Diver magazine

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HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH UK SEALS

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING DIVING MAGAZINE

AUGUST 2013

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WAYS TO FIND WRECKS

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IF YOU HAD ONE DIVE Monty v Maltese winds

PORTUGUESE MEN O’ WAR New wrecks in the Algarve

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First In AUGUST_May First In 02/07/2013 08:43 Page 03

STEVE WEINMAN, EDITOR

FIRST IN WHEN THE SHIP HITS THE SEAFAN WRECKS AND REEFS, THE TWIN OBJECTS OF DIVERS’ DESIRES. Reefs can turn ships into wrecks and, conversely, ships can turn reefs into wrecks. We need look no further than what has befallen the world heritage coral-reef site at Tubbataha in the Philippines this year.

The minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground there in January, causing considerable damage to the reef. Three months later, a Chinese fishingboat caused even more extensive destruction at the same site.

Even the eco-warriors have been in on this particular act – Greenpeace’s renowned Rainbow Warrior collided with Tubbataha eight years ago. The environmentalists blamed inaccurate charts, but it was red faces all round.

Another conservation body, WWF International, has just produced a report that suggests that, far from being isolated, such incidents are a growing problem that endangers some of our most cherished diving locations.

South-east Asia’s Coral Triangle, which includes Tubbataha, is the biggest hotspot, says WWF, with getting on for 300 accidents in the past 14 years.

But it’s the Mediterranean and the British Isles, notably the North Sea, that share with the South China Sea the dubious distinction of ranking highest on WWF’s list of at-risk areas.

Often it’s older and/or unregulated vessels that cause the damage, usually general cargo ships or fishing-boats.

The number of vessels criss-crossing the globe has apparently risen by more than 20% in the past 15 years, and is expected to double over the next 30.

EVEN THE ECOWARRIORS HAVE BEEN IN ON THIS PARTICULAR ACT

Safety measures have reduced the number of losses, WWF concedes, but it’s the concentration of accidents in areas of environmental interest that worry it, with beauty spots such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef set to come under more of this sort of pressure in future.

In half of all incidents the weather is held to blame, and changes in storm patterns as a result of climate change could make matters worse, warns WWF. The organisation is seeking greater regulation, particularly of ships operating under flags of convenience.

Of course, divers abhor man-made damage to reefs but also, while not going so far as to welcome new accidental wreck-sites (which would be ghoulish), won’t say no to diving them if they’re offered on a plate.

We have a fair few wreck-based features for you in divEr this month, starting with Shane Wasik’s guide to finding your very own undiscovered wrecks around Britain. “It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does it makes up for all the hard work and effort,” he says.

No collateral damage has been involved with the deliberate sinking of new wrecks off the Algarve to boost Portugal’s appeal to divers. John Bantin has been investigating, while Monty Halls takes time out to dive another artificial reef, this one in Malta.

I look at a significant new book on Turkey’s Great War wrecks, and our Wreck Tour is of the Saphir, another WW1 victim off north Cornwall. Divers love wrecks – we just don’t ever want them at the expense of reefs.

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Contents AUG_Contents_MAY 02/07/2013 08:45 Page 05

AUGUST 2013 Volume 58 No 8

CONTENTS

FEATURES 25 Want to Be a Wreckfinder?

How to find your very own UK wreck sites

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incorporating

Published monthly by Eaton Publications, 55 High Street, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 8HA Tel: 020 8943 4288, Fax: 020 8943 4312 Email: enquiries@divermag.co.uk Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Nigel Eaton nigel@divermag.co.uk Editor Steve Weinman steve@divermag.co.uk

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Ocean Revival They can’t stop sinking warships for us – in Portugal

Publishing Consultant Tony Weston tony@divermag.co.uk

The Build-up Begins

Technical Editor John Bantin john@divermag.co.uk

Preview of the Dive 2013 show at the NEC 30

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The Basics of Being a Whale Mother and baby humpbacks treat divers in Socorro

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Yucatan Road Trip

News Editor Paul Fenner paul@divermag.co.uk Production Manager George Lanham george@divermag.co.uk Webmaster Mike Busuttili webmaster@divernet.com

Nigel Wade enjoys himself down Mexico way 40

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Wreck Tour The Saphir, a WW1 U-boat victim off north Cornwall

Classified Advertisement Sales Sara Duncan sara@divermag.co.uk

Proof of the Pudding

Senior Advertisement Executive Alex Khachadourian alex@divermag.co.uk

Weather permitting, Monty Halls plans to dive Malta

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Temperature Drop How to cope with hypothermia in you or your buddies

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Advertisement Manager Jenny Webb jenny@divermag.co.uk

The Will to Succeed A new book casts light on wrecks of the Dardanelles

Advertising Production David Eaton david@divermag.co.uk Subscriptions Manager Teresa Pullen teresa@divermag.co.uk Marketing, Sales & divEr Bookshop Dorothy Eaton dorothy@divermag.co.uk Elizabeth Puttock uwp-mailshop@divermag.co.uk Financial Controller Kojo Gyamera kojo@divermag.co.uk Reception enquiries@divermag.co.uk

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EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS

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Archaeology Martin Dean Biology Dr David Bellamy Industry Dr John Bevan Law Prof Mike Williams Medicine Dr Ian Sibley-Calder Photography Saeed Rashid, Brian Pitkin Ships Richard Larn Wrecks Kendall McDonald, Rex Cowan

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NEWSAGENT: If you prefer to buy divEr over the counter, place an order with your newsagent now? All newsagents can obtain the magazine, but in case of difficulty please notify the Circulation Manager at the above address. divEr (ISSN-0141-3465) is published monthly by Eaton Publications, Periodicals Postage Paid at Jamaica NY 11431. USPS no. 22517.

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Contents AUG_Contents_MAY 04/07/2013 10:32 Page 06

CONTENTS REGULARS First In

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Editor’s view

Off-Gassing

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A tale of woe from the Maldives, and other letters

News

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Scuba pioneer Hans Hass has died

Beachcomber

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What did you do to my boy? asks diver’s mum

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Blackford

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Curtain call for our longest-serving columnist

Be The Champ!

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Alex Mustard on how to photograph UK seals

Trewavas

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Why chocolate isn’t diver-friendly

Booking Now

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All the holiday news

Diver Tests

78

O’Three launches its new, cheaper drysuit

Just Surfaced

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New but untested diving products

Dive Holiday Directory Dive Centre Directory Liveaboard Directory Classified Ads Advertisers’ Index Subscribe Here

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98 Deep Breath Who says the Great Barrier Reef is dying?

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Cover shot: Diver on the Kittiwake wreck in the Cayman Islands, by Alex Mustard The reproduction in whole or in part of any of the contents of divEr is expressly forbidden without the written permission of the Publishers.

Copyright © 2013 by Eaton Publications. divEr reserves the right to reproduce on-line any articles that it has published in print.

The views expressed in FIRST IN are not necessarily those of anyone but the Editor, and other editorial should be ascribed only to the authors concerned. The publishers accept no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or alterations, or for any consequences ensuing upon the use of, or reliance upon, any information contained

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herein. Due caution should be exercised by anyone attempting dives on any site herein described or indicated. The company does not accept liability for submitted photographs. The printing of an advertisement in divEr does not necessarily mean that the Proprietors endorse the company, item or service advertised. divEr is distributed by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT (tel: 020 7429 4000) and printed by Headley Brothers Ltd, The Invicta Press, Queens Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH (tel: 01233 623131).

Aqua Lung (Legend LX) – 04_13_Full Page Bleed 26/02/2013 11:31 Page 1

Off-Gassing AUG_Layout 1 02/07/2013 08:50 Page 08

OFF GASSING

This month’ s selection from the divEr inbox…

NEVER MIND THE TURTLE… After religiously looking through the diver Travel Guide, I decided that after my exams in May I would give diving in the Maldives a try. I should have learned from day one to be more careful.

On the first dive I saw some nice mobula rays and decided to spend a little longer at the maximum depth of 35m.

This was OK at the time, but the problem came when I did my second dive of the day, with a maximum depth of 18m.

I had begun my ascent and went to get my camera but it had snagged onto my weightbelt, and released it.

I watched as the belt fell to the bottom and decided that I should dive down to get it, because I had begun ascending at a fast rate and the computer was beeping.

I watched the no-deco time on the computer fall to 1 before I got hold of the belt and began ascending again.

I decided not to dive the next day, just to be on the safe side, but that wasn’t the end of it.

On our last day I decided to do a dive in a channel on the outer atoll. The current was really strong, and it was a feast for the eyes, with sharks, rays and turtles everywhere.

As I went to take a picture of a turtle, I realised that my guide was nowhere in sight.

I began drifting with the current and couldn’t see my buddy anywhere.

I should have surfaced, but every time I tried to ascend the current proved too strong, pushing me away from the reef edge, so I decided to stay down (bad idea!).

After drifting for about five minutes I decided that I couldn’t stay down any longer.

I ascended and, as I drifted further away from the reef, did a three-minute safety stop (another bad idea). Those were the longest three minutes of my life, with so many things

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Fascinating to watch I laughed reading the – I hope – exaggerated column written by Andy Blackford concerning Duff Buddies (July).

A few years ago we stayed in Oman for a week’s diving, and the week was made memorable by two of our fellow-divers. They were a husband-and-wife team in their mid-50s and very highly educated.

Our first encounter with them was on the diveboat as they were kitting up. They had become separated and my husband kindly moved down the boat to allow them to sit together.

They just stood there, until my husband moved

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going through my mind.

When I surfaced my dive-boat was nowhere in sight – nor anything else. I shouted loudly for what seemed like hours, though according to my watch it was about 20 minutes, then finally saw the boat in the distance. I have never felt so relieved in my life.

That same day, I decided to go ahead with the second (and last) dive with the same divebuddy. I jumped in and began my descent, went to check my depth and realised that I had forgotten to put on my dive computer.

My buddy had noticed this too, and I stayed close to him for that entire dive.

On surfacing all he had to say, with a smile on his face, was: ”I’m never going to forget you!”

I am currently planning my second visit to the Maldives.

Obviously the divemasters had picked up that this couple were fairly inexperienced so they were always guided and watched. I don’t think they could have made it back to the boat unassisted.

On one dive we were approached by their divemaster, who indicated that they had lost their camera, and asked if we could watch them while he had a look around.

He returned empty-handed, but on surfacing it turned out that the occupants of the dive-boat had found a camera floating at the surface.

The male diver said he was really pleased that it had been found because it was the replacement camera for one he’d lost on their previous holiday!

We learnt that the couple had done more than 100 dives – we would have loved to have seen their antics before they had those dives behind them.

The diving was OK, but in any case the dive centre provided plenty of entertainment. One boat grounded on a sandbank, and we spent a couple of good hours watching them try to refloat it.

One of the two engines on a dive-boat we were on broke down, so at the surface following the best dive of the holiday, on which we had watched a sting ray swimming along the deck of a wreck like a huge ghost, we were greeted with a good news, bad news scenario.

We were due to dive the same site again, and we were told that the last boat would come and fetch us. When it turned up, we transferred to that boat while the new divers took over our broken boat.

That was our last dive day of the holiday, and we wondered what would happen the next day with only one boat still working.

One of our last memories was of watching our clumsy friends walking towards the dive centre, sharing the handles of a straw bag between them after informing us that they’d seen a rat in their hut the previous evening.

They were gentle souls who I imagine today still go through life oblivious of the chaos around them.

the lady’s tank for her. They then started to put their kit on the tanks.

She told the divemaster that she didn’t have any air. He looked, turned her console over so that she was no longer looking at the depth gauge, and things started to get very interesting.

The dive centre had three boats, so we weren’t always on the same one as this couple, but the next time we encountered them, they were again kitting up but this time realised that they had matched each other’s regs with their own BCs. Instead of just swapping the regs over, they took the whole set-ups apart and started again.

Trivialising sea life I’m putting much effort into the marine life identification/conservation field and was stunned when I saw (belatedly on diverNet) John Bantin’s review of Jo Porter’s Seasearch Guide To Bryozoans and Hydroids book (September, 2012).

I enjoy his sense of humour but felt he missed an opportunity to promote an excellent and important contribution from the scientific community to assist amateur marine biology enthusiasts.

God knows, we need as much support and help as possible and I would have thought, as a diver who travels the world and must see the rapidly deteriorating undersea world that so few of us love, that someone with his depth of experience could have been more constructive.

But he wasn’t and instead demonstrated a total lack of appreciation of how difficult this field is.

Thankfully divers are a mixed bunch, but those of us amateurs who are passionately interested and committed to surveying the marine environment are a growing force in Britain’s conservation movement and he could have used his position to lend more support.

GEORGE BROWN, INVERNESS

divErNEt.com

Off-Gassing AUG_Layout 1 02/07/2013 08:51 Page 09

CLOSED DOORS I am a 43-year-old PADI Dive Master.

I qualified in November 2012 and have been trying to get work in Europe since then. The only offer I have had has been from a British firm offering for me to ”come meet the team” and this position is apparently unpaid! That will not pay the bills or pay for further tuition to become an Instructor or above.

Added to this, my wife would also be looking to come with me and obtain work, either with the resort or nearby. She has extensive knowledge of the travel industry, having worked for blue-chip companies such as American Express travel services.

I have emailed places that do not offer excursions, pointing out the extra income that this could generate for a company, but no one seems in the slightest bit interested.

I have sent around 150 emails to various places with just one reply, the gist being that I need more experience as a DM. But if I can’t get the work, how do I gain the experience?

RICHARD YOUELL

Wrong but exhilarating I read with interest Barrie Archer’s opinions in June’s Off-Gassing (At Odds About the Laws of Physics) about my earlier letter (Half-And-Half Breathing, May). I am delighted that my letter has generated some interest.

When I wrote ”the limbs are also compressed, resulting in an increase in venous blood return to the core circulation”, this is a dictum in medicine, welldocumented in established text-books in physiology and dive medicine.

This phenomenon is observed in the superficial veins on the back of the hands every time one dives to the bottom of a swimming pool. There are of course additional physiological factors involved beyond the scope of this letter.

As for Mr Archer’s comment on the ”pressure in the lungs is the same as the pressure of the blood”, I can only assume he is referring to the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and not the pulmonary venous or pulmonary arterial pressure.

The average PCWP of a normal subject is between 6-12mmHg, measured by a Swan Ganz catheter at sea level. I am unaware of any data concerning PCWP with increasing ambient pressure.

One would assume that the pressure differential between the PCWP and that of the pulmonary gases would be similar at depth because blood is incompressible, and divers survive to tell the tale after every dive. The only time when the PCWP is the same as the pulmonary gas pressure is when someone has expired.

It’s difficult to answer the rest of Mr Archer’s comments because of their non-specific nature, but it is exhilarating to encounter someone with the same interest.

DR PHILIP TING, LONDON

Feeding the habit I’ve been fiercely against feeding for entertainment under water probably since before I started diving.

The invaluable contribution of pioneers such as Cousteau were stimulating and enlightening, but tinged with very mixed feelings for the sea creatures he caught and interfered with for ”scientific purposes”.

For the fish/pelagics involved, feeding may be an easy – and oft repeated – chance for a free meal, but it also represents an invasion of their domain, with consequences such as the events that occurred in the Red Sea a few years ago.

There is always a spectacle to be had, but very few think of the eventual outcomes, not to mention the effect on a delicate eco-system.

Similarly, the ”shark-fests” in US waters recall memories of lion-tamers in circuses of bygone times. Not in the best of taste would be the mildest criticism.

So it was shocking to witness the feeding of sharks and rays in the Maldives when we went there last November. The dive-guides had professed that feeding no longer occurred, and that it was simply a gathering that we were to see, albeit one based on feeding activity in the past.

I was not keen even on this, but the behaviour was already established, and I admit that I was interested to see first-hand what had been introduced as a regular gathering that still

occurred without the stimulus of food.

I was disappointed to find that feeding still went on, as a multitude of big creatures demonstrated their skills at manoeuvring in restricted spaces.

Happily, no incidents were associated with this very close proximity, and I didn’t see anyone handfeeding, as I have witnessed on TV. Yes, I did raise the issue, both at the time (it went nowhere on the basis that the tourists like to see it – where have I heard that excuse before?), and at the UK end. My comments were “noted”.

We have a responsibility to minimise our effects on the alien environment we enter, and rightly much is made of not belittling those creatures we hope to go on seeing. So let’s set a good example, especially the media, and condemn such practices.

The Maldives in particular have enough positive press for their enviable environment without the need to cheapen their image with such spectacles.

ROSS BAYNE, READING

Got something diving-related you’d care to share?

Email steve@divermag.co.uk, including your name and postal address – and please confirm that you’re writing exclusively to divEr

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News AUG_Layout 1 02/07/2013 08:59 Page 10

DIVER NEWS

Scuba pioneer Hans Hass dies at 94 HANS HASS, THE AUSTRIAN pioneer of underwater film-making, died in mid-June, aged 94.

Many will remember Jacques Cousteau as the man whose TV series brought the undersea world into living rooms in the early 1970s.

However, it was Hass who got in far earlier, producing remarkable documentary films on marine life from the early 1940s to the 1960s.

Multi-talented, Hass was also a prolific and successful author and an engaging lecturer. But a key claim for recognition was that he was the first diver, or at least the first whose activities were noted widely and recorded, to combine the use of an underwater breathing system with the use of fins, moving diving into the era of the “imitation fish”.

Introduced to diving in the Mediterranean in 1937, Hass became a prolific spearfisher. However, he soon became more interested in marine research and documentation by photograph and film.

On a diving trip to Yugoslavia in 1938 he used fins for the first time, freeing his hands to take pictures with a camera in a home-made housing.

He made his first short film in 1940 before moving from Vienna to Berlin, having dropped a law degree for zoology studies.

HASS BECAME INTERESTED in the development of closed-circuit rebreathers and, for his underwater research and film-making over at least the next decade, used models made

by Draeger to help him creep up on marine life and film close up.

Initially the units supplied oxygen only, limiting diving depth to about 18m, but lighting restrictions made shallow water better for filming at the time. Later, mixed-gas rebreathers would allow Hass to dive deeper.

During the war, Hass’s diving skills were employed by the Wehrmacht for

Hass was a pioneer of underwater filming.

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Pictured: Hans & Lotte Hass’s programmes had a big impact on TV audiences in the 1950s.

Right: The couple on a visit to the UK Dive Show. the training of military divers, but he was still able to mount a research and filming expedition to Greece in 1942.

Postwar, his filming career took off.

Marketing of his films and books was helped by his marriage in 1950 to the glamorous Lotte, who dived regularly with her husband, was a natural in front of camera and could work as an underwater photographer and model. The pair were inseparable, both in reality and in the public mind.

In Britain, the pair’s first TV series screened was Diving to Adventure in 1956, featuring creatures of the Aegean. A second series, The Undersea World of Adventure, featured Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Caribbean diving.

For years Hass had self-financed expeditions from the proceeds of his films, books and lectures. Now funding came in from the BBC and other European programme-makers.

The Hasses became known for

fearless filming of larger creatures such as sharks and manta rays, Hass often carrying a spear for defence.

Considerable talent and skill was required to produce the films. Diving equipment was rudimentary and was not always reliable, while cameras were bulky, awkward to operate and fitted in housings that had to be

custom-designed and built.

Other notable developments by Hass included, in 1948, an electrical vibration instrument to repel or attract marine creatures and, in 1950, the Hans Hass Rolleimarin underwater camera with flash.

By the 1960s, Hass was diverging into other interests and diving started to take a back seat as he became engrossed in evolutionary and environmental issues.

He spent the rest of his life as an academic, exploring these themes. In the 1970s he became a professor at the University of Vienna which, in 1999, opened the Hans Hass Institute for Energon-Cybernetic Research.

Hass never lost his interest in marine conservation, working to assimilate his concepts of the world as a marine, terrestrial and atmospheric whole.

He is survived by Lotte and by a son from his first marriage to German actress Hannelore Schroth. ■ ✹ Next month in divEr: The real Hans Hass revealed in his writings.

Great white sharks in THE PLIGHT OF GREAT WHITE sharks is worse than was previously feared, according to a new survey in South Africa, writes Richard Peirce.

Between 2007 and 2012 the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) of Gansbaai and local cage-diving operator Marine Dynamics carried out a pioneering study involving great white shark dorsal fin recognition.

More than 20,000 side-on photos of dorsal fins (right) were collected in the Dyer Island area during the period. Like human fingerprints, dorsal fins are unique to each shark, and the researchers adapted a computerised fin-recognition programme that had previously been used for dolphins to identify accurately individual sharks.

The analysis took more than

three years to complete and the results have just been published by DICT, which are causing concern to scientists and conservationists.

From the 20,000 photographs, 532 individual sharks were identified.

Another computer programme called Mark was then used to extrapolate the open population of great whites in the Gansbaai area, and numbers came to between 808 and 1008 sharks. The previous estimate was 2000, which the new DICT research has now halved.

Researchers disagree on the global population of great whites, but the generally accepted ”best guess” figure is between 3000 and 5000 individuals. The IUCN listed great whites as ”vulnerable to extinction in the wild” before this new research.

www.divErNEt.com

News AUG_Layout 1 02/07/2013 08:59 Page 11

DIVER NEWS

LIFE SENTENCE FOR THE BIG QUESTION Not all ’appy INSTRUCTOR WHO PREYED ON CHILDREN NO...

Everyone uses smartphones and tablets, everyone loves apps, right? Wrong! ”Have digital apps improved your diving experience?” we asked last month, but just under three-fifths of you wonder what all the fuss is about…

A SCUBA INSTRUCTOR HAS RECEIVED a life sentence for sex offences against seven minors and two adults during the course of his dive-training work.

Philip Gaisford, 64, of Crowborough in Sussex, was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of 27 sexual offences carried out from 1997 to 2008.

They involved rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and possession of indecent videos of children. Victims were a boy of 13, two boys of 15, two girls of 15, two boys of 16, a man of 18 and a woman of undeclared age.

In the action, brought by the Crown Prosecution Service after

investigation by detectives in East Sussex, Gaisford (pictured) was found not guilty of a further five charges involving sexual assault, indecent assault and an act of indecency in relation to four boys.

Gaisford taught at his home, which had a training pool. Contacts included The Scout Association.

He also took groups of children on diving holidays overseas.

Under the terms of his conviction, Gaisford must serve at least 12 years in jail before being eligible for parole. ”Gaisford systematically and cynically abused trusting young people who had become involved with him in his capacity as a scubadiving instructor and the court clearly found his conduct to be a gross breach of trust,” said Detective Inspector Rob Morland of Sussex Police. ”The investigation of this case was complex and I thank the witnesses for their courage in giving evidence. The verdict shows that if victims are willing to come forward, they will be supported to be able to give their evidence and justice can be achieved.” ■

”I have played with apps but find my Suunto dive computer and a look-up table are faster and more waterproof.” Ari Sherr ”I have a digital logbook and Fish ID, but that’s all.” Mark Watts ”Still use the traditional RDP table and my computer to dive with… read a paper copy of Diver, so what more do I need?” Nicholas Ray ”All the ones I’ve tried have been rubbish!” Emma Lane ”What’s an app then? I’m strictly old school.” Paul Jackson ”Am I missing out? Never used them.” Joanne Kitchen ”Just one more thing to look at.” Jim Harris ”I haven’t been told about many good ones yet!” Andrew Pearson ”There are far too many rubbish apps just trying to cash in.” Paul Green ”I haven’t seen anything that adds to, simplifies or makes safer my diving experience.” Rupert Vidion ”Too many poor apps. I stick with Suunto DIve Manager 3.0.” Kevin Jordan ”I get the info I need from other club-members, magazines and the Internet.” Katie Lewis ”It is fun to test them but as soon as the novelty wears off their limited practicality soon becomes evident.” Stephen Eggenschwiler ”They only duplicate information available elsewhere.” Andrew McCracken

YES... ”Ideal for revision.” Steve Syrett ”Yes for weather, tides and marine identification, not so much for diveplanning and logging.” Ben Burns ”GPS to log dive sites and electronic dive logs make diving more memorable and also easier to record.” Jalil Asif ”It helps you compile more info for planned dive trips.” Rob West ”Helps planning, but still requires thinking.” Michael Marienfeld ”The London Dive Chamber app is the best one – some excellent stuff on there.” Leigh Johnson

even deeper soup?

”I regularly use dive-planning apps on my phone. It makes life so much easier.” Andrew Marmion ”I travel a lot and apps are a godsend. I have everything at my fingertips.”

Frank Reynolds SHARKWATCH SA / DYER ISLAND CONSERVATION TRUST

If the Gansbaai model is followed globally, the population could be half what it was thought to be, despite the great white being CITES Appendix II listed and despite it being protected in a number of countries, including South Africa, Namibia, USA, Australia, Malta, Croatia and others.

www.divErNEt.com

The DICT research shows the need for great white shark monitoring in the places with known populations. ”Protections” and CITES listings are one thing, but we need to know if they are working and, if they are not, then different action will be needed – and fast! ■

”Helps with calculating surface time.” Lewis Eaton ”I have apps both for planning and recording dives.” Andy Jackson ”They’ve not much changed my diving practice, but I really wouldn’t want to be blending without them.” Nick Eden ”Yes, a little. The PADI centre locator is useful.” John ”Nitrox calculator, logbook and planning apps – I had to use tables and paper when I started.” Geoff Paige ”They have made my life a lot easier and changed my diving experiences.”

Peter Bellamy Go to www.divernet.com to answer the next Big Question and for a chance to win a £109 Luxfer 3-litre compact emergency pony cylinder from Sea & Sea. To find out more about Luxfer cylinders, visit www.dive-team.com This month’s winner is Karen Woods.

THE NEXT BIG QUESTION Is enough being done to protect divers from boat propellers?

Answer yes or no, and let us know if you have any ideas

11

News AUG_Layout 1 04/07/2013 11:44 Page 12

DIVER NEWS

Prop death toll still rising T

WO DIVERS HAVE BEEN killed by powerboat propellers in separate incidents overseas.

Holidaying Briton Madeline Jayne Cole, 25, from Hereford, died at the end of May after being run over when she surfaced from an early morning dive off Malaysia’s Perhentian Islands.

She suffered injuries to her upper body, buttocks and legs.

A male diving buddy from Australia was also hit, sustaining injuries to his stomach and legs.

The boat, which was ferrying tourists to the islands, stopped to retrieve the divers and take them ashore, but Cole succumbed to her injuries. The man survived.

”The two victims and two other friends were diving outside the safety zone and were not wearing safety jackets,” said a police chief superintendent. ”They were accidentally hit.”

Cole had recently gained a diving instructor qualification with a view to working in the scuba business.

In late June Aishath Safa, 27, a telephonist at the Four Seasons Kudu Huraa resort near Male in the Maldive Islands, died after being hit by the prop of her dive-boat off the island of Hinmafushi.

The PADI Open Water Diver was hit when the boat manoeuvred to take another diver aboard. A police

investigation was launched.

The accident was the fourth incident and second fatality this year involving people struck by boat propellers in the islands.

In early June, a honeymooning German woman was also hit by the propeller of her dive-boat while diving off Reethi Beach Resort, suffering serious leg injuries; and in late April an 18-year-old Maldivian man suffered serious head injuries while clearing a fishing line from a dhoni prop.

The fatality involved a 51-year-old Italian woman who was snorkelling near Elaa Island in Thaa Atoll at the end of January. She suffered major head injuries. ■

Underwater poker play for charity A SHEFFIELD DIVE CENTRE is set to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support by hosting what it believes could be the first-ever underwater poker tournament.

PADI 5* centre Diveworld is inviting potential participants to attend Pondsforge International Sports Centre on 10 August, with play commencing at 4pm.

More information at Diveworld, 0114 233 2995, www.underwaterpoker.co.uk ■

Shark eggs found off Scotland SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE of shark reproduction for the first time in Scottish waters.

Marine biologists from HeriotWatt University discovered the shark spawning ground on the Mingulay Reef complex, Scotland’s only inshore coral reef complex situated in the Outer Hebrides.

Using an ROV to survey the corals, they identified egg-cases of the deepwater blackmouth cat shark, Galeus melastomus, and spotted hatched juvenile examples of the strikingly coloured species.

The creatures are known to frequent the area, as anglers catch the sharks before releasing them back into the sea. However, scientists could not previously be sure where they were reproducing. ”It’s very exciting to find these spawning sites, as there’s still

relatively little information about deep-sea sharks habitat across their life cycles,” said researcher Dr LeaAnne Henry. ”Our research at Mingulay and in even deeper Scottish waters is now revealing many close links between coldwater corals and the early life stages of sharks, skates and rays.”

Eggs were placed consistently among high, rough corals on slight slopes, and deep enough to remain

out of the worst currents.

The depths at which they were laid varied by just 7m, from 165m to 172m. ”The sharks Shark embryo. are choosing these sites because they’re safe,” said Henry. ”The corals have lots of

A blackmouth cat shark.

Best of Above & Below Water Travel

hard branches, which deter predators, and laying them away from the current in lower parts of the seabed reduces the risk of eggs drifting away. ”The height of the coral means that the eggs receive plenty of air and that they’re not suffocated by sediments and debris.”

Mingulay Reef is awaiting designation as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) by the European Parliament. ■

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SHARK CONSERVATION CAMPAIGN group Bite-Back has identified some 70 restaurants around the UK that serve shark-fin soup and that it wishes to dissuade from the practice.

As part of its Hacked Off campaign to make Britain a shark-fin soup-free nation, Bite-Back has on its website a Google map of the UK pinpointing the restaurants in question.

It is asking its supporters to approach the establishments in a bid to persuade them that unsustainable fishing practices underpin demand for their soup and that it should be removed from their menus.

