Scubashooters net e mag issue n35 jan 2018

ISSUE

N°35

J A N 2018

Portfolio

by Mauro Mainardi

Travels

by S. Riccardo

Travels

by R. Pastorino

Biology

Review

Events

The Best Is Yet To Come

Francesco Turano Mediterranean Seafans by

The Sharks Of South Africa

Carbonarm Presents Silver Carbon Arms

Magic Anilao & Puerto Galera

Deep Visions 2018 Categories & Prizes

is back!

Share the beauty and win amazing prizes Entries accepted from 1st March till 22nd April 2018

sponsor categories DSLR MACRO DSLR WIDEANGLE CC MACRO CC WIDEANGLE SHARKS AND CETACEANS PORTFOLIO (5 TO 7 PICTURES) FRESHWATERS BEHAVIOR BLACK & WHITE DIVE DESTINATION (3 TO 5 PICTURES) NUDIBRANCH

special prizes BEST OF SHOW BEST SNOOTED PHOTO BEST MIRRORLESS PHOTO BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTO

Dear Members and readers, I hope you all had great holidays season sharing warm moments with your beloved and a great start of the new year. We just blow out the fifth year birthday candles here at Scubashooters. net and we are preparing to face this 2018 which announces itself full of challenges and opportunities for our community.

The first one is approaching really quick as by the end of February we will be launching Deepvisions 2018. I know this is very specific and dedicated to Underwater Photographers, but I’m sure that also those of you who don’t usually go underwater will have the chance to get inspired by the beauty we expect from the entries from all over the world. Active Underwater Photographers from all over the world will have the chance to compete for a prize pane that announces itself as the richest so far since when we started the Deepvisions journey.

At the moment I am writing this editorial we have 11 confirmed categories and 4 “best of “ prizes for a total value of nearly 60000 USD as I said, the richest so far we ever had @ scubashooters.net.

As usual, this is a great chance for everybody out there to win a trip or a great piece of gear and a great feedback for us that we are on the right track. As I always say this is all possible thanks to you dear members, readers , followers…. Friends! From all over the world… THANK YOU! We recently received another feedback we are doing something good from PADI; the didactic giant agreed for a cross promotion of respective contents on respective networks, thus offering our members a really great chance for their photos to be exposed to a really wide audience on the globe.

But this is only the beginning of 2018, keep on tuning your media devices to our network and you won’t be dissatisfied, it’s a promise.

Marino Palla Owner and Founder Scubashooters Network Cover image by: Mauro Mainardi

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Categories and Prizes PORTFOLIO: 1) MALUKU DIVERS (7 nights full board + 3 dives each day x 1 pax)+ EMOZIONI (4 fine art stamps 60x40) 2) DAWOSUB (Athos M3 Speleosub torh) 3) INON (LF 1300 EFW torch + UV variable red filter M67)

COMPACT CAMERA WIDEA 1) CASA BAHIA ANIL board x 1 pax + 2 2) FLEXARM (2 carb FOTOSUB SHOP ( compact cameras 3) ISOTTA (100$ v

DSLR MACRO: 1) CRYSTAL BLUE RESORT ANILAO (7 nights full board x 1 pax and dive package) 2) INON (S2000 strobe) 3) IKELITE (Gamma Mark 2 torch) + FLEXARM (Plastic carbon arm 12 cm) + FLEXARM (clamp)

CETACEANS AND SHARKS: 1) CELEBES DIVERS pax full board + 2) SUBAIA – CAMPAN pax + 3 dives in a 3) PRINK (trolley by FLEXARM (clamp)

DSLR WIDEANGLE: 1) DHARAVANDHOO DIVERS (7 nights for 2 pax fullboard + 10 dives) 2) CARBONARM (2 Silver Carbon arms 50 cm) 3) IKELITE (Gamma Mark 2 torch) + FLEXARM (Plastic carbon arm 12 cm) + FLEXARM (clamp) COMPACT CAMERA MACRO: 1) GIOSIM (DSLR UW housing) 2) SHEIKH COAST DIVING CENTER (10 dives package) 3) ISOTTA (100$ value voucher)

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FRESHWATERS: 1) COCOTINOS LEMB + dive package + 5 2) BINTANG DIVERS 3) FLEXARM (carryn + 2 triple clamps

BLACK AND WHITE: 1) CASA ESCONDIDA pax full board) 2) CAMPI FLEGREI D x 1 pax + 4 dive 3) HAYBOLS ANILAO shore dives)

ANGLE: LAO (4 days/3 nights full 2 dives each day x 1pax) bon fiber arms 25 cm) + (Auto magic filter for s) value voucher)

(7 days and 6 nights x 1 2 dives each day) NIA DIVERS (2 nights bb x 1 archaeological area of Baia) y American Tourister) + )

BEH (1 week full board x 1 pax 50% discount for the 2nd pax) S BALI (10 dives package) ng handle with 1 inch balls s)

A ANILAO (4 days/3 nights x2

DIVING CENTER (2 nights bb es in Baia) O (2 nights bb x 1 pax + 2

BEHAVIOR: 1) FISHERMEN’S COVE PUERTO GALERA (7 nights full board for 1 pax + dive package) 2) FOTOSUB SHOP (Noodilab Moby macro lens) 3) IKELITE (Gamma Mark 2 torch) + FLEXARM (plastic carbon YS mount) + FLEXARM (clamp) DIVE DESTINATION: 1) CAPE PAPERU RESORT (6 nights full board for 1 pax + 10 dives) 2) SHEIKH COAST DIVING CENTER (10 dives package) 3) IKELITE (Gamma Mark 2 torch) + FLEXARM (plastic carbon YS mount) + FLEXARM (clamp) NUDIBRANCH: 1) YOS DIVE RESORT LEMBEH (6 nights/7 days full board for 1 pax in twin sharing + 14 dives) 2) FISHERMEN’S COVE PUERTO GALERA (10 dives package) 3) IKELITE (Gamma Mark 2 torch) + FLEXARM (plastic carbon YS mount) + FLEXARM (clamp)

