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point & click on bold links in the news Edited by Transpac Peter Symes & The new T3300 Rosemary ‘Roz’ Lunn TransPac XT is designed like a backpack design Equipment with an integrat- ed hip belt and ergonomic shoulder pads. D6i White Dual density This instrument features an inte- foam pads grated tilt-compensated 3D digital provides lum- compass and comes with an option- bar support al wireless air integration show- and snugly ing cylinder , hugs the remaining air time. There are lower back four dive modes: Air, , and prom- Freedive, Gauge. It has gas- ises chafe switching capability and full free com- continuous fort around the Lightmonkey algorithm omes with scratch- shoulders. The is evenly Back in the day, cave resistant sapphire crystal balanced across the hips divers would buy a canoeing glass and is available with and back, when diving either helmet and promptly snoopy loop their silicone-rubber or steel bracelet, with singles or doubles. Dive lights onto each side. And then helmets fell or with black or white wrist strap. Rite also claims that the easy out of favour in certain quarters because it was perceived that Suunto.com customization options of the had rotten . Enter stage left, Light Monkey. They TransPac XT at the shoulder and understood that accidentally bashing your head whilst scootering waist plate makes it fit any size in an overhead environment really doesn’t make for a happy dive. diver, including children. Neutrally Available in ‘Monkey Brown’, the helmet is an injection molded high LED 15 buoyant, the TransPac XT weighs density polyethylene (HDPE) suspended over an adjustable inner cra- LED15 canister system com- less than 2.29kg (5lbs) and packs dle. It has nine ventilation holes on the top and sides to release trapped bines the power of HID with the flat for travel. Diverite.com air and has no foam lining that would make it overly buoyant, and reliability, durability and effi- comes complete with an adjustable chin strap and quick disconnect ciency of LED technolo- buckle. This comes in one size only, so won’t fit everyone, so we recom- gy. The result is the con- mend that you measure your head to ensure a good fit. Lightmonkey.us centrated beam pre- ferred for exploration F2 diving. The Lithium- Travelling divers should have a look at this pair of ion Polymer battery is fins. Not only is the F2 lightweight, it uses a shorter rechargeable; the LED15 blade that packs easily as well. The blade is burns at over 1,000 lumens designed to increase efficiency on both the of brightness for six hours. The down stroke and the upstroke, supposedly with single LED offers the advantage of a any type of kick and eases maneuverability long 20,000-hour life and the 8 degree beam in tight areas. The material is Monoprene and width is much tighter than multi-LED arrays. A comes with adjustable stainless steel spring straps 90 degree version is available where rear mount- as standard. Hollisgear.com ing a canister is necessary. Hollisgear.com

44 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED equipment D7PRO ISS Waterproof’s D7PRO ISS Cordura drysuit is as equipped as its best-selling D7PRO ISS breth- ren, but enhanced with a full Cordura outer shell and new blue color accents. The D7PRO’s Gara all Cordura exterior offers French divers quite unsurpassed durability like the Gara fin, so and tear resistance and much so that they asked is an ideal choice for Cressi for a reinforced blade. technical divers and Cressi’s response has been to sen- divers who appreciate sibly play the long game, and they’ve quality construction designed a future proof fin called the Gara and performance. Modular. This newly launched fin has Available in standard an interchangeable blade. Simply undo two clips sizes from S-2XL and and unscrew the blade and replace it with another. We 3XLT , the suit comes believe that Cressi is looking to manufacturer up to three blades of stock with replace- differing strengths, thus giving end users more choice. It’s hoped these ment silicone seals, blades will be available within the next 24 months. www.cressi.com a H1 5/7mm hood and drybag. Waterproof.eu Poseidon Tech The Tech is the world’s first with a fully automatic bailout system, Poseidon writes. It features a redundant back-up rebreather with fully automatic switching— almost two in one. In the event of a malfunc- tion, the Poseidon Tech’s safety system switches from the primary to secondary rebreather. With a secondary , no data is lost during the switch. The diver can then make manual additions to the system, or leave the system in automatic mode. www.poseidon.com

Bonex Ecos As the underwater scooter races around wrecks grow in popularity, another great use for scooters is found. Although Bonex Exploration Systems clearly didn’t have that in mind when they produced Ecos. The mind was set for long explorations, and despite its compact demeanor, the driving Antares Dry Glove System time on this handsome puppy is 150 A new improved Dry Glove System has left the minutes in cruising mode. The total drawing board at Si-Tech. The new ergonomically weight, including the battery, is 15kg. designed modular quick-change comes Performance contra the low weight is with oval rings with minimal volume. This gives great. If you belong to the more impa- the diver a slim, comfortable and ergonomic dry tient drivers, the scooter will last you circa glove system. The design follows the arm, wrist 90 minutes. Operating depth down to 120 and hand anatomy and is built for maximum meter. Bonex-systeme.de comfort. Si-Tech.se

45 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED The last forum, Rebreather Forum 2.0, which I organized A view from Rebreather Forum 3 with rebreather builder Tracy Robinette, was held 16 years earlier in 1996, at a time when rebreathers were just being introduced to the market. In his opening remarks, PADI CEO, Drew Richardson, proposed that the number one goal of RF3 was con- tributing to rebreather and reducing inci- dents.

Some controversy Improving The issue is of critical importance today when manufacturers like Poseidon Diving Systems Ltd. and Hollis Inc., in conjunction with PADI and other training agencies, are now actively promoting rebreathers for use by recreational Rebreather divers, which is a source of some con- troversy. Until recent- ly, rebreather use was limited Safety primarily to tech divers because of their complexity, operational require- How can be made safer? ments and cost. That was the question at the core of the The concern is that rebreathers may be numerous presentations and discussions too complex and at Rebreather Forum 3 (RF3) held in time consuming for a Orlando, , this May. Powered by typical open water the American Academy of Underwater diver who is still mastering their basic div- Scientists (AAUS), PADI Inc., and Diver’s ing skills. Alert Network, the international conclave brought together just A matter of protocol under 400 industry-insiders from However, PADI has devel- oped a simplified diving protocol using the sport diving communities, rebreathers designed specifically for rec- scientific, media, military and reational use, which it believes will prove various international government efficacious. though no one knows the actual agencies diving communities risks, there have been more along with other training agencies, than 200 reported manufacturers, instructor/trainers and rebreather fatalities divers who came to talk rebreathers, learn, share worldwide since 1998, which have averaged experiences, network, ogle the latest gear and approximately ten fatalities “Men in hopefully help steer the community forward. per year prior to 2005 and Black” aka about 20 per year since. To put Jan Jørgensen these numbers in perspective, on aver- (left) and X-ray Text by Michael Menduno age there are about 100-120 Mag editor Peter Symes during CCR fatalities annually in the United States, Canada, Photos by Peter Symes (except where otherwise credited) training in the Red United Kingdom and Europe combined, Sea anno 2000

