Scubashooters.net e-mag issue n2 april 2015

ISSUE

N° 2 APRIL 2015

FROZEN DREAM Under the ice with

Ivana Orlovic

PORTFOLIO

U-BOAT WRECK DIVE

MONTHLY CONTEST

THAILAND

Yorko Summer

Andrey Shpatak wins “CRABS” contest

In France with Aldo Ferrucci A peculiar little rock

WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT The road to Hurgada with DAN & Top One Diving

Dear Scubashooters, It’s only two years that the scubashooters.net tribal

turtle logo found its way to the outer world and it has alredy become our peculiar and distinctive signature. It has been created following my directions by a very famous graphic artist, Luca Zaina. You can admire the quality of his work @ www.artofweb.it .

The original idea was to create a unique and distinctive logo that would have immediately brought people’s mind to think “ oh! This is scubashooters.net’s logo” .

Not a camera, not a kind of fish, not an abstract design, but a tribal turtle with a diaphragm on the back. The turtle is universally known, i believe that even in Katmandhu nepalese people do know and have seen at least once a sea turtle; the turtle generates all kinds of positive feelings in all kind of human beings and it’s a good example for us of a gentle , quiet and respectful being. The tribal tattoo origin is lost somewhere in the ancient times of some tribe of some island in the Pacific ocean, but it also represents the tribe of the underwater photographers of the world all together, different cultures, different countries but the same passion for the sea, photography and underwater creatures. The dyaphragm is self explanatory of the website main theme, photography.

More than 20 graphic designers from all over the world joined the contest we held to find our logo three years ago and more than 230 designs were presented and examined. It has been a tough decision to take and we ended up with the logo you all know and love. The write itself has been created using the Bimini font and Bimini is the name of one of the Bahamas islands... Even the font we used in our logo is tightly linked to the sea.

I’m sure that the next time you will see our logo around you will look at it with different eyes.

Thanks for being with us, stay tuned, there’s more to come!

Marino Palla Owner & Founder Scubashooters Network

Cover image “Baby turtle” By: Yorko Summer

C O N T E N T S 8

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Thailand - A peculiar little rock

Adobe lightroom for underwater photography

PREVIEW - NAUTICAM NA-LX100

PORTFOLIO - Yorko Summer

FROZEN DREAM An unbelievable experience

U-BOAT WRECK DIVING Rubis (FRANCE)

Scubashooters.net Monthly contest: THE CRABS

Behind the shot: Andrey Shpatak

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FIRST UW PHOTO CONTEST “BLU COBALTO”

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WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT with TOP ONE DIVING & DAN

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BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND Road to technical diving (part 1)

OUT OF CONTROL

Critter corner

DRM ON LINE 8TH UW PHOTO CONTEST

Editor: FABIO STRAZZI Verein Scubashooters, 8952 Schlieren - Switzerland

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THAILAND

A PECULIAR LITTLE ROCK

TRAVELS

10 The Gulf of Thailand is not exactly a destination renowned for spectacular photography. Most experienced divers prefer to visit locations in the Andaman Sea or the adjacent Coral Triangle, usually drawn there by images and stories of exotic critters and stunning sights. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending who you ask), it is often overlooked how exciting the Gulf of Thailand is. It is shallow, low in salinity, consistently balmy and very young. It was probably born when the glaciers of the northern hemisphere receded, some ten thousand years ago (just a blink in geological terms).

In this brief period of time it has amassed a stunning diversity of wildlife, which is very comparable to other more popular destinations. It is just very far apart, and difficult to find, especially if you don’t know where to look.

In my ten here as a dive instructor, guide and photographer on Koh Pha Ngan, I have been fortunate enough to explore familiar and remote locations of the Samui Archipelago, usually with my camera in my hand.

I’ve seen juvenile Whale Sharks playing with my bubbles, Bull Sharks chasing after a Whale Shark, dolphins playing with my buoy line

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and seen schools of fish so vast and dense it was practically night time below them.

One location that always is consistently inspiring and productive for me, is probably the most famous one in the Gulf: Sail Rock (Hin Bhai).

Located 17 nautical miles off the beautiful island of Koh Pha Ngan, it is quite a peculiar little rock. Sail Rock is isolated from all neighboring land by a deep sandy bottom, rich in soft corals and gorgonians. Because it’s the only one of its kind, it attracts many visitors: Bull Sharks, Mobula Rays, Whale Sharks and dolphins; the nooks and crannies of the rock are stuffed with nudibranch, crustaceans and other cool critters.

Sadly, not all is well in the Gulf. Because of its shallowness, dangers like climate change have a very pronounced effect.

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I have witnessed firsthand two major coral bleaching events, the decline of fish abundance, and watched formerly thriving reefs being overgrown with algae.

Which is why I dedicate the majority of my working time to a small non-profit organization on Koh Pha Ngan, which tries to preserve our aquatic ecosystem by education, and handson conservation projects, like artificial reefs? Here, I can not only inspire young minds, but I can actively protect what I love: The Ocean.

Words and Pictures

Stefan Follows

FLEXA THERM

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CM

MY

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CMY

K

CENTER OF COMFORT. EDGE OF PERFORMANCE. Diving has just become more comfortable. Flexa Therm is the warmest exposure protection you’ll find without the bulk and cost of a drysuit. A waterproof zipper, seals at the neck, wrist, and ankle, are sure to keep the cold water at bay. Ultra-stretch neoprene molds and moves with your body.

Dive comfort. Take the edge of performance.

mares.com

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ADOBE LIGHTROOM

FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY In this part of our magazine we will start to learn together with the articles: “Learn Underwater Photography | A-Z”, the use of the very popular software: Adobe Lightroom.

Recent online surveys have shown that Adobe Lightroom is the most preferred software for photographers, be that just beginners, advanced shooters or professionals. The capability of Lightroom packing the most important features of organizing, optimizing workflow and editing images before or after the need to adjust fine details in more capable programs such as Photoshop.

With the use of digital cameras there are no limitations (depending on memory card sizes) to how many photos we can take underwater.

Everyone soon realizes the amount of pictures we are taking is overwhelming and they need to be organized, edited and stored in the most efficient way.

Digital cameras with high mega-pixels shooting in RAW are creating large file sizes. The amount of space they take up is immense and the need to organize all those hundreds, or very soon thousands, of images needs to be organized, the ones not useful to be deleted, the rest ordered in a structure so we can simply find, edit and share them.

Adobe Lightroom is a very powerful assistant to every photographer and before we start to learn how to use it for underwater photography in future issues, I would like to start with the importance of using the correct software to import your photos to your computer and then to your preferred software.

IMPORTANCE OF USING THE CORRECT SOFTWARE! Photography is a time consuming hobby and as we all know, once the shooting has been done the post processing starts, called the digital darkroom.

It is a very rare issue that we get the PERFECT picture out of the camera without the need to process it…

The circumstances underwater are nearly never perfect and there might be some plankton floating in the water creating some dots, lighting conditions might create shadows or exposure differences, low light might require to shoot at higher ISO rates, thus creating noise in the image, which can be seen at the images below.

These imperfections require us to load the image into our preferred software and do some editing.

This is where everyone has their own personal preferences to which program to use. The most popular program is Adobe Lightroom for main editing, and where Lightroom is not enough Photoshop is used for the enhanced editing capabilities.

The simple basic use of programs like Lightroom is preferred to many others like for example Canon ImageBrowser, Nikon Capture NX-D, Sony Image Data Converter (IDC) or Olympus Viewer.

TECHNIQUE Surveys show as well they are not the most favorite image editing/workflow/post processing tools out there.

This is where the problem starts: If we do import RAW files from the camera or SD card directly into Lightroom, we do loose immense quality. The photos below were taken as RAW with a Nikon D800, Olympus OM-D EM-1, Sony NEX7, exported in same TIFF 16BIT format, Adobe RGB in camera settings, imported directly to Lightroom and exported as TIFF 16BIT, same photos imported into Nikon Capture NX-D, Olympus Viewer 3/Sony IDC and exported as TIFF 16BIT:

At first overall look at the images below we can see the color and noise differences between them.

