Diver - June 2020 UK PDF

DIVE ON WITH divEr UNTIL NORMAL SERVICE RESUMES!
JUNE 2020
divernet.com
THE TINCAN MARS

OPENER
WW1 frogman
IN 3D
Recreating that
hero’s secret amazing Baltic wreck
war revisited
ELEPHANT
IN THE POOL
GUNS So why is buoyancy control
not taught from the off?
IN THE
RUHR
River ride reveals
WRECKS
OF SAIPAN
Nazi weapons dump Rewardingly out of the way
£4.40
06
9 770141 346176
TOURING
THE DEEP WRECK, BANGIN’ BANGKA
SEYCHELLES LUCKY SHOT
SHARM EL SHEIKH
RED SEA
THIS IS RUSH HOUR
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS

WWW.EGYPT.TRAVEL
The Red Sea resort of Sharm el Reef, attract an abundance of
Sheikh, situated at the southern pelagic fish particularly during
point of the Sinai, has some of the summer months. In the less
the world’s most celebrated wind-swept and calm days of
diving attractions around its summer, boats are able to dive
shores. The world-famous Ras the north side of the reef.
Mohammed National Park is Although far from guaranteed,
located at the very tip of the the chance to see the resident
Sinai Peninsula where deep school of scalloped
water upwellings generate hammerhead sharks is well
incredible coral growth, worth a dive in the blue water.
particularly on the signature sites Wrecks are also a major pull
of Shark and Yolanda Reefs. for visitors, with one of the most
famous sunken diving
attractions located just a few
hours’ boat ride from Sharm.
Voted time over as one of the
best wreck dives, the
Thistlegorm alone attracts scuba
visitors from all over the world to
the northern Egyptian Red Sea
During the summer months resort.
this area is also a hotspot for If you don’t want to travel far
schooling snapper, barracuda, to a dive site, or like the idea of
batfish and unicorn fish. Marine half-day trips, you can opt to go
encounters recorded by divers local. Sharm’s local reefs are
on these life-filled sites also excellent for training and
include whale sharks, manta photography, and at the right
rays and dolphins. time of year throw up their own
Head north from Ras spectacular surprises. From the
Mohammed to the Strait of Tiran months of May to September it
and you will find a coral garden is not unusual to spot the odd
described by scuba diving manta ray or whale shark
pioneer Jacques Cousteau as passing by as they follow the
one of the most spectacular plankton.
reefs he had ever seen. The
steep-sided walls of Jackson
Reef are where you will find
some of the most beautiful coral
cover in the Sinai region,
including the famous rare red
anemone. Strong currents, most
profuse at the edge of Jackson
FIRST IN
Getting aboard
in a new world
F
REDA WRIGHT, who pens divEr’s popular
recipe column, was explaining how coronavirus
had affected business. Everyone in the diving
community has their own story, but hers seemed to
sum up neatly the current mood of uncertainty and
trepidation entwined with strands of optimism.
Freda and her husband Al run one of the best-known
UK diving liveaboards, out of Portland. “It is a worry
how and when we will be operational again,” she told
me. “As soon as we’re allowed we’ll have to do the best
we can to get Salutay cleaned up and painted ready for
our first charter. Divers are being very co-operative
and thanking us for rescheduling later in the season,
or even next year!
“We just hope we can scrape through this year and
have a busy season in 2021. Maybe because diving
abroad will be put on the back-burner for some time,
divers will start to appreciate British diving even more.
It could even boost our economy, and be like it was 20 STEVE
years ago!” WEINMAN,
EDITOR
Out of nowhere, an uncaring virus has thrown the
dive industry up in the air, as reflected in this month’s
news pages. When the pieces land, the scenery will look different.
Overseas travel won’t be off-limits but it will be altered for some time
to come, if only because of long-term effects on the aviation business.
Which has its upsides in terms of reducing pollution, and if UK diving
gets a shot in the arm, as Freda suggests, that will be a welcome boost for
the industry. But we still need to reach the world’s other scuba hotspots.
It’s said that resorts have built-in survival capacity, because ultimately
the owners are in the property business, used to weathering off-seasons
and with paying guests a bonus. We’ll find out how true that is. Dive-
centres and perhaps liveaboards could be more vulnerable.
A CLUE TO THE practical shape of future diving comes from

Nautilus Dive Adventures, famed for its liveaboard trips run from
Mexico out to the Socorro area of the Pacific. With lockdown set to end
in Mexico by June, and flights available from the USA and Canada,
where Nautilus is based, it hopes to be heading back out in late June.
It’s a 150-mile journey so, you might think, one of the most challenging
operations to undertake in the current climate. I was interested to see
the safety measures being put in place.
“We’re taking a cautious and thoughtful approach to onboard sanitation
and hygiene,” says Captain Mike Lever. Guests have to monitor and
record their body temperature twice a day the week before boarding.
Temperature and health checks continue aboard, with divers and crew
wearing face-masks in public spaces. Hands-free sanitation stations are
located on the back-deck, but “mask-rinse buckets are unfortunately
a thing of the past”, we’re told.
Fogging machines dispense hospital-grade disinfectant. Rental gear
comes in sanitised vacuum-packs, while a crew-assisted
buffet service takes care of meals. People do get sick on
these long crossings anyway, but if anyone shows Covid
symptoms? “Protocols and equipment are in place.”
Here in the UK, meanwhile, we go on diving virtually in
a thousand ways – dreaming of the day we can add water.
divEr 4
the magazine that’s straight down the line…
JUNE 2020 Volume 65 No 6
Published monthly by Eaton Publications Ltd,
CONTENTS
Suite B, 74 Oldfield Road, Hampton,
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Tel: 020 8941 8152
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Nigel Eaton [email protected]
Editor
Steve Weinman [email protected]
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FEATURES
George Lanham [email protected]
Technical Editor
Steve Warren [email protected]
20 Rust in Peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special access to WW2 artefacts in the Ruhr river
Sales & Marketing Manager
Alex Khachadourian [email protected]
Advertising Consultant
Jenny Webb [email protected] 24 Time Out
Lisa Collins makes the most of the Seychelles
Publishing Consultant
Tony Weston [email protected]
Webmaster
Mike Busuttili [email protected]
Subscriptions Manager
31 The Elephant in the Pool. . . . . . . . . .
Why is buoyancy control not taught as a basic skill?
[email protected]
Marketing, Sales & divEr Bookshop
Dorothy Eaton [email protected]
[email protected]
Accounts
Julian Auty [email protected]
38 The Lucky Shot
A tech team explores a Japanese wreck in Thailand
EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS
Archaeology Dave Parham
Freediving Marcus Greatwood
Law Prof Mike Williams
42 Dusty Miller’s Secret War...........
Dive into the archives for this extended read
Medicine Dr Ian Sibley-Calder
Photography Saeed Rashid, Brian Pitkin
Ships Richard Larn
Wrecks Rex Cowan
48 Spitting Image at the Masters......

Winning shots from the annual online contest
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54 More Bangka for your Buck
It’s the third way in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi
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Jesper Kjøller gets to dive the iconic Baltic wreck
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64 Feelgood Saipan.....................
Brandi Mueller enjoys good times in Micronesia
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REGULARS
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Editor’s view
8 News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Divers learn to live with coronavirus
19 Beachcomber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On making yourself a scuba-diver
36 Be the Champ
Alex Mustard does the splits in mangrove country
53 Trewavas
Divers making themselves useful
68 Booking Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your next diving holidays – to be taken ASAP
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We’ve always taken adventure to the next level.

Now we’re taking cleanliness and sanitization off the charts!
“Aggressor Adventures knows times have changed for all of us. As an industry
®
leader, we are adapting our service efforts to take our cleanliness and sanitization
protocol to a new level through our Clean, Refresh & Sanitize plan.
During this downtime, our yacht, river cruise and safari lodge team members
are working hard to prepare for our new and repeat guests’ return to ensure you
come back to a refurbished, refreshed and ultraclean accommodations.
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· Deep cleaning and disinfecting all areas and equipment
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We are looking forward to the safe, healthy and joyful return of you, our valued
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DIVER NEWS
UK diving frozen through lockdown

–with a few regrettable exceptions
T
WO HAPLESS DIVERS were “The diver, who had been diving we need to #StayHomeSaveLives. was found night-diving in a shipping
fined after demonstrating without a buddy, was found safe and “Leisure diving is not essential and lane outside Poole Harbour in Dorset,
why the Coastguard insisted well by the lifeboat from Exmouth every 999 call made could put our while another diver trying to beat the
early on that leisure diving should be shortly after 5pm,” reported the frontline responders at risk of Covid- ban under cover of darkness was
suspended under the UK’s lockdown Coastguard. “He had surfaced safely 19 and places avoidable pressure on spotted off Brighton a few days later.
conditions. but had lost sight of the dive-vessel our vital NHS services. Referring to the diver who
The unnamed men, one of whom after his line became detached. “So please – stretch your legs but provoked the 10.45pm Portland call-
was reported to have travelled to “Both of those on board the boat not our resources.” out, the Coastguard stated: “We were
Lyme Regis in Dorset from Edinburgh had been diving as a leisure activity Most divers appeared to have tasked to give safety advice for the
and the other from Wadebridge in and were fined by police after being been observing the emergency rules, danger he placed himself in, and also
Cornwall, were fined an undisclosed brought back to shore. imposed at what would normally the risk he put others in during these
amount by police after triggering a “The Government has been clear be the beginning of the UK diving difficult times.
major search and rescue operation. that during this coronavirus pandemic season. However, on 8 April one man “Water activity isn’t really suitable
One of them had gone missing on due to the greater risk to themselves
a dive off Lyme Regis, Dorset on the and the emergency services should
afternoon of Saturday, 25 April. anything happen to them.”
The two had been diving from The Coastguard also pointed out
a boat, but when one failed to return that decompression chambers were
from his dive the other called the running at reduced levels with some,
Coastguard at 3.23pm. This led to the such as that at Princess Elizabeth
launch of two RNLI lifeboats from Hospital in Guernsey serving Channel
Lyme Regis and Exmouth, two search Islands divers, suspended altogether
and rescue helicopters from St Athan as resources were prioritised to deal
and Newquay, and the Coastguard with the pandemic.
rescue team from Lyme Regis. Channel Islands divers were
Nearby vessels including HMS Tyne warned that if they ignored
and two fishing-boats also assisted in restrictions and got into difficulties
searching for the missing man, with they would be liable for the costs of
a sailor from the warship said to have being transferred to the UK mainland
spotted the diver three miles from for medical treatment, as well as for
The Coastguard has pushed to prevent unnecessary strain on emergency services’ resources.
where he had gone missing. the treatment itself. ■
Diver medics on Covid front line CLOSED-CIRCUIT REBREATHER

HUNDREDS OF commercial-diving International. He said that UK REBREATHER MANUFACTURER prevented adoption of this
medical support staff started assistance was initially offered Lungfish Dive Systems switched its approach.
volunteering during March and to the NHS as a whole and the attention from CCR diving to its “I’m sure this idea will have
April to reinforce the National administrators of the London founder’s initiative to transform occurred to lots of divers – in fact we
Health Service in its battle to ExCel and NEC Nightingale into hyperbaric oxygen chambers often talked about it before the crisis
treat the worst-affected Covid-19 emergency hospitals, and that it some of the thousands of became truly serious,” he told
patients. was agreed to undertake commercial aircraft grounded close divEr.“If oxygen helps, why not
Risk-management company recruitment and enabling fast-track to population centres by the Covid- have more oxygen? However we,
AMDP Response Development led training of the technicians. 19 pandemic. like everyone else, assumed that
the recruitment campaign among The volunteers, already trained “At the current casualty rates, if ventilators would be enough to cope
certified diver medical technicians to understand the effects of the treatment proves effective one as long as we had enough of them,
(DMTs), life support technicians gases under pressure, though day’s difference in response speed and didn’t give it serious thought.”
(LSTs) and offshore medics (OMs). usually supplied through a mask could mean a difference of As Lungfish became involved in
“The NHS is stretched and rather than a ventilator, were thousands of lives saved,” said diver ventilator design to help cope with
patients need care,” it said. “DMTs required to undertake short and Lungfish founder Dr Daniel the coronavirus crisis, Reynolds
and OMs deal with mixed-gas life- periods of training before being Reynolds on 23 April. asked clinicians why ventilated
support and are well-placed to assigned to operational tasks Fewer than half of coronavirus patients had such a low survival rate,
make a great contribution to the in hospitals. patients placed on ventilation were even using top-end kit.“When we
Covid-19 response.” They would normally be surviving the virus at the time. heard… that they died of multiple
AMD’s campaign was being employed by diving contractors Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), organ failure through chronic
co-ordinated by Dr Michael Von and offshore operators, with which the breathing of O2 under pressure, hypoxia, despite being ventilated,
Bertele, a former director general AMDP works “to enable safe, could prevent them deteriorating we immediately considered that
of British Army Medical Services efficient operations”, but most to the level at which they required hyperbaric O2 might be a solution.”
and humanitarian director of the commercial-diving operations ventilation, said Reynolds – but Lungfish consulted its contacts in
charity Save the Children remained suspended. ■ shortage of HBOT chambers had hyperbaric medicine, aerospace, and
DIVER NEWS
Covid-19 lung effects DAN tackles

restart queries
cause diving DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DAN)
Europe has issued a downloadable
doctor concern document called Covid-19 And

Diving Operations: 10 Safety
RAWPIXEL.COM
Recommendations that is likely to
AN INDICATION THAT scuba-divers and “reduced prove useful for anyone organising
should be especially wary of performance”. diving when lockdown conditions
contracting the Covid-19 Yet are eased and activities are able to
coronavirus – and cautious if in according resume. While intended primarily
recovery – has emerged from a report to Dr Hartig for dive professionals, it could also
by a senior doctor in Austria. their lung provide useful guidance for clubs.
Dr Frank Hartig, himself a diver, CT scans The document is based on
heads the emergency unit at suggested questions received from dive
Innsbruck University Clinic and is crisis that the operators and professionals on the
co-ordinator for Covid-19 patients. damage procedures to be followed.
He told the Austrian Press Agency sustained could be “The epidemiological and
in April that he had observed “massive “irreversible”. would last, he found it difficult to regulatory situation is constantly
changes” in the lungs of patients who “They are probably lifelong believe that his patients’ lungs could evolving,” says DAN.“At present, there
have recovered from the infection – patients,” he said. “As an emergency heal completely. are no clear answers to all questions.
even though their cases had not been doctor with 20 years’ experience, “After a Covid infection, even if However, as an organisation closely
deemed serious enough to warrant you gulp when you see something you have had only mild symptoms linked to the diving community and
admission to hospital. like this in a 40-year-old patient.” and your medical certification to dive committed to promoting diving
“This is shocking, we don’t Two of the divers showed is still valid, you should definitely safety, we intended to share our
understand what’s going on here,” significant oxygen deficiency when have a diving doctor examine you knowledge and experience.”
said Dr Hartig, who was concerned under stress, normally a sign of thoroughly before diving again,” 10 Safety Recommendations offers
that for divers the lung changes could persistent lung shunt. said Dr Hartig. guidance on risk-mitigation for diving
significantly increase the risk of Two displayed the kind of He also cautioned against diving operators through answers to the
accidents under water. symptoms usually observed in using elevated levels of oxygen, such most frequently asked questions and
Six active divers were among asthmatics, and in four cases the scans as when using nitrox, suggesting that practical tips on matters such as
Covid-19 patients seen at the hospital revealed such significant changes to this could be dangerous if the lung wearing protective masks and gloves,
during the coronavirus pandemic, the lungs that Dr Hartig had to check tissue was still sensitive. though DAN includes the proviso that
though none was considered to need with the X-ray department that the And he said that any coronavirus it might be subject to changes and
hospital treatment. After several files hadn’t been mixed up. patients hoping to dive again in the updates based on scientific advice
weeks all six were declared to have The doctor said he wanted to issue short term should be very cautious, and feedback from the community.
recovered, and showed no outward a warning to all divers because, while because scientific studies would not The document can be downloaded
residual symptoms beyond coughs he couldn’t tell how long the effects be available before 2021. n from daneurope.org ■
MAKER PUSHED FOR AIRCRAFT TO BECOME HBOT CHAMBERS

just as important, if not more, than the virus. “The guidelines are
overcoming the diffusion barrier of absolutely not a ban on trials ‘for’
a compromised lung. Covid-19 – however, they give that
Experiments in Wuhan in China impression, despite the fact that
showed improvements in patients expert medical opinion is quite the
after relatively few short treatments. reverse,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds maintains that aircraft He also said that hospital-based
used as makeshift HBOT chambers chambers best suited to clinical trials
could relieve pressure on hospitals by in the UK had closed, with staff
treating large numbers of patients in occupied in treating patients, while
a non-invasive way to prevent them overseas trials had been held up by
requiring full intensive care. finance, approval and patient-
The therapy could also benefit the recruitment issues.
developing world, where fewer However, the aircraft industry had
treatment facilities are available. taken “positive steps” to implement
Reynolds told divEr that he first the plan quickly should the clinical
Dan Reynolds: ‘If oxygen helps, why not have more oxygen?’ approached the government about trials prove successful.
the idea in early April, and believed “We have been offered both
other areas such as civil engineering with that the treatment might be its inaction was the result of a lack of aircraft and hyperbaric chambers
to find a way to scale up the concept. akin to the long stays at pressure conclusive clinical trials. with which to do the trials and
Commercial airliners can be used in treating decompression These had not taken place, he said, treatment, and at least one major
pressurised to around 1.6 times illness,” said Reynolds. because the hyperbaric industry had airport, currently closed, has signalled
atmospheric pressure – the required “However, it seems at this stage issued guidelines against treating willingness to help.”
level for potential effective that the effect of HBOT in patients with Covid-19 for fear of A clinical trial was due to start at
treatment. “We’d imagined to start suppressing inflammation could be unknown complications or spreading a Canadian hospital. n
DIVER NEWS
Travel: where do we go from here?

H
OW DID THE CORONAVIRUS the situation was changing daily – in bookings. We’re finding that clients able to welcome guests to their
crisis look from the fact hourly at times – so one of the are increasingly looking to the future resorts and liveaboards. Unlike in the
perspective of a specialist UK biggest challenges we faced was and wanting to start to plan their next UK, there is little or no government
dive-tour operator, and what does the keeping up to speed with the travel- dive adventure, so our Flexi Booking support to help.
future hold? divEr asked Phil North, advice updates from the FCO. Promise provides the opportunity to Some are making use of the time to
head of one of the best-known Flight schedules and quarantine book a trip without the worry of renovate if funds allow, but generally
companies, Dive Worldwide, these and regulations kept changing and paying a deposit in this uncertain they’re looking forward to the future
other questions in early May. country borders were closing quickly, time. when divers are able to travel again.
but our operations and sales teams And if divers want to help, they can
Is everyone keeping well? worked together around the clock to Can you break down the sort of enquiries start booking their dive-trips.
All the team are safe and well. It’s ensure that we repatriated our clients you’re getting from clients?
“business as usual” and our teams as quickly and smoothly as possible. We’re receiving enquiries for the usual Do you foresee more demand for shorter-
across the sales, operations and The benefit for clients booking popular diving destinations, which haul trips in future?
marketing departments are fully through a reputable tour operator include the Maldives, Indonesia, Egypt Not necessarily. We believe that the
working. was that, while we made contact with and some in the Caribbean. usual favourites will remain popular
Everyone is set up to work from them overseas, they could also use our for our divers. We predict that
home with complete access to all 24/7 emergency telephone number at Restarting flights and lifting quarantine destinations that offer a direct flight
our phone-lines, emails and internal any stage if they needed to. restrictions depends on the approaches of will be favoured, and expect that
systems, so we can support clients With many different countries, but what will multi-centre trips will take a bit longer
and manage bookings easily. access to need to happen for overseas travel to to recover.
We all work closely and contacts resume, and how do you see it rolling out? Many of our short-haul dive trips
communicate daily with Zoom calls, around the As the world recovers, our expectation are based around flights with low-cost
which the teams really appreciate. world and is that destinations may open up in airlines so require immediate
We’ve been operating for more multiple stages, with certain areas that have payment, which means that divers
than 20 years, and as part of The airfares we possibly been less affected by the would need to commit earlier than
Natural Travel Collection we’re well perhaps with some long-haul
placed to combat this difficult period. destinations, where we can hold
We’re taking new bookings and airline seats for a period of time
Phil North: ‘We’re all
interest in our holidays is increasing keeping positive.’ without payment.
weekly, which is good news.
Is the UK dive-tour trade co-operating
One moment the Foreign Office advice was during the pandemic?
that it was OK to travel to many diving We have a great relationship with
destinations, then suddenly all but our friends in the dive travel industry
essential travel was stopped. Do you feel and communicate regularly to try to
you and your clients were given enough support each other where we can.
official warning of what was likely to Our overseas suppliers rely on income
happen in the early days of the pandemic? from tourism and we’re all keeping
Essentially, no! The situation moved made all repatriation arrangements, positive and looking forward to the
incredibly quickly, and initially the reducing the worry clients outbreak and also those more reliant world opening up for travel again.
expectation was that travel would be experienced at such a difficult time. on tourism opening up first.
restricted to a number of destinations We think the Caribbean may be Do you see diving holidays being
but a blanket travel ban was Have many divers who had already booked welcoming visitors again soon and permanently reshaped by the crisis? Might
unprecedented. trips asked for their money back, or are could be a good option, along with there be any positives in the longer term?
they generally willing to postpone? the Maldives. It is obviously still quite One consequence of the Covid-19
Did you already have contingency plans in Despite media reports and insurance a dynamic situation, however, so pandemic is that many of us have
place by that point? companies passing the buck, many of things might change. That’s why we’ve had time to think about changes we
While the situation was evolving at our clients are understanding of this introduced our Flexi Booking Promise would like to make when we emerge
a great pace we had a crisis- challenging situation and simply want so that our clients have peace of mind after lockdown. We hope to see an
management procedure in place, so to postpone their holidays so they can while things remain uncertain. uplift in people wanting to learn to
were able to react quickly. Usually dive again as soon as it’s safe to do so. Ultimately divers will also be dive, because many are looking to
when issues arise that affect travel to We’re doing all we can to support looking for value, so we’re offering push boundaries and learn new skills.
a particular destination we’re able to our clients through this extraordinary some great special deals and are in In the short term, because there
offer alternative holiday arrangements time and have set up a page on our the process of securing some more are fewer divers in the ocean corals
but with the borders closing up and website to provide details of our exclusive deals. As a worldwide will have time to recover, and once the
then a total ban on non-essential approach to the situation. specialist we’re in a great position world opens again and we can travel
travel, this was not possible. The diving community is amazing to be able to offer travel to dive we imagine that dive-sites will initially
Our priority was to contact all our and generally clients are sympathetic destinations as soon as they open up. be less crowded.
divers who were on holiday with us to the huge challenges that the whole Longer term, we hope that this
and arrange their journey home. world faces. How are your resort and liveaboard pause in international travel gives
operators managing without guests? Are time to reflect, and that in the future
What challenges did you face in getting And are they responding well to the chance any destinations especially problematic? the benefits of travel remain but the
those divers home? Did you manage to get to book ahead on a no-deposit basis? Many of our overseas partners are aviation industry adapts to ensure
everyone back safely without incident? Yes, we’ve had a good response to our finding the situation incredibly that we can fly as carbon-neutrally
In the initial stages of the pandemic flexible approach to deposits for new difficult, and are really sad not to be as possible. n
BSAC calls on divers to back the industry Dive
THE BRITISH SUB-AQUA CLUB called pointed out the training agency, cancelling,” said BSAC, pointing out diving holidays worldwide
on members and, in its role as UK which came up with an 11-point plan that this could make the difference
diving’s governing body, all scuba for ways in which divers could help to particularly for smaller dive
divers to get behind the hard-pressed prop up the trade. companies. It also posited using time Caribbean
diving industry during lockdown – These included six measures that it to plan trips through online research
arguing that it was in everyone’s said involve no financial outlay. Half of and direct contact with suppliers.
interests for businesses to survive these required online engagement, BSAC also said that the extended
until restrictions can be lifted. such as rating favoured companies surface interval was a good time for
“Some diving businesses, such as with positive online reviews; divers to convince friends and
the UK charter-boats, have slipped engaging with social-media posts and relatives to take up diving. Although it
between the cracks of the entering competitions; and sharing would hope that this would occur
government’s relief funding, making picture and video content involving through its own e-learning options,
the situation even more challenging,” dive-businesses. other training agencies have also
Two been active in promoting e-learning
suggestions
involved
during lockdown, with RAID notably
declaring all its online programmes
20+ Resorts
projected permanently free at an early stage of
dive-trips the global pandemic.
for those Suggestions for divers that did
who had involve a financial outlay included
already auditing dive-gear and investing in
made new or replacement items; giving kit
advance vouchers to other divers for their
payments: birthdays; booking in kit for servicing
“If you are at a local dive-shop, possibly paying
able, in advance; and arranging future
consider holidays now with ABTA- and ATOL- Land + Sea
RAWPIXAL.COM
postponing bonded companies for protection.

your plans Many tour-operators in any case
instead of now offer no-deposit schemes. n
FACE-MASKS: PADI & AP DIVING STYLE

SHOULD WE BE THINKING about lovers, we care deeply about –
obtaining face-masks for ourselves, plastic pollution,” said marketing vice- SAVE UP TO 25%
helping to provide them for frontline president Lisa Nicklin. The product
healthcare staff, or both? can be ordered from padigear.net Luxury
As training agency PADI launched
a range of face-coverings using
Meanwhile staff at UK dive-gear
manufacturer AP Diving were
Liveaboards
ocean-recycled materials, UK dive- concerned about shortages of masks Bahamas | Bonaire
gear manufacturer AP Diving was among front-line community care- Barbados
tackling a continued shortage of workers, and raising cash to boost Grand Cayman
personal protection equipment, production of washable face-masks
Cayman Brac
particularly for care-home staff. with replaceable filters to help protect
Non-medical-grade masks for the these staff from Covid-19.
Little Cayman
public are intended to stop wearers Operating as Cornwall Masks, Dominica | Grenada
spreading a virus rather than directly a small team of volunteer sewing- St Lucia | Tobago
protecting the wearer, so are as machinists started making the face- Special
effective as the number of people masks at their homes. Liveaboard Itineraries
who use them. They were then collected, steam-
cleaned and sealed by AP marketing
Cuba | Dominican Rep.
By the start of May official advice The double-layered reusable masks
around the world (including the UK) are said to be machine-washable and manager Jeff Parker, who designed Turks & Caicos + More
appeared to be shifting towards quick-drying and are available in one the initial mask, before being
encouraging wider use of masks adult and one child size at one price, distributed free to care-workers. Group Discounts
when lockdown conditions are eased.
PADI linked up with Irish rash-vest
£17.20. Each comes with five carbon-
activated filters, which work for up to
In the first week Cornwall Masks
produced 220 masks but wanted to
+ Free Places
manufacturer Rash’R, which had eight hours. Replacement filter packs boost output by getting get more See online for OFFERS
already produced its own range of of five cost £8. Designs feature great volunteer machinists and materials,
non-medical-grade face-masks with white, geometric, blue and whale especially the expensive replaceable
disposable PM2.5 filters. They are sharks, manta rays and divers. Hepa-Flo filter inserts, elastic and
made from “Ocean Balance” polyester PADI says it will make no profit nose-clips. www.sportifdive.co.uk
fibre recycled from plastic bottles, from the masks.“We wanted to give They launched a crowd-funding
fishing nets and other materials divers an opportunity to make a appeal in a bid to raise the necessary 01273 844919
reclaimed from the sea. difference in an issue that, as ocean- funds at justgiving.com n
DIVER NEWS
Devon’s Tiger
GUE
wrecks protected
T
HE WRECKS of two WW2 US previous year. Along with the large
Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) that numbers of personnel, they were
lie 50m deep off the Devon carrying tanks, trucks and other
coast have been granted “heritage military vehicles that would have
protection”, 76 years after being disembarked through the large doors
torpedoed during a rehearsal for the built into the vessels’ bows.
D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy. A torpedo struck the engine-room
Historic England (HE), which of LST-507, which was carrying nearly
recommended the move to the 500 US army personnel, trucks and 22
Department for Digital, Culture, Media amphibious vehicles. With the power Gun-sight on LST-531.
& Sport (DCMS), announced that the gone the lifeboats could not be
amphibious vessels LST-507 and lowered, and fires broke out in the
LST-531 wrecks had been scheduled tank deck, causing petrol tanks and
and added to the National Heritage live ammunition to explode. More
List for England. than 200 servicemen were lost.
Scheduling means that divers can LST-531 was struck by two
WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY
still dive the sites without a licence torpedoes and explosions were
but that the wrecks themselves and followed by a fireball. Ammunition
their contents are deemed protected. started firing from the bow guns and Multibeam image of LST-507.
“Although all cases are determined on surviving personnel jumped into the
a case-to-case basis, DCMS is moving freezing sea amid burning fuel-oil.
more towards scheduling wreck- Many others were trapped below
sites,” HE told divEr. decks as the ship rolled over and sank
Exercise Tiger took place off within six minutes. Some 424 died.
Slapton Sands in the run-up to the Further lives were lost when two
Stern of LST-325, similar
6 June Operation Overlord landings. other LSTs were severely damaged in to LST-507 and LST-531.
Live-fire rehearsals for British and US the attack.
personnel were considered vital The designation came shortly which we investigated during the only helped to ensure that their
because no combined operation on before commemoration of the 75th 75th anniversary of D-Day last year,” importance to the story of D-Day
such a scale had ever been mounted. anniversary of the end of the war in said Dan Atkinson, coastal & marine is recognised, but it also
The two 100m LSTs that were lost Europe on 8 May. “We’re delighted at director at Wessex Archaeology. complements the work to record
had been launched in Indiana the the scheduling of these two LSTs, “The work we have done has not them by volunteer divers.” ■
BABY OCTOPUS LEADS Death in Florida

