Scuba Diver UK August 18 - Issue 18

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DIVE LIKE A PRO:

CASUALTIES OF WAR:

WHAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY DIVER’S GEAR BAG ON A NIGHT DIVE

EXPLORING THE WORLD WAR TWO SHIPWRECKS OF CORON BAY

ICELANDIC

ADVENTURE

SNOWMOBILES, SUPER JEEPS AND ICE CAVES

ISSUE 18 | AUG 18 | £3.25

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EDITOR’S NOTE Thai cave rescue efforts

CAPTIVATE THE ENTIRE WORLD

I had been waiting to write this editorial. When the news broke about the 12 children and their soccer coach going missing in a cave system that had subsequently flooded, I feared the worst, and as the days dragged on and they still had not been found, I was presuming it would become a body recovery rather than a rescue operation. Experts from around the world flew into Thailand to assist, and the number of people on the ground swelled to more than 1,000.

But then, amazingly, elite British cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen made a push deeper into the cave complex and discovered the bedraggled group sheltering on a dry area of rock. The entire world, which had been glued to their media channels for news, erupted in joy.

However, the discovery was tempered by the fact that to get to where the group were, the divers had had to negotiate an extremely challenging route to get there - when our chaps described it as ‘gnarly’, you know that in reality that means nigh on impossible. Tragically, proving just how arduous the route was, former Thai Navy SEAL Petty Officer Saman Gunan died while ferrying tanks into the system.

Discussions on leaving the group in-situ for possibly four months, to allow flood waters to subside, were swiftly dropped, meaning a risky cave-diving rescue was the only viable option. This began on Sunday 8 July, and the world cheered when the first four children were successfully extracted. Four more followed on Monday 9 July, and as I happily write this, on Tuesday 10 July, the final four and their coach had made it safely out of the cave complex.

To say this mammoth rescue operation was simply beyond anything ever attempted before does not do it justice. It just shows that in a real crisis, people from around the planet can come together and pull off the impossible. I tip my hat to Rick, John and everyone else involved in this amazing feat, and offer my condolences to Saman Gunan’s family.

Never mind the football, this was an inspiring tale involving real heroes in the purest sense of the word.

MARK EVANS, Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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

DESIGN

Matt Griffiths Email: matt@griffital.co.uk

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ISSN 2514-2054

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COMPETITION: WIN A MARES QUAD AIR DIVE COMPUTER AND LED MODULE WORTH £500!

DIVE LIKE A PRO:

CASUALTIES OF WAR:

WHAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY DIVER’S GEAR BAG ON A NIGHT DIVE

EXPLORING THE WORLD WAR TWO SHIPWRECKS OF CORON BAY

ON THE COVER ICELANDIC

ADVENTURE

SNOWMOBILES, SUPER JEEPS AND ICE CAVES

ISSUE 18 | AUG 18 | £3.25

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Kimmeridge Bay

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‣ Egypt ‣ Bermuda ‣ Scotland WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

PHOTOGRAPHER: BYRON CONROY

25/07/2018 11:26

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES

The launch of the GO Diving show, plus Thai cave ‘heroes’ rescue trapped kids and their coach.

Long-time Egypt fan Lawson Wood returns to the Red Sea, this time exploring the relatively new, up-and-coming resort of Soma Bay, which is close to some of the area’s best dive sites.

8 News

28 Dive like a Pro

A panel of training agency experts offer advice on what you should have for night diving.

48 Our-World UW Scholar

Eric Jorda does his First Aid at Work at the DDRC then heads to Egypt for a photo workshop with Alex Mustard MBE.

52 Underwater Photography Duxy offers more sage hints and advice.

98 The Zen Diver

Tom Peyton describes the ‘miracle of the Philippines’ as he runs three back-to-back trips.

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22 Egypt

32 ABOVE 18m: Dorset

Jeremy Cuff stays on the South Coast to give Dorset’s Kimmeridge Bay the Above 18m treatment. He finds this popular seaside hotspot delivers some great shallow-water diving for those who make the effort.

38 The Philippines

David Jones dives the World War Two shipwrecks that litter the seabed in Coron Bay, and finds that as they are smothered in marine growth and fish life, there is plenty to keep you occupied.

44 THE NEXT GENERATION

Part three of Zac Cuff’s odyssey from young snorkeller to experienced junior diver, this time detailing his completion of his Junior Advanced Open Water Diver qualification.

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CONTENTS

56 Scotland

The west coast of Scotland is renowned for basking shark encounters, but Mike Clark joined Shane Wasik to go in search of a different, more-lively species - the spurdog.

64 FREEDIVING: Ibiza and Test Extra

Steve Millard from learn2freedive.com reports on a freediving trip to the Spanish holiday island of Ibiza, and reviews the Salvimar Fluyd Pure Swim one-piece 2.5mm wetsuit in a Freediving Test Extra.

68 Bermuda

Stuart Philpott provides an in-depth overview of the fantastic diving opportunities that lie off the wreck-strewn shoreline of the Atlantic island of Bermuda.

76 TECHNICAL: Iceland

Byron Conroy utilises monstrous Super Jeeps and powerful snowmobiles to get to a rare flooded ice cave high up on one of Iceland’s glaciers, and finds the eerie dive is more than worth the epic trip.

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GEAR GUIDE 82 What’s New

New products recently released or coming soon, including Aqua Lung’s Aqualux torch range, Fourth Element’s Dry Sacks, Omer’s Aqua freediving mask, and Zeagle’s Marina BCD.

84 Group Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team heads for the cold water of Vivian Quarry in Snowdonia to rate and review budget back-inflate BCDs from a selection of manufacturers.

94 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team gets to grips with a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Apeks RK3 HDs, Aqua Lung Outlaw BCD, Suunto’s EON Core, Momentum Deep 6, and the Aquasketch Minno 1.

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NEWS

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

ARE YOU READY TO #GODIVING?

A

brand-new dive exhibition is being launched in February 2019 which aims to inspire and enthuse existing divers as well as attract newcomers to the sport.

GO Diving, which runs from Friday 22 February to Sunday 24 February, is being co-ordinated by the team behind Scuba Diver and DeeperBlue.com. The event is being well supported by many of the major players in the dive industry and is set to be an exciting way to see in the New Year’s diving exploits.

It will be hosted at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, an exciting venue with good transport links and centrally located for ease of access, wherever you live.

BBC stars Andy Torbet (Beyond Bionic, The One Show, Operation Iceberg) and Miranda Krestovnikoff (The One Show, Coast) are the comperes on the main stage and will also be talking about their adventures, while joining them as keynote speakers are the likes of freediving legend Umberto Pelizzari, TV favourite Monty Halls, technical and cave diving icon Jill Heinerth and underwater photography guru Alex Mustard MBE. There will also be dedicated stages in the disciplines of underwater photography, freediving and technical diving, with hosts of dynamic speakers discussing a wide range of subjects in talks, Q&A sessions, masterclass workshops and presentations.

There’s even an area for The Next Generation of scuba divers, all those keen kids and talented teens already

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attracted to the underwater realm. There will also be competitions, treasure hunts, interactive exhibits, two massive pools for trydives, technical sessions and freediving workshops, not to mention hundreds of booths showcasing training agencies, equipment manufacturers and distributors, and many other dive-related businesses.

For those who have harboured an innate desire to give diving a go, they can come and experience diving for the first time at GO Diving - and find a host of experts on hand to answer those questions they were perhaps afraid to ask.

The Inspiration Stage will host talks aimed at dispelling some of the myths around diving, giving even more reasons why you would want to learn to scuba dive.

Advance tickets are £12 + P&P, available from www.godivingshow.com/tickets (booking fee applies).

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DIVING DS N E I WITH FR MALDIVES INDONESIA EGYPT S PA I N NEW: Euro-Divers in Lanzerote!

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Follow us on social media to get the latest updates /godivingshow /godivingshow and /godivingshow with the #GODiving WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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INDUSTRY NEWS TEENAGE FOOTBALLERS AND THEIR COACH RESCUED FROM THAI CAVE SYSTEM The world breathed a collective sigh of relief when 12 boys, aged between 11-16, and their football coach were successfully rescued from a Thai cave complex they had been stranded in by flood waters for over 16 days.

A massive rescue operation involving Thai special forces and locals along with an array of international specialists, including British cave divers Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, Chris Jewel, Jason Mallinson, Connor Roe, Jim Warny, Josh Bratchley and Rob Harper, raced to initially find the boys and their coach, and then get them out of the flooded cave system.

The 13 went missing on 23 June when they ventured into the Tham Luang cave network – Thailand’s fourth longest cave - and were then cut off from the exit by flood waters. The search operation proved fruitless for several days, until on day nine, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen discovered the children and their coach sheltering on a dry area of rock some 4km from the entrance of the cave.

There then followed a tense few days as various scenarios to rescue the trapped group were discussed, before on Sunday 8 July, cave divers went in and managed to extricate four of the youngsters. Four more were brought out on Monday 9 July, followed by the final four and their coach on Tuesday 10 July, bringing to an end a truly impressive global operation.

Sadly, one of the volunteers – former Thai Navy SEAL Petty Officer Saman Gunan – tragically died while ferrying cylinders into the cave system. He was honoured by a state funeral.

WOUNDED VETERANS DIVE THE WRECK OF HMS MONTAGU Wounded veterans carried out a series of dives from 2-6 July on the wreck of the battleship HMS Montagu to determine what remains of the wreck and to help protect this important site in the Bristol Channel.

The project is funded by Historic England, Help for Heroes and Wessex Archaeology.

HMS Montagu was launched in March 1901. On 30 May 1906, the battleship grounded on rocks around the Isle of Lundy at Shutter Point in thick fog, due to a navigational error while undertaking secret radio communication trials. She could not be saved and had to be broken up and salvaged where she lay.

The dives were led by Wessex Archaeology in collaboration with Help for Heroes, a charity which helps British service personnel and veterans wounded in the line of duty, and their families. The survey work will provide the archaeological data that Historic England will use to decide whether

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this site should be recommended for protection by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The dives form part of Operation Nightingale, a ground-breaking military initiative to aid the recovery of wounded, injured and sick servicemen by getting them involved in archaeological investigations. There were eight Help for Heroes veterans taking part in the dives and their injuries were both physical and psychological.

Wessex Archaeology has collaborated with Operation Nightingale since 2011, providing professional support for participants on a range of sites.

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Take Action for the Ocean

AWARE WEEK 15-23 September 2018

© Steve Woods

Become an ocean steward. Make every dive count.

Contact your local PADI® Dive Centre and sign up for a Project AWARE® course this AWARE Week.

Join the movement for a clean and healthy ocean.

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SCRIPPS GRADUATE STUDENT DISCOVERS WORLD’S FIRST KNOWN MANTA RAY NURSERY A graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego and colleagues from NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries have discovered the world’s first known manta ray nursery.

Located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas at NOAA’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the juvenile manta ray habitat is the first of its kind to be described in a scientific study.

Joshua Stewart, a marine biology PhD candidate at Scripps and lead author of the study, observed the Photo credit: G.P. Schmahl / FGBNMS juvenile mantas while conducting research on manta population structure at Flower Garden Banks.

“The juvenile life stage for oceanic mantas has been a bit of a black box for us, since we’re so rarely able to observe them,” said Stewart, who also serves as executive director of the Manta Trust, a global manta conservation programme.

“Identifying this area as a nursery highlights its importance for conservation and management, but it also gives us the opportunity to focus on the juveniles and learn about them. This discovery is a major advancement in our understanding of the species and the importance of different habitats throughout their lives.”

Stewart has spent the past seven years studying manta rays and encountered hundreds of adults in the wild, but his sighting of a juvenile at Flower Garden Banks in 2016 was a rare encounter for him. After noticing several other small mantas in the area, he talked with the marine sanctuary staff to see if this was a regular occurrence. They looked through 25 years of dive log and photo identification data collected by sanctuary research divers. Mantas have unique spot patterns on their underside that can be used to identify individuals. Using the photo IDs and observational data, Stewart and the marine sanctuary staff determined that about 95% of the mantas that visit Flower Garden Banks are juveniles, measuring an average of 2.25 metres in wingspan.

KUBI EMBRACES CHANGE WITH 100% PLASTIC-FREE PACKAGING The KUBI dryglove system has been at the forefront of dive exploration for over seven years, enabling cuttingedge technical divers to push the very limits of exploration. Inspired by their pioneering spirit, KUBI has committed itself to an equally bold step forward – to rid its full range of products of all plastic packaging for good. From 1 July 2018, all KUBI dry-glove systems and accessories will be supplied in 100% recyclable paper packaging.

By far the biggest change can be seen in the KUBI standard dry-glove kit, which is now delivered free of all plastic packaging. KUBI has gone a lot further than substituting plastic bags for more environmentally-friendly alternatives – it’s gone back to the drawing board on how best to deliver its product in a way that considerably reduces the impact on the environment. www.KUBIstore.com

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Former Australian Navy ship HMAS Tobruk has been scuttled off the Queensland coast, where it will become a dive site and tourist attraction.

The sinking had been rescheduled twice due to unfavourable weather conditions, but the 127-metre-long amphibious heavy-lift ship – the jewel in the Royal Australian Navy’s crown when it was purpose-built in the late 1970s - was finally sent to the bottom at the end of June, halfway between Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, and about 15 nautical miles off the coast.

Queensland Minister for the Environment and Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch used a flare to signal for the scuttling to begin, before the valves were opened and the ship was flooded and sunk within 30 minutes.

Hundreds of spectators had sailed out to see the vessel go down. It came to rest in 28m on its starboard side.

It was the culmination of a five-year local campaign to use a military vessel to create an artificial reef in the area.

Project manager Steve Hoseck said it had taken months of work to reach this point, but the ship would be a unique

drawcard for divers from across the world.

“It’s a very proud moment, but bittersweet too,” he said. “This dive is going to be like no other wreck in Australia. It is a massive void inside there, there’s huge areas for people to swim around in. There are lots of nooks and crannies for divers to explore, and the contractors have left behind as many historic items as possible to make this an authentic dive experience. You’ll be able to swim 110 metres in one direction inside the ship, and the wildlife that’s going to habitat this artificial reef is just going to be outstanding.”

Ex-HMAS Tobruk was decommissioned in 2015 after 35 years of service, mainly as an Army transport vessel.

Hervey Bay fisherman Nick Schulz came up with the idea for the wreck, and said it was needed to boost fishing and tourism. He said: “It’ll keep improving our fish stocks for the next 50 to 100 years, just that alone is worthwhile doing, let along all the tourism.”

It is hoped that eager divers will be able to explore the site as early as August.

POLICE UNDERWATER SPECIALISTS FIND MISSING YORKSHIRE DIVER A police specialist underwater team has found a body after searching for several days for a diver missing off the coast of Yorkshire.

A 74-year-old local man was diving with a group on a wreck some two miles out from Ravenscar when he failed to return to the surface on 8 July. A major search operation was initiated, involving RNLI lifeboats and a Coastguard helicopter, but on 12 July, officers from the Yorkshire and Humberside Underwater Search and Marine Unit began scouring the seabed at 50m. They eventually found the body on 23 July.

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INDUSTRY NEWS DIVE SYSTEMS CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF DIVING EXCELLENCE Dive Systems was established in 1978 and is now one of Malta’s largest dive centres, with excellent facilities and a clean safety record. The dive centre, located on the water’s edge at Exiles in Sliema, offers divers – both local and foreign - a wide range of diving courses and guided diving at all levels.

During the event to mark the 40th anniversary, Paul Sciberras - founder and president of the company - spoke about the origins of Dive Systems and how it had evolved over the years. He spoke about the major milestones in the company’s history and also the evolution of the diving industry.

Also addressing the audience, which was made up of clients, collaborators, staff members and suppliers, was Simon Sciberras, the current Managing Director of the company. Mr Sciberras spoke about the quality leap that the company had embarked upon in the last ten years. “In the second part of the last decade we decided to focus on quality. Through feedback given from our clients we identified several areas where we wanted to upgrade our facilities, and these included equipment, facilities, vehicles, employment conditions and image.”

He added: “Through the PDSA we are working with the Ministry for the Environment and the MTA to designate areas as Marine Reserves. We believe that this is the only sustainable way forward for our industry. We note with satisfaction various initiatives being taken in this regard, however we must point out that the weak link remains enforcement, or the lack of it.”

In his concluding remarks, Simon Sciberras said that he hoped that the company will continue to grow and evolve and thanked all those involved in making Dive Systems what it was today. He said: “First to the family that support us, secondly to you, our clients, who have supported us and believed in us. To all our peers – dive centres that share our vision of a better diving industry. To our suppliers and collaborators. To our staff past and present who work tirelessly and put up with our demands. We thank you all for being with us here and share in an important milestone for the company and for us on a personal level. To another 40 years of diving excellence!” www.divesystemsmalta.com

To find out more, why not visit us for Aptitude Day? Experience a Surface Supplied Dive, view the Facilities and meet the Training Team Please visit the website for more details 2017 / 2018 Course Dates available www.commercialdivertraining.co.uk info@commercialdivertraining.co.uk 01726 817128 | 07900 844141

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WRECKSPEDITIONS RIB CHARTER Wreckspeditions is a new RIB charter based in the Clyde.

Owners Jason and Claire have always been great lovers and supporters of UK diving, believing that the history, the scenery and the ever-changing conditions always make for a great adventure.