BEST SNOOTED PHOTO: DEEPBLU Cosmiq+ dive computer BEST MIRRORLESS PHOTO: DEEPBLU Cosmiq+ dive computer BEST “ENVIRONMENT” PHOTO: DEEPBLU Cosmiq+ dive computer BEST OF SHOW: ASIA GRAND VIEW CORON (4 days/3 nights bb x 2 pax) REGGAE DIVING CENTER CORON (3 days of dives x 1 pax) FIXNEO (Fixneo torch 1500 SWR) FLEXARM (Plastic carbon arm set Universal light mount)

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CONTENTS January 2018 3 4

EDITORIAL by Marino Palla DEEP VISIONS UWP Awards 2018

10 TRAVELS The magic of Anilao&Puerto Galera

by Ruggero Pastorino

26 TRAVELS The Sharks of South Africa

by Sergio Riccardo

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MARINE BIOLOGY Mediterranean Seafans

by Francesco Turano

BREAKING NEWS Baia - “New” Mosaics

by Pasquale vassallo

CONTEST: 4th Blucobalto Photo Academy Contest 6

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MONTHLY CONTEST - “Creative Light” - The Winners

80 PREVIEW Carbonarm Silver Carbon Arms

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PORTFOLIO Mauro Mainardi The Best is yet to come

112 TRAVELS Porto Julius

by Immacolata Moccia

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124 100

MARINE BIOLOGY Project Seahorse

by Lily Stanton

REVIEW - Orcatech - D620V DAN EUROPE - Hydrocephalus And Diving

V erein S cubashooters - 8952 S chlieren G raphic

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E ditor : F abio S trazzi - S witzerland 38668878

design and supervising :

S ilvia B ogni L ayout : S ilvia B ogni , E lisa F urlani C ontributors : C hiara S crigner

DISCOVERNOW

WINTER SPECIAL OFFER 2018 VALIDTHROUGH 28 FEB 2018

CelebesDivers-NorthSulawesi-Indonesia:www.celebesdivers.com

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Anilao &

TRAVELS The Magic Of Puerto Galera Words and Pictures

Ruggero Pastorino

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In recent years, the Philippines have become a must-have destination for underwater photography enthusiasts, especially two now renowned locations: Anilao and Puerto Galera, which I visited several times during my travels. So, let’s find out the peculiarities of these places.

It takes about 3 hour’s trip to reach Anilao from Manila Airport: the first part of the journey is on the highway, and then on secondary paved roads. Once to destination, it is striking that all of the resorts are oriented to diving (just look at the names, rather explanatory), which represents the driving economy for the small town.

Because of the place’s geography, with hills standing directly behind the sea, the resorts develop ‘vertically’, so keep in mind that reaching your room will require a minimum of effort, rewarded by the tranquility reigning in these places.

All dives, except for very rare cases of house reef accessible directly from the beach, are effected by the classic Filipino boats equipped with outriggers, the bangka, which allow convenient and fast navigation to all dive sites reachable in a short time: from 15 up to 45 minutes for the farther.

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There are more than fifty sites where you can dive, a number that would require a twenty-day vacation to be able to visit them all, and that makes the idea of the potential of this destination. It can vary from vertical rocky walls encrusted by corals, to small sheltered bays with soft coral gardens, to the classic sweep of sand and mud, typical of muck dives.

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The dive type with depths not exceeding 20-25 meters, water temperature around 28 degrees in December, and light or null currents, make this place within reach of any diver wanting to photograph or observe the real protagonists of these places: that is its countless, tiny inhabitants like pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, cephalopods and crustaceans.

The advice is to rely on a local guide who, with extreme reliability and experience, will be able to lead you in your dive and discover the various beings in full respect of their habits. I must say that the level of professionalism is usually very high, therefore the guide will act so as not to cause damage to fauna during photo sessions so to get natural shots and not ‘built’ at a table.

Some subjects are ‘seasonal’, therefore their presence is not always constant, but there is everything a macro underwater photography enthusiast could wish for: a ‘must’ in this regard is a night dive at Anilao Pier hunting for squids, elusive and difficult to photograph; bobtail squids, with their amazing livery; coconut octopus, hiding in abandoned shells / shards / cups; and bobbit worms.

Essential, at equipment level, a good macro lens: a 60 or, better, a 100, to be able to make better use of additional lenses, possibly a +5 and +10 in order to capture even the smallest subjects, such as hairy 14

or skeleton shrimps. I highly recommend bringing a good supply of rechargeable batteries, because the dives are rather long (personally, I got over 120 minutes), and the number of shots per dive could be significant: it is better to play it safe and change the batteries after each dive. After the stay in Anilao, you can easily move to Puerto Galera: the transfer through the Batangas Channel can be via private speedboat or public ferry, always very punctual and cheap.

Of course, that will lead to a greater waste of time.

Once at destination, you’ll realize that the location is definitely different from Anilao: instead of the previous ‘linear’ coastline, you find an infinity of coves, bays and islets that make the place very characteristic and enjoyable.

In addition, the number and variety of resorts also makes you realize that the location is touristy, with the presence of several beaches and beach bars, missing in Anilao: for those looking for a bit of nightlife after diving, Puerto Galera certainly offers more entertainment options, with plenty of places easy to reach. Despite the proximity to Puerto Galera, there are some differences: the temperature (at least in my experience) is slightly less hot by a few degrees, and it rains more frequently.

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Nothing annoying, but I suggest you bringing on board a fleece sweater and a k-way to get more comfort during the surface interval. The dives tend to be somewhat deeper compared to Anilao, almost everyone around 18 - 27 meters and with a ‘square’ profile, therefore dive times decrease.

It is always better to take a look at the computer to avoid getting into deco, while dedicating your efforts to photographing a particular subject. Should you be in a group, it is good practice (especially if you go searching for the sea fans hosting pygmy seahorses) to plan carefully both dive profile and timing, so that all divers can enjoy enough time to bring home a good shot. Even in Puerto Galera there are many walls to explore.