DIVERS TO SPARKLER A US DIVER died after she and her
husband were reportedly pulled
under their dive-boat while awaiting
IN CANADA, where scuba-diving had saw something glinting pick-up off Palm Beach on 29 March.
resumed by late April, a baby octopus and realised that it had Mollie Ghiz-Flynn, 37, was struck
was credited with helping divers track led them to the ring. and then trapped by the propeller,
down a lost diamond ring. Chris Harley, and her husband Sean Flynn and
Annika Parkinson-Dow, 26, went a zoology professor at other divers and crew had difficulty
swimming in Howe Sound near the University of British in freeing her.
Bowen Island, Vancouver one evening, Columbia told CBC Rescuers gave her CPR back on the
according to a CBC report, moving her he didn’t think this was boat but could not resuscitate her.
TAOLLAN82
hands around to stimulate a coincidence. The couple, from Melbourne in

‘I don’t want anything to
bioluminescence in the water. “Octopuses do like do with those divers!’ Florida, were diving from a 15m
Back on shore she realised that she to grab various objects commercial boat called the Southern
had lost her engagement ring, a 1930s and leave them out in front of their anything to do with those divers, I’m Comfort, captained by Dustin McCabe
heirloom that had belonged to her little dens – so often that’s a rock or going to hide’, and if the divers then of Florida Scuba Charters, according to
fiancé’s grandmother. Though unable a shell,” he said. “But there have been followed it back to its home, that’s state press. The trip had gone ahead
to pinpoint the area where she had lots of reports of octopuses liking where it might have left the ring. despite a ban on diving expeditions
been swimming, she hired a team of shiny things, so it’s not out of the “If I lost my ring and I was scuba- and other water-based activities
divers from a local club to carry out an realm of possibility that the octopus diving and I saw an octopus, I would imposed the previous week by Palm
underwater search the next morning. actually found it,” he said. certainly follow it as a potential lead,” Beach County, as part of efforts to
After an hour’s fruitless search in “My guess there is that if the said Prof Harley. contain the spread of coronavirus.
murky conditions the divers were octopus put it out in front of its little Both the Pacific red and giant The Florida Fish & Wildlife
about to give up when they saw the den, when it saw the divers it Pacific octopus can be found in Conservation Commission was
octopus and followed it. They then probably thought ‘well, I don’t want Howe Sound. n investigating the incident. n
DIVER NEWS
BRITISH SCUBA PIONEER BOB FORSTER DIES

GEORGE ROBERT “Bob” Forster, one led to many requests for his assistance UK and overseas he continued diving
of the earliest British marine biologists from other scientists. for the MBA until his retirement in
to study the underwater world using His early diving was in the 9-18m 1985.
scuba, has died at the age of 92. range but once he started venturing In 2003 Forster assisted an MBA
Born in Paignton, Devon in 1927 to around 24m he was excited to dive-team by providing his original
and brought up overlooking Torbay, record a less-familiar environment. notes and photographs to help them
Forster developed an early interest “In the early days if you went down assess changes in Devon’s underwater
in marine biology as well as sailing. to 80ft you could have half an hour environment since his survey dives of
After graduating in zoology from quite safely – that’s about what you half a century earlier.
Aberdeen University in 1949 he was could get from the bottles,” he told The divers were able to record that
offered a Department of Science the Western Morning News some certain species of sea-squirt could
studentship with the Marine years later. He would use a two-piece no longer be found, while species of
Biological Association (MBA) in drysuit, the halves rolled together and hydroid, rare seafan anemones, pink
Plymouth, and began his career there worn with a cummerbund. seafingers and carpet coral had
studying the common prawn. “The trouble was that you wore moved into the area.
His interest in diving began when thick longjohns and a jersey “Bob published several
MBA staff were invited to a lecture Pioneer diver Bob Forster. underneath and you had to get the air descriptions of the characteristic
about the then-novel Siebe-Gorman out of it. The deeper you went the marine life of hard substrata (rocks
scuba gear. “Breathing oxygen produced tighter it became – it was all slightly and the wreck of the James Eagan
Impressed, the association applied a greatly enhanced appetite, mainly aggravating.” Layne) off South Devon,” says Dr Keith
to the Royal Society for a grant to for potatoes, and a subsequent desire He would take underwater Hiscock, who had been the MBA’s
buy the equipment, but found that for long sleep,” he remembered later. photographs but making notes programme director in 2003 and
training was not readily available. By 1953, however, he was using a during dives was a major problem. considers Forster to have been
In 1951 Forster was allowed to join Siebe-Gorman aqualung and drysuit Attempts at dictation using a sealed a significant scuba pioneer.
a two-week Royal Navy shallow-water to carry out ground-breaking survey office recorder and a full-face mask “Fifty years on from his description
diving course at HMS Vernon near dives off the South Devon coast. proved unsuccessful because of of Hilsea Point Rock (then known as
Portsmouth, but the apparatus used His ability to collect specimens of headaches caused by CO2 build-up! Stoke Point Rocks) I resurveyed the
turned out to be oxygen rebreathers, sponges, algae and bryozoa by hand With the help of students Forster site and found it, with a very few
as used by frogmen during the war. as opposed to through dredging also kitted out his own motor-yacht Sunset significant differences, much as
for diving and was described in 1953.”
able to extend his Forster was married to Alison in
expeditions west 1961 and had two children, Hilary and
to Torbay and Michael. “Bob contacted me via his
Falmouth and even daughter in February to let me know
to the Scilly and that he was ‘going downhill’ with
Channel Islands. stomach cancer,” said Hiscock. Forster
In 1961 he was died on 12 April.
engaged in diving “I carried on diving for years and
surveys in Guernsey years and I loved it,” he had said in
studying ormer 2003.“There is so much to see when
sea-snails. you’re diving – in good conditions it
Alongside many can be perfectly light and you don’t
Forster shows Prince Philip his scuba-set. Diving in later years. other projects in the have time to be worried.” n
Safe Under
an additional event. A quarter of
all proceeds from entry fees is
pledged to the CDC Foundation,
the Sea a charity created to support

Centres for Disease Control in
some 140 countries, and to the
fund-raiser World Health Organisation’s

Covid-19 response fund.
Aimed at all levels of underwater
HAVE YOU BEEN revisiting your
prized collection of underwater photographer, the competition has
photos during lockdown? You 12 categories, including three for
might be able to put the best to compact cameras. It offers $10,000-
good use – US-based Underwater worth of dive-holiday and photo-
Photography Guide is hosting equipment prizes from sponsors
a special online photo competition Bluewater Photo & Travel, Atlantis
called Ocean Art Safe Under the Ocean Art winner A Friendly Ride by Paula Vianna. Dive Resorts (Philippines),
Sea, designed to help bring the Aquamarine Diving (Indonesia),
global diving community together recent economic downturn,” says most prolific customers.” Ikelite and SeaLife.
creatively while raising money to UPG. “Dive operators, travel agents Ocean Art is an annual contest Photos need to be submitted by
fight coronavirus. and customers have all been largely regularly reported in divEr, with the end of June. Details can be
“International dive travel is one affected and underwater the 2020 event open for entries this found at uwphotographyguide.
of the businesses hit hardest by the photographers are some of the autumn, but Safe Under the Sea is com/ocean-art ■
DIVER NEWS
Cyprus impounded deep-wreck finds

R
EPORTS OF A DEEP-LYING
multiple shipwreck discovery
made five years ago in the
eastern Mediterranean made national
headlines in late April, based on
information issued by British salvage
company Enigma Recoveries.
But artefacts recovered from the
site by Enigma using an ROV were
seized by Cyprus at the time, and in
ENIGMA RECOVERIES
the wake of the reports the island’s
Department of Antiquities lashed out
at the company, accusing it of illegally
Ming dynasty porcelain
excavating ancient shipwrecks, found on the Ottoman wreck.
according to a Cyprus Mail report.
The salvors, who were based in Ottoman trading vessel dating from items, but the antiquities department had not been made aware that
Limassol while recovering artefacts the 1630s. The finds included 360 denies this, countering that Enigma Cyprus required cultural finds to be
from one 17th-century wreck, were Chinese Ming dynasty dishes and is “well-known both to Cyprus and listed as cargo.
also accused by the department of cups as well as items ranging from other countries, as well as It also claimed that it had recorded
“violently extracting objects, causing glass and ceramics to incense and international organisations including the artefacts in line with
destruction to their context”. pepper, originating from countries Unesco, for its activities in illicit archaeological practice, although the
Enigma Recoveries reported ranging from Belgium, Italy and Spain underwater excavations”. antiquities department said that it
finding a dozen Hellenistic, Roman, to Yemen and India. The department, which is part of had overseen conservation of the
early Islamic and Ottoman wrecks at However, when Enigma’s research Cyprus’s Ministry of Transport, items and that its own recording had
depths of around 2km in the vessel returned to Limassol the Communications & Works, stated revealed their “violent extraction”.
Levantine Basin, which lies between artefacts were impounded by Cyprus that Enigma’s own intention to sell The department said that it had
Cyprus and Lebanon but outside their Customs officials on the grounds that the objects was “evident in the recently amended the antiquities law
territorial waters. they had not been listed as cargo. documents filed with the US “to enhance the protection of the
Almost 600 artefacts were said to Enigma has claimed that the Securities and Exchange Commission”. underwater cultural heritage in all the
have been recovered from a 43m authorities planned to auction the Enigma said that its vessel’s crew sea-zones of the Republic of Cyprus”. ■
Australian WW2 sub victim and early lime-trader identified

AN AUSTRALIAN coastal freighter Veterans Geoff Lee. “The ship sank in
The Wollongbar II and (below), one
that was torpedoed by a Japanese minutes, with only five crew surviving of the cases of sugar from the wreck.
submarine in WW2 has been the attack.
discovered at a depth of 95m in “This secret has been hidden at the
the Tasman Sea off the New South bottom of the deep sea for decades
Wales coast. and the find will give some closure for
Archaeologists from Heritage NSW descendants and relatives of the 32
identified the wreck as Wollongbar II people who lost their lives.”
after following up on reports from The 87m single-screw steamship
the local Crescent Head and Port was built in 1922 in Glasgow to
Macquarie communities. replace an earlier steamer of the same
The ship was one of many victims name also wrecked off New South
of Japanese attacks along Australia’s Wales, and was owned by the North
eastern coastline during WW2. Coast Steam Navigation Company.
“In 1943 a Japanese submarine, The first torpedo struck forward of
the I-180, destroyed the freight vessel the bridge near number 2 hold, the two minutes.
with two torpedoes, killing 32 people second on the port side. The ship The Wollongbar II
on board,” said Acting Minister for broke in two and had sunk within had been carrying
18,000 cases of butter
and sugar as well as
bacon. Many were
washed ashore and recovered by
local people, who were said to have a gale blew it into the shallows off
welcomed having provisions until Mornington Peninsula in Victoria –
then restricted by wartime rationing. but only now have maritime
Meanwhile the wreck of a archaeologists been able to confirm
schooner built in 1841 is said to be the identity of the wreck.
providing new insights into the early The 12m schooner is a rare find,
years of Australian boatbuilding. according to Flinders University-
The Tasmanian-built lime-trader based marine archaeology professor
Multibeam scan of the Wollongbar II, lying 95m deep.
Barbara was wrecked in 1853 when Wendy Van Duivenvoorde.
DIVER NEWS
Freda’s Diver Dishes

Sustainable black turtle bean en croûte makes for a great alternative
JODIE RUMMER / ARC COE CORAL REEF STUDIES
to a beef Wellington. You will be surprised just how delicious this dish
is and how easy it is to make. It is absolutely packed with protein from
the black beans and pumpkin seeds.
I created this dish during the Covid-19 lockdown, which happened when our season would
Mass GBR bleaching normally just be beginning, I was reminiscing about diving at St Kilda and as I looked
through old photos I remembered a dive on the Tapti on which we spotted a turtle!
It had been swept off course by the Gulf Stream and had arrived on the west coast of
event confirmed Scotland. Sadly, it died a few weeks later.
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF Marine events had suffered from moderate or Black Turtle Bean en Croûte Serves 4-6 divers
Park Authority confirmed in late severe bleaching this time.
March that a “very widespread” mass- In the far north of the GBR, where
bleaching event was occurring on the corals that had survived the previous
world’s biggest coral reef. events were “relatively heat-tolerant”,
The reef had been under pressure moderate to severe bleaching had
from heat stress that accumulated occurred on reefs closest to land.
particularly in February and early However, the authority noted that
March. The mass-bleaching event is “key tourism reefs” in the northern
the third to occur since 2016. and central GBR had experienced only
Aerial surveys conducted by the moderate bleaching, from which most
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral corals were expected to recover.
Reef Studies at James Cook University “On mildly or moderately bleached
confirmed that the worst bleaching reefs there is a good chance most
was on reefs that had suffered from bleached corals will recover and
the highest heat stress, extending survive this event,” said the GBRMPA.
across large areas. Some southern “Equally, on severely bleached
areas that experienced little or no reefs, there will be higher mortality of
bleaching in the 2016 and 2017 corals.” ■
Ingredients 150g dried black turtle beans; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 medium onions finely chopped;
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped; 1 small aubergine diced; 3 tsp cumin powder; handful of
chopped parsley; 4 tsp ground chia seeds; 60ml cold vegetable stock; 4 tbsp ground pumpkin
seeds;2 tsp miso powder, white, red or black; 2 tsp black bean paste; 1 tbsp seaweed (sea lettuce,
dulse & nori); sea salt & pepper; 1 tbsp sesame seeds; 375g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry.
KEVIN EDWARDE / FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
Method Soak the beans for 12 hours in cold water. Rinse in cold running water and put into
a saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 35
minutes, then drain and re-rinse. Tip into a container, mash with a potato masher and set aside.
Heat the oil using the same saucepan and gently fry the onion. Once soft, add the garlic,
aubergine and cumin powder and continue until cooked.
Mix the ground chia seeds with the cold vegetable stock in a small bowl and leave for 2-3
Divers prepare to investigate the shallow wreck of the Barbara. minutes. Add the mashed beans to the onion mix with the miso, black bean paste, pumpkin
seeds, parsley, seaweed mix, chia seed mix and a good grind of sea salt & pepper. Continue to
Timber samples collected from the was used to transport divers and cook on a low heat until well combined.
wreck have revealed that it was made equipment to the wreck-site near Rye
not only from local Tasmanian blue Pier, a location popular with divers,
Unroll your pastry sheet, leaving it on the greaseproof paper that it came in. Arrange the bean
mixture along the middle to make a thick sausage shape, leaving a border of about 4cm at each
gum but also from trees found in before the coronavirus outbreak.
end. Brush olive oil all around the edges.
Victoria, New South Wales, Northern They investigated the wreck
Territory and Western Australia. alongside the university’s annual Fold both short ends of the pastry over the bean mixture, followed by the long sides, to enclose it
“This is possibly the first time maritime archaeology field-school completely. Brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on a baking tray,
such a wide variety of timbers have and the community-based Maritime on the same greaseproof paper, and cook for 40-45 minutes at 180°C until golden-brown. Allow
been found in one Australian-built Archaeology Association of Victoria. to rest for a few minutes before slicing. Serve with your favourite chutney and humus if desired.
vessel, and indicates that early ship- Australian team-members,
builders had developed a detailed joined by others from Japan, the
knowledge of the properties of Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand and
Top Tips Make this black turtle bean mixture up in advance and keep it in
the fridge ready for when you return back from your dive, so all you have to
Australian timbers appropriate for the USA, surveyed the wreck using do is wrap it in puff pastry and chuck it in the oven. Did you know that, gram
shipbuilding,” said Van Duivenvoorde. measured drawings, photographs, for gram, pumpkin seeds have the same amount of protein as beef?
“The builders of Barbara also underwater photogrammetry and
appear to have been willing and limited excavation. Y Freda Wright is a diver and chef on British diving liveaboard mv Salutay.
able to access non-local materials for Results were still awaited from Find more of her recipes in the book 40 Dives 40 Dishes. It costs £16 plus
this ship.” analysis of metals and fibres found £1.95 postage, with £1 from every sale going to Oceans Plastics Greenpeace, salutay.co.uk
Heritage Victoria’s research vessel on the Barbara. n
DIVER NEWS
Longest ‘sea-
worm’ found in
Indian Ocean
SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE

SCUBA-DIVERS HAVE become and Cloates Canyons using an ROV.
accustomed to tales of “monster sea The scientific team aboard the
At 45m, this siphonophore is the longest-known animal on Earth.
worms” that turn out to be colonies of Schmidt Ocean Institute research
organisms identified variously as vessel Falkor were excited by the
salps, pyrosomes or siphonophores. discovery, along with that of as many
But an example discovered recently as 30 species previously unknown in
off Ningaloo in Western Australia the area.
seems to have reset the scale for such Their ROV SuBastian completed
sightings, with an estimated length 20 dives as deep as 4.5km, recording
greater than for any other known finds that included glass sponges,
animal on Earth at around 45m. the bioluminescent Taning’s octopus
The gelatinous siphonophore squid, a long-tailed sea cucumber and
Apolemia, essentially a string of free- a number of other molluscs, barnacles
swimming hydrozoans each with the and squat lobsters.
ability to clone itself, was discovered “We suspected that these deep-sea
during a month-long expedition to areas would be diverse but we have Species previously unknown in the area.
explore the deep-lying Cape Range been blown away by the significance
of what we have Australia and Scripps Institution of underwater ecosystems – and for
SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE
seen,” said chief Oceanography. similar habitats worldwide that are in

scientist Dr The California-based Schmidt peril because of rising ocean
Nerida Wilson Ocean Institute is carrying out a temperatures and other
of the Western year-long series of expeditions in environmental threats”.
Australian Australia and the Pacific using Falkor Falkor, said to be the world’s “only
Museum. and SuBastian to enable scientists to year-round seagoing philanthropic
Other explore for the first time a number of research vessel”, and SuBastian are
researchers on deep-sea canyons and coral reefs. made available at no cost to
the trip It says the video footage and international scientists who agree to
represented samples collected “will have make their discoveries public.
Curtin University, important implications for the Highlights of the dives can be seen
Excitement aboard the Falkor. Geoscience sustainability and protection of these at schmidtocean.org n
Bomb tests
THE LONGEVITY OF whale sharks, the world’s
NOAA
biggest fish, has always been a mystery – until an
international team of scientists came up with
a way of estimating their ages, based on the
nuclear bomb-testing of the 1950s and ’60s. reveal whale
The study, led by Joyce Ong of Rutgers
University in the USA, explains how radiocarbon
dating provides an accurate method of assessing
shark ages
the longevity of Rhincodon typus. food webs and still lingering today.
Whale sharks can weigh up to 36 tonnes and When the team tested carbon-14
grow as long as 20m, although 12m is typical. Like levels in the growth rings of dead
all sharks and rays, they lack the bony structures whale sharks stored in Taiwan and
that scientists use to assess the ages of other fish. Pakistan, they found that they made A whale shark,
Whale shark vertebrae do feature distinct it possible to assess their ages age unknown.
bands known to increase with age, but while some accurately. One was estimated to be
scientists argue that new rings form annually, 50 when it died, making it the oldest known, and Next steps include seeking the vertebrae of
others insist that two form every year. the other was reported to be 35. stranded sharks and studying further large, old
Ong’s research team examined the radioactive “Accurate estimates of longevity, growth and whale sharks, she said. This would enable growth
legacy of the Cold War nuclear arms race during mortality will better inform management and models to be refined and increase the accuracy of
which the USA, USSR, UK, France and China tested conservation efforts for whale sharks,” said Ong. growth and natural mortality estimates.
weapons in the atmosphere. “The extended longevity, slow growth rates, late Scientists at the University of Iceland,
This temporarily doubled levels of carbon-14, maturity and global connectivity of this species Australian Institute of Marine Science, King Fahd
the naturally occurring radioactive element often indicate high susceptibility to death caused by University in Saudi Arabia and the Pakistan node
used by archaeologists to date ancient bones and human impacts, such as ship strikes. Hence, this of the UN Food & Agricultural Organisation also
artefacts. The fall-out saturated the air and ocean, knowledge can help conservation managers participated in the study, which is published in
with the carbon-14 gradually moving through adjust their strategies to be more effective.” Frontiers in Marine Science. n
DIVER NEWS
A RARE MOMENT of positivity for the ocean to our grandchildren’s

future of the world’s oceans has generation, and we have the
emerged from a new international knowledge and tools to do so,”
study. Leading marine scientists have says Duarte.“Failing to embrace this
laid out a plan of action required for challenge – and in so doing
marine life to be restored to full condemning our grandchildren to a
Reason to be
abundance by 2050 – and insist that it cheerful – broken ocean unable to support high-
is not too late to achieve it. a humpback quality livelihoods – is not an option.”
The research was led by Professors whale. “The success of many marine-
Carlos Duarte and Susana Agusti from conservation projects in recent years
the Red Sea Research Centre at KAUST illustrates how we can make a real
(King Abdullah University of Science & difference to life in our oceans if we
Marine
Technology). In the UK the University apply the lessons learnt from them at
of York participated in the study, scale and with urgency,” says study
which involved scientists at 16 co-author Prof Callum Roberts from
universities across four continents. the Department of Environment &
The participants took heart from
what they describe as evidence of the life Geography at York University.
“Overfishing and climate-change
restorable by 2050
resilience of marine life and the are tightening their grip, but there is
slowing-down in the 21st century of hope in the science of restoration.
PIXABAY
the sharp population losses suffered “We now have the skills and
during the previous century. expertise to be able to restore vital
For some species such as components could be accelerated to change mitigation. marine habitats such as oyster reefs,
humpback whales, they point out, achieve substantial recovery within While recognising that the plan mangrove swamps and salt marshes –
recovery from those losses has been a single human generation – requires unprecedented international which keep our seas clean, our coasts
taking place. There were only a few assuming a concerted effort to tackle co-operation and spending, protected and provide food to
hundred humpbacks left in the 1970s climate change, and sufficiently large- “rebuilding marine life represents a support entire ecosystems.
– now there are tens of thousands. scale interventions. doable grand challenge for humanity, “Science gives us reason to be
“We are at a point where we can They have identified nine key an ethical obligation and a smart optimistic about the future of our
choose between a legacy of a resilient marine-life components for their economic objective to achieve a oceans, but we are not currently
and vibrant ocean or an irreversibly recovery scheme: salt marshes, sustainable future,” says Agusti. doing enough in the UK or globally.”
disrupted ocean,” says Duarte.“Our mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, “We have a narrow window of The study “Rebuilding Marine Life”
study documents recovery of marine kelp, oyster reefs, fisheries, megafauna opportunity to deliver a healthy is published in Nature. ■
populations, habitats and ecosystems and the deep sea.
following past conservation Their plan involves deploying
interventions. It provides specific, combinations of six “recovery Scuba Sophie
evidence-based recommendations to wedges” or interventions: protecting Eleven-year-old
scale proven solutions globally.” both species and spaces, intelligent diver Sophie O’Dea
The scientists believe that recovery harvesting, habitat restoration, from Blackburn has
rates for most marine-ecosystem pollution reduction and climate- set herself the goal
of raising £5000 as
a thank-you to the
HELP US TO SPOTLIGHT THOSE NHS by carrying

out a dive at the
Capernwray inland
30 DIVING INFLUENCERS site as soon as it’s
safe. She plans to
divEr WOULD LIKE to thank the part of the world, and be involved in
build a Lego plane
on top of one of the
this
many readers who have been
submitting their nominations for the
any of many spheres of activity.
They could be underwater
real ones, supported month
by Canary Divers.
greatest “Diving Influencers” of the
past 30 years since the call went out in
explorers, wreck-divers/researchers/
technical divers (we can tell you that
Find her JustGiving divEr
the May issue of the magazine. We’ve they’re showing up well at the
page by searching
for “Scuba Sophie’s likes…
been delighted with the response and moment!), cave-divers, freedivers, Underwater Task”.
the quality of your suggestions. conservationists, photographers,
While the future remains uncertain film-makers, eco-activists, dive-gear Zen in VR With the 40th anniversary of the iconic Zenobia ferry’s
in the wake of the Covid-19 developers, marine biologists, sinking off Cyprus in June, check out a free virtual tour completed
pandemic, at present October’s DIVE instructors, travel facilitators, TV under lockdown by Anastasia Pash of Globetrotter VR, with guided
2020 show at the National Exhibition broadcasters, authors, charity workers dive, 360° model and history. Go to globetrotter-vr.com/zenobia-2
Centre is still set to go ahead. Our – the possibilities are endless.
trawl for the movers and shakers of The chosen will feature in our CovEDtalks Many online diversions have helped divers through
the diving world is one of the ways in Diving Influencers Gallery at the lockdown, but stand-outs have been the NAS “self-educating while
which we hope to celebrate the 30th Show, and we hope many of them will self-isolating” lunchtime webinars, set to last until the end of June and
anniversary of the Shows, which are be attending, so that you get the perhaps beyond – register at nauticalarchaeologysociety.org
organised by the divEr Group. chance to meet them.
We’re looking for individual divers So please email your three names In the Beginning One webinar that left a big impression
comprised the recollections of true Red Sea scuba pioneer (and
who you believe have done the most to [email protected] and get
Fantasea Line founder) Howard Rosenstein. It’s still on YouTube and
to change our sport for the better your dive-buddies to do the same.
well worth a look – key in “50 Years Under the Red Sea and More“.
since 1990. They might come from any The more names the better! n
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BEACHCOMBER
TAKING BEACHCOMBER heavy that if she trained all her big

guns to one side she would list so far
THE HINT over that her side-rails would be