46 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED 380 delegates from 26 differ- ent countries entific investigation by continu- attended RF3. ing Galileo’s custom of testing feature hypotheses against observation. Trained in mathematics, Borelli also made extensive studies of Jupiter’s rebreathers moons, the mechanics of animal before them, the technol- locomotion and, in microscopy, of ogy was primarily limited the constituents of blood. He also to military divers until the used microscopy to investigate the late 1980s when pioneers stomatal movement of plants, and like Dr Bill Stone, Olivier undertook studies in medicine and Isler, Stuart Clough and geology. Rob Palmer began exper- imenting with rebreathers Borelli is also considered to be for cave exploration, just the first man to consider a self- as was contained underwater emerging. apparatus along with his early though the early tech submarine design. The exhaled community immediately Giovanni Alfonso Borelli gas was cooled by sea water after seized upon their poten- (28 January 1608, Naples - 31 passing through copper tubing. tial for extending bottom December 1679, Rome) was a The helmet was brass with a glass times and optimizing Renaissance Italian physiolo- window and 0.6 m (2 ft) in diame- decompression, it took gist, biomechanist, physicist, and ter. The apparatus was never likely until the late 1990s mathematician. He contributed to be used or tested. for the first to the modern principle of sci- — Excerpts from Wikipedia produc- tion units like the Cis- ing represents one of the fastest active rebreather divers world- Lunar Mk-IV, growing areas of sport diving. wide, and there are more than a Ambient Poseidon reported at the Forum dozen rebreather manufacturers. Pressure that they sold more of their rec- At one of the forum sessions, which represents the majority of asked for a show of hands from Diving’s reational Mk-VI rebreathers in the the three oldest technical training the worldwide market. Given that the audience: “How many peo- Inspiration last four and half months than in agencies, ANDI, IANTD there are millions of open-circuit ple in this room believe that the and the the prior two and half years, and and TDI, divers compared to, at most, tens current rebreather safety record is KISS Classic PADI is certifying new recreational of thousands of rebreather divers, acceptable?” to become rebreather instructors to meet the fatality rate for rebreather No one raised a hand. available. the demand. In certain coun- diving is evidently much higher tries, such as the United Kingdom, than its open-circuit counterpart, Concieved centuries ago Fastest which is regarded as rebreather as industry-insiders are all too well First conceived in the 17th century growing “ground zero”, it’s consid- aware. by Giovanni Borelli, closed-circuit segment ered “normal” that every- rebreathers (CCR) remained an Today, one on a is div- Unacceptable record elusive invention until the advent rebreather ing a rebreather. During one of the opening ses- of galvanic oxygen sensors in div- Industry insiders esti- sions, Dr Andrew Fock, head of the early 1960s made their mate there are as at The Albert construction possible. Like many as 10,000 Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, simple, non-electronic to 15,000

How can rebreather Associate Professor diving be made safer? gives a presen- tation on CCR physiology

47 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Rebreather Poseidon reported at RF3 Industry insiders ... there was no difference which have been responsible for afternoon ses- Killing them softly lope (i.e. no-stop diving to 40m or the majority rebreather training to that they sold more of sion, Harris estimate there as many Fock, who himself is in fatality rates among 130ft)? date, estimated that collectively their recreational Mk-VI detailed his as 10,000 to 15,000 a very accomplished manual or electronic With the caveat that they are they issued 30,000 basic, interme- team’s explo- rebreather diver, “best guess numbers”, Fock con- diate and advanced rebreather rebreathers in the last four ration dives to active rebreather took the stage on units, or specific brands cluded that rebreather diving is certifications from 1990-2011, and half months, than in 207m (680-feet) divers worldwide Saturday morning with of rebreathers; accidents probably 5-10 times as risky as open and are currently trending at at the Pearse an important and circuit scuba diving, accounting about 2,500-3,000 certs a year. the prior two and half years River Resurgence sobering presentation were roughly propor- for about 4-5 deaths per 100,000 (Data from the British Sub-Aqua (caves) in the South Island of New on the risks of rebreather diving, tional to market share dives, compared to approximately Club, PSA International, and tific and recreational divers as Zealand, where divers are hitting titled, Killing Them Softly. One of 0.4 to 0.5 deaths per 100,000 dives Rebreather Association evidenced by the up against the limits of “respira- the problems in the industry is the How dangerous is rebreather div- for open-circuit scuba. This makes of International community’s ses- tory sufficiency” (and arguably lack of an accident reporting ing? What causes fatalities? rebreather diving more risky than Divers was not sions chaired surface-based diving). system that records and details Are manual units (that depend sky diving at 0.99 per 100,000 included). by explorer however, as David Conlin, Chief the cause of diver fatalities and on the diver to manually add jumps, but far less risky than base- these and instruc- of Submerged Resources Center near misses, in order to inform oxygen)—like the KISS Classic, jumping at 43 deaths per 100,000. numbers tor trainer for the National Park Service, and improve diver safety. In many which represent about 15 percent He found that there was no differ- are likely Martin explained to the assembly, “The cases, information about specific of the installed base of ence in fatality rates among to grow Robson. real value of rebreathers is not fatalities is sequestered for fear of rebreathers—safer to manual or electronic signifi- at all, but staying litigation. As a result, existing acci- dive than their elec- units, or spe- cantly longer at 21-30m (70-100 feet). dent data is incomplete, and in tronic counterparts? cific brands of as You can work at those depths many cases, inaccurate. Are there any spe- rebreathers; PADI nearly all day long when the con- Fock analyzed available data cific brands of accidents rec- ditions are good.” Conlin reported from multiple sources from 1998- rebreathers more were rough- reational that rebreathers have increased 2010 to answer some basic safety dangerous than ly propor- rebreather Pushing Park Service divers productivity questions like: others? courses pro- the envelope by nearly 40 percent. “We And finally, liferate. (again) gain nearly one day is the risk though Dives that would be for every three days reduced when the number of logistically difficult we’re in the field.” diving within users is still small, or even impossi- the recrea- rebreather tech- ble on open-circuit tional enve- nology has greatly are routinely done expanded tech with rebreathers, divers’ underwater and some explorers envelope, and has like Robson, Richard also been a boon Harris and others are to photographers/ now pushing limits videographers as of human physiol- well as the early ogy. During adopters a Friday among scien- Pr od u ctio ns D eep Se a 48 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Jeff Bozanic (left) in debate with Dr Siman Mitchell during the con- Rebreather feature cluding session

currently, one of the big- gest safety issues surrounding rebreathers is the fact that divers become compla- cent and don’t rigor- ously adhere to a pre- dive in assem- bling and preparing their unit for diving as they (presumably) learned in class, and also neglect required post-dive maintenance. (Some experienced rebreath- er divers don’t follow either.) Even worse, some divers choose to dive knowing that there are problems with their unit such as a faulty sen- sor or small leaks. Methodically working through your rebreather’s checklist, which typically includes a five-minute pre-breathe (and only diving it if everything checks out), is the best way to insure that the unit is functioning properly and avoid any problems that could jeopard- ize safety during the dive. The use tional to market share. Fock also fatalities occur in shallow depths causes or “triggers” that precipi- and diving beyond one’s limits. “The of checklists is standard in avia- pointed out that while the data within the recreational envelope. tated accidents, Fock concluded question,” posed Fock, “is whether the tion and is increasingly becom- suggests that deeper dives carry that the source of most problems risk can best be mitigated by training ing so in medicine, because it greater risks, a large number “Pilot error” was the human-machine inter- [reinforced by dive cul- reduces accidents. of rebreath- er As far as face, or so-called “pilot error”, ture] or engineering out “The real value of Presenters saw the the involving assembly and pre-dive potential problems or rebreathers is not deep problem as an issue preparation, maintenance, both.” of creating a safety training and high risk behav- diving at all, but stay- culture to support iors like ignoring checklists, Creating a ing longer at 21-30m rebreather diving. carrying insufficient bailout expedition Though veteran explor- (70-100 feet.) You can leader and edu- ers and educators Jill work at those depths cator Richie Kohler Michael Heinerth and Terrence made an impas- Menduno Tysell chaired an open- nearly all day long when sioned, no-non- discussion session on the conditions are good.” sense case for the training, enabling Forum use and efficacy of participants to present views on a host checklists in his presentation, Failure of training related topics, the majority Is NOT an option: The importance of the discussion on improving safety of checklists. During the presenta- centered around diving culture—what tion, Kohler put up a picture of eight happens after training. close friends and mentors including