This is zoomed in and the difference between 2 files becomes very obvious.

Loss in detail, color differences, higher noise.

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I have used these low light images specifically to show the drastic effect of noise while different software has been used.

The photo below is an eye of a Mantis Shrimp, you can see that details, sharpness in the Lightroom Export TIFF are lost and also colors are much less vibrant and not represented across the whole color spectrum

Photos created by the Nikon D800 boost a 36mp sensor and we can zoom in like into this stonefish eye to reveal details. As can be seen there is much more noise, less colors in the export by Lightroom.

Photos imported directly into Lightroom as RAW file and exported as TIFF are much noisier and have a huge amount of loss in detail. This might be not very important if you are just planning to show them online to your friends or display your photos on your website in resized versions. But if you have taken a really nice photo and would maybe like to order a poster or any large print out of it, this will become very visible in your images…

Every camera manufacturer’s software has its importance due to the fact that they know their cameras own software/hardware/lenses the best so they do apply this knowledge to import/export images out of the camera/sd card and create the best results...

If we still like to work in our preferred software such as Lightroom, we should firstly use the manufacturers own software to import the RAW file, export them as TIFF and then import them into the Lightroom Library where we can use the editing tools.

This way we make sure that minimum amount of detail gets lost and we do maximize the quality of photos from the camera we have just spend a nice amount of money on.

As a final word I would like to remind you that in our next issue we start learning the basics of photography and how to apply these basics in underwater photography.

In “Lightroom for Underwater Photography”: the use of the Lightroom Library and General Settings of Lightroom.

Oktay Calisir www.ocalisir.com

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PREVIEW NAUTICAM NA-LX100

Nauticam announces the imminent availability of the NA-LX100, the new housing for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100.

This rig offers the discerning underwater image maker access to the advanced capabilities of the LX100 camera, which despite it’s size, pack a significant wallop in terms of functionality.

Video shooters should take special notice here - this system joins the Nauticam family of 4K capable video cameras.

The NA-LX100 is ready to capture amazing Ultra HD video, whether it be in a pool, a stream or at 100m depth.

DETAILS AND SPECIFICATIONS Depth Rating:Â 100m Dimension: 180mm (W) x 128mm (H) x 140mm (D) Weight: 1.2kg

REVIEW

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PREVIEW - NAUTICAM NA-LX100 Nauticam first “supported” the LX series with the LX5 in early 2011, recognizing the image quality and capabilities of this compact system. The housing for the LX7 followed suit in 2013.

The NA-LX100 benefits from this lineage, and is the most refined of the LX housings to date.

This is a compact underwater housing designed to allow the user to harness the full potential of advanced compact camera in water.

All of the basic functions and ergonomic enhancements that Nauticam users have grown to know and love are incorporated in NA-LX100.

The housing is machined from a solid block of aluminum, then hard anodized to seal out corrosive salt water. It is closed via a simple, yet secure locking rotary latch. The right side of the housing is sculpted to fit the palm of the user’s hand, and Nauticam’s two-stage shutter release lever provides clear differentiation between the half press and full press shutter release positions. All functions are clearly labeled, and an M16 accessory socket allows an optional vacuum valve to be installed.

NAUTICAM VACUUM CHECK SYSTEM Amazingly, the engineers at Nauticam managed to squeeze in the Nauticam vacuum monitoring and leak detection electronics. By default, it serves as an audible and visual leak detector, but add a Nauticam M16 Vacuum Valve, (p/n 25612) and it becomes a vacuum check system. The vacuum monitoring system provides early warning for any problem with watertight integrity - which means peace of mind when shooting underwater.

The Nauticam leak alarm and vacuum monitoring system is installed as standard equipment.

This system provides an audible and visual alert to any water entry in the housing, and when combined with an accessory M16 Vacuum Valve (#25612) the water tight integrity of the system can be tested before ever entering the water and monitored during every dive.

The NA-LX100, like the NA-G7X released earlier this month, features the new Nauticam interchangeable port system for compact cameras with long throw lenses. Called the “N50” mount, it allows optical solutions to be precisely dialed in for maximum performance in water. Ports are attached via a bayonet fitting, and locked securely in place.

The zoom lever is placed for easy access allowing the video maker smooth zooms. A locking ring prevents over zoom when using the short port.

The LX100 camera presents some unique challenges to the housing designer - the aperture ring, aspect ratio dial, and on/ off switch, in particular. Although this necessitates pre-setting these three controls when inserting or removing the camera, this housing does provide the user complete and very ergonomic control over these vital functions, even going so far as to label the stops/positions for all three controls.

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THE NEW N50 PORT SYSTEM Because of the specific camera and lens function of the Panasonic LX100, a special port system is required to fully realize the potential of accessory wide angle lenses underwater.

The NA-LX100 “standard” port, supplied with the housing, allows full zoom through and is wide enough to be shot with the lens at full wide with no vignetting.

An optional flip mounting attachment (25107 M67 Flip Diopter Holder for NA-LX100 Standard Port) allows use of standard accessory macro lenses. This port is ideal for mid-range fish portraiture style shooting, close-up, and macro with add on wet-lenses.

A dome port solution is also available, restoring the in-air field of view of the lens with some zoom through possible. This is a lightweight configuration that offers a surprisingly wide angle of coverage. This port is called N50 3.5” Acrylic Dome Port (#38702).

An optional N50 Short Port with M67 Thread for Wide Angle Lenses (#38701) is also available, offering precise placement of wide wet-lenses very close to the camera’s lens at its wide angle zoom position. Zoom through is not available with this port, but it does offer the widest coverage possible with minimal vignetting for wide angle photography.

Testing indicates that the Inon UWL-H100 (either in the m67 mount or the LD mount) is an ideal wide angle lens for the NA-LX100.

COMING SOON...

This housing also includes handle brackets for use with the optional Flexitray or Easitray, providing additional stability important when shooting high resolution video.

The Nauticam Super Macro Converter shook up the super macro shooter world last year when it was released, bringing more sharpness and less distortion to an underwater macro lens than had ever been seen before. Building on that success, Nauticam is nearing release of a new and similar lens, this time designed for compact camera lenses. The Nauticam Compact Macro Converter (CMC), as it will be called, will become the ideal closeup lens for this and other similar compact cameras.

NA-LX100 FEATURE CHECKLIST - Secure, easy to use locking latch - Ergonomic controls with size, shape and color differentiation - All camera controls accessible - All controls clearly labeled - Popup flash lever - Dual fiber optic bulkhead - Integrated leak detector and optional vacuum check - Cold shoe mount - Interchangeable port mount - Standard port offers full zoom through 1/4-20 tripod or tray mounting holes - Sculpted, sensitive shutter release - M16 bulkhead port for vacuum valve - Zoom Lock - Handle brackets for Added Stability

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THE PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-LX100 Camera manufacturers continue to pack larger sensors and more competent image processing into compact cameras.

The LX100 is an exciting example of just that, with perhaps more solid features per square inch than any other camera on the market. For starters, there is a true Four Thirds sensor, cleverly used to support the multiple aspect ratio creative option on the camera.

Then there is the very fast lens (f1.7 at the wide end, and f/2.8 zoomed), with a very useful 24mm - 75mm equivalent range.

Using the equivalent aperture comparison technique, this lens is on average at least a stop faster than Canon G7X and G1XII, Fujifilm X30, Sony RX100II and RX100III, and the Panasonic LX7, across the entire focal length.

But the biggest new feature here is 4K video. Panasonic has managed to squeeze 100Mbps 4K video into this compact camera. And unlike that ubiquitous POV camera, the u/w videographer gets control over things like the FOV (zoom), aperture, shutter speed, white balance, gain, photo style (contrast, saturation, noise reduction, sharpnes).

Panasonic understands video, and it shows in this camera.

