Scubashooters net e mag issue n57 nov 2021 by Scubashooters Underwater Photography

Davide Lombroso

Portfolio

issue n°57

- nov 2021

Biology: The Samran Pinnacle

Wreck Dive: The Haven Wreck

Review: Cosmiq+ Gen 5

Biology: The Turtles

Travel: Florida Dive

Review: Z-330 Type 2

Dear readers, as the end of the year is approaching again it’s time fo analysis. 2021 will pass to history as the second year into the pandemic, economic indexes around the globe have been growing throughout the year but still many question marks are not yet solved , touristic travels are still problematic and many countries still have travel bans in place. Despite all of that the Scubashooters network have been growing this year too together with our international uw photo award Deepvisions and our newly launched smartphone housing, the universal Nautismart Pro, all good signs that make us hope for a better 2022 finally and definitely out of the pandemic, finally able to travel without restrictions and visit whatever country someone may want to visit. Talking about the diving industry I’m one of the many who haven’t been able to jump into the water this year too and together with 2020 it’s now more than two years that I’m away from the Ocean, and I miss it so much... I know I’m not alone and all my thoughts go to the fact that perhaps the Ocean and its creatures got some relief having less divers touching, breaking, devastating and disturbing the marine environment. I have always been respectful of the Ocean and I do hope that this forced “dryness” is somehow educating the whole diving community to a higher degree of respect towards the Ocean and its creatures looking at the moment when, hopefully next year we will be free to go back doing what we love the most , back into the Ocean. Let’s all pray for a better new year coming. The whole Scubashooters, Deepvisions and Nautismart teams wish you a happy new year!

Marino Palla Owner and Founder Scubashooters Network

Cover image by: Davide Lombroso

nautismart.net

Contents

Issue

n°57

nov

2021

pag. 24

P ortfolio Davide Lombroso Editorial: by Marino Palla

Review: Nautismart Pro by: Bluebox Wreck Diving: The Haven Wreck by: R. Sgorbani

pag. 3

Biology: The Samran Pinnacle By: S. Follows

pag. 76

pag. 8 Review: Cosmiq + gen 5 by: Deepblu

pag. 64

pag. 50

Biology: The Turtles by: E. Mancuso and M. Bicciato

Travels: My Floroda by: J. Israel

pag. 92

Review: New Inon Z-330 Type 2 by: Inon

pag. 108

Dan Europe: Dive Safety By: Dan Europe

pag. 116

Editor: Fabio Strazzi Assistant Editor: Elisa Furlani

pag. 54

Scubashooters - Via Barucchi 37, 37139 Verona

Graphic Design and Supervising: Elisa Furlani Layout: Elisa Furlani Alessandra Suppo Translations: Piera Pirini

Biology

Samran Pinnacle

Nets Everywhere Words and Pictures: Stefan Follows 8

Biology

ike most places we love to dive there is the usual schedule and rounds of dive sites to get through. However, sometimes on the boat or at the bar we hear tell of the undived, less dived,

new or even rumoured dive sites. Having been resident in the Gulf of Thailand for well over a decade I’ve been lucky enough to dive my fair share of the local rarities, oddities and newbies. Possibly one of the most rewarding of these and reasonably easily located is ‘Samran Pinnacle’ between Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao. Samran is very similar in many ways to its sister site ‘Sail Rock’ which lies 11Km south east and is one of the most visited and famous dives in the Gulf. The principle geographical difference between the two is that Samran is actually a

Biology

Travels

Biology

small series of submerged pinnacles the shallowest of which starts at 14m. This is a feature that is both a blessing and a curse. For most of the local dive schools running trips for DSD’s (‘discover scuba diving’ is a one day experience program offered by PADI), entry level diver training and certified divers Samran is just too demanding a dive. It’s not just the depth to the site that limits assess but exposure to currents with no place to hide as well as no permanent moorings to make safely controlled ascents and descents with inexperienced divers. So, most schools just don’t go or cannot manage to find a way to fit it into their schedules. As divers, we have a real blessing in Samran. A site rarely dived and when it is in very small numbers. Epic topography and many separate pinnacles to explore across various depths. Amongst the most varied marine life the can be found in the Gulf of Thailand from Whales Shark to super macro nudibranchs. Large schools of barracuda, snapper and scad between pinnacles covered in corals, sponges,