49 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Rebreather his rebreather instructor, who lost 3) pre-breathe your unit; 4) make Museum, Kevin Gurr, CEO of in the loop at any Explorer and engi- their lives as a result of pilot error. the decision to dive (responsi- VR Technology, and others are point in the dive. Unlike open- neer Dr Bill Stone, “They were not fools,” explained bly); and 5) be now spearhead- circuit, of course, where the frac- CEO of Stone Kohler, “but each of them made prepared to The question is whether ing an effort to tion of gas is constant and known Aerospace foolish mistakes and died as a abort the dive create a set of with certainty, the gas mix in a result.” Checklists are designed safely (with suf- the risk can best be best practices for diver’s breathing loop dynami- Limits to prevent such mistakes from ficient bailout mitigated by training rebreather diving cally changes with every breath But what most divers occurring. gas!). Heinerth dubbed, Blueprint and gas addition. might not appreci- in another session, Heinerth pre- told a story of [reinforced by dive For Survival 3.0. ate are the limitations sented her “Five Golden Rules” for being on a dive culture] or engineering out This refers to the Ten to 15 years from now of current O2 sens- rebreather diving which included: boat with five original set of Ten years from now, or 15, we ing systems on the 1) be properly trained and cur- rebreather vet- potential problems or both ten safety prin- will likely look back at our current market, which was rent for the dive you are about to erans. During ciples for cave technology and regard it as primi- made clear in a pair conduct; 2) follow your checklist; her pre-breathe, she detected a diving developed by legendary tive, or what explorer and engi- of presentations by small problem with her rebreather cave explorer in his neer Dr Bill Stone, CEO of Stone biomedical instru- and told the assem- monograph, Basic : Aerospace, refers to as “test pilot mentation engineer bly she would be A blueprint for survival. The early era” technology. “You actually Dr Arne Sieber, CEO sitting out the dive, tech community created a similar dived those units without knowing of Seabear Diving only to be pres- set consensus-standards for open exactly what you were breath- Technology who built sured by the others -circuit mix diving, Blueprint for ing? OMG!” It’ll be like us looking his own rebreather, divers to make the Survival 2.0, which was back at early cave divers and Nigel Jones, dive anyway. “It’s published in the now using J-values (reserve) principal at RMB only a minor prob- defunct aquaCORPS “We need to and empty Clorox bottles Consulting who works lem,” some opined, Journal. Watch this for buoyancy, and going, with Stone Aerospace. “You can still fly the space. make it cool to “Really?” unit manually.” To do checklists.” bruce Partridge, Sensors were not her credit, Heinerth Engineering the CEO of Shearwater designed with didn’t back down. CCR blues away Electronics, summed diving in mind How do we, as a In addition to training and creat- up the current state of the art in Sieber began by community, encour- ing a culture that reinforces safe his presentation on information explaining that the age divers to do diving practices, experts agree systems this way, “Divers must galvanic O2 sensors checklists and sup- that a number of safety issues interpret the readouts from three made for the bio- port their adoption might be resolved through bet- roaming O2 sensors, which are medical industry were within the culture? ter engineering. Indeed, this is known to be unreliable. They dive never designed to be “Industry leaders the basis behind PADI’s so-called with no CO2 gauge, and they used in diving and need to become “Type R” rebreathers that are suit- don’t have good data on the are, in fact, being role models,” offered able for recreational divers. For risks or what is most likely to go used outside manu- Heinerth. “We need example, a Type R rebreather will wrong.” facturer’s specs. To to make it cool to turn itself on if the user forgets and wit: sensors are meant do checklists.” jumps in the water, and it won’t The trouble with O2 sensors to be calibrated Heinerth along operate without the scrubber Most experts agree that current under the same con- with industry pio- canister correctly in place or if the O2 sensing systems are the weak- ditions that they will neers Dr Richard cylinders are turned off. est links on a rebreather and also be used for in meas- Pyle, Database What became clear at the the most critical. If the PO2 in the urement, in the same Coordinator for Forum, however, is that better loop is too low, the diver will suffer measurement range Natural Sciences engineering are needed and go unconscious and and . That’s not how the sensors at 0.2 bar (air) and 1.0 at Bishop for one of the most fundamental drown; too high and the diver it’s done in diving. bar (O2) at and aspects of rebreathers: knowing risks , convulsions and “Divers do all the wrong things,” temperature, and then use the pre- precisely the composition of the . explained Sieber. “We calibrate sensors at up to 1.6 bar at much senting her “Five Golden Rules” for rebreather diving

50 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Rebreather

join the rebreather revolution

Kevin Gurr, CEO of VR Technology Ltd. went over the challenges with developing CO2 sensing and how the issue could be solved thanks to recent advances in technology

hotter .” Sieber said that three O2 sensors and a voting logic Questionable assumption this leads to increased sensor errors as algorithm—the computer averages Second, voting logic is based on the well as a decreased lifespan. the readings from the two sensors assumption that sensors fail inde- Sensors can fail high or low as a whose readings are closest and uses pendently i.e. the failure of one sen- result of the gradual consumption of that average for its O2 calculations. sor does not change the likelihood their reactive material and aging and their idea was that the that others will fail, too. Unfortunately, also fall out of calibration. In addition, of three voting sensors would greatly that is not the case with the O2 sen- Poseidon MkVI they commonly fail from condensa- reduce the risk of sensor failure, and sors in a rebreather. The sensors are The world’s first fully automatic, tion on the sensor. Worse is that “tran- the concept stuck. Today, virtually dependent because they share a recreational rebreather sient failures” from a loose electrical all rebreathers, except the Poseidon, common history; they may have connection, or more commonly con- use this 50-year-old sensing technol- come from the same manufacturers Now available at densation, causes the sensor to gen- ogy. The problem, explained Jones, is lot, they experience similar use, they Poseidon Rebreather Centers worldwide. Visit poseidon.com erate erroneous data and then go that it is simply not as reliable as once share a common environment, suf- for your nearest center and back to working correctly when the thought. fer common abuse and use shared for further information on condition abates. Jones believes that measurement and calibration gas. the Rebreather Revolution. these “transient failures” are insidi- Reducing the benefits The lack of independence greatly ous and likely the cause or trigger of First, Jones showed using probability decreases the reliability. “Having many unexplained rebreather diver theory that the voting logic algorithm three sensors is barely better than one fatalities. itself actually reduces the benefits of in some circumstances,” emphasized redundancy. For example, instead of Jones. Voting logic having a system that is “hundreds” Because of the known unreliabil- of times more reliable (e.g. with pure Erosion of risk reduction ity of these sensors, early designers triple redundancy), a voting logic sys- Third, risk reduction is eroded even www.poseidon.com like Walter Stark in the late 60’s who tem can reduce the improvement to further, by the fact that there are invented the “Electrolung” built the single digits. more than two outcomes to the sys- first closed-circuit rebreathers with tem i.e. heads: a correct reading, or

