team convened at Vivian Quarry in North Wales, this time turning their attentions to budget-priced regs.

86 Test Extra

Mark Evans tries out the Otter Britannic II drysuit from Otter Watersports.

94 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team gets to grips with a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Apeks MTX-R, Aqualung Reveal X2 and Shearwater Research Perdix AI.

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News

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. scubadivermag.com/news

Stewart family file wrongful death lawsuit The family of Sharkwater director/film-maker ROB STEWART have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several companies and individuals following his tragic accident PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SHARKWATER

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n a move many had been expecting, the family of Sharkwater director/film-maker Rob Stewart filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several companies and individuals involved in his fateful Florida Keys tech dives in late-January.

As reported in Scuba Diver in March, the Canadian conservation hero died on 31 January after disappearing back beneath the surface following a third consecutive closed-circuit rebreather dive on the 70m-deep wreck Queen of Nassau, which lies near Alligator Reef six miles off Islamorada. His body was eventually found just a few hundred metres from where he disappeared after a massive three-day air-and-sea search taking in much of the northern Keys.

Among the targets of the suit - issued by Coral Gables-based Haggard Law Firm on behalf of the family - is Peter Sotis, Stewart’s CCR instructor, and buddy on the day he died, his wife Claudia Sotis, and their company Add Helium.

Horizon Dive Centre, based in Key Largo, which provided the boat from which Stewart was diving, is also in the suit.

This lawsuit had been long awaited by many in the diving industry since Stewart’s death.

And Sotis is no stranger to legal issues – he was one of four defendants to plead guilty to a $300,000 jewellery heist in Fort Myers in 1991, a conviction that resulted in him serving nearly three years in federal prison, and his latest legal troubles include a lawsuit filed by his former business partner, in which he is accused, among other things, of selling military-grade scuba equipment to a Libyan militant last August, as well as selling non-certified compressed air tanks to the company’s customers.

The lawsuit, which is seeking unspecified damages, was filed in Broward County Circuit Court. Stewart’s family said it ‘hopes the legal action will push out and/or change the ways of all irresponsibly operating diving businesses and help keep attention on his mission of ocean conservation’.

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GRENADA GAINS A NEW SHIPWRECK

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eter Seupel and the team from Aquanauts Grenada have located the island’s latest wreck dive – the Persia II. The Vincentian-registered Persia II was carrying cargo from Trinidad to St Vincent on 3 March when it got into difficulties. The Grenada Coastguard responded to the emergency call that the ship was sinking and were able to rescue nine crew members from the partially submerged vessel, which then went down approximately nine miles off Point Salines.

Since it sank, Seupel and his team of divers had been diligently waiting for the weather to improve enough to conduct a search, and on 29 March they were able to follow an oil trail on the surface and then use sonar to locate the vessel. They discovered it sitting bolt upright on the seabed in 35m, fully intact and ready to be colonised by marine life.

Originally named the Atlantik, the 36-metre, 247-ton cargo ship was built just before the outbreak of World War Two by the Brand Werft shipyard in Oldenburg, Germany. In 1950 it went through a refit and extension to the current length of 41 metres, in 1964 it was remained the Persia II, and then in 1985 it was moved to St Vincent to run inter-island cargo.

Peter said: “The Persia II is now a part of the famous ‘Atlantic wrecks’ of Grenada. Due to the depth and conditions, it is for advanced divers only, and nitrox is a must”. www.aquanautsgrenada.com

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News Big savings on Cocos charters

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

Dive Worldwide is inviting you to experience the remote Pacific outpost of Cocos Island, Costa Rica, aboard the Okeanos Aggressor II and save £330 per person, with up to five free spaces for group charters.

The Okeanos Aggressor II is a 32-metre liveaboard that can accommodate up to 22 passengers in nine well-appointed staterooms, each including their own en-suite and air-conditioned facilities.

Picture credit: Simon Rogerson The vessel, which offers up to three dives per day, also features a spacious sun deck, a restaurant with bar and a dive deck complete with camera table, battery charging stations and a separate rinse tank.

Located 300 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is a magnet for large species of pelagic and one of the largest animal marine areas in the world. Divers can expect encounters with schools of hammerhead sharks, manta rays and the occasional whaleshark, while over 300 species of fish can be spotted on the surrounding reefs.

The special offer price starts from £4,215 per paying customer, and you can save £330 per person plus get up to five free spaces for group charters. Price is for liveaboard only, including ten night liveaboard, all meals, six and a half days diving (three to four dives per day), tanks and weights. www.diveworldwide.com

DIVER DIES ON FARNE ISLANDS TRIP

A 51-year-old woman died after a diving accident off the Northumberland coast at the popular Farne Islands site.

Swimming instructor Carole Linda Edwards, from Westhead, near Ormskirk, disappeared back beneath the water after surfacing at 11am yesterday, and the Coastguard, lifeboats and other rescue teams from Holy Island and Seahouses launched a search operation. She was located at 2.30pm by a diver from another club and given immediate medical treatment, but sadly died a short time later.

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

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Curious about rebreathers?

Not sure whether rebreather diving is right for you?

Unsure what unit would best suit you? Get the answers you need from some of the leading lights in rebreather training representing the top training agencies as they congregate at Vobster Quay on 3-4 July.

Discover a selection of popular units – we’ll show you how they work, how to set them up, their benefits and limitations and, of course, you’ll get to trydive four of them yourself.

Instructors on hand include Keiran Hatton (IANTD, TDI), Vikki Batten (PADI TecRec), Martin Robson (PADI TecRec, IANTD), Paul Toomer (DiveRAID), and Dave Gration (TDI, IART, IANTD). The cost of the event is £350, and this includes two full days of diving, trydives on up to four different CCR units, and a BBQ on the first evening. There are only ten spaces available, so call 01373 814666 to reserve your spot now.

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MEXICO

SEA OF CORTEZ SOCORRO ISLANDS 2017 KIDS SEA CAMP:

JULY 2ND TO JULY 9TH

SEA OF CORTEZ: “Citizen Science Week.” on the liveaboard, Quino El Guardian. $3,595.00 per person (Only four spaces left)

2018 KIDS SEA CAMP DECEMBER 26TH TO JANUARY 4TH

New Year’s Eve SOCORRO ISLANDS: Dec. 27th to Jan. 4th on the liveaboard , Rocio Del Mar. Enjoy Galapagos like diving at half the price $3,795.00 per person Presley Cooper, photo shot

by Margo Peyton with a SeaLife 2.0 HD.

CALL US TODAY FOR YEAR-ROUND FAMILY DIVE RESERVATIONS

KIDS@FAMILYDIVERS.COM 803.419.2556 WWW.FAMILYDIVERS.COM

ROCIO DEL MAR LIVEABOARD

News Accidental world record sparks a trend

In March 2016, Tekdeep were joined by blind diver Graham Owen on the specialist technical liveaboard vessel, MV Legends, in the Egyptian Red Sea. During what was planned as a dive to the 100m Gulf Fleet 31 at Sha’ab Ruhr Umm Gamar, Graham and his buddy missed the wreck and this resulted in his world record for the ‘Deepest Saltwater Dive for a Blind Diver’ at 105m.

Fast forward to 2017 and Graham made the decision to head back out to the Red Sea and better this record by diving The Crack at Sha’ab Ruhr Umm Gamar. The plan was to not only break his existing record, but to also raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind and assist in the training of a Seeing Eye Dog. The Crack is a crevasse between two continental plates where you can actually touch the rock face on each side at the same time.

This second world record attempt was to also be undertaken on MV Legends, with Simon Taylor-Watson from Tekdeep leading the dive, ably assisted by Alby Roberts and Stephen Arnold as safety divers.

On the morning of the dive, a full pre-dive briefing was conducted, and once completed, everyone kitted up and dropped into the water. Pre-dive checks were completed, and Graham was to follow a strobe attached to Simon’s CCR. Graham is able to distinguish light and dark, so although this was not particularly good in the shallower depths, it was to be essential as they dropped into The Crack.

Simon, Graham and Alby dropped down to a depth of 111m and completed a congratulatory handshake, before making the slow return to the surface. Total dive time was two hours and 20 minutes. www.tekdeep.com

FROM THE MAN HIMSELF

Graham said: “My guide dog Gypsy makes my life possible. With her at my side, I have the freedom and independence to do the things I want to do - including my biggest passion, diving.

“When I lost my sight and couldn’t do some of the adrenaline-pumping hobbies I once could, I decided to start deep water diving. I became hooked, joined the White Rose Dolphins diving club and now dive most weekends.

“I decided to combine the two and raise funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind to help train more of these life-changing animals by attempting to break the world record for the deepest saltwater dive achieved by a blind person.

“The record stood at 105m (set by me), but I wanted to go deeper! And I am pleased to say that I did it!”

To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Graham-Owen

Introducing Scuba Travel’s new photo pro Scuba Travel have been arranging escorted photography holidays for over a decade, and this week Mario Vitalini has joined their impressive line-up. He will be running worldwide photography holidays for beginners, alongside Martyn Guess (intermediate level workshops) and household names Martin Edge and Alex Mustard (advanced level workshops).

Mario has been part of the Scuba Travel family for many, many years, and spent several years as a dive guide with the award-winning Tornado Marine Fleet.

He has extensive kit knowledge, having worked alongside Duxy at Cameras Underwater and Ocean Leisure in London.

Mario is well known for his knowledge and patience as an instructor. Most recently he has focused on teaching underwater photography, specialising in private UK courses as Fishinfocus Underwater Photography.

Mario will be running popular Red Sea Winter Warmers and Red Sea Relaxed

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as well as heading to Komodo and Lembeh in 2017. On selected dates he will also be on board non-photo weeks in the Red Sea, offering 1:1 lessons underwater and with photo editing for those that want a helping hand.

So if you are new to photography or just frustrated with your efforts so far, be sure to book a spot on one of his 2017 workshops. www.scubatravel.com/photography

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Visit our chosen UK dealers: UNDERWATER EXPLORERS Dorset www.dirdirect.com SIMPLY SCUBA Faversham www.simplyscuba.com SANTI STORE UK Cottenham www.santi-store.co.uk WRECK & CAVE Shepton Mallet www.wreckandcave.co.uk DIVEMASTER SCUBA Nottingham www.divemasterscuba.com VOBSTER Radstock www.vobster.com Full list of dealers available on our website.

News Dive

Diverse Travel adds new Indonesian liveaboard

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A new liveaboard has been added to the worldwide offerings from UK tour operator Diverse Travel. MY Pindito is a 38-metre liveaboard, which sails the iconic dive sites in East Flores, Komodo, Raja Ampat and the unique Biodiversity Cruise.

She has six double cabins and two twin cabins all ensuite, individual climate control and daily housekeeping. The knowledgeable and friendly crew offer a five-star service, which extends to the dining room, with international and local food prepared by expert chefs, beer and wines.

The sun deck is a welcoming place to relax and catch the sun’s rays, and Balinese or aromatherapy massages are available.

The dive deck is spacious, with equipment storage, rinse tanks and camera/ charging stations. Diving is done from a well-equipped zodiac and the dive crew handle your gear, making sure it arrives at your dive site. Nitrox is available and

new to the Pindito is rebreather diving, where guests can also do the rebreather course.

“Her sailing itineraries are varied and different, which makes her such a great choice for divers looking for that something a bit different,” explains Holly Gibson of Diverse Travel. “Komodo National Park, Raja Ampat, East of Flores and the Biodiversity Cruise is a rare chance to dive around Flores, Alor, East Timor and the Banda Sea covering 1100 nautical miles of biodiversity.”

Prices are from £4,625 per person for a 12-night package to Komodo, based on twin share, including return flights from London Heathrow to Bali, airline departure taxes, one-way domestic flight from Bali to Maumere, 11 nights full board accommodation, three dives a day and one night dive, free nitrox (for nitrox-certified divers only), one night Bed & Breakfast at Parigata Hotel, Sanur, Bali, all transfers and harbour fees. www.diversetravel.co.uk

UK implements flight ban on electronic items

In the wake of the USA announcing a ban on electronic items over a certain size being allowed in cabin baggage from eight predominantly Middle Eastern countries, the UK government has followed suit, initiating a cabin baggage ban on everything bigger than a smartphone on direct passenger flights to Great Britain from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the move followed talks on air security and was ‘necessary, effective and proportionate’, while US officials were more direct and said bombs could be hidden in a series of devices.

Unlike the US ban, which is decidedly hazy on exactly what falls under the restriction, the UK has announced size limits – the ban will apply to any device larger than 16cm long, 9.3cm wide or 1.5cm deep. This means laptops, tablets, DVD players, games consoles, e-readers, cameras and even certain larger smartphones will fall foul of the ban. Any affected device will now need to be stowed into hold luggage.

A government spokesperson said it was up to individual airlines to decide when to begin enforcing the restrictions. The UK companies affected are British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson, and overseas carriers are Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.

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News Guadalupe Island liveaboards with Regaldive

Picture Credit: Jacqueline Paice

Diving holiday specialists Regaldive now feature liveaboards in Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Great white shark encounters at Guadalupe Island are nothing short of spectacular. This is one of the best destinations in the world for calm, clear water and a consistently high probability of multiple shark encounters per day. Along with the superb visibility, Guadalupe outperforms other great white shark destinations with its shark-seeing consistency and ideal diving conditions, combined with easy access for UK divers, via direct flights to San Diego.

Regaldive is working with the highly regarded Nautilus Fleet in Guadalupe. Nautilus liveaboards use submersible cages that descend down to 9m where the sharks naturally congregate.

A permitted wrangling platform is also used and the action in

Cave diver survives being trapped underground for 60 hours

A Spanish cave diver has defied the odds and managed to survive for 60 hours in an air pocket deep underground some 900 metres into a cave system in Mallorca.

Xisco Gracia had been diving with a buddy inside the system on Saturday 15 April when he began to have problems with his gas supply. Being an experienced cave diver, Garcia realised there was no way both of them could make their way out of the cave system on one set of kit, so his buddy went off on his own to seek assistance.

However, while his friend did manage to exit the cave and get help, it took over two days for the rescue teams to locate Garcia as visibility within the cave at 40m was described as ‘like cocoa’, leaving him sat alone in the dark breathing air so charged with carbon dioxide that he began to hallucinate.

He was eventually rescued at midnight on Monday, and was kept in hospital overnight as a precaution, but otherwise appeared to have escaped his ordeal unscathed.

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the surface cages can be just as exciting. This experience is not limited to advanced divers. Guests do not need to be a certified scuba diver to join, although it is recommended that they take a Discover Scuba Diving course prior to their trip and that they are comfortable in the water.

To launch this wonderful new destination, Regaldive has an amazing Buy One Get One Free Flash Sale Offer on Guadalupe Island liveaboards (boat only). Five night trips start from just £1,095pp (boat only) when booking with a buddy. This offer is valid for trips on Nautilus Guadalupe liveaboards departing between 25 July and 21 September 2017. Guests should book by 4 May 2017 to take advantage of this offer. www.regaldive.co.uk

Two-thirds of Great Barrier Reef affected by bleaching

It is worrying that aerial surveys have shown that unprecedented coral bleaching over consecutive years has significantly damaged some twothirds of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Bleaching occurs when coral is stressed and loses its protective algae, known as zooxanthellae, and the devastation revealed by the scientific surveys shows it is affecting a massive 1,500km stretch of the reef. The latest damage is concentrated in the middle section, whereas last year’s bleaching event hit mainly the north.

Experts fear the close proximity of the two events will give damaged coral little chance to recover, and Professor Terry Hughes, from James Cook University, said that governments must urgently address climate change to prevent further bleaching, explaining that since 1998, there have been four of these events, but being so close together is unprecedented.

The Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies carried out the surveys, and said that the findings showed only the southern section was relatively unscathed. Even more concerning was the fact that the latest damage happened without the assistance of El Niño, a weather pattern previously associated with bleaching events.

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News BDMLR helps rescue stricken whale

more water

better buoyancy

full online training

leaders online

modern techniques

updated skills

easy crossover

multi agency permitted

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Members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) helped the Coastguard and RNLI in March after being contacted by fishermen off Blackpool Beach, near Dartmouth, on the south coast of Devon, who had found a humpback whale entangled in their pot ropes while hauling them aboard.

BDMLR Devon Area Co-ordinator Dave McDonald and Assistant Area Co-ordinator Tim Coleman went out on the RNLI’s IRB to make an initial assessment of the condition of the whale, as well as trying to see how and where it was caught on the rope line. As far as could be seen, the whale had a single rope line caught around its tail, but was holding it down well below the water’s surface, which made seeing and reaching it difficult. Attempts were made to disentangle it, but after a few tries it became clear that as the whale was holding its tail so low down below the surface, there was no chance the IRB team would be able to do anything unless it could be raised. A new plan was made to haul the fishing gear aboard the fishing boat to get the tail up so that the IRB could approach and try again. The whale already appeared tired by this point, but it was still able to muster enough energy on the first hauling attempt to dive and take the buoys underwater with it, meaning it was now completely lost to sight.

After several minutes of breath holding (from the team!), the whale eventually resurfaced close to the fishing boat much to everyone’s relief, and hauling efforts started anew with more success, yet it was still too strong and as soon as it started to move it would take the haul rope and buoys back overboard.

After a few more hauling attempts that felt more like having a tug of war with the 20-tonne whale, the tail was being brought above the surface and the team were just inches away from being able to cut the rope free before it moved away again. However, the sun was now beginning to dip and time was running out.

Luckily, the Salcombe all-weather lifeboat arrived on the scene at that moment and two more crew came aboard to join in. Finally, after more than two hours, the tug of war succeeded, the twisted part of the rope around the whale’s tail was finally cut, and the whale disappeared briefly. Seconds later it surfaced some distance away, and continued to move slightly inshore and along the coast towards the Salcombe direction until it was lost to sight.

BDMLR would like to thank everyone who was involved in this incident. www.bdmlr.org.uk

PADI SOLD FOR $700 MILLION The Professional Association of Diving Instructors, better known as PADI, is the world’s largest diver certification agency, and it has been sold – again – this time for $700 million, to a consortium of wealthy families and investors calling themselves Mandarinfish Holdings.

PADI, which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary after being founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Eriksson, has been passed through a series of private investment groups after Cronin died in 2003.

The last change of ownership happened back in 2015, when private-equi-

ty form Lincolnshire Management sold PADI to another private-equity business, Providence Equity Partners LLC. Just a year later, it was back on the market with a $1 billion price tag, but at the same time, Providence Equity Partners helped PADI experience huge growth in the Chinese market, as well as upgrade its e-commerce system.

Mandarinfish Holding were reportedly drawn to PADI’s efforts to promote ocean conservation as well as the core business itself, and time will tell what the future holds for the market leader, which has increasingly come under pressure from rivals in recent years.

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Get to the bottom of all this.

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Before long, you’ll go down with the ships and come face-to-face with thousands of different species on America’s only living coral reef. fla-keys.com/diving

News

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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 2017 / 2018 Course Dates available

www.commercialdivertraining.co.uk info@commercialdivertraining.co.uk 01726 817128 | 07900 844141

18

Maldives: Six liveaboards, six itineraries

Emperor Maldives has exciting dive trips throughout 2017/18 sailing a range of routes from ‘Best of the Maldives’ to the ‘Deep South and Southern Sharks’.

