THE FACTS AND VIEWPOINTS IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF X-RAY MAG. EQUIPMENT PRESENTED IN THIS SECTION HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED BY X-RAY MAG STAFF, NOR ARE THE ITEMS WARRANTEED. INFORMATION PROVIDED IS CONDENSED FROM MANUFACTURERS’ DESCRIPTIONS. TEXTS ARE USUALLY EDITED FOR LENGTH, CLARITY AND STYLE. LINKS ARE ACTIVE AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION Texting underwater POINT & CLICK ON BOLD LINKS Who needs an u/w phone, who can talk under water anyway!? Never heard of texting? Imagine seeing a whale shark while diving or . Whip up your phone, snap a pix of the whale shark and send an MMS to your friends. But don’t get too excited. So far, this gadg- et only makes it to about 1foot / 3 meters and is only available Edited by Got mojo in the East. But you can safely listen to music while Millis Keegan snorkeling and make calls in the pool without & Peter Symes worries with the FOMA F704i from Fujitsu. Equipment www.akihabaranews.com A classic revisted Velocity XP Compared to conventional fins, says Aeris, the XP is up to 30 Oldtimers know all about the percent faster and more effi- pedigree of the new Digital cient. Semi-rigid battens and 330m dive timer from Scubapro. rubber flex channels within This updated version will display the blade precisely Draco depth to 330m, calculate the control the shape average depth during the dive of the blade dur- Drysuit and displays ing the fin stroke the ascent rate to optimize power The Scandinavians in metres per and reduce drag. know the impor- minute. Those Oversized side rails tance of a proper features might add rigidity to the drysuit for safe and attract any oversized blades for enjoyable diving. diver with increased lift power Waterproof has 20 control and efficiency. years experience in issues, as www.diveaeris.com providing suits for cold well as the water divers, and their technical designers put a great diver. The effort into comfort. Their design is latest suit, the Draco simple, drysuit, is made with 3.5mm made to Special Hi-Dense neoprene be visible Mares also to “split up” with SD Toughtex lining. while div- ( VIA DIVENEWSWIRE) The cuff system is zippered for flex- ing, and the Mares is adding the spit to their fin family. Raptor is the ibility and abiility to use dry-glove ring log book will name of their new innovation and true to themselves, system. The Waterproof adjustable record the lat- the split fin is designed with performance in mind, and warm neck design is improved with a est 19 dives. a combination of drain valve. The separated hood fits materials. Thrust nicely under the neck collar, and has a and efficiency venting system to avoid that annoying are the key gas buildup in the hood. Another com- words. RAPTOR fort feature of the Draco: there are no will be availible seams in the under arm area or in the in four colors crotch area, where wrinkling can other- and three sizes. wise cause wearing. www.waterproof.se www.scubapro.co.uk www.mares.com

