Scuba Diver October 18 - Issue 20

THE COSTA CALIDA:

MIRANDA GOES TO GOZO:

DIVE LIKE A PRO:

EXPLORE SPAIN WITH OUR 16-PAGE GUIDE TO THE MURCIA REGION

BBC PRESENTER MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFF TAKES HER FAMILY DIVING IN THE MED

WHEN YOU SHOULD CALL A DIVE – AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID TO

INSIDE REPORT FROM THE YEAR'S PREMIER TECH EVENT

ISSUE 20 | OCT 18 | £3.25

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Gear Guide: Budget fins

‣ The Philippines ‣ Above 18m WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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EDITOR’S NOTE Time for an unashamedly

‘PROUD PARENT’ MOMENT

Anyone whose kids follow in their footsteps and get into diving will have experienced the above - that glow of pride as you watch them emerge from the water with a huge Cheshire Cat grin and that look which proves you have just ignited a lifelong passion in their young minds.

BBC presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff - one of the keynote speakers at GO Diving on 23/24 February 2019 (www.godivingshow.com) - finally got to see both of her children diving together when her and the family K embarked on a dive trip to Gozo. See the full story on page 32 and find out why she found this small Mediterranean island the perfect location for such a holiday.

My son Luke qualified as a PADI Junior Open Water Diver at the end of last year, but I have been getting him some pool-time in with his new dinky-sized kit, and he is really getting to grips with his buoyancy and trim - seeing him gliding around looking very comfortable gives me a warm glow. He is looking forward to a pool ‘night dive’ in a couple of weeks, and before that, weather dependent, I am aiming to take him for a pootle around Porth Dafarch in Anglesey, a superb shallow site that is ideal for novices as it doesn’t provide much depth, but is absolutely swarming with marine life.

It is vitally important we keep inspiring and encouraging The Next Generation of divers, and it can be very rewarding, as Essex-based Bespoke Scuba’s Paul French explains on page 67, when he discusses why he enjoys taking youngsters underwater for their first experience of diving.

MARK EVANS, Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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

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Matt Griffiths Email: matt@griffital.co.uk

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ISSN 2514-2054

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THE COSTA CALIDA:

MIRANDA GOES TO GOZO:

DIVE LIKE A PRO:

EXPLORE SPAIN WITH OUR 16-PAGE GUIDE TO THE MURCIA REGION

BBC PRESENTER MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFF TAKES HER FAMILY DIVING IN THE MED

WHEN YOU SHOULD CALL A DIVE – AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID TO

ON THE COVER

INSIDE REPORT FROM THE YEAR'S PREMIER TECH EVENT

ISSUE 20 | OCT 18 | £3.25

+

10

Gear Guide: Budget fins

‣ The Philippines ‣ Above 18m WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: JASON BROWN

p001_ScubaDiverOct18.indd 1

21/09/2018 17:20

REGULAR COLUMNS

FEATURES

A new underwater ‘park’ opens off Dorset, a diver dies off Portland, ten of the Thai cave rescuers are to appear at Eurotek, and the world’s oldest diver breaks his own record at the age of 95.

Technical diver Jason Brown swaps his trusty drysuit and twinset for a wetsuit and single cylinder to dive in the Indian Ocean paradise of the Seychelles.

8 News

28 Dive like a Pro

A panel of training agency experts discuss when you should call a dive - and the reasons why you should never be afraid not to.

59 Our-World UW Scholar

Eric Jorda tries his hand at a spot of citizen science, before heading to the Red Sea for an underwater photography workshop.

68 Underwater Photography

Phil Medcalf turns his attentions to backgrounds, and explains how important they can be.

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22 The Seychelles

32 Gozo

BBC presenter and keynote speaker at GO Diving Miranda Krestovnikoff couldn’t wait for her children to reach an age when they could all go on a dive holiday together - and they chose Gozo as the perfect destination.

38 ABOVE 18m: Dorset

Jeremy Cuff continues his series of Above 18m explorations of the South Coast, this time checking out a totally off-the-beaten-track location when it coms to diving - Bournemouth Pier.

43 16-page Guide to Murcia

Murcia’s Costa Calida coastline is a short-haul flight from the UK, and yet as our comprehensive guide shows, it offers some truly spectacular wreck and reef diving, as well as a host of topside activities.

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CONTENTS

60 The Philippines

Al Hornsby has dived the Philippines before, but he was left mesmerised by the macro and wide-angle opportunities afforded to him by the sites of Dumaguete.

66 THE NEXT GENERATION

Kids Sea Camp founder Margo Peyton is recognised with a prestigious award, and a group of children have a whale of a time snorkelling a sheltered bay off North Wales.

72 FREEDIVING: Mermaiding in the UK

Steve Millard delves into the world of mermaids, and discusses how this activity is rapidly growing in popularity right here in the UK, and how prospective ‘mers’ can get involved in the sport.

76 TECHNICAL: TEKCamp

Jason Brown reports from behind the scenes of TEKCamp, which returned to Vobster Quay in September after a hiatus of two years, and boasted a rammed schedule of dives, talks and scenarios.

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GEAR GUIDE 82 What’s New

New products recently released, including Fourth Element’s OceanPositive Hydroskin leggings, Mares’ Prime BCD, Zeagle’s Dual Scope mask, and Costa del Mar’s Untangled range of sunglasses made from recycled fishing nets.

84 Group Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team heads to Llanberis in North Wales to review a selection of budgetpriced fins - under £75 - from a range of manufacturers.

94 Long Term Test

The Scuba Diver Test Team gets to grips with a selection of products over a six-month period, including the Apeks RK3 HD fins, Aqua Lung Rogue BCD, Mares Quad Air dive computer, Momentum Deep 6 watch, and the Aquasketch Minno 1 wrist-mounted slate.

07

NEWS

Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from right here in the UK, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on social media. www.scubadivermag.com/news | .com/scubadivermag | @scubadivermag

UNDERWATER CURIOSITY PARK OPENS IN PORTLAND Divers heading to the South Coast diving hotspot of Portland and Weymouth now have a purpose-built underwater ‘park’ to explore

O

ver three years ago, Portland Port and Derek Luckhurst first met to discuss an Underwater Curiosity Park, with the idea of creating a novel dive site in Portland Harbour that is resilient to poor weather conditions and, therefore, ideal for beginners and a haven for the more-experienced divers in inclement weather.

Finally, the plan has come to fruition with the placing of several curiosities on the seabed, including two six-ton Admiralty anchors, four statues (including a diver, a shark and two Greek statues) and several lengths of large concrete pipe to swim through.

There are now four large yellow dive site buoys in Balaclava Bay on the edge of Portland Harbour denoting the location of the Underwater Curiosity Park, which covers an area 70 metres by 30 metres. To help further, a rope connecting the curiosities now enables divers to find their way in even the most lowvisibility conditions.

Spider crabs and other sea creatures have started to find homes in and around the curiosities. A particular favourite location is the armpit of the deep-sea diver statue. Only 50 metres away from the Underwater Curiosity Park is the Dredger wreck, which is also a magnet for marine life.

Derek Luckhurst said: “I anticipate this unique site, which is 10m-14m deep, will prove to be a national and, perhaps, even an international attraction to the scuba-diving community.

Balaclava Bay is a perfect location where tides and currents are minor and, due to the proximity of Portland, which acts as a wind break, the Park can be dived most of the time during the season. I propose to site a total of 25 artefacts in the Park, so I have just completed the first phase. There are a number of new artefacts in concept or in manufacture that will be an

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SEE NEXT MONTH’S MAGAZINE FOR STUART PHILPOTT’S REPORT ON DIVING IN THE PARK

exciting addition and are likely to go down towards the end of this year.” Divemaster Jack Darley of the Old Harbour Dive Centre said: “Balaclava Bay will now become a ‘must tick off the list’ dive for divers and will also become a new haven for marine wildlife to grow. After only a few weeks of the statues being in place, I have already noticed a massive increase in the amount of juvenile fish species taking shelter among the cylindrical swim-throughs and a large amount of spider crabs making the shark’s mouth and diver’s helmet their place of residence”.

With a host of other curiosities being put in place in due course, it is hoped that the Curiosity Park is an attraction for scuba divers to come and safely dive, whatever the weather conditions. The all-round facilities and underwater attractions now make Castletown a first-class diving venue. www.castletown.org.uk

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MEET THE THAI CAVE RESCUE TEAM AT EUROTEK 2018 In June 2018, the world held its breath as a team of cave divers from across the globe flew in to Thailand to locate and rescue members of a junior soccer team trapped deep underground by rising water in the Tham Luang cave system.

With the eyes of the world upon them, the team achieved the impossible - the successful location and extraction of all 13 souls.

EUROTEK 2018 is very proud to announce that Rick Stanton and team medic Richard Harris will deliver a very special presentation on the Thailand cave rescue at its tenth anniversary event this December. EUROTEK attendees will hear a first-hand account of what really happened on the ground (and underwater) in Thailand from two of the key individuals involved in the successful rescue operation. In what promises to be one of the most-powerful and important talks ever presented at EUROTEK, they’ll tell the untold story of how the dive team first located the children and the decisions that were made behind the scenes to secure their successful rescue. Following their presentation, Rick Stanton and Richard Harris will be joined on-stage by fellow rescue team members John Volanthen, Jason Mallinson, Craig Challen, Chris Jewell, Jim Warny, Josh Bratchley and Connor Roe for a Q&A session with the audience, hosted by TV presenter Andy Torbet.

“We’re absolutely thrilled that Rick and Richard have agreed to deliver this very special presentation at EUROTEK 2018. The team that flew out to Thailand have always been big supporters of EUROTEK so we’re so grateful that so many of them have agreed to join us at our tenth anniversary event in December. Rick and Richard’s presentation promises to be a real eye-opener that cuts through the cloud of misinformation and mystery that has surrounded what many have described as the ‘greatest rescue in history’. I, for one, will be sat in the front row, commented EUROTEK founder, Leigh Bishop.

“We’re also looking forward to hosting an exclusive audience Q&A session with all members of the core dive team. Getting all these guys under one roof has been a massive undertaking and we’re so proud and grateful that they’ve agreed to join us. This could literally be the only opportunity that the diving public will ever get to see and meet all the key dive team members in one place. To top it all, we’re delighted that TV action man Andy Torbet has agreed to host the Q&A panel for us.”

The EUROTEK 2018 Advanced Diving Conference is scheduled to take place at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre over the weekend of 1/2 December. This two-day event brings together some of the leading names in dive exploration, research and technology. Choose from a fully-laden schedule containing 40 different inspiring and educational talks and useful workshops that cover the many aspects of advanced diving. From shipwrecks, cave diving and physiology through to technique, safety, scientific and imaging – there is something for every diver.

Tickets are on sale now at: www.eurotek.uk.com

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

DIVING DS N E I WITH FR MALDIVES INDONESIA EGYPT S PA I N NEW: Euro-Divers in Lanzerote!

OMAN M AU R I T I U S JA PA N C R O AT I A

ALL YOU NEED IS CHOICES AND WE HAVE THEM! M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N AND BOOKINGS:

www.euro-divers.com 09

Keep your eye on the dive, not your dive computer.

INDUSTRY NEWS STOLEN U-BOAT PROPELLER RECOVERED FROM WALES IS RETURNED TO GERMANY German World War One submarine UC-75 was responsible for sinking 56 merchant ships and two warships before it was sunk itself in the North Sea off the East Yorkshire coast in 1918.

Subsequently, it is believed that the dual propellers off the U-Boat were illegally removed by a diver, before being found last year during a police raid on a property in Bangor, North Wales – and now one of them has been handed back to the German Navy in Plymouth, with the other going on display at the Royal Navy Museum in Portsmouth.

Presenting the propeller – which with its sibling took students and instructor Paul Stevens at Southampton’s College of Marine Skills over 50 hours to clean – Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey, chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: “These propellers tell a story of bitter conflict and human loss, but also of bravery.

“It is fitting that they will now serve to remind citizens in both our countries of the realities of war and the personal sacrifices that inevitably follow.” The coastguard agency also used the case – which led to one man receiving a formal caution over the find - to highlight the importance of historic wrecks around Britain. Receiver of Wreck Alison Kentuck said: “It’s not a case of ‘finders’ keepers’ and all recoveries of wreck material must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck so that legal owners can be given an opportunity of having their property returned, and museums and other institutions be given an opportunity to acquire artefacts of historic significance.” In November, two services will be held in the UK and in Germany to honour those who died during the conflict.

Captain Matthias Schmidt, German Naval Attache, who accepted the propeller from Vice Admiral Sir Massey, said: “The propeller witnessed the struggle for life 100 years ago. It will come home. It will be officially handed over to the Naval Museum in Laboe on the occasion of Armstice Day in November.

“The story of UC-75 is ending in a message of reconciliation and hope - the fruit of the close partnership between our two nations that has brought us together here today.”

BLACKPOOL DIVER DIES AFTER SURFACING UNCONSCIOUS OFF DORSET A 46-year-old diver has tragically dived after surfacing unconscious from a dive some seven miles east of Portland off the famed Jurassic Coast of Dorset.

An emergency call was made to the Coastguard at around 10am on Sunday 16 September, and subsequently a rescue helicopter, the Weymouth all-weather lifeboat and the inshore lifeboat, Southwest Ambulance Service and the Portland and Wyke Coastguard Rescue Teams were deployed. An air ambulance was also scambled to the Marsh playing fields, and a section of Custom House Quay was cordoned off to give the emergency services space to work.

The man, who has not been identified but is understood to be from Blackpool, was recovered on to his dive boat and a paramedic from the Coastguard helicopter tended to him as they returned to Weymouth Harbour. Sadly, he was pronounced dead a short time later.

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PRO-WHALING COUNTRIES BLOCK BID FOR SOUTH ATLANTIC WHALE SANCTUARY Conservation and environmental groups are in an uproar after pro-whaling nations blocked a near 20-year effort to create a South Atlantic haven for the endangered marine mammals, at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Brazil.

The South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary was backed by 39 countries, with 25 voting against and several countries not casting a ballot, and so failed to get the required two-thirds majority from the 89-member body when it was put to the vote on Tuesday 11 September.

The IWC currently recognises two other sanctuaries, the Indian Ocean Sanctuary created in 1979, and another in 1994, in the waters of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, and it was hoped this would be the third.

Brazil’s Environment Minister Edson Duarte, whose country has been proposing the creation of the sanctuary (supported by Argentina, Gabon, South Africa and Uruguay) since a 2001 IWC meeting, said he was disappointed but would continue to enlist support worldwide.

He said: “As minister for the environment in a country with 20 per cent of the world’s biodiversity in its forests, we feel highly responsible for the stewardship of our wealth, for the whole world, and this goes for cetaceans as well.”

Pro-whaling Japan voted against the project, backed by commercial whaling states Iceland and Norway, as well as Russia. The Japanese delegation also pushed for a rule change at the biennial meetings that would allow decisions to be made by simple majority instead of the current three-quarters minimum, which would make it easier for them to push through its proposal to end a 32year moratorium on commercial whaling and re-introduce ‘sustainable whaling’ – a move that has infuriated nations opposing the practice.

Patrick Ramage, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, commented: “A sanctuary in this region would have provided strong protection to a wide range of whale and dolphin species.”

AQUATICA ANNOUNCES HISTORIC EXPEDITION TO BOTTOM OF THE BELIZE BLUE HOLE Aquatica Submarines, in a partnership with the Roatan Institute of Deep Sea Exploration (RIDE), has announced a historic expedition to the bottom of the Belize Blue Hole.

The mission will involve conservationist and documentary film-maker Fabien Cousteau and entrepreneur Richard Branson.

Multiple submersibles will descend to the bottom of the Blue Hole to collect scientific data, focusing on a complete sonar scan of the interior.

Situated in the centre of Lighthouse Reef off the coast of Belize, the Blue Hole is a giant marine sinkhole that is 318 metres in diameter and 124m deep - in 1971, the site’s name was coined by legendary oceanic explorer and film-maker Jacques Cousteau as one of the top five scuba-diving sites in the world.

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INDUSTRY NEWS SANTA DIVERS TAKE THE PLUNGE FOR CHARITY Vobster Quay’s recording-breaking charity Santa diving event returns on Sunday 16 December for another round of festive chortles and fundraising frivolities. Run in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, this ever-popular fundraising event aims to raise sack-loads of cash for two very deserving charities.

Vobster Quay invites divers of all levels to grab their red pantaloons and fluffy beards and as much festive cheer as they can muster - and head down to Vobster Quay near Mells, Somerset for a mass sponsored Santa dive in aid of charity. In previous years, the event has attracted divers from the far corners of the UK to join in the festive merriment for one last diving ‘swan-song’ before the Christmas and New Year break. Back in 2015, the event smashed the world record for the most Santa divers, with 188 divers taking to the waters donning their festive finery – a record that remains unbeaten to this day! Vobster Santas isn’t just about world records, though - it’s also about raising some serious cash for charity. Once again, Vobster Quay is aiming to raise much-needed funds for the RNLI by encouraging divers to get into the spirit of the season. Through individual sponsorship and JustGiving donations, divers can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to join the mass Santa dive in the balmy waters of Vobster Quay dressed in their finest festive gear. Since the events’ inception, Vobster Santas has raised over £35,000 for the RNLI. Vobster Quay will also be raising money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance by raffling off a selection of great prizes donated by some of the biggest brands in dive equipment. In previous years, lucky winners have taken home prizes donated by Apeks UK, Fourth Element, SANTI, Otter Drysuits and Hollis UK. Tickets will be available on the day for just £1, or can be purchased in advance from the Vobster Quay shop.

