Scuba Diver #51

PEER PRESSURE

GOING UNDERGROUND

MAGICAL MEERU

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND CALL A DIVE

ANDY TORBET AND CHRIS JEWELL EXPLORE PWLL Y CWM IN WALES

STUART PHILPOTT CONTINUES HIS WHISTLESTOP TOUR OF THE MALDIVES

Rick

STANTON Q&A PLUS A REVIEW OF HIS NEW BOOK AQUANAUT: A LIFE BENEATH THE SURFACE

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EDITOR’S NOTE THE LURE OF THE UNDERGROUND

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

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MAGAZINE

CONTRIBUTORS

Andy Torbet, Colin Garrett, Stuart Philpott, Pete Mesley, Marcus Blatchford

I have absolutely no interest in cave diving. I think that those who do it are amazing people and I admire their drive and determination. I am in awe of some of the photographs taken from deep within cave systems, cenotes and mines. However, me doing it personally - no chance.

I blame Martyn Farr. Any remote chance there was of me getting into cave diving disappeared after reading his book The Darkness Beckons many, many moons ago.

And now there is another book related to cave diving that has just hit the market, and it is surely destined to have a similar long-term impact on the diving fraternity and become a classic. I am talking about Aquanaut: A Life Beneath the Surface, by Rick Stanton.

Rick is well known to those in the diving world for his epic, record-breaking cave explorations, but he was thrust on the mainstream stage a few years ago when he and a handful of other cave-diving experts headed to Thailand to try and find, then rescue, the Wild Boars football team and their coach.

On page 28, I chat to Rick about how he got into cave diving, what the attraction is, and of course, THAT Thai cave rescue, as well as reviewing the book itself. Do yourself a favour - get a copy. Now. There is a definite cave-diving theme running through the magazine this issue - on page 18, Andy Torbet, Chris Jewell - another Thai cave rescuer - and George Linnane venture into deepest, darkest Wales to try and extend the limits of exploration within Pwll Y Cwm. It make not be as exotic as dives Andy and Chris had planned, but it was still a challenge.

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PEER PRESSURE

GOING UNDERGROUND

MAGICAL MEERU

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND CALL A DIVE

ANDY TORBET AND CHRIS JEWELL EXPLORE PWLL Y CWM IN WALES

STUART PHILPOTT CONTINUES HIS WHISTLESTOP TOUR OF THE MALDIVES

STANTON

Rick

STANTON Q&A PLUS A REVIEW OF HIS NEW BOOK AQUANAUT: A LIFE BENEATH THE SURFACE

#51 | £1

7

TRUK LAGOON

‣ WRECK HUNTERS ‣ ROYAL ADELAIDE

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: JONATHAN WILLIAMS

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25/06/2021 14:15

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES...

10 News

18 South Wales

Scuba Escape unveil Mini-Games for those wanting to try it out, spiny seahorses show the threats facing seagrass beds, a technical diver dies off the Scilly Islands, which is also where Wally the Walrus has turned up, and a diver is swallowed by a whale in the USA.

16 DAN Europe Medical Q&A

The team discuss nitrogen narcosis, and diving with Meniere’s disease.

48 Divers Alert Network

The DAN Europe team offer advice on scuba equipment care - rinsing and cleaning dive kit.

66 Wreck Hunter

With foreign travel off the cards, Andy Torbet, Chris Jewell and George Linnane venture into the cave system of Pyll y Cwm in South Wales in a bid to extend the current limits of exploration within.

24 Peer pressure

Whether you are a newly qualified diver, or a hardened veteran, you should never feel you have to do a dive you don’t want to, but sometimes, peer pressure can make it hard to just say no, even though that is exactly what you should do.

28 Q&A with Rick Stanton

Scuba Diver Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans chats to cave diving legend Rick Stanton, and find out what lured him underground in the first place, the challenges of some of his more-epic cave dives, and what it was like to be in the midst of the world’s greatest dive rescue.

Mike Haigh talks abpout using photomosaics in diving archaeology.

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CONTENTS

...CONTINUED

GEAR GUIDE

32 Dorset

56 Test Extra

Diving the Royal Adelaide from the shore isn’t for the faint-hearted, but as Colin Garrett and his wife Sarah discovered, it’s well worth the effort.

38 Underwater Photography

Napoleon wrasse are one of the most-charismatic fish in the sea, and Mario Vitalini offers some advice on how to capture awesome shots.

42 The Maldives

Stuart Philpott continues his whistlestop tour of three islands in the Maldives with Euro-Divers, moving on to Meeru Island Resort for his second stop.

Scuba Diver Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans rates and reviews a selection of products, including the Apeks Luna Mini, Best Divers Aldebaron and the Aqualung Sphera X.

60 Test Extra

First look at new products hitting the market in 2021, including the Aqualung i330R dive computer and the Henderson Greenprene wetsuits.

50 TECHNICAL: Truk Lagoon

In the concluding article of our three-part special, Marcus Blatchford continues his epic adventure on a mission to capture several of the iconic Truk Lagoon fleet via photogrammetry.

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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

TO THE MOON, ALICE Scuba Diver Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans heads to another world on a trial run of the latest Scuba Escape

T

he diving world seems to have gone a bit wild around the Scuba Escape concept recently unveiled at Vivian Quarry in North Wales.

Billed as the ‘world’s first underwater escape room’, Scuba Escape offers six themed games to test and challenge teams of participants, while at the same time giving core dive skills such as buoyancy control, search and recovery, team work and more a good work out.

However, creators Clare Dutton – PADI Course Director for Duttons Divers, which has two centres in North Wales (one at Vivian and the other in Pwllheli at Hafan Marina) – and Leanne Clowes, who has just opened Palaemon Divers dive centre in Warrington/St Helens, realized that some people might not want to commit to a full-on Scuba Escape, so they came up with a mini-game that only takes a couple of hours and essentially gives a ‘trydive’ for the full-blown events.

I took part in the first full Scuba Escape a couple of months ago (you can find a full write-up in issue #49), and in late-June headed up into the wilds of Snowdonia to sample this new mini-game along with fellow escapees from The Guardian, PADI and Diveproof (who are also sponsors of the

concept). Without giving too much away, this particular game revolves around an expedition to another planet, and a time-sensitive mission to seek out and recover several important samples before the space rocket blasts off to return to Earth. With a limited timescale to work in, participants have to work as a team to decipher an alien language before setting off in search of the missing items.

The Scuba Escape Trydive, as with all of the Scuba Escape games, is suitable for Open Water Divers (or equivalent) and up, and is priced at £95 per person. www.scubaescape.org

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SPINY SEAHORSE HELPS HIGHLIGHT PLIGHT OF UK SEAGRASS BEDS

Long-snouted seahorses (also known as spiny seahorses) can be found in seagrass beds throughout the south of the UK. However, due to environmental changes such as the destruction of seagrass habitat, there has been a sharp decline in the seahorse population and this once common marine species is becoming increasingly rare.

To put this in perspective, marine biologist Mark Parry has been diving in seagrass for the past seven years, logging hundreds of dives, and this is the first-ever seahorse he’s seen in the wild.

To protect local marine ecosystems, the Ocean Conservation Trust has been restoring seagrass meadows along the South West coastline and raising awareness about the environmental importance of healthy seagrass beds.

Seagrasses are an essential nursery habitat for marine species, they also absorb 35 times more carbon dioxide than forests and hold it in the sediment for thousands of years.

Mark, who is Development Officer at the Ocean Conservation Trust, said: “After seven years of working in seagrass conservation for the Ocean Conservation Trust, it was humbling to experience this rare seahorse sighting, as it highlights the significance of what we’re trying to do with our seagrass restoration work.”

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SEARCH CALLED OFF FOR MISSING FALMOUTH DIVER A large-scale operation for a diver missing off the coast of Cornwall some two miles from Falmouth in mid-June was called off after a fruitless search.

Falmouth’s RNLI lifeboats, HM Coastguard helicopter from Newquay and a Royal Navy helicopter joined other vessels in the area off Pendennis Point on the hunt for the diver, who was flagged up as being overdue around noon on Thursday 17 June.

However, the efforts proved fruitless, and the Devon and Cornwall Police continued the investigation as a missing person.

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PIONEERING SHIPWRECK TREASURE HUNTERS CELEBRATED AT CORNISH MUSEUM Six ground-breaking shipwreck treasure seekers responsible for locating and salvaging thousands of artefacts are being celebrated in a new exhibit unveiled at Charlestown’s Shipwreck Treasure Museum.

This band of early undersea explorers began locating shipwrecks and salvaging their contents in earnest in the 1960s. The museum owes its existence to the pioneering adventurers who brought long-lost artefacts back to dry land that provide an incredible insight into the past.

Four of the six original adventurers – Richard Larn OBE, Bridget Larn, Peter McBride and Rex Cowan – attended the official opening of the feature recognising their hazardous exploits at the museum.

Former Royal Navy diver Richard Larn and his wife Bridget are no strangers to the Charlestown attraction, which they established in 1976 and ran until 1998.

The couple are regarded among Britain’s leading historic shipwreck experts and have written more than 65 books on the subject.

Diving enthusiast Peter McBride met Richard Larn whilst posted at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall and became hooked on finding shipwrecks and their treasures. One of Peter’s notable discoveries was the wreck of the Santo Christo de Costello in 1969. The Genoese merchant vessel was driven ashore near Mullion Cove in a storm on its maiden voyage from Amsterdam to Genoa in 1667.

Swapping a career in law in the 1960s for treasure hunting, Rex Cowan sought the most difficult to find wrecks. He worked alongside his late wife, Zélide, who was also an expert on the history of diving and wrecks. One of Rex and Zélide’s substantial recoveries in 1971, after a meticulous three-year search, was the Hollandia, a Dutch East Indian Company ship

From left: Rex Cowan, Peter McBride, Bridget Larn, Nick Rule (Margaret Rule CBE’s son), Alex Cowan (Rex and Zélide Cowan’s daughter) and Richard Larn OBE

that sank off the Isles of Scilly in 1743.

Highly regarded archaeologist Dr Margaret Rule CBE, who died in 2015, completes the six pioneers. Margaret led the project to salvage the Tudor war ship Mary Rose. Margaret’s son Nick represented her at the event.

Lynné Raubenheimer from the Shipwreck Treasure Museum said: “The museum is home to Europe’s largest private collection of shipwreck artefacts and for more than 40 years the thousands of items on display have provided an incredible window to the past for our visitors.

“However, the new Pioneers Gallery focuses for the first time of these six daring men and women who broke new ground in underwater archaeology and exploration.

Painstakingly hunting down centuries old shipwrecks and risking their lives to liberate their secrets.”

The Shipwreck Treasure Museum is open daily from 10am – 5pm, pre-booking of timed entry tickets is recommended at www.shipwreckcharlestown.co.uk

DIVER SWALLOWED BY HUMPBACK WHALE A commercial lobster diver ended up ‘doing a Jonah‘ in the mouth of a humpback whale on Friday while he was working in around 14m of water off Cape Cod in the USA. Michael Packard, 56, was at work off Provincetown when he felt a huge bump and everything went dark. At first he thought he had been attacked by a shark – these are relatively common in this area – but then he was conscious of the fact he could not feel any teeth and wasn’t in any pain.

He explained: “Then I realised, oh my God, I’m in a whale’s mouth – and he’s trying to swallow me!”

He said that he thought ‘this is it, I’m gonna die’ and

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his thoughts went to his wife and children, but then, after approximately 30 seconds in the mouth of the humpback whale, the mammal surfaced, shook its head and spat the fisherman out.

He was pulled out of the water by his surface boat and taken to hospital for treatment. At first it was thought he had a broken leg, but it turned out to be just severe bruising.