47 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Bored during mini Review by Millis Keegan deco? Waterproof UNO might be some- thing for the tech diver perform- Hanging ing their long and sometimes Deep tideous stops while heading to the surface. The cards come from Mattels, and if you Air Inspection can’t find them in a store near you, check your local Is this a must for the Amazon shop on-line. Look for Uno H20 Documenting and avid diver? The product prom- Waterproof Clear Cards. inspecting the deep ises to reduce the drying time Deep requires a tad up to 70 percent, and that the the hanger pushes air into the more technology than your days of smelly old are suit, forcing the water out of the average u/w camera equipment. Remote gone. Living in Florida, I mostly suit through arms and legs while Ocean Systems subsea cameras have just 3-in-1 dive with a skin, which dries fine drying the material. Even though that little extra. The new INSPECTOR HD The OMS 3 in 1 regulator is without any extra help, but then the drying time was a bit longer Video Camera is a high-definition color so revolutionary that it can be taken comes winter with water tem- than the results Hangair’s own test video camera with the ability to do still almost anywhere. With multiple gas inlets peratures that require a , panel presents, it was accept- images. Standard depth rates at 3000 meters to choose from and multiple gas outlets to and my problem begins. It is hu- able. We do live in Florida after all, with the help of a titanium house with a 6000 supply Demand or non- masks mid in Florida, and yes, it takes where humidity easily reaches 80 meter option. Lightweight and small in size, you can administer to a diver in distress forever to dry the wetsuits. And percent. the body is about 8 inches/20 cm long and 4 at almost any place or anytime. It provides yes, it does smell. The Hangair Then we tested the Hangair inches/10 cm wide. It comes with a stabilized divers with the necessary equipment to is a big help, plus I can keep on our drysuits. That did not work 18:1 optical zoom, with a digital 12x digital safely perform accelerated “off gassing” it hanging and drying in the out as well. e have membrane perfect for up-close inspection. or and resuscitation on the garage instead of using the air style nylon drysuits with rubber rosys.com boat or on land. www.omsdive.com conditioned living area. Without boots, and we were not as lucky the Hangair, that would mean as Hangair’s test panel who man- that the suit would have smelled aged to dry a chrushed neoprene like a rotten, forgotten towel in drysuit in two steps. All the water no time. Now, the inside of the was collected in the boots, and Warm, warmer, warmest apartment looks a lot tidier. A for a completely , we had An insulating underwear system based on 100 percent win-win, on all accounts. to take the suit off the hanger and Merino wool is what Poseidon offers empty the water out a couple of drysuit divers with their Flexi Base How it works: times, an annoying process. But underwear. Insulation is key for Compact A high powered fan mounted in on the other hand, a membrane comfort while diving in cold drysuit rarely gets that water, wool has the capac- and bright wet inside, and the ity to keep you warm material dries quickly. even when wet, so it is a Ikelites new sub strobe DS- In fact, during the good choice, but it is still 125 works with both the test, the suit that dried important to transport the newest digital cameras, without the Hangair, excess moisture away from as well as TTL film cameras dried faster— possibly the skin. They suggest that for those who have not yet because the water you use multiple layers when converted to digital. This is was not pushed down needed, a well known strat- possible thanks to special electronic cir- and collected in the egy to conserve heat. With cuitry, and the strobe will also work with boots. this line of underwear, it is the system, and with normal or pre-flash easier to do that. The mate- camera systems. The DS-125 operates TTL when In conclusion: rial is flexible and can vent connected with a sync cord or Ikelites wireless Yes, this is an Okay your body moisture, and it TTL Slave Sensor. The strobe’s compact size and product. A bit on the is machine washable. of less than three pounds makes traveling pricy side maybe, but poseidon.se easier. The interchangeable NiMH battery pack overall we give the allows 250 flashes on one charge. ikelite.com Hangair a thumbs up. hangairs.com ■

48 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Text and photos by Don Tipton

The boat’s four occupants were spear fishing for Yellowtail. As Mark began to ask the skipper questions, one of the spear fisherman suddenly appeared to be walking on the water shouting “White, White! Get me out of the water now!”

Mark nonchalantly looked at us and said, “Well, we have found them boys. Let’s go diving!!” captions Text and photos by Tony White GreatIn search of the White Shark 49 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Struis Bay Harbour feature Great White Durban to Arniston in the Western gave us two working days before Cape. the weather was predicted to The journey was long and hot, break, with a strong south westerly with Mark and me taking turns stopping us dead in our tracks. to drive and stopping only three The next morning, we were up times to eat and top up on gas. at the break of day. Adrenaline En route, it became obvious was pumping. and the weariness that we would not be able to of the previous day was forgotten launch the RIB from Arniston as as we anticipated the day and the launch conditions were too the strong possibility of getting dangerous, and we re-directed to into the water with this awesome a small fishing village. marine animal. Struis Bay is some We launched the RIB easily 10 kilometres from the slip way in the small It was a beautiful clear blue day away harbour and headed out into the as we approached the ski boat, from clear blue sea. Our re-direction 4km off Cape Agulhas in South from Arniston now meant that we Africa. had a 40 kilometre sea journey Two of Carcharodon Carcharias, before us. Our local contacts more commonly known as were sending us to a shallow the Great White Shark, are called Skip-Skop, some 4 found around the globe. But kilometres from the coast. undoubtedly, the global capital The long sea journey gave us for this magnificent apex predator time to observe the beautiful is the Western Cape, South Africa. photographers rugged coastline and plenty Traditionally during the winter from around the of time to reflect on what was months of May to October, world. Not deterred to come. It took us 1½ hours to thousands of tourists flock to the by the bad visibility make the journey with a local cage diving operators in or weather conditions following . Happily, both Gansbaai and . they waited patiently for their we didn’t know From the relative safety of a time to come. Many had long what we were in cage, the tourists watch these waits as the conditions were for on our marine giants as they feed on rarely right, and they went away in February return one of their favourite dishes, the empty handed. Over the years, 2007, I received seals of Dyer and Seal Islands. the professionals found other an early morning call During the summer months, the areas of the world to photograph from Mark Addison of Blue numbers of sharks around these the Great White for the endless Wilderness Diving. Excitedly, he two areas drops significantly. articles and programs that are told me he had just had a phone Although the Great White is a produced about this fascinating call from one of his contacts in next migratory animal, up until now, creature. the Western Cape. The Agulhas nobody has really known where Almost a year ago, in an effort had taken up its summer they disappeared to. When to attract the reducing number position, moving closer to the morning, Cape Agulhas, the asked, people in the know of cameramen back to South coast, bringing with it warm with the southern most tip of Africa became very vague and said, Africa, a couple of visionary people and more importantly, clear wagon We arrived exhausted at 10 “They have gone hunting fish decided that somewhere around blue water with 20 to 30 metres loaded with o’clock that evening, and somewhere nearer the coast” or their beautiful coast there must visibility. They had also noticed cameras, dive we still had to prepare all journey! they joke that “It is tourist hunting be better and more predictable high of sharks, gear and a bait the equipment and load As we approached season”. conditions to dive with Great Whites particularly the Great White and, stem, that we (Mark, the boat, as time was of the marks in the distance, It wasn’t just tourists who After completing a trip with if I was up for it, we should get me and videographer the essence. Weather we could see a small ski boat. flocked to these two areas a group of photographers to down there pronto! Pete Whielden) started conditions were perfect Mark decided that we would but also cameramen and Aliwal Shoals and Sodwana Bay And so it was at 4 o’clock the the 1600 kilometre drive from but predictions only talk to the people on the boat