“It’s been over ten years since the very first charity Santa dive took place at Vobster Quay and every year the event gets bigger and better. Vobster Santas is a superb way for divers to say a massive thank you to the both the RNLI and the Air Ambulance Service – two organisations that are responsible for saving so many lives. We’re immensely proud of all that Vobster Santas has achieved and we hope even more divers will join at this year’s event on 16 December. I’m confident that we can make Vobster Santas 2018 the biggest yet!” enthused Vobster Quay owner, Martin Stanton.

Divers wishing to participate can get involved by simply registering their attendance at www.vobster.com/vobstersantas. Once registered, Santa divers can start fundraising in a number of ways: • Direct Sponsorship – Download the Vobster Santas 2018 sponsorship form at www.vobster.com/vobstersantas and then pester your friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor you for the event.

• JustGiving.com – Take all the hassle out of fund raising by simply pointing your family and friends to the Vobster Santas 2018 JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/vobstersantas2018. They’ll be able to donate online and will even be able to take advantage of GiftAid.

www.puredivinggrenada.com

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• Mobile Phone text donation – supporters can also donate to Vobster Santas 2018 via a very simple text message. Simply text ‘VSAN78 XX’ where ‘XX’ is the amount you wish to donate to 70070.

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PHINISI TAKES TO THE SEAS IN THAILAND The Phinisi yacht is the new addition to The Junk brand and will operate diving liveaboard cruises in Thailand and Myanmar starting 1 November 2018. She will offer four different routes that cover the best of diving in Thailand – Similan and Surin Islands, including the famous Richelieu Rock, as well as Phi Phi Islands, Koh Haa and the two famous dive sites Hin Deang and Hin Muang. Itineraries vary between four and six nights, and are ideally combined into a ten-night itinerary.

On top of that, Myanmar is added to the schedule from 2019 onwards with seven- and ten-night cruises around the Mergui Archipelago.

Officially known as Cheng I Sao, the Phinisi (pronounced: Pinisi) is fully equipped to accommodate 18 divers in seven en-suite cabins with individual air-conditioning units. Guests can choose between flexible double/twin, fixed twins, and quad cabins. Full of character and charm, the Phinisi also has quite a remarkable history.

Custom-built in 2007 as a liveaboard yacht in classic Indonesian-Phinisi style, she became part of the WWDAS fleet as Sampai Jumpa Lagi. In 2008, she was renamed Siren; the first vessel to bear the name of what later became the wellknown Siren Fleet. She successfully operated in Thailand, Myanmar, the Andaman Islands, Indonesia, and the Maldives. The Phinisi has had a break from hosting liveaboards for the last couple of years; instead, she has been cruising with guests on day trips around the islands near Phuket.

Now she is back! New colours, new name, but with the same characteristic style and outstanding service that people have become accustomed to on The Junk.

For more information and bookings, consult our website: www.thejunk.com

UNDERWATER ROBOT TO PROTECT GBR AGAINST CROWN OF THORNS An underwater drone that can keep watch on reef health and accurately identify and inject the devastating crown-of-thorns starfish is ready to be put to the test on the Great Barrier Reef.

The robot, which can stay underwater almost three times longer than a human diver, has been developed as a result of a collaboration between QUT, Google and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Equipped with a high-tech vision system which allows it to ‘see’ underwater, and operated using a smart tablet, RangerBot is the low-cost, autonomous robot concept that won the 2016 Google Impact Challenge People’s Choice prize, enabling QUT roboticists to develop innovative technology into a real-life reef protector.

After almost two years of research, development and testing, RangerBot’s industry-leading technology is now ready to be put through its paces by those working to monitor and protect the Reef.

Weighing 15kg and measuring 75cm, it takes just 15 minutes to learn how to operate RangerBot using a smart tablet.

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INDUSTRY NEWS AGGRESSOR LIVEABOARDS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH STREAM2SEA

As part of its international ‘Green the Fleet’ environmental initiative, Aggressor Liveaboards has announced a partnership with Stream2Sea to further the company’s commitment to protecting the marine environment. Through the partnership, Aggressor Liveaboards will provide environmentally-safe Stream2Sea sunscreen and personal care products in staterooms aboard five select Caribbean-based Aggressor yachts.

The programme provides every guest on the Bahamas Aggressor, Belize Aggressor III, Belize Aggressor IV, Cayman Aggressor V and Turks and Caicos Aggressor II yachts a customised package of products, including SPF 20 sunscreen, sting gel and other assorted items. All the items are free of harmful chemicals and agents that are causing damage to the environment in many parts of the world.

Aggressor Liveaboards is one of the leaders in promoting the protection of the environment. The company launched the ‘Green the Fleet’ initiative two years ago and has been at the forefront of marketing and promotional efforts designed to make the liveaboard lifestyle environmentally sustainable for divers and protect the health of the world’s oceans.

The ‘Green the Fleet’ initiative sees all captains’ briefings welcoming guests aboard their yacht include information about the company’s environmental initiatives, conserving water, and respectful interactions with marine life, while new sustainability initiatives will build on existing green operations already in place across the fleet.

These include switching from single-use plastic bags to small, compostable, non-plastic garbage bags, participating in local recycling efforts, purchasing beverages in glass bottles or cans only, and providing each guest with a complimentary re-usable water bottle, and using primarily non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners.

The ‘Green the Fleet’ initiative is also working towards eliminating singleuse plastics from all Aggressor yachts, beginning with plastic straws, cups and utensils, and Aggressor Liveaboards luggage tags will be made from natural materials instead of plastics.

95-YEAR-OLD BREAKS OWN RECORD AS THE WORLD’S OLDEST SCUBA DIVER 95-year-old British scuba diver Ray Woolley – the world’s oldest scuba diver – broke his own record on Saturday 1 September after completing a wreck dive off Cyprus.

Ray, who has been diving for 58 years, is currently the world’s oldest active male scuba diver having just celebrated his 95th birthday on 28 August.

The September dive saw Ray dive the shipwreck of the Zenobia for 44 minutes at a depth of 40.6m. This beat the dive he completed when he was 94, which lasted for 41 minutes and saw him achieve a depth of 38.1m. Reuters reported that Ray is still keen to continue diving. After surfacing from the dive, he said: “We did it… I feel great. It’s lovely to break my record again and I hope if I can keep fit I will break it again next year with all of you.” Ray was a radio operator in World War Two and is originally from Port Sunlight in northwest England, but now lives in Cyprus. He first visited the Zenobia in 1982. Ray added: “I am trying to prove to myself, and I hope to other people, that exercise, especially when you are getting to around my age, is most important to do.”

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MEDICAL Q&A Dr Oliver Firth has gained considerable experience in the field of diving and hyperbaric medicine since joining LDC in 2006. He is an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers for the UK HSE, and a medical referee for the UK Sport Diving Medical Committee. He is involved in the management of all types of diving-related illness, including recompression treatment, as well as providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for non-diving conditions.

He remains a passionate diver and has participated in various expeditions and conservation projects throughout the globe.

Q: I have just returned from a trip to Mexico, where one of our group had some sinus congestion at the beginning of the trip. They used Sudafed on the first day, and all was well, but when this was mentioned in conversation at the dive centre they (the dive centre staff) stated that under no circumstances whatsoever should Sudafed be used before diving.

I have noted on several occasions you mention the use of Sudafed; what do you think the Mexicans were so worried about?

A: A very common question. I thought I ought to deal with this once and for all, as Sudafed and the like are so often used and talked about.

The active ingredient in Sudafed is something called pseudoephedrine.

Its therapeutic effect occurs by stimulating receptors on the muscles of blood vessel walls, causing them to constrict. This means that the vessels leak less fluid, and so congestion in the sinuses and nasal passages is in theory reduced. All well and good, but as with most drugs the effects are not limited to the airways alone – the same receptors being stimulated elsewhere can cause the heart to race, blood pressure to rise, and generate anxiety, excitability and insomnia.

Generally this would only occur with consumption of elephantine quantities, but nevertheless these side effects are what lead to its use being discouraged.

As far as diving with Sudafed goes, the usual caveats apply – there has been little rigorous scientific research on it and so many of the recommendations are based on anecdotal case reports and extrapolation. Some research suggested that sympathomimetics (the class of drug to which Sudafed belongs) can enhance oxygen toxicity.

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So taking Sudafed and diving on gas mixes with high partial pressures of oxygen is not recommended.

Q: I want to try diving but when I was pregnant last year I was diagnosed with sickle cell trait. My doctor doesn’t know whether it’s safe for me to dive, and I’ve heard about sickle cell disease and I’m not sure what the difference is. Can you clear up my confusion?

A: Let’s do a basic biology lesson first. Red blood cells have evolved a particular shape to help them flow easily through blood vessels, the so-called ‘bi-concave disc’. Imagine two Frisbees opposite each other and squashed in the middle. Or a doughnut with a thin flat piece filling the hole. In sickle-cell disease, an abnormal form of haemoglobin (HbS) means that the red cells become distorted into a sickle shape. These get stuck in blood vessels, cutting off blood supply to tissues further on, which leads to organ damage and painful ‘crises’, which can be completely incapacitating. It is genetically inherited: if both genes code for HbS, then a person will develop sickle cell disease, but if only one HbS gene is inherited (and the other gene is normal HbA), then you have sickle cell trait. Those with trait only don’t develop the full-blown disease, but are carriers.

Unfortunately, if you have sickle cell disease, diving is out. The increased risks of DCI are too great. For those with the trait, some authorities cite evidence that low oxygen levels can trigger sickling and crises, but others quite reasonably point out that in these conditions, drowning would be more of a worry. I tend to agree with this last point. Those with trait are unlikely to develop any dive-related problems under normal conditions.

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Idyllic beach scene in the Seychelles

‘T

he Bounty Hunters are here... they’re searching for Paradise’. It’s hard not to hum the jingle from the 1980s Bounty chocolate bar advert when you’re stretched out on a sun lounger on a tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We’ve all got our own image of what ‘paradise’ is – think perfect white sandy beaches, warm azure-blue waters and lush green jungles. For me at least, the Seychelles gets pretty close to this sublime ideal.

That feeling of absolute escapism is compounded still further when you just happen to be visiting in the middle of November. While the UK shivers as the first throws of winter kick in, the Seychelles enjoys the sort of climate that you’d expect from an archipelago nation located just south of the equator. With Emirates and other airlines running regular flights from the UK, getting there takes about 11 hours - not counting a short stopover in Dubai for an overpriced sandwich and a stewed coffee.

Touching-down on the Seychelles’ mainland island of Mahé is the end of the journey for most, but our destination lay a further 400km southwest on the private island resort of Alphonse. Part of the Seychelles outer island group, Alphonse is a spectacular coral island that – along with neighbouring St Francois and the tiny nature reserve island of Bijoutier - is blessed with the sort of climate and natural beauty that is the stuff of travel dreams. Boarding a small 16-seater twin-prop aeroplane, we covered the 400km across the open ocean in about an hour. All too soon, our little plane bumped down on the tiny runway that runs the full length of Alphonse island.

Shaped like a shark tooth with a large lagoon providing shelter from the sweeping oceanic currents, Alphonse Island (www.alphonse-island.com) is less than a square mile in size.

With the island split down the middle by the air strip, one half is given over to visiting holidaymakers with accommodation comprising of a small number of raised beach bungalows and suites that run along the northeastern edge of the island.

From the moment you arrive, it’s clear that everything about Alphonse oozes exclusivity – the accommodation, while

simple, is finished to a very high standard and the onsite restaurant caters to your every whim. The resort chef even seeks you out on arrival to get a feel for your culinary tastes.

Quite simply, nothing is too much for the friendly staff there to answer your every beck and call.

While diving is a popular activity on Alphonse, the island’s core market remains sport fishermen that travel from across the globe to cast a line into the deep waters that surround the islands. The game fishing around Alphonse is literally world-class, with a myriad of blue-water fish species, including sailfish, wahoo, dorado, dogtooth and yellowfin tuna to be hooked. While divers might balk at such activities, the island practices a strict ‘catch and release’ policy to protect fish stocks. Close proximity to experienced fishing guides does have its fringe benefits for divers though, as we would discover on our last day.

Snorkelling with sailfish

Billed as one of the most-pristine, untouched Edens of the world, the Seychelles offers divers the opportunity to discover diving as it used to be. Jason Brown goes ‘wild diving’ on Alphonse Island PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON BROWN

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Trevally, dorado and wahoo are all regular catches

On our first day of diving, one member of our group had the pleasure of facing off against an almost three-metre-long lemon shark following the contours of the reef wall Diving operations on Alphonse run through a compact but well-equipped dive centre that overlooks the island’s expansive lagoon. Run by British ex-pats Sam Balderson and Lucy Martin, the centre operates two purpose-built boats and offers all the usual PADI training opportunities. Mirroring the ethos of everything else on Alphonse, Sam and Lucy like to keep things exclusive – there’s rarely more than a handful of divers on the island, so you’ll always have the dive sites to yourself.

With our kit safely delivered to the dive centre ready for our first day of diving, we hopped on our complimentary bicycles and peddled across the island dodging the humansized webs spun across the jungle tracks by the resident – and thankfully harmless - palm spiders. These colourful little critters are the closest you’ll find to anything even remotely threatening on the island – unless you count the resident Aldabra giant tortoises that could, in theory, step (very slowly) on your flip-flop-exposed toes.

Alphonse Island may be small, but the 40km of outer reef that rings the island offers a healthy diversity of diving, including deep drop-offs, hard-coral plateaus, patch reefs, over-hangs, pinnacles and more. With 30 dive sites to choose from plus the option of joining the team on exploratory trips to dive unchartered areas of reef, there’s plenty to keep

Huge gorgonian seafan

even the most-demanding diver happy. While currents are a recurring theme on the outer reef, Sam, Lucy and the team have become quite adept at reading the conditions and selecting sites that can offer anything from little or no current to a full-on steam train experience.

While there is very little in the way of soft coral in this part of the Indian Ocean, we were spoilt by spectacular forests of gorgonian sea fans, stunning black coral and sea whips – all of which can be found on most of the outer reef sites. With so little diving activity around the island, the reefs attract a healthy abundance of marine life too, with colourful fish darting around the hard corals as bluelined snapper, yellow goatfish and barracuda sweep around you in large schools.

Encounters with large marine life are commonplace too with humpback wrasse and green turtles all making an appearance.

Diving in the lagoon offered its fair share of delights, with ancient porites coral dwarfing everything we’d seen previously.

Although the vis in the lagoon isn’t quite as good as the outer reef, an abundance of life more than makes up for it. Here too you’ll encounter plenty of life, including schools of humpback snapper, bigeye trevally, both eagle and marbled rays and the odd manta.

We got our fair share of shark encounters too. On our first day of diving, one member of our group had the pleasure of facing off against an almost three-metre-long lemon shark following the contours of the reef wall. Neither he or the shark was any the wiser until the very last moment - I’m still not sure who got the biggest fright!

Nurse sharks were a regular encounter too on several of the sites we visited, but the

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The reefs are vibrant and healthy

With so little diving activity around the island, the reefs attract a healthy abundance of marine life too

A wide-angle photographer’s dream location

Massive shoal of snapper

biggest thrill came on our last day of diving when we visited a site called Galawa. Dropping down to maximum depth, we were joined by a mid-sized bull shark that clearly found us of interest. For several minutes he circled us closely, making several passes before disappearing into the depths.

The biggest buzz of the trip, though, came on our last day. “Fancy something a little different?” teased Sam. Like yellowfin tuna taking the bait, we were hooked – leaving our dive gear behind, we jumped onto a boat and headed out to sea with nothing more than our fins, mask and a snorkel.

Clearly whatever Sam had in store involved fishermen as the boat we boarded was loaded with fishing gear. With members of the Alphonse angling team on board, we were all set to jump into the water with one of the ocean’s most-agile predators – the awe-inspiring sailfish.

With deep water on its doorstep, sailfish are a regular visitor to Alphonse and a popular target for visiting fishermen.

The technique used to bring in the sailfish has been perfected over many years. Travelling at speed out in the blue, two

A quiet beach on Alphonse

hookless lures are ‘trolled’ behind the boat to tempt the sailfish in for a closer look. When the sailfish see these lures, they approach them at high speed and knock them with their bills. As soon as this happens, the boat drops into neutral and a third lure baited with a fresh piece of bonito fish is cast into the water – as soon as the sailfish knock this lure, they taste the bonito, sending them into a feeding frenzy!

Locked and loaded, the signal is given and we hit the water as quickly as possible. In truth, it’s all over pretty quickly as the sailfish soon realise that they’ve been tricked – on each occasion, we were in the water for no more than three to four minutes. But what an adrenalin rush those few short minutes are! With every sense heightened, we frantically span around in the water trying to catch a glimpse of the sailfish as they shot past us at high speed. The lure is cast out over and over again to keep the sailfish interested, and each time they rush in with their magnificent sails raised, flashing by us in spectacular style. Of course, all this activity can attract sharks – thankfully, Sam kept an eye out for unwanted visitors.

“The diving’s not as good as it was 25 years ago” – how many times have you ever heard that old chestnut rattled out over a post-dive beverage? It’s safe to say that Alphonse offers a glimpse of what many of the more-popular destinations were like before the weight of tourism took its toll. It offers something increasingly unique – the opportunity to dive sites rarely visited by others. Yes, it’s expensive, but Alphonse offers a high-end product. Alphonse prides itself on exclusivity and this is exactly what you get – a destination offering safari-style diving with the sort of ‘only the best’ service and quality you’d expect from a premium resort. n

For more information on the Seychelles, visit the Seychelles Tourist Office at: www.seychelles.travel 26

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This issue, our panel of experts discuss ‘calling’ a dive – and why anyone should feel free to do so at any point PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MARK EVANS

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UE’s John Kendall said: “It’s often said that ‘Any diver can call a dive, at any time, for any reason’, but human nature means that it can be quite hard to do this. We all know that there are limited opportunities and time to go diving, and by the time you’ve driven to the coast, paid for a hotel, a boat, a gas fill and you know that your buddy has done the same, then there is a high internal drive not to call a dive, and to just put up with it.

