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Scubatlon Environmental Protection as a Sport Text and photos by Andrey Alexandrov 34 X-RAY MAG : 88 : 2018 EDITORIAL FEATURESTranslated TRAVEL by Andrey NEWS Bizyukin WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO feature Scubatlon
Over the last half century, scuba diving—which was, in its ear- lier days, reserved for the elite, brave and courageous—has become a mainstream sport for the masses. On the one hand, this is very good. Millions of peo- ple get to see with their own eyes how diverse and excit- ing the underwater world is. On the other hand, diving causes serious damage to coral reefs, which are rich in biodiversity, but extremely vulnerable to human impact. In a response to the div- ing community’s demand for more protection of the reefs and the underwater realm, a group of divers came up with the idea of Scubatlon—a tournament in tra- ditional recreational diving with a conservation bent.
How it all started but a quite down-to-earth person. The project that demand. It was a response to the "We are not making enough money from The problems of my dive center in Mos- The idea of Scubatlon was not to invent demand for nature protection, which our dive center, but we enjoy it immense- cow, which at that moment had existed artificial tournaments, but to introduce had developed in the diving community. ly," said science fiction writer Arthur C. for about 15 years, were very much the elements of competition into traditional When creating my first films about the Clarke sitting in his wheelchair. The rus- same as what Clarke was describing. The recreational diving. This is actually how underwater world, I wanted to include an tling of palm trees and the ocean waves flow of tourists was growing steadily, but the name for the event was created, epigraph: “Look and never dive.” Howev- could be heard just outside. At his home people’s attitudes towards the ocean which consisting of two words: scuba, er, one cannot achieve much with bans. in Colombo, Sri Lanka, I met with Clarke were changing at a much slower pace and a variant of the Ancient Greek word We had to look for more realistic solutions. while shooting a documentary about his than the disappearance of coral reefs. athlon, áthion or atlon, meaning compe- The start of the Scubatlon project helped work in science fiction. The ocean is huge, but as it turns out, the tition or contest. It was my opinion that me to get a load off my mind. The new Just prior to that, we had been talking for places that are interesting and acces- the most euphonic combination of these slogan was “Environmental Protection as a long time about the future of humankind sible to divers are not so numerous. Over terms was Scubatlon. a Sport.” Rather than making up com- and civilization on Earth. But after hearing the last couple of decades, the reefs in Little had to be devised for the project petitions for divers, we created a sports his words about diving, I saw in front of me the Red Sea, for example, have been itself. It was born organically, combin- discipline to help develop safe diving. not just the great master of science fiction, practically trampled down. ing demand and opportunities to meet Author with science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke
35 X-RAY MAG : 88 : 2018 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO THIS PAGE: Learning proper buoiyancy skills in order to protect coral reefs is a key motivation and goal driving the development of the Scubatlon competi- tion; The glowing obstacle course rings were tested on sharks first (bottom right), which passed with flying colors, and then on beginner level divers, who Scubatlon feature ended up damaging the expensive rings. So, the glowing rings were then used only with advanced divers, and metal rings were used with beginners.
dred million years ago, there was one, but now, it does not exist. Or, rather, it’s still there, but deep underground. Well, go and try to explain this to people who want to dive right now. A swimming pool, in its traditional form, is a very poor alternative to the sea. Staring at the patterns on the swimming pool walls is not as ex- citing as communication with live creatures in nature. Certainly, dive club events can be organized with some artificial activities in the swimming pool, but this is not very entertaining. Having realized these problems, we tried to resolve them. One of the tasks was to teach divers good manners, and in such a way that the process was interesting to
Returning students there was a will, there was The first Scubatlon contest was a way to teach them. held by our dive club in 2005, the The second category of same year the Scubatlon Associa- open water divers believed tion was created. I was the As- that they could dive well, sociation President. By that time, proudly displayed their cer- our dive club had existed for more tificates and did not want than 20 years already. Over this to learn how to dive in a period of time, we faced the is- nice fashion. Or, rather, the sue of some of our students, who thought just did not cross had completed the training and their minds. traveled to the sea, returning to us with a request to teach them to Buoyancy is key “dive correctly”. We all knew the There are a lot of courses problems that recently-certified available at dive centers open water divers caused on the to help improve and work coral reefs. They were the ones on buoyancy. The problem who damaged the reef most dur- was that they were a trifle ing their first dives. boring. The course results were not tests, but you were also improving And the remarkable thing was immediately visible—maybe, that them all the time. that many of these students came was why they were not very popu- back to our training, having felt lar. With Scubatlon, the situation Location the responsibility for the reef and was precisely the opposite. Not The second problem was a geo- its inhabitants. The situation with only did you acquire buoyancy graphical one. Nowadays, there these divers was quite clear. If skills while preparing for the con- is no sea in Moscow. Two hun-