Jason said: “We have been blessed to have so many diving adventures around the UK, and our goal is give all divers a chance to experience this. We are looking to offer a wide variety of trips to rarely dived sites, archaeological and protected wreck sites, along with the more-often-dived shipwrecks and coastline of the Clyde. Whatever your diving desires, please feel free to get in touch.” www.wreckspeditions.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS WORLD WAR TWO GERMAN PLANE WRECK SCUBA DIVER EXCLUSIVE A German World War Two plane wreck has just been discovered off the coast of Rhodes in Greece. The three-engined JU-52 military transport plane sits upright on the seabed at a maximum depth of 75m, which is suitable for tech divers using mixed gas. Scuba Diver magazine were quickly on the scene to take pictures and write an exclusive story (to be published in next month’s issue). Greek tech-diving instructor Marinos Giourgas and Scuba Diver’s Stuart Philpott were the first divers to set eyes on the plane since it crashed into the sea more than seven decades ago. The JU-52 is completely intact and in remarkably good condition apart from some slight damage to the nose section. All of the cockpit instrumentation, including gauges, control columns and throttle levers, are on view as well as the three aft machine guns (one fitted to either side of the fuselage and a third in a small turret). Investigations into the plane’s identity, fate of the crew and actual cargo are still on-going.

This significant historical discovery has already made the Greek national news headlines.

BEATRICE RIVOIRA JOINS THE TEKCAMP TEAM

www.puredivinggrenada.com

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TEKCamp 2018 has taken a massive step forward with the announcement that popular Italian OC and CCR instructor Beatrice Rivoira will be joining the instructing team at this year’s event. Set to take place at Vobster Quay between 3-6 September 2018, TEKCamp 2018 is an awardwinning tech ‘masterclass’ event that will transform your diving and give you the best possible start in your technical diving career.

Having started diving at the tender age of just 16, Beatrice is now an active and well-respected TDI technical instructor who teaches open circuit and CCR classes around the world. She has made it her mission to enthuse the next generation of divers and ‘ocean advocates’ through outreach educational programmes and the dive show speaking circuit. Her aim has always been to inspire more and more young people to follow her love for diving and to protect the ocean environment.

Tickets for TEKCamp 2018 are selling fast, but there’s still time to get involved. For more information, visit the TEKCamp website at: www.tekcamp.co.uk

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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: My ten-year old daughter Lucy has asthma, which she’s had since birth.

In her first few winters it was quite severe and she ended up in hospital on several occasions. Thankfully this has become less frequent as she’s got older, but she still has to take a daily preventer inhaler and a tablet to keep it under control. My husband is a dive instructor and is keen on Lucy trying out diving, but obviously only when it’s safe enough for her.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

A: Childhood asthma was, until relatively recently, considered a psychosomatic disorder. The plaintive wheeze was interpreted as a child’s suppressed cry for its mother, and the treatment of depression in such children was therefore the focus of their management. In these moreenlightened days, we know that many children with ‘episodic wheezing’ will grow out of it as they get bigger and their airways become larger.

I’m not sure Lucy’s quite there yet though. Use of daily preventitive oral medication in a child is indicative of moderate to severe asthma, and there’s also the issue of how she might respond if an attack occurred underwater – panic and a rapid breath-holding ascent are much more likely in a child. My advice would be to hold off until her teenage years and reassess then. She’ll be older, wiser, hopefully fitter and healthier, and diving will be still be around. Unless we’ve all been swamped by global tsunamis, of course.

Q: Over the last year I’ve been working my way around the Pacific as a dive instructor. I thought I’d be immune to most waterborne diseases by now but I seem to get ear infections more than most. After a few days of diving my ears get itchy and painful and I have to stay

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out of the water, which is bad for business (and I’m sick of being sick all the time!) Do you have any tips on how to stop this happening?

A: Most certainly I do. If there was a 100 percent reliable cure for this I’d be happily retired (and probably working my way around the Pacific as a dive instructor, too), but I can point you in the right direction.

Prevention is always better than cure, and my preferred regime is to mess with the ears as little as possible.

Earwax is naturally antibacterial, so doesn’t need to be dug out by dirty implements at all costs. A daily freshwater rinse of the ear canals will wash out any residual bug-infested seawater, but for even better effect this can be diluted with vinegar (proportions vary, but a third vinegar to two thirds water is about right).

Some use alcohol in there as well, but it can smart terribly if put on inflamed skin, so I tend to avoid this. Plus, you can’t put it on your chips afterwards.

If you do get an infection then treating early is key. Touching or pulling on the outer ear will cause pain in otitis externa, so if this happens start antibiotic drops as soon as possible.

The best ones contain an antibiotic and a steroid, so it’s a good idea to carry a bottle with you on liveaboards, or if diving in remote areas. I’d also recommend is a trial of a mask with earpieces, which basically seal the ears off in (theoretically) watertight spaces, connected to the mask and nose space via two flexible tubes.

Fitting them can be fiddly but many divers find them a boon, for equalising issues as well as for preventing recurrent ear infections.

Do you have a question for Dr Firth?

Email: divingdoctor@scubadivermag. com and we’ll pass it on.

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THE BIG MICROPLASTIC SURVEY

ABOVE 18M: NORTH WALES

Q&A WITH BSAC’S DAI ATKINS

TECHNICAL: GREEK PLANE WRECK

MONTY GOES TO GALAPAGOS

GEAR GUIDE: TEST EXTRA SPECIAL

We look at a new citizen science project and explain how you can get involved The British Sub-Aqua Club’s new National Diving Officer talks about the future Monty Halls explores this iconic location with his family in tow for new TV series

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Steve Barnard explores the wreck of the Kimya off Anglesey Stuart Philpott reports exclusively on the first dive on a new-found war casualty Drysuits and computers are among gear rated and reviewed by the Test Team

21

Soma Bay Lawson Wood returns to the Egyptian Red Sea and samples life in Soma Bay, one of several new resorts which has become established in recent years PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAWSON WOOD

S

ome 45 years after I first visited the Red Sea, my love for that region has never diminished. That first frisson of excitement came at 20,000ft when we were starting to descend and flew over the Red Sea mountains of Upper Egypt and could see the shores of the Red Sea beckoning. The route of the Thomas Cook airbus to Hurghada took us directly over Ras Abu Soma, which was to be the destination of our dive resort.

Our host for the week was Breakers at Soma Bay, the only dedicated diving and kite-surfing resort in the Middle East. The diving part of the resort is owned and operated by Orca Dive Clubs, which has the latest equipment, multi-lingual staff and a great house reef opposite the dive centre, Over 100km north of Marsa Alam, a number of the sites between Sharm and Marsa Alam were really only accessible by liveaboard dive boats in the past, but now Panorama Reef, the wreck of the Salem Express and a number of other sites around Safaga and the Soma Bay headland are easily reached.

Once the dive shop paperwork was completed, there is a week’s chart on the wall with full or half-day dive boats, RIB dives and space to plan your shore diving off the house reef. Just put your name down for whatever boat trip that you want and always make sure to remove your name if you change your mind. The House Reef is reached along a 420-metre pier with two platforms and plenty of ladders to aid entry and exit - transport is provided by converted electric golf carts to transport you, your buddy and all the dive gear and camera equipment.

Divers descend beneath the dive boat

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Anemonefish

Lifeboat on the Salem Express

PANORAMA REEF I first dived Panorama Reef back in 1985 when working on the Lady Jenny V, principally to seek shelter one night, and found that this large circular reef with its two shallow platforms was so good that we stayed the next day too and explored all around the reef as the sun moved around and illuminated the soft coral gardens and gorgonian forests. We set off from the Soma Bay Marina on a full-day excursion and my buddy Waleed and I dived the wall and east platform in the morning.

This reef so reminds me of Jackson Reef up in the Straits of Tiran with its soft corals, teeming orange anthias and staggering amounts of angelfish and butterflyfish. This is the sheltered side of the reef away from the current, so there are much fewer sea fans.

The second dive in the afternoon was a drift dive on the western plateau. I forgot how strong the current was!

Skimming over and round the huge stands of gorgonian seafans that stretch out into the current was fun, but difficult to stop and photograph. As we approached the bottom corner, the current virtually stopped and there were huge numbers of glassfish, lionfish, crocodilefish and all the usual suspects that you would find on a Red Sea reef. Panorama Reef also has a large ‘Anemone Garden’ with dozens of large anemones, huge numbers of clownfish as well as hundreds of threespot dascillus (Dascillus trimaculatus).

Approaching the lifeboat

This style of diving, of course, allows you and your buddy to spend extended time in the water.

The following is just a small example of the superb diving to be found along this stretch of coastline, far from the madding crowd.

THE HOUSE REEF By far, this is probably the most-dived and there are countless ‘ferry’ trips up and down the pier every day with divers and their gear, notably those early morning dives and early evening dives when the juxtaposition of daytime critters and night time denizens share the reef. Cleaning stations are doing a roaring trade and both predators and prey line up to be cleaned of parasites with no thought of ‘breaking the rules’. Dolphins come into the pier area too and are seen regularly. This is a steeply sloping reef predominated by small hard corals that drops to around 18m before dropping steeply and even vertically in many places. The more-vertical sections have large black coral trees which hide small schools of glassfish and hatchetfish. Curiously, there are many large bigeye snapper out in the open when they are usually well secreted away under overhangs. There are a few huge stonefish on this reef, one hiding under the sand, but the other is so well overgrown with algae it is virtually invisible amid the corals and algae beds. Once you get to the 30m range you will find the lyretail angelfish (Genicanthus caudovittatus), where both male and female have completely different colours.

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There is much to see on the Salem Express

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That’s what I call ‘sidemount’

GABIR SORAYA Only 30 minutes from the marina, this shallow reef comprises of a large elongated reef with several small satellite coral ergs to the south. At only 15m maximum depth, the central sandy plain has a small group of garden eels, the narrow passages between the coral heads have small red seafans, plenty of fire coral as usual, but the schools of butterflyfish and angelfish were a surprise, as these fish are normally only found singularly or in pairs.

SHA’B SHEAR This rather blind reef is also just a short boat ride from the marina and the dive boat anchors in a coral amphitheatre with large coral outcrops all of the way around, interspaced with narrow canyons filled with anthias and chromis. There are numerous bits of wreckage around these reefs, including a small unknown ferry in this location that is well broken up. This part of Soma Bay is littered with small coral heads, which stretch in a huge arc to the north and south.

TOBIA SORAYA Around a 30-minute boat trip from the marina, this reef is really a group of small coral heads that are randomly spaced out on a 15m sand seabed. After a lengthy swim around the outside of the reef, our guide Waleed brought us to a coral head that was simply covered in gorgonian seafans and filled with longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus), glassy sweepers, hatchetfish and hundreds of cardinalfish.

Anemonefish in their host

SALEM EXPRESS

Built in the French shipyards of La Seyne-sur-Mer in 1964, this Ro-Ro ferry was on her way back from Jeddah to Safaga overloaded with passengers who had been on a pilgrimage to Mecca on 17 December 1991. A massive storm had blown up and at gale force, the ship struck Hyndman Reef, where she was holed and quickly sank in the early hours of the morning. Official records state that 470 persons lost their lives, but locally it is widely known that many more were lost as the ship was grossly overcrowded. Now lying on her starboard side in 30m of water, she is completely encrusted in small hard corals.

When I first dived her 25 years ago, there were two of her lifeboats on the seabed, but apparently one has been lifted and there is now only one to be seen. Her stern door is now lying on the seabed, creating a huge square opening into the vehicle deck.

Both her propellers are intact and make for a superb photographic backdrop as they are covered in small corals and brilliant red encrusting sponge. The ship’s funnels have a large ‘S’ on them, but this is getting harder to see due to the corals encrusting the emblem.

The ship’s bridge is fairly open and all of the windows are now gone, but her parts are still visible inside.

Her empty davits and railings all hang out into open water and the seabed is littered with debris, including some childrens’ toys, just another reminder of that terrible tragedy. There is still a large amount of controversy about whether divers should be permitted to dive the wreck and the Egyptian Government are still considering whether to ban all diving on her,

As we approached the bottom corner, the current virtually stopped and there were huge numbers of glassfish, lionfish, crocodilefish and all the usual suspects that you would find on a Red Sea reef WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

25

SOMA BAY

Located about 45 minutes’ drive south from Hurghada Airport, Soma Bay is the name of the entire headland resort area and there are currently five major hotels and plans for more. These are Breakers Dive and Surf Resort, Robinson’s Club (German owned and operated and a bit like a family ‘Club Med’), Sheraton, Westin and the Kempinski. Each resort has an entirely different look, layout and feel, but our host for the week was the superb Breakers, the dedicated diving and kite-surfing resort.

NB: You should note that the Westin has one of the largest spas in the world: Cascades has an amazing salt water hydrotherapy pool, like something out of an ancient Byzantine palace.

The wellstocked Orca dive centre

Having run safaris, lived, worked and visited innumerable times, visiting the Red Sea always has a sense of nostalgia for me, and indeed I often think of it as ‘coming home’ Turtle chilling on the reef

but after such an extended period of time, it hardly seems worth their effort, rather, divers should be given the option whether to dive the ship or not, out of respect for the dead, religious beliefs or just not wanting to be there. Whatever the outcome in the future, diving this wreck should be done with the greatest respect and for divers not to touch anything or disturb any of the remains.

CONCLUSION Having run safaris, lived, worked and visited innumerable times, visiting the Red Sea always has a sense of nostalgia for me, and indeed I often think of it as ‘coming home’.

Coincidentally, the strap line for the Breakers Diving and Surfing Resort is also ‘Welcome Home’. These Safaga reefs should not be overlooked when considering or planning a Red Sea diving trip. n

Majestic shallow reef

NB: Lawson and Lesley Wood were supported by the Egyptian Tourism Authority; Dan Lion of Holiday Designers; Anna Hollingworth and Harriet Shearer of the Communications Group; Marwa Kachmar from Soma Bay; Wolfgang Jocham and Waleed Abd Elmaksoud from Orca Diving; and Stephan Reichl from Breakers Diving and Kite Surfing Resort. Flights were supplied by Thomas Cook.

Decompressing in the shallows

26

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This issue, our panel of industry experts focus their attention on night dives, and discuss what should be in every diver’s kit bag on one of these exciting excursions PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS, JASON BROWN/BARDO CREATIVE AND FROGFISH PHOTOGRAPHY

N

ight dives are a very exciting part of our sport.

The thrill of kitting up under the lights on the dive deck, surrounded by inky blackness. The trepidation of a giant-stride into a black sea. The other-worldly effect of dive lights stabbing through the darkness during the dive. Even dive sites you are familiar with take on an eerie feel on a night dive, and you have to dive in a different way, focusing on what is illuminated by your dive light. But what should you ensure you always have when you embark on a night dive?

Vikki Batten, PADI Examiner, Course Diector and TecRec IT, said: “Invest in a really good light. Check out what tech divers and photographers have, and ask them the pros and cons of their choices. Battery and bulb technology has improved in leaps and bounds over recent years, so you can get excellent lights that are small enough to carry on every dive. Don’t forget to tailor your choice to the type of diving you do - e.g. if you want to use an action camera underwater to film creatures at night, you’ll need something different to someone whose main purpose is getting the best view of the underwater life that comes out in the dark and communicate with their buddy.

Emily Petley-Jones, PADI Regional Training Consultant, commented: “Night dives are my favourite type of dive.

Observing the differences in critter behaviour at night is truly mesmerising. Having fully charged primary and back-up lights are the obvious considerations when preparing for a night dive. However, careful consideration should be given to the strength of the light you are taking down with you. There are many lights which have super-strength flood which are so strong that they can dazzle the other divers and create the effect of daylight, but one could argue that if you want to replicate the effect of daylight, why are you on a night dive?

This is very much a personal choice. For myself, the mostimportant thing is getting a torch with a robust switch so I can easily turn it off and on again should I need to. There are some underwater lights where to turn it on you have to rotate the torch head. It is possible for divers to fall foul of not being able to remember which way to turn the torch head, to turn the light back on again, and end up flooding the torch by unscrewing this too much.

BSAC National Diving Officer Dai Atkins said: “Hello

28

darkness, my old friend… my torch has failed on me. Again!

I wish I had put a spare in my bag, Hopefully, this is what you’ve actually done, because night diving is ever so slightly more prep-heavy than day diving. Not only do you have to remember all the stuff you need for diving in the day, you also need to add some extras - and take some additional precautions too.

“There are some pretty standard practices when it comes to diving in low light conditions to ensure it’s safe. Dive only in sites you are familiar with is one – so select sites you dive regularly during the day and you will be less likely to become disorientated now that conditions have changed. Stick to areas of calm water – different conditions at depth may not be readily recognisable from the surface, and surfacing in a remote area far from shore is particularly high risk if surface conditions are challenging. And finally – be seen! Give surface support a sporting chance of locating you, both when you’re at depth and when you finally pop up!

“Lights of all kinds are key here – torches and a back-up are obvious essentials for the kit bag, but also strobes and glowstick type devices are handy to help your buddy locate you

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underwater and for surface support to spot you. To avoid the higher risk of separation, a buddy-line might be a good idea and unless you’re absolutely certain you’re going to remain static, a surface marker buoy equipped with a permanent light of some description will enable you to be tracked from the surface. The boat or shore cover should be equipped with a spotting lamp to help look for your bubbles and avoid hitting you, and while everyone likes to look cool in black, there’s a valid reason here for wearing your hi-vis day-glo orange 1980s exposure suit! Don’t forget it may be cooler at night too, so up the thermal protection to avoid catching a chill and pack something warming in your thermos flask.