Biology

clams and anemones. Not to mention the fact that as it’s so rarely dived the marine life is much less cautious of divers leading to close encounters with epic residents such a Malabar and Brown Marbled grouper. So where is the problem? All sounds too good to be true, right? Accessible, uncluttered, rarely dived and abundant marine life! Unfortunately, and frustratingly predictable, the curse of Samran is commercial fishing. A wholly global problem. Maybe if the site were used more recreationally, fitted with a permanent mooring or even given MPA (Marine Protected Area) status the fishing fleets that ply the Gulf of Thailand would stay away. The fishing boats often work in pairs trawling in various forms for hours blindly catching whatever is unfortunate enough to fall into their nets. Inevitably sometimes the boats run over Samran and their nets become terminally entangled and embedded in the reef making recovery impossible. At huge financial loss, the boats are forced to cut the nets loose and leave them abandoned. What you will find on first decent onto Samran is a host of massive ‘Ghost Nets’ suspended between the pinnacles closest to the surface.

Over the years I have been involved in many attempts to clean up Samran undertaken by various stakeholders in the local diving community. Some more successful than others and some unfortunately doing more damage than good. The problem is that some of the net has been there for so long it has become part of the reef. Literally overgrown by corals and sponges and any attempt to remove this will cause damage to this new reef growth. The nets in some places have become so encrusted with hydroids that there is an abundance of certain nudibranchs feasting on them so removing them also means removing marine life. All too often and with the best of intentions the net is just ripped from the reef causing untold damage and also creating many potentially dangerous situations for the diver. A proven and successful approach to net removal is to carefully cut away with scissors and clippers small sections at a time. The idea being to make any remaining embedded net safe for marine life and preventing it from causing more damage to the reef or continuing to trap fish. A skilled, long and potentially hazardous task.

These are crisscrossed several layers deep in some places and draped like a sheet over reef, rock and sponge. The nets continue down from about 14 meters in places to the bottom at 30 meters where they spread over the bottom. There are also some very large commercial fish traps that have been abandoned either stuck in the nets or wedged into the topography. None of this creates a very beautiful or inspiring first impression for the recreational diver and is another reason the local dive schools stay away.

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Davide Lombroso Portfolio

Tecnique

am born in Milan on 29.03.1965, married with 2 kids, I’m currently living in Trieste since 12 years after over 30 years in Savona. Professional UW diver certification in 1985 for 3 years I was working on platform, before to move as dive guide in a Tour operator all around the world with long time in Maldives, my preferred sea!!! I started my UW photo passion in Maldives with the iconic Nikonos III, then on 1996 my first year within the FIPSAS CMAS circuit

competition. My first competition was within Fish Hunting competition where I was 4 times Italian Champion. In parallel I was also taking part to UW photograph competition in Italy where I’m the current Italian Champion after the 2019 and 2020 won, for the third consecutive time. I’m currently part of Italian National Team of UW Photography

Tecnique

As all the divers I love so much to travel all around the world, and really hope this C19 will allow soon all of us to travel to fun in the most fantastic place. My equipment consists of Nikon D500 in Isotecnic housing and different lenses, RED64 Isotecnic strobes, full Mares Equipment and Antykitera watches. Fotosub • 2019 Italian Champion • 2020 Italian Champion Team • 2021 Italian Champion Safari Fotosub • 1997 Italian Champion • 1999 Italian Champion • 2000 Italian Champion • 2018 Italian Champion

Tecnique

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

+63 917 533 2985

info@fishermenscove.com

Review

Cosmiq+ Gen 5

By Deepblu

WWW.DEEPBLU.COM You can follow Deepblu on their social media channels to stay up to date on Deepblu’s latest news and products. Facebook: @deepbluinc Instagram: @deepbludivers About Deepblu, Inc.: Deepblu, Inc. is the company behind the COSMIQ Dive Computer, the Deepblu online community for divers, and Planet Deepblu, where divers can discover, plan, and book their next dive. Deepblu, Inc. is a team of divers and technology enthusiasts whose goal is to use technology and the power of the internet to revolutionize the diving community and lifestyle. About the COSMIQ+ Dive Computer: The COSMIQ+ is the trendiest dive computer and the only one in its segment to boast Blue-tooth technology to synchronize digital dive logs with the cloud. Since its launch in April 2016, it has won many awards for its ease of use, clarity and unique design. Contact: info@deepblu.com

Deepblu Introduces the COSMIQ+ Gen 5 Deepblu Inc., the company behind the COSMIQ+ Dive Computer and the Deepblu online community for divers releases the the COSMIQ+ Gen 5. The latest edition of its popular COSMIQ Dive Computer series. In this latest release, the COSMIQ+ Gen 5 features upgrades that were made after listening to user feedback about what they’d like to see improved on the COSMIQ+ dive computer. The Upgrades - The upgraded memory module now allows 200 dive logs instead of 25 logs. - Free-diving customized depth alarms have been increased from 3 to 6 alarms. - The LCD Screen has also been upgraded and features a noticeably, even brighter display.