One of the most popular is the all-year-round ‘Best of the Maldives’, with visits to the most-famous atolls of Rasdhoo, North and South Ari, Vaavu and North and South Male, with every chance of meeting mantas, whalesharks and memorable marine life.

‘Pelagic Magic’ offers just that, bringing guests face to face with the famous whalesharks of Ari Atoll. Pelagics of all shapes and sizes await.

‘Deep South and Southern Sharks’ is ideal from February to April, with shark action in these out-of-the-way southern dive sites. Spend a week away with the larger residents - tiger sharks, silver tips, grey reef sharks and whalesharks.

‘Manta Madness’ runs at the time of a New Moon when the manta are most prolific between July and November. As well as manta, expect whalesharks, hammerheads and reef sharks.

‘Sharktastic’ takes advantage of the clean ocean water flowing in from the eastern side of the Maldives, bringing with them not just fantastic visibility, but also a variety of pelagic surprises coming to the reef for a quick feed.

‘South Central Atolls’ is for when guests are looking for action. Speedy drift dives, mantas, sharks and diving several atolls with a crew that make it their business to make sure mantas, sharks and even a wreck are enjoyed.

All six Emperor Maldives liveaboards offer fine accommodation and service.

Included is full board, free nitrox, and local transfers. Non-divers are very welcome and get free snorkelling equipment and a $50 voucher to spend on board.

Seven-night trips start from £999 per person sharing a standard twin-berth cabin.

Ten-night trips are also available. Prices do not include international flights. Up to four free places are on offer for group bookings. maldives.emperordivers.com/

Double for Course Directors Pro Dive International, one of the Caribbean’s most-established PADI five-star Dive Resorts and recognised Career Development Centres, has announced that both of their Course Directors, Angel Navarro Moya and Jo Armitage, have been awarded the prestigious Platinum Status from PADI for their outstanding instructor development achievements during 2016.

This is Angel’s tenth, and Jo’s fourth, consecutive year receiving these awards since becoming Course Directors.

The Platinum Award is the highest

accolade awarded to only a few Course Directors worldwide each year for their instructional achievements and commitment to educational excellence.

“Angel and I constantly strive to give the best possible training to our instructor candidates. With 14 years combined experience as Platinum Course Directors, and many more years’ teaching experience around the world, we can pass on advice, tips and knowledge which will help our students in their future careers.” says Jo. www.prodiveinternational.com

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MEDICAL Q&A

News

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

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

Q: There seems to be a big variation in opinion on whether it’s safe to scuba dive while taking antidepressant medication. I have a friend who is, but she is actually taking it for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), not depression. The drug she is on is fluoxetine (Prozac) and she has no side-effects from it. She’s been my diving buddy for several years now (and taking the Prozac all that time), and we know each other’s diving habits back to front. I feel totally safe with her so have no doubts myself, but everyone I’ve asked so far has given me a different opinion on whether it’s safe to dive on Prozac.

Can you settle the question once and for all?

A: Like beer and ice cream, or sleeping tablets and laxatives, antidepressants and diving don’t tend to mix brilliantly.

Again though, the devil is in the detail.

It’s clear a thoroughly depressed, potentially suicidal diver on Prozac shouldn’t be getting wet, but in this case the condition we’re considering doesn’t tend to affect mood to that degree. In fact one could argue all divers would benefit from a touch of OCD. I know I do. So applying our principles above, she has no side-effects, and has a buddy that knows her well and has dived with her for years while on medication. The SSRI’s (the class of drug to which Prozac belongs) are non-sedating and don’t impair exercise capacity. All well and good, but there is a small chance that blood thinning induced by SSRI’s could exacerbate any bleeding, should it occur. My feeling is that if she is on a low, maintenance dose and is otherwise entirely well, diving would be permissible here. But I’d always advise a proper medical in person to be sure.

Q: I’m a rather round diver in his mid-50s and I’ve decided this year to lose weight and get properly fit so I can get the most out of the diving season. Like all blokes I’ve gone out and bought some gadgets to help me

20

achieve this. With the current craze for fitness apps and monitors, I’ve got myself a heart rate watch and am so far reaching the target of 10,000 steps a day (it’s only been six days so far but I need all the encouragement I can get!) But given that one doesn’t do much stepping when diving, I was wondering if there are any better targets or exercises I should be doing?

A: Firstly, well done for putting your plan into action – this is often the most difficult step of the 10,000. What you’ve raised is an interesting and topical conundrum, my dear fellow.

The basis of the 10,000 steps goal has recently been called into question, and it turns out that it’s just a ‘nice round number’, picked by some Japanese scientists in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics in the 1960s as a rough estimate of what an average man should do to burn 3,000 calories. Not all steps are equal, of course; for those with short legs the target of 10,000 will require far more calories to achieve than those endowed with longer lower limbs. So it’s an arbitrary ball park figure at best.

And although stepping will improve general fitness, I would argue that a diver needs to be doing something more aligned to what they will be doing in the water. One of the perennial criticisms of the Step Test used in assessing fitness for commercial divers is that it bears no relation to their underwater activities – construction, inspection, cleaning, welding, etc. For these tasks, one needs more upper body strength and dexterity. Personally, I would suggest swimming as the best all-round general exercise for you – low impact, good for the cardiovascular system, and it will develop the upper body musculature just as much as the lower. Best of luck.

Do you have a question for Dr Firth?

Email divingdoctor@scubadivermag. com with your query and we will pass it on to the team at London Diving Chamber.

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Next month’s issue: Next issue available 10th May

RESCUE ME

Behind-the-scenes of RNLI HQ in Poole

RED SEA LUXURY

Five-star liveaboard to the Brothers, Daedalous and Elphinstone

TANTALISING THAILAND

Wrecks, reefs and pinnacles off Phuket

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY

Divemaster Insurance reaches milestone

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SHORT-HAUL TO SPAIN

Stuart Philpott checks out the diving in the warm waters of the Med

TECHIES DIVE BERMUDA

Advanced subs and CCRs join forces to survey ocean and reef conditions

GEAR GUIDE: BUDGET BCDS The Test Team rate and review BCDs priced under £250

21

RAMPION OFFSHORE WIND FARM:

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE FOR DIVERS • Foundation piling activity complete • Wind farm and export cable route are major offshore construction sites and hazardous • Caution and vigilance is requested in respect of intensifying high-speed construction traffic Rampion’s piling operations to install the monopile foundations were completed in November, which has eliminated the risk to divers from piling noise emanating from the Rampion construction. However, sea user safety remains of paramount importance to the Rampion Team as construction work continues until some time in 2018.

Rampion recognise the Sussex coast is a popular area for diving, with a number of sites of interest. However, due to the high concentration of construction works, including subsea cabling works, turbine installations, subsea civil engineering work and significant high-speed craft activities, it is strongly recommended that diving is avoided within the wind farm site and export cable route until the construction works are complete.

Outside of these areas, divers’ attention is drawn to the increasing intensity of high-speed crew transfer vessels (CTV), which are transiting regularly between the wind farm site and Newhaven Port, Brighton Marina and Shoreham Port. The chart below shows the area in which high-speed CTVs are operating.

For your own safety, if you are an independent diver planning a local dive trip within the Area of CTV Operations using your own vessel, you are requested to familiarise yourself with the risks and follow the communications protocol set out in our ‘Guidance for Third Party Vessels on Rampion CTV Operations’, which can be found at rampionoffshore.com. In particular, vessels are requested to communicate in advance their passage plans and activities to the Rampion Marine Co-ordination Centre (MCC) on 07816 648 082 / leadmc@rampionoffshore.com You should also contact the MCC upon departure from port or prior to the dive itself, ensuring you communicate the following: • Name of wreck or location of the site you are planning to dive; • Expected time of arrival and departure;

Contact: Chris West Telephone: 07802 571056 Email: chris.bucc2@gmail.com Contact: www.buccaneer-diving.co.uk

CHANNEL DIVER

• Vessel name and Call Sign;

Contact: Steve Johnson Telephone: 07970 674799 Email: steve@channeldiving.com Contact: www.channeldiving.com

• Number of divers expected in the water.

If the MCC cannot be contacted, the Rampion Guard Vessel should be contacted on VHF Ch.16.

If you do go diving in the Area of CTV Operations, please be extra vigilant, especially for fast-moving CTVs. If you are seeking to charter a vessel in the local area for your dive trip, the dive charters listed are co-operating with the Rampion Construction Team. They are kept regularly informed of construction activities and associated hazards contained in our Weekly Notices of Operations and Notices to Mariners. They have an obligation to implement the communications protocol and keep us updated on diving activities. Please note this is neither a positive nor negative endorsement of any particular dive charter

by Rampion.

We will publish a further update for divers when the Rampion construction is complete in 2018.

Should you wish to receive our Weekly Notices of Operations and Notices to Mariners, please email: rampion@eon.com

22

BUCCANEER

BRIGHTON DIVER

Contact: Paul Dyer Telephone: 07901 822375 Email: paul@brightondiver.com Contact: www.brightondiver.com

DEFIANCE

Contact: Paul Jackman Telephone: 07711 325986 Email: brightonboat@btinternet.com Contact: www.brightonboat.co.uk

OUR W

Contact: David Ronnan Telephone: 07764 585353 Email: david.ronnan@btinternet.com Contact: www.dive125.co.uk

ADVERTISING FEATURE

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DIVING IN MALTA, GOZO AND COMINO

T

he Maltese archipelago is the perfect shorthaul diving destination from the UK. It is just a three-hour flight from a number of airports around the UK, boasts a warm climate all year round, is English-speaking, offers excellent value for money - and they even drive on the left-hand side of the road!

Malta, Gozo and Comino are widely regarded as the number one dive destination in the Mediterranean, regularly featuring highly in magazine polls. This isn’t surprising, as its crystal-clear waters are positively bursting with shallow reefs, stunning walls, interesting ship and airplane wrecks (both artificial and wartime casualties), conservation areas, caverns, caves, swim-throughs – the list is endless, and many dive sites are accessible either by boat or from the shore.

Whether you are a seasoned diver, a hardened techie, or looking to get into the hobby, the Maltese islands have got you covered. There are a multitude of dive courses on offer, from beginners to experienced divers, and those suitably qualified can hire a car, load up with dive equipment and head off to explore the shore-diving sites with their buddy.

DIVE HOTSPOTS

Um El Faroud, Malta – This 110-metre, 10,000-ton tanker was scuttled for divers back in 1998 and was torn in half by winter storms, creating wreckdiving heaven.

Blue Hole, Dwejra, Gozo – A natural rock formation carved out by centuries of weather erosion, this archway is covered in golden cup corals and a favourite with photographers.

P31 Patrol Boat, Comino – This Kondor I-class minesweeper sits upright in just 18m, making it the perfect shipwreck for all levels of diver, including student divers.

HMS Maori, Valletta, Malta – This is Malta’s most-famous historical wreck, a World War Two destroyer now lying partially buried in sand and smothered in marine life.

MV Karwela, IxXatt L-Ahmar, Gozo – This 50-metre-long ferry was purposesunk in 2006 and has rapidly become the most-visited shipwreck in Gozo.

Santa Maria Caves, Comino – Large cave and cavern system that extends for over 30 metres through a headland. Remember a torch to show off all the colours of the corals.

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There is plenty to keep you occupied on non-diving days, including Valletta, which has been named European Capital of Culture 2018; the Ggantija Temples on Gozo, which pre-date the great pyramids of Egypt; and the ‘silent city’ of Mdina, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you still hanker to get wet, there are an abundance of water activities, including sailing around the islands, kayaking in quiet bays, or letting out the inner-child in a water-park.

There are a variety of accommodation options for all budgets, and countless waterfront dining options, with delicious Mediterranean cuisine and wine. n For more information, check out: www.maltauk.com/diving/

23

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Egypt’s GRAVEYARD EXPLORING THE SHIPWRECKS OF SHA’AB ABU NUHAS

tricks of the trade How YOU can win in the battle of the baggage

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY ‘DUXY’ KICKS OFF THE FIRST OF A TWO-PARTER LOOKING AT COMPOSITION AND FRAMING

CYLINDER TESTING THE BATTLE TO STOP ANNUAL VISUAL TESTS BECOMING LAW

PLYMOUTH’S

PRIDE

DIVING THE HISTORIC CORONATION WRECK

6

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“

Congratulations, you’ve just killed everyone,” said Chris Demetriou, the Ops Manager at Dive-In Larnaca, based in Cyprus.

We had ventured deep inside the MS Zenobia wreck and, sure enough, the dive hadn’t gone as planned, but where had I made such a fatal mistake? This had been my penultimate dive on the TDI Advanced Wreck Diver course. The past three days had been more psychologically demanding than I had ever imagined. Chris said: “I don’t have to load the course with simulated problems, they just happen in real time.”

He was dead right - pitch black, encased in claustrophobia-inducing metal, without any lights or guidelines; situations could get quite interesting, if not extremely tense!

The Zen is an ideal wreck for technical diver training. On 7 June 1980, the 165-metre-long, 10,000-ton, roll-on, roll-off ferry sank in the middle of Larnaca Bay. She now lies on her port side at a maximum depth of 42m. Her demise has long been steeped in controversy and intrigue. The most-plausible theory is she sank due to a malfunction with the computerised system controlling her ballast tanks. There have never been any salvage operations.

A full cargo of 104 articulated lorries and heavy plant machinery still lie chained to the decks and stacked inside her holds. This popular dive site is conveniently located just a few minute’s RIB ride from the harbour.

Chris has spent a number of years developing the course itinerary. Most of the training dives are conducted inside the officer’s day room and the captain’s bedroom. The two rooms are totally enclosed, with some daylight filtering down from a row of rectangular windows above. Chris explained: “You don’t need to go deep inside for the course.” Just to confuse matters, the Zen lies on her port side so doorways, walls, ceilings and windows are not where they are expected to be. Chris said: “When planning any penetration dives, it’s vitally important to consider room orientation and the overall wreck layout.”

Although there are some theory sessions, most of the four-day course focuses on practical exercises. Ex-Londoner Chris said: “This is my favourite TDI course; we’ve already run about ten this year.” He usually limits numbers to two divers per course. Minimum certification requirements are PADI Advanced Open Water Diver with the Wreck Specialty and 50 logged dives, or any certifying agency with a wreck familiarisation certificate and the prescribed number of dives. Divers really have to be in the right mindset for this course. Chris said: “We don’t have to fail anybody, they end up failing themselves.” He continued: “This course is not for ‘badge collectors’. By the end of the second day, I know if they are going to make it or not.”

My first dive was basically an orientation. This gave me a chance to get familiar with the wreck’s key features and my own equipment configuration. I had been partnered with Scott Ayrey, an experienced trimix diver.

All participants have to be geared up with twinsets and a stage cylinder.

Chris prefers to keep his kit as streamlined and as basic as possible – “I don’t want to look like a Christmas tree diver,” he says. There are no cages covering his manifolds, or rubber boots and nets on the cylinders. Chris said: “It all ends up snagging on the wreck.” Chris guided us to the bulkhead door that led into the officers day room. We checked depth, time and cylinder pressures before entering. Our first task was to sketch a map of the

DADEE RKPER N INTO ES S

“Unimposing topside, just a wave-washed bit of rock breaking the surface, underwater, Cannibal is an extravagant surprise of nature - a huge, rock pinnacle utterly buried under a one- to two-metre-thick covering of the most-exotic, outrageously-coloured life imaginable”

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before – EDGAR ALLAN POE Photographs by STUART PHILPOTT

CRUISING

PHILIPPINES

KOMODO Seasoned dive photojournalist AL HORNSBY is left entranced by the underwater topography and marine life in the Komodo National Park, not to mention the fabled dragons Photographs by AL HORNSBY

“Just a quick - the rigid inflatables they use here are definitely quick! - 3.5km ride out from the beach, Pinnacles is a collection of mounds that rises up from a 50m sand bottom, the shallowest top at 30m”

WILD

The Fantastic

FOUR

MOZAMBIQUE Mozambique’s picturesque coastal village of Ponta do Ouro promises lifetime memories both on the surface and underwater, as AL HORNSBY reports Photographs by AL HORNSBY

The Philippines offers a wealth of diving opportunities, RICHARD SMITH shares some of his favourites

By DR RICHARD SMITH | WWW.OCEANREALMIMAGES.COM

FREEDIVING NEWS

F

or many years the diving scene in the Philippines played second fiddle to Indonesia, but with many great all-rounder destinations throughout the archipelago, the Philippines is fast becoming the big Asian dive destination of the moment. The diving is extremely varied across the country, attracting divers in search of animals both little and large, stunning coral reefs and great wreck diving. Here I’ll share my four favourite destinations, which are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the Philippines has to offer.

Message from the Deep

AIDA Egypt launches in capital Cairo

The team here at DeeperBlue.com are excited to be teaming up with Mark and the Scuba Diver team to help power the Freediving section of this great new magazine.

Freediving is an amazing growth area in the sport of diving and has been recognised by virtually all the major diving agencies over the past few years. Freediving is so much more than just setting records or competitions, the amazing experiences you can have while holding your breath mean that the popularity is exploding. Join us as we take you on a monthly journey into the world of freediving, with news and features covering everything for the beginner and beyond.

ANILAO, SOUTHWEST LUZON ISLAND

Anilao is the Philippines’ answer to Lembeh Strait, where multitudes of fascinating muck diving critters await the sharpest of eyes. There are a plethora of accommodation options all along the richly forested headland, which is just a few hours’ drive from Manila on the island of Luzon. Due to its proximity to the capital, and international airline gateway, it is a great add-on destination for another dive location in the country. Or, of course, it’s a great dive spot in its own right. The dive sites include intriguing soft coral and sponge reefs, black sand and rubble slopes. For the non-initiated diver, this might sound like a terrible collection of sites. In fact, for muck dive aficionados these are some of the richest substrates.

Anilao accommodates many of the usual muck dive suspects such as hairy frogfish, seahorses, mandarinfish and even the rarer Rhinopias scorpionfish, Coleman shrimps, mimic octopus and other treats. Anilao and Lembeh Strait are, however, rather different. I have been to Lembeh Strait many times, but in Anilao I saw quite a number of species I had never seen before. One group that seem particularly well represented in Anilao are nudibranchs. I saw many species I had never even heard of beforehand, and many that I’d only seen in pictures. One, Allen’s Ceratosoma (Ceratosoma alleni), I had been hunting for years but never had the fortune of finding. On one dive in Anilao I saw three chomping their way through a glade of the soft corals that they mimic and feed upon.

Dives are generally made from local-style outrigger boats, which quickly and easily navigate the waters between the mainland and some of the other sites on neighbouring islands. Night dives are great in the area and offer various highlights, from mandarinfish on the resort’s doorstep to black sand and silty sites that have resident bobbit worms and the like.

Muck divers will undoubtedly love Anilao.