Hacked off is backed by TV chefs Gordon Ramsay (”By removing sharkfin soup from menus we can work towards a goal that eliminates the need to hunt and kill these awesome creatures”) and Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall (”I urge everyone to play a part in making Britain shark fin-free”). www.bite-back.com

Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. ✹ Fiji’s national carrier Air Pacific, due to be renamed Fiji Airways, has joined South Korea’s Asiana and Korean Air plus Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand in banning the carriage of shark-fin cargos. ”We believe a ban on the shipment of unsustainably sourced shark fins is the right thing to do, and have implemented this policy effective immediately,” said CEO Aubrey Swift. ”We will now work with conservation partners and the fishing industry to prepare and implement policies and processes that will ensure that future shipments are sustainably sourced.” ■

www.divErNEt.com

Dive

WW2 bomber sees light of day

THE WRECK OF THE LAST-KNOWN surviving WW2 German Dornier 17 bomber has been raised from the sea off Kent.

The twin-engined small bomber crash-landed over the Goodwin Sands in August 1940, during the Battle of Britain.

The work has been carried out by Hendon’s RAF Museum, which subcontracted the salvage work to Southampton’s Seatech Commercial Diving Services.

Divers were ready to raise the plane at the start of June, having spent three weeks setting up their lifting apparatus, fastened to the strongest points of the plane’s airframe.

Inclement weather intervened but the plane’s wreckage, which includes fuselage and wings, has now been successfully brought to the surface.

The remains were transported on the salvage barge into Ramsgate Harbour. They are being dismantled for transfer to the RAF Museum’s Conservation Centre at Cosford.

The plane’s remains will be conserved at the centre over two to three years, before moving to north London for permanent display.

They are relatively intact because the aircraft made a controlled

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ditching, albeit a landing that went awry at the last moment.

The Dornier is thought to have flipped onto its back when a wingtip hit the sea prematurely. It sank 18m to the seabed, upside-down.

Of the plane’s crew of four, two died, their bodies washed ashore. The pilot and observer were rescued to become prisoners of war.

The wreck has been known of since at least 2006, when it was observed by Bob Peacock, licensee of the Goodwin Sands’ protected Stirling Castle wreck.

The site was examined with sidescan sonar in 2007/08 by English Heritage’s contracted surveyor Wessex Archaeology.

In 2009 the RAF Museum carried out its own survey of the site, using divers. The project to raise and conserve the aircraft has been supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund. www.rafmuseum.org, www.seatechdiving.co.uk ■

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News AUG_Layout 1 04/07/2013 10:17 Page 14

DIVER NEWS

DiveAlert warning devices recalled A

VOLUNTARY RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED for a number of US-manufactured signalling devices – the DiveAlert and DiveAlert Plus DA2, DP2 and DV2 models.

The units fit inline to the BC inflation system. They use gas from the scuba cylinder to activate a loud surface horn or an underwater percussion device.

About 2500 of the affected units have been made, of which about 22 have been sold in the UK through authorised dealers.

The hazard involves the female coupling poppet O-ring, which the manufacturer says ”can come dislodged, which in turn could result in reduced air

flow to alternate regulator/inflation systems which could pose a drowning hazard”.

No incidents or injuries have so far been reported, it adds.

The models concerned are designed to fit the Aqua-Lung AirSource including the AirSource3 QD, the Oceanic Air XS, the Aeris AirLink and the Mares Air Control alternate regulator/inflation systems. ”The signalling devices in question have no stamped writing on the female coupling collar,” says the manufacturer. ”Only model DA2, DP2 and DV2 couplings with no writing stamped on the collar are included in the recall.

”No other DiveAlerts or any Aqua-Lung, Oceanic, Aeris or Mares alternate regulator/inflation system are included in the recall.”

Owners of the affected models are advised to ”immediately stop using the recalled DiveAlerts and return the device to an authorised DiveAlert dealer or to DiveAlert for a free repair”. This will involve ”replacing of the defective female coupling”.

Divers affected in the UK should contact CPS Partnership at info@cpspartnership.co.uk or by calling 01424 442663 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. www.divealert.com, www.cpspartnership.co.uk/contact.html ■

MCZ petitions win strong support FOUR LEADING NATURECONSERVATION charities have delivered a 350,000-strong petition to Downing Street calling for the Government’s prospective plan for Marine Conservation Zones in England to be implemented in full.

The petition was presented yesterday by the Marine Conservation Society, The Wildlife Trusts, the WWF and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. ”A two-and-half-year public consultation process involving one million stakeholders recommended the establishment of 127 Marine Conservation Zones in English seas across England but the Government is currently only suggesting 31 should be designated,” says the group. ”The charities and Government’s own scientific advisors agree that a full, ecologically coherent network is absolutely vital to ensure the future of our seas.

”There is uncertainty over how committed the Government is to progressing future tranches of Marine Conservation Zones. ”All four charities are calling on the Government to commit to a

specified timetable designating an entire network.”

Signatures were collected by the organisations online and through public functions, such as aquarium visits and seaside events. ■

Two die in Scapa Flow TWO DIVERS FROM the Netherlands lost their lives while wreck-diving in Scotland’s Scapa Flow at the end of May. The men, aged 58 and 62 and described as experienced divers, failed to surface from a dive on the German mine-laying light cruiser SMS Brummer, which lies in 36m.

Searches by divers of the Police Scotland Dive & Marine Unit from Aberdeen, along with scans by ROVs, failed to locate the bodies.

It was not until about a fortnight later that sport divers found two bodies on the seabed about 40m from the wreck. The police were called in again to retrieve them. As divEr went to press, the bodies had yet to be formally identified.

Another Dutchman, aged 66, died last September on the wreck of another of Scapa’s light cruisers, SMS Dresden. ■

Distress signals: MCA says old technology more effective DIVERS AND OTHER SEA-USERS should stick with traditional emergency flares, rather than be tempted by a new generation of non-pyrotechnic devices.

That’s the message from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, which is advising against the purchase of handheld Electronic Visual Distress Signals (EVDS) that are being offered as alternatives to flares. ”The MCA notes the likely benefits of EVDS such as cost, safety and ease

14

of disposal,” says the organisation. ”However, from a practical perspective the signal produced by these devices is different to that produced by a hand-held pyrotechnic flare. ”We are concerned that electronic visual distress signals may not be recognised as such, with potentially fatal consequences. ”Therefore our advice is that EVDS, for the time being, should not be carried as a substitute for

conventional pyrotechnic flares. ”However, commercial and recreational vessels of all sizes may carry EVDS in addition to pyrotechnic flares and use them as locating devices. Their limitations should be recognised though, and all parties involved made aware of the type of signal being generated.”

The MCA is contributing to a study of EVDS effectiveness commissioned by the US Coastguard. EVDS have yet to be accepted as fit for purpose by

the International Maritime Organisation. A change to Annex IV of the Collision Regulations will also be required to give EVDS full recognition as distress signals.

Flares must, therefore, still be carried by all commercial vessels and pleasure vessels of 13.7m in length.

For pleasure vessels under 13.7m, such as a privately owned RIB carrying divers on a non-commercial basis, crews may be tempted by EVDS – don’t be, says the MCA. ■

www.divErNEt.com

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DIVER NEWS

Visitors flock to Mary Rose museum F

OLLOWING THE OPENING of the new Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard on 31 May, 40,000 visitors had already passed through its doors as divEr went to press just a month later.

Much larger than the old museum, which was housed near the Historic Dockyard’s main entrance, the new site has allowed thousands of artefacts once stored to be displayed.

Within an imaginatively styled building situated within a stone’s throw of HMS Victory, the exhibition design features a virtual hull mirroring the Tudor wreck’s real hull remains.

Artefacts, from cannon and other weaponry to furniture, equipment and personal effects, are placed within the virtual hull where they would have been located aboard the vessel.

Visitors view the displays from galleries set at three levels to coincide with the ship’s decks.

Other artefacts are in display cabinets. New displays include facial reconstructions of some of the ship’s

crew, based on DNA analysis and close study of their skeletons. The men’s personal belongings provide further evidence of their general appearance, status aboard ship and health.

Despite the museum’s opening, the £35m heritage project, which has received £32.5 million in Heritage Lottery Fund grants, continues, with conservation work still being done on hull remains and many of its artefacts.

Tickets cost £17 adult, £12.50 child, £16 concessions and £47 family (two adults/seniors and up to three children). Full-access tickets, to include HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860, National Museum of the Royal Navy, Action Stations and harbour tour, cost £26 adult, £19.75 child, £24.25 concessions £72 family.

Tickets specify a date and time to attend and are ordered through Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. historicdockyard.co.uk ■

Pictured: Viewing galleries are built at the three deck levels. Inset above: Reconstruction of the face of the Mary Rose’s bosun.

Diver’s Cove has recently opened to welcome open water Scuba Divers. Located just off Junction 6 of the M25 in Godstone, Surrey, Diver’s Cove offers a beautiful rural setting for experiened scuba divers and divers in training. The 7 acre lake is situated in an old sand quarry and even has a sandy beach.

There are many different attractions to explore in the water and topside facilities include heated changing rooms, a large car park, a well stocked cafe, on-site air fills and a training classroom that can be hired out.

Training platforms can be reserved in advance and come with an allocated seating area. There is also a shop which stocks accessories and offers equipment for hire.

Godstone is a beautiful country village with a number of excellent pubs and close by is Godstone Farm

for those family members to enjoy who do not scuba dive. For visitors who do not drive, there are train stations at Caterham and Upper Warlingham that provide cab connections to Diver’s Cove.

Admission is £9 and Diver’s Cove is open 7 days a week from 9am with the last dive time at 5pm in the summer months.

COME ALONG AND ENJOY A GREAT DAY OUT.

Diver’s Cove, North Park Lane, Godstone, Surrey RH9 8ND. 01883 336602 www.diverscove.co.uk

www.divErNEt.com

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News AUG_Layout 1 02/07/2013 09:04 Page 18

DIVER NEWS

RNLI remembers first rescue heroine HE RNLI HAS HAD SOME notable female volunteers during its history and, this year, it celebrates the 175th anniversary of one particularly heroic act.

On 7 September, 1838, 22-year-old Grace Darling set out with her father William in rough seas aboard a coble, an open rowing boat, from Longstone Island in Northumberland, where William was the lighthouse-keeper.

The luxury paddlesteamer Forfarshire, considered unsinkable, had run on to Big Harcar Rock in early morning darkness while en route from Hull to Dundee, with some 60 passengers and crew. Most would perish but, after Grace spotted some survivors on the rock at about 7am, nine people would be saved.

The coble was a risky proposition but the Darlings put to sea, without even a lifejacket between them, reckoning that the North Sunderland lifeboat would fail to reach the wreck site in time.

Alerted by a cannon fired at Bamburgh Castle, seven fishermen also set out from Seahouses in a bid to join the rescue, but failed to reach Big Harcar Rock.

RNLI

T

Thomas Brooks’ oil painting of Grace Darling’s rescue bid.

The Darlings, who knew that they would need help rowing the coble back due to the nature of the wind and tide, reached the wreck site after covering a mile in very challenging conditions.

William was able to jump ashore to organise boarding while Grace held the boat skilfully on station without it getting smashed onto the rocks.

First, a woman and four men were taken to Longstone Island before

William returned with two of the steamship’s crew to take aboard a remaining four men.

The North Sunderland lifeboat, with Grace’s brother aboard, reached Big Harcar Rock after the survivors had been removed. It returned to Longstone Lighthouse to find them all there.

William and Grace were awarded the RNLI’s Silver Medal for Gallantry for their actions. It was the first time

that such an award had gone to a woman. Grace was feted nationally, at a time when women helped to launch and recover the lifeboats but did not join their crews.

She died of tuberculosis just three years after her famous rescue.

A woman joined an RNLI seagoing crew for the first time in 1967. Now, women account for 8% of lifeboat volunteers and 23 have received gallantry medals from the Institution.

The coble used by the Darlings and some of Grace’s personal effects can be seen at the RNLI’s Grace Darling Museum in Bamburgh, the village in which she was born.

Next month the William Riley, a 100-year-old, wooden-keeled former lifeboat restored by the Whitby Historic Lifeboats Trust, will journey from Seahouses to Longstone Lighthouse and back, marking to the day the 175th anniversary of the 1838 rescue.

The RNLI hopes to raise £50,000 during the Grace Darling celebrations.

Donations of £3 can be made by texting GRACE to 70300.

To learn more about Grace Darling, go to www.rnli.org/gracedarling ■

Royal charter World’s deepest training pool Dive-duration for the MBA secret revealed PLYMOUTH’S MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (MBA) has been granted a Royal Charter by Her Majesty the Queen.

The move recognises the association’s history and its status in the field of marine biology. The MBA says it will ”strengthen the association’s role in promoting marine biology as a discipline and in representing the interests of the marine biological community”.

The MBA was founded in 1884 as a professional body for marine scientists and now has some 1200 members worldwide. ”The Charter underlines our commitment to excellence in marine biology and presents new opportunities for promoting the field much more widely,” said MBA Director Prof Colin Brownlee. ”It also recognises the importance of understanding the complexities of marine life and the impacts we are having on our seas.” ■

18

CONSTRUCTION WORK HAS BEGUN in Italy on what will be the world’s deepest swimming and divetraining pool.

The structure, at Montegrotto Terme spa resort in Padua province in north-east Italy, will be 40m deep, with sides 20m and 18m long.

Designed and built by the Boaretto Group, it should be open by the beginning of next year,

complete with floor sections at intermediate depths and even four caves for technical divers.

Another dedicated area will cater for freedive training, and another for filming and photo shoots.

The pool, named Y-40, is part of a complex at the 4* Hotel Terme Millepini, which includes congress halls, spa pools, ”wellness centre” and restaurant. www.y-40.com ■

SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED a key ingredient in marine mammals’ ability to remain under water for long periods of time.

The researchers found that in a variety of creatures, from seals to cetaceans, muscle physiology has evolved to be able to store large amounts of oxygen without adverse effects.

The team established that the creatures’ myoglobin, the muscle protein that stores oxygen, has evolved ”non-stick” properties, so that dense packaging is possible without clogging up the muscles in which they sit.

This is because, at cellular level, the proteins have evolved to be positively charged.

They therefore repel each other, which allows a tight fit while avoiding actual bonding, so maintaining efficient operation within muscle structures.

Project findings are published by Science, www.sciencemag.org ■

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News AUG_Layout 1 02/07/2013 09:06 Page 21

DIVER NEWS

Never too late to instruct A BRITISH SUB-AQUA CLUB DIVER recently qualified as an instructor – at the age of 75.

Pat Fung, a member of Bristol Diving Club, worked to gain the instructor qualification because she enjoys ”helping out with try dives and showing new people the ropes in a pool setting”. ”It means I can pay a little back to the club for all the enjoyment and pleasure I have had since I joined Bristol Diving Club,” she said on getting her ticket. ”I just wish I had become a member of BSAC years ago, to be honest.”

Fung took up diving only in 2005 when her husband retired and they visited the Maldives. She was ”hooked straight away”. ”I loved it and since then I have managed around 400 warmwater dives when we’ve been abroad,” she said. ”We have visited the

New inland site in Surrey

Divers Cove, the latest inland attraction for divers.

A

NEWLY DEVELOPED DIVE SITE has opened at a former quarry outside Godstone, Surrey.

Divers Cove features a seven-acre water area with a maximum depth of 8.5m. Ashore there is parking for 60 to 70 cars and facilities include air-fills, heated changing-rooms, classroom, small shop, cafe and toilets.

Showers have not been installed because mains water supply has yet to be established.

Most diving will be carried out relatively close to the shore, both from a safety point of view and because that is where a series of shoreside and underwater diving platforms have been placed, the bottom of the lake remaining quite deep even close in to land.

The bottom is of sand, heavy enough not to get kicked up too easily. Fresh water enters the lake regularly because it is used as a depository for a water company when it washes out its sand filters.

A steady water level is said to be maintained by the site’s natural water table effect. Fish life includes mirror, common and koi carp, rainbow trout and goldfish.

There is no dive centre rescue boat at present nor launching facility for customer boats.

Shore-diving is, therefore, carried out at the customers’ own risk and individuals, clubs or schools using the site will need to be able to tend to themselves. However, three staffmembers are qualified as first-aiders.

Proprietors Simon and Donna Turner, who live in nearby Caterham, have no previous experience of diving but enlisted the help of Paul Davies, of Caterham’s Ocean Diver, to establish the facilities required to run Divers Cove as a dive site.

Five diving instructors – two SSI, two PADI and one BSAC – are on the books as staff to administer air-fills and run training, including try-dives.

Entry for a day costs £9 per head.

Group pricing structures and a membership scheme are being considered.

The site is in Godstone’s North Park Lane, just off J6 on the M25.

To find out more call 01883 336602, visit www.diverscove.co.uk, or email simon@sjttrackforce.com ■

When failure spells success Sinai Divers enter In her element – Pat Fung.

Maldives a few times since, as well as Caribbean islands.”

She joined the Bristol club when ”I decided I wanted to do diving in between holidays, and read lovely things about UK diving”. The reception she received from members ”could not have been better”.

Her diving experiences have vindicated the decision to join a British club. ”I love the marine life you are privileged to glimpse, especially in warm waters, but wreck-diving around the UK is wonderful too, and so exciting.”

A trip to dive the wrecks of Scapa Flow is firmly on Fung’s diving horizon, and certainly not as a last hurrah. ”Why shouldn’t I dive while I am still physically able and enjoy it so much?” she said. ■

SHARM EL SHEIKH’S Red Sea Diving College has carried out a clean-up with a difference – because it found hardly anything to clear from the sea. ”In support of World Oceans Day 2013, our guests and staff performed a clean-up on three busy dive sites in Sharm, including So where’s all the rubbish? our own house reef, frequented by many divers, combined collection could be snorkellers and swimmers described as, at best, meagre.” The every day,” staffer Susie Attfield team were delighted with their told divEr. paltry haul, as it meant that ”a lot of caring people got there before us”. ”Armed with bags, gloves and ”Are beach visitors being more tons of enthusiasm, our warriors careful with what they do with their scoured the dive sights, looking for rubbish?” reflected Attfield. ”Or anything that shouldn’t be there – maybe a new generation of divers bottles and cans being the most are making debris removal part of common culprits. their diving routine. Whatever the ”Only when the bags were out of reason, it’s cause for celebration.” ■ the water did we realise that the

Hall of Fame

ROLF SCHMIDT AND PETRA ROEGLIN, proprietors of Sinai Divers in Egypt, are to be inducted into the Cayman Islands’ International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF).

The move recognises ”their 30-year career as the leading developer and operator of diving centres at four locations on the Sinai coast of the Red Sea”. Sinai Divers has centres in Sharm, Dahab, Marsa Alam and Aqaba. ”Petra and I have been nominated and chosen as the first Germans in the diving industry to join the ISDHF,” said Schmidt. ”This would not have been possible without loyal, hard-working and trusted partners, employees, clients, friends and families who supported us throughout these years.”

The pair will travel to the Caymans, along with four other inductees, for the induction on 12 November.

The ISDHF has made annual inductions since it was founded in 2000 by the Caymans Ministry of Tourism, www.scubahalloffame.com ■

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BEACHCOMBER

MUM’S LOOKING FOR TROUBLE Newbies first need to be trained, and then have to be taken diving by more experienced divers in order to develop their skills and confidence.

Most experienced divers are very happy to help with advice and spend time coaching newbies through their first, faltering baby-diver fin-strokes.

We’ve all been there, and we all owe them.

Usually thank-you beers at the pub will be paid for at the time, and in a few years the now-moreexperienced diver will in turn mentor the latest intake of newbies.

That’s pretty much how the club system works, and it does work, but one club was more than a little surprised after a Sunday at an inland site to find the angry mum of a new recruit steaming into their clubhouse, threatening to call the police and wanting to know what had been going on with her son.

He had arrived home from the trip to the quarry covered in bruises. Expletives were used, by mum.

Fight for the right I’ve looked at a few awful dive jobs in past months, but not all dive jobs are awful.

Szilvia Gogh is a diver and stunt-double who has appeared on TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and in movies like Piranha 3D, usually wearing a bikini and a thick layer of fake blood, and been an unseen safety diver on many more.

Hey, I can hear you thinking, that sounds good. How do I get a job like that?

Szilvia, a well-qualified and very experienced diving instructor, got her break by answering an advert for a small sequence in a movie that called for a young woman in a bikini to be seen swimming in the sea.

Wear a bikini and swim, she may have thought, how hard could that be?

Very hard. She turned up for the interview with another 50 young women, all of whom were bundled onto a boat and taken out to sea for their audition.

The sea was lumpy and the water temperature just 10°C, and by lunchtime everyone but Szilvia and another girl had succumbed to seasickness or hypothermia or both – and Szilvia was in the movies.

22

After a while, all became clear. The lad had completed his basic training and his first open-water dives in a borrowed semi-dry and then, after some saving up, had bought himself a secondhand membrane drysuit, which he wore for the very first time in the quarry.

He didn’t think to mention the change of suit to his buddy, who didn’t realise for himself that our newbie hadn’t dived dry before, and off they went diving.

Having heard the horror stories about runaway ascents, our newbie didn’t add any air to his suit and adjusted his buoyancy using his jacket, all the while being nipped, squeezed and generally vacuumpacked under the pressure of water.

When he finally got home and stripped off he was covered in bruises, and showed them to his mum.

She cleared a tall conclusion from a standing start, rolled up her sleeves and went to give the diving club a piece of her mind.

Job interviewing by attrition – last woman swimming gets it.

Purely medicinal Tell most divers that you use a rebreather and they’ll ask if you want flowers or a donation to the lifeboats.

Rebreathers are terrifyingly dangerous machines that are out to kill you, we all know that.

Well, here’s an idea for any rebreather divers getting fed up with arguing the point.

Andrew Delf was treated for prostate cancer using radiotherapy.

The treatment was a success, but resulted in damage to other tissues.

To promote healing, his consultant sent Andrew for some hyperbaric treatments using high partial pressures of oxygen.

The precise mechanism isn’t fully understood, but it’s clear that oxygen under pressure does aid healing and tissue growth. Just think how fast your fingernails grew on your last liveaboard.

has been blamed for a sudden increase in the use of the technique in the Firth of Forth, with plenty of complaints being made but few penalties dished out.

Yeah, well, if I saw a boat trailing a thick, live electric cable over the side I’m not sure I’d want to get too close.

Anyway, it’s something else to exercise your conscience next time you eat out and fancy the seafood.

Sci-fi snapper

Anyway, breathing high partial pressures of oxygen under increased ambient pressure is a pretty good description of using a rebreather, so the next time anyone starts to tell you how dangerous they are, just explain that you dive one for the medical benefits, and walk away with a smug smile.

Ten years ago, if your underwater pic was in focus and you could tell what it was you had a winning shot, but now there are so many photographers out there that it’s just about all been done already.

Jason Isley has solved the problem by creating underwater scenes that mostly seem to be inspired by 1950s science-fiction B-movies, where monsters threaten unsuspecting humans going about their everyday business.

Search the web for Jason Isley underwater photography and you’ll see what I mean. I like the idea of giving a nudibranch a speeding ticket, and the couple strolling on the beach ahead of the giant shoal of catfish are in for a surprise when they turn around.

Simply shocking

Out on a limb

I hadn’t heard of electro-fishing, but it’s been illegal in the EU since 1998. A big generator is loaded onto a boat and a diver takes a cable into the water and electrocutes the seabed. You can see how safe and pleasant that’s going to be.

The intended catch is razor clams, which don’t like being zapped and emerge into open water to get away from the experience, making them easier for the diver – assuming he has survived – to scoop up and sell to restaurants.

It may sound like something that happens in the Far East, but the popularity of TV cookery series and the enthusiasm of celebrity chefs for shellfish

And finally, you may remember a series of human feet washing up on beaches in the British Columbia area of Canada a few years ago. The feet were usually still in shoes, cleanly detached from the rest of the body, and no other body parts were ever found.

Now a leg has turned up on the shores of Lake Michigan near Chicago in the USA. Local authorities have announced that they intend to subject the limb to an external examination to find out more.

I’m sure it must be more than that, but it does sound as if somebody is simply going to take a look at it: “Hey, it’s a leg!

Whadda we do next?”

www.divErNEt.com

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Wreckfinder_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:11 Page 25

UK WRECK DIVER

SO YOU WANT TO BE A

WRECKFINDER You can go where the skippers take you, or you can branch out on your own – SHANE WASIK provides 10 key pointers to becoming a wreck detective

I

DROPPED DOWN THE SHOTLINE in great visibility, and the ghostly shape of the wreck appeared. I felt a rush of excitement. Our hard work had paid off – no-one had seen this wreck since the day it had sunk.

Reaching this point had involved months of work, sifting through books, sinking reports, captains’ logs and information from fishermen, mixed with a small pinch of luck!

Now we were being rewarded with a pristine site covered in artefacts – a time capsule from the past.

The only thing we recovered from the wreck was the bell, brought to the surface to confirm the identification.

Nothing else was taken.

At the surface, the name on the bell, Kilsyth, didn’t match anything in mainstream books. Sometimes even raising a bell off a wreck isn’t enough to confirm its identify.

In this instance, it is likely that when the ship changed owners, the new name was never inscribed onto the bell. We had to dig through the books again for a while.

The vessel turned out to be the ss Burnstone, a World War One steamer that was torpedoed by UB62 and now lay in around 50m of water, 40 miles from Eyemouth.

Diving wrecks in the UK can be very easy. You book your spot with a local charter operator or dive shop, or just turn up on a club trip.

You take your gear down to the boat, load up and away you go. Plop into the water, down the shot, big rusty bits with marine life. Perfect!

Sometimes an easy dive is all you need – enough to get a pressure fix without having to think about it too ☛

MARK JARVIS

Pictured: Porthole on the ss Exmouth.

Wreckfinder_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:12 Page 26

much. However, in my opinion there are only so many times you will want to dive the same sites and the same wrecks with the same folk.

What I am advocating is a bit of oldfashioned research and a bit of effort. I guarantee that the rewards are sweet!

Wreck-diving for me has always been about discovery. Growing up around an iron-bottomed coastline, the many tales of war from books, relatives and friends all fuelled my explorations of local relics and buildings.

Once I started my diving career as a teenager, I was able to explore the other realm and find those hidden underwater time capsules. As I progressed in years and experience, the stories took on new meaning. More information became available – along with GPS and the Internet.

I wonder how many people would consider diving an open-water wreck with nothing but land transits nowadays? That used to be a regular occurrence, but we did find the wrecks, and we did dive them!

Although perhaps I’ve just put all the dives on the seabed around HMS Vicinity to the back of my mind.

The old ways have now been forgotten, and well-known wrecks are visited regularly by divers. Just round the corner, however, there could be another wreck, perhaps an undiscovered one, or one off the beaten track.

We do have some 60,000 wrecks around the British Isles, so we’re not short of subjects.

It also depends on what you define as a wreck. Do you count things like bottle dives, which can be a bit of a rummage, or even car wrecks in quarries? Or the likes of flooded mines, where the

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workings have lain in situ from the day the pumps were turned off or broke down.

Once you start thinking about how they ended up in their present position, they take on a whole new relevance.

Just remember that all parts of a wreck and its cargo belong to someone, so if you do find one, before lifting anything you should consider whether it is really necessary and how it will be restored, and report it to the relevant authority – the Receiver of Wreck!

You can find information about wrecks in a variety of ways, but no single source is likely to find you a wreck – you usually have to piece together different bits of information.

Here is my Top 10 guide to ways to go about research that will help you to solve the puzzle:

Left: The bell from the Burnstone – though it is marked Kilsyth.

2. Reference libraries

Above: Bollards on the Burnstone.

Below right: Using books and charts to help identify an unknown wreck.

Although having huge archives to study might seem daunting, there are many institutions and libraries around the UK that can provide both historical and location information.

Documents such as sinking reports and accident investigations can break down the last actions of skippers or movements of vessels, and these can be plotted on modern charts to get you homing in on a specific location.

Old newspapers and image libraries are also useful, especially if wrecks are

1. Books

A number of wreck dive guides are available, and don’t think that because they are mainstream publications they don’t hold golden information.

Many of these guides refer to hard-toreach or interesting wrecks that are included for interest only.

Books written a few decades ago didn’t benefit from the resources we have nowadays, and there may have been little chance of getting to the wrecks mentioned.

Sometimes the authors might not have visited the wrecks themselves but still undertook a lot of research, so this can give you a good starting point.

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Wreckfinder_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:14 Page 27

UK WRECK DIVER close to shore and you can perhaps identify a pattern of rocks.

In my own research, after doing a large-scale archaeological survey on the wreck of the ss Taupo I went in search of documents in a reference library.

Not only did I find reference material but also letters from the late 1800s.

These discussed the shipping deals and ship specification at the time. To see the vessel’s name written on a 130-year-old document written in fountain pen after all those hours of research and diving surveys was unbelievable – hairs on the back of your neck stuff!

3. Charts & OS maps Don’t overlook these important documents, because sometimes even the names of local features give clues to the location of wrecks.

Names such as Frenchman’s Rocks or Port na Spaniagh refer to previous shipwrecks, in these cases those of the French fleet driven onto Islay rocks in 1760, and the Spanish Armada ship Girona, which sank in 1588.

The latter was famous for recovered treasure near the Giant’s Causeway, on the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland.

submarines (above), so sometimes you can dive a wreck without the diving part.

I’ve often thought about diving these wrecks when the tide comes in, just to compare the experience with walking along the beach and looking at them!

Local information doesn’t even have to come from human beings. Recently we found the wreck of the ss Meldon on south Mull by watching an otter hunting. It marked the wreck for us by sitting on top of the exposed part of the stern-post, which sticks up only a few centimetres above the water.

Who needs GPS?

5. Fishermen Above: The wreck of the Meldon – an otter marks the spot, though don’t count on it!

4. Local information Sometimes the best information comes from locals, especially in remote areas of the country. I’ve even found information hanging on the wall of a local pub!