Biology

Turtles

Very Ancient Creatures Words and Pictures: Emilio Mancuso and Massimo Bicciato

Biology

BIOLOGY

these reptiles, which have adapted to aquatic life to the point of becoming extremely effective for swimming, but equally ineffective for moving on land. T

There are two families of marine turtles, the Cheloniidae and the Dermochelyidae.

he awkward and tiring movement on the ground is linked to a very important moment in their life: the laying of eggs, the only reminder of their terrestrial origin.

The order is that of the Testudines, the class is that of the Reptilia. It is easy to understand that we are not talking about fish! However, marine turtles are such evocative animals that we could not fail to dedicate them one of our fact sheet.

Once hatched and escaped into the sea, only the best, most competitive and successful females will return to land to spawn and carry on the species.

They are marine reptiles with a very ancient terrestrial origin, which in the course of their evolution have reconquered the marine environments.

How deep Of the various turtles we can potentially encounter in the Red Sea, the more are with Chelonia mydas, the green turtle, which feeds almost exclusively on seagrasses (marine plants) and therefore more typically can be found on shallow sandy bottoms rich in underwater meadows;

They are equipped with lungs, skin covered with scales very different from the scales of fish, and a body covered with an armor constructed of modified bony elements and dermal bone, firmly connected with the rest of the skeleton to form a shell enclosing the body: the famous carapace.

Eretmochelys imbricata, known as Hawksbill turtle, has a diet based almost exclusively on

The fins are nothing more than the legs of

Biology

sponges, soft corals and jellyfish, and for this reason we can find it on the reef slope.

How to approach them It is crucial to remember that these animals must never be annoyed and above all blocked: they must breathe at the surface!

Curiosity On the reef, on sandy bottoms or in the open sea, eventually the turtles have to rise to the surface to breathe. Because of their evolutionary return to the

The romantic and “old-fashioned” scenes of the diver attached to the carapace should become only distant memories.

sea, turtles have evolved phenomenal freediver skills.

Let’s get closer and remain at a safe distance, without never swimming against them and never falling from above, all actions interpreted as attempts to predation.

During moments of “routine”, dives of 4-5 minutes alternate with surface intervals that on average do not last more than 2 seconds.

In this way, we will not bother them, and we might be able to enjoy a very exciting show and maybe having the chance of experiencing the turtles’ curiosity, which often approach spontaneously to observe “that strange beast making bubbles”.

This is due to the blood and lungs that are able to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide very quickly, making possible, as verified in some specimens monitored by means of satellite tags, that they even reach 500 apneas within 12 hours.

Review

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Review

The Amazing Nautismart Pro WWW.NAUTISMART.NET

Review

n recent times one of the news that struck me more was when I read Olympus shutting down and completely dismantling the compact camera branch of the factory. Wow, what a big news for a big event! Not many years ago the compact cameras was probably the most profitable market for cameras manufacturers like Olympus so

how come they came to such an halt on this production line? The answer is very simple of course: smartphones! Soon after their launch on the market back in the 90s mobile phones have been equipped with on board cameras for messaging purpose and few less applications, but as years went by and smartphones started

to peep on the market better performing cameras started to show up on these products. I still remember my first digital camera. It was of course a compact camera, a Sony DSCP1, 3mega pixels CMOS sensor, 16 Megabyte memory stick, and ... What a wonderful photos that small camera was able to deliver!

No wonder Olympus decided to shut the compact cameras branch down, no wonder at all. I have been an underwater photographer since dive number one. My dive number one after the OWD certification course took place in Sharm el Sheik in Egypt back in 2001 and yes, my Underwater photography gear was the Sony DSCP1 I mentioned before, in its Sony , specific Underwater camera housing, I remember I made terrible photos!

Now, in this very moment while I’m writing this article there’s a commercial on TV showing one of the latest Smartphone on the market... 108 mega pixels and 512 Gigabyte memory..

