Miranda K Portfolio BALI

Italy Polluce Wreck History The Frogmen GLOBAL EDITION October - November Ecology 2005 Number #7 Mangrove Science Salt

Profile Miranda K Portfolio BALI

MichaelCOVER PHOTO BY PETER SYMES Portelly 1 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 Tulamben DIRECTORY X-RAY MAG is published by AquaScope Underwater Photography Copenhagen, Denmark - www.aquascope.biz www.xray-mag.com

PUBLISHER CO- EDITORS Goby on sponge. Tulamben, Bali. Indonesia & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrey Bizyukin - Caving, Peter Symes Equipment, Medicine [email protected] Michael Arvedlund - Ecology contents MANAGING EDITOR Dan Beecham - Photography & ART DIRECTOR Michel Tagliati - Videography, Gunild Pak Symes Rebreathers, Medicine [email protected] Leigh Cunningham ADVERTISING - Technical Diving The Americas + Asia-Pacific: Edwin Marcow Claude Jewell, USA - Sharks, Adventures International sales manager [email protected] REGULAR WRITERS Europe + Africa: John Collins - Ireland Michael Bremner, UK Nonoy Tan - The Philippines [email protected] Amos Nachoum - CA, USA South East Asia: Robert Aston - CA, USA Catherine GS Lim, Singapore Bill Becher - CA, USA [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Internet-advertising: Bridget Hedderman Deb Fugitt, USA [email protected] Jesper Meyer Michael Arvedund, PhD SENIOR EDITOR Naako Morimoto Michael Symes Andrey Byzuikin, PhD [email protected] Miranda Krestovnikoff TECHNICAL MANAGER Leigh Cunningham Søren Reinke Enrico Cappeletti [email protected] Gianluca Mirto CORRESPONDENTS Richard Stewart John Collins - Ireland Michael Portelly Edwin Marcow Yann Saint-Yves - France mini-theme: Salt mini-theme: Salt mini-theme: Salt Jordi Chias - Spain Svetlana Murashkina, PhD 15 36 42 45 46 plus... TULAMBEN PROFILE: SCIENCE SCIENCE MANGROVE Enrico Cappeletti - Italy Gary Myors BALI, INDONESIA MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFF SALT OF THE SEA DRINKING SEAWATER CONSERVATION Gary Myors - Tasmania Yann St. Yves EDITORIAL 3 BY PETER & GUNILD SYMES TV-PRESENTER BY MICHAEL SYMES BY MICHAEL SYMES BY BRIDGET HEDDERMAN Marcelo Mammana - Argentina Gunild Pak Symes NEWS 4 Svetlana Murashkina - Russia Michael Symes NEW EQUIPMENT 34 Tomas Knutsson - Iceland Peter Symes BOOKS 65 Jeff Dudas - CA, USA out of Italy out of Italy out of Italy 53 66 73 80 93 CLASSIFIEDs & Barb Roy - WA, USA CARTOONS: THE AMAZING TALE ABOUT HISTORY: MANUFACTURER: ROYAL TASMANIA PORTFOLIO & WET N WIERD 87 Garold Sneegas - KS, USA Simon Cooke POLLUCE WRECK, ITALY THE FIRST FROGMEN TECHNISUB - THE STORY THE BLACK WATERS TRIBUTE TO BY ENRICO CAPPELETTI BY SVEN ERIK JØRGENSEN BY ANDREY BIZYUKIN, PHD BY GARY MYORS MICHAEL PORTELLY CARTOONS 97 Further info on the Contacts page of our website: www.xray-mag.com

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50 62 74 87 click here: COVER PHOTO TECHNICAL MATTERS: UWPHOTOGRAPHY: SHARK TALES: THE LIFE IN Soft coral as elegant as a cherry branch SOLO OR NOT? MANIPULATION? JAWS - 30 YEARS ANEMONE CITY www.xray-mag.com/refer Photo by Peter Symes. Tulamben, Bali BY LEIGH CUNNINGHAM BY PETER SYMES BY EDWIN MARCOW BY MICHAEL ARVELUND

2 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 Amsterdam Barcelona Cape Town Chicago Copenhagen London Moscow Okinawa Oslo Paris Ravenna Reykjavik San Francisco Sharm El Shiekh Warsaw editorial

Some of our dive location adver- Recently, we had bombs in And we must not forget the other tisers are probably not going to London and in Sharm el Sheikh. main part of the whole tragedy. be too happy with me for this edi- The Londoners had seen it all It’s always the locals who get hurt torial. It is about terrorism. “Why a couple of times before, and the most from terrorism, directly bring up such a depressing sub- amidst the apprehension, they as well as economically. They are ject, which may even make our stood up and once more refused left with the pain and devastated clients think twice about coming to let their way of life be affected. businesses when we tourists check out to see us?” I hear them say. Following the bombs in Sharm onto our flights home and don’t Because it is in the back of our el Sheikh, which, while they were come back. minds anyway, that’s why. obviously meant to hurt Egypt’s all important tourism industry, para- Bali So, let’s face it instead of sweep- doxically and sadly killed mostly a In this issue, the travel story is ing it under the carpet. The lot of Egyptian workers and dam- about Bali. There are a thousand good news is that a lot of travel- aged a lot of Egyptian property good reasons to go to Bali as lers are staring the terrorists in the and businesses. there are to go to a lot of other face and refusing to be subdued fine dive locations in the world. by their destructive activities. Even so, travellers didn’t want to Yet, given a range of choices, Divers want to go diving no mat- cancel their trips. When travel when we visited Asia earlier this ter what, and this might be the agencies cancelled their flights, year, we opted to go to Bali very best anti- because we wanted to put the dote to terror- spotlight back on an island which ism—showing was hit hard by a big terrorist that we are not Brave New World attack a couple of years back. shaken... per- This may not be the most pro- haps stirred, but Brave New Citizens fessional of reasons, but it has not shaken. a global objective. There surely A couple years ago, the dev- they had customers scolding are numerous other locations astating events on 9/11 changed them for giving in to terrorism. It out there that are also worthy our traditional views overnight seems that the general public has and deserving of a visit with all of the world and our safety. come to a new realisation that the promotional spin-offs a major Trips were cancelled and the we can’t withdraw ourselves from magazine article affords them. airlines, the tourist industry and this problem. We need to face it But the positive changes in Bali a lot of local dependants all suf- out there. We can’t hide at home since the terrorist attack speak fered great losses. It is just human anyway. And we shouldn’t. volumes about the local people nature to react, to retract and to and their resilience to disaster. It be scared when our picture of But it isn’t what the George is a story we are seeing a lot of the world and of our daily lives is Bush’es, Tony Blairs and top around the world lately. shaken to the core—down to the brass military state on t.v. that Fanatical religiously-based ter- bedrock—as was the case back will make the difference. We all rorism will hopefully be confined then. know what they are going to say to a limited space in history, just Then came SARS (remember anyway, and we have heard all as the political terrorism we had in that, anyone?) topped off with their standard phrases before. Europe in the 1970’s and 80’s did. a tsunami in the Indian Ocean It is what you and I do that will Those terrorist activities are now that devastated areas from Asia make a difference. If we stand pretty much a thing of the past. to Africa and sent a shock wave our ground, the terrorists will lose What can we do? Dive on! throughout the dive and travel the war. industry world-wide. We salute you fellow travellers. ■

3 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED That’s a’spicey

News edited by Peter & Gunild Symes NEWS Lots of new Marine Life Map of the Artic be thriving in the extreme cold of the first squid under a lid of ice currently 1-21 and octopus meters thick. These unexpected ever found in populations have been sheltered the area as well under the Artic ice for millennia. as new species The US Coast Guard Cutter of comb jellyfish, Healy sailed 24 scientists from sea anemones the US, Canada, Russia and and benthic the study of China on the 30-day Hidden bristle worms. the impact Ocean expedition coordinated They also found of climate and funded by the US National two species of change, Oceanic and Atmospheric amphipods, or energy Administration (NOAA). The inde- sand flea-like exploita- pendent Census of Marine Life crustaceans, tion, fishing involved eleven of these scien- which were pre- and ship- tists in an unprecedented 10- viously thought ping. These year global scientific collabora- not to exist in tools included a remotely oper- tion to inventory the biodiversity Artic environments. In addition, ated underwater vehicle, under- of the seas in order to create a scientists found a sponge with a ice cameras and SCUBA divers, comprehensive portrait of life in calcium-based skeleton at a sur- pelagic nets, an ice corer, ben- the oceans. prising depth of 4,500 meters. thic camera platforms and box The scientists of the expedition The expedition employed a cores. Scientists said that modern returned with thousands of speci- number of tools and high tech technology has enabled them mens from the isolated ocean, equipment to gather specimens to obtain comprehensive high- the Canada Basin, as well as at 14 locations and data from resolution mid-water and seafloor THIS PAGE: photos of various marine ani- the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. depths to 3,300 meters below the images of the area and its crea- mals discovered by the explorers ot the Artic. Courtesy of NOAA. Explorers of the Artic have found Some of these specimens appear ice, which will prove important in tures like never before. Arctic Marine a surprising density and diversity to be new of marine life – some creatures to science. Life Diversity & are new species yet to be identi- The expedi- fied. tion’s scien- Density Higher tists’ early High numbers of large Arctic findings than Expected squid, cod, jellies and other include the creatures have been found to discovery

Members of the expedition to the Artic 4 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news Edited by Peter Symes & Gunild Symes

THIS PAGE: Marine animals discovered by Plans to study the Antarctic explorers of the Artic. Courtesy of NOAA. in a similar expedition are in the making. The Antarctic expedition will be funded by with a $525,000 grant from the New York-based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and led by Australian Antarctic Division in Hobart. It will involve powerful force flowing west to up to 200 scientists from 30 differ- east at 145 million cubic meters ent countries and cover 35 million of water per second, in genetic square kilometres in the Southern diversity of the seas. Ocean. Scientists want to study With DNA research collected the role of the recently identified from the expedition, scientists Antarctic Circumpolar Current, a hope to piece together the history of marine evolution. ■

LEFT: The US Coast Guard Cutter Healy

All photos this page courtesy of NOAA

indicate that climate itation is loading Can Sea Ice on the Rise change may have dif- sea ice with addi- ferent impacts on each tional snow, which in the Antarctic be due end of the planet. then becomes Counter to main- so heavy that to Global Warming? stream thinking that it pushes the climate changes cause Antarctic sea ice In a recent study, researchers from NASA the melting of glaciers and sea ice in the under the surface of the water. The snow have found that the increase of precipita- Artic, the study’s simulation findings sug- then freezes and creates thicker sea ice. tion due to warmer air temperatures from gest that a counterintuitive phenomenon is While the findings of the study were greenhouse gases might actually be help- in effect in the Antarctic. made through computer-generated simu- ing to increase the volume of sea ice in Warming climate typically leads to lations, plans to corroborate the findings the Southern Ocean of Antarctica. It is evi- increased melting rates of sea ice cover through long-term ice thickness meas- TOP & ABOVE: Scientists of dence that there is a potential asymmetry and increased precipitation rates. But in urement on location is a goal for future the expedition in action. between the North and South Poles. It may the Southern Ocean, the increased precip- research. ■ Courtesy of NOAA.