“My philosophy on this has been developed over thousands of dives, and it is quite simple - I’d much rather be sat on the boat wishing that I was diving than to be underwater wishing I was back on the boat.

“There are some quite obvious reasons to call a dive early any kind of non-fixable equipment failure for one. I also have a personal rule of no more than three fixable issues. By this, I mean that if I have had to fix three things prior to a dive, then I stop, pull out of the dive, and go and fix everything properly. But what is much harder to decide is to call the dive when it just doesn’t feel right. I often find that divers will just go with the flow and do the dive regardless, just because they think it’s weak to either not dive, or to thumb the dive early. I am exactly the opposite.

If I don’t feel 100 percent comfortable with a dive, or a dive plan, then I will just simply call the dive. I have called dives because I am not communicating well with my dive team, as I could tell that both they and I were getting frustrated, and so it was better to stop the dive, ascend, and then debrief to fix the problems before the next dive. When I look at incident reports, and especially the fatalities, I often look at what happened (on the few occasions that it’s known) and most of the time the problems that led to the incident generally

started in advance of the dive. A lot of the time, it seems to me that had the divers been honest with themselves and their team about their own capabilities or comfort, then many of those incidents could have been avoided.

However, unfortunately, ego doesn’t seem to allow us to admit to our own worries and failings.”

BSAC’s National Diving Office Dai Atkins said: “So much effort goes into getting yourself ready for a dive, it sometimes feels as though there’s no reason on earth why you shouldn’t go through with it. Acquiring and preparing your kit beforehand and checking it over, planning the logistics of getting to site, arranging buddies (as well as babysitters, pet-sitters and getting someone else to finish decorating the spare room!), undertaking rigorous training at great expense – yet the pinnacle of all of this precision planned organisation could be no more than half an hour

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accrued in your logbook, so you want to make sure it happens at all costs right? Well, not always – there are some days when it’s best to cut your losses and plan for the next one.

“Equipment failures happen - in the same way risk of wind is increased for consumers of gassy drinks, it’s an eventual inevitability for regular divers that some piece of kit will break, and this usually happen when you least want it to - but as well as planning for these eventualities, you must follow your decision tree and stick to your actions as planned to maintain your safety record (and that of others around you).

In the field of redundancy, Two is One and One is None – when you have two of something you have resilience if one fails, when you have one of something and it fails, you’re left with diddly-squat - so there’s a valid reason you have a back-up and when you find yourself using it, it’s time to get out of the water before diddly gets you.

“Often it’s clear from the start that a dive isn’t going to end well – and so the decision not to start it in the first place is a sound one. Weather systems can change and while jumping off a boat into a big splash is as easy as 3.14159265259, don’t forget to give due consideration to getting back onboard in thick swells with clunky crushing lifting mechanisms grinding near your pinkies and swiping near your head and spinny whisk things glinting at your fleshy parts as you look wide-eyed at your trusted friend who just received his qualification to drive the RIB… “Despite feeling all calm and zen underwater, diving is still a strenuous sport – and your body burns calories like they’re going out of fashion just counteracting the physical pressures of the surrounding environment in order to continue providing your cells with energy and oxygen to function. This level of exertion can be affected by many other factors – illness, medication, tiredness, injury, general under-the-weatherness (or that ever so slight morning after the night before feel) – and these are all valid reasons to give the next dive a miss and sit in the wheelhouse or harbourside café drinking tea and watching the penguin show. And it is much easier to plan the next dive if you have managed to survive the previous one through sensible decision making!”

Emily Petley-Jones, PADI Examiner and Regional Training Consultant, said: “Before leaving home, I will have a quick check that I have my keys, wallet and phone. It is fair to assume that most people will do a similar thing. If one of these three things is missing, I don’t leave the house until I have found it. I adopt a similar check when I go diving, and if one aspect is out of place, I will abort the dive. It is important to check personal kit is in place as well as that of the other divers - everything is in working order and has a current service, there are spares, there is plenty of air in the

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cylinders, and all emergency kit is functioning. It is important to consider the dive site, conditions, entry and exits, communications, your buddy’s fitness and certification, and run a risk assessment. You should not only consider your own ability to rescue your buddy, but their ability to rescue you. If there is any doubt over kit, diver ability and the conditions, it is time to abort.”

Vikki Batten, PADI Examiner, Course Director and TecRec IT, said: “You should always call a dive before you reach breaking point. Leaving it too late can mean that your head is no longer in the dive and your response when a problem occurs is no longer optimal and may even be poor. The trick is recognising when you are no longer comfortable enough to apply your normal level of awareness and skill. For me that means asking ‘do you want to be here?’ - if the answer is ‘no’ it’s time to abort the dive and head home. My rule is to make sure that if I did die on that dive, my last thought wouldn’t be ‘I knew I shouldn’t have done that!’.

Garry Dallas, Training Director for RAID UK and Malta, said: “From a subjective point of view, few people enjoy diving more than me. In 20 years of diving and thousands of dives, I have actually called a dive only twice, however, in all honesty, I should have called hundreds of dives in hindsight.

“So why didn’t I call those dives? Well, for plenty of

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reasons, which some of you readers could relate to. While inexperience can sometimes cloud one’s judgement, being too goal-focused while attempting to not let the team down, can be a poor decision on reflection. “Obvious reasons have played their part, e.g. feeling dehydrated or tired before a dive; muscle fatigue or injury; being the dive leader or organiser; not wanting to miss out on anything; surrendering a deposit; slight issues with equipment; peer pressure from others in the group, are all reasons maybe I should have called a dive.

“Less obvious reasons during a dive could include, initial feeling of losing control or developing anxiety; dramatic environmental changes; task loading above the limits of the mind, equipment or training.

“In my experience, the more-adventurous person is less likely to call a dive. Abundant amounts of testosterone running wild through one’s veins can often shadow the ‘domino effect of calamity” about to take place. It’s time to take a step back and review decision making.

“Human factors and the normalisation of deviance can also play a part in the way we competently and repetitively go about our daily dives. The reason why I vary my diving so much is, it makes me think and rethink about procedure and assess my own awareness before, during and after dives. “Remember, be unaf-RAID to call a dive for ANY reason at ANY time.”

IANTD’s Tim Clements commented: “IANTD has always emphasised the individual right of divers to turn a dive, from the outset of its technical diving programmes over 30 years ago. The phrase ‘better to be on the boat wishing you were at 50m, than at 50m wishing you were on the boat’ has been a key part of that training. How do we identify situations when that might be needed, or divers feel uncertain about the dive?

The first group of situations covers scenarios when good dive practice has not been implemented from the start. No gas plan? Turn the dive at the surface? Poor team matching, ill personnel, ego issues, lack of preparation, rubbish gear, lack of brief for route and navigation,

30

or lack of clear procedures for rescue - all these should turn a dive at the surface until sorted out. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ is a common, jesty phrase at the moment, for situations immediately pre-dive when something is not right, usually to allow the dive to proceed anyway. This attitude will get someone hurt and should be an immediate sign that preparations are not sufficient.

“Once all of this preparation has been carried out in water conditions not match the dive plan. Vis could be poorer, currents stronger, the shot not as intended, equipment leaks all of these are alarm bells that Plan A is no longer valid. If we have a good Plan B and everyone understands this is now the plan, prehaps the dive can proceed, but this is the point where individuals will have differing feelings about this. However, no one should feel compelled to continue a dive if they are not happy. If this in-water update is carried out at the bottom of the shot, then this allows a safe dive turn at this point. To force team members to swim away from the ascent line in marginal or unplanned conditions risks mental discomfort and panic.

“Personally, there could be many reasons why we don’t feel a dive is suitable for us. It could be environmental, it could be physical condition, it could be the onset of poor gas or performance anxiety. The list is long. Your brain possibly also recognises more about a situation that you process the small voice of intuition in your head that won’t stop, but you cannot identify the exact problem is probably right.

The core message is that if you are concerned about a dive, communicate with your buddies for reassurance. Check yourself, check your team, check the plan. If this doesn’t work, indicate you wish to turn the dive . If your buddies don’t respect this, get new buddies.

“To assist with all of this, make sure you feel confident with your own gas management and ascent skills - if you are not relying on someone else, you will be a stronger and more confident buddy and turn fewer dives. Ask your club, instructor or regular buddies for some skills sessions to address which bits don’t work for you and you’ll be a safer, happier diver.” n

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Miranda GOES TO GOZO Miranda Krestovnikoff was ecstatic to finally head off for a diving holiday as a family, and found Gozo the perfect place for her kids to venture underwater for the first time PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFF, MARK EVANS AND DAVID HAYLER-MONTAGUE

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E

ver since I had my second child, I have dreamt of that moment when the whole family would be underwater together, diving for the first time.

Before having kids, I took every opportunity to go diving. My husband and I travelled a great deal, spending many happy hours underwater but now, time is more limited and trips are more scarce. I wish every holiday would involve diving, but up until now, the children have just been too young. All that was about to change…

Left to my own devices, I would have had the kids diving before they could walk, but restrictions mean that children can’t breathe compressed air at any depth until they are eight years old. However, they caught the bug early - doing a SASY course in St Vincent and the Grenadines at the ages of four and six, where they played with mini-diving kit in a pool and learnt to breathe through a regulator on the surface - they looked and felt like real divers. For each child, when they turned eight, their birthday present included a Bubblemaker session in a local indoor pool - descending to the dizzying depths of a mere 2m, but wearing full scuba kit and breathing underwater for the first time. It was absolutely the best thing; playing with bubble machines, torpedoes and generally having a lot of fun meant they were relaxed and it was enjoyable. Welcome to the world of scuba, kids!

Gozo’s underwater topography is renowned

Trekking to a shore dive site

Then the decision came: now that the eldest had ‘come of age’, where do we go for their first big diving holiday? Where was safe? Convenient? Reasonable? And offered good enough diving for the grown-ups? Gozo kept cropping up, time and again. Short-haul flight, laid-back, fairly warm, famous for its limestone arch (which isn’t there any more, but is now a great reef dive!), it seemed to tick all of our boxes.

More than anything, I wanted diving to be fun for the kids. I wanted them to fall in love with it as I did, but I was concerned that the quantity of theory might put them off. I needn’t have worried - with the goal of becoming a diver in mind, my 11-year-old didn’t bat an eyelid at having to spend hour after hour wading through course material. I encouraged her to get it all completed online before we left, all so she could hit the water the moment we arrived.

And she did - thanks to all the staff at Bubbles Diving in Marsalforn, she had the best introduction to diving that I could have asked for.

Week two was spent practicing skills, exploring more shallow dives sites and having a lot of fun underwater Amélie setting up her kit

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Oliver getting ready for a trydive

All prepped and set to go

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Amélie and Oliver together underwater

Vibrant colours on the Gozo reefs

After a day of settling in and swimming in some fairly challenging waves on San Blas Bay, we met up with the dive team in the safety of the sheltered Hondoq Bay on the southwest of the island. Kitting up was done slowly and thoroughly, despite the heat. As safety was, of course, the most-important consideration, I watched the instructors like a hawk as the dive brief was given and the group prepared to go in. I couldn’t fault the team - patient and kind, Amélie was in the best hands and I relaxed as they walked towards the water’s edge. Looking calm and comfortable, she smiled and signalled okay as she disappeared beneath the waves for the very first time. She was about to be baptised into the wonderful world of diving.

Now that she was gone for an hour or so, I turned my attention to Oliver. Only eight years old, he wasn’t allowed to go below 2m and that, for him, was nearly as annoying as having an older sister - especially one who was allowed to dive. Not wanting him to be bored or jealous, he was quickly kitted up by the lovely Eva and taken in the water. I followed, eager to see how he got on and after a great deal of thrashing around, he managed to sink down under the surface. Eva never let go of his set as he swam around like a wind-up toy, peering wide-eyed at this magical world around him. There was so much to see and everything was new to him. I don’t know if he actually spotted any of the fish that swam by, but he certainly looked like a mini-Cousteau after a while. But, all too soon, he started to shiver (skinny little thing!) and was whisked out of the water and back to base for a hot chocolate and some lunch, waiting for his sister to surface.

I don’t know if he actually spotted any of the fish that swam by, but he certainly looked like a mini-Cousteau after a while The imposing Gozo landscape

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Miranda chilling on the surface

And what a smile greeted us! She was the happiest girl in the bay. Despite a fogging mask and dodgy buoyancy, her first dive had been incredible and she couldn’t wait for the next one. We all slept well that night.

The first week continued pretty much like this - with Amélie training every day and the rest of us snorkelling our way around the island. There are so many beautiful bays to visit, many almost as good to snorkel as they are to dive, and each with their own unique topography and wildlife. Tucked away places like the long, narrow, deep inlet at Wied il-Għasri. This charming spot is only accesses by a dirt track and then a steep rock staircase, but the beach is stunning. Tiny and unspoilt, it is surrounded by small caves and is one of the best places to snorkel on the island. The panoramic views from the top of the cliffs are stunning and there are salt pans nearby that Gozo is so famous for - plenty for the curious visitor to explore!

Day five came - which was the day we could all dive together. We pulled up at one of the many dive sites which sit at the side of the road. It feels a bit too easy, coming from the UK, where there always seems a long waddle down the beach with heavy kit, but I wasn’t about to complain. Xwejni Bay was the place of choice; an unassuming place where the road runs right alongside the bay, but for convenience, we could all kit up out of the back of the truck and walk straight onto the beach. The dive, although not the most-remarkable dive in terms of wildlife, was my first chance to be underwater with the whole family. My long wait had ended and I now had two wide-eyed children immersed in the world of scuba.

Week two was spent practicing skills, exploring more shallow dives sites and having a lot of fun underwater.

Subsequent dives were mostly one adult snorkelling with Oliver and the other diving with Amélie, but this way we

35

discovered the best of the sites. The Inland Sea at Dwerja was a real highlight; arriving early, as it gets pretty crowded, we swam through the 100 metre or so tunnel out to the open ocean, avoiding boat trips taking tourists through the narrow slit in the rocks. The light spills in from the far end, just enough to see the sponge-encrusted walls and the rock crabs which harvest them and use them for camouflage on their backs. We spent an entire day here, in the warm lagoon, feeding the small fish, and trying to catch the little blennies - a really safe place for the kids to hang out, and a local hotspot for a BBQ on a Sunday.

The pretty inlet at Mgarr ix-Xini was another favourite that we returned to, with plenty to do for the non-divers, with scarily high rocks for fearless youngsters to jump off and a tiny beach with limited parking which kept the place fairly quiet. Oliver had another taste of diving to just 2m and this time managed to see his first flounder, which spawned conversations about flatfish life-cycles, an octopus which generated conversations about chloroplasts and camouflage, cuttlefish (ditto) and fireworms (toxin chat). There were lots of hand signals for ‘Look, but don’t touch!’ (they may look furry, but you’ll regret it afterwards). Good diving lessons learnt and marine biology facts shared.

Although terribly overcrowded, we just had to experience the island of Comino and took a boat trip out there to explore the caves. Thankfully, most of the visitors choose to stay dry, catching rays on the beach and underwater is a lot less crowded. Our newly-qualified diver was very excited to be diving in a cave within a week of qualifying. It was years before I headed into my first cave and here she was, with ten dives under her belt, venturing forth, torch in hand, with not a backward glance. She peered into holes to discover squat lobster and brightly coloured nudibranchs with eggs. Moray

eels hung out in the crevices and hermit crabs scuttled away from her torch light. Her view of cave diving was a very positive one!

My husband gets a bit bored (?!) diving for more than a few days and with two weeks to fill, he prefers to wander off in search of local food and archaeology. Thank you, once again, Gozo! Braving the intense heat one day, we were stunned by the one of the Med’s top archaeological sites - the temples at Ggantija - one of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. These two temples date from 3,600- 3,200 BC, pre-dating Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Even the frazzled and dehydrated kids were impressed and remembered a few facts about the temples to write about in their school diaries.

The charming craft village at Ta’Dbiegi filled at least a morning with its throughly mesmerising glass blowers and hot chilli sauce tastings. And at the end of each day, we were treated to the wealth of fantastic food that the island has to offer. Even for a coeliac like my husband, we were well catered for with super-fresh fish, rabbit stew and local delicacies like hot, fresh ftira (stuffed bread) and pastizzi (flaky pastry filled with ricotta cheese) from the bakery in Nadur. The children became very well acquainted with the ice cream bar at Marsalforn - a real treat after diving, and a worthwhile detour when sugar levels ran low.

All in all, it was the best place we could have chosen for the kids to learn to dive and although I don’t feel as though we explored all the must-see sights underwater as we might have done as a couple, we certainly got the best from the clear water and safe, shallow bays that Gozo offers. I left wanting to return to explore more wrecks and limestone formations that it is so famous for, but we have another child who will be ten soon and will want to get his PADI certificate, so hopefully we’ll be back! n Through the cut from the Inland Sea

Oliver and Amélie

36

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18m

ABOVE

Jeremy Cuff continues his exploration of lesser-known shallow-water dive sites on the South Coast, this time visiting the popular tourist haunt of Bournemouth Pier PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY AND AMANDA CUFF (WWW.JA-UNIVERSE.COM)

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any people visit Bournemouth’s beach and pier on the South Coast, but rarely for the purpose of diving. Dorset-destined divers generally choose the more-traditional dive spots such as Swanage and Portland further to the west, but there are other possibilities. So, how about Bournemouth Pier as a suggestion for something different? It takes a bit of planning, but can make for a different kind of diving day or weekend.

Dives under piers are often interesting. Having recently enjoyed some really good conditions under the iconic Swanage Pier (which I wrote about in the June edition of Scuba Diver), it got me thinking about other piers that I might be able to dive.