Moreover, the presence of Alma Jane Wreck, with a school of sedentary platax, offers (visibility permitting) the possibility of some very particular wide-angle shot. Inevitable, the break for the surface interval at the Sabang’s floating bar, a picturesque place where drinking a coffee between a dive and the other in some dive spots which are only a hundred meters or so from the bar itself.

Another PG’s highlight is muck dives: there are plenty of sand and mud stretches teeming with life.

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In these cases, the use of a snoot to isolate the subject from the unpleasant background and avoid suspension is highly recommended.

Here too the typical lens to use is a 100 macro, but considering that (on average), the subjects here are slightly larger than in Anilao, you can venture even to using shorter focal lengths to contain the suspension phenomenon.

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An always-rewarding dive is Giant Clams: a stretch where you can appreciate all the guides’ research skills and train your eyes to the most to see the small and countless inhabitants of these seabeds.

At about an hour sailing from Puerto Galera, there’s Verde Island: a perfectly guarded marine protected area offering breathtaking scenery for wide-angle photography enthusiasts, with expanse coral reefs to eye loss and, deeper, the presence of huge sea fans.

These two destinations represent only a small part of what the Philippines can offer: a country that by its nature, the friendliness of its people and the good level of security is a great destination for a trip aimed at underwater photography.

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TRAVELS The Sharks Of South Africa Words and Pictures

Sergio Riccardo

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Sharks have been labeled since ancient times as killers of the seas and, in ancient Greece, Herodotus gave them the nickname Kete (sea monster), term from which even the name “Cetacea” derives. It was Steven Spielberg in 1975 to instill terror about this fish into human minds, thanks to the release of the movie “Jaws”, a thriller based on the novel by Peter Benchley dated 1973, inspired by some shark attacks that occurred in New Jersey in July 1916, which killed 14 people in less than two weeks.

The filmography and the stories of the past, however, must not discourage us, since several shark species are currently threatened with extinction. Loss of Top Predators, apex of the marine food chain, would result in serious damage to the ecosystem by creating, through a ripple effect, the increase in shark prey and the consequent decrease of lower organisms in the trophic chain. Despite the sporting and commercial fishing are the major causes of extinction of several species of shark, the Eastern peoples also have contributed, over time, to this disaster through the sale and removal of these fish’s fins (shark finning), used in Asian countries’ cuisine for preparing the shark fins soup, a dish that according to these populations is an aphrodisiac and can cost as much as $ 100 per serving!

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Fortunately, since the beginning of the XXI Century, the protection and preservation of sharks has increased significantly thanks to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), which banned the trade of some species, and the IUCN, which has listed many of these animals in its lists as species at risk of extinction.

One of the places where the preservation of sharks is on the agenda is South Africa, where the island of Seal Island, in front of Cape Town, and the natural reserve of Dyer Island, in front of the town of Gansbaai, host a population of 500 - 1000 individuals of white sharks.

The Carcharodon carcharias, besides being a very large predator, it is also very clever managing to camouflage itself into the sea due to the presence of a dark gray color on the back and white on the belly, making it cryptic respectively with the seabed and the surface. It is a veritable war machine spread across the marine world, coastal and pelagic, from temperate to temperate-cold areas between 60 degrees north and south.

The white shark behavior is certainly the most interesting aspect to consider: there are in fact both the dimensional and the sexual segregation. South African great white sharks, for example, feed mainly

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of fish, crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, birds but also of Cape fur seals, performing sometimes scavenging on carcasses of animals and, in the Gansbaai area and Dyer island, approximately 200 km from Cape Town, the specimens are predominantly young, ranging between 2 and maximum 5 meters in length.

The immature individuals benefit from this area with large biodiversity to switch between an ichthyophagous diet, typical of juveniles, to one based on Cape fur seals, typical of adults for the greater deriving caloric intake. However, the direct ethological studies are restricted at the time of predation, both because it is complicated to follow an animal capable of performing long migrations, than for the anthropocentric tendency to study the only time in which the shark comes into contact with humans.

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Add to that the extreme difficulty of keeping a white shark specimen into captivity.

To date there are two models of study: the first based on the surface’s attack behavior of natural prey; the second on the surface’s attack behavior of passive prey.

During the attack of natural prey, the most widely used behavioral modules are: the partial or total exit out of the water with a vertical posture perpendicular to the surface (breach); the exit with an angle between 0 and 45 degrees with respect to the surface; the exit at an angle always between 0 and 45 degrees to the surface but, if missing the prey, the shark is forced to make a lateral twisting of the head; the exit to the air upside down on its stomach, always at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees to the surface.

In the case of behavioral studies regarding attack to passive prey, the functional stages are divided into: pre-attack modules or curiosity and attack or aggression, including also the moments before the attack itself.

The behavioral patterns are divided into individual behavior, when carried out by a single animal, and social, if they are the result of interaction between two or more individuals.

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Observing, for example, the behavior of a great white shark in front of a whale carcass, we can understand how it is not a stupid and violent fish, but an animal with complex interactions with its own conspecifics, with which it forms temporary social structures, hierarchies based on the size and temperament of individuals for accessing the prey.

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The attack strategies of the great white shark, finally, are highlighted more by one sex rather than the other, or by mature rather than immature specimen.

Certainly, from the ethological point of view, the putting into practice of a predatory behavior and of attacks, is based on a certain social hierarchy linked to the dominance of a shark on the others, to the animal’s size, to the experience of the fish itself and, often, there is a precise procedure in the application of ethological processes, where an attitude may, by propensity, precede or follow another.

In these seas we also meet other predators living with the great white shark as the mako (Isurus oxyrhincus), the blue shark (Prionace glauca) and the “seven gills” (Notorhyncus cepedianus).

The mako, close relative of the great white shark, takes advantage of its searing acceleration to catch fast prey such as tuna and oily fish and is also able to jump out of the water (breach) to hunt.