51 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Rebreather tails: an incorrect reading. The during a dive, his Probability theory more of my sensors third outcome is the case when PO2 sensors read were crapping out. the diver doesn’t know if the .4, 1.0 and 1.3 and demonstrated that the Definitely a test reading is correct or incorrect, asked the audi- voting logic algorithm pilot-esque notion! which Jones equated to having ence to make the Couldn’t a com- the coin land on its edge. call, “What is the itself actually puter do this better correct PO2?” (The reduces the benefits than me? Case story computer’s voting of redundancy. He offered a real-world exam- logic would aver- Active ple reported by Rich Pyle where age the 1.0 and 1.3 validation reading and call it 1.15). Both Sieber and Jones urged the Unfortunately, the majority of industry to develop and adopt the audience got it wrong! The “active validation” type systems, correct answer was 0.4; the sys- such as used in the Poseidon tem had experienced a double MK-VI, which calibrates and sensor failure. Fortunately, Pyle tests the validity of the oxygen got it right. If he had ascended sensors (the MK-VI uses two sen- at that point in the dive think- sors) throughout the dive using ing his PO2 was 1.15, he would onboard diluent and oxygen. have risked hypoxia and possible Sieber added that solid-state sen- drowning. sors, which are currently in proto- type form, also hold promise for Calculations under duress the future. An animated discussion ensued however, several rebreather prompted by Leon Scamahorn, builders I spoke to disagreed with CEO of Inner Space Systems and Sieber and Jones’ assessment and manfacturer of the Megalodon said that they overstated the O2 and Pathfinder rebreathers, who sensing problem given improve- pointed out that “Meg” users ments in sensor manufacturing, could go the “millivolt screen” on testing and voting logic soft- their handset, which shows actu- ware. As one manufacturer said, ally sensor voltage (a linear func- “There’s more than one way to tion of PO2) and with some simple skin the cat.” math determine that the low Nevertheless, in its consensus sensor was correct. This assumes recommendations, the Forum of course that the diver was strongly endorsed industry initia- alerted to the problem in time. tives to improve oxygen measure- [Scamahorn’s arguments, howev- ment technologies and advo- er, did not address the limitations cated consideration for new of voting logic systems]. approaches like “active valida- i’m sure Pyle, who has thou- tion” and alternatives to galvanic sands of hours on his rebreather, fuel cells. wouldn’t have a problem with Scamahorn’s procedure (Pyle was ppCO2: The dark matter of tipped off to the faulty sensors by rebreather diving the lack of voltage fluctuations). Divers face similar sensing prob- But I couldn’t help wondering if lems with respect to pCO2, which I’d have the calm presence of has been dubbed the “dark mat- mind do “millivolt math” at 100 ter of rebreather diving”. High Leon Scamahorn, CEO of Inner meters with the stress of a pos- ppCO2’s (0.03 bar and above) Space Systems manufacturers of the sible alarm and knowing one or can cause hyperventilation, Megalodon and Pathfinders rebreather 52 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Dr Richard Vann, Duke Jeff Bozanic University and DAN, was a key driving behind feature Rebreather Forum 3 Rebreather had more than one incident), Following Gurr, Dr Dan Warkander, from the however, 64 percent said that Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) who they didn’t bailout; 19 percent holds a patent on thermal sensing, compared said they bailed out sometimes. to the days of early scuba when divers didn’t The results suggest better training have a pressure gauge but instead dived and a cultural shift are needed! with a J-valve. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Gurr next recounted the current gauge for your scrubber to tell you how much methods used to monitor scrub- time you had left?” he offered. ber duration which are: 1) a dura- Warkander went on to explain how factors tion timer based on manufactur- such as workload, depth and temperature er’s test data (usually conducted effect scrubber duration and how difficult it is at two depths at 4ºC at a speci- to predict. For example, hard work can reduce fied CO2 production rate); 2) a duration by 50 percent, while light work can timer system based on the diver’s double duration. He said that scrubber dura- oxygen consumption (divers pro- tion can vary by a factor of 5-20 through duce about 0.8 liters of CO2 for combined effects of workload, temperature every liter of O2 consumed) which and depth. What’s worse, when a scrubber is takes account of workload but spent, the threshold between no CO2 and too not depth or temperature; and 3) thermal sensing, also referred to as the “Temp Stik”, which meas- ures how the scrubber’s thermal reaction front moves through the canister. Gurr explained that the Stik, which is used in the Ambient Pressure, VR technology and rEVO rebreathers, is a reason- able predictor of duration, but confusion, mental impairment, which varies with workload, is slow to react to fast changing unconsciousness and death, may depth, and temperature; second, variables like work rate. However, lower CNS O2 toxicity thresholds to detect a CO2 breakthrough none of these methods are able and is believed to be a factor in as a result of a spent canister, to detect CO2 breakthrough! unexplained rebreather fatalities, mechanical failure or channelling. hence the moniker “dark mat- ter”. Worse, the diver may not be Ignorant divers aware of the problem before a Kevin Gurr, who is regarded as Forty-two percent of divers full onset of symptoms occurs. one of the gurus on CO2 sensing, began his session by sharing data said that they experienced Searching for 25 years from a recent Internet survey of symptoms of According to Dr John Clarke, 323 rebreather divers representing Scientific Director of the U.S. Navy 25 different models of rebreathers. for a total of some 297 Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU), The results were surprising. Twenty- incidents (some divers had the Navy has been searching three percent of the divers did more than one incident), for solutions to problem of CO2 not know the maximum operating sensing for more than 25 years. depth of their unit, and another however 64% said that they The need for CO2 sensing was 19 percent did not know the man- also identified in the findings of ufacturer’s stated scrubber dura- didn’t bailout, 19% said Rebreather Forum 2.0. tion. Forty-two percent of divers they bailed out sometimes. divers have two information said that they experienced symp- needs: first, to monitor the dura- toms of hypercapnia for a total of tion of the scrubber canister, some 297 incidents (some divers , author Phil Short, and technical trainer IANTD UK 53 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Dr feature Rebreather est in diving auto- When a scrubber is this level of auto- navigate city streets sans driver ers such as Gurr’s soon-to-be mation. “Our goal,” mation gave hee- and showed video of prototypes released Hollis Explorer, is to sim- explained Poseidon spent, the threshold beegeebees to many in action. Stone said that within plify the human machine inter- CEO Peter Swartling between no CO of the tech divers I five years, you’ll be able to buy a face by reducing the ways that at the press brief- 2 spoke with at the bar car that will drive you people interact with and too much, ing, “is to increase following Poseidon’s home if you had a 15% or so of these systems, letting the level of automa- can happen in a press conference, but bit too much to drink, the computer do more tion by using smart I couldn’t help won- and it will do it as rebreather divers of the work. “We have matter of minutes. systems that monitor dering if this is indeed safe or safer than a prefer a strictly to move out of the test every breath, make the future of dive human driver. pilot era to a new par- adjustments accordingly and automation. Granted, 15 percent manual unit adigm,” he said. interact with the user only when or so of rebreather divers prefer a Could (sans solenoid) Given that Stone’s they need to know what’s going strictly manual unit (sans solenoid) rebreathers vision of more than on.” and other groups such as the DIR be far behind? 25 years ago helped in addition to the many auto- community don’t even trust dive One of the major problems drive the creation of a consumer mated features in Poseidon’s computers, well not the kind that in rebreather (read car, train, rebreather market (he could Mk-VI recreational rebreather you strap to your arm anyway. plane, spacecraft, etc.) safety is arguably be considered the god- such as a wet switch, an auto- Ironically, I’m sure that most of humans’ ability, or rather inability, father of modern rebreathers) his checklist that verifies that cylin- these people have no trouble to manage and operate com- ideas should not lightly be dis- ders have the correct gases and trusting their ABS brakes in their plex machines without incident. missed. their values are open, and auto- cars (versus feathering the brakes Stone’s solution, along with oth- oxygen sensor calibration and on their own). In fact, their vehi- validation, the new TECH offers cles depend on computer auto- a “Dive-by-Wire” handset that is mation, as do the commercial truly breaking new ground. aircraft that flew them to RF3. the device, which is smaller than an iPhone, provides sys- Can we trust automation? tem information to the user and Stone, whose company builds enables them to control the autonomous vehicles for space rebreather to the extent of doing exploration, addressed the a loop flush or adding oxygen at issue head on in his talk, Hazard much, can happen in a matter of Gurr estimated that this is still at the touch of a virtual button. The Analysis and Human Factors, pos- minutes. least three years away. computer of course would warn ing the question, “Can we trust As far as detecting scrubber the Forum acknowledged the and or prevent the diver from tak- automation?” As an example, breakthrough or a seal failure, VR poor of understanding of opera- ing an action, like adding O2 if it he recounted the development Technology Sentinel is currently tional limits with regards to depth was ill advised. of the autonomous car that can the only production unit with a and scrubber duration among gaseous infrared CO2 sensor (The trained rebreather divers and rec- The new Poseidon Sentinel uses all four methods ommended that training agen- TECH offers a “Dive- Dr Michael Gernhardt, by-Wire” handset mentioned above in its CO2 moni- cies do more to emphasize these NASA astronaut, man- toring package). Gurr said that issues, and manufacturers make ager of the Environ- we are 80 percent there in fully data more readily available. mental Physiology Laboratory and prin- characterizing a CO2 absorption system properly. Dive-by-Wire? cipal investigator of the Prebreathe Re- The diving press and interested duction Program Holy grail Forum participants were treat- at the Lyndon B. The last piece is a mouthpiece ed to a preview of Poseidon Johnson Space sensor that can measure end-tid- and Stone’s latest lovechild, Center, com- al CO2, which is regarded as the the Poseidon TECH rebreather, pared decom- “Holy Grail” of CO2 monitoring. which is scheduled to ship this pression issues November and features the lat- P o s eido n in space with those in diving 54 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Gavin Anthony, a recog- nised expert in military and com-mercial and operations Rebreather go quietly, amid the noise and haste... and QinetiQ’s technical lead for independent diving equipment testing “Given that the fatality [ 3 hours @ 20m - no deco ] and incident investigation. He provided highly-valued rates are 5-10 times that constructive feedback of open circuit scuba, and suggestions to the consensus statements should we morally offer this technology to the How to prevent drowning Though it’s not the community, before putting trigger, the primary our house in order?” cause of death in most rebreather fatalities “Yes we should! is drowning. Some of these fatalities might Within certain parameters.” have been prevented the rebreathers of choice from 6m to 160m by use of a retainer Additional resources strap to hold in the RF3 included several discus- diver’s mouthpiece. sions of how rebreather incident Full-face masks and reporting and analysis could retainer straps have long been the be improved resulting in several At the closing session of the standard in and they Forum recommendations. forum, just before Dr Simon were also a key recommendation Mitchell, who heads the depart- from Rebreather Forum 2 (1996). DAN reporting system ment of anaesthesiology at the While full masks introduce other In addition, DAN announced its