50 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Preparing the bait feature Great White to see what they had seen and take Well, we have it from there. On approaching the found them boys. boat, we could see two men fishing with lines and another two neoprene- Let’s go diving!” clad spear fishermen in the water. We had just started to talk to them continued to circle us for some two when one of the men nearly took off hours, never coming any closer than vertically from the water, weight belt 4-5 metres from us. and all, shouting “White! White! Get All this time, Mark took up position me out of the water!” This prompted above us on and with Mark Addison’s now famous an empty spear gun. If the shark comment, “Well, we have found approached us too closely, he them boys. Let’s go diving!” planned to dive down and push it By now, all I could see was two off, but this was never necessary. men almost walking on the surface Eventually, the spear fishermen of the water trying to get out of it of hours to get used to the idea, I we edged towards where the last who had exited the water so and into their boat… and we were thought we would gently join the reported position of the White Shark dramatically came back into the starting to kit up to get into the water! sharks as they lazily swam around us. had been. water with us, and without their spear My mind told me that this was not guns. One of them was heard to say the way it should be. I had figured on Not so! Kitted within minutes, Pete Cages? that with these lunatics in the water, it sitting around in the sun while Mark and I slid into the sea to find visibility Oh, I forgot to mention that there reduced his chances of being eaten. baited the water and after a couple of at least 25 metres. Nervously, were no cages involved in this! The ease with which we had Suddenly, out of the blue, found the White Shark and the approximately two metres whole encounter, was the ultimate below the surface, appeared experience in my underwater career. a four metre Great White For two hours, we enjoyed this Shark. We have dived with Tiger Sharks many times in the past, so we were used to being in the water with big sharks without cages, but this shark was enormous! I definitely thought that it was eyeing us up with a view to assessing our meal potential. Luckily, Pete and I are pretty crunchy and to be fair, human beings in any form are not on any sharks’ normal menu. I have been asked many times since that moment if I was afraid and very honestly, I have to say that for a brief time, yes, I was. My fear turned to apprehension and soon I was completely at ease with the creature that was nervously circling us. It

Cape Agulhas Coastline

51 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Here she comes feature Great White

