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EDITOR’S NOTE
In remembrance of GAVIN ANDERSON This is one of the hardest Editor’s Notes I have ever had to write. It is always difficult to write about diving fatalities at the best of times, as it is never a pleasant topic to discuss, but when it is someone you considered a good friend and had known for nearly 20 years, it is downright heartbreaking. Gavin Anderson had started in the world of underwater photo-journalism with my predecessor at Sport Diver magazine, and his obvious talents with a camera had been spotted early on by the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP), who gave him their Best Newcomer award in 1993. When I entered the industry in March 1999, at the tender age of 25, Gavin was one of the first people to warmly welcome me into the fold, and I will be forever grateful for his assistance, support and advice as I made the transition from newspaper journalist to magazine editor. He was one of my stalwart contributors for several years, writing interesting prose supported by stunning images from both UK waters and more-tropical destinations, and so it was a shame when he ‘dropped off’ the diving circuit to concentrate
on his commercial and wedding photography business. I was extremely happy when he reappeared a few years back, with a newfound drive for diving, particularly within the technical disciplines, both open- and closed-circuit. He again became one of my regular contributors at Sport Diver, and when that title was unexpectedly closed in January 2017, Gavin was one of the first people to pledge his support to our Scuba Diver magazine initiative, and I will always be in his debt for the support he provided in our first year, and beyond. In fact, he was at the forefront of what we were doing right up until that fateful dive on Wednesday 11 April, with one of his eye-catching shots gracing the front cover of our very-first Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific edition, and two articles being featured inside. He also wrote the Norway article in the June UK version. I will miss our regular chats, and the distinctive sound of his Scottish accent on the end of the phone. Gone, but not forgotten - you will be sorely missed, my friend.
MARK EVANS, Editor-in-Chief
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FEATURES
Tribute to the late Gavin Anderson, and Project AWARE reaches a milestone.
Dr Richard Smith explores the dive sites around Dumaguete, and finds that there is a sublime blend of reefs and walls rich for wide-angle, and areas more suited to the macro enthusiast.
8 News
22 Dive like a Pro
A panel of training agency experts offer advice on how to efficiently pack your dive bag.
38 Underwater photography
Mario Vitalini discusses how to use monochromes to add impact to your photographs.
62 Our-World UW Scholar
Olivia Johnson gets all of her new kit for the year ahead, then heads for New York.
82 The Course Director
Marcel van den Berg explains how becoming a dive instructor can be life-changing.
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16 Philippines
26 Australia
Our Brit-Down-Under Adrian Stacey finds that Heron Island offers the perfect location for a long weekend away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The diving is pretty damn good, too.
34 Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is one of those places that many divers have heard of, but not that many have actually visited, but there has never been a better time to go and explore this Pacific diving paradise.
42 Indonesia
Jeremy and Amanda Cuff were in Bali shortly before Mt Agung decided to cause havoc with the island’s tourist industry, but as things are now getting back on track, we join them in Tulamben and Nusa Penida.
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CONTENTS
48 FREEDIVING: Gas Guzzler course
Are you a gas guzzler? Always use up your tank before anyone else? Freediving guru Emma Farrell offers up some hints and advice on ways in which to improve your SAC rate by using freediving secrets.
52 SPEARFISHING: News and What’s New
The DeeperBlue crew report on some hot new products on display at the Blue Wild 2018 show in Fort Lauderdale, USA. The Mares Illusion 50 features in What’s New.
59 Divers Alert Network Asia-Pacific
Each month, DAN AP will examine a potential diving incident and how it can be avoided (if possible), or best dealt with after the event. This issue, a group of divers are left behind by their dive boat.
64 TECHNICAL: Q&A with Becky Kagan Schott
Becky Kagan Schott has carved out an enviable reputation in the technical-diving world for her award-winning stills and documentaries. Here she talks to Jason Brown about her exploits.
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GEAR GUIDE 70 What’s New
New products recently released or coming soon, including Fourth Element swimwear, and the Aqua Lung i100 dive computer.
72 Group Test
The Scuba Diver Test Team heads to North Wales to trial a selection of mid-range regulators.
78 Test Extra
The Fourth Element Argonaut 2.0 Stealth is given the once-over by editor-in-chief Mark Evans.
80 Long Term Test
The Scuba Diver Test Team gets to grips with a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Aqualung Outlaw BCD, Apeks XL4 regulator and the Fourth Element X-Core vest.
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NEWS
Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on social media. www.scubadivermag.com/news | .com/scubadivermag | @scubadivermag
Tragic diving accident claims underwater photographer
GAVIN ANDERSON T
Scuba Diver regular contributor Gavin Anderson has tragically died after a diving accident in the Firth of Clyde.
he 53-year-old Milnathort-based underwater photo-journalist and professional land photographer, who was diving on his closed-circuit rebreather, was pulled from the water unconscious around midday on Wednesday 11 April by the crew of the Argyll Ferries vessel Ali Cat, which diverted from its Dunoon to Gourock service to assist. The Helensburgh lifeboat and a Coastguard helicopter from Prestwick responded to emergency calls, and a paramedic was lowered to the ferry from the aircraft and attempted to resuscitate Anderson, who was brought ashore at Gourock and taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital by ambulance, where he sadly later died. Police confirmed that inquiries into the circumstances of the accident are continuing.
OBITUARY: GAVIN ANDERSON
Gavin had been an award-winning underwater photojournalist for several years before I first met him in March 1999, bagging the BSoUP Newcomer Trophy back in 1993. I had just become the new Editor of Sport Diver magazine at the age of 25 - Gavin warmly welcomed me into the industry, and became one of my regular contributors from that moment onwards. In 2005, I also had the pleasure of spending two weeks in Sudan on the Royal Evolution liveaboard with Gavin, and his genuine good nature, laid-back outlook on life and dry sense of humour gained him a lot of friends. After several years working together, he dropped out of the diving scene for a while, but in the last three or four years had discovered a new-found love of the sport, particularly in the more-technical disciplines, and was getting seriously back into his writing and underwater photography. I fondly remember a recent phone conversation when he was waxing lyrical about his new camera system. When Sport Diver was unexpectedly closed down in January 2017, Gavin was among the first of my little cadre of photo-journalist contributors to pledge his support to our new Scuba Diver venture, and I will be forever grateful for the assistance he provided during our launch year. I last spoke to Gavin only a week before he died, and he was extremely proud and excited that two of his stories were included in the launch issue of Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific, and that one of his photographs graced the front cover of Volume 1 – in fact, on 10 April, he posted about it on his website. This magazine was received with open arms at the ADEX Singapore show over the
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PHOTO CREDIT: SAEED RASHID
weekend of 7-8 April, and I was going to talk to Gavin the week after to congratulate him on how well his work had been received – I am deeply saddened that I will now never be able to make that phone call, or hear his excited response. Myself and the entire team at Scuba Diver extend our deepest condolences to wife Jenny Verden-Anderson and his entire family at this difficult time. He will be sorely missed. Mark Evans, Editor-in-Chief, Scuba Diver
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DIVING DS N E I WITH FR PHOTO CREDIT: SAEED RASHID
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INDUSTRY NEWS ONE MILLION LESS ITEMS OF RUBBISH IN OUR OCEANS True exploration in the heart of Bunaken Marine Park
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A unique global citizen-science survey in which scuba divers around the world remove and report marine litter reached a milestone in March, with organisers announcing one million items of rubbish removed from the ocean. The #OneMillionLess milestone was announced by Project AWARE, a global non-profit organisation working to create positive change for the ocean through community action. As part of Dive Against Debris, a global marine debris survey launched in 2011, 49,188 divers from 114 countries have taken part in an effort both to clean up the ocean and build evidence to shine a light on the global marine litter crisis. Recreational and professional divers have retrieved objects varying from sunbeds to batteries and shoes, as well as vast quantities of plastic bags, cutlery and bottles. The data collected captures essential information for scientists to estimate debris that has sunk to the seafloor. It also supports work to find solutions to save vulnerable marine life and ensure the future of a clean and healthy ocean. This milestone comes at a time of unprecedented focus on the issue of plastic pollution and its impact on the health of ocean - scientists estimate some 20 million tonnes of plastic waste could enter the ocean every year. Danna Moore, Director of Project AWARE, said: “Divers dive because they have a deep love for the ocean and the life it supports. They are, more than any of us, confronted daily with the damage that human activity is having on marine life. We have an army of activists out there working to change things, and we salute every one of them on this amazing achievement”. Moore urges more divers to get involved and calls on governments and industry to act urgently to adopt measures to reduce plastic waste and penalise ocean polluters, and is asking divers to remove and report one million more pieces of rubbish by end of 2020 and help highlight the true extent of the marine debris problem.
MAGIC OCEANS DIVE RESORT’S PIER IS READY
After years of preparation and months of building, Magic Oceans Dive Resort in Anda, Bohol, Philippines, now has a 40-metre-long pier, so guests don’t have to struggle through the water to get on the dive boats. Resort Manager Eef said: “We did a lot of calculations about the length and the height of the pier to be sure it’s resistant to all kind of circumstances: low tide, high tide and strong wind. Eventually we came up with the perfect dimensions and the length of the pier ended up at 40 metres. We worked long and hard to get this done, but we made it!” With the addition of the new pier, Magic Oceans is now more wheelchair friendly too. Guests who use a wheelchair can now easily take themselves to the end of the pier, where the crew will be ready to lift them aboard. It is not only the guests that are enjoying the new pier. There are already some new residents being spotted around the pier - ghost pipefish, leaf pipefish and clownfish. The expectation is that more special creatures will be found around the poles of the new pier soon.
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INDUSTRY NEWS PRIVATE INVESTMENT FIRM TAKES RAID INTO THE FOLD In huge news for the diving industry, Inverness Graham Investments - a private investment firm based in Philadelphia, USA, with over US$500 million of assets under management - has announced that its recreational safety education portfolio company, Kalkomey Enterprises, LLC, has invested in the RAID training agency. “We’ve been carefully researching the options to enter the scuba market for some time. We chose RAID because it has the values we look for in a company – world-class programmes driven by an enthusiastic and passionate team that is making scuba fun for everyone involved,” said Inverness Graham Managing Principal, Michael Morrissey. “Their vast array of training programmes and impressive technology platform make them a perfect match to partner with Kalkomey. This marriage positions RAID to challenge the current industry paradigm, which is exactly what we were looking for.” Kalkomey is the leader in online recreational safety education for state-required certifications and is an official provider of recreational safety education materials for all 50 US states, as well as Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. Using a web-based delivery model, Kalkomey has helped millions of students get educated to safely boat, hunt, and operate off-road vehicles and snowmobiles. Jason Alexander, Kalkomey CEO said, “Our research indicates that people interested in outdoor recreation participate in many different activities over their lifetime. We believe there is enormous demand among the millions of Boat-Ed and Fresh Air enthusiasts we’ve already trained, as well as the hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts that we newly teach each year, that will want to try scuba diving. We’re excited about the opportunity to apply our expertise in parallel industries to drive these potential customers through the doors of dive centres that join the RAID movement. Together with RAID, we know we can truly partner with dive shops to help their businesses grow and thrive.” www.diveraid.com
THE ULTIMATE MICRONESIAN EXPERIENCE Siren Fleet and Master Liveaboards are excited to announce new diving combination packages with Manta Ray Bay Resort in Yap. This tiny island in the Pacific is a tropical jewel, well hidden from the rest of the world. Resident mantas and a huge reef shark population give Yap its diving fame. Yap is a pristine paradise surrounded CREDIT: SIREN FLEET & SIMON LORENZ by clear blue water, exquisite coral gardens, channels, and reef walls that will awe even the most-seasoned diver. Seize this opportunity while you are in the region to visit this exclusive diving treasure away from the crowds. Macro lovers will be duly impressed by the variety of critters on display. Diving in Yap is fantastic all year round - the average air temperature is 27°C while the water is a very-comfortable 28°C. Visibility is generally very good and can get up to a stunning 50 metres! Siren Fleet and Master Liveaboards’ partner in Yap, Manta Ray Bay Resort, was built for divers by divers and offers 35 comfortable, well-appointed a/c rooms, each with a unique marine design. You can choose between three different room types - Standard, Ocean View, and Deluxe Ocean View. The in-house five-star PADI and SSI Platinum dive centre is fully equipped to meet all divers’ needs; nitrox, lockable camera bays, modern boats, and personal storage bays. Courses are on offer as well. www.masterliveaboards.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS DIVER PROPOSES UNDERWATER IN THE MALDIVES
Simon Plank is a keen diver, and when he met Marnie Starr through a John Lewis work trip and discovered she was a dive instructor who had spent a few years working in the Red Sea, it was a match made in heaven. Five years on from their first meeting at Nemo33 in Belgium, he decided it was time to pop the question – and in true diver-form, concluded it could only be done underwater! With a John Lewis Partnership Venture Club trip to the Maldives, on the Blue O Two liveaboard Blue Voyager, on the cards for early 2018, it seemed the perfect moment, especially as Simon had friends Richard Steven and Hayley Eaude on board - who together run Black Manta Photography – to capture the moment. Simon explained: “I visited Marnie’s brother to ask permission for her hand in marriage back in November 2017, and he had a friend who owns a jewellers, so I contacted them to make a bespoke ring with a theme of bubbles - I was very impressed and pleased with what they came up with. “That was the easy bit! There were so many potential problems with proposing underwater which resulted in several sleepless nights. Should I take the ring underwater or buy a much-cheaper version? Knowing Marnie’s attention to detail, I knew I wouldn’t get away with a cheap ring so I decided to take the real one. “Security at both airports would be a problem as my carry-on bag always gets checked as I carry a lot of camera equipment with me, so twice I had to subtly remove the ring from pocket to hand luggage without Marnie noticing. “When I got on the liveaboard I asked
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the guides where would be the best site to do an underwater proposal - they suggested the third dive on day three, as it was fairly shallow (12m) and not much current. Day three arrived and Marnie wasn’t sure if she could dive as she was having problems with her ears! Luckily for me, she did complete the dives. I smuggled the ring (in box, the jewellers gave me two!) into my dive gear, but forgot to write the question on the dive slate! Thankfully, Richard did this for me underwater. The plan was to do it halfway through the dive, however it was at this point I lost Richard and Hayley! They reappeared, Richard handed me the slate and gave me a nod of encouragement and I went for it. Hayley went to get Marnie by signalling that she had found a turtle, the irony being just after Marnie signalled ‘yes’ to the proposal, a turtle did actually turn up and photobomb the video!” Marnie said: “I had no idea it was happening and can’t believe he organised everything without me knowing. I was totally taken by surprise! We then had a underwater kiss, as I realised I’d been shaking my head in disbelief and thought he might think that was a ‘no’ - the trials and tribulations of not being able to talk underwater! “That evening on the boat Simon had arranged with the crew to have the champagne chilling. Blue O Two provided bubbles for everyone to share in the celebration and to toast our engagement (with 25 of us on the boat, that was a lot of bubbles!). She added: “No plans for the big day yet - but we certainly have a idea of honeymoon destination now!”
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INDUSTRY NEWS MEGALODON TOOTH STOLEN FROM WORLD HERITAGE SITE IN AUSTRALIA Authorities in Australia suspect that a fossilised 8cm tooth belonging to a long-extinct giant megalodon shark which has gone missing from a remote national park has been deliberately targeted by thieves. The stolen megalodon tooth, which was one of two located in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Coast, was in a semi-secret location and attached to a rock. Unlike the other tooth, which is visited by tourists, the position of this one was known only by a small group of people, and had actually been physically covered up with natural features to hide it. It is thought it was removed with chisels and hammers. Arvid Hogstrom, from Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation, commented: “The worst part is they took the better specimen, which was not so well known.” He also said that while the monetary value of the tooth was not known, it ‘would not be very high’ as fossils of teeth from the megalodon, which could grow up to 18 metres in length and weigh up to 100 tonnes have been found across the world, including in Europe, Africa and the Americas.
MUMBAI BEACH CLEAN-UP SEES TURTLE HATCHLINGS THRIVE For the first time in decades, hatchlings from a vulnerable turtle species have been found on a Mumbai beach following huge efforts by volunteers to conduct a two-year clean-up on the coastline. According to The Guardian, at the end of March, ‘At least 80 Olive Ridley turtles made their way into the Arabian Sea from nests on the southern end of Versova beach, protected from wild dogs and birds of prey by volunteers who slept overnight in the sand to watch over them’. The United Nations has claimed Versova is the ‘world’s largest beach clean-up project,’ as what was once a dumping ground of litter and plastics is now a virtually unspoilt area of coastline. Afroz Shah, a lawyer and the leader behind the beach clean-up, told The Guardian that ‘he started anticipating the turtle hatchings two months ago when farmers on the southern end of the two-mile (3km) beach reported seeing turtles in the sand.’ “The moment we got that news I knew something big was going to happen,” he said. Shah then telephoned the forest department, headed down to the beach with 25 others and protected the area while the baby turtles moved across the sand, ensuring that ‘not one hatchling suffered a death’.
SAMOA CREATES ‘SHARK SANCTUARY’ Samoa has declared its waters as a shark sanctuary, joining other Pacific countries to conserve marine life. The announcement was made by the prime minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Aiono Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, at a ministerial shark symposium in Apia, Samoa’s capital, officially banning all commercial fishing, sale and trade for all sharks and rays. “Samoa has joined the positions of other shark conservation Pacific islands by designating our national waters a shark sanctuary, safe for all sharks and rays,” Tuilaepa told the Samoa Observer. “Not only will the complete ban of commercial fishing, sale and trade for all sharks and rays in our waters provide much needed relief declining populations, it will also help prevent further degradation to the health of our oceans,” he added. The prime minister explained that sharks are a significant species to Pacific heritage and play an important role in ‘healthy ocean ecosystems’. Samoa is the eighth Pacific country to create a shark sanctuary. Palau, another Pacific island nation, established the first shark sanctuary in 2009. “We will not sit idly by while the demand for shark products robs us our future generations of these culturally, ecologically and economically valuable species. Let us together continue to safeguard these imperiled species for our future generation.” Tuilaepa told the publication.