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Conference precedings: m community, “Given that the fatal- mended that the efficacy of using http://archive.rubicon- I ity rates are five to ten times that straps be taken up as a research foundation.org/7555 of open-circuit scuba, should we question. “We might all consid- third party test-house approved patented dual oxygen controllers with independent displays and power sources morally offer this technology to er experimenting on ourselves.” Rebreather Forum 3 optional open circuit bailout mouthpiece high performance scrubber proven to 160m or nitrox decompression with the recreational diving commu- Consensus Statements: user variable gradient factors and multiple gasses polyethylene fibre-optic dual head up displays future proofed software nity, before putting our house in Special thanks Rosemary E. Lunn http://rubicon-foundation. upgradeable by user uploads & hardware upgradeable with plug and play versatility pc log download 9 language options order?” and the Rebreather Forum 3 team! org/News/rf3-consensus/ crystal clear primary display hard memory storage - gas, options and history retained even when the batteries are removed there was silence as if no one patented scrubber monitor with effective warnings full customer support and aftersales - spares & service the equipment of wanted to tackle the question, choice for underwater photographers, film-makers, marine biologists, cavers, under-ice explorers, deep dive specialists, deep support then another participant took the “Yes we should,” he said. “Within diving into the mainstream of sports teams, expedition divers and sport & technical diving enthusiasts worldwide - all achieving time and depth profiles previously unthinkable stand and changed the topic. certain parameters.” ■ diving, and coined the term “techni- Eventually, Mark Caney, PADI’s cal diving”. He also organized the first A M B I E N T P R E S S U R E D I V I N G Vice President of Rebreather Writer and technologist Michael Tek, EuroTek and AsiaTek conferences, Technologies, worked his way to Menduno published and edited aqua- and Rebreather Forums 1.0 and 2.0. t e l : 0 0 4 4 1 3 2 6 5 6 3 8 3 4 e m a i l : i n f o @ a p d i v i n g . c o m w e b : w w w . a p d i v i n g . c o m the microohone and addressed Corps: The Journal for Technical Diving Menduno, who is based in Berkeley, s p a r e s & a c c e s s o r i e s o n l i n e a t w w w . a p d i v i n g d i r e c t . c o m s e e a p d i v i n g . c o m f o r y o u r n e a r e s t i n s t r u c t o r his comments to Fock. (1990-1996), which helped usher tech California, USA, remains an avid diver.

55 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Together with an assistant, Hubert Chretien (far left), founder of Freedom At Depth, helps a disabled diver after a dive Hubert ChretienFreedom At Depth Text and photos by Robert Osborne

What you need to know about Hubert condition, he had to tie a rope around his Chretien is that he had the oppor- wrist. She would stand patiently on the dock holding the other end—an early safety precau- tunity to do anything he wanted tion. with his life. He was born the son of “As I was growing up, I never really knew one of the most powerful people in what I wanted to do. But I knew that whatever Canada—former Prime Minister Jean it would be, it would be underwater.” Finally, at age 15 Hubert completed his PADI Chretien. Which means that Hubert Open Water certification. And over the years, was brought up in the company of he’s accumulated one impressive credential the most influential people in this after another: more than 4,000 dives, PADI country. With those kinds of connec- Master Instructor with ten specialties, National Association of Cave Divers Instructor, Technical tions, he could have become virtually Divers International Instructor for deco proce- anything he wanted—a captain of dure and advanced Nitrox. But it was the cer- industry, a power player among the tification he received from the Handicapped Scuba Association that would turn out to be political elite. He could, quite frankly, the most meaningful. His position as a Course have even chosen to do nothing. Director would ultimately inspire the Prime Instead, Hubert set out on a singular Minister’s son to found Freedom At Depth and humble path, a path that would Freedom At Depth lead him to found an organization In a fitting parallel to his earlier life, just as that would devote itself to helping Hubert’s mother Aline stood lovingly on the hundreds of disabled people learn dock holding the rope that enabled her son to how to dive—Freedom at Depth. explore the world under the dock at their sum- mer cottage, Hubert chose to extend a sort of For Hubert, the dream began when he was enabling rope to others. only 11. It was 1976. Local divers in Ottawa, hubert had been working with the Ontario, were giving kids at a pool a chance Handicapped Scuba Association (based in to experience scuba diving. Hubert tried it out California and operating around the world). and was hooked. That summer, a diver asked In fact, he was the Canadian President of to use the dock at the Chretien summer home. the organization. But Hubert decided that According to Hubert, his father gave permis- he could do more than just teach—so much sion on one condition: that the man would more. He decided to found a charity that give Hubert some lessons. Under the Christmas would devote itself to giving people with dis- tree that year, Hubert found a tank and regu- abilities the opportunity to dive—whatever that lator. Immediately, he excused himself to fill up entailed. the bath, then spent a good chunk of the day in the 12 years since Freedom At Depth was submerged. established, the dream has demanded a lot. From that point on, every summer Hubert It has meant certifying the disabled, providing would spend as much time as he could diving the opportunities, means and support for them in the lake beside his family home. His mother’s to travel and dive. Sometimes, it has meant

56 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Disabled diver, Monique, gets suit on; gets mask on; being geared up; just Chretien profile prior to going under

just being a dive buddy for someone with a disability. Often, it has meant just being a friend. For Hubert, it is all about giving handicapped peo- ple a chance to experience a moment of indepen- dence under the water. He said, “I started this group because I don’t believe people should be told there are limits to what they can do.” He has, himself, certi- fied well over 100 disabled divers, and his organiza- tion has worked with over 500. And working with disabled divers isn’t always the easiest task. For a start, there is a lot of lifting involved. Many don’t have a great deal of mobility. They have to be put into their gear, carried to the water, carried from the water. The realities of lifting a 200lb man who has little muscle control can be daunting. Another challenge—assuming responsibil- ity for someone underwater who, in some cases, is physically unable to respond to the most basic emer- gency. And then there are the special challenges. Ask Hubert about his most difficult challenge and his big- gest reward when it comes to working with disabled

divers, and he’ll respond with one word, “Isabelle.” isabelle is a 20-something woman from Ottawa with cerebral palsy (CP). She wanted to learn how to dive, but she had problems (as many people with CP do) with muscle spasms—In particular, with her jaw muscles. Which meant that even keeping a regulator in her mouth was a challenge. “I spent 42 hours in the pool working with Isabelle on that,” said Hubert. “I even gave her a to practice on when she was away from the pool.” At any given time, Isabelle could be found diligently sitting in front of the television mouthing a snorkel and practicing muscle control. Ultimately, working together, they managed to control the spasms and perfect her diving skills. Today, Isabelle has more than 60 dives under her belt, and Hubert said she’s “one hell of a diver”. but at the end of the day, regardless of the sig- nificant challenges, Hubert said there is an enormous reward when it comes to working with disabled divers. “Whenever someone becomes a diver, I get a huge thrill,” said Hubert. “I get an even bigger thrill from stu- dents who stick with it, who continue to put in 20 dives a year.” the work has demanded so much of Hubert’s time that in 2005, he finally admitted to himself it was a full time job—and his chosen life’s work. He gave up a promising career in the high tech world and became a