Review

So I have been observing this market since its beginning and when I noticed the great improvement smartphone cameras were going through I predicted the advent of the smartphones in underwater photography.

But I believed that so much that I developed the idea and asked for a Patent, later obtained , for this application; it was 2015. At that moment we were already running the scubashooters network so we envisioned a mission...

It was 2014 and when I started sharing my view on the future inside the world of UW photographers I was nearly bullied as no one believed this could ever become an option.

The mission is to enable underwater photography mode for everybody at an affordable price .

Review

Well , not only underwater photography but also any kind of activity involving some action and wet environment.As it has already been explained the Nautismart pro was first conceived we did it bearing in mind that nowadays smartphones are equivalent to compact cameras and will surely be better in the near future... Action cams were also taken into consideration, especially their price, the need to update them and the lengthy process of transferring big size movies from the cam to another device... is totally un necessary as photos and videos are already resident in your device memory ready to be edited and shared.

When you use Nautismart in conjunction with your smartphone the transfer process

We also took into consideration the average time before upgrading a smartphone; it is slightly over one year and yes, with Nautismart Pro you can upgrade your smartphone as often as you wish and still be able to use it in conjunction with your Nautismart... Or you can share Nautismart for use among the members of your family or with your friends. In other words Nautismart pro has been imagined for maximum safety, flexibility and economy. Get it and you will not regret! Nautismart pro is the best Smart case for smartphones ant it’s made in Italy! Last but not latest, there’s another positive outcome... UW photography is no doubt an amazing tool for scientists to monitor the health of the Ocean, the movements of alien species across the seven seas and the degree of pollution of the waters. But unfortunately, there are few UW photographers compared to the number of divers around the world... With Nautismart Pro, nearly every diver, snorkeler, swimmer and sun bather has the potential to become an Ocean reporter. One more, good , reason to get yourself a Nautismart Pro

Tecnique

Wreck Diving: Inside The Haven

Words and pictures: Rino Sgorbani

Tecnique

very time I dive the Haven wreck, I feel a magnetic sensation that attracts and fascinates me like a new discovery. When you are lucky enough to dive with clear water, since the first 15/20 meters of depth you can see this huge giant of 334 meters in length, lying in navigation trim at a depth of eighty meters, surrounded by an incredible amount of fish. The closer you get to the first bridge, the command bridge at 34 meters, the more you realize the majesty and grandeur of this steel monster, one of the largest wrecks in the Mediterranean. The sinking of the oil tanker Milford Haven, which took place on April 11, 1991 after a huge explosion triggered during an oil transfer maneuver between the on-board tanks, shocked Italy and the whole world, keeping us glued for three days to live TV broadcasting images of that dense column of smoke rising from the burning tanker.

Now that tragic event has turned into one of the most popular diving spots all over Europe, and divers come from France, Germany, Holland and England to dive on the Haven. The vast majority of divers who dive on this wreck are the so-called “technical”. In fact, in the various diving centers in the area, during the pre-dive preparations you can see all kinds of equipment, from open circuits, double tanks 10 + 10, 12 + 12, 15 + 15, to different types of closed circuits, the now known rebreathers, which are becoming more and more popular. A few years ago, when I showed up in a diving center with my rebreather, they looked at me in amazement as an alien had arrived, while now I do not arouse curiosity any longer. Surely, the Haven is well suited for different diving levels, from recreational to the most demanding with a trimix blend, so much so that it is frequently used as a training ground for technical courses. Then there are aficionados like myself who come back often during the year. In the last two occasions, in which I dived with Giancarlo Borgio and Alberto Tacchino, we had planned the dives with the purpose of going to visit some parts of the holds and the gloomy meanders of the engine rooms, where I wanted to take some photos with my new wide-angle lens. Upon arriving at the signaling buoy, ten minutes by dinghy from the port of Arenzano, we notice a slight current on the surface, which is usually a good omen for good visibility. After the ritual dressing of my Meg, I jump into the water, then they hand me my Photo / Video equipment, and down towards the bottom: the Haven is waiting for me. The water is clear and deep blue; the descent along the top is always fascinating and mystical, as if I didn’t already know what awaits me. After reaching the roof of the command bridge at 33 meters deep, I am surrounded by an enormous amount of boops boops

swimming around me frantically, as if they wanted to celebrate my arrival. I look up, and against the light I see my buddies who are reaching me. Once together, we exchange a glance of understanding, then I set the oxygen percentage to 1.3 on the Meg’s primary and off we go, towards the deepest bowels. Borgio is in front of me leading the way, just behind is Alberto aka “the Duke”. I turn on my powerful headlights and in front of me thousands of Anthias light up in a soft red: it seems like being in the tropics. Once on the aft deck, at 55 meters deep, I set the camera in photo mode, arrange the lens to 8 mm Fisheye and a surreal scene appear on the monitor: a crazy visibility! I can frame almost the entire aft castle, the load shaft, the large funnel and the divers, who with their lamps cut the blue like the