“Diving in moonlight often gives a lot more ambient light to the water surface, and other fixed points of reference such as a shore party or boat location can be improved by having some kind of beacon-esque device – so maybe a beach BBQ or a campfire can help you maintain a datum to the shore, or stick a strobe on the shotline. If you surface under a delayed SMB, this can be illuminated by sticking your torch inside it – but beware of subsequent reports of offshore alien beings to the local papers if you haven’t touched base with the proper

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authorities about your intentions (don’t ask me how I know).

“Sound on the surface is another way of pinpointing you position should you get separated from your group and your light has failed – so whistles, air-horns and other noisy things are all worth sticking in your jacket pockets, and if you have access to a personal locator beacon then all the better.”

SDI/TDI’s Business Development Manager Mark Powell said: “Diving at night may seem daunting at first. However, more often than not, I see divers fall in love with it. It truly is one of my favourite types of diving. With the proper equipment and the right planning, it can be a fantastic experience.

“So, why do we bother diving at night in the first place?

The environment completely changes. The same dive site you have seen multiple times turns into a whole new world. As the sun sets, a shift in wildlife occurs. An amazing new array of creatures emerge from their homes. Octopuses come out from their hiding holes to hunt. Squid dart in and out of your vision and lobster travel in packs across the ocean floor. Many fish

29

will settle down into any available nooks and crannies to rest for the night while others will be out and active. This means that you will see a completely different ecosystem when compared to diving the same site during the day.

“Going on a night dive begins with solid preparation. Make sure you are familiar with the site you are going to dive.

Choose a location you have dived before or scope the site out during the day beforehand. Knowing the layout will make navigation a breeze and will help you feel more comfortable throughout the dive. After you have picked a location, try to arrive just before dusk. It is much easier to gear up and plan out your route while there is still light. While you set up, conduct a thorough briefing with your buddy. Go over the dive plan and review all of the key hand and light signals you will be using. A circular motion with your light means ‘okay’ while a side-to-side motion means ‘attention’. Talking about these signals will ensure you and your team are on the same page. I also like to touch on buddy separation procedures. My dive partner and I have agreed to look around for no more than one minute before surfacing. Then we can reunite and continue our dive. Before you enter, mark your exit with a light or by using some prominent landmark. This facilitates an easy return by giving you a heading to swim for at the end of your dive. During the dive, try to stay shallow, stay close and go slow. Limiting your depth allows you to extend your bottom time and see all of the cool things night diving has to offer and you will have more fun knowing your buddy is nearby.

“There are some additional equipment requirements associated with night diving. Of course, a good light is necessary to enjoy the dive. Actually, two good lights are required. When purchasing your first dive light for night diving, look for solid construction, common battery types, sufficient brightness, and appropriate ‘hot-spot’ for signalling.

‘Hot-spots’ are the middle area of a beam where the light is most focused and brightest. These are critical in night diving for signalling your buddy, so you’ll want to avoid lights that have no hot spot. Your back-up light should have all these attributes and should be well taken care of as it is an

30

important piece of equipment if your primary should fail.

“While you are using your light, be very careful not to shine your buddy in the eyes. He or she will not appreciate being blind for the next few seconds. It is important to call the dive if any team member experiences a light failure. Other useful pieces of equipment are light sticks or marker lights.

Light sticks can be attached to the tank valve. This makes you and your buddy easily identifiable underwater. Marker lights can be attached to an anchor chain or an exit point to help you find your way back home. Finally, compasses are very important tools to help you navigate underwater. Make sure to get one that has a glowing dial. They are far easier to use when they stay illuminated after a brief flash of your light.”

IANTD’s Tim Clements said: “Night diving not only offers an additional insight into the underwater world, but it also challenges the use of our own major sense – sight. If you’re going to night dive ‘like a pro’, you’ll need to learn how to use additional senses, such as touch and have excellent navigational skills. By tapping into and developing these skills, you can also prepare for more-challenging deeper dives.

“A pro would ensure that they have sufficient illumination for both orientation to the environment and signalling between divers. A pro would also ensure that torches were sufficiently charged and backed up with an additional torch in case of failure.

“Night diving like a pro also means more meticulous attention to preparation of diving gear, boat or shore access – any problems at night may be harder to deal with, so preparation needs to be better. Have you got a method everyone understands for diver rescue, or location at the surface? Do you have good shore support closer than the saloon bar of the ‘Pony and Freeflow’ local pub?

“Underwater, a pro will ensure that all team members stick together and, most importantly, that everyone understands anyone can turn the dive at any time – dark is an odd thing, and taking a diver for a first night dive may be unsettling. It could also be brilliant!” n

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18m

ABOVE

After his recent foray under Swanage Pier, Jeremy Cuff thought he’d try somewhere a little different, and headed for Dorset’s Kimmeridge Bay PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY CUFF / WWW.JA-UNIVERSE.COM

T

he dive spots and destinations that I choose to visit usually start by appearing on what I describe as my ‘dive radar’ and then onto my ‘must do’ list.

In that respect, Kimmeridge Bay was no different, attractive to me in that it’s within the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve and benefitting from a sheltered location; it seemed interesting. Back along, I’d had a couple of planned visits thwarted by poor weather, so I hoped this time it would work out. As the weekend approached, the weather looked perfect…

Kimmeridge is located in a beautiful and scenic area of the Jurassic Coast between Swanage and Lulworth, in the general area known as Purbeck. It’s a really nice place to visit, and somewhat off the beaten track, accessed by a narrow dead end lane several miles from the main Swanage to Wareham Road.

The bay itself is located a short distance southwest of the village of Kimmeridge and can be accessed by vehicle via a toll road. The area features some important and interesting geology which includes limestone ledges that extend out into the bay, which can be seen both above and below the waterline.

It has many attractions, with excellent coastal path hiking, kayaking, fossil hunting and rock-pooling opportunities, as well as offering divers something a bit different to have a crack at, making it an ideal destination for a ‘back to nature’ diving weekend. To do the dives, I chose a weekend in May where I lucked into fabulous weather, although we did get some sea mist roll in, obscuring the sun for part of the day.

ARRIVAL AT THE SITE

In terms of the practicalities, this is a dive trip that needs planning and preparation in order to make it a success.

Basically, you need to take everything you’re going to need in terms of dive equipment and fills as there is no dive centre, and also supplies of food and drink, as there are no shops or permanent cafes. On pleasant weekends, you’ll sometimes find a snack wagon in the car park, but it’s not wise to rely on it being there.

Kitting up at Kimmeridge

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DIVE CENTRES

To dive at Kimmeridge Bay, you need to be self-sufficient and bring everything you need. If you need to organise fills or obtain dive-related supplies while in the area, the nearest dive centre (Divers Down) is located in Swanage about ten miles away (a good 30-minute drive each way). If you need to contact them for any reason, visit: www.diversdownswanage.co.uk or call 01929 423565.

In summary, Kimmeridge Bay is an interesting dive spot that’s ideal for divers of all abilities, especially for those with particular interests in marine life and photography

Entry and exit is simple Exploring the seabed

The biggest issue to solve for this kind of dive trip is how to get the gear to where you need it. At Kimmeridge, there’s a couple of boat slips, but you can’t park there, though you can drive down to that general area to unload (by the Wild Seas Visitor Centre), after which you must move your vehicle to the main car park further uphill.

Some kind of hand-pulled trolley/trailer to transport the gear and supplies, such as a garden trolley with soft wheels, can be a useful here. I purchased one last year for this kind of dive trip and it proved to be invaluable again.

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DIVE BRIEFING

Once you’ve dealt with the logistics of getting set up in your chosen area, which will most likely be next to the main boat slip by the visitor centre, it’s really just a case of going diving in whatever section of the bay you’ve decided upon.

When entering the water, great care should be taken with any slippery seaweed that could cause a nasty fall. It can be tricky keeping your footing while navigating slimy, uneven pebbles as you wade into deeper water.

Diver safety is a serious point at this site, due to the shallow depths combined with the presence of boats. As you can expect to get no deeper than a few metres on a dive, divers are constantly within the ‘danger zone’ of boat traffic. It’s thus essential to ensure that buddy pairs stick closely together and use an SMB at all times to indicate their presence. To not do this would be foolhardy. Visibility can also vary tremendously, so buddy pairs must keep close to one another to avoid getting separated.

In terms of tides, the range isn’t huge in this area, so it’s possible to dive at any time, though it is much easier when the tide in higher. During my visit, there was no appreciable current, though you may experience surge if any waves are blowing in. The unhelpful weather to watch out for is an easterly wind and perhaps a southerly wind, which can send waves into the bay, destroy the visibility and make entry/exit from the water difficult and dangerous. It’s worth keeping an eye on the weather forecast before setting out.

33

The bottom consists of rocks and seaweed

KIMMERIDGE BAY, DORSET WHAT TO EXPECT TYPE OF ‘DIVE’

Very shallow shore dive (easier at high tide).

DEPTH

Exact depth will vary depending on tides and where you choose to go, with the maximum being 5-8m.

Due to this, you need to ensure you have sufficient weight to stay down.

THE DIVES The diving in Kimmeridge Bay is over mainly flattish expanses, but there are interesting ledges and rock pavements that make it more unique. Other than the ledges and pavements, there’s little in the way of ‘underwater landmarks’ with which to navigate, so the dives themselves are really random explorations of the bay. This can be disorientating, so it’s important to maintain awareness of where you are in relation to the shore and your chosen exit point. We found ourselves benefitting from the shallow depth in order to pop up and check our location, while listening and looking for any nearby boat movements.

Essentially, the dives in Kimmeridge Bay are naturalist dives. During my visit in May, it very much seemed liked a nursery area, with many fish fry being present.

Divers in a hurry probably won’t see much, so it’s important to slow it down and look carefully. By adopting this approach, you have the greatest opportunity to be rewarded with some interesting sightings, often on a macro level.

During two dives in the bay, we found extensive weed beds (often colourful in the sunlight), anemones, whelks, tiny groups of shrimp, fish fry, a startled flounder that I nearly put my hand on, delicate jellyfish in the mid-water, pipefish, wrasse, several impressive lobster, spider crabs, velvet swimming crabs and edible crabs. Much more must surely be possible if you spent more time there.

In summary, Kimmeridge Bay is an interesting dive spot that’s ideal for divers of all abilities, especially for those with particular interests in marine life and photography. It’s also safe for snorkelling in the summer months, so non-diving kids and adults can get in on the action too by following the snorkelling trail.Also, there’s a newly refurbished Wild Seas visitor’s centre (run by the Dorset Wildlife Trust) next to the boat slip that provides information about local sea life and conservation efforts. It’s a very nice part of the world, it’s off the beaten track and likely to be highly rewarding for those who make the effort. n

Kimmeridge Bay is very picturesque

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MARINE LIFE/ WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Kimmeridge is good for sightings; depending on the time of year, expect spider crabs, edible crabs, velvet swimming crabs, tompot blennies, pipefish, wrasse, bass, flounder, prawns, anemones, jellyfish and blennies. You might also be lucky to see lobster, cuttlefish, scorpionfish and perhaps even John Dory. Who knows, there could perhaps be seahorses somewhere in the area, as they’re known from nearby Studland Bay a few miles along the coast.

VISIBILITY

Variable depending on wind direction, run off and other factors, but can be six to eight metres if you’re lucky. On less ideal days, it can be very much reduced.

An average is probably three or four metres.

SEABED

Flat expanses, ledges with overhangs, extensive weed beds, limestone pavements, rocks, boulders and rubble patches.

HAZARDS

Boat traffic, low visibility, disorientation (surprising easy in poor visibility), slippery seaweed/ rocks/boulders (when entering/ exiting the water).

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THERE ARE LOTS OF HAND SIGNALS IN DIVING WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEART, THIS SHOULDN’T BE ONE OF THEM Book an appointment with a healthcare professional or diving doctor and check that your heart is up to it.

FIND OUT MORE AT RNLI.ORG/SCUBADIVER The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Registered charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland.

Lighthearted profile of dive centres or clubs from all over the United Kingdom.

This issue, it is the turn of Bespoke Scuba Diving in Dagenham, Essex

Who is in

CHARGE?

Name: Paul French Rank: PADI Staff Instructor Date of first certification: 2 September 1995 Number of dives to date: 2,000-ish WHAT’S YOUR STORY? I did a trydive in the late-80s, but didn’t learn to dive until 1995 on a trip to Florida. I was very much a warm-water diver until my daughter wanted learnt to dive in 2008, and the rest is history. In 2010 I started my PADI DM course, and then AI, OWSI, MSDT and Staff have followed.

Bespoke Scuba is a venture I started with my partner Jan and her daughter Cerys at the end of 2016. We are a web-based PADI recreational facility, and our customer loyalty hopefully points to us doing a great job!

Q&A with James Q: How would you describe your team at your dive centre?

A: An extended family, we like to make all people welcome, and customers and staff alike are welcomed into the fold.

Q: What is your most-embarrassing teaching moment?

A: I should know better, but let’s just say giant striding into a lake, only to find I don’t have my weightbelt on has happened more than once. It gives students chances to remind me of good buddy check practices!

Q: What is your favourite place to dive in the UK? A: I have really enjoyed diving in the Farne Islands, the seals are brilliant to be in the water with and a big difference to less-interactive marine life. Looking forward to our trip back there in October.

Q: What is your favourite place to dive abroad?

A: I have been really fortunate to have dived in many places around the globe, but 500-600 dives later, the Red Sea keeps drawing me back. That aside – dive Truk Lagoon – it’s awesome if you love wrecks.

Q: If you could change one thing about diving, what would it be?

A: Sand – I hate sand – therefore If I could shore dive in exotic locations without it, I would probably spend a little less time on liveaboards… Little, that is…

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Q: Who is the worst air-guzzler in your team?

A: I’m going for Chris, he has big lungs, so I’m told!

Q: Who is the biggest wimp out of the lot of you, and give a recent example?

A: It has to be Jan, new hand signals invented for hold my hand when in the company of sharks or other out-of-comfort zone experiences.

Q: Who attracts the most attention, good or bad?

A: Two of our team are called John, One is known as Mary as he loves manta rays – Manta Mary – it always raises eyebrows when he is introduced… this is Mary…

Q: If you could teach a celebrity to dive, who would it be and why?

A: I have really struggled to answer this one, but I am going to simply say Darth Vader, he often appears in my DSD briefings, and he already owns a full-face mask!

Q: What’s been the biggest fear factor in your diving career to date?

A: When I dive, I am in my happy place, I love to dive for fun, or teaching people, so rarely does anything induce fear. I do tell a story about an ‘interesting’ down current at Daedalus in the Red Sea, but recently the most fear-inducing experience has been caused by a student deciding that I don’t need air at 15m in Stoney Cove, I blame myself for saying I have gills, but needless to say he is yet to live this down.

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Why you should

JOIN OUR CLUB CLUB NIGHTS We meet at the pool every Wednesday, and everyone is welcome for training, diving or socialising. It’s always nice to just catch up with customers who have just popped in for a chat and to catch up with friends.

BRITISH DIVING TRIPS This year we are hosting trips to Plymouth and the Farne Islands.

A lot of our diving is training based, but our club members also join us on our training weekends either at Stoney Cove or Vobster Quay for the social event, to get some dives in and keep skills fresh. As a responsible dive centre owner, I also believe in helping our marine environment where I can, and we have just completed a beach clean-up in Clacton on Sea, Essex.

FOREIGN DIVE TRIPS So this year we completed a trip to the Egyptian Red Sea – Daedalus and St Johns with Blue O Two. Also, we are going to the Maldives next month for ten days, via a Dubai stop over on the way back. Next May we are running a repeat Red Sea trip, This time – North and Brothers itinerary, and we are taking bookings for a 2020 trip to the Solomon Islands. We don’t just keep ourselves to ourselves, I have a habit of adopting other holiday divers, who more than once have joined us on many future trips.

TRAINING FACILITIES We utilise the facilities at Becontree Heath Leisure centre for our classroom-based training and pool sessions. It is ideally based to service East London, Southern Essex and North Kent.

DIVE CENTRE factfile Contact details Bespoke Scuba Diving, Care Of Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Dagenham, Essex, RM10 7FH Tel: 01708 837032 Email: contact@bespokescubadiving.co.uk Website: www.bespokescubadiving.co.uk Opening hours We are a web-based business, and on that basis I have been known to be booking dive courses for people between 6am and midnight, I have to sleep sometimes!

Courses available We teach all levels of recreational PADI courses from beginner to professional.

Rental kit and brand We are not wedded to one particular brand for rental

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or school kit, with one exception - I am a huge fan of Apeks regs and most of our school / rental regulators are Apeks ones.

Shop Being a web-based business, we don’t run a traditional dive shop, however, we run a small store at pool sessions, but more importantly we provide 100 percent of our customer’s equipment needs through various partners at highly competitive prices.

Gas mixes Air only!

Servicing As with our shop, we have partners that cover all types of servicing for our customers, just let us know what you need.