You can also find wrecks on beaches, ranging from fishing-boats to midget

Never underestimate how much information fishermen possess. They know the exact whereabouts of wrecks, either because they make a good area for pots (that is, lots of crabs and lobsters)

or because they are places to avoid when trawling.

Although you need to win a bit of trust to glean such information, these hardy folk know the sea like the backs of their hands. A few cans of beer or helping to recover lost gear will often pay dividends in your quest for info.

6. Exploration

After all your research you may still not be sure where the wreck is, and that’s when you have to just go for a look.

You might think that interesting wreck dives have to be miles offshore in pristine conditions. However, some of my most interesting dives have been in shallow water and at obscure locations.

I’ve walked a couple of kilometres to shore-dive wrecks, just going by shoreline transits. I have even hiked 125 miles to dive a remote highland loch while looking for things (above), although in that case I must admit that I was greeted with 25m blue water and didn’t find anything.

Even unusual sites such as rivers can be really interesting, especially around built-up areas.

Another recent dive of mine was in a river plunge pool during low rainfall.

The vis was again excellent, but ☛ www.divErNEt.com

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UK WRECK DIVER

screen. The deeper the wreck the harder this gets, with every image needing to be stronger and backed up.

This is for serious missions only, but this hi-tech approach is sometimes the only way of getting solid wreck marks.

the only things I found were rounded river stones (above).

As it was Easter, I took a lovely eggshaped one home as a present. It wasn’t rusty, but at least it kept the peace!

9. Admiralty & Hydrographic Office

You can pay for information from hydrographic surveys, which include wreck marks. While some of these details are accurate, including information about wreck size and seabed type, from personal experience

8. Sidescan & magnetometer survey Scanners are serious toys, and while there are some that are diver-friendly if you want the best equipment you need to go to the companies that hire it out.

Armed with this gear, you then need a suitable boat and skipper with survey experience.

Even then, you need to be able to analyse and interpret the data you are getting out of the sensors. It’s not just a case of seeing a wreck pop out on the

28

Above: A diver inspects a wheel on a ’Cart Wreck’.

Below: Looking for identity clues in the ’Upside-Down Wreck’.

7. Old divErs!

How can we forget all the great wreck articles written by John Liddiard and others? These are a great source of information – probably the easiest way is to look through Divernet.com!

Above left: American Export Lines crockery from an unknown wreck.

there is quite a large margin of error.

Finding a wreck 20m deeper than reported, for instance, is not great when you are committed to specific trimix gases. However, these reports are just another part of the toolkit.

10. Luck Putting all the pieces together, getting out there in decent weather, having all the correct marks, diving equipment working, perfect vis and ambient light, all play a part in finding that holy grail.

It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does it makes up for all the hard work and effort. Good luck with your own missions! There is plenty out there still to be discovered.

CONTACTS ✹ Data on more than 140,000 wrecks www.wrecksite.eu ✹ Hydrographic Office for official enquiries, charts and wreck positions www.ukho.gov.uk ✹ National Maritime Museum www.rmg.co.uk/researchers ✹ Survey equipment hire www.gsrentals.co.uk ✹ Receiver of Wreck www.dft.gov.uk/mca, email row@mcga.gov.uk or call 02380 329474 ✹ Wreck articles www.divernet.com

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Cressi (Giotto) – 08_13_Full Page Bleed 14/06/2013 14:47 Page 1

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Portugal_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:17 Page 30

OCEAN REVIVAL In Portugal one man’s vision is bequeathing divers an array of cleaned-up military wrecks. He hopes their appeal can overcome any objections about weather and visibility and help to make the country a diver magnet. JOHN BANTIN attends the latest sinking

T

HERE WAS A LOUD BANG,

a violent crack; an explosion so loud it shook the windows a couple of miles away in the coastal town of Alvor. Three massive balls of flame rose in quick succession into the air above the ship. A helicopter hovered overhead.

“Pobres diablos! ” (Poor devils!), exclaimed a naïve bystander on the shore, thinking that it was a disaster in the making.

Meanwhile, out at sea, the hundred eyes of those privileged enough to be close to the action in a flotilla of small

30

boats were concentrating on what was happening next.

A series of muffled explosions, accompanied by violent gushes of water all around what had been the pride of the Portuguese Navy, signalled the start of the last stage of a journey to the bottom. That journey had started when the vessel was built in Nantes, France, for General Salazar’s Portugal in 1966.

The Hermengildo Capelo F481 was a João Belo-class frigate, named after a late 19th century Portuguese explorer and naval officer who had established some of the African colonies for

Portugal, helping to chart territory between Angola and Mozambique in southern Central Africa unknown to Europeans in the 1870s and ’80s.

During the 1960s, the Portuguese would have preferred to acquire British Leander-class frigates, but the British government was having none of that – though in fact the class of frigate was very similar to what the Royal Navy was using at the time.

Retired British matelots, standing and watching from the shore, were heard to wrongly assure people that it was actually a Leander-class vessel.

General Salazar, the country’s leader, was maintaining one of the last remaining Fascist dictatorships in Europe, and World War Two was still fresh in everyone’s minds.

The French were less choosy, and took the money. Identical to the Commandant Rivière-class, with extra equipment for tropical climates, four ships were ordered at a time when Portugal was still intent on defending her territories in Macau and Timor in the Far East, as well as those in Africa such as Angola and Mozambique.

Later, when the vessels were no longer needed, two were sold to the Uruguayan Navy. Another collided with a tanker during a NATO exercise and was soon scrapped.

Portugal_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:18 Page 31

WRECK DIVER

THE WRECK WAS MUCH THE SAME AS WE’D SEEN THE DAY BEFORE, ONLY A LOT WETTER

Pictured: The wheelhouse of the frigate and (inset left) Alberto from the underwater museum in the same place the day before.

The last remaining frigate, the Hermengildo Capelo, displaced 27,000 tonnes, was 102m long and had a beam of 12m. She had a maximum speed of almost 24 knots and a range of 7500 nautical miles.

Between 1987 and 1989 she was modernised in various ways, including installation of anti-submarine warfare equipment and infrastructure that would allow for female sailors among up to 164 crew-members. She was decommissioned in 2004.

On the day of the sinking on 15 June this year, Portuguese officialdom was out in force. Impressive high-speed patrol boats from its Navy, the coastguard and the marine police buzzed about importantly, keeping vessels laden with observers at least 500m away from the frigate.

A foreign journalist noted that with so much wonderful marine hardware, it was no wonder the country had found itself in a balance-of-payments crisis.

Unbeknown to the British journalists watching aboard the SubNauta luxury catamaran, members of the Portuguese press and TV transferred from the catamaran to one of the SubNauta’s big inflatable RIBs and were allowed to approach within 50m.

The rest of us were left feeling very jealous, and reduced to photographing events with telephoto lenses.

Geysers of water gushed upwards around the wreck as the big holes blown in the sides of the hull by the explosive charges took effect. Soon she started ☛

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Portugal_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:19 Page 33

WRECK DIVER

to settle. There was no sign of a list. The 1700 tonnes of concrete that had been added to the lower part of her hull was taking effect, and she simply lay lower in the water.

Soon the gaping holes, cut in her sides for the benefit of diver safety, were dipping below the water, and it was all over. She silently slipped below the surface before plunging, as that huge mass of metal would do once deprived of its buoyancy, and crashing to the seabed 30m below.

The Hermengildo Capelo had simply disappeared. She had been there but now she was no more. We divers knew differently.

THIS PROJECT HAD STARTED six years previously – Luis Sa Couto had a dream.

The Algarve is known for its golf courses and fabulous restaurants with the Portuguese version of tapas and adventurous menus. It’s known for its spas and its sandy beaches, but he wanted to make it a primary diving destination too.

As a very successful businessman, he had the wherewithal to try to do it. He built in Portimão the finest diving centre probably anywhere in the world.

As big as a department store, SubNauta has a showroom, lecture rooms and presentation room, a huge and over-equipped equipment room, technical diving facilities and luxurious changing rooms with showers of the standard expected in a first-class hotel.

Despite this apparent luxury,

www.divErNEt.com

SubNauta still offers competitive prices with a two-tank dive to distant sites, complete with a surface-interval snack of a ham and cheese sandwich and hot soup or coffee, that costs only around 75 euros.

Luis has employed the services of divers such as New Zealander Grant Searancke, who some of you might have known when he was a dive guide on the liveaboards Excel and Hurricane in the Red Sea, and Gary Fox, the well-known smiling Yorkshireman who runs a technical diving centre in Helston, Cornall.

He bought two huge Tornado RIBs, one with twin inboard diesels, luxury seating and even a cabin, and a slightly smaller one driven by twin 250hp Honda outboards.

As if that wasn’t enough, he commissioned a luxurious 18m motorcatamaran that provides a very stable platform from which to dive, as well as cabins and toilet facilities. It’s one of the nicest day-boats you could imagine, and also functions as a liveaboard for threeday charters out to a remote sea-mount.

Luis even got small compressors built in to give it diving autonomy.

The only problem he encountered with his plan was that, except for the cannons and anchors left from the 1759 Battle of Lagos, when the British fleet destroyed the French fleet, plus a couple of other inauspicious wrecks, the Algarve didn’t really have much on which to dive.

A little problem like that was not

Pictured: A leopard shark Above: The dramatised sinking of the frigate Hermengildo Capelo.

enough to stop a man like Luis Sa Couto. He had the contacts, and he campaigned to persuade the Portuguese government to donate a flotilla of obsolete military ships to form an underwater attraction.

It took six years of battling with bureaucracy. This was a project that had never been done before and nobody knew what or who was needed to give it the go-ahead. ☛

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Portugal_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:19 Page 34

Luis argued that these vessels had served the nation well and could go on serving the nation by attracting divers to the area, rather than simply being sold for their scrap value. He’s not a man to take no for an answer.

The British Government took the short-term accounting option when it came to the disposal of our own Ark Royal, which was sold for its scrap value despite a campaign to have it sunk both for the benefit of leisure divers and as a nursery for increasing fish stocks in our

Pictured: A leopard shark Below left: The frigate was prepared for sinking under close military scrutiny.

Below: The vessel’s forward gun.

waters (what a pity we had no Luis Sa Couto of our own).

The Hermengildo Capelo was only one of four vessels prepared environmentally and with diver safety in mind.

The same Canadian experts who had sunk many vessels in their own waters and off the USA, as well as the Scylla, the wrecked frigate now enjoyed by so many British divers off Plymouth, took care of the project.

We were shown around the frigate by Alberto from the Underwater Museum in the marina at Portimão, the day before she was due to be sent to her watery resting-place.

The Canadians were busy installing numerous GoPro cameras that would record those last moments, as well as the explosive charges and wiring needed to set it all off, while Alberto showed us how all the internal partitioning had been removed, together with all the original installation wiring of the vessel.

Holes had been cut so that there was always a visual escape route from any part of the vessel in which a diver might find himself.

The engine-room was now a spacious and uncluttered area, but one of the engine’s pistons had been reinstalled atop the engine block.

The same went for the stern steering room, where a large wrench hung exhibition-style from the roof.

The emergency treadle electricity generators for the rudder were still in place. The formerly cluttered radio-

room had had most of its equipment removed so that there was no danger of a diver getting fouled up and trapped, and only a few representative items had been left in place.

Even the helm in the wheelhouse had been moved from its protected military position to a more normal commercialvessel location.

Of course, the vessel had been cleaned of all noxious materials such as asbestos, PCBs and hydrocarbons.

ONE TRIUMPH OVER bureaucracy had been to retain the forward-mounted gun and its remote control positions.

This was the main armament of the frigate, along with its anti-ship Exocet missiles. Because of this and the fact that explosives were supplied by the Portuguese military, the Navy oversaw the whole preparation process. We were aware of the watchful eyes of men in uniform as we toured the vessel.

When I asked Alberto how resistance to the more immediate cash benefit of scrapping the vessel had been overcome, especially in lean economic times, he pointed out that the preparation process had employed more men for a far greater time than would have been the case if the vessel had simply been cut up.

The frigate had served its nation well, and now it would continue to serve it by attracting people to see it under the sea.

The Hermengildo Capelo was the third vessel sunk in an area designated as a marine park, a no-take zone for fishermen, between the Portimao and Lagos river mouths.

The first two were sunk on the same day in October 2012. They were the 85m corvette Oliveira e Carmo and the 44m ocean patrol vessel Zambesi.

The 64m Almeido Carvalho A57A, a hydrographic research vessel, icebreaker and ex-US spy ship donated to the Portuguese during the Cold War, was due to be sunk on 21 September.

Soon after the frigate disappeared beneath the waves, a team of naval divers surveyed the wreck where it lay, checking that all the explosive charges had successfully detonated and removing any that had not.

It was then declared safe for leisure divers, and we were among the first the go down the following morning.

I WAS SURPRISED TO NOTE that most of my fellow-divers were wearing semidry suits, whereas a couple of us, including Alberto and one of the SubNauta guides, had come with drysuits.

Even a couple of Brits who should have known better were wearing semidrys. I wished I’d brought more layers of

34

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MARINEDIVER LIFE WRECK

undersuit, because the water was a spine chilling 14°C, the same as one might expect on the Scylla, and the visibility was about the same too.

With two big river-mouths discharging close by, and numerous tidal lagoons along the coast, one could hardly expect the water to be clear. In fact it was a very British diving experience.

I headed down the line and was almost on top of that enormous gun before I was able to see it. Thank goodness for cameras with fish-eye lenses. Without one I would have got nothing but extreme close-up pictures.

Instead, I was able to swim around the outside of the wreck and get shots of details such as the outside gun control and command positions, as well as the gun itself.

When it came to heading inside the wreck, I realised that the exercise was

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Pictured: A leopard shark Above: The remote controls for the frigate’s gun remain in place.

Above right: Wheelhouse door of the corvette Oliveira e Carmo.

Below: Deck detail of the corvette.

slightly pointless, in that I had already photographed most of it the day before when it was still afloat.

I was merely replicating what I’d already done, but added the degree of difficulty that the poorer visibility provided.

We were too early for any marine animals to have taken up residence, and indeed the banners proclaiming the SubNauta project were still tied in place.

It was interesting to see how the tremendous impact with the seabed had bent rails and sent previously installed cabinets flying, but otherwise the wreck was much the same as we’d seen the day before, only a lot wetter.

THE DESCENT LINE WAS TIED near the gun on the bow. I made my way to the stern, where a number of large anchors and huge chains had been lashed in place during the sinking. Later a team of divers can install them so that the wreck resists being moved by winter storms.

This had been a lesson learned from the previous sinkings. The corvette had hit the seabed stern-first, severing that part of the vessel. Storms had then moved it a long way across the seabed, presumably a few inches at a time, so the two parts were now well separated.

However, a dive on the wreck of the corvette proved more productive, in that it had been submerged for nine months and was now home to numerous small fish and a few oceanic triggerfish that gathered round the masthead.

Not only that, but for some reason the visibility was much better!

Today, the Algarve has become a favourite with Brits living and

holidaying abroad. Portugal has had a long association with Britain, and many locals have made it their business to learn English, so it’s a comfortable place for us to visit.

Luis pointed out that the Algarve is only really busy in the peak summer months, and that accommodation is inexpensive, yet still of high quality in both spring and autumn. He hopes that divers will make it their business to visit and do some British-style diving on the military wrecks that have been sunk for this Ocean Revival Project.

FACT FILE GETTING THERE8 Budget flights to Faro.

DIVING & ACCOMMODATION8 SubNauta, www.subnauta.pt.

Hotel Tivoli Marina de Portimão 4*, www.tivolihotels.com. Pestana Alvor Atlântico Residences apartments, www.pestana.com WHEN TO GO8 Summer months.

CURRENCY8Euro.

PRICES8 SubNauta dive tours range from 180-360 euros pp for a threenight weekend including B&B hotel (3-5* options) and four dives with full equipment and nitrox (if certified).

Return flights from around £70.

FURTHER INFORMATION8 www.oceanrevival.org/en, www.visitalgarve.pt, www.algarvepromotion.pt

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DIVE 2013 MARINE LIFE

THE BUILD-UP BEGINS Top-drawer entertainment is lined up for the year’s big event at the NEC over the weekend of 26-27 October

O

RGANISED FOR MORE THAN 20 years by divEr, the Dive Shows attract thousands of divers keen to check out the hundreds of exhibitors offering diving holidays and equipment, training and much more.

Everything and everybody under the sun can be found around the aisles and in themed areas such as the ASIA-PACIFIC SHOWCASE, CARIBBEAN VILLAGE, BRITISH ISLES EXPERIENCE, PHOTOZONE and NEW PRODUCTS SHOWCASE. Visitors have the chance to interact with a stellar line-up of speakers on the main divEr STAGE, the CENTRE STAGE and, in a rolling programme of seminars, the two OCEAN THEATRES.

DIVING MYSTERIES… MONTY HALLS has spent much of this year in prime international locations for his new TV series Dive Mysteries. As this has involved some serious diving, he assembled a team of top divers to accompany him.

The plan is that they will also join him on the main divEr STAGE for a joint presentation, so stand by for great footage and to hear not only from Monty but from three other popular speakers, ANDY TORBET, RICH STEVENSON and KEVIN GURR. You'll also get the chance to put your questions to this heavyweight line-up (Rich, Monty and Andy pictured below).

What's more, Monty hopes to have at the Show his new pride and joy, a LAND ROVER modified by the manufacturer to make it ideal for diving expeditions.

Everyone will want to inspect it!

…DIVING MYTHS

TDI/SDI Instructor Trainer MARK POWELL plans to address some of the most widely believed, and in some cases most dangerous, myths about diving.

Some of what he describes as myth is still commonly taught by many training agencies, so this talk is bound to generate discussion and controversy. But if you have heard Mark speak before, you’ll know that this talk is bound to be fascinating, thought-provoking and entertaining.

Find out whether what you believe about how to make your diving safer is true or myth.

www.diveshows.co.uk

WOW, THAT’S REALLY FREE! MARCUS GREATWOOD and his NOTANX APNEA team up the ante yet again by offering visitors a complete freedive course – for free!

Over an hour you can take part in stretching and oxygen-efficiency sessions and the popular FREEDIVE EXPERIENCE, where you can test your new-found body awareness.

The course may indicate an aptitude for freediving or show scuba-divers how to improve breathing technique and gas consumption. It’s first come, first served, so contact NoTanx soon.

For folk keen to get more involved, the NoTanx Zero 2 Hero contest aims to turn volunteer non-freedivers into international event competitors in a week, with an Egyptian Red Sea trip as the prize. Finalists will be put through their paces at DIVE 2013. All this plus breath-hold demos, www.NoTanx.com

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DIVE 2013

WHALE SHARK SCREENING

STUART GARDINER

JOHN BOYLE‘s latest documentary film, The Global Whale Shark Mystery, is to be screened for the first time at DIVE 2013.

Boyle won both first and second prize awards at the recent Our World Underwater Chicago event, for a short version of his popular The Sea's Strangest Square Mile about Lembeh Strait and for the new whale shark film, so don't miss this chance to see it for yourself.

British cave-diver CHRIS JEWELL recently led an expedition to Mexico's Huautla system that established the cave as the deepest in the Western hemisphere.

The seven-week adventure involved assembling his diving gear on a perilous platform suspended over a deep swirling pool, towing camping supplies through a 600m underwater tunnel, sleeping underground for up to 10 days at a time and making deco dives at a point once called the "most remote yet reached inside the Earth".

Find out what it's like to organise an expedition on this huge scale.

Another great name in British cave-diving, MARTYN FARR, finally published his longawaited guide to European dive sites, Classic Darksite Diving, this year. Now he is continuing to explore systems in New Zealand, Pozo Azul in Spain, southern Ireland and elsewhere.

Appearing on the Centre Stage, he promises excellent video and stills footage that will light up the darker parts of his underwater world.

MUSTARD & EDGE RETURN PHOTOZONE host SAEED RASHID has big plans up his sleeve for speakers on all matters photo- and videographic appearing on the CENTRE STAGE. Top of the bill will be a dynamic duo reunited. ALEX MUSTARD and MARTIN EDGE are the godfathers of the UK underwater photography scene, and their theme will be what to shoot and what to ignore while diving to produce the best shots, whatever camera system you use.

Look out too for international photo-guru MICHAEL AW, and a videographer whose advice went down well at this year's London Show, SIMON GARDENER. You can inspect, discuss and buy cameras and accessories in the PhotoZone, and BRITISH SOCIETY OF UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS experts will be offering one-to-one advice.

WET WET WET Qualified divers are invited to hit the REBREATHER POOL to test the latest in the ever-growing array of CE-marked CCRs, while the non-qualified of all ages can make a splash with scuba in the SCUBA PURSUITS TRY-DIVE POOL. There are likely to be breath-holding freedivers in the mix, too!

38

Booking DIVE 2013 tickets in advance saves you money.

You pay only £9.50 instead of £12.50 at the door, and £8.50 if you book six or more tickets. Just go to www.diveshows.co.uk

JOHN BANTIN

WIN!

ON THE DARK SIDE

£8000 Philippines dive trip for two!

ONE LUCKY DIVE 2013 ticket-holder will be able to take a companion on a 10night all-inclusive luxury liveaboard dive safari experience in the Philippines, if his or her name is pulled out in the Grand Prize Draw.

Round-trip air tickets from the UK are provided courtesy of MALAYSIA AIRLINES, and domestic flights, inland transfers and overnight stays in Manila and Cebu courtesy of TRIPS TRAVEL. The prize offered by WORLDWIDE DIVE AND SAIL is a trip on Philippine Siren, with a choice of two seasonal itineraries (to be taken between November 2013 and October 2014): 1. South Visayas (June-November). Departing from and returning to Mactan, Cebu, this cruise visits the islands of Cabilao and Balicasag, noted for their steep reef walls dotted with seafans and sponges, home to turtles, jack, barracuda and many critters. You can dive Apo Island, noted as one of the Philippines' most successful marine sanctuaries, as well as the dark sand slopes of Dauin for the wide variety of life found there, including frogfish, seahorses and ghost pipefish.

Also on the itinerary is Pescador, an island where sardines have been known to attract thresher sharks and whale sharks sometimes call in.

2. Batangas via Apo Reef to the wrecks of Coron (November-February). Departing from either Coron or Batangas, this cruise includes diving at Anilao, the Philippines' muck-diving capital. Promised are reef walls full of soft corals, nudibranchs and many other macro subjects.

Apo Reef is a hang-out for sharks, turtles, barracuda and sometimes manta rays. At Coron Bay, 12 Japanese WW2 wrecks have so far been located in diveable depths, and there is also a chance to dive in the freshwater Barracuda Lake and look for dugongs on the reefs around Busuanga.

Waiting aboard Philippine Siren along with accommodation, all meals and refreshments will be free nitrox and basic dive gear. You can find out more about the liveaboard at www.worldwidediveandsail.com and www.blueotwo.com.

Don't miss your chance of the trip of a lifetime!

Terms & conditions apply

www.diveshows.co.uk

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THE BASICS OF

BEING A WHALE Learning to behave like a grown-up whale is an intriguing process, and BRUCE & SANJA SHAFER were lucky enough to get a glimpse of it in the eastern Pacific

O

N OUR WAY TO SOCORRO, we were delighted by dolphins riding our bow wake, and thrilled by humpback whales breaching in the distance. Some of us envisioned haunting whale songs piercing the silence of our dives. We couldn’t begin to fathom the rare treat that awaited us.

Set a course 250 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and in 23 hours you will arrive in the Revillagidedo Islands commonly referred to as “Socorro”.

At Roca Partida, a single rock pinnacle 70 miles from the nearest island, several adult humpback whales were surfacing so near that we felt the boat rock – the sound of their gasps resonated in our ears.

On spotting a mother humpback with her calf we scrambled into the pangas with our fins and snorkels to attempt to catch an underwater glimpse.

Strangely, this mother humpback wasn't threatened, alarmed or annoyed by our presence.

So we had ample opportunity over the next two days to be entertained and delighted as she taught her newborn the “Basics of Being a Whale”.

Whales are mammals, like humans.

And like humans, whales breathe air.

However, by living in the ocean, whales need to plan their breathing and learn how to breathe efficiently.

And, like freedivers, young whales need to train to hold their breath for extended periods of time.

Being less than 6m in length, this neophyte whale would effortlessly rise to the surface for a breath.

Lots of splashing on the surface appeared to be playfulness, but may have actually been clumsiness.

40

As its young, one-ton body was mostly baby-fat, the calf was simply too buoyant. And, much like an underweighted diver, the calf would need to raise its tail and kick down to its mother waiting 18m below.

The calf would then gently slide underneath and wedge itself under its mother's chin. The mother cradled the baby between her two long, wing-like flippers. Her weight prevented the pair from ascending to the surface while the calf practised holding its breath for as long as it could.

Both mammals would remain motionless, conserving energy for several minutes. At times it was funny viewing the duo from the surface, because it appeared that the calf was resting in the mother's mouth.

THE CALF WOULD COME to the surface three or four times before the mother needed another breath, and many times the playful calf would check out the enamoured snorkellers waiting there during their surface intervals.

During this time the youngster would

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WHALE DIVER

Pictured and right: Lessons in breathing and navigation continued in plain sight of the awestruck snorkellers.

Left: Using smooth, powerful strokes, the whales could quickly put distance between themselves and the humans if they wanted.

come very close to us, making it possible to see the curiosity in its eye.

Whenever the mother needed a breath, the duo would gently swim off to another location near the pinnacle.

Using smooth, powerful strokes, mother and child would leave the awestruck snorkellers far behind.

At other times it seemed that a navigation certification was being earned as the mother would take the calf several thousand metres away from Roca Partida in many different directions, only to have the calf navigate the couple back to the pinnacle.

During those occasions, some

fortunate divers were able to see the couple swim by in the deep.

The calf seemed to be a quick learner.

I am not sure what other standards still needed to be met, but I feel confident that in the 8-11 months while it is being weaned, this beginner will earn a “Full Whale Certification”.

When you do a lot of diving, it is very easy to slip into a “been there, done that” frame of mind. Interacting with these magnificent and majestic creatures would rejuvenate and humble even the most veteran diver. We all felt very fortunate to be able to experience this, perhaps, once-in-a-lifetime event.

41

SOCORRO 2014

Rocio Del Mar liveaboard ‘Exclusive Tours’ 15-30 Mar & 19-29 May* * May is manta season!

Read our 2013 Trip Report www.scubascuba.com/news Other departures available on a tailor-made basis – just ask!

01284 748010 info@scubascuba.com www.scubascuba.com

divErNEt.com … it’s where divers click!

042_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 02/07/2013 11:47 Page 042

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MEXICO DIVER

YUCATAN

ROAD TRIP

Massed eagle rays in big currents, stony-faced crowds and an annoyingly compliant turtle – that’s just the first stop on NIGEL WADE’s week-long Mexican jaunt

T

Pictured: Eagle rays in the strong current off the starboard side of the wreck.

HE CURRENT WAS STRONG, really strong. My regulator and mask rattled as the fast-moving water ripped around my head.

Exhaled bubbles formed an almost horizontal stream as they were whipped away from my exhaust ports.

My big camera housing felt as if it weighed a ton, making my arm muscles burn just with the effort of holding it in front of me. The line on my current hook was as taut as a guitar string. It held me in position, however, the hook firmly wedged into the upper superstructure of the wreck.

Why was I suffering this onslaught?

Why wasn’t I nestled in the relative calm of slack water in the hold, with the more sensible divers in the group?

Eagle rays. As many as 25 big specimens were effortlessly holding their position off the starboard bow.

Their white underbellies were visible as they hovered in the water above the sandy seabed.

They stayed just out of camera range, and I knew the only hope for a decent shot was to get below them on the sand away from the wreck.

I signalled for my buddy John to join me, but he decided to stay in position and video my antics instead.

It was a crazy moment, unhooking and descending to the seabed to let the current take me. My theory was that I could swing in an arc from my position on the bow, arriving at the stern in slack water when the job was done.

All went well, except for the final shots as the rays just tipped their wings and drifted further out. Doh! I arrived safely at the stern to reunite with John. Most of the rest of the group were surrounded by a large shoal of silver snapper, tightly packed and moving in synchronised harmony in the cargo hold.

We were on the wreck of the former Mexican mine detector C-58 Anaya.

It lay in 25m, broken in two by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 just a few miles from the coast of Cancun on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

I had joined John Spencer-Ades of tour operator The Scuba Place as he led a party of divers on a “discovery road trip” around the popular Mexican ☛

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"spring break" resorts of Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.

It had started well. At Gatwick we had our own dedicated check-in at the Virgin Atlantic desk and an overgenerous hold baggage allowance of 46kg plus carry-ons.

So we had no worries about dive and camera kit, and could even take some clothes, a rarity these days.

CANCUN Our first stop was Cancun's Moon Palace resort, a huge luxury complex a few miles from what is said to be the planet's largest dive centre, Aqua World. Manager Juan Cardona and Gabriela (Gabby) Chavez had been assigned to guide us around selected Yucatan sites.

After the adrenaline rush on the wreck it was a relief to dive somewhere

44

a little more sedate. We were greeted by a sea of faces staring unmoving into the blue water as we descended.

Concrete statues depicted people huddled together in groups. Cars had been cast in life-size detail and miniature houses and artistic sculptures dotted the seabed.

Shoals of grunt weaved their way through the artworks; Caribbean angelfish and wrasse picked away at algal growth on the man-made surfaces; seastars and urchins clung to the chests of road-sweepers and mothers with their children.

We were at the Museo Subacuatico de

Arte (MUSA), an underwater museum created by British expatriate Jason deCaires Taylor. Rated in Forbes as one of the top 10 places to visit, the installation consist of 495 statues and Jason continues to add more.

In an average depth of 8m we could relax and enjoy his wonderful creations on this "dive with a difference".

The offshore reefs were our next underwater destination, at sites with varying topography, depth and diversity.