Human-whale encounters like this are extremely rare, and it is thought this was an accidental incident, where the whale was feeding on fish and the diver just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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DIVE INDUSTRY MOURNS DEATH OF TRUK MASTER CAPTAIN MARTIN CRIDGE The dive industry – and in particular the world of technical diving – is mourning the unexpected passing of Truk Master Captain Martin Cridge.

Mik Jennings from Master Liveaboards said in a statement: “It’s with a heavy heart and much sadness that we have to inform everyone that one of the largest characters in Truk Lagoon, and the wreck and tech diving community as a whole, is no longer with us.

“Martin Cridge, Captain of Truk Master and stalwart of Dirty Dozen Expeditions passed away suddenly on Friday 18 June while in the Marshall Islands. His passing is incredibly unexpected and shocking to everyone who knew him and worked with him.

“There are very few people that knew more, or were more passionate, about the wrecks and the diving in Chuuk and Bikini. Anyone who dived with him will have felt his infectious enthusiasm. Everyone who dealt directly with him at Master Liveaboards and The Dirty Dozen felt it too. Martin was absolutely pivotal in us developing Bikini Atoll as a destination for Master Liveaboards as well as building the reputation of Truk Master as a highly respected technical diving operation. Not only this, but he was instrumental in the set up and success of The Dirty Dozen Expeditions in Truk and Bikini.

“The diving world as a whole has lost a celebrated captain, cruise director, technical guru, passionate wreck historian, chamber operator, and just as importantly, possibly the only Huddersfield Town AFC fan in Micronesia. Master Liveaboards and The Dirty Dozen have lost one of their own family and his passing will leave a huge hole in their lives.

“Even more sadly, Martin leaves behind his wife Elaine and young son Tyke.

A Go Fund Me page (www.gofundme.com/f/martin-cridge-memorial-fundraiser) has been created, with the proceeds helping towards repatriating Martin to his adopted home and supporting his family through this time. If anyone wishes to help at this time, then even the smallest donation will be appreciated by everyone involved.”

WALLY THE WALRUS BACK IN UK WATERS Wally the walrus appears to have finished his tour of mainland Europe and was sighted trying to board a tourist boat off the Isles of Scilly on Friday 18 June.

The wandering walrus, which was first sighted off Ireland and then turned up in Wales, moved on past Cornwall into France, and had last been spotted in Bilbao, Spain, in early June now appears to be heading north again.

On 18 June, he was filmed trying to board various boats off the Isles of Scilly, which lie some 28 miles off the tip of Cornwall. And then he was seen off Porthcressa Beach on St Mary’s.

BDMLR (British Divers Marine Life Rescue) and the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust have confirmed the animal is the well-travelled Wally.

The organisations again urged people to ‘give the walrus plenty of space, not to approach or follow him, and to respect him while he visits the islands by not disturbing him’.

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Ask DAN DAN medical specialists and researchers answer your dive medicine questions

Q: I am suffering from Meniere’s disease and I would like to know if it is possible for me to start a diving course in spite of my condition.

A: Meniere’s disease is an absolute contraindication to diving.

This recommendation, though, is only based on theory, and not on scientific evidence from affected divers who have personally experienced possible and multiple adverse events caused by diving with the above-mentioned clinical condition.

If you wish, you could visit an ENT expert who specializes in ENT diseases within a diving context, to be absolutely certain, through direct clinical validation, of what is stated above.

Q: I am a scuba instructor at a resort that offers introductory scuba experiences. A student who made one dive to 6m for less than 20 minutes used a half tank of air and later told me that he started to feel awkward as if he were stoned. Was he experiencing nitrogen narcosis?

A: At a depth of 6m, the partial pressure of nitrogen is not elevated to the levels that cause nitrogen narcosis, the effects of which usually appear at a depth of at least 33m but sometimes can occur in somewhat shallower water.

A variety of things — such as dive gear, underlying medical conditions, psychological conditions, or drugs and medications — could cause your student’s experience, but we need more details to provide a proper explanation. His gas consumption may indicate hyperventilation occurred during the dive.

Without further speculation, the student will need a dive medical exam, and he should discuss this incident with a dive medical physician if he wishes to pursue training. If the physician finds no psychological or medical contraindications,

instructors should initially conduct his dive training slowly and with close observation to ensure no recurrence.

Join DAN to get a number of benefits, including answers to all your diving-related medical questions: www.daneurope.org

TECHNICAL DIVER DIES OFF ISLES OF SCILLY A German technical diver has died after getting into difficulties during a 110m dive some 45 miles southwest of the Isles of Scilly on Monday 7 June.

According to the UK Coastguard, the man was part of a group diving from a French catamaran.

A Coastguard search and rescue helicopter was despatched from Newquay at 6.30pm, and a paramedic onboard pronounced the diver dead on arrival.

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It is one of the longest stretches of continuously underwater cave in Britain and when you surface into the Dive Base Chamber of Daren Cilau, you feel like you’ve truly left the world behind you

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The call of the

CAVE Andy Torbet, Chris Jewell and George Linnane venture into the cave system of Pyll y Cwm in South Wales in a bid to extend the current limits of exploration within PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDY TORBET

C

hris Jewell and I had many great plans for exploratory cave-diving trips in 2020. There were possibilities in the crystal-clear cave of Bosnia-Herzegovina, some very long, deep passageways in France, some sumps with horrendous profiles and no end in sight in Spain and even some unmapped sea caves in Greece.

However, as some of you may be aware, 2020 proved a difficult year for international trips. Frankly, national trips proved impossible for a great deal of the year. But between breaks in the lockdowns, we did manage to achieve some genuine exploration. In Wales… For those unfamiliar with the famous Emergence du Ressel cave-diving site in France, it begins as a hole in a riverbed. You wade into the river and swim upstream, disappearing into the cave mouth and another world. Well, the Welsh equivalent is Pyll y Cwm. This pool lies to one side of the Clydach River in South Wales and the entrance drops vertically down to about 20m. Here one is met by a low, horizontal slot which is usually choked up with small boulders. If one was to get through that, it’s another 700 metres of swimming before you reach the surface inside the Daren Cilau cave system.

And if trying to squeeze a load of caving, diving and camping equipment through the boulder choke seemed like a bad idea, dragging it through hundreds of metres of underwater cave is even more work. But if one was to attempt any serious exploration on the other side, spending three days and two nights underground, that’s exactly what you’d have to do. And it’s exactly what we did.

The potential for exploration lay at the end of a series of sumps (submerged cave passageways), all of which were connected by long, dry cave systems. We’d need time and equipment to reach the far end and spend time investigating any possible ways on. But the effort began long before the first dive.

To reach the river required five trips each, our team having expanded to three with the inclusion of George Linnane, to move the equipment down the side of a steep gorge to the riverbed. Our kit lists were similar and mine consisted off two 15-litre cylinders, two seven-litre cylinders, a three-litre cylinder, a large dry tube holding my sleeping bag, bivi, food, stove, camping accessories and med kit, a caving bag and tool, two cameras, tripods and light.

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I wore a drysuit to dive in the initial sump with all this gear clipped to me, but had a two-piece wetsuit wrapped around the 15-litre cylinders to wear for the subsequent caving and sumps. Once we finally had this mound of stuff on the river bank, we dressed up, to the sound of metallic snapping as dozens of clips were attached to D-rings on our harnesses.

Then we’d left the forest light of the surface and descended.

To make this trip easier, Chris had visited the week before and cleared the initial squeeze of boulders and cobbles.

The negotiation of this part of the cave still required us to remove most of the cylinders, bags and tube and push them in front of us, but it proved a straightforward operation. Then you enter the long swim. This part takes about an hour to cover, slowed by the excess equipment you’re carrying. But, after the physical efforts of the previous few hours, it’s a chance to relax and appreciate the sudden weightlessness of it all. The permanent line is marked every 50 metres, without which I think I would lose all sense of time and space. It is one of the longest stretches of continuously underwater cave in Britain and when you surface into the Dive Base Chamber of Daren Cilau, you feel like you’ve truly left the world behind you.

Trips like these are all about efficiency. It’s hard enough as it is without wasting effort needlessly. While still at the water’s edge, we switch our regulators off our 15-litre cylinders onto our sevens and threes and leave the 15s here along with anything else we won’t need inside the cave. This includes the lead weight strapped to our dry-tubes of camping gear, as this kit won’t be taken into any further sumps. Everything else we carry up to a spacious, dry part of the cave call Dive Base. The passage on lay to our left, but a second passage went towards our campsite known as the ‘Hard Rock Café’ (which is probably copyrighted, but before the owners of the US restaurant chain sue the British caving community, they should visit the campsite for themselves… best of luck with that). So, we dump all our diving and caving kit here, unpack our camping kit into a lightweight bag (the dry-tubes are heavy) and head the 15 minutes to the campsite.

Upon arrival we choose a bed space, drop our gear and carry on into the cave. We need to move further upstream to collect fresh water for the next two nights of brews, dinners and breakfasts. It takes around an hour but upon our return we can finally sit in our undersuits, get a food on and rest in

After clearing loose rock and making the space a little larger, I wriggle my way upwards and into a space no one has been in before Happy as pigs in the proverbial

George ready to explore

Loaded up with necessities

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Andy exploring in the cave

‘Stop faffing with that camera and get ready to dive!’

Rigging up to enter the system

preparation for the long day ahead. We wake, having slept on a rock ledge, and fire up the stoves, getting the fuel into our bodies as we’ll have little chance to eat again for about 12 hours. With all that done we head back to dive base, gear up and head along the other passageway.

This time we’re dressed in wetsuits. The sumps are all much shorter with a lot of dry caving, involving walking, climbing and crawling through the tunnel network, so is much easier in a wetsuit - and the odd tear isn’t a problem. On our haul backs we each carry two cylinders with regulators, diving harness and wing, fins, masks, reels, torches, camera, helmets tools and spares. In my case I also carry a filter bottle so we can all safely drink the water for the sumps. It’s thirsty work, but carrying fresh water is unnecessary weight.

The first dry section is short and leads to St David’s Sump.

This is only about 40 metres long and shallow. The next section of dry passageway is less than a kilometre of walking and scrambling, which would be relatively easy but the extra weight of dive kit adds to the effort. This part finishes with a hands and knees crawl across dry sandy mud to the dive base for The Gloom Room Sump. At the base care must be taken too when kitting up to keep equipment as clean as possible. It’s impossible. Once we’re ready, we enter the water by scrambling down a steep, ten-metre mud slope which inevitably becomes a slide.

Andy getting a brew on

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Cave diving can be extremely tiring work

The dive itself in the longest and deepest of the inner sumps at around 250 metres in length and 17m depth. The visibility is rarely good at the start, nil if you’re the second or third diver through. After a slight squeeze in the first minute, the passageway opens enough for normal swimming and you follow the line as it switches back and forth to emerge in The San Augustin Way. This begins similar to the previous dry cave but finishes in a climb up into a narrow gorge of unreliable rock. Negotiating this often requires us to span the gap with hands, with holds breaking off unpredictably.

I suffer a few bumps and bruises but thankfully nothing more serious. Regardless of actual geography in terms of a rescuing a casualty from here, it would be easier and faster if you’d broken your leg in the middle of the Bolivian jungle.

But finally, after twisting and turning, wading and brachiating above or in the deep streamway, we make it to Sump Four.

Imaginatively called, Sump Four. This is quickly followed by Sump Five, named in the same fashion as the previous one, and a chance to finally dump our dive kit.

As we leave Sump Five we enter the final part of the cave. The reason we’ve come this far. This final chamber is the current extent of exploration and we begin our search for possible ways on. I was aware of a narrow, vertical crack through which I can see another chamber above. After clearing loose rock and making the space a little larger, I wriggle my way upwards and into a space no one has been in before.

There are some beautiful formations and the room is quiet and peaceful, cut off from the noise of the streamway. Chris joins me and, after a quick confirmatory discussion, we head back down.