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MEDICAL Q&A Dr Oliver Firth has gained considerable experience in the field of diving and hyperbaric medicine since joining LDC in 2006. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE, and a medical referee for the UK Sport Diving Medical Committee. He is involved in the management of all types of diving-related illness, including recompression treatment, as well as providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for non-diving conditions. He remains a passionate diver and has participated in various expeditions and conservation projects throughout the globe. Q: I had weight loss surgery a few years ago. The procedure I had was called gastric bypass. Ironically I sold my dive gear to help pay privately for the procedure, thinking I’d never need it again. But having the surgery gave me a new lease of life and I have been thinking about getting back into the water. Is diving possible? Would there be any risks, or limits on my depth? All I’m interested in is shallow recreational dives in warm water, nothing extreme. Hope you can give me some good news. A: I think I can. Gastric bypass surgery has been around for nearly 60 years, so surgeons are well aware of the possible complications of the procedure. The pleasant-sounding ‘dumping syndrome’ is the most troublesome – cold sweats, butterflies, bloating and diarrhoea after eating (particularly while watching any form of reality TV). To avoid this, small meals which are high in protein and low in sugar are the order of the day (which makes perfect sense). On the whole, results are good and weight loss sustained. A newer surgical approach is to wrap a band around the stomach, the size of which can be adjusted by injecting or removing saline through a port placed under the skin. This can be done via keyhole surgery (laparoscopically) and is hence commonly called a ‘lap band’. One charming complication of this procedure is Productive Burping, the regurgitation of swallowed food. Slower eating and more thorough mastication (that’s chewing) can normally sort this out. Ascent from a dive can cause some acid reflux which might be an issue with either of these procedures, but this can usually be treated with antacids or similar drugs. Air trapping is unlikely as the gut is still ‘open’ at either end for the important release of expanding gases. So, assuming you have none of the above problems, go dive.
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A CAMERA BUILT FOR A LIFE UNDER WATER
Q: I’ve read that diving mammals such as whales have large amounts of body fat, which I suppose is there to keep them warm. So why don’t they get the bends? Isn’t fat partly to blame for decompression sickness? A: This is a proper brain teaser that has taxed marine biologists for many years. We all appreciate the health hazards that excess fat can cause in humans (heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes etc.), and there is some correlation with incidence of decompression sickness (DCS) in divers. As you rightly say, diving mammals need fat primarily for insulation, but they have quite different physiological mechanisms to deal with the associated risks. The fattest whale is thought to be the Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica), which can weigh 100 tons, 40 percent of which is fat. The blubber layer on a right whale can be up to six feet thick, and their high body fat percentage means they don’t sink when they die (which is why they were the ‘right’ whale to kill). Most of the oxygen a whale requires for a dive is stored in blood and muscle, with only nine percent in their lungs (compared with 34 percent in human lungs). There are several explanations as to why whales don’t get bent. Firstly, they are diving with a single breath (albeit a very big one), so they are not taking on more compressed gas at depth, as scuba divers do. To some extent this is why freedivers don’t get narced or bent as well, despite diving to depths far in excess of theoretical tolerances. Secondly, the ribs of whales are flexible and mobile, and collapse inwards with pressure, thereby compressing the lungs and forcing the air into areas where absorption does not occur (mainly the upper airways). Thirdly, this lung compression reduces blood flow to the lungs. The net result is that nitrogen absorption into the blood is minimal, and hence the risk of DCS negligible. Do you have a question for Dr Firth? Email: divingdoctor@scubadivermag. com and we’ll pass it on.
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Marine biologist Dr Richard Smith explores the bounty of Dumaguete in the Philippines PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD SMITH | OCEANREALMIMAGES.COM
A
fter so many years exploring Indonesia, it has been exciting to spend some time in the Philippines over the past few years. Visiting this wonderful country, with its thousands of coral-fringed islands, proves just how rich the Coral Triangle is. Although it’s geographically very close to Indonesia, it very much has its own twists on a theme. Dumaguete, on the southeast corner of Negros Island, is a great example. As a renowned muck-diving area, you might expect to find the same animals as Indonesia’s fabled Lembeh Strait; however, the region seems to have received a different batch of magic dust that has occupied its reefs slightly differently. The dive sites of Dumaguete sit just half an hour by car outside the city of the same name, along the Dauin coast. Here, black volcanic sand, which is always a good indicator of fantastic muck diving, occupies many miles of palm-fringed beaches. Unlike Lembeh, these sites seem relatively exposed to the open sea, but the various headlands and other islands seem to limit strong ocean currents and wave action. Along the Dauin coast, many resorts have cropped up catering to all tastes and budgets. Access to the sites is so easy that some offer shore dives on their house reefs, but the vast majority of diving is conducted either from speedboats or Banka boats in the local style. These large and spacious wooden boats have traditional bamboo outriggers for stability, especially helpful during longer journeys out to the reefs of Apo or Siquijor. San Miguel is one of the furthest north of the dive sites and makes for a fantastic day or night dive. In fact, it’s probably my favourite true muck site in the area. As well as the usual suspects, there are great nudibranchs here, as well as many pairs of golden pygmy gobies. These tiny fish form male-female pairs and guard a small hard surface onto which they lay a clutch of eggs.
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“One of the most-striking features of diving around Dumaguete is that different times of year have very different assemblages of critters”
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Thorny seahorses are common on muck sites
ATLANTIS DUMAGUETE RESORT
Atlantis Dumaguete is located in Dauin on Negros Island, the third largest island in the Philippines. Lying on a long, peaceful stretch of beach, surrounded by a tropical garden with some of the rarest plants to be found in the country, it is just a short trip to some of the mostrenowned dive sites in Asia - Apo Island, Siquijor and, of course, the local Dauin Marine Sanctuaries. The PADI five-star IDC centre and TDI facility offers courses from beginner to instructor level, small groups (typically no more than six guests), plus marine life presentations and dive day trips. Then there is Toko’s Restaurant, the legendary oceanfront 50 Bar, and the Atlantis Spa for those chill-out days. www.atlantishotel.com A female jaguar dottyback showing off her formidable fangs
This could be something as simple as a shell, a piece of bamboo or a beer bottle! By night, in water deeper than around 20m, I have seen several of an unusual miniature frogfish that I haven’t yet been able to identify. I also saw for the first time a large red nudibranch, Dendrodoris guttata. Another highlight of Dumaguete’s dive sites is Secret Corner. At the point is a quite steep slope of pebbles of varying sizes that stretch far beyond recreational diving limits. The site can be hit by quite strong currents at times, which can make it slightly awkward to dive. If you are able to get in during the late afternoon with slack tide, the site becomes a cephalopod wonderland, with the possibility of sighting all of the must-see muck site octopuses. I have seen wunderpus, many blue-rings, the rare mototi (poison-ocellate) octopus, coconut octopus and even the super rare hairy species. I have also come across a rare gurnard lionfish here too, which I have only ever seen at two sites before. Diving around Dumaguete, it’s worth trying to hone on your critter-hunting skills. If you look closely at the sponges, soft corals, crinoids or anemones, you’re sure to find some kind of well-camouflaged little creature living hidden on their surface. Many will be very small, so a magnifying glass might not be a bad idea to pop in your pocket (these are sold by well-known online retailers). A particularly rich area to search for critters is among the pink Xenia corals (these corals are constantly opening and closing and resemble a flower). There are a multitude of critters that mimic these polyps and are particularly abundant around Dumaguete. The radial filefish is a fish worth keeping an eye out for in large patches, as well as nudibranchs and crustaceans that resemble their host. If muck diving everyday gets a bit much, there are coral reef alternatives nearby too. Just an hour away by boat is the well-
Several sites are good for finding blue-ringed octopus
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known marine reserve of Apo Island. The entire island is surrounded by dive sites, so guides decide your entry based on local conditions on the day. Here, hard corals are dominant. Some sites have shallow coral gardens and others are steep walls, where it’s always worth looking into the blue for something bigger to pass by. There are many turtles here, which are fairly used to divers so likely to allow a close approach. I have seen many sea kraits at Apo, hunting between the corals for small fishes to eat. Their bold grey and black banding offers a warning to potential predators of their potent venom. Relatedness to the cobra family certainly has its benefits. However, it’s interesting to note that some of the mainland sites at Dumaguete also has true sea snakes, which are much rarer indeed. Although superficially similar - the sea snakes are also coloured with bold black and white bands - the sea kraits much less recently made the transition from land into water-dwelling serpents. As such, they have fewer adaptations to an ocean lifestyle. Most importantly, sea kraits have to come ashore to lay eggs, but sea snakes give birth to live young and never have to leave the water. In fact, a true sea snake is so adapted to life in the ocean that without the hydrostatic pressure of being submerged, their body can’t cope with the pressure and they are unable to move on land. Wunderpus feeding on a crab
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Margined or coconut octopus
“They are quite pugnacious for such a small fish and swim out to intimidate a diver if they linger too long or get too close” LOCAL SPECIALITIES
Nocturnal nudibranch Dendrodoris guttata
SEASONAL ABUNDANCE
One of the most-striking features of diving around Dumaguete is that different times of year have very different assemblages of critters. On one visit, I counted 11 frogfishes on the site Tires, and 50 animals during my whole stay. Some would have comfortably perched on a five-pence piece, while others were the size of a football. Another time there were seahorses everywhere, and I reached a personal best of counting 18 animals on one dive. Other animals that seem to suddenly take over the reefs are octopuses and ghost pipefishes. Whatever time of year you decide to visit, there are always some of these animals to be found. They just seem to have population explosions are different times of year. There is something very special about the sites around Dumaguete, and I am happy that they have received some local protection. All along the coast there are small marine sanctuaries, which are roped off. Boats and fishing are prohibited within them, but divers can enter and enjoy the animals that are protected from fishing pressures, such as trawling. Trawling, as we all know, is one of the most-destructive forms of fishing due to the huge amount of by-catch that is taken, and for the damage it goes to the seafloor. So, the small marine sanctuary fee collected by the resorts are well worth it and helps to fund the continuing project.
Aside from the usual muck-diving suspects, there are several animals that are unique to this area, or at least the northern Philippines. One group that I have been observing and photographing across the entire Coral Triangle over the last few years are the fairy wrasses. The males of these fishes are the peacocks of the reef. In the late afternoon, he undergoes a dramatic transformation from pale pink to vivid and multi-coloured to show off to the gathering ladies that are ready to spawn. Because females choose to mate with the males that they find most attractive, there is some variation in female preferences. his has resulted in new forms evolving in different areas thanks to female choice. This process is known as sexual selection. In the Dumaguete region of the Philippines, there are a few interesting species that I have been lucky enough to find. The red-finned fairy wrasse has close relatives in the Komodo and Raja Ampat regions, but this third species is only found in this region of the Philippines. When displaying, the sail-like dorsal, anal and pelvic fins of the male turn bright scarlet red and the body tangerine orange. It is certainly something to behold. During my last visit, I was very excited to spot another fairy wrasse that I later found out to be the newly discovered Cirrhilabrus isosceles, only named in 2016. Sadly, it was at almost 30m depth and I didn’t have the time to get a nice shot. There’s always something to go back for. Aside from the fairy wrasses, the locally endemic jaguar dottyback is worth looking for too. Pairs are found around small boulders in deeper areas with a sandy bottom. They are quite pugnacious for such a small fish and swim out to intimidate a diver if they linger too long or get too close. The bright orange male contrasts starkly with the blue-grey female. If you haven’t yet visited the Philippines, Dumaguete is a great starting point. It has something for everyone but particularly those who enjoy the smaller animals. The dives are very easy, while being exceedingly rewarding. I have been four times already, and I’m sure I’ll be back again before long. n A turtle-headed sea snake, which feeds on the eggs of reef fish
A pair of golden pygmy gobies, with a gravid female in the foreground
A stunning displaying male red-finned fairy wrasse
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Until someone produces ultra-light dive equipment, packing your gear for a trip away is always going to be a fraught process. Here our panel of industry experts give their hints and advice. PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS AND GARRY DALLAS/RAID
PACKING FOR A DIVE TRIP
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any of us love to head off to sunnier climes for a spot of tropical diving, but before we get to enjoy those crystal-clear, bath-tub warm waters, we have to negotiate one of the most-trying aspects of dive travel – packing all of your precious kit, ensuring it is as safe and secure as possible, while trying to avoid being crucified by the increasingly restrictive luggage allowances and over-weight bag fees. John Kendall, GUE Instructor Trainer, said: “I spend a large portion of my life on aeroplanes travelling to teach classes, and packing for these trips is always hard. I have a couple of rules of thumb that I try and use. “The first one is to carry your drysuit in hand luggage. There are many things that a dive centre are able to rent or loan you if your luggage doesn’t arrive on time, but it is rare for them to have a drysuit that fits you correctly. The other thing that goes in my hand luggage are my lights, as Lithium batteries should generally be hand-carried. “With airlines constantly charging more and more for luggage, it’s important to look at the weight of everything, and that should include the cases/bags that you use. I have on occasion headed to a bag shop with a set of luggage scales. Big hard cases can weight up to 10kgs, so you are using up almost half of your allowance just with the case, so find lighter weight alternatives. I tend to see what heavy equipment the dive centre can provide me with, and will rent items such as backplates or fins (And, in fact, I have several sets of these that I have bought and leave at locations that I regularly visit). Finally, make a list of everything that you need for a trip, and then go through it again and think about every item carefully. You probably don’t need a crack-bottle SMB and heavy reel if you are only doing some reef diving in the Caribbean, consider a small SMB and spool instead.” Garry Dallas, RAID Rec and Tec Instructor Trainer and Director of Training RAID UK and Malta, said: “Most of us go away to dive our bucket list of fantastic destinations around the world, some more than others. The art of packing takes some consideration and experience, if you want everything intact against the odds of the ruthless baggage handlers. “A bag is just a bag… right? Let’s consider beforehand, some key practical elements in choosing the ideal bag: Weight of the bag, volume and durability. Wheels, carry straps or shoulder harness? Hard, holdall or waterproof dive boat bag? Adjustable exterior fin straps? Colour? Material? Compartments inside and out? “These key points should be taken into account when choosing your luggage so to avoid needing multiple bags. Typically, one 120-litre case/hold-all and a rucksack should be enough for most diver’s holidays. “Keep in mind while packing, potential problems: Damageable items must be padded well. If your bag gets lost/delayed at the airport, how important is the equipment? Consider the weight allowance on the flight and the size/bulkiness of your equipment, as well as the bag’s drying ability. He continued: “Packing a bag efficiently is key. Pack sturdy stuff around the interior walls of the bag and place the harness/BCD on the base. Compress everything as flat as possible, removing all air and water from the BCD and dry everything – and don’t forget to remove weights when repacking! “Fold neck and wrist seals of drysuit inside the wrists and neck of the suit, place wetsuit/undersuit in a separate lightweight drybag, and carry bin-liners for emergencies. “Remove all hoses from first stages, plug them both ends and carry them, if weight is an issue. Carry dive computer and mask in hand luggage - it’s most personal! The rest of equipment can be hired easily.