The Cancun reefs I would describe as typically Caribbean; a flattish seabed with rock and hard-coral bommies and

Yucatan_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:34 Page 45

MEXICO MARINEDIVER LIFE

sandy areas stretching like fingers through the ridges and gullies.

Sponges grew everywhere in differing forms and hues, from tubes and barrels to carpets that covered most of the small coral outcrops. Muted brown, red, pink, purple, yellow and orange sponge growth interspersed with blue finger sponges provided a Technicolor backdrop for diver portraits.

Small purple gorgonians swayed in the swell. Groups of yellow- and bluestriped snapper sheltered from predators and the current in small hollows and gorges.

The elegant Lucy Agace posed for me above a huge shoal of striped French grunts while the other divers joined a huge hawksbill turtle that was happy to swim and pose with the divers.

"Did you see those turtles, Nige?" asked Ian Greenfield later. "There were at least three," said Rob Taylor. "Do you want to see my photos?" added Andy Alfred.

"No I didn't", "no there weren't" and "no, I don't" were my replies as I effected not to care, yet kept pondering the lost opportunity.

Our road-trip party continued to Cozumel that evening, and as a minibus carried us to the ferry-port at Playa del Carmen spirits were high, even though we were all jaded by jet-lag and some

www.divErNEt.com

Above, from left: A banker buries his head in the sand, and an urchin tags on to a roadsweeper, exhibits at Jason deCaires Taylor’s sculpture park.

Left: Dive-guide Gabby over a vibrant Cozumel reef.n \ Below right: French grunts gather in the hold of the C-58 Anaya wreck.shy humpback snapper.

intense diving over the first few days.

The bus stopped a quarter of a mile away from the port, unable to get closer because of construction work. We would have to carry our bags to the check-in.

Suddenly that huge baggage allowance didn't seem such a good idea. However, working as a team we humped, bumped and dragged our kit across the building works to make the ferry on time.

COZUMEL Another Palace resort hotel, situated on the island of Cozumel off the Yucatan coast, was our base for the next three nights, complete with private beach and jetty. I reflected on our previous days' diving as I soaked my aching muscles in my suite's Jacuzzi.

I joined Dick Cullen and Richard Ward on the next dive. Richard is a

former British soldier who lost both legs after an IED exploded under his vehicle in Afghanistan. The severe injuries ended his career, but not his diving.

Dick is an instructor specialising in teaching less abled divers and leads the Deptherapy programme that gives injured troops the chance to get under water despite their injuries.

The Cozumel reefs differed from those we had visited in Cancun. A deep dropoff fringes the island, creating walls and spectacular topography.

Nutrient-rich currents wash over the reefs, providing the building-blocks for prolific coral and sponge growth along with high concentrations of fish and invertebrates.

Our first dive was at an offshore site near the drop-off. Richard removed his hi-tech carbon fibre and titanium prosthetics and lifted himself into the water from the boat's dive deck.

I was amazed at his dexterity as he used his hands to provide propulsion, his smile and bright eyes conveying the enjoyment that scuba diving can bring.

We followed our guide Gabby down the side of a wall full of life. The reef seemed more vibrant than those we had seen so far, pulsing with the activity of fish of different species, hues and sizes.

Vivid orange sponge growth resembling hot liquid lava covered most of the reef.

A large shoal of blue surgeonfish joined us, swarming to gorge on whatever algae they could find on the rocky outcrops, then moving on to satisfy their appetites elsewhere.

Brave little damselfish appeared from beneath them in a show of territorial defiance, trying in vain to protect their homes from the brief but persistent onslaught.

Moving over a large patch of sand we discovered a small guitar shark blending perfectly with its environment and waiting patiently for a potential meal to swim close enough to capture.

Eagle rays drifted by in the distance, ☛

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DISCOVER OVER

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Ăůů ŽƵƌ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ƚĞĂŵ ƚŽ ĮŶĚ ŽƵƚ ŵŽƌĞ

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Yucatan_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:35 Page 47

MEXICO MARINEDIVER LIFE

dipping to the seabed to forage for crustaceans in the sand. This was lunchtime on the Cozumel reefs.

We continued our reef exploration for the rest of the day. The sight of the diveboat in the distance as the sun neared the horizon signalled the end of the underwater activities, but the excited buzz on board indicated that everyone had enjoyed their day.

Above: Ex-soldier Richard ponders his next dive.

Right: Ian moves in on a guitar shark.

Below: Colourful backdrop for a diver portrait.

flooded inland cave systems instead.

The famous cenotes of the Yucatan mainland are a seemingly infinite system of porous limestone caves and tunnels. Formed by rainwater erosion millions of years ago, the whole landmass then dropped below sea-level, leaving the caves and tunnels under water.

Some of the roofs collapsed, leaving sink-holes. These were revered as sacred places by the Mayan people and provided their only freshwater source.

The stalactites and stalagmites that formed over the millennia provide spectacular topography, and in some places have joined up to form pillars.

Cave- and cavern-diving isn't for the unqualified, but there are parts of the systems that have been identified as suitable for recreational divers.

These sites have been thoroughly explored, mapped and the routes laid with guidelines.

One of the most popular and spectacular is Dos Ojos (Two Eyes). The surveyed extent of this cenote is around 51 miles but we would cover a mere 400m, following the guideline in an arc that would return us to the entrance.

Maximum depth would be 10m.

Steps carved out of the bedrock lead to a wooden deck and more steps into the water. Juan led the dive for Ryby, Lucy, John and I, while Gabby led the rest of the road-trip team. Further guides from our cenote hosts Squalo ☛

PLAYA DEL CARMEN We had planned to dive with the bull sharks normally found at this time of year off the coast of Playa del Carmen.

Divers were reported to have encountered them earlier in the week, though only in ones and twos instead of the usual dozen or so. None had been seen in recent days.

It seemed that sports and commercial fishermen had been engaging the bull sharks on rod and line, and the large predators had either been removed and killed or had simply moved on to a safer location.

There is growing concern for the welfare of these amazing animals in Mexico's Riviera Maya, with marine conservation groups campaigning for a total ban on shark fishing. We can only hope that their voices are heard.

Meanwhile the diving itinerary was hastily changed, and we agreed that the road trip should take in the peninsula's

www.divErNEt.com

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Yucatan_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:36 Page 48

MEXICO DIVER Divers brought up the rear, and for our safety they were all equipped with bailout, in the form of side-mounted tanks and spare regulators on long hoses.

The fresh water filtered through the limestone offers almost unlimited visibility. Saltwater fills the caves from the bottom as the systems are linked to the sea, and the transition produces a halocline.

Swimming through this is a strange affair, with the water seeming to shimmer like a mirage; the seawater is also warmer by about 6°C, making the whole experience strangely surreal.

Small freshwater cichlids joined us in the light-filled entrance as we followed the guideline into a dark tunnel.

Large caverns opened up in front of us, the stalactites and stalagmites resembling top and bottom sets of teeth – I felt as if I was swimming into a huge open crocodile's mouth.

Juan and I had been discussing my irrational fear of saltwater crocs over a few margaritas the night before. Even so, I was surprised to find a small plastic salty mauling a Barbie doll at our turnaround point. Juan had placed it there as a joke just before we arrived, and it certainly put a smile on my face.

Our final port of call was the Palace Resort and Spa at Playa del Carmen, situated on a white-sand beach just 100m from the ferry terminal.

Then it was back to Cancun to revisit the wreck and La MUSA. Four fabulous dives later, the setting sun was this time signifying an end to the week's activities.

It was a chance to enjoy the warmth from the beach as we off-gassed and reflected on what had been a hectic but thoroughly enjoyable Mexican road trip.

FACT FILE GETTING THERE8 Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick to Cancun, www.virgin-atlantic.com DIVING & ACCOMMODATION8 Wrecks and reefs: Aqua World Dive Centre Cancun, www.aquaworld. com.mx. Cenotes: Squalo Divers, www.squalodivers.com. 5* ultra-allinclusive Palace Resorts at Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen (pictured), www.palaceresorts.com.

WHEN TO GO8 Year round, though late August to early November is hurricane season and mid-to-late March brings crowds of US students partying through spring break.

Bull sharks can be present from November through to March and whale sharks from May to July. The climate is tropical, with warm winds and high humidity. In summer, air temperatures can rise to 40°C. Water temperature averages 28°C yearround, so a 3mm wetsuit is suitable, or a 5mm in the cooler cenotes.

Visibility is usually around 18-30m and far more in the cenotes.

CASH8Mexican pesos and US dollars. Be careful, because the $ sign is used for both currencies.

Above: Stalactites and stalagmites join forces to form pillars in Dos Ojos.

Below: Sunset over the dive-boat indicates margarita time

HEALTH8There are hyperbaric chambers in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum. Take mosquito repellent and high-factor sunscreen, www.sssnetwork.com PRICES8 The Scuba Place offers the same trip that Nigel Wade undertook for £1760 including flights, accommodation and two dives a day.

It can also provide bespoke itineraries and specialises in group bookings, www.thescubaplace.co.uk, 020 7644 8252 FURTHER INFORMATION8 www.visitmexico.com

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The Scuba Place (Mexico) – 08_13_Full Page Bleed 04/07/2013 11:05 Page 1

Mexico - Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen –

We’ve got it covered!

Stunning beaches, quality hotels and top quality diving – what could be better?

How about direct flights with up to 56kgs of baggage allowance in economy?!

CANCUN Wrecks, reefs, the fabulous underwater sculpture park La Musa, and schooling whalesharks, mantas and sailfish in June through August, too!

5* Ultra all inclusive spa hotels with in-room jacuzzis!

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN Ultra trendy beach resort with excellent diving, too – bull sharks from November to March, and fabulous reefs all year round.

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5* Ultra all inclusive hotels on the waterfront, in-room jacuzzis, on-site dive centre 7 nights from £1399pp 10 nights from £1239pp 14 nights from £1599pp Dive Club accommodation on the waterfront, and perfect for groups and club trips! Full board, 2 boat dives per day and unlimited house reef/shore diving all included!

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www.TheScubaPlace.co.uk Tel: 020 7644 8252

3101

Winners of the Virgin Atlantic Presidents’ Award in 2013

Over 1,000,000 UK Travel Customers voted

THE SAPHIR

WreckTour_175_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:38 Page 50

13 15 14 5

12 11 10 6

9 8

7 4

This steamship almost got through the Great War unscathed – then it met U94 off north Cornwall. JOHN LIDDIARD guides us through its broken remains in a tour illustrated by MAX ELLIS

Diver by the propeller.

W

ITH TYPICAL CORNISH north coast visibility and a wreck that, although well broken, lies pretty much in a straight line, our wreck this month is easy to navigate, though perhaps a little tricky to find, as it lies alongside a rocky reef.

Nevertheless, with GPS and a good eye on the echo-sounder, the distinctive shape of a boiler can be picked out, rising to 29m from a 32m seabed.

This is where Hutch and Andrew of the Harlyn Dive School drop the shot.

Some accounts give the Saphir as having two boilers, but this is actually a single main boiler (1) and a smaller donkey boiler (2). The donkey boiler was originally in a saddle configuration across the front of the main boiler, but now rests just forward of it, while the orientation of

the main boiler indicates that it has rolled to starboard.

A little further to starboard, a large section of hull-plate (3) lies flat to the seabed. Drawing a line aft from the inner edge of this plate, a section of crankshaft (4) has fallen well clear of the rest of the engine.

More sections of crankshaft and bearings (5) are closer in to where they would be expected, and together with other parts of the machinery actually hold up the port side of the hull enough to explore underneath.

Also spread all round this area are a tangle of fine condenser tubes (6).

It now becomes apparent that the wreck has fallen and then collapsed to starboard, perhaps as a result of initially landing on the ridge of reef that runs almost parallel to the keel.

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WRECK TOUR 175

1

18

2

19 24

23

21 16

17

22 20

3 DEPTH 0-20m ✘ 20-35m ✓ 35-45m ✘ 45m+ ✘ DIFFICULTY RATING ●●❍❍❍

Our route aft follows the starboard and deck side of the wreck, past a small boat derrick (7) and an upturned cargo winch (8), located roughly between the two aft holds. Also once located on the deck between the holds, but now even further out from the wreck, is a single bollard (9).

This would once have been one of a pair, so perhaps the other is somewhere further out from the main body of the wreck, or buried or covered in debris.

Back in by the main body, the coaming for the aft hold (10) has a slightly castellated edge.

Continuing aft, the flattened hull comes to a cleanly cut end where the stern has broken off. Again heading out from the main body of the wreck, a surprisingly out-of-place piece of wreckage is a section of propeller-shaft and keel (11). ☛

www.divErNEt.com

ALMOST MADE IT SAPHIR, cargo vessel. BUILT 1901, SUNK 1918

Hawse-pipe and anchor-chain.

BUILT IN 1901 by Laxevaags Maskin & Jernskibsbyggeri of Bergen, the 1406-ton Norwegian steamship Saphir was powered by a 146hp triple-expansion engine with steam from a single boiler.

Owned by Erich Lindøe of Haugesund, the Saphir was carrying a cargo of coal from Barry Dock to Bayonne when she became the second and last victim of Oberleutnant Martin Schwab and U94.

The submarine torpedoed the Saphir as she rounded Trevose Head on 25 May, 1918. The Saphir was only six months short of surviving World War One. A week earlier, Oberleutnant Schwab had torpedoed the much larger 10,644-ton steamship Hurunui 48 miles southwest of Lizard Point.

U94 survived the war without sinking any more ships, and was surrendered on 20 November, 1918.

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WRECK TOUR 175

THE SAPHIR

The stern itself has been reduced by almost 100 years of deep winter storms to just the lower part (12) with the propeller-shaft running through it. The iron propeller (13) remains in place.

The rudder (14) has become detached from its mount and lies a couple of metres up and out. The top of the rudder-post is bent back.

Somewhat surprisingly after all this destruction, the simple tiller-arm for the steering remains attached.

Returning forward, following the keel side of the wreck (15), the hull is held up slightly by the enclosed propeller-shaft and, further forward, parts of the engine.

Forward of the boiler and the donkey boiler, on the deck and starboard side of

the wreck, a pair of small boat-derricks (16) lie slightly separated.

The hold hatch-coaming here (17) again has a castellated edge.

The hull (18) is now almost completely flat to the seabed. Between the forward holds is a single winch, with the spindles (19) separated from the base (20).

The bow remains flat to the seabed and the debris is well dispersed.

Off the deck side are a small anchorderrick (21), the anchor-winch (22) and, below that, a hawse-pipe and a pile of anchor-chain (23), spilled where the chain-locker has decayed.

At the lower part of the bow, some structure remains where the base of the stem rounds into the start of the keel (24).

Diving on a low-water slack, the tide will by now be picking up towards the reef. Ascent and decompression is best made on a delayed SMB.

TOUR GUIDE

CELTIC SEA

TIDES8Slack water is one hour after high or low water Newquay, but not on spring tides.

Saphir ✘

DIVING & AIR8Harlyn Dive School, 01208 862556, www.harlyndiveschool.co.uk

Trevose Head Rock Padstow ●

1 MILE

●

CORNWALL

ACCOMMODATION8There are plenty of options from camping to selfcatering cottages, B&B and hotels. Bear in mind that during the main season many places are reluctant to accept bookings for less than a week.

GETTING THERE8Follow the M5 to Exeter, then the A30 to Launceston, then the A395 to Camelford and the A39 to Wadebridge, then the B3314 to Rock. The Harlyn Dive School is located just under two miles up the hill in Pityme, by the Rock Marine boatyard.

HOW TO FIND IT8The GPS co-ordinates are 50 33.839N, 005 03.925W (degrees, minutes and decimals). The bow points to the south-east.

Approaches to Padstow. Admiralty Chart 1156, Trevose Head to Hartland Point.

Ordnance Survey Map 200, Newquay, Bodmin & Surrounding Area. Shipwreck Index of the British Isles, Volume 1, by Richard and Bridget Larn. Dive The Isles of Scilly and North Cornwall, by Richard Larn and David McBride.

PROS8Easy to navigate in typically good visibility.

CONS8Just on the deep side for a PADI AOW missing a Deep speciality.

LAUNCHING8 Slipway to firm beach at Rock.

QUALIFICATIONS8BSAC Sports

52

Clockwise from top left: Main boiler; aft cargo winch; section of engine crankshaft bearing.

Diver or PADI Deep speciality, ideally with a decompression qualification from one of the technical agencies.

FURTHER INFORMATION8 Admiralty Chart 1149, Pendeen to Trevose Head. Admiralty Chart 1168,

Thanks to Steve “Hutch” Hutchinson and Andrew Ricks.

Would your club or dive centre like to see its favourite wreck featured here? If you would like to help John Liddiard put together the information, why not invite him to come and dive it with you? Write to John c/o Wreck Tour at divEr.

NEXT MONTH:THE AULTON www.divErNEt.com

053_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 02/07/2013 11:53 Page 053

In The Bahamas, there are 16 beautiful main islands, plus countless inlets and cays, which offer some of the best diving in the world. So it’s easy to get up close to sharks, dolphins, rays and giant sea turtles!

And with the choice of luxury resorts, boutique hotels and liveaboards, you’ll find all you could wish for, and more, in The Islands Of The Bahamas.

To book your diving adventure call 0207 978 0505 email info@originaldiving.com or visit originaldiving.com/ bahamas

Find more about The Bahamas at bahamas.co.uk

Sachika

054_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 03/07/2013 11:07 Page 054

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08/13

Blackford Aug_Layout 1 02/07/2013 10:04 Page 55

BLACKFORD THE LAST GASP IT’S THE END OF AN ERA. A geological one, in fact, for when I first learned to dive, the only fish were those fossilised ones that look like kippers.

Or so it seems, looking back as I write my last-ever column for divEr. The sport has changed beyond recognition since 1980. In those days, diving was the pastime of craggy old sea-dogs (sea-bitches were almost unheard-of) who derived a grim satisfaction from stretching the margins of human endurance.

Only the wealthy dived abroad, so we would spend the winter darning our wetsuits, needlessly greasing things and longing for the new season.

Our patience would usually run out in March: I’ve dived in snow and nil vis in Plymouth Sound, in nil vis and a Force 6 off Whitby, in a five knot riptide in the Solent in nil vis.

These were the days before scuba was promoted by the Oxford English Dictionary from an acronym to a word, before little PADI grew up to be PATRICK, when it was de rigeur to carry a goody bag, when Mad Marjory forgot her kit-bag and so dived the King George’s Reservoir, Hackney Marshes, by night in wellies and a string vest.

Diving was no country for old men.

On the other hand, you didn’t have to be rich. The big bits cost £100 each and you mostly didn’t bother with the rest.

You joined a club and the club had a van and a compressor from the Korean War and a deluded mug called the Equipment Officer who slaved alone at night in a gloomy crypt patching stuff up in time for the weekend.

Then you’d head off to Dorset, check into a B&B with mauve nylon sheets and a knitted poodle toilet-roll cover, saunter along to the Cat & Hacksaw and drink nine pints of Guinness so that you were still dry-heaving as you staggered ashen-faced onto the beach in the morning, half an hour too late for slack water.

Still, nothing clears the head like compressed air, single-digit water temperatures and raw panic. By the afternoon you’re right as rain, just in time to lug the 60hp Evinrude up the pebble beach before your return fixture at the Cat & Hacksaw.

By the mid-1990s, diving Britons had discovered Other Countries (usually while trying to get back to Swanage). My work became positively glamorous. Weinman posted me to Bermuda (not literally – it’s a journalistic term) and to Thailand, where I sailed the Andaman Sea in a Chinese junk.

The high point of my career was when Blue Peter’s Valerie Singleton employed me as her sunscreen monkey aboard a four-masted schooner as we cruised the Grenadines.

So am I saddened by the prospect, after 33 years, of no longer writing my column?

A little – but any regrets are outweighed by the knowledge that Weinman will no longer have to endure the terrible monthly stress (comparable only, perhaps, to PMT) of trying to prise 500 words out of me, seconds before the magazine goes to press.

Evening, all.

YOU WERE STILL DRY-HEAVING AS YOU STAGGERED ASHEN-FACED ONTO THE BEACH

ANDY BLACKFORD www.divErNEt.com

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Be The Champ August_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:41 Page 56

BE THE CHAMP!

We’re sticking with Britain for now, as ALEX MUSTARD examines a photographic subject always popular with competition judges – the grey seal. How to encourage a seal to come and play? Pay it no attention at all!

’Ignoring seals seems to drive them wild’

L

AST MONTH WE LOOKED at

conjuring sparklingly clean images in British conditions. This month we’ll look in detail at a subject that gives us our best chance of producing prizewinning pictures in our seas.

I’ve joked before in this column that jellyfish are the competition judge’s kryptonite – juries seem unable to resist giving gongs to medusa.

Well, in British Seas the short-cut to silverware is certainly shooting seals.

In the most recent divEr/BSoUP British prints competition, judged by you, the visitors to the last NEC Birmingham Dive Show, Saeed Rashid won the Standard category and Eleonora Manca won the Advanced category, both with pictures of grey seals.

And I’ve had plenty of success with this subject too; including twice winning categories in the prestigious British Wildlife Photography Awards with pictures of seals.

In short, if you want prizes for your pictures, you could do a lot worse than aim your camera at everyone’s favourite furry friend.

There is no doubt that seals, known as sea hounds in most other European countries, fill the viewers of our pictures with puppy love.

But they are also probably the most photographed British diving subject. So we need something very special to ensure that our shot is top dog.

WE’RE VERY LUCKY that British seas are such a stronghold for seals. We have two resident species, the common seal, which is only rarely seen by divers, and the grey seal.

About 40% of the global population of grey seals lives and breeds in British seas. They are found all around our coasts, with the highest numbers in Scotland, but the best locations for photography are where they are used to seeing divers.

Seals swim about a thousand times faster than Michael Phelps, and we’re only going to get images when they want us to see them.

The classic locations for seal dives are in the Farnes, Scilly Isles or Lundy,

Below: Don’t try to take all the shots at once – work through your ideas methodically. The settings, strobe powers and positions are completely different for this picture and the photo opposite.

Taken with Nikon D700, Sigma 15mm. Subal housing, Inon Z240 strobes.

ISO 800, 1/200th @ f/11.

where, on almost any dive, we’ll always have a good chance of an encounter.

But getting top-quality photos takes more dedication. Great seal images require devoted seal diving.

The best plan is to find a few friends who fancy some seal dives and charter a boat. My favourites are the Jessica Hettie in Clovelly and the Ocean Explorer in Seahouses, but I am sure there are plenty of other skippers who know exactly how to get you into position for the best shots.

And once we’re in the right spot, patience becomes our main virtue.

We really need to dedicate an entire dive, or ideally a day to be sure of playful pinnipeds.

I’ve had plenty of days when the seals are just not interested on the first dive, and then later in the day we’re pushing them away.

Chasing seals will always drive them off and never produces memorable shots. I like to get in, settle in a seal-rich area and start taking photos of the seaweeds. Ignoring such naturally inquisitive creatures seems to drive them wild with curiosity. And soon I am the centre of attention.

You can further pique their interest by playing games of hide-and-seek, ducking down in the kelp and then popping back up. I’ll even stick my head down into the seaweed and flirt with my fins, waggling them around. And soon enough a seal will cruise in to investigate.

It is only when I am getting reliable encounters that I start to think photographically. ☛

STARTER TIP Turn off your strobes, at least for part of your dive. Even if visibility is good, divers playing with seals can stir up lots of particles.

Most seal dives are shallow, and while strobes give you more contrast, shooting without them is the safe way to ensure that you bag some shots.

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Be The Champ August_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:42 Page 57

PHOTO TECHNIQUE

Pictured: Seals are appealing, so aim for simple compositions that allow the subjects’ natural charisma to shine through.

Taken with Nikon D700, Sigma 15mm. Subal housing, Inon Z240 strobes.

ISO 800, 1/250th @ f/13.

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PHOTO TECHNIQUE

ACTION-PACKED almost sounds like an understatement when describing the dives when the seals are really playing.

And while getting caught up in the moment is clearly part of the fun, a cool, detached approach will yield stronger images.

A common mistake is to track the seals with our camera and try to take all the different types of photos at once. It is the jack-of-all-trades syndrome, and while you’ll get a nice range of OK shots, you won’t get the very special ones.

The different types of shots – verticals, horizontals, full body, mouth gapes, seal with diver, seal in Snell’s Window etc – all require different strobe positions,

Above: The reason seal diving is such fun is the interaction, that connection with a wild creature. Make sure you take pictures that include people.

Taken with Nikon D4, Sigma 15mm. Nauticam housing, Inon Z240 strobes. ISO 800, 1/125th @ f/11.

EXPERT TIP Invite a non-photographer! Pictures of divers playing with seals are always well received both in competitions and by publications. So invite a non-photographer along, so there is someone to aim your camera at.

58

powers and setups, especially in the unforgiving murky waters of Britain.

Get it wrong and you’ll still get pictures – you just won’t do as well as you might have.

Trial and plenty of error has taught me to divide these action-packed dives into 10-minute chunks, working through each photographic idea one by one.

I tend to start with the seal in scenery shots, with my strobes out wide and lifted up a bit to create a pool of light in front on the camera.

Then I’ll work on verticals of the same scenes, with the top strobe doing most of the work. Next I’ll work on seals on the dome, with the strobes now pulled in tight, getting shots of whiskers, teeth and seals chewing on my fins.

And after this, I’ll pull my strobes back out and swim round my buddies, getting shots of them interacting with the seals. I’ve even been known to turn the camera round and point it back at myself!

MID-WATER TIP Increase your ISO. Seals are usually on the move, and it is often dark in British seas, so higher ISOs are very valuable.

How much you can turn it up depends on your camera, so do some test shots at home first at different ISOs. I’ll always try to react to what’s going on. If the visibility is low, I’ll focus on shots on the dome, or if the sun is out, I’ll try to get sunrays into my shots. But all setups benefit from some discipline with our techniques.

One of the first rules you learn about diving is to plan your dive and dive your plan. And while seal encounters are never predictable, prize-winning pictures are much more likely when you stick with a photographic plan on these high voltage dives.

www.divErNEt.com

059_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 02/07/2013 11:57 Page 059

Malta_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:44 Page 60

The weather was clearly not going to play ball on his family visit to Malta, so MONTY HALLS was only ever going to get one stab at underwater glory. It was time to seize the moment, but first…

PROOF OF THE PUDDING I

T IS DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE the range of emotions I was feeling.

Elation was certainly one, a happy blend of euphoria at the giddy realisation that this is about as good as it gets.

A profound sense of appreciation was another – there are very few people who get to witness something this special, let alone to be a part of it. In short, the pudding in front of me was really, really good.

As I cleaned (licked) the plate, it dawned on me that as one gets a little older, priorities tend to change slightly.

Here I was, in Malta, this brave little island with a proud, defiant history, surrounded by crystal-clear water and some thumping dives, and yet in the midst of all this history and tradition, it was this prince of puddings that was really making my heart race.

Mind you, that’s very much part of the modern diving package. It’s no longer enough to simply turn up, stay in terrible accommodation and eat rancid food, even if the diving is magnificent.

We do tend to want more bang for our buck nowadays, and it’s not unreasonable to expect to be well looked after above as well as below the water.

Should you want to take the family along as well, this is also very much part of the modern diving package.

And so, sitting opposite me, aghast as I snuffled and muttered like the porcine pudding-pilferer that I undoubtedly am, sat my girlfriend Tam. Snoring upstairs was our daughter Isla, a two-foot-one-inch ball of energy and attitude. This was our first-ever holiday with her, and we were somewhat nervous, because she has the lungs of a Tour de France

60

winner, the hand strength of Chris Bonnington, and the curiosity of a rabid raccoon.

Our priorities were all somewhat different. Tam wanted a relaxing break, I wanted some top-class diving and Isla wanted to run in small circles waving her arms in the air before going off looking for a punch-up, like some drunk Royal Marine. Or – depending on how confident she was feeling at the time – with some drunk Royal Marine.

THAT CONNECTION WITH ALL things military is a characteristic of Malta, which in turn makes it such a great destination for diving.

This ragged slip of rock, a tiny island in the midst of the Mediterranean, has always been a vital strategic staging-post, a stepping-stone to and from Asia.

Battles have raged throughout Malta’s history, the most recent of which saw the

seabed littered with wrecks as the island fought – with great heroism – for its very survival in World War Two. Combine this with clear water and the calm seas that are assured somewhere on any island (as you can always find a location in the lee of the wind), and you have a humdinger of a dive destination.

This, as it turned out, was to be a key characteristic of our stay.

From the moment we landed there was a rumbustious north-westerly wind barreling in from the sea, rattling window-frames and dislodging hats, sending them rolling exuberantly across the tarmac at the airport.

It was immediately apparent that finding a dive-site was going to be… challenging.

I faced that sickening sensation familiar to all of us who turn up somewhere as keen as mustard, and then realise we’re going to spend the entire time in the hotel, muttering darkly and staring at the heavens.

MIND YOU, IN TERMS of where we were staying, we had got lucky. The Hilton in St Julian’s Bay is a wonderful place for a family break, and yet has somehow pulled off the remarkable trick of being a lovely spot for a couple looking for a quiet dive holiday as well.

The key to this lies partly in its scale – it’s a sprawling hotel, with grounds big enough to allow plenty of room for other guests to get away from the Islas of this world (much as we love them, of course).

It also has lots of facilities, so it’s easy to burn off energy, have a massage, play tennis, relax in the pool, have your hair done, or – if you’re on a really short break – do all six at once.

Having spent the first day at the

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BEHIND THE SCENES

hotel relaxing as a family, the next morning Tam and Isla decided to set up a base camp by the pool, and I trooped off to DiveWise to find out what the score was.

Happily the centre was a mere fiveminute walk away from the hotel, and – even more happily – the news was good.