5 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news Deep-sea city of eels Bacteria discovered Edited by discovered in the Antarctic Peter Symes & Large numbers of eels near a South Pacific deep-sea Bacteria are known to survive and indeed thrive in envi- Gunild Symes volcano surprise divers and researchers. ronments of extreme heat such as hot springs. Now they have been found to thrive in environments of extreme Hundreds of eels were discovered slithering around cold as well. Researchers accidentally discovered large the seafloor of a volcano near American Samoa this numbers of bacteria and clams on the ocean floor in spring. Nicknamed Eel City, marine scientists were March while exploring the Antarctic waters that became astounded to find its huge eel population, which is a accessible after the 2002 collapse of the Larsen B Ice discovery that is said to be unprecedented in ocean Shelf. research. The deep-sea community is the first known Found at a depth of 2,800 feet (933 meters) in an area to be dominated by eels. isolated under ice for over 10,000 years, the bacteria Researchers from the Scripps Institute of form a white sheet up to one centimeter thick upon Oceanography and other institutions used submersi- which clusters of clams lie. The discovery leads scientists bles to explore the volcano this spring on an expedi- to theorize that the chance of life in even more extreme tion of the crater summit of Vailulu’u. Indeed, the sci- environments may be possible. In addition, the bacteria entists also found a new volcano growing in its crater may hold secrets to life without photosynthesis or proper- summit. ties such as enzymes that could be used in industry for The emerging 1,000-foot (333 meter) volcano various needs. It is not known at this time how the bacte- located 2,000 feet (666 meters) below the surface is ria survive or what their food source is. ■ named Nafanua after the Samoan goddess of war. According to geologists at Scripps, Nafanua is growing 8 inches (20 cm) per day. It is not known what Scientists discover new COURTESY OF ROLF PEDERSEN, UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN, NORWAY the eels are feeding upon, but it is known that there Vent sites are discovered along the Arctic Ridge are thick mats of bacteria around the volcano that are suspected to serve as a food source. Antarctic ecosystem near Marine biologist Dr Adele Pile from the University underwater volcano Northern vents of Sydney said, “We were amazed to find not only a very rich hydrothermal system that had a very thick A vast ecosystem has been discovered on the bacterial mat covering it, but living inside of these sea floor under what was once the Larsen B Canada to patrol illegal ﬁshing discovered mats and all the craggles and all the little holes you Ice Shelf, which collapsed in 2002. Scientists, could find in this brand new volcanic rock, were all Amy Leventer and Jimmy Maritz of Colgate in Artic waters for ﬁrst time The most northerly and isolated undersea these eels.” ■ University, used an underwater camera hydrothermal vents have been discovered attached to their boat in may 2004 to capture In an attempt to clamp down on illegal fishing in the far by a Norwegian-led expedition in the Artic. video images of what appeared to be large northern regions of Canada, the federal government will Two vent fields were found north of Mohns mats of bacteria supporting colonies of clams send a frigate to patrol the waters of the Artic for the first Ridge between the island of Spitsbergen 20-30 centimeters in diameter. time. and Iceland. The vents were located 500 The ecosystem, located at a depth of 850 Amid growing pressure to curb over fishing by foreign to 700 metres below the surface, which meters under the ice, is known as a cold seep vessels in the region outside of the 200-mile exclusive eco- is a shallow depth according to marine or cold vent community and is fed by chemi- nomic zone off the East Coast of Canada, the Canadian geologist, Rolf Pedersen, from the University cal energy rather than photosynthesis. It is government is sending the HMCS Fredericton from Halifax of Bergen in Norway who was part of the thought that methane from deep underwater to the Davis Strait, Pond Inlet and Iqaluit to see who is fish- team of experts exploring the area. vents provides the energy source of the eco- ing in the area dn to make their presence and sovereignty Scientists found 50 chimney vents using system. in the area known. Authorities want better monitoring and methane sensors and a robotic subma- The research by Leventer’s team was spon- control over vessels operating in international waters. rine. They recorded temperatures over 250 sored by grants from the National Science The trip is not related to an ongoing dispute that Canada degrees C. What appear to be tube worms Foundation to Hamilton, Colgate, Southern has with Denmark on the claim over Hans Island located were found thriving near the hydrothermal Illinoise University and Montclair State between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. ■ vents. These worms were known only to University. ■ exist in the Pacific prior to the discovery of the northern vents. ■ PHOTO BY ADELE PILE Eel City near Samoa 6 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news Edited by PADI Introduces Peter Symes & PADI announces new Ecotourism Training Gunild Symes Center in Tsunami hit area of Thailand Diving Podcast

PADI Asia Pacific announced the open- The centre will focus on three areas in the programme. The Professional Association of Diving ing of a new Ecotourism Training Center its professional curriculum: computers, The eco-tourism centre now Instructors (PADI) announced that it plans (ETC) on August 4th in Khao Lak, which dive training and English language. The houses a fully accredited to produce a new podcast programme was one of the hardest hit areas of the programme emphasizes environmental English language component devoted to scuba diving. The world-wide tsunami last year in Thailand. The centre, education and sustained tourism. Over provided by the TEFL Teacher scuba diving organization is seeking con- which was the brainchild of US expat nine month, students ages 16 to 41 can Training language institute in tributors for possible broadcast. Reid Ridgway and Swiss national Pascal gain certification as a divemaster or can Phuket as well as a compu- According to a PADI spokesperson, Hernikot, a Khao Lak tsunami survivor, ter lag, video editing suite, PADI wants to involve divers from all over was built in response to the devastation projection screens, dive gear the globe. Content of the future shows of the area and local population by the maintenance laboratory and cover beginning dive training, dive travel tsunami. two long tail boats equipped insights from divers and dive operators, The mission of the centre is to provide for diving and research. environmental issues, the latest dive con- IPOD BY APPLE professional diving instruction to young The first year students, which ditions from specific dive locations, dive men and women affected by the tsu- number 12, will document travellers to return to vacation in the celebrity interviews, first aid and safety nami so they can develop careers in be upgraded to open water instructor if their entire experience on video in order area. information, continuing education and diving and tourism. It aims to help revive they are already divemasters. Students to produce a film to be released at the Although the non-profit organization entertaining news from divers all over the the once thriving international ecotour- will receive 6000 baht per month from one-year anniversary of the tsunami dis- is privately funded, the ETC continues to world. ism destination for divers and naturalists. the ETC for living expenses during the aster. Ridgway said the film would show seek funding from individuals and busi- While other podcasts cover overland According to founders Ridgway and programme. the remarkable resilience of the local nesses to fund student scholarships and issues, PADI’s Scuba Chat plans to cover Hernik, many of their friends in the div- Ridgway and Hernik realized their community and culture as they recover help make the program a permanent the underwater world including sto- ing industry in Khao Lak lost everything dream of the eco-tourism centre with and rebuild. He said it would also high- yearly course for the young people of ries from returning divers, unique diver – homes, jobs, possessions, businesses the help of PADI who was one of the first light the natural beauty above and the region. For more information, visit: behaviour, effects of hurricanes on ship- and many tragically lost their lives. industry leaders to stand up and support below the sea in Thailand to encourage www.etcth.org. ■ wrecks and other serious and fun issues. ■ Speed limits for dolphins Don’t swim DEMA Show will In Ireland, the Department of the Marine has established alternate between new speed limits for boats and other sea vessels in order to protect the growing number of dolphins and whales with the dolphins Las Vegas & Orlando present in Irish waters. Whale-watching boats must not exceed seven knots and In Costa Rica, officials have banned the activity of The American trade show for the diving must stay 100 metres away from the animals. The depart- swimming with dolphins or whales effectively clos- industry, Diving Equipment and Marketing ment also requires these boats to be licensed passenger ing down a highly criticized growing tourism industry Association (DEMA), has announced that vehicles. They must not attempt to coral the whales or dol- according to an environmental group. With the new for the next six years it will be alternat- phins between boats, nor are they allowed to swim with the regulations effective in July, even researchers are not ing its venue between Las Vegas and animals. allowed to swim with the marine animals, nor are they Orlando, Florida. A spokesman said it The dolphin and whale watching industry brought in allowed to hold the mammals in captivity. will be dropping Houston in Texas – the 12.3 million euros in tourism revenue in 2003. According to Tourists pay top dollar in Mexico and the venue of last year’s show. The organisers marine biologists it is becoming more and more important Caribbean to swim with dolphins held in captivity. also said that after this year the four-day to protect dolphins and whales from harassment. The new Environmentalists who feared that the 45 sea tourism show will be at the end of October or companies in the Costa Rica would also start adver- regulations should provide the mammals with more protec- NURC PHOTO BY DOUG KESLING the beginning of November. This year’s tion. ■ tising swimming with the animals, proposed the rules show will be held in Las Vegas from 4-7 A diver swims with wild dolphins to avoid this development. ■ October. ■

7 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED  Odyssey’s Shipwreck & Treasure City Seahorse Inc.   Attraction Opens In New Orleans Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. a Orleans. The ship sank in a hurricane leader in the field of deep-ocean off the coast of Georgia while sail- shipwreck exploration has opened ing from New York to New Orleans an interactive shipwreck and treas- in 1865. Odyssey discovered the ure attraction in New Orleans’ Republic nearly 1,700 feet below French Quarter. Located in the Jax the surface of the Atlantic Ocean Brewery, Odyssey’s Shipwreck & in the summer of 2003 – nearly 138 Treasure Adventure will reveal the years after the ship went down. compelling stories behind some of More than 51,000 gold and silver the world’s most famous shipwrecks, coins, and approximately 13,000 their treasure and historical artifacts, additional artifacts, were recovered and will allow visitors to experience in the world’s most extensive deep- Millions of Sweetlips ocean archaeological excavation. the adventure and excitement of deep-ocean shipwreck exploration The aftermath of Hurricane through multiple hands-on exhibits. Katrina has fortunately left Can’t be Wrong The attraction will feature the SS Odyssey in relatively good shape. Republic, a Civil War-era ship with According to officials, the compa- www.shipwreckandtreasure.com an intriguing connection to New ny’s building in which the attrac- Raja Ampat is our favorite ! tions are housed experienced no flooding, fires or looting. In addition, Odyssey was able to remove all irreplaceable artefacts and  valuables such as coins safely from New Orleans to Florida.  Tampa-based employees have offered their homes and resources  to help the staff and families in the New Orleans location. ■  COURTESY OF ODYSSEY’S SHIPWRECK & TREASURE ADVENTURE Priceless artefacts salvaged from            ancient shipwrecks auctioned     An exhibition, “Treasures of the tory including thousands of Ming exports were traded on this route. Nanhai”, in Malaysia featured blue and white, celadon and Thirty percent of the recovered artefacts from nine 9th and 10th underglaze black ware. Many of items have been donated to the century shipwrecks. In September, the artefacts date from the Song, Department of Museums and  collectors had, for the first time, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Antiquities according to Sjostrand, the opportunity to buy The Chinese, Thai and Portuguese and money earned from the sale  a valuable shipwrecks were discovered off of the relics will be used to fund piece of his- the coast of Malaysia by Nanhai more research and excavations.  Marine Archaeology, a company Divers involved in the recovery of led by Swedish naval architect the artefacts said that while the  Sten Sjostrand. The Nanhai, work was exciting, the process which means Southern Seas of excavation was not easy and  in Chinese, was part of the required knowledge of the depth  Asian Maritime Silk Route that of the sites and focus on the use connected China with Southeast of nitrogen gas, which if inhaled   Asia, India and the Middle East. too much could cause intoxica- WWW.TREASURESOFTHENANHAI.COM Silk, porcelain, pottery and other tion. ■

