Scubashooters net e mag issue n28 jun 2017

ISSUE

N°28 J U N 2017

PORTFOLIO

Vania Kam

UW TOUR IN THE PHILIPPINES

by D. S alvatori

HIGH PRESSURE AND DIVING

by DAN Europe

GREAT WHITE SHARK

by S. R iccardo

NIMAR & SONY Housing review

2° MARES UWP MARATHON

by D. Lombroso

CRITTER CORNER clownfish

by J. Fifer

Dear friends, This month I would like to introduce you a new branding project, a new initiative to bring sea conservation and underwater photography under the lights of international scene thanks to a group of international female photographers from Italy, USA, Malaysia, Taiwan and China. Mrs Isabella Maffei, Mrs Beth Watson, Mrs Ipah Uid, Mrs Yuping Chen and Mrs Violet Ting have merged and will bring around an important message to protect the ocean. Born after the initial inspiration from Mr Zul Ng from Singapore this group of international and well known and talented UW photographers decided the name had to be Meet the ocean ladies ( MTOL )... By adding the word “Meet” they wanted to underline that everyone will be able to meet them at specific events that will tale place around the globe at specific times of the year, they will not “hide” behind a computer using only social medias to promote their message but will be available during these events to share their experiences, their talents and their inspiration.

Our sea conservation brand , Scubashooters Blueline has been choosed by them as media partner and we are very proud to be part of the team. So search MTOL and start participating to this new initiative.

Stay tuned for more.

Marino Palla Owner and Founder Scubashooters Network

Cover image “Shark” By: Vania Kam

C O N T E N T S 3

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EDITORIAL

by Marino Palla

UNDERWATER TOUR IN THE PHILIPPINES (part 2)

by David Savatori

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Physiological responses to high pressure during immersion DAN Europe

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NIMAR Housing Sony α7II - α7RII - α7SII (white)

PORTFOLIO

by Vania Kam

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GREAT WHITE SHARK

by Sergio Riccardo

2nd Mares International Under Water Photo Marathon

CRITTER CORNER: Clownfish

by John Fifer

Editor: FABIO STRAZZI Verein Scubashooters, 8952 Schlieren - Switzerland

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In Lembeh with David and Cristina Do you like traveling and diving? Do you have a passion for marine biology and under water photography? Then join David Salvatori and Maria Cristina Di Palma on their trip to the Lembeh Strait, in Indonesia, the undisputed realm of biodiversit y in the Indo-Pacific area!

Save the date for next Februar y 2018, in the beautiful location of the Dabirahe resor t, with special conditions and benefits reser ved exclusively to the members of this group! Sea, diving, professionalism, passion, fun: a "must do" experience!

info: david@ilmaresonoio.com

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(part 2)

Words and Pictures

David Salvatori

TRAVELS

UNDERWATER TOUR IN THE PHILIPPINES

10 The meetings continue, biodiversity ‘of Anilao excites me, the shutter of my camera seems crazy in front of the breathtaking array of prawns, crabs, nudibranchs, frog fish, squid, octopus ... of various types and sizes!

The presence of such talented colleagues stimulates me and wanted to try some shooting, making use of instruments such as the snoot, but also of special camera techniques like backligting and bokeh.

Techniques in which the risk of making a mistake and ‘high but that if executed perfectly can help you bring home click the “different”, of great emotional and artistic impact.

Use backlighting on another subject of my wish list, the hairy frogfish, it meets on the third day of diving at Anilao. It ‘s the right time to try something different, I got to know the local waters and have eliminated the rust accumulated in 6 months of inactivity’ underwater: the result satisfies me!

To five days and ‘time to pack your bags, on 11 July and’ in fact scheduled to leave for the second leg of the trip. We start very early in the morning on the boat that takes us to Puerto Galera, from today and for the next five days we will be guests of Μarco Vincent Resort.

Puerto Galera is the largest municipality in the northwest of the province of Oriental Mindoro. Is located at the southwestern end of the Verde Island Passage, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Manila. The travel time

from Manila to Batangas by land is about 2 hours and then by ferry transfer from Batangas to Puerto Galera lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Puerto Galera, which literally means “port of galleons,” has gained its popularity around the 16th century, when the mercantile and maritime vessels used its natural harbors as safe shelter during storms and typhoons.

Puerto Galera is a rich tropical island that has begun to attract divers since 1980, thanks to the great biodiversity of its depths.

The island has more than 40 dive sites, with a wide range of diversity ‘and type.

As mentioned, we are guests of Puerto Galera Marco Vincent Resort, a beautiful resort created on the famous White Beach, an ideal place for any avid underwater photographer!

We are greeted by Kristian Mears , Global Sales & Marketing Executive of the structure, and its amazing staff. This resort has 38 rooms, a swimming pool, 3 restaurants, a dive shop with adjacent room for safekeeping of photographic machine, the classroom courses PADI and the pool for the practical work.