under water. Imagine being aboard
If you can’t go diving at the when that was first noticed!
moment, you can at least look back The Massachusetts had an eventful
on the dives you’ve done, perhaps career, even seeing action against
with the help of your trusty a Spanish cruiser in the Spanish-
logbook. You know, reliving the American War of 1898, and ending
experience as you wait patiently for Phones for divers her days as a towed target for
things to get better. Apple, bless it, makes computers and experimental gunfire before being
Maybe, maybe not, you decide. phones and watches. Some swear by sunk in 1921 in water so shallow that
Our hero turned up at the inland them, others swear at them, but it has just her gun-turrets sometimes break the
site at the end of February and patented touch-screen technology that it surface at low tide.
swiftly assembled his kit, only to says could make its next iPhone range The wreck is now a haven for fish-
find that the valve on his cylinder usable under water. life, lies off Florida and has just gone
was looser than he expected, and Probably not for making calls, of course, on to my bucket-list of dives when
that the cylinder itself was empty. but touchscreen tech that works beneath things get back to normal.
It had probably opened when it the surface would be so useful. Or as close to normal as they’re
caught on something in the boot of It’s currently aimed at snorkellers, but going to get.
the car, allowing his gas to escape. PXHERE I tell you what, Apple, make the phone
Annoying, but not too bad – he waterproof to 100m, add a pressure-sensor
had a second cylinder and that one and deco algorithm, bung in a wide-angle Old and bold
was still full. It was the work of a lens and I might even buy one myself! I’ve remarked before that British divers
moment to change the bottles over In withdrawal are getting older, but I’ve always wondered
and screw the reg set in place. A while ago I was sitting in a bar in if that was more confirmation bias than
Have you ever heard an O-ring Hurghada with a fellow-diver. When Lister on my list real life.
go bang? Noise. Lots of noise. the beers arrived he took a pack of The USS Massachusetts was a Jeb Robinson might just provide the
But it was only an O-ring, and cigarettes from his pocket, slid one battleship constructed in 1893 for the proof I needed. He’s 84 and is searching the
they’re easily replaced if you have slender cancer-stick from the pack, lit fledgling US Navy – and regarded as seabed off the Durham coast for coins from
a spare, which he had. up and sat back in his chair with an one of the worst ever built. the cargo vessel Benmacdhui, sunk after
He hadn’t even lost much gas, expression of absolute contentment Her main gun batteries were so striking a mine while carrying munitions to
because the O-ring had blown on his face as he blew smoke toward
US NATIONAL ARCHIVES
pretty much as soon as he’d opened the ceiling.
the valve. “I love being able to go to the pub
Not one to be easily deterred, he and light up,” he told me.“Just like we
finished kitting up, with just a bit used to be able to do back home
more attention paid to the buddy- before smoking in public places
check than usual, truth be told, then was outlawed.”
reached into the boot of the car for I mention this only because
the last item of kit, his camera. I haven’t been diving for months
He held it in his hand for a long because we’re not allowed, and
moment, then put it back in the I understand just how he felt.
boot, closed the lid and went for Ah, for the smell of neoprene in the
his dive. mornings and the joy of dropping
The USS Massachusetts in 1901.
Two out of three ain’t bad. into the water. Any water.
the Far East during the last war, though
he’s actually looking for the 13 tons of
So it’s come to this… water doesn’t compress but the
air-bubble does, so the sachet
coins she was also possibly carrying.
When he first dived the site in 1976 he
For all the strangeness so far this year Make sure becomes less buoyant and sinks. found a 1-cent Sarawak coin from Borneo,
all isn’t lost, provided you have there’s no air- Release the pressure, the air- so there seems to be cash down there.
a cup or bowl of water, a 2-litre plastic pocket left in the bubble expands – the sachet There might even be examples of the
bottle, some paper-clips and an bottle. Observe rises. vanishingly rare Hong Kong 1-cent coins
unopened plastic sachet of ketchup the sachet at the You hear that noise? That’s that are worth thousands each.
or vinegar. top of the bottle. the sound of diving instructors Jeb isn’t doing the diving alone, of
At least, that’s what The Times Now squeeze the making notes and working out course, and has recruited a crack team of
reckons you need to make your very bottle, and the how to include this practical local divers to help out, the youngest in his
own scuba-diver at home. sachet sinks. Stop demonstration of so many mid-70s, according to the Daily Mirror.
What you do is make sure the squeezing, it rises. basic scuba concepts in their See, British divers are getting older.
sachet of sauce just floats in the cup The explanation is next series of lectures. Brilliant, so am I. But it would have been
or bowl, using the paper-clips as neat. The sachet, which You’re welcome, and so much more impressive if the Mirror had
weights if necessary, then fill the represents our diver, thank you to the used a picture of Jeb in the North Sea or on
bottle with water, shove the has a bubble of trapped Thunderer! a boat in the North Sea to illustrate its
perfectly weighted sachet in and cap air inside. When you I’d rather be doing it piece, rather than a holiday snap in clear
the bottle. squeeze the bottle the for real, mind. blue water and a wetsuit.
As Allied
forces forayed into
Germany in the early
months of 1945, the Ruhr
river, a tributary of the Rhine,
became its last line of defence
in the west. The riverbed is
still littered with bombs, guns
and other artefacts. German
waterways are usually off-
limits for divers, but an Essen
RUST
diving school has a special
permit. Report and photos
by DANIEL BRINCKMANN IN PEACE
W
ITH SHAKY STEPS we descend Above: The river is a no-take grenades. Those nice little bubbles at the Before we’re 10 minutes into our battle
the embankment above the zone, but limited posing is surface rise up from corroding phosphor against the moderate current, a crusty
historic Ruhr Bridge. What will permitted –as long as the bombs!” piece of wood can be seen protruding
finds are not explosives…
the vis be like? How about the current? Greenish-yellow water engulfs us, from the gravel bank. With its reddish-
The two whirlpools at the surface don’t Below: Thousands of people causing a bit of distress as visibility hardly brown colour and angular structure, it
bode well. must have walked past this exceeds 2m. By 3m deep, little ambient doesn’t fit into the overall picture.
“There are two large bomb-craters in rifle sticking out of water light makes it down to the bottom. These Guess quickly turns to certainty. The
those spots – the water is 8m deep,” over the past 60 years. are not exactly Alpine river conditions. object, which sticks up all the way up to
explains Martin Fehd from the Dive In the surface and into the orchids on the
Essen school. riverbank, is a rifle barrel, and the
When the school’s previous owner rectangular recess in the middle is the
carried out the first exploratory dive, he cartridge chamber.
felt as if he had entered an armoury. It’s a Wehrmacht sniper rifle, thrown
Just as we’re about to step into the from one of the bridges like so many
water, Martin reminds us of the most weapons and Nazi insignia in the last days
important rule in the game: “Don’t even of World War two in this area.
think about touching anything that Spring floods and the periodic opening
remotely resembles ammunition or of the reservoir Lake Baldeney bring to
RIVER DIVER
the surface artefacts that had rested in the 50mm cartridges, a pistol weathered Above from top: Diving in bubble was finally bursting. Despite an
mud for more than seven decades. beyond recognition and a bollard for the placid Ruhr includes a insane order to stop the Allied infantry
After a few photos, we set course for the boats or a mobile landing bridge. certain amount of coming advance at all costs, and violent threats
up for orientation: “The
bridge pillars, where most artefacts are to It doesn’t take much imagination to number of metal items on
from the Nazi party, hardly any Essen
be found. imagine how the British infantry crossed the riverbed will twist your residents gathered by the river to take up
Suddenly my dive-buddy Holger starts the river on pontoons beside the blown- compass and makes you lose weapons as instructed.
shaking his torch violently. The pointed, up Ruhr Bridge. track,” says Brinckmann. The historic Ruhr Bridge in the small
rusty object ahead turns out to be an neighbourhood of Steele was blown up by
aerial bomb, perhaps 50kg in weight. the last fanatics on the same day, but that
As if as a reminder of what could
happen if you touch explosives, the 3m
N OT EVERYTHING THAT COMES
from above is a blessing. It was a
white rain of leaflets that stated what
action could not delay the inevitable.
A pioneer unit of the US Army was
riverbed suddenly drops to 8m. every citizen of Essen already suspected – first to cross the Ruhr, but RAF bombers
We’re gazing into a 5m-deep bomb the “Ruhrpott“ was now a battle area. had already turned downtown Essen to
funnel in which the explosive force has Since 1942, Allied airpower had been rubble. When its mayor handed the city
ripped out massive chimney-red rocks. targeting the heart of the German over to US General Ridgway on 11 April,
In the next few minutes in the ghostly armaments industry, the Krupp factories. there was only silence. The advance on
twilight we pass several licence-plates, Now, in late March 1945 with the fall of Berlin was underway to bring about the
a tree-stump covered with sponges, a few Essen pending, the National Socialist end of the “1000-year” Reich. ☛
Thanks to the whirlpools we are as
disorientated as our compasses, which are
being distracted by all the metal items on
the bottom, but a quick peek above the
surface is enough to show that we have
strayed too far down the river, into
uncharted and not-so-legal territory.
As we wade across a flat ford to a belt of
pond roses, strollers on the towpath stare
at us, flabbergasted.
It’s fairly unusual to see scuba-divers
in the Ruhr, or any German river for that
matter, but our buddy Marco waving
another rifle above his head like a trophy
might explain their alarm.
That sort of bounty might have
occurred in the early days of diving, but
it’s not for us. The Dive In Essen staff take
great care to ensure that any discoveries
remain where they belong, but they are
also security-conscious.
In addition to harmless artefacts, the
riverbed and the sediment layers below
it are littered with still-dangerous
ammunition from hand-grenades up to
aerial bombs, and require the services of
the bomb-disposal operatives.
E TREAT OURSELVES to a different

W kind of loot – delicious apple
pancakes in the garden of the
neighbouring Boathouse Ruhreck,
a place that provides an opportunity
not only to fill our stomachs but gaps in
our knowledge.
“Unlike heavy explosive devices, such
as aerial bombs wedged between stones,
the grenades are flotsam simply washed
away in strong currents or floods,”
explains Martin. Clockwise from top left: Essen are the basis for the dive-shop’s There are catfish, pike, eels, large
“So it’s only possible to speculate Probably a Wehrmacht exceptional permit for river-diving perch and even trout, albeit not in huge
before a dive what the river will release – semi-automatic Gewehr 43 between April and September. quantities.
rifle; stonefish moment –
sometimes it’s more, sometimes nothing. this 40kg tank projectile It is the only one of its kind in the There are three diving zones extending
“We differentiate between harmless is most likely a dud; with Ruhr area, and probably one of very over about 1.25 miles. The easternmost
finds, things that can explode and improved water quality the few in Germany. Waterway legislation route stretches between two bridges, and
absolute risk cases – and if we find the riverbank shallows resemble forbids scuba-diving wherever swimming divers can continue downstream to the
latter, we report them.” Which is a salad bowl; 0.50-calibre takes place. west into the other zones depending on
machine-gun shells; a stick
understandable, because a good grenade.
Current and visibility in the Ruhr can their air-consumption.
relationship with the district government change from day to day, and diversity To the west of the second bridge, three
in Düsseldorf and the regulatory office in among its fish species is remarkable. improvised fairways run through the
‘Out there, gentlemen, no

chimney will ever smoke
again. Where the cast
steel plant once stood,
grass and herbs will grow.
The British military
government has decided
to end Krupp forever.
That is all, gentlemen.’
Colonel Douglas Fowles
divEr 22
RIVER DIVER
Fighting the current, Martin’s words chilled but impressed, one question
come to mind. He told us that the quality lingers: what is all this Nazi junk doing
of the Ruhr dives were determined by in the river?
dry-weather periods, algae bloom and Shortly before the white flags were
current flow rate, and that a bit of luck hung from the windows, the German
was always necessary. army threw almost everything off the
On exceptional days visibility could bridges that reeked of National Socialism
approach 10m – but it’s more likely to be – and of course that included weapons.
in the 1-4m range. “Staff and friends of the dive-shop’s
By now, the grenade has long gone former owner Holger Cremer used to
riverbed to provide a nice shift of gear. Clockwise from top left: from our sight – we’re in the channel and find SS daggers and steel helmets here,”
However, before reaching this No wine-bottle – artillery speeding from left to right over the Martin recalls. “You simply never know
freshwater equivalent of a drift-dive shells come in various forms; riverbed gravel, where no algae will grow. what the river will brings into the light of
tree from a past storm in
through an atoll channel, the area around a deep bomb-crater; For a few seconds we enjoy seeing the day after a flood.”
the bridge pillars is worth a close look. briefing at Dive In Essen; that furiously paddling feet of panicking He is matter-of-fact, just as residents
What looks at first like an old wine- protruding rifle on the river- swans beneath the surface, but shortly living around alpine lakes such as
bottle morphs into a tank grenade. But bank seen from below. afterwards an object comes into view that Austria’s Toplitzsee speak of the infamous
visibility has dropped tremendously since at first resembles an old toilet-brush. Nazi gold treasure that drew many
Below, from left: The Ruhr
that first dive while the current has picked in its heyday – and after the Wrong again. Martin shakes his index renegades-turned divers in the 1960s.
up, almost as if the flood doors of Lake Allied bombings of WW2. finger violently: stick grenade! The lakes kept the majority of their
Baldeney have been flung open. Once we make back it to the riverbank, secrets, however, and so will the Ruhr.
FACTFILE to drive to the entry point in Essen-

Steele, but transport can be arranged.
GETTING THERE8Fly from UK to ACCOMMODATION8As an alternative
Düsseldorf and it’s a half-hour rental to city hotels, accommodation is
car drive from the airport to Essen. available around picturesque Lake
DIVING8Dive In Essen, dive-in- Baldeney three miles out.
essen.de. Minimum certification is WHEN TO GO8April to September.
AOWD or equivalent with 30 dives. All
diving must be guided, maximum ratio PRICE849 euros pp per dive.
4:1. Certification, medical certificate VISITOR INFORMATION8
and logbook mandatory. Guests tend ruhr-tourismus.de
23 divEr
TIME A
FTER KITTING UP ON A wooden the two-engined speedboat, which could
bench at Octopus Dive Centre, carry 12 people.
set on beautiful Cote D’Or beach Another diver from Germany and a
on the north side of Praslin, we were zoologist from Sri Lanka, who had both
asked to carry our equipment across the been diving with Octopus over the past
wide stretch of sparkling white beach seven days, joined us.
OUT
into the surf zone, where Octopus’s dive- Cote D’Or is a large bay without
boat was waiting in the shallows. a barrier reef, but with numerous
Buffeted by swells and waves, we boulder islands scattered about, some
managed to pass up our cameras, dive- above water and many below, there in the
gear and tanks before climbing aboard north of the Seychelles archipelago.
There are procedural niggles along

the way in the Seychelles, but
nothing that could seriously affect
LISA COLLINS’ appreciation of its
ever-giving marine life. Additional
photography by MATEUSZ BEDNARCZUK
divEr 24
SEYCHELLES DIVER
We bumped east across the swells, colonies of both hard and soft corals on
holding on tight to our cameras for 25 the rocks, with little sign of bleaching.
minutes to reach the channel between the As we swam around the rocks,
second largest island Praslin and La sometimes into the current, sometimes
Digue, renowned for its beautiful beaches. drifting with the considerable surge, we
The surface water was bubbling. Our did our best to document the dive-site.
dive-guide Cyril had briefed us on the From the start we were followed by
Channel Rock site back at the dive-centre, several large, bold and curious batfish.
warning of a lot of current and probable I wondered if other divers had fed them,
large swells under water, and had or whether they just liked to play in our
suggested trying another site. bubbles.
The German diver had been to the As remote islands in the western Indian
other, better-protected sites during the Ocean, the Seychelles have many rare and
even rougher weather of the previous endemic fish species. We were in wonder
seven days, and insisted on the drift-dive as we spotted fish after fish we hadn’t seen
at Channel Rock. before, many of them brightly coloured or
Knowing that this was our check-dive unusually patterned.
and that we were carrying large cameras, The site was very “fishy”. Emperor and
we had been surprised when Cyril agreed. regal angelfish graced the rocks, while
As regular divers at divemaster and large soldierfish and other bigeyes filled
instructor level we felt confident of being each cut between the boulders.
OK in the water, but less confident of Many types of butterflyfish, several
being able to take decent photos. I didn’t recognise, hid in protected areas
We expressed our reservations, but it within the boulders, out of the current.
was clear that we could either take the Big schools of yellow-striped snapper
chance or stay on the boat. moved as one with the surge.
Of course, not wanting to miss the first Cyril caught my attention just as I had
dive, and conscious that we could just drift spotted a large Napoleon wrasse, and tried
if photography was ruled out, we back- to pull me towards the fish. I knew
rolled into the blue and looked down to it would be impossible to reach and
see a fair current over a 20m-deep seabed photograph against that current before it
of white sand interspersed with huge swam off, but I appreciated Cyril’s help.
granite boulders. The rocks were so colourful, filled Opposite page: Schooling
We swam down against the current with sponges and the sort of soft-coral fish dominate most of the
following Cyril and fought our way to the abundance I hadn’t seen on reefs in many dive-sites.
first rocks. I had heard about the coral- years. Unfortunately, the hundreds of sea
Above: Colourful coral-filled
bleaching over the past 10 years, so was urchins also present would turn out to be boulders at Channel Rock.
pleasantly surprised to find very healthy a feature on all our dives.
Although not so good for divers and Left: Redfin butterflyfish,
underwater photographers trying to one of many species in the
Seychelles that were new
avoid getting too close, they are
to Lisa.
essential for keeping algae from
growing and destroying the coral. Right: Cuts through the
boulders are a feature at
N OUR GROUP STOP we Channel Rock and Low
O drifted at speed over the boulder
formations. The dive-boat had
Channel.
Below: The surf zone at

followed our bubbles, quickly picked Cote d’Or beach, where the
us up and covered the short distance dive-boats are moored.
to Low Channel Rock.
During our surface interval, as the
boat drifted over the rocks and white
sand we saw the colour of the ocean
changing constantly, from pale
turquoise to deep indigo blue.
The verdant peaks of both Praslin
and La Digue, fringed by glowing
white beaches, looked like fantasy
islands from a dinosaur movie,
intriguing and beautiful. ☛
25 divEr
We could still see current at Low
Channel, but less so than at the deeper
Channel Rock. The topography proved
very similar to our first dive site.
At our maximum depth of 17m we felt
a more pronounced surge. We navigated
around the boulders, mostly foregoing
our cameras but enjoying the scene, full of the gentle current took us around the site,
colour and life. Cyril pointed out a small rocking in the swell.
turtle feeding, and a nurse shark sleeping
in a cut in the rocks. ACK ON THE BOAT we hid in the lea
Nearing the end of the dive, I struggled
to stay in place while photographing a
B of the island, protected from the small
waves breaking on the rocks around Ave
strange-looking grouper with a bright Maria. The other divers had come from
yellow moustache at a cleaning station. the capital island Mahe, which we were
Nearby was a juvenile oriental sweetlips due to visit.
and an unusual, very fancy, shell. I had They considered the diving just as good
seen these in books, and occasionally in there, though they had seen no sharks.
shops, but never live under water. Descending again, we followed the
rocks around the base of the island at
E DROVE BACK to our little self- 17m. I think the French divers were a little
W catering villa, one of three less than
five minutes’ drive from Cote D’Or, and
impatient with underwater photographers
and had obviously asked Cyril to move
owned and run by Debbie and Michel, more quickly, because they sped off to try
a couple from the Seychelles. to cover as much of the site as possible.
Michel had sold two dive-centres on the Staying halfway between Cyril and
island on retirement 18 months before, Mateusz, my dive-buddy who was
and built the villas. Above: Turtle at Ave Maria. stop at La Digue to pick up three German delighting in photographing the many fish
He delighted us every afternoon after divers who had chartered a catamaran he had never seen before, I noted a lot of
Below, from left: White-
our dives with his tales of 2.5m grouper with five friends to sail around the islands. big yellow starfish and bright orange
mouthed moray eel; octopus
and massive schools of oceanic fish. sitting on the shallower of By the time everyone was on board, cushionstars, which I had never seen in
He said we should try to get out to the Two Barges. with the captain and two divemasters, the such abundance, and another feeding
the South Mariana dive-sites, which he boat was almost at capacity. turtle. Between the hard corals, schools
considered to have the biggest and most The dive-site was only 10 minutes from of anthias, damselfish and cardinalfish
prolific fish-life, but the wind during our La Digue. We had to drop in one by one danced. I saw a couple of anemones, but
trip would rule those out. almost on top of each other to keep fewer than expected.
We were visiting in the rainiest month, everyone together. As we closed the gap with Cyril he
December, but it was sunny every day and I’m not that tall, and found it difficult spotted a reef octopus which, spooked by
with hardly a cloud. Michel explained to climb onto the side of the boat to him, swam almost directly towards me
that there were three tropical cyclones: backroll, so just kind of tumbled over the before squeezing into a gap in the
one off the tip of Madagascar, one off the side in a haphazard but effective way. boulders. A large pufferfish, curious of its
Seychelles’ southernmost chain Aldabra, There was a small current and swell, reflection in my dome-port, let me take
some 600 miles from Praslin, and one to much less than the previous day. one or two photos.
the north off Somalia, all drawing the The topography had an unworldly Mateusz and I later agreed that it was
clouds away from us. feeling. Massive smooth rocks, carved an amazing dive-site and hoped that our
For once, the weather was our friend. with long grooves formed over millennia other dives would be just as good.
Those who follow my articles will know dominated the sandy bottom. A whitetip
N SUNDAY, when the dive-centre
that this is very unusual!
Waking to a clear, deep-blue sky, we
drove to the dive-centre. The ocean had
shark was swimming over the seabed.
Moving from one rock to another at 18m
proved far easier than the day before.
O closes, we visited the beautiful Vallee
De Mai national park, a primaeval palm
calmed somewhat, and a gentle swell made Again, we were amazed by the amount forest and home to the endemic coco de
carrying our kit to the boat much easier and variety of marine life. A big school of mare tree found only on Praslin.
than before. snapper formed a ball between the rocks, The female nut resembles a woman’s
Today, again with Cyril, we were to dive dispersing as I swam slowly towards them, private parts and the male plant a man’s.
White Rock and around Ave Maria, a tiny then enveloping me. A small turtle ignored Perhaps this is why the Seychellois call
picturesque rock island with a single tree us as it fed on a sponge. Praslin the “Original Garden of Eden”!
growing on top of it. We had three French In the 29°C water with 25-30m Our last day of diving saw continuation
divers with us, and Cyril said we would visibility, we felt soothed and relaxed as of a pattern we had noted – we would
divEr 26
SEYCHELLES DIVER
giant tortoises live. This would be a single

dive. Dive-guide Paul gave us the
briefest of briefings, and told us that
the depth would be a maximum of
15m for 50 minutes.
I queried this. The two-tank dives
had maximum times of 60 minutes for
the first dive and 50 minutes for the
second, both at greater depths.
The single dive was half the price of the
two-tank dive, so why should the time
arrive and set up on time, then have to allotted be shorter?
wait nearly 45 minutes while the dive-crew Paul wasn’t happy about me
slowly get everything ready. mentioning this, but said that “as he was
We watched each day as Goldie, one in a good mood” he would allow us to dive
of the captains, carried out an oxygen kit for 60 minutes. It seems that this dive-site
and 10-litre fuel can with a lit cigarette is used for training or easy dives, so is
dangling from his lips. probably quite boring for the guides, but
Smoking is a common pastime for we were paying full price and naturally
many Seychellois, which surprised us. wanted to take as many photos as possible.
We had requested a dive-site said to be The water looked very clear, although reef was a delight, with so many unusual
the best for macro life to compare with the we had been told that it was very “milky” species darting about. We spotted a much
previous sites. Coral Gardens was only and not the best site to visit. The sandy smaller geometric moray and the elegant
15 minutes’ boat drive from shore beside bottom was at 13m and the topography variety too. Exactly on the 60th minute,
Curieuse Island, where a population of very different to that on previous dives, Paul had us back at the surface.
with coral rubble and small rocks
HE FOLLOWING afternoon we took
scattered about. Fish were everywhere, and
there were many cleaning stations.
A bright-red coral grouper was being
T the Cat Cocos ferry back to Mahe,
where the international airport is located.
cleaned by a bright blue wrasse under an We were staying at Eden Island, a 25-
overhang. minute drive from Big Blue Divers at the
Looking more closely, I saw that it was end of Beau Vallon beach.
squeezed up against a large white moray We had arranged four dives over two
eel feeding in the reef. days, starting with its 11am and 1.30pm
It poked its head out briefly and its face dives the next day.
bore a dark grey dotted pattern – I hadn’t We loaded our kit onto a pick-up truck
seen a geometric moray before! and sat on the sides of the loadspace with
Above: Lugging equipment
Exploring the nooks and crannies of the two other divers for the 10-minute drive to
across the sands from the
dive-boat. the other end of Beau Vallon. ☛
Above right: Batfish
enjoying the divers’ bubbles.
Far left: Anthias school at

Chuckles.
Left: Female coco de mer

fruit.
Below from left: Tiny

blenny; whip gobies; and
a mantis shrimp, all seen at
the Chuckles site.
27 divEr
The first dive, Chuckles, was a 20- Above, from left: Endemic took two people on a Discover Scuba dive. in the heat at the jetty while the pick-up
minute drive away. Already on the boat semi-circle angelfish at Two There was a slight current and surge, took the 8.30am divers back and returned
were four other divers who had done the Barges; the Zanzibar shrimp and the topography was similar to that at with an Indian honeymoon couple who
that had Oliver excited;
8.30am dive. The boat always returned to batfish being cleaned at Praslin. We descended to 17m, where we wanted a try-dive. It seems that this is the
the jetty to load more passengers during Two Barges. spotted morays, tiny blennies and gobies, bread and butter of Mahe dive companies.
surface intervals. a mantis shrimp running over the reef and
Dive-guide Oliver said he trusted us to Below, clockwise from many unusual shells, some quite large. ARTLY BECAUSE of the try-dives and
stay together as a buddy-team while he top left: This rockmover
wrasse was busy preparing
Towards the end of the dive Oliver
joined us, having taken his DSDs back to
P also because it was the third dive of
the day, the next dive site, Fisherman’s
a nest in the sand beside the
barges; nudibranch; this the boat. I spotted a Zanzibar shrimp on Cove, was only just outside the harbour in
damselfish was said to be a whip-coral, showed Oliver and was water less than 10m deep.
endemic, but its name was surprised when he went crazy, A rubble bottom greeted us, with lots of
unknown; Winston on Big gesticulating and punching the air. broken coral, sea urchins and little else.
Blue’s jetty, waiting for more
DSDs.
Back on the boat, he explained that he I was shocked. The abundant life seen on
had only ever seen them in books and had all our other dives in the Seychelles was
always wanted to see one. I explained that absent.
they could be found fairly frequently on Winston, our guide, disappeared almost
Indian Ocean whip-corals. as soon as we had descended to take care
We had to wait for more than an hour of the Indian couple, but there wasn’t
much he could have shown us.
There were many large cone-shells and
Mateusz finally managed to find a
moray – a very disappointing dive!
Two days later we turned up for the
8.30am and 11pm dives. Asked for our
preference, I requested a wreck-dive, and
we were lucky enough to be taken to Two
Barges – two wrecks for the price of one!
We were left to our own devices again as
Oliver took two more DSDs to a shallower
part of the site.
Fantastic dive! The first barge sat at
16m, and its fishlife astounded me.
Huge schools of fish populated the deck
as we swam over it, heading for the deeper
wreck at 21m.
Both barges were intact and more or
less upright. Swimming over the deck to
the hold, I could see pompano circling just
inside the entrance. A large school of jack
and bigeye circled the wreck.
Brightly coloured parrotfish and wrasse
of many types and sizes pecked at the
wealth of coral on the deck.
Back on the shallower wreck we found
much macro life. In the sand between the
two we saw a small black damselfish with
a white patch around its eye that we later
learnt was endemic, and a pretty rock-
SEYCHELLES DIVER
FACTFILE
GETTING THERE8 BA flies direct from
London Heathrow to Mahe, or fly via the
Middle East with Emirates, Etihad or Qatar.
DIVING 8 Praslin: Octopus Diving Centre,
Cote d’Or, octopusdiver.com. Mahe: Big Blue
Divers, Beau Vallon, bigbluedivers.net
ACCOMMODATION 8Les 4 Etoiles Holiday
Villas in Praslin and Eden Island in Mahe, both
booked through AirBnB.
WHEN TO GO8 Year-round, but April, October
and November are calmest. Late May-
September is cooler and visibility less, but this
attracts whale sharks. December-March is the
warmest but wettest. Sea temperatures 26º in
July to 30º in April. Tropical cyclones can occur
from November to mid-May, but this affects the
outer islands more than Praslin and Mahe.
mover wrasse busy moving stones to make MONEY8Seychellois rupee.
a nest.
A reef octopus sat proudly on the deck. PRICES8 Return flights from £500. Les 4
Etoiles £88 per night, Eden Island £120 for one-
The corals were spectacular, healthy and
bed villas. Octopus charges £225 for five dives,
varied. It was my favourite site of the trip.
with Big Blue £275 for eight dives.
We were the only divers on the second
dive, and Oliver took us to one of his VISITOR INFORMATION8 seychelles.travel
favourite sites, around 25 minutes away, a
tiny island with a tree on top called L’ilot.
We moored in its lea and dropped to through it we rounded a corner and found almost to where we started. We were
the bottom at 16m. As we swam over large a gentle current on the other side. enveloped and became one with the
smooth boulders covered in corals, we hit At the other end the current picked us schooling fish around the island – a great
strong current on the corner. Pushing up and shot us round the corner and back finale to our diving in the Seychelles.
TECHNIQUE
THE
ELEPHANT If buoyancy control is the
key to good diving, why
is it not a core component
IN THE POOL of commercial entry-level

diver training?
JOHN KEAN airs his views
T
HE “ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM” is the term struck, how straight and near to the hole it goes, nearly a week has passed. At the end we’re safe and
used for an obvious flaw that’s blissfully and how few shots are taken to complete a round. legal but… can we actually dive properly?
ignored for long periods of time. Eventually Over the past 20 years, parts of the new-diver Among that list are some 25 inwater mandatory
the elephant makes its presence known, at the training community have diluted and reframed skills. They’re vital. Here are a few: descent
worst possible moment, at the greatest possible what constitutes hard evidence of competence, and ascent procedures; out-of-air emergency
cost and causing maximum inconvenience to distracting entrants from noticing its absence – protocols; clearing water from flooded masks;
those on the wrong side of its trunk. the elephant in the pool. It’s inconceivable that equipment removal and replacement; entries
Two examples were Piper Alpha and Deepwater vast sections of the industry are producing people and exits; navigation skills; fin-pivoting; surface
Horizon. The big grey things in the shape of who can’t dive properly – isn’t it? skills; finning techniques; cramp removal and
overlooked safety procedures, complacency and Cert cards, wall certificates, graduation assisting tired divers.
commercial greed bit the offshore deepwater photographs, fridge-stickers, new equipment and Lurking in there is the development of neutral
drilling industry in the rear harder than a logbook entries are all useful but they’re not buoyancy control. For me it’s the main event,
Rottweiler with stainless-steel dentures. direct evidence of a mastery of buoyancy control. not just a box on the instructor’s plastic skills slate
Scuba beginner training doesn’t so much have Sometimes we have the appearance of to tick to fulfil legal and course standard
an elephant in the room as a full-grown rogue a competently completed beginner scuba course, requirements. It’s the most important skill to
mammoth in the swimming pool, swaying its but not always the hard visual evidence one might master because it defines what scuba is – diving!
huge tusks and trumpeting loud enough to crack expect in other sports. Diving is controlled movement through water,
the tiles the length of the pool. and all the other skills, frills and social diversions
What grand delusion is it trying to reveal?
In most sports, mastery is observable.
Spectators at a tennis match can watch a ball
D URING AN INTENSIVE entry-level scuba
course we’re busy creatures. Look at all the
necessary components: classroom or online
in the world will never substitute for its absence
or lack of development.
Neutral buoyancy control is used throughout
being hit skilfully. A series of back- and forehands, theory absorption, extensive briefings and demos, all dives by all divers, yet its developmental
serves or volleys culminate in a victory, or at least kit set-up, donning and doffing, paperwork, associated skills on a beginner course are often the
a visual display of prolonged competence. admin and transport to and from locations. least practised. Why is that?
The same goes for other sports, such as golf There are the in-water training sessions in both With about nine dives in the pool and open
with its drives, chips and putts. confined and open water. Add the surface skills, water adding up to nine hours under water, the
The evidence can be seen in how well the ball is quizzes, exams and multiple de-briefings and grand total of mandatory neutral buoyancy ☛
skills with some agencies is not measured by
hours or even barely minutes. It can be just –
90 seconds. Within that short time, the longest
minimum requirement of a single buoyancy skill
might be only 60 seconds.
A student can wing these 60sec “freeze frames”,
much as a broken clock is right twice a day.
Some mandatory skills such as mask-clearing
or cramp-removal might take only a few seconds
to demonstrate, then copy.
Such skill-processing might tempt instructors
to treat all the listed skills speedily, even though
some require greater attention.
Worse still, nearly all the skills are done on a
pool floor, rather than being repeated or
additionally mastered in midwater, where
a certified diver would typically be.
The way the world learns to… kneel?
ONSIDER WHAT GOES into mastering