8 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED http://www.islandpacket.com/news/state/regional/story/ http://www.turkishdailynews.com. 5089949p-4636682c.html tr/article.php?enewsid=19593

Diving in a Quarry? news Underwater archaeologists search New technical dive training site at inland location in Wales Edited by Peter Symes & for 16th century Spanish wreck The newly named National Diving and Gunild Symes In the early 1500s, a Spanish lawyer of Archaeology and Anthropology Activity Centre has been purchased by and explorer named Lucas Vazquez worked from a 25-foot research ves- Exhibitor Limited who plan to develop de Ayllon, sailed down the southeast- sel in Winyah Bay for three weeks the site, which is located in a quarry, into ern coast of North America on a ship in September. Experts say that the one of the UK’s best diving centres. The British team rescues called The Capitana. De Ayllon led Capitana was most likely beaten new centre offers divers some of the best the expedition to the Georgetown apart, but more sturdy objects such as inland diving in the country. Russian submariners area in an attempt to settle a colony anchors, ceramics and a load of olive Depths range from 6 to 80 metres there. It is thought that aboard his ves- oil would remain. according to the diving manager of the Rescue of trapped submariners sel were men, women and children as According to experts, passengers centre who added that safety was a pri- prompts Russia to buy Scorpio well as a large cargo of supplies. The of the Capitana escaped before the mary concern at the centre. To this end, underwater robots galleon met its demise at the mouth ship went down with its cargo of tools the centre has allied itself with the Royal of Winyah Bay according to archae- and food. De Ayllon led his expedi- Society for the Prevention of Accidents After a British rescue team operated ologists who are part of a long-term tion south in 1526 to establish a colony during the course of development. by James Fisher Rumic Ltd used a project to map around 11,000 miles in what is now called Sapelo Island, Permanent signage above and below Scorpio underwater robot to free a (22,000 km) of inland water and over Georgia, but the effort failed after de the surface marks deep water as well as Russian mini-submarine with seven 187 miles (360 km) of South Carolina Ayllon and the colonists died of fever. the deep end of the quarry. submariners trapped underwater for coastline in search of several historic The project covers a very large area Future plans of the new owners of the three days in the Pacific Ocean, the wrecks. and could take months or years to 55 acre site include new hotel accom- Russian navy planned to purchase Spanish Galleon The project received US$6,000 in pri- search, so long-term funding is being modations, road and access entrance, two unmanned devices as well as vate donations to conduct the initial sought from the National Oceanic log cabins and additional outdoor rec- technical support. According to offi- search for The Capitana. The archae- and Atmospheric Administration to reation activities. Some of the activities to cials, the sophisticated Scorpio-45 ologists from the Maritime Research continue the research. ■ be introduced include zip sliding, abseil- underwater robot managed to free Division of the South Carolina Institute ing and 4x4 off road weekends. the Russian Priz AS-28 vessel snagged The centre has extensive training and in nets and equipment at 190 meters rescue facilities including qualified first with just a few hours of oxygen sup- aid personnel, new classrooms, educa- ply left for its sailors. The devices are tional equipment and technology, a 3 not compatible with Russian technol- Excavations of the ancient underwater city of Limantepe resume metre training tank, shop, café, restrooms ogy according to authorities, but the and changing rooms. The centre also has two robots will be handled by Russian Ottoman relics believed to be hidden here full gas blending facilities for nitrox and experts. ■ trimix. Located 2.15 hours drive from the Renewed efforts to excavate the ancient sunken city Hammersmith Fly Over in London, the of Limantepe have begun according to the Dean of centre is a member of the Inland Dive Ankara University Professor Nusret Aras. The underwa- Site Forum, which includes other mem- ter site is located near the coastal town of Urla in the bers such as Capernwray, province of Izmir. Authorities say the excavation will Horsea Island Dive take a lot of hard wok and painstaking conservation by Centre, Stoney the Underwater Research Cneter. The president of the Cove, Vobster Limantepe Archeological Excavation, Professor Hayat Quarry and Erkanal, said that plans now are to launch the excava- Wraysbury. tion with the support of the Urla municipality. Erkanal said For more infor- that there is a need for a museum in Urla to preserve and mation, visit: display the artefacts recovered from the site. Although www.ndac. the Ministry of Culture has halted the opening of new co.uk ■ This image taken by the Scorpio 45 during museums in the country and plans to close some of the the rescue shows the Russian Priz submers- smaller ones, the Mayor of Urla Selçuk Karaosmanoğlu PHOTO COURTESY ible and the mesh of underwater nets and supports the initiative. ■ Divers excavate an ancient underwater city at Limantepe OF NATIONAL steel cables that trapped it 190 meters DIVING AND ACTIVITY CENTRE below the surface with 7 sailors inside

9 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news Sea turtles dying by the thousands in Nicaragua Edited by Green sea turtles protected by Costa Convention on International Trade in rich sea grass beds there. Scientists warn Peter Symes & Rica and other neighboring countries Endagnered Species, that 11,000 green that removing so many adults and large Gunild Symes are being killed by the thousands by the sea turtles are harvested annually by juveniles from the population spells disas- unregulated and unsustainablecommer- Nicaragua for local consumption. ter for the species. This includes the adult cial fishing industry in Nicaragua. A study Experts say that a quota between1,000- turtles from Tortuguero in Costa Rica, by the Wildlife Conservation Society of 3,000 turtles needs to be put into place well known for the turtle nesting beach- the Bronx Zoo found that tagged turtles to save the species. es located on its coast. Scientists Tracked in Nicaragua have little more than a 50 According to scientists, green turtles believe that the largest remaining percent chance of surviving to the next are slow-growing and slow to mature. greenturtle population in the year. Researchers say that if turtle fishing They are the only herbivorous species Atlantic lives in this region. ■ turtles face is not drastically reduced soon, the sea of sea turtle and travel throughout the turtles will vanish in a few years. Caribbean to Nicaragua to graze the diﬀerent fates It is estimated by CITES, the Two Atlantic leatherback turtles fitted with satellite tracking devices in South America Turtles on jellyfish in June this year as part of a monitoring program have met very different ends. One of the turtles swam over 3000 kilometers around trail set a course the Atlantic Ocean while the other turtle died in a fishing net before ever reaching for Scotland the open sea. The second turtle’s demise TURTLE NEWS draws attention to the dangers sea turtles ward face with fishing gear and raises concerns as in the to how the fishing industry can reduce turtle next few bycatch. One solution according to officials Saving Endangered Sea Turtles months. is the use of circular fish hooks that prevent The moon turtles from being caught as well as fishing Sea turtles in Mexico are making a nearby corrals and protected until jellyfish have nets that use Turtle Excluding Devices. While comeback they hatched. Workers from the leatherback turtles, which experienced a huge the second turtle’s life ended tragically, the Kemp’s Ridley Recovery Project can measure up to eight bloom in the region where first turtle’s long journey around the Atlantic The beaches of northeastern Mexico have patrolled the beaches and feet long (2.5 meters), nest tens of thousands of jel- Ocean provided vital evidence of the routes are the only nesting ground for the collected the eggs. in Trinadad and Florida, lyfish are washing up on used by the leatherbacks useful in the better world’s most endangered sea tur- In support of the project, the but can also tolerate the the shores.It is not known understanding and protection of the spe- tle, the Kemp’s Ridley. For millions American shrimping industry helped cooler temperatures of the for certain why the jellyfish cies. The monitoring program was managed of years, these turtles have returned build a community center and waters around Scotland. bloom is occuring, but sci- by WWF. ■ to the beaches now known as La ceramics workshop in the center of Leatherback turtles have entists fear it is just another Pesca, Tepehuajes and Rancho Tepehuajes where locals can create a slightly flexible “rubbery” sign of global warming Nuevo. The female Kemp’s Ridleys hand-crafted turtle related pottery shell and are thelargest since increasing tempera- lay their eggs here each year, but to sell instead of catching sea tur- living turtle. At adulthood, tures produce more plank- only one out of a thousand hatch- tles. The money they make on these the turtles’ core body ton, the food source of the lings make it to adulthood. However, products offsets the income lost from temperature in cold water PETER SYMES jellyfish. with the success of a joint project the prohibition of turtle harvesting. is several degrees cen- The news of the com- by the U.S., Mexico, biologists and Authorities from the shrimping indus- tigrade above the tem- ing of the leatherbacks the shrimping industry, these turtles try said that industry leaders realized Large numbers of leather- perature of the water sur- has prompted calls for are no longer harvested as food by the importance of helping the sea back turtles are headed rounding them. This allows sightings. Marine biologists Mexican communities. turtle make a come back since their toward Scottish waters fol- leatherbacks to thrive say that the turtles should More than 10,000 nests with an disappearance would negatively lowing a surge of jellyfish, in ocean regions where reach Scotland by way other marine reptiles can- average of 100 eggs per nest have affect shrimp stocks in the area. ■ their main food source, MEDIALINK FEATURES of the Gulf Stream. The been successfully transported to which is traveling north- not survive. ■