The LX100 is also interesting in how it manages aperture and shutter speed controls. With both of these, the dial is a click stop type, so for example, aperture can be set by looking at the dial itself, rather than or in addition to looking at the monitor. Instead of having a mode dial, the user simply choose a specific aperture, or sets the aperture to auto.

Shutter speed is done similarly. This is actually a very elegant way of controlling exposure... rather than having to switch modes, the user simply decides whether he or she wants to use auto or manual aperture, manual shutter speed (or ISO for that matter).

RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES - NAUTICAM p/n 25612

Item M16 Vacuum Valve

81301

CMC

25101

M67 Flip Diopter Holder

71201 71207 71209 71208 71311

Easitray Flexitray Flexitray W Right Handle Ball for Easi/Flexitray

36316 36323 25106

Compact Handstrap Long Handstrap LCD Magnifier

25123 25514 various various

LCD Magnifier Rails Ball adapter (Inon) Arms/Clamps Carbon fiber buoyancy arms Fiber optic cable for Inon Strobe Fiber optic cable for Sea&Sea strobe

26214 26215

Description Enables vacuum check system, allowing for check of watertight integrity Compact Macro Converter; add on lens that provides close focus macro with minimal distortion Enables quick installation and removal of the CMC underwater by flipping lens in place or out of the way Simple tray with comfortable rubberized hand grips Adjustable tray with comfortable rubberized hand grips Wider Flexitray, also allows for tripod use Right handle for Easitray or Flexitray 1” Mounting ball for either tray, allows mounting strobes/lights using Nauticam arms/clamps Comfortable handstrap for right side of housing Longer version of handstrap for larger hands Enlarge the view of the LCD; easy to see in bright sun, and can adjust diopter Allows installation of LCD Magnifier Allows mounting of Inon strobe Nauticam mounting hardware Arm that provides extra buoyancy to offset heavy lights or strobes Allows fast, accurate automatic flash exposure (TTL) over fiber, with no sync cables to flood or corrode Allows fast, accurate automatic flash exposure (TTL) over fiber, with no sync cables to flood or corrode

RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES - THIRD PARTY Item Inon UWL-H100 28m67 type 2 Inon Z-240 Inon S-2000

Description Recommended wide angle wet mount lens Powerful, reliable strobe with excellent coverage Smallest strobe, ideal for travel

FIX NEO 2000 SWR Keldan Video 4X

Focus light with Wide, Spot and Red light options Compact 6000 lumen video light

The NA-LX100 is the most rugged, ergonomic, and well designed option to take this powerful, yet compact camera underwater.

CONTACTS AND MORE INFO

http://www.nauticam.com http://nauticam.com/product.asp?id=309

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PORTFOLIO

PORTFOLIO YORKO SUMMER

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Yorko Summer is a Taiwanese well-known underwater photographer.

His multi identities including senior diving instructor, travel journalist, and photography lecturer has recently honored him to be invited as the judge of many international underwater photo contests.

Traveling around the countries and tropical

world, he is fascinated with shooting colorful underwater ecology and splendid human cultures beyond the horizon. His work has made all the underwater living things especially dashing and lovely that earned him the title of “The magician of light and shadow underwater�.

Since year 2002, Yorko had spent about 6 years in Palau; meanwhile, his passion for the ocean has become stronger.

It was the time he started underwater photo-

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graphy and fell in love with the beautiful world ever since. In 2005, Yorko won the grand prize of “Underwater Palau International Photo Festival�; up to date, he has gained experience out of more than 5000 tanks of underwater photography.

Aside from his busy work, Yorko likes to share and exchange his unique point of view of all kinds of different underwater photos and knowledge through the internet with other people who share the same idea and also in love with the ocean.

Recent years, Yorko pays more focus on teaching underwater photography and promoting marine conservation and education.

He spends lots of time diving in Tulamben to explore with all the dive sites around and he has been a consultant of Liberty Dive Resort Tulamben, Bali. which as his second home.

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Also, he has been invited by the Tourism Bureau of many countries including Republic of the Philippines, Japan Okinawa, Yap Island, and Republic of Fiji, to advertise and give speeches of the stories behind his pictures, with his humor and breezy way to say it. His works can be found on the internet, reading papers, magazines, or his own photography exhibitions.

In 2014, Yorko was honored as “Photographer Of The Week” by DPG (Dive Photo Guide) and one of the top Chinese underwater photographers by Radio Television Hong Kong, and they also produced Yorko’s life story into documentaries called “An Ocean Rover“.

Website: www.yorkosummer.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/yorkosummerseamaniax

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FROZEN DREAM

AN UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE

WORDS

Ivana Orlovic PICTURES

Ivana Orlovic, Janez Kranjc, Vladimir Mladenovic

TRAVELS

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Something that frightens many but in the same time attracts few very brave divers is diving under ice.

Diving under ice is one of the most extreme conditions that a diver can face. In most cases there is only one hole in ice where a diver can enter or exit. An ice saw or a chain saw is used to cut a hole in the ice. That’s why whole ice diving experience is an extraordinary chance to see the ice from a different perspective, and cold water itself is a one more challenge which requires special diving equipment that’s been used in cold water such as dry suits to avoid hypothermia, regulators designed for cold water use, etc. Besides the experience, divers have to be certified in order to use this special equipment.

58 Because of the water temperature that ranges between 4째C and 0째C in fresh water, and approximately 1.9째C for normal salinity sea water it is mandatory to use dry suits, gloves and hoods. Nevertheless the risks of hypothermia and freezing are significant. It is equally important to be protected also at surface, because the dive sites are usually very cold and windy.

60 Ice water has a huge effect on a diving regulator. It is necessary to have two first stages that are attached separately on close valves because even non-freezing regulators can go free flowing. That’s why one should keep second stage dry and should not breathe through it until it touches the water.

What is it that attracts adventurists to dive under ice? Not just the fact that it is a winter activity and gives you a chance to dive all year round, nor chance to see spectacular ice formations. Most of all it is a chance to see surreal landscapes with crystal clear visibility and a possibility to meet creatures that live in cold water like whales, leopard seals or penguins! So around the world, from pole to pole, from Lake Baikal to the shores of White Sea... countless number of divers will ignore high cost of equipment, training and accept the challenges that may come and immerse themselves in that fantastic frozen world.Because of the water temperature that ranges between 4°C and 0°C in fresh water, and approximately 1.9°C for normal salinity sea water it is mandatory to use dry suits, gloves and hoods.

Nevertheless the risks of hypothermia and freezing are significant. It is equally important to be protected also at surface, because the dive sites are usually very cold and windy. Ice water has a huge effect on a diving regulator. It is necessary to have two first stages that are attached separately on close valves because even non-freezing regulators can go free flowing. That’s why one should keep second stage dry and should not breathe through it until it touches the water.

What is it that attracts adventurists to dive under ice? Not just the fact that it is a winter activity and gives you a chance to dive all year round, nor chance to see spectacular ice formations.

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Most of all it is a chance to see surreal landscapes with crystal clear visibility and a possibility to meet creatures that live in cold water like whales, leopard seals or penguins! So around the world, from pole to pole, from Lake Baikal to the shores of White Sea... countless number of divers will ignore high cost of equipment, training and accept the challenges that may come and immerse themselves in that fantastic frozen world.

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U-BOAT WRECK DIVING RUBIS (FRANCE)

Aldo Ferrucci

TECH DIVE

Words and Pictures

70 With a minimum depth of 32 meters and a maximum of 40, the Rubis is one of the rare U-boats in good state of conservation approachable by advanced recreational scuba divers.

This wreck is located in southern France, off the coast between St. Tropez and Cavalaire sur Mer. Built in 1931 by Toulon shipyards, the Rubis has been launched on September 30. It is the fourth out of a series of six: the Saphir, the Turquoise, the Nautilus, the Diamant and the Perle.