As pleasant as this part of the cave is, it’s clear there is no way on. Chris follows the streamway and finds another potential route. The three of us leapfrog each other, taking turns to clear rock and investigating high or low routes through. We make perhaps ten metres progress and can see further, narrow passageway, half-filled with water and completely filled with rubble.

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Chris ready to head further into the cave system

It was tight to get into the underground base camp

The passageway continues, but it will take more time and effort to clear more and make further progress.

Of course, this was only half the story. We headed back to camp, now tired and without the motivation of potential exploration to energise us. In the morning we dived out. I left earlier than the other two. I had to exit, get all the gear back up and out of the gorge (without doubt physically the single hardest part of the entire three days) and get back in time to pick my boys from school - under the Earth, the real world may seem a distant planet, but life continues on and you have to catch back up. Our exploration may seem limited, only one small chamber and a few metres of new passageway, but this was Britain in 2020. Where one had to be grateful for any opportunities of freedom and to judge one’s achievements with perspective. It was a year to appreciate any chance to dive, explore and adventure. No matter how small. n

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I

have a little saying – ‘it is better to be on the boat/ shore wishing you were on a dive, than being on a dive wishing you were on the boat/shore’.

We’ve all had those days, where something just doesn’t feel right. You might not be able to put your finger on it, but it is there niggling away in the back of your mind. And this is when we absolutely have to be able to say ‘I am not doing this dive’. However, far too often, people feel unable to do this for a variety of reasons.

I started my path into diving via my uncle and his buddies.

Many of them were commercial divers, and all of them were veteran North Sea wreck divers. However, rather than feel over-awed or intimidated by their collective knowledge, years of experience or number of dives, I instantly felt welcome and safe in their company. They took my diving through quite a steep learning curve, but it was all done at my own pace and with no outside pressure. The major thing which took any weight off my shoulders was that right from day one, their rule of thumb was that any diver could call off a dive at any time, and crucially, not have to give a reason or explain why. And I have kept this rule at the core of my diving ever since.

These were proper, hardcore, rufty-tufty divers, and it would have been quite easy to succumb to peer pressure and feel that I had to do the planned dives to not let them down, but having had that rule instilled in me from an early age has really helped me down the line, and I have never felt pressured into doing any dive I didn’t want to do. Even to this day, after close to 40 years of diving, if I don’t want to do a dive, I won’t.

Remember, you don’t have anything to prove to anyone.

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Likewise, I am quick to stress this rule with anyone I am diving with. I often travel on assignment alone and, while I normally collar an instructor or Divemaster to be my buddy and underwater model, on occasion I just get paired up with another diver onboard. Many times these divers have been freaked out because they were concerned they were going to ruin my dive, cut it short, etc, and so I always aim to put their minds at rest as soon as possible. The best thing with this rule of thumb is that all my dive buddies are made aware of it from when we first meet. And the ‘not have to give a reason or explain why’ is a vital part of it.

Some people are unwilling to can a dive if they don’t feel they can adequately explain a reason why they did it, but as I mentioned before, sometimes you can’t put your finger on it, you just know you do not want to dive. Not having to explain your rationale relieves a lot of the pressure, but equally,

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NEVER BE AFRAID TO CALL A DIVE

Whether you are a newly qualified diver, or a hardened veteran, you should never feel you have to do a dive you don’t want to, but sometimes, peer pressure can make it hard to just say no, even though that is exactly what you should do PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK EVANS WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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If the proverbial hits the fan while you are on the dive, it is you that is going to be dealing with the consequences, not those who pressured you into going diving in the first place if people do want to talk about it afterwards, then I am always open to that – but it is always on their terms. For some people, it is cathartic to get it out there and discussed, it helps them move on from the aborted dive.

It is pretty obvious why you don’t want to succumb to peer pressure. If you are already on-edge before a dive, then you are asking for trouble underwater. If you are teetering on the brink, with a heightened level of apprehension, before you hit the water, then if anything does go awry on the dive, you are going to be in a world of hurt. Minor issues which could be dealt with in a calm and collected manner can seem insurmountable when you are already over-stressed, and this spiralling incident pit can suck you in – with potentially fatal consequences. I think what reinforces how beneficial this rule of thumb regarding calling a dive is, is that I have seen peer pressure at its worst on dive trips around the world.

I could talk all day about appalling stuff I have seen on dive trips, but let’s just pull up a couple of examples.

I have been on a boat in the Florida Keys where a young couple were sat very quiet at the back of the boat. She looked worried, the poor chap looked downright terrified. I casually went over for a chat, and it was blatantly obvious the lad was in no fit state to go into the water for a dive. His wife was raring to go, but you could see she was worried about her

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husband. They were PADI Advanced Open Water Divers with a couple of hundred dives, so not complete newbies, but for whatever reason, he was freaked out on this particular day.

The conditions were not exactly benign, there was quite a chop on the surface and some current running, but having overheard his dive group leader back at the dock really talking up the forthcoming dive – on the wreck of the Duane, for those interested, which is a cracking dive – it was my belief that the man had just worked his mind into overload. The dive leader seemed oblivious to the man’s distressed state, and was loudly talking on the boat about strong currents, your mask being blown off, the usual. All this was doing was stressing the diver out even more. The dive leader only seemed to notice the issue when everyone was getting kitted up, but instead of offering support or talking quietly to the diver, he instead loudly berated him to the rest of the group, telling him to man up, not be a wimp, and so on. Myself and the divemaster onboard did attempt to step in, but the diver by now was set to go on the dive to not lose face in front of the other divers. Sure enough, they hadn’t been below the surface more than a few minutes before him and his wife appeared back at the ladder. They had not even got below 10m when full-blown panic kicked in and, thankfully, she managed to slow his ascent back up the line. We got them

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back on board, got him dekitted and sat in the front of the boat wrapped in a towel. He still couldn’t explain what was wrong, just that he didn’t feel right. We assured him he’d done the correct thing, but you could tell that he was embarrassed and worried about what his buddies would say. Sure enough, enroute back to the shallow second dive, there were various comments directed at him by the dive leader and others. Once we were at the reef dive, which was only 7-8m or so, I sat and chatted to the couple, who seemed visibly more relaxed now we were in calmer conditions. They agreed to go for a dive with me, and we just took our time, let everyone else get off the boat first, and then went off for a mooch. We had a nice, relaxed dive, and on returning to the boat, the male diver looked very happy with himself. I told him he did well to get back on the wagon straight away – but also said they should maybe look for another dive group.

One of the worst types of peer pressure I have witnessed first-hand is the ‘trust me’ dive. You know what I am talking about – divers urging others to join them on a dive that might be beyond their experience or skill level, but who are told it will be fine as they are with them.

Perhaps the most-shocking example of this was in the Bahamas. We were scheduled to do two different dive sites, a deep swim-through for the more-experienced on board, and a shallower reef for the remainder of the divers. As we left the dock, I could hear one of the open water divers talking to one of the advanced divers. He was asking about what the swim-through was going to be like. Next minute, I hear the more-experienced diver saying how he’d take the more-novice with him on the dive, and that he’d ‘keep an eye on him’. I had a quiet word with the Divemaster to alert him to the situation that was developing, but incredibly, he shrugged it off, said the guy was his friend and an experienced diver and that it ‘would be fine’ for him to take the new diver. My Spidey sense was going into overdrive at this point, but there was not much else I could do – I did try to talk to the new diver, but he didn’t want to hear.

Anyway, long story short, we all went off on the dive, and all seemed to be going alright. The open water diver looked nice and comfortable in the water, but that all changed when we hit the swim-through at 40m plus. He seemed to be on the brink of refusing to go in, but then his buddy gestured for him to follow and shot into the darkness. After a second or two, the diver followed him in. Luckily, they were the first buddy team behind the Divemaster, because about halfway through the swim-through, the diver went into full-blown panic mode. He bolted for the exit, passed the Divemaster, and was well on his way to rocketing to the surface, if the guide hadn’t managed to grab hold of his BCD as he charged past. He was in such a state that he ran out of air at about 30m and had to go on to the DM’s octopus. And where was the ‘trust me’ buddy while all this was going along? Still poking about in the swim-through.

This is the crux of the matter. If the proverbial hits the fan while you are on the dive, it is you that is going to be dealing with the consequences, not those who pressured you into going diving in the first place, so only take the plunge on your terms. My advice? If you get peer pressure to do a dive you are not happy about from your dive buddy, or your dive group, then I’d suggest you need to look for another one. n

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WRECK HUNTERS SEASON ONE 2021

LAST CALL Calling would-be undersea detectives!

This is the FINAL CALL for divers to take part in a unique diving archaeology programme starting in the late summer of 2021* on the Caribbean island of Utila.

The Wreck Hunters project is offering a one-month, limited availability window for divers to be a part of the Season One team.

Applications need to be made by 31.07.21.

The focus this year is about getting to the heart of the story of a wreck called ‘The Oliver’, its rich history and the life of 18th Century mariners.

Learn the skills of undersea archaeology, from traditional to cutting edge techniques.

If you’re a relatively experienced diver with skills or experienced in drawing (artistic or technical), surveying, photography or in construction work this could be just what you’re looking for (See website for full details).

Project Director Mike Haigh’s ideal candidates have a ‘good sense of humour’ and enjoy teamwork. Check out www.wreckhunters.co.uk

So, if you think this project would help put a smile on your face, why not get in touch to find out more at

www.wreckhunters.co.uk 0117 9596454

info@wreckhunters.co.uk

*COVID restrictions may result in a change of operation dates.

WreckHunters__UK.indd 1

10/06/2021 14:26

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Q&A: RICK STANTON

We chat to cave diving legend Rick Stanton, and find out what lured him underground in the first place, the challenges of some of his more epic cave dives, and what it was like to be in the midst of the world’s greatest dive rescue PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF RICK STANTON AND ROSEMARY LUNN

We hadn’t necessarily expected to find the boys alive and when we did that was a magical moment that obviously lifted the mood everywhere

Q: As we normally do with these Q&As, how did you first get into diving, or in your case, cave diving?

A: I’m old enough to have grown up with the 1960’s Jacques Cousteau diving programmes on the television which always fascinated me, especially being underwater. I always liked swimming and water activities, including kayaking, but it wasn’t until I was 17 and saw a programme on the TV about UK cave diving that everything clicked into place. I knew that is what I wanted to do as I totally identified with everything that was going on.

That’s quite unusual because most people back then started with dry caving and then a very few made the switch to cave diving, but I immediately realised that I wanted to be a cave diver before I even stepped into a cave.

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Once I went to university at age 18 I joined the Uni BSAC branch to learn to dive, I also joined the caving club. A few years later I amalgamated the two activities and taught myself to cave dive in small incremental steps.

Q: Cave diving is considered one of the most-dangerous forms of diving. What is it about cave diving that continually draws you back?

A: Personally the thing about cave diving has always been the ability to explore where no man has been before. I know this is a bit of a cliche but caving really is exploration that can be done on the cheap and even on your own doorstep within the UK. No need to go to remote unclimbed peaks, deep ocean trenches, or far flung corners of the planet… or beyond!

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The other thing you should remember is that I just love being in caves, so I don’t particularly consider myself a diver but an underwater caver who just happens to use diving equipment to facilitate this style of exploration.

I don’t view cave diving as having to be the most dangerous of activities, one of the appealing challenges is to make it as safe as you possibly can. I like that aspect along with the logistical approach one has to take during major projects.

Q: You, along with a select few others, are the go-to people when it comes to cave rescues. What is it like when you first get that call?

A: The principal thing I should point out is that it’s never when you expect it, where you expect it, or at an opportune moment in your life, so there’s always the initial shock.

There’s certainly nothing glamorous about any situation at the time.

Once the reality hits you then you must go about gathering as much information about what’s occurred and think about what you’re going to do, how are you going to approach the situation and draw on other people to help you. Then it’s organising equipment and transport logistics, none of which is as easy as you might imagine considering we are going on a rescue that could be life critical.