10 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news

Edited by Peter Symes & Gunild Symes Stopping illegal ﬁshing the scientiﬁc way New initiatives give illegal fishermen an alternative Facility in Darwin has helped up to 60 families way to make a living in Roti Island near Timor to make a new living harvesting seaweed and cultivating sponges. Australian scientists are funding a new project to Although it will be difficult to compete with the curb illegal fishing in Australian waters. It is esti- shark fin market in which fishermen receive up to mated that 20,000 sharks are taken each year by $200 per kilo, tougher protection laws may drive impoverished fishermen from Indonesia who sell fishermen to alternative industries such as the har- the creatures on the Asian market where they vesting of seaweed and sponges. are bought by an increasingly affluent Chinese Australian Navy ships have taken a hard line in population. The program gives these fishermen an the fight against illegal poachers encroaching on alternative source of income through the harvest Australia’s northern fish stocks and threatening to of seaweed and sponges. cause irreversible damage to the marine ecosys- According to Australian experts, seaweed, tem. Operation Clearwater has apprehended up when dried, is a valuable commodity. It is used to 90 illegal fishing vessels. According to the fed- in industrial products and toothpaste. Already eral government, it is the largest ever sea and air the program funded by Arafura Timor Research operation against foreign poachers. ■ NOAA. PHOTO BY JOE HEATH

Seaweed HMAS Brisbane Sharm el Sheikh blast The HMAS Brisbane has been scuttled as part of an artificial reef project in Australia. Nicknamed ‘The Steel Cat’, the HMAS has modest impact on dive tourism Brisbane was a Charles F. Adams class Officials report that the affect of the bombing The death toll of the recent attacks in Sharm guided missile destroyer constructed by attack of a resort in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, has reached 64. However, government officials say the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in the not had the powerful effect on dive tourism as that the tourism flow is far more resilient to these USA. The third ship of this class to be pur- feared. Dive centres in Sharm report events than in previous years. It is thought chased by the Royal Australian Navy, the that diving, while slightly lighter that foreigners are now more used to 133 metre former warship is now part of than normal at this time of year, attacks in other parts of the world and a reef park off the Sunshine Coast. Divers is continuing. Travel agents in are now harder to scare. In addi- can explore the wreck and its passage- Europe say that there have tion, economists say that Egypt’s ways through access holes that lead to been relatively few cancella- economy this year is stronger the forward engine room, boiler room and tions and that most European and more resilient due to the ship’s interior including the living and travellers are not changing their government reform pro- sleeping quarters used by the crew dur- travel plans to the area. grams, tax cuts, rising busi- ing the ship’s service from 1967 to 2001. Egyptian authorities say that ness confidence, high oil Launched in 1966 and commissioned in travellers are not as easily scared prices and healthy world 1967, the HMAS Brisbanecompleted two away as they were after the 1997 growth. The rest of the tours of duty in Vietnam, the first in 1969, bombing that killed 58 tourists at a country is so far unaf- ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY PHOTO and the second in 1971. It was one of four pharaonic temple in the city of Luxor. This fected. ■ HMAS Brisbane Australian warships to serve in the first Gulf tragedy badly affected Egypt’s economy. War in 1990 and 1991. ■ STOCK PHOTO BY PETER SYMES

11 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Researchers Find Recovering Coral Reef

A team of researchers has made a rare, coral are growing up to 14 feet long, valuable and positive find off the coast with lots of holes and therefore the abil- of Antigua: The reef is recovering fast ity to support very large volumes of fish. from an epidemic of “white-band” dis- “Most of the predatory fish are there, ease that attacked the region’s unique, along with herbivorous fish that eat tree-like elkhorn coral and most of the algae, and we”re finding a good mix of coral reefs in the Caribbean are in pretty juvenile fish, which is a sign that this pop- bad shape, ulation will recover” says Dr. McManus. But Antigua’s North Sound, currently However, the North Sound has a under study by Dr. McManus, director of way to go, Dr. McManus cautions. For the University of Miami’s National Centre example, researchers counted only two Manta Network News for Caribbean Coral Reef Research groupers in a five-kilometre area where (NCORE) and his team, boasts an there should have been thousands. Saving Ticao’s Mantas “immense” surface area with good signs Rebuilding the fish community is a vital The body of water within the area of Burias of recovery. Massive thickets of elkhorn but complex task, that needs a plan. ■ island in Sorsogon, and Ticao island in Masbate is known as Ticao pass. Like Donsol’s waters, it has a dense concentration of plankton, krill, and small fish, making it ideal as a feeding ground for mantas. Ticao, one of the three major islands of Masbate, has received scant attention from tourists. Then news of manta sightings in the area that would later on be called the Manta Bowl reached local and foreign divers - mostly Japanese - who started visiting the area to get a glimpse of the friendly creatures close to their hearts. Unlike sightings in dive sites elsewhere, the mantas of Ticao are big. They are also almost a guarantee, aside from the fact that they are known to linger for a while and sometimes even get near adventure-seeking divers. It is Scuba thief estimated that an average of three manta rays are being killed in Ticao every week. This is equivalent to 144 mantas killed each year dies after chase but the number could even be higher. ■ Maritime officials in the Philippines report-

COURTESY OF THE KOREA NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY Read more on how you can help to save ed that a patrol vessel discovered four the giant rays on this link divers looting a shipwreck in Subic Bay. CHINA One diver jumped into the water from the small boat at the site where the USS New Coral Reefs Found Coral Reefs Relocated in India New York sank in 1941. The diver was criti- cally injured in his attempt to escape. He oﬀ Korea NORTH Marine biologists claim success in coral Scientists monitoring the project reported died on the way to the hospital. KOREA relocation in January 2005 that the corals are now A second diver was arrested by offi- The Korea National Park Authority has announced healthy and growing. Funded by Essar Oil cials at the scene and three others are the discovery of a coral colony off the coast of 300 corals are thriving in the Gulf of Ltd, the relocation project is said to have missing. Officials continue to search for Namhae County, South Gyeongsang province. It Kutch. These specimens were relocated saved the species. Essar Oil will be building the missing divers. is the first time a coral colony of this size has been by a group of marine biologists from the a new refinery in Vadinar in Jamnagar and The USS New York was scuttled in 1941 found in Korea. Lying four meters below the sea’s SOUTH National Institute of Oceanography over pipelines would have damaged the coral by American forces in an attempt to pre- surface, the colony is about five meters long and KOREA the past three years. The work was done living at the location. vent the invading Japanese from captur- four meters wide. Among its exotic coral species is to minimize the damage caused to the Experiments in relocating corals have not ing it. ■ the Corynactis, which had never before been found marine ecology of the area by undersea been successful in the past. With the suc- in Korea. ■ petroleum pipelines and sedimentation. cess of the Gulf of Kutch relocation, biolo- The corals were moved one kilometre gists are encouraged to take more initia- away from their original home. tives in the Indian Ocean. ■ 12 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news Edited by Peter Symes & New underwater eyes spy Gunild Symes unknown sea creatures that is six feet long showed aggres- With the aid of a new camera which sion towards the camera. operates on dim red light, ocean The 200-pound camera was left researchers are gaining a new at the bottom of the sea before revealing look at the deep sea in Hurricane Katrina hit the area. When NOAA the Gulf of Mexico. After Hurricane scientists returned, they found the to see it. Katrina passed over the area, ocea- camera upended not by the storm, But the most exciting aspect of the nographers from Harbor Branch but by some large predator upset new discoveries for scientists is the Oceanographic Institution in the U.S. by the camera. No recording of the investigation of why some creatures aboard the National Oceanic and animal was made as the battery had see ultraviolet light as it is thought Atmospheric Administration Research run out. But sharks have been filmed that there is no ultraviolet light at Vessel Seward Johnson are studying attacking the camera before. Studies such deep depths. Researchers won- the area with new eyes and finding in the past used cameras with bright der what the animals might be doing a variety of deep-dwelling shellfish white light or caught animals in nets. with this ability. One theory suggests that produce their own light as well The drawback to this technique is that they might be able to detect as other creatures with surprising abili- that the white light blinds these crea- other luminescent creatures with this ties to see ultraviolet light. In addition, tures. The new camera’s red like does sensitivity. ■ a previously unknown type of squid not as it seems that they are unable Flourescent sharks found in Gulf of Mexico Scientists of the Deep Scope 2005 species of glowing shark. A photo of fluorescent chain catshark on the sea expedition run by the National the three-foot long (one-meter-long) floor of the Gulf of Mexico. The foot- Oceanic and Atmospheric creature was captured on August 22 age was taken shortly after Hurricane Administration discovered a new and provided visual evidence of a Katrina passed over the area. ■

NOAA

A fluorescent chain cat shark is found by the Deep Scope expedition at about 1820’ feet (603 meters) deep

13 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED news Simulated dive leads to the bends Edited by A mother of four, Rachael Clare, suf- Clare recieved treatment at The Alfred Peter Symes & fered delayed decompression illness hospital and Portland’s Professional Gunild Symes after participating in a simulated dive Diver Services and has recovered U.S. to ban Caspian beluga caviar in a hyperbaric chamber in Portland completely. in Australia. The simulation took Clare The diver’s rare reaction has remind- It is expected that the U.S. government fishing, it is now one of the rarest. At Iran and Kazakhstan. Beluga is harvested and two other divers as well as a dive ed other scuba divers to be more will ban the import of beluga caviar from $3000 a pound in the U.S., the caviar of at sea in Iran and fished in its last natu- instructor to 39 metres where a written attentive to their health while diving the Caspian Sea due to the creatures the beluga is the world’s most expensive ral spawning ground in the Ural River in test was completed at the bottom and even while all appropriate precautions dangerously low numbers and decreas- wildlife food product. Kazakhstan. Two hatcheries in the main then a return to normal pressure was are taken and guidelines followed. ing size. According to authorities from the Beluga population in the Caspian town on the Ural failed for the first time achieved within 35 minutes. Clare said Scuba divers are encouraged to be Division of Scientific Authority of the U.S. Sea dropped 50 percent in the last five to catch a single female in their regular she felt fine after the simulation but aware of the risks involved in diving Fish and Wildlife Service, states surround- years. The Black Sea beluga population activities to restock the species, accord- began experiencing increasing pain and seek immediate medical attention ing the Caspian Sea have failed to file a dropped by 20 percent according to the ing to offi- in her left leg and knee within an hour. when they feel sick. ■ joint management plan for the endan- Convention on the International Trade of cials. gered beluga sturgeon. These states Endangered Species of Fauna In include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Flora, an organization addi- Turkmenistan and Iran. of in the United Nations tion, the beluga sturgeon is shrinking. addition, recent proposals to ban beluga The beluga sturgeon is the largest of based in Geneva. Once found at nearly 20 feet long or 6 at a meeting of the sturgeon fishing regu- its kind and the most prized. Due to over The two main produc- meters and weighing 1.8 tons, the few latory commission in Kazakhstan were put ers of beluga caviar are belugas caught now weigh about 150 forth by the Russian delegation as well as kilograms. Authorities claim that over fish- a ban on Russian sturgeon whose num- ing in the 1980s and poaching since the bers are also in steep decline. Soviet Union unravelled contributed to The United States was the largest the change in the creatures size. importer of the world’s beluga caviar Efforts have been taken by the endan- in 2003 at 60 percent according to the gered species organization to place endangered species organization. In sec- quotas on how much beluga caviar can ond place is France at 11 percent and be exported from Kazakhstan and Iran. In Germany follows third at 8 percent. ■