Designed to deposit landmines without emerging to the surface, this U-boat measured 66 meters in length, 7 meters in width and 8 meters in height. It was equipped with a 3900 HP Vickers-Armstrong engine, which granted 8 knots speed while diving and 12 knots speed at the surface. The Rubis could dive up to 50 meters depth and sail at periscope depth of 15 meters. It was armed with a 75mm and two 13mm cannons, 32 landmines weighing 1.090 KG each, three 550 mm and two 400 mm torpedoes. The crew consisted in 45 men: 4 officers, 9 noncommissioned officers and 32 sailors.

In 1936, the Rubis sailed to Cherbourg to refine the crew training. At the beginning of the war, in 1939, it was in Bizerte under the 9th Mediterranean Fleet command based in Dundee (Scotland).

The Rubis performed several missions within Norwegian waters during 1940, while the Third Reich was invading the country. After the armistice of June 20 1940, Great Britain started operation Catapult, aiming to conquer French ships. The Rubis was part of this plan and therefore changed its flag. Only 5 out of the 45 crewmembers returned to France, while the others chose to serve under the Free French Forces led by admiral Muselier.

The Rubis sailed through the whole war without damages: an uneasy exploit for that kind of ship!

In 1945, the U-boat achievements were significant: during its 28 missions it deposed 683 landmines that sunk 15 ships and 7 dredgers, sunk a 4360 tons cargo ship and damaged a German U-boat. On June 8 1945, the Rubis returned to Orano, where it was decommissioned. Until 1950, the Rubis served as a training ship.

In 1957, avoided dismantling thanks to the intercession of one of its captains, but then the general staff decided to sink it. On Jan.31 1958, the Sansone tugboat and the Desert barge took the Rubis 2.6 km off Cap Camarat. Captain Riffaud, one of the Rubis’ last captains, had the sad duty to blast the 9 kg TNT charge which, exploding astern, sunk the Rubis to a 40 meters depth.

Due to its depth, diving on the Rubis might be considered easy and the whole wreck can be explored during one dive only.

What makes this dive difficult is the constant presence of current that can be strong enough to prevent divers reaching the bottom.

French laws prohibit fixed descent lines positioning when unauthorized: this forces diving centers to set up a line time by time.

The standard dive starts from the rear since the prevalent current runs from bow to stern. The propellers are missing, removed a few years ago by some divers and the masts sheared off by the blast float in midwater.

Swimming towards the turret and looking through the now damaged metallic coating, we can glimpse the big compressed air cylinders used for the U-boat buoyancy.

Morays, conger eels and scorpion fishes show from the cracks and, being used to divers’ visits, let divers get close without any fear.

Before reaching the turret, we find one of the three trapdoors accessing the U-boat, but the passage is far too tight for trying a penetration. On both sides of the hull, we notice two big protuberances that hosted the 32 landmines part of the Rubis weaponry. Schools of breams and other fishes swim around the turret, while big hunting snappers dart from now and then.

In the front of the turret, we can see a kind of pulpit facing the bow: for sure, that was the place where the sailors guard stayed during surface sailing. Through the metal sheets, we can glimpse tangles of valves and pipes, offering an excellent shelter for flora and fauna.

We swim over the two other accessing trapdoors, both wider than the first one but still too complicated to enter. The bow raises from the bottom, giving the Rubis an evocative profile sight, almost

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as if still sailing.

We go back to the central trapdoor, to enter and explore inside the U-boat. Due to the narrow space, penetration must be effected one at the time, leaving our buddy at the entrance door to check from outside and prevent other divers to get in while we are inside.

Always remember that penetrating a wreck is a matter for experienced and specifically trained divers!

The space inside the wreck is really small and narrow, and the first thing that comes to mind is how extreme and difficult the conditions the 45 crew members shared were, forced to live together in this tight place during their long sailings.

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12° “CRABS”

FIRST PLACE

ANDREY SHPATAK “King crab”

MONTHLY CONTEST

MONTHLY CONTEST:

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SECOND PLACE JIM CHEN “Space travel”

THIRD PLACE GUILLERMO RICART “Hairy climbing crab”

FOURTH PLACE NUSWANTO NOBBU “Kissing xeno crab”

FIFTH PLACE DANIEL MUCCINI “Beach crab”

SIXTH PLACE MARCO CHANG “Spot”

82

Behind the shot:

ANDREY SHPATAK Japan Sea, Black rock Cape, near Rudnaya Bay. Depth about 30 mt.

Water temperature 3° !!!!!

Nikon D300 + Tokina 10-17 mm (at 15mm).

Iso 200, F 11, 1/100.

“With this picture I wanted to show the king crab as the real master and the owner of this place, and it seems to me that I got it.”

Yes, Andrey. For sure.

A real amazing shot.

ASD BLUCOBALTO is born to be a cultural association dedicated to

underwater photography; to offer its students the highest quality standards in teaching and to create a group centered on photography in all its forms and expressions.

BLUCOBALTO wants to create a series of courses and events held

by photographers and teachers of international level: Alberto Balbi, Cristian Umili and Davide D’Angelo.

ASD BLUCOBALTO is social: - A Facebook page open to all, where you can talk about photography, equipment, tips, dive sites and share opinions.

- A Facebook private group where the participant may share their pictures and have advice form the teachers on which photos send to contests, share news about contest and photo festival, and new about photographic equipment.

- A Twitter account where you can find instructional video, course calendar and travel reportages.

- A blog that will become a real on-line magazine with the help of pros and amateurs to became a reference point in UW photography.

- Travel group: thanks to an agreement with a major travel agency we will propose to our members affordable photographic travels.

ASD BLUCOBALTO is not a diving school: that’s why we can join collaboration with companies, diving centers, diving school throughout Italy to organize courses, exhibition and events in UW photography.

ASD BLUCOBALTO is something unique, a new project whose strength lies in professionalism and experience of its teachers and the entire group.

All this to get to the top in photography and UW photography - www.blucobaltophotoacademy.com -

BLU COBALTO – UNDERWATER PHOTO ACADEMY Courses and workshops first semester 2015 Info & subscriptions: info@blucobaltophotoacademy.com C. Umili: +39-347-9050670 A. Balbi: +39-348-2201128 D. D’Angelo: +39-333-8408014 A. Severgnini: +39-334-7772139

N O LL II M M I IT T N O

visit us online: www.hollis.com/eu www.facebook.com/HollisGear

90

FIRST UW PHOTO CONTEST “BLU COBALTO”

1° REFLEX WIDEANGLE: Primo Cardini

1° REFLEX MACRO: Roberto Baccino

FESTIVAL & CONTEST 1째 COMPACT WIDEANGLE: Cucco Gianluca

92

REFLEX WIDEANGLE HONORABLE MENTION Pasquale Vassallo

94

1째 COMPACT MACRO: Alessandro Giannaccini

2째 REFLEX MACRO: Gianni Colucci

2째 COMPACT MACRO: Raho Alessandro

1° UW Photo Contest “Blu Cobalto” This contest is born for valorize the sea, and this year the Mediterranean Sea in particular, but also to understand the respect of marine life by the common man and by the underwater photographer.

The contest have 150 images about “Mare Nostrum” (Mediterranean Sea), divides in four category: macrophotography compact camera, macrophotography reflex, wide angle compact camera, wide angle reflex.

The awards was made the 31 jannuary 2015 douring the “Marcante awards” on the Museum of the Sea of Genova.

Thanks to all sponsor: Mares, Cressi Sub, Scubapro, Corderia Nazionale, Landi Sport, Easydive, L’Immagine Art & Photo studio, Emozioni fine art print.

