Scuba Diver May 2019

INTO A ‘DIVE ODYSSEY’

Q&A: GRAHAM BUCKINGHAM

GEAR: DIVE KNIVES

ANDY TORBET AND GEMMA SMITH TAKE US BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS SHORT

THE FOUNDER OF BITE-BACK TALKS ABOUT HIS EFFECTIVE SHARK CONSERVATION EFFORTS

BCD KNIVES AND CUTTING TOOLS ARE RATED AND REVIEWED BY THE TEAM

E x p e r i e n c e

WE FOLLOW THE COOPER CLAN ON THEIR EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY ADVENTURE

ISSUE 27 | MAY 19 | £3.25

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EDITOR’S NOTE ENTHRALLED BY THE MAGIC OF THE MIDDLE EAST I am not quite as much of a globe-trotter as I used be - two monthly editions of a magazine and a dive show to organise eat up your precious time - but I still get to head off on assignment a few times a year. I tend to try and spread my trips out so they are every three months or so, but as I write this I am about to head off on the second of three trips to the Middle East in seven weeks!

First up was a return to Sudan, a place I initially visited back in 2007. It was a place which held great memories for me, and while the shark action wasn’t up to the standards of 12 years ago, the shipwreck of the Umbria and the remnants of Cousteau’s Precontinent II experiment more than made up for the lack of ‘men in grey suits’. Look out for a full report later this year.

Next up in a few days is a return to Aqaba in Jordan, a place I first travelled to way back in 1999, shortly after I became a dive magazine editor. This is going to be more of an adventure week - mixing diving with trips to Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea - so I’ll tap into my inner Indiana Jones.

Finally, the last week of the Easter holidays sees me venturing to El Quseir in Egypt with wife and son in tow - it’s the perfect place for some fantastic family diving, and also a great spot for Luke to complete his Junior Advanced Open Water Diver course.

The Middle East has always held a special place in my heart, and I just love the diving on offer out there - superlative reef diving, awesome wall diving, fabulous wreck diving, it has it all. I think a lot of people overlook the Red Sea because it is only a five- to six-hour flight away, but I believe on its day, it can hold its own against more far-flung destinations. It offers excellent value for money, gives you Indo-Pacific diving effectively on your doorstep, and you are assured of a warm welcome from the resorts, hotels and liveaboards.

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

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WHERE IT ALL BEGINS WWW.EGYPT.TRAVEL

HURGHADA RED SEA THIS IS A FRIENDLY LOCAL

ASK YOUR TRAVEL AGENT

INTO A ‘DIVE ODYSSEY’

Q&A: GRAHAM BUCKINGHAM

GEAR: DIVE KNIVES

ANDY TORBET AND GEMMA SMITH TAKE US BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS SHORT

THE FOUNDER OF BITE-BACK TALKS ABOUT HIS EFFECTIVE SHARK CONSERVATION EFFORTS

BCD KNIVES AND CUTTING TOOLS ARE RATED AND REVIEWED BY THE TEAM

ON THE COVER

E x p e r i e n c e

WE FOLLOW THE COOPER CLAN ON THEIR EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY ADVENTURE

ISSUE 27 | MAY 19 | £3.25

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF: MARK EVANS

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18/04/2019 12:20

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

8 News

22 Dive Odyssey

New president for Deptherapy, bad news about Great Barrier Reef corals, an inflator recall from Mares, the release of Sharkwater: Extinction, and a ban on single-use plastic in Egypt.

30 Dive Like A Pro

Martin Sampson discusses the best ways to get back into the water after a lay-off over the winter months.

64 Underwater Photography

Mario Vitalini discusses how best to shoot photographs of schooling fish.

98 OWUSS Scholarship

Eric Jorda rounds out his year as the 2018 OurWorld Underwater Scholar, and sums up what he has achieved and learned.

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Andy Torbet and Gemma Smith go behind the scenes of the epic diving short Dive Odyssey.

34 Jordan

The Scuba Diver team joined the Cooper family on their Expedition Aqaba trip, which took in the Red Sea, Wadi Rum, Petra and the Dead Sea.

44 ABOVE 18m: Scotland

Lawson Wood explores the Churchill Barriers, and showcases why Scapa Flow is not just for experienced deep divers.

48 Q&A: Graham Buckingham

We talk to the founder of marine conservation organisation Bite-Back, asking what the future holds for this dynamic group.

52 THE NEW GENERATION

The Youth Diver Network is out in force at the GO Diving Show, and the What’s New focus is on the Mares Ranger BCD.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

54 Southeast Asia round-up

82 What’s New

Al Hornsby presents an overview of the diving in and around the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

68 Shoot Like A Pro

New series in which our panel of photo pros tackle a particular topic.

This issue, how to travel with photographic equipment.

We take a look at new products to market, including the Mares Genius dive computer, Fourth Element Fin swimwear series, recycled Islander Kayaks, and the Apeks VX1 mask.

84 Group Test

Another new series, in which we ask high-profile divers to give us a list of ten things they will not go diving without.

Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans and the Test Team head to Vivian Dive Centre in North Wales to focus on BCD knives and cutting tools from a selection of major manufacturers.

74 DAN Europe: Sudden hearing loss

94 Long Term Test

72 ESSENTIALS: 10 things I won’t dive without

This month, the DAN team discuss an incident in which a CCR diver suffered from sudden hearing loss after a dive.

76 TECHNICAL: Oztek

Adrian Stacey braves lightning storms and torrential rain to make the trip to the Oztek diving conference and exhibition in Sydney.

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

The Scuba Diver Test Team rate and review a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Apeks Tech Shorts, Shearwater Research Teric, BARE Ultrawarmth 7mm hood, Halcyon Infinity wing, and Mares Epic Adj 82X regulator.

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

DEPTHERAPY WELCOMES

NEW PRESIDENT

Scuba diving rehabilitation charity, Deptherapy, is delighted to announce the appointment of its new President, Debra Lilley, from April 2019 diving. Having taken up the sport to celebrate her 50th birthday, Debra now fits in diving as often as possible around her work commitments.

Debra said: “I am honoured to accept the position of President for Deptherapy and Deptherapy Education. With a military family, I am also the proud mother of a serving Officer in the British Army. I came across Deptherapy a few years ago at a dive show and when listening to their story I was hooked. Although I’m relatively new to diving, the peace and tranquility of being below the surface is priceless to me. I am hugely looking forward to being able to help facilitate that for our veterans who suffer physical and mental challenges.” www.deptherapy.co.uk

D

ebra has over 30 years experience in the IT industry and is an Associate Director at Accenture, an Oracle ACE Director, Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

She has held several Non-Executive Director roles within the UK Oracle User Group, including that of Chairman and President.

Debra is involved with a number of charities as a volunteer and is a long-time supporter of the work of Deptherapy, having fundraised for the charity itself, as well as sponsoring individual Programme Members.

A keen diver, Debra has achieved her Master Scuba Diver certification. She has a particular interest in UK citizenscience initiatives with Seasearch and enjoys liveaboard

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SCIENTISTS SAY NEW CORALS ON GREAT BARRIER REEF DOWN BY 89 PERCENT

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Unprecedented coral-bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 have led to the number of new corals on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef dramatically declining by 89 percent, according to research carried out last year.

The cataclysmic events, which were widely reported to have damaged twothirds of the world’s largest reef system, are now being blamed for causing a serious collapse in coral re-growth through 2018.

The research, which has been published in the journal Nature, puts the core reason for the problems on rising sea temperatures. It measured how many adult corals along the length of the reef had survived the bleaching events – and then looked at the number of new corals that had been produced since then. It highlighted the link between coral vulnerability and sea temperatures going up as a result of global warming, and joined the rising number of groups calling for increased action to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.

Coral bleaching is caused by rising temperatures and occurs when corals under stress drive out the algae - known as zooxanthellae - that give them their vibrant colour. If normal conditions return, the corals can recover, but even then it can take decades - and if the stress continues, the corals can die. As lead author Prof Terry Hughes, from Queensland’s James Cook University, explained: “Quite simply, dead corals don’t make babies.”

Co-author Prof Andrew Baird continued: “Across the length of the Great Barrier Reef there was an average 90 percent decline from levels recorded in the 1990s, and we think this is down to the 2016/2017 bleaching events affecting 900 miles of the GBR. “Baby corals can travel over vast distances, and if one reef is too far gone, there are usually enough adults on other reefs to protect the juveniles, but this monstrous mortality rate – what we think is the GBR’s first regrowth problem on such a massive scale - has meant that there’s nothing left to replenish the reef.

“Coral replenishment could recover over the next five to ten years – if there were no future bleaching events. Unfortunately, given current estimates, this likelihood is almost inconceivable.”

Prof Baird concluded: “We are at the point where localised solutions for the Great Barrier Reef are almost pointless – the only thing that matters now is positive global action on climate change.”

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OMAN M AU R I T I U S JA PA N C R O AT I A

LET´S DO IT: DIVING WITH EURO-DIVERS! B O O K I N G A N D I N F O R M AT I O N :

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9 12:00 22.01.19

Keep your eye on the dive, not your dive computer.

EGYPT’S RED SEA GOVERNOR BANS SINGLE-USE PLASTICS Egypt’s Red Sea governor, General Ahmed Abdullah, has decided to ban single-use or disposable plastics starting from June after agreeing to a proposal submitted

by HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association).

The ban of the single-use of plastics will apply on any food-related outlets, including restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets, groceries, butchers, fisheries, fruits and vegetables shops and pharmacies, as well as plastic cutleries like knives, plugs, plastic hooks, cups and dishes.

The Red Sea governorate will also not give authorisation for the production of plastic bags within the city.

“The decree is to protect the threatened and endangered species which are severely affected by ingestion, starvation, suffocation, drowning, entanglement and toxicity from plastic remains which affects the human health accordingly,” HEPCA said in a statement.

An awareness campaign about the negative impacts of plastic on marine life and human health will be launched by HEPCA, which will include ground activation with events, giving lectures for public and private schools, clean-up campaigns for islands, beaches and underwater in collaboration with schools, diving centres, and the Red Sea community.

An EU-funded initiative was launched by the Egyptian environment ministry in 2017 calling for ‘Enough Plastic Bags’, to eliminate the country’s dependency on plastic bags, due to their negative effects on the environment and the economy.

The initiative aimed to encourage citizens to reduce their consumption of plastic bags and to shift towards more environment-friendly alternatives.

Egyptians use about 12 billion plastic bags each year, causing severe problems to the Nile River and the seas, thus negatively affecting environmental tourism and diving.

FRIENDS OF HORSEY SEALS RESCUE THIRD SEAL WITH PLASTIC RING ON ITS NECK

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A third adult grey seal with a plastic flying ring stuck around its neck has been rescued off the beach at Horsey in Norfolk – and was named after TV naturalist and conservation superstar Sir David Attenborough, who through Blue Planet II raised awareness of plastic pollution to unprecedented levels.

Sir David was first sighted on Wednesday 3 April, but it couldn’t be rescued until it had become weaker – then volunteers from the Friends of Horsey Seals and Marine and Wildlife Rescue sprang into action and used a net to snare the severely injured seal. He was then transferred to the RSPCA wildlife hospital at East Winch, where the ring was removed and the deep wound can be treated.

Alison Charles, the manager of the wildlife hospital, said: “It’s obviously been on for some time cutting into his neck – it has caused a huge, deep, extensive would that’s really infected. He’s really quite poorly and in a right state – thankfully, he’s not emaciated, but he should be a lot bigger and heavier.”

Despite a plea from the RSPCA for people not to take plastic throwing rings to the beach, this is the third instance of such an occurrence off the Norfolk coastline in less than two years. A first seal, Mrs Frisbee, was rescued in 2017 and released in 2018, and then a second, named Pinkafo, was rescued last December and is still recovering at East Winch.

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PROJECT CORAL ‘BABIES’ TO HELP RESTORE FLORIDA REEFS The Horniman Museum and Gardens’ pioneering coral reproduction work, Project Coral (as seen on BBC One’s Blue Planet Live, has this week taken a step closer to having real-world benefit for coral The Florida Aquarium’s newly reef conservation, thanks to populated Project Coral tank, with pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) international partner The Florida Aquarium.

Staff at The Florida Aquarium’s state-of-the-art coral conservation nursery in Apollo Beach, Florida, have set up new tanks – using Project Coral’s techniques and processes – which from this week will be home to corals from the Florida Reef Tract. The corals will be kept in conditions identical to the wild reef using the husbandry protocols pioneered at the Horniman in South London, until they spawn in August in time with the wild spawning.

The Florida Aquarium’s researchers will then cross-fertilise the corals to create new ‘recruits’ or baby corals, replicating the achievement of Jamie Craggs’ team at the Horniman in 2015. The new corals will be reared in the conservation nursery until they are big enough to have a good chance of survival in the wild.

They’ll then be added to the wild reef to aid in its restoration.

Three coral species are part of The Florida Aquarium’s project – pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus); staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and maze coral (Meandrina meandrites) – two of which (pillar and maze corals) have been severely affected by the current disease outbreak on the Florida reef.

Keri O’Neil, The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Nursery Manager, says: “The coral conservation team have been working hard to finish the final set-up of our Project Coral laboratory spawning aquariums, and programming all of the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, spectral and temperature information into our controllers.

Now that the systems are running well, we’re excited to see them populated with corals, ready for spawning this summer.”

PHOTO CREDIT: THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM

Dive

SYNCHRONISED SWIMMERS MAKE STAND AGAINST OCEAN PLASTIC WASTE Two teenage synchronised swimmers have made a stand against plastic pollution by performing in a plastic-filled pool.

School students Kate Shortman (17) and Isabelle Thorpe (18), from Bristol, performed their synchronised World Championship routine in a swimming pool full of waste to highlight the impact of plastic pollution in our seas.

The two swimmers battled against bottles, plastic bags, food containers and toiletries to demonstrate the type of waste that ends up in the ocean and seriously affects marine life.

The routine was performed as part of The Big Bang Fair, which revealed that nearly a third (28 percent) of young people say they want to see the oceans being revolutionised by science, technology, engineering and maths.

Each year The Big Bang Fair, which took place earlier in March this year, recognises the UK Young Scientist and UK Young Engineer of The Year at the country’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

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EMPEROR ELITE ‘REDEFINED’ Emperor Elite has set sail for 2019 after an extensive dry dock. The 38-metre liveaboard has been fully refurbished, which makes this Red Sea flagship stand up to the most well-appointed diving liveaboards in the region. All standard cabins on the lower deck are brand new from the hull up, with the ever-popular Junior Suite having a brand-new location on the upper deck with a panoramic view of the Red Sea. Plus, the saloon and restaurant have been extended and completely refurbished to create space in stylish surroundings, and the Executive Suite is a massive 28 sq m!

Emperor Elite will be travelling to the iconic offshore reefs of Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone, and includes wifi, red wine at dinner, and free nitrox. www.emperordivers.com

DIRTY DOZEN EXPEDITIONS EXPANDS INTO THE FREEDIVING MARKET

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High-end expedition organiser Dirty Dozen Expeditions is expanding into the freediving market after exclusively catering to a niche market of CCR wreck divers.

The Dirty Dozen’s first destination will be Myanmar, where they have acquired the Phinisi from 25 February 25 – 3 March 2020 doing an exclusive freediving itinerary exploring the best of the remarkable marine biodiversity from the 800 islands that have been isolated from mankind’s influence.

They also plan to meet and dive with the Moken, the indigenous people who have a rich and fascinating history through generations as freedivers. The trip will be hosted by four-time world champion Nataliia Zharkova, who will be doing workshops and coaching on the trip at no extra cost. For more information, contact The Dirty Dozen on: freediving@thedirtydozen.org

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SPORTIF DIVE HOLIDAYS EXPANDS RED SEA PROGRAMME IN SAFAGA UK tour operator Sportif Dive Holidays has expanded their programme to the Red Sea with over 20 resorts from divers’ lodges to luxury beach hotels. The newly featured Surf and Dive Lodge in Safaga is right on the beach, with accommodation right next to the dive jetty and PADI dive centre offering house reef, boat diving and a range of courses.

Safaga, just 45 minutes transfer south of Hurghada airport, has varied diving for all levels including sheltered spots for novices, coral gardens, and more advanced sites including walls down to 200m, drift dives and wrecks.

“You can dive year round from Safaga with water temperatures between 2030oC from winter to summer months, where you can see spectacular gorgonian, black and brain coral formations plus schooling barracuda, turtles, Napoleon wrasse and reef shark, ”says Sportif Dive. Notable dive sites include Abu Kafan, with deep walls, and the wreck of the Salem Express.