Being a great swimmer, the caudal fin is almost symmetrical, the pectoral fins are small to decrease the friction and the dorsal is stiff to stabilize the trim.

Like all Lamnidae, the “rete mirabile” allows this predator to have a 33

body temperature higher than that of the surrounding environment by giving it more power and better resistance.

The females usually reach lengths longer than 3 meters, while males are much smaller. Off the coast of South Africa, along with the mako, there is also another species, the blue shark, an epipelagic shark that prefers pretty cold waters, is migratory and often moves in packs, segregating by size and sex. In temperate seas it is possible to observe it along the coast, while in tropical waters occupies greater depths and observations in the Atlantic have identified migratory cycles clockwise, following the main current.

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It may reach a dimensions of 4 meters and, unfortunately, it is subject to human fishing: estimates say that 10 to 20 million blue sharks are killed each year and their meat is eaten fresh, dried, smoked, salted and for is used for the production of fish meal.

The skin, finally, is used for the production of leather and for preparing the shark fins soup, while the liver to extract the oil. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States has entered the flesh of the blue shark among those that children and pregnant women should avoid eating, to prevent from the risks associated with mercury and other heavy metals poisoning.

Lastly, to dominate the kelp forests of South Africa, we find the “seven gills” shark or beef shark (Notorynchus cepedianus). The only extant member of the genus Notorynchus, in the family Hexanchidae, is easily recognized by the presence of seven gill slits.

His gray-brownish livery covered with spots, allows it to blend the in the forests of brown algae where it feeds on other sharks, rays, fishes, seals and carrions thanks to the upper jaw’s serrated teeth cusps and the leaf-like cusps of the lower’s.

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Puerto Galera - Oriental Mindoro - Philippines

Share your passion for diving wishlist exploring the magical underwater world of Puerto Galera.

This fabulous destination offers the perfect mix of diving and culture, hiding surprises for even the most expert of divers in its unique biodiversity and colourful marine creatures.

An ideal destination for macro photographers.

www.fishermenscove.com

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info@fishermenscove.com

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MARINE BIOLOGY Mediterranean Seafans Words and Pictures

Francesco Turano

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Gorgonians, small and large, red and yellow, bicolor and unicolor, sea fans everywhere the eye could see, and with open polyps, in all their glory.

It seems to be in Poseidon’s woods, where the arborescent gorgonians, animal life forms, appear as plants, chromatically exalting plants. Warm colors, yellow, red and orange, reveal their nuances in the light of a torch, hiding at first sight those colors absorbed by the depth and the poor penetration of light into the sea.

This sea that hides its secrets to most humans, the inhabitants of the emerged land, and that reveals them to a few privileged able to capture the beauty of a world so close to us, yet remained far from our knowledge.

The first time I came across the spectacle of the gorgonians in the Mediterranean I was speechless. Literally enchanted. I was in Scilla, in the Strait of Messina. I was a newbie of scuba diving and alone I reached one of the most famous shoals of the Strait entrance, on the Calabrian shore. Being for the first time in front of a granite rock bastion, dark and monochromatic at first sight, but then colonized and colored by a myriad of invertebrates, including mostly bicolor sea fans, is a dream come true.

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Since that day, I searched for gorgonians everywhere. And I found them in the sea of Ustica, in the Aeolian Islands and the Egadi; and then leaving Sicily I found them in Tuscany, at the Argentario cape, and in Liguria, in the Portofino area.

Leaving the Tyrrhenian, I also found them in the Adriatic, in the sea of the Tremiti Islands. Just to mention a few places.

Cliffs paved with Paramuricea clavata characterize much of the Mediterranean, although this is by no means the only species present in our sea.

Nevertheless, it’s the dominant one. The submerged reefs and the sea fans are the divers’ preferred marine ecosystem, both for the morphology and variety of the environment, and for the colors of benthic life.

Basically, an Eden. Unfortunately, since the late nineties, the periodic appearance of mucilaginous algae threatens the ramifications of the magnificent “Mare Nostrum” gorgonians and lately the situation is becoming rather serious. Sea fans are dying and their regression is rising sharply. Is it a natural cycle? Maybe. Nevertheless, I do not believe it, because earth’s times and cycles are a non-human time.

The regression of some species is, however, too loud to be considered natural. I don’t want to waste time in an ecology speech related to the survival of this species, though it would deserves an attention it doesn’t have, whereas I want to introduce you to all the beauty that I found, lived and loved in the gorgonians. In every corner of the Mediterranean.

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My first time in the presence of these coelenterates was amazement.

Invertebrates that make the Mediterranean seabed more fascinating than any other form of life, sea fans are colonial coelenterates whose shapes and colors are so spectacular to change the appearance of the seabed incredibly, and so beautiful and photogenic as to be always the joy of every underwater photographer. I will tell you of an ideal seabed, synthesis of every corner of the cliff I saw and scoured, observed and photographed.

I’ll talk about coelenterates Anthozoa, specifically octocorals, of which sea fans, along with soft corals, sea pens and the red coral, are a part.

To be more precise, we are facing two orders: Alcyonacea and Pennatulacea. Sea fans, together with soft corals and the red coral, belong to the first one. However, let’s go underwater to better understand how and where these wonders of Nature live. The first few meters down the cliff are generally algae’s uncontested domain.

Nevertheless, there are two species of gorgonian already starting to populate the substrate where the light is still strong: they are Eunicella cavolini and Eunicella singularis. They grow on the rocks alternating with algae and coexisting with them.

These cliffs with the Eunicella begin to be particularly interesting for the many shelter opportunities offered to many species of small fish and invertebrates.

It is intriguing to observe the boundary between the Posidonia oceanica prairie and the Eunicella cliffs, to understand how one type of environment leaves the place to the next. As it is also nice to see that seabed where white and yellow gorgonians leave place to the Paramuricea, mixing with them for a while and then leaving them all the space (transition environments).