3° REFLEX WIDEANGLE: Marco Bollettinari

2° REFLEX WIDEANGLE: Vito Giannecchini

2° COMPACT WIDEANGLE: Alberto Gallucci

3° COMPACT WIDEANGLE: Ilaria Gonelli

96

3째 COMPACT MACRO: Virginia Salzedo

3째 REFLEX MACRO: Primo Cardini

REFLEX MACRO HONORABLE MENTION: Andrea Severgnini

Sistiana Diving is a DIVING CENTER PADI. We have true passion for the sea and respect for the underwater world and its biodiversity. We are located at the Northern tip of the Adriatic Sea, on the coast of the charming Sistiana Bay, in the wonderful Parco Caravella. Nearby are the Duino Cliffs Regional Natural Reserve, the picturesque village of Portopiccolo and the city of Trieste. You can reach us by the A4 freeway: the second exit after the Lisert gate is the one that will lead you to the bay.

info: sistianadiving@gmail.com web:

Our Center offers: - PADI courses for all levels and ages.

- Digital Underwater Photography classes - First and Second Aid Courses - Reserved Area for divers and easy access to the water - Tanks rental and filling station - Full equipment rental - Daily guided diving (Daytime and night) - Scuba diving excursions and trips - Reserved parking spaces The Sistiana Bay offers a wide range of services and attractions for visitors to enjoy such as restaurants, bars, night life and easy parking. Our diving center is conveniently located near camping ground as well as hotels that overlook the bay Our second location is at 54/b Del Bosco street (Trieste). We offer scuba diving classes all year long as well as evening meetings where we show videos and photos and just enjoy sharing our passion for diving.

100

WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT WITH TOP ONE DIVING & DAN

ld Record Attempt.

As anticipated on the previous Scubashooter edition, notable is the path is bringing forward Top One Diving, a promising Diving School based in Rome, that it is currently following the technical and logistic organization of the World Record attempt for the Longest Scuba Dive in Salt water.

This professional group is taking care of the physical and psychological training of the person who will attempt the record.

These days part of the Top One Diving Staff is leaving Italy to go to Egypt to fully support the Wor-

Top One Diving spent last months making the selection of several Scuba dive brands in order to collect all the equipments necessary for the record and learning from nutritionists and psychologists how to manage the long stay of the record man under water. Now they are ready to leave Italy to go to Egypt and start the training of the record man.

But let see who is the man that will try to be part of the Guinness World Records.

He is 35 years old, married, with 2 sons of 9 and 5 years; Capt. Walaa Hafez is the guy who will attempt this Guinness World Record. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, he lives between Suez and Alexandria.

He had been an officer in the Egyptian Naval Special Forces (Seal Team Leader)

The Guinness World Record that Cpt. Walaa Hafez will attempt is the longest open saltwater scuba dive.

The target is to pass the longest open saltwater scuba dive record of 51 hours and 4 minutes; the dive depth will be around 10 meters. Try to imagine the feeling of being underwater night and day for more than 51 hours.

He decided to attempt this record for various reasons. First of all revitalize the water sports and redirect the attention of the world to the stunning beauty of Egypt’s underwater environment.

Then, the challenge is to promote tourism to Egypt and send a message of safeness to the world against the difficult politic enviroment. Last but not least to help the research to improve the commercial and military diving.

The Guinness World Record will take place in Hurgada, starting in June the 4th, during the 2015 Red Sea Festival.

Training to Cpt. Walaa will start on 1st April, and 25 people between diving team and medical team will assist him.

At our question: “What will be the hardest thing to deal with in order to overcome this record?”, his answer was: “The hardest thing is to remain underwater for 52 hours. How I will spend all this time without getting bored? And how my

DAN EUROPE

for 14 years, and now he works as Marine Pilot at Suez Canal Authority. Moreover he is a Diving and Self Defense Instructor.

He makes his first dive when he was only 19 year old with his uncle and from this first dive he has never stopped to dive. Besides after he entered in the Military his natural choice was the military diving team.

102 body will react to the physical needs? Those are really the hardest things�.

This is only the first record that Cpt Walaa want to attempt and if he will be successful, he has already in mind to plan other very interesting records.

Let we see!

In the next month article we will give more details about his coaching staff, the doctors who will assist him in this venture, the companies that will sponsor the record and the role of DAN Europe Researchers.

Top One Diving will keep you posted: stay tuned and Enjoy your Dive!! www.toponediving.it – www.walaahafez.com -

T haila nd

DI VE E X P

14-17 May 2015 11.00 am. -8.00 pm.

Queen Sirikit National Convention Center Bangkok, Thailand

Shared experiences

Choose your best diving trip

Get your diving courses

Seminars Underwater Photo Contest and Underwater Film Party

2 0 15

Shop your diving gears

Photo by Pipat Kosumlaksamee

Underwater Photog

Tim & Beth will be in the water engaging in one-on-on settings and teaching beginning to advanced techniq lighting, camera gear and image editing using LIGHTR tographers are welcome, those

To make a reservation c

www.softlitestudios.com tdneumann@softlitesstudios.com www.facebook.com/TimothyDNeumann 1-614-312-0655

graphy Expedition

ne mentoring, helping with strobe positioning, camera ques. Learn valuable information about composition, ROOM & PHOTOSHOP. All cameras and level of phowith “Point & Shoot” to “DSLR”

contact Amy Garrow at:

www.bethwatsonimages.com bethwatsonimages@gmail.com www.facebook.com/bethbwatson 1-573-247-0462

106

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND Road to technical diving (part 1)

TECH DIVE

108 Technical diving.

A form of diving that fires most people’s imagination.

‘Deep, dark and decompression’ are normally the first things that come to mind. ‘A lot of gear’ would be a second thought. All apply, but there is so much more to it. This is the story about the path we followed from recreational divers to technical divers. This journey started approximately five years ago and is an ongoing story of courses and personal development . In the next couple of issues we will explain what the term technical diving actually means.

We will tell more about the equipment we use and about why we always carry it around (even during dives where we do not need the amount of gas). In part two we will explain a bit more about the standardized equipment used. After that we will publish some articles about the courses we have followed / are following.

Why exactly do we like those deep dives? We carry enormous amounts of heavy equipment and spend more time getting back to the surface than on the wreck... We all have our different reasons. I have actually no idea. In my normal life I am quite a brisk person, but when I am underwater everything becomes relaxed. Being underwater calms me down and life becomes more easy. As a kid I always dreamt I could fly. Up until today I haven’t been very successful in my Peter Pan attempts, but diving is the second best thing: flying in liquid air is something I really enjoy. Even though sometimes there is absolutely nothing to see, the feeling of being weightless is enough for me to be happy. I imagine that many of you, dive fanatics, will recognize the feeling.

However, there is something else for me. When I am in the water I am obsessed by the depth beneath me. It calls my name. I cannot help myself, but I just need to go down there. No idea why.

Think of it as reversed fear of heights. When I look up to a building, I imagine it being underwater and where my deco stops would be. The lack of light at those depths just make things more mysterious and interesting to me. Some people find their relaxation in driving a fast car or a motorbike.

Many of you find your pleasure in waiting an entire dive for a nudi branch to get into a certain position. Others get immense satisfaction out of teaching people to dive. I just noticed that I like to make deep dives. On the one hand my mind goes into some kind of relaxing state, but on the other

hand, I get a great kick out of it.

An additional problem for all Team Pitch Blue members is that each and every one of us is interested in history and vessels. A wreck is a kind of time capsule to us. Everything there is still the same as the moment it sank, even if that is decades ago. We find it really interesting to read and learn about the history of the wreck before diving on it. Where it was built, how it looked, what the cargo was and why did it eventually sink? The more history, the better. (But to be honest, if you throw us overboard near a wreck we know nothing about, we will still have a blast...)

One way or another, we find wreckdiving the most fun way of diving. A lot of the untouched and beautiful wrecks are at greater depths. The less people able to dive it, the more preserved the wreck is. A new interest was born. Just as there are people who have made the choice to become a dive master or instructor, we made the choice to follow the necessary training to be able to make longer and deeper dives in a safe way.

After I started to read about wreckdiving, I found out the way I used to dive is just not safe enough. A single 80 cuft tank of air to 35/40 meters is just not safe. Neither my equipment nor skills were suitable for the dives I wanted to make. It was irresponsible. I came to the conclusion that there is a clear difference between recreational and technical diving.