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“Finally, place wetsuit/ undersuit on top, lace items like regs inside the folds of your drysuit.” Martin Robson, PADI TecRec Instructor Trainer, commented: “Make a packing list! Lay everything out before you start packing and check it all works. Don’t forget spare O-rings or any specialist spares you might need. Consider sharing spares with someone else on the trip if luggage is limited. If necessary, print out any safety data sheets for items such as batteries.” PADI UK Regional Manager Matt Clements had some sage advice: “When I am loading the bag I tend to pack BCD first with the fins along the sides, then load the rest inside the slight protection this offers - fin foot pockets are great for more delicate items. Don’t forget spares - it’s amazing how often it will save your dive, or your buddy’s dive.” PADI Course Director and UK Regional Training Consultant Emily Petley-Jones said: “Keep the box you purchased your mask in and use it. I have seen many people arrive on a dive boat and unpack their kit bags, only to find someone has unceremoniously bashed their bag and shattered their mask. When repacking your bag at the end of a dive trip, make sure the mask (and mask strap) is dry before you put it into storage.” Vikki Batten, Director of Rebreather Technologies, Training Supervisor and Instructor Examiner at PADI, shared her secrets: “If you pack well and are adequately insured you shouldn’t need to take anything in your carry-on bag (some batteries have to be in your carry on – check with the manufacturer). I know it’s tempting to ‘baby’ your regulators or dive computer, but your journey through security will be easier - and your back will thank you for not overloading it during your journey.” Mark Powell, TDI/SDI Business Development Manager, said: “Think about what you really, really need to take and what you can leave behind. Some of the things that are tempting to take but may be possible to leave behind are: “Fins - they are heavy and most dive centres can supply them for a minimal cost. “Knives - do you really need it? “Tool kit - the dive centre will have a tool kit, and unless you have some specific tool then you can leave it behind. “Spares - while it might be useful to have a spare of everything, do you really need to take it or can you source spares at your destination? You can also share spares to cut down on weight. “Batteries - take the batteries out of your torches and buy new ones at your destination. “Integrated weights – yes, really, I have seen people taking integrated weight systems and forgetting to take out the weights. “Backplate - while we use steel backplates in the UK, an aluminium backplate may be more appropriate for warm-water diving in a wetsuit or shorty.” He concluded: “If you check with the dive centre exactly what equipment they have, you can determine what you can leave behind. This means you leave more space and weight allowance for the things that you really do need to take, such as your dive computer, mask and regulators.” Eddie Clamp MBE, BSAC Travel Club Correspondent, said: “With luggage space a precious commodity on most trips, what is the most effective way to pack a holiday dive bag? Here’s my top hints and tips” 1 – Do not buy a dive bag that tells everyone it has lots of expensive goodies within… you don’t need them, and they take up space for the important stuff – your dive kit! 2 – Maximise the use of space within and around your kit - fins in bag on the bottom end to end with small items packed in the foot space. On top of that place BCD. Delicate items packed within it. Wetsuit on top of that. I mostly pack my regs in a dedicated bag and place it at one end of the main bag. 3 - Put all the clothes you think you may need into a pile next to your case, then halve it to the really necessary stuff. 4 - Pack all above clothes into a separate mesh bag which can easily be taken out. This really helps when fitting equipment up on a dive deck or dhoni. 5 – Make the most of your hand baggage – laptop, cameras, sometimes regs if limited to 20kg hold baggage can all go in your smaller bag. Don’t forget to include some underwear and maybe a T-shirt in your hand luggage to be used in emergency (Reason below). Finally, do not worry too much. On one liveaboard trip, my bag remained in Gatwick for the whole
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week. Get on with it, it happens sometimes!” IANTD General Manager Tim Clements explained: “Rather than dipping ourselves in glue and rolling around in our dive cave, with a big bag of speculative ‘just in case’ items and a colossal bill for excess luggage, good divers of all levels will use bag packing as part of their dive planning. Take a moment to imagine the dives you will be doing. This is an important process - run through your dive as if you were making a video. You’ll be able to identify use of both the standard items you always carry, and the ones which are specific to the purpose of your dive. Once you have worked through your dives, you’ll have a list of what you’ll need. Next run through again, this time from unpacking your bag. Imagine what you would like to find in it after the baggage handlers have had a good go. What spares do you need to fix what’s left? Run through your dive with some common problems. Do you have spare O-rings, hoses, etc, that you might need. What can you imagine dropping on a dive that would prevent you completing your task or holiday? That needs to go on the list, unless you are sure you can get it in the field and at a price you can afford. Think again about emergencies - that’s another list of gear you might need. Once this is done, ensure that everything you are taking is serviced and functional. Why ruin the trip of a lifetime, or cause an expedition to fail, or an incident to become an injury, for sake of a service or tune up? Only now are you ready to pack your bag. Assume that if it can be broken, it will. Take delicate items in hand baggage, remove CCR electronics if you can and pack smart with the rest. Protect regs with thermals or wetsuits, use fins/backplates as a harder base in the bag and then weigh it - optimism won’t pay your excess baggage at the desk. Use robust boxes for CCR and take spare cable ties to reseal it after inspection. Take a brochure to demonstrate what it might be if it’s anonymous electronics with flashing lights. Lastly, the most important items you need to take are your brain and your skills. Run your dive again and make an honest appraisal of the skills you need - are they sharp and task ready? “Enjoy your trip and discover something new, even on sites that are heavily dived. Pack curiosity - it’s free, and makes everything else worthwhile.” SSI’s Richard Corner said: “Like most people working in the diving industry, I travel a lot and have gotten pretty good at packing for max safety and space. The most-important thing is to have the right bag for your length of stay, and to ensure the bag weight is not eating too much of your baggage allowance. I’ve moved away from big bags with trolley handles and am currently using the Mares Cruise Roller, which gives me 128-litres volume for 3kg bag weight and folds up nice and small for storage at home or on a liveaboard. “A lot of divers are trying to take advantage of budget flights with no checked baggage and hiring kit at resort, but I have seen a lot of people still falling foul at the check-in gate because they have too many bags, or bags are too heavy or too big. Make sure you read the details for your airline - some only allow one bag total, so handbags or laptop bags need to go inside them. I tend to pack anything valuable or more delicate, such as dive computer, in the centre of the bag surrounded by my clothes to give them some impact protection. You can use any neoprene items you are taking for the same purpose, as neoprene offers great protection from the cold and is pretty good at absorbing impacts.
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“Make sure everything is secured properly - your dive bags should have cinching straps which hold everything in place; any damage is most likely to come from kit bouncing off other kit inside the bag.” He added: “Final advise is to only take the kit you need - I once saw a guy arrive at the airport and he still had lead in his weight pockets!” Gary Asson, National Diving Officer of the SAA, said: “I always try to pack my dive bag so that I can get to the items I need in order, i.e. if I know I will need to kit up before getting onto, say, a RIB, I will make sure that I can get to the dry and undersuit without having to unpack everything else. Especially useful when kitting up in the rain. “My main dive bag is basically a box with two zipped sections upper half and lower. It has two wheels, a telescopic handle, several other handles, and straps that convert it into a rucksack. I use the top half for drysuit, undersuits, etc, and the lower section for everything else. Regulators go into a padded reg bag, primary mask in one fin pocket, hood and gloves in the other. This protects the mask, and ensures everything comes with me to the dive entry point. If this is onto a boat of some sort, then fins, etc, are stored pre-packed in a goody bag inside the main dive bag, along with anything else that I cannot attach to me, i.e. DSMB, etc. “The choice of bag has several dependencies. On a liveaboard, you may be limited to a single soft bag that can be stored easily, on a RIB, a goody bag. When flying, weight is a major factor, with some airlines charging extortionate amounts for each kilo over the allowance. In most of these cases, you are limited to a soft bag. When this is the case, I use things like fins, and wetsuits, etc, as protective padding for the more-delicate items. When weight is a factor, I try to ensure that all of my kit is dry, and that the BCD is empty of water. “The next thing is to ensure you arrive on site with the kit you want/ need. Most of us by now are past the point where we take everything we own. Therefore, we need to be selective. The best way to ensure you don’t arrive at the dive site without the correct kit is to use a check list. Remember when compiling the list that you should start with the kit that you cannot dive without. Diving kit, regulators, mask, fins, safety kit, computer, cutter, etc, followed by the kit that is nice to have, plus any spares, tools, etc. Mentally dress yourself with the items in the list to ensure you have not missed anything. If you are very thorough, you can include the weight of each item. Only tick the item on the list when it goes into the bag. Uncheck an item if you remove it again. Laminated check lists are excellent for this, and have the advantage of being re-usable. “The checklist is also useful when repacking the bag for the homeward journey, to ensure you have not left anything behind. If you leave a blank section, you can note any defects you have found with your kit, or anything you would have found useful. This will give you a visual reference as to what needs to be fixed before the next trip.” n
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The coral growth is phenomenal
Heron
ISLAND Adrian Stacey journeys to the tiny Heron Island at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef for a dive holiday to remember PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY
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elieve it or not, but Heron Island was first used as a turtle soup factory. Thankfully, for tourists and turtles alike, the factory went out of business and the island - a natural coral cay located on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef - was turned into a resort. The island itself sits on top of Heron Reef, a large fringing platform reef, and the whole area is a protected marine national park. Heron Island can be walked around in 30 minutes; it is 800 metres long, 300 metres wide and at its highest point reaches a giddy 3.6 metres. Suffice it to say it is not the place to visit if you are keen on long hikes and mountaineering! It is, however, the perfect place to visit for diving, snorkelling and relaxing. Water temperatures can drop to 20 degrees Celsius in the winter (April to September) climbing to around 27 in the summer months (October to March). Visibility is good all year round, averaging 20 metres of crystal-clear blue water. Leaving from Gladstone, we boarded the Heron Island Flyer, a large catamaran, for the two-and-a-half-hour crossing to Heron Island. As we approached the entrance to the small harbour, we were greeted by the rusting remains of the HMCS Protector. After what could only be described as a pretty rough crossing, a somewhat green and dishevelled group of guests disembarked on to the jetty. Once we set foot on the island, all our worries and cares seemed to disappear as if taken off our shoulders by a pair of invisible hands. It was a relaxed feeling that stayed with us for the entirety of the visit. Our luggage was taken directly to our rooms while we were escorted to the bar for a welcome drink and island orientation. There are no room keys, no TVs in the rooms and no mobile phone reception. Cash is not required, as any purchases can be paid for on departure. Excellent food and friendly, helpful staff only add to the relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. The beachside suite we were staying in did exactly as advertised. We could literally step off our veranda and onto the beach, where we had spectacular views over the shallow turquoise waters that surround the island. In the distance the colour of the water changed to dark blue as the reef dropped off into deeper water. Once we had finished marvelling at the view just outside our room, we wanted to find out more about the diving that was on offer and so headed off to the dive centre. Ian, the very helpful manager, explained that they go out three times per day and we were welcome to join any of the trips we wanted to. The boat
returns to shore after each dive; two dives in the morning and one in the afternoon. Night dives are also offered. All of the 20-plus dive sites that surround the island are a short boat ride away, the furthest taking about 15 minutes to get to. Once Ian had filled us in on the schedule, he offered to take us to see the boats they use and show us a couple of good places to snorkel. While on the jetty chatting about what we might be able to see on the dives, our host nonchalantly drew our attention to the water beneath us. A bait ball had gathered in less than a metre of water and a stealthy lemon shark was scything through the agitated little fish. Thanking Ian for his time and not really waiting for his response, I rushed back to my room to get my camera into its housing then back to the jetty for some snorkelling with the shark. Unfortunately, as I entered the water, a seaplane arrived scaring the shark away. This was possibly what Ian had been trying to tell me earlier, but I can’t be sure. I was assured, however, that it is quite common for the sharks and a variety of rays to be found in the shallow water around the island. Thankfully, this proved to be true and on one of our later forays we came across whiptail and feathertail stingrays, sometimes congregating in large numbers, plus four lemon sharks and a bait ball. I was amazed at how close to the shore they came; actually getting into the water is not necessary as they are clearly visible from the beach. The next day we decided to do the two morning dives then spend the afternoon snorkelling around the island looking for the sharks and rays. For the first dive we made the brief commute to a dive site called Canyons. As with most of the dive sites in the area, this was not a deep dive; 18m was our maximum depth with the majority of the dive spent in shallower water. Clear blue water allowed us to see the dive site in all its glory. Vast undulating meadows of hard coral disappeared into the distance, occasionally broken up by shallow canyons; the perfect habitat for the myriad of small fish that danced energetically above the reef. Whitetip reef sharks rested in The perfect dive spot?
Various nudibranchs can be found
Turtle chilling on the reef
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Arriving by seaplane very James Bond
Vibrant colours on the reef
the shade provided by overhangs and numerous green turtles grazed on the abundance of food. The next dive was at Heron Bommie, regarded by some as the best dive site in the Heron Island portfolio. It was easy to see why. Three pinnacles of descending depths sit on a sandy slope that drops to around 18m. The upper reaches of the slope are covered in staghorn corals where a large school of yellow-finned fusiliers swept back and forth. The pinnacles themselves host a variety of hard and soft corals. The shallowest of the three was wrapped in a school of snapper and the next slightly deeper one was home to a large green turtle. As it lounged on top of this rocky spire, small reef fish swarmed around its head like flies. The deepest pinnacle was a macro enthusiast’s dream; we saw numerous nudibranchs. A multitude of small Durban dancing shrimps hid in one of crevasses along with a pair of amorous pipefish. In stark contrast to the morning, the afternoon became increasingly cloudy and then it began to rain. Apparently this is a very rare occurrence on the island, so after a sumptuous buffet lunch, the snorkelling plans were postponed to the next day. Instead we took the opportunity to do absolutely nothing, other than sit on our veranda and watch the storm with a beer in hand.
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On the second day the cloud cover thickened. Again we opted for the two morning dives hoping that the weather would clear up in the afternoon. The forecast suggested it wouldn’t but I was hopeful it would. Our first dive was at Gorgonian Hole on the less-sheltered side of the island. A wall which was covered in hard plate coral descended to a sandy plateau at around 15m. As the dive progressed, the wall became more broken up and the topography changed to one dominated by shallow gorges that were home to numerous large orange gorgonian seafans, swim-throughs and boulders. Here we found whitetip reef sharks, schooling snapper and yet more turtles. The second dive was also a drift dive. We started at Heron Bommie, which was just as impressive as the first day. A mild current then pushed us along a staghorn coral-covered slope, alive with fish and small crustaceans, to Pams Point, where the boat picked us up. Whale songs in the distance provided a soothing soundtrack to a very pleasant and relaxed dive. Still with overcast skies that afternoon, we took the guided tour around our little island paradise, our knowledgeable guide pointing out the impressive wealth of bird life that inhabits the predator-free, tree-covered environment. Regular guided tours and Shoals of fish inhabit the reef
“Glassfish hid in a spacious hole at its centre, constantly harassed by grouper and other predators. Moray eels poked out of the many holes that pockmark this large rock” 29
talks by staff of the research station that is located on the island are also available. The research station is run by the University of Queensland and offers facilities to students and scientists to study the birds or marine life on and around Heron Island. Currently their main project is studying ocean acidity. Other activities that guests can enjoy include whale-watching, sunset cruises and guided reef walking. A spa caters for those who require some pampering and star gazing with binoculars and telescopes offers something a bit different. On the day we were leaving, the sun banished the clouds from the skies and beat down relentlessly on the island. There was time for one final dive which we began at Blue Pools, drifting on to North Bommie. The dive site was dominated by a large bommie. Glassfish hid in a spacious hole at its centre, constantly harassed by grouper and other predators. Moray eels poked out of the many holes that pockmark this large rock. The bommie also acts as a cleaning station and manta rays can regularly be found here. Although none were present while we were there, several eagle rays did cruise by. The diving here is excellent. The pristine coral reefs teem with life of all shapes and sizes, with the added benefit of having the dive sites all to yourself. The shallow waters that fringe the brilliant white-sand shores provide an excellent opportunity to swim with large numbers of stingrays or among schooling bait fish with lemon sharks slashing through their ranks. I was sad to leave our island utopia. The simmering turquoise water seemed like it was winking at us as the sunlight danced off its glassy surface. With one more rueful glance over our shoulders, we boarded the ferry back to Gladstone, thoroughly enchanted by this stunning little island and thoroughly sad not to be staying longer. n
Macro enthusiasts will be in their element...
...as will fans of wide-angle
Stingray
“Clear blue water allowed us to see the dive site in all its glory. Vast undulating meadows of hard coral disappeared into the distance, occasionally broken up by shallow canyons� Not all the shipwrecks are fully underwater
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ABOUT DEEPBLU
Taiwan-based DeepBlu are the new contender on the dive computer battlefront, but they have an ace in the hole in that the Cosmiq+ Dive Companion syncs via Bluetooth with their mobile app, seamlessly bringing your dive logs, etc, into their ever-growing social community. Pairing your Cosmiq+ takes literally seconds, and then once linked your dive profiles transfer to your social hub. From here, you can add additional information about the dive site, photographs and so on, and then share it to the community. Likewise, you can peruse other people’s dives through the social network. You can build up a network of contacts, ‘chat’ with online dive buddies, and even like, comment on and share other dive site postings. Software updates are automatically sent as notifications, so you can ensure your Cosmiq+ and the online social media are bang up to date. The Cosmiq+ has a clear high-contrast LCD screen which utilises EBTN pixel-less technology and is extremely bright, and the two buttons allow for simple, effortless navigation. Settings can be altered via the computer, or very easily on your phone, and then transferred to the Cosmiq+. The webbing strap is comfortable and quick and easy to adjust to fit around your wet suited or dry suited wrist. It comes in a range of colour schemes - Noir (black body with black or red insets and body) and Lumin (white body with either grey, purple or turquoise insets and straps. www.deepblu.com
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EXPLORING THE
SOLOMON
ISLANDS Boasting incredible marine and land biodiversity, plus a host of World War Two shipwrecks, the Solomon Islands has much to offer visiting divers, but being off the beaten track it has remained ‘under the radar’, meaning those who make the trek are in for a special experience PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRANDI MUELLER
The Solomons boasts many great wrecks
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Lionfish
War remnants topside
A warm welcome awaits!
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reathtakingly beautiful, pristine and colourful; these are the main keywords when painting a picture of diving in the tropical paradise called the Solomon Islands. Based on the nickname ‘The best-kept secret of the South Pacific’, our advice is, in short, dive the Solomons Islands now and explore the amazing corals, seascapes, shipwrecks and astonishing array of marine life before the secret gets out!
INTRODUCTION
A three-hour flight northeast-bound from Brisbane, Australia takes you to the Solomon Islands. The country is not widely known and still has very much uncharted (diving) territory, making it one of the world’s last underwater frontiers. The Solomons comprise 992 islands that are scattered over 1,500kms. Besides Australia, other neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea to the west, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji to the southeast. The capital Honiara on Guadalcanal Island is strategically located on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea.
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Historically, the Solomons have experienced limited exposure to the rest of the world; partly because of the location, and partly because of the lack of transportation options/lack of infrastructure. It was basically a place that was very hard to reach.
BIODIVERSITY
The geographically isolated location of the Solomon Islands not only resulted in very modest numbers of visitors over the years, but it also explains the evolution of some remarkable endemic species, both on land and underwater. Better yet, (marine) biologists continue to discover new, never previously recorded species. It is fair to say that the Solomon Islands is on par with Raja Ampat in terms of biodiversity. For instance, not only do the Solomon Islands boast more restricted range and endemic bird species by area than any other place on Earth, it is also home to the world’s largest skink, the world’s largest insect-eating bat and hosts some of the world’s largest rodents. In the marine realm, the Solomons boast the second-highest coral biodiversity in the world and are included in the Coral Triangle, a scientifically defined area of high species richness spanning almost six million square kilometres of the Indo-Pacific. The Coral Triangle is sometimes referred to as the ‘Amazon of the Seas’ and is considered an epicentre of tropical marine diversity on the planet.
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DIVING OVERVIEW
Dive sites in the Solomon Islands vary enormously; from canyons and caves, such as Leru Cut and Custom Caves, to vertigo-inducing steep drop-offs into the abyss and flourishing vibrant reefs and coral gardens. Due to the remote location of the Solomon Islands, a 20-year fishing ban and lack of (dive) tourism and fishermen, the Solomon reefs belong to the most-pristine dive sites in the world. The country is part of the ‘Ring of Fire’, indicating the presence of volcanoes. It is possible to hear rumbling of a volcano underwater at Kavachi Corner at Mary/Mborokua Island. Often, cracking and booming of explosions in the distance can be heard and felt underwater. Pretty much all original inhabitants of the Solomon waters still make a regular appearance - pilot whales, various kinds of sharks, mantas, dolphins and huge shoals of barracudas, right down to the macro wonders, such as pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish. Besides amazing coral reefs, you can explore World War Two wrecks, caves and caverns, walls, overhangs, swim-throughs and other dramatic seascapes. The Russell Islands are home to many fabulous dive sites, including a remarkable dive site called Leru Cut. This canyon juts almost 100 metres into the island and opens up in the jungle, offering spectacular photo opportunities for silhouettes. Outside of the cut is a gorgeous wall teeming with fish life. Custom Caves is the name given to the volcanic caverns that provide incredible photography opportunities as the sun beams through the rock. Lobster, eels and rays can often be found inside the caverns, while the entrance is covered in soft corals and fans. At the Florida Islands, explore the Twin Tunnels; two large tunnels that drill vertically into the reef. Exit onto the deep reef wall and watch the action drift by. Heading back up the wall, try to identify the nine different species of anemonefish that inhabit
the reef. Go and pay a visit to the sharks at Passage Rock, an exposed rock in the middle of the passage. This exhilarating dive will bring you to sleek unicornfish and cuttlefish in the shallows as well. Other great dive spots are Tanavula Point with its innumerable variety of corals on amazingly healthy reef, where the attentive diver can spot hundreds of nudibranchs, and Ed’s Wall, a scenic dive site filled with the sleek unicornfish, barracuda and rainbow runners.