The resort is named after the two sons of the owners. This resort is ideal especially for beginners divers because the diving center has a dedicated pool where all those who want to start diving can enjoy the security of a group dive in shallow waters and confined, and under the careful supervision of a expert guide.

Every day for the next 5 days, we will go on an excursion to the best dive sites in Puerto Galera guests of the resort boat MV “Big Bet” Safari, a boat with a spacious deck for divers and 4 cabins with beds and air conditioning to relax between swims. The “Big Bet ‘and’ without doubt the best dive boat I’ve ever used in daily scuba releases!

During the 5 days in Puerto Galera, Kristian takes us aboard the “Big Beth” on

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14 Jane, Giant Clams, Secret Bay Ship Yard, The Desert. These sites provide us with photographic possibilities of each type: environment photography in Green Island and Canyons, with huge sea fans, immense clouds of anthias and turtles, and the Alma Jane Wreck, with large bat fish.

Muck diving and macro gogo ‘Giant Clams, Secret Bay, Ship Yard and The Desert White Beach, with sightings of all types to stand out at the end of the stay exceptional encounters with the Blue Ring Octopus and electric engines, the Wonderpus, the coconut and Flamboyant cuttlefish.

The first day of diving in Puerto Galera (sixth of my tour) starts with a bang, I can shoot another subject that I had never seen in my life, Wonderpus (Octopus photogenicus); the curious cephalopod, after some initial hesitation, accepted the prolonged interaction and allows himself docile and friendly to my goal, even allowing me a few close-up shots with the snoot.

Our stay in Puerto Galera is blessed by good weather conditions that make excellent, the sea and ‘calm and sightings are multiplying.

The surprises that the Underwater Dream Tour in the Philippines has for us to continue to arrive, the second day in Puerto Galera (the seventh day of my trip) we start very early in the morning, Green Island destination, biodiversity kingdom coralligenous and paradise environment photographers. Green Is-

land is an hour and a half by boat from the port of Puerto Gallera and forms with Anilao and Puerto Galera itself the Coral Triangle.

I am already ‘been here in 2012, but honestly I had no memory of the impressive number of different species of healthy corals can be found here in one square meter! Totally amazing and surprising! Once again we have calm seas and we are blessed with ideal weather conditions.

The point of immersion where we planned to dive is known for the extreme variety of coral and the large amount ‘of fish, as well as for the presence of sometimes very strong currents.

We start therefore prepared to swim very strong at first and then be carried away by the current, but the unexpectedly calm sea allows us to enjoy a very easy and relaxed dive! At every point of our dive, we find ourselves immersed in clouds of Anthias fish colorful, which perfectly complete the panorama of multi-colored corals.

After a moment of wonder and confusion typical of situations where you have too many photographic opportunities and you end to end shortly, the second dip allows me to obtain wide-angle shots that well make the wealth and fervor of life.

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18 Back then satisfied to the port of Puerto Galera to close the day with another dive dedicated to macro photography. And here, as if the Green Island emotions were not enough, we are blessed with exceptional encounters, among them being the sighting of Blue Ring Octopus, sixth creature in my personal list of the 10 most creatures’ sought. I try to take the octopus with the largest number of possible shots, thinking that this occasion would be unique and

unrepeatable.

In fact, rincontrerò octopus Blue Ring every day until the end of my stay, specimens of greater size and more confident, which I grant other incredibly close-ups!The third day in Puerto Galera (eighth day of my trip) Kristian has plans for us even two dives dedicated to the wide angle, the first on the Alma Jane Wreck.

The wreck ‘resting on a sandy bottom in sailing position, and is easily accessible. We enter the wreck without difficulty, and just outside on the deck we find a big bat fish counter that creates a spectacular image with structures of the wreck, and take a picture to be admired!

At the end of immersion, while I make my safety stop under the Big Bet, a gentle stream brings to me a multitude of pelagic mollusks. They are all of small size, not suitable to my wide angle lens. At one point, I see coming toward me a big sea butterfly: the shot that I take home and ‘the icing on the cake of an unforgettable dive!

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Our second dive is “Canyons”, a famous reef for the huge sea fans, for soft corals, for the many shoals of fish and of course because of the strong current that brings life to the reef. A fantastic dive where the whole group creates stunning photographs to use as a calling card for these places rich in life!

To accompany us on our tour around this reef, a large turtle swimming placid and quiet with us proving to accept our presence.

Going back to the resort, Kristian offers us a night dive with departures from White Beach; once again we are rewarded with exhilarating encounters with coconut octopus who have chosen as accommodation for more ‘extravagant items, and then again flamboyant cuttlefish, blue ring octopus, and sea horses in various sizes and colors.

Fourth day in Puerto Galera, the ninth and last day of stay in the extraordinary Marco Vincent Resort: we decide to grant a large macro photography with the final three dives all in the same spot, our special dive site in front of the White Beach that much luck there It resulted in the days before the meeting so many special creatures to photograph.

And as in any happy end, Puerto Galera decides to greet in a special still giving us a great meeting, with the rare Blue Ring Octopus electric engines.