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Sometimes it happens to find large branching of Eunicella singularis even at around 40/50 m deep, though arranged in a different way and in any case, not to form real expanses everything depends on the locations and the environmental conditions.

The Eunicella are more or less large and more or less dense depending on the sites and type of bottom. The E.cavolini species generally measures 20 to 30 cm in height (rarely reaches 40/50 cm high), while E.singularis reaches more easily 40 cm and sometimes, when it is very long, assumes an arch shape folding on itself.

I find very interesting the latter for its great variety in shapes, ranging from the classic “candelabrum� to the thinner, elongated and arched shape.

Generally, E.singularis grows horizontally, both on rocks and on debris, while E.cavolini prefers vertical walls.

The real submerged reef is instead densely populated by the most widespread and beautiful red gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata), the most spectacular and large sea fans among the Mediterranean’s ones.

The colonies of polyps forming their structure are arranged on a sin46

gle plane and form branching that can reach, and in rare cases exceed, one meter in height.

The dominant color of the species is the carmine red, with an occasional tendency to violet, but there are variations that tend to salmon, particularly eye-catching.

In some places in the Mediterranean, the ends of some branches take on a very intense yellow color, with the result that the gorgonian is practically two-tone or, as it is at the north entrance of the Strait of Messina (Scilla), entirely yellow.

In this regard, some studies have shown that sea fans’ populations in the central-northern Mediterranean are exclusively red, while in the central-southern waters there are different colonies with yellow shades.

In addition to Scilla there are two-colored sea fans, red and yellow, either in Puglia, in the Tremiti Islands, at Tavolara Island in Sardinia, and at the outer wall of the Dino Island, once again in Calabria.

However, lately this theory is disproved by the fact that even in the north, but in Liguria’s shoals deeper areas, there are particularly beautiful two-colored sea fans.

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Occasionally, the red gorgonian has white polyps: unique and very spectacular specimens, which cross more rarely.

The Paramuricea covers the bottom’s rocks starting usually from 25/30 m deep, although this is closely related to water clarity: greater transparency and, therefore, a greater penetration of light in depth, forces these animals, typically sciaphilic (i.e. penumbra’s lovers), to colonize the rocky environments at depths greater than 28-30 meters.

To capture the food particles roaming in the water through their open polyps to feed, the gorgonians always arrange themselves perpendicularly to the current’s main flow.

In areas close to the surface, where vertical currents predominate, they are therefore arranged parallel to the surface; vice versa in the deepest areas, where the currents are predominantly horizontal, their arrangement will instead be perpendicular to the surface of the sea.

This rule is not without exceptions because their positioning, closely linked to the currents, will certainly vary if, at the bottom, the currents meet obstacles of any nature that change their run.

The branching’s growth is connected to the quantity of nutrients present in a given place and to the environment, more or less dynamic. It has been calculated that the average growth of a sea fan is about 50

3 cm per year.

However, we must add that in places where the currents are weak there are larger branches (beautiful fans) and concentrations per square meter of seabed not particularly high while, in places where dynamism is noticeable, we typically find lower and wider fans, even though much thicker (real woods). The gorgonian’s branched structure also constitutes a valid point of support for many other types of marine organisms.

These include the thick bunches of tunicates, with prevalence of Clavelina lepadiformis, or invasive relatives such as Alcyonium coralloides, which takes possession, as Savalia savaglia does, of parts of the gorgonian’s skeleton.

At the bottom of the sea fans live instead different species of bryozoans, while the better-positioned ramifications serve as the anchor base to basket stars (Astrospartus mediterraneus). Diving and observing, we face situations always different: the experience leaves us important messages, related to the scenes of life observed and, in some cases, photographed.

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Near the sea fans’ ramifications, many types of fish hide making a shield out of the fans as if to protect themselves from the indiscreet sight of intruders. The scorpion fish takes the opportunity to add effectiveness to its already perfect invisibility; the John Dory also disappears, hiding to ambush its prey at the appropriate time.

The moray eels tangle at the base of the colonies with their tail, ready to fly off at the slightest sign of danger. The sea fans’ “forest” then hosts many representatives of the marine fauna that make it their habitat, offering to aware divers and nature lovers a sight of rare beauty.

Colors always warm, contrasting with the dominant blue of an environment apparently enveloped by darkness and revealing themselves with the help of an artificial light, essential for the divers who want to know and study with passion their sea.

To the gorgonians mentioned above, dominant species at the different depth ranges, other and rarer species add, such as Leptogorgia sarmentosa and Eunicella verrucosa.

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The first has a rather thin structure compared to its cousins, and a bush-shaped branching of different colors, ranging from pale yellow to orange. The second has regular fans, well balanced between width and height, and owes its name to the elongated polyps that give it the warty appearance. These colonies, quite rare in the Mediterranean, are usually white, except in cases where they tend to turn slightly yellow.

These two species of sea fans love environments at the base of the cliffs, with a high level of sedimentation and may be found up to great depths.

They never form large populations, as the Paramuricea does, but are scattered without a particular order and often even isolated. Like all sea fans, they also are particularly photogenic: the soft colors and their shapes make them suitable for strong effect images.

Returning to our queen, the Paramuricea clavata, we should also mention the Paramuricea macrospina and Paramuricea of Skerki, two variants with different colors and arrangement of polyps, difficult to spot in the Mediterranean.

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Recently, I had the pleasure of observing them at some sites, including the Skerki and the Talbot banks, in the Sicily channel, and at Marettimo Island, the Milazzo peninsula and the Strait of Messina.

However, identification has not been confirmed and we remain therefore in doubt, considering that it might be variants of P.clavata, easily mistakable at a first observation during a dive.

The world of coralligenous and its animal ramifications, flagship of the Mediterranean, are something indefinable in terms of beauty.

Unfortunately, the most of us do not even know it exists.

Popularizing is my job: as underwater photographer and scholar of the sea, I hope to offer an opportunity to learn more!