Imagine a diver packed with complicated-looking equipment swimming through the wheelhouse of the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire. Or another diver with an single 80 cuft tank having to do 12 minutes of deco after looking at the trucks inside the cargo holds of the Thistlegorm. Are this technical divers? Does it make you a technical diver if your computer regularly indicates deco? Of course not, you are pushing the limits of recreational diving. The ultimate difference between a recreational diver who goes beyond his limits and a technical diver, is that the technical diver is trying to ensure his dives are as safe as possible. I noticed I was diving more and more beyond my limits.

On deeper dives it was no longer an issue if my computer indicated that I had to make deco-

110

stops. Deeper dives were the rule rather than the exception. This gave me new issues. In my recreational training I learned about the half-tank rule and 50 bar is “low-on-air”. Is that really enough gas to ascent safely with two persons when there is a serious problem? How much gas do I actually use per minute? And my buddy? What happens to my gasconsumption when I panic? How do the decompression tables actually work? I didn’t know the answer to all of these questions. It just didn’t feel good anymore. This concluded in me following specific training in procedures and skills.

A big misconception is that technical diving is all about technology and the stuff you have dangling around. A wing with backplate, large doubleset and long hoses ... you name it. It is the most eye-catching, but certainly not the most important. If you do not know how you should deal with certain equipment, you are actually putting yourself in more danger than adding extra safety. Especially on dives with a ceiling (literally and/or figuratively). How often do we read about a simple free flow combined with human error and incorrectly installed equipment leading to serious and even deadly events?

A lot has been written about the equipment a technical diver uses. I have been ridiculed and gossiped about when jumping into 50 feet of water with my full setup. It doesn’t bother me because I do this to train and get used to my equipment. The system I use has been developed during the most difficult dives you can think of: deep decompression dives during the exploration of cave systems in Florida and Mexico. The men and women who made these dives, actually experienced all possible underwater problems and scenarios you can imagine. Almost all equipment has some sort of backup, and if not, there is always at least one team-member around who has the same equipment in exactly the same place, as a backup for you. This system works for all types of dives sometimes with minimal adjustments of the equipment, but the basics remain the same.

The whole idea behind this configuration is the fact that without making any changes to your equipment, you are able to do any kind of dive. Whether it is a fish-watching-dive or a technical wreck or cave dive, the equipment stays the same. This keeps the necessary routine always the same.

Practicing a lot will build muscle memory and this will prevent problems. So we dive to 50 feet with a double 12. Sometimes even with stage bottles.

The point is that I get used to my equipment in a controlled environment. How to react in different situations. Adjustments of D-rings and back plate makes a world of difference in trim and accessibility. Training in a team builds a bond of trust. Every team member has the same procedures and

will react in the same way.

I need to practice, practice and practice some more. This way everything becomes a second nature. In my second or third week of training for NAUI intro to tech, I managed to close all my valves during a so called valve drill. With this exercise you have a systematic way of closing and opening your valves to locate, resolve or isolate a problem. By forgetting one step in the process, I managed to put myself out of gas in a very professional way. I gasped for air, but there was... nothing.

Unexpected lack of gas is a huge surprise I can tell you, but a massive learning opportunity. For both me and my teammate. He didn’t see it coming either.

Being a team-member is about actually participating in what your team is doing.

Not just being there looking at the fish. It is all about team awareness.

It was my own stupid mistake and we’ve learned a lot. Fortunately, in a controlled environment and with my teammate TL as my over-weighted, but life-saving-angel. Of course such errors will happen.

The idea is that you have to learn from your own mistakes. The advantage of this learning method: if we really find ourselves in a stressful situation, all necessary actions will run with caution. Even better; automatic actions based on muscle memory will prevail.

Always using the same equipment setup is a condition for creating muscle memory . Whether on a simple dive or on a deep wreck dive, all things should be in the same place. This way, we are trained to donate gas and fix all kinds of gas failures. Knowing exactly what-is-where and how all of the other team members respond without having to think twice, will prevent a lot of stress.

Stress can lead to wrong decisions and will ultimately lead to panic. As a wise instructor once said: We can fix practically anything underwater. The only thing we cannot fix is panic. So please do not panic when you have a problem.

Next issue will be about the special standardized equipment we use, so stay tuned.

Hope to see you at the waterfront and don’t forget to like and follow Team Pitch Blue on Facebook!

WORDS

Job Kuperus

PICTURES

Case Kassenberg

114

OUT OF CONTROL

Buoyancy control, perhaps one of the more confounding aspects of safe diving, is the subject here. Regulating buoyancy is not always easy, especially for beginners, and even experienced divers can lose control of it from time to time. Unfortunately, when buoyancy becomes a problem, peril may follow.

Diver 1 That’s what happened a few years ago to a 24-years old open-water certified diver. According to the DAN Report on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration (the 2004 edition based on 2002 data), this diver had received her certification seven months before the accident. In that time she had completed 15 dives. The trouble started when she was diving with a buddy at a depth of 60 feet (18 meters). The buddy experienced difficulty with his weight belt, and, while trying to assist him, she dropped her regulator from her mouth. Her buddy tried to help her, but his own situation wasn’t improving. He lost his weight belt and had to surface. On the way he lost a fin, and his cylinder became detached from the tank harness.

It’s unclear what exactly transpired next, but about 15 minutes later, she was found unconscious on the bottom with her regulator out of her mouth. She had made her final dive. We don’t know the experience level of the surviving buddy or why he had such difficulties on this dive. Neither do we know what caused the diver to lose her regulator and be unable to recover it. It appears that the pivotal problem around which the tragedy unfolded was the surviving buddy’s difficulty with his weight belt. Once you’ve lost or dropped a weight belt, there’s no turning back. The beltless diver is positively buoyant and will most likely end up at the surface sooner rather than later.

As this accident illustrates, dealing with any other problems can become impossible when buoyancy control is lost. Problems with weight belts can take many forms. The first stems from the simple fact that as a diver descends, the wetsuit compresses, and unless it is adjusted, the belt becomes loose. In some cases, a loose belt can rotate around the diver’s waist, positioning the buckle behind the diver’s back. When that happens, it’s nearly impossible to make further adjustments or to ditch the belt. At other times,divers slip up and accidentally drop their belts while attempting to make those needed adjustments.

DAN EUROPE

Diver 2 A completely different problem comes when a weight belt (or weight) is suddenly and unintentionally dropped during a dive. While the problem can arise from a diver’s failure to make careful and timely adjustments to belt tension during the dive, it can also arise as the result of an equipment malfunction or failure. Consider the diver who had purchased a new pocket belt and had just made his second dive with it. At the conclusion, he noticed that the stitching on one of the pockets had failed, and the two-pound weight was dangling precariously from what remained of the pocket.

It was a close call, indeed.

Had the failure occurred any sooner or progressed any further, a serious accident could have happened. While it’s easy to assume that the diver’s belt was faulty, we shouldn’t overlook the possibility that a close examination of the belt before the second dive might have given the diver a clue that the belt was literally coming apart at the seams. Certainly any new weight belt should be durable enough to survive two dives, but we should never assume that because a piece of equipment is practically new that it is in good working order.

Diver 3 Another case involves a diver who was wearing a borrowed weight belt. While attempting to ascend from a depth of about 35 feet (10 meters), the diver realized that he was unable to kick hard enough. Rather than ditching the weight belt - and risk losing it - the diver used the auto inflator to help himself ascend. Such incidents point out a common malady among divers - they worry more about the equipment they are wearing than about their own safety. While nobody wants to lose a perfectly good piece of dive gear, we would do well to remember that the whole purpose of our dive gear is to keep us alive. If that means we lose the gear in the process of staying alive, then so be it! Over-weighting is another oft-ignored issue. When divers carry more weight than necessary, they also carry more air in their buoyancy compensation devices (BCDs) than needed.