One pier that attracted me was Bournemouth Pier. It’s a large traditional-style seaside pier with cafes, stalls, an amusement arcade and a more-recently installed zipwire connecting to a landing platform on the beach. It sits prominently in the wide arc of the bay, jutting out from the beach. I couldn’t find much information about people having dived it despite the convenience of Google, but that didn’t deter me. In fact, it aroused my curiosity further, so I vowed to give it a go.

My visit coincided with the June heatwave, so I would be sharing the packed beach with throngs of assorted bathers.

It’s a safe swimmer-friendly beach, so there’s little in the

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way of dangerous currents to get concerned about. As scuba diving is usually conducted away from the mainstream, so to speak, it was quite weird to dive around all this beach activity. I had some strange looks from people, which amused me; as I emerged from the water after a dive, I appeared as some kind of sea monster.

Combined with local attractions, diving this pier can offer a good diving day or break, as well as providing plenty of things to do for non-divers. In fact, bringing along non-divers is very useful in that they can relax on the beach while looking after your seats, towels, car keys and so on.

ARRIVAL AT THE SITE

To make diving the pier a success, it takes a bit of planning and preparation. The biggest issue to solve is where to park, the method of how to get the gear to the beach and then back again, and the ability to store your stuff while you’re in the water, going for lunch and so on. Added to that, there’s no dive centre, so visiting divers must bring everything they need.

If trying this on a warm summer weekend, you’ll need to get there early-ish in order to park nearby. Because of this, I chose to treat myself to an overnight stay in Bournemouth, which worked well. The best places are the two car parks just upslope from the pier area (admittedly not cheap for the day), above the Harry Ramsden’s fish and chip restaurant and across the road by the Pavilion.

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It’s quite dark under the pier (even on a bright sunny day), so a torch would be useful, especially when checking out the pier legs Under the pier can be quite eerie

Crab turns to the bottle...

Some kind of hand-pulled trolley/trailer to transport the gear and supplies, such as a garden trolley with soft wheels, is almost essential here. I purchased one last year for this kind of dive trip and it proved to be invaluable again. Despite having this, it’s hard work dragging it across the dry sand.

Another point worth mentioning is how you keep everything free of the sand. Considering that you’re on a beach, this isn’t easy; again, the trolley is useful in this respect, to store and drain wet gear. It’s also a good idea to take some towels or beach mats upon which to kit up. Helpfully, there are beach showers nearby if you need them.

DIVE BRIEFING Once you’ve dealt with the logistics of getting set up on the beach next to the pier, it’s really just a case of going diving in whatever section of the pier you’ve decided upon. It’s a shore entry, and easy for even the most unsteady of divers.

The dive itself is very shallow, with the deepest depth you’d be likely to attain being 3-4m at the very end of the pier at high tide. Overweighting yourself is probably the way to go here, to ensure you’re able to stay down rather than accidently bobbing up, or spending the whole dive kicking to stay down, which isn’t much fun.

The tidal range isn’t huge in this area, so it’s possible to dive at any time, though it’s much easier (and better) when the tide is higher. I became a sunseeker between dives as I waited for the high tide to return, so it made the day quite relaxing and slow paced. During my visit, there was no appreciable current, though you may experience surge if any waves are blowing in. The unhelpful weather to watch out for is any windy weather (especially an easterly wind and a southerly wind). I suspect that any significant wave action will destroy the visibility here due to the sandy bottom, and also make entry/exit from the water difficult. Because of this, I would say this is a ‘good weather, light winds only’ dive site.

In terms of diver safety, the biggest hazard is probably Common crab

Bystanders look on as divers exit the water

jet-skis, even though they’re supposed to stay away from the immediate area of the pier. It’s quite dark under the pier (even on a bright sunny day), so a torch would be useful, especially when checking out the pier legs. Also, if visibility is poor, it’s essential that buddy pairs stick closely together to avoid getting separated.

Bournemouth beach is regularly patrolled by lifeguards, who may ask you what you’re doing, but they won’t stop you. One lifeguard happened to be a diver. He confirmed that it’s an interesting dive, having done it himself.

THE DIVES As soon as I entered the water and submerged, I immediately liked the look of it. I expected to see lots of rubble and rubbish beneath the pier, but it was 39

BOURNEMOUTH PIER, DORSET WHAT TO EXPECT TYPE OF ‘DIVE’

Very shallow shore dive (much easier and better at high tide).

DEPTH

Exact depth will vary depending on tides and where you choose to go, with the maximum being 3-4m. Due to this, you need to ensure you have sufficient weight to stay down.

It is only shallow beneath the pier

MARINE LIFE/WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Bournemouth Pier proved to be good for sightings; depending on the time of year, expect spider crabs, edible crabs, velvet swimming crabs, tompot blennies, pipefish, wrasse, bass, sand eels, flounder, prawns, anemones and jellyfish. You might also be lucky to see cuttlefish and even scorpionfish, with my highlight being a bobtail squid.

VISIBILITY

Variable depending on wind direction and other factors, but can be six to eight metres if you’re lucky. On less ideal days, it can be very much reduced. An average is probably two to four metres.

SEABED

Flat sandy expanses, pier legs and beams.

HAZARDS

Stray jet-ski traffic, low visibility, disorientation, discarded fishing line, surge.

surprisingly clear with clean sandy expanses. I would soon find out that the sandy expanses belied their desert-like appearance by being very active with marine life.

The sightings started straight away and I realised I’d discovered an interesting place to dive. The sand was alive with activity, with flounders (including many tiny juveniles), hermit crabs, tube worms, assorted small fish and shrimp everywhere I looked, with occasional spider crabs desperately running for cover.

The highlight for me was encountering a small bobtail squid (Sepiola atlantica), which I managed to photograph. As this species is closely related to cuttlefish, it’s also known as the little cuttlefish, which can be confusing for ID fanatics, Once I spotted it, I pursued it around the sand for a while as it changed colour in irritation (or mortal fear) of my persistent attentions.

In terms of the pier structure itself, the legs and supporting beams are very active and sometimes colourful, at times reminding me of more tropical piers that I’d dived in the past. Close scrutiny revealed them to be alive with crabs, assorted growth, mussels, anemones, wrasse and even a tiny scorpionfish. I’m sure more dives would reveal many other species.

The shelter afforded by the pier also attracts plenty of fish, with bass being reported as frequent visitors by the lifeguard. Out on the sand, schools of silvery sand eels could be seen, but it was difficult to get close to them. I suspect that grey mullet, john dory and perhaps even thornback rays might frequent the area at times.

In summary, this dive is very good for enthusiasts of marine life and also for underwater photographers who may find this site rewarding, either from a macro or wide-angle perspective. Overall, I found this to be very enjoyable dive site, and was glad that I made the effort to do it. You could say that it’s a good dive site that’s hiding in plain sight. n

Once I spotted it, I pursued it around the sand for a while as it changed colour in irritation (or mortal fear) of my persistent attentions

40

Bournemouth Pier from the top

Deckchairs and divers

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PRESENTS A GUIDE TO

REGIÓN DE

MURCIA THE SIRIO

SHIPWRECKED! THE TRAGIC TALE OF THE TITANIC OF THE MED

+

GROUPER GALORE MARINE PARK MAGIC IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

10 THINGS YOU MUST DO ON SPAIN'S COSTA CÁLIDA

REGIÓN DE

MURCIA

INTRODUCTION

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urcia is a region in the southeast corner of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, between Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Valencia. Occupying an area of just over 11,000 sq km – barely 2.2 percent of the total surface area of Spain! – it is bordered by the province of Albacete to the north, Alicante to the east, Granada, Albacete and Almeria to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east.

The region is a rich mix of dramatic mountainous terrain, barren desert rock, dense forest and fertile agricultural land; the produce from the vineyards in the latter being world-renowned. However, from a diver’s perspective, it is the 170km of coastline - comprising coves, beaches, rocky shorelines and sheer, craggy cliffs – known as the Costa Calida that will be of most interest. All along this shoreline, at places such as Islas Hormigas, Cabo de Palos, Isla Grosa, Cartagena, La Azohía, Mazarrón and Águilas, are shipwrecks, walls and reefs, not to mention some of the healthiest marine life in the Med. I have never seen so many huge

44

grouper – and I mean huge, think a metre to a metre-anda-half long! - in this body of water, not to mention big shoals of barracuda and all manner of colourful reef fish, nudibranchs, moray eels and octopus.

The icing on this tasty Spanish cake is the climate. Murcia basks in an average annual temperature of 18 degrees C, with hot summers topping out close to 40 degrees C and mild winters only dropping to an average of 11-12 degrees C in December and January. Throw in some 300 days of sunshine a year, and water temperatures between 12-26 degrees C, and you gave the perfect recipe for great Mediterranean diving. I’d say a 5mm full-suit is more than sufficient for the summer months (if you are warm-blooded, you may even get away with a 3mm full-suit), but in the autumn and winter, a semi-dry or a drysuit teamed up with a hood is the preferred option for sure.

Mark Evans, Editor-in-Chief Scuba Diver Magazine

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10 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN MURCIA

1

Dive the El Naranjito

Lying just over a mile outside the port of Cabo de Palos is the Isla Gomera, commonly known as El Naranjito due to its final cargo – thousands of oranges. Sunk in a storm in April 1946, the 51-metre freighter now sits upright, with the stern in 46m and the top of the superstructure rising to 27m. It is covered in marine growth and penetration is possible into the superstructure and engine room.

2

Try an Asiático coffee

A famous drink in Cartagena, the Asiático is an alcoholic drink made out of coffee, condensed milk and cognac, along with a few drops of Licor 43 and a couple of coffee beans, lemon rind and cinnamon. It is even served in a special thick glass to withstand the heat of it. It has got quite a kick to it, but you will see people drinking it everywhere throughout Cartagena.

3

Greet the grouper at Isla Hormigas

The marine park at Isla Hormigas offers divers the chance to dive among some of the healthiest fish stocks in the Mediterranean. Drop in on sites such as Piles I, Piles II, Bajo de Dentro, Bajo de la Testa or Bajo de Fuera and prepare to be greeted by vast shoals of barracuda, amberjack, trevally and large, quite curious grouper.

4

Marvel at underwater treasures

A must for any diver is a visit to the Underwater Archaeology National Museum, which houses the famous

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treasure of the Nuestra Sra de Las Mercedes frigate, which includes more than 570,000 gold and silver coins from the 18th and 19th centuries.

5

Explore the SS Stanfield

The SS Stanfield is a vast wreck with a length of 120 metres and a beam of 14m. It was torpedoed on 26 June 1916 by a German submarine and sank in a depth of 62m. It sits upright on the bottom, but the bow has sustained a lot of damage and split wide open, allowing access into three deck levels and hold number one.

8

Savour the view from San Juan de Águilas castle-fortress

The Mar Menor – Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon, with a surface area of 130 sq km - is a hotspot for kitesurfing, sailing and windsurfing.

Being a vast lagoon with a max depth of just 7m, it is a perfect location for both beginners and experienced enthusiasts alike.

The sprawling town of Águilas is watched over by the imposing San Juan de Águilas castle-fortress, which sits atop a tall rocky outcrop. It was first constructed in 1579 and then rebuilt in the 18th century, and it has now been renovated and made into a mini-museum exhibit, but just the stunning 360 degree views are worth the visit.

7

9

Visit the Bolnuevo Erosions

6

Sail or surf the Mar Menor

Go back in time to the Roman era

Check out the Carthago Nova Theatre in Cartagena, which was built in the 1st century BC by Roman Emperor Augustus, but was not discovered until 1990! Now excavated, the interactive Roman Theatre Museum has built up around it, and is a great way to look back into the past.

Close to Mazarrón, you can find the weird-and-wonderful Bolnuevo Erosions, bizarre rock formations that have been carved and sculpted by wind and water and resemble something out of a science-fiction movie. Well worth checking out for a photograph.

10

Venture into the Cueva del Agua

The Cueva del Agua cave system is the most-famous cave in the area and actually one of several in the Costa Cálida region. There are over 3,000 metres of lines throughout the Cueva del Agua cave, and the water temperature remains a constant 30 degrees C throughout the year.

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CABO DE PALOS ISLA HORMIGAS MARINE RESERVE

C

abo de Palos is the most-southerly place on the Mar Menor, the shallow body of water separated from the Mediterranean (apart from a couple of channels) by the 21km-long, 300-metre-wide area of land known as the La Manga Strip. Mar Menor means ‘small sea’ in Spanish, and is a great description - it is Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, with a surface area of 170 sq km.

Cabo de Palos itself is a large village, with the Mar Menor on one side and the Mediterranean on the other, but the hub is the quaint marina, which is surrounded by a host of restaurants, as well as being home to the dive centres serving the area, not to mention the impressive Visitors Centre of Cabo de Palos, which has literally thousands of diving books, a 3D model of the region, information about the marine park, local seahorse populations, details of shipwrecks including the tragic story of the Sirio, and a small theatre where you can watch documentaries about a range of subjects. Elsewhere, the imposing lighthouse is worth

46

a visit, and there is a pleasant sandy beach which joins on to the beaches of the La Manga Strip.

Cabo de Palos is the gateway to the marine park at Isla Hormigas, which offers divers the chance to dive among some of the healthiest fish stocks in the Mediterranean. Drop in on sites such as Piles I, Piles II, Bajo de Dentro, Bajo de la Testa or Bajo de Fuera and prepare to be greeted by vast shoals of barracuda, large and quite curious grouper, tuna, amberjack and trevally. Depths range from just 3m to 60m plus, ensuring there are sites suitable for all levels of diver, from relative novices or those just learning to dive to hardened veterans and technical divers seeking more of a challenge. As well as swarms of marine life and dramatic underwater topography, there are also shipwrecks to explore.

Within the marine reserve, at Bajo de Fuera, you can find not one but three wrecks – the Nord America, the Minerva and the Sirio. All lie below 40m, so these are definitely for the more-experienced diver. Enroute to the marine reserve and just over a mile outside the Port of Cabo de Palos lies

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Excited divers prepare to explore the marine park

The rocky reef formations are impressive

Shoal of barracuda

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The huge grouoer are quite friendly and approachable

the Isla Gomera, commonly known as the Naranjito due to its final cargo of oranges. It sits upright, with the stern in 46m and the top of the superstructure rising to 27m, and offers many penetration possibilities.

Then there is the SS Stanfield, a vast wreck with a length of 120 metres and a beam of 14m. Torpedoed on 26 June 1916 by a German submarine, it lies in 62m, with the deck at 45m, and is perfect for technical divers. It is heavily encrusted in marine growth.

Slightly shallower – it sits in 44m with the deck at 35m – is the 120-metre-long Italian steamship Lilla (also known as the Carbonero due to its final cargo of coal). This merchant vessel was torpedoed by a German submarine some seven miles east of the La Manga strip in October 1917 and is now home to a rich selection of marine life.

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CARTAGENA, LA AZOHÍA & CABO TIÑOSO MARINE RESERVE A

short distance along the coast from Cabo de Palos you come to the next diving area, which centres around the shoreline near the city of Cartagena and the small seaside village of La Azohía.

Cartagena is the largest city along the coast, and boasts more than 3,000 years of history, which is immediately evident when you begin to wander the streets and see the rich tapestry of architecture on display. There are a vast array of things to see and do in Cartagena, but make sure you check out the Carthago Nova Theatre, which was built in the 1st century BC by Roman Emperor Augustus, but was not discovered until 1990! Now excavated, the interactive Roman Theatre Museum has built up around it, and is a great way to look back into the past.

Also worth a visit is the Underwater Archaeology National Museum (ARQUA), which houses the famous treasure of the Nuestra Sra de Las Mercedes frigate, which includes more than 570,000 gold and silver coins from the 18th and 19th centuries.

A short distance along the coast from Cartagena you find La Azohía. This charming fishing village is perfect for those looking to chill out and relax when they aren’t diving. There are a few small shops, a supermarket and pharmacy, as well as a selection of bars and restaurants, but otherwise it is the perfect place to kick back and soak up the sun on the beautiful beaches.

Central to the diving from both of these locations is the relatively newly created marine park around Cabo Tinóso, which has been up and running for just a couple of years yet is already showing positive signs of following in the footsteps of its longer-established near-neighbour at Cabo de Palos.

La AzohÍa

Dive sites accessed via La Azohía include Cala Cerrada, which is a sheltered inlet that drops gradually down to 30m and is the perfect spot for a first foray into diving.

More-experienced divers will be thrilled by El Arco, which is one of the region’s iconic dive sites, offers a plethora of marine life and has depths down to 37m. Here the archway that gives the site its name looms above water, and the dive usually begins on the wall and then navigates around a headland and back through the arch itself. At La Farola, on the edge of the cliffs at Cabo Tiñoso, a constant gentle current creates a haven for marine life, with colourful corals, sponges and algae supporting reef fish that draw in a stream of predators including tuna, barracuda, snapper and grouper. Depths can reach beyond 50m, so something for all levels of diver. La Garita is found at the foot of an old military construction, and the rock forms a series of stepped terraces where you can see specimens of the giant triton snail (Charonia lampas).

La Azohía is the gateway to the Cueva del Agua cave system, the most-famous cave in the area and actually one of several in the Costa Cálida region – they range in size and difficulty, and include both inland and coastal caves. There are over 3,000 metres of lines throughout the Cueva del Agua cave, and the water temperature remains a constant 30 degrees C throughout the year. A must for serious cave divers.

Central to the diving from both of these locations is the relatively newly created marine park around Cabo Tiñoso, which has been up and running for just a couple of years

Grouper

Cartagena Roman Theatre

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The reefs are thriving with marine life

Cartagena

Moray eels Cuttlefish

Cueva del Aqua cave system

Dive sites visited from Cartagena include Las Palomas Reef, a large rocky system extending off Isla Palomas which starts with a shallow plateau and then gets progressively deeper and narrower as you head southwest. The nooks and crannies on the reef are home to all manner of marine life, including moray eels and lobster, and always keep an eye put on the blue for passing pelagic predators. At the end of the dive site is a deeper plateau, which drops off to 40m, and here there is the chance of seeing eagle rays.