In another piece of good news for the beleaguered diving destination, Egyptian freedivers successfully launched their AIDA national body with a first meeting of AIDA Egypt in the capital on 29 January.

Egypt has had a strong freediving history, which started way back in 1999 when a national team was involved in some of the very first AIDA International competitions.

However, despite over 17 years of freediving history, it was only in 2016 that AIDA Egypt was formed and official documents submitted to AIDA International for recognition of the national body.

Stephan Whelan Founder, DeeperBlue.com

Yoga and diving = Red Sea relaxed Whether you’re a hardened scubie, or a hippy freediver, this scuba, yoga and freediving liveaboard trip from 13-20 May has got it all. Led by freediving pro Emma Farrell and based onboard luxury liveaboard Cyclone, there’s the opportunity for everyone to take part in pre-dive yoga classes in the morning designed to help you breathe and move better, and yoga nidra relaxation at night under the stars. If you’re as stiff as a board and never done yoga before, then it’s perfect for you, and everything is tailored to the individual.

As well as diving the northern Egyptian Red Sea all day, scuba divers also get the chance to do a free Try Freediving course (worth £75) during the week, and each evening, Emma will be giving talks and workshops on everything from head massage to equalisation, to dolphin behaviour!

Prices start from £1,295, including flights from Gatwick and all transfers. www.scubatravel.com

Dance from the Deep

Just when you thought you’d heard everything… After underwater dining, underwater weddings and even underwater music festivals, now we’ve got an underwater dance event, which aims to shine a spotlight on the monster amounts of plastic currently threatening the world’s oceans.

This bizarre event, scheduled for October during the Amsterdam Dance Event and conducted in partnership with the Mission Live Foundation, is the brainchild of Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens, who will not only be manning the decks in a purpose-built studio at 40m, he’ll be freediving down to his venue.

To be able to reach this depth, Heldens is currently hard in training with Dutch freediver Nanja van den Broek, the Variable Weight (VWT) world record holder.

The event will be streamed online to a worldwide audience, helping to raise awareness of the ‘plastic soup’ clogging the world’s oceans and endangering marine life. www.missionliveocean.org

DAN JOINS FORCES WITH PFI

The Divers Alert Network (DAN) has announced that it is creating an educational alliance with Performance Freediving International (PFI) to improve freediver safety.

“Freediving is an exciting and invigorating activity, and freedivers are a growing part of the diving community that DAN serves,” said William Ziefle, President and CEO of Divers Alert Network. “As with any underwater activity, there are risks and safety concerns that are best addressed through research and the dissemination of accurate information. PFI has been a leader in the development of freedive safety education and training in risk mitigation techniques, and their experience in the field over two decades provides an excellent foundation for our collaboration.”

“We are very proud to work with Divers Alert Network toward our joint goal of improving safety in freediving,” said Kirk Krack, the founder and CEO of Performance Freediving International. “The service DAN has provided to the diving community is immeasurable and their medical courses have long been a requirement for our professional instructors. We look forward to working closely with DAN’s excellent medical and research staff to share our expertise.” www.dan.org / www.performancefreediving.com

52

DeeperBlue.com is the World’s Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. We’ve been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

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BFA ANNOUNCES UK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

The British Freediving Association (BFA) has recently announced the UK team that will compete in the 2017 AIDA Depth World Championships, which will be held in Roatan, Honduras, from 22 August to 3 September.

The competition, held in AIDA’s 25th anniversary year, will include Free Immersion (FIM), Constant Weight (CWT) and Constant Weight No Fins (CNF), and the UK team members were selected based on the highest-proven performances in all three disciplines.

Liv Philip, Helena Bourdillon and Nancy Gibson will constitute the female portion of the team, with Kate Goodwin in reserve. The men will be represented by Michael Board, Dean Chaouche and Carl Atkinson, with Adam Mustoe in reserve.

The association said: “The BFA congratulates these world-class athletes on their selection to the UK team and wishes them every success. The BFA will share regular training updates on its social media channels from UK team members as they prepare for this landmark competition.”

Online freediving travel show

Australian freediver Adam Stern is launching a new freediving travel show called Adventures on One Breath. The innovative show will follow Adam on his globe-trotting travels as he competes at the elite level of freediving competition and dives around the world.

Stern, a PADI Freedive Instructor Trainer, is an accomplished freediver and the current Australian Free Immersion record holder with a depth of 88m.

He is also part of the ‘100 Club’, having dived down to 100m with the Constant Weight method of freediving.

You can find Adventures on One Breath on YouTube, where you can subscribe so you never miss an instalment.

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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WildWEST

The west coast of Ireland boasts phenomenal vis, myriad varieties of marine life and some of the best topside apres-diving ‘craic’.

MARK EVANS headed for the Emerald Isle Photographs by MARK EVANS

I

reland has a strong reputation among those in the know for its fantastic diving conditions, friendly dive centres and, of course, unrivalled after-dive entertainment – i.e. Guinness, great food, live music, banter a-plenty… oh, and did I mention the Guinness? There are dive hotspots the length and breadth of western and southern Ireland, but I chose to base myself in the northwest, around Connemara.

There are a whole host of diving opportunities in this area, so you can either dip in on a long-weekend diving break, or quite easily fill a full week of undersea exploration, which is what I opted to do.

Photographers, novice divers and veterans alike will be kept well entertained on the house reef of PADI five-star IDC centre Scubadive West. Bursting with fish and invertebrates, not to mention every colour of seaweed you can imagine, the house reef is often where newbies take their first steps into sea diving, but it is so good even experienced divers will find plenty to keep them occupied. My buddy Paul Cushing and I were both armed with cameras, and spent our time working slowly along the barrier where the kelp beds met the sandy bottom. Before we knew it, our computers were showing a dive time of 100 minutes – and our bladders were telling us to get out of the water!

INSHORE DIVE SITES

Want to get slightly further afield? There are numerous inshore dives sites that are accessed by Scubadive West’s rapid Marlin cataraman RIB, including Inis Barna, which has gained fame as the ‘conger dive’ thanks to the proliferation of large conger eels at the site; 35m-plus sheer wall dive Thanny Beag; and the Gaddys – two reefs diveable to 30m. Wreckies have not been forgotten, and divers can visit the Julia T. The Julia T is a 30-metre supply vessel which sank off the west coast of Ireland while on its way to be decommissioned. It now sits bolt upright in 27m of water and is an extremely popular dive. Visibility is not the best due to its location – it sits in the middle of a vast silt bed – however because it is washed by currents, it is smothered in dead man’s fingers, plumose anemones and bright orange, white and yellow sponges, so it is perfect for underwater photographers. Wrasse and crustaceans make the wreck their home, including edible crabs, spider crabs, shrimp, scorpion spider crabs and squat lobster.

Limited penetration is possible at the bow and in the crew’s quarters, but beware, the entire wreck is coated in fine silt, which can destroy visibility with one careless fin kick, so watch what you are doing.

PA RECOM RT MEN N DED ER

SCUBADIVE WEST

Scubadive West is a PADI five-star IDC centre located right on the edge of the Killary Fjord in Connemara, Co Galway. Originally set up back in 1992 by Shane Gray, the busy centre is now run by his sons, PADI MSDT Breffni and PADI Course Director Cillian. There is a sizable rental stock, a compact shop, classrooms and changing rooms, and a large car park.

The centre is perfect for training, with its own house reef, and they have their own Lochan 38, Sea Sprinter, and a cataramaran RIB, Marlin. These two vessels mean they can access several inshore and 30-plus offshore dive sites with ease, and with depths ranging from 5m-50m, there is something for all levels of diver. www.scubadivewest.com

THE OFFSHORE ISLANDS

“The vis was in excess of 25 metres and light penetration was good even at 30m plus, but turn your torch on and shine it along the walls and the true vibrant colours burst forth”

An undoubted highlight of visiting this region are the offshore islands of Inis Turk, Inis Boffin and Clare Island. These small pockets of land are surrounded with spectacular dive sites which benefit from excellent visibility and profuse coral and sponge growth. Scubadive West can whisk you out for their two-day Island Dive Safaris onboard their new-for-2017 twin-engined Lochan 38 charter boat, Sea Sprinter.

On my visit, we dived at Inis Turk, and our first dive site featured a large crevice which cut deep back into the sheer wall of the island, and then underwater this vertical drop continued into a series of gullies before plummeting into the deep. The walls were smothered in plumose anemones, dahlia anemones, dead man’s fingers, encrusting corals and cup corals in myriad colours. The vis was in excess of 25 metres and light penetration was good even at 30m plus, but turn your torch on and shine it along the walls and the true vibrant colours burst forth. Absolutely mind-blowing – it was just as vivid as dive sites in the Indo-Pacific.

As well as the marine life covering the walls and seabed, there were also shoaling pollock, cod and bib overhead, and in and around the swirling kelp beds were large curious wrasse. Edible and velvet swimming crabs could be found clinging to rocky outcrops or nestling in crevices, and lobster would wave their antennae from deep inside their lairs. Dogfish lolled on the sand patches, and the odd scallop would launch itself out of the silt and jet furiously away if you got too close. Look closer and you could find tiny cushion stars and various species of nudibranch.

The next site was in a tight bay, and at the rear of this you could find a tunnel going a fair distance into the island. Large rocks blocked your passage at times, and you have to go over or under them, depending on how they lay. Again, visibility was outstanding, and the bright-red encrusting growth on the cave walls looked amazing.

Outside of the cave, large kelp beds sheltered all manner of marine life, and again, depths dropped off to beyond recreational diving limits.

Paul was left virtually speechless after his first two offshore Irish dives, but the excited chatter of the other divers on board – all veteran Ireland divers from the local area – served to hammer home just how special the diving is around these tiny offshore islands. If you find yourself in this part

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of the world, believe me, you do not want to miss a dive trip out to Inis Boffin, Inis Turk and Clare Island.

STREAMSTOWN DRIFT

To round out our week of house reef, inshore and offshore diving, we signed on for one of Scubadive West’s signature dives – the Streamstown Drift. Streamstown Bay is a narrow inlet near Clifden, and Scubadive West plans the dives around spring tide dates. Divers are dropped off from an inflatable near the mouth of the inlet, and then drift in on a filling tide, which gets exciting as the flow can reach speeds of five knots! It is so quick, you can ‘ride the tide’ for 20-25 minutes, swim across current to the shore, get picked up by the inflatable and then go and do it all again!

CONCLUSION

The west coast of Ireland boasts spectacular scenery, friendly locals and some of the best cold-water diving I have ever experienced. There are dives suitable for all levels of qualification, and enough variety between the offshore and inshore dive sites to keep you busy for a month, never mind a week!

Throw things like the adrenaline-fuelled Streamstown Drift into the mix, never mind the nightly craic in any number of cosy hostelries, and you have all the ingredients needed for a fantastic week away.

There are various ways to get to Connemara. You can drive from wherever you are based in the UK, taking a ferry from Holyhead in Anglesey to get across the Irish Sea, but if you don’t fancy driving hundreds of miles, you can fly into Knock or Galway Airport and rent a car.

This cuts down on travelling time, but limits the amount of gear you can take. There are pros and cons to both options, choose what suits you the best. n

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“Divers are dropped off from an inflatable near the mouth of the inlet, and then drift in on a filling tide, which gets exciting as the flow can reach speeds of five knots!”

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Tales from

THE TANK

BY SOPHIE MONTGOMERY, DIVE OFFICER

H

ope everyone is well. We have had a fantastic Easter here at the Blue Planet Aquarium full of activities and things to do.

Currently we have a special price on our Shark Experiences before the prices will be going back to normal in June. Currently our Junior Shark Encounter is £95, our Ultimate Shark Encounter is £175, for non-qualified divers, and we also offer two qualified diver dives - The Shark Dive, which is currently £130, and then the Shark Awareness course, which is £235.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these give us a call on 0151 357 8804 or email us at: info@blueplanetaquarium.co.uk. If you go diving with our sharks we have an amazing variety of marine life that you would be diving with, and as our water temperature is currently 22 degrees C, it’s toasty and warm compared to our lovely UK waters.

If you are looking for an event to take the kids to, why don’t you come and see us at the aquarium from the 27 May to 4 June as we are holding a special event called Jurassic Shark and a magical marine fossil dig. During this time, there will be various different activities for all age groups, and we will be hosting a fossil dig where you can find fossilised sharks teeth from up to 80 million years ago! You will be able to see and learn more about the megalodon, as well as other facts and information about fossils.

There will be interactive activities regarding the history of different species of sharks, as well as our normal shows, feeds and talks, so there is lots to do and see on a brilliant day out. n

If you would like more information on diving with our sharks, please call us on (0151) 357 8800, or send us an email to: info@blueplanetaquarium.co.uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

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DIVE LIKE A PRO

This month, our panel of experts tackle the subject of DRYSUIT DIVING, and offer up a host of helpful hints and advice to get you comfortable, warm and with no buoyancy issues.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS AND MARK POWELL/TDI-SDI

DRYSUIT DIVING

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rysuits should be in every UK diver’s arsenal, as there is nothing worse than feeling cold both on a dive and when you exit the water, and no amount of neoprene in a wetsuit or semidry is going keep you as warm and toasty as a good-fitting drysuit. However, it seems some divers still have some bizarre, inherent fear of drysuits, which is odd, as with a little bit of practice and tuition, diving in one is a doddle, and you are soon happy bouncing back and forth between wetsuits and drysuits. And remember, drysuits aren’t just for UK or real cold-water diving, you will also find diving in a drysuit in the Med in winter, for instance, is far more preferable to layering up the neoprene.

PADI TecRec Instructor Trainer Martin Robson said: “Drysuits are designed to keep you dry and, with the right undersuit, warm too, so use the suit to keep you dry and insulated and not for buoyancy. That is what your wing/ BCD is designed for. Less air in your suit will make trim and buoyancy easier to control. Unless you are very well practiced, leave your drysuit dump valve open so that you can vent gas from the suit quickly should you need to.”

Matt Clements, UK Regional Manager at PADI, commented: “Cannot stress this enough, buy your own suit and make sure it fits you. Often hired suits leak, which is mostly due to poor fit. It is never fun to go in for a second or third dive wet and cold. When it’s your own suit you can trim the seals to fit you. Wrist and neck seals also tend to be the weak spot, so keep an eye on their condition as you can repair them pre-dive rather than at the water’s edge (unless you have a quick-change system).”

PADI Course Director and TecRec Instructor Trainer Alan Whitehead said: “Drysuit training is essential, but please remember although it affects buoyancy, try not to use it primarily for your buoyancy, as this could lead to too much air in the suit, which can easily migrate to ‘problem’ areas, such as your feet. It is also not as easy to dump as a wing/BCD during ascent.

Start with small amounts of air in the suit for comfort and warmth, but just enough to avoid squeeze.”

Vikki Batten, Director of Rebreather Technologies, Training Supervisor and Instructor Examiner at PADI, said: “If you find your feet are a ‘little’ floaty in a drysuit, instead of pushing your legs down, which risks cramping, try looking up slightly. With a cylinder on your back, this tips your hips down slightly and your legs will follow. Of course, this only works for minor problems - if it gets worse, you may have to ‘roll’”.

TDI/SDI Business Development Manager Mark Powell said: “Much of the advertising you see for diving involves warm water and divers in swimsuits or thin wetsuits. It can be a bit of a shock to those divers who were certified in warm water to come back to the UK and discover that the water is a bit cooler. For those of us who dive and teach in the UK or Europe, talking about the differences is much like talking about how to choose a mask. We are often asked about the differences between diving wet and diving dry. Of course, there are some key differences.

“Warmth - This is probably the most-important reason to decide to dive dry. You know that neither a wetsuit nor drysuit actually keeps you warm.

What they do is slow the amount of heat loss. Wetsuits do this using a layer of neoprene and a thin layer of water trapped between that and the skin.

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Drysuits use air and a combination of undergarments - no water to take heat away if a seal is lost and allowed to flush through the suit. With drysuits you can add layers of insulation to slow the loss of body heat.

“Buoyancy - Wetsuits compress with depth and lose some of their inherent buoyancy. Drysuits allow the diver to add air and compensate for the increased pressure at depth. As the wetsuit compresses, it gets thinner and loses insulating capacity. The drysuit does not.

“Purchase cost - At one time, drysuits were prohibitively expensive for the average diver. One could purchase several wetsuits for the cost of one drysuit.

They often had to if diving in a wide range of water temperatures! With the introduction of new materials and manufacturing competition, a quality entry-level drysuit can be had for roughly the same price as a higher-end wetsuit.

By varying the undergarments the diver can also avoid having to buy several different wetsuits. One drysuit will work in numerous environments.”

Garry Dallas, Director of training RAID UK (Recreational/Technical/ Cave Instructor Trainer) said: “The purpose of a drysuit is in the name, to keep you dry! Often mistaken for other attributes, such as keeping you warm, which is actually the purpose of the undersuit.

“There are various drysuits on the market, with all the bells and whistles, but the most-important features are often overlooked. Neoprene suits have a place in recreational diving but membrane/trilaminate suits are best suited for technical and/or recreational diving. Whichever suit you choose, in-water comfortable flexibility, tailored fit throughout the body (especially under the crotch and armpit” preventing restrictive movements), constant neutral buoyancy characteristics at depth, pocket accessibility, ease of donning/doffing with telescopic front/back entry, self-replaceable seal material, durability, zip material and quality are important factors to name a few. When it comes to repairs/warranty, customer service is up there too.

“When you’ve chosen your first drysuit, train to use it. Ability to dive well in a wetsuit is one thing, but drysuits are a different ball game. However, once mastered, hovering in a drysuit is the most-pleasurable experience and will open up a whole new world of diving.

“To keep your drysuit seals in tip top condition, periodically check wrist and neck seals for deterioration, splitting, dozing and cracking of rubber, avoiding prolonged exposure to sunlight and chemicals. Regular lubrication with bee’s wax increases the life of the zip teeth and smooth operation of the zip, while preventing fraying. Suit inflator and dump valves need checking for proper operation. Obviously, the suit could develop a leak anywhere - commonly, valves, the soles of boots or socks, seals, seams on the crotch, armpit or zip area and even delamination of the material. The best solution is to take your suit to your reputable dealer or repair centre and let the experts sort it out for you. Let them check it over annually, as time alone without use will deteriorate a suit.”

Alex ‘Woz’ Warzynski, Advanced Instructor and BSAC Chairman, said: “One of the most-common questions I get asked is ‘which drysuit should I buy?’ and the answer is ‘well, it depends on the type of diving you do’. If travel is important, then a lightweight suit that folds up small is a high priority. If your thing is squirrelling around wrecks, then a suit that doesn’t snag and stands up to sharp edges is important. If you’re diving in a high-current area, then a close-fitting, streamlined suit would be best so you can whizz about with minimal resistance. Diving a twinset? A suit with lots of flexibility in the upper body for shutdowns.

“For UK diving, where you are likely to be spending all day in your suit, the most-important thing is fit and comfort, both in and out of the water. Getting into and out of it should be simple, and it should have a way of staying up when the top half is undone. Neoprene neck seals, especially the comfortable

33

super-stretchy ones, stop the hangman’s noose effect that you can get from the irritation from latex.