Caviar connoisseurs are heralding the growing selection of American caviars. Innovative varieties produced from New deep sea creatures farmed white sturgeon, farmed paddlefish, wild Alaska salmon and white- discovered near Australia fish offer excellent taste and are environmentally Unidentified deep sea creatures and animals. According to government offi- sustainable. Photo by Bill underwater canyons off the Western cials, the research will be used in deter- Reese. Courtesy of Caviar Australian coast have been uncovered mining which marine areas need Emptor by new marin research at depth of protection.■ up to 1.5 kilometers. A research vessel mapping the ocean floor on the continental shelf found the new fish and coral species. Scientists hope the discoveries will lead to a better understanding of the evolution of marine

In the past decade, fishermen have rarely seen mid-size beluga sturgeon like the one pictured here, captured from the Volga River in Russia. Photo by Hans-Jurgen Burkard/Bilderberg. Courtesy of Caviar Emptor 14 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED GUNILD SYMES

Dark grey Tulamben Usually a colour Admittedly, in some associated with dull. Not here. The dark overcrowded places, lava sand creates a perfect neutral back- the reefs can be as worn as drop to make all the colours of corals and the grass in a park after a rock critters stand out beautifully. It also damp- concert. But mostly, these areas ens the often harsh and bleaching tropi- provide you with constant cal sunlight into something of a less eye- round-the-clock access to a Discover Tulamben squinting exercise to enjoy. I am report- location. You get to know and Diving Paradise ing from the slopes of the house reef at learn where to find all the small Scuba Seraya at Tulamben on Bali, and critters. It gives you the chance to get I am equipped with the usual oversized comfortable with the surroundings and camera gear and curiosity... oh, and a establish a work process. You can always local guide with a fabulous eyesight and come back and shoot some more film, an ability to tease out and point out even redo a shot in another fashion, do vari- the smallest and best camouflaged crea- ous experiments and be a little creative. tures. He never ceased to amaze me. Well, those were my thoughts about it I have come to fancy house reefs. anyway, although I also fancy seeing the variety and different locations to

BaliText by Peter & Gunild Symes. Photos by Peter & Gunild Symes and Jesper Meyer

PETER SYMES PETER SYMES 15 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Juvenile paperfrogfish. This little fella was barely Bali an inch and skipping hap- travel pilly along the bottom

PETER SYMES

Detail of a seapen. These animals has the appearance of a stalky plant and are very decorative where they are found in clusters on the gravelly bottom

frogfish, gobies be observed closely here. It and blennies. seems easy to get carried The house reef, away with all the marine Seraya Secrets, is life and end up going quite the perfect place for deep. The light is beautiful macro-photographers and down here too. PETER SYMES naturalists because it never In the first few days, we cover the runs out of surprises, and it had a bit of an unusual swell PETER SYMES whole spectrum is so easily accessible right that stirred up particles in the Tulamben proved to pro- there in front of the resort. It top layers, which created a vide us with ample opportu- starts with a shallow plateau matte filter of blue-grayish nities to do both. It is a site where we could often find light that added a magical that holds quite a reputation many different species of romantic touch to the sub- among dive aficionados. scorpionfish willingly posing sea landscape. Once we were on location for our lenses, or perhaps just The coastline looks towards ourselves, it was obvious why. trusting their camouflage to the northeast, which means It is said that it is the single hide them from us. that light late in the after- best place in Bali to find rare Some 15-20m from the noon will arrive from behind and unusual animals. Even on beach, the bottom starts to the slope. It brings out all the my first acclimatisation dive, slope down more abruptly, sculptural structures in the I saw three different varieties, so it is easy to get down to lava and the corals. or species, of sea horses, half a depth of 25-30m quite Once back topside, I a dozen different nudibranchs quickly. The depth gauge couldn’t help contemplate and numerous juvenile paper is something that needs to how a dive location obtains

Commensal shrimp of a 16 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 yet undetermined species PETER SYMES EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Bali the easiest to dive, and sure enough, it It is no longer advis- lies just off the beach and a very short able to penetrate Menjangan 35m swim from the coastline. It is lying on the wreck as it is its starboard side parallel to the beach starting to break Secret Kubu with the keel pointing towards the coast. up, and the steel Bay Tulamben It lies port side and some of the twisted is very fragile in Amed superstructure seems to be just below places. But is still a Gili Selang the surface. The wreck is indeed very haven to go look nice because it is so accessible and for creatures. Gili Tepegong covered with interesting growth. It is a On my first dive & Mimpi Amuk Bay good hiding place for a wide variety of I even caught a sea life. As a wreck for wreck fanatics, glimpse of the elu- Nusa LembonganCeningan it is probably less interesting as, for one, sive pygmy sea Nusa Penida Tanjung Sari Nusa there are no artefacts to recover. horse. This was my It is a WWII wreck indeed. It was a first sighting of the casualty of a Japanese torpedo. But the species, and I was wreck actually first sat on the beach for absolutely taken Nusa Dua more than 20 years, during which period aback. I could not What everyone everything worthwhile salvaging, includ- believe how small is looking for. ing her propeller was removed. The it was. Amazing... This little fella its fame. This location, as such, is some- extend into the horizon. So why here, Liberty, not to be confused with a Liberty and truly pygmy, I saw on my what unassuming and doesn’t immedi- three hours away from the main tourist class vessel, was a cargo ship carrying indeed. No won- first dive at the Liberty wreck ately stand out in comparison with so areas around Denpasar and Nusa Dua? rubber and railroad parts from Australia der that they were skitting around many other pretty locations on the plan- to the Allied forces in the Philippines, only discovered in the coral to et or island. Liberty Wreck when she was struck by a torpedo in recent years. avoid the light One reason could be the Liberty wreck, the nearby Lombok strait on January 11, We started the No offense—the resorts here are very one of the main dive attractions in the 1942. dive off the stern, nice, comfortable and intimate and pro- Tulamben area, and certainly one that Two US destroyers took her on tow which was decorated with majestic vide for a very enjoyable and relaxing holds fame beyond Bali. towards Singaraya hoping she could be fan corals, and to the right, we saw get-away. Seemingly endless coastlines This 120m wreck is said to be one of repaired, but she was fatally wounded the stern gun that was hastily retro- and took on too much water. She was fitted to the Liberty. This wreck is like then beached at Tulamben in an effort the gardens of Babylon as regards to keep her from sinking, but there was to fan corals and other hanging or no time to salvage her cargo before the PETER SYMES Japanese invaded Beach Bali. She then sat here for over two decades until 1963 when Bali’s highest mountain and volcano erupted violently and created earth quakes that ~5 m rolled the ship off the THE LIBERTY WRECK beach and broke the Built in 1918 by the Federal Shipbuilding hull in several pieces. Company in Keany, New Jersey, USA ~10 m Length: 120m (395 feet) Width: 17m (55 feet) Paper frog fish Draft 7.3m (24 feet) ~20 m in gorgonian Gross tonnage: 6.211 tons on the Liberty powered by 2,500 hp steam turbine wreck position 8º 16’29’’ S and 115º 35’35’’ E PETER SYMES 17 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Mount Agung is Bali’s landmark. It produced a major devastating eruption in 1963. Hard to believe on such a beauti- Philippines travel ful and peaceful day as this Bali protruding corals, and within the branch- resort I had a stack of yummy hot pan- SULAWESI es we see seahorses, shrimp, crabs, cakes waiting. BASIN paper frogfish and a coupe of hawkfish. Hiding in the wrecks, we see a school Giant barrels of grunts and trumpetfish dart around In the opposite direction, towards the as travellies patrol the water above the eastern end of Tulamben bay, and just Sulawesi NORTH wreck. The most obvious route to take past that massive lava river has it’s now BANDA Borneo BASIN first is the swim along the superstructure solidified outlet into the sea, there is SOUTH BANDA of the wreck as it lies at it deepest point. another bluff under which we are going BASIN One thing to be said about the wreck to have our next dive. This site is quite FLORES however is the early bird gets the worm. different and characterised by mas- BASIN Get up early! It is said to be the most sive barrel sponges everywhere. It looks Java SAWU popular dive site in Bali, so it gets many almost like a plantation, and a bit sur- BASIN BALI LOMBOK visitors on a good day in the high season. real. The diving is easy here. There is little BASIN Some of these visitors are driven all the or no current and no need to move far way up from the major resort areas on anyway. The devil is in the detail here, so the southern coast, so those who reside what you want to do is inspect the coral Australia in the Tulamben area will have a branches very closely and every other couple of hours head start. I took nook and cranny for exciting and weird Why are the Balinese waters so rich? a pre-breakfast dive looking critters. Again, my trustu dive with my guide and we guide, Semut, proved to have a stunning had the wreck virtu- eye for spotting even the smallest and The indonesian Throughﬂow ally to ourselves. most camouflaged creatures. I simply did The source of the species immensely diverse. Every bit of It was wonderful, not have film enough, and while I was richness in Balinese waters flshlife, plankton and eggs that stems for Bali’s strategic posi- gets swept away pass through and back at the taking one shot, he was over at some- tion in the great systems of here. currents known as the Indone- BOTTOM LEFT: Rice is the BELOW: Giant barrels sponges can sian Throughflow. It all starts But that is not all. Bali, unlike main crop in the island be found together in large groups east of the Philippines where most of the rest of Indonesia the contantly blowing of the also recieves water from the tradewinds and the ocean Indian Ocean as well. While currents forces huge masses there is a net outflow from the of water up against the Philip- Pacific into the Indian ocean, pines, where it is trapped and there are periodic cycles that forced southwards. Most of this lets in water from the Indian current, are directed by ocean ocean and with it, it’s crea- GUNILD SYMES bottom morphology to flow tures, into Balinese waters. into the Sulawesi basin and The ocean south of Bali is loca- down between Borneo and tion for one of Indonesias five Sulawesi - the fat red arrow on major seasonal upwellings, the the figure above. The only thing others being at West Sumatra, sitting in this giant current’s Makassar strait, South Java way is the lesser Sunda Islands, and Banda sea. These upwell- predominantly Bali, Lombok, ings bring cold but nutrient rich Sumbawa, Flores and Timor - water up from the deep basins with Bali sitting right in the ideal to the surface. In Bali’s case this position to be benefit from this happens during the south east flow. Approximately 25% of the monsoon, where the east- total outflow into the Indian ernly winds generate a strong Ocean is passing through the westward current along Java, 35km wide strait between Bali which turn pulls water of from and Lombok, which is one of the deep ocean basins south the main reasons that Bali is so of Bali. PETER SYMES PETER SYMES