I was met at the entrance by jocular host Alan Whitehead, who gave me a whistlestop tour of the facilities.

This is a very well-equipped dive

Pictured: Nev poses patiently on the stern of the Um El Faroud.

centre indeed, catering for recreational and technical divers alike.

Should you want to take the family along, there is also the chance to do trydives in the calm, clear waters of the small harbour in front of the centre.

All you would have to do is shrug into your kit, stumble 20m, flop face-first into the water and you’d be in business.

This was a tempting option, but Alan was keen to show me one of the classic sites on the island.

Of these there are a great many. The

geology of Malta has created a plethora of caves, arches and caverns which, when combined with the wondrous visibility of the Med, can be lovely, atmospheric dives. These include the Santa Marija Caves, the Blue Grotto, and the Blue Hole in Gozo.

“It’s not perhaps the one I would have picked for you if the weather was better,” he said, “but you won’t be disappointed, I promise.”

As such, I soon found myself rattling along in the DiveWise truck ☛

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Malta_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:45 Page 63

BEHIND THE SCENES

heading for Wied-iz-zurrieq, being driven by my dive-guide Nev. At this juncture I must briefly note that if the pudding the night before could be described as impressive, then Maltese driving falls into the bracket of being truly sensational.

The trip was… exhilarating. By the time we arrived in the picturesque harbour of Wied-iz-zurrieq I had to take a moment to prise my fingernails out of my own thighs.

Nev smiled ruefully, and affectionately noted that the Maltese drive with a certain Mediterranean flamboyance.

From a personal perspective, this bay was very interesting indeed, as it is the location where the largest great white shark ever caught was landed.

It seemed rather incongruous, with its rustic stone steps, quiet cafes and souvenir shops, but in 1987 a colossal specimen – 7m in length – was brought ashore here.

In the shark’s stomach was a blue shark, a dolphin, half a turtle and an entire bag of rubbish.

It is thought that the great whites would pursue bluefin tuna through the channel between the mainland and the island of Filfla a few miles offshore – surely one of the great predatory

www.divErNEt.com

spectacles, as the ultimate marine hunter chased the greyhound of the sea through twisting blue ravines.

Sadly such scenes are long gone, a distant memory in the life-cycle of the Mediterranean. Evidence of the colossal shark can still be seen, however, with the fins preserved in a local shop.

One could say that this was from another age, when all big white sharks were viewed as man-killers, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too hasty in applying modern sensibilities and condemnation.

Nonetheless, I felt a pang of melancholy looking at those vast sweeping pectorals, and the images that accompanied them.

THE DIVE WE HAD COME to do was on the Um El Faroud, a 10,000-tonne, 115m Libyan tanker that exploded in dry dock on 3 February 1995, resulting in the tragic loss of nine local dock workers.

Various quibbles ensued about responsibilities, ownership and rights, until in 1998 the Maltese authorities decided that enough was enough, became a tad huffy (rightfully, in my opinion), and towed her to the bay to be sunk as an artificial reef.

Before we entered the water, Nev talked me through the highlights, which

Above left: Yes, it’s Nev again on the Um El Faroud.

Above: Family time in the streets of Valletta.

could be neatly summed up as the stern, the bow, and everything in between.

It was a strange sensation to enter the waters of the Mediterranean once again.

The visibility is outstanding here, and it’s a wonderful thing to stand on the quayside, pink and sweaty in your kit, and to glance down to see the reefs and sponges that await you 9m below.

I flopped forward inelegantly, and the dive began.

It’s a bit of a swim to the site, which was just as well, as it gave me time to adjust my hired dive gear to my lanky frame. As such, when the wreck appeared before me I was actually facing the seabed tugging on a strap, and so looked up to see it directly in front of me in all of its ghostly glory.

Nev hovered patiently, waiting for me to catch up, and we moved over to the top of the stern, which I must say ☛

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BEHIND THE SCENES entirely lived up to the pre-dive hype by being beautifully preserved, and eerily intact.

A school of small barracuda turned in a lazy circle overhead, using the wreck as both a hunting ground and as cover, the memory of giant great whites lingering in their bones.

One of the things I love about wrecks is that they represent a captive moment in time, a split-second of drama, of incompetence, of heroism, or of tragedy.

Moving along the hull, we came to the point where the explosion had occurred all those years before. The deck was twisted into spreading petals of thick steel, a frozen moment of energy and violence in which nine lives were lost.

This giant scar allows you to enter the hold itself, which seemed as good an opportunity as any to get Nev to swim through and out four times so that I could get a photograph.

The poor, long-suffering man – buddy to a photographer who firmly believes that the more images you take, the better chance one of them has of being half respectable.

THE BOW SITS PROUD of the seabed, looking for all the world as if it should be ploughing a trail through the white sand. Swim away from the wreck and look back, and it’s a very pretty picture indeed.

Nev hovered dutifully for me for an inordinate period of time – look into his eyes in the photograph and you’ll see the expression of someone thinking dark thoughts about dive journalists in general, and me in particular.

We sculled back to the quay in a leisurely fashion, finishing the dive with an exhilarating exit on a rickety ladder in a vigorous swell – great fun.

As we walked back up the hill, Nev

Above: A heavily colonised crane.

Above right: Monty with Alan and Nev of DiveWise.

Below: Big guns in Valletta.

gestured behind him at the cove: “Come back again and I’ll take you to the Blue Grotto,” he said, “Now there’s a pretty dive on a sunny day.

“There’s really so many sites in Malta,

and most of them are a 20-minute drive away.” He smiled, looking very much like a man happy with the choices he has made in life.

As he should, of course. Malta has much to offer. Happily this doesn’t simply apply to divers, but also their families or friends.

As we drove back to the dive centre, Nev pointed out sites of historic interest along the way. At every turn there is a little piece of ancient history, in every tiny village or hill town there are shaded, narrow streets that whisper of traditions going back thousands of years.

And defining the character and history of Malta itself is the constant presence of the sea, clear and full of promise.

We left Malta full of resolve, determined to return. It is the type of destination that has a little gem for everyone – whether that be the prince of puddings, a warm Mediterranean welcome or shipwrecks that sit silently beneath the shadows of gigantic ghosts that once hunted just offshore.

FACTFILE GETTING THERE8 Package-deal flights in tourist season, low-cost airlines and Air Malta year-round.

DIVING & ACCOMMODATION8 DiveWise Malta, Gozo & Comino, www.divewise.com. mt. The Hilton Malta in St Julian’s (15 minutes from the capital Valletta), www.hiltonmaltahotel.com WHEN TO GO8 April through to October. Water temperature ranges up to 25C in the warmer months so a 5mm wetsuit is usually enough.

CURRENCY8Euro.

PRICES8 The Hilton charges from 180 euros per room per night. Flights to Malta are available from around £130 return. A 10-dive pack with DiveWise costs 315 euros, a single dive 35. Check with dive-tour operators for packages.

FURTHER INFORMATION8 www.visitmalta.com

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TREWAVAS THE BIG SQUISH THERE'S NOTHING WRONG ON THIS DIVE EXCEPT ME. The viz is good, the water is a tolerable 14 degrees, and there's a frisky lobster hiding in the bow of the wreck. But I'm distracted and uncomfortable.

About 30 minutes earlier I was happily kit-tweaking on deck in my undersuit. Someone handed me a lovely chocolate-covered marshmallow tea cake in a shiny blue foil wrapper. And I don't remember eating it. Yes, I suspect it's inside my undersuit pocket. I'm having one of my 'blonde' moments.

So now I'm completely distracted by the thought of melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow gunge being squished tightly against my right hip. I bet it's making a right sticky mess of my undersuit. But more than that, what really pisses me off is this: I was really looking forward to eating that tea cake!

This is one time when drysuit diving can really bite you back. Many of us will probably go diving with a mobile phone (inadvertently) at some point, and apart from the annoying lump, it won't actually be a problem.

Chocolate, on the other hand, is not diver-friendly.

This is the kind of thing that just doesn't happen to wet-suited divers.

However, there are people who are quite fond of foodie experiments involving diving. They're obviously people who are smart enough not to take stuff down inside their drysuits.

And this is what they tell me: Like most types of fruit, bananas fare well under water and are probably the easiest to eat. Mini Mars bars are the confectionery of choice. And Maltesers are remarkably difficult to crush with water pressure alone – despite being full of air bubbles. Aeros tend to flatten below 30m, but you can take a Malteser beyond 60m and all that happens is that it gets little pock marks on the surface.

I can't say that I've tried any of this personally. Perhaps because the idea of eating under water really doesn't appeal; but I have every admiration for those people who are happy to pull out their regulator and start chomping on a snack during a dive. Fair play to you. (Gluttons!)

Some sciency types say that when you enter the ocean, you enter the food chain. I'm not sure this was exactly what they had in mind. Divers – we tend to make our own rules!

I'm really hoping that my suspicions will be proved wrong and I'll find the tea cake intact on the bench – still in its foil. Just waiting to be scoffed. But no such luck – there's no escaping Sod's law for me.

So I'm back on board and peeling off my drysuit in a big hurry to assess the damage. Yes, total sticky mess. On top of that I've been thinking about sugary treats for the whole dive and I'm starving!

But worse things have happened. And somebody managed to dredge up a custard cream for me.

At the end of the day it was just a big squish in a small blonde.

CHOCOLATE, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS NOT DIVER-FRIENDLY

LOUISE TREWAVAS www.divErNEt.com

65

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CPS (Light & Motion) – 08_13_Full Page Bleed 02/07/2013 12:04 Page 1

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TECHNIQUE

W

HETHER YOU’RE DIVING the Antarctic, chilly Scandinavia or your local lake or quarry, you make temperature one of the components of your dive plan.

You do this by asking questions such as: What’s the ambient temperature topside?

What’s the water temperature? Are there any thermoclines? How deep will I dive and for how long? What exposure protection do I need – will a 7mm wetsuit be enough?

In essence, you’re asking yourself: How cold am I going to get on this dive?

You’re also answering that question with your dive-planning. Hypothermia can affect even tropical dives, if you’re wearing only a swimsuit or dive-skin and remain immersed for a long time.

Hypothermia is a condition of reduced body core temperature, defined as a temperature below 35°C. Exposure to cold results in heat loss at a rate dependent on several variables, including: ● protective clothing ● the temperature gradient between skin and the environment ● the heat capacity of the environment (much greater for water than air) ● body structure (lean versus fat fractions and mass-to-surface area) ● wind or water movement Water conducts heat 20-27 times faster than air. Sudden exposure to water colder than 15°C with no thermal protection results in an involuntary gasping response. This can cause inhalation of water and cardiac dysrhythmias.

In such instances, a response usually continues for one to two minutes, with extremely rapid breathing.

When this happens, the hypothermic person can experience pain and mental disorientation, leading to fear and panic.

Thermal protection by a wetsuit, drysuit or other survival-type suit dramatically decreases the immediate effects, but heat loss will still occur over time.

Swimming may not help. Heat production is increased by exercise or shivering, but for those with little or no thermal protection, swimming increases the exposed surface area and rate of heat transfer to the water.

On average, swimming can help maintain core temperature in water warmer than 24°C. The core temperature of unprotected swimmers drops in colder water, resulting in an inability to continue swimming (known as swimming failure). www.divErNEt.com

TEMPERATURE

DROP Hypothermia can creep up on divers who don’t have sufficient thermal protection. Would you recognise the signs in another diver and know how to help?

NEAL W POLLOCK tells us what we need to know

In deep water Divers who are immersed unprotected in cold water should remain still, holding a position to minimise their exposed surface area (this is far easier to accomplish with some kind of buoyant support).

Pulling the knees together and up towards the chest – into the heat-escape-lessening position, or the “help” or rescue position – provides improved protection of the high heat-loss areas of the armpits, groin, anterior chest, abdomen and thighs.

Hypothermia can also occur in relatively warm or even tropical waters up to the 29-33°C range, as a result of slow body cooling if you have no thermal protection.

You may not be aware of the slow heat drain for some time, but then the common signs (observable manifestations) and symptoms (subjective, non-observable manifestations) of hypothermia emerge.

Mild hypothermia Hypothermia may be mild, with little risk to the individual, or it may be severe, with the ☛

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TECHNIQUE

TEMPERATURE possibility of death. If you suspect that you’re dealing with a hypothermic diver, you can use a variety of rewarming strategies.

These depend on the degree of hypothermic injury, the level of consciousness of the victim, the nature of other injuries and the availability of resources and additional medical aid.

Someone with mild hypothermia will be awake, conversing lucidly, complaining of cold and probably shivering.

Assuming that he or she has no other injuries, you can rewarm a mildly hypothermic diver with a variety of passive or active techniques.

Remove wet clothing and replace with dry insulating inner and windproof outer layers, including the head, whenever possible.

Shivering at this point will provide effective rewarming. A diver who feels comfortable exercising at this point can increase the rewarming rate by this type of movement.

Exercise will transiently increase the “afterdrop” – a continued decline in core temperature after removal of (or from) the cold stress – but this should not be problematic in most cases of mild hypothermia.

A fully alert and co-operative hypothermic diver can have warm liquids to drink. This delivers DO negligible amounts of heat but will help to correct the inevitable dehydration and provide a sense of comfort.

Most beverages can be used, but avoid alcohol. It can compromise awareness and contribute to dehydration and inappropriate vasodilatation.

Light snacks can help, too. Food helps to augment the victim’s caloric reserves.

DROP

Assess breathing and check the pulse for at least one minute to confirm respiratory arrest or pulseless cardiac arrest, which requires CPR. If there is either breathing or heartbeat, external heart massage (chest compression) is not needed.

If you observe breathing or movement, the victim’s heart is beating, even if it’s very slow. Because of this, it’s essential to spend sufficient time checking for spontaneous pulse.

For the unconscious hypothermic diver, the main goals are to maintain adequate blood pressure and respiration and to prevent further heat loss.

If the breathing rate is six breaths or fewer per minute, start very gentle mouth-to-mouth breathing at a slow rate.

Severe hypothermia leaves the victim susceptible to cardiac arrest. Extremely gentle handling – supine position, fully supported, no physical activity – and aggressive (and often invasive) ● Assess ABCs – Airway, Breathing and rewarming strategies are required to save Circulation of the injured diver anyone so affected. ● If CPR is required, continue until the The heart is especially susceptible in emergency services arrive these cases. The severe cold can lead to ● Give as much oxygen as possible cardiac arrhythmias, but rewarming too ● Determine cause for immersion aggressively can also trigger them. ● Support and immobilise the neck if injury In most cases of severe hypothermia, is suspected basic life support takes precedence over ● Arrange transport to a medical facility efforts to rewarm.

Death from coldwater immersion ● Prevent further heat loss usually results from loss of consciousness ● Rewarm if needed. and subsequent drowning.

If drowning preceded the hypothermia, DO NOT ● Risk your life in a rescue attempt successful resuscitation is unlikely. If there ● Interrupt CPR unnecessarily. are no signs of life, begin CPR and arrange for emergency transport to the nearest A diver with moderate hypothermia 45°C, to avoid burns. medical facility. will be awake but may be confused, apathetic or If hot water is not available, augment insulated Complete rewarming of a diver with severe unco-operative, and have difficulty speaking. clothing with chemical packs or electric pads. hypothermia is almost impossible to accomplish Moderate hypothermia demands more caution, To avoid burns, never apply these directly to in the field. Protect against further heat loss, because this injury can lead to cardiac the skin. however. dysrhythmias.

If CPR is required, it should be continued, if If possible, use gentle handling and active possible, until medical assistance arrives. There techniques such as heated blankets, forced-air have been successful resuscitations after rewarming and heated and humidified breathing. Divers with severe hypothermia may be prolonged CPR, in part because of the protective Physical exercise is not recommended for a unconscious, with a slow heart rate and effect of hypothermia. moderately hypothermic diver. Physical corespiration, or may even appear dead, with no The outlook is poor in adults who have a core ordination is likely to be compromised, and detectable heartbeat. temperature below 28°C, have been immersed exercise at this point may increase the potential Look very carefully for signs of life, such as for more than 50 minutes, have life-threatening for afterdrop. breathing, movement, or a pulse at the groin or injuries or are more than four hours from When it occurs, afterdrop can increase the risk in the neck over the carotid artery. definitive medical care. of physiological collapse sometimes observed during or shortly after rescue from immersion (called circum-rescue, or post-immersion collapse).

Handle hypothermic divers gently, including keeping them supine (at rest, on the back) and completely at rest. This reduces the risk of collapse. Be attentive, and use the most effective alternatives at hand when rewarming.

Take care to insulate injured divers from the ground or surroundings, even if they do not communicate the need.

A warmwater bath is another good option for the moderately hypothermic diver. You will need to provide physical support, however, throughout the transfer and immersion.

The initial immersion temperature should be lukewarm, definitely not more than 40°C, to avoid the sensation of burning that the person would be likely to experience.

After immersion, the water temperature can be progressively increased, but to no more than

Action in a Coldwater Immersion Incident

Moderate hypothermia

Severe hypothermia

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TECHNIQUE

Signs & Symptoms MILD HYPOTHERMIA (core temperature 32-35°C) ● Increased heart rate ● Shivering ● Impaired co-ordination ● Introversion/inattentiveness ● Uncomfortably cold ● Decreased motor activity ● Impaired ability to concentrate ● Fatigue MODERATE HYPOTHERMIA (core temperature 28-32°C) ● Increasing lack of muscular co-ordination ● Stumbling gait ● Shivering slows or stops ● Slurred speech ● Weakness ● Confusion ● Drowsiness ● Amnesia ● Hallucinations SEVERE HYPOTHERMIA (core temperature below 28°C) ● Inability to follow commands ● Absence of shivering ● Decreased heart rate ● Dilated pupils ● Inability to walk ● Decreased blood pressure ● Loss of consciousness ● Appearance of death ● Decreased respirations ● Muscle rigidity

Although the injured can appear to be clinically dead because of marked depression of the brain and cardiovascular function, full resuscitation with intact neurological recovery

is possible, if unusual.

www.divErNEt.com

Discontinue CPR only if: ● The person is successfully resuscitated ● Rescuers become too fatigued to continue ● The diver has completely rewarmed and is still unresponsive to properly applied CPR.

● A medically trained and qualified person arrives at the scene and, after examination, declares the diver dead.

Prevention The prevention of hypothermia requires preparation. Divers must understand the use of protective garments to conserve body heat and control heat loss.

Most divers will benefit from wearing thermal protection in water cooler than 27°C, and significant thermal stress can be expected in water colder than 24°C. Divers should ensure that they have the proper protective equipment and experience to dive safely in cool or cold waters.

Don’t let the cold keep you out of the water. Just be prepared when you go.

✹ This article is the copyright of DAN Europe Foundation

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THE WILL TO

SUCCEED Echoes From The Deep

by Selcuk Kolay, with Okan Taktak, Savas Karakas & Mithat Atabay

A

MATTER OF DAYS before a heavy-handed police response to an environmental protest in Istanbul sparked off violent riots in Turkey, a book launch was held at one of the capital’s tourist landmarks, the opulent Four Seasons Bosphorus.

It’s safe to say that I have never seen what we fondly term a “diving book” brought into the world in quite such a cradle of luxury before.

Hundreds of revellers enjoyed fine wines and piled their plates with delicacies in the open air as music played and night fell over the straits that separate Europe from Asia.

In Turkey, it seems, the wealthy don’t just play golf – they go diving. And it’s anything but easy diving.

Chatting to hosts and guests, a who’s who of a Turkish diving scene underwritten by industrialists passionate about their pastime, there was an air of quiet confidence about the future.

This was a country going places fast.

70

A new airport was to be opened, a new bridge was being constructed across the Bosphorus, and who needed to join the creaking European Union anyway?

The street demonstrations that made international headlines for the wrong reasons would be a reminder that even in a tiger economy, everything comes at a price.

So what’s so special about the book that prompted the lavish celebration at the Four Seasons? Well, it’s a powerful reminder of what determined divers can achieve.

Echoes From The Deep is a heavy, beautifully produced volume but a comparatively quick and easy read. And scuba-diving barely gets a mention in it.

What makes it significant for us is that it is a distillation of intensive work carried out by Selcuk Kolay and his team of 10 other divers plus technicians and researchers that, over a period of 20 years, eventually extended to 68 people.

It’s all about the 31 known Great War wrecks of the Dardanelles Straits (and

Book review

by STEVE WEINMAN

Below: Bow of the AE2, the Australian submarine, discovered by Selcuk Kolay and his dive team.

Aegean and Marmara Seas), with a couple of later Turkish submarine casualties included for good measure. And many of these wrecks the team discovered themselves in the course of the project.

Generously illustrated with the help of multibeam sonar scans, period photos – some previously unpublished – and a wealth of underwater pictures, the pleasure is as much in the carefully blended images as in the well-crafted words.

If you’re into shipwrecks and the history of warfare you’ll find this book of considerable interest, but beware – if reading it makes you want to go diving in these Turkish waters, you might want to think again.

The Straits are not generally open to divers for a variety of reasons, as Kolay makes clear from the start. Many of the wrecks lie inside prohibited shipping lanes and military zones, often deeper than 50m, and the currents are invariably strong and can whip up to 6 knots.

Tourist diving infrastructure barely exists in the Dardanelles for these reasons, so you would need to be part of a club set-up and have all the right permissions. www.divErNEt.com

Dardanelles_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:49 Page 71

REVIEW EXTRA

“All these factors made both diving and research from the surface very difficult; in fact, sometimes impossible,” says Kolay – and that’s exactly what makes this book such a significant achievement.

In 1996 Kolay was venturing as deep as 86m on air, though 70% of the dives have been on mixed-gas. Five of the team now dive on rebreathers. Since late 2011 they have been fortunate to have the use of the Beluga, said to be the most advanced research ship in Turkey, and access to the latest in 3D scanning equipment.

The Ottoman Empire, as the book points out, entered World War One when Britain reneged on delivering two Dreadnoughts that the Turks had already paid for, preferring to retain the warships for its own war effort.

Germany, sensing an opportunity, stepped into the breach and supplied its own ships, in the process dragging the reluctant Turks into the war as allies.

2015 will mark the centenary of the Dardanelles naval attacks, designed by the British and French coalition forces to soften up Ottoman defences in the form of mines, patrol boats, coastal artillery and antiwww.divErNEt.com

Above: The stern of the Turkish patrol ship NurUl-Bahir, sunk in 1915.

Right: Last moments of the British pre-Dreadnought battleship Irresistible.

submarine nets, and followed by the carnage of the infamous Gallipoli landings.

This was one of the most costly campaigns of World War One in terms of lost ships, submarines and lives.

Had the Allied navies succeeded in winning control of the 40-mile-long Dardanelles Straits, there would have been no need to land troops in pursuit of their quest to reach Istanbul.

However, seven of 18 battleships were lost as their bid ended in disarray, and the remainder of the campaign at sea revolved

around submarine warfare.

Because ANZAC troops bore the brunt of the ensuing casualties at Gallipoli this is a period well-remembered in Australia and New Zealand, and the book is likely to arouse considerable interest there.

Selcuk Kolay was palpably relieved after the launch speeches to have got the book off his chest. Between 1993 and 2011, when he eased up on diving to start writing, he had discovered no fewer than nine wrecks, including the Australian submarine AE2 which, unlike those recent Istanbul ☛ 71

Dardanelles_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:50 Page 72

street protests, prompted international headlines for all the right reasons.

AE2 was one of the most modern, biggest and fastest submarines of its time. With its British and Australian crew it became the first to penetrate the Dardanelles defences and reach the Sea of Marmara, a great feat in submarine history.

But if, as Kolay points out, AE2 hadn’t made it and delivered a huge morale boost for the deflated Allies, the Gallipoli landings might never have been given the green light. Many lives could have been spared.

The British submarine E14 also made it through the Turkish defences. Unlike AE2 it got back safely, though without sinking anything, but did enough to earn Commander Edward Courtney Boyle a VC. The first underwater films of the AE2 and E14 wrecks were produced as a result of the diving project.

Also featured is E7, the only sub in the Dardanelles to be put out of action by antisubmarine nets, remains of which can still be seen; and E11, with its record of sinking the most enemy ships under its impressive commander Martin Naismith.

The light cruiser Midilli makes for another fascinating chapter. This was one of the ships supplied by Germany (as the Breslau) to bring the Ottoman Empire into the war, along with the Yavuz (originally Goeben). However, the pair’s subsequent wartime exploits were no less significant.

"Throughout history no other two ships have had such an immense influence on politics... the day the two ships escaped from Messina signifies our greatest mistake," ran

72

a Times editorial in January 1918. Midilli now lies upright in 74m.

You'll find chapters on 12 British, eight Ottoman, five Australian and five French vessels in Echoes From The Deep, along with three unknown craft. Because the histories of the vessels are discussed in the order of their sinking, the background story of the conflict emerges gradually but effectively.

Accompanying the book is a 47-minute DVD directed by a key member of the dive team, film-maker Savas Karakas.

Whereas the book sticks dispassionately

Dardanelles_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:51 Page 73

REVIEW EXTRA

Top left, from left: A multibeam sonar scan of the Midilli shows the wreck upright in 74m with masts and funnels fallen over; the Britishbuilt steamer Rehber – its paddle-wheels are clearly still visible.

Above: Torpedo tube on the port side of the submarine E14.

Right: Yarrow boilers on the destroyer Louis.

Left: Diver on the bow of the minesweeping trawler Lundy.

Above left: Core members of the dive team, with Selcuk Kolay second from the right.

Far left: Edward Courtney Boyle, first commander of the E14 submarine.

to the history of the 33 ships and how they became wrecks, the DVD focuses on the diving and surveying activities that resulted in the end product.

I was glad to see that it brought out the divers’ fervour for the project, as well as their good humour, matters not reflected in the book. Book and DVD make a good complementary package.

Diving footage includes E14, the Carthage, the Bouvet and a barge. The difficulty of the diving conditions in currents of up to 4 knots is plain to see.

Get a flavour of the documentary at vimeo.com/66885636 The divers’ work is not over – it simply reached a natural break as the centenary

looms, with publication of the book.

There are vessels yet to be located – Kolay mentions the Arno, Duchess of Richmond, Goissa, Okino, Manx Hero and the Hyte.

It’s hard to believe that he and his deepdiving friends, who also include Mustafa V Koc, head of Turkey’s biggest multinational, with all the resources at their disposal and determination to succeed, won’t manage to track down at least some of these wrecks in the next few years.

Vehbi Koc Foundation & Ayhan Sahenk Foundation ISBN: 9789756959701, www.denizlerkitabevi.com Hardback, 284pp + DVD, £32

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Booking Now AUG_Bubbling 28/06/2013 15:52 Page 75

HOLIDAY NEWS

BOOKING NOW…

BAITFISH ARE BACK! Divers in western Cebu in the Philippines enjoyed the spectacle of a huge shoal of sardines off the small island of Pescador and the predators it attracted, including on occasions thresher sharks.

So when the small fish vanished a year ago it was a blow, especially to dive centres at nearby Moalboal on the mainland, even though there were still many other underwater attractions.

But now the sardines are back, says tour operator Ultimate Diving, making diving in the area all the more rewarding. You can book seven nights' half-board at the Magic Island Resort through Ultimate for £1439, which also includes flights, transfers and five days' diving.

Magic Island is also branching out, with a second boutique resort called Magic Oceans Resort & Spa set to open in October 2014. This one will be located in the village of Anda on the east coast of the island of Bohol, and offer a house reef, mangroves and muck-diving. Day trips to Leyte and Camiguin are also planned.

8 www.ultimatediving.co.uk, www.magicisland.nl

Siren in Truk Worldwide Dive and Sail's Siren Fleet starts operating yearround itineraries in Micronesian wreckie-magnet Truk Lagoon this November.

Many of the 60-plus wrecks are within depths suitable for recreational divers, but others require technical qualifications.

For these divers Truk Siren will have an oxygen and helium blending station, manifolded twin-sets and stage tanks and a deco bar for stops. Two RIBs will provide diving support.

Nitrox (for qualified divers) and 15-litre tanks are free on demand, as is a full set of AquaLung rental equipment. Poseidon MK VI rec rebreathers can be rented or courses undertaken.

Standard rate for a seven-night trip is £2245 and for 10 nights £3145. An online competition provides the chance to win a free 10-night trip to Truk.

8 www.blueotwo.com

Buddies in Grenada Aquanauts at True Blue Resort in Grenada is offering "Dive Buddy Weeks" from 1 September to 13 October – one diver pays half-price for the room and diving.

Packages include standard B&B accommodation (two sharing), airport transfers, free wi-fi, taxes and two-tank morning boat trips.

The discounts are on prices per diver ranging from US $1254 for five nights and six dives to $3537 for 14 nights and 20 dives.

Attractions include Atlantic wreck and pelagic diving and optional lionfish-hunting courses and fluo night-dives (for $90) 8 www.aquanautsgrenada.com

Turks & Caicos cruise – how does $25 sound?

Aggressor Fleet has linked with Turks & Caicos Reef Fund to raise money for a boat moorings project in TCI. It has put up a US $5590 seven-night cruise for two aboard Turks & Caicos Aggressor II as a raffle prize.

Tickets are available online at $25 each and only 500 will be sold, so the odds are good. Sales close on 1 November and all proceeds go to the project.

www.divErNEt.com

Meanwhile the Aggressor and Dancer fleets want to remind divers planning holidays during hurricane season that their Stormcheck programme can compensate should your diving be blown out.

You get a dive credit voucher to be used at the same destination within the following 12 months.

8 www.tcreef.org/aggressorraffle.html

Two cracks at Socorro Humpback whales off the Pacific islands of Socorro are featured in this month's divEr, but the worldclass dive location 220 miles off Mexico is also famed for its friendly manta rays and the chance of seeing many other big animals. The marine reserve sees many pelagic species migrating between the deep ocean and the Sea of Cortez.