“We have dived with Tiger Sharks many times in the past, so we were used to being in the water with big sharks without cages, but this shark was enormous! I definitely thought that it was eyeing us up with a view to assessing our meal potential.“

majestic creature’s company until biting-cage-bars shot. (obviously), by the bait stem and broke the following day, and we we finally we ran out of air and We anchored in the middle of waited. This time, the shark only were unable to go out again. So, had to return to the RIB. We then Skip Skop with a depth varying came back once and buzzed us we reluctantly packed up our kit realised the enormity of the task from 12 to 16 metres and from some 10 metres away. That and made our way home. These ahead as without the following dropped the bait stem over the was the last we saw of her before two days had proved that it was sea, it took us nearly two and side. The wait seemed endless, our computers told us it was time possible to dive safely with Great a half hours to pound our way, but after an hour or so, Mark to leave the bottom. Again our White Sharks, without cages in teeth rattling, back to base at yelled, “White approaching!” We return to base was exhilarating as warm (24C) clear water in South Struis Bay. could see the dark shape of a we tried not to lose our teeth, and Africa. It had taken Mark Addison over huge shark some 100 metres from talked about our experiences of This experience was a real a year of never ending searching, the boat. After falling over each the last two days. privilege for me, and I can’t wait up and down the coast to other to get kitted, we dropped True to predictions, the weather for next season to arrive. I know experience this day. In the past, into the water. Pete that when it arrives it had been either bad weather was in front and and the conditions and poor visibility or no sharks. heading for the are right, I will not Today, all his hard work and the bottom, followed by be waiting at home relentless pursuit of his dream had the shark and last of for a phone call. I come together. all, me. As we got in, will already be in feeding on the huge shoals of Tony White is a full time Day 2 Mark had said that Struis Bay, diving Yellowtail that frequent this part professional underwater The following day we launched today’s shark was not with Great White of the coast. We have a very photographer now based in again at dawn. We made our as big as yesterday’s!! Sharks. real opportunity and the expertise Cape Town, South Africa. He way to the same reef, with the Following that shark, During the for underwater photographers/ frequently runs specialised intention of dropping a bait stem I could swear it was summer months, videographers to come to South tours in South Africa and to the seabed to see if we could twice the size of when the Agulhas Africa to capture footage of the across the world. More infor- attract the shark to the bottom, yesterday’s and a current moves closer Great White Shark without the mation can be found at and capture rare images of White female to boot. to shore, large restraints and limitations of the www.seaofdreams.co.uk Shark against the reef instead Pete and I took up numbers of White cages in Gansbaai and False Bay. of the predictable White-Shark- position back to back Sharks can be found ■

52 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED whales & Study helps maintain balance dolphins between bowhead whales and Eskimos Software recognises different At a recent meeting in International dolphin species by their whis- Whaling Commission, 76 member nations voted to renew the subsistence hunt tles quota for the next five years. Edited by Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Peter & Gunild Symes in San Diego, California, The bowhead whale, devastated in the have developed a new software that 19th and early 20th centuries by com- identifies different dolphin species by mercial whaling fleets, has been a food their whistles. staple for Eskimos and other indigenous Arctic peoples dating to prehistoric times. And about time, too! According to a new study by the US Naval silenced Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Research by Purdue University on the bow- identifying different species of dolphins head whale has helped in maintaining an by whale fears by their whistles could help improve the ecological balance between the marine accuracy of surveys. These are normally mammals and the Eskimos, who hunt the The arguments of campaign- done by observing the animals from animals for food. To prevent their extinc- ers who claim that the use of boats. However, as many dolphins spend tion, the International Whaling Commission mid-frequency sonar equipment a lot of time underwater, this does not had allowed Eskimos to harvest 56 whales harmed mammals off the coast always provide a clear perspective. And per year. The quota had expired, and of California were accepted by to make matters worse, some species are Bowhead. K.W. For Meinhalds Wandbilder for use in schools. Ca. 1900 now after the study, the commission has a federal judge. The US Navy has shy of boats. allowed the same quota. been ordered not to use such equipment during training exer- The ASA said it has turned to acoustics Weapon fragment from 1800s cises until the end of 2009. in the hope of providing more accurate data on dolphin activity in heavily fished It was claimed that whales were areas where the mammals are at greater found in 117-year old whale disoriented by sonar, caus- risk of being harmed. ing them to become stranded on beaches. In fact, the Inter- The marine-life research group trailed Biologists, long stumped at figuring out more evidence for their long-held belief Agency Committee on Marine a microphone from a survey boat and how old whales are, were presented that the bowhead whale is one of the Science and Technology identi- then fed the sound they picked up from with an uncontrovertible piece of evi- longest-living mammals on earth, surviv- fied 13 cases of cetacean strand- dolphins to an on-board computer. Here, dence from a 50-ton bowhead caught ing for up to 200 years. ings on beaches that appeared specially developed software was then off Alaska. Fragments of a 19th century to be linked to noise. Most of able to identify eight types of dolphin harpoon—a lance bomb—were found “It’s pretty rare that you get the chance these involved naval vessels. with up to 80 percent accuracy. It found lodged in a shoulder bone. to date the age of a whale,” said John in tests that dolphins make a variety of The weapon was used more than Bockstoce, the whaling historian at the A senior lawyer for the National sounds that include species-specific whis- a century ago by whalers from New New Bedford Whaling Museum who ana- Resources Defence Council said tles made up of frequencies between Bedford, Massachusetts, USA, enabling lyzed the fragments. that the court’s order confirms two and 30 kilohertz. researchers to estimate that the whale that during sonar testing and was at least 115 years old and providing Anthropologists have analyzed hunting training, the navy can and must Dolphins make a range of sound, includ- devices found in whales before. It was protect whales and other marine ing different types of clicks and species- Lance bombs often difficult, however, to narrow down “Eskimos have been whaling for more life in the rich waters off the south- specific whistles, mostly of frequencies when the weapon was fired. But than 2,000 years and have never endan- ern Californian coast. ■ between 2 and 30 kilohertz, with each because the bomb lance was gered the bowhead whale,” said Purdue species combining the frequencies in patented and stocks were used University professor John Bickham, who No more their own way. ■ up quickly, Bockstoce and his conducted the study. He said the bow- sonar tests! colleagues identified a narrow head’s population increased by three SOURCE: JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA window in which they believe percent a year, even while being har- the whale was shot, sometime vested by subsistence hunters. ■ between 1885 and 1895. ■ SOURCE: MOLECULAR ECOLOGY.