Q: You were a firefighter for a long time – do you think having this background in rescue and intense situations helped hone your abilities when on a cave-diving rescue?

A: While I was a firefighter, I always maintain that I’d been caving for ten years before I joined the Fire Service and I continue to be a caver since leaving. In many ways the caving has helped my firefighting. But I do see that I have encountered difficult situations while firefighting and have seen how to manage people, crowds, press and expectations during major events. To reduce things down to the most essential and critical components.

Q: Talking of cave rescues, we inevitably come on to the Thai cave incident. What was it like being thrust into the limelight of the international media while trying to deal with thorny issues of first, finding the group, and then two, working out how to safely extricate them?

A: I always say that while we were aware of the press who were present at the incident and that the rescue was being reported all over the world, what we were not aware of was the immense emotional involvement people had in the story, not just a passing curiosity but a deep emotional involvement.

I’m very good at blocking out distractions and focusing completely on the task in hand and that’s pretty much what I had to do in Thailand. We hadn’t necessarily expected to find the boys alive and when we did that was a magical moment that obviously lifted the mood everywhere, but from our point on, in some ways it made the situation worse because we had to come up with a plan that we thought might work when pretty much everybody else thought that the boys would be doomed in their watery tomb. Of course, we had to make life or death decisions and we tried to keep as much of that away from the press as we could.

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Q: Your new book, Aquanaut: A Life Beneath the Surface, focuses on the Thai cave rescue, as well as delving into your other cave-diving exploits. What was it like trying to capture everything that went on at the time in print form?

A: My friends always said that I had a book inside me, but the book world’s view of that concept is that most people’s book should remain there. The Thailand rescue obviously gave me a voice that was wider than the caving and diving community, so I was unusually keen to share my story. I wanted to give a warts-and-all account of what really happened and what it felt like to be there. One thing that hampers me is my poor memory, but I think I’ve pretty much got everything accurate from my point of view. I was also aware that most people’s knowledge of the rescue was very limited due to the poor journalistic reporting and early documentaries, so I wanted to fill that knowledge gap. I’m seen as one of the best cave divers and I wanted to write a book that not only did justice to myself and my standing within the caving and diving world, but to the rescue itself and to write an outstanding story that would stand alone in the book world. It was a huge set of hurdles to attempt to achieve as I wasn’t a natural writer.

A worldwide lockdown helped time wise, along with my cowriter Karen. Being a perfectionist, even when the story was written down, it took months of honing to perfect it and to get it reading the way that we wanted.

Q: Hollywood, as expected, is making a movie about the rescue of the Wild Boars – what do you think about having Aragorn himself, Viggo Mortensen, playing yourself?

Have you been drafted in to assist with the production in any way?

A: Ron Howard rang me up last autumn to say he’d got an actor lined up to play me, but that the actor would only sign up to the film if he had access to me. He wanted to get to know me, how I did things, how I talk, moved, thought.

From then I’ve been speaking to Viggo on zoom for about six months before principal filming started in Australia towards the end of March this year. Not only was I coaching Viggo, I was involved from the very start of the project in giving information of the event to the researchers for the script writer, then the script writer themselves. I was asked to be present for the filming not just to aid Viggo in his interpretation of me, but to advise on sets and scenes plus other technical aspects of the rescue, or their interpretation of them, to help the film be as realistic as it possibly could be.

Q: What is your most-memorable diving experience?

A: Strangely enough, although I’m well known for being a solitary diver in pretty much every cave dive I’ve done, one of the most-memorable diving experiences was in a cave in Australia under the Nullarbor desert called Cocklebiddy. This consists of a massive, very clear tunnel where along with a group of four other divers, all good friends, we traversed

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Ron Howard rang me up last autumn to say he’d got an actor lined up to play me 2.5km of crystal-clear tunnel. Each of us was being towed by a scooter and we moved in one big formation like flying acrobats, looping and doing spins, each lighting up the passage to the full effect. That was magical.

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

A: While I have had a few close shaves underwater and some of these are detailed in my book; as I look back, I can’t say that I have a worst driving memory. I just love being underwater and thinking now over this question, there is nothing that stands out as being bad.

Q: As well as further promotion for your book, what does the future hold for Rick Stanton?

A: Before the Thailand rescue occurred, I’d been happily retired for four years. Now three years after the rescue, there is light at the end of the tunnel that I might get some of my old life back and engage in some activities I want to do, instead of being preoccupied with pre-post Thailand ventures. There will, of course, be promotions for both our drama movie and our documentary, but I see those as entertaining. Really, all I want to do is go back to the kayaking adventures and journeys I’d been used to, as well as ordinary caving and a bit of very selective cave diving. Maybe even one last major project and, if that happens, you will certainly hear about it. n

AQUANAUT: A LIFE BENEATH THE SURFACE

BY RICK STANTON MARK EVANS: It is extremely rare that I read a non-fiction book that makes me laugh out loud, grimace, get angry, retch, chuckle and feel tense, but I experienced all of these emotions when I read Aquanaut.

Rick – with the assistance of Karen Dealy – has crafted one of the best diving-related books I have ever read, and believe me, after 23-plus years at the helm of diving magazines, I have reviewed more than my fair share!

A roundel on the cover states ‘The Inside Story of the Thai Cave Rescue’, and yes, that is the main crux of the book, but interweaved throughout this central story are tales of his first forays into caving and cave diving, his many rescues – and body recoveries – and some of his epic explorations underground, many alongside fellow Thai cave heroes John Volanthen and Jason Mallinson. Rick is a very quiet, humble human being, who happens to be in possession of, as he describes it, ‘a particular set of skills’ which make him among a literal handful of people you would want coming for you if you ended up stuck in a submerged cave system. I have read other books on the Thai cave rescue written by journalists who were on the scene, and this just blows them all out of the water. You are right there with Rick as he and his fellow team members fight against bureaucratic blockades, initially hostile military personnel and the dangers of the cave itself – and that is before they even find the stricken group of children. It is then that the real challenge begins – working out how they are going to extricate the football team and their coach. Rick certainly pulls no punches, and his disdain for certain members of the cave diving fraternity who turned up to ‘help’ is clear.

Aquanaut: A Life Beneath the Surface has only cemented my belief that cave diving is most definitely NOT for me, but it is an enthralling read that will draw you in from the very first page. Once you start reading it, don’t make any plans – you will be in for the long haul. Aquanaut: A Life Beneath the Surface is available now in hardback, priced £20.

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T

he very mention of attempting the Royal Adelaide as a shore dive will result in a sharp intake of breath from most divers. An unfounded response of ‘I can’t do that!’ bought upon by endless warnings on social media of an almost-impossible walk over Chesil Beach will instantly raise a psychological barrier to many divers.

Although easily dived by boat from nearby Weymouth and Portland, the sense of achievement when tackled from the shore is second to none, and the adrenaline rush knowing you’ve conquered this Chesil diving ‘rite of passage’ makes very short work of the return walk back to your car. Where else along the Dorset coast can you dive a surprisingly intact, nigh-on 150-year-old wreck from shore? It truly is a one-way psychological trip that when done correctly is easier than people think.

The Royal Adelaide was a 72-metre iron sailing ship which found herself wrecked off Chesil Beach in a gale on 25 November 1872. Despite the fact that most of her crew were rescued, the stories of drunken men dying on the beach that night after consuming alarming quantities of the washed ashore casks of Dutch gin have become legendary. Today, she remains possibly my favourite Chesil shore dive and so, at the beginning of May this year, my wife Sarah and I decided to pay her our first visit of 2021.

A little bit of local knowledge goes a long way for anyone wanting to visit this famous wreck site. From my own experience, the best time to dive the Royal Adelaide is around three hours after high water Portland - slack water is actually an hour later, but after six years of diving here with some sort of regularity, getting in an hour before is a far better bet. Be sure to arrive early, have your equipment set up and checked.

This shore dive is all about minimizing any unneeded effort.

My own personal take from this point is to take a walk over the wooden bridge next to the Chesil Beach Centre and head up to the top of the beach above the entry point. From here you can assess the conditions - Easterly winds will usually mean it will be diveable, but not always. Even with the smallest swell, getting back out of the water is an important factor to consider - as the pebbles at this point are much smaller than at Chesil Cove at the Portland end of the beach, they tend to give way underfoot.

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Beyond it, the ghostly silhouette of the main hull standing three to four metres proud of the seabed sheltered several large ballan wrasse and a good- sized solitary pollock

NQUERING Adelaide Diving the Royal Adelaide from the shore isn’t for the fainthearted, but as Colin Garrett and his wife Sarah discovered, it’s well worth the effort PHOTOGRAPHS BY COLIN GARRETT AND JASON BROWN

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At times it can feel like two steps forward and one back, making it all the more important to keep your regulator in your mouth and mask on until you are completely out and away from the water’s edge.

If the conditions are right, it’s worth surveying the entry point for the many fishermen you’ll often find lining the beach opposite the wreck site - many know the ‘mark’ and it is a popular sea angling spot. If any are fishing in the vicinity, I have found from experience that if you walk down and have a polite conversation beforehand about what you are planning on doing, almost all are very accommodating and usually interested in ‘what lies beneath’. A good practice I have learned is to offer to bring them back any lead weight, of which you will almost certainly find, on or around the wreck throughout the dive. This way everyone is happy, and you don’t have to worry too much about incoming fishing hooks while underwater.

When you start to get ready back at your car, take extra care to make sure that you don’t forget anything and always double check all your equipment is working

There is much to explore on the Adelaide

Parts of the superstructure protrude up from the seabed

The wreckage is covered in marine growth

before you set off across the bridge a second time. It’s all about minimizing any expenditure of energy. This time when you arrive at the entry point, rest for five to ten minutes and remember the ‘hard bit’ is now over - it’s now time to look forward to having an enjoyable dive. From here the wreck is less than five minutes away. Once you break the surface, head straight out and over the pebbles to a depth of around 12-14m. In good visibility the wreck is usually found almost immediately – look out for the large anchor, a very prominent feature just in front of the largest part of the wreck. Within this section of the wreck, you will also find a large winch - this along with the anchor make for lovely photo opportunities.

Visibility on the Royal Adelaide can vary considerably. On our dive in early May, we were spoilt rotten – the visibility was a very good eight to ten metres and we sighted the anchor with ease. Beyond it, the ghostly silhouette of the main hull standing three to four metres proud of the seabed sheltered several large ballan wrasse and a good-sized solitary pollock. As we explored the wreck, the numerous tompot blennies that call this place home started to appear, poking their cheeky little faces out of every

The stories you always hear make diving the Royal Adelaide sound like climbing Mount Everest – but honestly, was it really that bad?

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nook and cranny. The Royal Adelaide does seem to be a hotspot for this colourful little fish. In the summer months, usually around late-August, this location also becomes a good spot to see visiting grey triggerfish these characteristic fish can make for a wonderful photo opportunity too as some inquisitive individuals will swim right up to the diver’s camera lens. Other resident marine life that can be found in and around the wreck are bib, common lobster, squat lobster, gurnard, conger eel and cuttlefish, to name but a few.

The main part of wreckage of the Royal Adelaide containing the winch, chain locker and anchor is not a particularly large area. After a good look around, this allows plenty of time to head out on a few excursions away from the wreck to locate other parts of her remains. Around 15 metres away and at the same depth as the anchor on a North Westerly bearing you’ll stumble across a very large hull plate. Shoals of small fish hide underneath the metal here, sometimes sharing their space with good sized conger eels for added protection no doubt.

Some 35 minutes or so into our dive and having had our first good look around her for this year, Sarah and I started to head back to shore. We always tend to leave a good amount of air to visit the added bonus that a visit to the Royal Adelaide from the shore can provide - the sizeable propellor from the Norwegian steamship Nor, wrecked here on 18 January 1887.