Most vessels operating in the area undertake short itineraries for the US market but these are not ideal for European divers, says Scuba Tours – especially as travelling between islands can take up to 12 hours to cover by boat.

It is offering longer trips on the Rocio del Maria liveaboard, which it admits may not be luxurious but is strong and boasts “excellent” diving facilities. Two trips are lined up for next year – 16-30 March for £2835 and 19-29 May for £2295.

The latter trip falls in manta ray (and whale shark) season so is led by manta expert Dr Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler. Both departures offer an optional sea-lion diving extension.

8 www.scubascuba.com

RSD afloat

UK-owned tour operator Red Sea Divers, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has taken the step of launching its own liveaboard, Red Sea Adventurer.

The 32m wooden vessel was built seven years ago but has been totally refurbished, says Red Sea Divers.

Operating out of Hurghada and Marsa Alam in Egypt, the boat is built to accommodate 20 people in 12 cabins on the three main decks, each of which has its own TV and hard drive.

There are "special offers” available on one-week Northern Wrecks and Reefs or Best of Wrecks itineraries from £699 and Best of the Brother Islands from £899.

8 www.redseadivers.com

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HOLIDAY NEWS

…BOOKING NOW

Lighter for groups

Workshopping with Webster

Prodivers, which runs diving at three Maldives resorts – Kuredu, Komandoo, and Vakarufalhi – is helping divers to avoid excess baggage charges.

Continuing its 25th anniversary celebrations, from now until the end of next April it is offering diving groups of four or more free BC and regulator rental. Groups of eight or more also get 10% off the price of dives, and if there are 12 or more you save 15%.

8 www.prodivers.com

CALL OF THE WILD Over the next year Amos Nachoum's Big Animals Expeditions will see the intrepid photographer lead encounters with – if the wildlife co-operates – polar bears, crocodiles, narwhals, leopard seals, blue and sperm whales, great white sharks, emperor penguins and snow leopards.

Few divers can say they've dived with striped marlin, but they are the quarry off the Mexican coast for eight days from 16 November. Based in Todos Santos in Baja California, you could be part of a group of five on a dive-boat meant for 24, diving at sea-mounts said to be unknown to sports fishermen.

With luck you'll see groups of 12 or more striped marlin attacking mackerel baitballs with their spear-like bills. Seals, sea-lions, and Bryde's whales could also turn up to feed. Blue Planet-type experiences don't come cheap, of course – airfare plus US $8900 is what you'll need!

8 www.biganimals.com

Photographers really don't want too many divers in the water trying to capture the same photo, says Oonasdivers – and Amen to that.

The tour operator promises that with 14 guests or fewer on the spacious liveaboard Juliet this will not be a factor in its upcoming Mark Webster photo-workshop.

The week is set to explore everything from macro to wide-angle on the reefs and wrecks of the northern Red Sea. Webster has led photoworkshops for Oonasdivers for more than 10 years and they are aimed at all levels of achievement.

Leaving on 13 October, the price of £1135 for the trip includes flights from London Gatwick to Sharm, transfers, seven nights' full board, six days' diving and the workshop itself.

8 www.oonasdivers.com

Koro offer Koro Sun Resort & Rainforest Spa on Vanua Levu in Fiji has some “special offers”, if you can take care of flights to the South Pacific.

Seven nights’ stay with “three gourmet meals daily”, a US $100 resort credit and 10 dives costs $1870, while extending to 10 nights and 14 dives costs $2690, both prices including tax.

8 www.korosunresort.com

Minguell’s mission Dive Orkney The real Orkney dive experience takes in everything from wrecks and seals to shellfish and scenery, says John Thornton, skipper of the 24m Karin – but divers who charter the liveaboard can decide on the balance they prefer.

Saturday-to-Friday trips taking in the best of Scapa Flow and surrounding islands are now being offered as 14-dive packages.

A full-boat charter (12 divers) for the Dive Orkney itinerary costs £4500 and for Scapa Flow alone £4000, or £400 per head, with accommodation, air and all but evening meals (which are taken ashore) included. Nitrox and trimix is also available and rebreather divers catered for.

Day charter rates are £3500 for a full group or £350 for individuals. Fullgroup self-catering is available for £1000 or B&B for £2100.

8 www.scapaflow.com

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Towards the end of the year you have the chance to join a seven-night liveaboard expedition in the Maldives with well-known underwater photographer Carlos Minguell.

The price from UK tour operator Go Barefoot of £895 covers full-board accommodation on Eagle Ray, three dives a day plus night dives along "less-regular" routes and tailored photo-workshops.

The trips start on 22 and 29 November and 6 December.

8 www.gobarefoot.org.uk

www.divErNEt.com

077_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 02/07/2013 12:11 Page 077

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WERNER LAU WORLDWIDE MALDIVES Bathala · Nord-Ari-Atoll · Top Dive Sites Filitheyo · Nord-Nilande-Atoll · Wrecks on the housereef Medhufushi · Meemu-Atoll · Spectacular diving Kuda-Funafaru · Noonu-Atoll · Exclusive diving Dholhiyadhoo · Shaviyani-Atoll · Untouched dive sites MY Sheena · 2x Unique diving safariINinSEPTEMBER the unexplored south 10 DAYS‘ TOUR

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FUERTEVENTURA / ATLANTIC OCEAN Aldiana · Morro Jable · Big fish

FRENCH POLYNESIA NEW White Sand Beach Resort · Fakarava Offered by several tour operators as well as through different Internet booking portals!

Book your great value diving package online:

www.wernerlau.com

Diver Tests_AUGUST_v1_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:54 Page 78

WELL AND TRULY

TESTED

O’Three has carved out an enviable reputation among drysuit-makers. Now it has brought out a model intended to maintain that reputation but at a lower price. JOHN BANTIN gives it a try

DRYSUIT

O’THREE PORT 10 SOME MIGHT SAY that Sean and Marcus are a little naïve when it comes to a business plan.

Instead of the more common short-term accountancy and quick returns for investors, they set about producing a high-quality product that would be in the best interest of their customers.

The straight-talking, good-sense manual written by Sean and now supplied with all O’Three’s latest suits sums it up.

Sean even likes to point out that the book is ring-bound, so that if he finds he’s made a mistake or needs to add something, alterations and substitutions can easily be made.

This honest approach to the company’s relationship with its customers has paid dividends. It can now rightly claim to be among brand leaders in the British drysuit market.

We’ve all experienced the pain of having a drysuit that was wonderfully made but woeful when it came to use, because it didn’t fit properly. With functional clothing such as a drysuit, the fit can be everything.

Sean and Marcus make drysuits that are not only made extremely well but they insist on fitting them to their customers perfectly.

This is why I’ve driven down to O’Three’s factory in the lee of Chesil Beach so often. It was never going to stick a suit in the post to me and hope that it fitted. As Sean said the first time he took my measurements: “If we don’t get it right, you’re going to trash us in print, and quite rightly so!”

Not only that, but Sean proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks, and he’s shown me the easiest way to get into and out of an O’Three drysuit and with no risk to the seals or the zip.

The lads have transferred this philosophy of customer care to their younger staff, too, a fact

SPECS PRICE8£595 MATERIAL84.5mm neoprene ZIP8Cross-shoulder medium-duty BDM SEALS8Neoprene BOOTS8Heavy-duty, attached EXTRA8Bag, changing mat, hose, vented semi-dry hood included

AVAILABLE SIZES8M, M/L, L, XL, XXL CONTACT8www.othree.co.uk DIVER GUIDE ★★★★★★★★★✩

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to which my wife can testify as she too was recently measured up for a new drysuit.

She’ll be reporting on that experience, and the resulting MSF500 suit, from a woman’s perspective at a later date.

So it needs a bit of commitment on the part of the customer as well as the supplier when it comes to acquiring an O’Three drysuit but I’ve yet to meet anyone who did it and said it wasn’t worth it. There’s something satisfying about climbing into any suit, whether it be pin-striped and tailored in Savile Row or neoprene and finished in Portland, when it fits you like a glove.

Economics O’Three drysuits have always scored top marks with me apart from the fact that they are inevitably pricey. The pain of payment may be outlived by the pleasure of owning something good, but in the present economic climate some of us simply no longer have the money.

Aware of this, Sean and Marcus have developed a no-nonsense yet high-quality suit that will appeal to the newly qualified diver, the commercial diver and those of us who simply cannot afford to go the extra mile for a topend product.

The Design Called the Port 10, this conventional neoprene drysuit has a cross-shoulder zip, externally Armatex lined and with fixed rubber boots. It’s manufactured to O’Three’s high standards but with fewer additional features, and is available only in a restricted range of off-the-peg sizes.

Unfortunately, too, it’s supplied only in a shape to fit a man.

After getting used to the rather sleek but more expensive lightweight neoprene suits O’Three makes, this one felt a little heavy, almost like the traditional neoprene suits of old.

I didn’t need much in the way of insulation even when I gave it an initial test for watertightness in Wraysbury lake in late April.

There are no braces, so a proper fit was going to be important. I didn’t want the crotch of the suit hanging down near my knees.

O’Three can make small adjustments to leg

length, to the size of wrist- and neck-seals and, of course, can supply the suit with one of a range of standard boot sizes, but this is not a made-to-measure suit.

If that is what you need, you’ll need to spend the extra money either on a more expensive MTM suit or a gym membership.

In The Water Slipping into the suit easily the way the guys at O’Three had demonstrated, aided by a helping of slippery Jollop around the inside of the neoprene wrist-seals, I felt very comfortable.

Naturally, I had to ask for help in closing the cross-shoulder zip.

The wrist-seals were clingy but I didn’t find that my thumb went numb, as is often the case when seals are too tight. The material in the arms was long enough to allow me to fold it down, covering the wrist-seals.

The neoprene neck-seal was turned in on itself like an inverted polo-neck, and this effectively stopped any air leaking out and, more noticeably, any water trickling back in.

Because the suit was such a perfect fit, I felt www.divErNEt.com

Diver Tests_AUGUST_v1_Layout 1 01/07/2013 09:15 Page 79

DIVER TESTS I could spend all day in it, and the lined boots were nice enough that I could have gone without socks.

The advantage of a close-fitting neoprene suit is immediately apparent once you are submerged, because it swims like a wetsuit. Only the heavy and inflexible knee pads made it less sleek than I would have liked.

O’Three recommends layering its PBB garments according to the amount of insulation demanded of the ambient water temperature.

One layer was more than enough for me in British water temperatures, and I am prone to complain about getting cold.

With the minimum amount of lead used as ballast, I didn’t need to add much air and hardly more than I would have needed to add to a BC when using a thick wetsuit, as I went deeper.

The revolving Apeks inflation valve made routeing of the hose conveniently close to my body, and when it came to dumping air during the ascent, I took my time and the auto-dump mounted on the shoulder proved efficient.

When the time came to get out of the suit later, I followed Sean’s instructions without drama. This is a suit that will appeal to those who like the advertising slogan of tinned wood varnish. It does exactly what it says it does.

Sean commented, while I was there, that it must be very difficult to write something new about a drysuit. There’s little I can say by way of criticism of this well-made but conventional suit, other than that you must be of a size covered by the range available, and try before you buy.

It’s a less expensive drysuit but it lives up to the reputation of the label. ■ COMPARABLE NEOPRENE DRYSUITS TO CONSIDER:

Seac Overdry 350, £475 Scubapro Everdry 4, £649 Typhoon Neo, £679

LEAK TESTER

UNDERWATER CAMERA STUFF HOUSING SENTRY HOW MUCH DO YOU VALUE your camera?

Quite a lot? Enough to get upset if you flood it under water in its housing?

I chose my latest housings simply because of one unique feature. The Hugyfot comes with an electronic vacuum leak test system that allows for non-destructive testing to see if it’s sealed properly. No more gingerly lowering a housed camera into the rinse tank to see if I can spot any bubbles escaping, and wrenching it out before the camera is toast.

Those professional film-makers who use their expensive video cameras in Gates housings can opt for an equally expensive Gates vacuum leak test system that uses a mechanical pump with a pressure gauge attached.

They pump the housing out after assembling it and then reattach the pump with its gauge around 20 minutes later to see if any air has leaked back in.

Now Underwater Camera Stuff in the USA has produced a similar system at a much reduced price, and it works with almost any proprietary camera housing on the market.

You can even adapt a less expensive Perspex housing to accommodate it. It‘s called Housing Sentry.

The Design The system comes as a bulkheadconnecting valve complete with a watertight blanking cap and a Mityvac hand-pump with a pressure gauge attached. There’s a short hose with an input fitting (I suppose that should really be called an output fitting, as it is used to draw air out of the housing).

There are two versions, designed slightly differently, made either of stainless steel or chrome-plated brass and anodised aluminium. The “posher” basic version attaches to the hose much as a BC inflator does, but miniaturised.

Both versions work in the same way, and in each case the blanking cap is on a little chain so that you don’t lose it.

Bill Libecap, who sent me the kit to try, asked

me which housing I wanted to use it with. My own housing has an unused port for an HDMI connection with a standard Nikonos-size threaded plug. This proved ideal, and the Housing Sentry valve screwed straight on, not forgetting the all-important sealing O-ring between the connector and the port fitting.

This also allowed me to use the Hugyfot Hugycheck built-in electronic system, which is supplied as a standard feature with that brand, to check up on the Housing Sentry’s efficiency without even getting my housing wet!

In Action

Above left: Basic Housing Sentry model. Above right: Economy Housing Sentry model. www.divErNEt.com

So with the camera safely installed in the housing and the main O-ring carefully greased and the clamshell shut, I attached the pump and pumped the housing down to 10in.Hg.vac. on the Mityvac’s gauge. I chose 10 because it’s easy to remember!

The flashing green light of the Hugycheck ☛

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DIVER TESTS electronic system confirmed that a vacuum had been pulled. I waited half an hour and reattached the pump (the Hugyfot’s green light was still flashing).

To me, this is the point where there might be a fly in the ointment, because a little air inevitably escapes back into the housing from the pump when you reattach it.

The instructions say that provided the gauge does not drop more than, say, 0.5in.Hg.vac, everything should be OK. Unfortunately, there is no in-water monitoring available to let you know that the vacuum is being maintained during the dive. You just check that the vacuum pressure has not dropped before you dive. However, as the pressure sensor inside the Hugyfot housing continued to keep the green light flashing, I knew I didn’t need to worry about that.

After the dive, the vacuum makes the housing impossible to open, so you reattach the pump to release the pressure.

If vacuum pressure drops in the interval before diving, you have got a leak. This will most likely be caused by an ill-positioned main O-ring, or fluff, dirt or a hair on it.

SPECS HOUSING SENTRY BASIC 8US $290 HOUSING SENTRY ECONOMY 8US $229 CONTACT8www.uwcamerastuff.com DIVER GUIDE ★★★★★★★★★✩

Take the housing apart and reassemble it, being thankful that you still have a dry camera.

I would have given the Housing Sentry top marks if there had been some way in which it continually monitored the vacuum pressure without refitting the pump each time.

Bill tells me that by the time you read this Underwater Camera Stuff should have stocks of a more expensive electronic version called the Housing Sentry Complete.

Applications Underwater Camera Stuff currently offers seven installation options for all versions of the Housing Sentry. In addition to the option for

Nauticam, Subal and Seacam, there is an option to attach the Housing Sentry valve to an unused half-inch unthreaded bulkhead such as you might find on an Aquatica or Sea & Sea housing, or another to substitute it for an unused Ikelite control, or to fit it to a Nikonos connector in the way in which I tried it.

You can replace an Olympus electronic strobe connector, provided you don’t need it, or you can cut holes in any aluminium or acrylic housing if you have the skill and facilities to do so.

One final word: If you are travelling abroad, put the pump into your checked baggage. You don’t want to be questioned about it in the carry-on security check. Mispronouncing the word “pump” or a hard-of-hearing agent who thinks you said the fatal b-word will see you arrested and even imprisoned in the USA. ■ COMPARABLE AFTERMARKET VACUUM LEAK TEST SYSTEMS TO CONSIDER:

Backscatter AirLock, US$399, www.backscatter.com Leak Sentinel electronic, 200 euros, www.vividhousings.com

BC

SUBGEAR BLACK PURE IT WAS IRONIC THAT I’D JUST FINISHED writing a piece for a US magazine about people losing integrated-weight pouches from their BCs through overloading them when I found myself using the SubGear Black Pure BC. This has an integrated-weight system that uses very effective clips to maintain the pouches in position so that there is absolutely no danger of them falling out.

Alas, the weights are contained within the pouches by means of Velcro-covered flaps, and these turn the opposite way to the flaps that connect to the BC itself.

So there I was hitching my tank up onto my back and tightening the shoulder-straps on the dive-deck when a 2kg weight fell out of a

SPECS PRICE 8£230 SIZES 8XS, S, M, L, XL DUMP VALVES 8Three WEIGHT 83.2kg INTEGRATED WEIGHTS 8Yes, but no trimweight system CONTACT8www.subgear.com

DIVER GUIDE ★★★★★✩✩✩✩✩

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correctly installed pouch – straight onto my foot.

Ouch! Well, at least I wasn’t enjoying a sudden increase in buoyancy under water, even though a week later I was still enjoying the pain in my big toe.

The designers had got the pouch connection system right, but had omitted to consider what would happen to weights that relied simply on a flap of Velcro to keep them in the pouch.

The Integrated-Weight System Some BCs also have trim-weight pockets, but this one does not. Of the 8kg I was using, I ended up leaving only 1kg each side in the integrated-weight system, and put the other 3kg in the zipped pockets.

I had used the full 8kg in the integratedweight system before the unfortunate big-toe accident.

However, the elasticated waist-strap intended to keep the BC snug allowed the sides to go wayward, like a couple of bags of heavy shopping, so I had started transferring the lead blocks appropriately to these side-pockets, although with little improvement in that department.

Not only that, but the weight-pouches tended to slip forward during diving and hang on their retaining buckles in a rather alarming way.

I’m actually a great fan of conventional jacket-style BCs for single-tank diving, and the SubGear Black Pure looks just like any other, but it is completely spoiled by this integratedweight system. ☛ www.divErNEt.com

082_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 03/07/2013 11:09 Page 082

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The long-awaited second edition of John Lippmann’s best-selling book on deeper diving is now available. * Deeper Into Diving is for the diving enthusiast, the experienced diver, the technical diver, and the dive instructor – as well as other diving and dive medical professionals. * It contains expert information on a range of decompression procedures and other technical topics that is not easily obtainable elsewhere. * It also provides valuable insights into diving physiology and various physical and medical aspects of deeper diving. * This new 512-page softback edition includes more than 70 pages on technical diving.

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OR use the coupon on the last page of the classified adverts, OR go to www.divernet.com

Deeper into Diving

Diver Tests_AUGUST_v1_Layout 1 01/07/2013 09:17 Page 83

DIVER TESTS

The Design This BC gives plenty of surface support. It’s very well made, and the air goes into just the right place when you are under water and is jettisoned easily by either a dump at the top right shoulder operated by a pull cord, a bottom-right dump operated by another, or a tug on the corrugated hose.

It has four stainless-steel D-rings and grommets that allow somewhere to fix a knife holster. A single camband that is threaded through a lightweight plastic backpack completes the picture.

It’s a pity that with an aluminium tank there is no opportunity to stuff some of the lead at the back, because this not only means that the weight is all in the same place, but also that the tank is in danger of falling out of a tank-rack during bumpy boat-rides.

I can’t even praise the capacious side-pockets with their double-action zips, because I had to reallocate their task to carrying lead.

I find it difficult to describe much else of the BC because, even a week later, the pain in my foot is so intense that it’s making my eyes water.

This may represent very good value but, thanks to its one defect, it is not a good BC. ■ COMPARABLE BCs TO CONSIDER:

Mares Hybrid Pure, £255 Seac Guru, £299 TUSA Selene, £304

UNDERSUIT

SCUBAPRO CLIMASPHERE BRIAN RIX MADE HIS NAME in Whitehall Theatre farces by allowing his trousers to fall down at the appropriate moment, revealing his underwear. In days when audiences had a less sophisticated sense of humour than might be the case nowadays, they found that to be extremely funny.

I can still draw the odd laugh today when strolling about a dive site, especially an inland site such as that of Wraysbury Dive Centre, in the right set of drysuit undergarments. The Scubapro Climasphere is such an example.

I went to Wraysbury one busy May weekend, in a borrowed black Mini Cooper SD. It’s a car that is a triumph of style over function.

I went ready dressed in the Climasphere undersuit. It’s an example of the triumph of function over style.

Someone asked me what I would do dressed like that if the police stopped me on the way home, something quite likely when driving the little black go-kart Mini.

They thought I looked bizarre (divers, they just aren’t adventurous enough!).

Bizarre I might have looked, but cosy warm is how I felt.

The Design The Climasphere undersuit comes in two pieces.

The bottom layer, the first to put on, looks conventional enough. It’s made of a material reminiscent of Polartec, a polyester combined with flexible Spandex. The effect is to make it feel both fluffy and stretchy.

In fact the windproof fleece has a four-way www.divErNEt.com

stretch, and it’s both breathable and anatomically cut.

There are the usual shallow side pockets, a front zip and a luxuriously thick collar.

Unusually, the cuffs and ankles are finished in neoprene to act almost like seals. This is intended both to keep the sleeves fully extended when you don your drysuit and to stop air from getting trapped.

There are stirrups and cuffloops too.

You could wear this single garment and stay quite warm enough in your drysuit, depending on the ambient water temperature.

Wraysbury lake was not warm enough for that, so I donned the second layer of equally thick material, which is like the equivalent of a jacket that goes over the longjohn of a wetsuit. It has a diagonal zip and short thigh sections that achieve a second layer of insulation over the first.

This is called “layering” in modern diving parlance, or what my mother might have called “putting another layer of clothes on”.

The effect is to double the insulation over the ☛

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DIVER TESTS torso and upper thighs while leaving the arms and legs unhindered by too much padding.

A secondary effect is to make a fit muscular person look fat, and a person who might have eaten too many pies obese.

Hence the wry smiles I detected on the faces of those bystanders who might have recognised me from these pages and assumed I’d recently

SPECS PRICE 8£140 SIZES 8XS, S, M, ML, L, XL, XXL, XXXL CONTACT8www.scubapro.com DIVER GUIDE ★★★★★★★★★★

put on a lot of weight, but were unaware that I am actually still built like a racing snake (as I prefer to think).

That’s why I asked Wraysbury’s chief instructor, Mark Bruce, to wear it for the photograph.

In The Water I was undeniably warm, although the water was not. A good test is to note whether your face or hands get cold, because if your core is insulated well enough, they won’t.

I was able to evacuate most of the loose air from my neoprene drysuit, so that the only insulating air I carried was within the fibre of the undersuit. In this way I was able to dive with

only 12kg of lead, which is not a lot for someone who has to take care not to bang his head on the average door-frame.

At no time did any air get trapped inside the suit during a carefully slow ascent, nor did the sleeves get rucked up in the process of getting ready to dive so, all in all, it was a great success.

That is, until I took my drysuit off and walked about the dive-site in the Climasphere. It’s very unflattering, but it is exceedingly good value. ■ COMPARABLE UNDERSUITS TO CONSIDER:

Fourth Element Xerotherm (two-piece), £154 Bare SB Mid Layer, £235 Weezle Extreme, £172

FINS

MARES AVANTI QUATTRO PLUS LET’S THINK OF SOME PRODUCTS that have made an unassailable niche for themselves with well-informed consumers. Looking around my own house, I suppose we should include Marmite, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate and PG Tips, together with Oxo Cubes, the VW Golf, Kellogg’s Cornflakes, Heinz Beans, the Morphy Richards Toaster and Cherry Blossom shoe polish. You get the idea.

It’s hard to think that at some point none of these things existed, and it’s harder to imagine that the originators might have anticipated the amazing success of such products.

There isn’t much in the diving industry that comes close, unless it’s a certain brand and model of fins that adorn the feet of scuba professionals throughout the world.

Swimming along a reef wall with a group of divers recently, I noted that the younger man in front of me was making exactly twice the number of fin-strokes as me for the same effect.

He was wearing a posh pair of expensive fins but I was wearing a pair of Avanti Quattro Plus.

It’s an older design that has recently been upgraded with a more flexible technopolymer mix than was used before, and the fins are now fitted with flexible bungee straps as standard.

Mares set the standard for professional diveguides worldwide when the people at the

SPECS PRICE8£80 SIZES8S, R, XL COLOURS8Six BLADE LENGTH838cm WEIGHT PER PAIR81.8kg CONTACT8www.mares.com DIVER GUIDE ★★★★★★★★★★

84

Italian factory first produced the Plana Avanti Quattro design some 25 years ago.

The fins have four flexible channels let into the blades and use a channel-thrust technology to squeeze all the water off the ultimate tip of the blade with the downthrust of the finning action.

There is little sideways skidding, as experienced with some other fins, and no sensation of your ankles twisting either.

The foot-pockets encompass most of your foot right up to the heel, and elastic rubber bungee straps keep your foot firmly in place, without any wobble.

There’s a loop to help pull them on and off, and it showed no signs of breaking during two weeks’ diving three times a day. Wear these fins and they become an extension of your leg.

They are by no means cheap, and yet they are a lot less expensive to buy than some other topof-the-range fins on the market.

The Quattros have been a problem for their manufacturer in that it has been a victim of their success. Mares keeps bringing out socalled better fins such as the Excel and the XStream but, frankly, when you’ve had a pair of these Quattros Plus fins on your feet, you won’t bother looking any further. ■ COMPARABLE FINS TO CONSIDER:

Aqua-Lung Slingshot, £90 Oceanic Viper, £43 Scubapro Twinjet Max, £115 TUSA Imprex, £56 www.divErNEt.com

085_DIVER_0813_DIVER_2013 03/07/2013 11:11 Page 085

Choose a FREE…

divEr

Rucksack +Travel Guide

(with two-year subscription – see page 95)

When it comes to diving, the Maldives is in a class of its own, but the best dive sites don’t have to cost a fortune. Secret Paradise has teamed up with local guesthouses and local PADI dive centres to offer great diving at affordable prices.

… or FREE Dive Torch

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(with one-year subscription – see page 89)

… or FREE Diving Watch

‘dream holidays @ dream prices’ (with Direct Debit one-year subscription – see page 97)

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Itineraries include: Local Island Guesthouses • Liveaboards • Full Board • 15 dives • Unlimited Air • Airport Transfers • Charters • Excludes flights

Secret Paradise Tel: +(960) 3355590 Email: sales@secretparadise.mv www.secretparadise.mv

Just Surfaced_AUGUST_v1_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:58 Page 86

NEW BUT

UNTESTED The latest kit to hit the dive shops

Scubapro Jet Sport Fins 4444 These lightweight fins come with a big paddle-style blade for a truly powerful response in the water, and drag-reducing vents that are claimed to decrease resistance substantially on both up- and down-strokes. Threematerial blade construction is intended to optimise flex and comfort to achieve a high level of performance, while quick-release buckles and an ergonomic foot-pocket complete the picture. These fins are available in three colours and a range of sizes from XS to XL. They cost £65 a pair.

8 www.scubapro.com

Northern Diver Fusion X3 Lamp 6666 This 230-lumen lamp with its optically designed reflector uses a 3W LED with more than eight hours claimed for continuous burntime from four AA batteries. The Fusion X3 has a magnetic reed switch on an anodised aluminium torch covered in impact resistant silicone. It has been depth-tested to 95m. Complete with lanyard, it costs £40.

8 www.ndiver.com

TUSA Masks 5555 New masks from TUSA include the KleiO II, designed for those with narrower faces such as smaller females and young divers, and available in seven colour schemes (£39). The TUSA Freedom Quad is a four-window mask available in five colours. It has a dimpled variable-thickness silicone skirt and costs £70. The TUSA Freedom Ceos Pro comes in a dozen colours, has the same Freedom skirt and can be fitted with a wide range of optical lenses off-the-peg. It costs £61 (or £76 with special clear glass), and minus-dioptre, plus-dioptre and bi-focal lenses cost from £22 extra.

8 www.cpspartnership.com

O’Neill Reactor Wetsuits 3333

Scubapro Caravan Bag 5555 A huge 18-litre capacity makes this new Caravan a contender as a large-volume travel bag. It has a U-shaped YKK salt-resistant zip, three flat exterior side-pockets, an extending handle for use with its roller wheels, a shoulder strap and external compression straps. The Caravan weighs 4.5kg and costs £149.

8 www.scubapro.com

86

Once the kids are into diving and snorkelling, the next problem is to find wetsuits to fit them. O’Neill can help with suits in sizes to suit children from four upwards. The Reactor 3/2mm is of proper flexible neoprene, with the thickest part around the torso and flexible arms and legs to avoid protests. The suits come with slippery Fluidflex top sleeves and undersleeves, ergonomic knee protection, a YKK back zip and a fully adjustable seal at the collar. There’s even a hidden key pocket. They cost around £50.

8 www.oneill.com

www.divErNEt.com

Just Surfaced_AUGUST_v1_Layout 1 28/06/2013 15:59 Page 87

JUST SURFACED Oceanic Plus 3 Computer 4444 For those who like an air-integrated computer connected by high-pressure hose, this nitrox unit has a Quick-Disconnect and a compass in the form shown. It has a very large, easily readable display that shows air-time remaining, and it calculates decompression based on well-established modified Haldanean Z+ DSAT principles. A fast-set menu and diver-replaceable batteries with “hot swap” make it very user-friendly, and it has all the features that you would expect on a single-mix nitrox computer. It costs from £509 (computer only).

8 www.oceanicuk.com

Finn Light Range 6666

O’Three MSF500tb Flex Drysuit 5555 From the highly rated Dorset drysuit manufacturer, this is the drysuit that promises to fit a wide range of shapes, including those of women and others that might be thought problematic by some manufacturers. With neoprene seals at both wrist and neck, BDM cross-shoulder dry zip, lined boots, a thigh-mounted pocket and Apeks valves, it’s available in both made-to-fit and off-the-peg sizes.