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ABOVE: Tirtagangga Water Palace. LEFT & ABOVE RIGHT: Statues at the Water Palace. RIGHT: Diver explores slope with sponges

thing else waving me toward him to see what he found. I just went from spot to spot. It was, however, all very relaxed. Once I got back inside and uploaded my dive profiles onto my laptop, I saw that my average air consumption was very low— PETER SYMES about half of what an average dive back home would have required. I had no prob- water gushing from under an ancient Banyan tree lems extending my dives well beyond the hour or perched on the mountain upon which the palace so, until hunger or craving for coffee drove me out gardens reside. It is said that the waters here have of the water. With all the stuff going on in the shal- healing qualities that lead to long life and health. lows, you just can’t help hanging around as long The modest palace was built by one of Bali’s as your air supply lasts. last kings, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut, in 1947. The Raja of Karangasem was inspired to build the Tirtagangga Water Palace palace and gardens after a tour of the Versaille A favourite day excursion from Tulamben is the Palace in France. The Raja chose the location for Tirtagangga Water Palace. Tirtaganga, which in its view that overlooked his kingdom and named Balinese means “holy water of the Ganges”, was the gardens after the holy river Ganges in India, once home to royalty. The gardens and pools at which is known for its healing powers. the Tirtagangga Water Palace are now open to We took a cab up the steep curving road that the public. Locals and tourists alike enjoy bath- led us to the water palace. Our friendly cab driver PETER SYMES ing in the pools fed by naturally filtered fresh was also a knowledgable tour guide and led us

19 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED LEFT; Moray eel gets the works wash at a cleaning station with cleaner shrimp. BELOW: Nudibranch travel Bali The royal villas, including the King’s own domain, can be reserved for lodging. There is also a restaurant on the premises. For more information, visit their website: www.aaabalivillas.com The VW bus GUNILD SYMES We were setting out for another early pre-breakfast dive on a beau- behind the palace where fields of tiful crisp morning. This time we regional crops and wrippling rice were heading for the Tulamben paddy terraces are cultivated by drop-off and, according to the local farmers and their fami- Francesca, the dive manager, the lies who watch over the fields and fan coral was so big it was beyond scare away ravinous birds with loud belief. I must admit, I was a little shouts from small grass huts on stilts bit sceptical—exaggeration is a and a multitude of home made national sport almost everywhere, noise makers that spin in the wind. but I would soon find out that she We walked through the fields was right. of sweet potato, corn, rice and a The Tulamben drop-off lies in the spinach-like green leafy vegetable. opposite end of Tulamben Bay so Small canals irrigate the fields with we had a 20 minute pleasant cruise rushing cold fresh mountain water. before we arrived at our destina- Children and families can be found tion. Meanwhile, to our left, behind bathing in them and cooling them- the beach and above the palm selves from the ever-present heat trees we could enjoy the sight of and humidity. majestic mount Agung in the back- PETER SYMES ground. When we congregated in the shallows, we came down onto a school of blue-spotted maskrays, some of them kept hiding in the sand only with their piercing eyes to strategic points along the way where he or renovating the damaged palace vil- sticking out. They certainly don’t stopped to let us take photographs of the las, which can be rented out by guests, as have a winning appearance, but majestic countryside and mountainous ter- well as renovating the mythical statues that they let me creep very close to rain terraced in the traditional style with rice watch over the reflective pools. take the picture of just their eyes. paddies climbing up the steep slopes. Indeed, the statues, which characterize We grouped and went on down Once we arrived, we paid a nominal entry various gods and spirits, seem to float on the slope to explore the lava ridges, fee and were led by a kindly young priest the surface of the reflective pools. There are which from above, must look like who told us the story of the palace and the also steps throughout the pools upon which a three-fingered hand jutting out royal family that once lived there. Tragedy Balinese dancers dance during special from the coast with sandy areas struck the palace gardens in 1963, when events and festivals. Beautiful flowering trees between the fingers. On these ridg- the volcano, Mt. Agung, erupted destroy- and shrubs shower the gardens with brilliant es or narrow plateaus were fertile

GUNILD SYMES ing much of the palace and statuary that colour and lovely flowers while elegant foun- coral gardens with all sorts of corals graced its gardens and pools. tains carved of stone give life and sound to swaying gently in the little current A continuing effort by the local commu- the reflective pools. we encountered here. Small gor-

nity, priests and government leaders is help- With a small fee that went to the main- PETER SYMES gonians were everywhere, black ing to restore the gardens to its former glory. tenance of the park, the priest gave us an corals, sponges and table corals. Traditional wood carving Local craftsmen and artists are rebuilding additional opportunity to see a slice of life Detail of Balinese sculpture I traversed the “index-finger”, hum-

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Detail shot of soft coral; The white stripes are spicules, a sort of an inter- nal skeleton. A well camouflaged commensal Shrimp, Spanish Dancer. INSET: tiny coral goby, PETER SYMES a striped sleeper, Trimma grammistes

ming a tune, minding my own business time, but I actually had to back up and and looking around when I saw it—The Big then some to get this giant radar anten- Gorgonian. It was still some distance away, nae fitted within my viewfinder. It was very but I couldn’t believe how it dwarfed the impressive and by far the biggest fan coral diver nearby. It seemed like it could hide a I’ve ever seen. At about 30m you can’t, VW minibus. I moved closer and was struck however, hang around forever to admire by awe. It stood out like a Vincent van this stunning creation, so I reluctantly start- Gogh painting and resembled a blossom- ed nudging myself up the slope again. ing cherry tree. At my left, I had a very interesting drop- I had mounted my very wide-angle fish- off falling vertically 10-20m down to a eye setup for this dive. It can almost photo- sandy bottom, a place I certainly would graph my eyebrows and heels at the same like to explore further the next time I visit this PETER SYMES

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Braincoral; Egg rolls at Scuba Seraya’s restaurant; A villa at Scuba Seraya; Pink Plumera flowers; A cluster of nudibranchs at Tulamben, Bali PETER SYMES GUNILD SYMES

magical spot. bed of table corals where schools of car- and tasty dishes of local Balinese cuisine The lunch menu includes the Balinese along these paths each day and so must It looked like the current here ran per- dinalfish were hiding inside the fronds. as well as some Western fare. rice dishes as well as pasta, fresh salads be honoured with offerings and incense. pendicular to the lava-finger and was Favourites on the dinner menu include with tomato, olives and feta cheese, So, when a new building opens like forced up over it bringing the plankton Dining by the waves egg rolls with peanut sauce, a spicy mushroom soup and sandwiches. For tra- Scuba Seraya’s new dive store and deck, and minuscule food particles right into The central meeting place for divers and Balinese grilled chicken dish called ditional Balinese a priest must the fanning tentacles of the corals. guests at Scuba Seraya is the deck of megoreng prepared in coconut cream recipes, please be called in to Further up, at mid-depths there was a the café in the centre of the resort. Here, and served with peanut sauce, rice visit www.baligu- do a proper guests can relax, socialize, and fresh vegetables, and nasi goreng, ide.com. blessing for the plan their dives and look another spicy Balinese dish served with future safety up fish and other creatures an egg sunny-side-up on top of a heap- Blessing the and prosperity in guide books provided ing mound of stir-fried rice and vegeta- Dive Centre of the centre while gazing at the waves bles. On the side, you will find a special The local and the peo- tumbling onto the beach braised spinach-like leafy vegetable Balinese people ple who work and the small wooden salad with spicy peanut sauce called live with their there and visit. fishing boats passing by gado gado—delicious and healthy. religion well inte- As guests of far off on the horizon. For dessert there is a sweet dish of grated into their the resort, we There are some wonderful caramelized fried small finger bananas daily lives. Each were invited sunrises and sunsets to be called godoh served with ice cream— day the women to attend. enjoyed here. excellent with Balinese coffee, which prepare offerings GUNILD SYMES All day long, While the new restaurant is also quite popular at breakfast time of flowers and preparations is being developed, the when divers can grab a quick continen- fruits in small hand woven baskets that were made in the decoration of the new café serves a full menu of tal breakfast before a morning dive or are placed along major pathways and building and deck with flowers, candles breakfast, lunch and din- relax with a full Western style breakfast intersections at the work place, outside and palm leaves as well as an elaborate ner. On the menu, guests of bacon, eggs or omelette and toast or and inside the home. It is believed that display of offerings of fruit, flowers, rice will find a variety of fresh pancakes. the gods and spirits of ancestors pass cakes and grilled whole chickens set out PETER SYMES

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as offerings during the ceremony. lengthy meditation and several holy prayer. With the priest’s work done, Soon, all the resort staff appeared songs, there was a sacrifice of a small the participants turned to celebra- donning their fancy sarongs and head- chicken upon a coconut shell and tion—singing, dancing, eating and dresses that were usually saved for the priest blessed all the corners of drinking. special occasions such as this blessing. the dwelling with holy water. Then, he Partying the Balinese way appar- A priest was called, who came with blessed all the people who attended ently also means consuming copious incense and incantations. After a the ceremony with holy water and amounts of arak (or arrack)—a locally produced aromatic liquor. I can’t say whether this version, which was passed round the circle this evening, PETER SYMES

PETER SYMES was moonshine, but it did come in a plastic flask from some soda drink. And, wow, was it not smooth! It had the bouquet of spent jet fuel and Night dive could possibly be used to strip the Having this fabulous house reef just 20 paint off my old desk. Yet, as a mood metres from the deck where we had elevator, it did it’s thing, and soon eve- our dinner and Balinese coffee encou- ryone was carried away in some enter- raged us to have a night dive before a taining song-dance where the dancer late supper. In the tropics, night drops in the circle challenged the next with like a ton of bricks—it becomes pitch a song to take a drink and take over black moments after sundown, and the dance. the sky turns a deep black velvet with Being a tourist didn’t mean that I an unbelievable amount of stars dra- was spared from this ritual, so I had to ped across its face. have a go at it too. I think I took the But even without sunlight shining on prize for the most humorous interpre- the dark sand of the Tulamben sea tation of traditional Balinese dancing floor, the human eye is still capable of that evening, judging from how they picking out the surroundings. With a all cracked up and rolled over laugh- healthy local stock of scorpionfishes, I ing. Well, after that, we all became wasn’t so inclined to feel my way for- true friends. As they say, when in Rome ward, and anyway we were on the do as the Romans... lookout for the blue-ringed octopus

ABOVE LEFT: Rice paddies on Bali. LEFT: PETER SYMES Priest blesses Scuba Seraya’s newly built diving cabana with insense and offerings A clam shoots off an impressive long stream of sperm of fruit (ABOVE RIGHT) and handmade gifts

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LEFT: a couple of the elusive garden eels poke their heads out of the dark sandy floor of Tulamben.