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The wrecks are superb for penetration

LOVER’S DREAM

A WRECK

David Jones reckons that the World War Two Japanese wrecks lying on the bottom of Coron Bay in the Philippines rate as one of the top wreck-dive sites on the planet PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID JONES

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n 1944, the tide of World War Two in the Pacific was turning. Two years earlier, General MacArthur had only just managed to escape from the Philippines, breaking through a Japanese blockade in March 1942, arriving in Australia famously declaring ‘I came through and I shall return.’ Well, now he was returning, and the power of the Allied war machine was making slow, but steady, inroads into Japanese-held territory. Key to this was the powerful carrier-based US Navy. In March 1944, Operation Hailstone had decimated a large proportion of the Imperial Japanese Navy at Truk Lagoon, an attack that effectively cleared the way for the Allied advance.

By September of the same year, the dominance of US sea and air power was almost total. The Japanese were frantically trying to reinforce ground forces in the Philippines, but their supply ships had already been hit and sunk in Manila Bay by marauding fighter bombers. A decision was taken to move many of them to the ‘safety’ of Coron Bay to the southwest of Busuanga Island in Northern Palawan.

In spite of the tragedy of Truk (where 32 merchant vessels were destroyed), the Japanese continued to adopt a strategy of concentrating supply vessels in small areas. While potentially reducing the requirement for defensive assets, such a plan inevitably led to vulnerability. Such was the situation in Coron Bay.

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Looking at the massive bent metal plates it is hard to comprehend the ferocity of the explosion needed to cause such damage and send this huge vessel to the bottom

Patrols reported a large On 23 September 1944, Combat Air of Coron Bay. The report area amount of enemy shipping in the l’ Halsey, commander of the US was sent to Admiral William F ‘Bul s away, and an air assault plan Third Fleet situated some 350 mile air attack this was a significant was rapidly put together. For an et, however, surprise was distance, with limited time on targ ters were launched from figh 96 and total. Around 24 bombers Admiral Mitscher on board the Task Force 38, commanded by Vice utes, many of the 15 vessels in carrier USS Lexington. Within min Consecutive waves of aircraft k. the bay had been damaged or sun by lunchtime. pretty much finished off the job safety, 12 were sent to the to ed limp els While some vess this sad period of history bottom around Busuanga. While destruction, from a diver’s resulted in much loss of life and le location with a great deal to sing a perspective it has provided island with a group of divers offer. So I decided to return to the after a 12-year absence. ning. Not because they Diving in Coron Bay takes some plan wan is a fairly remote Pala hern nort but are technically difficult, is everything. Ideally you part of the Philippines and timing tides and outside of the rainy need to dive the wrecks on neap based ourselves in D’ Pearl Bay season for the best visibility. We D’ Divers. Flying into Busuanga near to Concepcion, diving with r an overnight stay in Manila, airport at around lunchtime, afte by 2pm we were on the dive we were quickly into the hotel and Olympia Maru. Well, I say the boat heading for our first wreck t I was told it was called when Olympia Maru, because that is wha suggests she is actually the I dived her 12 years ago. Research Morazan.

Japanese in 1941 in The SS Morazan was seized by the Ekkai Maru, but the name the med rena Shanghai and apparently g! Anyway, descending for the was not changed. All very confusin side of the ship at the bow first dive we dropped onto the port ten metres) as the tidal und (aro in 22m. Visibility was not great nearby town of Coron. The stream was bringing silt from the ck is size. There are some big first impression as you hit the wre 120 metres in length, this was wrecks around Busuanga and at the deck you can enter her past n no exception. Descending dow huge holds with ease and safety.

The wrecks are covered in marine growth

Getting ready to dive

Coral and sponge growth is prolific

Anemonefish

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Focus on the

Philippines Dive the magical islands of the Philippines with the dive experts for some outstanding reef and wreck diving experiences Superb resorts & liveaboards Great for snorkelling and experienced divers Whale sharks to pygmy seahorses Fascinating World War II wrecks to explore Dive the Philippines 13 days from ÂŁ2,045 Request our brochure

diveworldwide.com Contact the Dive team 01962 302 050 sales@diveworldwide.com

Huge fan corals catch particles in the currents and lionfish cruise around the shoals of baitfish feeding in the current. Getting to the stern and with air to spare, I returned along the port side, covered in coral, fish and macro life before ascending to the waiting banka.

What a great first dive; this was going to be a good week!

Second wreck on the itinerary was the Kogyo Maru. Like the Morazan she is resting on her starboard side and perhaps because of positioning in the bay, marine life and growth was even more prolific. At 158 metres, this is another big wreck - ten metres longer than the Aeolian Skye, to put it into perspective. The Kogyu Maru had previously survived an attack in Manila Bay and the crew were still trying to camouflage the ship when she was attacked. She was carrying construction materials at the time and you can see a bulldozer and tractor hanging from chains in one of the holds.

Diver with anemonefish

Divers head off to explore a shipwreck

At 158 metres, this is another big wreck - ten metres longer than the Aeolian Skye, to put it into perspective The Coron wrecks are very colourful

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You can easily access the engine room and bridge sections, and while it is 38m to the bottom, most of the good stuff is around the 30m range.

The Irako is the deepest wreck in Coron. She was trying to hide between Lusong and Tangat islands when direct hits set her on fire and she started to sink. She eventually went down with a lot of casualties. At 34m to the deck, this is a fairly deep dive that has a reputation as one of the best wreck dives in the Philippines; it didn’t disappoint. She sits upright and her deck is covered in corals and sponges. Her twin masts reach towards the surface, providing an easy reference back to the shot line. It was 45m to the bottom and we were not equipped to explore too deeply into her holds. Instead we swam around the superstructure and explored the deck. Tuna, barracuda and big grouper were everywhere, as well as the ubiquitous patrolling lionfish.

A great dive to follow the Irako is the Lusong Gunboat.

Sitting on the reef in 11m of water, the stern breaks the surface at low tide, so it is also popular with snorkel

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trips. As you would expect, it is covered in corals and various reef fish and is great for photography. She is only 25 metres long, so it only takes 20 minutes to slowly cover the wreck, but the reef nearby is also well worth exploring.

Our location in D’ Pearl Bay was not only picturesque but was also only a ten-minute boat ride to the Okikawa Maru. At 160 metres long, this is the largest of the Coron wrecks. She sits upright in 26m of water and makes a pretty impressive ‘house reef’ for the two hotels in the bay. It is possible to enter the wreck through the hole left by the prop shaft directly into the enormous engine room. You can swim through the entire length of the wreck, going from hold to hold, coming out at the twisted bow section. Looking at the massive bent metal plates it is hard to comprehend the ferocity of the explosion needed to cause such damage and send this huge vessel to the bottom. There are clear exits above throughout the dive and it is a spectacular swimthrough. You need to dive this wreck at least twice (actually the same is true of all the big wrecks) and the deck is covered in marine life. The biggest issue I had was whether to go with wide angle or macro - there was so much to see.

Many years ago I dived what was then called the Tangat Wreck (aka Taiei Maru or Japanese Freighter) close to the Kogyo Maru. It is now pretty much confirmed that it is the Olympia Maru, thereby solving that particular mystery. The Olympia Maru had been bombed and hit in Manila on 21 September, and survived; this time she was not so lucky.

The third wave of bombers hit her engine room, causing an explosion in the fuel tanks. Without the ability to move she was a sitting duck and successive bombs finally sank her in the early afternoon.

Many references I looked at believe that the Irako is the best wreck dive in the Philippines, but for me, this is it. It is 23m to the deck and it teems with life; batfish, tuna, grouper, even turtles are everywhere. It is the perfect wreck dive. I posted an image of it on Facebook and received a comment asking where the wreck was, so prolific was the coral growth.

Next on the list was the Akitsushima.

This vessel was a seaplane tender and was one of the most heavily armed in the conflict - twin anti-aircraft guns rest on the seabed next to the huge gantry that used to lift the plane.

Visibility in this area was not as good as the other dives and neither was the coral growth, but it was still an excellent dive with plenty of life and huge schools of fish hovering within the gaping split in the ship at the stern; evidence of the direct hit and subsequent explosion that caused her to sink in minutes.

Fish life swarms over the wrecks

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Exploring one of the wrecks Diver entering a wreck

Lionfish

With time running out our final dive was the Nanshin Maru, a tanker that sank close to the white sandy beaches of Black Island. Many Japanese vessels were called Nanshin Maru and this was ‘Number 27’. Unarmed and converted to carry a cargo of fuel, she probably made an easy target. The wreck lies on sloping sand, with the stern at 18m and the bow at 30m. There is no penetration on the wreck, but the clear water makes it a delightful dive and excellent for photography.

We never managed to get to the Tangat Gunboat, nor the Kyokuzan Maru in the northeast of the island, but we had done pretty well in a short space of time. We were fortunate with visibility, even though with the exception of Black Island it was never more than 15 metres. But you know, it didn’t matter. This is a world-class dive site for the wreck enthusiast. It has history, some incredible diving within the range of recreational divers, and you can find diving and accommodation packages that are very reasonable. Busuanga and Coron Bay is definitely a diving destination worth putting on your bucket list. n

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THE NEXT GENERATION

Kids Sea Camp is the undoubted world leader when it comes to children and diving - more than 7,000 youth certifications and counting! - and founder Margo Peyton has painstakingly crafted a series of unique itineraries with unparalleled adventures, allowing families to bond, interact with local cultures, learn history, engage with wildlife and meet like-minded families from around the globe.

www.familydivers.com

GETTING THE URGE TO SUBMERGE (A BOY'S DIVING STORY) PART THREE – ADVANCING FORWARD Anyone with children will know that if you want to maintain interests such as diving, it’s not easy. Jeremy and Amanda Cuff decided to involve their son Zac in what they do and take him on adventures.

Here’s part three of his story, the journey to becoming a PADI Junior Advanced Open Water diver PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY AND AMANDA CUFF / WWW.JA-UNIVERSE.COM

A RETURN TO BELOVED BANDOS The family friendly Maldivian island of Bandos has been a recurrent theme in Zac’s diving progress and would be again in the future. Now, armed with his PADI Junior Open Water certification, he could begin experiencing dives beyond the house reef.

At the Bandos dive centre, a list of dive sites informs divers about the topography, depth and the levels of experience required for participation. We looked at these with Zac, choosing sites that fell within his depth range of 12m. One of those sites was Rasfari Corner, a known manta ray cleaning station.

And so, on his eighth logged dive, Zac had some fabulous encounters with the mantas. He was also able to experience drift diving for the first time, at a site called Feydhoo Caves.

It makes for an interesting yet straightforward wall and drift dive. He saw moray eels and lobster peering from their lairs, and ledges that harboured resting turtles.

TANK LIFE - BLUE PLANET AQUARIUM Having once dived the Epcot Centre’s aquarium in Florida, we thought it might be fun for Zac to try a similar experience here in the UK. We soon discovered that ‘aquarium dives’ were offered by the Blue Planet Aquarium at Ellesmere Port, and that they accepted kids with dive qualifications.

The dive itself is a bit different in that divers are heavily overweighted and not given fins, so you effectively walk on the bottom while sharks and rays swim above and around you.

Quoting the Finding Nemo film, we said ‘Welcome to Tankhood’.

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IN THE MURK, UK STYLE I chose the shallow and current-free Swanage Pier site in Dorset as Zac’s introduction to good old UK diving. On the evening before, the visibility looked really good, but as is often the way in the UK, it changed for the worse overnight.

We thus experienced two murky water dives. On our second dive, when I stopped to look at something, Zac kept swimming and within seconds we were separated. It was a good lesson for Zac (and reminder for me) about how easily this can happen. He actually surfaced away from the pier and surprised himself about how easily he was disorientated. It was a good lesson learned.

ROOTS DIVE CAMP, EGYPT We’d heard good things about Roots from a couple of diving friends. It also had good online reviews and could cater for Zac (then 12 years old).

On the Roots house reef, you can head either north or south along the reef wall, though you can also check out the sloping sandy expanse in between the walls for sightings such as flounders and octopus, as well as a statue that has been sunk there for the benefit of divers – Zac was especially intrigued by this unexpected ‘find’.

On Easter Sunday, the Roots team organised an Underwater Easter Egg Hunt, where four plastic eggs were placed somewhere on the house reef within the first 10m of water. Zac was super-determined to find one, the retrieval of which won a small prize.

After nearly an hour, and with no Easter egg in sight, I decided to head back to see how Amanda and Zac had fared, expecting them to be back from the dive. When they reappeared, I suspected something, as Zac’s disappointment somehow didn’t seem genuine. As they waded out, Zac suddenly held out an Easter egg. He’d been successful - and won some chocolate for his efforts!

TURKS AND CAICOS AGGRESSOR FAMILY WEEK Having had great times on the Cayman and Belize Aggressors, next on our radar was their Turks and Caicos boat.

Like our previous Aggressor trips, this charter was another of their ‘family weeks’, unique in that children of six years or older are welcomed onboard. The difference this time was that Zac (now aged 11) had achieved his PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification, so he could do some of the dives as a ‘real’ diver.

Zac’s underwater competence on this trip meant that he could participate in the shark dives, which he really enjoyed, taking his GoPro to get some footage at the Rock and Roll site, as reef sharks cruised around him.

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OUR MISSION: Kids Sea Camp’s mission is to inspire families to dive, travel and explore environmentally and culturally diversified destinations, and thus we have created family-friendly resort packages, activities and tours designed to provide safe, fun and educational vacations to children and their families.

www.familydivers.com

CASE STUDY ROSE MELVIN, 12, TODMORTEN, YORKSHIRE

NO BASKING SHARKS? WELL, SEALS INSTEAD My ambition to see a basking shark led me to take Zac on Charles Hood’s trip based out of Penzance in Cornwall. Though it’s snorkelling rather than diving, Zac’s confidence in the water was integral in my decision to take him.

Unfortunately, recent seasons have been much less reliable for sightings, but Charles had a Plan B if no sharks were encountered. Instead, we visited a seal colony just off Land’s End. The interactions were good fun.

Sal Painter, from Below the Surface Dive Centre, was keen to share her experience of inspirational young divers.

She said: “We met Rose Melvin in January 2017, desperate to dive the Great Barrier Reef but too young to do a course in Australia. Rosie amazed us from day one, with great skills in the cold in a drysuit.

“She returned to take Adventures in Diving with the same confidence, adding her deep dive on her 12th birthday to gain her Junior AOW. “In January, she became our youngest Rescue Diver and now works towards Junior Master Scuba Diver.

“Rose is a popular, funny, accomplished diver with a love and understanding of the ocean that exceeds her years – she deserves this recognition within the pages of Scuba Diver.”

ATTAINING PADI JUNIOR ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER With more experience under his weightbelt, we considered Zac ready to tackle the PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver course.

As with his PADI Open Water, Zac completed the level at Vobster Quay in the Mendips. He was thoroughly tested for various skills, including underwater navigation and mask removal, emerging cold but happy with his new level of certification. He could now dive to 18m, which would open up a world of possibilities.

NEXT MONTH: The fourth and final instalment of A Boy’s Diving Story involving some rather large sharks…

Kids Sea Camp 2018 Summer Break Family Vacations Kids Sea Camp Thanksgiving Family Vacation (NEW) BONAIRE: Buddy Dive Resort, November 17th – 24th

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New Years Trip 2018-19 Family Vacation (NEW) SOCORRO ISLAND: Rocio Del Mar Liveaboard, Dec 27th – Jan 4th 2019, discover the little Galapagos.

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FREE UNDERWATER SEALIFE CAMERA WITH ANY NEW BOOKING!

GIVE THEM A WEEK THEY WILL REMEMBER FOREVER

FAMILY DIVE ADVENTURES

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Life’s short. Make every dive count.

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

FIRST AID AT WORK TRAINING AND UWP WORKSHOP WITH ALEX MUSTARD PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEX MUSTARD, MARCEL RUDOLPH-GAJDA AND THE DDRC

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fter completing the Divemaster training in Cornwall, I thought it would be a good idea to get more extensive training for dealing with possible emergencies that might occur while diving. Since I am now allowed to organise and supervise group dives, I felt the urge to be more prepared if something was to happen, and to know how to deal with the situation.

For that, I got the great opportunity to do a First Aid at Work course at the DDRC facilities (The Hyperbaric Medical Centre) in Plymouth at the end of June. During the intense three-day course, the instructor and paramedic John Dillingham gave us invaluable knowledge on how to proceed with different first aid situations (from small wounds to serious traumas) and also trained us to conduct CPR and emergency oxygen administration in a secure and efficient way. On a personal level I realised how important is to have this kind of training, as one day you might be saving someone’s life. It was also an eye-opening experience that made me appreciate so much the work that the paramedics do, always prepared to act and deal with many different situations! Thank you so much John and the DDRC for the amazing time and I hope to visit your amazing centre again!

My month of July could not have started any better. I headed to the land of the pharaohs and pyramids. In the coastal city of Hurghada, I met with the world-wide known and extensively awarded underwater photographer Alex Mustard MBE. Alex organised a seven-day underwater photography workshop in the Red Sea with people from all over the world! This was a mind-blowing experience where I got to try out the new photography equipment that Reef Photo & Video, Nauticam and Light & Motion provided me with for the Scholarship year.

Despite my complete inexperience in underwater photography, Alex and the other participants helped me to develop my photographic skills, and slowly but steadily I started to get my head around it. This workshop was extremely inspiring since Alex pushed us all to help each other during the photographic process (from finding and identifying the subjects to shoot at, to modelling for each other and giving advice during the post-processing of the pictures). It was a no-competition philosophy workshop where

Eric Jorda

everyone tried to exploit their most-creative side and which made the learning curve extremely effective. Alex showed us the techniques that he uses to capture the wonders of the ocean, and he pointed at the characteristics that makes a picture memorable to the public.