And ‘July 16, and’ time to go home, fly away from Manila and the rest of the group continues the tour. While I get home, I make a budget and reflections

22 on this trip. If I close my eyes, I see the enthusiasm and the great interest of these people for scuba diving and underwater photography.

An interest involving a huge user base, and now moves to the Philippines a mass tourism from all over South East Asia.

And this movement and ‘still expanding, involving young and enterprising energies, attracting local and foreign investment, provides lifeblood to business initiatives thick that give credibility and attractiveness to the professions related to maritime tourism.

The industry of diving and ‘a reality’ economic in the Philippines, and the pleasant impression that I received and ‘that is conducted in harmony with the Oriental culture.

The two resort that hosted me are two great reality ‘of the area with quality targets absolutely comparable to the best European standards, but the conduct of the activities’ daily gave me an impression of serenity’, the right balance between business and people.

I do not have absolutely had the perception of Westerners stress, the anxiety that grips this day our working world.

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26 I have seen people work with enthusiasm, feeling part of a team, or better yet a family, where everyone has a role, knows what to do and it ‘appreciated. I have seen people believe in what he does and smile while doing it, what happens to me to see less and less in my reality ‘.

I’ve seen people come from all corners of Southeast Asia and show a huge enthusiasm for underwater photography, eager to learn, participate and share.

I saw these people treat us as a football star, and this has given importance to my role here in the Philippines, making me feel ambassador of biodiversity ‘navy of this country, its real wealth and great asset.

Forbid, participation, sharing: these values are fundamental if we want to think of a new economic model that reconciles respect for the environment, economic growth and social development.

That concludes my report on the Philippines, I feel very lucky to have been invited to be part of this amazing group of talented photographers and to have witnessed the opportunities’ that diving is creating in corners of the world like the Philippines.

I want to publicly thank my dear friend Jerome Kim for the organization of the first Underwater Dream Tour. I’m going home with the knowledge that in the Philippines the eco-diving is a real and concrete hope for economic and social growth.

PS: all the photos in this article were made exclusively during the 9 days of diving in the Philippines. They are just a selection of all the shots made, and biodiversity that this selection bears witness to and ‘the best business card that I could accomplish for the Philippines, its sea and its wonderful people.

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Physiological responses to high pressure during immersion The body’s physiological response to high pressure during immersion.

Have you ever been bothered by any of this during your scuba dive? Gettin’ narced, equalization problems, the urge to relieve yourself, or headaches after diving?

Gettin’ narced Some love the feeling but not everybody experiences it – the narcotic effect of nitrogen, famous for depths at or beyond 30 meters. Its more poetic name, rapture of the deep, describes it very well.

Signs and symptoms are pretty silly behavior. People mostly have a crazy smile on their faces and show movements similar to drunkenness. Divers often report a sense of joy, wellbeing or euphoria.

People are not equally susceptible and, besides this individual difference, the effects it can also differ in the same individual from one day to the other.

Generally you can say: the rapture of the deep is triggered by an increased nitrogen partial pressure which interferes with the communication between nerve cells. When nitrogen partial pressure decreases, the symptoms of the rapture of the deep disappear.

But how does it happen physiologically?

First of all – according to P.B. Bennett – the narcotic effect is believed to be of physical and not of biochemical nature. Its main target is our central nervous system (CNS). It’s probably best explained by the Meyer-Overton-Hypothesis.

Narcosis happens when the inert gas – Nitrogen – penetrates the lipids of the brain’s nerve cells and interferes with the transmission of signals from one nerve cell to the other.

For the nerds among the divers: Nitrogen is making up 78% of our air. On land there is one atmosphere of pressure (i.e. the partial pressure of Nitrogen is 0.78), while at 10m in the water we are breathing under two atmospheres of pressure, meaning twice the pressure (i.e. the partial pressure of Nitrogen is 1.56). With increasing pressure while descending beyond 10m, the partial pressure of nitrogen increases (at 20m it’s 2.34, at 30m it’s 3.12 and so forth).

While some people compare it to the effect of LSD, other smart people compared the mental impairment by nitrogen narcosis to having a martini on an empty stomach.

As any rightminded person wouldn’t drive drunk, you shouldn’t continue diving narced.

To avoid narcosis, it doesn’t help to drink alcohol the evening before the dive or if you feel stressed, overworked or anxious. These factors will all multiply the narcotic effect or trigger it more easily.

Further influencing factors can be hard work, cold water, fear, descent rate, fatigue, illness, medication, obesity, and probably more. Your best life insurance, if you are prone to Nitrogen narcosis, is your dive buddy who just needs to pull you in shallower depths as soon as you start acting weird.

Besides Nitrogen also gases like Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton and Xenon are inert gases and can cause gas narcosis by solving in the nerves’ lipoids and interfering with their electric signals.

The narcotic effect of inert gases depends on the degree of their fat solubility and differs between the different inert gases. Helium has less lipoid solubility and therefore a less narcotic effect. So, deep divers use it. Xenon has the highest lipoid solubility and therefore a high narcotic effect.