57 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED THIS PAGE: Disabled diver, Monique, being assisted down and pro- pelled through the water. Chretien profile Quadrapeligic diver float- ing in water (bottom left)

alegic—on a project that will see the men train to ice dive, train to cave dive and, then, ultimately, join the exclusive group of only a few people in the world to have dived inside an iceberg. hubert has recruited world famous cave diver, Jill Heinreith, to help him with the project. He’s also trying to find a broadcaster in Canada that will help him film the entire experience. He wants to call the project, Boundless, and he’s starting on the first phase of the training in Canada and Florida this winter. Successful or not, one thing is certain, project Boundless won’t be the last project he initiates. In his own words, Hubert “plans on working with disabled divers until my back gives out”. He’s hoping he’ll be working with students well into his 60’s as much for himself, one suspects, as for the disabled. It’s what he’s chosen—it’s what he lives for. “I push to enable people to dive,” he said. They provide the grit; he provides the vision—and keeps a gentle but firm hand on the imaginary rope. ■

full time director and instructor at Freedom At Depth. Although he drew a salary for the first few years, he’s since decided that the money can be better spent on the work of the charity. he’s able to do this because of the sup- port of his family—in particular, his father. The former Prime Minister does much of the fundraising for the charity and has set up a trust fund that provides Hubert with a mod- est income, which enables him to devote his energy full time to teaching and man- aging the charity. Hubert has also received a lot of help from his sister, France. Since turning the work into a full time job, Hubert has set his sights on some impres- sive goals. While he’s realistic about some of the physical restrictions that disabled divers face, Hubert believes that with the right support, there are no boundaries. “You can manage most of their needs and make them into really good divers within their restrictions,” he said. to prove it, Hubert is working with two determined divers—Tim Inglis, who is an amputee, and Bob Brown, who is quadrep-

58 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED marine mammals Call him Ishmael: A passing whale sinks California man’s sail boat Max Young, a 67-year-old retired earlier. boat. Sacramento high school teacher has the Coast Guard District Command Young has been sailing for at least 30 a whale of a tale to tell his friends and Center in Alameda received Young’s years, and having worked on boats with family. distress signal and dispatched a plane, his father, who was a commercial fisher- While cruising the waters off the coast establishing radio contact at nearly 2:00 man, he’s been on the ocean most of of Laplaya, Mexico on his 55-foot sail a.m. They found Young “trying to bail his life, his wife said. His experience and Edited by boat, Reflections, a whale rammed the out water as fast as he could, because well designed communications systems Kelly LaClaire back of his vessel, disabled the rudder he wasn’t sure how long it was going no doubt saved his life. and tore open a gash in the hull. to take to be rescued,” his wife, Debra, “The safety equipment he had on the boat immediately began taking told The Associated Press. board allowed us to find him very quick- on water and Young radioed the Coast the Coast Guard requested res- ly,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Pamela Guard before scrambling to stuff a mat- cue assistance from the Panamanian J. Boehland. “It was a big reason why tress in the hole and began turning on freighter, the Ocean Virgo, that was 60 we were able to rescue him.” pumps in an attempt to slow the water miles away and the cargo ship arrived Young said it was too dark to see just that had begun to sink the small ship. at 4:00 a.m. He was taken aboard via a what kind of cetacean hit him but he to make matters worse, Mr. Young rope ladder that was thrown down by guessed the length of the whale that was on the last leg of round-the-world the larger ship’s crew just after sunrise— ultimately sank his boat at nearly 60 feet. voyage that he had begun 12 years about nine hours after the whale hit his ■

Karen Munro / Sea Watch Unsold: Three-quarters of Japan’s NW Pacific whale hunt Killer whales hunting dolphins caught on camera Despite repeated attempts to auction it promote whale consumption and gen- that Japan uses the loophole as a cover off, three-quarters of over a ton of whale erate more income through auctions. for whaling activities. However, Japan In late May, whale watchers and a Sea around the Internet will yield a few meat resulting from Japan’s controver- Apparently, food sellers want to says that the research is needed to sup- Watch Foundation official observed a results, but it isn’t all that common sial whale hunt last year was not sold, avoid trouble with anti-whaling activ- port its view that a robust whale popula- group of a half a dozen killer whales either, especially to get such an event according to officials. ists, according to an institute spokesman tion exists in the world today. hunting five white beaked dolphins on film. the Institute of Cetacean Research, who names this reason as the cause for the country also claims that whal- near Duncansby Head in Caithness, Sea Watch members say it is extreme- which is a partly-public organization that the “disappointing” auction results. “We ing is part of Japanese tradition and Scotland. ly rare to witness and photograph a coordinates the nation’s whaling activi- have to think about new ways to market accuses Western nations of cultural Karen Munro, who regularly reports hunt of this nature. Danielle Gibas, a ties, reported that buyers could not be whale meat,” he told AFP. insensitivity. No compromise is the motto sightings to Sea Watch (a non-profit sightings officer with the research group found for about 75 percent of nearly there is a loophole in the international of Japan’s powerful fishing industry and conservation group that monitors sea stated: “Killer whales are collaborative 1,200 tons of whale meat from minke, moratorium on whaling that allows for right-wing activists. However, Japanese life in the United Kingdom), photo- hunters and many people will have Bryde’s and sei whales caught during lethal research, which Japan exploits. anti-whaling activists said in a report that graphed the hunt. seen them in action in wildlife docu- the deep-sea mission. Environmentalists, conservationists and the poor auction results confirmed that “I saw three dolphins breaching right mentaries filmed in other parts of the there are still buyers for smaller coastal activists from anti-whaling nations say whale meat is no longer popular with out the water as they were chased,” world. whaling programmes in northern Japan. that commercial whaling threatens Japanese consumers. The low demand Munro said. “Then it all went quiet and “The fact that we can witness such This is most likely due to the fact that the whale populations world- is leading to oversupply, which is making six orca fins rose together but did not behavior from the U.K. coastline is a whale meat is sold in areas with strong wide and continue Japan’s whaling programme unsustain- appear to be moving. reminder of how important our coastal whale-eating traditions and that the to condemn the mis- able, according to freelance journalist, “A minute or two later they all rose waters are for marine mammals.” whale meat sold is fresh, not frozen. sions of the institute. They Junko Sakuma, released by the Iruka together in the same place which the killer whales involved in the dol- Auctions to sell frozen whale meat believe and Kujira (Dolphin and Whale) Action made us think they had caught one of phin hunt are believed to be part of a from whales caught in Northwestern Network. ■ source: The Korea the dolphins. Finally, in true killer whale small pod of about 30 whales frequently Pacific waters last summer by the Herald fashion, they disappeared with us not seen off Dunnet Head and Duncansby institute were held between knowing which direction they went in.” Head in northern Scotland and are November and March. It At least one of the dolphins was thought to be a part of a larger com- was the intention of thought to have been caught and munity of orcas that follow spawning the institute to killed. Icelandic herring. ■ orca hunting their smaller cousins is Source: BBC NEWS not unheard of, and a quick search