Just outside Cartagena port you can find El Espeque, which is a huge underwater reef that once boasted a beacon to warn ships of the submerged hazards. This was blown up and sunk when an extension was made to the port, and the remains now lie on the northern side of the reef in 25m.

Like the rest of the reef, it is heavily encrusted with marine growth, and as well as the beacon itself there are some walls and steep drop-offs to explore. In the shallows on top of the reef you can find the base of the beacon, as well as a thick chain disappearing into the depths.

At the Isla de Escombreras, there are several diving options, with a couple being suitable for novice divers, though a stand-out is the 500-metre-long wall Pared del Capitan, which is more suited to advanced divers. Expect moray eels, octopus, crabs, grouper, nudibranchs and even, if you are lucky, a seahorse.

Close to the island is Bajo de Escombreras, which is a ridge rising from 35m to just 8m and well stocked with a selection of Mediterranean marine life. Then there is the Centro de Buceo de la Armada, tugboat wreck, which was sunk in the 1950s by the navy to train divers on. It is just 20 metres long and four metres wide, and there is limited penetration into the bridge. A short distance off the port side lies the fuselage of a harrier jet, which was also sunk by the navy for training purposes, and makes for an interesting photo prop. Maximum depth is 20m, with the top of the tug rising to 8m, so this is ideal for all levels of diver.

Cartagena

More-experienced divers will be thrilled by El Arco, which is one of the region’s iconic dive sites, offers a plethora of marine life and has depths down to 37m WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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Moray eel

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MAZARRÓN C

ontinuing south from Cartagena and La Azohía, you come to Mazarrón. Set in a wide bay and covering some 35km, there are two main urban centres – the port, and the town capital, some 5km from the coast.

Since it came into being, the name of Mazarrón has been inextricably linked to the mining wealth of its mountain ranges, namely lead, zinc, silver, iron, alum and red ochre.

In Phoenician, Punic and Roman times, immense work was carried out in the mines, leaving behind an abundance of archaeological remains, and the Arabs also were attracted to the area for its mineral riches. Its importance rose in the 19th century and early 20th century when iron and galenite were mined, but once the mines were exhausted, Mazarrón developed into an important tourist resort, while simultaneously promoting its seafaring and fishing tradition.

Close to Mazarrón, you can find the weird-and-wonderful Bolnuevo Erosions, bizarre rock formations that have been carved and sculpted by wind and water and resemble something out of a science-fiction movie. Well worth checking out for a photograph.

Shoals of fish feed on the reefs

Mola mola can occasionally be encountered of Mazarrón

Dive sites that can be visited from Mazarrón include the underwater mountain ridge known as El Bajo de Emilio o Piedra del Muelle, which covers depths from 14-34m and is home to conger eels, moray eels, dentex, grouper, damselfish and sometimes sunfish. At the Azores, which as a maximum depth of 42m, divers can encounter bigger marine life, including grouper, barracuda, moray eels, lobster and tuna.

Sitting in a maximum depth of 35m, and rising to within 28m of the surface, divers can explore the Nalon, a Spanish Navy minesweeper that was sunk as an artificial reef on 6 June 1999 in the Bay of Mazarrón. Measuring some 44 metres in length, the vessel ended up on the bottom in an upright orientation, but it is deteriorating to the extent that it is not recommended to venture inside anymore.

Since it came into being, the name of Mazarrón has been inextricably linked to the mining wealth of its mountain ranges

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ÁGUILAS

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he final diving area as you head south along the coast is accessible from the town of Águilas. The town sprawls along the shoreline, with more than 35 sheltered coves, and is watched over by the picturesque San Juan de las Águilas castle-fortress (first constructed in 1579 and then rebuilt in the 18th century).

It can trace its origins back to the Palaeolithic age, with other cultures including Argaric, Phoenician, Roman and Muslim also leaving their heritage behind. It became a boom town in the 19th century, with the construction of a railway line and El Hornillo pier by British companies to enable export of silver, lead and iron, but now it is one of Murcia’s main tourist resorts.

There are several dive sites, including off of Isla del Fraile, which can actually be reached from the shore. The dive sites on this island are on the sea-side, and comprise large boulders and rocky reefs offering many crevices and cracks for marine life to hide in, including moray eels, conger eels, lobster and crabs, while shoals of reef fish forage for food. Depths range from 3-30m, making it perfect for all levels of diver.

Around Cabo Cope, you can find what amounts to a series of ‘trails’ underwater. One leads from a selection of purposesunk wooden fishing boats – the Ana Maria and the Nueva Mi Teresa – to the remnants of a light aircraft, sculptures, various huge anchors and other paraphernalia. Expect plenty of moray eels, nudibranchs, damselfish, grouper and other reef fish. There is also La Cueva de la Virgen, a short cavern dive which brings you up into the shallows on top of the reef – inside there is a shrine with a tile mosaic featuring an

image of Mary and her child, which is supposedly good luck for the local fishermen.

The second ‘trail’ is the ideal site for those with more experience, as depths range from 24-42m. As well as the reef, you can find shipwrecks including the Montoya, El Sable and Hermanos Mayor, with plenty of grouper, barracuda, dentex and even the occasional sunfish.

La Cueva de la Virgen mosaic

Remnants of a light aircraft

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The dive sites on this island are on the seaside, and comprise large boulders and rocky reefs offering many crevices and cracks for marine life to hide in

WRECK

HOTSPOTS Isla Gomera / El Naranjito

While the marine reserve at Cabo de Palos houses some of the best wrecks in the area, just over a mile outside the port lies the Isla Gomera, commonly known as El Naranjito due to its final cargo – thousands of oranges. It was actually this cargo that caused its demise – in a storm in April 1946, the oranges shifted violently, causing the boat to list and take on water. The crew swam to the shore while the 51-metre freighter slowly sank, and it now sits upright, with the stern in 46m and the top of the superstructure rising to 27m.

It is covered in marine growth – and some trawl nets, so take care – but penetration is possible into the superstructure, engine room and now-empty cargo holds. The large prop is still in-situ, and makes a fine photograph.

The Lilla / Carbonero

The 120-metre-long Italian steamship Lilla, also known as the Carbonero due to its final cargo of coal, was torpedoed by a German submarine on 13 October 1917 some seven miles east of the La Manga strip. Split in two near the engine room, which you can swim through, the wreck sits in 44m with the deck at 35m and is home to a rich selection of marine life, with huge amounts of growth due to the amount of time it has been on the seabed.

Jacks, barracuda and dentex are commonly seen feeding on the shoals inhabiting the Lilla, and large conger eels can be found in the interior. Due to its location so far offshore, the visibility is often excellent – you can expect 25 metres or more.

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SS Stanfield

The SS Stanfield is a vast wreck with a length of 120 metres and a beam of 14m. Launched in Liverpool in 1899, it was torpedoed on 26 June 1916 by a German submarine and sank in a depth of 62m. It sits upright on the bottom, but the bow has sustained a lot of damage, and must have impacted the seabed first. It is split wide open and allows access into three deck levels and hold number one.

The torpedo caused significant damage on the port side and effectively split the wreck in two. There are a further two cargo holds to explore, along with the main superstructure.

There is even a spare propeller lying on the deck, which sits at 45m. Due to the depth, this wreck is perfect for opencircuit and closed-circuit technical divers.

It is heavily encrusted in marine growth as it has been down over 100 years.

Bajo de Fuera

This pinnacle in the Isla Hormigas marine reserve has been a hazard to shipping for many years, as it lies a short distance from the shore yet rises from depths of 70m to just 3m below the surface. The remnants of at least four large shipwrecks can be found at depths of 40m and below.

The El Naranjito is encrusted in growth

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SS Stanfield

Fish inside the El Naranjito Wreckage on the Bajo de Fuera

Inside the Naranjito

The Italian freighter Nord America sank in 1883 after running aground while carrying a cargo of iron ingots, while the Minerva ended up on the rock during a massive storm in 1899.

The remains of both are well dispersed, but several sections are still recognisable and open for exploration.

The most-infamous shipwreck is the 120-metre-long, 4,000-tonne Sirio, an Italian liner taking immigrants to the USA, which went down on 4 August 1906 after colliding with Bajo de Fuera. It was massively overloaded, though the exact number of immigrants on board is not known for sure due to improper passenger lists, but the tragic death toll was anywhere from 150-400, depending on the report you refer to. The survivors were rescued by local fishermen and other vessels, including French steamer Marie Louise and the trawlers Joven Miguel and Vicente Lilicano, the crews of the latter both being praised for their heroism. The Sirio gained notoriety not just because of the huge loss of life, but because the captain, Giuseppe Piccone, abandoned ship at the first opportunity, leaving his officers to try and deal with the panicking passengers.

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HISTORY

REGIÓN DE

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MURCIA

he territory known today as Murcia has been inhabited by man for over 1,500,000 years, and this human presence has been a constant factor in the development of the Murcian landscape. The first evidence of the presence of man dates back to the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon periods, thought archaeological finds become more abundant from Neolithic times onwards.

Iron Age remains show the beginning of agricultural development and the domestication of livestock, which accelerated during the Iberian period, while later, commercial activity came to the fore with the Phoenecians, Greeks and Carthaginians. When the Romans arrived, the region entered a period of immense growth as both an economic and political centre in the Mediterranean that was to go on for more than 600 years.

This was followed by an extended period of political instability – a consequence of the disintegration of the Roman Empire – and so began a long spell of Arab domination, beginning in 713 AD. Not only did they officially

found the city of Murcia, but they initiated the large-scale exploitation of the Segura river valley, creating a complex irrigation system composed of canals, dams and waterwheels – the forerunner of today’s irrigation network – which enabled them to reap the maximum benefit from the vast expanse of fertile land surrounding the city.

Military pressures from the north and internal political disorders heralded the end of this territory, which fell in 1243 under the vassalage of Castile, and the remains of Andalusia were finally incorporated into this kingdom with the signing of the Granada Peach Treaty in 1492.

From then on, peace came to the Murcian region, and it enjoyed a sustained period of economic and demographic growth, characterised by a major industrial revolution and the rise of in-demand minerals, which then – as the mines eventually were cleaned out - developed into agriculture and tourism. During that time, it remained a vassal kingdom of Spain until the reforms in the liberal constitution of 1812, before finally becoming an autonomous region in 1982.

When the Romans arrived, the region entered a period of immense growth as both an economic and political centre in the Mediterranean

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There are a vast array of historical sites

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TOPSIDE

There are over 22 golf courses

ATTRACTIONS T

he city of Murcia boasts a rich array of attractions, including a visit to the Cathedral, the ancient Real Casino, and La Fuensanta Shrine, where you can learn about the many different civilisations which have called the area ‘home’.

In Cartagena, the Port of Cultures offers a route to go through the whole glorious past of the city in just a few hours. You’ll visit the most-relevant monuments and discover how theatres used to be in Roman times, look for enemy vessels from the Homenaje tower of the Concepcion castle, and learn how to use a cannon as if you were a soldier of the 19th century at the Navidad fort.

For the golfing fanatics, Murcia is heaven on Earth – there are no less than 22 top-quality courses over a radius of 50km, each offering their own challenges. For the more-active, there are multiple routes that can be done on foot, on horse or by mountain bike, rivers offering white-water rafting, mountain ranges boasting world-class climbing, a host of options for caving enthusiasts, and locations perfect for hang-gliding, para-gliding and zip-wiring.

Kayaking at Cabos de Palos

The region is famed for its wine

Watersports in Costa Cálida

As well as diving and snorkelling, there are many opportunities to sample other watersports off the Costa Cálida. All along the coast you can head out sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, or exploring the beaches and coves via kayaks.

To see further afield, many locations offer motorboat rental, or you can go for a blast on a jetski for an adrenaline rush. The Mar Menor is a hotspot for kitesurfing, sailing and windsurfing. Being a vast lagoon with a maximum depth of just 7m, it is a perfect location for both beginners and experienced enthusiasts alike.

The Cathedral in Murcia

For more-detailed information about the above and a plethora of information on the Murcia region in general, check out:

www.murciaturistica.es/en

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COSTA CÁLIDA REGION OF MURCIA · SPAIN

REGION OF MURCIA

ALICANTE 50

REGION OF MURCIA

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Alicante Airport

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45 m

Discover Spain’s most significant Mediterranean shipwrecks

25 min

Region of Murcia International Airport (2019)

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San Javier Airport

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ÁGUILAS

CARTAGENA / LA AZOHÍA / CABO TIÑOSO

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UNDERWATER SCIENCE IN SWEDEN AND SHOOTING TINY CRITTERS IN SULAWESI PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC JORDA MOLINA AND LARS-OVE LOO

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fter the GUE fundamentals course in the UK, I travelled to Sweden! Among the skerries and small fjords of the south-western coast of the country, the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure was going to be my home for the next two weeks, where the course in Documentation Techniques for Scientific Divers 2018 was going to take place.

This course, offered by the University of Gothenbourg, was designed to expose early research scientists to a wide variety of methods used in underwater research to document and communicate their scientific studies. Upon our arrival, the organizers of the course, Maria Asplund and Eduardo Infantes, received us and introduced us to the exciting planning of the course and familiarised ourselves with the Swedish protocols for scientific diving.

During the first three days, the Swedish photographer Anders Salesjö went with us through the basic skills in photography while practicing the techniques for macrophotography, wide-angle and fish portraits underwater.

Soon I realised how important it is to be able to take accurate pictures of organisms and animals to allow for posterior taxonomic identification. Also, having to change the settings of my camera while at the same time taking care of a body line and a surface marking buoy (two requisites to do scientific diving in Sweden) plus having to deploy other measuring instruments, really made me appreciate the knowledge gained in the GUE training. Now my buoyancy became something natural that I didn’t have to pay much attention to.

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Among other techniques, we learned stacking photography, which consists of taking many pictures while moving the camera small intervals of the order of a millimetre towards small subjects to get rid of the small depth of field and obtain focused objects by blending all the pictures taken. The photogrammetry and 3D modelling were one of my favourite lectures. We went to a vertical wall with the mission to generate a 3D model out of it. After taking around 2,000 pictures over a five-metre transect line, against all expectations and after hours of computer processing, the model turned out quite good! Finally, we got to try and learn different mapping techniques. Eduardo introduced us to aerial mapping with drones, which he is using as part of his project to study the changes in coastal seagrass meadows along the Swedish coast. Combining the georeferenced photos from the air together with data from transects carried out with the epibenthic sledge equipped with cameras, plus surveys that we conducted using underwater tablets with GPS positioning, we created some maps of the local seagrass meadows around the research station. It was very interesting to see how combining different technologies and techniques one can get quite accurate maps that may contribute, for example, to better coastal management.

By the beginning of August, I headed to South-East Asia.

I flew to Sulawesi (Indonesia) and landed in Manado, where Saeed Rashid (Focus Visuals) invited me to take part in one of his photography workshops. It was the first time for me to dive in Asia, and after some dives discovering the small creatures inhabiting these waters I quickly fell in love with all the colourful organisms. Soon I got addicted to take shots of all the different nudibranchs! Also, we got to dive in the astonishing reef walls of Bunaken National Park where uncountable turtles congregate! This experience was supported by Tasik Ria Resort and Tasik Ria Divers, which offered me to stay in their amazing resort and took me diving with their awesome guides. I’m writing these lines from the boat, heading to Bunaken for one last dive! n

Eric Jorda

What would you think of snorkelling or diving, as close as you might want to be, with a large gathering of whalesharks?

Dumaguete An exotic surprise Well-travelled photo-journalist Al Hornsby has seen a lot in his globe-trotting, but even he found this part of the Philippines held some surprises in store PHOTOGRAPHS BY AL HORNSBY

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Nudis of all shapes and sizes

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he Dumaguete coastline, on the southeastern corner of the large Philippines’ island of Negros, is a tranquil, pleasant place. It’s lovely, with palms and large trees hanging over a long, dark-sand beach. Its fringing ocean is typically flat calm, so much so that dive boats can pull right up onto the sand at our resort (Atlantis Resort Dumaguete), meaning that from dive centre to boarding was a matter of but a few strides.

Equally reachable are the dive sites, which stretch oneafter-another along the coastline from Atlantis’ just-offshore House Reef, in both directions to as far, and to as many sites, as one could dive in weeks of trying. Dropping in, you find a warm, calm world of muted colours among dark sand, scattered corals and turtle grass fields. Reaching the bottom, your relaxed frame of mind is soon replaced by intense interest as you realise you have stumbled into a vast treasuretrove of strange, lovely (or bizarre) species, more than you can count, seemingly something new every few metres, whichever way you turn. The contrast is striking… an effortless, utterly relaxing diving environment versus your acute, energised mental state, built around pending – and near constant – discovery.

Scorpionfish

Mantis shrimp

Topside is lush and green

If you have ever been curious about what muck-diving is really about – or (especially) if you are already an experienced, muck-diving fanatic – you must prepare to be amazed by the sheer number of species and individual animals crawling about or hovering over the bottom, seemingly crammed into every nook and cranny, and perched on hard corals, tube anemones and soft corals. It’s not an accident – this coastline borders the Sulu Sea, oft-acclaimed as being an epicentre of bio-diversity in the Indo-Pacific.

Equally important to this diversity and population density is that, especially due to the large amount of marine research that has occurred along this coastline, the locals understand the value – both to tourism and ongoing, sustainable local fishing – of protecting their near-shore waters, and every town and village along this coastline maintains its own Marine Protected Area (MPA), often with each one abutted against the one before and the next one to follow. The result is an assortment and population of undersea creatures that really must be seen to be believed. Conveniently, it also means that there are remarkable dive sites found every couple of hundred metres – and less.