It is actually used for anesthesia in medicine. Nitrogen ranges somewhere between these two. It is narcotic under pressure.

Equalization problems Equalizing your ears is what most of us have learned even before they started diving, namely when they had their medical checkup whether they were fit to start scuba diving at all.

The ENT usually asks you to clear your ears.

In scuba diving equalizing is a necessity in order to protect your eardrum, a very subtle membrane in your ear, from bursting due to increased pressure underwater while you are descending.

With a hole in your eardrum you not only hear less but also water can come in and irritate your balance system (which sits in the vestibular organ in your inner ear). Besides, a ruptured eardrum also hurts and will keep you from diving for several months. If not healed properly, you can suffer from permanent hearing loss, vertigo and inflammation. So, better make use of the Eustachian tube inside your skull that connects your ear with your throat and enables you to push air against the inside of your eardrum. This will compensate – or equalize – the pressure from the outside.

DAN EUROPE

This is why the same smart people called it the Martini Effect. If narcosis hits you and no one pulls you back up and you keep descending, then for every subsequent 10-15m the effect on mental impairment is the equivalent of having had one more martini. Narcosis itself is not life-threatening, but your responses to your environment or any equipment problems underwater could be.

32 The deeper you descend, the more pressure will again push on the outer side of your eardrum. This is why you have to repeat the procedure many times when going down. The best is to equalize your ears early enough and often enough!

Since we are all different and some people have difficulties equalizing their ears it is nice to hear there are at least 5 different techniques for equalization. Pick the best for you!

1. Valsalva technique: simplest, well-known technique. Pinch your nose and blow air in it.

2. Toynbee manoeuvre: close your nostrils and swallow. This opens the Eustachian tubes and the tongue movement will push air into them.

3. Frenzel manoeuvre: close your nostrils and the back of your throat and try to make a “k sound”. This needs a bit of practicing.

4. Edmunds technique: tense your soft palate and throat muscles. Push your jaw down and outwards and try the Valsalva. (It’s difficult) 5. Voluntary tubal opening: many freedivers know and use this technique. It needs practicing.

Contract the muscles in your throat and move your jaw downward and forward. It’s a bit like trying not to yawn. By this movement, the Eustachian tubes open up, enabling you to equalize.

If you keep having problems equalizing your ears, you should go to a specialist and have your ears checked. Don’t force anything. You can ‘blow up’ your eardrum. After all, it’s a very fine membrane.

The urge to relieve yourself With submersing into water a lot of physiological changes take place due to changes in temperature, gravity, oxygen absorption and, simply, the dive reflex.

Our cardiovascular system deals with the most important changes while adapting to the “new” environment by a so-called blood shift. Through the increased ambient pressure and its compression on our veins, especially in deeper immersed body parts, the blood of the legs is squeezed towards the body’s core, i.e. the abdomen and chest (if the diver is positioned vertically with head up). Approximately 400 to 800 ml of the venous blood are being shifted this way.

The little capillaries – arterioles that surround the alveoli of the lung – hold this blood like a sponge and act against the pressure. This blood shift irritates the blood volume regulatory circuit.

It activates the sensors but instead of real blood volume increase this is

caused only by a volume shift.

It triggers a whole physiological chain which was described first by Gauer and Henry and therefore called the Gauer-Henry-Reflex: the expansion of the thorax by the volume shift of blood and plasma activates receptors on the heart and the lungs which in turn signal the kidneys – via nerves and hormones – to increase urine secretion.

The overall goal is to relieve the heart.

Because of the surge of blood the heart has to work more which it compensates by a larger stroke volume.

The heart rate stays almost the same.

In short: immersion triggers increased kidney activity and higher urination which leads to dehydration and electrolyte deficiency in the long run.

To compensate for it it is advisable to start hydrating – drinking water – two hours before a dive and also in between dives.

Furthermore, if you have ever encountered headaches after diving, the reason for it might have been one of these: -dehydration -a squeezing mask -too much alcohol the evening before -bad breathing technique while scuba diving (e.g. skip-breathing can accumulate carbon dioxide) -no sleep -sunstroke -overheating -ear/equalization problems caused, for example, by congestion of your sinuses -signs and symptoms of DCS If headaches don’t resolve quickly, you may need to see a doctor.

Enjoy your passion.

We make it possible.

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

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NIMAR

Housing Sony α7II - α7RII - α7SII (white)

NiMAR was established in the ‘80s by leading-edge company in the field of plastics. The passion for photography and underwater video shooting helped NiMAR to become one of the leading Italian manufacturers in this field.

Thanks to the use of high quality materials and a permanent customer service, NiMAR’s items have always been reliable working tools for photographers and camera operators.