The price includes bag, hose, hood and maintenance kit. From £749.

8 www.othree.co.uk

These high-quality technical diving lights are said to have recently been improved, with a better switching design for three power settings of 300, 1500 and 3000 lumens. All powered by li-ion batteries, they range from the Short 3000 with Goodman handle at £638, through the Long 3000 with its bigger umbilical battery-pack at £841, to the Strong 3000 with its (up to) 50-hour umbilical battery-pack at £1130. A novel option is to specify a second take-off from the battery of the Strong 3000 to power additional equipment such as a heated vest for a drysuit.

8 www.finnsub.com

FINDING THE FIN FOR YOU

NEXT ISSUE JERSEY BEAT Time well-spent under water in the Channel island

MARSA NAKIRI In-tents activity for a prize-winning photographer

CHILLED-OUT DIVING How to press the ‘easy button’ and do it right

www.divErNEt.com

JOHN BANTIN

Performance? Comfort? Energy-saving?

Whatever your priorities, we’ll assess the merits as the contenders line up in the pool

ON SALE 22 AUG

DHD – August 2013_Holiday Directory 04/07/2013 12:19 Page 88

HOLIDAY DIRECTORY FACILITIES INCLUDE:

Hotel or guesthouse

Self-catering

Equipment for hire

Dive boat charter arranged

Suitable for families

Packages from UK

Compressed Air

Nitrox

Technical Gases

BSAC School

PADI Training

NAUI Training

TDI Training

SSI Training

DAN Training

Disability Diving

AUSTRALIA GREAT BARRIER REEF – CORAL SEA MIKE BALL DIVE EXPEDITIONS 143 Lake Street, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia.

Tel: (00 61) 7 4053 0500. Fax: (00 61) 7 4031 5470.

E-mail: mike@mikeball.com www.mikeball.com UK Agent: Divequest – divers@divequest.co.uk

OCTOPUS DIVING CENTRE PO Box 40124, Larnaca, Cyprus. (Dive centre located on the Larnaca to Dhekelia Road, 100m from the Princess Hotel.) Tel/fax: (00 357) 24 646571.

Mobile: (00 357) 9965 4462. www.octopus-diving.com E-mail: octopus@spidernet.com.cy PADI 5* Gold Palm Resort & Cyprus’ only BSAC Premier School.

LIVEABOARDS SEA QUEEN FLEET Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Tel: (00 20) 12 218 6669 or (00 20) 12 100 3941.

E-mail: seaqueen@link.net or karen@seaqueens.com www.seaqueens.com Red Sea liveaboards. Dive Centre.

GRENADA ST. GEORGE’S SCUBATECH DIVE CENTRE Calabash Hotel, L’Anse Aux Epines.

Tel: +1 (473) 439 4346. Fax: +1 (473) 444 5050.

E-mail: info@scubatech-grenada.com www.scubatech-grenada.com Discover The Difference!

SHARM EL SHEIKH ALUN & MOYRA’S ELITE DIVING

BARBADOS

Divers United, Coral Hills Hotel, Hadaba, Sharm El Sheikh, South Sinai. Tel/fax: (00 20) 1224 308 780.

E-mail: info@elite-diving.com www.elite-diving.com British-owned and managed.

HIGHTIDE WATERSPORTS Coral Reef Club, Porters, St. James, Barbados.

Tel: 001 (246) 432 0931. Fax: 001 (246) 432 6628.

E-mail: info@divehightide.com www.divehightide.com Barbados’ premier PADI diving centre.

PAPHOS CYDIVE LTD

CANARY ISLANDS

Myrra Complex, 1 Poseidonos Avenue, Kato Paphos.

Tel: (00 357) 26 934271. Fax: (00 357) 26 935307. www.cydive.com E-mail: cydive@spidernet.com.cy PADI 5* CDC. First Career Development Centre in Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean.

TRUE BLUE BAY RESORT – AQUANAUTS P.O. Box 14161, Grand Anse, St. George’s.

Tel: (473) 443 8783. Fax: (473) 444 5929.

E-mail: mail@truebluebay.com www.truebluebay.com Boutique hotel, Gold Palm diving centre.

FUERTEVENTURA DEEP BLUE P.O. Box 33, Caleta de Fuste, Antigua E-35610, Fuerteventura. Tel: (00 34) 606 275468.

Fax: (00 34) 928 163983. www.deep-blue-diving.com E-mail: info@deep-blue-diving.com CMAS, IAHD. Harbour location. Special group rates.

FIJI BEQA ADVENTURE DIVERS P.O. Box 343, Pacific Harbour, Fiji Islands.

Tel: (00 679) 345 0911. Fax: (00 679) 345 0901.

E-mail: adventuredivers@connect.com.fj www.fijisharkdive.com Fiji’s Premier Shark Dive Team.

LANZAROTE SAFARI DIVING SL Playa de la Barilla 4 (Playa Chica), 35510 Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote. Tel: (00 34) 625 059712, (00 34) 928 511992. www.safaridiving.com E-mail: enquiry@ safaridiving.com or ukagent@safaridiving.com English owned, only centre directly on beach, open 7 days a week, RYA powerboat training. SSI Instructor Trainer Facility.

Daily shore and boat dives.

DIVE POINT Parmenionos St. No4, Tombs of the Kings Rd, Kato Paphos, Cyprus 8045. Tel/fax: (00 357) 26 938730.

E-mail: divepointcyprus@hotmail.com www.divepointcyprus.co.uk British BSAC/PADI instructors.

FRANCE COTE D’AZUR DIAMOND DIVING 11 Rue to Pecheurs, Golf Juan. 06220.

Tel: (00 33) 615 305223. E-mail: info@diamonddiving.net www.diamonddiving.net Quality PADI training French Riviera. PADI 5*IDC Resort, six IDCs per year.

INDONESIA BALI AQUAMARINE DIVING – BALI Jalan Petitenget 2A, Kuta, Bali 80361.

Tel: (00 62) 361 4738 020. Fax: (00 62) 361 4738 021.

E-mail: info@AquaMarineDiving.com www.AquaMarineDiving.com

PROTARAS DRAGON DIVERS

CYPRUS LARNACA RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER 24/7 professionally manned and fully computerised, privately owned and operated 14-man recompression chamber, internationally approved and the DAN Preferred Provider for the island. If in doubt … SHOUT! Poseidonia Medical Centre, 47a Eleftherias Avenue, Aradippou, Larnaca 7102, Cyprus.

24hr Emergency Dive Line: +357 99 518837.

E-mail: info@hbocyprus.com www.hbocyprus.com

P.O. Box 33932, 5319 Paralimni.

Tel: (00 357) 2383 4244.

Fax: (00 357) 2383 4245.

E-mail: dragondivers@cytanet.com.cy www.dragondiverscyprus.com Training from beginner to Instructor.

GREECE CRETE CRETE UNDERWATER CENTER Mirabello Hotel, Agios Nikolaos, P.O. Box 100, P.C. 72 100. Tel/fax: (00 30) 28410 22406.

Mob: (00 30) 6945 244434, (00 30) 6944 126846. www.creteunderwatercenter.com E-mail: info@creteunderwatercenter.com IANTD Nitrox training. Groups, individuals & dive clubs welcome.

NORTH SULAWESI BAHOWO LODGE Tongkeina, Manado, North Sulawesi 95016.

Tel: (00 62) 819 404 5261. E-mail: bahowo@gmail.com www.bahowolodgebunaken.com British owned and run resort, linked to PADI 5* dive centre.

EGYPT HURGHADA ILIOS DIVE CLUB Steigenberger Al dau Resort, Yussif Affifi Road, Hurghada. Tel: (00 20) 65 346 5442.

E-mail: info@iliosdiveclub.com www.iliosdiveclub.com PADI Dive Centre, border free.

88

To advertise in the divEr Holiday Directory contact Alex on 020 8943 4288 • e-mail: alex@divermag.co.uk

DHD – August 2013_Holiday Directory 04/07/2013 12:20 Page 89

HOLIDAY DIRECTORY RAJA AMPAT

MALTA

PAPUA DIVING

MALTAQUA

Sorido Bay Resort and Kri Eco Resort, Kri Island, West Papua. Bookings Office: +62 (0)811 4804610.

E-mail: info@papua-diving.com www.rajaampatdiving.com First dive operator (since 1993) and conservation centre in Raja Ampat. Resorts open 365 days.

Mosta Road, St. Paul’s Bay. Tel: (00 356) 2157 1111.

Fax: (00 356) 21 580064. E-mail: dive@maltaqua.com www.maltaqua.com On-line booking service.

BSAC Centre of Excellence 007, PADI 5* IDC. ANDI

ANCHOR DIVING MALTA Sunhaven, Lampuki Street, Bugibba/St Paul’s Bay, SPB 03.

Tel: (00 356) 2756 7238. e-mail: info@anchordiving.com www.anchordiving.com

AQUAVENTURE LTD

TO divEr MAGAZINE AND PICK UP A FREE DIVE TORCH 1-year subscription

The Waters Edge, Mellieha Bay Hotel, Mellieha MLH 02. www.aquaventuremalta.com Tel: (00 356) 2152 2141 Fax: (00 356) 2152 1053 e-mail:info@aquaventuremalta.com PADI 5* Gold Palm. Watersports available.

IRELAND

SUBSCRIBE plus …

CO. CORK OCEANADDICTS Ballynaloughe, Nohoval, Co. Cork.

Tel: (00 353) (0)87 7903211.

E-mail: anne@oceanaddicts.ie www.oceanaddicts.ie Day boat and liveaboard diving.

…FREE Lenser Frogman LED Torch, worth £51

DIVE DEEP BLUE Deep Blue Lido, 100 Annaniija Street, Bugibba.

Tel: (00 356) 21 583946. Fax: (00 356) 21 583945 E-mail: dive@divedeepblue.com www.divedeepblue.com PADI 5* Gold Palm/BSAC Premier. Technical Diving support service. ANDI

‘

This neat little lam p uses hi-tech electronics to squeez e more light from its LED than you would think possible … RECOMM ENDED

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KENYA EAST AFRICA PARADISE DIVERS DIVE CENTRE P.O. Box 1772-80400, Ukunda, Kenya.

Tel: (00 254) 722 684513. Fax: (00 254) 040 3202741.

E-mail: booking@paradisediver.net www.paradisediver.net Diving, safari, African restaurant, eco-lodge.

STARFISH DIVING SCHOOL Corinthia Marina Hotel, St. George’s Bay, St. Julians.

Tel: (00 356) 2138 2995. E-mail: info@starfishdiving.com www.starfishdiving.com Excellent seafront location. Own jetty.

MALAYSIA BORNEO, SABAH THE REEF DIVE RESORT (Mataking Island), TB212, Jalan Bunga, Fajar Complex, 91000 Tawau, Sabah. Tel: (00 60) 89 786045. Fax: (00 60) 89 770023. E-mail: sales@mataking.com www.mataking.com PADI 5* Dive Resort.

✹ Take out a ONE-YEAR subscription to Britain’s best-selling diving magazine for just £48.95 (a saving of 7 per cent off the normal UK price) ✹ You also receive a powerful Lenser Frogman LED diving torch (worth £51) ABSOLUTELY FREE ✹ Featuring an energy-efficient LED light chip, it gives up to 50 hours of high-intensity light from a single set of 4 x AA batteries (included) ✹ Offer includes p&p for the Torch and for the 12 monthly magazines

Offer worth £103.80 – YOU PAY ONLY £48.95 £X8.95

MICRONESIA

MALTA (inc. GOZO & COMINO

YES, please send me 12 issues of divEr plus free Torch for £48.95

TRUK LAGOON

GOZO

TRUK LAGOON DIVE CENTER

GOZO AQUA SPORTS

P.O. Box 546, Weno, Chuuk FM 96942.

Tel: (00 691) 330 7990. Fax: (00 691) 330 2286.

E-mail: diveshop@dive-truklagoon.com www.dive-truklagoon.com Experience the world’s finest wreck diving.

Rabat Road, Marsalforn, MFN9014, Gozo, Malta.

Tel: (00 356) 21 563037. www.gozoaquasports.com E-mail: dive@gozoaquasports.com PADI 5* IDC Centre. DSAT Tec Rec courses available.

CCR/Rebreather & Trimix friendly.

starting with the __________________________ issue

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89

DHD – August 2013_Holiday Directory 04/07/2013 12:23 Page 90

HOLIDAY DIRECTORY THRESHER SHARK DIVERS

PALAU KOROR FISH ’N FINS DIVE CENTER / OCEAN HUNTER I & III LIVEABOARDS

Malapascua Island, Daanbantayan, Cebu 6013.

Tel: (00 63) 927 612 3359. www.thresherdivers.com E-mail: dive@thresherdivers.com British, PADI 5* IDC, IANTD.

SPAIN BALEARIC ISLANDS – MALLORCA SCUBA MALLORCA C/d’el Cano 23, 07470 Port de Pollença, Mallorca.

Tel: (00 34) 971 868087. Mobile: (00 34) 615 875609.

E-mail: info@scubamallorca.com www.scubamallorca.com PADI 5* IDC.

PADI 5* IDC & TDI. Technical diving. 6 & 16 pax luxurious liveaboards. 30+ WWII Japanese wrecks to explore. Check our special events! www.fishnfins.com www.oceanhunter.com

THAILAND PHI PHI ISLAND ISLAND DIVERS Tonsai Bay, Phi Phi Island. Tel: (00 66) 898 732205.

E-mail: info@islanddiverspp.com www.islanddiverspp.com World class diving. Spectacular scenery.

BALEARIC ISLANDS – MENORCA BLUEWATER SCUBA Calle Llevant, Centro Civico Local 3, Cap D’Artrutx, 07769 Ciutadella de Menorca.

Tel/fax: (00 34) 971 387183. www.bluewaterscuba.co.uk E-mail: sales@bluewaterscuba.co.uk Dive the famous Pont D’en Gil cavern!

SURAT THANI/KOH TAO

PHILIPPINES ANILAO, PUERTO GALERA, VISAYAS, CAMGUIN PHILIPPINE BANCA DIVE SAFARI Unit 404, Cedar Mansion 2, Escriva Drive, Pasig City, Manila. Tel/fax: (632) 633 0716. www.bancadiving.com E-mail: info@bancadiving.com / yvetteclee@gmail.com Safari diving throughout the Philippines.

DAVY JONES’ LOCKER

SOUTHERN AFRICA

9/21 Moo 2, Mae Haad, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani, Thailand 84280. Tel: (00 66) 77 456126.

Mob: (00 66) 79 700913. www.techdivethailand.com E-mail: djl_kohtao@hotmail.com Recreational, reef, tech, deep, wreck.

SOUTH AFRICA AFRICAN DIVE ADVENTURES Shelly Beach, South Africa.

Tel: (00 27) 82 45678 85. Fax: (00 27) 86 516 0061. e-mail: afridive@venturenet.co.za www.divingwithtigersharks.com Sharks, Sharks, Sharks, Sharks, Sharks.

ANDALUCIA – COSTA DEL SOL HAPPY DIVERS MARBELLA Happy Divers Marbella & IDC College, Hotel Atalaya Park Marbella-Estepona. Tel: (00 34) 609 571920, (00 34) 952 88 36 17. E-mail: college@idc-spain.com www.happy-divers-marbella.com The only PADI 5* CDC & NG center in Spain, Nitrox & DPV speciality center.

TOBAGO BLUE WATERS DIVE’N Batteaux Bay, Speyside.

Tel: 1 (868) 395 9343.

E-mail: wpalmer@bluewatersinn.com www.bluewatersdiven.com PADI 5* Dive Centre.

SIMPLY DIVING Carlota Alessandri 25, 29620 Torremolinos, Malaga.

Tel: (00 34) 600 506 526. E-mail: dive@simplydiving.com www.simplydiving.com Centres in Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Only British run PADI 5* IDC Resort in Southern Spain. We dive 240km of coastline, inc. famous Gibraltar wrecks.

TURKS & CAICOS IS. DIVE PROVO Tel: 001 (649) 946 5040. Fax: 001 (649) 946 5936.

E-mail: diving@diveprovo.com www.diveprovo.com 1990-2010, 20 years of Diving As It Should Be!

SRI LANKA UNAWATUNA DIVING CENTRE 296 Matara Road, Peellagoda/Unawatuna, Galle.

Tel: +94 (0)91 22 44 693, +94 (0)91 22 83 753 Mob: +94 (0)77 44 36 173, +94 (0)77 34 80 934, +94 (0)777 90 34 30. E-mail: info@unawatunadiving.com www.unawatunadiving.com Situated on the beach of the east bay of Unawatuna. Only PADI certificated dive shop in Unawatuna, PADI Resort S-36133.

The latest diving videos from around the world showing now at

www.divErNEt.com 90

ZANZIBAR RISING SUN DIVING c/o Breezes Beach Club & Spa, Zanzibar.

Tel: (00 255) 777 872163. Fax: (00 255) 741 333151.

E-mail: bookings@risingsun-zanzibar.com www.risingsun-zanzibar.com East Africa’s first National Geographic & 5* PADI Resort.

To advertise in the divEr Holiday Directory contact Alex on 020 8943 4288 • e-mail: alex@divermag.co.uk

DCD – August 2013_Centre Directory 04/07/2013 13:12 Page 91

DIVE CENTRE DIRECTORY IANTD

FACILITIES INCLUDE:

SSI Training

TDI Training

IANTD Training

Member of SITA

IDEST approved

DAN Training

Cylinder testing

Regulator servicing

Equipment for hire

✓

Dive boat charter arranged

Compressed Air

Nitrox

Technical Gases

Disability Diving

o

HAMPSHIRE

LONDON

ANDARK DIVING

CORNWALL DIVE ACTION DIVING CENTRE Unit 2c, Industrial Estate, St. Keverne, Helston TR12 6PE. Tel/fax: (01326) 280719. Mobile: (07831) 820820.

E-mail: gary@diveaction.co.uk www.diveaction.co.uk 0900-1730 7 days a week; other hours by arrangement.

Inspiration and Dräger rebreather courses.

o

DAN

PADI Training

ENGLAND

✓

DAN

BSAC School

A

N

256 Bridge Road, Lower Swanwick, Southampton SO31 7FL. Tel: (01489) 581755. Fax: (01489) 575223.

E-mail: bookings@andark.co.uk www.andark.co.uk Open 7 days, PADI 5* IDC, RYA powerboat, 3.5m pool & classrooms, large shop, mail order, kids parties, Club, helo escape, disabled friendly, 300bar.

✓

o

DAN

DAN

A

N

WARWICKSHIRE

LONDON SCHOOL OF DIVING

DIVING CYLINDER AND REGULATOR SERVICES

11 Power Road, Chiswick W4 5PT. Tel: +44 (0)20 8995 0002. Fax: +44 (0)20 8995 5100.

E-mail: info@londonschoolofdiving.co.uk www.londonschoolofdiving.co.uk Open 1000-1800 Mon-Thurs, 1000-1700 Fri-Sat. PADI CDC, onsite pool, kids parties.

148 Coventry Road, Warwick CV34 5HL. Tel/fax: (01926) 493797. E-mail: dc-rs@hotmail.com Open Mon-Fri 1030-1800.

Computer/watch batteries and pressure testing.

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KENT

THE DIVERS WAREHOUSE DIVE MACHINE

PORTHKERRIS DIVERS PADI 5* IDC Centre. Porthkerris, St. Keverne, Nr Helston TR12 6QJ. Tel: (01326) 280620. www.porthkerris.com E-mail: info@porthkerris.com 7 days a week, tuition from novice to instructor, hardboat/RIB charters, escorted dives, dive shop, beach café, basking shark trips, camping, shore dive.

Unit 11 Orchard Business Centre, Sanderson Way, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1QF. Tel: (01732) 773553.

Fax: (01732) 773663. E-mail: robert@divemachine.com www.divemachine.com Mon-Sat 0930-1730, closed Sunday. Friendly, helpful, huge stocks. PADI CDC Centre.

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Otter House, 911 Wakefield Road, Dudley Hill Slip Road, Bradford BD4 7QA. Tel: (01274) 307555. Fax: (01274) 730993.

E-mail: sales@diverswarehouse.co.uk Mon-Fri 0930-1730; late night Thurs ’til 2000; Sat 09301700; closed Sun. Manufacturer of Otter drysuits.

PADI 5* Centre. PSAI.

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164-192 Cleveland Street, Birkenhead CH41 3QQ. Tel: (0151) 647 5131. Fax: (0151) 666 2631. e-mail: sales@wirralsports.co.uk www.wirralsports.co.uk Mon-Fri 0900-1730; Sat 09001700. Air to 300bar. Diving, watersports, mail order and online shopping. Friendly, helpful staff, PADI Centre.

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DIVERS DOWN 139 Babbacombe Road, Babbacombe, Torquay TQ1 3SR. Tel: (01803) 327111. Fax: (01803) 32463.

E-mail: info@diversdown.co.uk www.diversdown.co.uk Open Mon-Fri 1000-1730; Sat 0900-1730; Sun 1000-1600. PADI 5* IDC.

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STONEY COVE – THE NATIONAL DIVE CENTRE

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14 Portmore Road, Portstewart BT55 7BE. Tel: (028 70) 832584. E-mail: dive@aquaholics.org www.aquaholics.org Open 0900-1730.

Diving Malin Head to Rathlin Island.

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DIVERS DOWN SWANAGE

G&H DIVING SERVICES

The Pier, High Street, Swanage, Dorset.

Tel: (01929) 423565. Mob: (07977) 142661.

E-mail: medina@madasafish.com www.diversdownswanage.co.uk Open 7 days a week during the dive season. The UK’s oldest dive centre.

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AQUAHOLICS DIVE CENTRE

Leicester, LE9 4DW. www.stoneycove.co.uk www.underwaterworld.co.uk Sales & service: (01455) 273089; The Dive School (PADI 5* IDC): (01455) 272768; Nemo’s Bar & Diner: (01455) 274198. UK’s leading dive company. Dive “Stanegarth”, Britain’s biggest inland wreck.

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Unit 1 Willow House, River Gardens, North Feltham Trading Estate, Feltham TW14 0RD. Tel: (020) 8751 3771.

Fax: (020) 8751 2591. E-mail: Ghdiving@aol.com Mon-Fri 0900-1800; Sat 0900-1230. ANDI Training.

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Get Britain’s best-selling diving magazine on Apple Newsstand, major Android devices, Kindle Fire, HP Touchpad and PC & Mac.

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Simply download the divEr app for FREE from the App Store or Google Play and receive a sample copy completely FREE. Once you have the app, you will be able to download new and back issues or take out a subscription all for less than the newsstand price.

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You can also access digital editions of divEr via www.pocketmags.com and Pocketmags Magazine News Stand for Kindle Fire.

To advertise in the divEr Dive Centre Directory contact Sara on 020 8943 4288 • e-mail: sara@divermag.co.uk

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Liveaboard Directory – 08_13_Liveaboard Directory 04/07/2013 14:44 Page 92

LIVEABOARD DIRECTORY DWw Dive Worldwide

GD

Geo-Dive

Divequest

HD

Holiday Designers

O

Oonasdivers

AF

Aqua-Firma

A

Aquatours

DQ

CT

Crusader Travel

Emp Emperor

CT DWw STW UD

AUSTRALIA – Cairns Spirit of Freedom www.spiritoffreedom.com.au Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

26 11 Y 37m steel

26 15 Y 30m alum

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

www.explorerventures.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

18 9 Y 35.1m alum

16 8 Y 32.3m

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 8 Y 40m wood

110V Y Y Y N

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

8 4 Y 24m wood

www.explorerventures.com

DQ Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

SS 110V Y Y Y N

TSP DWw AF STW

COCOS IS. – Puntarenas, Costa Rica Argo Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 8 Y 39m steel

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

A DWw DQ SS AF Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

www.maldivesdivingadventure.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

240V Y Y Y Y

HD

EGYPT – Sharm el Sheikh VIP One www.vipone.com

14 7 Y 30m wood

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

16 8 Y 29.5m wood

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

220V Y Y Y Y

www.trukodyssey.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 9 Y 38.2m Steel

DQ UD DWw SS STW Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

220v,110v Y Y Y Y

DWw UD AF STW

PALAU Ocean Hunter Palau www.oceanhunter.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 8 Y 31m steel

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

240V Y Y Y Y

AF

CT DWw UD DQ STW www.worldwidediveandsail.com

PHILIPPINES S/Y Philippine Siren

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 8 Y 40m wood

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

220V Y Y Y Y

CT DWw AF DQ

THAILAND S/Y Siren www.worldwidediveandsail.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 8 Y 34m wood

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

220V Y Y Y Y

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

220V Y Y Y N

www.queenscuba.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

220V N Y Y Y

21 9 Y 28m steel

A DWw DQ SS

TURKS & CAICOS Turks & Caicos Explorer II www.explorerventures.com

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

12 6 Y 26m wood

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

220V Y Y Y Y

MALDIVES – Malé Theia www.cruisemaldives.travel

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

MICRONESIA – Truk Lagoon M.V. Odyssey

THAILAND & INDONESIA M.V. Queen Scuba

www.scubascuba.com 24 10 Y 45m steel

Ultimate Diving

240V Y Y Y N

MALDIVES – Malé Sea Queen & Sea Spirit

www.seaqueenfleet.com

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20 10 Y 38.2m wood

UD

220V Y Y Y Y

MALDIVES – Malé Eagle Ray

110V Y Y Y Y

EGYPT – Sharm el Sheikh Sea Queen 1 Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

Sportif

220V Y Y Y Y

www.worldwidediveandsail.com Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

S

TSP The Scuba Place

N Y Y N

CT DWw AF DQ

www.explorerventures.com

www.underseahunter.com

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

INDONESIA S/Y Mandarin Siren

MALDIVES – Malé Carpe Vita Explorer

18 9 Y 35.1m alum

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

CT DWw STW DQ AF www.worldwidediveandsail.com

CARIBBEAN – St. Maarten & St. Kitts A DWw Caribbean Explorer II Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

Snooba Travel

INDONESIA S/Y Indo Siren

240V Y Y Y N

A DWw DQ SS

BAHAMAS – Georgetown Caribbean Explorer II

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

Scuba Safaris

A DWw DQ SS AF STW

GALAPAGOS Humboldt Explorer

240V Y Y Y N

www.mikeball.com Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

ST

www.explorerventures.com Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

CT DWw

AUSTRALIA – Cairns Spoilsport

SS

STW Scuba Tours Worldwide

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

16 8 Y 32m wood

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

240V Y Y N N

Pax Cab EnS Lth Hull

20 10 Y 37.8m alum

Elec Cour A/C Ntx CCR

110V Y Y Y N

To advertise in the divEr Liveaboard Directory, call Alex on 020 8943 4288, or email: alex@divermag.co.uk

Please remember to mention divEr Magazine when replying to any of these advertisements

Classified page 93_08_Classified RHP 03/07/2013 11:20 Page 093

CLASSIFIED ADS

CLASSIFIED ADS CHARTER BOATS South www.channeldiving.com Midweek diving for individuals. Tel: (07970) 674799.

(16742) www.sussexshipwrecks.co.uk “Sussex” Eastbourne. Fast Cat, lift, O2, toilet, tea/coffee. Groups and individuals.

Diver/Skipper Mike mobile: 07711 570294, e-mail: dive@sussexshipwrecks.co.uk (21671)

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DIVE 125 E1

25.CO.UK

OUR W

07

764

58 53

53

07764 585353

Custom built 42' dive vessel, huge deck space, Diver lift, large wheel house + separate toilet.

Air + Nitrox

Onboard Compressor

NOV/DEC WEEKENDS AVAILABLE

www.dive125.co.uk Eastbourne Charters Dive Littlehampton “Our Joy”. Shallow to deep, we cater for all. Skipper & crew on board, available 7 days a week.

Minimum 6, maximum 10. Tel: (01243) 553977 or 07850 312068, www.ourjoy.co.uk (25546)

Dive or snorkel with friendly seals at Lundy Island. We are offering big discounts to groups of snorkellers, see our new website. Clive Pearson is one of the area’s most experienced skippers. Wrecks, reefs, drop-offs, basking sharks July/August, some weekends still available.

Normally three dives a day, individuals can book midweek. Please phone for a chat and a brochure: (01237) 431405. www. clovellycharters.com (29605) Dive Swanage and Poole aboard “Preditor 2”. Wide 7.5 metre RIB, MCA CAT 4. Wreck, reef and drift dive sites.

Ladder. Diver/Skipper Tel: 07866 035420. email: yvonne.b.sharp@blueyonder.co.uk www.preditor divingswanage.co.uk (23492)

PROGRAMME FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL GROUPS Blue Turtle 2013 midweek dive programme can be seen on our website. Programme is very flexible. Always willing to change the site to suit your needs. Diving wrecks such as Salsette, M2, Empress of India, Moidart and many lesser known wrecks.

Phone Rob on 07970 856822/(01404) 881240

www.blueturtle.uk.com Diving in Newquay - Atlantic Diving. Two 10mtr super fast catamarans, both with diver recovery lifts. Superb visibility, stunning wrecks, basking sharks, seals, blue shark cage diving. Accommodation, midweek specials.

Air, nitrox & trimix available. www.atlanticdiver.co.uk Tel: 07860 927833.

(28601)

SCAPA FLOW, ORKNEY'S NORTH ISLES, SHETLAND IS., EAST & WEST COAST OF SCOTLAND We cater for all types of diving from the wrecks in Scapa Flow through to deep technical projects. Air, Nitrox and Trimix onboard, dayboat or liveaboard option.

www.jeanelaine.co.uk

divingcellar.com (01856) 850055 A few spaces still available for 2013, & now taking bookings for 2014.