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On our trip, we came to realise that House Reef – reached by boarding the boat from the beach and swinging around only far enough to reach the shallow mooring just offshore – was one of the most-diverse, critter-find areas we visited (dived by day and as one of the most-populated night dives one will ever find). In just two dives there, we saw and photographed a sea moth, porcelain and decorator crabs, many species of nudibranch, schooling coral shrimpfish, starry puffers, moray eels, several species of lion and scorpionfish, live shells, an orange-banded pipefish (a male carrying eggs), a bizarre maculate spearer mantis shrimp and more. On the night dive, my guide found a coconut husk in the sand, and turning it over, found a clutch of flamboyant cuttlefish eggs attached to its inner surface.

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Outrigger dive boat

Shrimps on anemone Flambuoyant cuttlefish

Turtle grazing on the reef

With such short boat rides and five dives a day on the regular schedule, it was easy to shoot huge numbers of images – without even straining

Knowing that flamboyants don’t move very far from their eggs, we began a search, and within moments had found the exotically beautiful parents hunting nearby, who calmly endured my picture-making, exhibiting no noticeable concern.

To the south, about five minutes from the resort, the Punta site is a sand, rubble and scattered-coral slope reaching 20m that was another muck-diving, critter center. On just one dive, I photographed several species of butterfly and anemonefish, a juvenile sweetlips, a number of nudibranchs (including the unusual P. postulosa and P. briarium), a strange, whitehatted Galathea squat lobster, a lovely pair of Periclemenes shrimp on an anemone, a live Diana conch and, a special find, a yellow warty frogfish. With such short boat rides and five dives a day on the regular schedule, it was easy to shoot huge

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numbers of images – without even straining (Oh - and, did I mention the regular, sunset mandarinfish dive at a site called Bahura, which could be done in lieu of a night dive?).

And, if this non-stop bounty of muck, macro-critter findings and images might leave aside a moment for a completely different sort of great diving, that was also easily accomplished. Another superb option was a day trip to nearby Apo Island, just an hour’s boat ride to the south. The small, jungled-covered islet juts up out of the sea and is surrounded by coral reefs, drop-offs and walls decorated with soft corals and gorgonians. Fish life is rich, and green and hawksbill turtles are common.

Our family’s favourite place was the Apo Island Marine Sanctuary area, a large, utterly-calm bay along the southeast coast. With crystalline water and marvelous stands of hard corals jutting up from a 15m-deep, white-sand bottom, the spot was lovely for divers and snorkellers alike. My 11-yearold daughter Juliet and I spent a carefree hour freediving,

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Portrait shot of anemone shrimp

spotting snapper, sweetlips, chub and many colourful reef fish, while my wife, Christine, snorkelled alongside.

After lunch aboard the resort’s large boat, the Titana, we moved a couple of hundred metres southward to the island’s tip, to a beautiful site named Rock West, for a highexcitement dive. Dropping down, we rode a moderate current along a steep, hard and soft coral-covered slope. Nearing the bottom at about 23m, there is sand with intermittent coral ridges and lots of marine life. We saw green turtles, a large resident school of big-eye trevally, a huge malabar grouper and several banded kraits, which were much less shy than I have experienced in other diving areas. The end of the dive was a long, shallow glide over beautifully rich coral gardens, the water thick with damsels, chromis, moorish idols, anemonefish, butterflyfish and more.

This transition, from muck and small critters to some of the loveliest coral reefs one could ever hope for, was delightful, with the sharp contrast making both extremes somehow even more enjoyable. But… our diving hadn’t ended yet. The next day-trip was, if anything, even more remarkable. What would you think of snorkelling or diving, as close as you might want to be, with a large gathering of whalesharks?

Just a few hours away, by van and ferry, the small Cebu Island fishing village of Oslob has transformed itself into one of the most-popular whaleshark diving locations on the

planet. Some years ago (as a local biologist studying the Oslob phenomenon explained to me), a local diver/fishermen noted, after the regular migratory-group of whalesharks had moved on, that one had stayed, and was frequently seen hanging about, just offshore. Aware that the sharks migrated seasonally through the area for swarms of a small local shrimp, on a whim he obtained some from local fishermen and tried feeding the shark from his boat. To his surprise, the shark readily fed, and the interaction became a regular event.

At some point, another shark joined in, then more as time went by. The villagers, formerly fishermen who might occasionally take one of the huge sharks for their fins, became involved as word reached the local diving community, and tourist divers began showing up. By the time I had first visited four years ago, 186 different sharks had been identified as having participated in the daily, morning feedings, which last from around 8am until noon. As the fishermen throw handfuls of shrimp and squid into the water, generally eight to ten big whalesharks, typically around eight metres in length, casually come and go, moving closely (like really close) among the gathered snorkellers and divers to feed. When the hand-outs end, they gradually disappear back into open sea…

This rare opportunity for interaction is in some ways one of the most-incredible shark protection stories one will ever find. A small, struggling fishing village has transformed itself into a successful marine park, the local population thriving economically by protecting the local sharks and educating their children, neighbours and tourists about them. And, in so many ways, we lucky divers benefit most of all… n Atlantis Resort

The reef is very healthy

ATLANTIS DIVE RESORT DUMAGUETE

For the resort and dive operation, a PADI Five Star Dive Centre, the owners’ designed goal was ‘To create a great resort that makes sure guests don’t have to sacrifice anything in their search for the best diving’. They work to provide an allinclusive offering centred on great service, great diving, modern, comfortable rooms, wide-ranging activities (including a luxurious spa), delicious food and a friendly, well-trained staff.

The resort’s 44 rooms, some at the water and the remainder in a garden setting just back from the beach, have full facilities and amenities, including Wi-Fi. The dive centre, photo room and classroom are well-designed and close to where the boats board. The dive centre itself is spacious, with gear and camera wash tanks, individual diver storage, complete gear-handling service and choices of cylinder size, with air or EANx. The entire staff is local, and thoroughly trained, including two PADI instructors and five Divemasters, whose specialty is local marine life knowledge – and where to find specific species. www.atlantishotel.com

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THE NEXT GENERATION

Kids Sea Camp is the undoubted world leader when it comes to children and diving - more than 7,000 youth certifications and counting! - and founder Margo Peyton has painstakingly crafted a series of unique itineraries with unparalleled adventures, allowing families to bond, interact with local cultures, learn history, engage with wildlife and meet like-minded families from around the globe.

www.familydivers.com

TRAINING THE NEXT

GENERATION A

fter dabbling in diving when he was a young man, Bespoke Scuba’s Paul French ‘dived’ back into the sport when his daughter wanted to get qualified.

Now an instructor running a successful dive school, he often teaches youngsters – and we asked him the reasons why.

So why do I believe getting children to scuba dive is an amazing thing? They are the future of our planet, the next ambassadors of our fragile marine environment, an incredible world that they will inherit from us, so capturing their interest early has to be the way to go. One parent recently remarked to me about how much her son loves scuba diving, and she is delighted as it keeps him off his tablet, so a win-win all round.

For me, my passion to provide quality junior scuba instruction started with my daughter, in the days before I was a dive professional, and what I observed partly spurred me on to not only become a PADI Pro, but also my drive to make sure all the children we teach at Bespoke Scuba have the mostengaging and exciting learning experience.

My only regret about the PADI kid’s programmes is that I never earned that awesome green SEAL Team certification card - and I think I am a little old now!

This year we have taught children PADI Bubblemaker, Coral Reef AWARE, SEAL Team, Master SEAL Team and Junior Open Water programmes. Single children, groups, cub packs and the two groups I am going to focus on, our current SEALs and our latest Junior Open Water Diver.

I would like to introduce Vinny, Charlotte, Kobie, Maria and Hussan, five divers who have in recent months completed the PADI SEAL programme and in the coming months will all be PADI Master SEALs. It’s a pleasure for all the team when they all turn up on our Saturday SEAL sessions, always engaged, always having fun, and always excited to dive. For us as a centre, watching them progress as divers has been brilliant, mastering buoyancy skills, learning and understanding how their equipment works, and most importantly demonstrating

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their knowledge as we proceed through various modules. They come back because they have fun and want to learn.

It would seem all of our SEALs have caught the scuba bug, and I am sure they will all continue to dive, and carry on with their dive education, so what does next season hold for them all - maybe five new PADI Junior Open Water Divers, starting to explore underwater outside of a swimming pool!

One other diver I would like to introduce is Justas. From the day I met him, he was determined to be a diver. He comes from a non-diving family and despite persuading his mum to complete a Discover Scuba, I think it’s likely to stay that way.

Justas worked really hard to pass all of his pool theory, pool confined skills and qualified as a Junior Open Water Diver at Vobster Quay in June. Eain, his instructor, was full of praise for his achievement, even if several Jaffa cakes changed hands during the weekend as he prepared for his mask skills.

So what’s next for Justas? He is a member of our dive club, dives with other members in the pool, and by the time you read this he will be a wPADI Equipment Specialist - and I have no doubt he will achieve his PADI Junior Advanced Open Water rating shortly, there is going to be no stopping him.

So back to where I started. Kids are the future of the sport we love, our planet’s future ambassadors, and most of all a heck of a lot of fun to dive with.

Get your kids, your family’s kids and those of your friends involved in a great recreational activity - who knows, they may end up being the best dive buddy you have ever had, or a future dive instructor one day!

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KIDS SEA CAMP FOUNDER MARGO PEYTON RECOGNISED BY DEMA The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) has announced that Margo Peyton is one of two inductees to DEMA’s Hall of Fame. She – and fellow inductee, pioneering underwater photographer Ernie Brooks – are also the 2018 recipients of DEMA’s Reaching Out Award.

F

irst presented in 1989, DEMA’s Reaching Out Award honours members of the diving community whose significant contributions to the sport have elevated the industry on all levels.

This year’s recipients will be joining an extraordinary list of distinguished past Honourees to honour these recipients.

Margo Peyton is a pioneer and leader in the family dive training and travel market. As the owner and founder of Family Dive Adventures/Kids Sea Camp and 501c Ocean Wishes, Peyton’s mission to help families disconnect from their virtual worlds and reconnect to each other through diving and travel has done much to help grow the industry. Since its inception in 2000,

Kids Sea Camp spans 13 countries and is responsible for more than 7,000 youth diver certifications, including special needs adults and children.

Peyton is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame; a PADI Ambassadiver; a member of the PADI Youth Advisory Committee; and on the Family Travel Association’s (FTA) board of advisors, acting initially as the sole representative for the diving industry.

She is recognised as an industry authority on youth diver education and nearly every industry dive publication seeks Peyton’s expertise for family travel and youth-related articles.

Peyton also provides scholarships, training grants and internships for the next generation of divers and

contributes to and sponsors a variety of conservation programmes that address issues like marine habitat conservation and shark protection.

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UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

BACKGROUND? CHECK! Phil Medcalf discusses the importance of a ‘good’ background, be that blue water or a vibrant piece of coral or sponge, and how it can add a new dimension to your photographs PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHIL MEDCALF

W

hen learning most skills, there are stages when something clicks into place and it feels like you’ve made a sudden jump upwards in your ability to achieve what you wanted.

For me, one of these epiphanies happened in my underwater photography on a trip to Bali some years ago. Much of the diving was over a seabed made up of unpleasant-looking silt and volcanic sand. This is the case in many of the world’s top macro photography destinations, such as the famous Lembeh Straits in North Sulawesi, where the term ‘muck diving’ was coined. After a day or so of taking pictures of the extraordinary macro life that could be seen on every dive, it became clear to me that what was letting my pictures down was the surroundings, not the subjects or my camera settings.

So I started looking for what I thought might make a good background in a picture and then tried to find something on that background to act as a subject. The result was mainly a lot of pictures of gobies against sponges and soft corals.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of gobies, but I do need a bit of variety to keep me interested. Most creatures that live Cuttlefish over volcanic sand

on sponges, crinoids and similar, tend to have colouration which matches their host extremely well - this makes it difficult to get pictures of them where the critter stands out from its background.

After a few days of closely examining any interestingly coloured marine growth on the Balinese seabed in search of something to take a picture of, I started to come to a conclusion that most marine creatures are inherently uncooperative. The last few days I chose to adapt my original ‘Find a background, hope for a critter’ method to the more complex but much more satisfying ‘Find a co-operative

Diver and surface

subject, hope it is against a good background, if not move on’.

What I found after all this was that the images I produced once I started putting effort into the background were often considerably better than the shots where I just located the creature and tried to get a picture of it. How one handles the background of an image is in many cases what separates it from a mundane fish ID shot and something eye-catching.

There are numerous techniques in underwater photography to use the background in your shot to improve the composition.

Many of these just require some thought and a bit of underwater manoeuvring. They can often be applied to using any camera from a simple point-and-shoot to a full-frame DSLR. A good starting point is to think about how the subject appears against its background. Does it blend in or stand out? Will the background add to the appearance of the picture or will it be less pleasant to look at? Also think about what context you want to your picture. Do you want to show the environment a creature lives in, or isolate it from the surroundings to concentrate the viewers’ interest on the subject itself.

Having a good background applies to all genres of underwater picture, not just macro marine life. In wide angle, whether marine life, reef scenes or wrecks putting effort into the background elements of the picture will pay dividends. A classic example for wide-angle shooting is to try and get a diver in the shot. Not necessarily as the principle element, but to add scale and heighten the impression of the image being taken underwater. A couple of years ago, Anne and I were involved in helping to run an underwater photography print competition. One point that was very clear from the public response to the images was that there was a real preference among those who voted for images where a diver appeared in the picture, adding a sense of scale and giving the viewer a feeling that they could be doing the dive themselves.

Where a background detracts from a shot, the simplest solution is to try and position oneself so that what is behind Ribbon eel with bokeh

the subject is different. Never move a creature or allow someone else to move it to a position that makes your shot better. In my view, this isn’t appropriate, it creates a false impression of where creatures live and can be harmful to the animal. Get your camera low. This shouldn’t involve you digging into the bottom, but if you can’t get in a position to see the camera screen or look through a viewfinder safely, think about taking a shot ‘from the hip’ by putting the camera in a position you think will work and taking a picture and reviewing it, then adjusting camera position again based on what you see from each result.

The other option if you can’t safely get into position without disturbing the bottom or the creature is to move on to another subject. Much time can be wasted pursuing a picture of something when it just isn’t well positioned.

Remember there will always be something else to take a picture of, don’t waste your dive time.

Using empty water behind a subject

BIOGRAPHY: PHIL MEDCALF Phil learnt to dive in 1991 while studying at the University of Sunderland and began taking pictures underwater a few years later with a budget 35mm camera and housing. He moved to digital photography in 2006 and began to get serious about shooting underwater images soon after this. He and his wife Anne have been regulars on photography workshops run by Scuba Diver’s regular photography writer Paul ‘Duxy’ Duxfield since his first trip in 2010. Over the years, they’ve developed from keen amateurs to semi-professional photographers who combine working as nurses with running photo workshops and club talks.

Throughout his life, Phil has had a passion for the sea and marine life, and he tries to show this in his photography, talks that he does for dive clubs, and his blogging.

Goby on mushroom coral

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can make it stand out and this is all about positioning. A blue background around wreck or a creature will usually be preferable than it blending into the reef behind it.

Again with positioning a very effective strategy is to position your camera so that the surface can be seen in shot.

This is a great way of giving the feeling of being underwater to the viewer and is ideal for wide-angle and close-focus wide-angle. Think about layering your image with multiple elements at different distances throughout your composition.

For example, a fan coral, wreck, diver and the surface.

Going beyond the blue or green of the water around a subject, coloured backgrounds can be generated simply by placing yourself so that your subject is between you and something coloured. This can be anything from an anemone or a sponge, to a larger fish or perhaps some nudibranch eggs.

Placing a white diving slate behind a creature is a fairly popular way of giving a different look to a macro shot.

Coloured lighting or objects added in the background are also quite popular. Again, if you are employing this type of adjunct to your pictures, take care not to disturb the creature or its surroundings. Moving on from physical techniques that can be applied when using any camera, there are methods using camera settings and/or lighting that can change the appearance of an underwater pictures background.

Using the blurred effect from shooting with a shallow depth of field can be a great way to reduce the distracting impact of a busy-looking background or make a camouflaged animal stand out more. Simply put, depth of field is the amount of an image that appears in focus. This lessens the closer you are to the subject, the longer the focal length of your lens and the larger the aperture you have set (smaller f number). Using shallow depth of field can cause bokeh, where brighter parts of an image will appear as circles or geometric

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Snooted goby

shapes, which can give a pleasing look to the background.

A black background is a popular option for macro photography where using a flash combined with a fast shutter speed on your camera will make the background appear dark.

This is simple to do when there is plenty of empty water behind the subject, even in daylight. Where there are objects behind the subject this requires control of the strobe output and position to just paint the subject with light while not lighting up the background. An extension of this is to use a snoot to light your subject. A snoot is a device that focuses the light into a small area so that it does not spread to light a macro subject’s surroundings.

Finally, when using a digital camera there is always the option of changing the appearance of an image using editing software. Making the subject sharper and the background out of focus or increasing contrast will improve how the subject stands out from the background. You can remove distracting elements from the background using cloning or spot removal.

Or you can use filters or brushes to darken backgrounds.

The possibilities are almost endless and while some folk will probably feel this is cheating, I’m a firm believer that editing is part of the creative process, just as using different techniques in developing prints to change their appearance was since pretty much the invention of photography.

I suggest you try as many different techniques as you can to create new looks for your pictures Whether it be putting more thought to your positioning, playing with props, fiddling with your camera settings or enhancing things in editing. The most-important thing is enjoy yourself. n

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FREEDIVING REPORT

MERMAIDING IN THE UK

Aspiring to be a mermaid used to be the dream of little girls (and boys) who were obsessed with Disney’s Ariel, but times are a-changing, and as Steve Millard explains, being a mermaid is now a serious undertaking PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE MILLARD

I

n its simplest form, ‘mermaiding’ is what it says on the can - wearing a tail and dressing like a mermaid. It is also using a monofin in that tail to swim like a mermaid.