C neutral buoyancy control: BC operation,
lung-volume control, correct weighting, trim
achieved through sensible positioning of those
weights and, finally, combining all these under
a watchful eye through set skills and motion.
This evolving sequence should take several
minutes per student and be an ongoing process,
but how many professionals give it the attention
and respect it deserves?
The cynical might blame the training agencies’
limited mandatory inclusion of this vital skill,
but is it really limited?
Here is a sentence accompanying a neutral ‘I NEVER HEARD OF A FIREMAN
buoyancy skill from the instructor manual of a
leading training agency: “…inflate the BC to hover SIGNING UP FOR A PEAK-
for at least one minute without kicking or sculling”.
Two words there are often overlooked by the
PERFORMANCE HOSEPIPE COURSE’
impatient and agenda-driven resort instructor:
“at least”. “You passed, but now go away and work on
During the swim-around part of the dive, it is your buoyancy control.” But, of course, that’s the
encouraged that students be further exposed to instructor’s job from the outset.
isolated and deliberate development of neutral Completing the mind-control exercise,
buoyancy-related skills over and over again. additional courses are recommended to make up
So duration is left to chance, rather being for the deficiency, offloading the consequences of
a stated and required standard. failure onto other instructors.
The “chancing” of diving’s most important These courses have names like “peak buoyancy
skill is impossible to spot before booking a lesson, control” and are often classed as “specialities”,
because a beginner doesn’t know it matters; many courses intended to provide additional knowledge
HE ELEPHANT GROANS with incredulity
courses look the same in their marketing and
course descriptions; and you might not know
which instructor you’ll get and how seriously
rather than to cover flawed entry-level training.
Not even the most short-sighted supermarket
would offer “one for the price of two”.
T when such instructors swap war stories about
their students’ buoyancy-control woes, labelling
they take buoyancy control development until Add-on extras in place of core areas of basic them a “student from hell”, “bolter” or “human
you complete the course. training appear not to exist in other fields of anvil”.
Instructors in a hurry are prone to either rush excellence. Graduating medical students are not They blame drop-outs on “ear issues”, even
this development or to believe that a few minutes told to “work on your transplants”. though the real problem was caused by a lack of
is enough, despite visual evidence to the contrary. Military passing-out parades rarely include buoyancy control resulting in late equalising and
And how do they defend themselves? Easy. soldiers who are rotten shots. damage to the middle ear.
They tell their less-than-neutrally buoyant And I never heard of a fireman signing up for With an unholy reverence for the authorities
ex-students that it’s… their fault! a peak-performance hosepipe course. who sanctioned their own professional activities,
TECHNIQUE
few instructors will figure out that their basic properly and pass a test under the evaluation of “We’re a 5* resort and we always give the guests
training is the beginning, not the end. an external examiner. what they ask for.”
Leading sports instructors study feedback and Some experienced divers feel resigned to a life The tail wagged the dog; two industries under
with a little reverse-engineering make the of short dives and a short leash, erroneously one roof; room service competing with specialised
required adjustments to the learning process to believing they are not among the chosen ones. instructional sports advice – a grey area?
achieve success. Following a script is useless if With the acquisition of some dive-centres by It’s big and grey all right!
they don’t occasionally “look out the window”. large travel and resort operators, the focus has
Technical-diving instructors frequently spot been on volume rather than enhancing what is
the elephant in the pool, because students essentially a specialised sport.
arriving on their tech courses with sub-standard Plane-seats, hotel rooms, beachside animations
buoyancy-control development are either turned and excursions have been the mainstay of these
away, learn quickly or don’t get certified at all. corporate giants, and attempts at forcing the
In the tech-instructor’s environment, good beginner dive-training industry into an image of
buoyancy control is not treated as just a “nice its larger self hasn’t worked.
idea” but as a life-saver. An uncontrolled ascent The “intro” dive, while satisfying the operators’
from depth or the omission of multiple volume quotas, further removes the acquisition
decompression stops with a body full of inert gas of skill, leaving just a momentary glimpse of life ISITING DIVERS, in these circumstances,
is game over, and it’s difficult to complete a peak
buoyancy course when in a wheelchair or a coffin.
under water while securely attached to an
instructor.
V experience but a snapshot of what’s possible
on their one-week diving holidays.
One would think that the knowledge-bank and Because of the social, travel and community They might experiment on-the-fly with
vast experience of the tech instructor would be nature of scuba-diving it is also full of frills, weighting, trim and position, only to crack it on
welcomed, but many resort recreational dive attractions and diversions from achieving what the final day before flying home.
operations banish their “antics” from sight for really matters… the true mastery of neutral This is in blatant contrast to their guides, who
fear of scaring their all-inclusive customers: buoyancy control. flawlessly glide and hover motionless throughout
“He’s on the dark side.” In many quarters the industry has sacrificed the dive before surfacing with near-half-full tanks.
One sees the light when tech-diving because the independence to unity, value to cost, quality to Are they gifted? Do they walk with the gods?
increased risk that comes with greater depth and speed and professionalism to package. Can they impart just a little of their heavenly
time is matched with knowledge, skills and The image they see around them is the product knowledge during those multi-hour surface
discipline and neutral buoyancy mastery is at its of ideals that have demanded more sacrifices at intervals?
core. That knowledge is easily transferable to each successive disaster. High-quality resort The industry is still largely responsible for not
recreational diving. diving is now a shadow of its former self. only turning out thousands of divers who can’t
For example, recreational diving’s “Win it in a The VIP luxury resort sector is also frequently dive properly but sustaining their continued lack
Minute” for neutral-buoyancy hovering has an oblivious to the elephant in the pool. While smart of quality with props, diversions, illusions and
equivalent in the first technical-diving course of staff uniforms, good manners, polished service little willingness to intervene and improve the
a mandatory 20-minute simulated decompression skills and reduced class sizes are marketed and status quo. So who is to blame?
stop to within a metre of deviancy. welcomed in these gold-plated environments, No one and… everyone.
neutral-buoyancy skill development can still be The offender is a mindset, a viral belief even,
subjected to the Sixty Second Challenge. not an individual or entity that might accept or
I was once asked to supply a luxury resort’s reject that mindset. If time and direct input is
dive-centre with an 18-litre scuba tank because its devoted to the problem, the results will show.
heavy-breathing billionaire diving guest was a The solution requires nothing new. No gizmos,
demanding and valued customer. gadgets or “special training”. The professionals,
I explained that its bulkiness was likely to cause agencies, dive-centres and equipment already
yet more excessive air consumption. It’s a bit like exist and are well structured to provide the
running out of oil and using a longer dipstick. solution. All they have to do is… their job.
The last time I saw any of these monsters, they Unearned certification represents abdication of
were strapped to the back of world-record- the responsibility that is the professional core of
HE RECREATIONAL-DIVING industry has
T a small portfolio of tools and diversionary
props to both accommodate and mitigate the
breaking deep divers. “How about you teach him
to dive properly?”
nearly any other field of education and training.
The alignment of agencies that don’t put ☛
effects of sub-standard divers.
Rarely do these include any form of
improvement, and are more akin to railway
buffers or motorway hard shoulders.
A private guide often becomes a private aquatic
bouncer, keeping the “offender” arm’s reach away
in non-challenging environments and at a safe
distance from coral.
Further mitigation practices include the diver
being relegated to “local sites” instead of the
premier league iconic ones where the less-skilled
would inflict more damage.
Fifteen-litre tanks are frequently requested or
even “prescribed” in resorts because the guest is
“bad on air and needs a bigger tank”.
Learner car-drivers who are bad on driving
aren’t issued with an air-bag or sin-binned to
a disused car park… they are taught to drive
TECHNIQUE
neutral buoyancy development at the forefront, whether they’re agencies, dive-centres or

instructors who simply follow the printed word individual professionals. But is it all worth it?
and decades of unsuspecting customers has In my long experience, here’s what happens
created the perfect storm of cognitive dissonance, when divers develop great buoyancy control:
grand-scale Stockholm syndrome and perhaps Y They feel good. Great diving experiences are
the longest example of psychologist Solomon not just about seeing, they’re about being.
Asch’s Conformity experiment ever. Y Their sense of safety and control is elevated;
The result is a tightly woven tapestry of their air consumption drops.
monumental illusion with few noticing that the Y They dive more often, spend more, are easier to
aquatic Emperor really has no clothes. Scuba’s manage and less stressed.They tell others.
equivalent of “The Big Short”? It’s taken a very big Y You can take them to more interesting and
shortie to keep this elephant insulated for so long. exciting dive-sites. The underwater
environment improves.
D ESPITE ATTEMPTS to shoehorn dive

training into the same buying process as
Amazon orders, an entry-level scuba course that
Y They recognise value against cost. They’ll
support your business.
Those outside the industry need to be
you can now “add to basket” is a service, not presented with the information that lets them
a product. know they have a choice, what that choice is and
It might have an identical name and technical who can deliver it. It’s not difficult and I believe
script to that offered elsewhere but its method of all divers are entitled to it.
delivery and execution can be worlds apart. The elephant never forgets but after 20
If the existing gatekeepers have failed, the job frustrating years it’s getting rather impatient.
falls to those who have already seen the elephant, I think it’s time to drain the pool.
John Kean is a 22-year veteran diving

professional, guest speaker and
author of five best-selling scuba-
related books. He has completed
more than 10,000 dives and trained
more than 2000 students from
beginner to professional and
advanced trimix level.
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Be The Champ JUNE.qxp_Layout 1 11/05/2020 16:34 Page 36
BE THE
CHAMP!
THE SPREAD / ALEX MUSTARD
Mangrove splits
M
ANGROVE FORESTS are ideal
environments for split-level
photography. First, the calm waters and
shallow depths make it easy to control the water
surface on our dome-port. And if we do have
water-droplets, they don’t really show in the mass
of leaves.
Splits work best when there is interesting
subject matter both above and below the surface,
and in a mangrove this is almost always
guaranteed by the trees.
The leaves and roots are often enough, but the
photos become even more captivating when we
have fish or corals to combine with the trees.
These shots are more easily constructed in
open areas of the mangroves, away from the
shade of the trees, because it makes it easier to
illuminate everything with the help of the sun.
The technical challenge when shooting split-
level images is to get both halves in focus. It is
easy to take these shots with only half in focus!
The key to the technique is to focus on the
underwater section, then lock our focus.
I just switch my camera to manual focus after
carefully focusing. If we focus above the surface
the underwater section won’t be in focus,
whatever we do.
Then we need to shut our aperture right down
to maximise depth of field, to keep everything
sharp above the surface. I usually boost my ISO
up a little to make this easier, otherwise we can
end up with a very slow shutter-speed, or find our
strobes are not powerful enough to be useful.
We don’t always need strobes in the middle of
the day, but we do when the sun in low in the sky.
Trees and Corals, taken with Nikon D850 and

Nikon 8-15mm. Subal housing. Seacam strobes.
1/60th @ f/20, ISO 400.
divEr 36
PHOTO TECHNIQUE
37 divEr
THE LUCKY SHOT
TIM LAWRENCE was part of a technical

team exploring a Japanese ship that
fell victim to a submarine in the Gulf
of Thailand during WW2. Photography
by MARIO MERIUS and MIKKO PAASI
divEr 38
WRECK DIVER
I
N 1941 THE ATTACK ON Pearl Admiral Tom
Harbor opened Japanese hostilities Phillips, Commander
in World War Two. Japan’s military of the Royal Navy’s
planners wasted no time, identifying the Asian fleet, was forced
mines of northern Malaysia and the sea- to act fast, committing
lanes around Singapore as secondary his flagships HMS
targets. Prince of Wales and
Control of these would guarantee HMS Repulse. They
a source of materials to feed the nation’s bravely put to sea
war machine and its ability to move freely without waiting for
around the region. The sun was rising in the necessary aircraft-
south-east Asia. carrier support.
In early January 1942, a Japanese HMS Indomitable ran aground and aircraft north of Tioman Island.
invasion force was building up at a remote the remaining carriers were too slow The war at sea had changed forever.
location in the Gulf of Thailand. to join the action, with devastating Only a thin line of submarines was left
It was tasked with seizing control of consequences. to oppose the Japanese invasion force.
the mines and attacking along the soft Unable to locate the invasion force, Ltz Hendrik F Bach on Royal Dutch Navy
underbelly of Singapore, moving rapidly. both warships were sunk by Japanese submarine O-19 found his command
thrust into the front line.
Commander Bach set his periscope
sights on two Japanese military cargo
ships in a convoy. It was late in the day
and the humidity was almost unbearable –
January in the tropics was the worst time
to be a submariner.
Alone and surrounded by the enemy,
O-19’s crew were tense. Bach assessed the
bearing, speed and distance of the convoy
and positioned the submarine so that its
torpedoes would have the greatest chance
of causing damage.
Top: Team divers Erik Time slowed as the periscope tail-
Brown, Chris Haslam and
Mikko Paasi prepare for ripples betrayed O-19’s position and it
their descent. launched three torpedoes. Bach followed
the path of two of them as they ripped
Above: Royal Dutch Navy into the engine-room of the first target,
submarine O-19. while the third torpedo headed towards
Left: Tim Lawrence and
the smaller of the two ships.
Erik Brown descending to There was no time to wait for the
the wreck. outcome – having overstayed his
welcome, Bach ordered a crash-dive.
Far left: IJN Akita. O-19 retreated below the safety ☛
39 divEr
to save the ship, but the damage was too
severe and again they were forced to leave.
The final blow was dealt by gunfire
from the destroyer Fubuki, and Akita
slipped slowly beneath the waves on an
even keel.
AST APRIL OUR TEAM of technical

L divers loaded the trucks and headed
towards a fishing village south of
Songkhla in southern Thailand, not far
from the Malaysian border.
Our target had been located two years
earlier at a depth of 65m by a team
including my friend and dive-buddy
Mikko Paasi. It had been presumed
from its position to be the 5000-ton IJN
Tairyu, the second ship the Royal Navy
Command in Singapore had claimed as
sunk by aircraft the day Akita went down.
But we were doubtful, because Imperial
screen of the thermocline to await the Above: Erik Brown searches equipment and troops to Songkhla in Japanese Navy records contained nothing
retaliation that would surely follow. for details to help identify southern Thailand. about a ship of that name being sunk in
There was silence among the crew – the wreck. The 3800-ton ship was not big enough the area.
and then a third explosion was heard. Below: One of the divers to survive the torpedo strikes on her Those two years had passed before we
Had the last torpedo found its target, explores the deck. engine-room. The explosions had created had been able to secure a fishing vessel
or was the ghostly rumble the result of havoc, killing four crewmen instantly. with a captain willing to take us to this
a secondary explosion aboard the IJN Below right: Erik measures Akita settled, listing heavily, and late in remote part of the Gulf of Thailand. We
Akita? Caught by surprise, the destroyer the length of the wreck. the day the remaining crew abandoned were as keen to get underway as Admiral
escort for the cargo ships was left the stricken ship to her fate. Tom Phillips had been 77 years before.
searching frantically for a target. As the sun rose the next day, the Was the wreck that of the ship sunk by
O-19’s duty done, it slipped silently Japanese sailors in their lifeboats were a lucky shot? Our mission was to find out.
away with the setting sun. stunned to see their ship appear,
wallowing in the swell. VOIDING THE HOLES in the pier as
A KITA’S HULL had been laid at the

Mitsubishi shipyard in Japan in 1915.
The large amount of timber in her
holds had managed to stop the rising sea
A I helped load the fishing vessel, it
crossed my mind that the timber in
Built for the NYK Line, the 105m-long water from breaching her freeboard. Akita’s hold would have gone to good use
vessel had the central bridge common for The crew rushed aboard in an attempt there! We settled down in our chosen
a passenger and cargo ship of that time.
The Imperial Japanese Army
requisitioned Akita in mid-1941, and on
10 January, 1942, she had been carrying a
large amount of timber, bridge-building
divEr 40
WRECK DIVER
spaces on the deck – this was going to be

a long voyage.
At 4pm the next day we reached the
first mark, but our crew fumbled the
shotline, and with darkness fast
approaching, valuable time was lost.
Too late to put divers in, we decided to
move straight on to our primary target,
which was still six hours away, and plan to
return to this mark on our next trip.
At sunrise the calm swell belied the
intensity of the action that had played out
there all those years before. But there was
the wreck, showing on our sounder.
This time our team took control of the
helm and of placing the shotline, which
we did on the shallowest sounder return.
Our luck was changing. We split into
three dive-teams to maximise our chances
of success, hoping that this would help to
avoid any jam on the ascent-line and
afford good surface-support.
Our first dive took our sub-team
towards the bow. Passing deck machinery,
we descended into the huge multi-level
holds – impressive but, sadly, empty.
Images of that pier again jumped into
my mind. Erik Brown gave me the turn
signal, and I recovered the distance-line. a clue to the ship’s origins?
Our 30-minute bottom time had Mikko confirmed that he had found
passed quickly. Completing our heavy damage around the engine-room,
decompression requirements, I wondered consistent with a large explosion. The
if the other divers had enjoyed better luck. evidence was mounting, pointing us
Back at the surface, we compared notes. towards the Akita, but still not solid.
Our shotline was on the starboard side
E HEADED FOR PORT, my mind
forward of the bridge, a good position for
memorable dives, but so far the ship’s
identity still eluded us.
W running back over the dives and
that unusual quantity of portholes lying
On the second dive Mikko headed to loose on the deck.
the engine-room, while we focused our Back home, we did more research.
efforts around the bridge. IJN Tairyu had been built in Newcastle
A telegraph pinned under the debris at the pinnacle of British shipbuilding,
taunted us, but it was impossible to move when vessels were built to last. All
and the maker’s plate lay out of sight. porthole windows and inner and outer
A large number of portholes lay in a fixings would have been made of brass.
line along the remains of a walkway – The Akita, on the other hand, had been
could they be a clue to the ship’s identity? built in Kobe, Japan, using more modern
Back at the surface, we again swapped techniques, which meant brass windows
observations. Ed Bosworth had recovered attached to the hull using steel fixings.
some bottles featuring Japanese writing – This would also mean that, given time,
the submerged hinges would corrode,

Top: The deck is covered in leaving the porthole windows lying
artefacts and also fishing
net. around the submerged walkways.
Was this the smoking gun?
Above: Chris Haslam and The evidence certainly points towards
Tim Lawrence during this wreck being the Akita, but without a
decompression nameplate or serial number its identity
Left: Returning to the boat. will remain a mystery.
The dive-team was Erik, Mikko, Chris
Haslam, Mario Merius, Oliver Zaiser and
me on rebreathers, and Ed, Dennis Funk
and Klaus Kononen on open circuit. Julia
Alberione was our support diver.
DUSTY MILLER’S
SECRET WAR
PETER BYATT
divEr 42
ARCHIVE DIVER
How did the British obtain such accurate intelligence about German WW1
U-boats? It wasn’t down to a band of elite secret agents, but rather the
skill and bravery of diver Dusty Miller. Wreck-expert KENDALL MCDONALD
first told the story to great acclaim in divEr in 1998, and now we present
this extended read once again, in memory of a true underwater hero
T
HROUGH THE WINDOW of his helmet, into a hoist-net that he realised where the engine
Dusty Miller was pleased to see that the
charge he had set a few minutes earlier had
noise was coming from. Hanging down from one
of the damaged bow torpedo-tubes was a torpedo
‘HIS INSTRUCTORS
neatly blown the conning-tower hatch-lock and
the cover was now sagging free.
with its engine running flat out.
When Dusty Miller had blasted the hatch open,
EXPECTED LITTLE OF
As he pulled the cover up and made to descend
into the U-boat’s control room, he jerked back.
the shock had started the torpedo’s engine.
At any moment the torpedo would succeed in
HIM. HE WAS THIN
A German officer came up the ladder and, poking
his head above the lip, peered wide-eyed round
breaking free and driving down into the seabed
under the hull.
AND PALE-FACED’
about him. Then the explosion would blow Dusty, his Royal Navy divers this was a war fought out in
Though Dusty Miller was known for his nerve, code-box and much of the submarine to pieces. clumsy helmet diving gear, sometimes almost
he almost panicked as the German kept on coming Dusty cracked. He jerked the “emergency up” on hands and knees, inside the shattered and
up out of the hatchway. pulls on his signal rope, at the same time yelling crumpled compartments of more than 50 sunken
Within seconds, however, Dusty had himself “up, up, up!” into his helmet telephone. submarines around the coasts of Britain.
back under control. The man was dead and it was Even so, he was only just out of the water and Signs of that undersea war can still be seen
only a small amount of air still inside the sub that not even properly on the deck of the trawler when today. If you dive a WW1 U-boat and find its
was pushing the body up at him. the torpedo explosion surfaced in an eruption of hatches open, don’t think that this must mean that
Dusty pulled the officer’s body free and saw it white water. the crew tried to escape.
float, rather than fall, downwards over the hull by Open hatches might well indicate that Dusty
the gun and then merge into the gloom of the
seabed. Only then did he go down into the dark of W HATEVER DUSTY’S feelings about it, the
Admiralty thought the dive had been very
Miller was there more than 100 years before you!
the U-boat’s interior and begin searching by the

light of his lamp for the iron box containing the
boat’s code and signal books.
worthwhile. The iron box, which was recovered
unharmed, contained not only the latest code
signal books but a complete set of blueprints of
E RNEST CHARLES MILLER’S war began at
midnight on 4 August, 1914, at the same time
as for all the rest of Britain’s armed forces.
By this third year of World War One, Warrant the U-boat, which, as she was the latest type of But the excitement of the declaration soon died
Shipwright Ernest Charles Miller had carried out minelayer, were also gratefully received by their away, and Shipwright Miller found his Naval life
this kind of search many times before and had Lordships. as boring as it had been in peacetime. So he took
thought that nothing he saw in the sunken Dusty Miller’s undersea war against the German a diving course.
U-boats could upset him. U-boats led to many other narrow escapes. For His instructors expected little of him. He was
But this time, as the bodies of the U-boat’s crew thin and pale-faced, but he was keen and turned
crowded around him, seeming to cluster closer at out to be surprisingly wiry.
his every movement, he felt, as he said later, a bit His end-of-course report said that he was very
twitchy. proficient, cool and courageous and able to
withstand pressure better than most.
H E FOUND THE CODE-BOX on the floor of the