As the diver changes depth, the resulting change in buoyancy is greater. For example, consider a diver who is overweighted by 3 pounds (43.75 oz.) and offsets that with enough air to generate 3 extra pounds of buoyancy at depth. When that diver ascends, this extra air expands, making him more buoyant than he would be if he had been properly weighted to begin with. If he descends, that air compresses, and more air must be added to remain neutrally buoyant. As a result, it is more difficult to control buoyancy throughout the course of a dive, and the potential of overcontrolling or losing control is heightened. Weight belts are not the only problem when it comes to buoyancy control. Buoyancy problems can also develop as a result of a BCD failure or malfunction. The underlying cause may be a manufacturing defect, design flaw or maintenance oversight as in the following case.

116 Diver 4 The 35-year-old open-water certified diver with more than 100 logged dives experienced a “near miss” while on a training dive that was part of a program in advanced-diver certification. It was the second dive of the day, and the diver had begun ascending from a depth of 83 fsw (25 msw) when he realized his buoyancy was improperly adjusted. As he tried to inflate his BCD with the auto-inflator, bubbles gushed from an open port on the device. About that time, the instructor approached the diver with a spring-valve seat and screw-on cover for the BCD overpressure relief system in his hand. Apparently, the relief valve cover had been loose and fell off during the dive. Fortunately, the diver was able to continue his ascent and reassembled his BCD after he left the water. It’s common for divers to give themselves “mental head-slaps” when situations such as this occur, but in reality, such situations can be much more serious than we like to admit.

Perhaps the only thing separating this final incident from the fatal injury of our first report’s victim is dumb luck, and that’s nothing to trust your life to. By looking at these accidents and incidents, we can fine tune our procedures and attitudes, and enjoy safe diving.

WORDS

Rick Layton

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

Three wrecks, colorful walls and ideal sites for macrophotography.

We offer the opportunity to dive for every level.

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

www.diving-marcopolo.com

CENTRO SUB CAMPI FLEGREI was established in 1992 and is orientated towards recreational diving activities.

The diving centre has two bases within the area of the Phlegraean Fields. One is located in Pozzuoli and is home to the secretariat, the classrooms, the Incoming Service and the workshop for equipment inspection and maintenance. The second is in Lucrino direct on the shore of the underwater Archaeology Park of Baiae where all the facilities associated with beach front diving activities, e.g. showers, changing rooms, equipment rinsing facilities, tank filling station, jetty for the boats, bars, sun decks, etc., are to be found.

We offer the following services:

from NAS and PADI (Distinctive Specialty).

COURSES: We offer PADI, CMAS and PTA courses ranging from introduction dives through to instructor level training, including numerous specialites. The diving centre’s classroom is equipped with didactic materials and multimedia facilities to meet all training requirements. Training is also carried out in the field of underwater archaeology via courses

EQUIPMENT: The diving centre has three Coltri Sub compressors, a Coltri Sub membrane compressor (nitrox for free!), trimix blending facilities, 50 complete sets of diving equipment, a workshop for any necessary repairs and ample wet and dry storage areas.

GUIDED TOURS: We offer diving at sites within the sunken city of Baiae, in the Gulf of Naples and around the Phlegraean islands of Ischia and Procida. Transfer to these sites is provided by our own rhibs (8m and 7m).

INCOMING SERVICE: In collaboration with other entities within the tourism sector, we various different itineraries combining activities both underwater and on land which enable visitors to discover the wonders within our locality.

TOURISM: We organise weekend diving packages. Longer holidays and cruises are also regularly arranged both locally and overseas (in partnership with other tourist agencies).

EVENTS: In association with local agencies, training organisations and clubs the diving centre organises events and informative demonstrations to encourage a more environmentally conscious culture, particularly with respect to gaining a deeper respect for the marine environment and promoting its protection.

Experienced instructors and a welcoming atmosphere ensure your diving experience will be both safe and fun.

www.centrosubcampiflegrei.it

With 3 hearts, 8 suction cupped arms and extremely unique behavior, it’s no wonder people are suckers for the octopus. There are over 300 different species of octopus that live throughout our oceans. They range in size from the up to 9 meter Giant Pacific Octopus found in the Pacific Northwest and parts of California to the 1.5 centimeter Octopus Wolfi found in Indonesia with everything in between. In general, larger octopus are found in colder waters and smaller octopus are found in warmer waters.

Considered the smart one of the group, the octopus is actually a mollusk and shares part of its taxonomy with snails, clams, scallops and other invertebrates. It has been known to utilize tools such as gathering discarded coconut shells to build housing as well as solve problems. It also has an uncanny understanding of its surroundings that can provide fantastic photo opportunities.

Its primary defense is camouflage.

The octopus can change both color and texture to match its surroundings in the blink of any eye. Some species like the Mimic octopus found in Indonesia, use this ability to change shape and color to pose as other animals confusing would be attackers into thinking they are something that is not to be messed with.

In addition, all octopus have venom that they inject through their beaks when biting. Fortunately for humans, the only species with venom toxic enough to harm us is the beautiful but deadly Blue Ring Octopus. If all else fails, the squirt ink and jet out of here method is also used.

Bottom-dwelling octopuses mainly eat crabs, worms, and other mollusks including clams. Open-ocean octo-

puses mainly eat prawns, fish and other cephalopods. Octopuses usually ambush their prey and secure is with their 8 suction cupped arms and inject it with a paralyzing saliva before dismembering it into small pieces. They then feed by forcing open, or by drilling holes in the shells of what they capture. If a hole is drilled, they can then inject a secretion that helps extract their prey’s soft internal body.

Octopuses have a relatively short life expectancy with some species living as little as six months. Other than becoming prey, reproduction is usually the cause of death. Females spend roughly one-month taking care of their unhatched eggs neglecting to eat during this period. They eventually die of starvation after their eggs hatch. Males only live for a few months more after mating due to an optic gland secretion released after spawning.

Photo opportunities with octopuses are abundant. Their natural curiosity often times gives photographers the ability to get up close and personal with these creatures. Look for chances to get eye close-ups and capture unique behavior, as well as get nest guarding and propulsion shots. Next critter corner, sharks.

John Fifer - ReefID

experience t s e b in Th e

th e

st shots, tr e b Red e h t u r s Sea. t ou Fo r kn owle ites particu s e v i dge of all lar d itie s.

Infos & news : www.redsea-direct.com JosĂŠ-Nelson Gonzalez nelson@scubaswiss.com Egypt : +20122 3783467 Switzerland : +4179 2023801 Italy : +39340 5221723 Like on FB : https://www.facebook.com/redseayachting

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DRM ON LINE

8TH UW PHOTO CONTEST DRM Online is a Slovenian underwater photography competition for underwater photographers who use digital SLR or compact cameras. The purpose of the competition is to promote and stimulate the development of underwater photography. DRM OnLine is organized by DRM Ljubljana one of the oldest European diving clubs.

The first DRM OnLine was organized in 2007 and was intended for compact cameras only. Soon we realised that there was a great demand for locally organized competitions and we had to expand the competition to DSLR as well.

Today photographers are divided into two groups according to the type of their camera – “DSLR” and “Compact”. Both groups compete in three categories of the competition – “Underwater ambient”, “Underwater life” and “Fresh waters”. Each competitor submits one photo for each category.

Since 2013 the general sponsor of the competition is Retra UWT, Ltd. (http://retra-uwt.com/) who provide the DSLR winners with their respectable products.

The jury consist of three renowned underwater photographers with several years of competitive experience – Borut Furlan, Andrej Voje and Irena Cok. DRM OnLine is free of charge and is non-profit competition, meaning that all the resources are given to photographers. As mentioned above, the sole purpose of the competition is to promote and stimulate the development of underwater photography.

Davide Lopresti - 1° SLR Underwater life

Jovan Petrovski - 1째 Compact Fresh Waters

Rafael Cosme Daza - 1째 Compact Underwater life

FESTIVAL & CONTEST

Rafael Cosme Daza - 1째 Compact Ambient

126 SLR “Underwater Ambient” (SLR-AMB) 1.

Adriano Morettin (ITA) 2.