“Once submerged, you need to be weighted properly and add just enough gas to the suit to take the squeeze off. Otherwise, you end up with large volumes of air migrating round the suit which can, for inexperienced divers, lead to difficult buoyancy control. For compressed neoprene suits, a little extra weight will be needed to get you off the surface (and keep you on your safety stop) as the suit material compresses at depth. This isn’t a problem with membrane or crushed neoprene.

“For warmth, I’m a big fan of layering. A merino base layer to start, a mid-layer if it’s really cold, then your main outer undersuit on top. Just add and remove layers as the temperature varies, and change your weighting to suit. Good notes in your logbook helps with this. A close, tight fit works best with undersuits, and choose them carefully to maintain flexibility while still retaining some structure to resist the force of the drysuit pressing down as it’s the air layer that keeps you warm.”

John Kendall, GUE Instructor Trainer, said: “There are many things that can make a drysuit great or terrible. The first of which is the fit. Some manufacturers make their suits baggy, some make them tight, some cut the arms one way, others do it differently. I am very, very fussy when it comes to the fit of my drysuits, and make sure that they will be cut to allow me full overhead movement of my arms. Without a good fit, the drysuit is useless.

“The next thing that can make a big difference to how good a suit is, is the zipper. I don’t like rear zips, as it means I am reliant on other people to help me in and out of my suit, and they also stiffen up the shoulders and make reaching valves hard.

“The last thing is the position of the dump valve. For me, the dump valve should be on the outside of the bicep, that way I can simply lift my left elbow in order to dump gas, and not have to contort myself to get the gas out.

“When you find a good drysuit, that fits you well with a good zip and proper dump valve placement, you should look after it.

Don’t be afraid to invest in servicing before things go wrong. I replace the seals on my suits every 200 dives or so (which means about six months for me) to make sure that I am never surprised by a ripped seal just before what turns out to be an awesome dive for my buddies. If you are a regular diver, it might be worthwhile investing in a second drysuit, so that you never have to miss a dive while one is being serviced.”

IANTD Instructor Trainer Ian France said: “The drysuit is an essential part of many diving scenarios. Despite offering both thermal insulation and redundant buoyancy, the drysuit is an often-overlooked piece of equipment due to its relatively high cost for a decent product. With increased redundancy becoming the

34

norm in diving, with divers carrying two of all essential kit, it is only realistic to take one drysuit. A poorly fitting drysuit will often result in the diver being restricted, preventing management of other equipment effectively, e.g. the ability to manipulate valves while diving back-mounted cylinders, and to effectively manage a divers stable platform, resulting in poor trim and buoyancy. In turn, this decreases the diver’s ability to manage simple tasks underwater, resulting in additional stress.

“Poor drysuit maintenance also increases the likelihood of zip or dump failure, while carelessness can result in damage and leaks. A failed drysuit on a dive can lead to potential hypothermia, negative buoyancy, or at least, increased thermal stress affecting decompression efficiency.

“However, a little care with simple maintenance after each dive can prolong the life of this investment for many years. Remove equipment from the pockets after each dive, rinse off salt, lubricate the zip as per manufacturer’s instructions and store dry. Inspect seals regularly and attend to nicks before they become splits or perish.”

Gary Asson from the Sub-Aqua Association said: “There are two main types of drysuit in use today, neoprene and laminate, neoprene having the better thermal insulation, but losing out on flexibility and weight. My personal preference is for crushed neoprene, which has good thermal insulation and flexibility. When it comes to maintenance, both materials need to be completely dry before a repair can be made. This can usually be quickly achieved with a wipe over in the case of laminate, but can take a considerable amount of time in the case of neoprene.

“Ideally, a drysuit should be made to measure. However, this is associated with additional cost.

Regardless, don’t forget you will require additional insulation, and that if you intend to dive in UK waters all year round, that this requirement will change. Make sure it still fits, and that you can perform any shutdowns, etc, when you are wearing your winter gear. Also, make sure that the suit does not have large spaces where air can migrate, causing buoyancy problems.

“Buoyancy underwater in drysuit diving can be by using the drysuit only (the jacket is used only at the surface), or by a mixture of the jacket for buoyance, adding air to the suit only to stop squeeze. The advantage of drysuit only is that you only need to consider the gas in your drysuit, whereas when adding air to both drysuit and jacket, you need to consider both. As always this is a mixture of personal choice, and the type of diving you do.

“Moving to a drysuit requires practical training, from a competent instructor, to master the basics. Then, practice, practice, practice. Build up experience until it is second nature, before putting yourself into a position where buoyance failure can put you in danger.” n

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Oman

O The Sultanate of

EXTRA DIVERS

Extra Divers boasts four dive centres in Oman – one at Mirbat in Salalah (in the far south of Oman), Qantab and Sifah near the capital Muscat, and Zighy Bay in the Musandam Peninsula – meaning it can offer a rich selection of dive sites. Courses are offered for non-divers and divers, and snorkellers can also get involved at most dive sites. www.extradivers-worldwide.com

T

he Sultanate of Oman, the oldest independent state in the Arab world, is often overlooked by divers seeking out Middle Eastern diving adventures, and this truly is a shame, considering what it has to offer. It has an ever-developing tourist infrastructure, a vast array of topside activities and attractions for non-divers and ‘dry days’, and is well-served by flights from the UK and mainland Europe. Visiting divers are spoilt in that while the country boasts over 1,700km of coastline, bordering three seas – the Arabian or Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea - there are only a handful of dive centres and liveaboards operating, so crowded dive sites will never be an issue or concern. Don’t expect Red Sea visibility, but do prepare your mind to be blown away by the sheer amount of marine life.

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THE DAYMANIYATS

One of Oman’s undoubted underwater jewels is the national nature reserve of the Daymaniyat Islands. This collection of nine barren, windswept islands, which are spread over 50km in three groups and lie to the north of the capital, Muscat, contains some of the very best diving in the region, with the highlight dive sites being Aquarium, Garden of Eden, Three Sisters and Hayut Run. The former actually more than lives up to its name, and there are often so many shoals of snapper, groups of Arabian and Emperor angelfish, hordes of batfish, honeycomb morays, anemonefish and turtles, it does actually feel like you are in a giant aquarium.

EURO-DIVERS

Based in the Marina Bandar Al Rowdha near Muscat, Euro-Divers is one of the longest-established dive centres in the country. It offers courses for all levels of diver, and conducts dives at the Daymaniyat Islands, Fahal Island, the Al Munassir shipwreck, and Bandar Khayran. Even snorkellers are catered for, making it perfect for non-diving family members. www.euro-divers.com

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MUSCAT HILLS RESORT

This is a new hospitality concept in Oman, and the first beach club close to the capital, Muscat.

Come to Al Jissah Bay and you can choose to stay in one of the 35 Barasti-style beach huts, enjoy the private beach with the restaurant, bar and shisha lounge in close proximity, or head off to enjoy scuba diving, kayaking or snorkelling. www.muscathillsresort.com

AGGRESSOR FLEET

Luxury liveaboard company Aggressor Fleet operates a smorgasbord of high-end dive yachts in some of the world’s most-desirable diving destinations, including Galapagos, Palau, Costa Rica, Indonesia and Fiji. One of its newest locations is Oman, and starting from November 2017, there will be four itineraries taking in the Daymaniyats, the Hallaniyats and the Musandam Peninsula. www.aggressor.com

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However, it isn’t just the marine life that makes the Daymaniyats so great, the underwater topography is also unique. As well as swathes of hard and soft corals, interspersed with vibrant sponges, some of the rock formations are simply stunning.

Swim-throughs, overhangs, nooks and crannies all help make the reef itself interesting.

site in this region is the troop carrier and tank transporter Al Munassir, which was deliberately sunk in 2003 by the Royal Navy of Oman as an artificial reef. This 3,000-ton, 84-metre-long wreck sits in just 26m-30m, reaching up to within 8m of the surface, and is heavily colonised with encrusting marine growth, algae, sponges and corals.

MUSANDAM PENINSULA

SALALAH

Often accessed via liveaboard, but increasingly by land-based operations, the rugged, mountainous Musandam Peninsula is a bizarre one, in that it belongs to Oman but is separated from the rest of the country by a 70km stretch of the United Arab Emirates. Here you can encounter whalesharks in the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes - and enjoy some amazing wall and drift diving, characterised by the peculiar vivid purple corals common in Oman waters but nowhere else.

FAHAL ISLAND

Located just four kilometres off Muscat’s most-popular tourist beach, Fahal Island – also known as Shark Island – is a large outcrop of rock which has several dive sites, ranging from shallow reefs to an L-shaped cavern/swim-through, a tug and barge sat in 30m, and deep reefs down at 40m plus. Eagle rays often cruise these waters, large stingrays lounge on the bottom, and several species of shark (hence the name of the island!) call these waters home, including lemon, grey reef, whitetip reef and blacktip sharks.

BANDAR KHAYRAN

The other popular option from Muscat is Bandar Khayran, which has many sheltered coves and coral reefs well suited to all levels of diver. A popular

Some 1,000km south of Muscat, in the Dhofar region, sheltered bays overlooked by deserted beaches and dramatic mountain chains offer pristine coral reefs teeming with marine life, and in the summer months, you can even explore small kelp forests filled with juveniles. This area can be affected by weather conditions, but time it right and you can enjoy some of the most-untouched coral reef diving anywhere on the planet.

CONCLUSION

The Sultanate of Oman is slowly but surely being accepted onto the tourist map, but it has still not become a hotspot - and long may it remain this way, as it really does give you the opportunity to experience the ‘real’ Middle East away from rampant commercialism, cheap package deals and dubious all-inclusive hotels. The people are very friendly, and genuinely pleased to welcome you to their country, and with just a handful of dive centres covering the entire coastline, it is rare that you will encounter other divers in the water, especially in Salalah. Weather conditions are excellent, though be warned it does get very hot during the summer months, and because of the strength of the Omani rial, it isn’t the cheapest place on the planet, but there aren’t many locations where you can get that real ‘explorer’ feel of heading off the beaten track - and this is one of them. n

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Extra Divers takes you to the probably most various diving destination in the Oman, the Halanyat Islands. As the only legal operator in the Sultanate, we offer you a trip with an expedition character aboard the Saman Explorer to untouched dive spots. Up to 22 divers can get the feeling of discovering new places, even with the chance to see the big population of humpback whales.

Since the region is just slowly opening up to tourism, you will have the impression of exclusiveness on your journey to unforgettable diving experiences.

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DISCOVER SOME OF THE MOST PRISTINE UNDERWATER SITES IN THE SULTANATE – DISCOVER THE HALANYAT ISLANDS

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SAMAN EXPLORER OMAN

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COMPOSITION IS KING DUXY rounds out his ‘top ten’ two-parter, listing his second batch of tips for composition and framing PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL ‘DUXY’ DUXFIELD

L

ast month we looked at five tips that can aid your framing and graphical sense underwater, so let’s carry on to the next five. They’re not all immediately obvious as being directly linked to composition, but nevertheless are very important in maintaining a smooth, comfortable workflow which gets your mind in the right place for taking frameable pictures.

distance offset against a beautiful coral reef or inside a beam of light in a Mexican cenote, will exaggerate the sense of scale and wonder. Or maybe armed with a torch shining a light inside a dramatic wreck.

If using your buddy, then it’s helpful to prearrange some mutually understandable signs and signals, as it can be difficult when robbed of speech to get meaning across on the dive.

To save time I will often take the shot without the diver, and show the potential model on the camera screen where I need them to be.

6 Get comfortable

By this I mean try and consume content from all photographic genres, don’t just limit yourself to wildlife and underwater photography.

Check out the fields of landscape, portraiture, still-life, street and other diverse fields of the hobby, it will feed your creative nature and can only be of benefit.

And there’s always opportunities for shooting great sunset shots on most dive trips.

I’m kicking off with a tip that has nothing to do with framing or graphical placement, but nevertheless I believe is a vital component in getting great shots. If your mind is distracted by discomfort, you’re not in the best place mentally to make pictures, so on day one of your dive trip take time out to tweak those little things that can draw your attention away from your shots.

Do a thorough weight check, and by this I mean do two weight checks at least. Being properly weighted, not too heavy or light, is vital for good trim and movement and will, by default, make you more comfortable, breathing easier, becoming calmer and diving better.

And it goes without saying that your kit needs to fit you well. This will allow your brain to concentrate on your pictures and composition as you won’t find yourself overly task-loaded.

Another way to make yourself more comfortable is to pee when you need to - there’s nothing worse than dying for the loo, and it’s possibly one of the most-irksome distractions. You’ll either need to pee in your wetsuit, or get out and go if you’re diving dry. Timing is critical with this too - if you don’t like peeing in your suit or you’re diving dry, then time your fluid intake, as we all know how vital it is to keep properly hydrated while diving.

8 Broaden your photographic horizons

9 Don’t be scared of the cliches

On land and underwater, certain trends come and go, and though you should be wary of copying and plagiarism, if a particular photo technique catches your eye, don’t be afraid to give it a go, even if the great and the good are now being a bit snobby about it.

On land, High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography has been done to death, but don’t let others put you off, it’s worth learning how to do as it’ll no doubt become fashionable again, and if you like it, then so what? Enjoy yourself as that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.

And how can you lose? You’re learning a bit more about photography.

I’m almost addicted to twirls and motion-blur shots, as I love the sense of 6. Proper weighting and trim is vital to the underwater photographer, so take the time to do proper buoyancy checks at the start of your dive excursion. It will pay dividends and allow you to get shots floating free and not laying all over the bottom kicking up the sand.

7 Use divers in your pictures

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Some underwater photographers are of the opinion that people spoil pictures by their very presence.

I’m not sure I totally agree, and think that having the odd diver in your shot is a great way to convey, particularly to non-diving chums, the scale and splendour of our great hobby. It’s a visual link for the viewer to imagine themselves down with us underwater and if it encourages newcomers into our great hobby, then I’m all for it.

I will often use a diver very small in the picture, easy with a wide-angle or fisheye lens. And in the

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9. A crown of thorn starfish twirl. It’s easy to overdo these types of shot, but don’t be scared to have fun and take your own, they’re really easy to achieve and they’re a lesson learnt about the fundamentals of photo technique.

MY ESCORTED TRIPS

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In my new position as a trip escort for both Oonasdivers and Ultimate Diving, I am very pleased to announce that I have finalised two escorted trips in the planner for this year already.

First is on 27 September for Oonasdivers to Marsa Nakari, the beautiful and intimate dive safari location close to Marsa Alam. This is for a week full-board, and includes unlimited house reef diving, with all the freedoms afforded you that I’m known for on my Red Sea Relaxed and Winter Warmer liveaboards, but this time on land.

So if this piques your interest, then please contact my colleague: Lydia@oonasdivers.com The next date for your calendar is 7 November for a fun and chilled-out Philippines trip to both Moalboal and Bohol, a two-centre option, where you can choose to do either a week on their own or both weeks back to back, all for a great inclusive price. The Philippines I like for the varied spread of diving from classic muck diving to lovely wide-angle opportunities, and the only problem I find is that sometimes it’s very hard to choose what lens is going to be appropriate, when there is such a visual feast on offer! For more info on the Philippines trip, then please get in touch with my colleague: Marcelina@ultimatediving.co.uk I will be escorting both trips in my usual chilled-out style dispensing help and advice when requested, but with some new talks on GoPro and video shooting, and fun facts about marine biology and the latest findings on fish intelligence, alongside all-new versions of my regular talks. So all abilities and experience levels are very, very welcome.

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7. The Pit in Mexico, an awesome photo location lent scale by the inclusion of a diver captured in the light beams streaming down from the jungle above.

8. Mexican Mojito Sunset.

Don’t stop taking pictures when you’re out of the water, even if it’s just the glorious sunsets that are the norm in the diving hotspots of the world. I had a Mojito in one hand when I took this shot of one of my trip regulars recording the lovel sunset at Isla de Mujeres.

movement they portray. And when I show beginners how easy it is to achieve even with basic kit, and then you see how it ramps up their enthusiasm, making them keener to learn new things. And that’s very hard to criticise.

10 Go Beyond fish ID

Last but not least, and something I bang on about loads on my trips, is to try and move beyond getting fish ID shots. Folk often get subject orientated and what I mean is that they see a creature and in their excitement to get the shot, they take a perfectly okay picture, correctly exposed and focused, but they may as well have just copied the picture out of the reef guide.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a fully paid-up fish geek I too take lots of fish ID shots and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it’s worth spending time with a subject and trying to get a picture worthy of your time and effort, that conveys drama, personality and a strong aesthetic sense, as these are the shots that people will remember most, and a lot of the time all it takes is a little patience and moving yourself into a better vantage point. n 10. Smack of Jellyfish. We see these guys everywhere and there’s lots of pictures out there of them fascinating as they are, but I wanted to do something a little different so got up just as the dawn was breaking to get this backlit shot of a collection all together.

Next month: Okay, I hope you’ve liked this two-parter, next edition I’m going to be talking about why a wide-angle lens is one of your best equipment choices underwater.

BIOGRAPHY

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Since returning from Egypt working as a guide in the early noughties, Duxy has been at the forefront of underwater photography technology and how it has changed the way we all now take underwater photographs. Working as Sales Manager for the two leading underwater photography retailers, and more lately as the Photography Travel Specialist for a multi-award-winning dive travel agent, his light-hearted take on the diving world and underwater photography has resulted in him being a regular speaker at the Dive Shows and at clubs up and down the country, sharing his knowledge and experience with all levels and abilities of underwater photographer.

He likes nothing better than to get a beginner started on the route to rewarding pictures, and approaches the subject with an inclusive, rather than exclusive, manner. He now has more than 40 escorted trips under his belt and is continuing to develop new ways to pass on the knowledge and share the love. He can be found on Instagram and Twitter @takeiteasyduxy and Facebook as Take iT Easy.

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YAP Island of mantas and stone money AL HORNSBY extols the virtues of Yap, a Pacific island where the lifestyle and culture is little-changed from their ancient origins, and which is a hotspot for manta encounters Photographs by AL HORNSBY

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e’ve drifted inward on the current from the outer reef wall where Goofnuw Channel opens into the sea. Along the way, we’ve passed green turtles, grey reef sharks, schools of black snapper, leopard sharks and reef fish of every description milling about the scattered coral heads. It’s a fascinating dive, but even more exciting is the anticipation of reaching our destination – the Valley of the Rays, with its three manta-cleaning stations, As the largest of these, MerryGo-Round, a huge lettuce coral structure arising from the 20m bottom, comes into view in the clear – nearly 30 metre vis – water, we can see there are 10-15 big mantas moving around the mound.

As calmly as possible, we settle in on the sand bottom around the edges of the knoll, staying low to avoid interfering with the mantas’ patterns of movement as they come in to hang motionless just above the coral. While we watch, a swarm of wrasse and butterflyfish rises up to clean them of parasites. The mantas gaze at us serenely, obviously unfazed by our presence just metres away. As in my previous visits to Yap, it strikes me how unusually calm Yap’s mantas are around divers.