control room without much difficulty and
dragged it towards the hatch ladder. He was about
His marks on the underwater explosives course
were very high too. So it is not surprising that
Dusty Miller quickly became an instructor at the
to hoist it upwards when he suddenly heard the Navy diving school at Whale Island, Portsmouth.
engines start up. But that was impossible – the sub German U-boat attacks on Allied shipping soon
had been sunk a fortnight ago! began to take effect, with the largest and most
Mental pictures of crazed engineers trapped for controversial (was she or was she not carrying
all that time in the engine-oom of the U-boat munitions?) the sinking of the 30,396-ton liner
flashed into his mind. Lusitania in May 1915.
It says a lot for his strength of will that, instead But the Navy began to hit back and sank nine
of making a hasty exit, Dusty hauled more line U-boats during the first 11 months of the war at
and airpipe into the control room and, with only sea. The 10th U-boat to be lost in the war was,
his torch to light the way, set off towards the however, the result of an accident. And it was to
engine noise. change Dusty Miller’s life.
It was with great relief that he saw that the On 2 July, 1915, UC-2, one of the smallest of the
engine-room’s watertight door was open and, minelayers and commanded by Oberleutnant Karl
shoving it wider, he could see that the engines were Mey, was on her first voyage across the North Sea
still and the compartment completely flooded. when she was hit, while at periscope depth, by the
His mad engineers were dead, their bodies almost equally small coastal steamer Cottingham.
floating up in the top of the hull. But the sound of After the steamer’s captain reported hitting
running engines still vibrated through the boat! something that might have been a submarine,
Even Dusty had now had enough. He returned minesweepers dragged the Yarmouth Roads area
to the control room, hoisted the code-box up with nets and sweeping gear, and hooked into an
ahead of him and dragged it along the hull obstruction.
towards his shotline near the bow. Later that evening, there was an explosion
EC ‘Dusty’ Miller.
It was as he finished pushing the box securely from the buoyed position, which suggested that ☛
the sweepers had shaken something loose.
When this report reached the Admiralty,
someone had a brainwave. Why not send a diver
down? Perhaps he could tell them about the U-
boat – was she really carrying mines? If so, how
many? What sort of periscopes was she using?
The list of questions was almost endless,
because the Navy knew very little then about
Germany’s undersea fleet.
The diver chosen to be the first man to dive
a sunken German submarine was Dusty Miller.
Together with his helmet, an air-pump, all his
other diving gear and two attendants, he was
rushed by Naval lorry from Portsmouth to
Yarmouth.
There they were joined by Commander Guybon
Chesney Castell Damant, a famous Navy diver UB-4’s strong-box contained details of two newly laid German minefields.
who, nine years before the war, had carried out
research into Haldane’s decompression tables for little doubt that two of the books contained secret of a surface struggle he went down a line hooked
the Admiralty. codes and that the third book was the current into the sub as fast as he could.
He was also a former deep-diving world-record German High Seas Fleet signal manual. In fact, he reported reaching 30m in less than
holder (64m in 1906) and the fact that he was now He was right. The loose papers turned out to be a minute with his ears giving him hell. His boots
put in charge of this U-boat diving operation part of a plan of a minefield laid only hours before clunked onto the sub near the conning-tower.
shows how important the Admiralty considered it. and showed that the submarine was part of the It was lying over on its port side amid thick kelp
new Flanders Flotilla. She had cleared Zeebrugge that, despite the depth, was swaying madly in the
T DAWN, THEY WENT by trawler to the scene only three days before.
A of the sinking. It was not an easy dive. The
buoyed line led down through almost pitch-black
Unfortunately, the exact position of the new
minefield was on one of the papers that had
surges from the swell up above.
Although there were rather graphic reports of
the sinking by a decoy vessel – the gunners claimed
water to a tangle of netting and weed, and it was floated clear of Dusty Miller’s grasp. But that that their three-pounder shells burst right in the
some time before Dusty could be sure that he was seemed a minor point. conning-tower – Dusty Miller could find only one
on a submarine and not an old shipwreck. The Admiralty was over the moon about his hole in her hull, a hole much too small for him to
However, he finally found the submarine’s haul and Dusty Miller became the founder diving wriggle through.
conning-tower, which had its hatch firmly shut. member of the Royal Navy’s U-Boat Flying Squad. The conning-tower hatch was sealed, so he
Diver Miller then moved along the hull towards decided to blow it open. He placed a gun-cotton
her bow. He had gone only a metre or so before he
discovered a huge hole in the sub’s starboard side. ‘HE WAS ABOUT charge rigged with firing-circuit wiring that he had
taken down with him, and then surfaced and
He examined the hole carefully by the light of
his torch. Though he feared for his airpipe against
TO LEAVE WHEN somehow got back aboard the trawler.
The charge was then detonated.
the jagged edges, he could not answer any of the
Admiralty’s questions by staying outside.
HIS TORCH SHONE Dusty went down again through a cloud of dead
fish and tied off his airline by a lanyard to a rail
To add to his problems, the tide was starting to
run. He tied off his airline to a projection near the
ON AN IRON BOX’ near the conning-tower, leaving himself about 9m
the other side of the tie. Then through his phone
hole with a lanyard so that the only pull on it once Commander Damant and Diver Miller were he ordered: “Haul taut!”
he moved into the hull would be his own. now given priority access to all sinkings of U-boats His attendants pulled the airpipe and his line as
Afterwards, he was unable to say why he knew around the coast of Britain, and Damant was also nearly straight as the tide and surge would allow.
he was in the officers’ quarters as soon as he given powers to commandeer any suitable ship for The lanyard took the strain off Dusty and ensured
moved carefully in over the inner hull plating. use as a diving tender. that there was no loose pipe to thrash around and
He had found himself up against a closed, but UC-2 had apparently sunk herself with one of get entangled in the wreck. He then set about
unfastened, watertight door. He forced it open. her own mines. This was confirmed a short while entering the sub through the blown-open hatch.
As he went through, he fully expected to come later when the U-boat was raised and found to
T WAS A GRISLY EXPERIENCE. As he lowered
face to face with the bodies of the crew and had
steeled himself for the shock, but there was no one
in what was clearly the U-boat’s control-room.
have six rearward-sloping chutes for dropping
12 mines. One of the chutes was blown wide open,
and had made the hole in the hull through which
I himself gingerly down through the opening, he
was immediately surrounded by bodies.
He took his time studying the periscopes and Dusty Miller had entered. So closely did they press in on him that he had
other equipment, and committed as many details The mine in the chute had exploded when its to tie them to the roof of the control-room with
to memory as he could. He was about to leave arming device was triggered by the minesweeper’s lanyards before he could search the interior with
when his torch shone on an iron box on the floor. efforts to hook the sub. his torch.
It was unlocked and opened easily. Too easily – The next call for the diving flying squad was not It took him some minutes to find the strong-
for the disturbance of lifting the lid sent a cloud of long in coming. In fact it was only a month later box, which was identical to the one in his first
loose papers floating out, up and around him. that Damant again took his little command to sub except that it was locked.
Left in the box were several books. Dusty Yarmouth and put all their gear aboard a trawler. It took him more minutes to manoeuvre the
gathered as many of the papers as he could and They had been asked to examine a submarine box up through the hatch, attach a line to it and
stuffed them, together with the books, into his reported sunk off Smiths Knoll Spar Buoy by the give the signal to haul it up.
canvas pouch before making his way back to the gunfire of a decoy vessel, but for three days the Now he had to look after himself. He released
shotline and so to the surface. weather put an end to any chance of going out. the lanyard holding back his air-line and gave the
On the fourth day, despite the heavy sea still order: “Up pipe!”
OMMANDER DAMANT did not try to
C conceal his delight with Dusty’s haul. He had
running, Damant decided to risk putting his diver
down. Dusty had his doubts, but after something
The pipe lifted clear and Dusty throttled back
the air-vent on his helmet. As the air started to fill
ARCHIVE DIVER
his suit, he slid up the shotline towards the surface. a settled one. Every report of a submarine sunk then at £5 million, to the USA to pay for the food,
At 9m he swapped from the shotline to a short, meant being rushed with his helmet and all his steel and munitions that Britain needed to
heavily weighted line waiting for him. gear from one end of the country to the other. continue the war against Germany.
While hanging there, he swung his arms and It was a good thing that Dusty Miller liked Laurentic sank so swiftly that 354 of the 745
legs about in exercises that he had been trained to diving, even though it meant squeezing in the dark men aboard were lost, and there was certainly no
use to aid his decompression by increasing his past bodies and other firmer obstacles in the time to worry about the gold in the strong-room.
blood circulation. flooded compartments of the Kaiser’s tin coffins. As a direct result of that sinking, Damant was
Then after five minutes he moved up to 6m for Even so, some of the things that he saw clearly told that he could have as many divers as he
10 minutes, and then up again for a final 15 shocked him. We do not know the number of the wanted straight away. The recovery of the
minutes before surfacing. next U-boat he dived, and though Dusty Miller Laurentic gold was to be his top priority and he
Long before he reached the open air, another undoubtedly knew its identity he never revealed it was ordered to start work immediately.
smaller block of gun-cotton had bust open the outside the Admiralty. So instead of probing the interiors of sunken
recovered strong-box, revealing that Dusty had hit All he would say about it was that he knew that submarines, Dusty Miller and the rest of the
the jackpot once again! mutiny did sometimes occur on board the U-Boat Flying Squad were now set to work to prise
Sodden but still readable were books of new U-boats, despite the bravery of their crews. gold ingots from the Laurentic.
codes, a complete blueprint plan of the sub, which He told of entering a submarine through the And they were to do it as quickly as possible,
was revealed as UB-4, and a bonus – plans of two because the British Government feared that aid
new German minefields in the North Sea.
UB-4 is today at 52 43 00; 02 18 00E at a depth
‘RECOVERY OF THE from America would dry up if there was no gold to
back the buying power of the British pound.
of 30m. It is well broken and it looks as though
some salvage has been done in recent years. It is
LAURENTIC GOLD On the 14th day of diving, after blasting their
way through to the strong-room, Dusty Miller
well into the sand-silt seabed.
UB-4 was commanded by Oberleutnant Carl
WAS TO BE HIS smashed open its steel door with a sledgehammer
and a chisel. On entering, he found himself facing
Gross and was one of the new small attack boats.
On 15 August, 1915, Gross made the fatal mistake
TOP PRIORITY’ stacks of bullion boxes, each weighing 63kg.
Even though he was over his bottom-time,
of surfacing close to Smith’s Knoll, Yarmouth, conning-tower hatch and finding the commander Dusty manhandled one of the boxes back to the
intending to sink by gunfire an apparently caught up on the handle. He had clearly been shot deck and the next day on his 60-minute shift he
harmless fishing smack called Inverlyon. three times from below with a revolver, as he either got out another three. He had almost single-
She might have looked harmless, but in tried to seal the hatch or open it. handedly recovered £32,000-worth of gold!
addition to her normal crew of three she carried a Promoted to Warrant Shipwright, Dusty Miller
HEN CAME A SERIES of northerly gales. After
three-pounder and five naval ratings to man it.
Gross had barely shouted his command for the
Inverlyon crew to abandon ship when he was hit
was to remain the lone ordinary diving member of
the U-Boat Flying Squad for several months, but
his successes and the increasing number of
T a solid week of huge winds and seas, the divers
returned to the wreck. Damant went down
by six shells rapid-fire. submarines being sunk soon meant that himself. He found that the storm had turned,
Holed by at least two of them, UB-4 sank Commander Damant, as well as diving himself, twisted and folded the wreck almost in half.
swiftly, and there were no survivors. had to ask for more divers. The passageway that Dusty had used to bring
Inverlyon had her trawl down when attacked Two of those who now joined the squad were up the gold boxes was now only 45cm high and the
and then made sure that she hooked fast into the Leading Seaman Ernie Blackford and Able Seaman depth of the entry point had increased from 19m
U-boat wreck. It was one of those trawl-lines that Tom Clear. Later in the war, these two were to hold to 31m!
was used by Dusty Miller to get down to the wreck the record for the shortest time taken to reach a After weeks’ more work with explosives, Dusty
sunken submarine, UB-109, which they dived only re-entered the strong-room. It was empty! All the
HOUGH DUSTY was obviously winning his gold ingots had slipped through holes torn in the
T war, it had to be kept top secret. Only Dusty,
his diving attendants, Commander Damant and a
two hours after she was sunk.
They found that the water inside the sub was
quite hot, because it had been mixing with the
walls and floor and had tumbled down into the
tangled and twisted wreckage of the bilges.
few very senior Naval officers knew how it was that sulphuric acid of its batteries. More explosives were used to cut a hole down to
the Royal Navy seemed so incredibly well the gold’s new resting place, and by September the
informed about German submarine activities. N 23 JANUARY, 1917, Dusty Miller’s life
As Dusty dived to more and more U-boat
sinkings, junior RN officers too were puzzled
O took another violent change of direction, for
on that day the 14,892-ton liner Laurentic, which
divers had recovered more than £800,000.
In April 1917, the USA entered the war, so the
urgency of recovering the gold eased. The
when told that a minefield had been laid in such had been converted into an armed auxiliary Admiralty ordered work on the Laurentic to be
and such an area, and would they please go and cruiser, hit a mine off Northern Ireland while halted for the duration.
sweep it up. Sometimes the mines had been down taking 43 tons of gold in 3211 gold ingots, valued (In fact, though Damant and the team started
only for a day! work again in the spring of 1919,
Soon German U-boat crews were the divers did not complete the job
saying that British Naval Intelligence until 1924, and they missed only 25
knew more about their movements bars after cutting up the whole ship
than they did, but they blamed the with explosives. They each received
British Secret Service, which they a bonus of two shillings and
credited with having agents sixpence for every £100 raised.)
everywhere in Germany. So, before the end of 1917, Dusty
If he had known what they were Miller was back working on what
saying, Dusty Miller would have been he and his mates called “tin-
pleased, but so many opening”. His first tin-opening on
U-boat wrecks now needed searching his return from the Laurentic was
that he was diving almost every day UC-47, sunk off Flamborough
in the hunt for more of their secrets. Head on 18 November, 1917.
Life as the Chief Diver of the Royal Dusty proved that he had not
Navy’s U-Boat Flying Squad was not The Laurentic, sunk while carrying £5 million-worth of gold. lost his touch by entering through ☛
the conning-tower hatch and, after tying the stern torpedo tube was blown off and lies empty a mine of the deep net-barrage across the Dover
bodies out of the way, got the iron box out of the on the starboard side. Straits.
control-room in just under 10 minutes. More depth-charge damage could be seen at the Dusty noted that it had net and mine-wire
It was an even better haul than usual. Inside stern, where a large hole had been blown in the wound around one propshaft, and this had
the box, in addition to the codes and logs, were port side. The aft hatch was closed, but Dusty left obviously pulled a mine into the stern.
detailed plans of two minefields that the the conning-tower hatch open and the control- As he moved forward towards the conning-
submarine had laid that week! room was now full of sand and silt.) tower, he was alarmed to see a second mine
UC-47 was commanded by Oberleutnant von streaming out in the tide and swaying within an
Wigankow, who was lost with all his crew when he HE SECOND SUBMARINE that Dusty visited
was caught on the surface while radioing his base.
He was rammed by the sub-hunter patrol boat
T after his return to tin-opening was one that
had been forced by patrol vessels to dive into one
inch of the sub’s hull!
Any diver would have been forgiven for
abandoning the dive at once, but not Dusty. He
HMS P-57, which also dropped depth-charges. of the minefields of the Dover Barrage, which was pulled the mine away from the sub by its mooring-
Dusty Miller was inside the sub only a day later. rightly called the Submarine Graveyard. wire and, ever so gently, removed the detonator!
(In 1997, Shaun Carr and a team of local divers At first, Dusty’s dive went well. The U-boat UB- He then entered the sub through the conning-
found UC-47 in 51m at 54 01 00; 00 20 00E, in an 56, which had been sunk three days earlier on 19 tower, but could not reach his main target, the
area of sandhills. It was nose-down into the sand, December, 1917, was down at 37m. But, even so, code-book box, because it was buried under
with only the conning-tower, gun and its fully Dusty found the visibility good, light reflecting wreckage from the mine damage.
extended radio mast clear. well from the whitish sand of the seabed. However, sketches he made later of equipment
The stern was 6m clear of the seabed, with both He landed on the wreck near the stern, which in the interior of the boat and other new items he
props (marked UC-47) still on the shafts. The was badly damaged where the submarine had hit brought up pleased the Admiralty no end.
One small wooden box and its contents gave the
Royal Navy its first-ever sight of a magnetic pistol-
firing mechanism for a torpedo, which would
detonate the warhead when close to or under the
metal of a ship’s hull.
It was the forerunner of the magnetic devices to
be heavily used in the torpedoes of WW2.
HE U-BOAT FLYING SQUAD was kept hard at

T it by the growing number of submarine
sinkings. But it was never easy work. Here, for
example, is Commander Damant’s report of the
diving on UB-109:
“She is lying in 14 fathoms on a sandy bottom,
heading NE, 30° list to starboard. Fore hatch and
conning-tower open, no buoyancy remaining,
about 20ft abaft conning-tower the damage begins
and from there aft the vessel is shapeless wreckage.
“The damage is far more severe than that
generally met with in deep minefield cases.
“The forepart of the boat is quite intact, for
instance the large mirror on door of captain’s
wardrobe is not even cracked.
“For this reason and because the depth was
moderate I decided to work aft from the fore hatch
without cutting any plates by explosives.
“Owing to muddy water, it is generally quite
dark on the highest parts of the wreck. While
inside it is of course always so and all work must
be done by touch and hand lamp.
“To get to their objective, divers had to
negotiate a chain of five narrow apertures:
(1) fore hatch;
(2) watertight door in fore bulkhead of officers
quarters;
(3) partition between officers’ and captain’s
quarters;
(4) watertight door in fore pressure bulkhead of
control-room;
‘HE WAS ALARMED

TO SEE A SECOND
MINE STREAMING
PETER BYATT
OUT IN THE TIDE’

divEr 46 .divErNEt.com
ARCHIVE DIVER
(5) door of watertight cabinet. Between 4 and 5 He says he was told to dive on a submarine sunk
are awkward obstacles formed by the compass and in the northern mine barrage off the Orkneys. The WAR GRAVES
steering pedestals in the control room. weather was bad and the “electric instrument” for It was not possible to guide divers to all the
“Afternoon on day of sinking, fore hatch was locating metal at the bottom of the sea gave no U-boats explored by Dusty Miller, because
cleared of bodies, bedding etc, and some personal result for some unaccountable reason. (This would the Official Secrets Act and Admiralty
material sent to the Admiralty. On 30th and 31st, seem to be a reference to the new Anglo-French instructions made him reluctant to give the
much important material was recovered, although invention of echo-sounding called ASDIC, first identity and number of some submarines
when recounting his experiences. However,
weather allowed work only on one tide. Divers had used in 1917.)
many were later pinpointed and were named
by now got as far as the control-room. However, two trawlers working together made in this article. They should not be entered
“On 1 September, again only one tide could be figure-of-eight sweeps for the whole of the next because they are considered war graves.
worked, but the control-room was passed, the day until they caught into the submarine.
watertight cabinet entered and much valuable Dusty Miller went down. He said he blasted
material found. open the conning-tower hatch and then went local Naval authorities. He made no mention of
“On 2 and 3 September, weather remained inside. It was pitch black, and he kept bumping an all-officer crew, and names the U-boat with
unfit, but on 4 September a whole day’s work was into bodies. the suitcases as UB-116 – the last U-boat to be
got in, completing first part of the programme. His torch lit only a few feet ahead of him, but sunk in WW1.
“I do not propose sending men inside during something about the bodies was more worrying Commanded by Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim
spring tides, but there is work outside the hull that than usual. Emsmann, with a crew of 35, UB-116 was a new
can be done then. It was some time before he realised what it was. boat with a new skipper.
“The inside divers Leading Seaman E Blackford All the bodies were in officers’ uniforms, and he Fully laden with 10 torpedoes, Emsmann was
and Able Seaman T Clear have shown much skill thought the whole crew were officers. told to enter Scapa Flow by Hoxa Sound, which he
and determination in squeezing through these Near the control-room, he found a stack of neat was also told wrongly was not mined or netted.
narrow places and making such a cool and leather suitcases. He prised open several of them When he sailed, on 24 October, Emsmann told
thorough search.” a colleague ashore he knew he would not return.
In fact, the two divers brought up the sub’s The Hoxa entrance was both mined and netted,
entire stock of charts, complete with new
amendments, one of which marked her last cruise
‘NEAR THE CONTROL- and Emsmann was spotted on the surface to the
west of the Orkneys before he attempted to enter
from the Channel to the Azores and back up the ROOM, HE FOUND Scapa Flow. They were waiting for him when he
coasts of France and Spain and into the Straits
where she was sunk. A STACK OF NEAT did come in.
They picked him up on the hydrophones,
UB-109 was commanded by Kapitanleutnant
Ramien who, having sunk nearly 100,000 tons of LEATHER SUITCASES’ waited until he was right over a line of mines, then
just before midnight pressed the button.
shipping, was rated by the German High At dawn, oil globules laid a trail back to the
Command as one of its aces. and was surprised to find that all the contents were grave of UB-116. And though there is a tale that
He was sunk on 29 August, 1918, after being the same: a couple of suits of smart civilian tapping noises were heard from the submarine
detected moving through an electrically controlled clothes, shirts, collars, cravats and shoes, together that morning on hydrophones, the duty destroyer
minefield off Folkestone. with sums of money and other things. dropped depth charges on her.
When the mines were fired, only Ramien and Infuriatingly, Dusty Miller said little more (The wreck of UB-116 at the entrance to Pan
seven others out of the 34 men aboard survived a about this, except that his Admiralty masters were Hope Bay could hardly be called a great dive. It
free ascent from the conning-tower. just as puzzled as he was when he reported it to was sold for salvage in 1969 and later its own
(Club divers recently found her at 51 03 41; 01 them. The journalist adds in his article that it was torpedoes were used to blast it apart.
14 14E, blown in two with the stern section 9m to obviously the intention of the mysterious crew to Sections of plating, twisted out of shape,
the west of the main part of the wreck. Its hatches land somewhere on the British coast, but their together with pipes, wires and broken switch-
were open and its periscope fully extended. Its motive remains a mystery. boxes are all that remain and are unlikely to be
props had been salvaged. One bore the number He hints at some great plot, perhaps an much help in solving the mystery of UB-116.)
UB-109; the other was marked UB-104. attempt to bring the war to an end by assassinating
This shows that the Germans were so short of
spares by this stage of the war that they were
replacing damaged propellers with any that
the King!
However, it is more likely that the German crew,
knowing that Germany was on the brink of defeat,
W ITH THE WAR OVER, Dusty Miller returned
to recovering the Laurentic’s gold, but the
work he had done down in the dark interiors of
would fit.) intended to try to get their boat interned in Spain Germany’s U-boats was not forgotten.
once they had completed their mission, and that In the New Year Honours List of 1 January,
W HETHER HE WAS PLAYING the old salt to

impress some inquisitive landlubbers, or
whether he was passing misinformation to the
the civilian clothes were for a return overland to
Germany.
1919, Warrant Shipwright Ernest Charles Miller
RN was awarded the MBE, but more importantly
in July that same year he was awarded the
Germans long after the end of WW1, Dusty Miller
told this strange tale in 1926 to a journalist who
had been given permission to interview him about
N OT SURPRISINGLY, the Admiralty and
German archives of the time do not mention
the incident. Commander Damant’s log says that
Distinguished Service Cross for distinguished
services in connection with dangerous and
important salvage work.
his exploits. cases were recovered, but were taken away by the Dusty, now Commissioned Shipwright Miller,
went with his wife to Buckingham Palace to receive
KENDALL MCDONALD He wrote and presented Britain’s first TV
his decorations from King George V.
But this was no quick pin-on-and-out
Kendall McDonald chronicled scuba-diving series about diving and was one of the first investiture. Dusty had to answer question
and shipwrecks for more than 50 years. journalists to dive the wreck of the Mary Rose.
after question from the King before being allowed
The former managing editor of the London And he wrote for divEr from its earliest
Evening News, he became hooked on diving in incarnations until 2011.
to leave.
the early 1950s, became one of the earliest He was also author of around 30 books, Did he tell the King about the mystery suitcases
BSAC members and went on to be the club’s including the divEr Guide series on wrecks of the crew of UB-116 and the possibility that their
chairman and a life vice-president. around Britain. He died aged 86 in 2014. real target was the King himself? If he did, Dusty
Miller never told anyone else!
© SCOTT PORTELLI / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
SPITTING IMAGE
AT THE MASTERS Stephen Frink, Erin Quigley, Scott “Gutsy” a behaviour is the cherry on top,” said Tuason,
T
HE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE, entitled
Spurt and taken by Australian diver Scott Tuason, Keri Wilk and Tony Wu, were while Wilk described the image as “what we
Portelli, was named Best in Show in the impressed by Portelli’s entry. It shows all strive for as photographers: a painfully
annual DPG (Dive Photo Guide) / Wetpixel emperorfish off Lord Howe Island jostling for common subject, captured in an absolutely
Masters competition. The international online position among a school of silver drummer. unique way.
contest is described by its US organisers as “the One is spurting water to distract other fish “The combination of eye contact, dynamic
Super Bowl of underwater-imaging events”. from nabbing food fed to them by tourists. behaviour and technical excellence make this a
Portelli’s split-shot of spitting fish came first “This is that moment we might see but rarely clear winner.”
in one of the five competition categories, Wide capture,” said Doubilet. “This is literally crystal- The Masters sees some US $55,000-worth of
Angle Unrestricted. clear behaviour.” prizes awarded to the winners, and Portelli won
The other categories are Macro Traditional‚ “Nailing a split-shot is difficult, and adding a 12-night cruise for two to Triton Bay in West
Macro Unrestricted, Wide Angle Traditional Papua on the Seven Seas liveaboard.
and Video, the “unrestricted” categories having The winners were announced live on stage
no specific rules regarding digital in March during the Wave Film Festival in
manipulation. The competition is open to Chicago. Fifteen per cent of entry proceeds
underwater photographers and videographers of the contest are donated to marine
at all levels. conservation causes.
The judging panel, consisting of eminent The first three in each category (other than
underwater photographers David Doubilet, video!) are reproduced in the following pages…
divEr 48
PHOTO DIVER
W I D E - A N G L E U N R E S T R I C T E D
© ALEX DAWSON / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
© GINO SYMUS / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
Left: SILVER, Frozen (freediver under ice in Tasiilac, Greenland) by Alex Dawson.
Above: BRONZE, Mating Toads & A Frog (Belgium) by Gino Symus.
Below: GOLD, Eyes (shrimp gathering at Izu Oceanic Park, Japan) by Keigo Kawamura.
M A C R O U N R E S T R I C T E D
© KEIGO KAWAMURA / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
49 divEr
M A C R O U N R E S T R I C T E D c o n t d
© KATHERINE LU / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
© ENRICO SOMOGYI / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
Above: SILVER, Female Blanket Octopus (Anilao, Philippines) by Katherine Lu.
Right: BRONZE, Garden Eel in the Sun (Anilao, Philippines) by Enrico Somogyi.
Below: GOLD, Strange (marlin with sardines, San Carlos, Mexico) by Yung-Sen Wu.
W I D E - A N G L E T R A D I T I O N A L
© YUNG-SEN WU / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
divEr 50
PHOTO DIVER
© PETR POLACH / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
© JOSE ANTONIO CASTELLANO GARRIDO / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM

Above: SILVER, Dragon’s Teeth (Vaca Ha Cave, Yucatan,
Mexico ) by Petr Polách.
Right: BRONZE, Under the Pier (blenny on seapen, Anilao,

Philippines) by Jose Antonio Castellano Garrido.
Below: GOLD, Red Carpet (shrimp gathering at Izu Oceanic

Park, Japan) by Yatwai So.
M A C R O T R A D I T I O N A L
© YATWAI SO / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
51 divEr
PHOTO DIVER
M A C R O T R A D I T I O N A L c o n t d
© ENRICO SOMOGYI / UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
Above: SILVER, Friends

(yellow goby with lionfish,
Anilao, Philippines)
by Enrico Somogyi.
Right: BRONZE, Xenia pipefish

(‘high-key’ pipefish in polyps,
Rombion, Philippines)
by Yung-Sen Wu.
© YUNG-SEN WU/ UNDERWATERCOMPETITION.COM
Video category winners:

GOLD, The Calling by Evan
Sherman; SILVER, Diving
into the Underwater Galaxy
by Ping Fan; and BRONZE,
A Snorkel Venture in Komodo
by Alex Lindbloom.
underwatercompetition.com
divEr 52
Rescue
TREWAVAS
divers
LOUISE
W
HEN I FIRST ENQUIRED about learning
how to dive, I thought I’d be taught
about the equipment and then we’d go in
the pool to have a practice. And then we’d go out
diving. Simples!
Well, it turned out not so simples after all. It also
turned out that learning how to dive involves being
capable of rescue. Firstly there’s self-rescue, from
seemingly innumerable hazards. Mask flooding,
losing your regulator, getting a cramp, running out
of something to breathe, getting lost and needing
a wee – to mention but a few.
In addition, you require some basic skills to
enable you to rescue another diver. The bottom
line is that they won’t sign off your qualification
until you demonstrate that you’re willing and able.
Whatever shenanigans you might imagine you’re capable of getting
yourself into, your buddy will be capable of so, so much more. You’re
now faced with the number of imaginable incidents to the power of 2.
Plus a generous uplift for the number of unknowns. Squared.
It’s now your responsibility to be alert to whatever kind of incident
might be going down, so that you can rescue both your buddy and
yourself. Small wonder this process is known as “getting certified”.
Of course, in reality most incidents are irritations at best. You’re
so awestruck at what you see under water that you mostly use your
buddy as a sounding board to share the joy of the experience.
However, the idea – the possibility – of “rescue” is deeply ingrained.
It should be no particular surprise that whatever the scenario or
disaster, you will often find divers coming to the rescue.
Entire enemy fleet scuttled in your waters? Send in divers to carry
out salvage. Bunch of people stuck in a cave system by rising water?
Call in divers! Nuclear power plant about to melt down and
contaminate the entire water-table for millions of people in eastern
Europe? Send in divers to sort out the flooded pipework.
ON A MORE CONTEMPORARY NOTE: Do you need people who

understand how to deliver a consistent flow of oxygen at the correct
pressure? Look for divers and their compressors. Need some airtight
full-face masks? Guess who will have those.
Are you desperately searching for durable waterproof fabrics?
Looking for breathing equipment that could be quickly adapted for
use on a ventilator? These are all areas of expertise for divers and
dive-kit manufacturers. Our kit is all field-tested at 30m-plus of
seawater, which provides some pretty robust quality control.
There’s so much that divers can offer, so think on.
Sometimes in an emergency, the person needing rescue simply
doesn’t recognise the offer of help in front of them. Often they might
be too busy trying to thrash their way out of trouble.
When this happens, you can only safely perform a rescue after
they’ve finished panicking. That’s the reality.
Beyond the grimness of the emergency front-line, there’s another
form of rescue being offered by divers. Stunning images being shared
here and on Instagram and Facebook accounts remind me how much
beauty there is, almost within reach. Another world is beckoning.
Soon I’ll open my eyes, and be forced to clear that annoying pool
of spit and seawater from the bottom of my mask before being
wowed by those sights again.
For a long time Bunaken and
Lembeh have drawn the divers in
North Sulawesi, but there is a third
way. PENELOPE GRANYCOME
reports, with underwater
photography by MORGAN RIGGS
MORE BANGKA
FOR YOUR BUCK
divEr 54
INDONESIA DIVER
T
HE GUIDE BENEATH US tapped As the week unfolded at the Murex dive Left: Bargibanti pygmy appreciated. The generous ratio of guides
his tank and motioned my buddy resort I met many similarly minded divers seahorse. to divers meant bespoke attention, and
and I to approach. Descending to coming and going from around the world. they were not only excellent spotters but
Above: The Bargibanti ‘s
the gorgonian, I strained to see what he With the option of combining Bangka home, colourful Sahaung also trained in marine biology and how to
was indicating, my eyes searching through diving with that of Manado and Lembeh, reef. best to work with photographers.
a wash of colour. it provides considerable flexibility – and The first dive (like descending into a
My buddy handed me a magnifying the chance to make many friends. Below: Peacock mantis warm bath) was on a healthy verdant reef
glass and there, barely a centimetre long I had elected to stay put to explore the shrimp. at a site called Sahaung, which that pygmy
and disguised among the polyps it pinnacles and reefs at the many sites near seahorse called home.
mimics, was a tiny bargibanti seahorse. I the island. As the world’s worst spotter I’m in awe
marvelled at the creature’s tiny vulnerable Weary with jet-lag after the 24-hour of the experienced when it comes to
beauty. Seeing my first one was a thrilling journey, I had a fresh juice and cold towel finding small creatures, and I was lucky to
welcome to Indonesia’s waters. pressed into my hand as I stepped be able to dive with Morgan Riggs, a dive
Bargibantis are one of the smallest barefoot onto the picture-perfect sandy pro passionate about macro photography.
seahorse species in the oceans and have beach. It would have been so easy to crawl
the ability to change their colour to blend PEACOCK MANTIS SHRIMP put in
with their host fan. They do this so
efficiently that they kept themselves
into a hammock and not move, but I had
only six diving days and no time to lose.
The Bangka dive-centre is efficiently
A an appearance on our second dive at
Sabora. These powerful predators are
hidden from humans until 1969! overseen by technical instructor Mike equipped with hammer-like appendages
So delicate that they can hardly Savelberg, who did not join us on our known as dactyl clubs. They can move at
withstand current or swim far, their excursions but whose dry humour was a bullet-like 23 metres per second to
mating process involves the females deliver the world’s fastest punch. Lucky
depositing eggs on to the body of the that they’re no bigger than they are!
male, which he carries in a pouch for Map pufferfish and common stonefish
several weeks before giving birth. are both endemic to the Indo-Pacific.
I had never previously considered While beautiful, the former is covered in a
flying halfway across the world by myself not-so-beautiful toxic mucus that can be
to go diving but, needing a break and fatal to humans if consumed.
aware of the rich marine biodiversity of The stonefish, that master of disguise
the Coral Triangle, I made the long of shallow reefs, always provides a jolt of
journey to a tiny but charming island just joy for the diver who distinguishes it from
off North Sulawesi. its perch.
I had chosen Bangka, between Bunaken Proof of how venomous this and other
Manado Tua Marine Park and critter- scorpionfish family members are came
packed Lembeh Strait, because it felt as if recently when a friend accidentally
it might provide a perfect introduction to stepped on one in the Philippines.
Indonesia for a solo-diver. He described the pain as agonising, ☛
Above, from left: Map and couldn’t be given an anaesthetic until tentacles. She stores this around the
pufferfish; blue-striped his heart-rate and blood-pressure fell. lining of her mouth or in a receptacle
pipefish; Hypselodoris
It took him about two weeks to recover, below her beak.
bullocki nudibranch with
eggs. and he said he had been incredibly lucky Cephalopod research has shown that
that the hospital had the correct anti- males show a strong preference for new
Left and below left: Giant venom in stock and treated him quickly. partners, while females who have not
sea-pen; warty or clown Even in the calmest waters “danger” is been lucky in a while display a receptive
frogfish; dragon shrimp.
never far away but, as in this case, not posture – a pretty effective love situation.
Below right: The Murex necessarily when diving!
A less poisonous master of disguise is ITH SO MUCH TO TAKE IN and the
dive-centre.
Bottom, from left: Mating

the frogfish, with its lugubrious
expression and bulk not stopping it from
W heat of the afternoon sun strong,
there was plenty of time to retire and rest,
cuttlefish; Poss’s scorpionfish
having the fastest strike-speed of any the sound of the breaking waves amplified
with a nudibranch on its
face. animal on Earth. at night in my beachfront cottage.
Rather unkindly declared “the spawn of Although there’s a fan in each room,
Satan” by the mayor of Bitung, frogfish during the day electrical power is
are always a popular subject for switched off until 5pm to save energy, and
underwater photographers and, as filtered water is supplied to negate the use
captured by Morgan at Sabora, even a of single-use plastic bottles.
warty frogfish can look attractive! Conservation is a priority, and on dives
A night-dive initially proved less closer to the mainland we would grab any
exciting than my buddy and I had hoped, bit of floating plastic we saw.
but this was due to impatience as much as A rather unusual dive came with a new
anything else. buddy enjoying a site I had heard much
The sandy-bottomed site was called
Peter Sponge and the first 20 minutes
consisted of a warm drift-about, but
eventually plenty of creatures came out to
play – an octopus, a blue-spotted ray, crab
and seahorse all put in appearances.
A vivid green moray eel also appeared
in the distance in my torch-beam.
It felt as if we were in a giant fish-tank
at a site called Tiga Batu, a storeyed
pinnacle made for finning around. Stars
included a pygmy seahorse at 29m,
leaf scorpionfish, ubiquitous but always
delightful chromodoris nudibranchs,
whitetip reef sharks and many cuttlefish,
some of them the largest I’ve seen.
They can appear romantic but, to
initiate sex, the male spreads his arms
around his partner’s head and squirts
sperm into her mouth from one of his
divEr 56
INDONESIA DIVER
about, a hot underwater spring at Sampiri varieties of frogfish. There was also an Above: Emperor shrimps
3. As we approached the shimmering orangutan crab, part of the decorator crab aboard a solar-powered
water at about 20m I lowered my body family and known for its compulsion to nudibranch.
horizontally over the bubbles welling up attach seabed debris to help it blend into Above right: Harlequin crab.
from the rocks, a wave of intense warmth its surroundings – though still perversely
enveloping me. inclined to rest on pale bubble coral. Right: Orangutan crab.
Basking, I placed a tentative finger on A relationship that hits symbiosis
the sand and recoiled, such was the heat. perfectly is that of an emperor shrimp on Below right: Pontohi pygmy
seahorse.
It was a sharp reminder of Indonesia’s a solar-powered nudibranch, the host
wonderfully messed-up geology, with the providing sanctuary and the shrimp able Below left: Relaxed on the
Pacific, Australian and Eurasian plates all to hide under the slug should a predator Murex dive-boat.
colliding there and making wrinkles. appear. As the host moves and churns up
Indonesia lies in the Ring of Fire and a sand, food is provided to the shrimp! Bottom left: Sexy shrimp.
7.1-magnitude earthquake near the I regretted not booking for a longer
Moluccas to the east had been felt in stay, especially after hearing from others
North Sulawesi not long before my visit. about the “Passport to Paradise” option of
As my week approached its end, a new diving on the walls of Bunaken and/or
influx of visitors was arriving, Swiss and Lembeh’s black lava sands.
German as well as from the UK. I felt that familiar pang of wanting to
A boatful of us headed to a site called see and experience what others had, but
Sahaung 1, where we spied broadclub I had been able to unwind and savour a
cuttlefish, hairy squat lobster, raggy single relaxing location, the diving, the
scorpionfish, fire gobies and a painted tasty and fresh Indonesian cuisine and the
rock lobster, not to mention several hospitality. Simple barefoot luxury.
FACTFILE
GETTING THERE8 Fly into
Manado via Singapore with Silk
Air, the regional carrier of Singapore
Airlines.
DIVING & ACCOMMODATION 8 Murex
Bangka Dive Resort, murexdive.com
WHEN TO GO8The driest of
North Sulawesi’s two seasons
is from the end of March to
the end of November. The
rainy season is slightly cooler.
Generally humid, mosquito
repellant and appropriate
clothing are recommended.
Water temperature is
28-30°C year round.
MONEY8 Indonesian
rupiah.
HEALTH8 Manado has
a recompression chamber.
PRICES8Scuba Travel offers
a seven-night full-board stay
at Murex in an ocean-front
cottage with 10 dives (air)
and airport transfers for £850.
Return flights from £580.
VISITOR INFORMATION8
indonesia.travel
57 divEr
2019:
Two Weeks on Mars
J
ULY 2019 IS A WET, COLD and
windy affair on the Swedish Baltic
Sea coast. The dive-team arrive
Last month JESPER KJØLLER recounted from many parts of the world over
a few days and immediately begin
the loss in 1564 of one of the world’s equipment preparation and setting up
most iconic wrecks, that of of the tent that comprises the Mars
Expedition headquarters.
the Swedish warship Mars, Gradually, the diving shed is also
and how it was discovered in readied, the compressor is set up, the
2011. Now in Part 2 it’s time diluent cylinders for our JJ-CCR
rebreathers are filled with 12/65 trimix,
for him to join the divers. the deco cylinders are labelled and
Underwater photography by KIRILL a charging station for the huge number
of batteries that feed our lights,
EGOROV, photogrammetry by OCEAN cameras and drysuit heating systems
DISCOVERY are set up.
We are ready for the first Mars dive
of the year, but the weather forecast is
not promising. The planned daily
rhythm – an early-morning dive and an
afternoon spent preparing for the next
THE day – is disrupted by the weather gods,

and we simply have to adopt a mindset
of constant alertness, and be ready to
dive at short notice when a sufficiently
promising weather window appears in
EXPERIENCE
divEr 58
the forecasts.
Mars is situated 60 minutes’ cruise
east of the port of Böda at Öland,
Sweden’s second-largest island, and is
WRECK DIVER
in a relatively exposed area. A typical Left: The larger cannon on The wreck is
Mars dive last up to three hours, and with Mars have a characteristic spread out over
one hour back and forth, we need a five- set of handles shaped like
500m and it’s
dolphins.
hour window with fairly gentle winds. possible to follow
The dive-team consists of a dozen Above: 3D models of Mars the last hours of
specially selected divers, all trained by are studied by scientists and the battle step by
Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) on historians all over the world. step, following
JJ-CCRs. the tracks it has
Right: Expedition divers
There are divers with extensive project getting ready for the next left on the
experience who can dive under difficult dive. seabed.
conditions while being productive, Cannonballs,
efficient and, above all, safe. Most of parts of the hull
them are experienced underwater video- and masts as
or photographers. well as personal
artefacts bear
testimony to the
Rookie brutality of that battle.
I had already been warned that the first The main wreck, including both hull drop off. There is still juice in the battery-
dives on Mars can be confusing – and sides, are relatively intact in the middle pack, but the body has been cold for a
they are! I am overwhelmed by the of the wreck area, where guns of various long time.
grandeur and complex nature of the dimensions and calibres are sprinkled It can be hard to grasp the fact that two
shipwreck. across the seabed in unprecedented hours of decompression time still
At this 70m-plus depth in the Baltic it quantity. looms. Fortunately, the rebreather
is always pitch-black, and you can see only technology is on our side.
what you can illuminate with your dive- On open scuba, you breathe cold,
light. At first glance, the wreckage The Deep Freezer compressed gas, which is heated in the
resembles a lumber-yard gone berserk, or After 40 minutes on the bottom, about lungs and then breathed directly into the
a giant pick-up sticks game. The 4°C-cold two hours of decompression awaits. water. It’s a big waste of heat energy.
Baltic, the darkness and the inevitable As soon as we rise just a few metres A rebreather-diver, on the other hand,
narcosis add to the challenge. above the wreckage, the visibility inhales his own warm exhalation gas,
Frankly, I’m a little intimidated becomes clear as gin. which even has added heat energy from
by it all. After all, I am the rookie On the other hand, the the process that takes place when the
on the team and I would like to temperature drops to just 2°C, and carbon dioxide in that gas is purified in
be able to contribute positively we can think only about moving the rebreather’s scrubber material.
to this year's expedition. quickly through the freezer while Around 30m, the decompression stops
Eventually I start recognising spending as little time as possible begin to get longer and the temperature
details and, after getting a few on the deeper deco-stops. increases accordingly.
reference points, my situational After the first hour in the water, the On the last shallow stop the visibility
awareness improves. effect of our heated Santi-suits begins to gets worse again, and we move closer to ☛
59 divEr
the ascent line. It’s important not to lose it including National Geographic.
and have to shoot a bag. The mosaic assembly, which visualised
The last stop at 6m lasts about an hour Mars in a way no one would be able to see
and I usually try to turn the brain off and in reality, introduced a new approach to
zone out while the minutes tick away. underwater archaeology. It had been clear
Fortunately, the surface water is around from the start that salvaging the wreck
17-18°, but at this point we’re all cold. was out of the question.
However, it helps to visualise the barbecue Bringing it onto land and preserving it
that we’ll be enjoying in a few hours. would be impossible and too costly.
In addition, the oxygen-poor, brackish
and ice-cold Baltic Sea at a depth of 72m
Photogrammetry is in fact the optimal place in which to
Following the discovery of Mars in 2011, store ancient woodwork. The absence of
a special law was quickly passed to protect woodworm in the almost-fresh water
the wreck-site. It’s illegal and impossible Top, from left: Various offers the best possible conditions.
to dive Mars without special permits, landmarks and Instead of salvaging objects from Mars,
and the area is monitored 24/7 by the distinguishing features the Lundgren brothers and their team
used by the more
Swedish Coast Guard. It is prohibited to experienced divers to began developing and refining digital
fish, stop or use sonar within a one-mile navigate the wreck. documentation techniques, such as
diameter of the wreck. 3D scanning and photogrammetry.
However, each year a special permit Right: All Mars divers use The Mars exploration began parallel
has been granted to a select group of JJ-CCRs with 12/65 as to the maturing of technologies that
diluent and bail-out. They
divers who, in collaboration with achieved a precision that supports serious
also carry 50% and 100%
international and Swedish researchers bail-out cylinders. scientific studies.
and experts during the 14 days the permit But it’s one thing to carry out photo-
lasts, conduct field studies at the unique Below: Based on grammetric documentation of smaller
archaeological site. photogrammetry data, The iconic mosaic image, created from objects in the controlled environment of
models of Mars can be
During the first few years the main 640 images painstakingly assembled in a photo studio, and quite another to
rendered for scientific or
focus was to map the wreck-site and to – as here – more Photoshop, went around the world and document large shipwrecks at a depth of
obtain an overview. illustrative purposes. was on the cover of several magazines, 72m and in darkness.
divEr 60
WRECK DIVER
EQUIPMENT
All Mars divers use JJ-CCR rebreathers in the special GUE
configuration, the major difference being that the GUE
version has two seven-litre steel bottles connected with a
GUE divers are specialised in working Photogrammetry also makes it possible
flexible Lola-manifold.
efficiently with documentation methods, to reconstruct or 3D-print artefacts such
and photogrammetry techniques are now as small guns – or make scale models of This means that divers can each carry 14 litres of diluent
part of the course curriculum. the entire wreck. compared to the standard three litres, and don’t need to
It has been claimed that Mars is one of include a deep diluent gas as a separate bail-out because
the world's most significant wreck finds, they have enough on their back.
Digital Excavation and the series of parallel scientific
At the same time, there is enough gas to share with an
On the basis of the photogrammetric 3D projects focusing on the wreck’s many
unfortunate team-member if needs be.
models, the ship can be digitally rebuilt different aspects is proof of that.
and the models provide a fantastic Life on a warship in the 16th century, The GUE configuration also features a long hose for open-
overview of the entire wreck-site and shipbuilding techniques, metallurgy circuit gas-sharing, and the cylinders are turned upwards
allow researchers from all over the world studies of cannon and the role of warships so that valve shutdowns are done similar to open system.
to participate in the archaeological in society are just a few examples of these
Everyone uses Santi electric heated undergarments –
studies of this battlefield frozen in time. ongoing scientific projects.
at least a heated vest or a full suit, but most also have
For example, an expert in 15th-century Mars sank with more than 800 soldiers
heating in the gloves.
weaponry can study the digital models and sailors on board. They have left many
and make measurements with accuracy to artefacts that allow experts to reconstruct
the centimetre. Experts can discover and describe life on board, so providing Above left: The capstan
contexts or details that divers can’t see an insight into life in the 16th century. anchor winch.
with the naked eye under water, and Mars is an undisturbed time-capsule
Above: Jesper carries out
scientists can participate in the research that can provide answers to an ever- last-minute checks before
without ever leaving their office. growing number of questions. ☛ a Mars dive.
Left and right:

Measurements are made
to verify the accuracy of
the photogrammetry data,
so all Mars divers carry
folding rulers.
61 divEr
NatGeo My images are used for photo- If, at some point, it is decided to salvage
We know that in a few days our camp will grammetry renderings and these details more objects, it is also important to
get a visit from a British production team Above, clockwise from have never been documented with such document their location and context
working on an episode for National top left: Every detail of the precision and resolution in 3D. before moving them.
Geographic’s series Drain The Oceans. wreck tells a story not Otherwise, the most important The mapping is done by a photo-
JULIA GOLOSIY
Although I usually take still photos always understood by the outcome of the 2019 expedition is the grammetry diver swimming steadily
divers. Photogrammetry
while diving, I am tasked with recording models enable scientists to expansion of the mapped area around above the bottom and shooting multiple
video sequences on Mars that NatGeo can unlock the mysteries. the wreck itself. images with a certain overlap. This is then
use as material for the show. Many more details are added, but digitally assembled into a 3D model.
I also make photogrammetry Below, from left:Detailed much work remains to be done if we want This laborious work could be done far
recordings with macro lenses of, among 3D model of cannon found to cover the entire fallout area around more efficiently with a remote-controlled
on Mars. The models contain
other things, coins, a mould used to great detail, which it’s
Mars, where numerous effects and their underwater video robot (ROV) that
forge small cannonballs and details on possible to zoom in to relative placement can provide important doesn’t have to decompress after 30-40
bronze cannon. investigate. information to the researchers. minutes on the bottom.
divEr 62
WRECK DIVER
GUE
Global Underwater Explorers was formed in 1998 by a
small group of ambitious divers who strived to develop
projects that made it possible to explore underwater
environments. GUE has always been based on three
pillars: education, exploration and conservation.
Today, it has a complete educational programme that

covers all areas from GUE REC1 to instructor-trainer.
It appeals to divers prepared to go the extra mile in
terms of personal fitness and with a generally
uncompromising approach to diving.
GUE is based on a holistic system originally developed

to meet the requirements of complex technical dives
such as deep wreck dives or extensive cave exploration,
but gradually it adapted to include recreational diving
in every conceivable environment. Although different
dive situations require the addition of specific tools
and techniques, there are a number of key components
that ensure success and are the same on all platforms.
Elements such as precision buoyancy, stability,

standardised equipment, swimming techniques,
teamwork and a thorough understanding of gas
dynamics are considered fundamental by GUE.
The comprehensive degree of standardisation and

alignment of procedures, equipment configuration
and dive-planning make the GUE diver an extremely
effective project participant, because everyone in a
GUE project has the same approach to diving and
compatible configurations and procedures.
The Mars 2019 dive-team consisted of Kirill Egorov

(Russia); Jesper Kjøller (Denmark); Kees Beemster
Leverenz (USA); John Kendall, Rachael Kendall
and Marcus New (UK); Oleksiy Sverdlov (Ukraine);
Su Eun Kim and Kyungsoo Kim (Korea) and Richard
Lundgren (Sweden).
This is expensive equipment, but

efforts are underway to obtain funding
through sponsorships, so that we divers
can concentrate on the more specialised
tasks on which it is advantageous to have
a human in the water.
I look forward to being part of the
team again in 2020, when we hope,
among other things, to find answers to
these two pressing questions:
Where are the remains of the more
than 800 soldiers who perished in the
sinking – and where is the missing
wreckage located?
Top: Another view of the

dolphin-shaped handles
on the big cannon.
Above: Scientists and divers

meet in the HQ tent daily to
evaluate results and outline
goals for the next day.
Left: Deceptive rendering of

Mars as it would appear in
sunlit, shallow, clear water.
More on Mars:
mars-project.org
63 divEr
FEELGOOD SAIPAN
D
IVE LOCATIONS THAT ARE just point for the atomic-bomb attacks against
a bit off the beaten path are my Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
favourites – the places people Over the years Saipan and the CNMI
have to ask you where exactly that is, and have taken note of their valuable natural
perhaps how to spell it. resources and strived to protect living,
A small green speck in a map of blue, non-living, cultural and historical
the island of Saipan can be found in the resources.
north-western Pacific, 125 miles north of They educate and enforce protection
Guam. Relatively close to Palau and of the ocean, preventing walking on or
Chuuk (Truk Lagoon), two islands destroying coral and feeding of fish, and
frequented by divers, it is often passed banning the taking of fish, shells or even
over, despite having made huge efforts in sand in some areas, with dive-shops
protecting its impressive reefs and its assisting in the education process.
WW2 wreck history. Saipan has also factored in protection
Saipan’s association with the USA of several WW2 wrecks within protected
is usually overlooked but it is a areas.
commonwealth of the States along with This small island, only 12 miles long by
Tinian, Rota and 11 other islands that six miles wide, has warm water, excellent
are often abbreviated as the CNMI visibility, fields of healthy hard corals
(Commonwealth of the Northern and plenty of fish life, plus those wrecks.
Mariana Islands). Sounds like a perfect dive location to me!
Along with Guam (which isn’t part
of the CNMI but is a US territory) these
islands make up the Mariana Islands
archipelago and are the northernmost
T AKE ME TO THE WRECKS! is usually
my first request at a new dive
location, and the crew at Fishguyz Scuba
islands of Micronesia. kindly obliged. We headed to the
Surrounded by fringe reef with Shoan Maru and Kawanishi
offshore coral mounts, one would expect H8K Emily plane, both
good things from the diving in the area, located in the Mañagaha
and it doesn’t disappoint. Marine Conservation
Area (MMCA).
T HE BATTLE OF SAIPAN occurred in

June and July, 1944, and was a terribly
bloody encounter for both sides.
The two wrecks have
become artificial reefs
teeming with life.
More than 29,000 Japanese troops Not a lot is known
(along with many civilians, including about what befell the
1000-plus suicides on the last day) and Shoan Maru, a Japanese
almost 3000 Americans died, and more transport ship thought likely to
Pictured: A divemaster
than 10,000 were wounded. shows off his underwater
have sunk in February 1944 while
The island of Tinian also played a role tricks on a bike found in the carrying conscripted Korean soldiers,
historically, serving as the launching sand off the Ice Cream site. although it is sometimes said to have gone
down during the Battle of Saipan later
that year.
It sits in only about 10m of crystal
water and has plenty of marine life living
on it. The ship is very much destroyed,
but schools of snapper, goatfish and
squirrelfish lurk in the shadows of the
broken, twisted metal.
BRANDI MUELLER relishes dive

locations that are off the beaten track
and full of surprises. Cue a trip to the
northernmost part of Micronesia
divEr 64
MICRONESIA DIVER
Below one section at least six whitetip

reef sharks could be seen sitting in the
sand. Hard corals have colonised the
wreck, and shallow depths allow for very
long dives, which is good because the
ship is huge.
The Emily plane is broken into several
pieces, also in about 10m depth. The
engines with propellers stand out from
the white sand, with coral encrusting the
metal and fish swarming on the outside
and living in the engines.
The wings, which sit nearby, host
a school of squirrelfish, and there are
many other fish in the hollows and voids
of the broken aircraft. Also nearby are
underwater memorials dedicated to the
Korean and Japanese soldiers.
Although not a protected area, several
American M4 Sherman tanks can be seen
from the beach, as they never reached it
completely in 1944.
Kids could be seen swimming around
and climbing on them, and I must admit
that it was pretty incredible to snorkel
a Sherman tank.
Y DIVE-GUIDE told me that some

M days, when the ocean is doldrums-
flat, you can just walk right into the
the dive, because the conditions were
considerably less than perfect.
Above, clockwise from
top left: Half-in, half-out
M4 Sherman tank from
Grotto. This was not the case the day After gearing up on the tailgate of a
1944; coral and fish on the
I visited. pick-up truck, we made our way down the gun-turret of the Emily
In fact, when we arrived another diving 112 steps leading to the Grotto. plane; fish inside the
group was leaving without even trying Before even getting to the bottom I ☛ Shoan Maru; propeller and
engine of the Emily.
Left: Whitetip sharks

under the Shoan Maru.
Right: Some of the 112

steps leading to the
Grotto
65 divEr
could hear the rush and crashing of waves onto the rocks. Gazing up to the surface, blue window, with surging water curling
into the entry-point and once it came into all I could see was white water rolling in and fluttering at the top.
view I started mentally saying goodbye to and out, as if I was under angry clouds. Getting back out of the Grotto was my
my camera, which I felt was sure to be The fish didn’t seem to notice, however, biggest worry but, again, my amazing
smashed on the rocks when I tried to and the mini-wall outside the Grotto had dive-guide helped me with my camera
exit… or possibly my entire body. butterflyfish and angelfish swimming all and fins and told me exactly when to
Above, clockwise from
Getting closer, we soon found ourselves top: Snorkellers entering
around. move across the rocks, and I made it
inside a massive cavern with green vines the Grotto; seafan inside the It was easy to see how this water power out unscathed.
growing around rocks. Grotto; eagle ray swimming had led to the carving out of the Grotto However, the hike back up the 112
An angry ocean swell was entering the near the turbulent surface and other caverns along this coast. stairs did give me greater appreciation for
cavern with as much force as it exited, off Tinian; squirrelfish inside Even with the big waves, the visibility boat-diving. The Grotto is protected as
part of the Emily plane;
making the water rise up and down was still greater than 30m. Off in the part of the Bird Island Marine Sanctuary.
marine life growing on the
several feet in large waves. wall of the Grotto. distance I could make out a turtle
The entry-point was in the central area O THE SOUTH of Saipan is the island
and a small stream of rushing water had
to be crossed. My dive-guide Syd was a
Below: Green turtle off
Tinian.
swimming for the surface to get a breath.
And it was breathtaking being in the
dark looking through this illuminated
T of Tinian, known as the location from
which the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima
star and crossed the rushing water first, and Nagasaki were launched. Under water
let me hand him my camera and fins and one finds a much more peaceful scene.
then waited for the perfect (and safest) We dived in the Tinian Grotto, another
moment to tell me to cross as he extended cavern dive that’s a smaller but similar
his arm and guided me over. version of Saipan’s Grotto. Water visibility
Now at the centre, we did a giant stride was fantastic as we swam into the cavern
into the open cavern – it was a negative from the open ocean.
entry to avoid being thrown up on the Inside there were more of the same
rocks by the swell. seafans I had seen in the Grotto, growing
The sunlight that had lit the entry- from the ceiling and walls like lace
point slowly disappeared and the cavern curtains. Lobster and different species of
went dark except for three brilliant blue shrimp could be seen in the crevices of
openings in front of us, leading to the the cavern.
open ocean. One guide pointed out a boxer crab in
Following Syd to one of the openings, the stony floor as we swam through the
I was mystified by the stacks and layers of back and out to the open ocean again.
pink seafans. They seemed to be growing We also visited Dump Cove, an area in
as close as possible to each other, just which US troops dumped unneeded items
layers and layers of pink, slowly billowing into the ocean after WW2.
back and forth with the water movement. The more I travel around the Pacific
The sea was rough, and even under Islands involved in that war, the more of
water we could hear the waves crashing these dump sites I come across. While it
MICRONESIA DIVER
was sad to see all this 75-year-old garbage The development occurring rapidly on Above, clockwise from top
still on the seafloor, it was exciting to Saipan can cause problems to reefs from left: Bullets at Dump Cove;
swim over parts of aircraft, several tanks, runoff and erosion, though monitoring coral and fish off Tinian;
ammunition including hundreds of wheels at Dump Cove;
by Coastal Resources Management helps.
seafans growing close
bullets, tyres and… a ton of turtles. Increased tourism can also lead to together in the Grotto.
The marine life had made homes in stress on the reefs but the MPAs play
much of the left-behind war trash, a role with tour operators in educating Right: Anemones – and a
making it an artificial reef of sorts. tourists. little bleaching – at the Ice
Saipan is a beautiful island and it’s Cream dive-site.
I MPRESSED BY SAIPAN’S marine

conservation efforts, I learned about
two sanctuaries that were created to
fantastic to see the efforts being made to
keep it in good shape for future
generations and visitors.
restore previous damage to the marine It serves as a great example of the
ecosystem. importance of reserves and how they
A type of sea cucumber, the Actinopyga can offer a win-win outcome for
mauritiana population was drastically everyone involved.
reduced by a commercial fishery in the
1990s, and now the Lau Lau Bay Sea
Cucumber Sanctuary has been created
off-limits to harvesters in hopes of
FACTFILE
GETTING THERE8 Fly from the UK to Guam.
restoring them. United Airlines has daily flights from there.
Another sanctuary protects the topshell Other direct flights via Hong Kong and the Philippines.
trochus (Trochus niloticus) which were
DIVING8 Fishguyz Scuba & Charter,
harvested without restrictions in the late fishguyzscuba.com
1980s. There is now a moratorium on
harvesting any trochus in the CNMI, ACCOMMODATION8Hyatt Regency Saipan, hyatt.com
but should that ban is lifted, the WHEN TO GO8 Year-round. October-April has better
Lighthouse Reef Trochus Sanctuary will visibility because of slightly cooler water (27°C) but it is
remain a no-take area. windier. May-September is calmer but also the rainy
Saipan and the rest of the CNMI reefs season, with the water 1° warmer.
still face many challenges, not least large MONEY8 US dollar.
and more frequent episodes of coral- HEALTH8 No malaria, but mosquito-borne viruses
bleaching. Other threats include ocean such as dengue have occurred. Guam has the closest
acidification, coral disease, illegal fishing, recompression chamber.
pollution, destruction from tropical
PRICES8 Return flights from £670. Hotel US $187 per
storms which might be occurring more
night. Two-tank boat dive trip £100, two shore dives £75.
frequently and powerfully, and shoreline
change. VISITOR INFORMATION8 mymarianas.com
HOLIDAY NEWS
BOOKING NOW…
Booking ahead with no deposit Dive Worldwide

flexi-booking
Dive Worldwide introduced a
delayed deposit scheme in April
to encourage divers to book
ahead during the pandemic.
Guests could book a selected
range of holidays with no outlay,
paying the deposit only once
FCO travel restrictions to the
destination were removed.
CA SCHUMACHER
The tour operator offers

resort- and liveaboard-based
diving trips to more than 40
destinations.
With travelling divers naturally from 1 July, 2020 onwards. divers to be able to plan ahead and Among those included in the
reluctant to pay deposits on holidays Once the current travel bans had hold a place without risk. scheme are Vilamendhoo Island
they can no longer be sure will go been lifted and “normal service UK tour operator Scuba Travel Resort and Euro Divers dive-
ahead because of the COVID-19 returns”, it said that guests would be followed suit in early April when it centre in the Maldives’ South Ari
pandemic, one long-established dive required to pay a deposit of £180pp introduced £0 deposits on selected atoll from £2450pp (two sharing)
operator was early to announce that it and the final balance at the usual time. future holidays, so that divers would for seven nights’ full board, six
had taken steps to remove the risk. Should the guest decide not to “have something to look forward to”. days’ diving, transfers and return
Emperor Divers has a large fleet of proceed with the booking at that “Once your destination is given the flights from the UK.
liveaboards operating in the Red Sea, point for any reason, Emperor would green light by the UK FCO, we will be Also on offer is a stay at True
Maldives and Indonesia, and its simple cancel the place at no cost. in touch to re-confirm your trip and Blue Bay Resort with Aquanauts
solution was to allow guests to hold There could still be pressure to find take your deposit as normal,” it said, on-site diving in Grenada in the
spaces on its boats without needing to a desired slot:“Because our lives have though if by then you could no longer Caribbean from £1695pp sharing
pay a deposit. been ‘paused’ by COVID-19, many 2020 take the holiday you would be able to for seven nights’ B&B, 10 dives,
Whether booking direct or through bookings have rebooked for late 2020 release your place with no penalty. transfers and flights.
a preferred tour operator, it said it was and into 2021,” warned Emperor. But it 8 emperordivers.com, 8 diveworldwide.com
prepared to hold any available date said it hoped that its offer would help scubatravel.com
Maldives gets first ENOS system