Tecnique

swords in the Star Wars movie. Unbelievable… beautiful dive, beautiful camera, and beautiful lens. Once again, the Haven was giving me great emotions. After taking several shots of that beautiful scene, we enter the first opening on the right below us. I enter first and set myself on the opposite side, trying not to raise the sediment, even if it is almost impossible. Then I rearrange the lens to 15 mm and frame what is left of the group of gate valves connected to the various ducts. I nod to Borgio to come closer (now, after many dives together, we are able to understand each other on the fly), and finally I can take some pictures of this place, which in the past times I have always found quite murky. At each step between a bulkhead and the other, when visibility is good, I always manage to find something new to photograph: it is real-

ly true that photography is made of unique moments. Just outside the holds, before returning to the ascent line, we turn around the officers’ deck. There I frame some beautiful scenes of the play of light with the Anthias clouds that deserve to be immortalized. In the next dive, the water was a little less clear, but acceptable. We go straight down to the engine room at a depth of sixty-six meters. Absolute darkness and a lot of suspension: as soon as you move, you lift a thick cloud of dust that impairs visibility. I set up my headlights at an angle that creates a kind of indirect light, so as not to illuminate too much the suspension my buddy has raised. I know that it is not easy to approach the subject without creating any movement of water

Tecnique

around, but down here in the engine room, the trim must be perfect, almost maniacal. I take several photos, even if not perfect, but always very suggestive, of some details of what was once the pumping heart of this giant of the sea. Towards the exit, I notice a lamp fixed in the bulkhead inside its protective cage, still there, intact in its place after more than twenty years. I had never noticed it before: it definitely deserves a few shots. Even this time I saw new things, every time it is a new discovery... it would have to make a book or a documentary… well… who knows, I’m seriously thinking about it …. In the meantime, I go up, happy once more.

Tecnique

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Travels

My Florida

My Home

Words and pictures: Jack Israel

Travels

t times during my years of diving, I’ve lamented the lack of biological diversity in my home state of Florida compared to other places around the world. We also dodge hurricanes in the summer and strong winds in November. But this year, during COVID, I discovered the splendor of Florida diving for the second time. I looked at it through new lenses. And what I saw made me feel thankful and blessed. When the quarantine hit in March, I was fortunate to have a friend who lived on the beach. Kevin, a stubborn old cuss, and I often snuck across the closed beach to go shore diving on the first reef. Florida has the third largest barrier reef system in the world with three parallel reefs, which run intermittently from the Florida Keys in the south to West Palm Beach/Jupiter 160 kilometers north, the home of black water diving and shark

feeding. It wasn’t long before Kevin and I were up close and personal with fish cleaning and a host of critters, which actually seemed happy after not seeing divers for a while. We dove here without trepidation for about 6 weeks until we caught the attention of the county sheriff. One day, at the speed of sound, a sheriff’s deputy bore down on us in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I chickened out and ran back to the building, but Kevin swore at the cop and ran into the water. After all, Kevin had a 120-cubic-foot tank. He could dive for 3 hours on the shallow first reef. The sheriff was not going to wait that long…but he did. He grabbed Kevin and ripped him up one side and down the other, and that was the end of our quarantine diving. But not long afterwards, Florida slowly opened, and we were back in business. I went to my favorite wide-angle spot, a fishing pier where

Tecnique

Travels

the entire food chain lives, from nudibranchs and tiny blennies to barracuda and nurse sharks. Huge schools of baitfish and lookdowns (selene vomer) live under the pier, and frisky tarpon, a fisherman’s delight, come to mate every year. They beat their gill plates and chase each other around in excitement, ignoring me on the bottom. During weekdays, when there are no crowds, I would drive an hour north to Blue Heron Bridge, one of the best macro sites on the East Coast. Diving is normally an hour before and after high tide.

nudibranchs, which graze on its hull at night. I’m curious by nature and thought to myself, how many pictas live here? Can we “fingerprint” them based on the patterns on their backs? And how long do they live? My biologist friend and I are barely 4 months into this study, but we have found 22 unique pictas based on their back patterns. We’ve named them and now recognize them when we dive the wreck.