As a manta moves away, it pauses just over our heads, seemingly curious, providing the opportunity for very close observation. It’s an underwater photographer’s dream and any diver’s transcending moment, being so near these immense, gentle creatures…

The islands of Yap are the tops of submerged mountains, their green, rugged hillsides jutting up from the western Pacific’s otherwise unbroken horizon, an hour and 15 minute flight southwest of Guam. Though easily accessible to tourists, Yap has managed to steadfastly hold to its traditional ways, including its tribal chiefs’ style of government, the use of huge pieces of carved, stone money, its songs and dances – and its affinity for the constant chewing of calming betel nut by young and old.

Still relatively little-affected by the outside world, Yap is a place where visitors may easily experience the realities of Micronesian culture.

Especially interesting (and unique) is the use of the ancient stone money. Around the various villages stand large, circular disks of stone, a hole carved in their centres, on display. These stones, carved in olden times in Palau and transported the arduous 300 miles by canoe, once served as the currency for Yap’s economy. Value was determined by the size of the stone and the difficulty of the voyage return to Yap. Today, they are still used as collateral for major transactions like sales of land, in marriages and as settlement of grievances.

Visitors are treated with a shy, friendly curiosity, and those who express polite interest in the local people will often be surprised by the welcoming response. There are opportunities to visit villages and men’s (meeting) houses, eat local foods and witness traditional dances and sings. It’s something that should not be missed - for the lifestyle that defines Micronesia is one of enjoyment of the simple things, reverence for the natural environment, and unconditional sharing, of possessions, resources, and the smiles of happiness.

For World War Two history buffs, Yap, was occupied by the Japanese and fortified with bunkers, artillery and an airport. While it was not invaded by US forces like nearby Palau and Guam, it was the scene of heavy bombing and aerial skirmishes. Today, tours reveal anti-aircraft guns and wrecked airplanes.

For divers, however, Yap is even more special. Beneath the clear, clear waters that surround its shorelines, nature has prepared another of her wonderful surprises, one that only divers may experience. Each morning, on the incoming high tide, schools of huge manta rays enter two of Yap’s tidal channels, Goofnuw and Mi’l, and spend several hours hovering over certain coral heads, waiting their turns to be cleaned.

The setting provides a manta-interaction opportunity that is special among diving locations - the chance, just offshore, to observe as many as 10 to 20 huge mantas

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“The islands of Yap are the tops of submerged mountains, their green, rugged hillsides jutting up from the western Pacific’s otherwise unbroken horizon” from only a few metres away, as they participate in a daily ritual that has been occurring uninterrupted over the ages.

There’s something else very special about this dive experience, as well, beyond the obvious. Since the goal of the dive operation is to allow divers to continue to witness the mantas in their natural behaviour, these dives are accomplished in a manner that does not alter the event or interfere with the mantas’ comfort. A great deal of attention is given to helping guests learn to dive in a way that allows coexistence, without disturbance. The skills learned are, perhaps, the essence of environmentally sensitive diving - becoming an observer, without being a damaging intruder into nature’s process. The skill-sets and awareness developed when diving with Yap’s mantas are valuable lessons that can be carried on, improving any diver’s interactions with big marine life, wherever found.

Besides the Valley of the Rays, there are many other remarkable dive sites around the 24km-long main island. In Mi’l Channel, on the island’s east side, is Manta Ridge, a coral ridgeline that runs across the channel from the 13m-deep bottom. On the morning incoming tides, especially in the winter and spring months (Goofnuw Channel is the main summer-fall

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location), as many as 10-12 mantas at a time ride the current in to the site. Taking turns, they move in to hover over the ridge, while a horde of small fish begin to roam over their bodies and in and out of their gaping gills, searching for isopods and other parasites. After a few minutes, the mantas move away, to be replaced by others.

On the island’s north end, in very clear water, Yap Caverns is a jumbled terrain of grottos, caves and swim-throughs located at the edge of a steep drop-off. A white, sand bottom creates a lovely photographic setting and fish life is profuse. Green turtles, often completely unafraid of divers, are common as well.

On the outer reef on the southeast side of the island is an exciting dive called Yap Corner. With many different corals along the reef top, the slope tumbles down into deep water, with a mild current and very clear water, generally with 25-30 metre visibility or more. There are many white-tip reef sharks moving about the slope and big grey reef sharks patrol back and forth in blue water.

Near Yap Caverns, Lionfish Wall is located on a steep section of the drop-off. Huge, leathery- brown zoanthids cover the wall and colourful reef fish congregate in clouds. Off the wall, in blue water, grey reef sharks will be seen. In one section of the wall, a series of overhangs provides shelter for an amazing collection of lionfish, as many as five species congregated together.

A visit to Yap is a trip back to a slower, tradition-hued time, where Micronesian culture and life-style endure, in many ways little-changed from their ancient origins. It also provides a fascinating glimpse into one of nature’s most-fascinating rituals, as immense, graceful mantas calmly go about their daily habits, little-concerned over divers’ close, wide-eyed presence. n Al was supported on his Yap assignments by Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers (www.mantaray.com)

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FREEDIVE ABILITY Freediving guru EMMA FARRELL challenges a group from disabled diving charity Dive Ability to embark on a Try Freediving course Photographs by ROB WHITE/MARINEPIX.CO.UK AND PASH BAKER

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hen you think of a freediver, who do you picture? Tanya Streeter in her silver suit and waistlength blonde hair diving deeper than any human before her? Or William Trubridge swimming breaststroke down and back to 100m plus? Think it’s only the super fit that can freedive? But what if you’re missing a leg? Paralysed from the waist down? Paralysed from the neck down? Can you still freedive?

Since starting my freediving teaching career in 2003, I’ve worked with many people facing challenges to their breathing or physical movement in the water, however this work became more structured when I worked with Paralympic swimmers in the run up to the Rio Paralympic games, being part of the team that helped them achieve 30 medals in the pool.

When I was approached by the disabled diving charity Dive Ability about giving disabled scuba divers a taste of freediving, I saw it as an amazing opportunity to share my knowledge and open up the freediving world to more people. I took along two of my instructors, Zoe and Jorgen (Team Strandquist), and we taught an adapted version of our Try Freediving course.

Our Try Freediving course combines theory and breathing exercises with exercises in the pool.

Students first practice static apnea (holding your breath while lying still on the surface), and dynamic apnea, which is swimming lengths underwater, with or without fins. We would now be bringing this course to divers with quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Asperger syndrome, missing limbs and multiple conditions.

When I teach the Try Freediving course to able-bodied students, I always stress how freediving is for everyone, and mention several record holders in their 50s and beyond. This definitely resonated with the Dive Ability members, as they often embrace challenges that others feel might not be possible for them.

Matt Colliard, the information officer for Dive Ability, who is also quadriplegic, is an Advanced Open Water Diver. He told me: “If you’ve got the right people around you and the right support, you can have a go at almost anything”. He works to show disabled people just what they can achieve both in and out of the water, and was really keen to give freediving a go.

When we teach static apnea, we have certain procedures for starting and finishing the breath hold.

If a suit is buoyant enough, then we start people lying on their backs in the water. This works well if the body is relaxed and loose, however with some physical disability this can be uncomfortable and so

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we had to adapt the position to suit each diver.

Similarly, coming up, we like students to have both hands on the side of the pool and their legs underneath them with their feet on the bottom before they lift their head up to breathe. This was tricky for a lot of the students, so we used two buddies per diver to help bring them up from the static.

Correct buddying is key in freediving, and this was an opportunity to show just how important the buddy/diver relationship is. Not only was clear communication needed, but trust and a lot of hands on helping to ensure the diver felt safe in the water.

For Matt, we had an added issue. Not only did he require two people to turn him onto his back and bring him up, but there was also the question of how he could communicate to his buddies during the static.

Sarah and Pedja were his buddies, and Zoe was instructing. When he had taken his pre-dive breath, they turned him onto his front and then Zoe got under the water to watch his face the whole time.

When he felt he wanted to come up, he shook his head and Sarah and Pedja whipped him out of the water so he could breathe immediately.

“Sarah and Pedja know me really well and how to

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handle me under the water. I closed my eyes during the breath hold. The first time I wasn’t very relaxed and my mind was just telling me to breathe, and it seemed like a long time so that’s when I gave the signal. It was barely 15 seconds. But in the classroom you were talking us through relaxing before we actually turned over, so the second time I knew what to expect and knew that my buddies could turn me over quite easily. So progressively, I got more into the relaxation techniques. I was just trying to shut everything out and just relax and enjoy the experience,” he said.

“My last hold was just under a minute. I reckon if I did it regularly I would definitely increase. But it really surprised me it was a minute. The first and second breath holds felt like a very long time, but the last one was much longer and I felt more relaxed. I could hold my breath longer because I was relaxed”.

After the static, which boasted times for some people of over two minutes, we moved onto dynamic apnea. For most of the divers this was tricky as they were either missing a leg, or did not have enough use of their legs. For Mark, an amputee, we put one lightweight and smaller carbon fin on and he was away, swimming so fast I struggled to keep up with him.

For the others, we concentrated on dynamic no fins, using the power of their arms to keep them propelled. This is incredibly effective and was the technique I used with TV presenter Arthur Williams, who is paraplegic, when I taught him to freedive for a Channel 4 TV show. Once we had got the weighting right for each student, and enough buddies for safety, we used the whole of the pool to explore freediving.

I love teaching beginners to freedive as they are always surprised and amazed at how well they have done. Teaching the members of Dive Ability was a joy as they could discover for themselves that everyone can learn to freedive.

For Zoe, Jorgen and myself, it was also an opportunity to donate our time and expertise to an amazing cause and a bunch of fantastic people.

And the last word must go to Matt, who says to all disabled people he meets: “My motto is stop sitting at home. There’s opportunities out there. We’ve got the right people, the experience, the equipment, it’s about getting out the chair and doing something different”.

If you’d like to take part in scuba and freediving with Dive Ability, check out: www.diveability.org n

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FREEDIVING NEWS Go Pro in Indo

Indonesia-based Freedive Flow have announced a new three-week intense instructor course under both AIDA and PADI. The lead Instructor Trainer is Oli Christen, the author of the AIDA Education Materials and a member of the worldwide PADI Freediver Advisory Board.

This is a unique course being offered by Freedive Flow, and included in the price of US$1,305 is the ten-day intensive course, freediving training one week prior to the starting date of the course, AIDA Education Materials (pdf, bring your own laptop or tablet), PADI Instructor Orientation (crossover course), PADI Freediver Program Instructor Guide, lunch on course days, and access to all the necessary infrastructure (pool, boats, float, line, weights).

Not included in the course are the certification fees for both AIDA and PADI, teaching materials and accommodation.

The next course is 10-19 July 2017. For more info and to ensure you meet the pre-requisites, check out: www.freediveflow.com

19-year-old sets ice freediving record A 19-year-old from Croatia has set a new CMAS world record for distance swimming under ice.

On Sunday 12 March, Valentina Cafolla completed a horizontal dive of 125 metres beneath a sheet of ice up to 70cm thick on the Lago Di Anterselva Lake in the Italian Alps, beating the previous CMAS world record held

by Turkey’s Denya Can. Cafolla managed to accomplish the dive on the second attempt after aborting her first dive. The dive was completed in one minute 27 seconds.

She said: “I didn’t get the perfect breath before the start and started to panic a bit, so I had to abort my first dive after 75 metres. I’m really happy that all the intensive preparation paid off, but I’m also happy that I’ll be able to dive into warmer water next time.”

Just the day before her record-breaking dive, Frenchman Arthur Guerin-Boeri set a new men’s CMAS world record in freediving under ice at the Sonnanen See in Finland—an astonishing 175 metres.

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Freediving competition results

PHOTO CREDIT: DANIEL SMITH

PHOTO CREDIT: DANIEL SMITH

The Easter weekend saw a flurry of freediving activity in the northwest, culminating in the Great Northern competition and the BFA UK National pool championship. Steve Millard reports.

The Great Northern freediving competition and the BFA UK National pool championship results are now in. There were two days of competition. Day one was Apneists UK Dynamic No Fins day (DNF) and was a small national competition with guests and a great way of involving a few new volunteers and newbie athletes into a very relaxed and easy session at Wright Robinson Pool in Manchester. Day two was the BFA UK National pool competition and the 8th Great Northern International pool competition. Winners for these competitions were combined point score for Static Apnea added to a choice of Dynamic with fins, or Dynamic with no fins (DNF multiplied by 1.3).

The Easter weekend gained a few people who may not have made it, and lost a few who were taken up, so next year it will be on a neutral weekend with no significant calendar event. I was very happy to see a few new faces - we had nine new divers out of the 31 entered over the two days and many of them put in PB or close-to PB performances, which was excellent. It was good to see Lucy Hannell podium, as she has been out for a while, and Lucelle Simms was solid all weekend, despite having a very short warm up just before her static.

There was a lovely DNF swim by Borys Bajorek to beat the current Hungarian National record holder Mike Benke. Mike had his arm bent to enter as he was out of form, and after he podiumed he asked then if he could enter the second day as all of a sudden his motivation had come back. Eoin Clarke did a massive swim, but he woke up in the arms of friends after singing ‘keep on swimming, keep on swimming’ until the safety decided he had swam far enough - 34 metres longer than planned - but I’m definite we will see another Irish National record very soon.

The Static event saw lots of white card performances, but it seems the best dives were left for the Dynamic with fins/Dynamic no fins event. Alice Hickson came back into the room and put a very solid and very clean 161-metre DNF in, which immediately put her out of reach of any mortal that had entered. Great swim also by Lucelle at 150 metres, who was there really to put numbers on the board, but the numbers were good. In the men’s event, Phil Fennell put in a big 169-metre swim, and only missed first spot because of Adam Drzazga having a bigger Static earlier. The two days results in full can be found here: www.freedivingcompetition.com/results-2017.html Thank you to the sponsors: www.learn2freedive.com | www.padi.com www.britishfreediving.org | www.freexperience.com www.omersub.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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P29 PATROL BOAT, MALTA The P29 is one of the most-popular artificial reefs off the coastline of Malta, not least because it is situated off Cirkewwa Point, close to other dive hotspots like the Rozi and the Double Arch.

A 52-metre Kondor I-class minesweeper originally built in Germany in 1969, she was used as a patrol boat by the Offshore Command of the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta from 1997,

and was then purpose-sunk as a dive attraction in August 2007 after being decommissioned.

She now sits upright in around 33m, with the upper portions of her superstructure reaching to within 12m of the surface. Penetration is possible for those suitably trained, and she is already well colonised by marine life despite only being down for ten years.

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“The Kittiwake may be making waves in the diving world now, but the Tibbetts, which celebrated 20 years on the seabed last year, is still well worth a visit�

3

A TALE OF

ISLA N DS The Cayman Islands are one of the top diving destinations in the Caribbean, if not the world. MARK EVANS explains the attraction of these three very different islands Photographs by MARK EVANS

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he Cayman Islands regularly score highly in polls for ‘best overall diving destination’, ‘best wall diving’, ‘best wreck diving’ and so on, and though they are only small, these three little islands can more than hold their own against some big-hitters from around the globe, more than living up to the hype generated by these acco-

lades.

Visitors can opt to stay on one island, or do a spot of island-hopping, as they are located close together and well served by regular internal flights.

You can even jump on a liveaboard like the Cayman Aggressor IV (www. aggressor.com) and cruise around the three over the course of a dive-heavy week if you want to seriously rack up your in-water time.

The islands are located in the western Caribbean some 150 miles south of Cuba and 167 miles northwest of Jamaica. Geographically, the Cayman Islands are part of the Cayman Ridge, which extends westwards from Cuba.

The infamous Cayman Trench, the deepest part of the Caribbean at a whopping depth of over four miles, separates the three islands from Jamaica.

There are no rivers on any of the three, which means no run-off into the surrounding sea, and this – together with the abyssal depths that envelop the Cayman Islands – ensures some of the most-phenomenal visibility you are likely to experience in the tropics.

GRAND CAYMAN

Grand Cayman is the largest island in the chain, and home to the capital, George Town, which lies on the western shore towards the bottom of the famed Seven-Mile Beach, which is the hotspot for hotels, resorts and tourism. The island is approximately 22 miles long with an average width of four miles, and it has a huge 35 square mile shallow, reef-protected lagoon, the North Sound, which is the home of arguably the island’s most-famous dive site, Stingray City. Here, in just 4m, divers can interact with massive southern stingrays, which were initially drawn here eating scraps thrown overboard by fishermen gutting their daily catch, but now take morsels of squid from eager divers, who clamour to be mobbed by the friendly rays. Whether you agree with fish-feeding dives or not, it is certainly a spectacle to behold.

Most of the 240-plus dive sites around the island tend to be located off the northwest, west, southwest and east coastlines. Typically, shallow reefs and sandy patches stretch out from the shoreline, before you come to the drop-off that plummets into the deep. In some places this is relatively close to the shore, at others a good few hundred metres away from dry land.

The northwest and the east dive sites are generally considered the best wall diving locations, and here the reef is quite rugged, with pristine coral growth, the chance of some pelagic encounters – I have seen hammerheads on every dive in the East End, for instance – and jaw-dropping topography that is showcased by the mega-vis. The drop-off starts at different depths, but expect 15m-20m being the average for the top of the walls.

The west and southwest has some great wall diving, but is also the location of some shallow wreck dives and other sunken attractions. The 20-metre-long cable layer Doc Poulson – named

after the country’s first diving doctor - was sunk in West Bay as an artificial reef back in 1981 and is now full of marine life. The LCM David Nicholson, a World War Two landing craft, lies in 16m off the Sunset House Dive Resort house reef, near George Town, and is actually named after the centre’s first Divemaster. The former US military vessel Oro Verde, also lying off the west coast, is a 54-metre vessel that has been on the bottom since 1980 and is also a haven for various reef fish and invertebrates.

However, the jewel in the crown of Cayman wreck diving is undoubtedly the Kittiwake, a 76-metre, 2,200-ton submarine rescue vessel which was purpose sunk in 2011 for divers with plenty of features still in place, including recompression chambers, sinks, workbenches and so on. Multiple holes and hatches were cut out to allow for maximum light penetration, and while you can find your way around the five deck levels with this ambient light, a torch helps you

DIVE 365

Launched in 2008, the Dive 365 initiative set out to provide a new dive experience for every day of the year, and includes sites for all skill levels.

spot all the details and little critters that call the wreck home. Photographers will love the large prop and rudder, and the bridge area, and as she comes to within a few metres of the surface, she is even accessible to snorkellers.

For something a little different, check out the Guardian of the Reef, a mythological half-warrior/ half-seahorse statue created by Canadian sculptor Simon Morris that was sunk off Lighthouse Point in the northwest in just 18m in April 2014, or Amphitrite, a three-metre bronze mermaid standing in a sand patch on the Sunset House house reef.

“The west and southwest has some great wall diving, but is also the location of some shallow wreck dives and other sunken attractions”

CAYMAN BRAC

Cayman Brac lies about 89 miles northeast of Grand Cayman, and is about 12 miles long with an average width of 1.25 miles. It may be fairly small, but it has the most-spectacular terrain of the trio, with the limestone outcrop named the Bluff rising some 40m above sea-level at the eastern end of the island, which is often used for topside activities.