Contact: leigh@divescapaflow.co.uk

Looking for last minute spaces on a UK dive charter boat? Then click on

DIR: UK Boat Spaces at

www.divernet.com

SUSSEX DIVING & FISHING “She Likes It II” ~ Shoreham Harbour

DIVE SCAPA FLOW & ORKNEY’S NORTHERN ISLANDS

• Full time skipper • 7 days a week • Hard boat with DIVE LIFT • Max 10, individuals or groups

ABOARD THE 70ft LIVEABOARD MV SUNRISE

Call Mark: 07754 324270 www.sussexfishingdiving.co.uk info@sussexfishingdiving.co.uk 01903 753056

Shelter deck, six double cabins with hot/cold water, 2 showers, 2 toilets, large saloon, central heating, galley with all facilities and dry changing areas. Long established, high standard of service. Nitrox, trimix & onboard meals available. ★ NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2013 ★ Tel: 01856 874425 Fax: 01856 874725 www.sunrisecharters.co.uk E-mail: dougie@sunrisecharters.co.uk

Lymington - “Wight Spirit”. Diving West Wight, East Dorset, English Channel. Beginners to technical and small groups. Electric lift. Easy access, easy parking.

Owner/skipper Dave Wendes. Tel/Fax: (023) 8027 0390, e-mail: wightspirit@btinternet.com www.wightspirit.co.uk (21780)

DIVE BRIGHTON 10m cat with dive lift.

Individuals and groups. All levels, novice to technical. BSAC Advanced and trimix skipper.

Call Paul: 07901 822375 or 01273 301367

South West

PLYMOUTH DIVE year round on CEEKING Price per diver or full boat.

Boat only or with B&B. Side lift. Free drinks 01752 663247 07702 557317 www.divingplymouth.com & cylinder hire.

Bovisand Lodge Estate, Plymouth. 4* self-catering Holiday Park, 2.5 miles from Mountbatten Diving Centre.

Range of quality accommodations. Free parking for RIBs. Indoor heated pool. Weekend and part-week bookings available. Tel: (01752) 403554. www.bovisand.com (22987)

www.dartmouthcharters.co.uk

Farne Islands All year round diving from our hard boats and RIB for groups and individuals. Air Station with air fill collection service. diver@farne-islands.com WILLIAM SHIEL www.farne-islands.co.uk Tel: 01665 721297 Mob: 07799 666573 www.farneislandsdiving.co.uk

FARNE DIVING SERVICES • TWO CHARTER BOATS WITH LIFTS • TWIN/DOUBLE ENSUITE B&B • DORMITORYS • CAMPING • AIR STATION • RIBs WELCOME

STAN/LEE HALL (01665) 720615 www.farnedivingservices.com e-mail: leehalldiving1@aol.com

Northern Ireland Aquaholics. Diving from Rathlin Island to Malin Head www.aquaholics.org (25203) Dive Belfast, Strangford Loughs and Rathlin Island.

Weekend break packages from £190 per person, inc ferry, accommodation and diving. Tel/fax: (02891) 464671, web: www.dvdiving.co.uk (19475)

Scotland

WANT TO ADVERTISE? Call Sara on: 020-8943 4288 North East

Wreck, reef & seal diving on 12-man, fast, quality RIB, MCA fully licensed, with full electrics including GPS. Diver/skipper. O2 Nitrox. Catering for individuals & small groups, large party discounts. Tea, coffee, refreshments all included in the price! Accommodation available.

Call Graeme on: 0191 297 0914, Eve: 0191 297 0484

TECHNICAL DIVING Nitrox extended range - Trimix - Blending Technician Technical Instructor Training - Rebreather (Draeger and Inspiration). Holidays visiting some of the best wrecks in Northern Ireland. Tel/Fax: (02891) 464671. http://www.dvdiving.co.uk (19366)

COMPRESSORS Used HP compressors. Electric/diesel/petrol. Many makes, models & sizes available. New stock available daily.

Spares & servicing all compressors also available. Tel: (01772) 687775 for details. www.smp-ltd.co.uk (18301)

Mob: 07802 785752, farnesdiving@yahoo.co.uk

www.farne-islands-diving.co.uk

2013/14

EDITION

Tel/fax: (01665) 720760 or www.sovereigndiving.co.uk

Bad-Daraich House, Tobermory, Isle of Mull. Sleeps up to 14 people, self-catering, ideal for divers. For more information on Bad-Dariach House go to www.argyllproperties-scotland.co.uk/bad-daraich.htm or email: currie6qa@btinternet.com. Tel: (01688) 302599.

(28948) Beautiful Tobermory, Isle of Mull. Diver-friendly accommodation in 2 quality properties, sleeping 9 and 6. www.tobermorylets.com or tel: (01688) 302228.

(21411)

THE divEr TRAVELGUIDE

NEW

Dive the Farne Islands aboard Sovereign II & III Seals, scenic and wrecks. Own quality B&B. Fully stocked dive shop and air station. Air to 300bar and nitrox available.

Tank hire also available. Ailsa, Toby & Andrew Douglas.

HOLIDAYS IN UK

Dive Lyme and Start Bay and Salcombe from Torbay on “Jennifer Ann”. All year round. Novice to technical, wrecks Bretagne, Empress, Maine and reefs. Individuals and groups. 10.5m hardboat with new emissions compliant engine. Unbelievably still booking at 2007 prices. Starting at £300 mid-week, £400 weekends. Diver/Skipper 26 years’ experience. Rick: (01803) 607704, 07971 276658. e-mail: jenniferann@deepsea.co.uk www.jenniferann charters.co.uk (29374)

FARNE ISLAND DIVING CHARTERS

Plymouth 2013. Dive the Maine, Eddystone, Hands Deep Persier, Scylla, James Eagan Layne, plus some of the best scenic dives in the UK from “Venture”. Midweek discounts, free hot snacks, stern lift, Diver/Skipper for safe, relaxing, no-stress diving. Contact Pete 07778 494274, Email: venturecharters@virginmedia.com Check Venture out on www.venturecharters.co.uk (18862) Plymouth, Discovery Divers, Fort Bovisand, boat charter, air nitrox, trimix, from £15pp. Groups + individuals.

Contact Danny 07739 567 752.

(25412)

DIVING

Seahouses

Anglesey. Hard boat diving aboard “Julie Anne” and “Empress”. Diver lift. Visit: www.julie-anne.co.uk or tel: (01407) 831210, mobile: 07768 863355.

(29187) Quest Diving. Hardboat with lift. Diving Anglesey, Bardsey and the Isle of Man. Tel: (01248) 716923. Visit: www.questdiving.co.uk (16964)

Ian Noble 01803 834598 • Boat 07780 970803 E-mail: iannoble@tesco.net

Scotland (Scapa Flow)

EREIGN

Wales

Scotland

www.brightondiver.com

SO V

● Don’t make a move without consulting it!

Continued overleaf

● Special Price £6.95 (inc p&p) – SAVE 12% ● divEr Subscribers’ Price £4.95 (inc p&p) – SAVE 27% ● SAVE MORE! Download with the divEr app TO ORDER: Call The divEr Bookshop on 020 8943 4288 or use the coupon on the last page of the classified adverts or go to www.divernet.com Offer open to UK and BFPO addresses only. Please add £2 per copy for postage to overseas addresses.

Advertise in divEr Classified from only 61p per word inc. VAT. Contact Sara on 020 8943 4288 • e-mail: sara@divermag.co.uk

93

Classified page 94_08_Classified LHP 03/07/2013 11:22 Page 94

CLASSIFIED ADS

CUSTOMER NOTICE Attention Spare Air Owners. Spare Air cylinders are now CE marked. Spare Air owners with cylinders manufactured between 1999-2012 should return their cylinders to their distributor for replacement. To locate the closest distributor visit: www.spareair.com/locator, or email the manufacturer at info@submersible systems.com (27499)

HOLIDAYS ABROAD

DIVING SEA SAFARI www.divingseasafari.com www.seasafaricruises.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SEAPRO - SUBSEA MODULES are HOUSINGS for SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT and VIDEO SYSTEMS Special Packages on Video Cameras and Housings See web site:

www.greenawaymarine.com “PACKAGE DEALS”

GREENAWAY MARINE Tel: (01793) 814992

REPAIRS/SERVICES 7 days/6 nights Komodo liveaboard 8 days/7 nights Raja Ampat liveaboard

HAMMOND Made to Measure

Drysuits

Custom built to your requirements

We also offer a

Fast REPAIR service to all makes of Drysuit Tel: 01474 704123 Fax: 01474 708123 Unit 2 Dene Yard Green Street Green Road Dartford Kent DA2 8DH

info@hammond-drysuits.co.uk

ACCESSORIES

www.hammond-drysuits.co.uk

WET & DRY SUIT

REPAIRS All makes, all types

0161 304 8471 9 Waterloo Court Waterloo Road Stalybridge Cheshire SK15 2AU

email: repairs@gybe.co.uk

WANTED

www.gybe.co.uk

Brass & copper diver’s helmets wanted by private collector, Siebe Gorman - Heinke. Tel: 07976 294981 or (01708) 551967 or Email: andy@deepdive.fsnet.co.uk (28406) Wanted: Dive gear. Anything considered. Cash waiting!

Tel: (0783) 464 0659, e-mail: DiveGear2000@aol.com (24609)

DIVING MEDICALS Diving Medicals - Midlands (Rugby) - HSE, Sports Medicals and advice at Midlands Diving Chamber. Tel: (01788) 579 555 www.midlandsdivingchamber.co.uk (27634) Diving Medicals - Nottingham. Sport Diving medicals: £50. HSE Commercial Diving medicals: £110. UK and Norwegian offshore medicals: £100. Student and Group discounts. Combine with an HGV/taxi medical for an extra £5. Tel: 07802 850084 for appointment. Email: mclamp@doctors.org.uk (21545) Diving medicals: London. HSE, Sport and phone advice.

Tel: (020) 7806 4028 www.e-med.co.uk (21993) Dr Des McCann, Dr Gerry Roberts and Dr Mark Bettley-Smith. HSE Medicals and phone advice. Tel: (01202) 741345.

(29066)

94

CLUB NOTICES

FREE OF CHARGE. (Max 25 words).

Non-commercial clubs, no sales.

Active and friendly BSAC club. All year diving in local lake. New and qualified divers of all agencies welcome.

Own clubhouse with 7m RIB and compressor. For further information visit www.mksac.co.uk (23740) Braintree Riverside Sub Aqua Club based in Braintree, Essex. A friendly club, we welcome divers of all abilities and have an active diving and social programme. Come and join us! email: denise.f.wright2@btinternet.com www.braintreeriversidesac.co.uk (20202) Buckingham Dive Centre. A small friendly club welcoming all divers and those wanting to learn. We dive throughout the year and run trips in the UK and abroad. www.stowesubaqua.co.uk Tel: Roger 07802 765 366.

(16526) Bracknell Sub Aqua Club welcomes new and experienced divers from all agencies. Meets poolside at Bracknell Sports Centre, Thursdays from 8.30pm. Diving, training and social calendar: www.bracknellscuba.org.uk or tel: 07951 855 725.

(79963)

Alfreton (Derbys) BSAC 302 welcomes new members and qualified divers. A small but active club with own RIB, wreck diving a speciality. Contact Charlie on (01246) 236328.

(82205) Banbury SAC friendly, active club with weekly meetings and training sessions, own boat, compressor and equipment. Welcome divers/non-divers. www.bansac.org or call 07787 097 289.

(18458) Bromley/Lewisham Active divers required. Full programme of hardboat diving throughout the year.

Check out Nekton SAC www.nekton.org.uk or contact Jackie (01689) 850130.

(22663) Buntingford Horizon Divers SAC 1121. All divers welcome. Weekly pool meetings. Regular trips to dive in the UK and abroad. Own 5.8m RIB. Call us on 07526 734004 or visit www.horizondivers.org (82458) Cheshire. Icicle Divers SAA club. Meet every Monday evening, 9pm at Crewe Pool, Flag Lane. New and experienced divers welcome. Try Dives available. www.icicledivers.com (81583) Chingford, London BSAC 365. Friendly and active club welcomes divers from all agencies and trainees. Meet Wednesday 8pm, Larkswood Leisure Centre E4 9EY. Information: www.dive365.co.uk Email: loughtondivers365@gmail.com (83898) Cockleshell Divers, Portsmouth, Hants. Small, friendly club welcomes new and experienced divers from all agencies. Meets at Cockleshell Community Centre, Fridays at 8pm. Email: cockleshelldivers@hotmail.co.uk(27104) Colchester Sub-Aqua Club welcomes experienced divers and beginners. Sub-Aqua Association training. Diving at home and abroad. Meets at Leisure World Friday evenings. Contact Tony (01787) 475803.

(17208) Coventry Sub-Aqua Club. Fancy “a come and try” session or learning to dive with the BSAC? Contact: Dave_plumb@btinternet.com (20006) Darwen SAC, in Lancashire, with an active diving programme. Own RIB. new members welcome regardless of agency/training. We provide BSAC training. Weekly pool sessions. www.darwensac.org.uk (17130) Dream Divers. Very friendly dive club in Rotherham welcomes divers of any level/club. Meet at the Ring O Bells, Swinton, lastThursday of the month at 19.30. Email: info@dreamdiversltd.co.uk (18972) Ealing SAC, BSAC 514. Friendly, active club, own RIBs; welcomes new and experienced divers. Meets Highgrove Pool, Eastcote, Tuesday nights 8.30pm. www.esac.org.uk (82033) East Cheshire Sub Aqua. Macclesfield based BSAC club.

Purpose built clubhouse, bar, two RIBs, minibus, nitrox, compressor. Lower Bank Street, Macclesfield, SK11 7HL. Tel: (01625) 502367. www.scubadivingmacclesfield.com (80149) East Durham Divers SAA welcome new/experienced divers of any agency. Comprehensive facilities with own premises half a mile from the sea. Contact: John: 07857 174125.

(19190) East Lancs Diving Club based in Blackburn. Friendly and active club welcomes new members at all levels of diving from all organisations. Tel: 07784 828961 or email: ELDC@hotmail.co.uk www.eastlancsdivers.co.uk (84299) Eastbourne BSAC; RIB, banked air (free) to 300bar, Nitrox, Trimix. Enjoy some of the best diving on the South Coast, all qualifications welcome. www.sovereigndivers.co.uk (80242) Eastern Sub Aqua Club (SAA 1073). We are a small friendly dive club and welcome new and experienced divers alike. We are situated north of Norwich for training. For more information please see out website: www.esacdivers.co.uk (80335) Eastleigh (Southampton) Sub Aqua Club (BSAC).

Whether you want to learn or are an experienced diver, interested in a course or a try dive. We meet every Tuesday at 10pm in the Fleming Park Leisure Centre bar. Call: 07923 553 645. www.eastleighsubaquaclub.org.uk (81862) Ellon Sub Aqua Club, Aberdeenshire, welcomes newcomers and experienced divers. We dive year round and meet on Thursday evenings. Contact www.ellonsubaquaclub.co.uk (80428) Flintshire Sub Aqua Club based in Holywell, Flintshire, welcomes new and experienced divers from all agencies.

Full dive programme. Meet Wednesdays. See us at www.flintsac.co.uk or call (01352) 731425.

(23864) Greenock SAC (SAA 1038). Small friendly club in Inverclyde welcomes new and experienced Divers from all agencies. Meet at Castle Dive Store in Port Glasgow on Saturday mornings. See us on facebook @Greenock Sac. (80815) Haslemere Sub Aqua Club based at Haslemere, Surrey, friendly active club welcomes new and experienced divers, offers full training. Meets Thursday nights. Contact Mike 07754 968297.

(25966) Hastings SAC 58 years old SAA club (0044) welcomes new and experienced divers. Two hard boats. Meets 8.45pm Tuesdays at Summerfields, Hastings. See www.hastingssubaqua.co.uk (81304) Hereford Sub Aqua Club, is looking for new members.

Regular diving off the Pembrokeshire coast on own RIBs. Training and social nights. Contact: rusaqua@ googlemail.com (20734) HGSAC. South Manchester-based, friendly, non-political club welcomes newcomers and qualified divers. Lots of diving and social events. Family. Three RIBs and compressor. www.hgsac.com (22477) High Wycombe SAC. Come and dive with us - all welcome. Active club with RIB on South coast. Contact Len: 07867 544 738. www.wycombesubaqua.com(18628) Ilkeston & Kimberley (SAA 945), between Nottingham and Derby, welcomes beginners and experienced divers.

We meet every Friday night at Kimberley Leisure Centre at 8.30pm. Contact through www.iksac.co.uk (22756) K2 Divers, covering West Sussex/Surrey. A friendly BSAC club, but all qualifications welcome. Training in Crawley, boat at Littlehampton. Email: k2divers@yahoo.co.uk or tel: (01293) 612989.

(82366)

Kingston BSAC, Surrey. Two RIBs , clubhouse and bar, active dive programme, two compressors, nitrox, trimix, full training offered at all levels. All very welcome. www.kingstonsac.org or tel: 07842 622193.

(20114) Leeds based Rothwell & Stanley SAC welcomes new and experienced divers, full SAA training given. Purpose built clubhouse with bar, RIB, compressor. Meet Tuesday evenings: 07738 060567 kevin.oddy@talktalk.net (20562) Leicester Diving - Friendly & active BSAC club based at Wigston pool. Meet Tuesday nights at 8pm. Contact Daniel on 07957 507517 www.delmardiveclub.co.uk (80521) Lincoln - Imp Divers. Small, friendly, non-political diving club with our own RIB are looking to welcome new and experienced divers. Contact Richard: 07931 170205.

(20388) Lincoln and District BSAC. Active club with own RIB, compressor and other facilities. Regular trips and training. www.lincolndivingclub.co.uk (18721) Lincs Divers BSAC 1940. Friendly, active dive club offering dive trips and training for new/experienced divers, Lincoln based. www.lincsdivers.co.uk (81769) Llantrisant SAC, two RIBs, towing vehicle, welcomes new and experienced divers. Meet at Llantrisant Leisure Centre 8pm Mondays. Contact Phil: 01443 227667. www.llantrisantdivers.com (22570) London No. 1 Diving Club encourages divers of all levels, from all agencies. Based in Central London with 7m RIB, compressor, hire kit etc. www.londondiver.com (81397) Manchester Diving Group. Friendly, active club, welcomes new and experienced divers. Own clubhouse with bar, lecture room, compressor, RIB. Weekly pool sessions . Email: buddy@manchesterdiving.org.uk (28044) Manta Divers. Norfolk wreck & reef diving. Small, friendly, experienced club. All agencies welcome. SAA training. www.mantadivers.org (23371) Mercian Divers (BSAC 2463) Active & friendly club. New, experienced & junior divers welcome. Own RIB. Based in Bromsgrove, West Midlands. Tel: (01905) 773406 www.mercian-divers.org.uk (80601) Millennium Divers. Active, friendly club for all levels and certifications of diver, based in Portland, Dorset. UK diving and holidays. Club social nights www.millenniumdivers.org (82283) Mole Valley Sub Aqua Club. Surrey based SDI club, own RIB, active diving UK & Abroad, training and social events. Trainees/crossovers welcome. Contact: 07552 498558 or email: committee@mvsac.org.uk (19081) Monastery Dive Club (Dunkerton Branch). New divers welcome to join our club. Trips to Plymouth and NDAC. GSOH is a must. South Wales area (Crosskeys, Risca.)

Please text me: Flinty 07971 432803 or email: welshflinty@hotmail.com (80056) Nekton SAC. Based in Bromley, we are a friendly and active SAA Club that welcomes experienced and new divers alike. Info@nekton.org.uk or call Steve: 020 8467 4599.

(82111) Nemo Diving Club. Small, friendly dive club offering dive trips and training for non/experienced divers in Retford and surrounding areas. Contact: www.nemodivertraining.co.uk (24970) Newhaven. Small friendly group with 6m RIB looking for divers happy to dive Sussex wrecks in 30-40m depth range. Most neap weekends. Tel: Iain: 07595 877883.

(83182) North Glos BSAC 80. Friendly, active club welcomes new and experienced divers. Own boat and equipment with weekly pool sessions, Thursdays, 8.30pm at GL1 Gloucester, (Gloucester Leisure Centre). www.nglos.co.uk (22278) North Notts Nautilus SAA942, Mansfield. Family dive club, diving and social members welcome. Own clubhouse with licenced bar. Regular dive trips and holidays. www.

NNNDivers.co.uk Tel: (01623) 622130 Facebook.

(80680) Nuneaton. Marlin BSAC welcomes experienced divers to Pingles Pool every Thursday. Active training, diving, social programme in a flourishing club with no politics allowed. www.marlinsac.com (18535) Orkney SAC. Small, friendly active dive club, based in Kirkwall, welcomes divers of any level or club. Own RIB and compressor. Contact Craig: 07888 690 986 or email: craigbarclay31@hotmail.com (26487) Preston Divers SAA 30. The friendliest dive club. Come and meet us at Fulwood Leisure Centre, Preston on Monday nights between 8.00pm - 9.00pm. www.prestondivers.co.uk (22849) Reading BSAC28 offers an active, friendly diving club.

Open to all grades and agencies. Pool training Mondays, club night Thursdays. www.rbsac.org.uk Email: rbsacinfo@gmail.com Tel: Sue 07772 172 575. (26105) Reading Diving Club. Experience the best of UK diving with a friendly and active club. All welcome. Tel: 01183 216310 or email: info@thedivingclub.co.uk www.thedivingclub.co.uk (16418) Ruislip & Northwood BSAC. Friendly, active club, RIB, welcomes new and qualified divers. Meets Highgrove Pool Thursday nights 8.30pm. www.rnbsac.co.uk Tel: 07843 738 646 for details.

(84161) Sheffield (BSAC36). Friendly, social and active dive club welcomes newcomers or qualified divers. Trips, socials, weekly pool and club/pub meetings, club RIB. See www.bsac36.org.uk (83991) Slough 491 BSAC; small friendly club welcomes divers at all levels. Meet at Beechwood School Fridays 19.30.

Diving holidays and South Coast. Email: malcolm@uv.net or tel: Tony 01344 884 596.

(20830) Somerset Club. Wellington and Taunton SAC dive out of Plymouth on their own hard boat. Training available and all trained divers welcome. Tel: (01823) 338 086. www.watsac.org.uk (27210) South Queensferry SAC, near Edinburgh. Two RIBs, gear for hire. Pool training during the winter; trips & expeditions in the summer. Pub meeting at Hawes Inn. Call Warren: 07980 981 380. www.sqsac.co.uk (26800)

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Classified page 95_08_Classified RHP 03/07/2013 11:42 Page 95

Tamworth, Staffs - Eurodive Club seeks new members for local diving and trips. Photographic section. Pool sessions 3rd Thursday in local 3m pool. Tel: 07739 208 094 or 07815 745 709.

(27376) Teddington Pool, Teddington, Middlesex, Wednesday’s 21.00. Training and good social side. Diving near and far. deepexplorer@blueyonder.co.uk Tel: 07951 064448.

(25847) Totnes SAC (Devon). An active multi-agency club who welcome new members and qualified divers from all organisations. Two RIBs and own compressor/nitrox, plus club 4WD. We dive all round South Devon and Cornwall. www.totnes-bsac.co.uk for details. (84084)

Watford Underwater Club BSAC. Family friendly, approachable, established and fun club. Portland based 7m RIB. Development & training all levels. www.wuc.org.uk email: info@wuc.org.uk (81676) West Wickham, Kent (BSAC 0533) welcomes new and qualified divers. Active training and diving. Club RIB at Brighton Marina. All agencies welcome. Thursday 20.30 22.00. Dave 07906 837 744. www.wickhamdiver.co.uk (81490) Witham, Essex. BSAC 1159. Friendly dive club welcomes new and experienced divers. Meets at Bramston Sports Centre every Thursday 8.30pm. Visit our website: www.bramstonsac.com (20295)

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Deep Breath Halstead_Layout 1 28/06/2013 16:00 Page 98

DEEP BREATH

Worst thing for a reef is an outbreak of scientists Australian scientists have been crying doom about the Great Barrier Reef, but according to BOB HALSTEAD rumours of its demise have been greatly exaggerated!

S

CIENTISTS FROM THE Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Wollongong published a paper last year, “The 27-Year Decline of Coral Cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its Causes”. It contains detailed accounts of methods, results, discussions and references, and enough weird graphs to scramble the brain of any non-scientifically trained journalist.

To make sure the public, and the government, got the message, AIMS published a separate press release entitled “The Great Barrier Reef Has Lost Half of its Coral in the Last 27 Years”. That’s pretty easy to understand – but it contains a deception.

As a result of the release, we see in Time magazine, beside a sketch of a forlorn-looking turtle, a large headline: “50%”. Beneath is the explanation: “Percentage of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef that has vanished in the past three decades, partly because of higher ocean temperatures”.

Actually the paper ascribes only 10% loss to coral-bleaching, related, it says, to “higher ocean temperatures”. The other quoted causes are 42% Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) and 48% Tropical Cyclones (TC).

The news release was distributed rapidly around the world. The British press had it, tourists planning a dive trip to Cairns had it. Oh hang on, half the coral is gone – I guess they’ll go elsewhere.

I asked some diving friends in the USA if they would come diving on the GBR. “Why would we travel all that way to see a dead reef?” they said.

So if the story’s true, shouldn’t we admit it?

Let me explain why in my humble opinion this release is a dastardly act of scoundrels.

THIS SURVEY HAS COST Aus $50 million of taxpayers’ money. I wonder what it will cost to explain to potential visitors that there is excellent diving still to be had on the GBR, and lots of live reef. Presumably the “scientists” feel no responsibility to support the tourist industry that produces the wealth they’re so eager to spend.

The paper gives the impression that the reef is dying and will continue to die – “If the trend continues, coral cover could halve again by 2022.”

But is that the most likely scenario? The paper was written just after the second of a pair of large cyclones passed over the reef. Coincidence? Ha! The effect is shown clearly in the graphs – a

98

huge dip in coral cover immediately after the cyclones – perfect time to publish the survey!

Larry and Yasi smashed a lot of coral. It was largely stripped from the wonderful Yongala wreck.

But in my experience corals grow back fast.

Within a few years most will recover, and you can expect an increase in coral cover, not a decrease.

The paper says that there will be more and bigger tropical cyclones, yet the leaked AR5 IPCC Draft (December 2012) says: “We have high confidence that natural variability dominates any AGW influence in observed/historical TC records.”

Yes, even the IPCC now admits that evidence does not support all its previous alarmist claims.

Coral reefs are not monuments but living dynamic structures, sometimes afflicted but incredibly resilient. They have survived for 500 million years. A particular reef structure may take thousands of years to form, but the living skin of corals we dive to see has a very short life-cycle.

Fast-growing corals such as plate and staghorn have life-spans as short as 20-25 years. Plates grow

JOHN BANTIN

so large – say 3m in 10 years – that eventually they start to break under their own weight. They get diseased or eaten or smashed, but then new corals grow, and with increased biodiversity.

It is also far from rare to discover that a beautiful reef has a relatively “dead” neighbour.

In 44 years of observing coral reefs, I’ve seen it all. A reef can progress from almost nil cover after a big storm or COTS outbreak back to virtually 100% cover in as little as five years – less than the 10-20 years quoted by the paper.

My second major objection to this paper is that it is full of speculation presented as fact. Reefs will be challenged by “rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification”. Oh yes? The best reefs I’ve seen were in the Bismarck Sea, where temperatures are about 30°C year-round – much warmer than the Coral Sea. GBR temperatures dip as low as 18°C and a bit of warming will make them grow better. Indeed, the paper says that the “…northern Great Barrier Reef coral cover has remained relatively stable” so is

clearly not affected by warming (or acidification).

Even the name “ocean acidification” is a fraud.

The ocean will never become acidic. It is alkaline, with a pH of about 8.2, but can vary naturally in the range of about 8.2 to 7.8 on a logarithmic scale.

One paper describes variations between 8.37 and 7.98 at various sites at the same time on the GBR, and an average variation of 0.05 at individual sites over a five-day period.

GBR pH will never get to 7.0, which is neutral. It will never be “acidic”, with pH less than 7.0.

Before you object, here is my challenge. Find me the timeline of pH measurements on the GBR over the past 20, or even 10, years. This data must exist for the scientists to do their jobs, so why, if the pH is changing, can’t we be shown the measurements?

My guess is that this is because, if they are like pH measurements from other parts of the world, they show random movements and no pattern.

ONE DISPUTED STUDY claims a fall in worldwide surface ocean pH of 0.1 since 1750 (0.06 in the tropics), trivial compared to natural variations. But even if pH was falling, recent research shows that coral can thrive in water with reduced alkalinity.

A paper published in Nature: Climate Change last December notes that “researchers have found a common coralline algae that grows at the leading edge of coral reefs is not nearly as susceptible to changing ph levels as coral because it contains high levels of dolomite… Our research suggests it is likely they will continue to provide protection for coral reef frameworks as carbon dioxide rises.”

At Dobu Island in Papua New Guinea, a beautiful live coral reef exists with CO2 bubbles rising through it from volcanic vents. Nearby the coral is sparse, but the seabed there is hot.

The AIMS paper mentions that reduced growth of corals is likely due to water pollution from runoff and dredging, and I do tend to agree with that, particularly as inshore reefs seem the most degraded. But this does not apply to outer reefs, and is ignored in the analysis in favour of only COTS, storms and bleaching.

I believe very strongly that we must stop using the ocean as an effluent and rubbish dump, and I don’t pretend that everything on the GBR is fine.

However, I am not sending messages around the world that, surprise, surprise, after two big storms the reef is a bit battered. Guess I could have worked that out for less than $50 million.

This news release was propaganda based on a minimal truth, probably published to raise alarm and attract more research funds. The scientists have been at this for at least 27 years and if, as they say, half the coral has been lost anyway, along with $50 million, sack the lot of them!

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