The hotel also offers watersports such as paddle boarding, windsurfing and kitesurfing, and you can add on extensions to Cairo, the ancient sites of Luxor and Valley of the Kings, or a Nile Cruise. www.sportifdive.co.uk

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Mares has put out a voluntary product recall notice in reference to a quality issue with the inflator unit mounted on the XR line aircells. The inflator in question is made by a third-party supplier – Ferplast. The issue with the recalled units is that under certain circumstances, the deflation button could come unscrewed, which could result in loss of the seal at the mouthpiece. This would result in loss of buoyancy that could potentially lead to an accident and serious injury or death.

The problem arises because insufficient torque was applied during the assembly of a small lot of these inflators due to a change in the Ferplast production process, which has already been rectified. The problem is solved by applying the correct torque when assembling the button. For added safety, a special glue is now added on the threads.

If you have one of these recalled units, Mares ask that you immediately stop diving with it and return it to your Mares dealer, who will arrange for a free replacement inflator. Every affected inflator will be replaced with a complete set comprising new inflator, corrugated hose and gasket for the elbow connection.

The inflator will have an X marked on the body, indicating it has been properly assembled.

The recall only affects these products: Code Description 417511 Donut bladder single tank (XR Line) 417512 Donut bladder twin tank (XR Line) 417536 Sidemount Pure Light Bladder (XR Line) 417539 Red Devil Single Backmount set (XR Line) 417540 Red Devil Single Backmount set SSI (XR Line) 417547 Pure Light Sidemount complete set (XR Line) 417550 Silver Knight Single BM set (XR Line) 417551 Blue Battle Single Backmount set (XR Line) The recall concerns only products on which the new type of Ferplast inflator is installed and not the previous type. www.mares.com

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DAN WELCOMES NEW INTERNS AS INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME EXPANDS BEYOND RESEARCH Divers Alert Network is proud to provide internship opportunities to four accomplished individuals this summer. The DAN Internship Programme was created more than 20 years ago to give qualified candidates valuable experience in dive safety research. While the programme is still research-oriented, its scope has expanded over the years to include projects that focus on other facets of DAN’s mission to help divers in need of emergency medical assistance and to promote dive safety through education. This summer, the selected candidates have been invited to spend three months at DAN Headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, working with the directors of DAN Research, DAN Medical Services, DAN

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Hannah is an Advanced Open Water Diver and a rescue diver who is eager to learn more about the dive industry as she pursues dive physiology research with DAN this summer.

Elizabeth Helfrich, a McDermott Scholar and rising junior at the University of Texas at Dallas, is currently completing her degrees in biology and historical studies. This summer she will work with Matias Nochetto, MD, studying children and diving. Her background as an EMT and Divemaster along with extensive shadowing experience in pediatric medicine make her especially qualified to work on this project. Elizabeth hopes to one day practice undersea and hyperbaric medicine.

Andrea Filozof is a post-baccalaureate student at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she is currently completing prerequisites for medical school. Prior to this internship Andrea spent eight years serving as an activeduty officer in the United States Army. During this time she focused primarily on civil-military operations and foreign humanitarian assistance but made time to become a certified diver as a member of an Army dive club. This summer she will be working with Allan Uribe, Ph.D., DAN’s director of injury

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Abigail S Dias is a rising senior majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. A Rescue Diver, Abigail is committed to promoting marine conservation and preservation as well as safe diving in the Seattle-area diving community. This summer, she will work with Patty Seery, director of training at DAN, to improve dive safety education materials. Following her internship, Abigail will give a presentation about her “Each summer, DAN interns come through the door with unique skill sets and long lists of remarkable accomplishments,” said DAN vice president of mission Petar Denoble. “It is inspiring to work with these bright young students who have clear and personal missions to make the world a safer place to dive. It is even more inspiring to see what they accomplish after their internship with us. We are so grateful for the opportunity to foster future generations of dive safety leaders, year after year.” www.DAN.org

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JILL HEINERTH’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY DUE TO HIT SHELVES IN AUGUST Cave diver Jill Heinerth is releasing her highly anticipated autobiography Into The Planet: My Life As A Cave Diver in August 2019. She’s a diver with plenty of accolades under her belt, as a 2017 NOGI Award recipient and the first person man or woman - to dive into an Antarctic iceberg. She also led a team into a Mexican cenote that found the remains of a Mayan civilisation.

The book covers the crucial decisions that can determine whether divers live or die in underwater caves, as well as the challenges of pursuing a career as a female diver. She also writes about the sad experience of having to recover a fellow diver’s body from an underwater cave.

Heinerth also writes about her work with scientists to find new underwater species, track our changing climate, and measure how much freshwater remains on Earth.

Heinerth’s Into The Planet comes out 27 August 2019 in book and audio formats.

NEW FEATURE DOCUMENTARY SHARKWATER EXTINCTION An eye-opening, epic new feature documentary Sharkwater Extinction from Rob Stewart, the award-winning director of Sharkwater and Revolution takes us on one man’s mission: to protect sharks from extinction and save the oceans before it’s too late.

More than 150 million sharks are being killed every year.

The oceans are in danger. Sharks play a hugely important role to the environment. Who is the real enemy: shark or human?

We join the courageous filmmaker and renowned activist on a hugely inspirational, thrilling but hazardous journey, as he dives deep into oceans and travels across four continents to investigate the eye-watering scale of corruption, destruction and danger that the multi-billion-dollar pirate fishing industry and vast illegal shark-fin trade bring.

This action-packed story takes us from the seas of West Africa to Spain via Panama, Costa Rica, France, and even North

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America as Stewart exposes a shocking truth that is leading the oldest remaining predator to extinction. Shark finning is still rampant, shark-fin soup is still being consumed and endangered sharks are now being used to make products for human consumption.

Sharkwater Extinction celebrated its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and has gone on to garner critical acclaim and earn multiple international awards. The film recently received its UK Premiere hosted by HRH Princess Eugenie of York.

Sharkwater Extinction stands as Rob Stewart’s legacy, as he was tragically killed in a diving accident in the final stages of shooting the film in January 2017. His parents Brian and Sandy Stewart dedicated themselves to completing the film, which is now in cinemas, certificate 12A, with a run-time of one hour 28 minutes.

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EASTER IN EGYPT

Mark Evans heads for Roots Red Sea in El Quseir with his wife and son in tow for a spot of family diving in the marine-rich waters

ABOVE 18m: PORTLAND PARK

Q&A: GARETH LOCK

TECHNICAL: HMS HERMES

GRAN CANARIA’S ANGEL SHARKS

GEAR GUIDE: PRIMARY DIVE LIGHTS

Gareth Lock utilises a mind set acquired in the RAF to improve diving safety by applying human factors and non-technical skills to diving Christian Skauge is enthralled by the marine life - large and small - that lies in the warm waters surrounding Gran Canaria

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Stuart Philpott checks out phase two of the Portland Underwater Curiosity Park Tech-diving expert Mark Powell heads for the deep waters off Sri Lanka to explore the sunken remains of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes The Test Team heads to North Wales to rate and review dive torches, specifically those units designed as your primary means of illumination

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You can watch Dive Odyssey online www.diversofthedark.com 22

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Dive Odyssey Atmospheric short film Dive Odyssey fused elements of science-fiction, diving and fantasy, and while it didn’t have a long run-time, the work that went into it was astounding. Stars Andy Torbet and Gemma Smith take us behind the scenes of this epic production PHOTOGRAPHS BY JANNE SUHONEN AND DIVERS OF THE DARK

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hen Dive Odyssey had its premier last year, it took the diving world by storm. This short film - the brainchild of Janne Suhonen, master cave cinematographer and head honcho of the insanely talented Divers of the Dark filming team - is, in his words, ‘a meditative journey into the depths of water – and mind’.

He further explained: “Dive Odyssey takes the viewers on a journey into crystal-clear darkness where the only light ever is man-made. The film is an ode to thousands of years of mystical experience of water. It is also a tribute to sciencefiction classics, some of which may be recognised in the film’.

Dive Odyssey accompanies The Explorer (played by Gemma Smith) through her exploration of an unknown planet. She is following a strange signal reaching out to her from beneath the ice, and ventures through the snow, then through the ice and into the water below. After an epic journey through the dark, she has an ethereal encounter with The Aquanaut, an alien entity (played by Andy Torbet).

The challenging shoot was conducted throughout locations in Norway and Finland, and the harsh conditions the crew had to contend with pushed people – and equipment – to their limits.

Gemma recalled a particularly fraught shoot towards the end of the filming process. “It was midway through April, and after two flights and a six-hour drive, I arrived in Norway for the shooting of the dry land scenes and some last-minute underwater reshoots,” she explained. “It was amazing how difficult it proved to be to find snow at that time of year without having to travel halfway around the world. A remote

site almost directly below the Arctic Circle solved this problem. The focus of these few days was not the diving, but the winter environment The Explorer travels through before ultimately reaching the water. We therefore had a muchsmaller team on this phase, comprising Janne and me, as well as the then-current Rolex Scholar Felix Butschek, and past Rolex Scholar Oscar Svensson.

“This week was not without difficulties, and we had multiple kit issues and logistical problems. Flooded drysuits, faulty camera systems, broken rebreathers and poor weather made for some tough days. We had to remind ourselves on several occasions that nothing worth doing is ever easy!

Finally, we got underway, and we commenced the shoot by piling a bright orange JJ rebreather, multiple orange stages, and an orange SUEX XK1 scooter onto a sled and snowmobiling out into the frosty wilderness to find the right spot for filming the required scenes. “‘Surreal’ was the word to describe this particular outing!

Using a combination of GoPros mounted on drones and traditional camera and tripod, Janne and I did multiple takes at various locations to try and accurately portray the journey The Explorer is making. Six hours and a minor snowstorm later, we had the footage we needed.

“We finished the week shooting final scenes under the ice in the head pool of the nearby Plura cave system. We had timed it right, and luckily the surface ice was still solid,

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allowing Janne to film the transition of The Explorer from above ground to the hidden underwater world beneath.

After all the hard work and trouble, we were finally pulling everything together. I can honestly say that of all the diving and filming projects I’ve done over the last few years, this was the most strange and outlandish, and perhaps because of that, it became very important to our team.”

It wasn’t just Gemma that had to contend with hardships on the shoot. Andy takes up the tale, recalling when that same team met for the first time months before. He said: “Finland was the destination, and it too was in the grips of winter. Although the filming in Plura was the opening to the film, it was shot second. The first stage of this ambitious project was the middle part, the major part, set in Ojamo Mine.

“The entrance to this vast and complex flooded system is via Ojamo Lake. However, in December, with topside temperatures pushing towards -20 degrees C, the surface

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Our masks filled with water, bubbles poured out and we lost gas from our rebreathers, meaning our buoyancy went up the spout and we ended up flapping about trying to sort ourselves out 25

was solid ice. A diver has to break the surface of the ice to enter then, after almost four hours in waters between 0 and 2 degrees C, has to unclip their side-slung bail-out bottle to re-break the ice to escape. But the underwater landscape is worth it. Ojamo had everything we needed for this shoot narrow tunnels, scree slopes that slid into the depths, huge chambers 20 or 30 metres high. And the two most-important backdrops on this underwater stage – Hell’s Gate and Lucifer’s Pillar.

“The British contingent was made up of five – Gemma, continuing her role as The Explorer, myself, playing The Aquanaut, Rich Stevenson on camera, with Phil Short and Aron Arngrimsson (actually Icelandic) in support. We joined the Finnish team headed up once again by Janne Suhonen, the mastermind behind the project, and joined by Sami, Laura, Jenni, Veli and Antti who, along with Phil and Aron, would help light our ‘film set’.

“Each dive was a major operation, and we had at least eight divers in the water on every dive, most of whom were involved in handling the powerful underwater lamps required to illuminate the huge, black spaces.

“Each dive day began at 10am, which seems late but as you’ll soon see, there was sense in it. We’d leave our communal log cabin in the snow-covered woods and head to Sami’s dive store to prep rebreathers, bail-outs, scooters, dive kit, cameras and lights before moving on to Ojamo. At the site we were unable to dive until 5pm as the lake is used for commercial diving and offshore survival training during the day. However, we had the use of a classroom where we’d sit, plan the dive, rehearse each individual shot and try not to eat too many Finnish sweeties. It would often be after 7pm before we started to slowly don the many layers we needed to withstand the cold. The trick was to dress without generating too much heat as this would cause a diver to sweat. The dampness within the drysuit would mean the diver would start feeling cold within minutes of immersion. I was the only member of the team without any electric heating system, but I wore three layers of undersuit, two hoods (a 5mm

With all the footage captured, then began the long process of editing - a task that Janne bore alone 26

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and a 2mm) and three pairs of warm gloves under my large drygloves… which made my manual dexterity pretty limited and my hands looks like a clown’s. The rebreathers also kept us warmer and were essential as every dive was between 50m and 80m deep. We’d normally exit the water by midnight, strip kit and return to Sami’s to put all the electrics on charge and return to our cabin for a beer before crawling into bed by 3am… hence the 10am start.

“Our dives began with the simplest scenes in the tunnels and chambers of Ojamo - The Explorer on her DPV flying through the submerged corridors and empty spaces, tight shots and wide shots. But by day three it was time to head to Hell’s Gate. I’d dived Ojamo in the past, but this was my first chance to dive ‘The Gate’. It is the main draw of the mine and I had great expectations. I was not disappointed.

“When the mine was still in use, they had excavated under the lake and realised the roof was in danger of collapse. So, they built a huge wall, metres thick and tens of metres high, from floor to ceiling to support the chamber. The supporting timber still remains stuck to the outside and creates an incredible, megalithic structure. I have often likened diving to space, but never before had I felt more like an astronaut exploring an abandoned alien base. I hung in the crystal-clear, freezing water for many minutes, oblivious to my role in the

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I have often likened diving to space, but never before have I felt more like an astronaut exploring an abandoned alien base

shoot, just soaking in the abstract nature of the scene in front of me. And then I swam though the wall.

“A narrow cut in the wall, made to allow miners to pass through, is what gives Hell’s Gate its name. It was here we filmed a number of shots, including the funniest of all. The film itself is not meant to be amusing, but at one point myself and Gemma had to circle each other, slowly, almost dancelike, while we stared into each other’s eyes and I beckoned her to me. It was made harder by the fact that above us lighting, filming and watching our every move - were some world-class divers. And we almost held it together. Almost.

As we circled, peering unblinking at our mate, it was only a matter of time before we cracked. I can’t remember who started laughing first, but the other followed a second later.

Our masks filled with water, bubbles poured out and we lost gas from our rebreathers, meaning our buoyancy went up the spout and we ended up flapping about trying to sort ourselves out. Still trying to control a giggling fit. We could feel the judgement from above…

“But we managed to complete our filming in Ojamo despite the long days, the cold and our juvenile antics and as we crawled, cold and stiff from the frozen waters for the last time, and exhaled that first misty breath into the frigid air, we felt content at a hard job well done. But, with part one and two done, our task was not over yet.”

Andy continued: “The final part was a return to Finland, but only for Gemma and myself, to film in the much-lighter, brighter and considerably warmer Helsinki City Swimming Pool. How Janne managed to ‘borrow’ the pool, I’ll never know, as this entire film had no budget and was all completed by volunteers. The downside was we could only use it out of hours, so our filming ‘day’ started at 9.30pm and ended at 5am. Fortunately, it was only two nights of work.

“We dropped a huge black curtain to cover the one wall of the pool and a huge section of the floor. Large studio lights

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were constructed overlooking the main filming area and, as myself and Gemma were on breath-hold wearing heavy weightbelts and costumes, we had safety divers in the water at all times. In all, there were up to 20 people on site and, with the comfortable, safe environment, it meant everyone was relaxed and it was a much more social occasion. I think myself and Gemma freedived to the 5m bottom over 100 times each over the two nights and we suffered the same problem as in Ojamo when we had to stare into each other’s eyes. It seems breaking into laughter at the end of a breath-hold is about as much fun as on a rebreather at 70m…

“With all the footage captured, then began the long process of editing - a task that Janne bore alone. This was the hardest work of all. It held none of the camaraderie or fun of the diving, it was long hours, always alone and sat in an office. Dive Odyssey was a true team achievement. Many people loaned their time, equipment and money to what is an incredibly beautiful project, but singular praise has to go to Janne, whose heart and soul fed the film from conception to release.” n

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As we welcome in the start of the British diving season, Martin Sampson urges divers to take their time getting back into their regular routine and plan some easy shore dives PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARTIN SAMPSON AND MARK EVANS

WHEN WAS YOUR LAST DIVE?