The Brac, as the island is often referred to, has over 60 decent wall and reef dives, but the dive site that put it on the map is the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, which was the premier shipwreck in the Cayman Islands until it was eclipsed by the Kittiwake. The only diveable Russian warship in the Western Hemisphere, this 110-metre Koni II-class frigate was renamed the Keith Tibbetts after a local politician and purpose-sunk off the west coast in 1996. Storms have broken the vessel in two, making it feel more like a genuine wrecking, and inside you can find Cyrillic lettering on the control panels. The Kittiwake may be making waves in the diving world now, but the Tibbetts, which celebrated 20 years on the seabed last year, is still well worth a visit.

Another underwater oddity worth seeking out is the Oceanic Voyagers, a two-metre-tall bronze statue of a pair of spotted dolphins cavorting with southern stingrays, which is a favourite with visiting photographers.

LITTLE CAYMAN

Little Cayman is just five miles west of Cayman Brac

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and is approximately ten miles long with an average width of just one mile. It is extremely low level, with only a few areas of the north shore rising to 12 metres above sea-level. Life here is much more laidback, and it is a great place to get away from it all, chill out and relax, with some excellent diving added in.

The island may be small, but it still has some 60 dives sites, and chief among these is one of the world’s most-revered wall diving areas, Bloody Bay. Starting in just 5m of water, this sheer drop-off heads off into over 1,800m. The wall is ablaze with vibrant sponges, encrusting soft corals, hard corals, whip corals and bright algaes, so much so that it appears not one section is not colonised by one form of life or another. Then throw all manner of reef dwellers and the occasional pelagic visitor into the mix and it is not hard to see the appeal of this immense site, which actually provides enough wall for several dive sites, such as Great Wall East (and West), Randy’s Gazebo, Donna’s Delight, Marylin’s Cut, Lea Lea’s Lookout and Coconut Wall.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, all three islands have their own vibe and attractions, and you can choose to visit one, two or all three. A great combo is to spend a week on Grand Cayman, diving the north point, the East End and the Kittiwake, and then hop over to Little Cayman for a few days, so you can absorb the wonderful wall diving in Bloody Bay. With the Brac being so close, you can even nip across with a Little Cayman dive centre to dive the Tibbetts, meaning you can tick off many of the major dive draws in one trip. n

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Dive Agency News Each month, we invite all the main dive training agencies to showcase new courses, forthcoming events, staff changes and promotions, and so on. scubadivermag.com/agencynews

IANTD were proud to support The Great Northern Dive Show, with many divers meeting up with Bob Scullion and Tim Cutter to ask about the new ART and Normoxic Plus depth limits.

IANTD Mine Diver update: IANTD HQ is also in the process of updating training standards with some changes to overhead environments. To reflect the complexity and skill levels required in Mine Diving, IANTD has now levelled the playing field within its overhead programs. Mine Diver is now equal to the Cave Diver programs, allowing unlimited complex navigation and advanced Mine Diving techniques including Survey, DPV, Multi Stage and Advanced Sidemount. Intro to Mine equates to Cavern, providing an ideal introduction to overhead environments. Training can be utilised between cave and mine with a familiarisation to the new environment by a relevant IANTD instructor.

Finally, IANTD Technical Director Phil Short has returned from Florida cave diving and been active upgrading IANTD UK instructors. Howard ‘Hugo’ Angel has qualified as an OC Normoxic Plus instructor, while Tim Clements completed his Normoxic Plus IT assessment. Barry White, based in Edinburgh, has also qualified as a Tek Sidemount instructor in Egypt. Congratulations. www.iantd.uk.com

LANCE PALMER OF LP DIVING AND MARINE SERVICES HAS JOINED THE TDI/SDI FAMILY AFTER COMPLETING A CROSSOVER WITH INSTRUCTOR TRAINER STEVE COWLEY. Lance has worked in the diving industry for over 25 years as a commercial diver and also as a diving instructor and service technician.

In addition, Sally Cartwright has completed her instructor update and is once again teaching for TDI/SDI. Sally has been involved in technical diving in the UK from the start and was of the team members of the Bluebird Project which recovered Donald Cambell’s Bluebird from Conniston Water so that it could be restored.

TDI/SDI instructors from across the UK were very happy to support the Great Northern Dive Show in Manchester. This was the second year that the event was held and it has built on last year’s strong start and was once again a very enjoyable show.

Ruth Mort and her team have done a fantastic job of trying to do something different and are aiming at attracting younger people into diving. This is a fantastic initiative and it is only by taking this sort of approach will we attract the next generation of divers into the sport. www.tdisdi.com/young-tech-divers/

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REGIONAL MANAGER CONFERENCE IN ITALY The PADI Regional Managers from Europe, Middle East and Africa descended upon Santa Margherita Ligure in April for their prestigious Regional Managers Conference. They were accompanied by PADI Territory Directors, Marketing Managers and a few special guests from the United States, President and CEO Drew Richardson, as well as Chief Marketing Officer Kristin Valette. The conference gives PADI managers the chance to discuss in great detail industry initiatives, strategy and share feedback from out in the field. Among the presentations and meetings, there was also an award ceremony, which saw the Mayor of Santa Margherita, Paolo Donadoni, receive recognition for support given to the diving industry. To cap off the week, it obviously had to end with the PADI managers donning their drysuits and heading down to the famous dive site, Cristo degli Abissi. www.padi.com

MORE REGIONAL TRAINING DAYS SCHEDULED FOR DIVERS TRAINING WITH BSAC BSAC has released its 2017 schedule of regional Training Days designed to help divers ‘top up’ their training, with sessions available for BSAC members wanting to complete their next diver grade.

BSAC’s Regional Teams will be facilitating the 2017 Training Days at a range of dive sites around the country, including Capernwray, Dosthill, Loch Fyne, Stoney Cove and Wraysbury. Sessions will cover grades from Ocean Diver to Advanced Diver.

Launched last year following feedback from BSAC clubs wanting additional support for their members’ training, the Training Days are intended to help members as they work towards or complete key BSAC diver grades.

BSAC Coaching Co-ordinator Phil Alberts said the success of the Training Days during 2016 has meant that an even fuller programme has now been put together.

He explained: “The 2017 Training Days schedule will be helping clubs during their peak training times, as well as offer a catch-up opportunity for students who may have missed their scheduled lessons.” www.bsac.com/trainingdays

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DiveRAID have announced an exciting new partnership with Blue Abyss - the world’s first commercial underwater and space research, development and training centre.

Blue Abyss will provide the UK-based facility with a team of up to 35 industry specialists to support the astronaut and space tourism training, commercial diving and human performance research that will be conducted in the 50m-deep indoor pool.

James Rogers, Managing Director of RAID (UK and Malta), said recruitment would start soon for the ‘multi-faceted, highly skilled’ RAID instructors who will embark on a rigorous training programme across all diving disciplines offered by RAID. Additional skills such as astronaut and commercial diving training used in the offshore oil and gas and offshore wind industries will also be required.

“Our team will need to be trained to support all disciplines in the pool from day one. These jobs will be highly sought after,” he said. “Blue Abyss is an exciting and unique facility, which is going to be huge for the worldwide market.

These will be divers with unique training and a very special skill set. We’re beyond excited to be building the Blue Abyss team. It’s a unique career opportunity for divers of all levels and previous training codes. Such diving diversity in one special location is unheard of.” www.diveraid.com

THE SAA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WAS HELD AT THE PALACE HOTEL IN BUXTON THIS YEAR. THE MEETING WAS CHAIRED BY THE OUTGOING CHAIRMAN COLIN BRYAN, WITH A GOOD TURNOUT OF CLUBS IN ATTENDANCE. VARIOUS TOPICS WERE DISCUSSED IN THE OPEN FORUM BEFORE THE AWARDS FOR THE YEARS 2016-2017 WERE PRESENTED. Individual members and clubs are able to nominate those they believe are worthy of recognition from the SAA for going above and beyond. The awards were presented by outgoing chairman Colin Bryan after the formal business of the AGM had concluded.

Ceri Jones won the Zanelli Charlton Award. Known for his training skills and willingness to develop divers, Ceri has strongly promoted the SAA and is a much-admired member of the association.

Barry Mulcahy has been the Eastern Regional Representative for the SAA during the last 11 years, and the bronze certificate was given in recognition of his commitment to the SAA across the regions.

Janice Roach got the silver certificate after deciding to step down from her regional role within Yorkshire and Humberside, which she has held for eight years.

Stephan Heathfield took the golden region award for the outstanding work he has done to build and develop the southeast region.

The Llantrisant Sub Aqua Club took the golden club award, and Stuart Bryan the George Arnold Trophy – Conservation, for his work on underwater archaeology and shipwrecks. www.saa.org.ukw

AFTER THREE YEARS OF WORK, GLOBAL UNDERWATER EXPLORERS ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW VERSION OF THEIR BEGINNER DIVER CLASS RECREATIONAL DIVER LEVEL 1.

This class has been developed taking into account the experiences of instructors and dive centres across the world, and has created a new streamlined and user-friendly class.

The new structure makes it easier for GUE instructors and facilities to offer a solid training program, allowing participants to enjoy the experience and continue diving for life.

While the GUE program is neither the fastest, nor cheapest option out there, it is designed and developed to give participants the best possible start to their diving career, and takes the long history of GUE’s exploration and expedition diving and builds this in at the very start.

GUE’s John Kendall said: “I am looking forward to helping to roll out the new version of Rec 1, as it sticks to GUE’s core principals, while making the class easier to run logistically” www.gue.com

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MUCK-DIVING

CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

The Lembeh Straits has long been heralded as THE place for muck-diving, but many pretenders to the throne have reared their heads. MARK EVANS heads back to Indonesia to see if the champ has still got what it takes Photographs by MARK EVANS

I

am, without doubt, a big animals kind of guy. I relish encounters with sharks, turtles, manta rays, etc – and the bigger, the better. Feeling rather inadequate next to some form of majestic marine life has to be one of the most-thrilling experiences possible. And so I was always scornful of people who got all giddy and excited about some tiny nudibranch or crab – the macro life of the reef just didn’t do it for me.

Then I went to the Lembeh Straits in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, 17 years ago and my entire viewpoint changed.

Yes, I still love my big animals, but equally, I adore the weird-and-wonderful little beasties that dwell on the sand and in the reefs, and wherever I travel on assignment, I endeavour to seek out both forms of life. Run-ins with big sharks might get your heart racing, but hunting – and finding – some minute shrimp hiding in a sponge gives you an immense sense of achievement.

I have been back to Lembeh a handful of times since that eye-opening initial visit in 2000, and while there are now other places around the planet that profess to offering world-class muck-diving sites, I have to say that the Strait can still more than hold its own against these young pretenders. The term ‘muck-diving’ was even coined in the Lembeh Straits, and accurately describes what it is like when you head out for a dive on a seemingly desolate slope of black volcanic sand dotted with old bottles, paint cans, plastic bags and other human-made detritus. I still get a kick out of watching the faces of muck-diving virgins go from shock and dismay (when they first see the dive site they have travelled halfway around the world to get to) to joy and amazement (as they are shown an endless procession of bizarre critters that call the area home).

Even now, as a relative veteran when it comes to grubbing about for little creatures, I still am constantly left in awe of the sheer variety of marine life you can encounter on your average muck dive – and the eagle-eyed skills of the dive guides who seek them out. On a typical site in Lembeh, expect the likes of flamboyant cuttlefish, seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, filefish, frogfish, octopus, numerous shrimp and nudibranchs, and a host of other photo-friendly critters.

On my last visit, to the Hairball Dive Resort and Dive Into Lembeh Dive Centre, myself and dive guide Rano set out to try and tick off as many of the ‘must see’ animals as possible, and split our dives between hardcore volcanic black sand muck dives, grey sandy slopes interspersed with the odd coral bommie, and true reef dives bursting with vibrant soft corals and sponges - Lembeh might be known for its critters, but some of the coral colourations are truly stunning as well. And to be honest, while I love ferreting around on the proper muck sites, it is a welcome change to dive on a vivid, pristine coral reef now and then to break things up.

My hawk-eyed guide flitted this way and that, constantly on the lookout for telltale movements or shapes in the seabed, and over the course of several dives we racked up numerous frogfish, from giant examples to cute hairy fellas, as well as pygmy cuttlefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, mantis shrimps, orangutan crabs, coconut octopus, mimic octopus, devil scorpionfish, stargazer, seahorses, harlequin shrimp, nudibranchs - the list was almost endless.

Sitting in the Hairball Dive Resort bar that evening supping on cold beers and munching on tasty snacks, all the di-

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DIVE INTO LEMBEH

“The term ‘muck-diving’ was even coined in the Lembeh Straits, and accurately describes what it is like when you head out for a dive on a seemingly desolate slope of black volcanic sand dotted with old bottles, paint cans, plastic bags and other human-made detritus”

The Dive Into Lembeh Dive Centre (www.diveintolembeh.com) is located right on the water’s edge within the Hairball Dive Resort. The beach is literally a few steps from the guest gear room, which has wellthought-out storage solutions for equipment, and the dive boats are moored up right on the shoreline. Best of all, two of the most-famous dive sites in the Lembeh Strait - muck-diving heaven Hairball, and colourful reef Awe Shucks – together form the centre’s house reef!

There are large rinse ranks for dive kit and photographic equipment, and ‘snappers’ will be in raptures over the monster camera room, which has individual workstations with non-slip mats, towels, strip lights and multiple power sockets. Most importantly, the camera room is directly opposite the bar!

Dive Into Lembeh is efficiently managed by Steve and Miranda Coverdale, familiar faces in the region from their time at the helm of Eco Divers in KBR, and it is great to see them back on ‘home turf’. They have a small, but professional team within the resort, and their eagle-eyed dive guides are adept at finding the smallest critters.

vers compared their ‘hit lists’, congratulating one another on particularly noteworthy sightings (and perhaps inwardly gritting their teeth with envy in some instances!) and offering advice on where to go to spot certain critters. It is an extremely pleasant way to round out a great day of diving – and one that was repeated on a daily basis.

CONCLUSION

If you like your little critters, this location most certainly needs to be on your bucket list. If you are a photographer, you will be in absolute heaven with your macro lens. The Indonesian people are very friendly and welcoming, the Hairball Dive Resort and Dive Into Lembeh Dive Centre is nicely designed, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and run like a well-oiled machine by Lembeh veterans Steve and Miranda Coverdale, and while you feel a million miles away from the rat race back home when you are here, it is actually relatively simple to get to these days, making this the perfect package. n

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HAIRBALL DIVE RESORT

The Hairball Dive Resort has nine private sea-view bungalows, an open-air restaurant and bar, beachside fire pit area, swimming pool, boutique spa and, of course, the fully equipped Dive into Lembeh Dive Centre, which boasts a spacious camera room, guest gear storage room and well-set-up dive boats.

All the bungalows are in the same category and made out of locally sourced materials, and are equipped with air-conditioning, ceiling fan, mini-bar, safe, and five-gallon hot and cold water dispenser with tea and coffee facilities. Each of the bungalows also has its own Japanese Onsen (hot tub) on the veranda to warm up in at the end of your diving day, alongside comfortable beanbag chairs on which to relax and soak up the stunning views.

“Even now, as a relative veteran when it comes to grubbing about for little creatures, I still am constantly left in awe of the sheer variety of marine life you can encounter on your average muck dive�

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HOT TOPIC

ENTRY POINT Getting to North Sulawesi is a relatively simple matter these days. Singapore Air have numerous flights per week from London directly into Singapore, and then subsidiary airline Silk Air provide the hopper flight into Manado.

From Manado, it is just an hour-and-a-half minibus ride to the Lembeh Strait.

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www.diveintolembeh.com

“Dive into Lembeh” is nestled in Kasawari bay and has its own resort, located on the main land of the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia - a true macro photographer’s paradise - just off the north east coast of Sulawesi and is famous for its “muck diving” on black volcanic sand. The resort is located at the northern end of the Strait out of sight of Bitung harbour in the south, offering unspoiled views of Lembeh Island.

All bungalows have a fantastic sea view, satellite TV, air conditioning, ceiling fan, minibar, safe, ensuite western style bathroom, water dispenser and tea/coffee facilities.



Our resort has a 18m x 6m swimming pool, open air restaurant/bar and fire pit area with un-interrupted views of the Lembeh Strait.

ALL ROOMS INCLUDE A JAPANESE STYLE STONE HOT TUB

You can fly to North Sulawesi (Sam Ratulangi Airport) direct from Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Makassar and Sorong. Then just drive approx 90min to our resort.

For more info contact info@diveintolembeh.com

“The Aqua Theatre wasn’t hogged by the mermaids – during both days, the likes of TDI’s Mark Powell and GUE’s John Kendall ventured into the water to showcase dive skills and drills”

THIS IS THE DIVE SHOW YOU ARE LOOKING FOR Stormtroopers. Jawas. Even Darth Vader. And let’s not even talk about the T-rex… The Great Northern Dive Show aims to be different to other ‘dive shows’, and it certainly is. MARK EVANS and the Scuba Diver team were there Photographs courtesy of THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVE SHOW

D

arth Vader and a cohort of Stormtroopers and Scout Troopers, as well as jawas and Jedis, is not something you expect to see at a dive show. Nor is a hefty T-rex wandering around with his handler. And then there were the mermaids… Oh, and fire dancers… It may sound totally wacky, but that is just what visitors got when they attended The Great Northern Dive Show at EventCity in Manchester in early April.

Organiser Ruth Mort set out from day one to create something different, something totally unlike any other dive show out there, and one of her aims was for it to be family friendly. She has certainly achieved that goal – I saw more families walking around this show than I have seen at any other diving event I have attended.

As well as the characters walking around the show hall, or swimming around in the Aqua Theatre – apparently the world’s largest portable glass-sided tank in the world - there was face painting, a ‘beach’ where children could help in a ‘clean-up’ as well as play, not to mention the draw of one of the country’s largest shopping centres being located just over the road.

That is not to say that the true divers were forgotten. Agencies including RAID, BSAC and IANTD were present, as were distributors and manufacturers such as Cressi, Blue Orb, KUBI DryGloves, Miflex Hoses and Otter Watersports, to name but a few. The Northern Underwater Photography Group held their print competition at the event, and there were booths for freedivers, disabled divers, holiday divers and UK divers.

The Aqua Theatre wasn’t hogged by the mermaids – during both days, the likes of TDI’s Mark Powell and GUE’s John Kendall ventured into the water to showcase dive skills and drills, and the stage was populated throughout the weekend by a variety of interesting speakers, presenting on everything from diving in North Wales, overcoming a tragic accident, the sister ship of the Titanic, and exciting encounters with whalesharks.

CONCLUSION

At the moment, The Great Northern Dive Show is struggling to find its niche in the market. Kudos to Ruth and her team for trying to create something genuinely different and with a broader appeal, particularly to families and those perhaps only thinking about dabbling in diving, but if it is going to grow into a real force within the UK dive market, it needs to have more support from the diving agencies and the manufacturers/distributors, so that there is plenty for the hardcore diving crowd as well. Unfortunately, they seem unwilling to commit until the footfall increases dramatically, but this isn’t going to happen until they are onboard and it becomes a true ‘dive show’.