While talking to him he explained that in the current moment where the oceans are threatened by many different impacts, it is important not only to take the sad and depressing pictures depicting the degraded environment, but also to present the audience with celebrating images showing the marvels that the oceans are hiding beneath the surface. This way people know what is at stake and it may raise awareness for protecting and preserving the oceans.

Some of the highlights of the trip on board MY Whirlwind were some wreck sites like the SS Thistlegorm. Alex seemed to know every single corner of the wreck and he showed us the best angles and places to take our pictures.

This was my first time diving in the Red Sea and it totally blew my mind. After seeing turtles, anemones with astonishing clownfish, soft-coral gardens and thousands of different colourful fishes, now I understand why the clear waters of this sea attracts so many people from all over the world to discover its secrets.

I want to thank Alex Mustard for this incredible opportunity, to Scuba Travel and the Tornado Marine Fleet.

A special thanks to Adel and Annette, our two dive guides during the trip, who took care of us all the time, and also a big thank you to all the crew that assisted us. n

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Diving the Dream Islands of the

Seychelles Archipelago

By GLYNN BURRIDGE

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wo divers slice the pristine, crystal waters off the north-west coast of Mahé, principal island of the jewel of the Indian Ocean: the stunningly beautiful Seychelles Archipelago. What they are seeking lies some 40 metres beneath the ocean - the hull of an old fishing trawler, deliberately scuppered to provide a diving site in what is arguably one of the best kept secrets among the international diving fraternity: the amazing Seychelles diving experience.

One diver is Imran Ahmad, renowned Singapore-based photographer and educator and he is amazed by the world class diving he has found around these islands long celebrated for their world-beating beaches, warm, dappled, sapphire waters and the final word in laid-back island lifestyle but with all the trimmings.

‘At 40 metres she is fully intact and teeming with marine life and coral growth’, he enthuses, ‘and with visibility for as far as the eye can see, this is a definite ‘must’ dive for wreck lovers.

Imran is one of an increasing number of divers all making the same discovery – the magnificent Seychelles Islands. Secluded from the world since the dawn of time, Seychelles is only now awakening to its true potential as a dream tourism destination and much of what you will find here is still wonderfully untouched, thanks to Seychelles’ strong conservation laws. With 115 granite and coral islands and an exclusive economic zone of 1 million square miles, this cyclone-free cluster of island gems offers year-round diving in a land of perpetual summer. Together, the islands offer awesome diversity for diving afi-

cionado and novice alike on both granite and coral reefs which can be nothing less than living aquariums for diverse and spectacular forms of coral and marine life. Myriad, dazzling coral reef fish, shark, moray eels, turtles, lobster, giant rays and even the odd migrating whale shark propose a kaleidoscope of diving entertainment in a host of unspoiled venues. On one dive alone, near Aride, no less than 800 species of marine life were spotted!

Seychelles boasts a number of world-recognised dive sites, such as the famous Ennerdale Wreck and Brissare rocks as well as the lesser known, more remote but even more spectacular sites around Marianne, the Sisters, Aride, Trompeuse and several other islands. Some of the more remote locations are only accessible by live-aboard charter dive boats Diving in Seychelles is refreshingly unprocessed as well, with un-crowded dive boats and unhurried dive schedules, in keeping with the leisurely pace of life.

Local dive centres and a range of liveaboards will provide access to great diving while offering a taste of the unique Seychellois lifestyle with beach BBQ’s and other island-style entertainment. All diver training is conducted by internationally qualified instructors, most of whom are members of PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the world’s largest sport diver training organization.

Now, more than ever, is the time to visit Seychelles and discover just how extraordinary - and affordable! - diving can be in one of the very last natural aquariums on our planet where pristine waters, leisurely diving schedules and an astonishing variety of marine life all conspire to offer one of the finest dive vacations on the planet. n

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51

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

SPLITTING IMAGES

Duxy takes a look at the art of shooting split-shots, and offers some sage hints and advice to get you on the right track to creating some stunning images PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL DUXFIELD

R

ecently I was asked by a person on our Blue Duck Photography Q&A Facebook page about a specific type of underwater photograph. And as so many people find this type of image somewhat ‘problematic’, I was tempted to title this piece ‘Splitting Headaches’, but like most underwater shooting, as long as you follow some simple rules you should quickly achieve a high success rate.

So, what sort of picture am I talking about? As if you hadn’t guessed already, it’s the sub-genre of wide-angle shooting called a split-shot or a half-half. And I’m sure you’ve seen the many examples that us underwater photographers post on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

WHY WE LIKE THEM? I can’t answer for everyone but I personally like a splitshot as it seems to unite the two worlds we divers exist in, and demonstrates to our non-diving brethren what lies just beneath the surface waters, and where we go when we descend out of sight.

It’s also a great way to illustrate travel articles and shows that you really don’t need to go deep at all to get great shots.

It also really suits travel articles as it ‘sells’ the fun and excitement of diving. And let’s face it, they look cool.

The boat and the reef make a good contrast

BIOGRAPHY: PAUL DUXFIELD

Sunset split-shot adds drama Action-packed split-shot

THE RIGHT GEAR FOR THE JOB This is a wide-angle lens technique, and this sort of shot can be achieved with either a very wide-angle regular lens, or more commonly a fisheye lens attached to your DSLR or Mirrorless camera.

This will be inside a dome port and they come in a variety of sizes from around 4.5” across to up to 10” in some cases.

What size dome you use will be dictated by the type of camera you’re shooting with and the size of the sensor inside that camera, and what is available for your set up. I’ll go into the finer technical details in the next section. It’s also worth mentioning that you can still do a reasonable half-half shot with a compact camera and an additional wide-angle lens convertor.

GEAR TECHNICALITIES I shoot mostly with a Mirrorless 4/3 sensor camera, and the smaller sensor than full frame allows me some freedoms with regard to the kit I can use for decent split-shots.

With my choice of sensor size, I can attach a fisheye lens to my camera and still get great quality with a smaller dome port than those with full-frame sensors can get away with, so the dome I use all the time is a Nauticam 4.33 dome, which is tiny by comparison to some of the 8” and 9” dome ports that are generally a necessity for those shooting with the larger sensor cameras, it’s also a lot less expensive and as it’s acrylic, any scratches can be polished out with a bit of elbow grease.

So while those with larger sensors can argue that their

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

He likes nothing better than to get a beginner started on the route to rewarding pictures, and approaches the subject with an inclusive, rather than exclusive, manner. He now has more than 40 escorted trips under his belt and is continuing to develop new ways to pass on the knowledge and share the love.

He can be found on Instagram and Twitter as @takeiteasyduxy and Facebook as Take iT Easy.

cameras are capable of higher quality with regards to resolution, dynamic range and noise, this is offset by the greater inconvenience, and cost of wielding a much-larger chunk of glass or acrylic in a big dome port.

However, it can also be argued that it’s easier to get a good split-shot with a larger dome, as the waterline can be more easily managed with the greater room afforded by a larger dome. Although to guarantee sharpness at the edges of the frame with a full-frame sensor and large dome you’ll need to shoot with smaller apertures, which in turn may well mean that you’ll need to increase your ISO to guarantee a fastenough shutter speed to hold things steady, offsetting some of the gains you’ve made with the larger sensor. So it really is a bit of a balancing act and you’ll have to decide what your priorities are and what you can afford.

EXPOSURE AND FOCUS Pick your fights, that’s the best advice I’d give re deciding when to shoot splits. Reason I say is that the prevailing lighting

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY conditions will dictate what will work well and what won’t.

If you’re shooting available light splits, which are by far the most-common situations, you’ll get the best results with the sun behind you. This is because the difference in exposure between the top half of the picture and the bottom is at its least extreme with the sun on your back. If you do attempt this shooting into the sun, make sure that the brighter top half of the image is correctly exposed, this will result in a very dark and underexposed bottom half, but at least you’ll have the option to bring up the underexposed area in your editing software. If you blow out the brighter upper half when you shoot, then you’ll struggle to salvage the blown-out highlights. So make your life easier and shoot with the sun behind you.

Aperture is also very important for these shots too. If you’re shooting with a large dome and a larger sensor camera, then there’s no way round it, to guarantee sharp edges and sufficient depth of field to ensure sharpness front to back then you may well end up shooting at f16 or smaller.

This in turn will mean that you might have to increase your ISO as shooting at smaller apertures is letting considerably less light in, resulting in your shutter speed dropping potentially to a level not really practical for hand holding, especially if you’re bobbing about on the surface.I like to shoot no lower than a 1/250 sec for this very reason. Preferably higher to eliminate camera shake. There are so many variations, contact us at Blue Duck Photography so we can go into more detail about specific set-ups.

Things become slightly more forgiving with the smaller sensor cameras and smaller domes in this situation. With my micro four thirds rig and my small dome, I can easily get good focus from around f8. Correct focusing procedure is vital, what I do is find and plan my framing. Typically I try and have

Fabulous contrast between the surface and the divers

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The diver adds some perspective

Diver boarding the boat

some foreground interest around a couple of metres away in the bottom half. I then tip the camera down and focus on this.

Once I’ve got focus confirmation, I then switch auto-focus off.

This is so the camera focus isn’t hunting around, as it will, and a lot of shots risk being spoilt by the camera focusing on the lens meniscus, the line splitting the top and bottom half.

I set my exposure with the aperture set to around f8 in my case, and the shutter speed no slower than 1/250, adjusting the exposure to make sure the top half is looking okay and not overexposed and blown out, by shooting a couple of tests and reviewing the screen, and histogram if you want to be really precise. Once aperture, shutter speed and ISO are set, and I’m happy with the exposure and focus, I start shooting.

I use the dip, raise and shoot technique, and try not to be too anal about the halfway line, personally I don’t like splits that look like a spirit level has been used, as I feel that can kill the spontaneity and vibrance of the shot.

Often people worry unduly in my opinion about water drops on the top half of the dome showing. I like the ‘in the moment’ action feel of these pictures so rely on a lot of serendipity, and a lot of shots, to get the outcomes I like, but for those of you that value precision and want a water-dropfree top half, there’s a number of methods to help here, from rubbing a cut potato on the dome and polishing, to using Rain-X, using a chamois leather, or all of the above. However, when I have wanted to reduce droplets, I’ve found just licking the dome works quite well.

It’s not an exact science, photography is an art, so a bit of randomness is a good thing in my view, but when you get a great result, claim to everyone that’s how you planned it all along, that’s what a lot of underwater photographers do! n

We don’t recommend stacking 4 lenses together

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Tel: 01404 812277 sales@camerasunderwater.co.uk www.camerasunderwater.co.uk

Spurdogs have that classic shark shape...

...but boast a sharp ‘spur’ which gives them their name

Eye-to-eye with a spurdog

SPUR OF THE

MOMENT The west coast of Scotland is renowned for basking shark encounters, but Mike Clark ventured out in search of a different species – the spurdog PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE CLARK 56

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A beautiful day to go diving

I

magine going on a shark dive in the UK. You may automatically think of blue sharks off the South Coast of England. Or perhaps the big basking sharks of West Scotland. It’s the basking sharks that Shane Wasik, owner of Basking Shark Scotland (www.baskingsharkscotland.co.uk), and Dive Oban and Argyll (www.diveoban.com), is an expert on. He has been taking customers out for years to swim with these massive sharks. However, the season when the giants are around is short, and Shane - who is always enthusiastic and keen to become involved in exciting new ventures - has done just that and come up with an entirely new shark dive for the UK market. When Shane contacted me and asked me to come up for a shark dive, I initially thought it would be with the basking sharks, but this was not the case - we would be diving with the smaller but spectacular spurdog, also known as the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias).

The interest in the spurdog was piqued in Shane after sightings while running dive trips to the Falls of Lora under the Connel Bridge, which is found at the mouth of Loch Etive, near Oban, Scotland. The site has always been associated with the odd shark encounter, mainly tope, spurdog and small catsharks (lesser spotted dogfish in old money). Old dive and angling guides also Thornback ray

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reported spurdog here. At Dunstaffnage, The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have been conducting a survey of the movements of the spurdog in Loch Etive. Shane was keen to see if he could validate the data generated by this research and see if he could dive with these sharks.

So off we set on a fine sunny day out of Dunstaffnage Marina and made the short journey to Loch Etive. On the way we passed under the Connel Bridge, passing through the Falls of Lora.

Thankfully it was neap tides and not far off slack water, so the journey through this powerful tidal race was easy and I focused on taking in all the sights and enjoying the spectacular costal scenery.

Arriving at dive site one, the conditions looked good, with Shane able to see the anchor drop all the way down to the 10m-deep seabed. Next up was placing the bait bag into the water to attract the sharks. We left this for around one hour and in that time, Shane told us about the spurdog and the research undertaken by SAMS. This suggested that the spurdog inhabited the inner loch in the winter months. The site may be a nursery breeding ground. But in the summer months, the larger sharks move out of the loch through the Falls of Lora and inhabit the reefs further offshore, before returning to the loch over winter. It was all good stuff and the hour passed quickly. It was soon time for my first dedicated shark dive. Cameras ready, dive kit on, we descended 10m down onto the seafloor and took up position in an unexpected but manageable tidal flow. All we needed now was the sharks to be there - and they were not. So, armed with a wide-angle lens on the camera, I started looking around the Spurdog

57

seafloor. It was clean sand punctuated by clumps of soft corals and sea squirts. I soon started to find edible and spider crabs, flatfish, butterfish and sandeels. There was loads of life down here and all of it was shark food.

Thirty minutes into the dive, excited torch beams flashed over to my left and I headed in that direction. A diver had found a small thornback ray, Finally I had a subject suitable for my wide-angle lens. The ray didn’t settle but it cruised around unconcerned, hunting for its lunch. Not the action we were after, but exciting none the less - and rays being flattened sharks, the thornback is a relative of the spurdog.

Back onboard the boat we de-kitted. Shane vocalised comment 101 from the skipper’s book of greatest quotes and stated ‘if only you were here last time, it was pure crazy with sharks’. Needless to say, the shark no-show was a disappointment for me but unknowingly, perhaps we had verified some of the SAMS data. Had the spurdog already

Spurdog being ‘ridden’ by a spider crab Closing in for a photograph

Sunstar

started their migration out of the loch?

We would find out on dive two and I hoped that the time lost to full diaries and agreeing a suitable date to complete the shark dive was now not too late in the season to see them.

Assuming that the migration had started, we headed back out of the loch and past the Falls of Lora, again thankfully the tidal race was benign. We headed to a suitable spot for dive two.

The bait bag was placed in again and we polished off our lunch and had a coffee.

Hopefully the sharks were homing in on

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their lunch as well 10m below our feet.

An hour later we descended. Strangely, vis here was worse, around five metres at best. The good news as I descended was that I was greeted with a twofingered gesture and an open flat hand to my buddy’s head. He had seen two sharks and I soon got my first glimpse of a spurdog. Lying on the seafloor, this shark was just over one metre long. It was covered in sand and silt and had a decorator spider crab crawling over its back. I took the chance to look closely at the shark and take in the underslung jaw that does contain some serious teeth, the big eyes, five gill slits and the two dorsal fins, each with a large defensive spine. The spurdog is, in fact, one of the UK’s few venomous fish, so it’s best to respect these spines. The tail is large and powerful and I was hoping to see this shark using it for some freeswimming action. It was happy to sit relaxing until a velvet swimming crab came along and started nipping it. I

While I had been 15 metres away photographing the sedentary shark, I had been missing some really good shark action around the bait bag! could see the shark flinching and then it was off.

I decided to have a fin around and see if I could find another one. In the weed in front of me, I saw something move and it was another thornback ray, a larger one this time. It sat still and we watched each other for a bit and then the ray gently glided away. I headed down the reef away from the silt and weed, the vis improved slightly and a coarse sand and boulder slope started to descend gently down.

It was on my ascent back up the reef that I found spurdog number two relaxing on a clean patch of golden sand. Once again, this individual was just over a metre long and did not Spurdog savaging the baitbag

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look to be in a rush to move anywhere. I took a look at my contents gauge and realised I was nearing 50 bar - it was time to head back to the boat. On returning to the shot I experienced skippers quote 101 for myself and saw shark craziness.

One shark was finning away chomping down on a mackerel tail. Two other sharks were swimming around and a thornback ray was finning up the scent trail.

While I had been 15 metres away photographing the sedentary shark, I had been missing some really good shark action around the bait bag! I was now under 50 bar and approaching 30 bar - safety trumps all and my time was well and truly up. As I ascended I saw a spurdog go into the bait bag, bite on and give it a good thrash about. This was great ‘peak of the action’ stuff. I got back up to the boat and explained to Shane that it was all kicking off down there now. Shane provided me with a tank change that a Red Bull F1 pit team would have been proud of, and I was back down the line into the action. I experienced a couple of nice passes and then the sharks cruised away, probably with full bellies. Wow! I had almost missed it but I did get to see a bit of the action - to see the sharks finning around looking for lunch was magic!

Shane will soon be busy with basking shark tours, but after that season closes in the late-autumn, Shane will be running some further dedicated spurdog shark dives. If you are interested in this, give Shane a call on 07975 723140 and note your interest - I’m sure spurdog shark dives will soon be up there with the blues and the baskers as ‘must do’ UK shark dives. n

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A NEW SHARK DIVING EXPERIENCE!