Finding the Nor’s propellor is easy if you know where to go.

After leaving the Royal Adelaide, head back towards the shore until you hit a depth of around 7-8m and then stay at this depth along a roughly South Westerly bearing. After a couple of minutes, the ominous shadow of the propellor should - with any luck – come into view. Half buried in the pebbles, two of her beautiful blades still jut proudly towards the surface. Few divers can resist a quick photo next to this iconic feature!

Dragging yourself away from the propellor, head straight into the beach at this point. You should find yourself only around 75 metres from the original entry point and actually closer to the car park, making that feared walk back seem not quite as far. Exiting the water isn’t always as straightforward as it might seem. My advice on how to exit the water here is to remove your fins in around 1m of water. To make things even easier, Sarah and I usually support each other and walk out together until we are clear of the water line on the beach. It is at this point and only this point we take out our regulators out and remove our masks.

The conditions we experienced in early-May were some of the best I had seen for quite some time and the perfect first dive of the year for Sarah. Sarah was elated - her first dive of 2021 had been a good one! The anticipation of ‘getting back in’ was now gone, the ‘dread’ of walking over that infamous beach now replaced with ‘that smile’ that divers give after experiencing something really special underwater. Now all Conger eel on the wreck

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The prop of the Nor

Enormous anchor aids navigation

that remained was the final walk up and over the beach.

As before, take your time, stop and take a breath if need be. Within a few minutes you will find yourself standing on top of the famous Chesil Bank in a gentle breeze, your car in sight and a far less strenuous walk downhill ahead of you.

This time around thankfully - with the adrenaline and elation now flowing through you - this last stretch is far easier than you would ever have imagined.

After arriving back at the car and removing our kit, we took a moment and considered what we’d achieved. The stories you always hear make diving the Royal Adelaide sound like climbing Mount Everest – but honestly, was it really that bad? Looking at my wife’s face, I would certainly say a big ‘no’. Although Sarah has done the Royal Adelaide numerous times, logging it as your first dive of the year is an impressive achievement in anyone’s logbook! Even she agreed that it really isn’t quite as bad as your brain and every muscle tries to tell you. One thing’s for sure - we shall return in the coming months and will definitely be back in August looking for the grey triggerfish, should they return. The Royal Adelaide with the added bonus of the Nor’s prop truly do make for a wonderful and highly memorable shore dive. For those of us that dive her on a relatively regular basis, I am fairly confident that all would agree that it is a hidden gem along this stretch of coastline. To those who have yet to pay her a visit, ignore the stories – the little bit of effort pays dividends! What are you waiting for apart from a bit of planning and a good spell of weather? The rest is simply in your head. n

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

LET’S SHOOT NAPOLEONS Napoleon wrasse are one of the most-charismatic fish in the sea, and Mario Vitalini offers some advice on how to capture awesome shots PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIO VITALINI

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apoleons, or bumphead wrasse, are fish with character. I have yet to meet a diver that doesn’t smile when one of these curious creatures comes in to have a look. With the intricate pattern in their faces, big lips and chameleon-like eyes, these distinctive fish are prime subjects to take pictures of. In locations like the Red Sea, they are fairly commonly found. For the next time you find yourself face to face with these big-lipped beauties, here are some hints and tips for taking better pics.

This is my best shot of a napoleon yawning.

This kind of behavioural pics required not only technique but an incredible amount of luck

THE CHALLENGE

Napoleons are curious creatures and it is not uncommon for adults to approach divers to investigate. They will even sometimes follow us along the reef. So, getting close to your subject is – for once – not the main difficulty.

This means your main challenges as a photographer are to get good lighting and composition. These are the main areas you should have in mind when an encounter comes along.

If I know there is a good chance to encounter a Napoleon wrasse, I will generally choose a wide-angle lens or even a fish-eye. Curiosity gets them closer to me, making it relatively easy to fill the frame for max impact!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS

Mature individuals are probably the best subjects. They are bold in nature and the markings are more pronounced.

The swirling patterns on their faces, inquisitive eyes and big mouths are so interesting that is worth spending time working on your composition to get the most out of them. You can even try some abstract shots based on their cheek skin.

I know a couple of dive sites where these wrasses will swim under the boat and check out all the divers. As long as you do not chase them, they will stay in the area and even move from diver to diver to have a look. Sha’ab Claudia in the Southern Red Sea is one of these sites. I always try to visit it during my Southern Red Sea photo workshops. In these cases, I normally get the best results at the beginning or at the end of the dive, when you may have a great opportunity to spend

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a long safety stop photographing these gorgeous fish. When there are many divers in the water, these fish tend to be swim away and look from a safe distance. If this is the case, I tend to wait for the group to get on with their planned dive, or to get back on the boat if it is at the end of the dive - at this point, the Napoleons tend to relax and come back under the boat.

It pays to be very patient. When you spot the wrasse, do not swim towards it, let the inquisitive nature work and wait for the Napoleon to come and check you out.

And remember never, ever feed the marine life to ‘encourage’ them to come closer. Long time ago, dive guides used to feed them boiled eggs. This caused loads of health problems to the Napoleons.

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This napoleon comes incredibly close to me during a safety stop at the end of a great dive at Shark and Jolanda reef in the Northern Red Sea

Face on picture of a curious napoleon coming to investigate its reflection in my housings dome port

COMPOSITION

Now think about composition. Use the fish curiosity to get as close as possible. Try to capture the inquisitive eyes. If possible, take the photo when the fish is swimming to you. A face on shot or a 3/4 is always much more interesting than a side-on picture.

When the fish approach, try to position yourself so the reef is behind you. This will allow you to shoot with the blue water behind the fish to help you to isolate your subject and avoid busy and messy backgrounds.

If the Napoleon is hanging around and you have a wide angle or fisheye lens, you can try to get under the Napoleon and shoot upwards covering the sun with the fish to get some lovely sunbeams effect. Remember to expose for the background to avoid overexposing the background

USING AMBIENT LIGHT

If you do not have strobes, try to shoot when the sun is high.

Stay as shallow as possible to ensure the best possible light and colours, try to keep the sun behind to get most of the light on your subject and try to use a slight downwards angle.

I know most of the time I recommend shooting upwards but, in these situations, the bright sun will more likely overexpose the background.

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY This shot has a good, clean background, but the side on shot is not very attractive or appealing.

Is more an ID picture

Mature individuals are probably the best subjects. They are bold in nature and the markings are more pronounced I used the big head of the napoleon wrasse to cover the sun and doing so avoided overexposing the background

USING STROBES

When it comes to shooting Napoleons with strobes, the trick is to avoid backscatter and get enough light on the subject.

Keep the strobes far back or at least align them with the handles of your housing - even further back. This will minimize the number of particles being lit and therefore reduce the risk of backscatter. I tend to use a 10-2 position (referencing a clock dial) and if I want to light only my subject, I will use cross lighting. Position your flash guns far apart and back, almost aligned with your head otherwise you will get hot spots and potentially a lot of backscatter, then point them directly to the subject in the centre of the frame.

LOOK OUT FOR!

Occasionally bumphead wrasse will extend their jaws as if they were yawning. This is a fantastic behavioural shot I haven’t been able to capture properly – I’m still waiting for that magic moment when fish, kit and time all work perfectly. But if you are patient and are prepared to stick with wrasse, you may have better luck than me.

Napoleons are fantastic subjects and not a difficult one to work with, just remember not to rush and think about all the elements before you press the trigger. n

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09/10/2019 09:04

Stuart Philpott continues his whistlestop tour of three islands in the Maldives with Euro-Divers, moving on to Meeru Island Resort for his second stop PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART PHILPOTT

While I was passing by the jetty wall, some fish scraps were thrown in from above. It was as if someone had flicked a switch. Fish, rays, jacks and morays instantly ramped up to a feeding frenzy

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S

ome 25 minutes after waving goodbye to Vilamendhoo, I was back at Malé seaplane terminal bound for Meeru Island. The popular four-star, 284-room resort is located in the North Malé atoll less than an hour’s boat ride from the international airport. At the jetty I was greeted by Euro-divers dive centre manager Antoine, regional manager Thorsten and dive instructor Jennifer, who had foolhardily agreed to be my diving muse for the next few days.

Compared to Vilamendhoo, the island has a totally different vibe.

Meeru is pitched as a good all-rounder suitable for singles, couples and families. At 1,200 metres by 350 metres, it’s actually the third largest resort island in the Maldives. But being bigger does have some advantages, especially for the sporty minded. As well as having a nine-hole pitch and putt golf course, there are a number of tennis and badminton courts. I also noticed that SCAN ME TO START the shaded pathway circling the whole YOUR NEXT island was perfect for joggers. Some of ADVENTURE! the giant-sized palm trees looked to be at least 30 metres tall and overall, the beach was much wider.

My jacuzzi beach villa sat at least 20 metres back from the water’s edge. The room turned out to be a nice size with sofa, air-con, fridge, four-poster bed and an eye-catching 1970’s-style neon wall light. At the rear there was an open-air bathroom and a decked area complete with jacuzzi, but I was so busy diving all day that I didn’t get the chance to test it out. I’m sure looking up at the stars with a glass of bubbly in hand would have been very romantic.

The villa was located at the north end of the island just a short walk from the adult’s only restaurant and bar. Going south there is another restaurant better suited for families.

The only slight downside was the dive centre and boat jetty were also located south, roughly a ten-minute walk away.

With the restaurant opening for breakfast at 8am and the boat departing at 8.30am, timings turned out to be a little tight for a leisurely morning feed. I had to swap my standard full-English for a quick yoghurt and gulp of fruit juice, which was far too healthy! The island does offer a complimentary golf buggy taxi service, which I used a couple of times on my return from the afternoon dive.

During the dive, a two-metrelong honeycomb moray went through my legs and up past my face, which was definitely an intimate moment!

Huge gorgonian seafan

Beach villa

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Turtle chilling on the reef

Nurse shark

Over a coffee I made plans for the next few days with Antoine, Thorsten and Jennifer. I would be visiting all of the popular sites, including Aquarium and the Tuna Factory. Thorsten said they have five dive boats and offered 50 dive sites, including two manta cleaning stations. A full day ‘manta search’ expedition is scheduled in every week but unfortunately there was no time for me to check this out. Average boat journey times are around 45 minutes each way. Meeru doesn’t have any shore diving, and there is no house reef.

Just to make my pictures a little more interesting, Jennifer appeared with a white wetsuit complete with white mask, white fins and white regulator hoses. I had never seen so much white! The BCD was the only exception, but this still had white pockets and velcro straps. I got Jennifer to put hair her in pony tails and the perfect model image was complete! There was no ‘getting to know each other’ period with Jenny. She knew exactly where I wanted her to be in the composition, looked in the right direction and held her breath momentarily so I could get a ‘clean’ bubble-free picture. Regional Manager Thorsten, who was also a keen photographer, had obviously trained her well.

My first dive was at a site called Aquarium. I wonder how many dive sites around the world have been called this name? I wasn’t expecting to see much, but when we reached the bottom, I instantly caught sight of a green turtle. There was a reasonably strong current running, so the turtle was content to stay put on the seabed while Jennifer snuck up behind. I managed to fire off a few shots before it got fed up with me and swam off towards the surface.

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Straight after we found a huge map puffer, which looked to be very pregnant. It was extremely relaxed and let me to take some pictures even with Jennifer lingering close by. I was pleasantly surprised by the huge variety of fish on show. I passed by a number of barracuda, preferring to follow a shoal of sweetlips. I finished the dive taking more pictures of the same turtle I had started off with.

Dive 2 at Himafushi Corner was good for giant sea fans, soft corals and a nervous green turtle - obviously word had got around that a mad photographer was on the scene!

Yet again I settled down to a daily eat, sleep, dive regime.