The DivePoint dive-centre on Rannalhi ENOS, the electronic rescue and SeaReq ENOS receiver
in South Male atoll, has become the locating system for divers. which is portable so
first Maldives operation to invest in Owner Marcus Hauck purchased a can be moved
between boats. With
antennae mounted on
top of a diving dohni
his crew is enabled to
receive alerts over
long distances should
the sometimes strong
currents or sudden
weather changes
characteristic of the
Maldives result in a
diver separation.
The crew have been personally The DivePoint dive-centre is
trained by Karl Hansmann, owner of attached to the Adaaran Club
the manufacturer Seareq, which was Rannalhi.
established in 2003, and inventor of 8 divepoint-maldives.com,
the ENOS system. seareq.de
BRANDI & TOBIAS HIT RED SEA

Two divEr contributors and, we have to say, variety of subjects from colourful fish and
inspiring underwater photographers are corals, wrecks, sharks, and more,” says
combining for a Red Sea Underwater Brandi. During surface intervals guests can
Photography Workshop later this year. interact with the pros during lectures,
Brandi Mueller and Tobias Friedrich’s trip editing sessions, and one-on-one training.
is planned for 12-19 November aboard the The trip is priced at 1699 euros plus 250
Omenia Spirit liveaboard. euros pp marine park fee – included is
“The Red Sea has endless opportunities a shared cabin, board and nitrox.
for underwater photographers, including a 8 brandiunderwater.com
68 divErNEt.com
HOLIDAY NEWS
…OR AS SOON AS NORMAL SERVICE RESUMES!
European
cave-
training
in 28°C Everyone’s in
water! at Sun Siyam
Family-friendly Sun Siyam Iru Fushi 5* booked through Trailfinders costs
resort in the Maldives is offering “book from £1979pp. This includes flights
now and dive later” packages with a from London, B&B in a beach villa and
series of non-scuba dive incentives for transfers, and is said to represent a
both children and adults. 25% saving of £600-plus per couple.
An SSI Mermaid/Merman The SSI Diamond Instructor Training
programme gives guests aged 6-12 a Dive Centre charges US $482 for a
The Scuba Murcia dive-centre in caves, with 16 dives building on strict chance to experience the underwater 10-dive package. Mermaid/Merman
southern Spain says it has been cave diving standards, focusing on skill world in a confined-water setting and courses start from $80 per child, and
working closely with PADI and TecRec development, safety protocols, learn skills that enable them to be freediving courses from $175pp.
instructor Simon Townsend to teamwork practice and execution. confident and safe in the water, using 8 trailfinders.com, sunsiyam.com
become the only PADI dive centre in Scuba Murcia is based in La Manga mer-fishtails and monofins.
Europe to be able to offer the PADI Tec Del Mar Menor. It costs from 1350 The resort also runs SSI Basic and
Full Cave Diver course.
It says that access to one of Europe’s
euros pp, assuming at least three
people on a course, including gas and
Level 1 freediving courses in breath-
hold techniques to depths down to PORTUGAL
few warmwater cave systems, the
hydrothermal freshwater Cueva Del
transport to sites.
The dive-centre can recommend
20m. It also says it’s one of the first in
the Maldives to offer the Peter Diving PUTS ITSELF
Agua, makes this possible. The system
has been continually explored by
accommodation from a diver hostel
from 45 euros pp per night through
System, designed to allow people with
disabilities, non-divers and others to FORWARD
Spanish cave teams since 1972, in whole apartments sleeping 3-5 guests submerge to 6m on umbilicals. Portugal is keen that divers
toasty-warm 28°C water. from 35 euros a night to 4* hotel The resort has 221 villas and 15 bars should put its mainland dive-sites
The 10-day training course is double-rooms from 120 euros a night. and restaurants and, based on May as well as those in the Azores and
carried out there and also in local sea 8 scubamurcia.com 2021 departures, a seven-night holiday Madeira high on their priority
lists to visit when they are able to
get back to diving overseas, and
Join Socorro manta expedition has a number of packages to

tempt them.
The Revillagigedos are a group of four The weather is moderate and
volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean diving possible year-round,
that lie 250 miles off Baja Mexico and points out Portugal Dive.
include Socorro. They attract schooling Packages include “Lisbon and
hammerhead, tiger, and silky sharks, Scuba Diving” from 999 euros pp
dolphins, jack and barracuda, whale for an eight-day programme with
sharks and famously manta rays. seven nights in a 3* hotel or
Next January sees a trip on the apartment, 10 dives in areas such
Under Sea liveaboard (formerly as Sesimbra, Cascais and Fonte da
Undersea Hunter, which operated Telha, a hire car for five days to
around Cocos) on which UK-registered reach dive-sites, a night out with
charity Manta Trust scientists will be a meal in Lisbon and dive-gear.
collecting photo-ID images of the rays, Or how about eight days on
and guests are encouraged to Santa Maria in the Azores from
participate and, it’s hoped, add 949 euros pp or, for 909 euros pp,
STEVE LAYCOCK
previously unknown mantas to the a stay in Madeira?

database and name them. New Both trips include 10 dives,
manta-matching software is to be seven nights in a 3* hotel or
unveiled on the trip. apartment, transfers and dive-
The newest addition to the Nautilus The manta-expert team onboard is In the meantime Nautilus Dive gear. Flights are not included.
liveaboard fleet, the Under Sea has led by marine biologist Robert Rubin Expeditions has been inviting divers Portugal Dive also points out
undergone two refits, including and Dr Annie Murray. to “dive Socorro virtually with us” at that it supports technical (OC and
stretching the hull by 6m, repowering, The eight-night trip costs from US youtube.com/nautilusliveaboards CCR) and cave-diving and can
adding a new bow and full-width $2595pp for a triple-shared stateroom, with new videos weekly. offer exclusive itineraries for
superstructure, hot tub, top deck with four dives a day, full board and 8 mantaexpeditions.com, groups of technical divers.
lounge and stability system. end of trip DVD. mantatrust.org 8 portugaldive.com
divErNEt.com 69
WELL AND TRULY STEVE WARREN does
the honours this
month (as MIKE WARD
puts his feet up) with
tests in Gibraltar of a
budget Mares regulator and a Hollis wing,
with a pressure gauge for good measure
REGULATOR
MARES DUAL
ADJUSTABLE
52X 2004
WE’RE USED TO ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY
getting ever cheaper, even as it delivers not
only bells and whistles but the whole damn
Philharmonic Orchestra.
About the only thing a budget dive-
computer doesn’t do yet is play Paul
McCartney’s 3min 57sec hit Coming Up during
your safety stop. But, in real terms, mechanical There are two high-pressure ports
engineering has grown more expensive. for mounting pressure-gauges or computer to the second stage, easing inhalation.
This is especially true of regulators, the transmitters on either side of the first stage Some Mares first stages offer DFC routeing to
manufacturing bases of which remain largely in to help with hose management, and four all the mp ports but will cost more. The biggest
the West, rather than the Far East. medium-pressure ports. demand for air during recreational dives is likely
My first regulator, bought in 1981, was top Two of these are set on the right, fed by to be in an emergency at depth with two divers
of the range and a superb breathe. It cost, in a system Mares calls Dynamic Flow Control. breathing heavily from one first stage using an
today’s money, about £320. DFC harnesses air-flow physics to help send octopus, with tank pressure rapidly falling, so
In 2020, an equivalent recreational regulator the lion’s share of air through these two ports primary and safe seconds should be connected
from a major brand can easily nudge £600. with minimal inhalation effort on your or your to the DFC outlets.
So at £332, the Mares Dual Adjustable second buddy’s part. The lower-performance ports can be used for
stage and 52X first stage combo is very much When you’re not breathing in, air pressure direct feeds, where there’s much less demand
a budget regulator. But is it really a starter or an inside the second stage builds up enough to for high flow-rates and high volumes of air.
entry-level model? close the valve against incoming pressure from Using two DFC ports does restrict your choice
As Mike Ward has mentioned before, the first stage trying to force it open.
regulator performance is now so good that such Both second-stage and first-stage pressure
terms are misleading. are in balance.
While we should expect to get what we pay When we inhale, pressure in the second stage
for, even a budget valve is not going to leave drops below that in the first stage and is strong
most recreational divers gasping for breath, or enough to open the second-stage valve, so air
feeling short-changed for features and benefits. flows freely into our lungs.
In the Dual Adjustable 52X there’s a lot to like, Well, not quite freely – you might have to
something to which I’m becoming accustomed, exert some effort to keep the valve open.
having tested three other Mares regs spanning The dilemma for the manufacturer
low to premium pricing. is how to keep this effort to an
absolute minimum. DFC creates
a slight vacuum in the first-stage
First Stage air-flow, so the air behind is
The 52X first stage is a balanced-diaphragm dragged along by the air
design, an approach favoured by Mares for already moving ahead in
more than four decades. front.
It is synonymous with easy breathing under The easiest analogy is a train
high demand, even at depth and at low tank passing through a tunnel – you can
pressures. It’s also mechanically easy to isolate feel the air being dragged behind it.
the working parts from the surrounding water, This venturi effect reduces the mp
reducing the risk of icing and damage from drop as you inhale and minimises the lung-
contaminants such as silt. power needed to sustain air-flow from the first
divEr 70
DIVER TESTS
of hose layout if you want to be assured of the In Use

best possible breathing performance – The DIN model first stage supplied was easy to
which I would! fit and remove with wet hands. The second
Mares expects you to run not stage is only slightly negatively buoyant and
just your primary second stage has a comfortable mouthpiece.
but also your safe second from The purge requires a comparatively
the right. This is my preference deep press but is easy to use with or
but it’s a contested view. without gloves. The exhaust T does an
The 52X is EN250A certified. excellent job of diverting bubbles from
One of the tests it passed is your field of view.
for coldwater diving. Clearing a fully flooded mouthpiece,
For EN purposes, cold water even upside-down, is easy, either using
is defined as below 10°C – the purge or exhalation method, and the
easily found in UK waters. exhaust T won’t interfere with the seal on
To earn the rating, it is tested most masks. These points are relevant
and certified for use at 4°C. when sharing, in case the reg is
Water doesn’t freeze at these accidentally inserted inverted.
temperatures, so why the fuss? Speaking of sharing, on our punishing
As air passes from your cylinder to your lungs, 30m-deep octopus test there was no chance of
it drops in pressure, causing it to cool. It also outbreathing the Dual Adjustable 52X.
cools according to the volume of gas flowing Dennis Santos and I hung onto a wreck and
through the regulator, associated with working The valve is kept kicked as hard as we could to get our breathing
hard, sharing and diving deep. closed by a spring. Its rate up for two minutes, burning through
Fast-flowing air, caused by rapid breathing, strength can’t be varied, around 500 litres.
also cools faster than slower-moving air. even though it must The EN250 A suffix is awarded after an
Because of these factors, air temperature inside cope with variations in exhaustive machine breathing test, which can’t
the regulator can be tens of degrees colder than pressure coming from be matched objectively by a manned dive,
the surrounding water. the first stage as your but our subjective test shows up breathing
This super-cooling can cause water in contact diving depth changes, so it is often stronger characteristics, such as how the inhalation feels,
with the reg to turn to ice that can block the than it needs to be, requiring more effort to that a machine can’t assess. The Mares delivered
travel of moving parts and cause a first stage to crack the valve than is ideal. each breath with minimal cracking effort and
freeflow, or even shut off the air supply. In a balanced design, the spring is enclosed very smooth air-flow.
Time is also a factor. The EN250 coldwater in an air-pocket. This air pressure automatically We tested with the primary and matched
standard requires only that the regulator does matches changes in depth, working with the Dual Adjustable octopus coming off the two
not freeze within five minutes, but this is at a spring to adjust cracking effort to the optimum DFC ports, as recommended by Mares.
depth of 50m under a fairly high flow-rate. setting for ease of breathing, regardless of A regulator gaining the A suffix indicates only
The 52X protects itself from the cold partly depth. that it has met the standard. The Mares Dual
by using an enlarged surface area around the Once cracked, the venturi takes over. Air is Adjustable 52X probably exceeds EN250A if you
first stage to increase its efficiency as a heat- made to swirl through the second stage, use the non-DFC ports, which you might do if
exchanger. An additional coldwater kit, which causing a vacuum that does much of the work you wish to run your octopus or a combi safe
dry-seals the exposed diaphragm spring, is of holding down the diaphragm and keeping second/BC inflator from the left.
optional for even more extreme conditions. the second-stage valve open for you. Using the DFC ports should further increase
The 52X can be ordered with yoke, 300-bar Its purpose is to minimise the amount of your safety factor when sharing, so it’s no
DIN and nitrox DIN connectors. It is compatible effort you have to make to keep the air flowing surprise that, for normal use, this regulator’s
with 40% nitrox mixes out of the box, so the to your lungs. Mares’ patented venturi system is inhalation is easy and smooth.
nitrox connector is a bit of a red herring for called Vortex Assisted Design.
recreational diving. The VAD’s air-routeing means that cooling
It’s an EU standard, designed to avoid takes place further away from the valve-seat Conclusion
accidentally connecting a reg to a nitrox-filled than in other venturi designs. Mares continues to impress. Although an
cylinder without realising. I use nitrox a lot Mares claims that this decreases the risk of ice inexpensive addition to its range, the Dual
overseas and I don’t think many dive-centres forming on the seat and valve opening, which Adjustable 52X delivers all the features and
or liveaboards have tanks to use with the could freeze the mechanism. benefits a serious advanced diver is likely to ask
nitrox connection, so you don’t need it. Internally, the Dual Adjustable features of any regulator.
If you drop the 52X in the rinse-tank without additional anti-icing components such as non- In addition to scoring the EU’s top EN250A
its dust cap, its Auto Sealing Technology keeps stick surfaces and heat-exchanging metals, so it rating, it has also passed the Norwegian Norsak
the water out. also meets the EN250 coldwater diving criteria. U-101 breathing standards at more than 200m
Externally, it’s conventional with an using a helium mix. Highly recommended. n
underslung exhaust T.
Second Stage A side control knob lets you detune ease of
The Dual Adjustable second stage links to the breathing by increasing the lung effort needed SPECS
first stage with a Superflex hose. This offers less to crack the second-stage valve. It also reduces
TESTER8 Steve Warren
restriction than conventional hoses under load, the assist provided by the venturi, so you have
PRICES8 £332. Octopus £152
allowing you to turn your head more easily and to work harder to keep the air flowing.
to be able to coil up the set more tightly for Detuning any regulator should never be done FIRST STAGE8 Balanced diaphragm
easier transport and storage. without good reason. It won’t prolong your air SECOND STAGE8 Pneumatically balanced
It is pneumatically balanced, a benefit once supply, because you’ll burn more oxygen PORTS8 2hp, 4 mp
found only on premium models. extracting it than you’ll ever save. WEIGHT8 Yoke 1002g, DIN 828g,
Air-balancing reduces the lung effort It’s for rare situations that might cause the Octopus - 359g
invested whenever you inhale to crack the regulator to freeflow – possibly while facing CONTACT8 mares.com
second-stage valve and get the air flowing. into a very strong current. *
BC
HOLLIS HD200
MY FIRST 65-MINUTE DIVE IN THE HOLLIS depending on size,
HD200 wing turned out to be an hour-long there’s a lot of lift for
commercial for the BC. Unintentionally, I had such excursions.
become the ultimate silent salesman. The ability to shrug
I’d been cruising along the wreck trail that is off abrasion from
a highlight of Camp Bay, Gibraltar, my usual rusted metal for wreck
testing ground. My buddies were old friends, ferrets and the
Dennis Santos and Danny Freyone, both with accumulative day-to-
decades of diving experience. day wear of regular
They had dived in the early horse-collar BCs use comes from
before progressing to jacket models and then, Hollis’s choice of a
for twin-set diving, to wings. twin-bag design. The
When we surfaced, Danny had immediately buoyancy cell itself
commented: “That’s a great BC. Your trim was is made from thick
perfect.” polyurethane.
“It floats you really high on the surface,” This in turn
Dennis added. Such accolades are almost is protected by
embarrassing to report, because they make my an outer shell
reviews look like advertorial, and I have to try of 1000-
to find faults to balance them and prove that denier
I’m not the dive industry’s favourite yes-man. Cordura.
Hollis was founded by Bob Hollis, who also The HD200
created Oceanic, one of the world’s biggest uses a rigid
equipment manufacturers. Oceanic was born backpack with
in the 1970s, long before the emergence of a nice wide hand-grip at the
technical diving, and offers a wide range of top for moving your rig
products. Hollis is newer, with a narrower around. There’s a single
choice of kit, marketed towards tekkies. camband for attaching your
At the end of the day, however, diving is cylinder, with non-slip studs
diving and whether you’re a newly minted along the tank track for added
occasional recreational diver or a hardheaded security to prevent slippage. with drysuit inflators.
technical one, a lot of kit is interchangeable. An adjustable loop sits over your tank-valve The cummerbund is quickly adjustable for
This crossover is very apparent in single- to set the height of your cylinder, helping gear- length simply by reaching in behind the
cylinder wing BCs, the category into which the handlers to assemble your rig correctly in your backpack and tightening or slackening off the
Hollis HD200 falls. absence, for instance. ends, which are held by a touch fastener.
The backpack is well-cushioned. The harness This feature lets you keep the overlap of the
comprises wide shoulder-straps with squeeze- cummerbund in front to a minimum. The benefit
The Design buckle releases. Across your chest sits another is a close fit, regardless of changes of suit or,
The HD200 is a well-specified, weight- strap, with two different height within reason, fluctuations in your body mass.
integrated, back-inflation BC. It’s horseshoe- positions, so it won’t interfere A waist-strap sits over this, closed with a
styled, meaning that the air-cell runs down stainless-steel cam buckle.
either side of your tank, but, unlike a doughnut Surplus strap can be adjusted by rethreading
air-cell, does not connect at the bottom. the nylon through the buckle slots and back on
The penalty is that air cannot flow itself. So you should be able to achieve
freely throughout the air-cell, but the a very snug fit with the HD200 and still
gain, popular with some technical keep all your webbing neat.
divers, is a gap into which you can tie Connecting to the waist-strap via
accessories, such as light canisters. another large squeeze-release buckle is
Both horseshoe and doughnut-style the wide jock-strap, designed partly to
wings are popular, suggesting that prevent any cylinder or BC ride-up but
neither air-cell has an outright also to take the strain of riding scooters,
advantage over the other – it comes for which a large stainless-steel D-ring
down to personal preference. is included for a tether.
As the prefix HD suggests, this is no In fact the HD200 is festooned with
lightweight – it weighs in at 4.3kg. D-rings, all sewn into fixed positions.
But then it’s expected to be used One of the two large ones that sit on
hard, serving, say, the UK diver who the upper shoulders proved ideal for
while at home is using a single mounting my SPG where I could see it
backmount tank, plus a stage for deco, with just a downwards glance, while
but then wreck-diving using a similar two other medium rings hang from the
set-up in the Red Sea. HD200’s lower edge, where I might clip
With 15-17kg of buoyancy, Hollis HD200 padded back-pack. off a reel.
DIVER TESTS
At the back is a huge D-ring to which the dump, operated by pulling down on the oral- stowage options.
jock-strap attaches – I could see myself pressing inflation hose, performed flawlessly. As Danny and Dennis pointed out, and I can
this into use for carrying my main DSMB. Four I also tested stopping distance, to see how fast happily confirm, the Hollis HD200 delivers
small D-rings are arranged in pairs on either a runaway ascent could be braked. I did this by superb surface flotation and perfect underwater
side of the Hollis, one sitting near your outer fully inflating the air-cell while holding onto a buoyancy control. Recommended. n ☛
shoulder blade and the other a little lower. shipwreck, then letting go. The shoulder-dump
These could be used to bungee in a rolled-up stopped the ascent within a metre, the rapid-
back-up DSMB or small lift-bag, for example. exhaust valve within 1.5m, which is standard.
The Hollis has quick-release pouches for your The toggles on the shoulder and single
main weights, and these sit around your waist. bum-dump are easy for the user to locate and
Two zippered cargo-pockets sit on top of these. operate by feel.
Sandwiched between the backpack and wing The main weights are easy to install after
are the trim-weight pockets. you’ve kitted up, if you prefer not to manhandle
the fully loaded scuba system. They are released
by squeezing pinch-clips.
In Use Pinch-clips are used by many BC
The HD200 was one of seven weight-integrated manufacturers; they prevent the accidental
BCs I was testing in Gibraltar. Each was dived in jettisoning that can happen with grab-handles Rapid exhaust and shoulder dump.
a 7mm coldwater wetsuit, enabling me to test that you have to pull. (Although these do have
their buoyancy characteristics at depth, where the potential to snag and self-release, I have to
suit compression influences the results, so say that in more than 10 years of using them it
keeping it real. has yet to happen to me.)
But testing began with a half-kilometre walk The HD200 weight-release is easy to use,
to the dive-site with the Hollis loaded up with although I’d have preferred it if the pouches
around 35kg of kit, including 10kg of lead and didn’t have what look like grab-handles.
a 15-litre steel tank. Paradoxically, the design does seem to improve
It was very comfortable, a benefit of the wide on some other squeeze-buckle releases, which
and generously padded upper shoulder panels have a D-ring on a bit of loose webbing that you
and the well-cushioned backpack. grab to pull out your weights should they stick.
Once in the water, I fully inflated the BC and With the Hollis, once you squeeze the buckle
measured the distance from the waterline to your hand naturally falls forward onto the grip,
my mouth. A diver who is out of air and doesn’t so you don’t have to search for it and slip your
have a snorkel in chop can take in a lot of spray thumb or fingers into a D-ring if a weight does
and water if set low in the waves. stick in an emergency ditching situation. Shoulder release, pre-bent D-ring and shoulder-dump toggle.
The HD200 let me ride high, clearing 17cm. Instead, your hand instinctively pushes the
This is a good performance, given the 4kg of air weight out, if it hasn’t dropped clear.
the BC had to lift, so an out-of-air diver would The problem I can foresee, however, is a
float even higher. Surface stability was also buddy mistakenly pulling on those grips in an
excellent, and I was kept vertical without having emergency and overlooking the squeeze
to fin. This position gives you a good view of releases. I would also have preferred hi-vis
your pick-up boat approaching, or lets you brief colours to clearly identify the weight-releases,
students comfortably. dump-valve toggles and direct-feed and dump
As Danny pointed out, the HD200 held me buttons to an assisting diver.
perfectly horizontal under water. This greatly The cargo pockets aren’t bad, and will just
aids streamlining, saving you air, and means that about take a tightly rolled full-size DSMB.
there’s less chance of you kicking up the silt Each has grommets to attach a knife for left-
when working close to the bottom. or right-hand use. They are a very similar design
It’s great for photographers, as you can get to those on my own wing, in which I tend to
really low to shoot subjects on flat seabeds. pack things I’m only likely to take out, such as a
Want to hover upside-down for a difficult folding snorkel or buoy.
shot? Easily done in the Hollis. In practical terms, with so many D-rings, items
A further credit to the HD200 is that I don’t you might want to use briefly during your dive, Weight-release.
like 15-litre cylinders because they tend to roll then restow, such as torches, would be much
me. That never happened with the Hollis. better clipped off to these anyway.
Controls Conclusion
It takes around eight seconds to fill the air cell Overall, the Hollis HD200 is a very comfortable
at 10m. The direct feed is progressive, meaning and capable BC, with lots of practical accessory
that air flows faster the harder you press the
button. There’s the usual oral-inflation pipette SPECS
and a dump button. The buttons are not
distinguished by shape or colour. TESTER8 Steve Warren
As usual, I wanted to confirm that if the direct PRICE8 £520
feed jammed open, which can happen if silt SIZES8 S, M, L, XL
gets into the mechanism or icing occurs – either WEIGHT8 4.3g
usually a result of diver error – the upper dumps DUMP VALVES8 3
can vent faster than the BC can inflate to
D-RINGS8 8
prevent a runaway ascent.
Both the shoulder-dump and rapid-exhaust CONTACT8 hollis.com Rear dump.
PRESSURE GAUGE
MARES
MISSION 1
SPG 357
AS A KIT REVIEWER,
I commonly hit the water in
a set of kit that’s completely
unfamiliar to me.
With the Mares Dual
Adjustable 52X test
regulator, the manufacturer
also provided its Mission 1
analogue pressure gauge.
Although I was also using a
gas- integrated computer on
that test trip, having a dial
pressure gauge was reassuring.
That’s because, on first dives with
a test computer, I’m not always sure
what the read-outs are telling me…
The Design
The Mares Mission 1 has a 40mm-
diameter dial. The main body is
brass, although you can’t see this
touch of quality because it’s
protected from shock by a sturdy
rubber console.
The main dial is phosphorescent
white with black needle and indices.
There’s a red caution zone from 50 bar
to zero, plus two other coloured zones
between 50-200 and 200-450 bar.
Although rated to 450, gauges are
meant to have a 25% overspill safety
factor, so it’s really for use with 300 bar
cylinders that have been “generously” filled.
As required by law, a relief port is built in.
This vents automatically and safely if the
internal bourdon tube fails and high-
pressure air leaks out of it.
The most common cause for this problem
with SPGs of any brand is a wet air-fill, or letting
water into your first stage.
Under Water
I found the Mission 1 very easy to read under water, even
though I should (but don’t) have reading lenses in my
mask, and light levels were low.
But what was really nice was that Mares has provided
two attachment-points for clipping off the Mission 1.
The eyelets are quite large, so a medium bolt-snap
connected perfectly. I found that using the lower eyelet,
which rotates around the hose, and a bolt-snap to clip it
to a shoulder D-ring on several
test BCs placed the SPG in my
ideal line of sight. SPECS
So air-checks could be at a TESTER8 Steve Warren
glance, and hands free. PRICE8 £86
What more can you ask of an
CONTACT8 mares.com
SPG? Highly recommended. n
Thank you!
Thanks for voting for us and
making it all worthwhile –
here at Mike’s we always try
our best and winning this
award shows us that you
appreciate that!
020 8994 6006 | [email protected]
www.mikesdivestore.com
G Exclusive UK Distributor
G Full stock held in the UK
G All servicing and warranty repairs
G Smallest completely redundant air
supply for warm water recreational
divers
G Easily refilled
G Easy to travel abroad with
G B2B Trade enquiries welcome through
our dedicated trade website
www.spareair.co.uk G CE marked for sale in Europe
NEW BUT
The latest kit to hit the dive shops
Scubapro
Level BC 4444
Scubapro’s £399 Level front-
adjustable weight-integrated
BC is claimed to combine
ruggedness, light weight and
comfort with excellent
accessory storage. The 420-
denier Endur ex bladder is said
to expand away from
the diver’s body to prevent
squeeze. A hard backpack
assures tank stability, while
a combination of two octo
pockets, a pair of large cargo-
pouches and four stainless-steel
D-rings manage the extras.
8 scubapro.com
Christopher Ward
C60 Sapphire
Dive Watch 4444
Christopher Ward’s £795
C60 Sapphire is a new
addition to its Trident 3
line. With a clear back and,
unusually, a translucent dial
through which the Swiss automatic
movement with its 26 jewels can be
observed, this watch has Super-
Luminova indices and hands and a one-way
Waterproof W5 Wetsuit 5555 bezel. It’s rated to 600m.
The Waterproof W5 is now on the market ready for your 8 christopherward.co.uk
return to warmwater diving. The one-piece features
3.5mm neoprene that’s said to be highly compression-
resistant for increased warmth, less buoyancy shift and
a long life. Back-entry, the W5 features wrist and ankle Atomic Aquatics
zips for easy donning and removal and has a non-slip Scuba Heat Exchanger 4444
protective finish to reduce abrasion on high-wear areas. Regulator icing isn’t a hazard only when diving beneath
Men’s and woman’s suits alike cost £259. polar ice-caps. It can occur in water of 10° or more, making
8 cpspartnership.co.uk it something of which to beware at, say, UK inland sites.
Scuba Heat fits between most regulator first and second
stages and is claimed to greatly reduce icing risk without
impairing breathing performance. The unit, designed for
easy installation and requiring no batteries, costs £360.
8 atomicaquatics.com
INON UWL-95 C24