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have always recognised that the UK winter period represents a considerable lay off for most divers whatever their grade. Consequently, it has always seemed sensible to start the season off by organising easy shore dives before taking the boat out for moredemanding dives on wrecks and in currents. For moreexperienced divers the prospect of an expedition to dive deep wrecks or a liveaboard trip can galvanise their enthusiasm into planning a few ‘work up’ dives beforehand. The problems associated with narcosis, gas management and orientation don’t seem half as daunting when you prepare for them thoroughly.

So, everyone goes about their diving like this, right? Well, I’m not so sure that they do. At a recent presentation, some surprising statistics (from the annual report of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association in the USA) were revealed.

There are an estimated 2.7-3.2 million US scuba participants per year. Of this group, a whopping 68 per cent are described as casual divers doing seven dives or less a year. A further 14 per cent were described as ‘regular’ divers, doing eight to 14 dives per year. Only 18 per cent were regarded as frequent divers, conducting more than 15 dives per year. I couldn’t help wondering whether these statistics might hold true for all divers, not just those based in the USA.

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Last week we organised an easy early season shore dive near Trearddur Bay. Eight divers took part. The most experienced was a BSAC Advanced Diver who has been diving for about 12 years, the least experienced was a PADI Open Water Diver who started diving last year and has done 26 dives. It seemed like an ideal opportunity to get their views on the value of check dives.

Trevor O: “I was really looking forward to a check dive in the UK. I have been diving regularly during the winter, but only abroad and I hadn’t used my drysuit in over three months”.

He was also diving with regular dive buddy Nigel for the first time in three months, who despite having dived throughout the winter in the UK was also looking forward to a sea dive for more navigation practice.

Carol H: “I’ve done 26 dives but I still feel that I need more guidance from an experienced dive leader”. Carol dived with Chris, who has done 50 dives but was an unfamiliar buddy. “A thorough buddy check was really important given that I had not dived with Chris before. The dive also revealed the skills that need improving – mainly my navigation.”

For Chris, not only was Carol an unfamiliar dive buddy, but we were also an unfamiliar dive centre.

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“I don’t have a regular dive buddy and although I have done 50 dives, I have only done eight in my drysuit. I was happy that an easy shore dive had been planned based on my qualifications, experience and interests”.

I also talked to Roz Lunn to get her perspective as an experienced instructor. “When I was working in Egypt, I had a three-week lay off because I got sick and so spent the time working as a ‘Counter Chick’. Jumping back into the water afterwards was a bit odd. I jumped in to tie a mooring off. Once I’d done that I sat on my own on the sand and ran through mask work, a reg exercise, a couple of fin pivots and a brief hover. It may sound daft, but I felt just slightly insecure having been out of the water for three weeks, and I was an experienced pro who’d been diving two or three times a day for months. So I kind of did a mini check-out dive myself. Once I’d run through these skills I felt much happier”.

CONCLUSION

You may have your own opinion on what constitutes a regular or frequent diver, but the bottom line is we all get out of practice. How much time passes before that happens is not easy to answer but judging by the above statistics, a lot of time can pass between dives, perhaps without us realising it. n

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TOP TIPS FOR CHECK DIVES: • Write a check list and use it to check and pack your gear.

• Practice assembling your gear at home where you won’t be under any time pressure.

• If you need to rent gear, don’t be inhibited to ask for help in putting it together.

• Open a training manual or watch a DVD to refresh your memory.

• Choose a site with really easy access, no currents, and no waves. A beach with a gradual slope will enable you to have a very gradual exposure to depth with a tactile reference beneath you.

• Have someone on the shore who can easily pass you spare weights.

• Make sure you understand the dive plan and do a thorough buddy check.

• Book a dive with an instructor who can run you through some forgotten skills and help you get your weight right – your confidence will improve no end.

• Before a big trip away or an expedition, plan to do some ‘work up dives’.

• If you change a major item of equipment, give yourself plenty of time to learn how to use it.

The problems associated with narcosis, gas management and orientation don’t seem half as daunting when you prepare for them thoroughly

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Ross Arnold checking out the cockpit of the C-130

a m a z i n g

The Cooper family embarked on an epic, action-packed adventure to Jordan after winning the Experience Aqaba competition – and the Scuba Diver team were right there with them to document this once-in-a-lifetime trip PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS

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“

Is this a wind-up?” were some of the first words out of the mouth of Andrew Cooper after being told he had won the Scuba Diver / Aqaba Tourism ‘Experience Aqaba’ competition, and in fact it took some serious persuading before he acknowledged that this was not a prank call and he had indeed won a family holiday to Aqaba in Jordan.

Now when we originally launched this prize draw to win a trip to the Middle East, we were expecting the winners to be the archetypal family – Mum, Dad, maybe a couple of children – but Andrew and his wife Belinda had grown-up offspring, and a handful of grandchildren. Talks with Nancy Tayyan from Aqaba Tourism soon saw the trip signed off for three generations of the Cooper family – Andrew and Belinda, children Mathew, Sean and Fay (and significant others Josey, Emma and Josh respectively), and grandchildren Harry (10), Jack (7), Charlie (3) and Luna (2). Even up to the point of meeting them at Heathrow Airport on departure day, I still don’t really think they could believe it was all real.

Aqaba Tourism had put together an action-packed itinerary taking in both diving and other watersports in the Red Sea, as well as the iconic land attractions of Wadi Rum, the Rose Red City of Petra, and the Dead Sea. Andrew was the only qualified diver in the family, so this trip would also see trydives for many of the other adults, as well as young Harry.

The majestic Monastery at Petra

Young Harry on his Bubblemaker

As you travel around Wadi Rum, if it looks familiar that is because it has been a natural film set for a host of Hollywood movies

C-130 HERCULES

A plaque was laid in memory of contributor Gavin Anderson

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Aqaba gained a unique dive site in November 2017 when the authorities sank a Lockheed C-130 Hercules four-engine turbo-prop military transport aircraft that was donated by the Royal Jordanian Air Force. It sits on the seabed in 16m, with its front wheels just off the bottom, looking like it is about to take flight. It is holding up to being submerged in salty water quite well, and after a year on the bottom, it is still very much intact, though the odd panel and flap on the wings has detached and now sits on the sandy bottom close by. The massive rear door is closed, but the sliding door on the right-hand side under the wing is wide open, allowing easy access into the cavernous interior, and the smaller personnel door on the left-hand side just behind the cockpit is open as well. It is possible to carefully work your way into the cockpit area, where you can still see levers, dials, control switches and more, just don’t disturb ‘the captain’ – a fake skeleton in a flight suit and helmet sitting at the helm of this military aircraft.

NB: As I wrote this article in Jordan, plans were afoot to sink another aircraft – this time, a much-bigger Tri-Star civilian airliner – in the next month or two, so it seems that the country’s sunken ‘fleet’ is steadily growing.

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WELCOME TO THE RED SEA We flew with Royal Jordanian Airlines to the capital of Jordan, Amman, and then after a couple of hours sleep in a nearby hotel, jumped on the hopper flight down to Aqaba the next morning. It is worth noting there are also direct flights in and out of Aqaba, some seasonal, if you are planning your own trip.

Our base of operations for the next three days was the sprawling Tala Bay development, which incorporates several hotels, a marina and plenty of bars, restaurants, etc, as well as the Deep Blue Dive Centre and various surface watersports providers. Mohammed Leddawi and his team at Deep Blue did a superlative job dealing with our diverse group. With ages ranging from two to nearly 60, it was a little like herding cats at times, but this well-run, efficient centre soon had everyone kitted out with masks, snorkels, fins, wetsuits, BCDs and regulators.

While Andrew and our team from Scuba Diver – which included award-winning videographer David Diley, who was capturing footage for Aqaba Tourism of the entire trip – were able to sample some of the signature dive sites, including the purpose-sunk shipwreck Cedar Pride, the C-130 Hercules aircraft, the ‘tank’ tracked anti-aircraft gun, and the dramatic wall Power Station, the adult trydivers got their first experience of the Red Sea on the Deep Blue House Reef, which was teeming with fish life, including lionfish, scorpionfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, damselfish, anemonefish, pufferfish, boxfish, moray eels, stingrays and much more. We even found three frogfish and a seahorse!

After all being blown away by this intro to Aqaba’s underwater realm, they were even more stoked when on the final day of diving they were taken on a tour of the C-130 Hercules aircraft and the ‘tank’ – their first foray into ‘real’ diving. After seeing images of this stunning site around the dive centre, and on my laptop from our dives there on previous days, witnessing the aircraft looming out of the blue with their own eyes was a major highlight of the trip.

Young Harry conducted a Bubblemaker trydive in the hotel pool, and after getting to grips with the equipment and sensation of breathing underwater, instructor Ahmad Izz Alkhatib took him on a tour of the shallows on the House Reef and his eyes were literally popping out of his head as he frantically pointed out anemonefish, lionfish, boxfish, pufferfish and moray eels. I think we might have another

David Diley with anthias on a coral head

Sean ready for his dive on the C-130

Josey, Josh and Fay being briefed for their trydive

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It is holding up to being submerged in salty water quite well, and after a year on the bottom, it is still very much intact WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

CEDAR PRIDE

The Cedar Pride was a 74-metre, 1,161-tonne cargo vessel originally launched in Spain in 1964 under the name Mone Dos. She went through two further name changes – Puerto De Pasajes and San Bruno – before eventually gaining her fourth and final title when purchased by a Lebanese shipping company.

In July 1982, she entered the Port of Aqaba, and on 2 August, a fire ripped through the engine room and crew’s quarters – tragically, two people lost their lives. She was written off as a total constructive loss, and for the next three years she languished as a floating hulk. It was then targeted by keen diver and then-Prince (now King) Abdullah, who came up with the plan of sinking it on purpose. For many years, it was the only artificial reef in Jordanian waters, and with it being down since 1985, it has a healthy coating of marine growth. Hard corals and encrusting algae smothers much of the superstructure, while vibrant soft corals decorate the crow’s nest, the masts, and under the hull, where a gap in the reef makes for a dramatic swim-through at 26m. The holds are wide open, allowing for easy penetration, and if you carefully rise up around mid-ships, you will go through a large shoal of hatchetfish and find yourself in a large air pocket. I wouldn’t advise breathing this, but it is fun to surface inside the shipwreck at depth.

Lying on its port side, the Cedar Pride is a fantastic dive for any diver, but photographers will particularly love it, as there are many focal points that make great images, such as the aforementioned crow’s nest, the battered propeller, the lifeboat davits, various winches, the impressive bow, and the entire stern section, with its sponge-covered railings.

young diver on our hands with this one, as he is mad-keen on marine life and really seemed to take to diving.

His younger brother Jack was absolutely gutted to miss out on his chance to do a Bubblemaker – he was just three weeks shy of his eighth birthday – but being a real waterbaby, he took to the water with a mask, snorkel and fins and had a whale of a time snorkelling off the boat while we were diving.

As well as diving, the family had some fun on jetskis, and being towed on a giant inflatable behind a speedboat. To round out the coastal action, they were treated to a private semsemieh session with local musicians on the beach, where the family did a spot of Arabic dancing, followed by a relaxing sunset cruise where you could stand on the top deck and see Jordan, Israel and Egypt simply by turning your head.

Emma looking at the C-130 on her trydive

INTO THE DESERT After three days enjoying Aqaba both in and on the Red Sea, it was time to check out of our hotel and head into the arid desert, or more specifically, Wadi Rum. Epic is an often overused expression, but the scenery in Wadi Rum more than deserves this accolade. It is simply mind-blowing. Monstrous rocky headlands, cliffs and mountains jut out of the rusty-red sand in every direction as far as the eye can see, and it was amazing from the main car park and visitor’s centre, but the best way by far to really get the most from any trip to Wadi Rum is to head off on a 4x4 safari that takes you deep into the wonderful landscape.

Our hardy band piled into three pick-ups, sitting comfortably on padded seats on the flatbed, which gave us an unfettered 360-degree view of our surroundings. Tours stop and start, allowing you ample time to get out and explore on foot into canyons and on to dramatic viewpoints, and in many cases, it was only when you were stood next to some of the structures that you fully appreciated how massive they really are. As you travel around Wadi Rum, if it looks familiar that is

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The Copper clan racing up a sand dune in Wadi Rum

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Andrew setting up his gear for dive one

because it has been a natural film set for a host of Hollywood movies, including The Martian, Transformers, Star Wars and many more. In fact, our guide pointed out a view that he then showed us in a still from The Martian – very bizarre to be exactly where Matt Damon was sat in his space suit.

Another must in Wadi Rum is a camel ride, and using this authentic mode of transport, with its ungainly, rocking motion, creates a lasting memory. Most of the Cooper clan mounted up on camels, and young Jack set everyone the task of naming their animals, which led to some amusing and decidedly unArabic-sounding monikers!

Our camel ride came to an end in the middle of the desert, where a colourful rug was laid out on the sand, and a Bedouin man was roasting and grinding coffee beans to make a pot of the local brew. While he was preparing the coffee - and some sweet tea - his mother was hard at work on another fire making delicious flatbread. Cooked over an open fire on a metal dome, the whole family agreed that it was some of the tastiest bread they had ever eaten.

Our home for the evening was the Rahayeb Desert Camp.

Nestled behind a giant sand dune and tucked into a canyon with high walls all around, it was an amazing location. There are various levels of tents here for all budgets, but we were ensconced in their luxury versions, which included airconditioning, and a full bathroom with sink, shower and toilet.

For all those who can’t survive without it, there was even WiFi! Rounding out an awesome day in Wadi Rum, after a David filming in Wadi Rum

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For many years, it was the only artificial reef in Jordanian waters, and with it being down since 1985, it has a healthy coating of marine growth delicious dinner of lamb and chicken, we climbed back into our trusty pick-ups for a short run to the RumSky Adventure, where astronomers were on hand to point out major stars and constellations visible with the naked eye, and then set up powerful telescopes to give us a closer look at some of these stars. Being able to see craters on the moon’s surface was simply mind-boggling.

THE ROSE RED CITY OF PETRA If Wadi Rum is the ultimate natural movie set, then Petra is perhaps the most-impressive man-made version. It is not known precisely when this sprawling city hidden away in the mountains was built, but it began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st Century BC, when it grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh and spices.

Later annexed to the Roman Empire, Petra continue to flourish, until a massive earthquake in 363AD decimated much of the city. This natural disaster, coupled with changes to the ancient trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city, and it was ultimately abandoned by the Nabataeans. By the middle of the 7th Century, it was largely deserted and lost to all but a few Bedouin tribes in the area. It was not until 1812 when Petra was ‘rediscovered’ by Swiss explorer Johannes Burckhardt and ever since, the beautiful city has become a thing of amazement for people around the globe – it is not surprising it is listed as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

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POWER STATION

Andrew with the C-130 ‘captain’ Josey and Mathew on the sunset cruise

The furthest dive site to the north in Jordanian waters, Power Station – as the name suggests – lies just offshore from a power plant. Unlike many Aqaba reef dives, which tend to be coral gardens, coral bommies and seagrass beds, Power Station is a full-on wall dive, which in parts drops sheer into the abyssal depths. The visibility when we dived it was not great, but even so, the massive scale of the hard coral growth on the wall – there are some gigantic plate corals covering vast areas – and the general topography of the dive make it one for the logbook.

Because of the nature of the site, with its close proximity to deep water, there are many sightings of bigger creatures, including eagle rays, various shark species, turtles and more. We kept scouring the murky blue, as the Deep Blue crew told us that there had been reported sightings of a whaleshark the previous day, but alas, it was not meant to be. However, we had two Open Water Divers on the boat who were completing their seventh dive, and literally just minutes after we had exited the water, guess what they caught a glimpse of? Yes, the whaleshark! So it is worth bearing in mind that while Aqaba’s reefs are teeming with the usual Red Sea reef fish, there is always the chance of some of the larger pelagics paying a visit.

First trydive in the sea on the House Reef

Wadi Rum is spectacular

The remnants of an engine on the C-130

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Harry, Jack and Charlie sat on a desert locomotive

The Cooper clan enjoying the Dead Sea mud

The M42 Duster tank

It truly was a once-in-alifetime experience, taking in the underwater wonders of the Red Sea in Aqaba before ticking off the unique Wadi Rum, Petra and the Dead Sea

From the moment you start heading into the winding Siq, a 1.2km-long gorge with towering cliffs on either side, which in parts is only a few metres wide, expectations build, and when you eventually round the final corner and are faced by the Treasury, a detailed grand façade carved directly into the sheer rock face, it is no exaggeration to say it takes your breath away. You might also start humming the theme tune from Indiana Jones, as this majestic structure appeared in The Last Crusade!