Vibrant soft corals cover the reefs
Sunken warplane surrounded by fish
WORLD WAR TWO WRECKS Something not many people know about the Solomon Islands is that some of the fiercest and cruellest World War Two battles between the Allied Forces and Japan took place here, with names such as Bloody Ridge, Red Beach, Skyline Ridge and Henderson Field. This resulted in a significant wreck collection of warships, cargo ships, submarines and seaplanes. The Japanese Imperial Army invaded the island of Guadalcanal in 1942, for its important strategic location and proximity to Australia. In reaction to this, the Allied Forces launched ‘Operation Guadalcanal’, better known as the ‘Guadalcanal Campaign’, and continued to fight them until the Japanese finally withdrew from the island in 1943. Also known under the code name ‘Operation Watchtower’, this campaign turned out to be a significant strategic combined-arms Allied victory in the Pacific theatre. Along with the Battle of Midway, it has been called a turning-point in the South Pacific war against Japan. The wrecks remain as silent witnesses on the seabed, many bearing the scars of heavy battle. On special World War Two wreck itineraries with Master Liveaboards, there is plenty of opportunity to dive on these wrecks, as well as visit major World War Two battle locations, war memorials and remnants on land.
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Tulagi in the Florida Islands was a major military base during World War Two and subject to frequent and ferocious battles. Here you can explore both Japanese and American seaplanes, cargo ships, minesweepers and heavy cruisers, including the USS Minneapolis. This American heavy cruiser with eight-inch calibre guns was struck by two torpedoes forward of the number one mounts, but survived the encounter. The Minneapolis was towed back to the harbour of Tulagi, where the damaged bow section was removed and a temporary bow constructed so that she could be sailed back to Pearl Harbour and the Naval Yards for a complete repair. The detached bow section lies at the back-end of the bay in 14-24m. The wreck was badly damaged by the explosions, but it remains a very interesting dive, with lots of junk to explore. RNZN Moa was a minesweeper and submarine chaser of the Royal New Zealand Navy, and she played a pivotal role in the sinking of the Japanese submarine I-1 in 1943. The submarine lies off Cape Esperance in Guadalcanal, and had played a role in Pearl Harbour before being moved to the South Pacific. Code books were recovered from this wreck that helped crack the communication code and end the Battle of Midway. Dramatic walls populated by massive soft corals
White Beach in the Russell Islands was a key American re-provisioning area and supply base during World War Two. At the end of the war, an artificial reef was created by dumping trucks, jeeps, tractors, bulldozers and large amounts of ammunition. A very interesting dive without a doubt! The wreck of the Ann is what remains of an island freighter that sunk along a sandy slope in 9m-31m of water. She is now massively encrusted with corals and home to spectacular marine life. Coral grouper, skittish on most other reef sites, pose brazenly here. Blennies, sharpnose puffers, hawkfish and grouper prowl amid the soft corals and gorgonias. Wide-angle shots along the bow, kingposts and wheelhouse provide vibrant colour and dramatic texture. Even the sandy slope is productive, with a great colony of garden eels, anemonefish and shrimp gobies. Not all wrecks in the Solomons originate from the World War Two era. The Taiyo fishing boat wreck near Mary Island is 100 metres long and on her maiden voyage crashed into the reef and sunk vertically. The bow starts almost 2m underwater and when you swim over it you can look straight down the deck nearly 100m. It feels reminiscent of the famous photos of the bow of the Titanic. n
“In the marine realm, the Solomons boast the second-highest coral biodiversity in the world and are included in the Coral Triangle� Anemonefish
Master Liveaboards reach all of the best dive spots
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HOW TO GET TO SOLOMON ISLANDS?
Honiara can be reached via Brisbane, Port Moresby and Fiji with the following airlines providing the best travel options: Virgin Australia, Fiji Airways, Solomon Airlines and Air Niugini. Master Liveaboards is happy to organise your travel arrangements for you, and recommends that you combine your liveaboard diving trip with some more shore-based diving with our partner Dive Munda, or add a land excursion or two in order to get familiar with the beautiful Solomon landscapes and culture. Contact us for more information: bookings@masterliveaboards.com
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GOING GREY IN STYLE: THE ART OF MONOCHROMES Mario Vitalini is in the hot-seat this month, and turns his attentions to creating evocative, thought-provoking and intriguing monochromatic shots PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI
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s underwater photographers, our goal is to capture the vibrant colours beneath the sea. But on some dives or with certain subjects, you cannot escape the feeling that you are not quite doing it justice. Over the past few years, I’ve found myself turning increasingly to monochromes. On your next dive, take some time to think of the scene in front of you in terms of shapes, textures, light and shadows. There’s an undeniable beauty to be found in shades of black, white and grey. And in mastering monochromes, you can open up a whole new world of photographic opportunity.
Green turtle feeding on seagrass. By converting the shot to B&W, I was able to accentuate the contrast and deal with the problems caused by the clouds of sand
MORE THAN JUST BLACK AND WHITE
Monochromatic photography simply means that there is only one colour in the shot. Traditionally, this means black on a white background. But with modern digital editing tools, it’s very easy to replace black with any tone! Sepia and yellow tones give a photo an old-world vibe, while cyan and blue tones create a colder atmosphere. Monochrome edits can allow you much more artistic freedom in terms of exposure, as you can push the shadows and/or highlights to levels that would be unacceptable in a colour shot.
An almost-white background reinforces the shape of the dolphin
Increasing the contrast makes the shark stand out
Texture and sharpness are essential for B&W macro shots
IN CAMERA OR POST-PRODUCTION?
In the old days of film photography, you had to decide before you jumped if this was going to be a black and white dive. But thanks to digital, you can make the choice at any point – underwater or in the edit. Many cameras on the market today have a black and white mode. When selected, it will display and record a monochromatic JPG without any colour information. If your camera also records RAW files, this will retain all the colour information… in case you want to use it later. Personally, I shoot RAW and edit later, but this mode can be useful underwater for visualising the scene in monotones. In practice, most monochromatic images you see are actually colour shots that have been converted in post-production. Just as you normally process your colour images to get the most from them, black and white pictures benefit from some digital work. Editing software such as Photoshop and
Lightroom come with built-in B&W conversion modules. Go a step further with pre-set add-ons and filters that will convert your files into a whole host of different monotones. At the moment, I like Silver Efex Pro2 (currently free). In my opinion, it is one of the best black and white converters, as well as a great tool for creating more interesting monochromes, giving you complete control over all colour tones. I’d really encourage you to experiment with the treatments. A classic black and white conversion can sometimes look quite uninspiring, while more dramatic tonal changes can totally transform the mood or feeling of a photo. Try different levels of contrast. Think where you want the best detail to be, on the dark areas or on the highlights. Don’t be afraid to blow areas out! And why not introduce some digital noise. In monochrome, it can build the mood of your picture. You can even change the background colour completely from white to black or vice versa. This is an artistic process so go for it, with multiple versions of the same shot.
When converting to B&W, try different versions - I’m not too keen on the standard B&W, but playing with other tones gives better results
The opposite direction of the sunbeams and the diver’s torch creates strong diagonals and the B&W conversion accentuates the strong texture of the rocks inside this cavern
ESCORTED TRIPS
SUBJECT MATTER
A good monochrome image requires a different mindset. You don’t have bright colours to make the photo stand out or to show an obvious focal point. Instead, the stand out elements are delivered by the play in the light and shadows, contrast, strong shapes and textures. This means that not every shot you take will work as a monochromatic image. As a general rule, available light wide-angle shots tend to be more suitable than macro. Wrecks are an ideal choice. The strong lines and shadows created by these man-made structures and the lack of colours serve to heighten the drama of the shipwreck. A monochromatic treatment can also be helpful to deal with a very-common problem in wreck photography - that is a lack of sharpness and contrast due to excessive distance between subject and camera. Even with a fish-eye lens, you sometimes find yourself simply too far away to get a good colour photo. Add a 20-30m depth and your images are dominated by a blue cast. If you love the composition, but hate the colour cast, try a monochrome. Increase the contrast to a level that would never be possible in a full-colour image, regain some of that lost sharpness and accentuate the shadows and highlights. At the end of the edit, you are more likely to have a photo you want to hang on your wall. Caverns are another environment that I love to work into monochrome, especially if the light comes from overhead openings. Black and white is a beautiful vehicle for sun beams penetrating the gloom. For strong sunbeams, remember to dive when the sun is high above and tuck yourself away in a dark place. Expose for the sunbeam and make sure that your composition includes the start and the finish of the beam. Monochrome marine life shots work on a ‘bigger is better’
Want to take your own shark shots? Join Mario on an escorted photo workshop, with award-winning tour operator Scuba Travel. Learn the secrets of shark photography on the exciting new Shark Quest photography itinerary this November, or master your macro skills in the Far East. There’s something for everyone. Mario’s workshops are open to all experience levels, but in particular anyone using a compact camera or mirrorless set-up. His prize-winning images prove it’s not the kit that makes the shot, but the photographer! If you need some help getting to grips with your camera underwater, Mario’s your man. His calm, patient approach is just what you need to improve your photos. Mario tailors the tips and techniques to your needs, both on the surface and underwater. Improve your skills in a relaxed, non-competitive environment. Dive, eat, sleep and shoot! Workshops in 2018 and 2019 are running in classic destinations such as the Red Sea, as well as far-flung photo hotspots like the Philippines, Caymans and Indonesia. www.scubatravel.com
My personal version of the dolphin image was a highly contrasted one
basis. I find turtles especially photogenic in black and white. The texture of their carapace and faces just looks amazing. As with all marine life, look for behaviours. Turtles eating are a great image. Mantas and sharks can be tricky subjects in colour. Sharks such as hammerheads are often that bit too deep to escape heavy blue casts. Pale bellies are easily overexposed. Monochrome can help deal with some of these exposure issues in the finished result. If you are shooting dolphins or manta, remember to include the surface in your photo for added level of depth and texture. Macro subjects are colourful in nature and that is a huge part of what makes them popular with underwater photographers. Let’s face it… would you be so obsessed with nudibranch photos if they only came in land-slug brown colours? Monochrome macro is all about the shape and texture. Think long and hard about your strobe position. Use the lighting to emphasise textures and craft areas of light and dark. Without these, the end result will look flat and underwhelming. Technically, the sharpness needs to be absolutely perfect. Make sure your critter is sitting on clean background. Feeling inspired to get creative with monochrome? I find it an evocative medium. It is less about recording what you saw, and more about creating drama or atmosphere. There’s more than one way to edit a shot. There’s no right or wrong. Ultimately, like all photography, whether you like the end result is going to be a personal matter, but when you get it works, monochrome is anything but drab. n
B&W wreck photography allows you to deal with the lack of definition caused by the amount of water you are forced to shoot through - end results can be striking
BIOGRAPHY MARIO VITALINI
For nearly 30 years, Mario has sailed the globe and dived the seas, working as a PADI instructor and dive guide. Today, he shares his passion for underwater photography. His students love his real-world expertise and patient approach. He has an extensive working knowledge of all underwater camera systems, having spent several years at the UK’s largest photo retailer. Mario’s images have won several awards and he has featured not once, but twice, among the top categories at the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year, including Most Promising British Underwater Photographer in 2015.
Balinese-s
Man-made artificial reefs are marine life hotspots
style
GIVING INDO PEACEFULNESS A CHANCE Jeremy and Amanda Cuff explore two verydifferent areas in Bali – Tulamben, and the small island of Nusa Penida
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY AND AMANDA CUFF / WWW.JA-UNIVERSE.COM Welcoming Bali architecture
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round five years ago, I made a solo dive trip to the Indonesian island of Bali, staying in Tulamben. I thought it was great and knew my wife Amanda would love the place too, so we vowed to make a family dive trip happen there at some point in the future. We just had to do it… Winding the clock forward to early 2017, the idea of a visit came into sharper focus and seemed a much-more-realistic proposition for us. In the time that had passed, our son Zac had become both a teenager and a PADI Junior Advanced Diver with around 100 dives under his belt, which meant he could participate in most of the dives offered. We all fancied the idea of it, so we made a plan, settling on a two-centre dive trip staying firstly in Tulamben followed by a crack at seeing the mola mola at the more-challenging dive sites of Nusa Penida. Though it may seem like a travel writer’s cliché, Bali is often described as a haven of peacefulness and tranquility; the kind of place where you can cast aside the stresses of modern life, get off the treadmill and recharge your batteries. It certainly has that aspect, but there are several other facets too, depending on what you’re looking for. You can go for the partying, commercialism and surfing hotspots of the south coast centred around Kuta and Seminyak, or you can immerse yourself in the spiritual and artistic worlds in areas such as the cultural hub of Ubud, and among the numerous temples. Outdoor fanatics can revel in the excellent trekking possibilities, such as Mt Agung (more of which later), and other areas such as Mt Batur and the West Bali National Park. Others will gravitate towards secluded spas and hideaways, and of course, scuba diving. Our particular angle was a combination of scuba diving and hideaways, with a short, sharp shock of the bustling commercial hub of Kuta for a single night at the end before heading home.
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TULAMBEN
The village of Tulamben is a renowned area for diving on the northeast of the island. Thanks to the busy roads, it can take up to three hours to reach from the airport in the transfer minibus, but it’s very much worth it when you get there. As a backdrop to the area, there’s the brooding volcanic menace of Mt Agung, which dominates this part of Bali. It was possible to trek Mt Agung until recently, as shortly after our visit in August, it decided to ‘wake up’ again. During the time of writing this feature in November, quite a lot changed; the activity levels of Agung appeared to be reducing, but on the weekend of 25/26 November, the volcano begun what many feared would be a major eruption. Areas considered to be in the greatest danger were evacuated, including Tulamben, but all is getting back to normal. The area around Tulamben is especially renowned for its fascinating ‘muck diving’ and the Liberty wreck. The term ‘muck diving’ could be considered somewhat of a misnomer, as it’s really sand diving, and in this case ‘black sand diving’. To me, black sand creates a different timbre to the water, making it seem more mysterious than the white sand variety; a darkness with secrets to unlock. As well as shore diving – most resorts have a ‘house reef’ - most dive sites are no more than ten minutes away by boat. The dive guides know the local sites like the back of their hands, and without their help most visitors would find but a fraction of the stuff. One of the great things about diving these black sand slopes is that small and non-descript-looking bommies on closer inspection turn out to be hives of activity that are so good you could spend whole dives there, with a myriad of creatures cleaning and being cleaned, hunting and
“One wreck that most certainly isn’t artificial (and one of the best known in the whole of the Far East) is the Liberty wreck” Amanda checks out a coral-encrusted sculpture
The Liberty shipwreck is perfect for photographers
TWO FISH DIVERS
We are a PADI five-star operator with dive resorts/centres across Indonesia and over 15 years of experience. Our Amed resort offers a 15-minute trip to the wreck in Tulamben, and our Lembongan resort offers a 20-minute trip to the mantas of Nusa Penida. Staying in Kuta/Seminyak or around Sanur? Take day-trips to Tulamben and Nusa Penida from our Sanur dive centre. www.twofishdivers.com
being hunted, eating and being eaten. Things to look out for include various shrimp, ornate ghost pipefish, moray eels and ribbon eels. It’s also worth spending time out on the black sand itself, where you can discover all sorts of critters, such as half-buried scorpionfish and snake eels waiting for something edible to swim within striking range, plus hermit crabs, decorator crabs, flounder, cuttlefish, octopus and roaming groups of the bizarre shrimpfish (razorfish). Of the bigger things, skittish stingrays (a kind of the blue-spotted variety) can commonly be seen gliding across these expanses. Around Tulamben, the local dive operations have placed artificial reefs and wrecks at some sites, with a view to attracting additional life for the benefit of both divers and the environment. These are always worth spending time around, where predators such as eels, scorpionfish, lionfish and frogfish can often be found feasting on the more-concentrated amounts of prey. At Tulamben itself there’s an underwater sculpture garden featuring various statues (such as Hindu gods) and an aeroplane wreck for added interest and novelty, though the actual structure had deteriorated since my visit five years ago. One wreck that most certainly isn’t artificial (and one of the best known in the whole of the Far East) is the Liberty wreck. This huge wreck is often the reason why divers visit the area and it’s not difficult to see why. It’s also unusual in that it can be done as a shore dive, though many resorts do it from a boat, which is easier. Close by is a cluster of dive centres and lodges ensuring that the wreck is often extremely busy with divers, which can be frustrating if you’re a photographer shooting wide angle. Trying to find an area or vista that you want to photograph without bubbles, arms, legs and fins everywhere can become a yearning on this wreck, but it is possible if you’re patient. As the wreck is around 120 metres in length, ideally several dives are the optimum here in order to fully explore it. We managed three dives on the wreck,
Vast shoals of fish are often encountered
at different times of day including an early morning dip to see the resident bumphead parrotfish that bunch together at first light before scattering off for the day. We also encountered several turtles, and were told that schools of barracuda can sometimes be seen. Deep dives of around 35m are also possible if that’s your interest, but depth isn’t essential here.