Wide-Angle Lenses
This wet wide-angle lens system for large-
sensor compact and mirrorless cameras uses
anti-reflective coated-glass lenses in an
aluminium body, and lenses as wide as 24mm. A
95° field of view under water can be expanded to
141° using an optional glass or acrylic dome-port.
Prices start from £500.
8 inonuk.com
JUST SURFACED
Maurice Lacroix
AIKON Venturer Dive Watch 6666
Latest addition to the AIKON luxury-timepiece range
is this Venturer model. It’s rated to 30 atmospheres
and has a Swiss-made automatic 26-jewel
movement with 38-hour power reserve, stainless-
steel case and uni-directional bezel. There is a date
display and luminous batons. The price is £1650.
8 mauricelacroix.com
Red Original
Travel Cup
You can keep your personal drinks mug to
hand for when you go back to commuting
Typhoon Berg Lite 2-Piece or for that long-awaited return to diving!
Midlayer Undersuit Red Original offers this double-wall-
The £138 Typhoon Berg promises to keep you insulated, marine-grade stainless-steel
warm inside your drysuit. It comprises a container that it says keep drinks hot for
longjohn and long-sleeve top, with a fleecy inner four hours and cold ones cool for eight.
lining and water-repellent outer shell. The 580ml cup with no-spill top costs £20.
8 typhoon-int.com 8 redoriginal.com
WILL APPLEYARD
NEXT ISSUE
Shark Behaviour
Who says one shark is very like another?
Firing at Will
Henley Spiers is into shooting wide-angle from the hip
Ro-Ro-Roatan
Why Brandi Mueller keeps heading back
Red Sea Wreck

It’s an exciting new find – but on the deeper side
BACK IN THE UK
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Ealing SAC, BSAC 514. Friendly, active club, own RIBs; welcome. www.ifield-divers.org.uk Email: info@ifield-
Dr Gerry Roberts and Dr Mark Bettley-Smith. welcomes new and experienced divers. Meets Highgrove divers.org.uk or tel: 01883 731532. (64514)
Tel: (01202) 741370 Pool, Eastcote, Tuesday nights 8.30pm. www.esac.org.uk Ilkeston & Kimberley SAA 945, between Nottingham
(68413) and Derby, welcomes beginners and experienced divers.
East Cheshire Sub Aqua. Macclesfield based BSAC club. We meet every Friday night at Kimberley Leisure Centre
Diving Medicals - Midlands (Rugby) - HSE, Sports
Medicals and advice at Midlands Diving Chamber. Tel: Purpose-built clubhouse, bar, two RIBs, minibus, nitrox, at 8.30pm. Contact through www.iksac.co.uk (68559)
01788 579555 www.midlandsdivingchamber.co.uk compressor. Lower Bank Street, Macclesfield, SK11 7HL. K2 Divers, covering West Sussex/Surrey. A friendly BSAC
(72756) Tel: 01625 502367. www.scubadivingmacclesfield.com club, but all qualifications welcome. Training in Crawley,
(65609) boat at Littlehampton. Email: [email protected] or
East Durham Divers SAA welcome new/experienced tel: (01293) 612989. (68335)
CLUB NOTICES divers of any agency. Comprehensive facilities with own

premises half a mile from the sea. Contact: John: 07857
174125. (68663)
Kingston BSAC, Surrey. Two RIBs , clubhouse and bar,
active dive programme, two compressors, Nitrox, Trimix,
full training offered at all levels. All very welcome.
CHARTER BOATS FREE OF CHARGE. (Max 25 words).
Non-commercial clubs, no sales. East Lancs Diving Club based in Blackburn. Friendly,
active club welcomes new members at all levels of diving
www.kingstonsac.org or tel: 07842 622193. (69176)
Lincoln - Imp Divers. Small, friendly, non-political
from all organisations. Tel: 07784 828961 or email: ELDC@ diving club with our own RIB are looking to welcome
Arnewood Divers, Christchurch - where diving is safe hotmail.co.uk www.eastlancsdivers.co.uk (69411) new and experienced divers. Contact Richard: 07931
South and fun from our own hard boat. Training from beginner Eastbourne BSAC; RIB, Banked air (free) to 300bar, 170205. (69383)
to Instructor. Find us on Facebook or https:// Nitrox, Trimix. Enjoy some of the best diving on the Lincoln and District BSAC. Active club with own RIB,
www.channeldiving.com Midweek diving for sites.google.com/view/adsac/home
individuals. Tel: 07970 674799. (73330) South Coast, all qualifications welcome. compressor and other facilities. Regular trips and
Active and friendly BSAC club. All year diving in local www.sovereigndivers.co.uk (65695) training. www.lincolndivingclub.co.uk (69336)
www.sussexshipwrecks.co.uk “Sussex”, Eastbourne. Fast
lake. New and qualified divers of all agencies welcome. Eastern Sub Aqua Club SAA 1073. We are a small Lincs Divers BSAC 1940. Friendly, active dive club
Cat, lift, O2, toilet, tea/coffee. Groups and individuals.
Diver/skipper Mike mobile: 07840 219585, e-mail: Own clubhouse with 7m RIB and compressor. For friendly dive club and welcome new and experienced offering dive trips and training for new/experienced
[email protected] (70611) further information visit www.mksac.co.uk (64403) divers alike. We are situated north of Norwich for divers. Lincoln based. www.lincsdivers.co.uk
Alfreton (Derbys) BSAC 302. Welcomes new members training. For more information please see out website: Llantrisant SAC, two RIBs, towing vehicle, welcomes
NOW BOOKING 2020 and qualified divers. A small but active club with own www.esacdivers.co.uk (65879) new and experienced divers. Meet at Llantrisant Leisure
DIVE BRIGHTON RIB, wreck diving a speciality. Contact Angela on 07866 Ellon Sub Aqua Club, Aberdeenshire, welcomes Centre 8pm Mondays. Contact Phil: (01443) 227667.
799364. (68370) newcomers and experienced divers. We dive year round www.llantrisantdivers.com (68519)
www.brightondiver.com Appledore Sub-Aqua Club (SAA 35) Friendy club
10m cat with dive lift. and meet on Thursday evenings. Contact Lutterworth Dive Club, active, social, friendly. Own
Individuals and groups.
welcomes experienced divers from all agencies . Regularly www.ellonsubaquaclub.co.uk (65523) RIB, regular trips. Welcomes qualified divers, any agency.
All levels, novice to technical. dives Lundy island , own hard boat / compressor . Fife Scuba Divers Tel: 07575 372575. Training at all levels. Most Tuesdays, Lutterworth Sports
BSAC Advanced and trimix skipper. Contact Damian 07831 152021. www.fifescubadivers.com. SAA Club No203. Meetings: Centre. www.lsac.co.uk (70043)
Call Paul: 07901 822375 Banbury SAC. Friendly, active club with weekly meetings Thu 19.30, 81 East Way, Hillend, KY11 9JF. Training Leeds based Rothwell & Stanley SAC welcomes new
and training sessions, own boat, compressor and Club, Crossovers welcome. (72380) and experienced divers, full SAA training given. Purpose
Lymington - “Wight Spirit”. Diving West Wight, East
Dorset, English Channel. Beginners to technical and small equipment. Welcome divers/non-divers. www.bansac.org Flintshire Sub Aqua Club based in Holywell, Flintshire, built clubhouse with bar, RIB, compressor. Meet Tuesday
groups. Electric lift. Easy access, easy parking. Owner/ or call 07787 097 289. (69308) welcomes new and experienced divers from all agencies. evenings: 07738 060567 [email protected]
skipper Dave Wendes. Tel/Fax: (023) 8027 0390, e-mail: Birmingham Underwater Exploration Club. Friendly, Full dive programme. Meet Wednesdays. See us at Mansfield and District Scuba Diving Club.
[email protected] www.wightspirit.co.uk active dive club. Weekly pool sessions. Regular trips. www.flintsac.co.uk or call 01352 731425. (64293) www.scubamad.co.uk. Sub Aqua Association - club 942.
(70252) Own RIB based in south Devon. Training and Guildford BSAC 53. Welcomes new and qualified divers. 8 Beech Avenue, Mansfield, Notts. NG18 1EY. (71643)
Dive Littlehampton “Final Answer”. Shallow to deep, equipment loan available to members. Tim 07775 580033. Friendly, active club with 2 RIBs, compressor, Nitrox, Manta Divers. Norfolk wreck & reef diving. Small,
we cater for all. Skipper and crew on board, availability meets Tuesday at clubhouse with bar. www.guildford- friendly, experienced club. All agencies welcome. SAA
7 days a week. Maximum 10. Tel: (01243) 553977 or Bracknell Sub Aqua Club welcomes new and bsac.com or call 07787 141857. training. www.mantadivers.org (64088)
07850 312068. Email: [email protected] experienced divers from all agencies. Meets poolside at Hartford Scuba BSAC 0522, based in Northwich, Mercian Divers (BSAC 2463) Active & Friendly club.
www.ourjoy.co.uk (73415) Bracknell Sports Centre, Thursdays from 8.30pm. Cheshire. A friendly, active diving club. Compressor for New, experienced & junior divers welcome. Own RIB.
Diving, training and social calendar: air and Nitrox fills. RIB stored in Anglesey. Based in Bromsgrove, West Midlands. Tel: 01905 773406
WEEKEND SPACES – SEE WEBSITE www.bracknellscuba.org.uk or tel: 07951 855 725. www.hartfordscuba.co.uk (67287) www.mercian-divers.org.uk (65391)
(65792) Hereford Sub Aqua Club, is looking for new members. Merseydivers (BSAC 5) Friendly & active club with 2
DIVE 125 Custom built
Onboard Compressor
42' dive Braintree Riverside Sub Aqua Club based in Braintree, Regular diving off the Pembrokeshire coast on own RIBs. RIBs & Compressor/Nitrox/Trimix. Meeting every
25.CO.UK
Air + Nitrox
E1 vessel, huge Essex. A friendly club, we welcome divers of all abilities Training and social nights. Contact: rusaqua@ Thursday 7pm till late. All divers welcome.
V
and have an active diving and social programme. Come googlemail.com (69146) www.merseydivers.com or call Steve on 07570 015685.
DI
deck space,
Diver lift, and join us! email: [email protected]
OUR W
large wheel www.braintreeriversidesac.co.uk (69397)
07
7 64
58 53
53 house +
separate
Bromley/Lewisham Active divers required. Full
programme of hardboat diving throughout the year.
INSURANCE
07764 585353 toilet. Check out Nekton SAC www.nekton.org.uk or contact
Jackie (01689) 850130. (68537)
www.dive125.co.uk Eastbourne Charters Buckingham Dive Centre. A small friendly club
welcoming all divers and those wanting to learn. We dive
South West throughout the year and run trips in the UK and abroad.
www.stowe subaqua.co.uk Tel: Roger 07802 765366.
Bovisand Lodge Estate, Plymouth. 4* Gold Award, self- (69433)
catering holiday park, 2.5 miles from Mountbatten Diving
Chelmsford and District SAC meet at 8pm every Friday
Centre. Range of quality accommodations. Free parking
for RIBs. Indoor heated pool. Weekend and part week at Riverside Pool. New and qualified divers are welcome.
bookings available. Tel: (01752) 403554 See our website for details: www.chelmsford
www.bovisand.com (71051) diveclub.co.uk (68620)
Venture Dive Charters. For quality diving from Cockleshell Divers, Portsmouth, Hants. Small, friendly
Plymouth, visit: www.venturecharters.co.uk or club welcomes new and experienced divers from all
Tel: 07948 525030. (73533) agencies. Meets at Cockleshell Community Centre,
Fridays at 8pm. Email: [email protected]
(64762)
Colchester Sub-Aqua Club welcomes experienced divers
and beginners. Sub-Aqua Association training. Diving
at home and abroad. Meets at Leisure World Friday
evenings. Contact Tony (01787) 475803. (68263)
The Biggest Online Resource Chingford, London BSAC 365. Friendly and active club
welcomes divers from all agencies and trainees. Meet
for Scuba Divers Wednesday 8pm, Larkswood Leisure Centre E4 9EY.
www.divernet.com Information: www.dive365.co.uk Email: loughton
[email protected] (69208)
Cotswold BSAC, a friendly club based at Brockworth
CLASSIFIED ADS
Merseyside training club, new and active divers from

all agencies, weekly pool session. Own Rib towing vehicle
Contact www.wapsac.org.uk or [email protected]
welcomes newcomers or qualified divers. Trips, socials,
weekly pool and club/pub meetings, club RIB. See
www.bsac36.org.uk (69191)
SUBSCRIBE
TO divEr MAGAZINE
Millennium Divers. Active, friendly club for all levels Slough 491 BSAC; small friendly club welcomes divers
and certifications of diver, based in Portland, Dorset. at all levels. Meet at Beechwood School Fridays 19.30.
UK diving and holidays. Club social nights Diving holidays and South Coast. Email:
www.millenniumdivers.org (68351) [email protected] or tel: Tony (01344) 884 596. (69722)
Mole Valley Sub Aqua Club. Surrey based SDI club, own
RIB, active diving UK & Abroad, training and social
events. Trainees/crossovers welcome. Contact: 07410
949268 or email: [email protected] (68691)
SOS Divers (SAA 263), Stourport, Worcestershire.
Founded 1979. Friendly family club welcomes qualified
and trainee divers. Own RIB. Contact Althea by email:
AND PICK UP A
RECHARGEABLE
Monastery Dive Club (Dunkerton Branch). New divers [email protected] (57542)
welcome to join our club. Trips to Plymouth and NDAC. South Coast Divers (SAA 1150) Portsmouth. A friendly
GSOH is a must. South Wales area (Crosskeys, Risca.) and active club welcomes new and experienced divers
Text: Flinty 07971 432803 or email: welshflinty@ from all agencies. Email: [email protected]
hotmail.com
Nekton SAC. Based in Bromley, we are a friendly and
active SAA Club that welcomes experienced and new
(65305)
divers alike. [email protected] or call Steve: 020 8467

or call Darren: 07449 794 804. (69224)
Totnes SAC (Devon). We are an active multi-agency
club and welcome new members and qualified divers
from all organisations. Two RIBs and own
DIVE LIGHT
4599.
Nemo Diving Club. Small friendly dive club offering
(68387) compressor/nitrox, plus club 4WD. Diving all round
South Devon and Cornwall. Visit www.totnes-bsac.co.uk
1-year subscription plus
dive trips and training for non/experienced divers in
Retford and surrounding areas. Contact: www.nemodiver
for details.
South Queensferry SAC, near Edinburgh. Two RIBs,
(68319) Northern Diver Varilux
training.co.uk (69640)
North Wales Sub Aqua Club. Llandudno based and
open to new and experienced divers. Fun, friendly and
gear for hire. Pool training during the Winter; trips &
expeditions in the Summer. Pub meeting at Hawes Inn.
Micro rechargeable
active SAA affiliated club. Training every weekend.
www.nwsac.wales (70688)
Call Warren: 07980 981 380. www.sqsac.co.uk (64861)
Steyning Scuba Club, West Sussex. All divers welcome. dive light,
North Glos BSAC 80. Friendly, active club welcomes
new and experienced divers. Own boat and equipment
Steyning Pool , Monday evenings at 8.30pm. Contact
Andy Willett on 07786 243 763. www.seaurchin worth £42
with weekly pool sessions, Thursdays, 8.30pm at GL1 [email protected] (63956)
Gloucester, (Gloucester Leisure Centre). www.nglos.co.uk The Bath Bubble Club SAA777 seeks new members. Y Take out a
(68483)
Nuneaton. Marlin BSAC welcomes experienced divers
New and qualified divers of all agencies welcome. Weekly ONE-YEAR
pool training, every Wednesday at 9pm, Culverhay Sport
to Pingles pool every Thursday. Active training, diving, Centre, Rush Hill, Bath. Regular diving programme from subscription to
social programme in a flourishing club with no politics club RIB. www.bathbubbleclubuk.co.uk (68434)
allowed. www.marlinsac.com (69322) Wells Dive Group. Friendly, active club in Somerset Britain’s best-
Orkney SAC. Small, friendly active dive club, based in
Kirkwall, welcomes divers of any level or club. Own RIB
welcomes new or experienced divers. Meeting/training at selling diving
The Little Theatre or the pool on Thursdays, try dives
and compressor. Contact Craig: 07888 690 986 or email:
[email protected] (69735) available. Regular RIB diving, trips around the UK and magazine for just
abroad. Visit: www.wellsdivers.co.uk or Tel: Rob, 07832
Plymouth Sound Dive Club welcomes qualified and
141250. (69653)
£54.95
experienced guest divers. See www.plymouthdivers.
org.uk for more information/weekly club notices. TridentDivers.co.uk (find us on Facebook) Cardiff-
Contact relevant dive manager or divingofficer@ based SAA club taking on new trainees and crossover Y You also get a Northern
plymouth divers.org.uk to join a dive members contact us on 07547 398802. (71656) Diver Varilux Micro
. 72219) Wiltshire’s newest Scuba Diving Club - JC Scuba Dive
Preston Divers SAA 30. The friendliest dive club. Come Club. Friendly active dive club based in Swindon, all rechargeable dive light worth £42
and meet us at Fulwood Leisure Centre, Preston on affiliations welcome. Pool sessions, UK & Worldwide
Monday nights between 8.00pm - 9.00pm. www.
prestondivers.co.uk (64198)
trips, shore, boat & liveaboard diving, regular socials. Y The Varilux Micro R has a variable output, producing
Affiliated training school, fully insured. Exclusive
Reading Diving Club. Experience the best of UK diving
with a friendly and active club. All welcome. Tel: 01183
member benefits. www.jcscubadiveclub.co.uk 800 lumens for 1.5 hours on the highest setting and
216310 or email: [email protected] www. 80 lumens for 24 hours on the lowest.
thedivingclub.co.uk (69447)
Reading Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC 28). Active, friendly, Y Offer includes p&p for the 12 monthly magazines
based Palmer Park. Clubhouse, licenced bar, compressor,
2 RIBs. Club night Thurs, all grades/agencies. Training
WANT TO ADVERTISE
to Adv Diver +. [email protected] www.rbsac.org.uk YOUR CLUB?
Tel: Colin 07939 066524.
Richmond Sub-Aqua Club (Surrey) welcomes new and
(72402)
experienced divers. Very active diving, training and social

Email: Jenny Webb
[email protected]
Offer worth £94.80 –
calendar for about 100 members. Contact:
[email protected], www.richmondsubaqua.club,
07843 959 775.
Robin Hood Dive Club. Yorkshire based and one of the
YOU PAY ONLY £54.95
most active in the country with a full 2019 calendar of YES, please send me 12 issues of divEr plus dive light for £54.95
trips. All agencies and grades welcome. No training or
pool, just a growing bunch of regular divers. www.
REPAIRS/SERVICES starting with the __________________________ issue
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Rochdale Sub-Aqua Club. Beginners and experienced
divers welcome. Full training provided. Pool session
www.Gybe.co.uk YOUR DETAILS (BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE) Name
every Wednesday. Club has two boats. More info at Address
www.RochdaleDivers.co.uk or call Mick 07951 834 903.
(65103)
Ruislip & Northwood BSAC. Friendly, active club, RIB,
welcomes new and qualified divers. Meets Highgrove
WETSUIT Tel. E-mail
Postcode
Pool Thursday nights 8.30pm. www.rnbsac.co.uk Tel:

07843 738 646 for details.
Scotland Plug Divers. Small, friendly dive club
(69469) and DRYSUIT PAYMENT DETAILS n I enclose a cheque made payable to Eaton Publications Ltd for £54.95
Please debit my n Visa n MasterCard n Amex n Maestro
welcomes newly qualified and experienced divers to join
us. Regular hardboat diving around Bass Rock/Firth of REPAIRS Card no
Security Code
Forth/ Eyemouth and trips abroad. Tel George: 07793 Expiry date Maestro Issue No
018 540. Email: [email protected] (64638)
Selby Aquanauts SAA 1117. Family friendly club, ALL TYPES and Signature
(3-digit number from reverse of card.
AMEX: 4-digit number from front.)
welcomes new and qualified divers. Regular trips UK &

abroad. Meet every Thursday, Albion Vaults, Selby at MAKES Offers open to new UK subscribers only. Not to be used in conjunction with any other
divEr subscription offer.
(I am over 18)
9pm. Contact Mark: 07831 295 655. (69261)

Sutton Coldfield SAC, friendly BSAC club, welcomes Established since 1990 If you wish to receive information from divEr Magazine on offers, news, competitions and events, please tick. n
all divers from trainee to advanced. All agencies. Own ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO ORDER Call the Subscription Hotline on 020 8941 8152
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email: [email protected] Or e-mail: [email protected] Or go to: www.divernet.com
at Wyndley (3.4m pool). For free try dive call Alan: 07970 GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS: If you would like divEr to be sent to an address other than the one above, please write details
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FACILITIES BSAC School PADI Training SSI Training TDI Training
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e-mail: [email protected]
www.wirralsports.co.uk Mon-Fri 0900-1730; Sat 0900-
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online shopping.
Before you check in…
PADI and SSI Diving Centre. Open 7 days a week.
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BREATH Time ’cold shaming’
DEEP
shoulder
I
FEEL THE COLD WHEN DIVING. Leisure-diving is about enjoyment, and to the market. Women made up just
I used to be embarrassed about this it’s hard to enjoy yourself when cold. I’ve 38% of total PADI Open Water Diver
fact. These days, however, I refuse to be ended coldwater dives early several times certifications in 2018.
shamed for something that is outside my because I simply wasn’t having enough fun Even if all those women all took up
control, and bears no relation to my skill or to make it worth continuing. drysuit diving – and that’s a big “if” –
conscientiousness in the water. I’m comfortable doing that, as I know the drysuit market is still going to be
When point-scoring dive professionals that my buddy will be understanding, but dominated by men.
scoff at my decision to wear gear that they not everyone is in that position. But it’s hard to see how demand for
regard as excessive for the conditions – it If you’re buddying up with strangers women’s drysuits can be expected to grow
happens on almost every trip – I simply you might be more inclined to dive outside when this lack of options functions as
shrug off their snide remarks. your comfort zone to avoid disappointing a disincentive to embracing diving at
So what if I choose to wear an undersuit them by finishing a dive earlier than lower temperatures.
in 23°C water? As long as I have the planned.
necessary experience and skill to dive with And that way danger lies – hypothermia, THE SITUATION IS compounded by the
JO CAIRD has that particular kit – easily checked with a where the body’s core temperature drops fact that it’s rare to find drysuits available
quick flick through my logbook – what is it below 35°C, is a potentially life-threatening for hire. Very few dive-centres stock them,
a beef. Too few
to anyone else what I wear? condition if not treated quickly. understandably opting for semi-dry
drysuits are I wouldn’t berate Let’s imagine this particular problem wetsuits instead for cost reasons.
made to suit a divemaster for opting Plenty of divers will be
smaller women, for fins that cost more fine in a semi-dry. But for
than I earn in a month. those of us who feel the
and those that Why should he – and cold, a semi-dry just isn’t
are produced it does tend to be men going to cut it.
can be difficult that are the worst Essentially, if you
culprits here – feel that want to dive in coldwater
to buy or hire. it’s appropriate to destinations, you need to
Why, she asks comment on my gear bring your own kit.
on behalf of all choices? As already discussed,
I wrote about the that’s a bigger hurdle
petite female for women than it is for
misogyny lurking at
divers, should the heart of macho men. Not surprising
they have to dive culture for these therefore, that coldwater
STEVE PRETTY
pay more for pages back in 2012, diving remains largely the
citing various preserve of male divers.
a product that incidents – sleazy Since buying my first
never quite glances or sexist drysuit five years ago I’ve
seems to fit language, for example – that made me feel solved – that we live in a world where no dived in it in Egypt, Spain,
unwelcome in this world. one judges anyone else on their dive-gear. Gozo, the Canaries, Canada, the Faroes
the brief? The belittling I have experienced in A major issue remains: which dive-gear is and here in the UK.
relation to what I choose to wear while available to whom. Had I been travelling at high season,
diving can feel like a further expression of A quick tally of the drysuits available at when water temperatures were highest,
that macho culture. a leading diving e-store reveals seven for I would have been fine in a wetsuit in most
It’s not only female divers who feel the men, five for women, three that don’t of those destinations.
cold, of course. And there are plenty of specify, and six that are made to measure. By diving at low season, however –
women for whom low temperatures aren’t Not too bad, you might think – a fairly possible only in a drysuit – I was able to
a problem at all. even gender split. Except that the unisex take advantage of cheaper deals.
But you’re more likely to feel the cold as suits are always going to be a much better Furthermore, on a lot of those trips my
a woman, because body size is a major fit for men, because the male body is the buddy and I were pretty much the only
factor in how we experience temperature, default when it comes to design. divers in the water.
and women tend to be smaller than men. A bespoke drysuit is clearly the most Put simply, I’ve had better dive
desirable option but convenience comes experiences through owning a drysuit.
I’VE BEEN DIVING for long enough now at a price: up to double that of an off-the-
that this “cold shaming” is nothing more peg suit. EQUALITY OF ACCESS to coldwater dive
than a minor irritation. So if, like me, you’re a woman in the gear obviously matters most to those of us
But those newer to diving – women and market for a new drysuit, with a budget of who feel the cold, but it should matter to
men both – could easily be intimidated under £1000, you have only three options everyone else too.
into making equipment choices that will to choose between, while a man with the Widespread availability of equipment
negatively impact their dive experience, same amount to spend has six options. opens up more diving in more destinations
and that of their buddy. It also risks I understand that dive-stores and to more divers. That’s something we can all
putting them off altogether. drysuit manufacturers are only responding agree is a good thing.

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DIVE ON WITH divEr UNTIL NORMAL SERVICE RESUMES!

THE TINCAN MARS

WHERE IT ALL BEGINS

A CLUE TO THE practical shape of future diving comes from

Published monthly by Eaton Publications Ltd,

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

48 Spitting Image at the Masters......

NEWSAGENT: If you prefer to buy divEr over the counter, please

The views expressed in FIRST IN are not necessarily those of

Due caution should be exercised by anyone attempting dives on

82 Dive Centre Directory @diver_magazine

We’ve always taken adventure to the next level.

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UK diving frozen through lockdown

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Travel: where do we go from here?

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TAKING BEACHCOMBER heavy that if she trained all her big

THE HINT over that her side-rails would be

E TREAT OURSELVES to a different

‘Out there, gentlemen, no

FACTFILE to drive to the entry point in Essen-

There are procedural niggles along

Below: The surf zone at

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Far left: Anthias school at

Left: Female coco de mer

Below from left: Tiny

IN THE POOL of commercial entry-level

ONSIDER WHAT GOES into mastering

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D ESPITE ATTEMPTS to shoehorn dive

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