NiMAR’s mission is to continue to invest in innovation and research, to develop pioneering solutions because customers’ satisfaction is NiMAR’s best reward.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

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DIMENSIONS Overall dimensions with handles bracket: L. 35cm(13.77”) H.18cm(7.08”) D.14cm(5.5”) Weight with side handles: 2.87kg (6,32lb) IN THE BOX WITH THE HOUSING • • • • • • • • •

Alum. handles bracket with inox screws Spare main seal Bayonet protective cover Soft bag Silicon grease Camera insert slide Silica gel bag Test certificate and warranty User manual

Visit NIMAR website to discover Sony lens port, strobes, lights, brackets, arms and more http://bit.ly/2pQYDIK http://www.nimar.it/en

PREVIEW

SPECS

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PORTFOLIO

Vania Kam

PORTFOLIO

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Vania is an award-winning photographer who was fascinated and mesmerized by the beauty of the underwater world when her parents took her to Guam where she did her first DSD at the age of 14.

She enjoys photography since she was a teenager and she became a certified open water diver in the end of 2009 and has been shooting underwater photos ever since.

Vania is “... a macro and wide-angle shooter, who demonstrates a diverse ability and eye that makes for a dynamic, colorful and bold portfolio.”

Her hard work and dedication gained her 31 local and international photographic awards and her photos are published and exhibited worldwide such as the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice exhibition displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. (on display till September 2017).

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Words and Pictures

Sergio Riccardo

SAVE THE OCEAN

GREAT WHITE SHARK

72 Made famous by Steven Spielberg’s 70s movies, the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is among the most impressive predators of every sea and ocean.

Certainly, in addition to being a predator very large, it is also very clever, managing to camouflaging into the sea thanks to the presence of a dark gray coloration on the back, which makes it cryptic with the seabed when viewed from above, and thanks to the presence of a white belly that makes it cryptic respect to the surface when viewed from below.

In short, a real war machine common in the whole marine world, coastal and pelagic, in temperate and cold-temperate areas between 60 degrees north and south, characterized by a hydrodynamic body, the absence of nictitating membrane, the absence of barbells, two dorsal fins without thorns into the frontal connection, 5 gill slits and the lobes of the tail fin of almost equal length, all characteristics shared by shark species belonging to the Lamnidae family. White sharks are slow-growing fishes and reach sexual maturity late: females at about 14-16 years, when they are at least 4.5 meters long, while males at 8-9 years, to a length of about 3.5 meters.

The maximum age reached by this species is about 30 years. Being top predators at the apex of the food chain and not possessing natural predators, catching specimens below the size of sexual maturity preclude to the animal the ability to reproduce. Furthermore, both the illegal fishing and the trade of shark meat, regulated by Appendix III of CITES, are increasing more and more the

74 practice of finning, namely the removal of fins for the production of the famous shark’s fins soup, so much sold in Asian countries.

All Whites have a mouth in ventral position and teeth shaped similarly arranged in 5 rows, where those in the back rows will go to replace any that break off.

These fishes have no swim bladder and the buoyancy is made possible thanks to the presence of a cartilaginous skeleton and a large oily liver containing squalene, a triterpene that guarantees the fish an almost neutral buoyancy. Furthermore, there’s a strong sexual dimorphism between males and females as in all sharks: the females have a cloaca, while males have two penises calcified called claspers representing extensions of the two pelvic fins.

They are ovoviviparous and give birth to between 2 and 10 pups about 1.5 meters long, after a gestation period of more than 12 months. Among the more developed sensory organs, we include the eyes, which are not protected by a nictitating membrane, but possess retractor muscles that make them rotate 180 degrees during the attack on the prey, in order to protect them from injuries.

Secondly, they have a special organ to detect the electrical currents given by animals, by inanimate objects and the Earth’s magnetic field, which they use at short distances: these are the ampullae of Lorenzini, consisting of numerous small tubes filled with electrically conductive jelly with hairy cells at their base. On the shark, they appear as small black pores, arranged on the head and ventral on the nose.

Finally, the sharks perceive sounds with frequencies between 50 and 150 Hz using the organs of the lateral line, consisting of a series of channels that run along the sides and the head of the fish. Regarding the White’s behavior, there are both dimensional segregations and segregations linked to sex. Let’s take for example the sharks in South Africa that feed primarily of fish, crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, birds but also of fur seals of the Cape, often acting by scavengers on the carcasses of animals. In the area of Gansbaai and Dyer Island, approximately 200 km from Cape Town, individuals are mostly young, between the length of 2 to maximum of 5 meters, and take advantage of this large biodiversity area to switch from a ichthyophagous diet, typical of young specimens, to one based on the pinnipeds of the Cape, typical of adults for the most caloric contribution obtained.

Direct ethological studies are limited at the time of predation, both because it is complicated to follow an animal capable of performing long migrations and for the anthropocentric tendency to study the only time in which the sharks come in contact with the man. Added to this, is the extreme difficulty in holding a specimen of the white shark in captivity.

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Only in June 2003, for the first time, the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, managed to keep a white shark in captivity, but the animal, refusing to eat, died after 10 days. To date there are two models of study: the first based on the surface’s attack behavior of natural prey; the second on the surface’s attack behavior of passive prey.