Spurdog

Head-to-head with a spurdog

Shane provided me with a tank change that a Red Bull F1 pit team would have been proud of, and I was back down the line into the action www.baskingsharkscotland.co.uk

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Gangga Island This issue, we hear about the fantastic results from anti-erosion methods around Gangga Island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

G

angga Island, off the coast of Manado, North Sulawesi, is undeniably a tropical paradise.

With just one resort, Gangga Island Resort, and two small villages, it is a stunning place to get away, dive and see some of the most-incredible marine life in the world.

For many years, residents and staff at the resort have been watching the beaches of the island erode. This erosion had come to a point where beachside trees and structures were beginning to collapse into the sea. The damage to the coast was serious, and distressing to watch.

Damage like this is happening worldwide due to rising sea levels, but within just a few short years, there were areas of Gangga Island with barely any beach at all. The island is affected by the Australian and Indo-Chinese Monsoons, and by late-2015 much of the sand had been washed away, leaving a beach cliff almost one-and-a-half metres high, rather than a stretch of pristine white sand.

Something had to be done.

Other methods had been tested, but the decision was made to use a method known as Biorock Anti Wave reefs, which had been seen to work incredibly well in other areas in Indonesia. For example, Pemuteran in the northwest of Bali had seen a 99 percent regrowth of the beaches using Biorock reefs.

Unlike sea walls, which actually make erosion worse due to the rebound of the waves off the wall, Biorock reefs are incredibly simple structures made from wire filled with rock. They are designed to dissipate wave energy before it hits the beach rather than deflect it.

Letting the waves pass through disperses the energy of the wave in a more-even-fashion, stopping the full energy of the wave from moving the sand.

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The Bioreefs also have a very small electric charge passing through them to prevent rusting and encourage the growth of minerals over the mesh. This, in turn, creates the perfect environment for the growth of barnacles, oysters and mussels, which prevent the rocks from shifting, solidifying the structure further.

In January 2016, just before the monsoon season set in, 48 Biorock Anti Wave reefs were installed in front of the 200 metres of beach worst affected by erosion. Almost immediately, the beach started to regrow. Developed by German Marine Architect Wolf Hilbertz, these structures have been found to be faster and more effective in restoring coral than any other method.

The amazing news is that since 2016, Gangga’s beaches have completely grown back. This is thought to be one of the fastest beach restorations ever done, with results that have astounded locals and scientists alike. Even after a severe storm in January 2017, the beaches are back to their former glory - and possibly even better.

And it’s not just the beaches of Gangga Island that are flourishing. The Bioreefs have also created beautiful new environments for new coral and seagrass growth, where fish and other marine life are thriving.

This is solid proof that only wave-absorbing structures can grow beaches back. Seawalls are more expensive, more intrusive and actually accelerate coastal erosion.

Dredging, sand dumping and other methods are equally ineffective. Gangga Island’s regrowth shows that Biorock technology is the way forward for protecting our beaches, low islands and coasts. Billions of people’s homes and marine habitats can be saved with this simple, costeffective method. www.lotus-hotels.com

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FREEDIVING TRAVEL

FREEDIVING IN IBIZA

Freediving instructor Steve Millard leads a group of freedivers to explore the crystalclear waters of Ibiza, where they go line diving, cave diving, spearfishing and just generally enjoying the freedom that breath-hold diving offers PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE MILLARD / WWW.FREEDIVERS.CO.UK

A

s freediving continues to grow from strength to strength, the perceptions of what the sport is about are changing too. The recreational side of the sport is about relaxation, de-stressing, enjoyment, water confidence and a real wind down from the daily grind. It is about whatever level of fitness you are, improving yourself and getting out there and burning calories, stretching your comfort zones a little and enjoying the water. The benefits are huge. It is about getting away from the madding crowds and finding secluded areas to enjoy the water with like-minded people.

The press still picks up on ‘extreme freediving’, in the form of competitions and really deep diving, and the occasional and unfortunate incidents that happen. The male and female world record sled dives haven’t been moved for over a decade, but memories live long in people’s minds about this type of diving. One area of freediving that appears from the outside to be dangerous that is demonstrated to be safe is deep freediving, including competitions. The top-end athletes are doing staggering depths, mind boggling to those outside the sport, but incidents are few and far between, and competitive diving is a safe sport. I remember dive shows years ago when freedivers and freediving were snubbed, told we were ‘mad’ and continually told it is something I couldn’t do as it is too scary, but nowadays I believe the community has warmed to us and can really see the benefits of freediving. The extreme side isn’t for everyone, and the recreational side is easily accessible and easy to learn too with a qualified instructor and school. Recreational diving takes several forms, but in its essence, it is simply diving breath-hold in a similar way to snorkelling.

64

This year I organised a recreational trip to the island of Ibiza for four of my Apneists UK club members. Ibiza is a wonderful island, arguably most well-known for its hedonistic nightlife. It has emerald water, an always blue sky, and more than 50 wonderful beaches to discover.

We stayed just outside San Antonio Bay, far enough outside to avoid the party crowd. We did lots of activities during the week, including line diving, cave diving, recreational freediving, spearfishing and trekking. The five of us had our own villa, which was a great space for stretching, relaxing, having a barbeque for the fish we caught and general socialisation. Much better than a sterile hotel room.

The first dives during the week saw us line diving.

This is exactly what it says on the tin. It is diving straight down, straight up on a rope. A buoy on the surface for support and safety, a plate at the bottom set to the depth the diver wishes to do, and those diving the line wear a lanyard to keep them with the line, so they don’t lose it, and can be pulled up if needed. We meet each other on deep dives at maybe a third to half of the maximum depth and safety each other on the way up. Most of the group were diving between 20m-30m deep. One had dived deeper previously but was on the trip getting warmed up for future diving trips away.

Line diving is about trying to dive perfectly to any given depth, with good preparation of mind and body, getting relaxed, having an overall strategy to achieve a depth in terms of rest, technique, diet, mental preparation, equalisation, breath up, and having confidence you can do the dive due to only increasing successful dives by small incremental increases in depth, or consolidating while practising specific skills.

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Many times, improvements are only by one metre or two from previous personal bests when water conditions are good, and the athlete is physically/mentally in a good place.

On one of our days we revisited the Cave of Light. This is situated in a small area of coastline between San Antonio and Port De San Miguel. Surrounded by cliff tops, the Caves of Light can be accessed via a ‘chimney’ into the water, or from outside the cave from the sea with a short underwater swim at a depth of around 6m deep. The word ‘cave’ conjures up images of dark and gloomy dangerous places in some people’s minds, but this is a cavern full of streams of bright blue light, you are on the surface and able to breath fresh air fed regularly from openings from outside, it is an amphitheatre of sounds and light rays, a beautiful inspiring place. You must work out the right time of day to dive it as the light is fed through a hole in the roof, which only starts

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to fill the dive site at certain times when the sun is in the correct position. You can watch a tiny beam of light the size of a hand start coming through, which grows and grows into a room full of rays over a couple of hours. It is easy diving once in there as it is only maybe 14m deep to the floor, with plenty of video and photo opportunities. If you ever go though, remember to put everything down for a while and just savour the moment. We finished our day there outside the cave doing some recreational diving and some spearing to collect fish for our evening meal on the barbeque at the villa that night.

The trip was a success, everyone bringing back personal bests or improvements in their diving, it had a great chilledout feel, and you only get a sense of the party life when you drive through San Antonio at night, but if that is an aspect you enjoy, it is there for you. Ibiza has a lot to offer outside the perception people have of it, much like freediving. n

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FREEDIVING GEAR GUIDE SALVIMAR FLUYD PURE SWIM ONE-PIECE 2.5MM WETSUIT | SRP: £165-£229 Steve Millard: This suit was designed for sea swimming, snorkelling, triathlon, swimming pool use and freediving disciplines. This is another really good quality product from Salvimar. The company is always careful to make sure that their products are tested by elite athletes in their respective sports, athletes like Davide Carrera, for example, and the results show this in the thought which has gone into design.

Aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, this is certainly a quality product. The stretch-nylon-lined inside gives great strength to the suit to avoid complete tears, but still maintains comfort and elasticity. The outer smooth skin material is a medium-density neoprene and is incredibly warm, but despite being 2.5mm is still elastic enough to allow easy breathing and movement in the water for swimming and freediving disciplines such as static, and dynamic with or without fins.

The forearms, neck and calves are HP super-coated, comfortable to wear and so far, I have had no scratches or rubs from the suit. The underarms are made from an extra-stretchy layer aiding the ability to lift the arms for swimming without resistance.

As you would expect, thought has gone into both male and female sizings and design, it is available in four main sizes for each gender - extra small, small, medium and large.

The zipper is high quality, a YKK superior zip, with a salt-resistant plastic slider - perfect hold, while minimising sliding friction. This neoprene suit is strongly suggested for all aquatic sports in warm water and when you need to be free to move.

It has a ‘HT weld system’ at the joints for thermal optimisation, it is a really smooth finish for good hydrodynamics and after several months of use, no sign of the welds giving way, which is a good sign for a long-lasting suit.

One word of warning for all suits of this type - they rip easily with any pull on the outer material with nails, even small nails. The suit comes with a small set of gloves for protection, USE THEM! - otherwise you will get small nail holes which deteriorate the suit. Beginners beware!

Be careful, it is a common problem with these performance suits.

In summary, this is a quality wetsuit suitable for freediving, snorkelling and swimming in warm water or swimming pools. It is durable and flexible, and I would describe it at the performance end of the scale.

Pricey, but worth the price tag. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk

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Classy diving Bermuda might be seen as a rich person’s playground, but as Stuart Philpott discovered, it more than deserves its title of ‘wreck diving capital of the Atlantic’.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART PHILPOTT

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ermuda is far from being an average diving holiday destination. It’s a classy little number regularly visited by the rich and famous. Even Ricardo, my taxi driver, was wearing a tailored Versace shirt! During the short tenminute hotel transfer, Ricardo pointed out a long line of PJs parked beside the runway. For the unrefined members of the diving public, PJs are not pyjamas, it’s the abbreviation for private jets. I was starting to get the sweats. Maybe I had come slightly underdressed? The sum total of my baggage consisted of dive kit, underpants, shorts and T-shirts (all clean and ironed, I might add). There was not one piece of designer gear in sight. Did my Suunto dive watch have the same street cred as a Patek Philippe?

Made up of around 181 islands, islets and rocky outcrops, Bermuda covers an area of some 54 sq km, situated in the Atlantic Ocean not the Caribbean Sea, which is a common misconception. Ricardo told me that the 60,000 or so residents were subjected to some very unusual laws and regulations. Car ownership is limited to one per family,

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although there is no limit put on the amount of mopeds and motorbikes up to 150cc. The speed limit is restricted to 20 mph and cars drive on the left, same as the UK. No rental cars are allowed, so tourists have to use other modes of transport. House roofs have to be painted white and rain water collected in cellar holding tanks (water is a very expensive commodity as there is no natural supply). Walls can be a variety of pastel shades including blue, green, beige and lemon, which gives the island an extremely ‘clean, fresh look’. Just to round off my list of in-the-field observations there seemed to be no shortage of white sandy beaches and I even noticed the odd pair of traditional pink Bermuda shorts (complete with long socks and shoes) creeping into view.

With more than 300 known shipwrecks scattered around the islands, Bermuda has been crowned ‘wreck diving capital of the Atlantic’. There was no way of exploring them all in a week, so I focused on the 12 most-popular wrecks and a number of reef/swim-through sites. My time was split between two of the five resident dive centres. Triangle Diving

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The side-paddle steamer was used as a blockade runner during the American Civil War supplying the Confederate troops with food, guns, ammunition and other vital supplies Some of the wrecks are well broken up, but are swarming with marine life

on the east side was my first port of call, followed by Dive Bermuda further to the west. One of Bermuda’s top lawyers, Mark Diel, owned most of the centres. The outfit at Tucker’s Point wasn’t yet part of Mark’s portfolio, but I am reliably informed this will be under new management by the end of 2018. Mark is very much hand’s on. He is currently a PADI AI and works as a dive guide during the weekends.

The 3.5-star Grotto Bay Beach Resort had a distinctive colonial feel, and to my relief, was in no way pretentious. Most of the rooms had balconies overlooking the clear blue waters of the bay. This turned out to be the ideal chill-out spot for après dive G&Ts. Triangle Diving is actually based in the hotel grounds, which made my life very easy.

They offer more than 18 dive sites along the northeast and southeast side of Bermuda.

There are no shore dives apart from training dives in the shallow sandy cove fronting the hotel. Mark said that April through to early June was probably the best time for diving. Water temperature would only reach 15-21 degrees C, but underwater visibility usually tops 30 metres. July through to mid-September is the silly season for tourists. During this time the water temperature

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is way up in the high 20s degree C, so standard diving attire is a pair of shorts and a rash vest, but on the downside there is more likely to be plankton reducing visibility. All of the dive centres offered a two-tank morning dive. Afternoon dives were usually booked up for try dives and training courses.

My first dive was at a wreck called the Cristobal Colon.

The 151-metre-long luxury Spanish cruise liner hit the reef at full speed in 1936. When all attempts to pull her off failed, she was salvaged by the Bermudan government as well as half of the local population (illegally, I might add). The US military used her for bombing practice during World War Two, which near-on flattened all that was left. The wreck covers a wide debris field and includes many distinctive features, including the boilers, turbine engines, prop shafts and parts of the bow. The best picture opportunities turned out to be a huge prop lying on the seabed and a bathtub inside the bow. At a maximum depth of only 15m, there was plenty of time for exploration.

After an hour’s surface interval we jumped in at another wreck site called the King George, which turned out to be one of my favourites. The 52-metre-long dredger was sunk in

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1930 as an artificial reef project. The wreck now lies upright and mostly intact at a maximum depth of 18m. The whole topside superstructure is swathed in white tunicates and giant-sized anemones. The hull is perfect for penetration with plenty of entry and exit points. The gantries, engine room and stairways are interesting features as well as two porcelain toilets. There is no mooring buoy attached which might be the reason why there were so many fish darting about, the local fishermen hadn’t found her! But be aware, the wreck is covered in a layer of fine silt so poor finning will instantly obliterate any visibility.

The following day Philippe Rouja, curator of historic wrecks, took me on a private tour of Bermuda’s mostpublicised dive site, the Marie Celestia (not to be confused with the mysterious Mary Celeste). The sidepaddle steamer was used as a blockade runner during the American Civil War supplying the Confederate troops with food, guns, ammunition and other vital supplies. Several years ago a significant historical find was discovered inside the ship’s forward hold. A number of items, including five corked bottles of wine, were retrieved. The wreck lies on sand at a maximum depth of 18m. The paddle wheels are probably the most-identifiable feature. I watched Philippe pick up a lump of coal from the seabed. Later he explained that the blockade runners used a higher grade smokeless Danielle and Alan strike a pose on the stern of Forceful

coal so they could sneak past enemy lines undetected.

Halfway through my stay, I transferred to the 4.5-star Fairmont Southampton. This is a very plush-looking hotel with huge gardens, swimming pool, private beach and an 18-hole golf course. In the morning I took the shuttle bus down to Dive Bermuda, which is the resident PADI five-star IDC centre offering seven wreck dives and 15 reef dives, mostly within a 15-minute boat journey. On my first dive I was guided around the Hermes, an old USC buoy tender sitting upright at a maximum depth of 25m. The 50-metre, 254-ton ship was pushed onto the reef during a violent storm which eventually led to her sinking. I used Danielle Manfra as a model and her long flowing blonde hair really complimented my pictures.

We then ventured over to a site called Two Tugs. Tug One was the 23-metre Forceful, which sits upright against the reef at a maximum depth of 17m. There are doorways leading to the cabin area and down to the engine room. The bridge still has the throttle controls on show, which makes a great photo opportunity. There isn’t much growth on the hull, so it’s still possible to read the ship’s name and also the word ‘Bermuda’ across her stern. The second tug, King, lies on the reef about 100 metres away. She was sunk in 1984 and is around 17 metres long. The wreck lies intact and listing to starboard.

My trip wouldn’t have been complete without a dive on the four-masted schooner Constellation. The wreck was made famous back in the late 1970s, when Peter Benchley’s movie The Deep was filmed on location. The story revolves around a couple of visiting tourists (Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte) who find thousands of morphine ampules lying inside a shipwreck. But this wasn’t just fictitious - the Constellation really was carrying a large consignment of medical supplies.

Although a little dated, the movie is still worth a watch, especially for Jacqueline Bisset’s risqué wet T-shirt scenes, which instantly elevated her to superstardom. Before the dive,

The wreck was made famous back in the late 1970s, when Peter Benchley’s movie The Deep was filmed on location Danielle next to a huge prop

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Alan shows off two intact glass bottles

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Danielle doing her best The Deep pose Coral growth is amazing on the older wrecks

boat skipper Heinz showed me a variety of ornate-looking glass ampoules that had been retrieved from the wreck.

They were all different shapes, sizes and colours. Heinz said the ampoules had been filled with a variety different drugs, including iodine, penicillin, insulin and adrenaline as well as the highly sort after morphine.