The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs cut into the mountainside, along with temples, a theatre, colonnaded streets and churches, and as you walk through the remnants, you get a feel for just how huge this city once was.

You can also see how it got its name – the Rose Red City of Petra – due to the colouration of the rock in the mountainside.

It is well worth making the tiring trek up to the Monastery, a huge decorative building that measures 48 metres by 47 metres and was in a Transformers movie.

THE DEAD SEA The cockpit of the C-130

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After the visually stunning to extremely long and tiring days out to Wadi Rum and Petra, the Cooper family’s final destination was the Dead Sea, some 400 metres below sea level. Everyone has seen the photographs of people bobbing about in this very salty ‘sea’, but nothing actually prepares you for the feeling when you venture in yourself. The water has a very unusual feel, and it is very odd to find yourself floating around like a cork simply by laying back and relaxing.

All of the family took to the water – except for little Charlie and Luna, as the water can really sting your eyes due to

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You can also see how it got its name – the Rose Red City of Petra – due to the colouration of the rock in the mountainside

The Siq leading into Petra

Ross on the prop of the Cedar Pride

the high salt content, so not really for children – and then enthusiastically got stuck into the mud bath, where you liberally slathered the thick, yoghurt-like-consistency black mud all over your body. Soon a jet-black Cooper clan trekked down to the water’s edge for a photograph, and then washed off the mud in the sea. You pay a fortune for Dead Sea mud treatments around the world, and everyone agreed that once it was rinsed off, their skin did feel smoother afterwards.

Certainly a unique experience that you cannot come to Jordan and not seek out.

CONCLUSION I think it is safe to say that Andy, Belinda and their extended family had a fantastic trip to Jordan. It truly was a once-in-alifetime experience, taking in the underwater wonders of the Red Sea in Aqaba before ticking off the unique Wadi Rum, Petra and the Dead Sea. All three generations enjoyed their time in-country, and they found the Jordanian people friendly, welcoming and generous. If you are looking for a destination that combines scuba diving on coral and artificial reefs with truly unique land-based attractions both natural and manmade, you’d be hard-pushed to find somewhere that can compete with Jordan’s extensive offerings - and I think the Cooper clan would agree wholeheartedly. n

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THE M42 ‘DUSTER’ ANTI-AIRCRAFT VEHICLE While it is known as the ‘tank’, this intriguing little dive site is actually an M42 ‘Duster’ tracked anti-aircraft gun, equipped with twin 40mm M2A1 Bofors cannon. It was sunk in September 1999 by the Jordanian Royal Ecological Diving Society in shallow water. It is a popular snorkel and trydive site because of its location in just a few metres of water, and while it is only quite small, it is definitely worth checking out at least once as it is great for photographers – and lying a short distance from the C-130 and the Seven Sisters dive sites, it is ideal for keeping you entertained while you are doing your safety stop.

4x4 safari through Wadi Rum

Soft coral on the Cedar Pride

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Archive shot of the blockships Lycia and Ilsenstein

ABOVE

Lawson Wood continues his exploration of Scapa Flow’s shallower attractions, showcasing here Churchill Barrier II, the largest number of shipwrecks in the UK you can visit on just one dive!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAWSON WOOD

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hen war broke out on 4 August 1914, Admiral Sir John Jellico quickly recognised the vulnerability of this great harbour. He was now in command of over 100 naval ships, and while Scapa Flow was the best naval base available, there were problems with the overall security.

Jellico increased the coastal defences with anti-submarine netting, indicator loops and listening devices, and he also implemented the plans for sinking derelict shipping to block the entrances to the five vulnerable sounds to the eastern and western approaches. Over a two-year period at the start of World War One, 23 ships were sunk in five different locations: Kirk Sound (also known as Holm Sound); Skerry Sound; East Weddel Sound; Water Sound and Burra Sound. This type of Blocking Ship or Blockship protection proved extremely successful in the short term, but the inevitable deterioration of the Blockships led to inspections and analysis made on each ship sunk.

Ilsenstein Emerald Wings

Lycia and Ilsenstein

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Aerial view of Churchill Barriers 1, 2 and 3

Over the two World Wars, 11 ships were sunk as Blockships in Skerry Sound to stop enemy intrusion into the home of the British Navy. Originally thought to be 12 wrecks; it would appear that identification of shipwrecks was fairly haphazard, particularly when there are no obvious name plates or identifying signs, bad spelling and really poor contemporary recording. It has taken a huge amount of time in unravelling the correct information for the Blockships with research gleaned through studying naval photographs and documents; contemporary Admiralty sketches and chart datum; Ordnance Survey maps; photographs and other aerial resources; the archives in the Orkney Library and newspapers and all records held in the National Archives.

All of this, of course, was more confounded by the construction of the Churchill Barriers. To aid the construction, most of the existing ships were salvaged extensively and some of the ships’ positions were misnamed and even their spelling, date sunk and weight was wrong. Several ships were lost directly under the new barriers, others were swept out to sea and some just disappeared forever beneath ‘the sands of time’.

With the help of Kevin Heath, we have now confirmed and cleared up some confusion over some of the Blockships in Skerry Sound to the east of Churchill Barrier II. The wreck we assumed was the Cape Ortegal should now be recognised as the Almeria, as the remains on the seabed only show

Under the FC Pontoon

Divers preparing their kit

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The shallowest Scapa Flow Blockships at their best!

Lycia

Barrier 2 - Lycia, Ilsenstein and Emerald Wings

Emerald Wings

Pontoon. A small portion of the Teeswood can be seen, but not worth spending time on, and the Argyll’s single boiler can also be found, but again, that is all there is and is not worth the effort or extra swim time. The best of the bunch by far is the FC Pontoon. This huge square structure is completely open and topped with kelp, the centre has a massive boiler with various valves still attached. This wreckage is quite clearly on view at all states of tide and is very obvious as you cross the barrier by road.

THE DIVE

Barrier 2 - Lycia, Ilsenstein, Emerald Wings and Cape Ortegal

two boilers. The Cape Ortegal had three boilers and due to the area where she was sunk in Skerry Sound, it looks entirely possible that the ship sunk into the deepest part of the channel, similar to the fate of the Minieh to the west of Barrier I. We have discovered no evidence or records of her being scrapped for salvage, so we can only assume that the Cape Ortegal now lies directly underneath Churchill Barrier II, as no other evidence has been found – yet (as all of the deeper parts to the east have infilled with sand and sediment). A full survey of the substrata of the barrier is yet to be undertaken to confirm this, but the evidence at this stage is very strong for the findings.

The Blockships sunk in World War One are the Almeria; Argyll; Elton; Reinfeld; Rosewood and the Teeswood. Those sunk in World War Two are the Lycia; Cape Ortegal; Emerald Wings; Floating Crane (FC) Pontoon and the Ilsenstein.

The wrecks (or wreck parts) still diveable at Barrier II are the Almeria; Ilsenstein; Lycia; Emerald Wings and the (FC)

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We start the dive on the shore at the northeast side of Barrier II with the road barrier to your right-hand side. The engine block from the Lycia is very obvious so you can just start the dive from here and follow the line east to the Ilsenstein. Her bow and bow railings are very obvious and you can then follow Bow of the Ilsenstein

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THE CHURCHILL BARRIERS

Proving how ineffective the Blockships were in protecting Scapa Flow, Günther Prien, in command of the German U-Boat U-47, negotiated his way through Kirk Sound in October 1939 and struck two British naval ships, including HMS Royal Oak, which quickly rolled over and sank, taking with her 833 officers and men. As a direct result of this attack, Winston Churchill visited Orkney and ordered the construction of permanent barriers across the entrances to the four eastern passageways into Scapa Flow. To achieve this goal, over 1,350 Italian prisoners of war were conscripted to assist this cause and were transported to Orkney after being captured in Africa.

Lycia engine block

the remains of the steel sub deck towards the Emerald Wings, where this ship’s hatches are quite open and you can easily get underneath these. It is the mast and fore parts of the Emerald Wings that we can also see above the surface of the water. The Almeria’s propeller is just next to this section and is also very obvious. From here, the route takes you southwest towards the FC Pontoon. If you think you are getting lost on the way, just come to the surface as it stands well clear of the water, check your position and submerge once more.

The steel work of the Pontoon is open and allows for shafts of light to pass through to the interior, perfect for framing up other divers in your photography. There are always plenty of fish at this site, and the structure just lends itself to a great dive.

The beauty of this sheltered site is that divers of all level can enjoy this site, you can even snorkel the bay, which can give you a better perspective on all of the ships sunk during both World Wars. People on their first open water dive can enjoy part of the amazing history that permeates every aspect of Scapa Flow and a great handful of shipwrecks.

There are probably more different shipwrecks and wreck parts found in this small area than can be found anywhere else in British waters. n

Prop of the Almeria

CHURCHILL BARRIER II SKERRY SOUND, SCAPA FLOW, ORKNEY ISLANDS TYPE OF DIVE Perfect shore dive with easy access and car parking. The start of the dive is at the remains of the Lycia engine block DEPTH Expect to get around 3m-12m inside the lower section of the Floating Crane.

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MARINE LIFE/WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR Sea hares (Aplysia punctate) are always found on the wreck during the summer months; dwarf plumose anemones (Metridium senile); cuckoo wrasse, ballan wrasse, sand eels; snakelocks anemones and dead man’s fingers.

SEABED The seabed is silty and can be stirred up around the huge amount of ship’s wreckage dotted around, covered with plenty of seaweed and kelp.

HAZARDS There is little to snag you or trap you on these wrecks,

and there are no real wreck penetrations due to the state of the blockships, but care, as always, should be your priority when exploring underneath any of the large bulkheads or pieces of superstructure. There is no current, but can be some swell from the open sea to the east.

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GRAHAM BUCKINGHAM 48

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Q: When did you first start diving, and what captured your imagination about the underwater world in the first place?

A: From the moment I first put my head underwater on my qualifying dives in Egypt, back in 2001, I was hooked. I had never seen anything so dazzlingly beautiful, vibrant and mesmerising. My first dive log entry reads ‘the corals are like cathedrals and the fish like exotic birds’. It was a special moment. At that time, I had no idea scuba diving would change my life.

Q: What is it about sharks that captivates you so much, and when did the idea for Bite-Back come into being?

A: Over the past 18 years, I’ve been lucky to dive with dozens of species of sharks and there’s no doubt the emotion I feel is exactly the same as seeing a lion or a tiger in the wild — pure admiration and awe. But I certainly didn’t start diving with the idea of saving sharks. In fact, the truth is that, like many new to the sport, I was genuinely worried about seeing a shark. After all, everything I knew about sharks came from films and newspaper articles. But as I logged more dives and began exploring different sites across the world it became clear that shark numbers were rapidly dwindling. Wondering why I was never seeing sharks in places previously full of them, I began to read more about the huge number of sharks killed every year. Shocked and despondent, I felt compelled to do something to expose the horror of shark finning and make Britain’s restaurants shark-fin free. I also really wanted BiteBack (www.bite-back.com) to become a place of resource that gave people the courage and confidence to challenge establishments selling shark products themselves. And it’s worked. From humble beginnings, Bite-Back is now a leading player in the conservation arena.

Graham Buckingham is the founder and campaign director of Bite-Back Shark and Marine Conservation, a UK charity founded in 2004. As the charity marks its 15th anniversary, Scuba Diver caught up with Graham to find out what inspired him to set up the organisation, how effective their campaigns have been, and what the future holds in store PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF GRAHAM BUCKINGHAM / BITE-BACK.COM Q: There are several shark charities in existence, but BiteBack seems to be on the frontline and getting things done – what makes your organisation so dynamic and effective?

A: For conservation to be successful, it can’t be about doom and gloom. It has to be about hope; it has to be about clear goals and it has to be about deliberate solutions. Because of this approach and because of our campaign victories, BiteBack has won lots of support from divers, celebrities and the media.

Q: As it says on your website, some 73 million sharks are killed every year, many just for their fins – what are the biggest threats facing sharks at the moment?

A: Shark fins have become one of the most-valuable seafood items on the planet. That fact alone has created a marine ‘gold rush’ for sharks. But here’s the twist - people’s fear and loathing of sharks has allowed this global slaughter to happen unchallenged. When you understand that nearly half of all adults in Britain would prefer oceans without sharks, it’s crystal clear that the biggest threat facing sharks is the public’s indifference to their survival.

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Q: What is your most-memorable experience while diving, and more-importantly, did it involve sharks?

A: While I can be captivated by a tiny goby or nudibranch, diving with just my wife below a boat on the Brothers surrounded by inquisitive silky sharks has got to be the moment I cherish most... so far.

Q: On the flipside, what is your worst moment while diving?

A: I’ve had a few breath-taking dives swimming against raging currents but fortunately no big incidents. So I suppose the worst moment has to be getting back to the boat only to find that other divers had enviable encounters with sharks, dolphins, manatees, turtles or an octopus that you missed.

Q: How can people get involved with Bite-Back and help continue to battle for sharks?

A. Just because Bite-Back exists, doesn’t mean we can do it on our own. We absolutely rely on the support of like-minded people to be our eyes and ears and report businesses selling shark products. And, of course, we are indebted to those who become members, to those who help fundraise and those who champion sharks at every opportunity. Divers around the world can keep up to date with our campaigns on social media and sign up to our newsletter from the website too.

Q: The News pages of Scuba Diver are regularly filled with pieces about Bite-Back’s latest campaign or promotion.

What does the future hold in store for the organisation?

A: With the support of our charity partners blue o two and Fourth Element, we’ve got some big campaigns planned for this. We’ve already helped achieve an 80 percent fall in the number of UK restaurants serving shark-fin soup and the last remaining establishments are in our sights. We’ve also got post-Brexit plans to end the 20kg personal import allowance of shark fins to the UK, plus new programmes to expose and end the use of sharks in fish and chip shops, the pet food industry, in fertilisers and cosmetics. As always, our ultimate goal is to eliminate retail opportunities for shark products, so that sharks have no commercial value and, in turn, they are free to patrol the oceans deserving of our respect and admiration. n

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BUSY TIME AT GO DIVING FOR YOUTH DIVER NETWORK MEMBERS Several members of the Youth Diver Network – the brainchild of Canary Divers’ Kris Fearnley – were busy interviewing dive pros at February’s GO Diving Show, while more recently, others have been clocking up new dive certs PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF YOUTH DIVER NETWORK / CANARY DIVERS February’s GO Diving Show saw the Youth Diver Network out in force, capturing content for their YouTube Channel. Grace Westgarth interviewed celebrity diver, author and explorer Jill Heinerth and PADI’s Emily Petley-Jones, who discussed PADI’s youth incentives. She also roped fellow members Amy and Sophie to talk to Jack Snively at NAUI HQ about the agency’s courses and diving in general.

Sophie also got in on the action at the Shutdown Drill Challenge at the GO Diving Show, putting in a very respectable time under the watchful eye of time-keeper Dec.

PURE CCR

Canary Divers has become the first centre in the UK to be a PURE Rebreather Point, joining the PURE company set up by

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Christian Heylen, which means they are now well placed to aid with rebreather training and support. At the last Canary Social, young Amy tried on a Poseidon CCR when the company headed up to Blackburn to showcase their products. www.purediving.com/search-a-pure-point

YOUTH DIVING CERTIFICATIONS

More recently, a group of youth divers from Canary Divers headed to Capernwray to complete some diving courses. Eddie notched up his Drysuit Diver course, and made a start on his Advanced Open Water, while Joe completed dives one and two of his Open Water Diver course. Sophie lent a hand topside as shore-support – aided by mum Emma – and was apparently a bit of a tyrant with the clipboard!

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RECOGNISING AND CELEBRATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCUBA DIVERS The Next Generation section is aimed squarely at keen kids and talented teens, those youngsters who have embraced the underwater realm and are driving new blood into the diving fraternity. Tune in each month for Case Studies, reports, kit reviews and articles from our diving youth.

Got a story to share about a young diver? - Email: mark@scubadivermag.com to be included in a future edition of The Next Generation!

MARES SCUBA RANGER | SRP: £204 Manufacturers are finally cottoning on to the fact that more children are getting into diving through programmes like Bubblemaker, SEAL Team, Scuba Rangers and more, and so they are designing kit specifically for them instead of expecting them to make do with using – where they can find them – XS or even XXS adult sizes.

Now while in some cases, and extra-small or extra-extrasmall item might fit the child or youth perfectly, often it is a case of ‘making do’, but with bespoke kid’s equipment, it fits like it should, but at the same time manages to still look like a ‘proper’ bit of dive kit.