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UNDERWATER HOUSING

FOR DIGITAL REFLEX CAMERAS AND MIRRORLESS CAMERA

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Located in the center of the Gulf of Kvarner - Croatia, our diving center is in the ideal location for countless different dive sites.

Three wrecks, colorful walls and ideal sites for macrophotography.

We offer the opportunity to dive for every level.

From our beach, with our boat... ...come with us and enjoy your dive!

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BREAKING NEWS Baia Pictures by

Pasquale Vassallo New mosaics discovered in the seabed of the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baia.

Officially presented yesterday by Superintendent Dr. Adele Campanelli during ArcheoCamp 2017, the round table that concluded the week of Underwater Archeology in the Phlegraean Fields, organized by “Centro Sub Campi Flegrei�.

The new mosaics will be included into new Park visiting routes that will join the five already present.

During the round table, Dr. F. Lucci and Dr. L. Muratgia illustrated the new routes, which will be accessible to visitors from April 2018, after the Managing Authority and the SCR will ensure safety.

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CONTEST

4th Blucobalto Photo Academy Contest

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The 4th International Blucobalto Photo Academy International Competition is underway.

Also this year the Blucobalto photo Academy proposes the photographic competition which has reached its 4th edition. Many categories divided between compact and Reflex / mirrorless and different themes to be proposed. The organizers of the competition are committed every year to develop a rules and themes that can help a cultural growth in the works presented, we find two classic sections: MACRO Macro photography means the images taken with a high magnification ratio of the subject or part of it.

Macro photographs taken with wide-angle lenses (MACRO) will be inserted in the “Macro� category.

ENVIRONMENT Ambient photography means the images made with wide-angle or similar lenses in which the environment and the life of the backdrop are evident. The images (MACRO) or double exposures where the subject in the foreground are Macro do not belong to this category.

Images will be privileged in the judgment where the marine environment is the protagonist.

SPECIAL SECTIONS: MEDITERRANEAN portfolio PHOTOTELLING theme In this special section, the competitors must submit OBLIGATORY 3 photographs taken in the Mediterranean Sea. It will be considered the relevance with the story described in the title, three images that must demonstrate in its entirety the ability of the photographer to develop a story by demonstrating the photographic quality value but also the ability of the story.

Not necessarily must be three different images by type (close macro environment) but it is important that if they were for example three macro telling a history (spawning, hunting time etc.) and if they are three types of different photographs (close macro environment) that 71

are relevant to the history reported in the title (for example the red color, gorgonias, graphisms etc.). The jury will attribute the score according to the ability of the author to “tell” the chosen theme with quality. In this case the title of the presented portfolio will be provided to the jury.

UNDERWATER ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY In this special section, the contestants will be able to present 1 photo and modify the original file without limits, using all the photo editing and post production programs to perform photompositions, collages, graphic photography without limits to the imagination both in execution and post-production ( excluding the movement of animals from their natural habitat The jury will evaluate not only the ability to work with graphic programs but above all the ability through a project to develop a final photograph that has a clear message.

In this case the title of the presented work will be provided to the jury.

EXTERNAL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THEME “Men and Women of the Sea” In this special section, the competitors will be able to present n ° 1 non-underwater photography exclusively outdoors that have as main subject Men and Women of the Sea. Sailors, fishermen, sportsmen on the water, all those who have a clear relationship with the Sea in the presented photograph. The jury will evaluate the photographic and creative quality of the presented work.

The delivery of the works must take place by 06 February 2018.

The underwater photography competition will have the honor of enjoying an exhibition inside of the prestigious “Premio Marcante 2018” event: the award-winning photographs and those reported will be exhibited in the exhibition set up at the Galata museum.

The award ceremony will take place on Saturday 24 February 2018 at 3.30 pm during the event of the “Premio Marcante 2018”.

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on diving activities and all courses

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To redeem this special offer, please visit www.dharavandhoodivers.com and quote DHSH2217 on your booking request Offer valid throughout 2018 for bookings made by 31st January 2018 Dharavandhoo Divers, Baa Atoll, Maldives www.dharavandhoodivers.com

GAMMA

WATERPROOOF Flashlight

The essence of form + function now 60% brighter thanks to the latest LEDs and special light concentrating optics.

Each Gamma starts with aircraft grade aluminum, precision-machined into a supremely ergonomic, no-slip contour grip. Military-grade anodizing and a double o-ring seal provide corrosion-proof and waterproof operation up to 400ft (120m).

SPECIFICATIONS • • • • • • •

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MONTHLY CONTEST Creative Light

1st

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ENRIQUE DOMINGUZ FARINA

2nd

ANN

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MICHELA DI PAOLA

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PREVIEW Carbonarm Silver Carbon Arms

Carbonarm is proud to present the newborn Carbon fiber silver version, arm complete with 2 terminal balls in anticorodal aluminum anodized 40 microns to ensure the maximum durability and excellent resistance to wear and to sea salt.

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Four different lenghts: 18 cm, 24 cm, 34 cm and 50 cm.

Strobe arms, made by Carbonarm, are all made of carbon fiber, a material that combines lightness and maximum strength.

Balls, clips and all metallic parts are made of anticorodal aluminum, anodized with 40 microns, according to Italian military standards.

More info at: www.carbonarm.com

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F E E L THE DIFFERENCE

IN SHARM EL SHEIKH www.sheikhcoast.com

Recommended by

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PORTFOLIO Mauro Mainardi

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Mauro Mainardi was born in 1966 in Milan.

A sea lover from the very beginning, in 1995 Mauro meets Andrea Ghisotti, who is one of the most important scuba divers and underwater photographers worldwide.

This encounter has influenced him deeply and Andrea is still Mauro’s “Maestro” for the way he sees the underwater world and how he is able to catch its wonders through the lens.

He’s a nostalgic of good old slides, of their lights and the perspective deepness; he also keeps jealously all his old analogic cameras.

To know the future, he says, you have to know the past.