The conditions are calm and conducive to macro, and the place is loaded with small critters. Some experienced eyes have no problem finding several nudibranchs, seahorses, colorful gobies and blennies in a single dive.

Freckles, for example, is extraordinarily beautiful. It disappeared for a while, but two months later, it came back. But this work is full of mysteries. We have never found egg ribbons, yet they mate on the ship. Could they be “hooking up” and then returning to the reef hundreds of meters away to lay their eggs? We still have much to learn.

But by far, what renewed my love of Florida was diving at night, something I rarely did before. The Okinawa wreck is a large tugboat that is home to felimare pictas, a giant of

Creatures come out at night that we rarely see during the day. My favorite is the large crabs that cut off soft corals with their claws and carve them to fit on top of their shells. Their

Tecnique

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back legs hold this mobile camouflage on tight. Colorful cryptic teardrop crabs look like Christmas tree ornaments hanging from soft gorgonians. And sleeping fish provide a great opportunity to get up close and personal for a shot. But without a doubt, my biggest adrenalin rush is to dive our deep wrecks at night, about 35 meters down. The captain would say to my dive buddy and me, “One, two, three, JUMP,” and off we’d go into the ink. The wheelhouses are encrusted with soft cup corals, whose polyps protrude like flowers in a vase, creating a magical orange exterior on an old rusty boat. Taking pictures of the wheelhouses at night is a treat, and we got a bonus this summer when large schools of silversides were attracted to our lights.

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They thumped off our wetsuits and heads. I invested in a few 15,000 lumen lights and lit up the Ancient Mariner from the inside out. It looks pretty spectacular, but what makes it more interesting is knowing that the wheelhouse is not on the shipwreck. In 2017, Hurricane Irma violently tore off the wheelhouse and tossed it in the sand. I tried my best photographically to resurrect the Mariner to its former glory. As vaccines become available, I’m sure everyone is planning their next dive trip. I’ve got so many places to go, and it always seems, not enough time. But as much as I miss exotic locations, I’m always happy to come back to Florida and would love to see more of you here, too.

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Review

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Review

Inon is pleased to announce official release of “Z-330 Type2” and ”D-200 Type2” on June 10, 2021. The Type2 strobes are equipped with newly designed fly-eye dome lens capable of suppressing uneven light distribution to deliver ideal circular lighting. Features The newly designed dome lens has carefully arranged fly-eye inner surface which suppress uneven lighting without sacrificing strobe power and beam angle (110 degree underwater) generated by INON patented T-configuration flash tubes. 220 Lumen Wide Target Light The shutter-linked Focus Light delivers same 220lm and its beam angle gets widen through newly designed dome lens.

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Divers Alert Network (DAN) takes great pride in being by your side, and for 30 years we have been conducting research to help make diving safer.

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Recently, DAN researchers reviewed our accumulated fatality data and conducted a root cause analysis of nearly 1,000 recreational diving fatalities to determine what circumstances and events lead to diver deaths. In this analysis, DAN researchers identified four different phases in the cascade of events leading to a fatality: the trigger, the disabling agent, the disabling injury and the cause of death. As the earliest identifiable root causes that transform dives into emergencies, the triggers merit special attention. Identifying these triggers is essential so divers can avoid or manage them during dives. In the fatality analysis, the triggers were identified as follows:

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Running out of breathing gas 41% Entrapment 21% Equipment problems 15% Rough water 10% Trauma 6% Buoyancy 4% Inappropriate gas 3%

An overhead environment is any in which a diver does not have direct, vertical access to the surface — such as a cave, cavern, wreck or under ice. Every training organization warns divers about the dangers of entering such environments without appropriate training, experience, planning and equipment. The way to mitigate the hazard of this trigger is very simple: Don’t enter overhead environments without being qualified and prepared to do so. When in doubt, stay out.