The Scuba Ranger BCD from Mares is a case in point. At first glance, it looks just like a standard adult Mares BCD, even down to the chunky pull dumps and ergonomic power inflator, but closer inspection reveals this is designed for small divers from the ground-up.

This BCD has a purpose-built plastic backplate that is smaller than normal ones, and also has a dedicated adaptable shorter tank band to enable it to fit smaller cylinders.It is classed as a size 3XS, but thanks to some nifty design work that sees twin pinch clips on the shoulders, it allows for some growth and thus will ‘grow’ with a diver as they go from child to youth. Mares reckon around eight to 12 years of age.

The Scuba Ranger is made from Cordura 420, so it will put up with some hammer, and it has specially designed octopus and pressure gauge holders, plus two Velcro-

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closing pockets. It can also be equipped with optional trim weight pockets that fit on to the tank band.

The Scuba Ranger BCD is colour-co-ordinated to match with the Scuba Ranger wetsuit combo. www.mares.com

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Eastern Southeast Asia offers some of the most-superlative diving in the world, and Al Hornsby presents a round-up of the top dive destinations within this neck of the woods PHOTOGRAPHS BY AL HORNSBY

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INTRODUCTION

Southeast Asia is world-renowned as being a hotspot for scuba diving, boasting everything from weird-and-wonderful critters and stunning coral gardens to sheer walls, adrenalinefuelled drifts and dramatic shipwrecks. With more flights than ever accessing this part of the planet from wherever you live, there has never been a better time to sample some of the best Indo-Pacific diving you are ever going to experience.

Over the following pages you will find a brief overview of several of the top destinations within this region, with information about some of the top dive sites you have to put on your ‘must-dive’ list.

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ndonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is the world’s largest archipelago and comprises a staggering 17,508 islands and 33 provinces. The vast country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. Other neighbouring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Indonesia is home to ten to 15 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, so as you can imagine it has some of the most-impressive diving sites out there. About 4,000 different species of fish are found in Indonesian waters (that is over 25 per cent of the planet’s fish species), as well as numerous invertebrates.

Given the enormous size of the country, as you can imagine, there are dive destinations throughout the islands.

Liveaboards can take you through the Banda Sea – rapidly gaining a reputation for great diving – to the critters of Ambon and to Komodo, world-famous for its ‘dragons’, but also a fantastic location to dive. Diving from a boat is also the best way to access Raja Ampat, widely regarded by many as the best diving area in the whole of Southeast Asia.

But you don’t have to earn your sea legs to see the best of Indonesia, there are many land-based resorts offering fantastic diving just minutes from their dock. North Sulawesi is home to two very different, but equally intoxicating, diving areas – the Bunaken Marine Park and the Lembeh Strait.

Bunaken offers sheer walls, fast drifts and encounters with sea snakes, sharks and rays, while Lembeh is the birthplace of ‘muck diving’ and the habitat of all sorts of weird and wonderful critters.

Then you have Bali, which boasts a world-class wreck in the shape of the Liberty, off Tulamben, as well as the chance to dive with mola mola and manta rays.

Anemonefish

INDONESIA Expect pristine reefs teeming with life

The topside scenery is impressive too

You never know what you will encounter muck diving

About 4,000 different species of fish are found in Indonesian waters (that is over 25 per cent of the planet’s fish species), as well as numerous invertebrates WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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T

hailand - or officially, the Kingdom of Thailand - is a country located at the centre of Southeast Asia.

It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma.

Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.

Thailand is blessed with gorgeous weather, fantastic beaches, and great diving just a few kilometres from an action-packed shoreline.

Phuket, Khao Lak, Phi Phi Islands and Ao Nang Beach on Krabi are the best resort areas for a Thailand diving holiday, offering plenty for non-divers to do as well. Phuket is best placed to serve the whole region, and is particularly popular with party-goers, while Khao Lak is ideally placed to focus on the northern Thai Andaman Sea. Ao Nang is set on the peaceful and spectacularly beautiful Krabi coastline across Phang Nga Bay, and Phi Phi’s magic draws sunseekers and travellers for the beaches and a slice of island-life.

The Bidah Islands are suitable for all levels of experience.

Schools of fish hang out in the blue and also cover the beautiful reefs, ranging from giant barracuda to trevally to yellow snapper. Reef sharks, leopard sharks, stingrays, moray, seahorse, ghost pipefish and so much more inhabit the waters as well.

Shark Point, near Phuket, is actually three pinnacles, two of which are submerged, and they all boast beautiful corals covering the entire reef and a very diverse marine life. This dive site is great for both experienced and new divers, and photographers will love it. Eagle rays and whalesharks have been spotted here from time to time, and leopard sharks are a common sight. If you are lucky you can spend your safety stop with them swimming around you!

Anemone Reef is a huge limestone pinnacle that rises 30m up from the seafloor to just beneath the surface. This barely submerged reef is a well-known shipping hazard and is located less than a mile north of Shark Point. Vast swathes of anemones cling to every conceivable surface and as they move with the current, it creates an illusion that the entire structure is one giant living rock. The pinnacle is always surrounded by enormous schools of tropical fish, snapper and

Coral grouper Huge fish shoals are common

grouper, plus the odd pelagic like tuna and barracuda.

The area gained a decent wreck dive on 4 May 1997 when the 85-metre passenger ferry King Cruiser strayed off course while enroute to the Phi-Phi Islands and hit Anemone Reef.

This unplanned addition to Anemone Reef rapidly became one of the area’s most-popular dive sites.

Sat in a depth of 30m, and rising in places to 12m, the King Cruiser offers multiple decks to explore, and is smothered in marine growth, as well as many scorpionfish and lionfish.

One of the biggest draw-cards in Thailand are the liveaboards cruising around world-class dive sites in the Similans, Burma and Hin Daeng.

Above water is just as stunning

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Whaleshark

THAILAND The picturesque Similan Islands are the most-popular destination, with superb underwater scenery and excellent visibility in its aquamarine waters. Huge deep water boulder formations create daring swim-throughs, as well as providing dramatic back-drops to its vibrant coral gardens and reef slopes. You can dive here by liveaboard or diving day tours.

The world-famous Richelieu Rock is perhaps Thailand’s most well-known site, and it is known as a place to dive with whalesharks. Jacques-Yves Cousteau listed the site in his top ten list of the world’s best dives. Koh Bon and Koh Tachai are great for manta rays and whitetip reef shark encounters.

Hin Daeng off Hin Muang is your best chance to see grey reef sharks, patrolling the walls. Besides that, it’s also the second home in the Andaman Sea for whalesharks and mantas. Dive Hin Daeng and you’ll experience the excitement of diving Thailand’s highest vertical wall. Nearby caves and caverns add to the thrill of adventure.

Koh Samui is the ideal base for exploring the dive sites on the Gulf of Thailand. The diving may not be quite as varied as Phuket and the Similan Islands, but there are some very good dive sites around Samui and Koh Tao, which can be combined with a stay at one of Samui’s excellent resorts.

You can dive Thailand all year round. The best conditions exist from November to April, with whalesharks visiting from February to May, and manta rays all year round.

The picturesque Similan Islands are the most-popular destination, with superb underwater scenery and excellent visibility in its aquamarine waters Deck gun on a shipwreck

Guitarshark

The soft corals are amazing

Late-May to October brings monsoon winds and surface swells to the Andaman Sea, making some remote sites, such as Richelieu Rock and Hin Daeng, inaccessible and reducing visibility in general by about 30 per cent at the open dive sites. October can also see heavy rains in the Andaman Sea.

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Flamboyant cuttlefish

THE PHILIPPINES Mantis shrimp

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he Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is located in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from the other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorised broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

There are diving opportunities throughout the Philippines, from quiet spots like Cabilao and Anilao to tourist hotspots like Boracay, Puerto Galera and Alona Beach, not to mention the world-class sites off Dumaguete, Moalboal, the whalesharks of Donsol and the World War Two shipwrecks of Coron Bay and Subic Bay. One of Balicasag Island’s best dives is the Black Forest, which ranges from 10m-40m. This is one of the only places you can find black coral at a shallow 30m. An enormous variety of trevally, barracuda, grouper and sweetlips swarm around this site, and you can see why it is one of the top dive

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the Shark Point site is famous as the only place in the world where the magnificent thresher sharks can be seen everyday

sites in the Philippines. The surface interval is even better just sit back and watch as turtle after turtle pop their heads up to take a look at you!

Wall Street, in Tubbataha, drops to 100m, and with huge barrel sponges, gorgonians galore, whitetips cruising, nurse sharks sleeping and mantas barrel rolling, this is a fantastic dive. Slow down for the critters on the wall, don’t just look for the big stuff in the blue.

Some 45 minutes from Puerto Galera, you have Verde Island, which has depths ranging from just a few metres to over 150m. The tip of this underwater ‘mountain’ protrudes a metre or so above the ocean surface. Hiding below is a spectacular wall dive. Thousands upon thousands of blue triggerfish, interspersed with sweetlips, big-eye trevally, golden trevally, fusiliers and anthias, provide a riot of colour.

Miss this and you won’t forgive yourself!

Off Malapascua, Monad Shoal is an underwater island on the edge of a 200m drop-off, and the Shark Point site is famous as the only place in the world where the magnificent thresher sharks can be seen everyday. Giant manta rays are a common sight year round and the shoal attracts other pelagics, such as devil rays and hammerheads.

Pygmy seahorse

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Whaleshark

The Dona Marilyn wreck is said to be one of the best wrecks in the Central Philippines. It was a Cebu-Manila passenger ferry that sank in a typhoon over 20 years ago. It lies intact on its starboard side in 32m and is around 100 metres long. It is covered in plentiful soft coral and abundant marine life. The Dona is usually dived on a day trip combined with nearby Gato Island, one of Malapascua’s best dive sites. It has at least five dive sites with a huge diversity of marine life: huge whitetip sharks, sea snakes, cuttlefish (often while mating), pygmy and larger seahorses, nudibranchs, frogfish, scorpionfish, porcupinefish, and smashing mantis shrimp. The coral is in good condition and the rocky island has many interesting underwater rock formations, including a 30-metre tunnel under the island. gorgonian seafan

Frogfish

Turtle

How inviting does this sea look?

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alaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy that consists of 13 states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres. It is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (also known as West and East Malaysia respectively).

Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. Peninsular Malaysia is connected to Singapore via two bridges, one which transports traffic and water, and a second link just for traffic.

Malaysia plays host to an amazingly diverse range of scuba destinations teeming with marine life. From diving on sheer walls and in the company of more turtles than you can imagine in Sipadan, to the pristine coral atoll and hammerhead sharks in Layang Layang. You can find migrating whalesharks around Lankayan and macro diving in Mabul and Kapalai islands, to name just a few of the spectacular opportunities available. Mataking Island, located fairly close to Sipadan, is becoming a new diving hotspot, and with 25 great dive sites all less than 15 minutes away, there is something for everyone’s taste. A staff favourite is the Turtle Playground, a drift dive on a sloping reef wall from 5m-60m plus that puts you face to face with both green and hawksbill turtles. Many of the Malaysian dive resorts are situated on the islands of Sabah, which are fringed with epic sand beaches and coconut trees - a beautiful setting to complement the excellent diving.

The Scuba Junkie House Reef off Mabul Island ranges in depth from 2m-20m, yet it is arguably Mabul’s best dive site.

There are so many unusual critters here, even the mostexperienced of divers will be amazed. It is common to see rhinopia, mandarinfish, wonderpus, frogfish and seahorses on most dives. However, don’t be surprised to see a manta or an eagle ray swimming over your dive buddy’s bubbles!

Third Beach, off Si Amil Island, Sabah, has only recently been discovered and is already becoming a world-renowned dive site. At Third Beach you start the dive at the top of a pristine

Angelfish

Malaysia plays host to an amazingly diverse range of scuba destinations teeming with marine life coral reef that slopes from 5m-30m, and here you will see pristine soft and hard coral and lots of whip coral with xeno crabs. Among the coral it is a macro heaven, with weedy rhinopia, Ambon scorpionfish, thorny seahorse and flamboyant cuttlefish seen most of the time. At 30m you hit a sandy slope that is often visited by devil rays.

Manta Point, on the Borneo Barrier Reef, Sabah, is the point where the continental shelf starts and is just a stone’s throw from Sipadan. The dive starts in a shallow sloping coral reef full of unusual critters, then from around 15m-30m there is a sandy sloping reef that attracts many different species of rays. At 30m you hit another reef and some interesting overhangs that disappear into the blue. Venture into the blue yourself and don’t be surprised to be met by large pelagics such as sharks, tuna and large manta rays.

MALAYSIA

White-tip reef shark

Turtle

CONCLUSION

Southeast-Asia is home to myriad dive sites scattered through several countries, and each has its own unique charms.

Whether you are a novice diver, an experienced veteran, or somewhere inbetween, you will find much to keep you enthralled underwater, and with so many options to choose from, you could keep going back to the region time after time and not visit the same place twice. n

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

BACK TO SCHOOL

A vast school of fish swimming together is always impressive. However, taking a good picture is not always easy – as Mario Vitalini explains, the trick is to show the group as a unity, and not as a messy, disorganised random group of individuals PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

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ish come together for different reasons and at different times. Protection and feeding are the most-common drivers, but many species create huge aggregations for spawning at a determinate time of the year. This can be more predictable and therefore easier to capture because the location and time can be pinpointed precisely.

Schooling fish can be photographed all over the world at different times. The seasonal aggregations are more predictable and easier to photograph. The place that comes to my mind is the northern Red Sea, where snapper, jacks, batfish, unicorns and barracuda are among the many species that come together during the summer months.

On the other hand, striped catfish can be found around the Indo-Pacific all over shallow reefs year round, forming very photogenic feeding aggregations on a regular basis, and in areas such as the Tulamben region in Bali, or Apo Island in the Philippines, you can find horse-eye jack. While other species that are commonly found in groups require a bit more luck, you need to be at the right place at the right time. On a plus side, these ‘more-common’ fish tend to be overlooked and you can have the encounter all to yourself.

Seasonal aggregations attract a huge number of divers and finding the right photo opportunity can be tricky. A good example of this can be seen at Shark and Jolanda Reef, in Ras Mohammed National Park in the Red Sea. Here during the end of June and the beginning of July, huge numbers of snapper congregate to spawn. This, of course, attracts many divers wishing to witness the event. The number of divers in the water can be a problem for the photographer.

SECURE A GOOD SHOT - TIPS AND TECHNIQUES Try to time your dive when there is the least amount of people around, but if it is not possible, remember that the curious attitude of many divers that wish to ‘be in the middle of the action’ drives them to swim towards the school. You can

use this towards your favour by positioning yourself opposite these divers. The fish will swim away from the disturbance and head towards you, giving you a chance to capture the perfect shot. Equally, never swim under the school hoping for a good upward shot or a silhouette, your bubbles will only break the formation and split the school.

Contrary to normal underwater photography, the rule of getting as close as you can does not apply. When shooting fish groups, you will obtain much better results if you try to maintain a respectful distance. By doing so, you will make the group feel safer, and you will not be considered a predator

- which in many cases will cause the school to split. You are much better maintaining your position and letting the fish swim to you, not the other way around. This may require a fair amount of patience and time, but the results can be very rewarding.

If you swim towards the school, the group may start swimming away from you, resulting in pictures of fish tails or, even worst, the group may split and form two or three smaller and less-photogenic groups.

Shooting from a considerable distance creates a series of problems, and the most important is light. The light from your flashguns will struggle to reach the subject. The only way to maximise the reach of your strobes besides cranking up the power is to remove the diffusers. These are designed to soften and spread the light, the opposite of what you want in this instance. To avoid problems with backscatter, position your strobes wide apart and behind the housing facing straight forward. Other options are to use ambient light if the action happens at a shallower depth, or to convert your pictures to black and white.

Not every school behaves the same way. Some species are easier to photograph, such as snapper, jacks and barracuda.

They normally prefer to remain in a fixed position and not wander along the reef or into the blue. Barracuda, for example, tend to stick together in a pack formation and these are very easy to approach because they do not break the formation. Other fish are much harder - the unicornfish, which in Egypt come together at the same time as the snapper, behave in the completely opposite way. They are together but each individual wanders around on its own, making it almost impossible to get a good photo. The blue parrotfish swim along the reef fast and do not stop at all, so a good

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY photo opportunity is a question of quick reactions from the photographer and a healthy dose of luck.