creative commons / gnufdl 59 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED New sensory organ found in whales Scientists have discovered a sensory organ in rorqual whales that coordinates its silver signature lunge-feeding behaviour and may help explain their enormous size. The new sensory organ has been biomechanical event on Earth. and nervous tissue from an ances- found within the chin of rorqual Blue whales can swallow almost tral front tooth socket still remains whales, lodged in the ligamen- 2,000,000kJ (almost 480,000 kcalo- in today’s whales and connect tous tissue that connects their two ries) in a single mouthful of krill, to the sensory organ. Evidence jaws. It is responsible for coordi- and eat 90 times as much energy indicates that the sensory organ nating the biomechanics of their as they burn during a dive. responds to jaw rotation when the extreme lunge-feeding strategy. whale opens and closes its mouth The study, to be featured on and when the whale’s throat Lunge feeding is an extreme the cover of the journal Nature, pleats expand as it takes in water. feeding method in details how which the whale scanning of Fossil records show that the bot- accelerates from In terms of evolution, the the whale’s tom jaw of baleen whales has below a bait ball chin revealed been unfused, or separated, at to a high veloc- innovation of this sensory a grape fruit- its tip since the late Oligocene ity and then organ has a fundamental role sized sensory epoch (23-28 million years ago). opens its mouth in one of the most extreme organ, locat- Despite the long expanse of time to a large gape ed between to the present, this organ repre- angle. This gener- feeding methods of aquatic the tips of sents an evolutionary novelty for ates the water creatures. the two lower rorqual whales, based on its ab- pressure required jaw bones. sence in all other modern species to expand its —UBC Zoology Prof. Bob Shadwick The organ, of baleen whale, such as gray mouth and engulf composed of and right whales. ■ and filter a huge connective amount of water and fish. Lunge tissue with papillae (protrusions) Source: Discovery of a sensory organ that coordi- nates lunge feeding in rorqual whales, Nature 485, feeding by the huge rorqual that contain nerves, is suspended 498-501 doi:10.1038/nature11135 whales is said to be the largest in a gel-like material. Vascular cinema of dreams C o mm ns . t s vi a k i m edi a Wi

www.seacam.com E vel yn St an Geo rg i a A group of humpback whales lunge through the centre of their bubble net 60 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Edited by Kelly LaClaire Nat Geo photographer captures first ever photo of humpbacks mating Protected ResouRces Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California, USA

National Geographic photogra- together, he was stroking her although it’s possible that noises occurrence,” Edwards said. False killer whale pher Jason Edwards has done flanks with his pectoral fins.” may have been emitted from the “When we came upon the what no photographer in the his- the photos and video taken of whales above or below the audi- heat run, it was the last day of my tory of the world has ever been the heat chase and the actual ble frequencies of humans. shoot. I didn’t have a single frame False killer whales able to focus able to do. mating itself may shed tremen- of these animals from the whole their echolocation beams on targets in August 2010, Edwards took dous light for scientists on the Blowing bubbles trip. All I kept thinking was ‘don’t the first still image of humpback behaviors of these mysterious The female however, was heard mess it up’. I was just supremely Toothed whales and dolphins implies, the false killer whale whales mating after a “heat run” animals. Currently, more is known and seen blowing bubbles from lucky to even be there, let alone (odontocetes) rely on echolo- shares characteristics, such as the photographer and several about the gestation period of the her mouth following the copulation capture this incredibly intimate cation to locate food with in- appearance, with the more other researchers witnessed. species—roughly 11 months—than but just why this was done scientists moment on camera.” credible precision. These marine widely known orca (killer whale). the heat run—when adult is known about their sexual activi- can only speculate. According to National Geo- mammals produce their distinc- males compete with each other ties. “The purpose of this bubble graphic, the pictures Edwards tive echolocation clicks in nasal The challenge to see who is going to get the Already for example, a few release is still unclear, however it took were kept secret for nearly structures in the forehead and The width of an acoustic beam female—apparently went for details are coming to the fore- may have signaled to the male two years but a gallery of the broadcast them through a fat- is determined by the frequency several hours. “It was amazing,” front. Despite humpback whales that the reproductive act was over. images is scheduled to make filled acoustic lens, called the of the sound. But how could the Edwards said. “There were four being known for their songs, Further research is still needed to their first public appearance at melon. It has been known for a team tell whether a change in or five males vying for her atten- Edwards says absolutely no sound confirm whether this is a common Auckland Museum this month. ■ while that dontocetes have the beam width was due to the killer tion and while the larger ones was heard during the mating act, sexual practice or simply a random Source: The Daily Telegraph ability to control the shape of the whales focusing the sound or sim- were busy jostling each other, echolocation beam, and it was ply due to the physics of acous- the smallest one swam away with assumed that they are using the tics? Using statistical analysis, it the female. Their coupling lasted melon to focus the sound. was established that a relation- less than 30 seconds, which might ship exists between beam area explain why it’s never been cap- However, it was up to Laura and frequency. tured on film before.” Kloepper from the University of edwards and his colleagues Hawaii, USA, and her PhD supervi- “Squint” spent over two hours following sor, Paul Nachtigall, to discover Training a false killer whale to the heat run, jumping in the water how false killer whales are able to discern between cylinders of the whenever possible to capture focus their echolocation beams only marginally different diam- footage of the giant mammals. on targets. Their findings are eters of 6.553mm and 6.35mm Edwards told reporters that he described in a recent issue of The presented at mammals at ran- was stunned by the brief but ten- Journal of Experimental Biology. dom at various distances, it was der moment. discovered that the false killer The false killer whale (Pseudorca whale was effectively ‘squint- Heat chase crassidens) is a cetacean, ing’ and adjusting the size of her “When the successful male and the third largest member echolocation beam in response mated with the female, he came of the oceanic dolphin family to the more difficult tasks. ■ in from above and behind her. He (Delphinidae). It lives in temper- clasped her between his pectoral ate and tropical waters through- Source: Active echolocation beam focusing in the false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens. Journal of fins, and whilst they floated along out the world. As its name Experimental Biology, 2012 DOI: 10.1242/%u200Bjeb.066605 Jason Edwards

61 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED India reports millions of Olive Ridley turtle tales hatchlings head to sea