I booked on the two-tank morning boat, returned to the resort for lunch and then went out for a single tank dive in the afternoon. By the time I showered and had a quick look through my pictures, it was time for an early evening cocktail.

I was slowly working my way through the drinks menu, so far the jam-jar mojito was the most appealing, but for sheer potency it has to be a long island iced tea! The restaurant never failed to serve up a good selection of dishes, including curries and European cuisine. I was even tempted by the vegetarian section. There was also an Asian Wok restaurant located at the southern tip of the island if guests wanted a change from buffet-style food.

Schooling bannerfish

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We started day two at Nassimo Thila, which was probably my favourite Meeru dive site. Visibility wasn’t the best at around 10-15 metres, but there was so much fish life including shoals of squirrelfish, snapper, sweetlips and blue fusiliers. There were even passing tuna, reef sharks, giant sea fans and walls swathed in soft corals. I spent the whole dive passing from one photo subject to another. Jennifer’s white gear really did make a difference although I was starting to go snow blind!

As a dive site, the Tuna Factory, aka Fish Tank, is probably deemed a tad controversial. Jennifer said it was an actual working tuna fish processing plant. All the scraps including guts, gills, fins, etc, are just thrown off the jetty into the sea.

This attracted a huge gathering of marine creatures eager for a free feed. At a maximum depth of 15m, we had plenty of time to watch the action unfold. Jennifer guided me over to a number of huge moray eels. I had never seen honeycomb morays so big. During the dive, a two-metre-long honeycomb moray went through my legs and up past my face, which was definitely an intimate moment! I noticed a shadow appear on the seabed and as I looked up a squadron of stingrays flew over my head. Shoals of bannerfish and triggerfish in their thousands patrolled the jetty wall. I watched a titan trigger munching the remains of a tuna tail. The marine life was so oblivious that divers can get extremely close.

While I was passing by the jetty wall, some fish scraps were thrown in from above. It was as if someone had flicked a switch. Fish, rays, jacks and morays instantly ramped up to a feeding frenzy. The slow, relaxed movements became extremely fast and erratic. Although I didn’t see any, I’m sure there must have been some sharks lurking in the background, who knows, maybe even a tiger. I guess the purists out there will say this is not a natural dive site. Thorsten actually described it more as a zoo. Admittedly, the marine life was only there for the food. But from a photographer’s perspective, it did give me a great opportunity for pictures and I didn’t hear any negative feedback from the other divers on the boat with me. In fact, they were more than happy to come back again.

After lunch we headed over to Moogiri Thila, where we encountered huge shoals of yellow snapper and a number of small hawksbill turtles. There was supposedly a resident frogfish but we couldn’t find it anywhere.

Euro-divers really do run a tight ship. Every day the boat crew assembled my dive kit and were quite offended when I wanted to do it myself. Guests are supposed to sit back and

The Euro-Divers Meeru team

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Sweetlips

admire the scenery. Nitrox is complimentary, so the most strenuous thing I had to do was analyse my gas and sign the register. After the dive there were plenty of helping hands to remove my kit and a cup of tea or coffee waiting.

We always left the jetty on time and returned before the restaurant opened for lunch. At the end of the day my kit was packed away in a box and then carted off to the dive centre for rinsing and storage. I couldn’t find any fault in the entire operation. On my last day the plan was to get some freediving promo shots at one of the local wreck sites, but the current was running hard so we decided to visit Helengeli Thila and Asdhoo Canyon instead. At Helengeli Thila I watched trevally sweeping through a shoal of glassfish. There were giant gorgonian sea fans everywhere. We stopped at a very nicelooking pink specimen. With virtually no current running at this dive site I could easily manoeuvre Jenny into the perfect pose. Jenny pointed out a number of nurse sharks lying on the seabed, but as we got closer they all swam off except for one particularly monster-sized four-metre shark.

Jenny went behind and edged closer while I attacked from the front. The shark didn’t seem at all bothered and I managed to get within touching distance. We followed the wall stopping to take more pictures of squirrelfish and sweetlips.

I couldn’t have been more content at the end of the dive. At Asdhoo Canyon I spent the whole dive exploring overhangs and crevices. My picture subjects were mainly sea fans, squirrelfish and yellow snapper.

Sadly, my stay at Meeru Island Resort had come to an end.

I had been worried that all the best dive sites were located further south near Vilamendhoo, but there was just as much marine life to see in the North Malé atoll. Euro-divers at Meeru offer the same high standard of service and Jenny’s white suit had been an absolute billy bonus. Having come from a smaller, more-intimate island took me a while to get used to, but the food, service, accommodation and diving couldn’t be faulted. My early morning speedboat departure was scheduled way before the restaurant opened, but when I checked out at reception they handed me a breakfast box, including orange juice, croissants and cakes. I thought this was a really nice gesture and totally unexpected. n

NB: Stuart’s final stop was Kagi, a brand new five-star boutique-style spa and wellness resort, that opened in November 2020. I was looking forward to rounding off my tour with some serious pampering – read all about it next issue!

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23/05/2021 13:37

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

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SCUBA EQUIPMENT CARE RINSING AND CLEANING DIVING EQUIPMENT

Looking after your diving equipment could just keep you alive and avoid potential incidents, as Guy Thomas explains

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aintenance, or ‘the process of keeping something in a good condition’ isn’t just needed to keep the warranty valid, it can prolong the life of your scuba gear, and even keep you alive.

Who are the enemies? The two biggest enemies of our scuba gear are salt water and sun.

Salt is dissolved in sea water and from the moment water starts evaporating, salt crystals form, and this could lead to jammed zippers, leaking or sticking valves, free-flowing regulators and buttons stuck in ‘open’ position.

Who are our friends? The maintenance technician, and fresh water! Rinsing is the magic word. Rinse everything with fresh water, after every dive. Incidentally, diving in pool or fresh water doesn’t release you from cleaning and washing your kit. Chlorine (pool water), dirt and bacteria (fresh water) need to be removed as well.

GENERAL RINSING PRINCIPLES

Try to keep the time between the dive and the rinsing as short as possible, to prevent salt crystals to form. Use lukewarm water rather than cold water, allowing crystals that may have formed to dissolve better.

In some dive centres you don’t have access to a water hose to rinse your equipment, but you can place it in tubs with ‘fresh’ water, and give it some time to make sure salt is washed off. But where does all that salt go? Right into the tub! Most dive centres change the water often, but when a large number of divers use the tubs at the same time, it is less effective than a water hose or shower. To reduce this issue, some centres provide a separate tub for regulators, computers and photo gear, as these items are more sensitive.

Don’t soak or rinse for just a few seconds - you need some time to remove salt or dirt from the equipment.

There is nothing we can do to avoid salt crystals forming, but we can prevent them from building up. Exposure to the sun (drying your kit after a dive) will allow crystals to form more quickly, and direct contact with sunlight decreases the lifetime of your kit in any case.

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Salt water, fresh water, pool water, even the water you clean with can also cause calcium deposits.

Dive suits and fins require less care, but water gets everywhere, so keep in mind that every piece of equipment with grooves, overlapping parts such as hose protectors, valves, buttons, couplings and moving parts is prone to salt crystals and calcium deposits, with risks of possible malfunction, leaks or a decreased lifetime.

Then there’s the BCD, especially the internal bladder. Water can/will get inside, and humidity, bacteria and warmth are a perfect mix for fungus to grow. Additionally, salt crystals on the inside can damage the bladder itself, so rinse the internal part too. Take some time to rinse dive computers, and keep metal contacts clean to avoid corrosion.

Regulators require special care. There are several parts where salt deposition is possible, so rinse them thoroughly, avoiding letting water into the first stage. Soak or rinse them with their protection caps fitted, and don’t press the purge button when immersed and not pressurised. It is recommended to turn all moving parts - such as air flow controllers - and to lower hose protectors during the cleaning process, to make sure all salt is removed.

Last but not least, dive equipment does not like alcohol, oil, gasoline or chemical solvents, as they might degrade materials. Avoid contact with these chemicals!

DISINFECTION AND CLEANSING AGENTS

Washing dive equipment in a machine washer is not recommended. Neither is the use of strong washing agents.

Mild cleansing agents or special products such as antiodour solutions or wetsuit shampoo will remove dirt, kill bacteria and deodorise neoprene correctly. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions before use.

Disinfecting agents - when not already part of the cleansing agent - are recommended, especially for BCDs and all equipment coming into contact with your face and mouth: regulators, snorkels masks. Most of the water we dive in - be it ocean, lakes, freshwater springs and even swimming pools - contains bacteria. Keep it in mind, in case of repeated mask clears or mask removal/replacement. Defogging your mask with saliva also increases the bacteria population.

Use a special or mild cleansing/disinfecting agent for the BCD internal bladder. Get water and cleansing solution into the BCD through the inflator hose. Once cleaned inside, rinse with fresh water, inflate and drain any remaining water from the inflator hose.

WHAT ABOUT ZIPS?

Dive suits, boots and even our dive bags have zips which, if not properly maintained, don’t slide smoothly anymore over time.

The reason can be salt and calcium deposits, sand or dirt, and

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will ultimately lead to a broken zip. Cleaning with fresh water is the first thing to do. Use a toothbrush to remove any sand or dirt. Some commercial products (with incorporated brush) are available for cleaning and lubricating these zips.

With drysuits the zips are a fragile and expensive component and special care is required. It is therefore recommended to use Zip wax or Zip oil to keep the zip lubricated. When the zip gets dry you will notice a resistance, and too much force to open or close a zip is a clear sign that maintenance was not done well.

OFTEN FORGOTTEN

All items that are usually carried in pockets (BCD or drysuit), cylinders and everything inside a pouch or rolled up (such as retractors or DSMBs) tend to be forgotten. Rolled up items need to be unrolled when being washed, and the inside of the SMBs and release valves need to be rinsed as well. Some extra care is needed for the boot assembly of the cylinder, as salt water will remain behind between the boot and the cylinder, leading to corrosion.

Once we rinsed and cleaned our gear, we need to dry and store it. This will be discussed in our next article. n

DAN MEMBERSHIP

Before taking the plunge make sure your DAN membership is still active. If it isn’t, join DAN or re-new your membership at: www.daneurope.org

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BEYOND TECHNICAL

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Truk Lagoon

Marcus Blatchford continues his epic adventure on a mission to capture several of the iconic Truk Lagoon fleet via photogrammetry PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARCUS BLATCHFORD AND PETE MESLEY / WWW.PETEMESLEY.COM

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Three weeks later I had processed eight complete shipwrecks, three aircraft wrecks, one engine room and numerous smaller chunks of wreckage. So what’s next? Truk isn’t the only place to have wrecks falling to pieces, this is happening all over the world

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28/01/2021 14:38

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ith the trip now in full swing and Diver on the the trip doctor onsite – worldNippo Maru famous dive physician Dr Simon Mitchell - we were able to start hitting the deeper wrecks. First on the hit list with its huge iconic bow, mini tank and trucks on fore deck and artillery field guns on the aft deck was the mighty Nippo Maru. At this point, Pete still hadn’t managed to fire up his scooter so we carried on with the idea of me doing the ‘broad brush stroke’ and Pete aiming for the finer details.

The deeper water anchorage usually has better visibility than the more-sheltered shallow anchorages we had dived thus far and on this dive was no exception. With the far better visibility I was able to be further away from the wreck while scanning which means more area is captured in each image. With the limited bottom time I was able to make full use of the scooter’s faster speeds instead of pottering along at cruising speed as before. The visibility and faster scooter speeds meant that when I reached the line to ascend, I was pretty confident that I had scanned the entire wreck in a single dive, only a lot of processing time would tell.