53 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED whales & dolphins Warming Oceans Put More Stress on Whales Yangtze river dolphin now Climate change is making life more difficult for whales, dol- considered extinct phins and porpoises that must adapt to shrinking sea ice and decline in their prey species. Climate change impacts An extensive six-week survey of the Yangtze River are greatest in the Arctic and the Antarctic, and cetaceans dolphins’ habitat has failed to find any sign of such as belugas, narwhals and bowhead whales that rely on the baiji as they are called locally. The freshwater icy polar waters for habitat and food are likely to suffer most dolphin found only in China is now “likely to be from the reduction in sea ice. ■ extinct”, the team of scientists concluded. If con- firmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.

Sam Turvey of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), one of the paper’s co-authors, described the findings as a “shocking tragedy”. The Yangtze Why Russian Whales are Stinky River dolphin was a remarkable mammal that sep- arated from all other species over 20 million years Since the early 1990’s, aboriginal whale bons, sulfur and nitrogen compounds ago,” Dr Turvey explained to BBC News. hunters in Russia’s northeastern Chukotka and various odorants. “This extinction rep- province have reported that about one- But it’s not clear whether these come resents the disappear- tenth of the whales they killed for food from human pollution. As hunters have ance of a complete smelled so putrid that they were inedible. noted that the stomachs of stinky whales branch of the evo- People who ate the stinky meat report- are packed with seaweed. Some lutionary tree of life ed numbness, a rash or stomach ache. researchers have suggested that the and emphasizes that The origin of the odor—which has also whales, faced with climate-related food we have yet to take affected seals, walruses and cod—has shortages, have resorted to eating sea- full responsibility in our baffled scientists, and in 2003, U.S. and weed that causes a pollutant-producing role as guardians of Russian toxicologists began testing tissue biochemical reaction inside them. Others the planet. samples of stinky whales. suggest that the whales are feeding in They looked for traces of heavy met- areas rich in toxin-emitting fungi and The species (Lipotes als and other harmful compounds, such bacteria. vexillifer) was the only as organochlorines and polyaromatic But the report adds that the stink could remaining member hydrocarbons, which are products of also be caused by an unidentified bio- of the Lipotidae, an industrial processes. They detected more toxin. ■ ancient mammal fam- Extinction also looms for than a hundred volatile ily that is understood Amazonian pink dolphin compounds, includ- to have separated ing hydrocar- from other marine Fears for the future of could face the same mammals, including the Amazonian pink fate as the Yangtze whales, dolphins and river dolphin are rising River dolphin. The boto porpoises, about 40- after a surge in their is still widespread com- 20 million years ago. indiscriminate killing and pared to other river dol- the launch of a gov- phins. Since 2000, how- “While it is conceiv- ernment plan to build ever, Brazilian scientists able that a couple several hydro-electric have registered a sharp GREENPEACE of surviving individuals dams in the region. Until drop in their number. were missed by the survey recently, the freshwater In the Mamiraua eco- teams,” the team wrote, dolphin—known in Brazil logical reserve 330 miles “our inability to detect any as the boto—was not from Manaus, which baiji despite this intensive considered at risk, but has one of the highest search effort indicates environmentalists in the concentrations of botos, that the prospect of find- Amazon now believe researchers believe the ing and translocating the dolphin population is dropping them to a reserve has all by around 10 but vanished.” ■ percent SOURCE: BBC a year. ■ FAO 54 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Text and photos by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi Eighth Coast Guard District External Affairs