RUNNING OUT OF BREATHING GAS The most significant trigger was running out of breathing gas. To put this in context, approximately 400 divers from the cases studied might be alive today had they managed their gas supply correctly. Because of the equipment standard in diving today, running out of breathing gas underwater, especially before any other problems occur, should simply never happen. Be “air aware.” Always begin dives with a full cylinder of breathing gas, and end dives (standing on the boat, dock or shore) with gas remaining. Before starting a dive, you and your fellow divers should decide how you will communicate information about your remaining gas supplies during the dive. Establish a point at which you will begin making your way to the exit. That may be when the first diver reaches half of his breathing gas supply, but it may be sooner than that.

EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS The third most common trigger identified in the fatality analysis was equipment problems. This trigger caused 15 percent, or about 150, of the fatalities studied. Notably, this does not mean the equipment failed or its design was flawed. Rather, the problems were most often a result of user error. These errors included improper use, failure toensure correct configuration, lack of maintenance and insufficient familiarity with the equipment.

Many cave divers use the rule of thirds, which has divers using the first third of their gas supply for the dive, the second third for the exit from the cave or the ascent, and the final third set aside for contingencies. This may seem conservative for open-water diving, but the idea of leaving a significant reserve for emergencies or other unexpected circumstances is absolutely relevant. Anything short of total management of your breathing gas puts you, your buddy and every diver in the vicinity at risk.

Dr. George Harpur, an experienced investigator of dive fatalities , states, “We are not able to document a single case in which equipment malfunction directly caused a diver’s death or injury. It has been the diver’s response to the problem that results in the pathology.” It’s important to remember that dive equipment is life-support equipment. Learn about all its features and functions, practice with it, and maintain it; take care of your gear so it can take care of you. Knowing how divers get into serious trouble only advances the discussion so far. For diving to be safer, we must apply the lessons that can be taken from these tragic events. How can we, as divers, reduce the likelihood that these triggers will cause problems for us?

ENTRAPMENT The next most common trigger in dive fatalities is entrapment. Approximately 200 divers in the DAN fatality records, or 21 percent, found themselves trapped in an overhead environment and unable to get back to open water.

EDUCATION Take full advantage of every opportunity to learn. Read dive magazines, spend time with experienced divers, attend dive club meetings, and check out dive safety lectures or seminars online.

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More knowledgeable divers are safer divers. Get trained in the type of diving you want to do, but don’t stop learning when you leave the classroom — treat every dive as an educational experience. Use any unexpected incidents that occur while diving as opportunities to brainstorm and discuss response options, contingencies and prevention strategies with your buddies.

of the dive are also important. If you’re not feeling up to a dive, don’t dive; wait and see how you feel later. The majority of these cardiac cases were associated with a pre-existing condition or age greater than 40. It’s a good idea for everyone older than 35, whether or not they dive, to have an annual physical. A physical is also recommended following any change in an individual’s health status. Divers might benefit from having their physical exam performed by a physician trained in dive medicine. If you don’t know a physician in your area who is familiar with dive medicine, send DAN an email: medical@daneurope.org.

PRACTICE Dive skills and emergency-management skills require constant practice and reinforcement. Refresh your skills often, especially when you haven’t been diving in a while. Take time to familiarize yourself with new equipment in a controlled environment before using it in open water. Although practice may not make you perfect, it will help you make the correct decisions and manage problems appropriately rather than trying to escape to the surface.

PREDIVE PREPARATION As you prepare to dive, it’s a good idea for you and your buddy to configure and assemble your equipment together so you can identify anything that looks odd or out of place. This also provides an opportunity to familiarize yourselves with each other’s equipment. If boat diving, it may be helpful to set up your gear before the boat leaves the dock. This is especially true if you are subject to seasickness, since it minimizes the amount of time you’ll spend on the rocking boat deck. Hastily assembling your equipment in rolling seas while feeling nauseated increases the likelihood of potentially hazardous errors.

EXPERIENCE The value of experience cannot be overstated. Divers with limited experience, including those returning to the sport after a long absence, are at greatest risk. According to the DAN fatality data, 88 percent of the divers died on the first dive of their dive series. Consider that the number of dives in your logbook or the date on your certification card do not automatically qualify you for greater challenges. To truly be prepared for more advanced diving, slowly and methodically increase the complexity and task loading of your dives. Expand your horizons gradually, making sure you don’t outpace your training and your level of comfort. Certification is not the same thing as proficiency. Don’t dive your C-card, dive your experience.