LENS SELECTION AND COMPOSITION A wide-angle lens is essential when photographing schooling fish. If the school in question is a large one, you can go for a fisheye. But always bear in mind the barrel distortion these lenses create and aim to frame the group of fish in the middle of the frame from a distance so the distortion does not affect the image. If you know the school is not very big, a traditional rectilinear lens will be ideal. In my opinion, if in doubt go for a fisheye, that way you will have a great lens to shoot other reef scenes in case the schooling action you were hoping for is not playing along.

Try to time your shot so the school is in a pleasing formation, usually this will be a spherical group or a ring (jacks and barracuda). When the school is very big, it can yield very impressive pictures, remember these work best when you place a diver in the scene, such as a fellow photographer. This way, you can get a sense of scale.

When you frame your school, always look around the edges, try not to cut the formation and if possible, make sure the fish are surrounded by blue water and not the reef.

If you do not have a wide-angle option, you can use the school as a compositional element in the background, or try to get a detail or portrait of an individual within the school.

For this, a macro lens is ideal, but you will need to get fairly close, which may not be appreciated by other photographers in the group, so be polite and let them shoot the school before you approach it.

The next time you find yourself in front of a school of fish, take your time, set your strobes apart and back, keep your distance and let the fish come to you. Your chances of coming back home with a great picture will be massively improved. n

BIOGRAPHY: MARIO VITALINI

For nearly 30 years, Mario has sailed the globe and dived the seas, working as a PADI instructor and dive guide. Today, he shares his passion for underwater photography.

His students love his real-world expertise and patient approach. He has an extensive working knowledge of most underwater camera systems, having spent several years at the UK’s largest photo retailer. Mario’s images have won several awards and he has featured not once, but twice, among the top categories at the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year, including Most Promising British Underwater Photographer in 2015.

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New series in which our panel of underwater photography professionals offer hints and advice on particular topics. This issue, the thorny subject of travelling with your camera system, and the best ways to pack your gear PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MARIO VITALINI, MARTYN GUESS, PHIL AND ANNE MEDCALF AND PAUL DUXFIELD

“Packing is one of the moststressful bits about any MARIO holiday. I always recommend VITALINI starting early to keep your nerves in check.

“The first think I do is to select what gear I may need. There is no reason to take every bit of equipment you own. Choose the kit more suited to the place you are visiting and consider a few spares. Ask yourself, is it a macro or a wide-angle destination? Will you need a fisheye lens? Do you need a remote strobe or a snoot? Avoid taking unnecessary equipment.

“Once I have selected my equipment, I usually lay it all out on the floor and set it up at least once.

It is a good time to test that everything is working.

The last thing you want is get to your destination only to realise you left a vital bit of kit behind, normally a sync cable or a charger. I’m not good at lists, but if it helps have a spreadsheet of all the parts you need.

“Not every bit of equipment needs to go in your hand luggage, I only take with me camera and lenses. Use your hold luggage to pack the lessfragile bits. I use a small soft case where I pack

housing, ports and strobes. Using bubble wrap and foam, I protect each piece of kit and organise them tightly. I then place the soft case in the middle of a lightweight hard case and use my clothes and dive kit to add protection.

“I regularly pack all my dive kit, camera kit and cloth for a week in under 30kg. Enough to travel to any dive destination without any problems.”

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“I always try to put as much of my camera gear in the hold luggage as ANNE possible to avoid having to carry a MEDCALF lot of weight in hand luggage around airports, this also avoids trying to fit lots of heavy things in my pockets when check in weigh the carry-on bag! Although the camera and lenses will always be in my hand luggage, pretty much everything else is robust enough to survive in my suitcase. I was always loathe to put any camera gear in the hold, but as you gain more gear and your kit expands, then you do need to be realistic when packing.

“I have an aluminium housing which would always get me stopped by security if it went in hand luggage, but it is fine in the hold along with the tray, arms and clamps. My strobes and ports also go in the hold, well protected with bubble wrap and cushioned in my wetsuit and clothes. Tupperware is also useful for a bit of extra protection for kit and I take rechargeable AA batteries for the strobes in a clip-lidded box.

All the chargers go in along with a four-gang extension lead with the right plug adaptor attached ready so it is easier to charge things when there is a shortage of sockets.”

“Hand luggage limits can be restrictive but it is worth weighing everything PHIL before you buy, including bags, to MEDCALF make the most of the weight allowed.

Anything delicate or irreplaceable

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needs to stay in hand luggage and I use a lightweight photographer’s backpack so my camera and lenses are protected. The laptop and hard drives are also in hand luggage - we have two hard drives and as we travel as a couple, we take one each for extra security. Buying tough hard drives that can take a few bumps is also a good idea if you will be travelling a lot, as they are bound to get dropped at some point.

“Have a checklist of your equipment so you don’t forget anything and you can take a picture of your bags to remind yourself how everything was packed. If you are optically challenged and need a prescription mask, then do take this in your carry-on too as you won’t be able to rent one - it can go in the hold on the way home. It’s also worth checking what extras you can carry on the plane, such as laptop bags, a small camera or handbag or a coat with space for more gear. Don’t forget to take your re-usable water bottles, but make sure you take them out of the bag and take the lids off when going through security so they don’t stop you. Whatever country you are in, be nice to check in and security staff, be ready with electricals and liquids out of bags and smile - they are doing their jobs and if you are grumpy or argue with them, you are the only one that will lose out. Remember, you are on holiday!”

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

“My Nikon D5 is a beast of a camera weighing in at 1.4kg! Compared to other photographers with their compacts or their mirrorless systems, I have to contend with a considerable amount of weight, as having a big camera everything that goes with it is also weighty.

“The first thing when packing is to consider, what I am going to shoot when I get where I am going. Is it mainly macro or mainly wide angle? If macro, then there is little point me taking my huge Subtronic strobes and huge Zen dome port, for example (I take a smaller dome). I see so many people who take everything they own in their camera cupboard – it’s best to be selective.

“Make a list when you get back from a trip and check what you didn’t use. The next time you go away check back on the list and pack accordingly.

“I found the lightest weight cabin roller bag that I could mine weighs 1.5kg. Into this I pack my housing and a couple of Inon strobes and MacBook. This normally takes me to the airline hand luggage limit. I then pack my faithful photographer’s vest stuffed to the gunwales, with camera body, lenses, magnifiers, batteries and loads more. This is removed when checking in and draped innocuously over a trolley or simply worn – it can weigh 12kg or more! The nice thing is that when not at the check in, the heavy load can be rolled around comfortably!

“Next, I pack everything else, either in strong plastic boxes or wrapped in bubble wrap and then wrap my wetsuit, rash vest, clothes, etc, around the more-fragile items. This is all packed into the lightest, stiff-sided roller bag, suitable for the hold that I could find – one made by Rohan. All internal sides and any voids are stuffed with bubble wrap.

“I am always looking for ways to shed luggage weight and have the obligatory travel wing, lightweight regulators and fins. Recently I changed nearly all my charging units to USB and plug these into a mains-powered USB hub – this saved me 1.5kg!”

MARTYN GUESS

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My pro tip is pretty obvious - and it’s to pack light. I carry the absolute bare PAUL minimum to do the job along with me DUXFIELD in my hand luggage. And along with my laptop and backup drive, I pack camera, housing, fisheye lens, dome port, basic arms and at least one Inon S2000 strobe.

Along with chargers, cables and a set of AA Eneloop batteries. I prep everything, clean O-rings, charge batteries then put it all together as if I’m about to use it, take some test shots on a cleared memory card, then repack all this in my carry-on case.

This means I can hit the ground running when I get onsite with the minimum of fuss and prep.

I also keep a spare pair of shorts, pants and a T-shirt in this bag, so that if the SHTF and my main luggage doesn’t make it, I have some clean clothes to use while what I was wearing gets washed. This also acts as padding for the camera gear.

Macro ports, lenses and other kit goes in my main luggage, packed in bubblewrap inside Tupperware-style boxes. This means I can take lighter, soft-sided main luggage, but still maintain adequate protection for the kit inside. I also now use a super-light-weight Rogue wing from Aqua Lung, which comes apart and packs very small in a packing cube.

I also use very cheap and light but rigid pool fins for long-haul trips, further keeping the weight down from my usual Mares Avanti Quattros. That’s it really, no need to overcomplicate things. n

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ESSENTIAL THINGS I WON’T DIVE WITHOUT We all have our ‘go-to’ equipment, and in the first of a new series, we ask celebrity diver, presenter, author and adventurer Andy Torbet to list bits of kit that he won’t consider heading off on expedition without PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD STEVENSON AND COURTESY OF ANDY TORBET 72

FOURTH ELEMENT HOOD It’s top of the list because it’s always the first thing that comes to mind when I get asked a question like this. It’s like Fourth Element used my head as the mold. It’s such a perfect fit that, even in one-degree waters under ice, I rarely go thicker than 5mm. The fit is so good I’ve even surfaced with dry hair. It covers as much of my face as possible without interfering with masks or regs. If Gieves and Hawkes, No.1 Saville Row, made bespoke diving hood, this is what they’d look like.

SUUNTO EON STEEL DIVE COMPUTER I love the big, colourful display and buttons the right size even with drygloves on (and the three pairs of undergloves).

If I’m on CCR it acts as my bail-out computer, if I’m on scuba it’s my main unit and it can cope with any gas mixes I care to breathe. The new Buhlmans software also means I can match it perfectly to the Shearwater that runs my CCR. The only time I don’t wear it is when I’m freediving, when I’ll slip on the more-modestly sized Suunto D6.

APEKS XTX50 REGULATOR Not something I use freediving, obviously, but I carry at least one at all other time. If I’m on scuba, and these days if I am, it’s almost always side-mounted in caves, I’ll carry two of these as my main regs.

If I’m on CCR, there will be at least one acting as my main bail-out. As with the dive computer, your bail-out should be at least as good, if not better than your main. When it’s all going wrong and you need to bail-out in the worse possible conditions, that is not the time to start worrying about kit reliability.

TRILOBITE CUTTING TOOL These are the little, doubleblades cutting tools. They’re perfect for cutting the size of lines you normally get on dive reels, but also the mono-filament nets and fishing line that a conventional knife might struggle with. I slip one onto the wrist-strap of my Suunto EON or D6. I also carry two on my skydiving rig (it’s the law you carry at least one) in case you need to cut lines in an emergency – that’s how useful they are.

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CHANGING MAT Whether you’re on a sandy beach, muddy cave or filthy car park keeping you, but more importantly your kit, clean is important. This is especially important if the kit is sensitive stuff like filming lights or cameras, or if you won’t have a change to clean it before the next dive (picture living and diving out of your car for three months – the cleaner you keep things, the less work you make for yourself). Fourth Element give free changing mats with their drysuits. I’ve got four (mats, not suits… I’ve only two of those). Also, handy to put under picnic blankets to keep them clean and dry, or rig up as a rain shelter for kit that needs to be left outside… but that’s for another article.

AQUA LUNG ARGONAUT KNIFE Shot lines, ropes on boats and the climbing rope often used in caving and in many British underwater caves and flooded mines is too thick for a Trilobite. For this I carry my Aqua Lung Argonaut Knife. One side for cutting and one for sawing, I’ve yet to find something it couldn’t cut. There’s also 5mm paracord wrapped around the hilt. You’d be surprised what you can fix with a bit of paracord.

APEKS HAND SPOOL These come in three sizes and I carry whichever is appropriate for the dive in question. I use them as Delayed SMB lines, shot lines (usually when freediving), jump reels and for lining caves and even as a washing line on more than on one trip. They’re also colourful, so look good in photos… something not to be sniffed at in my line of work.

FOURTH ELEMENT G1 GLOVES I’ll often wear these 1.5mm gloves for freediving or diving in warmer waters, but I’ll also carry them in much colder conditions. Even if I intend wearing drygloves for diving, I’ll wear these when rigging and sorting kit, dressing or helping out someone else.

They keep my hands warm even when wet, so when I eventually don whichever other gloves I’ll wear underwater, I do so with warm hands. If you start an Arctic dive with cold hands, they’re not going to warm up when you hit the water.

FOURTH ELEMENT XEROTHERM BEANIE I wear these all the time.

They keep my head superwarm, pack up in a pocket easily and even are slim-line enough to fit under my helmet when I’m climbing, mountaineering or caving. Because they still feel super-comfy and warm when wet, I wear mine sea-kayaking and even stick it in a pocket when I go cave diving. I surface in a dry cave, wring the hat out and stick it on. Top bit of kit. We (the whole family) also have red ones for Christmas time.

HEAD TORCH This, in one form or another, is always in my kit. Whether I’m just going to London for a night or heading to Greenland for a month, a decent head-torch is essential.

On the diving front, I’m currently experimenting with the Big Blue HL1000 XXW - a headtorch with up to 1,000 lumen that can go to 100m.

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SUDDEN HEARING LOSS

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ovember 2015, Italy. Gabriel**, an experienced Spanish diving instructor in his 40s, travelled to Italy with his friends by car. He is enjoying his first dive of the day using a closed-circuit rebreather. He is on trimix (oxygen, helium and nitrogen) and wears a Petrel dive computer.

By the end of his dive, he clocks up a total bottom time of 95 minutes at a depth of 40m (with 45m at maximum). His dive was uneventful, but during his ascent he felt a muffled sensation in his right ear which did not disappear right away. This was not the first time he experienced something similar, so he didn’t worry too much about it. He assumed the sensation will clear up during the forthcoming hours, as it always has. However, 30 hours go by – without any improvement. Unfortunately, Gabriel felt worse.

Two days later, he realised he can’t hear anything from his right ear after trying to use his mobile phone. He started to get worried and also experienced some postural vertigo. Gabriel felt miserable and wanted to go home. He decided to return to Spain the following day and seek medical treatment there.

Back in Spain, Gabriel stopped at the ER of a hospital. The doctors there believe it is an ear barotrauma and recommend some ibuprofen. Being an experienced diver and instructor, Gabriel tried to explain he believes it is not a ‘common’ ear barotrauma. Unfortunately, the doctors simply recommended for him to come back the following day for a more-detailed ENT check. At that point it was already late in the evening. So he returned home.

The next morning, Gabriel decided to get a second opinion from doctors specialised in diving-related illnesses and hyperbaric treatment at another hospital. He was not at all surprised when he received a new diagnosis - sudden deafness. The doctor explained the sudden deafness in a diver is not a sequel of decompression sickness, but the result of a problem with the stato-acoustic sensorineural nerve that causes a sudden loss of hearing. It’s not necessarily a diverelated condition - anybody, even non-divers, can get it.

The hyperbaric doctor prescribes him 20 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT). He also explains that it cannot be treated with classic ENT treatments, but sometimes improves or even recovers completely with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Improvement will never happen only after one HBOT session, but good results have been produced by proceeding with the treatment for three weeks. Sometimes there is sudden restitution towards the mid or the end of the treatment period. So they start Gabriel on the HBOT.

in one ear—either at once or over several days. If it occurs, it is of paramount importance for patients to see a doctor immediately. Delaying diagnosis and treatment may decrease the effectiveness of treatment outcome. People often notice the hearing loss when they try to use the deafened ear, for example, when they use a phone. Dizziness and/or ringing in the ears (tinnitus) can be accompanying symptoms. Typically, adults in their 40s and 50s are affected. About 50 percent of the cases recover their hearing spontaneously usually within one to two weeks. 85 percent of patients receiving treatment recover some of their hearing. In about 15 percent of the cases the cause can be identified as an infectious disease, head injury or brain trauma, an autoimmune disease, drugs that harm the sensory cells in the inner ear, blood circulation problems, a tumour on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain, or neurologic disorders like multiple sclerosis.

The condition means complete and permanent hearing loss and therefore impairment for the majority of activities in life.

Although it is a rare problem, it has been known in the diving field for many years. As mentioned earlier, it’s not a condition specifically in divers. Anybody, even nondivers, can get it. However, in divers it may be triggered by pressure changes whereas in non-divers the trigger factor can be something else.

Caren Liebscher focuses on the case of a closed-circuit rebreather diver who experiences sudden loss of hearing after a trimix dive

WHAT IS SUDDEN DEAFNESS?

In sudden sensorineural hearing loss or sudden deafness, the stato-acoustic sensorineural nerve is affected for some unexplained reason and causes rapid loss of hearing—usually

HOW TO TREAT SUDDEN DEAFNESS?

A proven and promising treatment is hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT).

Another common treatment in the nondiving world is with corticosteroids. They reduce inflammation, decrease swelling and help the body to fight illness. Steroids can be taken orally or can be directly injected behind the eardrum into the middle ear (intratympanic corticosteroid therapy). Additional treatment may be needed if an actual underlying cause is discovered. Infections, drug allergies or autoimmune disorders can cause the immune system to attack the inner ear.