Students meet challenges to become military scuba divers US Coast Guard Diver The surface of the 12-foot pool bubbles like a hot bottom of the pool each student takes his turn float- tub while instructors below signal to a group of dive ing up, then sinking down. The entire exercise from students using a series of hand signals on how to start to finish looks more like a wave at a football inflate their vest. One by one, each student slowly game set at super slow motion than a dive class. starts floating to the surface. The instructor signals the students to deflate the vest and again, one by ABOVE: Students prepare to dive in a 12-foot pool for scuba training RIGHT: Two scuba students swim to the surface of a 12-foot dive pool one, they return to the bottom. Lined up along the after performing an emergency-preparedness exercise 55 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Six students at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida, surface after participating in a training exer- cise in the center’s 12-foot pool. Personnel at the training center offer several courses to all branches of the mili- USCG Diver feature tary, with the exception of the Navy Seals and the Green Berets The right stuff As a volunteer program for the Coast Guard, any member who meets the center’s eligibility requirements can enroll; however, attendance is not a guarantee of success. Enrollment into the dive program can be a physically and mentally challenging endeavor, requiring a large commitment from the students. “On average, about a third of the people who enroll in the course don’t make it through,” Roy said. “We lose students primarily because of aca- demics and inability to perform. We purposely take people out of their comfort zone while they’re here and push them to their limit, so when they’re in the field, if something was A bath of cleaning is used to sterilize scuba regulators to happen, they won’t quit.” used by diving students at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training The training is tough, and everyone Center here. The regulators are cleaned after each diving exer- is held to the same standard. Enlisted, cise at the center officer, male, female, Navy, Coast

Instructors at the Naval Diving and members from all of the United States mil- Salvage Center in Panama City, Florida, itary branches (with the exception of the maintain a serious attitude about the Navy Seals and the Green Berets) come training they conduct in turning military here to see if they have what it takes to men and women, into certified scuba become a military certified scuba diver. divers. Physical dive exercises can be Prior to 9-11, Coast Guard divers took physically demanding, and classroom to the water to perform such functions instruction often mirrors that of a college- as hull-integrity inspections, buoy repair level chemistry course. and ice research. With the formation of “Coming here is like getting your mas- the Maritime Safety and Security Teams ters degree in diving,” said Coast Guard located throughout the country, the Lt. Alan Fitzgerald, a student enrolled Coast Guard has increased its efforts to in the Marine Engineering Dive Officer train and certify more of its own mem- Course at the . “The academ- bers to perform homeland security mis- ics alone are pretty tough, because you sions. get into all aspects of diving including “Today, the Coast Guard has 112 bil- physics and medicine. As far as physical lets as certified divers, and we train 40- fitness, they train you to be strong, so you 50 Coast Guard members each year to can handle yourself under the surface.” sustain that number,” said Chief Petty With courses ranging from the scuba Officer Philip Roy of the Coast Guard certification course to the BDO course, Liaison Office at the training center.