It is a ‘Catch 22’ situation. The number of visitors was up from last year’s inaugural show – 3,579 this time - so TGNDS is bucking the trend for industry events in the UK, and I hope that next year sees these numbers swell again. n

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SCHOLARSHIP DIARY

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

CAVE AND ISLAND PARADISE PHOTOGRAPHS BY FELIX BUTSCHEK

T

owards the end of my Scholarship year, the diving adventures keep getting more and more exciting. Last month, I was invited to join a cave film shoot with Evan Kovacs from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab. I then flew out to the Falklands and joined a scientific expedition to King George Bay. After two months away from the rebreather and cave diving, I decided to head to Northern Florida a week before the intended start of the film shoot for some check-out diving. Derek Ferguson took me for some extraordinary dives in the Jug Hole and Ginnie Springs. Right away, my love for the liquid underworld flared up and I quickly felt comfortable and confident again exploring the caves around High Springs. But Evan Kovacs kept something very special in the bag for me: the caves of the Mill Pond at Marianna, about three hours west of cave country.

The Mill Pond is the closest I’ve been to paradise on Earth, above and below its surface. On the first dive to this cave, Jackson Blue revealed itself as the most beautiful of the Florida Springs that I have dived so far. Evan and I spent the dive familiarizing ourselves with the main tunnel and looking for potential areas for filming. The perfectly white limestone makes this location ideal for any camera work. The spring pumps water out of the cave at exhilarating speeds, which keeps the tunnels from silting out and gives it a beautiful deep blue hue. Jackson Blue is certainly a befitting name for the cave.

20,000 lumen video lights banned the darkness from the caves during our shoot and completely transformed the passages of Jackson Blue: details became apparent where dim light usually only allows you to see rough outlines. But in the largest chambers, even the most powerful lights could not beat the looming dark. Shadows danced and conquered the corners of ancient domes, formed by millennia of karstification.

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Hundreds of feet away from the entrance without any natural light, however, darkness turns into a companion — almost like an old friend who welcomes you to a different world.

From Florida, I headed to the Falklands, the furthest south and possibly remotest place that I have travelled to so far.

As a British Overseas Territory, the Falklands moved into the geopolitical focus during the 1982 conflict following the Argentinian invasion of the island archipelago. Despite its location 300 miles off the Argentinian coast and 7,000 miles away from the UK, these islands couldn’t be any more British.

The landscape across the islands is reminiscent of the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands. However, the underwater life is as different as a cold-temperate environment could be. There is a wild mix of species from the Pacific, Antarctica and the South Atlantic. While I could recognize some familiar sights from Chilean Patagonia, the majority of life underwater was new to me. Geographically so remote, the Falkland’s marine environment is generally underexplored and understudied. To fill in this blank spot on the map, Paul Brickle founded the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) four years ago. Joining Paul, SAERI and the Shallow Marine Survey Group to dive in the waters of the South Atlantic was a dream come true.

Unfortunately, my luggage was delayed in Santiago Airport and didn’t make it to the Falklands. With only one flight a week, I had to make do without my diving equipment for the expedition to Roy Cove, King George Bay on West Falkland. This made it painfully evident how remote we were, on an island with only 300 inhabitants and local island flights operating more like a taxi service than on a regular schedule. Yet with borrowed dive gear, I got to discover the South Atlantic for myself and contribute to the environmental baseline survey of King George Bay. It is a huge privilege to dive sites that no one has been to before, and it is even more satisfying to return with quantifiable biological data. We focused our efforts along short transects, recorded the physical environment and split further tasks within buddy teams. My buddy Joost counted and recorded the species along a 20 metre transect while I came up behind him photographing quadrats for computer analysis.

In my limited diving experience, the diversity and abundance of life underwater in the Falklands is second to no other in the Atlantic Ocean. Overall, the trip and survey work in the Falklands was a great introduction to the marine environment of the South Atlantic, and I hope to return there soon. There are wide opportunities for exploration and research in the Falklands, and I have only scraped its surface. n

Felix Butschek

BOARD SHORTS

60

@

m

STUART PHILPOTT dusts off his tech-diving skills in Utila, but admits it felt strange to be heading off on a deep ocean dive wearing just a rash vest and board shorts!

Photographs by STUART PHILPOTT

U

tila has to be ‘the’ backpacking-come-scuba-diver-training hotspot of the Caribbean. With two resident Brit Course Directors, Utila Dive Centre (UDC) seems to be spearheading the campaign, attracting an eclectic mix of nationalities from European and Skandi right through to South American and Canadian. But located off the coast of Honduras, and being some way off the mass tourism beaten track, I didn’t expect to find a full-blown tech-diving centre complete with a range of ‘toys’ from twinsets, sidemounts and stage cylinders to closed-circuit rebreathers. Dive Manager Bel Chaves introduced me to Brit Scott Peaker and Canadian-born Jake Bulman, who shared UDC’s tech-diving workload between them. Scott offered to take me on a trimix dive, leaving Jake to focus on the rebreathers, and if I had time, the sidemounts.

For the past two years, Scott has been running tech deep trimix courses around twice a month and sidemount courses about three or four times a month. He usually conducts training dives at sites on the north side of Utila. CJ’s Drop Off is one of his particular favourites. Scott said: “When you arrive at the dive site, the wall is right there and goes all the way down past 90m”.

Scott shared space on the same dive boat used by recreational divers. This was the ideal pitching ground for tech courses. PADI Course Director, Susie Phipps, told me that UDC runs instructor courses every month and qualify over 100 new instructors each year. Susie said: “It’s the perfect selling machine. It’s easy to add on sidemount and rebreather courses after the IE has finished”. Everybody watches the tech divers going through briefings, kitting up and disappearing into the deep blue, where they can’t follow. This naturally generates curiosity and interest. Scott said: “We have a constant flow of work”. The tech centre has five sets of doubles, three sidemount rigs as well as deco cylinders and regs for hire.

Scott started diving in Fiji while working on a reef conservation project. In two years he progressed to Divemaster level. Scott then moved to Utila and completed his tech training and to date has logged over 200 tech dives. He said: “I love being able to explore and see places that only a few people are able to go. Tech opens up a whole different side of diving, from thoroughly planning dives start to finish to all the different gear you can use and different gas mixes. It also allows you to build a strong team of friends with the people you dive with”.

Our objective was to find and enter a small cave at a maximum depth of 60m.

Scott said: “No one ever sees the cave as it’s so deep”. Gas mix for the dive was a 20/20, with deco gases 50 percent and 100 percent 02. Total dive time was going to be 60 minutes.

Scott and Jake didn’t know me from Adam, so were concerned about my safety.

Admittedly, I hadn’t been tech diving for a few months and felt a little bit rusty, so was happy to follow their guidelines. Scott gave a thorough briefing with no skimping on information. It felt like a simulated dry run of the entire dive! I could see that Scott was extremely conscientious. I’m certain he went through the same procedure with everyone he guided or trained.

We all turned up in multi-coloured board shorts and rash vests. There wasn’t one piece of black gear to be seen. Scott was concerned

“When I turned up the next morning, Jake had already prepared the rebreathers for our days diving, so I didn’t have to spend any time assembling the unit, which made me feel very lazy and inadequate”

that this would somehow make the dive seem less ‘technical’ to the outside world, but the water temp was hovering around the 30 degree C mark and only dropped by a degree or two at our target depth, so in my mind there wasn’t a problem. We were dressed suitably for the occasion - totally awesome, dude!

The boat ride to CJ’s Drop Off is about 45 minutes, which allowed me some time to survey the coastline. For a small island (Utila only covers an area of 45 sq km), there was a good variety of bars, restaurants and beaches to sample. Dive Manager Bel had her nose to the ground and knew exactly what establishment was offering a happy hour or a two-for-one on food, which helped me save a few extra dollars.

Underwater, my trim needed some tweaking. I felt slightly inverted, and when laden down with stage cylinders, this made finning harder than necessary. Tech gear should be comfortable, but I’m always being thrown in at the deep end (literally) using unfamiliar kit configurations. There never seems to be enough time for fine-tuning.

Just to wish us bon voyage, a small hawksbill did a fly-by. I was in two minds whether to chase after it for a photo, but this was a serious tech

D DE EN ER M M N CO RE RT PA

UTILA DIVE CENTRE

Utila Dive Centre was established way back in 1991, and has since steadily grown in terms of facilities and reputation. A PADI CDC – among myriad other titles! - it can offer all levels of training right up to various instructor ratings, as well as boasting a comprehensive technical-diving set-up with twinsets, sidemount kit and closed-circuit rebreathers.

Whether you are new to tech diving and want to get certified, are qualified and just want to head out on ‘fun’ tech dives, or are ready to step up and get your tech instructor ratings, UDC can help you out. www.utiladivecenter.com dive with a planned run time, so I thought better of it. Keep focused on the dive and stick to the plan.

I followed behind Scott and Jake as we made our descent on the near-vertical wall. With visibility topping 30 metres, it was very dramatic looking back up at the surface. Scott said: “I always get my students to look up as the wall actually overhangs slightly and towers over the top of you, making you feel tiny down there”.

We passed a clump of orange tube sponges protruding from the wall.

I kept the pace until we reached the cave entrance at our prescribed maximum depth of 60m. In fact, my Shearwater computer was recording bang on 60m. This turned out to be my best picture opportunity - me inside the shallow cave looking back out into the blue, with Scott and Jake in the foreground. There was a huge rock formation in the middle of the opening which added some perspective, and adorned with colourful sponges, made the shot more interesting.

After a short period we turned around and ascended back up and around the wall. I stopped at the tube sponges to take another stream of pictures and then carried on up completing deco stops along the way.

Back on the surface, everybody was happy. The dive couldn’t have gone any smoother from run time to gas management. No matter what the sea temperature, I don’t usually dive in anything less than a 5mm suit, especially on tech dives, but on this occasion the board shorts looked pretty cool (even with my chubby legs) and didn’t feel too cool!

When I turned up the next morning, Jake had already prepared the rebreathers for our days diving, so I didn’t have to spend any time assembling the unit, which made me feel very lazy and inadequate. I had qualified as a TDI Poseidon rebreather diver a number of years ago while diving at the tech centre Dive-In Larnaca based in Cyprus. Unfortunately, it was the same story as the previous trimix dive - I was rusty with the workings of a Poseidon Se7en, so Jake went through all the procedures thoroughly before we entered the water.

Jake had learnt to dive in 2014. His first dive was at West Hawk Lake, Canada, in 4 degree C water while wearing a holey wetsuit which was a complete contrast to board shorts in the Caribbean. He completed his first rebreather dive in February 2015 and became an instructor in April of the same year. He has now got almost 100 hours on the Poseidon, and about 60 hours on his personal KISS Sidekick unit, which totalled more than 180 logged tech dives. To date, Jake has run 18 CCR courses at UDC. We managed to jump aboard a boat heading out to a popular site called Duppy Waters. I noticed that all of the boats had dedicated tech areas for storing twinsets, etc, which was a really nice touch. I personally have about 70 hours experience on all types of rebreather from Inspiration and Megaladon to JJ and Liberty (courtesy of Rubicon in Lanzarote). But I don’t own a rebreather, which means I can go several months, sometimes longer, without using a unit. Jake guided me through the pre-breathe cycle and standard Se7en start-up procedure,

which was basically ‘follow the instructions on the handset’. The mooring line sits next to the drop off at a depth of about 8m-9m, so I hovered close to the seabed and spent the first few minutes just getting used to buoyancy again.

Using standard scuba it’s easy to breathe in and out, thus instantaneously ascending/descending a metre or two.

This works well with photography as I am constantly changing position and depth trying to get the best composition. But when I’m using a rebreather, breathing in and out doesn’t adjust buoyancy. This isn’t an insurmountable problem, it just requires a different approach and takes a while to get used to. I practised taking a few pictures of Jake underneath the boat and then we made a descent along the wall to a depth of around 30m. Jake guided me to a number of overhangs and narrow swim-throughs, which tested my recently honed buoyancy skills. I must admit there were a few extra dents and scratches on the rebreath-

“No matter what the sea temperature, I don’t usually dive in anything less than a 5mm suit, especially on tech dives, but on this occasion the board shorts looked pretty cool (even with my chubby legs) and didn’t feel too cool!”

er after my dive!

We finned along the outer edges of the reef admiring the scenery. A solitary barracuda came in for a closer look. I stopped to take some pictures of a large green moray and an inquisitive pufferfish. The lack of noisy exhaled bubbles made the atmosphere seem far more serene. Jake said: “Rebreathers are so silent.

It makes swimming through a cave or floating around in the ocean a whole different experience. You can hear your heartbeat sometimes”.

Embarrassingly, I forgot to exhale on the ascent. The gas in the loop expands, thus increasing buoyancy. Exhaling through your nose easily remedies the problem - if I had only remembered!

I got there in the end, but felt uneasy for a few moments. How many hours did I have on rebreathers? I felt such an idiot. Jake was totally hooked on rebreathers, he said: “They are more hydrodynamic than twinsets, so can move quicker, warmer due to moist gas and less deco all while using less gas. What more could you

want?” Watch out for my review on side-mount rebreathers in a future edition of Scuba Diver.

UDC had totally cornered Utila’s tech diving market. The rebreather and sidemount courses were leading the popularity stakes. The tech trimix courses required longer time commitments, so maybe this was a slight turn-off. Scott said it would take at least six days to qualify. I must admit that tech diving in tropical conditions does have its attractions. Utila offered a good range of dive sites down to 90m and beyond, there was very little current to contend with and visibility usually exceeded 30 metre, not forgetting I could comfortably wear my super-duper board shorts. Jake’s favourite tech site, called Pumping Hill Banks, had the added bonus of lionfish hunting. But do lionfish, tech diving and board shorts really mix? My imagination was running riot it would only take one sneaky lionfish up the shorts and whoa!

Just think of the pain and the swelling all while completing 30 minutes of deco stops! n

Bonaire

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What’s New

AQUALUNG TRAVEL LINE

Mikron Regulator (SRP: £343) - As the smallest and lightest regulator in the AquaLung line-up, the Mikron combines compact design and excellent breathing performance. Weighing in at just 26oz (DIN), the regulator is not hindered by its compact size. Featuring balanced first and second stages, this is the reg for travelling divers.

Aqua Lung i450 Dive Computer (SRPO: £521) - A features powerhouse that’s intuitive and sporty. Designed for the active diver and the travel diver, the i450T has flexibility and intuition packed into an eye-catching design. Even small but thoughtful details are considered - once you pair your transmitter, you’ll never need to pair it again. The optional hoseless gas integration de-clutters your dive for a more streamlined feel.

Zuma BCD (SRP: £290) - This ultra-light, weight-integrated, back-inflation BCD has everything you need, yet lacks weight and bulk. Perfect for your warm-water explorations, the fun, travel-friendly Zuma fits perfectly into our travel collection, and into your bag!

HotShot Fins (SRP: £80) - With adjustable silicone Power Bands incorporated on the blade for maximised kick and soft foot pockets with easily adjustable buckle-free Comfo-straps for a comfortable barefoot fit, the HotShot delivers all the power you need in a lightweight and compact fin.

Aqua Lung Reveal x1 Mask (SRP: £46) - Created after years of research and testing, the Reveal is a premium diving mask that delivers ultra-comfort and a perfect fit thanks to both a super-soft, top-quality crystal-clear silicone and an ergonomic skirt profile. The new buckles, attached directly to the silicone skirt, feature a single, quick-button release system.

Explorer Carry-On Bag (SRP: £66) Don’t let the small size fool you, the Explorer Carry-On is uniquely designed to pack the entire travel dive kit and fits most airline overhead baggage requirements. This bag is always ready for adventure, are you?

Bali 3mm Wetsuit (SRP: £110) - The Bali 3mm wetsuit packs a lot of features for a great price. The blue/black colour creates a bold statement, while super-stretch neoprene and stylish graphics ensure you are ready to hit the warmer climates. www.aqualung.com/uk

NAUTILUS LIFELINE MARINE RESCUE GPS SRP: £195

The original Nautilus Lifeline was a nifty piece of kit, which acted as an emergency GPS device and a VHF radio, so heaven forbid you ended up separated from your dive boat, you could quickly raise the alarm using a variety of methods.

The new Nautilus Lifeline Marine Rescue GPS is a dinky little unit, a fair bit smaller than the original version, which makes it even easier to pop into your BCD pocket.

The GPS position is accurate to one-and-a-half metres, and a man overboard distress message will be broadcast to all AISequipped ships up to 34 miles away as well as a special DSC message to the marine radio on your own vessel. All modern commercial shops and most yachts are fitted with AIS and DSC, allowing universal worldwide use of the Marine Rescue GPS. It is positively buoyant and splashproof in all sea conditions, and with the cap closed is depth-rated to 130m. You get a fiveyear lifecycle out of the batteries (not included), and best of all, there is no MMSI or registration, subscriptions or service fees required. www.sea-sea.com

FOURTH ELEMENT STARGAZER II PINK SRP: £69.95 This longline super soft micro fleece is double dyed to give a stripe effect on the surface with contrasting trims. It is made from 94 per cent polyester and six per cent elastane. www.fourthelement.com

OTTER WATERSPORTS 30TH ANNIVERSARY JACKET | SRP: £110

FANTASEA LINE HOUSING – SONY A6500/ A6300 | SRP: £1,099

This special puffer jacket was designed to highlight the fact that Otter is celebrating 30 years in the diving industry. With a sleek, modern look, it boasts an embroidered Otter 30th Anniversary badge, a Stormtech durable water-resistant outer shell, a quilted body with an ultra-soft liner, elasticised cuffs, attached hood, brushed tricot hand-warmer pockets, an internal full-length storm flap, and a useful inside pocket. www.otterwatersports.co.uk

SZANTO DIVE WATCHES | SRP: £224.95-£249.95

Sea&Sea are now distributing Szanto dive watches, which hail from the USA and hark back to traditional designs of the past while being bang up to date with contemporary standards.

The 5100 series features a brushed stainless steel case with a waterproof leather strap, and a black or grey dial, and the 5120 series has a brushed stainless steel case and bracelet, and a black or blue dial. Both have a 46mm diameter case, uni-directional bezel, hardened mineral glass, screw-down locking crown, superluminova on the hands and indices, and are water-resistant to 500m. www.sea-sea.com

HOLLIS NEOTEK | SRP: £299 Hollis’ Neotek 8/7/6 cold-water hooded semidry is constructed from a compression resistant 8/7/6mm neoprene and a Hollis exclusive ‘ThermaSkin’ inner liner. Includes a front neck dam with revolutionary G-Lock horizontal front zipper for easy on/off and a tight barrier against water intrusion. Arms and legs are also sealed against leaks with an internal dam. All seams are double glued and butt joined with a blind stich construction which is all covered by a unique liquid seam.