The beaches along Gahirmatha natural occurrence. beach have brought cheers tourists and researchers were to conservationists as denied access to the island to they watched millions witness the hatchings because of hatchlings head for the islands are located close to Edited by the sea. Approximately 1.68 a defense test range, a prohib- Bonnie McKenna lakh (1 lakh=100,000) Olive Ridley ited territory. During the week of sea turtles arrived at the nesting the hatch-out, the one kilometer beach between March 20 and beach was virtually littered with The leatherback sea turtle is virtually extinct in Malaysia March 28 to lay their eggs. hatchlings. The babies literally on the first Saturday of May, jostled for space to move about It is too late for the Malaysian searching Malaysian turtles and nest,” said Joseph. more collectors started digging in the late evening, hatchlings the beach before heading to the leatherback, but there is hope does not believe the leatherbacks it took hard data to them up as egg sales became a began to emerge. The wildlife sea. It is estimated that nearly for the three remaining sea turtle are ever going to recover. convince the Terengganu lucrative source of income for the officials who are stationed on two-million hatchlings emerged in species. The decline of the leath- “This is because sea turtles re- state government, once one of under-developed state. Nasi-2 Island were witness to this a 24-hour period. ■ erback was set in motion before turn to breed at their natal beach- the most significant leatherback in Rantau Abang, scenes of anyone truly understood the grav- es. They may travel thousands of hosts, of the need to ban leath- large groups of tourists crowding ity of the situation. miles to reach foraging grounds, erback turtle egg consumption. around a single nesting female Universiti Malaysia Terenggau crossing transnational borders, but Communicating the situation’s were commonplace in the 70's marine biologist Juanita Joseph all turtles return to the area where urgency, especially to the older and 80's. When the tourists left, the has spent the last decade re- they were born to breed and generation of Malaysians in the eggs were scooped up for sale. At states of Kalantan and Tereng- the same time, a rapidly develop- ganu, where turtle eggs are con- ing fishing industry led to leather- sidered a delicacy, remains noto- backs being caught in nets. riously difficult.Because turtles lay leatherback eggs laid in Ter- so many eggs, in Malaysia turtle engganu dropped from 10,000 eggs are still allowed to be sold in clutches in 1955 to about 3,000 in markets in Kuala Terengganu. 1965. In 1999, only two percent of Joseph likes to retell the tale that number was found, and by The High Fin Sperm Whale at en.wikipedia of how the leatherback has dis- 2002, only three female leather- appeared from their shores. She backs came to the beach. made distortions in the sex ratio of tion. In addition, turtles are being reiterated that it is a story that once it was realized that the Malaysian leatherbacks because picked off by poachers. should not be forgotten because numbers were dropping, conser- reptiles will lay eggs even if they earlier this year, World Wild- it illustrates why it is in everyone’s vationists and the state initiated are not fertilized. To make things life Fund Malaysia has made interest that we start saving the efforts to protect the turtles. The worse, lights from resorts along fresh calls for the government to other turtle species. first leatherback hatcheries were the coast and vehicles ridden by amend the Fisheries Act of 1958 to thousands of leatherbacks used established in the 1960s, but only sanctuary personnel patrolling the ban the eating of all turtle eggs. to frequent the sleepy shores of four percent of the eggs were beach have disoriented the nest- Sabah instituted a ban on com- Rantau Abang, a small fishing vil- protected. Considering that only ing females and hatchlings. mercial egg collection 30 years lage on the coast of Terengganu. 0.001 percent of hatchlings will ago, and there has been a three- Eggs were aplenty. Hundreds of make it to adulthood, that figure Efforts to save the other fold increase in its breeding popu- thousands were buried in scat- was not enough to preserve the species of marine turtles lation of green turtles despite the tered clutches across the shore, leatherback population. According to the International ongoing poaching in Borneo. far more than egg collectors Joseph explained the situation, Union for Conservation of Nature conservationists have this mes- could carry, and plenty for the lo- “Only a handful of female leath- (IUCN) Red List, green turtles are sage: Turtle egg consumption is cals to eat. With road expansion, erbacks have returned to Ran- endangered, Olive Ridley’s are no longer a sustainable practice. turtle eggs were soon transported tau Abang to nest in the last few vulnerable, and hawksbills are Unless action is taken now, see- to new markets as far afield as years, but none of the clutches critically endangered. In Peninsu- ing turtles on Peninsular Malaysia Kuala Lumpur. The eggs became hatched." Joseph believes that lar Malaysia, none of these turtle will eventually become only a a commodity, prices rose and could be a symptom of man- eggs are banned from consump- memory. ■ public domain 62 X-RAY MAG : 49 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Baby turtle tales logger- Uncontrolled development on Specially Protected head sea turtle nesting beach in Fethiye Turkey, taking its toll

MEDASSET’s complaint submission to the and visitors freely roam the beaches until Secretariat of the Bern Convention stated the small hours. Artificial plastic carpeting that unplanned construction and develop- covers part of Çalış nesting beach, and ments to accommodate tourism are threat- huge stones have been placed to delin- ening Fethiye, one of the most important eate this area. Fourteen rows of acacia nesting sites for loggerhead turtles in Turkey, trees, an introduced species known for their Promoting Conservation Policies in Albania even though the whole bay area is desig- extensive rooting, were densely planted nated as FethiyeGöcek Specially Protected along a 150 meter stretch of this beach. Three year research by The being produced," said Dr. Michael Area. Quads and trucks pass freely through the Mediterranean Association to Save the White, Project Lead Researcher. Wetlands have been bulldozed for the beaches, and there is car access to virtu- Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) has confirmed the project revealed Drini Bay is used construction of hotel complexes; snack bars ally every beach. The garbage problem that Drini Bay, on the northern coast of by both adult and subadult logger- usnps and cafés are situated right on the nesting is entirely unsolved; there has been sand Albania, is an important habitat for sea heads, and occasionally by green tur- beach; motorized water sport activities are removal and fishing occurs directly off all turtles in the Mediterranean. Turtles use tles for foraging or migration. Juvenile cally recorded evidence was provided taking place in the bay; wooden walkways three of Fethiye’s nesting beaches. It is not the bay for foraging, as a refuge and loggerhead and possibly green turtles to the authorities. have been built on the sand; and dense to wonder why the number of nests has are part of a key migratory corridor are using the area as a developmental MEDASSET's second project was to rows of beach furniture remain on the been notably declining since the early between the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. habitat. There are indications that log- train 11 Albanian university students as beach on a 24-hour basis. 1990s as tourism developed. ■ information on the sea turtle popula- gerheads may be staying in the bay research assistants, enabling them to Strong lighting is used during the night tion visiting Albania's waters had been during the winter months. This conclu- monitor the sea turtle population. The scarce and research fragmented until sion is also supported by the prelimi- project also offered a unique oppor- 2008. Based at the Patok Lagoon area nary results of the first satellite track- tunity to over 250 Albanian university Zakynthos, Greece…the problems continue of Drini Bay, the project’s researchers ing program of sea turtles in Albania students to attend workshops at the systematically collected data during that was launched through project field station. In mid-July 2011, following a delay of nine construction of an illegal parking lot, con- the summer months by monitoring MEDASSET’s MEDASSET worked with months, the Greek Ministry of Environment, struction of an illegal underwater stone the sea turtles cap- project. Prof. Idriz Haxhiu, Director Energy and Climate Change finally released breakwater in front of the Marathonissi islet, tured inci- of the Herpetofauna the operational funds to the Zakynthos a decrease in the number of nests and dentally. Albanian Society and national Marine Park (ZNMP). The funds a highest ever recorded number of turtle A remark- sea turtle researcher, to covered salaries owed to the staff since deaths. able 407 sea raise awareness locally and November 2010 and should cover man- despite the European Com-mission’s turtles were stud- nationwide through local and agement costs of the park for the next five intervention on illegal landfills in Greece, ied and released back into national media. The researchers years. The delayed disbursement caused they continue to operate within the ZNMP the wild: 402 loggerhead tur- worked with the local fishermen, numerous problems to the management and have expanded construction of two Mike Gonzalez / tles (Caretta Caretta) and creative commons demonstrating good animal-han- team during the summer nesting season. illegal additions. Nesting in the summer was five green turtles (Chelonia gnufdl dling skills and advocating conserva- Some of the problems encountered are reduced to 786 nests. The high number mydas), confirming that Tracking con- tinued until tion practices. insufficient patrolling of the marine park, of dead turtles (45) was indicative of the Albania is a range state for green tur- September 2011 and has confirmed the sea turtle population in Drini Bay numerous violations in tles. the timing of the return of two out of has yet to be completely understood. Laganas Bay. MADASSET of the captured sea turtles, 27.5 the three tracked turtles to Drini Bay for However, the findings and conclu- continues to monitor and percent were males (35 adults, 77 sub- feeding. sions of MEDASSET'S three-year project assess conservation activi- adults). In contrast to females, males A waste pollution survey was con- led to the formulation of recommen- ties at the ZNMP, but they never return to land, and therefore, sci- ducted in the coastal zone of Drini dations and a "National Sea Turtle are concerned that the entists' understanding of the distribution Bay and upstream in five rivers. It Management Strategy". The long-term loss of the large number of and marine ecology of males is very was noted that there is widespread aim of this project is for Drini Bay to be adult turtles may irrevers- limited. "This discovery has increased presence of marine litter in Drini Bay, recognized as a nationally and region- ibly affect the loggerhead importance due the impact of global in conjunction with the omnivorous ally important foraging and develop- population that reproduces climate change, as sand temperature nature of loggerheads means the con- mental habitat for sea turtles in the in Zakynthos. ■ during incubation is the sex determi- sumption of plastic and other debris Mediterranean and that these endan- nant of hatchlings and an increase is highly probable. The illegal use of gered species are fully protected of just one or two degrees could lead dynamite for explosive-fishing was under Albanian national law. ■ Loggerhead to more female than male hatchlings monitored, and the first ever systemati- sea turtle

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