U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Thomas Brittingham does a push-up during a physical fitness exercise at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center here. Brittingham is one of seven Coast Guard members enrolled in the center’s joint-service, scuba-certification course

56 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED RIGHT: Coast Guard Ensign Mark Unpingco adjusts a strap on an oxygen tank while USCG Diver feature Petty Officer 3rd Class Shawn Price assists

Two instructors at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center here test a student’s ability to stay calm during a confidence training exercise Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006. The exercise is designed to better prepare scuba students at the training center for real-world emergencies

U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Philip Roy Guard—it doesn’t matter. Everyone here is Roy. “They want to get through this pro- leads a class of 25 scuba students on a run an equal and is expected to live up to the gram, and being surrounded by that level Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, near the Naval Diving same physical fitness standards set forth by of energy is inspiring.” and Salvage Training Center here. Roy is a the training center. As with any type of military training, certified, military scuba diver and works at the Prior to the start of class, candidates the US Coast Guard trains its divers from training center to assist students in obtaining must be able to successfully complete the ground zero. Regardless if students arrive their scuba certification. U.S. minimum fitness standards, including a at the school with a recreational dive timed fitness course. certification, they must still complete the can’t draw too many parallels between All aspects of training are taken very course. Previous dive experience is not a civilian and military training.” seriously. When underwater, if an emer- requirement for school, nor will it ensure a Lt. j.g. Rachel Beckmann recently com- gency occurs, a diver must go through the student’s success. pleted the basic scuba course and is proper before reaching “The level of training the students now enrolled in the Marine Engineering the surface or he could suffer grave conse- receive is comparable to what a recrea- Dive Officer Course. “The goal of the five- quences, yet despite the inherent dangers tional diver would,” said Roy. “But because week scuba course is to basically take associated with underwater diving, the our student’s are training to become mili- someone with no diving experience and atmosphere remains positive. tary divers, they have much more dive train them to be a certified diver. The “Being a volunteer program, the stu- time and exposure to the water than one whole course was really intense, but it felt dents who are here, want to be here,” said would receive recreationally. You really very rewarding to complete it,” she said.

57 X-RAY MAG : 18 : 2007 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature USCG Diver

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Clifton Dillehay awaits instruction to begin a diving execise in a 12-foot dive pool at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training center. Dillehay is one of 25 students at the training center enrolled in the scuba course

On the job dive teams can work independently US$150 to $240 each month while sta- Upon completion of the course, stu- from the ship, reducing response time tioned at an operational dive unit. dents move on to perform certain and cost, Roy said. The teams can per- The challenge for anyone wishing to job functions most people only read form all of the same functions as the become a military certified scuba diver about—diving under polar ice in the tender crew can and are often flown to is great, but with successful completion, Arctic, sweeping for explosives in the remote Pacific island locations to repair a career as a US Coast Guard diver can nation’s ports and locating sunken and replace navigational aids dam- be a rewarding one. buoys in a field of coral off the coast of aged by typhoons or listed in discrep- Those strong enough to complete the Hawaii. ancy reports. course walk away with a sense of pride Assignments to dive units are rate and accomplishment and will forever specific, and a certified diver can Compensation be known as a member of the elite be assigned to any of the US Coast Certification as a Coast Guard scuba corps of US Coast Guard divers. ■ Guard’s MSSTs, any of the service’s diver also carries with it the added polar-class icebreakers and fourteenth benefit of a pay increase. Because of district buoy tenders. the nature of the job, divers receive an Scuba Students await instruc- While stationed aboard buoy tenders, incentive pay ranging anywhere from tions on how to inflate their vest at the bottom of a 12-foot pool

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Students at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center here gather and wait for a briefing on their next dive exercise. Twenty-five students are enrolled in the training center’s scuba course, and if they suc- cessfully complete the course, they will re-enter the fleet as military-certified scuba divers

Do you have what it takes to be a US Coast Guard Diver?

To enroll in the Coast Guard 500 yard swim (side or breast dive program, you must: stroke) within 14 minutes 10 minute rest • Be an active-duty member and vol- 42 push-ups unteer to participate in the program 2 minute rest 50 sit-ups • Be under 35 years old 2 minute rest 6 pull-ups • Have an ASVAB score of 10 minute rest AR+WK=104 and MC=50 1.5 mile run within 12 minutes, 45 seconds

• Have no marks less than four Eligible candidates undergo an inter- within the last six months view process, medical exam, physical screening and tolerance test. • Be in any rate other than aviation Lastly, a command endorsement com- pletes your application package. • Be able to complete a physi- For more information on the program, cal fitness course as outlined: please contact the US Coast Guard Liaison Office at (850) 235-5244.