Tails are often made of lycra, latex or silicone and range from £40 to over £4,000 depending on the style, manufacturer and material. There are many facets to this ‘new discipline’.

I say ‘new’ as mermaiding seems to be becoming a buzz word but it has been around in places like the USA for a long time, and even in the UK I first came across it in 2005. In that year, there was a competition to choose from several girls to find the Salt Free Mermaid. Mandy Buckley won the title, and as she was based in Crewe, I started to coach her and by May 2009, she claimed the UK monofin record (DYN) with a 140-metre swim. Up until recently I had always seen the mermaiding side of things as an extension of freediving and breath-hold, but there is an entire industry growing up around it. It is already largely developed in the United States and supports over 1,000 people making a full-time living out of it. So those who describe it as a ‘fad’ haven’t yet grasped the sheer size, scale and, in my opinion, eventual longevity of it. Mermaiding, like scuba, is multi-facetted, and some of the areas are described here.

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Performing mermaid

AQUARIUM PERFORMANCES In the UK we have had several mermaid aquarium shows, which are always popular and increase revenue for the aquariums (in some cases, quadrupling footfall) - and the mermaids love to perform there. With Performancemermaids. com, I have dived as a safety freediver alongside scuba support, and my favourite bit is the reaction of the kids and adults as they see the mermaids swimming around in real

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CORPORATE EVENTS / SPECIAL EVENTS / CHARITY EVENTS Themed corporate events that have their own pool, special events and various festivals have utilised this skill set as something unique to entertain their guests. Personally, I have also been involved in charity events for the St Abbs’ lifeboat station and MacMillan, for example. Some of these are paid, some none paid, depending on the motivation for the show.

FITNESS

Photographing a mermaid in a pool Mermaids need a hand on land!

A few companies are springing up offering mermaid fitness classes. A good monofin workout is fabulous for the core, a lot of swimmers use fins/monofins as part of their training routine, so the mermaid fitness sessions are really catching on, a really fun way to burn calories, increase flexibility and strengthen muscles, especially the core. It is about health, wellness and that feel good factor.

SOCIAL For some, it is simply about enjoyment and meeting new likeminded people. Conventions like the one organised by Jessica Pennington of Merfolk UK are starting to happen, and regular meet ups and clubs. A group of mers is a pod, and there are many pods around the UK now all enjoying their passion. It can be about empowerment, building self-confidence and freedom of expression. For many as well who were brought up around social media, it is a fantastic way of filling their news feed with fun pictures and adventures.

Mermaid photoshoot

life. It creates a genuine buzz in the atmosphere around the entire aquarium, which is very positive, and it also motivates the staff who otherwise have very similar days at work each day. Our latest shows have seen us working alongside Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire. These shows prove particularly popular at times like Christmas and Halloween, where dress up is common.

CHILDREN’S PARTIES One area where there has been a flurry of new businesses and self-employed ‘mers’ getting work is organising and/or performing at children’s parties. Some are in-water mers, so they swim (with lifeguards looking after the children, as they wouldn’t be capable in a tail) and interact with the pool party and swim with the children. They also have dry-side mers, who dress up and play party games with the kids, which doesn’t necessarily have to be pool-based. These have proven very popular as every class of kids in the country are looking for a different party idea, so this has been a lucrative and, at the same time, enjoyable way of earning a living. Companies like Grace Page’s hireamermaid.co.uk have taken the lead here.

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COSPLAY AND ARTISTIC FLAIR Many of the girls have come from a background of artistic flair and theatrical performance -many are singers, they are face painters, they have been dress-up princesses, firebreathers, pole dancers and other forms of expression and art. A lot of these arts don’t pay very well if at all, but they are creative, ingenious, very talented, skilful and flamboyant types of people. Sometimes life isn’t all about money, it is about doing what you love! For many it is about creativity and individuality.

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FREEDIVING REPORT THALASSOPHILES, HYDROPHILES AND AQUATIC BEINGS Some people are just drawn to water and do this because they love it. They love the seas and oceans, they love rivers, beaches and even just being in water in local swimming pools and lidos. I am sure many of the readers here can identify with that. Many of them had childhood dreams of being mermaids through books, stories, pictures and films, and now there is an outlet, the lure is too great to resist. Some have come from a pure freediving background, and these mers tend to be exceptionally talented in the water, able to spend long periods underwater, and swim great distances and really impress the onlooker with their aquaticity.

Tails come in all shapes and sizes Mermaid in Blue Planet Aquarium

AMBASSADORS Some have approached it from a perspective of using their marketability and individuality to raise awareness for ocean clean-ups, shark conservations societies, other marine life charities and help spread the word about conservation, and this cannot be a bad thing trying to convince us all to change our damaging habits.

Scuba clubs can get involved by allowing these mermaids to train and spend time together in club sessions. Many clubs have benefitted from the additional revenue brought in by these groups, and also the extra life they can bring to a club both in the actual sessions and in social media afterwards.

As long as insurance and qualifications and a good risk assessment are in place and breath-hold activities are adequately covered, it is a win-win situation.

SAFETY IN MERMAIDING

Mermaiding takes some practice

Pool training session

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Anyone thinking of doing any breath-hold aspect in mermaiding should sign up for a freediving course. This gives the entry-level skills to develop ability, technique and learn how important safety in freediving and mermaiding is. The thing is for those who haven’t done one, and don’t understand the dangers of practicing untrained or passing small snippets of information between each other, is simply this - you don’t know what you don’t know. Pick a reputable and experienced freediving and mermaid school such as performancemermaids. com or freediveuk.com.

Qualifications can give access to freediving and scuba clubs and being part of a club network gives the opportunity to practice those skills in a cohesive and supportive environment with likeminded people. Nowadays pretty much all the pools, aquariums and open water sites require some proof of ability when using breath-holding and especially when using the mono-fin. Those who haven’t asked for one are probably going to fall foul of any situation that highlights this fact, like spot checks or an incident, no matter how small.

Asking for qualifications and insurance shows a good safe mentality.

I hope this gave you a little insight to mermaiding in the UK. It is here to stay, so I’m sure you will see it a beach, dive site or pool session near you soon. n

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In something of a coup, TEKCamp had secured the hottest ticket in town – an exclusive talk on the recent Thailand cave rescue operation delivered by cave divers John Volanthen and Chris Jewell

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After a two-year break, Vobster Quay’s popular tech masterclass event is back and it’s bigger, better and open to everyone.

Jason Brown strapped on his twinset and dived right in…

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON BROWN

T

hey say change is as good as a rest, right? For TEKCamp, Vobster Quay chose to do both - last year saw it take a well-deserved break, followed by a triumphant return in early September sporting a new and improved format. Designed to break through to an even-wider audience wanting to take their first steps into technical diving, TEKCamp 2018 has quite literally reinvented itself.

By now, most divers have heard of TEKCamp. Since it all first started back in 2011, Vobster’s ‘everything about tech under one roof’ event has attracted divers from across Europe and beyond to Vobster Quay in Somerset for a packed schedule of mentoring, skills development, tech talks and fun social elements - all delivered by a dedicated team encompassing some of the biggest names in technical diver training from all the leading tech agencies. Whether you’re just starting out in tech or looking to progress into hardcore seat-of-your-pants exploration, TEKCamp’s organisers pride themselves on delivering a training and development schedule tailored to the individual needs of each and every attendee.

It’s not been plain sailing, though. In many ways, TEKCamp has been a victim of its own success – while it continued to attract repeat visitors, not enough ‘newbies’ (for want of a better word) were taking up the TEKCamp challenge. Something clearly had to change to ensure that fresh blood continued to flow into technical diving. In steps Vobster Quay manager Tim Clements with a bright idea – take all the good bits of TEKCamp, shake it all up and introduce a moreflexible way of attending TEKCamp. Gone was the ‘all or nothing’ approach – attendees could now choose to attend for two days, three days or - for those keen to wring every last drop of fun out of TEKCamp - four full-on days of hardcore masterclass training. The two-day package would be aimed at those new to technical diving, giving them a chance to focus on the basics without the fear of going in too deep (metaphorically speaking).

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Heading in for a dive on a RedBare Olivier van Overbeek and Paul Toomer

Surprisingly simple in principle yet devilishly difficult to master, photogrammetry allows dive teams to construct complex photo-realistic 3D models of dive sites, artefacts and even complete wrecks by capturing thousands of images of the subject area from different angles Adam Wood returns from a CCR trydive

It’s fair to say that the approach seems to have worked. As the sun rose across Vobster Quay on the first day, 33 plucky divers joined a dedicated team of safety divers and instructors for a new and improved TEKCamp 2018. After a morning welcome brief, the attendees broke off into small groups for the first of their masterclass workshops. For the moreseasoned divers staying on for three or four days, this first workshop mostly consisted of applying a bit of spit and polish to existing skills and ensuring that equipment was configured to ensure it wouldn’t hamper further progress.

For some, though, day one was a far-more-nervous affair.

Tempted by the two-day offering, three groups of divers cast off their recreational BCDs and embraced their first-ever experience of technical diving. For these attendees, it was all very new – especially the equipment they’d be using. Using kit kindly loaned to TEKCamp by the good folk at Apeks UK, each group got to try both backmount (twinset) and sidemount configurations, all expertly configured for them by tech supremos Paul Vincent Toomer, Adam Wood, Garry Dallas and Ian France. Extra kit including umbilical torches (an essential accessory for the true tech diver look) and the very latest multigas dive computers were provided by Finnsub and Suunto.

As the first day of TEKCamp drew to a close, attendees relocated to the nearby Talbot Inn for the first of three keynote talks (and liquid refreshment, of course). This first talk promised to be a doozer. In something of a coup, TEKCamp had secured the hottest ticket in town – an exclusive talk on the recent Thailand cave rescue operation delivered by cave divers John Volanthen and Chris Jewell. In an impassioned and non-holds-barred talk lasting a good 90 minutes, attendees got to hear first-hand what really happened on the ground in Thailand. John, in particular, played a key role in the rescue – him and dive partner Rick Stanton were responsible for locating the children on 2 July, 2.5 miles back inside the

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flooded Tham Luang cave system. The rescue wasn’t without its controversies and neither speaker shied away from discussing some of the difficult ‘life or death’ decisions they were forced to make – decisions that could so easily have ended in disaster. After taking questions from the audience, the evening closed with a standing ovation for both divers. All agreed that this was one talk that they’d never forget!

As TEKCamp progressed, so did the complexity of the workshops on offer. On day two, our intrepid band of TEKCamp newbies moved on to more-advanced skills such as long hose donation, light signals and team protocols. Some also elected to take on the ultimate trydive – a dive on a closedcircuit rebreather. TEKCamp had laid on a good selection of units for them to try, ranging from the Poseidon MKVI and AP Diving Inspiration to the popular JJ-CCR and VMS RedBare.

Meanwhile, the more-advanced attendees busied themselves with stage bottle juggling, ascent protocols, tech rescue scenarios and trydives of their own on Bonex scooters.

Come days three and four, the training shifted up a gear with attendees getting stuck into a host of more advanced and unusual workshops. With solid foundations laid on the first two days, the fun really kicks in as the days progress, with attendees getting the opportunity to learn skills that you simply won’t find on offer elsewhere – where else can you learn the ins and outs of a deco trapeze or get a glimpse into the murky world of scientific diving?

New for this year’s TEKCamp was a survey workshop that saw attendees getting to grips with Secchi discs and measuring tapes. Under the guidance of GUE instructors John Kendall and Richard Walker, divers were challenged to survey one of Vobster’s many dive attractions using a combination of initial sketches, accurate measurements, Secchi visibility meters and basic SeaSearch survey techniques. Judging by the enthusiasm, all divers come out of the water with a newfound interest in ‘diving with a purpose’.

Day four saw another new workshop unleashed on the attendees - photogrammetry. Surprisingly simple in principle yet devilishly difficult to master, photogrammetry allows dive teams to construct complex photo-realistic 3D models of John Volanthen in full flow

The industry turned out in force

Black-out line drills

dive sites, artefacts and even complete wrecks by capturing thousands of images of the subject area from different angles. Sophisticated software then takes all these frames and generates a 3D model. The results really have to be seen to be believed. Done well, you’ll end up with a breathtaking representation of an underwater subject. Done badly, you’ll end up with an unrecognisable mess. Thankfully for us all, experienced photogrammetry masters Kieran Hatton and John Kendall were on hand to take attendees step by step through the process. After just one dive, they’d all managed to create clearly recognisable 3D models of their target objects.

Judging by the smiles all round as TEKCamp 2018 came to a close, it was clear that everyone had an absolute blast.

We cornered Crystal McJarrow to get her take on the event.

Having stumbled across TEKCamp quite by accident, attending TEKCamp was a real leap of faith for this 24 year old from South Africa. “I loved the vibes! Everyone was super friendly, helpful and wanting to help a fellow diver out. There was a great respect for everyone, and it was so humbling to see.

I really fell part of the tech family being completely new to it. Having never attended an event like this before, all I can say is that it was absolutely amazing! Awesome people, epic diving, organised staff, lots of learning and laughing! And just overall FUN! I will definitely be back for TEKCamp 2020.” n

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What’s New

COSTA DEL MAR UNTANGLED COLLECTION (SRP: £249-£269)

FATHOM CARBON DRYSUIT (SRP: £1,099)

Introducing Fathom’s firstever telescopic drysuit to the range, Carbon.

Manufactured using double textured ripstop nylon fabric with an inner layer of butyl, which provides warmth and soft comfort, it has been designed inhouse and uses bias cut to maximise the stretch and flexibility of every suit. It is fitted with ribbed boots for extra thermal protection, and a YKK zipper for ultimate strength – and no worry of rusting zips.

Available in both female and male sizing, the Carbon Drysuit also has an elasticated waist and internal elasticated braces, so you can truly fit this suit to your body. Every Carbon Drysuit is supplied with hose, hood and Akona bag.

NB: The Carbon Drysuit is a made-to-order suit to fit you.

If your size is not available, contact the team at Fathom Diving. www.fathomdiving.com

Costa Del Mar have joined the fight against abandoned fishing nets in our oceans with the new Untangled Collection range.

The firm works with Bureo, which collects discarded fishing nets from commercial fishing ports in Chile and recycles them into pellets – these pellets are then moulded into stylish, eyecatching sunglass frames.

There are four versions – the Baffin, the Caldera, the Pescador, and the Victoria – which are all available with a selection of lens types, colours and materials. www.costadelmar.com 82

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

ZEAGLE SCOPE DUAL (SRP: £69.95)

The Zeagle Scope Dual is the only dual-lens mask with a patented 100 percent submerged subframe with exposed silicone for increased protection.

Like its Mono sibling, it is a low-volume mask which benefits from a large nose pocket and a wide field of vision. It has a soft-touch silicone face seal for optimal comfort, and a one-button thumb-operated buckle for simple and easy adjustment. It also folds flat, so perfect as a travel or back-up mask. It can be fitted with interchangeable optical lenses.

What makes the mask stand out from the crowd is the elastic ‘ski-mask-style’ strap, with a built-in snorkel keeper. It comes standard with a grey elastic strap, but there are multiple colour options available with the strap/ lens retainer for those who want to brighten up their kit. www.zeagle.com

FOURTH ELEMENT HYDRO LEGGINGS (SRP: £69.90) OceanPositive Hydro Leggings, made using recycled nylon from abandoned fishing nets, are designed for use in and out of the water, ideal to wear as a UV shield for watersport activities (they offer an SPF of 30+ when wet) and to protect against stingers. Images of fishing nets and water reflections have been merged to create a visually stunning pattern which gives a nod back to the garments’ origins. Great for snorkelling, surfing, SUP, yoga and more, or pair with an OceanPositive Hydroskin top for the perfect dive skin for tropical waters.

Available in turquoise/petrol, blue/navy, or solid black. www.fourthelement.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

SNORKLEAN (SRP: US$399 FOR 250 IN FIVE DIFFERENT COLOURS)

Snorklean is the world’s first protective sleeve for diving and snorkelling. Co-founder Ixone Elosegui explained: “Snorklean was born with the purpose to bring a solution to a lack of hygiene when sharing diving regulators and snorkelling mouthpieces. The idea originated when we started practicing snorkelling in the South East Asia after been expatriated to China for our jobs. Enjoying the underwater wonders was so beautiful, but the moment we had to put the rented mouthpieces in our mouths was hard. We wondered why nobody had created anything to solve it, so we decided to do it ourselves.

“As a result of deep research on mouthpieces and the regulator market, we reached a multi-purpose design for both diving and snorkelling, creating different models for different shape of mouthpieces - short bite, long bite and more coming soon – in five bright, vibrant colours.”

The Snorklean is made from liquid silicone, and is quick and easy to slot over a mouthpiece. It will primarily be of interest to dive centres and shops with a rental fleet of equipment (the 250 Snorkleans come in a selection of colours in a display box), but as the liquid silicone is softer and more-comfortable than rubber, it will also appeal to some personal snorkellers and divers. Each Snorklean comes in resealable bag for storage, and when it reaches the end of its lifespan, it is 100 percent recyclable. www.snorklean.com

MARES PRIME (SRP: £236) The Prime is Mares’ entry-level BCD, and follows the traditional jacket-style format. It is made from Cordura 420 for strength and durability, yet still only weighs in at 2.8kg.