NUSA PENIDA
Nusa Penida itself is an island located off the east of Bali, in the channel between Bali and Lombok. It’s best known for the phenomenally powerful movements of water between the islands and the seasonal gatherings of the weird and wonderful mola mola. To dive there, we based ourselves in the bustling ‘dive friendly’ town of Padangbai. Our primary reason for visiting was to get the chance of encountering the aforementioned mola mola, which Amanda really wanted to see. We gave ourselves three dives a day over three days in which to make the dream come true.
Mola mola (or sunfish), of which there are more than one species, are known from most of the world’s seas, though they are rarely seen on dives. This area of Bali, however, is a hotspot for them and quite a diving industry has grown up around the sightings. Bali’s molas are a seasonal gathering, with the optimum time being July to October. Our visit coincided with this time window, but in the earlier part of the season. We visited Crystal Bay four times over the three diving days, which might be better described as Crazy Bay. It can be ‘crazy’ for two reasons; one is the potential strength of the currents out in the channel between Nusa Penida and its small neighbours Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, and two, the phenomenal amount of dive boats and divers in the water. Amanda hated the first dive there (and I doubt that anyone actually enjoyed it) as the current was fierce, making it unpleasant and air consuming as we attempted to hold ourselves in position and hang on while trying to scan the blue water for mola mola. Some divers wouldn’t do the later dive there that day after the exertions of the first dive, though that was a mistake, as the current was much more manageable then. On our second dive day, we visited another location off Nusa Penida called Toyapakeh. It was a pleasant enough site with a sloping reef, and at the time of our dive, a mild-ish current. We cruised the reef while looking out into the blue, but nothing much was happening. As we got into the second half of the dive I was beginning to think that our luck was out. Then, somewhere below us on the slope, there was a strange shape that jarred. It took a few moments to mentally process it, but when the penny dropped, I knew what it was. It was a mola mola, a big one. I signalled to Amanda and Zac, to make sure they’d seen it and then dropped down towards it, to around the 35m mark. This strange and improbable fish was being cleaned by a few bannerfish, which is usually the reason they visit the reefs and walls. I approached slowly and carefully, but knew that it wouldn’t stick around for long, so there wouldn’t be many chances to capture images. The encounter was fairly brief but brilliant, as it circled us before heading back into the blue. After the dive everyone was buzzing; a heady mix of relief, euphoria, smiles, punching the air and whoops, and all the divers saw it. From what we heard, we had the only mola mola sighting that day, and possibly over the three days in which we dived the area. We felt happy and fortunate. As I’ve dedicated most of this section of the feature to our successful mola mola quest, I musn’t
Returning from another Tulamben dive
Manta ray cruising past at Nuda Penida
The dive guides are invaluable
Cylinders racked up to go diving Turtles are a common sight
forget to squeeze in some other important mentions, such as the presence of manta rays. On each diving day, we travelled along the wild southern coastline of Nusa Penida to a site called Manta Point. Like Crystal Bay, it’s usually very busy with dive boats, but the mantas are virtually guaranteed. In fact, you might even see the two species of manta, the reef manta and the giant manta; we were fortunate and saw both. Other impressive lifeforms from the Nusa Penida sites we visited include turtles and some alarmingly large sea snakes. A few words must also be said about currents. As touched on earlier, the general area of the Lombok Channel (including Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan) are affected by incredibly powerful movements of water, and on the dives themselves, especially at Crystal Bay, it’s vital to ‘read’ the current and ensure that you don’t get into a situation from which you can’t get back to sheltered water, and be swept away into the channel. Overall, we had a great time in Bali. We enjoyed the place, we enjoyed the people and we enjoyed the diving. And we’d given peacefulness and tranquility a chance. In fact, the wider world could learn a lot from Bali – highly recommended by us on many levels. n
“…it’s vital to ‘read’ the current and ensure that you don’t get into a situation from which you can’t get back to sheltered water, and be swept away into the channel”
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FREEDIVING HINTS & ADVICE
ARE YOU A GAS GUZZLER? Always the first one running low on air on a scuba dive? Freediving guru Emma Farrell offers some hints and advice to scuba divers on ways to increase your SAC rate and extend your dive time PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SIMON REID
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Emma on a warm-water freedive
ou know you’re a gas guzzler when you use a twinset for a 40-minute dive, or when you’re always the first one out of air. Men tend to be gas guzzlers more than women, and newbies more than experienced divers. However, it is possible to teach people how to use less air on a dive, and the benefits extend far beyond a longer dive time. I’ve been teaching scuba divers my Gas Guzzler course for the past 15 years, taking the methodology, techniques and exercises that apply to freediving, and teaching them to scuba divers. Best of all, the course is in the classroom, so perfect for scuba divers who have no intention of ever trying freediving! The course not only looks at how to breathe more efficiently, it helps you analyse all aspects of your dive, preparation and kit set up to help you see that using less air is not simply about breathing less. And when you tweak all aspects of your diving, the dives not only become longer, but much more comfortable and enjoyable. Scuba divers can significantly reduce the amount of oxygen they use during diving. The main focus is on slowing your breathing and relaxing your body. By learning to breathe deeply you will calm your mind and body, meaning your dives will be longer and more enjoyable. So let’s look at how you can reduce air consumption on a scuba dive.
KIT SET UP
Giving your kit set up an overhaul can make a huge difference to your air consumption. Ditch the weight - The biggest issue I’ve come across with scuba divers is being over-weighted. The more weight you wear, the more difficulties you can have with buoyancy, and the effort of maintaining a position is a sure-fire way to use more air. Another thing to consider is what kind of weight system you are using and where it is on your body. If you’re wearing a weightbelt then chances are it is around your waist. This is the absolute worst place for it to be as it stops you being able to breathe correctly and abdominally (more on that below!). If you wear a weightbelt then buy a rubber one. They are cheap and it means you can tie it tightly around your hips, leaving you free to belly breathe. Leave the toys at home - If you’re determined to have a longer dive then look at your gear and decide if you’re walking into the water looking sleek and ready for action, or like a Christmas tree with too many ornaments. Get back to basics. The more bits and bobs you have to worry about, the more your attention will be on them and not the dive. The worst offender for this is your new snazzy camera. So much to learn and deal with while you’re under
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Freedivers use the anchor line as a guide
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the water fish wrangling for that perfect shot. My advice is to get the diving right first, then bring the camera into play. How hard is your bite? - Take a look at your mouthpiece and regulator. Do you have to clamp down to keep it in your mouth? Does your jaw ache after a dive? The more tense your jaw is, the more stress there will be in your body as you will be activating the sympathetic nervous response and breathing more. Look into an orthodontic mouthpiece and adjust the regulator so it is easy to breathe through it. Does your mask fit properly? - The bigger your mask, the more air you will use to equalise it. Granted this is a small amount of air, but if the mask doesn’t fit well then you will be using a lot of air clearing it. A common problem also with scuba divers is that when they equalise, they are used to having such a lot of air to play with that they lose air from their mask with every equalisation. Get your buddy to keep an eye on how much extra air you are using dealing with your mask and when you equalise. Wetsuit, drysuit or straightjacket? - If you are warm you use less air. If you are comfy you use less air. Did you buy your wetsuit years before middle-age spread set in? Is it time to upgrade your kit? Is your BCD working for you? It’s always worth trying a new set up and seeing if a different style of gear set up could make all the difference. Finning fast and furious - How efficient and effective is your finning? On a freediving course, we are constantly teaching style, technique and efficiency of movement. If you bicycle kick or fin too fast then you’ll use more energy for comparatively less results. Stiff fins are also more difficult to use, so look at your fins and try some other ones out if you think this is an area of your kit set up that could do with looking at.
WHAT GOES IN…
It isn’t rocket science but it goes against the grain for some scuba divers when asked to adjust certain aspects of their diet and lifestyle. If this is you, then I suggest this is the point you skip forward to the bit about breathing! Dive reflex and metabolism - When you dive, the digestion process slows and foods ferment, causing heartburn, indigestion, burping and nausea. Food in the stomach also restricts full and easy belly breathing. Try to eat at least one-and-a-half hours before the dive. Can I eat a burger? - Not ideal… A heavy meal that mixes proteins, fats and sugars can take much longer to digest and cause the problems mentioned above. Eat something light that you know you can digest quickly and save your blow out for when the dive is over. Can I have a pint before I dive? - Of water? Yes. Dehydration makes the blood thicker, the heart work harder and you’ll breathe more. The mammalian dive reflex also means that you lose more water than you can take in through immersion diuresis. Therefore, it is very important to drink plenty, but not caffeine and other stimulants, which increase the heart rate; fizzy drinks also alter the PH of the blood. Alcohol dehydrates and impairs judgement. Smoking is alright though? - The biggest issue for smoking in terms of air use is that carbon monoxide binds much more strongly to haemoglobin than oxygen, therefore you deprive your body of oxygen and have to breathe more to compensate.
Emma and some of the pupils
DID YOU
KNOW?
More and more re and technical div creational ers are using freediving techni qu improve their div es to e and general unde times rwater well-being
HERE ARE THE FIVE MOST-IMPORTANT THINGS FOR ALL GAS GUZZLERS TO REMEMBER: • Count your breaths and extend the exhalation • Never start a dive until comfortable. Take it at your own pace • Take an inventory of your kit and check it is working for you, not against you • Dive frequently with a buddy you trust • Relax and enjoy yourself!
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FREEDIVING HINTS & ADVICE Freedivers exploring a shipwreck
PSYCHOLOGY
Every aspect of your dive has the potential to turn on your fight or flight reflex, your sympathetic nervous response. By identifying the triggers and setting a plan to reduce or remove them, you can keep your body and mind in a relaxed and comfortable parasympathetic response. An example of this is on a dive holiday. You’re lining up on the back of the boat and the seas are rough. They want you into the water and under it as fast as possible. You’re hurried, not ready, and subtle stress sets in. Your heart and breathing rate goes up and before the dive has begun, you’re gulping for air. On my Gas Guzzler course, we deal a lot with the psychology of a dive and how to create a routine to reduce stress. Here are my tops tips when you’re being literally pushed into the water: • When lining up and standing still, close your eyes and focus on gentle, relaxed, abdominal breathing. • In the water, don’t leave the surface until your breathing is under control and you are calm. • On the way down, pause every 5-10m and check your breathing. Are you relaxed? Is your jaw tense? • From time to time, close your eyes for five to ten seconds and focus on relaxed and calm breathing. • Always keep your buddy close for reassurance and safety.
WHY HOW YOU BREATHE REALLY MATTERS
The biggest way scuba divers become gas guzzlers is the way they breathe. They breathe too fast and usually too big a volume. Not only does this affect their buoyancy and a vicious cycle of needing more air because they are breathing more rapidly, but often leads to hyperventilation. Breathing a smaller amount of air in and out in a relaxed way will prevent hyperventilation and the associated health risks associated with it. Chronic hyperventilation in my experience is extremely common, and instrumental in over 200 medical problems and diseases, including asthma, arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, stress and more. When we inhale correctly, the diaphragm flattens, drawing air into our lungs. On exhale, it relaxes back up into the chest cavity. The diaphragm should be responsible for 75 percent of our breathing, helped by the intercostal muscles between the ribs. It is a misconception that low levels of oxygen are what triggers our body to breathe. It is actually the high levels of carbon dioxide. Emma chilling on a shipwreck
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BREATHING FOR SCUBA DIVING
To breathe naturally is to breathe with our whole body, the way a baby or animal does. For this to occur, we not only need a flexible, unconstricted ribcage, but also a supple belly. Our belly needs to be able to expand on inhalation and retract on exhalation. The most-efficient way to breath for scuba diving is as follows: • Breathe deep into the abdomen - belly breathing • Relaxed, gentle and slow • Calm, controlled, conscious of your breathing • Passive inhale and passive exhale • Pause slightly at the end of the exhalation • Extend the exhalation • Six to eight breaths a minute • No skip-breathing • Relax - don’t over-breathe. The more you over-breathe, the more gas you guzzle.
WHERE CAN YOU LEARN MORE?
My Gas Guzzler course is a classroom-based course, designed specifically for scuba divers who want to not only reduce their oxygen consumption, but wish to improve their dive experience. The course involves understanding the body and how it works, provides specific exercises that will improve your breathing and unlearn bad habits, covers safety issues and buddy information. Throughout the course you also be able to identify what is specifically causing your excessive oxygen use and how that can be reduced. The course will teach you how to breathe correctly, how to use visualisation and relaxation techniques and will also build confidence in applying these techniques to future dives. Taking a freediving course is also a fantastic way to learn these breathing skills, as well as equalisation, finning and better movement through the water. Here are the four best ways to improve your breathing as a scuba diver: • Take my Gas Guzzler course to improve air consumption and improve your dive experience. • Freediving courses. These can help you learn to relax in the water, improve equalisation, be more hydrodynamic and build confidence. Go to: gofreediving.co.uk for more details. • Rescue Diver courses – To give you the skills and confidence to rescue you and your buddy if anything goes wrong. • Yoga classes. These can help improve the flexibility of your body, particularly your diaphragm and rib cage and will improve your breath control. If you are just starting with yoga, take a beginner’s class. Iyengar teachers are very good. Be prepared to shop around until you find a style or teacher that works for you. n
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SPEARFISHING 5 REASONS TO SPEARFISH Isaac ‘Shrek’ Daly is a keen spearfisherman. Here he lists five reasons he believes anyone with a passion for the water should try spearfishing PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID OCHOA AND RICARDO NASCIMENTO / WWW.DOCK6FILMS.COM
1. THE PHYSICAL BENEFITS
Escape the hustle for tranquillity! Freediving, or breathhold diving, has some amazing physical benefits. For example, you have an inborn dive reflex that becomes activated when you are horizontal and your face is immersed in water - this is an automatic response. Without any conscious effort, your heart rate slows to somewhere between 10-25 percent. This physical response is awesome (and addictive) for your body and mind as it gives you a rest and a change of pace.
2. CONNECTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT - REAL FOOD! Our internal signals have become confused and our logic has been absent for too long. We prefer to grab magic products off a supermarket shelf rather than seek out our own food. It is true that planning, finding, hunting, killing, cleaning and preparing your own food takes effort. It is far simpler to buy seafood from a mall and yet buying seafood that is ethically and sustainably produced seems to take just as much effort, and that effort to me, seems far less appealing. One facet of spearfishing is studying and learning about the marine environment that you harvest food from. Food caught or grown yourself will be superior to anything from a supermarket because you have a personal stake in its life. This stake, in part, comes from the amount of work and effort that went into putting it on the plate. More than 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the US, for instance, is imported. How this imported seafood is caught or harvested is often unclear. If you eat fish, catching it yourself is the single best way to ensure its ethically harvested from a sustainable population.
3. MENTAL DISCIPLINE - SELF CONTROL
I remember a moment a little while ago while spearfishing. I finished my breath-up on the surface and began descending towards the bottom. On my way I spied the torpedo-shaped shadows of some mackerel. As they emerged from the haze on the outskirts of visibility my heart rate rose with excitement. This is the type of special moment that the ocean presents us with occasionally. But alas my excitement was clear to the fish and the prospects of my large shape moving towards them triggered a near-instant response. The mackerel exited stage left at a rate of knots. This is a common scenario for people new to the sport. Body language means far more to creatures who live day-today in the ocean. Their survival depends on recognising danger and avoiding it. Fortunately, the spearo is able to exploit other ways to effectively hunt fish. Fish possess innate curiosity and when the spearo understands this, they are presented with many opportunities. This always requires self-discipline and observation skills. Learning and adopting the right body language along with understanding fish behaviour yield the hunter with results over time. This facet is very rewarding and unique to spearfishing.
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4. LIFESTYLE
From a deep breath on the surface and descent to putting a plate of fresh fish in front of my family, the spearfishing experience satisfies my soul. This is not hype. It’s more often than not hard work, a long day and exhaustion by the end of a dive day, but it fills me up and makes me feel alive like nothing else. I’ve asked many experienced spearos to explain to me what the spearfishing experience means to them in one sentence. 98 percent of them can’t do it. It comes down to their passion for the total spearfishing lifestyle. It’s difficult to explain it to someone who has never experienced spearfishing. Spearfishing is a lifestyle, it’s not a sport.