During the attack of natural prey, the most widely used behavioral modules are: the polaris breach (to grab prey, the shark comes partially or completely out of the water with a vertical posture), the surface breach (the shark comes out of the water at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees to the surface), the lateral breach (the shark comes out of the water at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees to the surface but, missing the prey, is forced to make a lateral twisting of the head) and the inverted breach (the shark comes out of the water upside down on his back, at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees to the surface). Once he caught and stunned the prey, the shark continues with the “secondary research” pulling up alongside to the wounded prey several times to bite her with his lateral front teeth, bending his head toward it. In the case of behavioral studies of attack to passive prey, the functional phases are divided into pre-attack modules or curiosity and attack or aggression, expanding the study also to the moments before the attack.

The behavioral patterns are divided into individual behavior, when carried out by an individual animal, and social, if they are the result of interaction between two or more individuals. Observing, for example, the behavior of a great white shark in front of a whale carcass, we can understand how the

white shark is not a stupid and violent fish, but an animal with complex interactions with its conspecifics with which form temporary social structures, hierarchies based on size and temperament of individuals for access to prey.

The individual behavioral patterns in the presence of a passive prey are: 1. Parading (PAR, swimming in circles): Surface behavior consisting in swimming in circles around a point of interest, typically the prey, to induce it to panic and prey on it as soon as it enters the water, or turning around when the prey is already into the water.

2. Bait follow (BF, tracking prey): the white shark approaches the prey swimming slowly on the surface and, when the prey moves away, the shark follows it without increasing decisively its speed.

3. Breach (BR, vertical attack): it is a behavior of attack from the bottom upwards, so fast as to partially (2/3 of the body) or completely emerge the shark’s body from the water vertically, to a height of almost 3 meters.

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Tail stand (TST, Pointing): the shark remains stationary, immersed, with his body 45-degree upward for at least 1020 seconds, observing the prey on the surface or an object, stopping at 5 cm from it.

5. Spy Hop (SpH, monitoring emersion): lateral surfacing of the head for watching out of the water. This behavior has been observed either in the presence of a vessel or of sea lions on the coast. The seawater remaining on the eye could guarantee him a partial view of the objects out of the water.

6. Visual inspection (VI): the shark approaches a point of interest, either a prey or not, to observe it, swimming closer and closer to it.

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Head-up vertical emerging (H-up, Emersion of the head): the shark maintains a vertical posture, with the head out of the water for 15-25 seconds.

8. Tail Slap (TS): massive tail strike on the water surface that causes big splashes. It can be an attitude against a threat or a competitor, or a quick escape attempt.

9. Repetitive Aerial Gaping (RAG, repetitive aerial bites): keeping the head out of the water, the shark opens and closes the mouth repetitively perhaps to vent frustration after the prey has escaped several times, or to let out air bubbles thus adjusting the trim.

10. Bashing (BAS, attack test): the shark does not just chase the prey, but opens his mouth in an attempt to grab it, coming partly out of the water with the fore body. Generally, he only bites its prey without grabbing it, so leaving

78 it to go. This behavior can be considered a workout in the hunt.

11. Jump over: during high-speed chasing of a prey, the shark intercepts its movements, including those out of the water.

12. Toss is a workout to hunt or even a game. The shark, while hunting, blows up the prey and leaves, letting it running away.

13. Headstand: the shark maintain an upright posture with the head turned to the seabed from 4 to 6 seconds, usually when having a prey in the mouth, to check that there are no other competitor sharks.

It was long thought that the Carcharodon carcharias was a solitary fish and that intraspecific social interactions were very rare. However, the observations during the last twenty years have shown that there is a peaceful relationship to conspecifics and a particularly complex social relationship.

In general, the hierarchies are determined by the size of individuals, but interactions were observed designed to establish or reaffirm the right to eat first.

The observed social behavioral patterns are those classified by Martin: • Swim by (crossing): two white sharks come across, maintaining less than a meter away from each other, without colliding. It can be both a competitive behavior as well as a way to recognize one another.

• Follow give way (queuing and escape): the two sharks swim one behind the other at the same speed, but the shark in front, after a few seconds, changes trajectory.

• Follow (tracking): the two sharks swim one behind the other at the same speed. The subordinated is intimidated by the dominant and, accelerating, goes away. It can also occur between the sexes, with the male following the female to mate.

• Parallel swimming: two sharks swim at the same speed in the same direction, keeping parallel in order to compare sizes and intimidate each other.

The subordinated then accelerates and goes away. It is a behavioral module for accessing to a resource.

• Give way with jaw gape: while the two animals are about to intersect, one of the two goes away, repetitively opening and closing the mouth.

• Splash fight (tail combat): the two white sharks turn tail to tail, violently slamming the water surface. The one causing more splashes will be the dominant.

• Piggybacking (close swimming): the two sharks swim very close and in parallel, one above the other.