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participants and the result was evident. By combining training and games, Scu- batlon became an obvious response to the demand for more protection of the reefs. It was a game with a practical re- sult. In scuba diving courses, we taught people to dive nicely, to manage air consumption and not to brush against anything when diving. The contests were aimed at developing these skills. Traditionally, the contests are held at night. That is why the name of our event is Scubatlon Night. This is a so- called tribute to tradition. Combining traditions In addition to an underground sea, Mos- cow has other remarkable phenomena. For example, there is a custom here to celebrate the Old New Year on the nights of the 13th and the 14th of Janu- ary. It is hard to understand at the first glance, but there is a logical explana- tion to it. The church in Russia lives by the Julian calendar; it is called the Orthodox Church for a reason. The state, however, follows the Gregorian calendar. So, everybody is happy about an
extra holiday, and divers in Russia found a This moment threatened to divide the very good application for it. Many Russian competition into two unequal parts. But the dive centers have a tradition of seeing the issue was resolved by the competition itself. Old New Year in underwater. Considering In the heat of action, nobody noticed the the not-so-long history of scuba diving, this start of the Old New Year. event has already turned into a “beautiful old custom.” Requirements and conditions Due to its age, our dive club was one of In the beginning, there were no limits. the founders of the Old New Year tradition. Divers holding beginning level certificates The event went as follows. At ten o’clock in of any generally-accepted diver training the evening, the pool closed for the visitors system were admitted to the starting level and a variety of contests and relay races competitions. The requirements of the started underwater. We saw that all we competition were most-closely related to had to do was just replace these activities “combat” restrictions. There was a mini- with our Scubatlon competitions. mum of “academic” restrictions. But traditions are strong. The culmination The participants swam the obstacle of the celebration had been seeing the Old course with the equipment they used for New Year in underwater with champagne. open water diving. One could argue, The challenge tests divers' management of air consumption and buoyancy skills.
37 X-RAY MAG : 88 : 2018 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO THE DEFINITION OF DIVING Scubatlon NAUI ANGE OR LOS PO 0 SALE! ST $3 LIMITED TIME O FFER JU T-SHIRTS NOW Get an ADDITIONAL $15 HIRIRTS! 10% OFF ON ALL T-S
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Obstacle courses vary with increasing levels of difficulty
age to the environment. could not predict the response of There was no need to buy divers accustomed to open water. special equipment for There were some doubters, who the contest. All gear and spoke out quite harshly against our special options used for initiative. But critics will be critics, it Courses & Workshops Meetings & Updates Reception & Ceremony improving your streamlin- is always easier to criticize. ing and buoyance on the As it turned out, our fears were NAUI CD/IT Requalification NAUI Annual General Membership NAUI Awards Ceremony competition track would unfounded. The first competition Workshop Meeting • Thur., Nov. 15, 3:00 - 3:45 p.m., come in handy during the was a great success. But with the • Tue., Nov. 13, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., • Thur., Nov. 15, 4:00 - 4:45 p.m., Las Vegas Convention Center, recreational diving obsta- first admirers of the event ap- Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Convention Center, Room: N243 cle course. peared the first problems. Sudden- Room: N213 Room: N243 NAUI Member Reception Any configuration ly, we discovered that all the par- NAUI First Aid Instructor Workshop NAUI Member Update • Thur., Nov. 15, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., was allowed, including ticipants were different in height • Sat., Nov. 17, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., • Fri., Nov. 16, 10:00 - 10:45 a.m., Las Vegas National Golf Club wetsuits or drysuits. The and constitution. We managed to • Sun., Nov. 18, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Las Vegas Convention Center, mandatory conditions resolve this problem by placing the Las Vegas Convention Center, Room: N241 included an octopus, an obstacles in the obstacle course Room: N213 NAUI Standards & Policies Update analogue pressure gauge at an angle to each other and at Don’t miss your chance to meet with • Thur., Nov. 15, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m., on a console, and tank different heights. It then became NAUI Leadership • Sat., Nov. 17, 4:00 - 4:45 p.m., capacity no less than 12 possible to pass the track only by Las Vegas Convention Center, liters. The exception was using a helicopter turn and by Room: N241 which is better: BCD or wing? the 11.3-liter aluminum tank, as its altering buoyancy. Lately, the argument also includes dimensions were close enough to We also had to simplify the track REGISTER NOW! DISCOVER MORE AT NAUI.ORG/EVENTS/DEMA-SHOW-2018/ sidemount. Each diver selects the 12 liter steel tank. a little. For example, the obstacle what he or she considers bet- consisting of two rings lying hori- Booth ter. Everybody must comply with Response & improvements zontally, one over the other, turned Tel: +1 813.628.6284 • Fax: +1 813.628.8253 the following principles: personal Of course, we were very nervous out to be too complicated for #1533 [email protected] • www.naui.org safety, convenience and no dam- before the first competition. We divers who were at the beginner