The next morning I woke and looked at my laptop with both excitement and anxiety. Had the process completed? Had the process worked? Not being able to hear the laptop cooling fans suggested that either the process was complete or there had been an error and processing has stopped. As I turned As the trip went on, Becky’s group had seen me lugging my up the screen brightness, I was confronted with a beautiful camera/scooter combo onto and off boats each day, the point cloud of a complete shipwreck - it had worked! We had questions were coming think and fast and I was invited to managed to scan the 140-metre-long, 6,000-ton monster in present a talk one evening in return for beer - in the interest a single dive with just over an hour’s bottom time! With the of education, I gladly agreed to sample different beers and hiccups with scooter endurance and lower than expected talk about the principles of photogrammetry and my journey vis so far on the trip, to see this point cloud was the first through photogrammetry. Before long, time caught up with complete success and a huge me and I had to return home where the real work would sigh of relief and moral commence. Once home I was back boost. Once first blood with my powerful desktop had been drawn, the wreck computer and the models were coming in processing began. thick and fast.

Three weeks later I had processed eight complete shipwrecks, three aircraft wrecks, one engine room and numerous smaller chunks of wreckage

The Nippo Maru

SCAN ME

TO START YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE!

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

The Rio De Janiero Maru

Three weeks later I had processed eight complete shipwrecks, three aircraft wrecks, one engine room and numerous smaller chunks of wreckage. So what’s next?

Truk isn’t the only place to have wrecks falling to pieces, this is happening all over the world. At TekDiveUSA, Pete spoke of the Truk Project and suggested the start of a world wreck baseline project, much of which could be carried out as ‘citizen science’. People all over the world scanning their own favourite wrecks and sharing to a database that will not only have the capacity to show changes in future scans, but also to keep our wrecks ‘mummified’ in the digital age for people to view, reference and enjoy long after the wrecks are gone.

The project is also assisting other projects such as an Australian group interested in the oil contained in Pacific

wrecks, the Major Projects Foundation, who track wreck degradation to hopefully prevent the huge amounts of oil contained within the wrecks from escaping.

Such a release of the oil would have a huge impact on not only the local marine life but also the people whose life depend on the sea and its contents. n

The San Francisco Maru

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ROAD SHOW SEPTEMBER 17-18 NDAC CHEPSTOW

Individual divers, buddy pairs and clubs are invited to what promises to be the ultimate dive festival in 2021!

With the main GO Diving Show being postponed until 4-6 March 2022, the team behind the premier diving event in the UK calendar decided the nation’s diving fraternity deserved a get-together where people could check out the latest gear from manufacturers, have a go at different types of diving, take part in photographic and technical workshops, listen to some outstanding talks from a range of top-quality speakers and, most importantly, actually go diving! Thus the GO Diving (Road)Show was born, based at the sprawling NDAC facility near Chepstow. The event will run from Friday 17 September to Sunday 19 September.

WWW.GODIVINGSHOW.COM SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!

There is plenty to keep non-divers of all ages occupied too while you are enjoying yourself underwater – NDAC is also home to ziplines, a giant swing, kayaks, paddleboarding and the sprawling Atlantis aquapark.

These can all be booked direct through NDAC.

WE HAVE SPECIAL DEALS FOR CLUBS – BOOK 5 TICKETS, GET 1 FREE, OR BOOK 10 TICKETS AND GET 2 FREE

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Adventurer, TV presenter, technical diver and all-round top bloke Andy Torbet will be hosting the event, as well as being keynote speaker on the Friday and Saturday evenings. There will also be talks from TV presenter, author and British diving advocate Miranda Krestovnikoff, tech legend Phil Short, who has a brandnew presentation about the B-17 Tulsamerican project, and Clare Dutton, who will be showcasing the unique Scuba Escape – the world’s first underwater escape room, which is based in picturesque North Wales.

TECHNICAL DIVING

Want to dip your fin-tips into technical diving? Training agencies including RAID will be running trydives for those wanting to sample twinset and sidemount diving for the first time, and tech icon Mark Powell will be conducting in-water skill development sessions.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

Want to dip your fin-tips into technical diving? Training agencies including RAID will be running trydives for those wanting to sample twinset and sidemount diving for the first time, and tech icon Mark Powell will be conducting in-water skill development sessions.

GO DIVING!

Of course, the best thing about being located at NDAC is that you can actually go diving as well! NDAC is one of the most-popular inland dive sites, and it offers depths from the shallows right down to full-on technical levels. Within the vast expanse of water, divers will find Land Rovers, cruisers, airplanes, helicopters, armoured cars, diving bells, gun turrets, hyperbaric chamber, double decker bus, a trawler and various training platforms.

PRICING SOCIALISE! (Remember those days?)

The Friday evening will culminate with a BBQ and a social evening, where divers and exhibitors can mingle, chat about diving, and enjoy being out and about.

All are welcome, from individuals to buddy pairs and groups.

In fact, this is the perfect club weekend – schedule your dive courses for the event, so that when you are having your surface intervals between diving, your members can wander the exhibitor stands or listen to a talk, and then on the Friday evening, you can all enjoy the BBQ and social evening.

EXHIBITORS

• Full ticket (Friday 17 September – Saturday 18 September) £69 (includes access to talks, workshops, exhibitors, BBQ/social evening on Friday night, and diving in NDAC on both days).

• One-day ticket (Friday 17 September) - £45 (includes access to talks, workshops, exhibitors, BBQ/social evening, and diving in NDAC).

• Non-diving ticket (Friday 17 September – Saturday 18 September) - £25 (includes access to talks, workshops, exhibitors, BBQ/social evening on Friday night).

• Not interested in diving or the workshops? Then you can come along to NDAC for free on Sunday 19 September to speak with the exhibitors.

Exhibitors confirmed so far include Fourth Element, O’Three, Roots Red Sea, BVI Tourist Board, Santi Diving, Shearwater Research, Scuba Dive Store, Scubapro, Nammu Tech, Kent Tooling, Scuba Escape and Vivian Dive Centre/Duttons Divers. More will be announced nearer the time, and if you want to book a stand, contact: bookings@godivingshow.com

LUNA MINI | SRP: £257 Mark Evans: For 2021, Apeks Diving Equipment is making inroads into several new sectors, including torches. Along with the Luna Mini tested here, there is also the Luna, which is designed as a primary torch, and the Luna Pro, which is aimed at technical and advanced divers wanting ultimate brightness and power.

However, let’s concentrate on the Luna Mini, as I can see this being the best seller for Apeks. Everyone should have a back-up torch with them, whether they dive in this country or when they go on a diving holiday. A back-up torch can live in your BCD or drysuit pocket, or the pocket on your Tech shorts, and then it is there when you need it, be that for poking around under an overhang or ledge, peeking into nooks and crannies, or looking inside a shipwreck. It is also handy to have it with you for emergencies - there have been several high-profile incidents where divers were drifting for hours after getting separated from their dive boat and they were discovered because one or more of the group had a dive light with them. The Luna actually has an SOS strobe function.

A small dive light like the Luna Mini is also ideal for night diving in the tropics. It still astounds me that people use monster primary lights designed for use in deep or

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murky waters as their light source when on a night dive in warm water locations such as the Caribbean, the Red Sea or the Maldives.

These simply obliterate the darkness and anything out and about as a night-time denizen will either scarper sharpish or be fried in the brightness.

It is much better to use a small back-up torch on a night dive in these locations, as it provides more than enough illumination so you can see where you are going, but the beam is not wide and bright enough to bother the marine life. The Luna Mini is absolutely perfect as a tropical night-dive light. The Luna Mini is made from marine-grade aluminium and comes in four eye-catching colours - well, three vibrant colours (orange, green and purple) and grey, for the shrinking violets.

It has an XPL2 white LED, which has a spot beam angle of 16 degrees and at maximum power, puts out 1,000 lumens.

It may be small, but it sits nicely in a gloved hand, and the button on the back to turn it on and off is easy to operate even when you have got thick neoprene or drygloves on.

This button is also used to cycle through the three power settings. At full power you get a run time of about one and a half hours, on medium about three hours, and on low power setting, about six hours. It takes approximately four hours to recharge. It is a fully sealed unit, so there are no O-rings to worry about, and to charge the lithium-ion battery, you simply attach a charging cable to the butt.

The Luna Mini is also equipped with ITM (Intelligent Thermal Management), which is patented circuitry within the light that reduces the power to the LEDs if they go beyond the optimum temperature, keeping the light as efficient as possible to maximise output and battery capacity. It comes in a nifty zippered and padded case, which keeps the torch itself and the charging cable safe and in one place.

So that all sounds amazing, right? There has to be a downside. Well, there is, and it is that price. £257 for a back-up torch is a lot of money for most people, however, it has to be said that the Mini Luna is exceptionally well made, robust and bright. And who doesn’t want to put a little colour back into their (dive)life? If you can afford to. www.apeksdiving.com/uk

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AQUALUNG SPHERA X | SRP: £55

Mark Evans: You can freedive and snorkel in a standard scuba diving mask, but if you want to really enjoy the freedom that breath-hold diving affords you, then you want to be in gear that is as minimalistic as possible – and that is where the Sphera X really shines.

The first thing that hits you about the Sphera X is how small it is – it looks absolutely tiny alongside, say, an Apeks VX1 mask. And when you put it on your face, you almost feel as if you are not even wearing a mask at all! It is so lightweight, and it first so close to your face.

That ultra-low volume comes from the unique shape of the mask, which uses Curved Lens Technology to give you 180-degree distortion-free vision through the Plexisol lenses. It is astounding just how much peripheral vision you get from this mask via those curved lens.

The Plexisol lenses are reasonably robust, but these will inevitably scratch more easily than tempered glass lens, so bear that in mind if you are one of those people who flings their mask down on the beach, etc. It comes with a nifty padded zippered case to help keep those fancy lens clean and scratch-free.

The lenses have supposedly got a special anti-fog coating, but I found they still needed a bit of ‘spit and polish’, or a dab of commercial anti-fog, to keep them clear during use.

The super-soft silicone skirt – which uses AFT (Advanced Fit

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Technology) – is extremely supple and seemingly moulds into every crevice and crack on your face, eliminating leaks.

That skirt also seems capable of fitting innumerable people – it was a great fit on my face, on PADI Course Director Clare Dutton (thanks for modelling, Clare!) and on my 14-year-old son Luke.

We had this neat navy blue version on test, but it is available in black, clear glacier, white/black, white/ raspberry, and white/yellow colour schemes as well. www.aqualung.com/uk

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AQUALUNG i330R | SRP: £269 Aqualung say that the i330R is ‘the ideal choice for advanced divers who love exploring the world and need to rely on their dive computers anywhere they are’. One thing is for certain, £269 for a full-colour, multi-mix, rechargeable computer is a cracking deal. The i330R is very compact for a wrist-mounted computer, but it has a bright colour screen that is easy to read in low vis, in bright sunlight and at night.

It is powered by a rechargeable battery that gives about 30 hours runtime, and it quickly and easily charged via a USB cable and magnetic clip. It has four modes – air, nitrox, freedive and gauge – and can handle up to three nitrox mixes from 21-100 percent. Navigation though the menus is simple via the two push buttons on the right-hand side. Once you return from your dive, you can download your logs direct on to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. It is fitted with a NATO-style webbing strap, which is tough and durable, but also looks cool. www.aqualung.com/uk

HENDERSON GREENPRENE WETSUITS | SRP: TBA Greenprene is a sustainable, insanely warm, super-stretchy, ultra-durable insulating foam that provides excellent UV resistance. Greenprene is also significantly lighter in weight than traditional neoprene materials. Greenprene is 100% neoprene-free sustainable insulating foam. It has been tested and is approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bio Preferred programme as a USDA Biobased product. Greenprene is formulated from deproteinized natural insulating foam along with other natural additives such as sugar cane, plant oils and oyster shells. The result is a sustainable Bio Based insulating foam that is ultra-soft, stretchy, durable and lightweight. Greenprene wetsuits will allow you to move freely without restriction while keeping you warm and comfortable in the most demanding conditions. The recycled Aqua-Silk exterior fabric laminate is manufactured from recycled water bottles. The fabric was tested and selected for its durability, abrasion and Velcro resistance as well as its fast-drying properties.