5. SHARED EXPERIENCE
There’s something about getting out into the wild. Entering a place where things can go wrong. It requires a deep level of responsibility towards yourself and your mates. A spearfishing situation involves working in a one-up, onedown buddy system. When your mate is below the surface you keep an eye on him and provide help should he need it. Sometimes you might be required to help secure a fish. In serious circumstances like a blackout you could be called upon to get your buddy to the surface swiftly. Thankfully blackouts are rare but you and your buddy must have each other’s backs. When you have a buddy you can depend on, you relax and enjoy your diving even more. You also share in the dive and the collective adventures become fireside yarns for years to come. If you would like to try spearfishing or improve your skills, then you’ve found a good place! Scuba Diver mag will continue to feature a regular spearfishing section and hopefully we are welcomed back. n
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SPEARFISHING WHAT’S NEW MARES ILLUSION 50 WETSUIT Effective spearfishing suits need to be warm, comfortable and easy to get on and off – oh, and help disguise you as you stalk your prey. The Illusion 50 uses an ‘ocean floor’ camouflage that is printed on a beige lining, to provide total concealment for the diver. The Illusion 50 has a preformed cut to ensure comfort and an excellent fit, and the 5mm open-cell neoprene has great elasticity, high thermal properties and is compression-resistant. It features an anti-slip chest pad with a neoprene ‘shock absorber’ inside, and reinforced kneepads. www.mares.com
HAWAII’S KAP SPEARGUNS SHOWCASED ALL-TEAK SPEARGUNS AT BLUE WILD 2018 Russell Kapuniai, owner of KAP Spearguns, brought an impressive grouping of all-teak spearguns to the 2018 Blue Wild Ocean Adventure Expo in Fort Lauderdale, USA, in April. The guns feature Nektonic compact AR-15 adaptable handles, enclosed tracks, and can handle up to three 5/8-inch/8mm bands. They are internally ballasted and balanced for improved manoeuvrability and also have side-band channels so that the bands lower the gun’s profile, thus minimising additional drag. All the guns are tung-oil finished. Russell was sure to mention that because he personally controls the all-hand-made manufacturing process, all of their guns have a lifetime warranty (with the caveat of normal use, of course). They don’t use any CNC machines or assembly lines to create these beautiful guns. They can also create custom guns as well. Guns feature a flat mounting underside for adding reels and other accessories. Talking to Branon Edwards from DeeperBlue.com, Russell said: “Our Euro gun is the sleekest wood gun on the market, and I 100 percent stand behind my product.” Their Euro series is available in 110cm (US$680), 120cm ($690), and 130cm ($700) lengths. Their Cubera series is 100cm ($800), 110cm ($825), 120cm ($850), or 130cm ($875) lengths. The guns use 9/32-inch/7mm or 5/16-inch/8mm shafts. www.KAPspearguns.com
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EVOLVE DEVELOPS A ‘COOL’ COOLER BAG Keen spearfisherman Branon Edwards, from DeeperBlue.com, was smitten with a new range of cooler bags from Hawaii-based Evolve on show in April at Blue Wild 2018 in the USA. He said: “We’ve all seen them, many of us have used them, and most of us have a love-hate relationship with cooler bags. You don’t always have enough space on deck or in inboard compartments to ice down all your fish during a successful spearfishing trip, so you opt to bring a cooler bag as a back-up storage compartment that takes up less space until you actually need it. Personally, my crew has used them traditionally to separate barracuda from the rest of our catch during tourneys so they didn’t share their telltale stench with the whole of our catch, or the built-in cooler compartments. “Generally speaking, cooler bags have been a necessary evil, but Evolve’s new Kill Bag Extreme Soft Cooler series addresses a lot of common issues. Like Evolve’s hard cooler series, these are designed to actually hold ice for days, not just hours. Add to that some cool designs and shapes, and they may have a winner. They have a kayak model that is actually shaped like your kayak, making it easy to store your catch right from the water without awkwardly changing the wind profile of your kayak.” The bags range in size and cost, starting at around US$71 for the smaller bags all the way to $686 for the largest one. Additionally, they come with a five-year limited warranty. www.evolvediving.com
MARES RAZOR C740 / F740 / ILLUSION
The Razor C740 features a 59cm-long blade that is produced using pre-impregnated carbon and fibreglass layers, and as the fibres cross over each other fewer times, it increases the responsiveness of the blade. It is available with a soft or medium-strength blade, the foot pocket is designed to be worn with a 3mm neoprene sock, and it comes with a fin-protection bag. Utilising the same foot-pocket, there is the F740, which has a fibreglass blade, and this fin is also available in Illusion form, with Illusion camouflage for optimal fishing potential. www.mares.com
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TECFEST
NEW ZEALAND
The team from TecFest New Zealand have again pulled off another successful and inspiring event at the beautiful Lake Taupo for the tech-diving community this April PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TECFEST NEW ZEALAND AND ROB WILSON
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ecFest NZ is New Zealand’s one-and-only technicaldiving event dedicated to showcasing this exciting area of scuba diving. The event was run over two-and-a-half days and the majority of the participants stayed on site at the fully catered MiCamp, which created a unique community feel. TecFest is not your typical dive event full of shiny new toys you can only look at, the event is held on the shore line of the pristine waters of Lake Taupo, where you can easily get 30m plus straight from the beach and, if you wish to jump on one of the many boats available, then you have access to sheer walls and underwater forests leading to 80m plus! With dive sites so accessible, there was a large focus to actually get you in the water to try some of the latest technical-diving equipment and experience it firsthand. Exhibitors included leading manufacturers, diver training agencies and travel services such as Mares XR, SSI, Shearwater Research, Dive Rite, Scuba Force, Suunto, Travel&Co, PADI and rEvo. Over the course of the weekend, divers had the opportunity to look at and try different areas of technical diving, from scooters and sidemount to twinsets, computers and drysuits. There were also a variety of workshops and courses to suit all levels aimed to improve and grow diving skills, ranging from ad-
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vanced trimix to more-basic XR foundations programmes. As one of the major sponsors of the event, SSI put up a number of free SSI XR foundations courses during the event for divers to learn all the basic XR skills and equipment configurations, which proved to be very popular. Throughout the day and into the evening on both Friday and Saturday, there were a variety of interesting talks and presentations by some of New Zealand and Australia’s most-experienced technical divers and operations talking about their trips, experiences and how they have been out there pushing boundaries and exploring areas most divers only ever dream of visiting. On Sunday, everyone slowly dispersed and either headed home or did the famous Waikato River drift dive, which winds down a couple of kilometres of fast-flowing clear river that runs out of the lake – it is controlled by a dam that is normally let out a few times daily and this is, of course, the most exciting time to dive it. This dive is full of interesting formations, friendly trout and curious freshwater crayfish and ends in natural hot water pools reaching 40 degrees C, and made the perfect end to a fantastic event. If that wasn’t enough, all those attending had the chance to win some amazing prizes from the event’s sponsors and exhibitors. n www.tecfestnz.com
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Kri Eco-Resort Monthly series in which we focus on a particular house reef, this issue visiting ‘the richest house reef in the world’, which lies in front of the Kri Eco Resort in Raja Ampat PHOTOGRAPHS BY AARON GEKOSKI, CORINNE BOURBEILLON, FRITS MEYST, ROGER STEENE AND SCOTTY GRAHAM
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n Raja Ampat, the heart of the ‘Coral Triangle’ and thus the most species-rich marine area in the world, lies the Kri Eco Resort. The house reef begins at a depth of 1m and is very easy for divers to reach via the resort main jetty in just a few steps. The house reef is also very interesting for snorkellers - at high tide they can even snorkel from their bungalow to the reef edge - because right under the jetty, from the water surface up to 5m deep, there is already a multitude of different animals to discover and lots of fish action going on. The jetty poles are not only nicely overgrown, as a protective habitat they also attract numerous fish. Over the years, this area has developed itself into a unique artificial reef. This, in combination with the reef plateau, which extends to the right and left of the jetty and drops as a steep slope to approximately 45m, makes it into a Garden of Eden underwater. Between the poles, which are overgrown with soft corals, gorgonians and tunicates, you can almost always encounter a big school of mackerel and snapper. Batfish, angelfish, butterflyfish and rabbitfish, sweetlips, soldierfish, big porcupine and smaller pufferfish are also common species which are found under and around the jetty. Those who take the time to look better can also spot stonefish, scorpionfish, frogfish and ghost pipefish. On top of that there is a multitude of critters, such as mantis shrimp, nudibranchs and the occasional blue-ringed octopus or flamboyant cuttlefish. This makes these reefs ideal for doing a night dive. Or, when the tide is high, some
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night snorkelling on top of the reef plateau along the main jetty. Every evening, when the sun disappears below the horizon, the main star of the show starts to become active looking for food on top of the reef plateau, the famous Raja Ampat bamboo shark. This shark is also known as the ‘walking shark’ as it uses its four pectoral fins to walk on the substrate in shallow water, searching for shells and crabs. Kri Eco house reef also offers the possibility to encounter big marine animals - blacktip reef sharks are always swimming around while patrolling the reefs, as well as herds of grazing bumphead parrotfish. Even wobbegongs are not uncommon around the jetty. Green turtles and hawksbill turtles are regular visitors who hang out on top of the reef to rest and eat, or swim by in the blue along the reef. And thanks to the unique location of Kri Island in the middle of the Dampier Strait, the house reef of the Kri Eco Resort also offers opportunities to encounter big pelagic animals - occasionally manta rays and eagle rays pass by, as well as dolphins and pilot whales. All of this is to be discovered under and around the resort jetty between the reef plateau and 15m depth. As most of the dives on the house reef are done unguided (buddy team mandatory), this offers the option to do long and relaxed dives. As the grounds and reefs in front of both Kri Eco resort and its neighboring resort, Sorido Bay, are private and only accessible for resort guests, this guarantees that most of the time you won’t see any other divers underwater. n www.Papua-Diving.com
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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
KITTED UP AND BOUND FOR NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF OLIVIA JOHNSON
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he start of my journey as the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society’s 2018 Australasian Rolex Scholarship began in Sydney, Australia, where I was fortunate enough to stay with my incredible co-ordinator, Jayne Jenkins. First up was a visit to David Balsom, General Manager at Tabata Australia, who have been sponsoring the Australasian Scholar for the past 11 years. David helped kit me out in all of my new diving gear ready for the 12 months ahead. I am so incredibly lucky to receive everything from new wetsuits, fins, mask, snorkel, dive computer, a drysuit (my very first!) and know I will be diving in style thanks to sponsors TUSA and Waterproof International. Also my wonderful and stylish eye protection thanks to Mako Eyewear! As if the day was not exciting enough, that night I had the honour of dining with an Australian diving icon, Valerie Taylor. It was an extremely amazing and overwhelming day to say the least.
The next day Jayne and I went and tested out my new dive gear at a favourite dive site of hers, Chowder Bay, in Mosman. This was definitely one of the best dives I have ever done, with some wonderful photo subjects. We saw everything from nudibranchs, a bubble snail, many octopus and cuttlefish, pygmy leatherjackets, anglerfish, urchins, sponges, anemones, striped pyjama squid, seahorses, hermit crabs, filefish, and many more amazing species! My new gear worked an absolute treat and I cannot wait to use the rest of it during my Scholarship year, wherever it may take me! I am preparing to go to New York, where I get to meet past and present Scholars. I am excited to see the current Scholar’s end-of-year video, showing and sharing their experiences of their amazing year, and where the current Australasian Scholar Melinda Brown will hand over the title to me for 2018. I will also get inaugurated into The Explorers Club, and get the privilege of meeting the rest of the OWUSS family. I am off and running after New York on my first experience of my Scholarship year. I am heading to Pacific Harbour in Fiji, where I will dive with Beqa Adventure Divers and the bull sharks. I look forward to sharing my year of experiences and diving with you every month – stayed tuned. n
Olivia Johnson
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DAN INCIDENT INSIGHT:
LEFT AT SEA
Each month, Divers Alert Network Asia-Pacific will examine a diving incident, and how it could have been avoided. DAN’s Peter Buzzacott, MPH, Ph.D, looks at a scenario where a group of divers are left at sea PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON BROWN AND MARK EVANS
Divers wellequipped with reels and DSMBs
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he diver was a 45-year-old man, certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver, nitrox diver and drysuit diver, with 52 lifetime dives.
THE INCIDENT
The diver rented all his gear and booked a morning boat dive that would be followed by a shore dive. That morning the sea looked calm and the forecast was clear and sunny. The dive group consisted of three divers and a guide. The plan was to descend onto the reef and gradually ascend as the dive went on. The boat ride to the site took 10-15 minutes and was around 800 metres offshore. The diver began the dive with 193 bar in his tank. The divers descended to the planned depth and swam toward the reef. After a while the diver informed the guide, as planned, that his gas supply was down to 103 bar. They swam some more until he signalled that his air was down to 48 bar. They ascended and made a five-minute safety stop, during which the guide deployed a safety sausage. At the surface there was no boat in sight. The divers figured they would be picked up in a few minutes. They inflated their BCDs and relaxed. It was a bit breezy and the seas started picking up a bit. After 30-60 minutes the diver could see a sportfishing boat close to shore moving north to south, then south to north. Based on the height of the vessel’s bridge and the relatively calm seas, the divers hoped they would be spotted easily. None of them had a signal mirror. The boat kept heading north, then they lost sight of it. More time passed, and then they saw a single-engine passenger plane with multiple windows. They waved their arms and the single safety sausage to no avail. The wind-driven waves built to nearly a metre, with occasional waves greater than a metre, which would cause the divers to take Preparing to launch a DSMB with a reel...
There are many types of reel available
in mouthfuls of seawater. None of the divers had a snorkel. The guide suggested that the group swim toward shore to offset at least some of their seaward drift. The divers finned at a sustainable pace for a long period. They dropped their weights and eventually their tanks, except for the guide, who had taken off his BCD, fully inflated it and was laying on top of it. At one point the guide had everyone join hands and swim backward together, pulling one another as needed, as each diver’s energy varied over time. At 3pm, after four hours in the water, the divers became concerned about nightfall. Sunset was scheduled for around 6.50pm. No one had a strobe or a flashlight. The only comfort was that the wind was forecasted to calm down in the evening. At about 3.45pm, the guide spotted a small boat. The group waved the sausage, screamed and blew a whistle as hard as they could, but the whistle was ineffective at signaling an upwind boat in the breeze. The boat did not see or hear them and headed back toward shore. Finally, it returned on another search leg, spotted the divers and took them aboard. At this point they were more than 5km offshore.
LESSONS
This diver has a shoulder-mounted emergency strobe
During this ordeal, if any of the divers had a signal mirror they could have gained the attention of a passing boat much sooner. To signal a boat, simply extend one arm and give a thumbs-up signal, lining up your thumb with the boat (or aircraft) that you want to signal. With your other hand, hold the mirror up to your eye and look through the hole in the middle at your thumb. Wiggle the mirror; when you see sunlight flash on your thumb, you’ll know you are flashing at the boat or plane. Modern, small, hand-held dive lights are quite powerful, even compared to those made five or ten years ago. Every diver should carry a signal tube, also known as a surface marker buoy (SMB) or safety sausage. Never go into the sea without one. If you carry a signal tube and a bright dive light, then at night you can put the light inside the bottom of the tube to light up the whole tube like a giant lightsabre. Many divers also carry a reel of braided nylon line, which allows deployment of the signal tube before ascent. The divers ...and with a spool
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DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND
Bob Rossier provides a review of signaling equipment available to divers Whistles - A whistle was used in this incident, and while it is one of the simplest devices to carry for getting help from a short distance, as was the case here, it can be hindered by high winds, high waves and the operation of a boat’s motor. Horns - Compressed-air-powered horns have a significantly greater range and are easy to use. These devices connect to the low-pressure hose feeding the BCD auto-inflator and use a small amount of compressed air to produce a 132-decibel signal that can be easily heard for distances up to about 1.6km. The plus side of the air-powered horn - it can be operated without removing your regulator from your mouth, even with cold hands and lips. The downside - they stop working when you run out of air. Signal mirror - As mentioned above, a signal mirror can be great at attracting attention, however, technique is important in their effectiveness and they only work in sunny daylight conditions. Safety sausages / surface marker buoys - In this incident, a safety sausage was used, and what we know is that SMBs can be seen from distances of more than 800 metres in good daylight conditions, and when it comes to these devices the bigger it is (both height and diameter), the greater the effect. Studies also show that the most readily detectible colours are a bright, day-glow yellow and international orange. Pyrotechnics - Sending up a signal flare is a great way to draw attention, they work both night and day, and can be detected at distances of up to 10km. If you’ve never used a signal flare, practice deploying them before you need to use one for real. Once fired a signal flare will last only for a minute or so, so it’s best to send them up only when there’s a good chance they will be seen. Dive lights and strobes - Depending on the particular dive light and the prevailing conditions, it can be seen from a distance of 800 metres to more than 8km. In dark conditions, emergency marker strobes are also highly effective; they can be seen from a distance of about 1.6km to 4.8km. When using a strobe, have it mounted atop a dive flag or safety sausage so that it can be seen for a greater distance. Personal EPIRB - When activated, these devices transmit a signal triggering an alert with international rescue authorities. What really works? - There is no single perfect signal to draw attention when you’re separated from or left behind by a dive boat. The best bet is to carry a variety of tools and know how to use them. www.danap.org
Wherever we are diving, we take DAN with us
DSMBs and dive lights are just two ways of attracting attention
can reel their way up to 5m for a safety stop and hang under the tube. This alerts the crew aboard the dive boat (as well as other boats in the area) where divers are making safety stops, and it allows the dive boat crew to keep tabs on the divers’ location if they are drifting. Reels can also prove useful if a diver is caught in a slight current and wants to remain in place. In an emergency such as this incident, tie the reel to a weight belt or integrated weights, and lower the weights down to the seafloor. Having a line that’s at least three times as long as the water depth will reduce the bouncing of the weights on the bottom. Even if you plan to rent your dive gear, DAN® recommends bringing your own emergency signalling equipment in case you find yourself adrift, hoping to be found before the sun sets. n
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Worldwide Emergency Evacuation and Dive Injury Treatment Coverage from the experts in diving accident management.