Antibiotics or other drug treatments may help.

HOW IS SUDDEN DEAFNESS DIAGNOSED?

A hearing test called pure tone audiometry is the method of choice. It helps to determine whether the hearing loss is caused by sound not reaching the inner ear because something obstructs the way, or by a sensorineural deficit, meaning that the ear cannot process the sound. The diagnosis is positive if the test shows a loss of at least 30 decibels in three connected frequencies.

When in doubt, remember that the DAN Europe medical team is always at your disposal to give medical advice via its 24/7 emergency hotline.

Unfortunately, we heard from Gabriel that, despite the HBOT treatment, his hearing hasn’t returned yet. We wish him the best and hope his hearing will eventually recover. n ** name changed by the author

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DIVERS ALERT NETWORK: EUROPE DAN Europe is an international non-profit medical and research organisation dedicated to the safety and health of divers.

WWW.DANEUROPE.ORG

The doctor explained the sudden deafness in a diver is not a sequel of decompression sickness, but the result of a problem with the stato-acoustic sensorineural nerve that causes a sudden loss of hearing WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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BEYOND TECHNICAL

www.narkedat90.com

O

zTek, the Advanced Dive Conference and Exhibition, is Australia’s longest running and most-successful dive show. It is focused on the latest developments in diving, and its associated technologies. The 2019 show, which ran over the weekend of 16-17 March, was the 20th anniversary for OzTek, and I was eager to see what the event had to offer. I was keen to see what new equipment was being launched.

I was enthusiastic about looking at the images on display for the photo competition.

I was very interested about some of the speakers, in particular Richard Harris and Craig Challen, the now-famous duo from the 2018 Thai cave rescue, and I was generally looking forward to the clamour and excitement that dive shows tend to produce.

The exhibition is a show case for new innovations, training techniques and equipment. Everything from rebreathers, photographic equipment and much, much more was on display. There was something for everyone, including freediving, a first for Oztek and a new addition that was very well received. The Cave VCR experience was another hit, and was as fun to watch as it was to actually do, as people tentatively made their way around the guide ropes that had been laid out.

ON THE ROAD TO

Adrian Stacey had to deal with freak thunderstorms and lightning strikes, but eventually he made it to Sydney and the 20th anniversary OzTek dive conference and exhibition PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIAN STACEY 76

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We design, manufacture and retail scuba and rebreather equipment. We have fully equipped test and certification labs, and can pressure test large items in our vacuum chambers, as well as run fully automated leak test and dive simulations down to 400m. Our EMC and EMF lab is filled with state-ofthe-art equipment for testing electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic fields. We also have a large in-house laser for cutting and engraving on plastics and metals. www.narkedat90.com

The exhibition is held bi-annually at the International Convention Centre, which is located in the heart of Sydney at Darling Harbour. The venue is only 8km from the airport and getting there could not be easier, with trains, light rail and taxis providing the main transport. Water taxis and ferries are another option for those who have been visiting some of Sydney’s iconic landmarks a couple of bays over.

I was due to make the short one hour 30 minute flight from Brisbane down to Sydney on the Friday night, so I could be at the convention centre bright and early and ready for when the doors opened. Unfortunately, the weather gods had other ideas and after months of virtually no rain, a huge thunderstorm rolled in. It announced its presence with booming thunder. It then proceeded to dump huge amounts of water over the airport and lash out at any planes that dared to be in the sky with multiple lightning strikes. My flight was one of many to be cancelled. The next day I tried again and this time, my flight did leave. Unfortunately, it was routed via Melbourne and I only managed to get to the exhibition at around 4pm.

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Thankfully, the day was not a complete waste - I arrived just in time for the underwater photo competition presentation. There were some amazing entries in the six categories of Cave, Macro, Marine Life, Marine Life with Diver, Wreck and Nikon Dive Shot of the Year. The deserved overall winner was Emma Holman, with a fantastic shot of humpback whale interaction between parents and calf. This was a competition well worth winning - the first prize was a Nikon D850 with Nikkor AF-S60mm lens.

The event boasted a huge range of talented speakers across the range of diving genres. There were plenty of tech specialist, cave enthusiasts, wreck divers, photographers, dive doctors and freedivers, all eager to impart their considerable knowledge. The biggest draw was Richard Harris and Craig Challen, Australians of the Year and key members of the team of cave divers that help rescue a youth football team from the Tham Luang Caves in Thailand. A huge queue formed outside the auditorium well before the talk was due to begin. The rescue captured the attention of the world last year and it was good to hear what actually happened straight from the

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I think for a dive show to capture the interest and fuel the imaginations of its patrons, it needs to have a good mix of exhibitors, not just manufacturers and distributors, but also training agencies, tourism associations, dive centres and liveaboards

horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mouth and to separate the myths from the truth. Both are excellent orators and delivered the facts in an interesting, informative and sometimes humorous manner.

The Sunday promised more accomplished speakers and the chance to have a proper look around the exhibition and chat with some of the exhibitors. With over 80 stands there was no shortage of people to see. I think for a dive show to capture the interest and fuel the imaginations of its patrons, it needs to have a good mix of exhibitors, not just manufacturers and distributors, but also training agencies, tourism associations, dive centres and liveaboards. Divers need somewhere to show off their fancy new equipment, after all! OzTek have done this very well, with a diverse collection of exhibitors.

Of course, a lot of the big names in diving were there. Mares were in attendance and were excited to be showing off their revolutionary new product, a semi-closed rebreather system called the Horizon, an amazing piece of equipment that extends dive times, is lightweight and as easy as nitrox diving - a real show-stopper. Suunto were promoting the elegant D5, and Nikon had their latest mirrorless camera on display. DAN was in attendance, making sure we all dive safely, and the training agencies were represented by SSI, TDI and RAID. Those people who had come to plan their next trip were spoilt for choice. For attendees who were looking to learn, or go for a dive not too far from home, Sydney-based dive

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centres such as Frog Dive, Dive Centre Manly and Bay City Divers catered for their needs. For those eager for some sharkfuelled adrenaline dives, Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, the cage-diving specialists, were happy to help, and representing the Great Barrier Reef was Mike Ball Dive Expeditions.

Divers looking to venture a little further afield had the difficult task of choosing between the Philippines; the Solomon Islands - which now have direct flights from Australia to the popular dive destination of Munda; Fiji with its wealth of diving hotspots, including the Volivoli Resort a mere twohour drive from Nadi; Papau New Guinea and Indonesia with its huge arsenal of impressive dive spots, from Wakatobi to Raja Ampat to Thalassa, not to mention the Velocean liveaboard, which is taking luxury to a new level. To help enthusiastic divers book their dream holiday were the likes of Dive Planit, Dive Adventures and Allways Dive - all specialists in getting people to and from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diving meccas.

The show had a nice, easy-to-navigate layout. There were three auditoriums all located at the back of the venue and away from the main hall, so there was less noise to contend with while listing to the speakers. To further aid with this, headphones were provided, a first for the show and a huge success. There was a separate imaging centre where the photos were displayed, and there were seating areas located at the entrance next to the cafe and at the rear of the

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COMPUTERS • O2 CELLS • GAS ANALYSERS CABLES & CONNECTORS • REBREATHER PARTS PATHFINDER STROBES • SENSORS TOOLS • SOLENOIDS

exhibition hall. These areas provided a place to rest, look at new purchases, or simply somewhere to relax and read the latest edition of Scuba Diver Asia-Pacific.

The show’s organisers were offering a whole host of prizes, including liveaboard trips, resort holidays, DAN packages and a variety of dive equipment. For some of the prizes, all you had to do was turn up, while others were given to competition winners or for a notable achievement. After two action-packed days, the event culminated in a gala dinner held at the National Maritime Museum. This was a celebration of the past year in the diving calendar, and a chance to recognise the achievements of some of Australia’s most-prominent divers.

This is so much more than just a dive show for tech-diving enthusiasts, it is a dive show for anyone interested in the many facets of diving. It is a platform for manufacturers to exhibit new technologies and innovations. It is a chance to hear some of the leading lights of the industry speak with passion about the wonderful world of diving, and it is a great forum for the exchange of ideas and diving philosophies. n

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What’s New

FOURTH ELEMENT OCEANPOSITIVE ‘FIN COLLECTION’ (SRP: £29.95-£79.95)

OCEANIC GEO.4 (SRP: £TBC)

The new Geo 4.0 lets divers stay connected to their dive data in style.

Bluetooth technology connects Geo 4.0 to all smartphones through the DiverLog+ App, so divers can adjust and customise all their settings on the go preand post-dive. And with five new stylish and sporty colour straps, divers can personalise their Geo 4.0 to match any piece of dive gear. Colour straps are available in Black, White, Blue, Yellow and Sea Blue.

The Geo 4.0 also features Oceanic’s patented Dual Algorithm, can handle up to three nitrox mixes to 100 percent, has four operating modes – watch, norm, gauge and freedive - and a brand-new XL display area with wider font and up to 33 percent larger digits. www.oceanicworldwide.com

AQUA LUNG STORM (SRP: £54)

The new Fourth Element OceanPositive collection of swimwear and rashguards is out now.

Made from recycled nylon, the Fin Collection takes inspiration from the shark, offering a sleek, streamlined range which suits many body shapes and sizes with intricate but bold, abstract prints and strong colours, super-sized to represent our beloved sharks in all their magnificent glory.

This once bountiful animal is one of the oceans’ apex predators. There are over 500 species of shark, which have evolved have evolved in a diverse range of aquatic habitats.

Their incredible skins allow them to move quickly through the water with ease and efficiency and their predatory nature is essential to the natural order of the ocean. Despite all of this, sharks are gravely endangered with over 200 species on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list.

Caught for their fins or, too often, in Ghost Fishing nets, sharks need our protection. Fourth Element OceanPositive swimwear is made from Econyl® recycled nylon made from Ghost Fishing net, brought out of the sea, and other postconsumer waste. Packaged without single-use plastic, this is part of Fourth Element’s Mission 2020 pledge. www.fourthelement.com/fin-collection 82

The Aqua Lung Storm is a great all-round fin that is ideal for travel. It is produced using monprene, a single material construction which gives both durability and strength while maintaining exceptionally light weight – exactly what a travelling diver requires.

The innovative foot pocket design has the advantage of a full foot fin for comfort, with the versatility of an open-heel fin for sizing. The silicone bungee strap has a heel pad for easy on and off. Grips on the underside reduce slippage on a boat deck. It is available in a wide range of four sizes, covering junior to adult.

NB: The coloured blade inserts and bungee protectors correspond to the fin size and are not interchangeable. www.aqualung.com/uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

ISLANDER KAYAKS PARADISE AND PARADISE II MARINE RECYCLED (SRP: £449.95-£599.95)

As divers, we are well aware of the issue of plastics in our oceans, and of the efforts to not only clean up this pollution, but also recycle and reuse the material – as with Fourth Element’s OceanPositive swimwear, and Costa del Mar’s Untangled range of sunglasses. Now, Islander Kayaks have partnered with Odyssey Innovation to use plastic collected from beach cleans and marine salvage to mould robust sit-on-top kayaks. Odyssey Innovation founder Rob Thompson set up the organisation to tackle the three recurring obstacles encountered while conducting ocean clean-up activities – how to access coves, estuaries and other areas not frequented by regular beach-goers, how to dispose of the plastic generated through clean-ups, and how to fund the running costs of such operations. To resolve these issues, he came up with a plan to combine elements of all three problems and, by using the circular economy, turn them into the solution – and that’s when the Paradise Marine Recycled kayaks were ‘born’.

The Paradise Marine Recycled (£449.95) has a 290cm-long, 18kg hull, which has an ergonomic moulded-in footbrace, self-bailing scupper holes, a drain bung, strong carry handles and various D-ring attachment points. The Deluxe padded and adjustable backrest seat comes as standard, and the useful storage spaces, including a stern tankwell with strap retainers and a five-inch screw hatch with pull-out bag, mean you can collect any rubbish you find along the way.

The 390cm-long, 28kg Paradise II Marine Recycled (£599.95) can comfortably seat two adults, an adult and two smaller paddlers, or be paddled solo. Two Deluxe padded and adjustable backrest seats come as standard. It has all the same additional features as the Paradise. www.islanderkayaks.com

DIVEPRO D40F (SRP: £199) The DivePro D40F is a powerful 4,000 lumen video light with a full power runtime of 50 minutes from its CREE XHP70B bulb.

It has a push-button switch, is powered by a lithium-ion battery (with over-discharging, polarity reversing and low-voltage protection), and is depthrated to 100m. It comes with a charger and wrist strap. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

APEKS VX1 (SRP: £69-£89)

Apeks claim that the VX1 is the ‘ultimate in diving comfort’.

It is a lightweight, frameless single-lens mask with a premium silicone skirt with advanced geometry designed to minimise facial pressure points during long-duration dives.

Quick-release buckles with stainless steel rollers allow easy adjustment for the best fit, even while wearing drygloves, It is available in surgical-grade all-black silicone, or a white silicone skirt with a black in-fill around the lenses.

It has two lens options – Pure Clear (£69), which provides maximum optical clarity with no distortion, and the UV Cut (£89), which provides eye protection from harmful HEV light, which is present even on cloudy days.

The VX1 is supplied with a comfortable silicone mask strap, and an additional neoprene strap, all in a reusable zipped protective case. www.apeksdiving.com/uk

MARES GENIUS (SRP: £711)

The Genius is the latest full-colour dive computer from Mares that not only supports recreational air and nitrox diving, but also hypoxic and normoxic trimix gas mixes, making it their most-advanced computer so far.

Four push buttons along the bottom of the housing provide easy navigation through the various menus, screens and settings. An oversized elastomer strap makes the computer easy to secure to your arm, with waved sections in the strap designed to compensate for suit squeeze at depth.

As you can imagine, the Genius is packed with features including the ability to support up to five optional wireless transmitters, a full-tilt digital compass, large dive profile memory, built-in smart battery management for up to 40 hours of time from the rechargeable battery, Bluetooth connectivity to smart devices, and so much more. www.mares.com 83

Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: KNIVES AND CUTTING TOOLS

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.

DIVE KNIVES AND CUTTING TOOLS

This issue, we look at the humble dive knife, or in particular, a knife that can be mounted on your BCD or wing.

As there are also now several cutting tools hitting the market that are also compact and designed to fit on your BCD/wing, we have also included them into this Group Test.

It is important to carry at least one means of cutting monofilament line, webbing, rope, etc, with you at all times, and many people take two for redundancy.

Knives and cutting tools have many uses. Yes, there is the obvious - to free yourself, or your buddy, if snagged by errant

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fishing line, netting, etc - but there are a host of other uses as well, such as a prying tool, for signalling, a surface tool when you are fettling your kit. Some of the knives here include bottle openers for those apres-dive beers!

To see how the knives/cutting tools faired, we set them to task cutting various lines - monofilament, paracord, thicker ropes, and webbing of various widths/thicknesses. We also tried them with a bare hand, wearing 3mm gloves, 5mm gloves and even drygloves, so we could judge the comfort and grip of the hilt/handle, and also how easy it was to deploy and re-stow the knife/cutting tool.

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • AQUA LUNG SQUEEZE • AQUA LUNG MICRO SQUEEZE • BEUCHAT MINI LEGEND • MARES XR BETA TITANIUM • MARES FORCE PLUS • EEZYCUT TRILOBITE

Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis www.viviandivecentre.com Water temp: 5 degrees C Surface temp: 14 degrees C

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AQUA LUNG SMALL SQUEEZE KNIFE | SRP: £30-£61 Aqua Lung have become experts at producing well-made and useable dive knives, and the Small Squeeze Knife range continue this tradition.

That name is used to signify the use of Aqua Lung’s patented ‘Squeeze Lock’ design, which securely holds the knife in its sheath, but when the diver needs it, a simple squeeze of the hand and the knife is deployed with a minimum of fuss.

The handle and sheath are nylon with fibreglass fill. There is a lanyard hole in the hilt, and the sheath has drainholes.

It comes with mounts to attach it to grommets in your BCD or wing.

The 304 stainless steel versions (£35) come in either blunt tip or sheep tip. The blunt tip has a screwdriver tip, sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and a bottle opener. The sheep tip has sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and bottle opener.

There is also a spear tip version in titanium (£68) which is supremely lightweight. This has all the features of the others just with an extremely sharp spear tip.