The fabric is made from 88% recycled polyester and 12% spandex, which has been tested AZO-free and Oeko-tex certified. The recycled Bio-Span interior fabric laminate is manufactured from recycled water bottles. The fabric was tested and selected for its superior comfort, warmth and ridiculous stretch. There is simply nothing else like it in the water today. The fabric is made from 88% recycled polyester and 12% Nylon, which has been tested AZO-free and is Oeko-tex certified.

The entire Greenprene wetsuit programme has been designed to provide a fully sustainable product lifecycle. Greenprene wetsuits are packaged and shipped in recycled cardboard boxes. Each wetsuit is hand wrapped with recycled paper.

Recycled cardboard cores are used to help prevent compression marks from folding and when in storage. All hangtags on the wetsuits are printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks. www.hendersoneurope.com 62

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LUNA MINI TORCH

apeksdiving.com | @apeksdiving

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KENT SCUBA LTD

t: 01202 122006 e: info@dorsetdiving.co.uk a: 25A Ringwood Road, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0RF 5 Star PADI Dive Centre offering PADI Courses, Kit Sales, Servicing, Air Nitrox and Trimix Fills.

In house IDEST test station and workshop for on site repairs. www.dorsetdiving.co.uk

t: 01843 621188 e: dive@kentscuba.com a: 23 Maple Leaf Business Park, Manston, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 5DG Scuba is our passion and we want to share that by enabling others; turning your dreams into realities. www.kentscuba.com

UNDERWATER EXPLORERS

t: 01227 700374 e: sales@divingproducts.co.uk a: Windgates, Church Lane, Waltham, Near Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5SS Kent Tooling Diving Products produce the widest range of rebreather and diving supplies and accessories in Kent and the UK. www.divingproducts.co.uk

t: 01305 824555 e: info@underwaterexplorers.co.uk a: Unit 1, Maritime Business Centre, Mereside, Portland, Dorset, DT5 1FD Leading Dorset dive centre stocking all major brands, air, nitrox, trimix fills, rentals and servicing beside Portland Marina and across from Chesil Beach. www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk

ESSEX BESPOKE SCUBA DIVING LIMITED t: 01708 837032 e: contact@bespokescubadiving.co.uk a: Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Althorne Way, Dagenham, Essex, RM10 7FH Our mission is to provide quality & professional scuba training in a relaxed friendly environment. www.bespokescubadiving.co.uk

BLACK WATER DIVING t: 07841 561680 e: info@blackwaterdiving.co.uk a: 18 Lower Park Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 4NA PADI Dive training focussed on beginners.

Try Scuba Diving for £20. Private swimming pools. Learn to scuba dive with 1:1 instruction at Blackwater Diving. www.blackwaterdiving.co.uk

DIVERSE SCUBA t: 01375 892444 e: info@diverse-scuba.co.uk a: Ye Old Plough House Motel, Brentwood Road, Bulphan, Essex, RM14 3SR Diverse Scuba are one of the leading 5 STAR PADI IDC dive centres in the UK providing scuba diving courses and services to the Essex region. www.diverse-scuba.co.uk

ORCA SCUBA DIVING ACADEMY t: 01268 520111 e: info@orcascubadivingacademy.co.uk a: 17 Repton Close, Burnt Mills Estate, Basildon, Essex, SS13 1LN Established in 2007 the Academy a vision of Gary to deliver the very best Scuba Diving School in Essex. www.orcascubadivingacademy.co.uk

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HARROGATE DIVESHACK UK t: 07779 605863 e: tim@diveshack.uk.com a: 17 Station Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1UF Harrogates number 1 dive store. www.diveshack.uk.com

LANCASHIRE CAPERNWRAY DIVING AND LEISURE LTD e: info@dive-site.co.uk a: Jackdaw Quarry, Capernwray Road, Over Kellet, Lancashire, LA6 1AD The UK’s finest inland dive site... Welcome to Capernwray, the beautiful diving venue on the edge of the Lake District. www.dive-site.co.uk

EAST LANCS DIVING e: info@eastlancsdiving.co.uk a: Daisyfield Pool, Daisy Ln, Blackburn, BB1 5HB East Lancashire’s only PADI approved Dive Centre - Undertaking all PADI courses and Specialities from Try Dive to Professional. www.eastlancsdiving.co.uk

MILTON KEYNES MK SCUBA DIVING t: 07957 710334 e: contact@mkscubadiving.co.uk a: Unit 50A, I-Centre, Howard Way, Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes, MK16 9PY Friendly, professional and patient PADI, SDI and TDI scuba instructors, we proudly offer you high quality service, equipment and facilities. www.mkscubadiving.co.uk

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t: 01622 212022 e: scuba@blueoceandiving.co.uk a: West Park Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 7AF 5* PADI scuba diving courses and training, organised diving trips and events, scuba equipment and friendly advice based in Maidstone. www.blueoceandiving.co.uk

t: 01603 485000 e: info@scuba4me.co.uk a: 62 Whiffler Road, Norwich, NR3 2AY We are Norfolk’s Premier dive centre with our own on-site swimming pool and well stocked shop with the latest equipment. www.scuba4me.co.uk

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NOTTINGHAMSHIRE GO DIVE t: 01332 665353 e: sales@godive.net a: Nottingham Road, Spondon, Derby, DE21 7NP Take your diving to the next level with GoDive, the UK’s first fourth element concept store. Start shopping with us today! www.godive.net

PLYMOUTH AQUANAUTS t: 01752 228825 e: info@aquanauts.co.uk a: 88 Vauxhall Street, The Barbican, Plymouth, PL4 0EY Waterfront full service centre with direct access to the best wreck and reef diving the UK has to offer. www.aquanauts.co.uk

ROTHERHAM DREAM DIVERS LTD t: 07976 526050 e: info@dreamdiversltd.co.uk a: 18-20 Greasbrough Rd, Parkgate, Rotherham, S62 6HN PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre based in Parkgate, Rotherham. Our instructional team has been teaching PADI courses together in the Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and surrounding areas of South Yorkshire since 2005. www.dreamdivers.co.uk

SHROPSHIRE SEVERN TEC DIVING t: 01939 291303 e: severntecdiving@gmail.com a: The Glyders, Church Road, Baschurch, Shropshire, SY4 2EG We are a Scuba Diving Training Center with over 20 years experience with a multi-agency approach to scuba diving. www.severntecdiving.com

SOMERSET DIVE ACADEMY t: 01935 353525 e: info@dive.academy a: Unit 7-8 Boundary Avenue, Commerce Park, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8UU Somerset’s Premier. Scuba Diving Centre.

Book a lesson. www.dive.academy

STAFFORDSHIRE SCUBA COURSES t: 07743 719172 e: info@scubacourses.co.uk a: Trent House, Trent Walk, Joiners Square, Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 3HE Offering a full range of training, servicing and expert advice. www.scubacourses.co.uk

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SUSSEX OYSTER DIVING

WILTSHIRE DM SCUBA TRAINING

t: 0800 699 0243 e: info@oysterdiving.com a: Maritime House, Basin Road North, Portslade, E. Sussex, BN41 1WR PADI 5-star IDC centre in London and S.E. Holidays around the world, active club and local dives.

Exclusive lake in Surrey. www.oysterdiving.com

t: 07920 556116 e: instructor@hotmail.co.uk a: Filton leisure Centre, Elm Park, Fiton BS34 7PS DM Scuba hold pool training sessions in Bristol, Swindon and Bath giving you plenty of choice. www.dm-scuba.co.uk

PLANET DIVERS

t: 01142 332995 e: info@learn2dive.co.uk a: 185 Holme Lane, Hillsborough, Sheffield, Yorkshire, S6 4JR Welcome to Diveworld, dive school, dive club, dive retail and servicing, dive travel and more, the complete scuba package. www.learn2dive.co.uk

t: 07889 883232 e: info@planetdivers.co.uk a: Planet Divers, The Angling Club, Royal Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 7AA A Friendly Crew, Great Diving all year round.

Excellent, Fun trips UK & Abroad for all levels, non-divers welcomed. www.planetdivers.co.uk

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the best home www.divelogs.com

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WEST MIDLANDS AQUASPORT INTERNATIONAL t: 0121 706 6628 e: info@aquasportonline.com a: The Dive Centre, 50 Lincoln Road, Olton, Solihull, West Midlands, B27 6PA The only purpose built diver training centre and dive shop in the West Midlands and the only PADI Dive Centre in the whole of Greater Birmingham and Solihull. www.aquasportonline.com

HEADING FOR THE SUNSHINE

We showcase some of the top diving destinations you are currently allowed to visit.

Q&A WITH JOHN VOLANTHEN

We talk to the expert cave diver about how he got into caving, and THAT cave rescue in Thailand.

2AM ETERNAL

What possesses someone to get up at 2am to go diving off the South Coast? Colin Garrett explains.

THE FIVE-STAR MALDIVES

Stuart Philpott rounds out his whistlestop tour of the Maldives, this time heading to the boutique resort of Kagi.

PROJECT BASELINE: TRUK

We chat to Marcus Blatchford and Pete Mesley about the challenges of using photogrammetry on the wrecks of Truk Lagoon.

GEAR GUIDE: TEST EXTRA

Editor-in-Chief Mark Evans and the Test Team get stuck into a raft of new equipment for 2021.

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USING PHOTOMOSAICS IN WRECK SITE INVESTIGATION, PART TWO Project Director Mike Haigh continues his look at photomosaics – a vital tool of the diving archaeologist

T

o illustrate the practical application of photomosaics, I will take three examples.

Off the Aeolian island of Panarea lies a site known as ‘Relitto Alberti’, a well preserved but jumbled wreck dated to the 1st Century AD. The main body of the wreck lies at about 40m. In the summer of 1987, the Oxford University Mare team produced a photomosaic which was to assist in focusing future work on the site to the most promising areas. Other methods of obtaining this analysis were hindered by the depth of the site and resulting limited bottom times. The method was simply to lay out ropes and have a diver ‘fly’ over the site. The resultant mosaic was good enough for publication.

The marble wreck of Isola Della Correnti, near the most southerly tip of Sicily, provided a different challenge. A Roman wreck dating back to the 3rd Century AD, after centuries under the sea the marble blocks were almost indiscernible from the rocks that surrounded the site – making a traditional photomosaic almost irrelevant as a visual spectacle. However, a transverse run through the site produced a panoramic that showed the true majesty of the 350 ton cargo.

The third example is the Studland Bay Wreck, the remains of a Spanish trading ship from about 1500, lying just outside

66

Poole harbour. The visibility on the site rarely bettered 2m so producing an accurate record of the starboard section, measuring 22.5m by 3.5m, was going to be a challenge. The challenge was met. When the photomosaic was compared to the divers’ drawings some ‘gaps’ in the survey record were identified. ‘The camera does not lie!’ www.wreckhunters.co.uk

Next time we look at the techniques used in excavating a wreck site.

The third example is the Studland Bay Wreck, the remains of a Spanish trading ship from about 1500

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Break through innovation

#GODO

Spelunkers: Incomparable.

Indomitable.

Unpronounceable.

Let’s hear it for the ‘spelunkers’. The subterranean explorers of the 1970s who did for caving what Mallory did for mountaineering. And the inspiration behind ‘GMT-explorer’ watches, which provided 24hour timekeeping for light-starved cavers. Now we’ve resurrected the genre with the new C63 Sealander GMT. Not only does it boast a twin timezone movement, a hi-vis 24-hour hand and a dial that’s as legible as it is beautiful, but, happily, you don’t have to be a spelunker to wear one.

Sealander.

Go anywhere, do everything. christopherward.com