Before diving, review your dive plan with your buddy to ensure you have a shared understanding of the dive’s goals. You’ll also want to agree on the route you’ll take and possible alternatives to your primary dive plan. It’s much easier to communicate the switch to plan B if you decided what plan B was before you descended. Establish the fact that anyone can terminate a dive at any time for any reason, even before the dive begins, without repercussions. Creating an environment in which divers feel comfortable making such calls builds a culture of safety.

HEALTH Approximately one-fourth of the fatalities studied involved cardiac problems. Amazingly, in 60 percent of the cases with cardiac involvement the divers had symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or fatigue but proceeded to dive anyway. Most divers are aware of the importance of good general health and fitness for diving, but comfort and well-being at the time

Develop and continually reinforce a predive ritual. It should involve equipment checks, dive plan review, hand signal review, diver separation protocol review and out-of-breathing-gas procedure review.

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This may seem unnecessary if you dive with the same people regularly, but these rituals are time well spent if they give you confidence and reduce the likelihood that you are unprepared to dive. The use of a checklist to assist in this ritual is highly recommended.

and make sure he is safely out of the water before continuing the dive.

Never say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” That means one of the divers is not as qualified or prepared for the dive as he should be — a formula for disaster. Anyone making a dive should do so only if he is fully prepared and wants to dive, not because someone else wants him to.

No. There are millions of certified divers who have made tens of millions of safe, enjoyable dives without incident. But consider that there is risk in anything you do. Is this risk we divers subject ourselves to unreasonable? I firmly believe the answer is no. A degree of risk will always be part of scuba diving, but it is a risk we can identify and learn to manage.

THE DIVE Once in the water, check each other to make sure all equipment is secure and in place, there are no leaks and that buoyancy is properly calibrated. Give and receive the OK signal, initiate your preparatory ear-clearing procedures, and begin a controlled descent. Descending feet first using a fixed line makes it easy to stop the descent should the need arise and may be advisable if a current is present. If there is any doubt about your preparation for the dive, make a short stop 4,5 to 6 metres below the surface to give and receive the OK sign before proceeding to the bottom. Maintain constant awareness of your environment during dives, and know when to call off a dive. It’s always wise to plan your dive and dive your plan, but you can modify your dive plan if conditions call for a more conservative approach. If you are working harder during the dive than anticipated, you may want to watch your air consumption more closely and possibly limit the time you spend at depth. As you move underwater, your pace should be dictated by the slowest diver in you group. Never assume another diver can keep up with you. If a recreational dive starts to feel like work, slow down — you or a member of your dive group may be doing it wrong. If you’re diving in a group of three and one diver decides to return to the surface, either end the dive as a group or escort the diver back to the exit point

Does this examination of diving fatalities indicate that recreational diving is inherently dangerous?

Scuba diving is a fantastic sport enjoyed by young and old alike. The focus should always be to maximize enjoyment while minimizing risk. You overcome challenges in and under the water by thorough preparation, physical capability and the effective application of knowledge and skill. References: Buzzacott P, Zeigler E, Denoble P, Vann R. American Cave Diving Fatalities 1969-2007. International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education 3:162-177; 2009. Denoble P, Caruso J, Dear G, Pieper C, Vann R. Common causes of open-circuit recreational diving fatalities. Undersea Hyperb Med. 35(6):393-406; 2008. Denoble P, Pollock N, Vaithyanathan P, Caruso J, Dovenbarger J, Vann R. Scuba injury death rate among insured DAN members. Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine 38(4):182-188; 2008. Orr D, Douglas E. Scuba Diving Safety. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics, 2007. Vann RD, Lang MA, eds. Recreational Diving Fatalities. Proceedings of the Divers Alert Network 2010 April 8-10 Workshop. Durham, N.C.: Divers Alert Network, 2011. ISBN #978-0-61554812-8.

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3 different accomodation: Sea view; Garden view and Standard Room

Diving in the Bunaken National Marine Park

Diving from the Onong Resort primarily takes place in the Bunaken National Park which is famous for its biodiversity and breathtaking wall dives. Usually diving begins along beautiful cliffs that seem to get lost in the depths, covered by an incredible variety of corals, sponges, and anemones and populated by large schools of fish and many turtles.

You can relax and treat yourself in our spa

Sulawesi Utara - Indonesia E-mail: info@celebesdivers.com / www.onong-resort.com Phone (Indonesia): +62 (0) 813 4154 6880 - Phone (Europe): +41 44 954 0770 (Schweiz)