It is a form of courtship between opposite sexes.

• Stand back: the two individuals on a collision course deviate simultaneously, creating a stalemate in terms of winners.

• Jaw gape: sign of nervousness or feeling threatened: an individual, therefore, opens and closes the mouth repeatedly.

• Pectoral fin depression: report nervousness and feeling threatened. It can be accompanied by jaw gape. The shark poses his fins to show the black spot on the inside tip.

In short, we well understood that they are animals both individual and social and generally, all of the behaviors and the great white shark attack strategies are highlighted by one sex rather than the other, or by mature rather than immature specimen. Certainly, from the ethological point of view, the putting into practice of a predatory behavior and of attacks, is based on a certain social hierarchy linked to the dominance of a shark on the other, to the animal’s size, to the experience of the fish itself and, often, there is a precise process in the application of ethological processes, where an attitude may, by propensity, precede or follow another.

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84

2nd Mares International Under Water Photo Marathon Big Success for the 2nd Mares International Under Water Photo Marathon (UWPM) 2017 held within the project Underwater Photo Marathon attended by more than 60 competitors coming from many European countries as Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Italy, Portugal, Netherland, Hungary in the pretty city of Punat on Krk Island.

1st place MACRO COMPACT Evgen Suban

Thanks to the excellent organization of the UW Photograph Champion Damir Zurub and RK Roniti Se Mora Diving club with the support of Punat municipality and Oliga Diving Center and Mares as main sponsor, the event met the needs and satisfaction of all photographers.

The program started on Friday May 5th at 18:00LT with the competitors and models check in and verification just in front of Punat port in a delimited area with Mares flag.

On Saturday May 6th after the memory card checks and briefing, all the competitors as for DSLR as for Compact cameras, divided into four boats, sail at 10:00LT to reach Plavnik Island after 1 hour of transfer for the first dive.

Dive 1, 90min time to take pictures at own competitor choose, before a couple of hours for lunch and break.

Dive 2, 90 min time to take pictures different from dive 1.

During the boat transfer back to Punat all the memory cards have been returned to be downloaded by organization in their comput2nd place MACRO COMPACT Anton Prekalj

3rd place MACRO COMPACT Marco Fantin

On Sunday morning, the jury composed by Danijel Ferka, Goran Butajla and Damir Zurub started the hard work of viewing over 150 images presented and after about 5 hours the final ranking was published.

In the category DSLR absolute winner

Portuguese Nuno Goncalves (best macro image in the single theme) who had the opportunity to study the dive sites in the days before the competition, followed by Italian Fabio Iardino (best fish image in the single theme) and Slovenian Grega Ferc (best wide angle image in the single theme and

1st place FISH Fabio Iardino

Best of Show!!).

In the Compact category absolute winner Slovenian Evgen Suban, followed by Croatians Anton Prekalj and Karlo Macas.

The Croatian National Championship won by Nikola Hrzenjak in the category DSLR and Anton Prekalj in the compact category also took place.

2nd place FISH Nuno Goncalves

FESTIVAL & CONTEST

er and back to competitors for final selection.

After dinner had all together, any competitor had to select the three images to submit to jury for final classification; themes wide angle, macro and fish, one image each.

86

3rd place FISH Grega Verč

Big prizes thanks to Mares (diving computers, regulators, fins and masks), Isotta (masks, stobe arms) and final surprise for Nuno’s winner with a 15days stay at Raja Ampat!!

Despite the uncertain time, the organization was great and met the 1st place WIDE Grega Verč

needs of all the participants who enjoyed the hospitality of the organization, as for accommodation as for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the 3 days of the competition.

With the due agonism, the competition took place in a friendly and relaxed climate, contributing to the ultimate success.

Since the Damir Zurub’s rule is improving and doing better and better every year, we look forward to the 3rd Mares International Under Water Photo Marathon and we invite you all to enjoy the beauties of the Krk island and its diving sites.

2nd place WIDE Nuno Goncalves

Words

Davide Lombroso

3rd place WIDE Nikola Hrženjak

1st place FISH COMPACT Karleto Vincan

2nd place FISH COMPACT Karlo Maćaš

3rd place FISH COMPACT Igor Obradović

88

1st place WIDE COMPACT Karlo Maćaš

2nd place WIDE COMPACT Dragutin Kermek

3rd place WIDE COMPACT Jovan Petrovski

1st place MACRO Nuno Goncalves

2nd place MACRO Nikola Hrženjak

3rd place MACRO Ferenc IFJ Lorincz

RESULTS DSLR - 2ND MARES UWPM CUP INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

START NUMBER NAME

CAMERA POINTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1 13 40 7 45 6 3 25 15 23 39 5 29 50 37 17