XRay_DEMA18_Full-Page38 X-RAY 215X280mm.indd MAG 1 : 88 : 2018 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS9/21/18 10:55EQUIPMENT AM BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO In order to improve pass--through capacity, two parallel obstacles courses were instituted and an assistant judge was added to reposi- feature tioned rings bumped by participants. Scubatlon as much as a spaceship. The process contest. Following the already estab- turned out to be labor-intensive and ex- lished syllabus, we included elements of pensive. the games in the training. Each lesson The first testers of the glowing rings were ended with working on how to pass one sharks. No issues with them. But it did not of the obstacles of the Scubatlon obsta- go so well with actual divers. cle course. It turned out that the glowing rings This was a very important moment for were quite vulnerable to some of these students, as they could see the results “fin-footed mammals.” Since we admit- immediately. The students then became ted everyone in our contests, not look- more motivated to take part in the con- ing at the participants’ skill level, the first test and compare their skills with those of obstacle course of rings was destroyed. others. One can make hundreds of dives The problem was resolved by dividing and collect a stack of plastic cards, but the participants into groups. The contests the objective indicator of the skill to dive with an obstacle course of metal rings expertly and safely for the environment is were open to everyone holding a diver easily tested by the Scubatlon obstacle certificate. The glowing ring obstacle course, where all the participants are on course was limited to only those who has equal footing. passed the Scubatlon Scuba Master spe- I would like to note that the Scubatlan cial training course. Association, as a matter of principle, does not conduct beginner level diving train- Scubatlon Scuba Master ing, as this process is already well organ- In addition to buoyancy training, this ized. Our training is for certified divers. We course also prepared students for the accept the certificate of any of gener-
level. So, we left only one ring. How- ever, there were expert divers who managed to pass the whole line of obstacles with twin tanks. The track time of each participant was fixed. The more participants, the more time it took. The competition became a night-long event. In order to improve the pass-through capac- ity, we made two parallel obstacle courses. This solved one problem and added another. Now we had two participants diving at the same time, so we had to add a judge and an assistant judge who could restore the course after negligent divers disrupt- ed obstacles. Our varied depth pool, which had a 10x12m deep section, started to look Special effects At first, the task was easy. like a marine mammal pen. In addition to There was some gloom in the underwater But the rings had to be passing the obstacle course, its restora- landscape, which was due to the alu- light, strong, have positive tion and result assessment, divers all also minum rings and standard lighting of the buoyancy in fresh water, had to stay clear from each other. The swimming pool. We wanted to make the keep their shape at the underwater scene became lively and action in the pool look more like a stage depth without deforming, much more fun. show, so we got the idea of using glow- and on top of it all, they ing rings. had to glow and not cost
39 X-RAY MAG : 88 : 2018 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO With the surprising popularity of the con- test, it has expanded to an international tournament, with contests taking place feature in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Scubatlon ally-accepted training system, Since 2015, the tournament is Moscow’s city limits. In Russia, the beginning with Open Water Diver held in five stages over a year. At contests are also held in the Urals or One-Star Diver level, or similar each stage, there is a winner. The and in the Far East. certifications. results of the five stages defines the Cup finalists. The competitions Online training & workshops Expansion & development are held as individual and team To prepare instructors and judges, A big surprise was that the con- all-around events. The Cup itself is we use online training in addition test, which started as an internal a perpetual trophy and has been to workshops. The online training club entertainment event, quickly passed to winning dive developed into something bigger. clubs since 2017. The idea was taken up by other Diving equipment dive clubs. The started holding manufacturers have their own internal contests and also gotten caught up regular training sessions. Step by in the idea. Winners step, the competitions between now receive awards dive clubs developed into the at the Cup stages and Scubatlan Cup. Now various dive at the regular contests. clubs send their teams to the Scu- At the Cup stages, the batlan Cup stages. awards are presented A “side effect” of the all these by TUSA. The Cup final- training sessions and contests is a ists get the Aqua Lung Open water contests continuous improvement in divers’ awards, and the winner Naturally, from the very first days buoyancy skills. As of today, there receives a regulator of development, we were tempt- are now several levels of difficulty from LEGEND. ed to hold the contest in open in the obstacle courses designed These days, Scubat- water. A pool is the least-evil solu- for different levels of participants. lon steps far beyond tion, but we had to try. First, we set up the glowing obstacle course in Hurghada. We held a contest at the Dahab lighthouse. The main problem with contests in open water is the currents. In Hurghada, we found a suitable place—a closed space without currents, with depths of 6 to 7m. We set up the obstacle course… and the first one to get in there was a sea turtle. Looks like animals like the idea too! We also organized the contests in the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey. experience proved to be very tor certificate from one of the Now, having gained some experi- useful for international certifica- generally-accepted dive training ence, we are preparing to hold tion. A Scubatlon Scuba Master systems. Respectively, a judge the Scubatlon Cup competitions in instructor has a right to teach a should be certified as a Dive- open water. We hope, this move- relevant course and judge the master, Three-Star Diver, or similar ment will continue to expand, and contests. A judge, respectively, is certification at the corresponding we look forward to meeting you at authorized to assist the instructor skill level. Since the project is still the competitions. when training and to judge the developing, we offer some free contests. instructor and judge certificates For more information, visit: To certify for a Scubatlon instruc- for new regions and countries. scubatlon.com/en/ tor, one needs to have an instruc-
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