Fitted with generous pockets on both the left and right thigh. The Neotek comes in nine different sizes, with male and female cuts available. www.hollisuk.com

Fantasea introduces the stylish and rugged FA6500 housing for the Sony a6500 and a6300 mirrorless cameras.

The Fantasea FA6500 housing was designed and manufactured specifically for the Sony a6500 and a6300 cameras. The FA6500 features an ergonomic design with access to all essential camera functions. It offers the highest and most-professional standards of functionality, style and durability.

Sony considers the a6500 as their flagship APS-C mirrorless system and many underwater photo pros consider it the best value-for-money mirrorless camera in the market today. www.blue-orb.uk

SCUBAPRO EQUALIZER | SRP: £295 The Equalizer is a front-adjustable BCD that brings together all the best features you could ever want in a recreational diving BCD. Its high performance wraparound bladder is made of 420 denier nylon so it’s durable, lightweight and extremely comfortable. Stability is excellent thanks to the full-sized backpack and tank strap system.

The flat-buckle quick-release integrated weight system loads easy and ditches even easier, and the valve system represents the ultimate in reliability and performance. To round out the package, there are two big Velcro-closure pockets and four stainless D-ring for carrying accessories, plus two octopus pockets for storing a back-up reg.

Available in sizes from XS to XL. www.scubapro.co.uk

Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: REGULATORS UNDER £275

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.

REGULATORS A good, reliable set of regulators is probably the single-most important piece of your diving equipment arsenal, as without them, you aren’t going to be heading off diving, unless you are the Man from Atlantis or The Little Mermaid!

A large array of manufacturers produce regulators, and our aim here at Scuba Diver is to give you the widest selection in each review. Alas, a few are missing from the 2017 group tests - Oceanic and Hollis do not have their new models in stock yet, and Sherwood Scuba currently does not have a UK distributor.

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • APEKS ATX40 • MARES LOOP 15X • SCUBAPRO MK11/C350

Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis www.viviandivecentre.com

Date tested: 20/02/17 Water temp: 6 degrees C

86

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APEKS ATX40 | SRP: £225 Apeks has been a firm favourite with British divers for over 40 years, and the ATX40 is the UK company’s solid entry-level unit. Like the XTX50, it is best described as utilitarian in the looks department. However, like its mid-priced sibling, it is well equipped with everything a UK diver could want, including an environmentally sealed first stage, large purge button, chunky venturi lever, four low-pressure ports, and two high-pressure ports.

Following on from the Group Test triumph of the MTX-R and the XTX50, the Apeks ATX40 made it a tidy trio of Choice awards for the Blackburn-based company. Look past the rather-dated second stage aesthetics, and there is simply no faulting the pedigree of this reg, which breathed smoothly in all positions, and would not freeflow whatever we tried. The Comfo-Bite mouthpiece received praise, as did the large and accessible venturi control, which did actually make a difference to the breathe. The Test Team also singled out the exhaust tee for the thumbs up, as it efficiently directed bubbles away from your face on exhalation. And what a great price!

CHOICE

VERDICT

Efficient, smooth and functional, though hampered a little by its looks. Another great regulator from Blackburn-based Apeks.

SCORE

••••••••••

MARES LOOP 15X | SRP: £263 Mares have never been afraid to try things a little out of the ordinary - just look at the top-of-the-line Fusion 52x and its motorcycle-throttle-like venturi control! So that is why I was not surprised to see a Mares logo on the Loop, with its bizarrely routed hose. Regs tend to be either right or left, this one, the hose protrudes from the bottom of the reg between the vents of the exhaust!

While this obviously has an impact on its use as an everyday regulator - it can be used ‘under the arm’ style - it does make it perfect as a stage cylinder reg, and when stowed sits nicely at the top of the cylinder. It also means you don’t have to deploy the full length of hose to be able to use it. It is teamed up with a compact balanced diaphragm first stage.

The Loop gave a nice, smooth breathe in all positions.

The mouthpiece is comfortable, the purge works well and there are no controls to fiddle with, it just works well out of the box. As we said above, although you can route the hose under your arm, not sure how many will, but on a stage it is perfect. Good to see Mares trying something new.

VERDICT

Bravo to Mares for trying something different. Not sure how it will sell as a normal reg, but it will make a damn fine stage set.

SCORE

••••••••••

SCUBAPRO MK11/C350 | SRP: £239 The amalgamation of the Scubapro and SubGear brands is nowhere more welcome than in the budget regulator category, as the tried-and-tested Scubapro MK11 is team up with the C350 second stage, which is heavily based on SubGear’s former top-of-the-range regulator.

It comes with a balance diaphragm environmentally sealed first stage, cracking resistance control (the only one in this price bracket), venturi lever, large triangular purge button, four low-pressure ports (though two are classed as high-flow) and two high-pressure ports.

The Test Team all thought that the C350 was the most-pleasing to the eye of the three test subjects in this price bracket, with the metal insert around the unusually shaped purge button providing some welcome bling.

The purge is powerful, though the triangular button does need a fairly firm press, and the venturi and cracking resistance controls are large, easy to use even with gloves and work so well you can dial down the breathe to almost zero. The performance was dry in all positions and a good breathe, and the mouthpiece was comfortable. That wallet-friendly price is also well worth mentioning.

BEST VALUE

VERDICT

Overall decent regulator from Scubapro, with eye-catching looks and a reasonable breathe at a very good price.

SCORE

••••••••••

VERDICT It was a shame we had no regs from Hollis, Oceanic or Sherwood, as without them this was quite a small ‘group test’, but what we did get was a truly mixed bag, but all with good performances considering these are entry-level units.

The Mares Loop is an oddity, but is sure to find favour with those looking for a nifty stage reg, for which is it entirely suited.

That left the Apeks and the Scubapro. Both breathed well, were built to last, and came in at a cracking price. The superior performance of the Apeks nailed it the Choice award, but the flashy

looks of the Scubapro got it the Best Value - it does look a more-expensive regulator with the metal insert on the second stage.

Test Extra

OTTER BRITANNIC II | SRP: £1,445

MARK EVANS: Otter Watersports is celebrating 30 years in the diving industry. The Britannic II is their high-end drysuit, and the favoured garb of many of the UK’s top tech divers, including Paul Toomer, Vikki Batten and Martin Robson, to name just a handful.

It had been many years since I last dived in an Otter drysuit, so I was looking forward to sampling a Britannic II for myself. First up was a visit to Bradford to see John Womack in Otter HQ, where the tape-measure maestro soon whipped up my measurements on his chart, and we filled in my requirements ref pockets, colours, valves, etc. This being an Otter, John and his team can give it whatever personal tweaks you desire, be that the type of valves (Apeks or Si-Tech), the position of the dump valve (standard location, or GUE/DIR position), a choice of pockets, quick-replacement silicone neck seal, dryglove systems, and so on.

A couple of weeks later and my made-to-measure suit arrived, looking resplendent in the red-and-black colour combo - very Captain Scarlet! I’d gone for dual thigh pockets, as it is handy having numerous storage options for slates, DSMBs, spools and back-up torches, and silicone wrist seals, which I have to say are among the most-comfortable I have ever used.

These were paired up with a factory-fit set of KUBI drygloves, which for me are still the best drygloves on the market in terms of ease of use.

The Britannic II came with neoprene socks, which provide plenty of insulation, and then a set of Otter’s durable, tough rockboots fit on over the top. The dual Velcro straps make these very easy to get on and off, and they have very grippy rubber soles.

Among the many neat features on the Britannic II is the zippered pocket built into the bottom of the braces, in exactly the right location for you to open up the drysuit zipper eight to ten inches or so and then be able to slide your hand inside, to get your car keys, for instance. A fantastic idea - easy to see that the Otter boys have a good diving heritage, and have thought about situations like this.

DESIGNED FOR ADVENTURE HDC EXPEDITION MAXIMUM DURABILITY WITHOUT SACRIFICING COMFORT AND MOBILITY With a FULL heavy-duty NYLON torso, CORDURA RipStop sleeves, crotch/seat and lower legs, and flexible kneepads, this suit is one of the toughest technical drysuits out there, and it comes with a lifetime guarantee to back it up.

LEARN MORE AT BARESPORTS.COM #BARESPORTS

Test Extra

OTTER BRITANNIC II | SRP: £1,445

The Britannic II is made from an extremely robust material known as ‘armour skin’, which feels very heavy-duty but is still flexible enough that it doesn’t hinder your movement.

The drysuit has accompanied me on numerous dives now, and it has never once let me down. It is comfortable, easy to get on and off, looks fantastic - it is also available in blue-and-black, or all-black - and is built to last. When you have the likes of Toomer, Batten and Robson using the Britannic II, that is a testament to these suits, as they certainly know how to push their kit - and themselves - to the limit, and will only use stuff they trust implicitly.

At a smidge under £1,500, it is not a cheap suit, but it is a very, very good suit, and one that will last you a long time. Otter’s customer service is renowned, and their build quality is off-the-chart. This genuinely could represent the last drysuit you ever buy, it is that good.

The Britannic II came with valves, hose, hood and a nifty zippered bag which doubles up as a changing mat. www.otterwatersports.co.uk

VERDICT

Otter Watersports is renowned for producing hardcore drysuits, and the Britannic II maintains this tradition. Awesome suit.

SCORE

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CHOOSE EXPEDITION-GRADE DRYSUITS FOR EVERY DIVER

BRITANNIC MK2 TELESCOPIC DRYSUIT l Ultra tough yet flexible Armour-skin trilaminate material l Neoprene neck warmer as standard l Telescopic body with neoprene strap l Choice of socks & rock boots or boots

protect yourself from the elements

l Drysuit hood and zippered suit bag/ changing mat included l Choice of pockets l Double knee-protector pads l Choice of Si-Tech or Apeks valves (standard or GUE position) l Optional dryglove and quick replacement neck seal systems

WWW.DRYSUITS.CO.UK l SALES@DRYSUITS.CO.UK

CALL US ON 01274 379480

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Long Term Test THERMALUTION RED GRADE ULTRA Mark Evans: I can’t wait to get into the water with the Thermalution Red Grade Ultra. I really liked the basic heated vest from this company, and so will be interested to see how much more warmth is generated by this next-generation suit.

Even though it is a fulllength suit, it still packs up remarkably small, and weighs absolutely nothing, so don’t be concerned about bulk as you layer this under your normal undersuit and drysuit.

However, it still oozes quality, and all the connectors, etc, seem to be well-constructed and well-thought-out, but only time will tell once we start getting wet with it. Roll on BCD testing next month!

INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2017 Suggested retail price: £1,050 Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins

ZEAGLE HALO Mark Evans: I am notorious for being pretty hard on my equipment, but the way I look at it, if it can survive a period of time with me, then it will surely do you proud!

A case in point with BCDs is giving them a thorough rinse once your diving day or holiday is done and dusted. My everyday go-to BCD is lucky if it gets a quick slosh in freshwater, and I don’t even think of trying to get clean, freshwater into the bladder, even though I know it is probably a sound idea.

That is where the Zeagle BCDs come into their own. They are fitted with a compact, efficient power inflator that simply screws off so you can attach a garden hose to the end of the inflator hose and flush out the interior of the bladder with freshwater. It is so quick and INFORMATION easy that even I didn’t find it Arrival date: January 2017 a chore, and getting all that Suggested retail price: £567 saltwater rinsed out of the Number of dives: 5 bladder will ensure the BCD Time in water: 4 hrs 25 mins lasts you for years.

APEKS MTX-R

Mark Evans: More hassle-free dives on the MTX-R completed.

This regulator is simply a joy to breathe through, and with no knobs or levers to faff INFORMATION with, just stick it in your Arrival date: December 2017 mouth and off you go. The Suggested retail price: £529 Comfo-Bite mouthpiece also Number of dives: 21 helps, as this has to be one of Time in water: 19 hrs 55 mins the best on the market.

DEEPBLU COSMIQ+ DIVE COMPANION Dave Hope: The screen is really clear to read throughout your dive, but in clear water on a sunny day in the Caribbean, you do need to shade the screen to read it in the top few metres, especially around your 5m stop time (countdown starts as you get above 6m), which, strangely, is in the smaller of the two font sizes used. Don’t let that put you off though, it’s hardly a deal breaker for this cracking little computer. The battery life gave me six dives of around an hour each and a download to the app before it gave up and wanted a charge. The Cosmiq is charged with a USB cable connecting magnetically to INFORMATION the contacts on the underside Arrival date: February 2017 of the computer. Once conSuggested retail price: £230 nected take a little bit of care Number of dives: 8 not to knock it and disconTime in water: 7 hrs 52 mins nect the charge cable.

AQUALUNG REVEAL X2

Dave Hope: When I have gear to test I like to get the opinions of other divers, so this mask got used by a further two instructors, a rescue and a AOW diver. One liked it, one with an old similar-style Aqualung mask went home to buy one, another forgot they were using it INFORMATION (praise indeed) and the last Arrival date: March 2017 was not a fan of the black Suggested retail price: £46 skirt but would have bought Number of dives: 6 one if it came in clear. It does Time in water: 5 hrs 47 mins - and she did!

RATIO iDIVE SPORT EASY Mark Evans: Ratio is an innovative company based in Italy, and unfortunately, at the moment, I am still awaiting delivery of the iDive Sport Easy, but it is due to be winging its way across Europe in the next week or so. In the meantime, I thought it was useful to list yet more of the many features that the iDive Sport Easy hides within its wristwatch-size casing.

If you are one of those people who likes the display on their dive computer to be nice and bright, then the iDive Sport Easy has you covered, as you can set the backlight to be on permanently. And thanks to the long-life rechargeable battery (rechargeable via a USB), you won’t have to worry about using up precious ‘juice’ - just stick it on charge on an evening and you’ll be good to go the next day.

The self-compensating 3D compass is also a joy to use, and the directional display is easy to navigate.

INFORMATION And fitting in with current Arrival date: March 2017 times, it also has a pedomeSuggested retail price: £375 ter, so you can measure your Number of dives: 0 steps, mileage, speed and Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins burned calories.

SHEARWATER RESEARCH PERDIX AI

Mark Evans: One of the things I liked most about the original Perdix was the dual elastic strap, which is equipped with two chunky clips. This is a real heavy-duty assembly, which once tightly in place around a wetsuit or drysuited arm will not come loose even at INFORMATION depth. And I find Arrival date: February 2017 the clips are easy Suggested retail price: £870 (comp only) to use even with Number of dives: 5 drygloves or thick Time in water: 4 hrs 20 mins neoprene on.

XDEEP NX ZEN

Mark Evans: The xDeep NX Zen we are getting for Long Term Test has still not been returned by another reviewer, so let’s look back at when regular Scuba Diver contributor Stuart Philpott used one in the Bahamas. Once he had figured out how to put it all together (it comes in pieces in the box) he was happy with the configuration. He was running photo-courses on the trip, and was often acting as a ‘model’, so his buoyancy had to be tip-top and he found that INFORMATION the Zen was small enough to Arrival date: February 2017 aid him in this mission. He Suggested retail price: £535 found the xDeep harness and Number of dives: 5 backplate to be comfortable Time in water: 5 hrs 15 mins when worn over a 5mm suit.

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Head Office: Carretera Federal, Parcela 4 MZA 293 Lote 2 Local 5-6, Ejido Norte, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, 77712, Mexico T: +52 (1) 984 745 0763 E: info@prodiveinternational.com W: www.prodiveinternational.com World-class diving: Cozumel, cenotes, bull sharks, Whaleshark & Sailfish safaris, Live-Aboards Socorro/ Guadalupe, located at 4-5* Resorts Riviera Maya & Cozumel, PADI CDC, Stay&Dive packages, FREE NITROX.

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MALDIVES LILY BEACH RESORT & SPA

Huvahendhoo Island, South Ari Atoll, Maldives T: +960 668 0013 | E: lilybeach@prodivers.com W: www.prodivers.com/lily-beach-maldives Prodivers 5* PADI Dive-Centre. Whaleshark and Manta all year. Free Nitrox, Underwater Scooters and repeater discount available. House reef accessible from shore. 60 dive sites.

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PHILIPPINES EVOLUTION

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THE ZEN DIVER

Tom Peyton, Vice President of Kids Sea Camp and Family Dive Adventures, is called ‘the Zen Diver’ by his wife, and here he offers some hints on how to use diving to create the ultimate ‘chill-out zone’ www.familydivers.com

“IN THE BEGINNER’S MIND THERE ARE MANY POSSIBILITIES, BUT IN THE EXPERT’S THERE ARE FEW.” SHUNRYU SUZUKI (1905-1971) PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF KIDS SEA CAMP/FAMILY DIVERS

T

here is a practice in Zen called ‘Beginner Mind’. It’s simple enough - just never lose the ability to see the world through the eyes of a child. Think of ‘beginner mind’ to being open, having eagerness without a preconceived outcome or attachment of any moment.

How does one practice ‘beginner mind’ as a diver?

Well, it’s simple, but not easy. Most of us have this complex element within us called ‘the ego’. I don’t want to go too far into the ego, but I will say this - the ego compares, and judges. It is the Olympic judge that never thinks getting the bronze is ‘okay’.

The real ‘beginner mind’ is ‘it is enough to simply practice’.

So how can you apply this to diving? First, no diver is the same. The only thing that is similar about another diver is we all need a regulator, mask, fins and BCD to dive. That is the beginning and end of any similarities from one diver to another.

Our bodies all come in different shapes and sizes - no one diver has the same body. Our minds all come with different fears, backgrounds, concerns and thoughts - no mind is the same. Yet, we are always trying to be the very best diver we can be - by comparing ourselves to other divers.

For example, I married a mermaid. My wife has been diving for over 25 years. I’ve been diving for 12 years, and didn’t jump into diving until I met her. She grew up on the ocean in Provincetown Massachusetts and I was born in an ocean of corn in Illinois - two very different backgrounds indeed. And under the water, she is always in ‘beginner mind’ - for her, it is enough to simply be in the water.

From the beginning I tried to consume air like she does, and even tried diving with a 60, instead of an

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80, but I could not - and still cannot - dive the way she dives. I am not her as a diver. An oak tree never compares itself to a willow, but we divers are always comparing ourselves to one another.

You can hear all the judging questions on a dive boat. How did you do on air? How deep have you dived? How many dives do you have? All good questions until you start judging the answers of others compared to you.

You then quickly fall away from ‘beginner mind’.

Beginner mind doesn’t judge, because judging serves no purpose in Zen. Every dive is different, even if you dived on the same reef for years. Every single dive would be different - the clarity, temperature, light, marine life, you name it, nothing in the ocean ever stays the same. Just like life.

The beauty of diver beginner mind is to erase all the dives you have ever had and see your next dive as your very first dive. To dive with gratitude and appreciation for even being in the ocean in the first place. To marvel at the evolutional forces of nature that create all the critters, fishes and mammals that we get to see as divers.

So next time you throw on a tank and prepare to jump off the boat, look around - breathe in the salt air, let the sun kiss your face and see diving again for the very first time with no expectations, goals or concerns. Just breathe, empty your mind and experience the endless possibilities of the dive at hand. n

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Image Credits: Andy Young

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