NUNO GONSCALVES FABIO IARDINO GREGA VERČ

NIKOLA HRŽENJAK FERENC IFJ LORINZ MARINO BRZAC JOS BROERE

SRDJAN VRANČIĆ DAVIDE LOMBROSO CLAUDIO ZORI RENATO PAULITTI PIETER DE BOER DALIBOR ANDRES MAURIZIO BALLO BORIS PEJČIĆ

MIROSLAV DABIĆ

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

76.5 68.5 65 64.5 59.2 57.5 57.4 57 53.5 53.5 52 51 50.5 49.5 46.5 35

90 RESULTS COMPACT - 2ND MARES UWPM CUP INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

START NUMBER NAME

CAMERA POINTS 41 31 9 20 34 11 16 47 32 35 26 44 27 18 19 21 33

EVGEN SUBAN

ANTON PREKALJ

KARLO MAĆAŠ

IGOR OBRADOVIĆ

MARCO FANTIN

KARLETO VINCAN

JOVAN PETROVSKI

SANDOR BALOVICS ROBERTO GERGETA ANDREA SAURO

IVANA NOBILO

DRAGUTIN KERMEK NEBOJŠA VOJNOVIĆ ALEKSANDRA STOJKOV MIROSLAV VUJAČIĆ MILAN ZURKOVIĆ

IVAN FELJA

C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

53 50.8 50.5 48.5 48.5 47 47 46 44.5 43.5 33 32 27 24 23.5 0 0

RESULTS DSLR - 2ND MARES UWPM CUP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

START

NUMBER NAME

CAMERA POINTS 1 2 3 4 5 6

7 6 25 5 29 37

NIKOLA HRŽENJAK

MARINO BRZAC

SRDJAN VRANČIĆ

PIETER DE BOER DALIBOR ANDRES

BORIS PEJČIĆ

D D D D D D

64.5 57.5 57 51 50.5 46.5

RESULTS COMPACT - 2ND MARES UWPM CUP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

1 31 ANTON PREKALJ

C 50.8 2 9 KARLO MAĆAŠ

C 50.5 3 11 KARLETO VINCAN

C 47 4 32 ROBERTO GERGETA C 44.5 5 26 IVANA NOBILO

C 33 6 44 DRAGUTIN KERMEK C 32 7 27 NEBOJŠA VOJNOVIĆ C 27 8 33 IVAN FELJA

C 0 9 43 DEAN GANZA

C 0

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94

CLOWNFISH Everybody Loves a Clown Arguably one of the cutest fish in our oceans as portrayed in Disney’s Finding Nemo, the Clownfish has more to offer than your average fish.

The Clownfish, also known as an anemonefish, has roughly 28 - 30 recognized species and makes its home in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

It ranges in size from 10 to 18 cm and gets its name from its bright colors and quirky swimming motion that can be observed as it darts in and out of the tentacles of the sea anemone it resides in.

Clownfish and their host anemone have symbiotic relationships that provide value to both parties. By building up a protective layer of mucus that makes it immune to the sting of the anemone, the clownfish can swim in and around it without harm. Using the protection of the anemone’s poisonous tentacles, the clownfish is free to handle its housekeeping duties including, eating parasites and dead tentacles, attracting potential prey for the anemone with its bright colors, and providing nutrients from its droppings. Even though the anemone provides protection against predators, the clownfish is often preyed upon by large fish, eels and sharks.

In the wild, clownfish inhabit a single sea anemone in groups that generally include a breeding male, a female and a number of younger male clown fish. All clownfish are born as males and can change sex when necessary. When the dominant female of a group dies the largest male in the group will turn itself into a female to take its place, this change cannot be reversed back.

Females can lay hundreds or even thousands of eggs at one time depending on the species. Usually around a full moon cycle, the eggs are attached to a flat surface close to the sea anemone which they inhabit for protection. The male clownfish then ferociously guards the eggs from being eaten until they hatch in just over a week later.

John Fifer

In addition to guarding eggs, clownfish are extremely territorial animals that will fiercely defend their home against other clownfish. They are very aggressive by nature and often attach divers as they approach.

Clownfish are omnivorous animals meaning that they eat both plants and animals. Besides eating dead tentacles, parasites and leftovers from the prey of their host anemone, clownfish eat a wide range of food such as algae, plankton, mollusks and small crustaceans. The diet of each clownfish is however largely dependent on the species of clownfish and what food is available in the area they live in.

Due to their cuteness and ease of care, clownfish are often kept as pets and make up over 40% of the global marine ornamental trade. Clownfish are both bred in captivity, and captured from the wild. Luckily, the population of clownfish in the wild is still large and stable due to their ease of captive breeding and strong survival rate in the wild.

The next time you get a chance to observe a clownfish clowning around, take a moment to realize it’s not all fun and games for these cute little creatures.

CRITTER CORNER

Words:

Puerto Galera - Oriental Mindoro - Philippines

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

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

An ideal destination for macro photographers.

www.fishermenscove.com

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+63 917 533 2985

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info@fishermenscove.com

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

Three wrecks, colorful walls and ideal sites for macrophotography.

We offer the opportunity to dive for every level.

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

www.diving-marcopolo.com

left or right?

You decide.

vist www.hollisuk.com for more info