RIGHT: Scorpion fish are everywhere in the shallows

INSET: Harlequin Shrimp

PETER SYMES PETER SYMES

that was spotted here a little earlier in the very deep if you follow the ridges all week. the way down. They end in a sandy I went out with the resort’s English instruc- slope at about 70m, a depth that tor, James, into the black night. We saw so should certainly not be approached many commensal shrimps, juvenile fish, vari- PETER SYMES on ordinary single tank scuba equip- ous cupcorals, crinoids, brittlestars, nudbran- ment. chs and almost omnipresent seahorses, that happy expressions on our faces and spent A number of big sharks have been we were almost disgusted with ourselves. bodies starving for supper. A heaping observed at depth at this site, but not as We were so blessed with such a magnifici- mound of steaming Nasi Goreng was alrea- frequently as they once were. Most sight- ent dive. It was like a double-length movie dy waiting for us on the table. ings have been made down at the 50-60m that we didn’t want to end. There was range. such a plethora of species out that night. Diving Batu Kelebit Sightings include great hammerheads, Everywhere, there was something to see, The Kelebit Rocks are said the be a good thresher sharks, mantas and molas (sunfish) and we just kept moving. place to observe large pelagics. At this site, and the rare whaleshark. Also, schools of Alas, no blue-ringed octopus. It wasn’t we find a series of three steep coral-covered barracudas, jacks and tuna are best spot- going to happen this night. After 1½ hours ridges fanning out from the coast with chan- ted here. The reason for this seems to be of pure joy, we two seasoned instructors nels of white, not black, sand in between. that because of the local morphology, Batu PETER SYMES finally emerged out of the water with goofy, It is also a place where it is possible to go Kelebit receives deep offshore water that A colourful nudibranch lies on a slope of a reef explored by a diver 25 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Bali black corals, sponges, gorgonians and every other imaginable encrusting animal. Northwest Close to Bali’s northwest corner, we find Majangan Island, another of Bali’s famous dive sites and probably the first recognised dive location. It is part of the West Bali National Park and is protected by a great bay, which gives rise to an exceptional visibility and good diving even during the rainy season. The light currents that gently sweep the steep drop- offs are just right to provide the optimum living conditions for a lush abundance of gorgonians. Gorgonians are dependent on current to bring them the plankton upon which they feed, but too strong currents will break their delicate structure. The impressive walls with overhangs of soft corals and gorgonians are a hallmark of Majangan Island. It is not the best site to see large pelagics and some of the reefs in the shallows have suffered heavily from coral bleaching due to the severe effects of El Nino in the late 1990’s.

Schooling Cardinal fish ducks in and PETER SYMES out of the coral at the Tulamben dropoff

Tiny square crab among soft coral fronds. It is quite defensive of its territory but in this case it seems to be unsure of how it going to take on the intrusive camera.

also brings in nutrients and plankton. here. Because of this, the temperatures here also After a week of daily +30m dives, I am on the seem to be on the cooler side, especially at verge of pushing the edge. My buddy descends depth, but then it also comes with quite a good to about 55m. I swim across the ridges while visibility at depth. There is a bit more turbidity in ascending gradually, keeping just ahead of a mid-water where the plankton seem to congre- decompression obligation. On the other side of gate. the big ridge I see them—Sharks—the first ones I have spotted after a week of intense macro Diving Batu Kelebit photography. These were the usual white tips We decide to head for the depths straight resting on the bottom. They lifted off the bottom away and not hang around at shallower depths and swam away once they caught a glimpse for the first part of the dive. Down and down I of us under-designed bubble-expelling noisy go until I feel the tinge of narcosis and an unruly creatures with weird metallic protrusions. stomach round 45m where I stop my descent. I The ridges themselves were covered with a can see all the way down to the sandy bottom very rich and diverse growth of hard corals, PETER SYMES

26 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED On the slopes around Tulamben there a virtual gardens of huge PETER SYMES travel barrel sponges Bali At depth there is even an interesting to be the site where more divers acts as a natural protected fish little wreck called by many as the get decompression sickness than nursery and natural aquarium for fish Anchor wreck after the anchor was anywhere else on the Island. larvae. found in the shallows far above the Here the macro-photographer wreck itself. The wreck, which is rather Secret Bay can find both rare subjects such broken down and mostly consists of Also in the northwest Bali, but facing as dragonets, shrimpfish, various scattered timbers and remains, does the Java and the Bali Strait, we find odd gobies, juvenile batfish as however lie in the 40-50m range just Gilimanuk Bay also known as Secret well as excellent circumstances for beyond the 40m recommended Bay, which is, however, something photographing critters in general. depth limit for recreational divers. of a misnomer since this is where the Here, a lot of species can be found Under all circumstances, it is in a ferry from Java lands and is probably at shallower depths than anywhere depth range that will give you very the best mapped of all the waters else on the island, and the fish and short bottom time or send you directly around Bali. The bay is only a couple invertebrates seem to be in a very into a decompression obligation. of kilometres across, quite shallow and good feeding condition thanks to the For those trained in decompression lined with mangroves and very little of daily influx of nutrients into the bay. procedures, the shallower parts of the the colourful corals that attract divers Due to the tidal currents constantly reefs provide plenty of entertainment elsewhere. flushing the bay, visibility can be vary while decompressing. So what’s the attraction here? a lot—so can the temperature where However, a word of caution is Well, the bay is the only bay along bay and upwelling ocean waters mix warranted—the depths around the Bali Strait that is subject to strong to produce some surprising cold fronts Majangan often run down between currents, and because of these huge for the unsuspecting diver. GUNILD SYMES 40-60m, and one is easily tempted exchanges of water, Gilimanuk has White plummera flowers at the King’s Gardens to push the limits here. It also said become a very interesting place—it

27 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Diving in Bali for In 1990, diving professional Maurice the Physically Challenged Parry founded the International Association of Handicapped Divers Exploring the shipwreck at Tulamben, (IAHD). Today, there are litterally drift diving with Mola Mola at Nusa thousands of IAHD instructors around MARK ANDREWS TONY WHITE AMOS NACHOUM Penida, and experiencing the clear the world certifying thousands of new water and vibrant colours of the marine physically challenged divers each year. life at Menjangan should be available to Through special standards developed everyone to enjoy. Bali has some of the to allow disabled individuals to best diving in the world. complete performance requirements Yet, in reality, it is not so easy for some and gain certification, the IAHD helps physically challenged individuals dive to achieve. A growing number of divers YANN SAINT-YVES KAREN GOWLETT-HOLMES, PHD ANDREW WOODBURN are struggling to find diving facilities independently or with a trained able which can assist them with their diving bodied buddy. So, there is a structure needs. This growing sector of the diving in place to give physically challenged market is the population of divers who are individuals the skills to dive and enjoy the physically challenged. underwater world. Able bodied divers may take the sights But the reality in most places, including and sounds of the underwater realm Bali, is that there are few dive centers that for granted. However, for many of the are equipped to deal with this population BILL BECHER LAWSON WOOD JEFF DUDAS physically challenged, these sensations of divers. So, often times, these divers are Meet the people turned away or appropriate water entry can be magnified underwater. Diving who bring you the stories for them means a unique opportunity and exit and in-water protocols are not to move freely, weightlessly, without properly addressed. restriction and out of a wheelchair. But there is one dive center that

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ABOVE: Cuttlefish displays its stripes for the camera LEFT: Pink coral found at depth at Tulamben

promotes the philosophy that disabilities. scuba diving is an activity that It is hoped that more can be enjoyed by both abled centers such as BIDP and and disabled divers alike. The dive instructors will consider owners of Bali International extending their services JORDI CHIAS MARCELO MAMMANA CATHY CHURCH Diving Professionals (BIDP), and educational training Avandy and Luci provide to physically challenged education services and individuals while sharing the support for divers who have immense natural beauty and physical challenges and their cultural treasures both above families. Avandy is an IAHD and below the water.

Instructor and the BIDP center GARY MYORS GAROLD SNEEGAS JON GROSS continues to be the only For more information on IAHD, certified member of the IAHD please visit: www.iahd.org in Bali. They also offer training to able-bodied qualified For more information on BIDP, divers who wish to become please visit: a dive buddy for divers with www.bidp-balidiving.com ■ PETER SYMES PETER BATSON JACK CONNICK TOMAS KNUTSSON 28 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Bali LEFT: Leopard flounder giving you the look. Move quietly closer and they will lie still relying on their camouflage to protect them from predators. RIGHT: Nudibranch PETER SYMES

sharks are also dealt with accordingly. The upwelling of reviews, and as far as first impressions, it common here. cold rich water is, however, what brings doesn’t have much going for it either. The coral cover seems in a rewarding abundance of pelagic It has a bottom of light sand with to be predominantly leather species. some scattered rocks and quite sparse PETER SYMES corals with some gorgonians These sites are challenging but can be cover of corals and hydroids. But first where the current is less severe. very rewarding. For instance, at the aptly impressions can be deceiving, as the Gili The north end of the area mostly named Canyon on Gili Tepegong can site has been found to be an excellent Selang resembles the Tulamben area with be draped with schools of sweetlips and place to spot a wide range of unusual In the its black sands and gentle slopes full fusiliers against a dramatic backdrop fish—especially some of the rarer sharks northeastern corner, of life. Whereas, the southern part of black bolders and steep walls. It is including wobbegongs, nursesharks which is in fact Bali’s around the island is dominated by considered by many to be the best dive and strange-looking catsharks, not to easternmost point, we find the current, which continues south and site here. Under some conditions, the Gili Selang located somewhat like an even down the slope. It is something Canyon appears to be filled with fish. outpost in the current-swept Lombok interesting mix of that might drag the unsuspecting However, the currents can be a real issue strait. This is also where the black sands diver a fair bit further downwards than here. Under certain conditions, a strong of the northern beaches meets the east biota and bottom types along the slopes of black sand, areas of big polished expected. Watch the depth and the and downward spiralling current can coast All the schooling fish in the currents current here. Keep to the right and go be produced. create an stones and steep valleys. Everyone seems to utter the word current in the same behind the island to find some shallower Conditions need to be sentence as Gili Selang, and it is a site areas in which to end your dive. assessed closely before entering that the dive guides and experienced the water. Because of the repeat visitors talk about a lot currents and the polishing surge, during dinner conversations. East Coast the coral cover is also rather The exposed position does modest, but it is not what this site is about at any rate. give rise to some rather wild Amuk bay drift dives. Great fun, if you It is about the dramatic images This area holds some of the most exciting and structures made by naked rocks are comfortable in the water, but also most challenging dive sites on have some experience and and swarms of fish. the island, again due to the sometimes can master your buoyancy, ferocious currents. Sharks are seen on PETER SYMES so you can enjoy the various Tangjung Sari virtually every dive. Molas are quite Skimming the literature on Balinese schooling fish who seem to frequent and fish life is, in general, like to congregate here, diving, the Tangjung Sari peninsula very rich. But the swells and swirling doesn’t seem to get very rosy especially jacks, barracudas, currents, especially around the islands of trevallies and the occassional Mimpang, Gili Tepegong and Gili Bahia, Harlequin shrimp may be pretty but they humphead parrotfish. Whitetip can be unpredictable and should be are merciless predators feeding off star- fishs’ arms while they are still alive 29 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Bali JESPER MEYER mention the omnipresent whitetips and the occasional napoleon wrasse. Nusa Penida It is also a good site to spot squid Lying across the Badung strait, some and octopus as well as a good 20kms from Bali’s east coast, we find variety of stonefish and pipefish. Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan and David Pickell and Wally Siagian write Nusa Lembongan. The islands can be in their recommendable guide, reached by dive boat in about an Diving Bali, that they have spotted hour from Sanur or Padang Bai. Most “many oddities” here and mention dives sites here lie to the north around stargazers, walking scorpionfish and Lembongan and Nusa Penida and in many species of rays of which some the channel between Ceningan and are not seen elsewhere on Bali. They Nusa Penida. All dive sites are steep also rate this site as one on the most slopes or walls which go down very surprising and underappreaciated on deep. The water here is fairly cold but the island. often remarkably clear with gorgeous The site has for many years during corals and prolific fish life, some turtles, the day time, been a quite popular sharks and the seasonal oceanic sun- destination for snorkelling trips out fish—or molas for short, after their latin of the nearby Candi Dasa. But at name mola mola. night, the divers can have it all to Currents can be really strong themselves, and it is an excellent site around these islands because for night dives. It is shallow, protected they lie right in the path of the and conveniently positioned just Indonesian Throughflow (see fact around the corner from Padang Bai. file). The Lombok Strait separates the Indonesian islands Bali and Lombok and is the second most Current important strait through which water is exchanged between the Pacific