www.danap.org
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BIOGRAPHY: DR RICHARD SMITH
Richard Smith, a British underwater photographer and writer, aspires to promote an appreciation for the ocean’s inhabitants and raise awareness of marine conservation issues through his images. A marine biologist by training, Richard’s pioneering research on the biology and conservation of pygmy seahorses, led to the first PhD on these enigmatic fishes. Over the past decade, Richard’s photographs and marine life focused features have appeared in a wide variety of publications around the world. Richard organizes and leads marine life expeditions where the aim is for participants to get more from their diving and photography by learning about the marine environment: www.OceanRealmImages.com
A pair of golden pygmy gobies inhabit a fizzy drink can
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INSIDE OCEAN: MARINE POLLUTION This month, Richard Smith takes a look at the issue of marine pollution, which is currently receiving lots of mainstream media coverage PHOTOGRAPHS BY DR RICHARD SMITH / OCEANREALMIMAGES.COM
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any of us have seen Blue Planet II and know some of the statistics around marine pollution. I was recently asked if the situation is as bad as is being reported and was depicted in the series. With my experience from over 20 years of diving around southeast Asia, I can sadly confirm that it is. Some of my personal experiences have included diving in Marine National Parks and being surrounded by clouds of plastic as thick as a snow storm, having to negotiate through a layer of rubbish to get back to the surface at the end of a dive and walking on deserted beaches with great dunes of flip-flops and other debris. I have pulled plastic from the mouth of a choking fish, collected two huge sacks of litter on one dive, and commonly seen animals using rubbish as a make-shift home. A study in 2014 estimated there to be over five trillion individual pieces of plastic afloat across the world’s oceans. This plastic is being strewn across the Earth’s most-remote locations by prevailing winds and surface currents. Furthermore, it is believed that more than half of the plastics winding up in the ocean are negatively buoyant, so sink upon entering. Even the Mariana Trench, 10km below the waves of the west Pacific, has extraordinary levels of toxic pollutants that have simply sunken from the surface. Our impact on the planet is such that scientists now believe we have moved into a new geological time period, which they have termed the ‘Anthropocene’. Radiation from nuclear testing, plastic deposits and sediments from burning coal can now be found in sediments globally to such an extent that this ‘new age of man’ has unequivocally and irreversibly stamped our presence on the planet. Besides the physical contamination of the ocean, there are other implications for humankind. Many of the chemicals accumulating in the ocean are harmful to us, but we are only just starting to understand exactly how. There are hormones entering the oceans, even tiny levels of which may alter our biology. Arsenic has been found in wild fishes in such high concentrations as to cause us cancer. Some chemicals accumulate through the food chain, so are being passed onto us through the consumption of higher-level predators such as tuna. Mercury, for example, is one of the most wellknown, and can have neurological effects in humans including as memory loss, hearing and vision impairment, as well as a compromised immune system. Due to the dangers, research in Canada recommended that pregnant women and children eat no more than one meal of tuna, swordfish or shark per month. The conservation movement sometimes struggles with sharing only bad news, leaving people feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Luckily, there are real and tangible actions that we can all take to make a difference when it comes to reducing our own plastic consumption. Avoiding single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, water bottles, razors, straws and coffee cups certainly makes a huge difference. Compared to the 1950s, annual plastic production is almost 200 times higher now. Around the world, 1,000,000 plastic drinking bottles were bought each minute of 2016, with only half of these estimated to have been collected for recycling. Those bottles that don’t make it to a recycling facility will take around 450 years to biodegrade. Encouragingly, in Norway, 97 percent are recycled thanks to incentive schemes, which may be adopted by the UK too. By doing something as simple as taking reusable shopping bags to the supermarket, drinking from reusable bottles and coffee cups, you could make a huge difference to the conservation of our ecosystems. n
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SCHOTT
AT THE BIG TIME JASON BROWN talks to Emmy Award-winning underwater film-maker, photographer and cutting-edge technical diver, BECKY KAGAN SCHOTT PHOTOGRAPHS BY BECKY KAGAN SCHOTT
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Stay passionate, be persistent, have patience, and keep practicing” – that’s the sage advice from film-maker Becky Kagan Schott to those seeking to follow in her footsteps. In many respects, these simple words encapsulate Becky herself – she’s a unique individual who, in a few short years, has taken the underwater film-making world by storm through perseverance, passion and sheer hard work. Becky is an Emmy Award-winning underwater film-maker, photographer and technical diver who has gained a reputation for ‘getting the shot’ on productions for major networks including National Geographic and Discovery Channel. A fellow of the prestigious Explorers Club and an inductee of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, she’s brought back breathtaking video from the deepest caves, under ice, inside shipwrecks and even up close and personal with sharks. Her projects have taken her across the globe – from the Great Lakes, filming under ice in the Bering Sea and even diving in open water - sans cage, we might add - with nature’s most-fearsome predator, the great white shark. And all this at the tender age of just 35. Like most divers, Becky’s fascination with the underworld world started at an early age. “I was really into marine life and aquariums when I was around nine years old - my father helped me set one up and fish just always fascinated me,” she says with an infectious glee. “I started diving when I was 12 and have been active ever since. From the first time I put a mask on and a regulator in my mouth, I knew I would do this the rest of my life. “Most of my teenage years I thought I’d become a marine biologist. After some deep thought and meeting some producers and cameramen, I decided that what I really love is documenting different environments and educating others about marine life, caves, history, science, and technology. In college, I majored in journalism and interned at an NBC news station in Tampa, Florida. They let me shoot and edit my own stories and even aired some of them. I landed my first job at CBS just a few weeks before graduating. I knew that I wouldn’t stay in news as a photojournalist, but it helped me do what I’m doing today. “Working as a news photojournalist and an underwater cameraman are similar - you don’t have a lot of time to get the story, sometimes equipment doesn’t work and you have to improvise. Animals and people don’t always co-operate and sometimes conditions aren’t what you expected - you have to think fast and failure isn’t an option because you may not get a second chance. I also learned the power of media during this time and how I have the opportunity to make a change and inspire others.”
www.narkedat90.com
“Distractions and task loading can be a dangerous combo so anyone doing it should take their time and be comfortable in the environment and gear first�
Becky embarking on a cave dive in Florida
supporting divers
supporting manufacturers
Becky taking a sealion selfie
With such a strong background in journalism and broadcast news, it’s no surprise that ‘story telling’ has become an important part of what Becky does. “Humans beings are natural story tellers - we like telling stories, listening to them and showing them through pictures and videos. It sparks imagination and can inspire us to visit places we never dreamed of or to teach us something about history or science. “It doesn’t matter if I’m shooting a still photograph or moving image - it has to tell a story and capture the viewers’ interest. It has to make them want to stop and learn more or ask questions or even make a change in their own lives. You’ll usually see a diver in my imagery. I like to tell my stories with people in them - whether it’s a freediver interacting with wild dolphins, or a technical diver exploring a shipwreck. We can look at those shots and want to be that diver in the shot, experience that place or mo-
ment with that animal. It’s one thing to just see a shipwreck on the bottom, but to see a diver in the shot gives it life and scale. The human is interacting with the environment in some way and that’s a powerful connection. It tells the story of the person and the place and evokes some kind of feeling.” Most successful individuals can cite one event as the ‘big break’ that propelled their careers forward. For Becky, that moment came in 2011 when she won her first Emmy Award for a cave-diving feature she shot in the Eagles Nest system in Florida. “For me, things came full circle and the award showed me that all of my sacrifices and crazy obsessions with this career was worth it. I was honoured to be recognised for my work and afterwards I gained more credibility as a serious underwater shooter”. She’s living proof too that being female is no obstacle in the male-dominated world of technical diving. “I don’t feel like it’s been an issue. In fact, I think being female has helped me stand out among all of the male photographers and technical divers. I’m also small and fit in smaller places underwater,” she quips. Even before her Emmy propelled her into the big time, Becky worked hard to get involved in a number of high-profile diving projects. In 2011, she joined explorers Brett Hemphill and Andy Pitkin along with a small team exploring Phantom Springs – the
Becky is a huge shark fan Inside a complex cave system
One of Becky’s acclaimed deep-water wreck shots
Filming with manatees
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Preparing for an epic cave dive
“In fact, I think being female has helped me stand out among all of the male photographers and technical divers. I’m also small and fit in smaller places underwater”
CCR diving in the tropics
deepest natural cave in the United States. By her own admission, the project was far from easy, but Becky found it very rewarding to be part of such a great team. Following her Emmy Award, more projects would follow. “I love documenting exploration projects and being able to share amazing discoveries with the world. I never dreamed I’d be helping to document virgin shipwrecks or caves when I started diving! I love that not everything has been found and explored so I get really excited to be a part of these projects.” Being in such high demand does bring with it a unique set of challenges, of course. “My biggest challenge is dealing with between seven and 17 cases of gear depending on the location and project. Sometimes getting that equipment to the location is challenging - we’ve had to rent private planes and put it all on snowmobile sleds in Alaska. When you’re working in a remote area, you have to take everything along with you, including tools and back up gear. Sometimes we are on a boat for a month, or camping out in the jungle, so power can be an issue and, of course, Mother Nature always comes in. This is all before we can even go diving! We spend a lot of time planning and prepping for worst-case scenarios. The only thing you can really plan on is the plan changing constantly, so we also have to go in being flexible even though it can be frustrating.” By its very nature, shooting in remote and inhospitable locations is technically challenging and Becky is often weighed down with a mountain of equipment underwater. “I’ve spent 23 years underwater now and constantly learning, evolving, doing more training and keeping up on skills so that when a job comes up I’m ready for any configuration. I didn’t just put it all on and jump
Another Great Lakes shipwreck
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Exploring a cave system
Sunlight shining on a shark
Ancient skeleton in a cave system
Cold-water diving doesn’t phase Becky
Great white shark
into the water - I believe in baby steps and I’ve added things over the years. What you see is decades of commitment to be able to do what I do well, safely, and not damage the environment.” With the added burden of all that equipment, safety is an important factor on every dive and – as Becky is keen to stress – it’s something she takes very seriously. “There is a lot of behind the scenes work that no one sees. If I’m shooting while diving CCR, then the rebreather comes first - it’s my life support, and I’ve been diving my Megalodon for almost ten years. It’s second nature to me, as is the camera since I shoot it on land and know it well before putting it in a housing. When I’m filming underwater I’m hyper-aware of everything going on around me - where my safety diver is, my fin tips, my PPO2, my depth, the line, where my lights are positioned, directing my models, my exposure, focus, framing and – of course - time. “I typically take a safety diver with me when I’m filming because I want someone with me at all times. Shooting on CCR or in an overhead environment is dangerous and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Distractions and task loading can be a dangerous combo so anyone doing it should take their time and be comfortable in the environment and gear first.” It’s clear that inspiring others is far more important to Becky than any award. “I bubble up with joy to know that people are following my work and are inspired by it in some way. I’ve had
people come up to me and say they saw one of my videos and they decided to take a cave-diving class - one guy had a tattoo of one of my images! I guess I’m proud to have somehow touched some other divers lives through my work and helped inspired the next generation.” So how does one go about becoming the next Becky Kagan Schott? Becky offers these pearls of wisdom. “Stay passionate, be persistent, have patience, and keep practicing. Become good at your craft on land and become a solid diver, then combine the two slowly. Know that it will take time but if you do it as a hobby first and put all of yourself into it, then maybe someday you’ll get paid for it. Nothing happens fast - just enjoy the journey and learn as much as you can along the way”. n Mind-blowing shipwreck image from the Great Lakes
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RECYCLED
FROM THE SEA NEW PIONEER Swimwear Collection
fourthelement.com/oceanpositive
What’s New
AQUA LUNG i100
FOURTH ELEMENT FIVE OCEANS OVERSIZED T-SHIRT
Fourth Element invite you to celebrate your love of our oceans, the most-amazing places on earth, with this oversized T-shirt made from 50 percent Tencel Lyocell, a natural cellulose fibre from wood that offers optimum moisture transportation for your skin’s well-being. It is hand-printed in the UK, and has been produced with a 90 percent reduced carbon footprint. www.fourthelement.com
DIVELOGS CUSTOM DIVE SLATES
The i100 is the perfect dive computer for the new diver. With simple one-button navigation, you can select from four operating modes – air, nitrox, gauge and freedive - and manage two nitrox gases. The computer will also retain all your settings and calculations between battery changes (user-changeable). Safety features such as audible alarms and a high-visibility LED warning light are also included. www.aqualung.com
SHERWOOD ORACLE+ MASK
Sherwood took one of its best-selling and best-fitting masks and made it even better. The Oracle+ is now fitted with +1.75 Positive Optical Lenses - think of it as bifocal glasses built right into the mask. It also has a pivot buckle/strap and an ergonomic nose pocket. www.sherwoodscuba.com 70
DiveLogs have just added a smaller A6-sized micro slate to their custom dive slate service. The potential applications for a bespoke dive slate like these are endless - from underwater surveys, scuba instructor checklists, decompression tables and schedules, personalised slates, to underwater maps and charts. Each slate is made from tough 5mm thick matt-white plastic, which can then be printed on both sides in full colour with vibrant UV stable inks. There are now three different sizes (A6, A5 and A4) with multiple layout options, with and without pencils. An amazing feature of this service is the minimum order quantity of just one slate. Prices start from £8.95 inc VAT, and there are discounted prices for larger quantities, starting at just ten of the same design. www.divelogs.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
MARES EXCITE / EXCITE PRO
Mares have always been renowned for their fins, and the Excite and Excite Pro will only continue that trend. The heritage of the fins is immediately evident, with their Quattro-esque four-channel design, and they have been developed to provide enhanced thrust for reduced effort. They are equipped with colour-co-ordinated bungee heel strap for easy donning and doffing. The Pro is a stiffer compound than the Excite. www.mares.com
BARE ULTRAWARMTH 7MM HOOD The new BARE Ultrawarmth hood has an Elastek outer fabric for great stretch and fit, and high-loft Celliant inner fabric to help conserve lost body heat and accelerates thermal recovery. It is double-glued and blind-stitched with Securelock construction, which improves isolation and reduces flushing, keeping you warmer and diving longer. The Elastek/Glideskin-in trimmable face and neck glides nicely over your hair, and the hood neck seal-mates with drysuit seal/wetsuit collar. www.baresports.com
BARE ULTRAWARMTH GLOVES (3mm / 5mm)
MARES QUAD AIR
The Quad Air has a monster display with jumbo-size digits, and features hoseless tank data integration for up to three transmitters (priced at ÂŁ182 each). The three-row layout comprises all relevant data, including tank pressure, and there are two customisable fields for ancillary information. The four buttons provide an intuitive user interface, and users have the option to view dive time including seconds. There is also a runaway deco alarm, it is multi-gas capable, and there is a decompression dive planner with user-adjustable surface interval. It features a long battery life, and when it does run out, it is user-replaceable. www.mares.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
The BARE Ultrawarmth gloves have a double-glued and blind-stitched four-panel design to improve overall stretch by reducing the number of seams, making the glove easier to don and doff. The anatomically correct pre-curved fingers reduce hand fatigue and improve overall dexterity, and for added warmth it incorporates the low-loft Celliant Infrared Technology with full-stretch Elastek, and has Glideskin-in wrists to act as a line of defence from water entry. www.baresports.com 71
Gear Guide
THIS ISSUE: MID-RANGE REGULATORS
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.
MID-RANGE REGULATORS This issue, we again look at one of the most vital pieces of the modern divers’ kit bag - regulators, or more specifically, middle-of-the-price-range regs. Without a solid, reliable reg, you aren’t going anywhere underwater, as this is your true lifesupport system. As many of our readers dive in the UK, and some all year round, we always test regulators in February and March, when water temperatures are at their lowest in the inland sites - much to the chagrin of the Test Team members. We push the units to their max by extensively purging them underwater and topside, over-breathing them underwater to simulate a panic situation, breathing them in every orientation, working any Venturi and/or cracking resistance controls, and various other trials if they can handle this over-the-top usage, they can handle a normal diving situation. A large array of manufacturers produce regulators, and our aim here at Scuba Diver is to give you the widest selection in each review. Now that Sherwood Scuba and Halcyon are back in the UK market after an extended hiatus period, we have a good array from these two manufacturers, along with Apeks, Aqua Lung, Zeagle, and Mares. Scubapro and Atomic Aquatics are missing as they had nothing in this price bracket.
ON TEST THIS MONTH: • APEKS XL4 • AQUA LUNG CORE SUPREME • HALCYON H50D/AURA • MARES ABYSS 52 • SHERWOOD BLIZZARD PRO • ZEAGLE ONYX II 72
Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis
www.viviandivecentre.com
Date tested: 22/3/18 Water temp: 4 degrees C WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
APEKS XL4 Blackburn-based Apeks Marine Equipment has been around for over 40 years, and since that time the company’s regulators have found a special place in the heart’s and kit bags - of many British divers. The XL4 is their newest regulator - based on the tried-and-tested DS4, it was designed from the outset to be a very lightweight, travel-friendly unit, but crucially, also cold-water rated. The body of the second stage is reminiscent of the lightweight Flight reg, except this has a large purge on the front, and an easy-to-operate venturi lever. This over-balanced diaphragm reg features an innovative over-moulded first-stage endcap, one high-pressure port, four low-pressure ports and comes with a braided hose. It can even be swapped from left-hand to right-hand orientation. The XL4 is a nice-looking regulator, with subtle styling that is matched by a stunning cold-water performance in all orientations. The first stage is chunky but quite compact, while the second stage is extremely small and lightweight - you almost don’t feel it in your mouth. The Comfo-Bite mouthpiece is also very comfortable. The large purge is easy to locate and depress, and the Venturi, while fairly small, can be operated even with thick gloves. The wide exhaust tee disperses exhaled bubbles well clear of your face. www.apeksdiving.com
BEST VALUE
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 923g | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: Neat little regulator, the perfect blend of cold-water performance and travel-friendly weight. Excellent price as well, making this a real all-round contender.
SCORE
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AQUA LUNG CORE SUPREME Aqua Lung has been making diving equipment for 75 years, and their regulators have always been solid units, but they have really come on in recent years - the Core Supreme is a belting little unit for under £300. It has a chrome-coated brass balanced diaphragm first stage with two high-pressure ports and four low-pressure ports, which is paired with a balanced demand valve equipped with a Venturi control and a large purge button. The Core Supreme is a decent-looking regulator that delivers a smooth breathe, doesn’t break the scales when it comes to weight, and at this price point, it represents excellent value for money. The large purge is easy to locate and operate even with thick gloves, and the same goes for the venturi lever. The exhaust is fairly compact, but the routing is sound and it disperses exhaled bubbles efficiently. The first stage is pretty small, which helps keep the weight down, and with its shiny chrome and polyurethane protector it certainly looks eye-catching. It is equipped with Aqua Lung’s patented Auto Closure Device, or ACD, which prevents any accidental water ingress if you accidentally submerged it without putting the cover back on the DIN or Yoke fitting. www.aqualung.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 874g | HOSE: rubber | VENTURI?: yes VERDICT: Eye-catching regulator with a great all-round performance, large purge, comfortable mouthpiece and efficient exhaust.
SCORE
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* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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HALCYON H-59D/AURA Halcyon Dive Systems came to the fore for its robust backplate-and-wing and lighting set-ups, and its connection with the GUE/ DIR fraternity, and then it entered the regulator arena. Now anyone who knows their regulators will recognise a certain similarity with Scubapro, but fair play to Halcyon, if you are going to launch regs, why not utilise time-proven technology and work with a well-known brand. The first stages and second stages are available separately, so you can mix and match to your specification, but for this review we paired the balanced and environmentally sealed diaphragm H-50D with the Aura second stage. The 300bar DIN H-50D has two high-pressure ports and four low-pressure ports, while the simple and straightforward Aura features a large purge and a venturi control lever. That blue ‘H’ holds a special place in the hearts of many technical divers, and coming in at this price, this combo is excellent value for money. The H-50D and Aura provides a nice breathe in all orientations, the purge works well, the mouthpiece is comfortable and the small exhaust does a decent job of venting your bubbles away from your face. It is a no-frills regulator that just gets the job done well. Good to see Halcyon back in the UK. www.halcyon.net
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TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.08kg | HOSE: rubber | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: Halcyon is beloved by certain branches within the tech fraternity, and this robust, well-made and capable regulator is sure to find plenty of fans. Great value.