The Constellation set sail from New York on 19 July 1943 bound for Venezuela. She carried 2,000 tons of general cargo, including building materials and 300 cases of whisky. The ship began to take on water so diverted to Bermuda for repair work. On 31 July she hit the reef and sank while trying to find the harbour entrance. A salvage company managed to retrieve some of the cargo and sell it at public auction in Hamilton, Bermuda’s capital, but a considerable amount remained undisturbed on the seabed. The Navy also got involved but they only took the 300 cases of whisky!

Ex-pat Alan Pearce accompanied me down to a massive pile of 20kg cement bags. There must have been thousands lying over the seabed. Alan disappeared behind part of the wooden hull and pulled out two small glass bottles that must have been part of the ship’s cargo. They were quite plain-looking designs so probably weren’t carrying anything particularly special. Most of the overlying superstructure had long since disintegrated. Inquisitive parrotfish, trumpetfish and sergeant majors followed us through the wreckage. Maximum depth was around 12m, so there was plenty of ambient light with underwater visibility topping 30 metres.

Close by is another wreck called the Montana. The 60-metre paddle steamer/gunboat was used as a Confederate blockade runner during the Civil War. She made frequent runs from North Carolina to Bermuda and then across the Atlantic to England. In December 1863 the ship was returning from England with a full cargo when she hit a reef and sank. Alan guided me over to the skeletal remains of the giant paddle

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Some wrecks are quite intact

wheels adorned with soft and hard corals. The bow was the only overhead section. I managed to fire off a few action shots of Alan peering into the hold before the silt, disturbed by our exhaled bubbles, rained down on us.

Bermuda has the reputation of being a ‘posh’ person’s paradise but don’t be put off by this fallacy. The dive crew were completely down to earth and friendly, as were the local ex-pat community, the hotel staff and fellow tourists I encountered. There are always daily wreck dives. Some are well broken up and have been partially consumed by the reef. But at the other end of the scale I got to see some fully intact artificial reef projects. Most of the dive sites are no deeper than 18m and I didn’t go into deco once during my stay, so it’s far from hardcore and anything tech is difficult to find. Most of the visiting divers I met didn’t opt for an ‘intense’ itinerary, choosing a more casual approach. Eating out can be expensive, but I found restaurants, cafes and bars to suit all pocket sizes. n WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

01353 659999 © World Pictures / Photoshot

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

As a diver, it sometimes seems there’s no getting away from plastic. Many components of our kit are plastic-based and essential to the job at hand, but we are also acutely aware of the impact plastic pollution – especially single-use plastic – is having on the marine environment. According to the Marine Conservation Society, some areas of our ocean contains six times more microplastics than plankton. This is a frightening statistic but together we can turn the tide on the amount of plastic debris reaching our seas.

A DIVER’S GUIDE TO PLASTIC Here are just a few simple ways as a diver you can help ‘sink’ the problem of single-use plastic…

On dive trips take only essential multi-use plastic (i.e. your kit!) on to your RIB, hardboat or shore dive. When it comes to single-use plastic on dive trips, adopt the ‘DIY, swap or ditch’ approach: Take a packed lunch in re-usable or recyclable packaging and swap that on-the-go latte for your own reusable coffee mug or flask. Keep hydrated with a reusable water bottle –ask the skipper if they provide water refills and try to avoid disposable plastic water bottles wherever you can. If it’s not possible, check the bottle before you buy to ensure it can be easily recycled, but do try to re-use it for as long as you can. Try to avoid carton drinks and ditch the plastic straw altogether.

Don’t forget the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra when it comes to your kit. Every diver’s kit suffers from wear and tear, and running repairs and replacements are the norm on any dive trip. Maintaining your equipment, repairing kit and recycling what you can will ensure that you still get your dive while helping to protect the environment.

Look after your kit to prolong its shelf life. Kit maintenance is an essential part of every diver’s routine,

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but don’t forget to pay attention to the perishable and throwaway parts, such as neck and wrist seals, mask straps, fins straps, mouthpieces, etc. Rinse them properly with freshwater after each use, keep lubricated (when needed) and dry (when storing) as well as out of direct sunlight and you should get plenty of good use out of them.

Cable ties, O-rings, broken fin straps and on-board diver plastic waste can find their way into the sea – dispose of responsibly and check the deck before you leave the dive boat for any stragglers that may have been dropped (it doesn’t take much for them to be washed overboard).

When the time eventually comes to replace, make sure you dispose of unfixable or no longer usable items or kit parts carefully. If you are upgrading and your old kit is still perfectly usable, pass it on – donate to your club or to new members who are looking to get going with their kit.

Working together as a club, pledge to reduce your collective use of single-use plastic, both on trips and socials.

Why not join in the BSAC Marine Clean – collect, capture and upload your Marine Clean 2018 pictures and success stories. From a photo of the litter you collect, to a pic of your Underwater Litterpick or Beach Clean team in action, share your Marine Clean efforts on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #bsacmarineclean, or enter your Marine Clean photos using this form: www.bsac.com/ entermarineclean to show your support and be entered into the prize draw. If you’re not a BSAC member you can still enter. You’ll be in with a chance of winning an Apeks regulator worth over £500! The winner will be selected at random after 30 September 2018. View Marine Clean 2018 entries at: www.bsac.com/bsacmarinecleanpictures

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Welcome to all the new SDI/TDI dive centres that have joined this month.

Diving Squid in London, TGB Dive Services in Totnes, Devon and Go-Dive in Derby have all crossed over to SDI/TDI in the last month. There is definitely something in the air and we warmly welcome these great dive centres to the SDI/TDI family.

It’s not long now until TEKCamp at Vobster on 3-6 September. This unique event is almost booked out, with just a few two- and three-day packages left. If you want to find out more about tech diving, then this is a perfect opportunity. There will be plenty of TDI instructors in the instructing team, including Mark Powell, Adam Wood, Kieran Hatton and this year’s international guest instructor, Beatrice Rivoira. Beatrice is an OC and CCR Instructor from Italy and is passionate about the application of technical diving techniques in marine biology and oceanography.

There will be a number of SDI Instructor Courses held in the UK during the last half of 2018. We have events scheduled at NDAC, Central London, Manchester and at SDI’s UK offices in Devon. If you are interested in becoming an instructor and want to join the SDI family, then get in touch. We also have a number of crossovers running on a monthly basis, so if you are already an instructor for another agency but want to teach for an agency that values your business and allows you the flexibility to structure your courses in a way that suits you and your students, then get in touch. www.sditdi.com

WAPSAC Congratulations to the following new divers from WAPSAC on passing their Elementary Diver exam - Jon Speight, Alex Speight and Chris Carr (L-R).

Welcome to the world of scuba diving.

BIDDULPH SUB AQUA CLUB Congratulations Maciej Kowalski, a member of Biddulph Sub Aqua Club on passing your Elementary Diver exam.

WYPSAC Congratulations to Andy Nicholls from WYPSAC on passing his Nitrox course.

ILKESTON AND KIMBERLEY SUB AQUA CLUB Members of this active diving club recently took a liveaboard trip to the Red Sea to dive the northern wrecks and reefs. This gave recently qualified members their first experience of diving these beautiful waters and they were suitably impressed! A great time was had by all and we understand a return trip is already being planned.

STEVENAGE SUB AQUA ASSOCIATION Nine members of Stevenage Sub Aqua Club recently learnt the skills of administering oxygen to diving casualties and basic first aid. Valuable skills to learn although we hope they’ll never have to be put to use. www.saa.org.uk

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Over the last weeks, the world watched drama unfold in Thailand with the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave. It was an awe-inspiring example of humanity at its best, focused on a single noble purpose. Setting aside titles and differences, some of the world’s top cave divers and other international experts selflessly converged there with their skills and resources.

The Thai government wisely leveraged this, mobilising its SEALs and internal resources, enabling the best-ofthe-best to collaborate and apply their respective skills creatively and effectively in a difficult, dynamic situation.

To say that I take pride in what the dive community did is an understatement – this was diving’s Apollo 13, action and focus propelled by the unshakeable conviction that those boys would not die on diving’s watch. But, unlike Apollo 13, the rescuers had to go into ‘space’ themselves, and the tragic loss of the Thai SEAL Saman Gunan, highlights the difficulties, dangers and risks the rescuers faced and accepted.

On behalf of the global PADI family, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who was part of this – whether you hazarded the cave with the boys, or hauled cylinders to and from the site. To borrow from the Apollo 13 movie, it was ‘diving’s finest hour’. And, it took all of you to make it happen.

Drew Richardson, President and CEO, PADI Worldwide www.padi.com

On 8 July, RAID UK & Malta welcomed five new Open Circuit Instructors to the family upon successful completion of a RAID Instructor Exam. The five candidates from three different RAID dive centres spent two days being evaluated in classroom, confined and open water settings.

Renewal time is almost upon us for dive centres and RAID pro members.

To renew for 2018/19 from August, pro members should speak to their affiliated dive centre to organise their renewal before 1 October.

Dive centres should contact the RAID UK office directly to get the best deal on their fees. A reminder for instructors and Divemasters to upload their current HSE medical certificate to their online profile. Dive centres should also make sure the RAID UK office has details of their centre insurance. Dive centres should be working with their instructor, and Divemaster, teams to ensure their profile status is updated and accurate.

Don’t forget to keep checking the RAID UK blog page for upcoming RAID Connect events and much more.

These events are hosted by our dive centres across the country, with upcoming events planned in Plymouth, the Farne Islands and Gozo. www.diveraid.com

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EXPEDITION

ICE CAVE Byron Conroy jumped at the chance to explore a flooded ice cave high up on a glacier in Iceland, but first he had to get there – cue Super Jeeps and snowmobiles PHOTOGRAPHS BY BYRON CONROY

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very year in Iceland during the spring, rivers begin to form deep inside the glaciers. These rivers flow steadily throughout the summer as the temperature increases, gradually carving out a network of tunnels underneath the glacier’s surface. As the water speeds up, it gradually picks up sediment and rocks and comes out at the foot of the glacier as a sediment-rich light-brown color. Then, as winter approaches, the temperatures begin to plummet and the glaciers stop melting. Eventually, the rivers run dry and what’s left behind is one of the most-popular attractions in Iceland – an ice cave.

An ice cave can come in different colours depending on the ice age and amount of air trapped within the ice; the most intriguing of all is the ‘blue ice’.

This year, Magmadive Iceland (www.magmadive.is) heard of an ice cave high up on the second largest ice cap in the country, Langjökull Glacier. The cave is at an altitude of 840 metres above sea level and can only be accessed by snowmobile.

During the spring months of April and May, Magmadive had heard of significant snow melt in the area that had led to one cave being flooded - being divers at heart, we had to check it out.

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The water which had been slowly leaking into the cave after rain and warmer days had been freezing instantly as it entered the cave and left behind a giant frozen pillar in the middle of the cave Deep inside the ice cave

supporting divers

supporting manufacturers

THE JOURNEY The Langjökull Glacier is situated on the west side of Iceland within the Highlands, and the literal translation means the ‘long glacier’. In order to get to the cave, though, we needed a few different modes of transport. To get up the mountain, we used a modified Mercedes Sprinter, also known in Iceland as a Super Jeep! These vehicles have been heavily modified to take 46inch tyres and have adjustable inflation on the tyres to enable them to tackle the tough terrain of Iceland, though loading the equipment into the Super Jeep was an adventure itself!

After a very bumpy two-hour ride from the city of Reykjavik into the Icelandic highlands, we reached the snowline at around 400 metres above sea level. This meant the switch onto the next mode of transport - the snowmobile.

We transferred all of the dive equipment onto a trailer and changed into our undersuits and drysuits and then boarded the snowmobiles. This was the first time any of us had used a snowmobile in a drysuit, and it turned out they were the perfect outfit as the air temperature gradually began to plummet as we drove higher up towards the glacier – it dropped from 15 degrees C in the city to -2 degrees C on the top of the glacier.

After 40 minutes of snowmobiling, we had reached our destination. The cave was situated at 850 metres above sea level in the base of a glacier valley, and as we approached the cave we could not see the entrance due to all the snow.

Our guide Kuba, who is both a snowmobile guide and also Magmadive’s in-house ice-diving instructor, dug out the entrance and we finally got to look inside.

This was the first time any of us had used a snowmobile in a drysuit, and it turned out they were the perfect outfit as the air temperature gradually began to plummet as we drove higher up towards the glacier An impressive Super Jeep

Enroute to the ice cave

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Exploring the ice cave

THE DIVE We shone a torch into the pitch-black entrance and about ten metres below the surface we could see the water line and the start of the cave. The dive is both an altitude and an overhead environment dive, add in the extreme cold of both the air and the water and we knew this would be a challenge.

The entrance to the cave was steep and made of snow and ice, so we decided the best thing to do was to lower the twinsets into the water and put them on inside the cave before descending under the water line. After lowering both the twinsets, cameras and lights into the cave, we went down and shone a torch under the water’s surface. To our amazement, the water was crystal clear. For anyone who has dived the famous Silfra fissure, this glacier is actually the water source for Silfra and the water itself was just as clear as this famous site.

The tension and excitement in the small space began to build as we could not wait to get inside the cave and check it out. In order to conduct the dive safely, we used ice diving protocols and connected both divers together vis a piece of rope that could be adjusted by the main line tender. The rope was then held by a surface support, so via a line tugging communication method we always had surface contact.

As we then began the decent, we first had to pass a narrow chamber approximately one metre wide in single file. Having only our canister lights on at this point, the cave was still very dark and claustrophobic. We swam through the narrow opening, then the cave opened up into its main chamber. At this point I decided to turn on two Keldan video lights and the whole cave came to life. We could see the whole cave lit up and the texture and colours of the ice popped out at us - it was hard to maintain a calmness as the cave was one of the most-beautiful things I have ever seen. It had a feeling of the Mexican Cenotes with the clarity of the water, but the textures and colours of the ice were something else.

As we headed over to the left side of the cave, we found the first of two frozen waterfalls. This waterfall had built up throughout the winter months while the cave was dry. The water which had been slowly leaking into the cave after rain and warmer days had been freezing instantly as it entered

Powerful lights were essential

the cave and left behind a giant frozen pillar in the middle of the cave. I decided to use the video lights to light up the cave and began taking photographs. To have the opportunity to photograph something so unique was incredible, and there was also the sense of exploration, knowing we were the first people ever to dive this cave and see what we were seeing.

While returning to the main entrance I was able to capture the sense of blue in the ice on the ceiling. The ice is blue due to the air trapped inside as the glacier was formed over hundreds of years of snow fall being compressed.

As we came to the surface, we were greeted by the rest of the team and they immediately asked what it was like.

They could tell by the look on my face that they just had to go in and see it for themselves. For me having been lucky enough to dive all over the world, this was one of the most-challenging and exciting dives I had ever done. To be able to see things that nobody else had ever seen before, and to dive in an environment I have never seen anyone else dive before, was an unbelievable experience. Let’s hope there are many more ice caves for us to find next spring! n

www.narkedat90.com

What’s New

ZEAGLE SCOPE MONO (SRP: £59.95)

The Zeagle Scope Mono is a low-volume, over-moulded single-lens frameless design mask which benefits from a large nose pocket and a wide field of vision.

It has a soft-touch silicone face seal for optimal comfort, and a one-button thumb-operated buckle for simple and easy adjustment. It also folds flat, so perfect as a travel or back-up mask.

What makes the mask stand out from the crowd is the elastic ‘ski-mask-style’ strap, with a built-in snorkel keeper. It comes standard with a grey elastic strap, but there are multiple colour options available with the strap/lens retainer for those who want to brighten up their kit. www.zeagle.com

MARES EPIC 82X (SRP: £545)

The Epic 82X is the new top-of-the-line regulator from Mares, combining the traditional advantages of the company’s regulators with the latest-generation technological innovations and an exclusive design.

The balanced diaphragm first stage incorporates a 360-degree swivel turret, and has a unique design for the high-pressure ports allowing you to orientate them to your preference regardless of the first-stage position. Plus, the design delivers a ‘Natural DFC’ (Dynamic Flow Control), elevating air flow through all of the low-pressure ports.

It also has AST (Auto-Sealing Technology), which prevents water intrusion into the first stage.

The pneumatically balanced second stage features the ‘motorcycle-throttle’ venturi control and wide pivoting purge button first seen on the highly regarded Fusion regulator, both easy to use even while wearing thick gloves. It also comes with a Superflex hose. www.mares.com 82

DIRZONE REELS

DIRZone 120-metre reel (SRP: £155) The DIRZone 120-metre reel features – as you would imagine – 120 metres of non-floating line, and a hardcoated aluminium frame with locking screw. It is designed so that the line cannot come off the spool. It also comes with a stainless-steel double-ender clip.

DIRZone Flyer Delrin reel (SRP: £99) This DIRZone Flyer reel is made out of tough but lightweight Delrin and is small and convenient, yet it holds 45 metres of non-floating line, and comes with a stainlesssteel double-ender clip. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG AQUALUX TORCHES (SRP: £95-£164)

The AquaLux 5000 (£164) has a heavy-duty aluminium body and features three CREE XLamp XP-G LEDs pumping out 1,500 lumen. It is USB rechargeable (using Li-on rechargeable batteries) and has a double optical system (lens and mirror) and zoom adjustment focus. There is also a dimmer switch The AquaLux 2600 (£140) also has an aluminium body but has one CREE XLamp XP-L High Density LED putting out 500 lumen. It has the same features as the Aqualux 5000 – USB rechargeable, double optical system (lens and mirror), dimmer switch and zoom adjustment focus.