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For the time being he loves to work using a Nikon D800 with case Sea&Sea and Subtronic strobes and he’s got fun experiencing a 10,5mm camera lens by Nikon with mini-dome, which allows him create the kind of image he mostly loves right now: a macro/wide angle.

To him is underwater photography still a beautiful game. Lately he has tried to use this kind of lens with a snoot, a move that has been opposed and considered unlikely by lots of people.

After several studies about how to handling the light, he managed - as he says - to achieve what most of the people considered just a phantasy.

While getting around the world, the “old boy”, (as he likes to define himself) stopped and lived one year in Madagascar to enjoy its powerful nature, sometimes more powerful than humankind, somewhere still virgin. It was 1998.

His last trip to Baja California allowed him to play and to portray young sea lions whom he hopelessly fell in love with. One last unmissable visit to the ocean floors of Cabo Pulmo completed his trip in that wonderful country, where he could admire how Mexican people took care and preserved their environment.

He’s waiting to take the ultimate picture but he’s also aware of the fact that this will never occur…

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TRAVELS Porto Julius Words and Pictures

Immacolata Moccia

Porto Julius is one of the diving sites that is part of the Archaeological Submarine Park of the Baia located in the city of Pozzuoli.

The name comes from the originator, Giulio Cesare who was also a Roman General and Politician: and was completed by Marco Vipsanio Agrippa in 37 a.C and was the port that served as a military naval base during the civil war against Sesto Pompeo with the beginning of the decline of the Roman Republic.

This port was extended for about 372 linear meters along the coast stretching from Baia to Cuma connecting Lake Lucrino to Lake Averno with an artificial canal built called Grotta Cocceio.

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After about 20 years due to the shallowness of Lake Lucrino and the sand deposits of the area caused by bradysism, the military fleet was transferred to Miseno in 12 a.C. So port Julius was then used as a commercial port and reached as far as Puteoli.

Today the harbor extends from the Rione Terra to the Monte Nuovo.

Thanks to the aerial photos taken by Raimondo Bucher in 1956, this submerged archeological area of about 10 hectares has been rediscovered.

On August 7, 2002, this area was declared a protected marine area and given to the administration of the archeological heritage of Naples and Caserta.

Porto Julius is just four meters deep in this fantastic submerged environment, you can take guided tours amongst the remains of a perimeter wall in opus reticulatum, brick columns, and flooring made of various materials, mosaics with tiles of various colors and designs, 114

amphorae, decorated by sea life.

Cuttlefish, octopus, jellyfish and many other forms of life can also be seen.

This area still hides many objects that have not yet been discovered, livingin this area, I myself have been underwater a few times and I am always overcome at every immersion by the beauty of of this area.

From this sea rich in ancient treasures the sand combined with the motion of the sea covers entire areas, watching a guide that gradually finds and uncovers these treasures for you is truly wonderful and leaves you breathless.

By sheer chance, I was lucky enough to be at the right time, and with perfect light conditions in the water, where I was able to take these photos that show the scenic and evocative realism of the place.

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MARINE BIOLOGY Project Seahorse Words By Lily Stanton Project Seahorse is delighted to announce the launch of our new, improved iSeahorse.org website - our pioneering citizen engagement tool that gathers information about seahorses while building a community of committed contributors who are empowered to take action for seahorses and marine conservation.

Anyone can join. Whether you’re a diver, fisher, scientist, or just on a beach holiday, you can share your seahorse observations with a click of a button. If you’ve seen a seahorse in the wild, join iSeahorse. org and upload your seahorse observations and photos. You can also help us identify species, explore maps, beautiful photos, fun seahorse facts, and take action for seahorse conservation.

Short-head seahorse, Hippocampus breviceps, observed in Australia by iSeahorse user ken_ flan.

IUCN Red List status: Least Concern

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The Spotted or Common seahorse, Hippocampus kuda, observed by Bruno Van Saen - second place grand prize winner for the Guylian Seahorses of the World Photo Competition in 2016. IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable.

Since we launched iSeahorse in October 2013, scientists from Project Seahorse and around the world have used this vital information to better understand seahorse behaviour, species ranges, and the threats they face. Together, we use this knowledge to mobilize governments, policy makers, and ocean advocates to protect seahorses and the marine ecosystems they call home.

To date, almost 500 contributors have shared their 2400+ seahorse observations, and we now have information on 30 of the 43 recognised seahorse species. The user-contributed observations on iSeahorse have also greatly expanded our knowledge of the known ranges of several seahorses - 15% of all iSeahorse observations are from outside of a species known geographic range!

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We are also learning much about the depth ranges and habitat preferences of the species observed, which will contribute to conservation planning efforts in the near future.

We continue to build a strong community and alliance of citizen scientists, conservationists, experts and more, all working towards a common goal - to protect seahorses and expand our scientific knowledge of these mysterious and beautiful animals. There are now ten long-term seahorse population monitoring projects established on six continents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia) and we have more than 25 seahorse experts and enthusiasts from 16 countries participating as iSeahorse National Seahorse Experts and program Ambassadors, including Scubashooters. net as our Global iSeahorse Ambassador. iSeahorse empowers users to take action and generate conservation change. In fact, a newly created 70 ha Marine Protected Area and seahorse sanctuary in Anda, Bohol, Philippines resulted from recently discovered seahorse populations reported through iSeahorse.

Long-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus, observed off the coast of Spain by iSeahorse user carmelo_lopez.

IUCN Red List status: Data Deficient.

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Pontoh’s pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus pontohi, observed by iSeahorse user sam129, in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. IUCN Red List status: Least Concern.

Hedgehog seahorse, Hippocampus spinosissimus, observed by iSeahorse user ollieclark17 off the coast of Bali. IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable.

To learn more about Project Seahorse, iSeahorse and seahorses, and to get involved, visit iseahorse.org.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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REVIEW Orcatorch

D620V

Hands on Orcatorch D620V

We have just received the Orcatorch D620V UW light from Orcatorch.

At first sight you can tell this is a very well built and designed UW light, featuring a compact lighting module as well as a compact battery pack.