It is equipped with five heavy-duty technopolymer D-rings, two large cargo pockets, and it also has stowage for the octopus regulator and the pressure gauge. It can be upgraded to feature integrated weights as an option. www.mares.com

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Gear Guide

THIS ISSUE: BUDGET FINS

Each month, the SCUBA DIVER test team assembles to rate and review a selection of dive equipment from a range of manufacturers. Products are split into price categories and are then evaluated for performance, comfort, ease of use, build quality, looks and value for money. The Test Team comprises Editor in Chief Mark Evans and a squad of volunteers, whose dive experience ranges from a couple of hundred dives to well over 6,000.

BUDGET FIN (UNDER £75)

This issue, we kick off our group tests of fins, this time looking at the budget end of the range. Fins are one of the most-important parts of a diver’s kit, as without them you will not be going anywhere! A set of fins is very personal, and once people find a fin they like, they can end up being very loyal. A good pair of fins needs to fit well, be comfortable, easy to get on and off, and work with a variety of fin strokes.

With each pair of fins, we looked at ease of donning and doffing, comfort of the foot pocket, and what power/control they provided in a selection of fin strokes, including a ‘normal’ finning action, frogkick, back kick, helicopter turns, etc.

In this price bracket, all the fins follow the paddle fin approach, albeit some with a few little tweaks (vents, etc).

ON TEST THIS MONTH: • AQUA LUNG EXPRESS ADJ • MARES AVANTI SUPERCHANNEL • SCUBAPRO JET SPORT • SHERWOOD ELITE 84

Location: Tested at Vivian Dive Centre, Llanberis

www.viviandivecentre.com

Date tested: 20/9/2018 Water temp: 9 degrees C WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG EXPRESS ADJ | SRP: £70 The Aqua Lung Express Adj are a well-made, robust pair of fins. They have a good, solid feel to them and are a pretty hefty pair of fins. According to literature from Aqua Lung, the core of the Express Adj is a highly elastic ‘armadillo’ hinge at the base of the blade, which absorbs energy during the power stroke and releases at the end of the kick cycle to maximise thrust.

The rubber side ribs channel water the length of the fin, minimising wasted energy from the spill-over effect.

The spring straps are equipped with a large thumb loop and make putting the fins on and off very easy.

The Aqua Lung Express Adj fins are large, solid paddle fins, and they do indeed generate a serious amount of thrust - especially with a normal fin stroke - but you do need strong leg muscles to get the best out of them.

Frogkicking and back kicking are possible, though with fins this long, it can be a little awkward. The spring strap with the huge thumb loop is a joy to use. Well made and built to last. Good-looking pair of fins. www.aqualung.com/uk

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 2.66kg per pair | STRAP: Metal spring with thumb loop VERDICT: Well-made, durable, good-looking fins at a decent price - you just need strong leg muscles to get the best out of them due to the sheer size of that blade.

SCORE

••••••••

MARES AVANTI SUPERCHANNEL | SRP: £66 Mares Avanti fins of one form or another appear to be the staple footwear of instructors and Divemasters around the world. The Avanti Superchannels are the entry-level model, yet their price tag belies their looks they look far more expensive.

They have the classic three-channel Avanti design to force the water off the end of the fin and give added propulsion and they have a bungee strap complete with large thumb loop for easy donning and doffing.

I had to check the price point of the Superchannels as I genuinely thought they were in the wrong price bracket.

They are a good-looking, well-made fin, and feel like they will last plenty of years of hard diving.

The thrust with a normal fin stroke is impressive, but they are also great for frogkicking. Despite being quite long and broad, they are also easy to back kick or make helicopter turns.

The rubber bungee and thumb loop makes getting them on and off a simple matter. Fab price, fab fins. www.mares.com

CHOICE 2018 GROUP TEST

FINS

BEST VALUE 2018 GROUP TEST

FINS

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.89kg per pair | STRAP: Rubber bungee & thumb loop VERDICT: Well-made, robust and good-looking fins with that classic Avanti flair. Plenty of thrust in all fin strokes, and easy to get on and off thanks to the rubber bungee. Great price point.

SCORE

••••••••••

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

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SCUBAPRO JET SPORT ADJUSTABLE | SRP: £73 Scubapro have a great reputation for making top-quality dive kit, and the Jet Sports continue this tradition. They blend the vent design from the more-expensive Twin Jet Max with a broad paddle section.

According to Scubapro, the blade is a tri-material design featuring a pair of soft rubber panels framed in semistiff plastic and flanked by thin side rails, producing just the right amount of flex.

There are also drag-reducing vents between the blade and the foot pocket to decrease resistance on both up and down strokes.

The Jet Sport is equipped with a traditional rubber adjustable heel strap, with pinch-release clips.

The Scubapro Jet Sport Adjustable fins are quite large units, but the foot pocket is very comfortable and the non-slip bottom works well. I would trade the traditional rubber heel straps for a stainless or rubber bungee version, which makes donning/doffing a lot easier.

The design combining a blade with vents works well, and generates great power in all fin strokes. www.scubapro.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.89kg per pair | STRAP: Rubber adj with pinch-clips VERDICT: Robust, well-made fins with plenty of thrust, though the clever design means it doesn’t feel too hard to push that blade through the water. They are good-looking to boot.

SCORE

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DIVE IN THE FAST LANE

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OVERVIEW In conjunction with Techwise and PADI , Nautilus will be offering instructor training on the Suex ADV range of scooters.

Specific training for the Suex range will use the Suex ADV Speciality Outline and is a comprehensive overview of the range including basic operations, care and handling.

Contact Nautilus on the below details if you or your school are interested in partaking

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SHERWOOD ELITE | SRP: £59 The Sherwood Elites were the cheapest fins on test in this price bracket, but they didn’t look out of place with their rivals in terms of looks.

According to Sherwood, the Elites are ‘lightweight, with a high-performance dual-composite fin blade featuring full-length power rails and a central flex channel’ The fins feature a stretchable silicone heel strap with a thumb loop.

The Sherwood Elite fins are quite eye-catching, especially in this black/yellow combo, and they blend vents with flexible panels in a large blade. However, despite being a decent size, they are indeed very lightweight.

They are easy to get on and off thanks to the silicone heel strap, and you could grab the loop even with thick gloves on.

They provided reasonable power in all fins strokes, but it was noticeably less than the other fins on test here. They would probably work well with a wetsuit, and the light weight means they would be good for travelling divers. www.fathomdiving.com

TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: 1.67kg per pair | STRAP: Silicone strap with thumb loop VERDICT: The Sherwood Elite fins are lightweight and comfortable, and easy to get on and off. Not as powerful as some of the other fins, but a bargain for the price.

SCORE

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•••••••

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

e h t f o Power

E V A W aqualung.com | @aqualungdivers

HYDRO POWER VENT imp rove s k ic k e ffic ie n c y to ma x imise yo u r e n e rg y

CHANNELING SYSTEM o p t imise s k ic k sta b il it y w it h co n t ro l le d co mfo r t

WAVE RIB TECHNOLOGY p ro p e l s you r p ower a n d p e r fo rm an ce

VERDICT

It is interesting to see how the fin market changes from year to year. It doesn’t seem two minutes since everything was ‘split’, but now the good old paddle fin definitely seems to be back in vogue, at least at the budget end of the scale.

The Best Value was a battle between the Mares Avanti Superchannels and the Sherwood Elites. The Elites are very lightweight, so ideal for travelling, but they lack the sheer power and thrust that the Superchannels can develop. Plus, the Superchannels were extremely well made and look like they cost a lot more. An absolute bargain at £60, and well deserving of the title.

The Choice Award once again saw the Mares Avanti Superchannel lay down the gauntlet to the Aqua Lung Express Adj and the Scubapro Jet Sport Adjustable.

Both of the latter had some plus points - the Express is very well made and looks great, and the Jet Sport provides a solid amount of thrust - but in the end, the build quality, performance and comfort of the Mares Avanti Superchannels just saw it edge ahead of its rivals.

A close run thing - all three are superb fins - but the Superchannels made it a double-whammy.

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WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

Test Extra

MIFLEX XT-TECH | SRP: £22.46-£42

John Kendall: I can’t believe that I’m about to write a review about a hose, but your esteemed editor-inchief Mark Evans asked me to, so here goes…

What do I want from a diving hose? In its most-basic form, I simply want to have some way of moving gas from my first stage to my second stage. Based on this, almost anything should work, so what is the difference between different hose types? When Miflex first released their braided hoses, I was not convinced that they were solving a problem that actually existed compared to normal rubber. Over time, and through using a few myself and having dozens of them come to my classes, I decided that I really didn’t like them very much. They seemed abrasive, floaty and easy to get tangled. They had some good points about weight and flexibility, but in my opinion at the time, I didn’t feel that they gave enough benefit over standard rubber hoses.

About two years ago I had a conversation with Peter Wilson from Miflex about my thoughts on their range of hoses and he went away with a thoughtful look. About six months later he called me over and handed me an envelope containing the-then ‘top secret’ new prototype Miflex hose. The new hose (now known as the Miflex XT-Tech) had the same braided look as the original Miflex, but now had a shiny coating around the hose. My first impressions were that the hose looked good. The black braid with a grey highlight underneath the transparent coating had a better appearance than the originals.

Now, after 18 months of using it on one of my rigs, the hose has proved itself to be exactly what I want from a hose - it doesn’t kink too easily, it is not too stiff, yet not too flexible, and it doesn’t cause any issues with abrasion. They have a quality feel to them and don’t float too much, either. All in all, I like them, and would happily use more of them on my other rigs.

The XT-Tech hose, which is a multi-layer design that has a polyether-based PU thermoplastic inner liner, braiding of polyester and Kevlar, and an outer smooth layer of thermoplastic, which is teamed up with sea-water-resistant electroless nickel-plated brass fittings, is available for regulators in various lengths - 25cm, 56cm, 60cm, 71cm, 75cm, 80cm, 90cm, 100cm, 120cm, 150cm and 210cm – and come in re-usable drybag packaging. You can also get BCD/ inflator XT-Tech hoses in lengths 56cm, 60cm, 65cm, 75cm and 90cm. www.miflexhoses.co.uk

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WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

Long Term Test HALCYON INFINITY Mark Evans: Halcyon are past masters when it comes to backplateand-wing systems, and the Infinity follows this trend. Made from 1000-denier DWR urethane-coated nylon, with a tough 400-denier nylon inner bladder, the Infinity comes in a nine, 14 or 18kg lift capacity, with either a stainless steel or aluminium backplate (standard or small). The system also includes a single-tank adapter, and it uses the innovative Cinch QuickAdjust Harness set-up for ease of use. It also comes fitted with ACB integrated weight pockets. www.halcyon.com

MOMENTUM DEEP 6

INFORMATION Arrival date: October 2018 Suggested retail price: £777 Number of dives: 0 Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins

MARES QUAD AIR Mark Evans: The Mares Quad Air benefits from having a big, clear display, with decentsized digits for those with iffy vision. Yes, colour screens are currently taking the market by storm and are undoubtedly very bright and clear, but it has to be said that the old-school dotmatrix display on the Quad Air is exceptionally easy to read, even in lousy conditions where the vis is less than perfect. www.mares.com 94

Mark Evans: Any self-respecting dive watch needs to have a proper uni-directional rotating bezel on the front, and with the Deep 6 it is nice and chunky, and easy to get hold of even with a gloved hand.

In the orange and black colour scheme as on test, it really stands out, but the blue version is also eye-catching INFORMATION Arrival date: June 2018 - and there is a black one for those who don’t want to Suggested retail price: £195 Number of dives: 7 be so colourful!

Time in water: 6 hrs 25 mins www.nautilusdiving.co.uk

ZEAGLE SCOPE MONO

INFORMATION Arrival date: May 2018 Suggested retail price: £318 Number of dives: 17 Time in water: 16 hrs 25 mins

Mark Evans: The Scope Mono has a lovely soft skirt, but the first thing which captures your attention when you take it out of the box is that innovative elasticated strap, which closely resembles that seen on ski or jet ski goggles. It is so comfortable and easy to use, even with thick gloves or drygloves on, it is hard to understand why it INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 has not been adopted Suggested retail price: £59.95 by more manufacturers Number of dives: 3 before now.

Time in water: 2 hrs 25 mins www.zeagle.com WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

AQUA LUNG ROGUE

FINNSUB 20D AND COMFORT HARNESS

Mark Evans: The Rogue is all about being stripped back to basics, but unlike the Outlaw, it is equipped with built-in, dropdown pockets, which are not massive but plenty big enough for a small DSMb and spool, a back-up torch, or similar-sized accessories. It also has grommet connections for attaching a dive knife, and an octo-holder loop. All of this just adds to its usability, and helps keep it all neat and tidy up front, with minimal clutter, but at the same time providing the user with the bare necessities they would like INFORMATION Arrival date: August 2018 out of a lightweight backSuggested retail price: £455 inflate BCD. Number of dives: 18 www.aqualung.com/uk Time in water: 17 hrs 55 mins

APEKS RK3 HD Mark Evans: The RK3 HDs have accompanied me on a few more dives UK testing dives this month, and I continue to enjoy the experience. They are comfortable on my foot, yet generate plenty of thrust when I need it. The HD’s extra stiffness definitely gives it an edge over the standard version, but they still don’t weight a ton, so when I take them on a foreign assignment, they don’t eat up too much of my weight allowance. Also, their compact size means they don’t take up too much INFORMATION Arrival date: April 2018 room in the bag either. And Suggested retail price: £120 I love the orange colour as Number of dives: 14 well!

Time in water: 13 hrs 25 mins www.apeksdiving.com/uk WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM

Mark Evans: Exciting times ahead!

We shoehorned the Finnsub 20D and Comfort Harness into Long Term Test but just as it was about to be shipped to us, the UK distributors found out that the company is redesigning the current model with a new shaped bladder and other additional features, so rather than start reviewing the ‘old’ one, we are going to hang fire for a month so we INFORMATION Arrival date: September 2018 can get our mitts on one Suggested retail price: £579 of the brand-spanking-new Number of dives: 0 ones.

Time in water: 0 hrs 0 mins www.finnsub.com

AQUASKETCH MINNO 1

Mark Evans: I have never been a big user of slates, to be honest. I could see the value in having one, but found it a faff to try and store one in a BCD pocket (especially when using a system with no pockets!). However, the Aquasketch is a great bit of kit - with it mounting on your forearm, whether in a drysuit or wetsuit, it is there when you need it, but not getting in the way when you aren’t using it.

The pencil mounts snuggly inside the body, and you INFORMATION Arrival date: February 2018 can easily swap out the Suggested retail price: £35 ‘rolling’ paper scroll when Number of dives: 18 you fill it up.

Time in water: 17 hrs 45 mins www.aquasketch.co.uk 95

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Next month’s issue: Next issue available 9th Nov

TORBET TALKS TELEVISION

ABOVE 18M: DORSET

Q&A WITH STUART COVE

TECHNICAL: TWINS V SIDEMOUNT

PHILIPPINES’ PUERTO GALERA

GEAR GUIDE: MID-RANGE FINS

Andy Torbet discusses the challenges of filming in deep/overhead environments We talk sharks, wrecks and Hollywood with the Bahama-based dive legend.

Al Hornsby is mesmerised by the rich diversity of marine life he discovers.

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Stuart Philpott explores the brand-new Underwater Curiosity Park in Portland.

We look at the pros and cons of twinsets v sidemount with RAID’s Garry Dallas Fins from £75-£100 are rated and reviewed by the Scuba Diver Test Team

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URCHIN URCHINDIVE DIVE

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97

MEGHAN HEANEY-GRIER

ANNOUNCED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER The GO Diving team is excited to reveal that world-class freediver, adventurer, stuntwoman and TV presenter – and not forgetting a Mum twice over – Meghan Heaney-Grier will be appearing at the February 2019 show

#GODiving

M

hunting expeditions in South America that were later featured ehgan Heaney-Grier is a life-long adventurer on the Discovery Channel series, Treasure Quest: Snake who specialises in pushing boundaries and Island. Most recently, Mehgan was Series Host and Executive thrives on personal challenges. Her drive and Producer for a documentary web series called A Rising passion for the ocean helped her establish the Tide. The series featured the journey of eight high-school first US freedive record for both men and women in the students on scholarship from Colorado, as they earned their constant weight category in 1996, with a dive to 47m on a scuba certifications, got an introduction marine science and single breath of air. learned about current ocean issues. For the series, Less than one year later she bettered that record Mehgan mentored and worked one-on-one with a dive to over 50m. In 2000, Mehgan with the students, helping to foster their was one of the original inductees into connection to the sea and gain a better the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame for her understanding of the impact we all have leadership and outstanding contribution on the ocean - and most importantly, to the field of diving. She holds the positive difference we can all a degree in Ecology Evolutionary make, no matter where we live.

Biology, and Anthropology, and has Follow us on social media Mehgan’s love of freediving and worked in the field with sharks, at /godivingshow to get the ocean environment ignited alligators and other marine and landthe latest updates on the a strong passion for science, based predators more than 20 years. show – use the hashtag conservation, and exploration from An accomplished athlete, stunt #GODiving a young age. Today, these passions diver, television personality, and continue to fuel and give substance marine conservationist, Mehgan is a to her pursuit of water and land-based strong female figure and a positive role adventures. Through mentoring and her work model for youth around the world. She has with a variety of non-profit organizations, Mehgan been featured in publications worldwide such as is dedicated to doing what she can to be ‘part of the Life, People, and Outside magazines, and has starred-in solution’ when it comes to raising awareness about issues and appeared on hundreds of television shows. important to her, like the critical health and future of the Hollywood films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, and Into world’s oceans. n the Blue, have utilised Mehgan’s underwater expertise to See Meghan at GO Diving at the Ricoh Arena on 23/24 perform difficult underwater stunts for leading ladies such as February 2019 – head to www.godivingshow.com to find Keira Knightly, Jessica Alba, and Olivia Wilde. Starting in 2015, out more details and to book early bird tickets!

Mehgan worked as the team Divemaster for two treasure-

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