The AquaLux 1500 (£95) also has an aluminium body and one CREE XLamp XP-L High Density LED emitting 300 lumen. www.aqualung.com/uk

OMER AQUA (SRP: £31)

ZEAGLE MARINA (SRP: £369.95) The Zeagle Marina is a women’s wraparound jacket-style design with functionality and personality that’s unrivalled in the women’s category.

The vest is exclusively designed for women: hard webbing in the backplate instead of a bulky hard plastic backplate, and extra padding in the lower lumbar and neck areas provide fit, comfort and function all-inone. Marina takes Zeagle’s renowned durability and blends beautiful design aesthetics for women.

Designed for women: Bladder pattern is cut higher on the back and sides for optimal fit and comfort Reliable and practical: Hard webbing backplate with dual tank band (high and low), and additional cinch-down strap tank band for ultimate security Extra support: Extra padded areas designed for women in lumbar and neck Improved: Updated weight system allows for easier loading and up to 10lbs ditchable weight on each side Inclusive: Wide range of sizing from XS – L Six stainless-steel D-rings. www.zeagle.com

FOURTH ELEMENT DRY-SAC (SRP: £12.90-£22.50)

The Aqua mask has been designed and developed as a tool for deep spearfishing and freediving. It features a 110 cm3 inner volume, which makes it one of the smallest masks on the market, reducing the amount of air used to equalise it.

With the use of pure 60 shores silicone, it was possible to obtain a great seal with comfort. The nose area is characterised by a rough texture that is designed to improve the grip when equalising. To obtain a good visual field despite the small size of the mask, an accurate distance of the lenses and their geometry was studied.

The strap is adjustable by the two clips on the side of the mask, and the strap is made out of a more-rigid silicone to increase its durability. The strap ensures that the mask always adheres to the face, even when the ascending speed of the diver increases. www.omersub.com

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

These super-lightweight dry-sacs feature a roll-top closure system, and are ideal for keeping equipment dry thanks to waterproof taped seams.

Available in five-litre, 15-litre, 20-litre and 30-litre sizes, these are handy for general storage on the boat and anywhere precious items might get wet, or for compartmentalising gear within larger bags. www.fourthelement.com

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Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: BUDGET BACK-INFLATE BCDS

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.

BUDGET BACK-INFLATE BCDS (UNDER £400) This issue, after a break last month for our women’s special, we conclude our group tests of back-inflate BCDs, this time looking at the budget end of the range. Back-inflate BCDs - and we are not talking about backplate-and-wing set-ups, they will be reviewed later in the year - are increasingly finding favour with recreational divers who like the uncluttered design of these BCDs, and the fact that the basic design (with the buoyancy all at the rear) makes for a lighter-weight BCD than a more-traditional jacket-style BCD, which means these are ideal for UK divers who also like to travel to more-exotic locations and want a BCD that can handle both cold- and warm-water diving.

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • AQUA LUNG OUTLAW • HOLLIS • MARES • OCEANIC BIOLITE • SCUBAPRO LITEHAWK

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Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis

www.viviandivecentre.com

Date tested: 24/5/2018 Water temp: 8 degrees C WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG OUTLAW | SRP: £355 The Outlaw is the dinky little brother of the Rogue, which was reviewed in June. Both utilise the unique ModLock connectors, and as you can get various sizes in the shoulder and waist straps, you can mix and match to get the perfect fit. There is only one set of connections on the back to connect either nondumpable trim pockets or a set of SureLock II integrated weight pockets. There are numerous webbing D-rings, and a large plastic Karabiner for accessories.

The Rogue got the thumbs up from the Test Team, and the Outlaw has been garnering rave reviews in Long Term Test. It is more than capable of handling cold-water diving - we took it to Iceland! - but is in its element in warmer waters. You have so little around your front and sides, it is almost as if you are not wearing a BCD at all. However, the small wing gives plenty of support underwater, and the vertically-mounted integrated weights fall easily to hand. We also like the metal tankband clamp, which is simple to use and effective. www.aqualung.com/uk

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.8kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Robustly constructed but extremely lightweight, backto-basics BCD that is ideal for travelling with, but equally is more than capable of dealing with cold-water diving conditions.

SCORE

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WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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HOLLIS LTS | SRP: £379.95 Hollis make some nice gear, and the red-and-black colour combo is very striking. The LTS - which stands for Light Travel System - is a durable, well-made BCD that exudes quality. It incorporates features from its more-expensive sibling, the HD200 (reviewed in June), but keeps the weight down to less than 2.5kg. It is made from 1000D nylon, has chest and hip D-rings, boasts a bungeed bladder with plenty of lift, and has dumpable integrated weight pockets. More than capable of coldwater diving as well as visits to warmer waters.

The LTS is an eye-catching back-inflate BCD, and as soon as you pick it up you can feel the quality. Everything feels built to last. We liked the pinch-clip-and-velcrosecured integrated weight pockets - unzip to load with lead, and in the case of emergency, squeeze the pinch clip and tear down the Velcro and the weight is gone.

Simple but effective. Nice and stable underwater, and well-position D-rings mean you can even clip on a small stage cylinder with no issues. www.hollis.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.26kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: No VERDICT: We have always liked the look of Hollis gear, and the LTS follows the family tradition in black-and-red. Well-made, robust and capable, and ideal for UK use and travelling abroad.

SCORE

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WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

Mask, Fins & Snorkel Packages

Shot FX Fins Linea Mask* Aquilon Purge Snorkel*

X Shot Fins Reveal X2 Mask Aquilon Purge Snorkel *

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Package 2

www.aqualung.com/uk Terms and conditions apply, ÂŁ99 per package, see website for full details. *Selected colours only.

MARES BOLT SLS | SRP: £345 The Bolt SLS BCD is one of the heavier units on test, but it still tips the scales at less then 4kg, which shows the advantages of this design of BCD. It has the full-size SLS integrated weight system, with its ‘green-for-go’ window when it is locked-and-loaded, and also nondumpable trim pockets on the tank camband. It has plenty of D-rings, and a zippered drop-down cargo pocket. The bungeed bladder has decent lift but sits snugly on either side of the cylinder. There are two pull dumps - one on the right shoulder, and the other on the lower right-hand side.

The Bolt SLS is quite a chunky back-inflate BCD, but it is still much lighter than traditional jacket-style BCDs. I like the Mares integrated weight system - it is quite large, but many will feel secure with the visual confirmation you get when the pockets are locked in place properly.

This also has a whistle built into the chest strap pinchclip, and a neat drop-down cargo pocket that can take a spool and small DSMB. Good-looking and well-made. www.mares.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 3.9kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: The Bolt SLS is a good-looking BCD with some neat features, including the SLS integrated weight system, a comfy padded backpack, and efficient pull dumps.

SCORE

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DIVE IN THE FAST LANE

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Specific training for the Suex range will use the Suex ADV Speciality Outline and is a comprehensive overview of the range including basic operations, care and handling.

Contact Nautilus on the below details if you or your school are interested in partaking Vikki Batten

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OCEANIC BIOLITE | SRP: £329.95 The Biolite is almost as stripped back-to-basics as the Aqua Lung Outlaw. It is made from 1000D Cordura, so is very tough, but it is also very lightweight. The integrated weight pockets can handle over 3kg each side, and on the back there are non-dumpable trim pockets that can take another couple of kilos each.

There are webbing D-rings and a Karabiner for attaching accessories, and a nifty emergency whistle built into the top chest strap pinch-clip. The bungeed wing has decent lift, and there is a depth-compensating waistband strap. The low-profile backpack means you can even fold it in half when packing your dive bag.

The Biolite packs up small but in the water performs as well as a bigger jacket. Plenty of support both on the dive and on the surface, and very comfortable. It comes in a good price, and works well in cold water as well as warm. The pinch-clip-and-Velcro integrated weight pockets are simple but effective. Some neat touches, including that whistle in the chest pinch-clip. www.oceanicworldwide.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.49kg | INTEGRATED: Yes | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Lightweight but durable, the Biolite is certainly one to consider if you want a travel jacket that you can also use right here in the UK.

SCORE

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SCUBAPRO LITEHAWK | SRP: £295 The Scubapro Litehawk is one of the lighter BCDs in this test, and it achieves this by being made from 420 denier nylon - which is light yet strong - and replacing some components which are normally metal with plastic alternatives, such as the weightbelt-style clip on the webbing waist strap. It has two pull-dump valves, one on the right shoulder and one on the lower back righthand side. There are non-dumpable trim pockets on the back, and two pinch-clip-secured accessory pockets on either side of the waistband. There are four D-rings for attaching accessories, and the bladder is kept nice and snug by bungee cord.

The Litehawk comes in at under £300, so it is a real bargain, but it doesn’t exude the same ‘feel’ as some of its rivals, and this could be down to some of the plastic components, which feel a little - well - cheap. That said, it performs well in the water, and has efficient dump valves and power inflator (always been a fan of the latter). The pockets are quite small but easy to access. www.scubapro.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.5kg | INTEGRATED: No | TRIM POCKETS: Yes VERDICT: Budget-priced but at the expensive of some components, but still a solid-performing BCD with Scubapro legendary power inflator and pull dumps.

SCORE

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VERDICT There are more and more back-inflate BCDs coming to market, as divers continue to realise the benefits of having the buoyancy at the rear, leaving the front uncluttered. All of the BCDs here performed well in the water, and none would leave you in the lurch.

The Best Value was a battle between the Mares Bolt SLS and the Oceanic Biolite. The Scubapro Litehawk was cheaper than both of these, but felt it, whereas both the Mares and Oceanic were good value for money but still felt solid units. It was a close run thing, but in the end the Mares just nipped ahead for the title.

The Choice Award was a different matter and saw the Aqua Lung Outlaw go clear ahead of its competitors. The Test Team liked how it was a truly stripped-down rearinflate BCD, yet it still managed to mount the SureLock II integrated weight system neatly around behind the diver on either side of the cylinder. Okay, some might not like the lack of pockets, or that plastic Karabiner, but there are enough webbing D-rings for accessories, and you can remove the latter if you don’t like it. Well-made, innovative and a strong performer.

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Long Term Test AQUA LUNG ROGUE

SHEARWATER RESEARCH TERIC

Mark Evans: The Aqua Lung Outlaw impressed us, and the Rogue is following in its footsteps. Built in a very similar fashion - with the innovative ModLock system the Rogue is also very streamlined and uncluttered, but it is perhaps more suited to UK or cold water diving as it can mount both integrated weight pockets and trim weight pockets at the same time. It also has drop-down Velcro INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2018 pockets, an octo holder and Suggested retail price: £455 mounting grommets for a Number of dives: 0 dive knife.

Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins www.aqualung.com/uk

MARES QUAD AIR Mark Evans: While the Quad Air doesn’t break the bank, coming in at a very walletfriendly £318, is a supremely capable little computer.

As the name suggests, it can handle hoseless air integration, but impressively it can deal with up to three transmitters.

Combine this with its multigas capabilities and you have a budget entrylevel technical diving unit on your hands. Certainly one to consider if you are watching the pennies. www.mares.com 94

Mark Evans: In fantastic news for Shearwater Research - and lousy news for me, for the time being at least the demand for the Teric has far outstripped what the company was envisaging - they got three months worth of production in just three days! So, I am down the queue for a test unit, and will be shelving the Long Term Test for the foreseeable future, reinstating it once I have one in-hand. www.shearwater.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: July 2018 Suggested retail price: £975 Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins

AQUASKETCH MINNO 1

INFORMATION Arrival date: May 2018 Suggested retail price: £318 Number of dives: 15 Time in water: 14 hrs 50 mins

Mark Evans: Some slates are not the easiest thing to use when clad in a bulky drysuit and wearing thick neoprene gloves or drygloves, but the Aquasketch Minno 1 has been well-thought-out and is suited to both cold- and warmwater diving.

The chunky Velcro-closing strap is big and robust, INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2018 and just the thing to securely fasten around your Suggested retail price: £35 Number of dives: 12 drysuited arm.

Time in water: 11 hrs 20 mins www.aquasketch.co.uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

MOMENTUM DEEP 6 Mark Evans: I like it when you look at a product and can see the attention to detail that has been applied to it. That is certainly apparent with the Momentum Deep 6 dive watch.

Only a little thing, but a niggle with watches for me is how the rubber loops to hold the end of the strap can slide around. The Deep 6 has a ridge on the end of the strap to stop one coming off, while the other INFORMATION Arrival date: June 2018 is secured between little Suggested retail price: £195 rubber notches. Neat and Number of dives: 3 efficient.

Time in water: 2 hrs 30 mins www.nautilusdiving.co.uk

APEKS RK3 HD Mark Evans: Had the RK3 HDs in the water a handful of times now, including two dives up at the Delph while shooting images for a forthcoming tech feature, sidemount v twinset. The fins provided plenty of power for when I needed to nip ahead of the group and prepare for a shot as they emerged from the gloom - buddy Kev Murphy actually said he could feel the thrust coming off them when I did a big frogkick.

They are also stumpy and wide, so backing up and moving around for photographs was no issue either. And that INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2018 orange! Boy, it sure shows Suggested retail price: £120 up when you are in murky Number of dives: 4 green plankton-rich water.

Time in water: 3 hrs 25 mins www.apeksdiving.com/uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

SUUNTO EON CORE

Mark Evans: One thing I am always conscious of when testing equipment is its useability. It is all well and good something looking the bomb, but if it doesn’t work, then it is a waste of time. The EON Core is a well-thought-out little unit, and I particularly like how it is constructed with the three push buttons for menu navigation mounted on the right-hand side. This makes it an absolute doddle to operate, with your thumb braced against the opposite side INFORMATION Arrival date: March 2018 and your forefinger on the Suggested retail price: £599 buttons. Even with gloves, Number of dives: 19 there are no problems.

Time in water: 18 hrs 50 mins www.suunto.com

AQUA LUNG OUTLAW Mark Evans: I have been very impressed with the Outlaw.

I normally dived a stripped-back, minimalistic wing-andharness combo, and so this was exactly my style.

With integrated weight pockets neatly slotted behind you either side of the cylinder tucked under the bladder, your front is totally uncluttered, and it just feels so slick in the water. There are plenty of webbing D-rings if you do want to attach a camera lanyard, etc, but otherwise you can just revel INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2018 in how steamlined you feel Suggested retail price: £338 on a dive. Great unit for the Number of dives: 35 UK and abroad.

Time in water: 33 hrs 55 mins www.aqualung.com/uk 95

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HIGH-END REGULATORS RATED AND REVIEWED

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Philippines

Iceland:

TAKING THE

IRK E AND ICE WFIC Silfra, geotherm

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97

THE ZEN DIVER

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

THE MIRACLE THAT IS

THE PHILIPPINES ‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle.

The other is as if everything is a miracle’ – Albert Einstein PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARGO PEYTON / KIDS SEA CAMP INC.

L

et’s be honest, not all dive sites are the same. Some are just better, although I believe you can find beauty in all things.

Some creations of nature are just more beautiful.

This does not sound like a very Zen thing to say, but I think sometimes we are given moments to truly remember, if we have forgotten, the miracle of this amazing life.

And it is easy to forget how amazing life truly is. We get so busy watching TV, caught up in your own work drama or a friend relationship chaos, we don’t stop and smell the roses.

When you are diving in the Philippines, it is impossible — you have to smell the roses, because there are so many flowers.

It is that simple, the Philippines offers some of the best diving in the entire world. From whaleshark encounters in Oslob, to seeing alien creatures of all shapes, colours and sizes, to the turtle sanctuary at Apo Island. You are diving in a coral garden almost all the time.

Each year, our company Kids Sea Camp brings families to Sea Explorers at Pure Vida Resort in Dauin to

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experience the Philippines.

One of our clients is a former publisher of Skin Diver and Sport Diver magazines in the US, Carolyn Pascal Guarino, who has thousands of dives under her weightbelt. Most of her diving has been in the Caribbean.

“Tom, I’m in this constant state of awe,” she remarked after the second day of diving,” I keep waiting to be disappointed on one of the dives and instead I’m always amazed. The amounts of colour and abundance of marine life is hard to describe.”

She went on to reach a deeper level of wonderment, “This diving, makes you ponder what the creator was thinking, so many different kinds of corals, from the soft to the hard corals and so much of it. The same goes for the marine life.

It’s all so vast.”

“I have never thought what the creator was thinking about before when I was diving.” She laughed, “It’s just so overwhelming with creativity. It’s like God was showing off.”

This was my fourth trip to the Philippines and even after 80 dives, many returning to the same dive sites, I am always left with the same wonderment and sense of awe as my publisher friend.

It does feel like a miracle when you see a flamboyant cuttlefish, or you’re in a bait ball of thousands of jacks, or humbled with grace when you gently hover over a juvenile frogfish the size of a pea.

And in honour of Mr Einstein, the Philippines does seem like a cathedral where science and spirit have been

fused together at the hip to create an environment for divers to experience miracles on every dive.

So, today, just today, slow down and notice the stunning beauty of life all around you. Maybe it is a bee sucking nectar from a flower, the easy waving of a willow tree, or the smile of a loved one — the beauty is there. And just like diving take a breath, relax and enjoy the coral garden of your own life, one breath after another. Try to enjoy it all, one moment at a time, because you might miss the miracle of your life and the stunning beauty of life itself. n WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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