Davide Lopresti (ITA) 3.

Isabella Maffei (ITA) 4.

Ricardo Acosta Aleixandre (ESP) 5.

Beth Watson (USA)

Compact “Underwater Ambient” (COM-AMB) 1.

Rafael Cosme Daza (ESP) 2.

Jose Manuel Miro Gumbau (ESP) 3.

Karlo Maćaš (CRO) 4.

Marko Gasparič (SLO) 5.

Samir Solaković (BiH)

SLR “Underwater Life” (SLR-UWL) 1.

Davide Lopresti (ITA) 2.

Ricardo Acosta Aleixandre (ESP) 3.

Barbara Camassa (ITA) 4.

Alex Tyrell (UK) 5.

Alan Lo (HK)

Compact “Underwater Life” (COM-UWL) 1.

Rafael Cosme Daza (ESP) 2.

Alex Tyrell (UK) 3.

Jovan Petrovski (SRB) 4.

Maja Zupin (SLO) 5.

Fabrizio Marcuzzo (ITA)

SLR “Fresh Waters” (SLR-FW) 1.

Danijel Frka (CRO) 2.

Ricardo Acosta Aleixandre (ESP) 3.

Davide Lombroso (ITA) 4.

Sven Tramaux (CH) 5.

Adriano Morettin (ITA)

Compact “Fresh Waters” (COM-FW) 1.

Jovan Petrovski (SRB) 2.

Adnan Drnda (BiH) 3.

Alesio Tinti (ITA) 4.

Fabrizio Marcuzzo (ITA) 5.

Jose Manuel Miro Gumbau (ESP)

SLR general clasification 1.

Ricardo Acosta Aleixandre (ESP) 2.

Adriano Morettin (ITA) 3.

Davide Lopresti (ITA) 4.

Danijel Frka (CRO) 5.

Barbara Camassa (ITA)

Compact general clasification 1.

Jovan Petrovski (SRB) 2.

Jose Manuel Miro Gumbau (ESP) 3.

Marko Gasparič (SLO) 4.

Rafael Cosme Daza (ESP) 5.

Fabrizio Marcuzzo (ITA)

Best of Show: Adriano Morettin - SLR-AMB

Daniel Frka - 1째 SLR Fresh Waters

Divingo (www.divingo.it) is the new website reference, made in Italy about the world of diving.

With Divingo all amateurs and professionals can find diving spots, diving center, specialized shops, diving schools and sports clubs and receive information, contacts, directions and special offers.

One of the strengths of the portal is the ability to print for free and without registration exclusive coupons offering deep discounts for courses, diving tours, travel, and equipment.

Divingo born because the Italian world sub has not a real point of reference with which communicate on Internet with simplicity, quality and wealth of information.

The success of Divingo starts from this simplicity and ease of use: already on the homepage you can see the map that summarizes and highlights the centers and possible activities in Italy.

In fact the project, started from just two months, already has more than 900 centers included throughout the country and now aims to conquer foreign markets thanks to the translation of the entire site in English and to agreements for the insertion of centers in Europe .

It will not be an immediate process, but the good response at the national level bodes well for rapid growth of the project.

The peculiarity of the portal is in the fact, that are not present only structures that can afford a showcase internet. For this reason it was decided to activate a basic service free thinking of the small companies and startups, consumers and people who visit the portal, offering first of all complete information.

Divingo in fact offers free use of facilities that want to join the project immediate visibility or a number of subscriptions to insert more information, content and offers.

Visiting Divingo will also find photo galleries and a blog with articles and curiosity, travel and environment. Also the staff that runs the site is always careful to interact with visitors through the many social channels and share the information and pictures of the users.

Lastly the portal offers and invites all divers, to leave a review and share real news for the benefit of future users of the same structures.

The dream of every sub is to discover a sunken treasure: Divingo is the treasure map!

DFA is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing on-line dive communities. DFA has been available for almost 2 years and during this time has grown to over 180,000 members worldwide. DFA is proud to have held the top downloaded ‘spor ting application’ position in both the Google Play and iTunes App stores simultaneously in a number of countries for several consecutive weeks. Dive Flag App have recently launched their web-inter face allowing divers without smar t phones to also access the application.

It is refreshing to see dive agencies like PADI and SSI introducing electronic learning plat forms as we have long awaited for the industr y to catch up to others and become digital. Dive Flag App was originally developed as a plat form for divers to contact dive shops and also for divers to leave ratings and reviews. Due to the large following and requests to build in more functionalit y it has grown to include many more features, including but not limited to: 1) A Dive Shop Locator Divers can search a database of over 10,000 dive shops based on a number of criteria. The criteria includes business name, location, lessons on of fer, desired dive activities, or simply in a list of the top rated schools in the surrounding 50 miles. This enables divers to select a diver operator that meets their needs as a diver.

2) View dive shop ratings and reviews Divers can rate and read the ratings of other divers against logbook entries and dive shop listings. This is a rating system based on six criteria including; friendliness, professionalism, price, equipment, safet y and . This rating system completed by divers provides a non-biased way for divers to full appreciate the streng ths and weakness of each dive operator.

This again bet ter helps divers to select the dive operator that meets their needs as a diver.

3) View dive related specials Dive operators are able to of fer divers Dive Flag App specific specials. The diver and operator are able to view and list specials under gear, trips or courses as the main categories.

4) Search for new dive buddies: One of the most fundamental features to any social net work is the abilit y for par ties to connect. Dive Flag App is about facilitating the f low of communication bet ween divers as well as divers and dive shops. Divers can search for new buddies based on; demographics, dive preference, or geographic criteria. Divers are able to view each other ’s dive profiles and logbooks so as to confidently the other ’s experience and compatibilit y as a buddy.

5) Logbook Divers are able to easily record their logbook information on the go. By logging dives electronically they are able to ‘check ’ into dive stores, capture dive site satellite criteria and GPS coordinates, sketch approximate dive routes, tag buddies in dive logs saving them time, and view dive histor y on maps. If divers are unable to do so remotely they can do so in the comfor t of their homes through Dive Flag App’s web inter face too.

6) Dive Flag App Manuals Dive Flag App keep a limited number of easy to browse diver refresher manuals including hand signals, cpr and sting relief procedures. This content is easily available and allows diver to refresh their knowledge remotely and at their convenience.

7) Connect with Facebook and Twit ter (sharing of Dive Flag App based activities) Dive Flag App allow divers to share their updates within the Dive Flag App communit y as well as the dive communit y on other plat forms including Facebook and Twit ter. This f lexibilit y makes

updating simple and ef fective for any diver through a single plat form.

8) Create and check into dive sites Divers are able to create and check into dive sites. This allows divers to take responsibilit y for listing the local dive spots and allows divers independent of dive shops to dive recreationally. Soon this will include suggested dive plans and other helpful information.

9) Blog Entries and Online Store Through the application members can link through to Dive Flag App’s blog entries and online store. This gives members access to product, course and operator reviews. Fur thermore we have industr y professionals providing event updates, industr y news and stories.

This is becoming increasingly popular and a site you may wish to provide updates to also.

10) Download Facebook albums to build diver profile, and so much more.

In order to conveniently transition divers to a dedicated diving net work we have allowed for the seamless transfer of profile specific information from other plat forms. This takes the hassle out of joining our communit y and makes easy work for get ting star ted.

12) Other Features Over the last few months we have introduced an under water photography tutor (ScubaShooters.Net), YouTube channel, podcast channel (Scuba Path) and dive news daily (DND) features.

The application is geared at being a one stop shop for ever y thing diving (including rebreathers and freediving).

For fur ther information please visit the following links: 
Website: w w w.divef lagapp.com (currently going through a host migration) iPhone download: ht tp://tinyurl.com/d7zqbr7 Android download: ht tp://tinyurl.com/ahjoo5g Web-plat form: w w w.divef lagapp.com/divef lagapp Join Dive Flag App and find out why almost 280,000 members interact with it weekly!