All three easily sliced through every test, and the handle was comfy and easy to use even with thick gloves on. All-round winner. www.aqualung.com/uk

CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST

KNIVES

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: titanium 72g / sheep 111g / blunt 103g VERDICT: The perfect BCD knife, whichever version you choose. Lots of features, and efficient locking/release system, and a very competitive price.

SCORE

••••••••••

AQUA LUNG MICRO SQUEEZE KNIFE | SRP: £25 Aqua Lung totally nailed it with the Squeeze Knife range, making a compact knife that attached to your BCD and was useable whether you were in this country or in warmer waters. However, they also noted the rise of cutting tools like the Trilobite, which could be mounted pretty much anyway on your BCD or wing, and were even small enough to go on your dive computer strap. Hence, the launch of the Micro Squeeze Knife range.

Unlike the big brother, there is no titanium version here, just two 304 stainless versions - blunt tip and sheep tip. The sheep tip has a serrated section and a line cutter, while the blunt tip manages to cram a screwdriver tip, sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and a bottle opener into a 5.1cm blade. It is undeniably cute.

The knives use the same squeeze technology as the bigger knives, but as you only have a dinky hilt that fits between thumb and forefinger, they have added a length of webbing - a la Trilobite style - which sits in your hand and provides a rudimentary ‘hilt’ Not as easy to handle with gloved hands as the bigger versions, as you’d expect, but just as efficient at cutting. I’d be tempted to have one of these as a back-up to a full-size Squeeze. www.aqualung.com/uk

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BEST VALUE 2019 GROUP TEST

KNIVES

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: blunt 64g / sheep 68g VERDICT: Not as easy to use with thick gloves on, but equipped with efficient blades, a quality locking mechanism and a keen price. A great little back-up unit.

SCORE

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BEUCHAT MINI LEGEND | SRP: £49.95 It is good to see Beuchat back on the British diving map. With its long heritage, the company has continually developed and expanded its range, and the Mini Legend draws on that knowledge. The stainless steel blade features a sharp point, a sharp cutting edge, a serrated section, a line cutter and a handy shackle key.

The hilt has rubberised sections to aid your grip, and guards for your thumb and forefinger to stop them sliding on to the blade. There is a lanyard hole in the hilt. The sheath, which comes with attachments to fasten it to your BCD/ wing or on to your regulator hose, also has rubber straps for those who want to attach it to their wrist, or on their ankle for true retro-style.

It has a neat slide-and-press doublelocking system, which is simple to use even with 5mm neoprene gloves on.

In use, the line cutter and sharp cutting edge proved more than adequate, but the serrated section, while it worked, was not as efficient as some of the rivals here at slicing through thicker rope or cord. Very comfortable in your hand, whether bare or gloved, and nicely balanced. Good little knife. www.beuchat-diving.com/gb

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TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 76g VERDICT: Nifty little BCD knife, with some nice features, plenty of accessories, and a decent price. Just let down a little by the serrated section.

SCORE

••••••

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Fin Collection Available Now

FROM SEABED TO SWIMWEAR All our swimwear contains ECONYL® recycled nylon, helping to reduce the amount of ghost fishing net left in our seas.

This swimwear is truly good for the ocean. fourthelement.com/oceanpositive

MARES FORCE PLUS | SRP: £61 Mares have been around a long time too, and they have mastered a solid dive knife. The Force Plus is a great dive knife with some nice features.

The blade is made from PVD-coated stainless steel for durability and strength. It has a very sharp tip, a sharp cutting edge, a serrated section, and a line-cutter.

The sheath can be attached to your BCD or wing, but comes with attachments for putting it on your hose, and also two straps for putting it around your calf retro-style. The locking mechanism is secure, and can be easily released with a quick press.

The hilt is ergonomically molded and gives a really nice grip, and we especially liked the soft-grip insert in front of your thumb. There is also a lanyard hole in the hilt.

There is a ‘Nano’ version with a shorter, rounded-tip blade that is £53. In use, the wicked-looking blade made short work of all of the test lines, ropes and webbing, and that hilt was great with a bare hand and in a gloved hand.

It makes for a fairly large BCD knife compared with some of the others on test, but it is a great bit of kit. www.mares.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 108g VERDICT: Fairly large for a BCD knife, but fantastic hilt, superb blade and useful accessories. Great all-round knife for all conditions.

SCORE

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MARES HAND LINE-CUTTER B TITANIUM | SRP: £49 The styling of the Trilobite is also evident in this line-cutter from Mares.

However, Mares being Mares, they have elevated it to another level with this ‘B’ version.

The ‘B’ version features a ceramic cutting blade on one side, which is ultrasharp and needs no apres-dive care as it won’t rust, and a military-grade titanium serrated blade on the other, which is safely behind a hinged protective shield.

When you need to use it, you just flip up this shield and away you go.

There is also an ‘A’ version (£35), which more-closely resembles the Trilobite, and has a line-cutter on either side, but each of these blades is ceramic, so it will never rust and needs no after-dive care. Both versions have a finger hole to aid deployment from its webbing sheath - which can attach anywhere on your BCD or wing - and a webbing ‘hilt’, but they also have generous thumb and forefinger grips so you can firmly hold it in use. Well designed and with two very useful sections, it proved a formidable tool, slicing through every test product with ease and being easy to handle even with thick gloves on. Great as a primary or back-up cutting tool. www.mares.com

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CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST

KNIVES

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 36g VERDICT: The Trilobite influence is easy to see, but Mares have lifted it to another level. We like the blend of cutting blade and serrated edge, and the use of ceramic/titanium.

SCORE

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XL4

+

Lightweight | Compact | Cold Water Unique Freeze-Resistant First Stage 2 HP Ports | 4 MP Ports Designed For Cold Water Lightweight - Just 905G | 2Lb*

Image © APEKS. All Rights Reserved

*Din Version

Picture: Vis | Croatia

a p e ks div in g.com | @ap eksdivin g | #ap eks d i vi n g

EEZYCUT TRILOBITE | SRP: £31.95 The Eezycut Trilobite turned the diving world on its head when it showed up, being an efficient cutting tool for line, thinner ropes (up to 8mm diameter) and webbing, but also being compact and durable. Since then there have been various pretenders to the throne, and while some have built on its basic design (like the Mares unit), there is no getting away from the simplicity and ease of use of the Trilobite.

The business end of the Trilobite incorporates two razor blades, one on either side, and in use you slot a forefinger through the hole and use the webbing as a ‘hilt’.

Trilobites are available in a wide range of colours, including glow-in-the-dark, high-vis and phosphoresence.

The Trilobite comes with two spare blades and a sheath, of which there are various versions - a flexi pouch, a harness mount and a wrist mount. In the test, it easily sliced through all of the test lines, ropes and webbing. The compact size of the Trilobite means it is the perfect back-up cutting tool, and so small you could mount a couple on your BCD/dive computer to be ultra-safe. Easy to use with bare hands and wearing gloves. www.nautilusdiving.co.uk

BEST VALUE 2019 GROUP TEST

KNIVES

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 26g VERDICT: The Eezycut Trilobite turned the diving world on its head when it was released, and it is still a great bit of kit.

Very efficient, keenly priced - a must-have product.

SCORE

••••••••••

VERDICT Dive knives and cutting tools should be carried by all divers, and I’d always suggest people should have two methods of cutting and slicing with them at all times underwater, as knives can get broken/lost/dulled.

The selection we had here can all be attached to your BCD and essentially forgotten about, just being there as and when you need them. I’d always say to give them a good rinse at the end of a dive trip and let them dry off naturally, and nothing beats a light coating of oil or grease on the blade to help prevent rusting or oxidisation. I tend to do this even on blades which shouldn’t rust anyway!

The stand-outs were the Aqua Lung Squeeze Knives, which are compact, easy to use and very efficient. We were also impressed with the Eezycut Trilobite and the Mares Hand Line-Cutter B. We gave the Choice award to the Aqua Lung Squeeze Knives and the Mares Hand Line-Cutter B, and the Best Value award to the Eezycut Trilobite and the Aqua Lung Micro Squeeze Knives.

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Test Extra

BEUCHAT MAXLUX S | SRP: £47.95

Mark Evans: Beuchat are certainly ensuring that everyone notices their return to the UK market when it comes to the masks – I don’t think I have ever seen such a bright, vibrant range of colours in masks! Ever since we saw them in the flesh at the GO Diving Show, we have been after one for test.

Beuchat UK duly sent us a bright orange version, and this accompanied us to Jordan for our ‘Experience Aqaba’ trip with the competition-winning Cooper family.

The Maxlux S mask has a very low profile, which makes it a doddle to clear, and the hypoallergenic silicon skirt is super-soft and exceptionally comfortable. Thanks to the design, it will fit a wide range of faces, including those with narrow facial structure.

The skirt is bonded directly on to the single lens, so you get a superb panoramic field of vision. The straps are mounted directly on to the skirt, and so this means you can fold the mask flat for stowage in a pocket (as a backup, for instance), but it also helps with the location and fitting of the head strap.

There are three new colours for 2019 – salmon, electric blue and yellow sun – which join the array of blues, yellows, pinks, reds, oranges, white and black already available.

Stand out from the crowd and get a Maxlux S! www.beuchat-diving.com/gb

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Long Term Test SUUNTO D5 Mark Evans: First Suunto brought full colour to the screen display of their EON Steel, then the EON Core. Now they have shrunk that technology even further into a wristwatch-style computer, the D5.

It is aimed at entry-level divers and features a clear, high-contrast screen, simple-touse menu and it is rechargeable, as well as being able to connect with a Suunto Tank POD for wireless air integration. www.suunto.com

MARES EPIC ADJ 82X

INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2019 Suggested retail price: £545 Number of dives: 9 Time in water: 8 hrs 20 mins

FINNSUB 20D AND COMFORT HARNESS Mark Evans: I have gone on and on about the robust build quality and heavyweight feel of the Finnsub 20D, but I feel it just cannot be too overstated how well this wing is made.

Just look at the finish around the pull dump valve, with its little branded and rubberised surround. The quality and workmanship cannot be faulted, and matches its in-water performance. www.finnsub.com 94

INFORMATION Arrival date: January 2019 Suggested retail price: £579 Number of dives: 21 Time in water: 19 hrs 55 mins

Mark Evans: As we discussed last month, the Mares Epic Adj has some neat features on the second stage, but the first stage is also rather special. It has a swivel turret for the low-pressure ports, but I was more taken by the highpressure ports, which are angled in opposite directions, whichever orientation you mount the first stage on your cylinder, you can set the routing just right. www.mares.com

INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 Suggested retail price: £545 Number of dives: 12 Time in water: 11 hrs 30 mins

APEKS TECH SHORTS Mark Evans: The Tech Shorts got their first outing on my Sudan trip in March, and I have to say I was mightily impressed. I was sold on the idea of having pockets for stashing my DSMB and spool anyway, but the way the Tech Shorts fit and feel, and how efficient the pockets are, was far better then I imagined. I went for a size Medium, and they fit snugly over my 5mm wetsuit, no flapping around or sliding off as I clambered into the RIB. I also liked the rubberised finish on the bottom and back of the INFORMATION Arrival date: March 2019 thighs which stopped me Suggested retail price: £94 sliding around on the RIB Number of dives: 16 tubes.

Time in water: 15 hrs 15 mins www.apeksdiving.com/uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

OTTER WATERSPORTS ATLANTIC Mark Evans: As mentioned last month, one of the big USPs of the Otter Watersports Atlantic is the new pattern, which eliminates underarm seams, as shown by guest tester Jason Brown in the photograph.

The whole reason for losing the underarm seams as well as getting rid of a seam, which is always a potential failure point! - is to give more flexibility, which as anyone who has tried to reach their tank valves, can be a pain if your suit limits your movement. www.drysuits.co.uk

INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 Suggested retail price: £1,560 Number of dives: 12 Time in water: 11 hrs 55 mins

SHEARWATER RESEARCH TERIC Mark Evans: The Shearwater Research Teric has been racking up the dives with me over the last few months, and I am just loving how easy and intuitive it is to use.

Take the menu, for instance.

You press the bottom lefthand button to enter, and then it clearly shows you on screen which buttons scroll up and down, which ‘enters’ the next screen and which takes INFORMATION Arrival date: December 2018 you back to the previous Suggested retail price: £918 section. Fantastic, no Number of dives: 32 random button pressing!

Time in water: 31 hrs 15 mins www.shearwater.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

APEKS XL4+

Mark Evans: The Apeks XL4+ will next be heading to Egypt, when its small size makes it the perfect companion for my 12 year old son Luke, who will be using it while diving in the Red Sea and doing his Junior Advanced Open Water Diver course. He is entranced by the white finish on the second stage, which matches the white braided hose, as he says it is ‘cool’ so there you go, Apeks, INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2019 congratulations, you are Suggested retail price: £409 ‘cool’ in a 12-year-old’s Number of dives: 32 books!

Time in water: 30 hrs 45 mins www.apeksdiving.com/uk

BARE ULTRAWARMTH 7MM HOOD Mark Evans: So, the Bare Ultrawarmth 7mm Hood has reached the end of its six-month stint in Long Term Test, and let me tell you, I have been glad of its company on several cold-water dives!

I am normally weary of anything stating ‘ultra’ anything, but this hood genuinely can claim to give ‘ultrawarmth’. That celliant technology contained in the material actually does what it says absorbs your body heat and reflects it back at you - and it is far warmer than other 7mm hoods I have tried in the past. If you are INFORMATION Arrival date: November 2018 in the market for a winter Suggested retail price: £64.95 hood, check this out for Number of dives: 28 sure.

Time in water: 26 hrs 25 mins www.baresports.com 95

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SCHOLARSHIP DIARY

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

ROUNDING OUT THE 2018 SCHOLARSHIP YEAR

R

ight after my amazing adventure in Northern Iceland, I set my bearing across the Atlantic to get to the north of Alaska. There I was going to join Dr Brenda Konar, a kelp forest marine ecologist who was teaching a scientific diving class in the Kasitsna Bay Lab in Seldovia.

The surroundings and facilities were just something taken out from a fairytale. The whole lab was surrounded by dense forests and at the water front, sea otters came to visit every morning. So, we started the course and one of my tasks was to assist teaching and taking students that had more difficulties with skills to pass them without problems. And they nailed them! What I really loved of this experience was that I was able to work with some passionate people that wanted to explore and discover the stories of the inhabitants of the underwater world through a scientific approach. And this passion was something that during the Scholarship I was trying to identify in order to use it to engage people with the oceans. How someone that was coming from a completely different field of work than marine science, or biology, could as well get so much interest into diving that would end up taking a course to document the oceans.

During this course, I also had the chance to assist with some of the scientific diving of the second-year students who had projects around the lab. It was interesting to see that, like me, many people don’t mind how freezing the waters are in cold regions, as long as they can see the wonders that these places are hiding!

Once I finished the scientific diving course, I managed to make it to Anacortes, in the state of Washington. There I had the pleasure to get involved in short day fieldworks in some restoration projects with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Swinomish Indian Tribe to know more about abalone recruitments in the waters of the islands close to Anacortes, and about restoration of marshes in order to recover nursery grounds for salmon species.

After this nice encounter with scientific work, I decided to end my year with something quite special - a trip to the archipelago of Galapagos, in Ecuador. So, I made it to Quito where I was going to take a plane that would take me to the island of San Cristobal. Getting first views of the islands as we approached them by plane produced some strange emotions. I couldn’t believe that I was going to explore and dive the same lands that Darwin discovered so many years ago, and where some of the biological paradigms that we use nowadays were forged. In San Cristobal, the crew from the M/V Galapagos Sky received us in the airport and welcomed us on board the amazing vessel that was going to take us around the islands for diving.

During the trip, the guides explained so much about the biodiversity and biology that the islands allocate, both above and below water, and they also communicated with us the many challenges that the islands are facing nowadays.

In between the strong and powerful currents, we managed to see schools of impressive hammerheads, sealions, hundreds of marine turtles and many fishes and marine invertebrates that were completely new to me. Without any doubt, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish this incredible and amazing year that I’ve just had.

One year travelling around the world alone changes lots of things in the person you were at the start. It definitely has transformed me. I’ve taken so many vital lessons from the people that I have been meeting along the way, from the experiences that I’ve taken part in… And now, now that it’s over, I realise that I have achieved so many personal goals.

But also, I’ve realised that we as human species still can make changes to relate with the oceans in a different way.

To protect them and preserve them. But most importantly, to know more about them. Because with knowledge comes love, and with love comes care! I want to express a huge thank you to the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society, to Rolex and to all the sponsors and hosts involved in making this year a reality. Without you, anything that I did would not have been possible. Thank you! n

Eric Jorda

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