SCORE
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* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
MARES ABYSS 52 Mares has long been producing quality regulators, and the Abyss has been in the line up for many years. That distinctive all-metal second stage, which features a superflex braided hose, Vortex Aided Design (an air bypass tube helps create a swirling vortex that keep the diaphragm down during inhalation, to ensure easy breathing at any depth) and mesh grid to reduce the impact of water flow, is now paired with the MR52 (MR stands for Military Regulator). This has numerous neat features, including two low-pressure ports that have Dynamic Flow Control, providing a consistent flow of air at any depth to both the primary and octopus second stages, as well as a deep channel on the front which increases the cold-water performance by increasing the flow of water across the regulator. The Mares Abyss has always faired well in our group tests, with the Test Team members liking the fact that there are no external controls, it just breathes great straight out of the box. Paired with the MR52 it is a formidable combo. All of those fancy design points listed above really do work, and it provided a great breathe regardless of orientation or work load. The purge was powerful and easy to operate, and the mouthpiece is well-shaped and comfortable. www.mares.com
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.08kg | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: no VERDICT: Mares has paired a veteran second stage with an innovative first stage, providing great all-round performance at a good price.
SCORE
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SHERWOOD BLIZZARD PRO Sherwood has been missing from the UK market for several years, but now that they are being distributed by Fathom Diving, so expect to see more of this long-established global brand. The chunky environmentally sealed piston first stage looks quite ‘old-school’ in design, and is equipped with two high-pressure ports and four low-pressure ports. The second stage has had a serious makeover from when I last saw it, and is now quite eye-catching, being different from anything else on the market. The purge is effectively the entire front of the regulator. The venturi lever is a decent size and easily accessible to a gloved hand. The Sherwood Blizzard has been around for many years, and now it is back in Pro form with a funky new look to the second stage. Compared with some of its rivals, this reg has quite a dated design, despite the reworked second stage, but it certainly looks better than it used to, and I like the fact they have tried to be different instead of following conventional thinking. The mouthpiece is comfortable, the purge efficient and the venturi easy to use, but it breathed a little wet in certain orientations. It provided plenty of air when breathed hard, and the exhaust kept the bubbles to the side of your head. www.sherwoodscuba.com 76
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.12kg | HOSE: rubber | VENTURI?: yes VERDICT: Sherwood Scuba are back in the UK market, and the Blizzard has returned in Pro form, blending old-school design with funky new looks.
SCORE
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* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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ZEAGLE ONYX II Zeagle is a US brand that has built up a strong following for its robust, well-made BCDs, and it looks set to follow suit with its regulators. The Onyx II blends an environmentally sealed balanced diaphragm brass first stage equipped with two high-pressure ports and five low-pressure ports with a thermoplastic second stage via a flexible braided hose. This was the only reg in this price bracket to feature both a venturi lever and a cracking resistance control. The Zeagle Onyx II is a great-looking regulator, benefitting from a stylish metal insert into the front of the second stage around the large, soft purge. The first stage, with its black finish, neatly sets it off. In the water, it breathed effortlessly in any orientation, and the venturi and cracking resistance control really made a difference to the air flow, allowing us to finetune it. The mouthpiece is very comfortable, and the exhaust sends exhaled bubbles up the side of your head. This is one of the more-expensive regulators on test, but it has plenty of features of merit, and it has a fantastic performance to match its eye-catching good looks. www.zeagle.com
CHOICE
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.09g | HOSE: braided | VENTURI: yes VERDICT: The Onyx II is a great-looking regulator thats neat design points are matched by a fantastic performance. The only reg with venturi and cracking resistance controls.
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VERDICT
It was great to have the Sherwood Scuba and Halcyon brands back in the mix, as it makes it a true ‘group test’ once you have a decent number of products to put head-to-head. The water was brutally cold at 4 degrees C, and we did put the test units through the ringer, but as with the budget regs, all of these regulators did the job, with some of them really standing out from the crowd. The Best Value award was a tough one this month, as there were three prospective candidates - the Apeks XL4, the Aqua Lung Core Supreme and the Halcyon H-50D/Aura. All three put in a strong performance, and it was very difficult to separate them, as they all had plus points, but in the end, the Apeks XL4 garnered more votes and took the Best Value Award. Its blend of supreme cold-water performance combined with a light weight making it ideal for travel got the thumbs up. The Choice award was more straightforward. The triedand-tested Mares Abyss 52 was a great regulator, but the Zeagle Onyx II looked great and put in a fantastic performance, so it took the title.
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Test Extra
FOURTH ELEMENT ARGONAUT 2.0 STEALTH Mark Evans: Fourth Element have carved out a niche for themselves in exposure protection, starting intially with undersuits, branching out into wetsuits, and then rounding out their offerings with the Argonaut drysuit. I first dived the original Argonaut trilaminate, and was impressed back then by the fit, freedom of movement and build quality of the suit, which was given some added Fourth Element style points, including the distinctive logo in the centre of the inflator and the shoulder dump valves, and some other subtle additions to make it stand out from the crowd. This was soon followed by the innovative Argonaut Kevlar, and I was smitten by this suit. The Kevlar material was ultra-thin and just didn’t feel like it should be waterproof, but it was - and yet it meant the whole drysuit weighed about the same as a 5mm wetsuit. It was, by far, the most-comfortable drysuit I have ever dived in - there was no restriction to movement, I could get in or out of it with zero-effort, and best of all, the Kevlar material looked super-cool with its ‘special forces’ grey/ green finish. The Argonaut then went through a bit of a makeover, and the 2.0 version - which was based on a new pattern - was released. Initially this was in the Kevlar, Flex trilaminate, or a combination of both in a unique Hybrid version, but now there is a new kid in town - Stealth. Now hand’s down that wins top prize for a cool name for a drysuit fabric! The range now comprises the Argonaut 2.0 in Flex trilaminate, a Hybrid combining Flex trilaminate with the Stealth material, or a full Argonaut 2.0 Stealth - and the latter is the one I have on test here. I was looking forward to seeing the difference between both the Argonaut and the Argonaut 2.0 ‘cuts’, as well as seeing how the Stealth material could measure up to the Kevlar. At this price, it is a top-end suit, but for your hardearned cash, you get a little drawstring care package with talc and zip lubricant, comfort/supportinserts for your boots, a low-pressure inflator hose, a changing mat and, best of all, a nifty storage drybag - no more worrying about water leaking out all over your car during the journey home! I ventured up to our usual test site, Vivian Dive Centre, in Llanberis, Snowdonia, to dive the Argonaut. The sun was shining, but the air temperature was only -2 degrees C when we set off towards North Wales, and it had only risen to 3 degrees C on our arrival. The water temperature was just 5 degrees C, so perfect conditions in which to trial-dive a drysuit - any leaks would be immediately apparent!
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The first thing I noticed about the drysuit was how easy it was to get on - it matched the previous Kevlar version in that respect. It felt a little heavier than its predecessor, but nothing noticeable - this is still a very lightweight drysuit. Once fully zipped into the drysuit, the next thing that became clear was how easy it was to move around in. The Stealth material may be a little thicker than the Kevlar, but it has a nice amount of stretch to it, and this means that there is zero restriction to movement - bending around at the water’s edge trying out the range of flexibility, I am sure passing walkers thought I was doing some crazy outdoor fitness session! This flexibility translates well underwater too, and dive buddy Gary Johnson said he was getting fed up of me contorting into all manner of positions during our dive. It is supremely comfortable, and gliding around in a nice trim position was truly effortless. It just didn’t feel like I had a drysuit on. The dual thigh pockets are spacious, and have a smaller internal pocket perfect for small slates, etc, and with D-rings and bungee cords tucked inside, you have plenty of options on how to secure your precious accessories so they don’t get lost. There are also small zippered pockets on the ‘flaps’ of the main pockets, which are handy for a back-up torch. The boots on this Argonaut were the same as on the previous incarnations I had dived, and they are very comfortable - especially with the support insert soles fitted - and with the supple neoprene ‘ankles’, you can make minor movements for delicate positioning with ease. I also like the Velcro straps which go over the top of the instep and help prevent air migration into the boots. I mourned the death of the Argonaut Kevlar, but I have to say that the Fourth Element Argonaut 2.0 Stealth is a worthy successor to its crown. If you are in the market for a stylish, flexible, lightweight, yet durable drysuit, this is well worth checking out. www.fourthelement.com
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Long Term Test APEKS RK3 Mark Evans: Blackburn-based Apeks Marine Equipment are well known for their high-performing regulators (including this month’s end-of-term XL4), but also produce other quality dive kit, including various technical and recreational wings - and the acclaimed RK3 fins. These fins have been extremely popular since they were first launched, scoring highly in our group test last year. They were designed in collaboration with the US military and are renowned for outstanding performance and reliability. They are made from rugged thermoplastic rubber and have a chunky spring heel strap for easy donning and doffing. The original black version was first joined by a snazzy white version, and now you can get them in subtle grey, vivid yellow or, as on test here, bright orange. www.apeksdiving.com
SUUNTO EON CORE NEW ARRIVAL
INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2018 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins
AQUASKETCH MINNO 1 Mark Evans: The Aquasketch Minno 1 ‘rolling slate’ has come along on a few dives now, and as ably demonstrated by dive buddy Gary Johnson, it is quite small and compact and sits nicely on the forearm, out of the way until you need to use it. The pencil, which is attached via a length of rubber bungee, fastens securely to the top of the Minno 1 with a piece of Velcro, so you won’t find it annoyingly floating up into your vision all the time as you swim along. However, it is easy to detach when you do want to make a note of INFORMATION something during the dive. Arrival date: February 2018 The webbing strap is long and Suggested retail price: * chunky enough to easily go Number of dives: 2 around a drysuit. Time in water: 1 hrs 35 mins www.aquasketch.com 80
Mark Evans: When the EON Steel came out, it was a game-changer for Suunto. With its sleek metal casing and vivid colour TFT screen, it was light years away from their previous dot-matrix display wrist units. Now the Steel has a baby brother in the EON Core, a more-compact sibling which benefits from the same colour screen but this time mounted in a composite body. In our group test, our reviewers actually preferred the INFORMATION Core over the Steel, liking how Arrival date: March 2018 its appears to be ‘all-screen’, Suggested retail price: * yet with easily accessible Number of dives: 4 buttons on the side. Time in water: 3 hrs 35 mins www.suunto.com
SANTI DIVING FLEX 360 Mark Evans: The Flex 360 has been put to good use in recent weeks. When the country was plunged into an Arctic winter, with snow drifts a good two metres plus around my home in Shropshire, the frozen conditions were ideal for a spot of sledging - and the Flex 360 was my chosen tool to keep nice and warm while out on the slopes. I simply donned some waterproof trousers and my Fourth Element Cyclone waterproof jacket over the Santi undersuit and I was good to go. Even after hours INFORMATION outside in sub-zero temperaArrival date: January 2018 tures, I was still as warm as Suggested retail price: * toast. This is truly multi-funcNumber of dives: 11 tional divewear! Time in water: 10 hrs 10 mins www.santidiving.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
FOURTH ELEMENT X-CORE Mark Evans: When the temperatures plummeted across the country and certain areas ended up under thick layers of snow, I was tempted to press the X-Core into action for some additional thermal protection under my Santi Flex 306 undersuit when i joined my son to go sledging, but you know what - even though it was -4 degrees C with a windchill down to -12 degrees C, I was too warm with it on! I was lovely and warm to start with, but after a couple of walks back up a steep, snow-covered hill, I was overheating and had to strip it off. It really is amazing how much of your body heat this little vest absorbs and then fires back at your core. Mind you, not INFORMATION complaining - with another Arrival date: November 2017 group regulator test in the Suggested retail price: * offing, I will be glad to be Number of dives: 15 warm! Time in water: 14 hrs 18 mins www.fourthelement.com
SHEARWATER RESEARCH NERD 2 Mark Evans: I am really becoming quite fond of the Shearwater Research NERD 2 now, and being able to see all of my essential dive data with just a glance of my eyes makes life so easy. The unit is very compact, yet the buttons on either side are very easy to locate and operate even wearing thick neoprene gloves. However, while I would have no issue diving with the NERD 2 from the shore or out of a hardboat, I would be a little more reticent about taking one diving from a RIB, or in a zodiac from a liveaboard, purely because of the way all of the BCDs and regulators get slung in a pile on top of one another at the end of a dive. Not sure I would want nearly ÂŁ1,500 INFORMATION worth of dive computer being Arrival date: December 2017 crushed under cylinders, Suggested retail price: * or the errant feet of divers Number of dives: 6 scrambling on board. Time in water: 5 hrs 15 mins www.shearwater.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM
AQUA LUNG OUTLAW Mark Evans: One of the neat features of the Outlaw - and its soon-to-be-launched bigger brother the Rogue - is the way the shoulder straps and the waist straps attach to the backplate. A unique clip arrangement means that fixing a strap on is simply a matter of pushing it into place. The swivelling clip then holds it robustly in place, and the only way to get it off is to employ the use of a tool - or a handy spoon - to release the clip. There are numerous benefits, but the two I want to highlight are one, when you need to pack it up as small as possible, it can be really compact when all the straps are removed, and two, if you need larger shoulder or waist straps, you can swap them out quickly and easily. www.aqualung.com
INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2017 Suggested retail price: * Number of dives: 19 Time in water: 18 hrs 15 mins
APEKS XL4 END OF TERM
Mark Evans: I am a big fan of Apeks equipment, particularly their regulators, and the XL4 is right up there with the mighty MTX-R. It effortlessly combines the light weight and portability of the Apeks Flight with the smooth breathe and cold-water capabilities of their XTX range. The body is very reminiscent of the Flight, with a wide exhaust tee, but the large purge is more like the XTX regs. It has performed faultlessly in all conditions, and at under ÂŁ340 represents great value for money. If you are in the market for an all-round regulator that INFORMATION you can dive in the UK and Arrival date: October 2017 haul abroad with you, this Suggested retail price: * could be the answer to all Number of dives: 21 of your prayers. Time in water: 19 hrs 55 mins www.apeksdiving.com * = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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THE COURSE DIRECTOR
Marcel van den Berg is a PADI Platinum Course Director working at Sairee Cottage Diving, based on the picturesque island of Koh Tao in Thailand, and here he offers an insight into recreational diver training and professional-level courses, and how these can be rewarding experiences with far-reaching consequences. www.saireecottagediving.com
BECOMING A PADI DIVE INSTRUCTOR CAN BE A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SAIREE COTTAGE DIVING
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e only have one life, so it is important we find a job that we love. Becoming a dive instructor and being able to work in places like Thailand, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or any other beautiful area of the world can be totally life-transforming. Many people try a few different jobs before they find the job that they love, but there are also many people that end up with a job they are not happy with, which leads to a build up of frustration throughout their careers. Diving is a massively popular sport and divers can’t wait to go on their vacation to places like Thailand. It’s no surprise why many divers end up finding a job in the industry, working and living in paradise.
HOW BIG OF A STEP IS IT TO BECOME A DIVE INSTRUCTOR?
A lot of us grow up with the belief that we need to go to school, get a diploma, find a job, pay the mortgage, get a car, etc. I think most of us have dreamed about what it would be like to live on a tropical island and work in paradise… then some of us ask the question, ‘why should I pay for a holiday when I can live in a holiday and get paid for it’? It sounds fantastic, but most people think that it is too good to be true, the step seems too big to make… That step, to become a dive instructor, is much easier then most people think. It’s very important to know that once you’ve made the choice to become a dive instructor and move to another country, it is not set in stone that you can never come back. I always recommend to at least try it out and if, after instructor training and working as a dive instructor, you realise it is not for you, then you can always go back to doing what you did before.
HOW IS IT TO LIVE IN PARADISE AND WORK AS A DIVE INSTRUCTOR?
Close your eyes for a second and try to imagine that you are walking to work on a tropical beach with white sand, palm trees and a calm turquoise sea. After a ten-minute ‘commute’, you arrive at the dive shop and meet your customers, who are excited about learning to scuba dive. After some training in the classroom and pool, you are leading them underwater on a beautiful tropical reef surrounded by schools of colourful fish and other marine life. When you have finished work and you are walking home, you notice that everyone you meet is smiling (because they are on holiday), which is amazing.
I’M READY TO MAKE THE STEP, BUT WHERE DO I START?
The first thing you have to do is find a nice area in the world to complete your diving courses, then find the best place for you to do your PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC). Choosing the right dive centre, course, location and teacher is very important as it will set you up in the right direction, with the right positive
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mental attitude and the right knowledge and skills to be the best possible dive instructor. Thailand, and in particular Koh Tao, is one of the best places in the world to do your dive training and your PADI IDC. Because Koh Tao is so popular, there are loads of great dive schools to choose from. Sairee Cottage Diving is one of them, and PADI Platinum Course Director Marcel van den Berg has designed a Divemaster and Dive Instructor Internship programme that goes well beyond all standards, giving you fantastic job opportunities after completion of the course. The Dive Instructor course at Sairee Cottage Diving focuses on high quality, improving dive standards, safety and marine conservation while offering some of the best training facilities on the island. The step to becoming a dive instructor and enjoying life on a tropical island is not that hard to make, and we recommend you give it a go, especially if you ever wondered if it’s for you. You will be changing your life - and enjoying a dream job in paradise. n
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ARE YOU MORE ANGEL OR MORE RED DEVIL?
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travels around the globe, and Wakatobi resort and liveaboard are second to none. The diversity of species here is brilliant if you love photography.� ~ Simon Bowen
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