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Column by IMAGES THIS PAGE COURTESY OF DIVEPSYCH.COM David F Colvard, MD

Nitrogen narcosis, or “rapture of beginning of exposure to compressed air the deep,” is one of those things and did not change with time at depth. In other words, compressed air that some divers like to joke at depth makes you stupid and slow and about but really is no laughing clumsy, not exactly worthy goals. matter. (Pun intended) While a In the winter of 2004, I conducted a recreational diver is far more poll of 1,984 divers and asked, “In 2003, did you experience nitrogen narcosis likely to experience nitrogen on any dive? (light-headedness, eupho- narcosis than decompression ill- ria, elation, laughter, poor coordina- ness, we know much less about tion, slowed thinking, poor judgment, or If you want to kiss a jellyfish, you are narced for sure the exact physiological mecha- reckless behavior)” and at what depth they began to experience it. Only 20% less susceptible to nitrogen narcosis me he stopped diving on the West Coast nism of nitrogen narcosis than of males (n=1,523) and 18% of females or “stupidity of the deep” than you. because he no longer felt safe in the that of DCI. Unfortunately, both (n=461) admitted to having any signs or For starters, remember the “Mar- water with so many “high” divers. I hope can result in a diver fatality, the symptoms of nitrogen narcosis while div- tini Rule” that states that the symp- he was exaggerating the extent of the ing in 2003 and most of those reported toms of nitrogen narcosis are similar problem. first from being bubbly drunk that it began when they were deeper to being inebriated and that every Professional tech diver , who and foolish and the second from than 90 feet. 50 feet of depth is like having one made a record dive to 452 feet on air in being bubbled up. Is it possible that all the other divers martini. Therefore, the first thing 1989, developed a simple low tech test stayed above 60 feet on all their dives in you want to avoid is a dive buddy for nitrogen narcosis: Every few minutes, So, when we were on Bonaire a few 2003? Not likely. It is far more likely that who starts out the dive day with a hold up a number of fingers to your years ago on Father’s Day and my they under-reported their symptoms, couple of 50 foot alcoholic drinks or buddy (say, three fingers). He has to daughter, Stacy, gave me a T-shirt that either because they either failed to rec- who is still hung over from a night of respond with the same number plus one read, “I’ve got nitrogen narcosis. What’s ognize them or to remember them. There heavy drinking. Just like there is no (four fingers). “If you really wanted to your excuse?” I was not quite sure how can be wide individual susceptibility to such thing as having “one for the screw a guy up,” writes Gilliam in his book to take the message. I assumed it might nitrogen narcosis. That is another good road’ when driving, there is no such , “you gave him all five fin- have been a critique of my fanatical reason to dive with a reliable buddy thing as having “one for the dive.” gers and then he had to use both diving. Surely, she could not have been so you can check on each other. Just Antihistamines, antiseasickness hands to come up with a six-finger re- referring to my charming personality. That make sure he/she is less susceptible than drugs and patches, sleeping pills sponse.” So, if you want to check on your is one of the big problems with nitrogen you. Fortunately, the impairment from and some other medications can dive buddy’s state of nitrogen narcosis, narcosis. You probably don’t even know nitrogen narcosis resolves rapidly with multiply the sedative-hypnotic- then ask him or her to give you more than you have it at the time. decompression. Of course, this assumes like effect of nitrogen narcosis, so one finger. In 1935, Behnke et al found that even you have not already gotten yourself into you can risk diving stupidly and slowly watch out for those, too. Marijuana also David F. Colvard, M.D., is a private at just 66 feet (3 ATM), breathing com- trouble thinking you are invincible. and clumsily at more than 60 feet (3 emphasizes the anesthetic-like action of psychiatrist and clinical investigator in pressed air produced “euphoria, retarda- ATM). Or, you can dive relatively safely at high pressure nitrogen at depth. It is best Raleigh NC, and a . He hosts tion of the higher mental processes and Recognizing the signs less than 60 feet all the time. And last but to avoid it and divers who use it if you www.DivePsych.com which provides impaired neuromuscular coordination.” According to my poll in 2004, over 80% of not least, you can dive with a dive buddy want to dive safely. evidence-based information for divers on At 100 feet (4 ATM) he found even more scuba divers fail to recognize or remem- who will check on you. Whoa, I knew Back in 2000, when I started doing psychological and stress factors in scuba impairment in divers. What is especially ber having any signs or symptoms of nitro- there had to be a reason for the buddy research in , a retired inter- divers. ■ scary is that it occurred from the very gen narcosis. So, what can you do? Well, system. This assumes your dive buddy is nationally renowned diving scientist told

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