The 2700 lumen led light isn’t as energy thirsty as older similar lamps and this allowed for a shrinking in the battery pack dimensions.

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As Steve Jobs used to say, the user experience with a product starts from the unboxing and ends with using the device. Orcatorch D620V makes no difference and you can tell from the packaging it is a professional level UW light.

Inside the plastic box you will find everything you need to start using the light straight away; beside the light itself, the package offers

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two rechargeable batteries, a four places battery charger, one electric cord for general plugs and a car lighter adapter, one spare oring and a nice Orcatorch rubber bracelet.

What really amazed me is the sturdy feeling I had touching the lamp and handling it... also the power cord connecting the lamp with the battery pack is very strong, built by a thick rubber plastic making it ideal to resist always possible close encounters with rocks and corals in any underwater activity.

Please refer to this linkÂ

 http://www.orcatorch.com/product/D620V.html

For more technical details.

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www.revistaaQua.com • aQua #18

free download

aQua magazine

www.revistaaqua.com

DAN EUROPE

Searching For Living Fossil

Imagine diving in the waters of Sodwana, looking for fish and finding a (thought to be) extinct species. Underwater explorer Peter Timm, who set up operation Triton together with Rolleen Jacobs in 1996, is the man who made the discovery in 2000.

Timm famously rediscovered the Coelacanth, a primitive-looking fish that was thought to have gone extinct nearly 65 million years ago.

To celebrate his legacy, a group of friends who call themselves The Unified Dive Team gather annually and go off on the amazing adventure in search of the illusive Coelacanth. The group submit their dive and emergency plans to DAN Southern Africa for approval before heading off on their quest - to keep operation Triton alive in the name of research. They collect data for the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) Marine Biologists and document the progress of the Coelacanth.

There are only two known species of this fossil fish: one lives in the waters just off Indonesia and the other off the East Coast of Africa.

They are found in extremely deep waters and have been known to reach over 2m in length and weigh up to 100kg.

This year, operation Triton came with the usual weeks of planning and preparation - backup divers, descent plans, emergency plans, financial issues, sponsors, sunburn, hyperthermia, hypothermia, equipment, cameras. All for 10 minutes at the bottom. This is how it went at Jesser Canyon: THE DIVE Day 1. They had 12 minutes: 2 minutes to reach the bottom and 10 to search for the lost beauty.

Once they reached 108 metres under, everything happened quickly.

Searching for the caves, finding the famous U-shaped cave.

Nothing came up in the first 7 minutes. And then... there she was. The Coelacanth, the very reason that started this, looking at them straight in the eyes.

Easily, without scaring her, they did their jobs in wonder, collecting data, taking pictures from all sides, looking for indicator species.

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Time was up. They started making their way up to 60 meters, to meet with the deep back up divers. A message went up: “One fish was spotted and all the divers are ok!”. Celebrations started on board and DAN was updated about the progress.

It took 2 minutes to get down and 2 hours to resurface. But it was worth it.

The second day came up with seriously tough conditions: howling wind and a current of 70m/min. Don Hauman’s first dive down to that depth was a tough one. At 100m, the team stopped their descent, unable to locate the caves. A further 10m down still brought nothing.

Time was up.

You’d say third time’s a charm, but no. The third day was overcast and conditions were choppy. It was Janko’s turn at a first deep dive.

Once under the surface, conditions weren’t as rough and they hit the U-shaped cave spot. Loads of fish were spotted in the third cave - but no Coelacanth.

On the fourth day they woke up to rain - pouring, soaking torrents of rain.

Kitting up, analysing and marking their cylinders in silence, everyone kept their eyes on the clouds that were showing no sign of clearing up.

Grant, the skipper, made the call: “We dive! The rain fills the potholes and the ride will be smooth, albeit wet.”

On the ride out it dawned on everyone: they were the exact same group of people (with the addition of Don Hauman) who saw the last Coelacanth more than two years ago. Of course Timm, who passed away in 2014, was no longer with them, a gap that never goes unnoticed. It was the same divers, same skipper, same deck hands, even the same surface marshal.

They rolled over into the water and hit 90m in 2 minutes, landing about 15m from the U-shaped cave. Inspecting the surrounding areas, they found nothing. Until their lights shone into the actual cave.

And then it happened again.

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She was approximately 2-3m inside the cave, calm and gracious. Jesser (as she is fondly known) was filmed, photographed (turning for the divers as if she knew the drill) and generally stared at by all.

Before anyone realised, it was over and it was time to deploy the buoys and head for the surface. History had repeated itself to the very same team.

Days 5 and 6 saw Riaan and Elaine doing their first super deep dives but, unfortunately, the Coelacanth remained elusive to them, leaving it up to next year’s expedition team to continue documenting her progress.

TEAM SPIRIT Coming back to reality, you just have to face the facts: you cannot do this by yourself. The Unified Dive Team is a group of friends, who support each other. They plan their DAN safety plans together and rally together for sponsors. A special thanks needs to go out to the surface crew who sat in the rough seas and pouring rain for the entire time – without them it simply couldn’t happen!

This is a team of people who love diving, love the ocean and have an interest in the beauty of corals and fish. To them it’s about so much more than the Coelacanth. It’s about forming bonds that last lifetimes and creating stories that will be shared for generations to come.

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From 1992 Diving & S.P.A

Nature

&

Archeology.

The magic of

’

men s art and

’

nature s art

in a wonderful place to be discovered

Via Miliscola, 163 80078 Pozzuoli (NA) - Italia Cell.: +39 3292155239 - tel./fax: +39 081 853 1563 from Tuesday to Sunday from 9.00 a.m to 8.00 p.m.- (monday we’re close) Email: info@centrosubcampiflegrei.it Web site: www.centrosubcampiflegrei.it

Enjoy your passion.

We make it possible.

Via Milano 177/B - 37014 Castelnuovo d/G (VR) ITALY Tel. 0039 45 6450480 - info@isotecnic.it