JESPER MEYER Carrousels TOP LEFT: A manta ray performs its elegant manuevers in the cur-

PETER SYMES rent off Nusa Penida

RIGHT: The sunfish, or mola mola (it ‘s latin name, which is also widely used) is one of the great sights that attract visitors from afar. There are three species coming through Balinese waters

LEFT; Bluespotted mask- ray hiding in the sand with only the eyes sticking out. Apparently in a quite litteral sense

30 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED PETER SYMES PETER SYMES PETER SYMES travel Bali

Ocean and the Indian Ocean. The Places on the north coast, on the Lembongan Island LEFT TO RIGHT: Red Goby on coral; rice paddies on Bali; decorative Nudibranch at Tulamben water is also subject to considerable other hand, offer less extreme currents Lembongan island lies northwest of thermoclines jumping from about 24º and a variety of fish that seem to pre- Ceningan island but is larger with shal- to 18ºC making a good wetsuit more fer calmer waters. Spectacular barrel low areas where there are seaweed of a necessity rather than just a rec- sponges and gorgonians can be seen farms and mangrove forests. It is a ommendation. This cold water comes in the deeper waters, sea snakes are fairly small island with pristine unspoilt from a 1300m deep basin north of very often seen here and occasionally beaches. With its adjacent deep Nusa Penida, which sits as a large bar- manta rays and schools of chevron bar- water trenches, the main attraction rier to the currents coming from the racudas pass by. Also, Gamat Bay is a at Lembongan Island is the common north and produces strong upwellings small sheltered and shallow bay locat- encounters with the curious molas feed- of cold water. Consequently, some of ed between Toyapakeh and Crystal ing off large plankton and jellyfish. They these dive sites are not recommended Bay and is another of the few places on can also often be seen at cleaning sta- for beginners. It is also a good idea to Nusa Penida where you can do more tions with attendant cleaner wrasse. have your own safety sausage and a than drift dive. In the shallow areas, The sunfish season on Lembongan signalling device for attracting attention there is a lot of interesting macro life. starts in July, but the most reliable at the surface. Malibu Point, on the east coast of Nusa time to see them is August through Penida, is said to be the best place to September. In some years there have Nusa Penida see sharks and schools of large pelagics been sightings lasting until November, The main points of interest diving Nusa such as jacks, dog tooth tuna, rainbow and often the molas are sighted shortly Penida, the largest of the three islands runners, sharks and mantas. However, during March. The best places to spot in the group, are the large pelagics this site is also known to be tricky to them are Ceningan channel and Blue such as giant trevally, sharks, mantas, dive, and if you are not careful, the cur- Corner in Lembongan. The molas come eagle rays and turtles. The majority of rent can sweep you off the point and very close to the reef to certain clean- diving at Nusa Penida is drift-diving, into the strait. Manta Point is a safe bet ing stations where they get cleaned by and the currents can be unpredictable to see manta rays, but the site can be schooling bannerfishes or occasional reaching up to five knots and coming hard to reach in the swell, which is usu- angelfishes or butterflyfishes. Some PETER SYMES from every possible direction including ally quite strong, giving you a rough ride believe they come here to mate, but up and down. on the way there. this thought remains a speculation. Scorpion fish excells in camouflage technique and lie everywhere in the shallows.

31 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Sepia foraging travel Bali in the coral Blue Corner is a steep characterised by a strong slope with overhangs, current and by being quite outcroppings and a wide cold, but you might see ANDREY BIZYUKIN, PHD MICHAEL SYMES PETER SYMES canyon. This dive site, while white tip reef sharks and quite deep at 30-40m, is eagle rays here. Crystal Bay a good place to see mar- is a part of the channel, ble rays and eagle rays. which consists of a large Depending on tide there is sandy area of staghorn cor- either no current or a very als and mushroom coral

strong current. In strong cur- blocks that hide big schools MICHAEL ARVELUND, PHD SVETLANA MURASHKINA, PHD EDWIN MARCOW rent, you can hide behind of cavalier fish. some of the outcroppings Here, we also find the or overhangs often to find “Bat Cave.” This is a cave that the rays are also hiding accessed through a sandy from the current here. underwater channel where Mangrove Point is named it is possible to surface after the mangrove forest inside. The cave has a small lying between Lembongan opening to the sky where all LEIGH CUNNINGHAM MICHAEL AW GUNILD PAK SYMES and Ceningan. This is a the bats that hang from the Meet the people nice drift dive on a slope walls enter. covered with huge spong- Ceningan Point lies at the who bring you the stories es where you may spot northern tip of Ceningan sharks, turtles and tunas. island. Here, the currents The Ceningan Channel is are strong and unpredict-

PETER SYMES

ABOVE & RIGHT: JESPER MEYER Statues and Support your magazine fountains of the able and only few operators go here. It is worth a Water Palace visit, but is only for experienced divers. A steep wall is BUY AN AD beautifully covered with orange soft corals, sponges, a special tube coral and dense schools of reef fishes.

Conclusion How does Bali stick out from the crowd? In Tulamben, the extremely prolific macro-life of the shallows and shipwreck in combination with the molas and the NONOY TAN ALEX MUSTARD, PHD JOHN COLLINS current dives in the cooler waters around the strait does set the destination apart, but so does the special top side ambience of the terraced mountain terrain and Balinese culture. Tulamben is a great place for the discerning photographer and advanced diver. It is also a very romantic getaway for couples. It is not an obvious family destination, at least not for

those with small kids who may be better off heading MICHEL TAGLIATI DEB FUGITT DAN BEECHAM for the fine beaches found in the southern part of the island. Overall, Bali delivers in every aspect. After devastating blows from terrorism three years ago, Bali is once again a blossoming destination. ■ PETER SYMES CLAUDE JEWELL SØREN RINKE KAI GARSEG 32 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED factBali , file Indonesia Bali Sea

TULAMBEN

Mt. Agung Indian BALI Ocean Geography The island of Bali is and Cholera vaccination is no longer one of Indonesia’s 17,508 islands, an required. Do not drink the water. Buy DENPASAR Lombock archipelago located south of the equa- bottled water from the better hotels Strait tor where the Indian Ocean meets the and resorts. Watch out for Bali belly, ✪ Pacific. The tropical Indo Pacific region temporarily upset stomach from unfa- in which Bali is located is considered to miliar, spicy foods. Outside higher end be on of the world’s richest ecologically hotels and resorts, do not depend on Badung biodiverse systems. Bali is in essense a proper heigene. Shower frequently. Strait volcanic island with the volcano, Mount Dry thoroughly in extensive humidity. Agung, revered as a great spirit by the It is recommended to dry thoroughly local people, as its highest peak rising and use medicated body powder when Map of Bali. INSET: Map of Indonesia 3,142 meters above sea level. Another exposed extensively to the heat and peak, Mount Seraya, which lies east humidity to avoid skin rashes and fun- since early 2002. Credit cards are ac- [email protected] of Agung, rises 1174 meters above sea gus, especially during the wet monsoon cepted by most higher end resorts and www.sanglahbalihospital.com level. Volcanic island with high crater season businesses. Payment in US$ cash and peaks, deep valleys, cultivated low- travel checks is widely accepted. Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut lands, lush terraced rice fields and thick Population 2,640,000; Religion: 87 % (Navy Hospital) tropical forests in the highlands. Hindu, 3 % Christian, 8 % Muslim Dive Season All year round; Jl. Bendungan Hilir No.17 Underwater visibility varies 15 to 35 me- JAKARTA 12950, JAVA, INDONESIA Capital Denpasar Visa Travelers from most Western ters during dry season,10 to 20 meters Tel: +62-(0)21-2524974 countries do not need a visa and are during wet season Time Zone GMT plus 8 automatically given a 30 day stay per- Web Sites mit upon arrival. Passports must be valid Decompression Chamber Bali Tourism Authority for at least 6 months upon arrival in In- Hyperbaric Medical Department Climate Tropical, hot and humid. www.balitourismauthority.net donesia. Indonesian immigration is very Sanglah General Hospital Temperatures range from a high of 31 strict. No work is permited while visiting USUP Sanglah Denpasar degrees C (88 F) to 25 C (78 F) low. High- Bali Guide on a tourist visa. JI. Diponegoro lands are cooler and drier. Lowlands www.baliguide.com DENPASAR 80114 BALI, INDONESIA along the coast are pleasantly drier tel 62-361-227911 than the main tourist areas in the south. Indonesian Law is very hard on Scuba Seraya fax 62-361-22426 Monsoons. Dry season: April through drug offenders; the death penalty is www.scubaseraya.com ■ November; Wet season: December regularly applied on narcotics couriers. through March Driver’s License A valid interna- Health No major risk. Unlike islands tional driving license is required. Rental further east in the archipelago, there is car insurance is highly recommended; no Malaria/Dengue fever in the north- Drive carefully: traffic rules are not fol- east province of Bali where Tulamben lowed as well as in the west. Accidents is located. There is a very small risk for are frequent. these diseases in the rural areas of the islands north-west. Unless you are ar- Currency Indonesian Rupiah. Ex- riving from an infected area, Smallpox change rate: 8,500 Rupiah per 1 US$

Terraces of rice paddies climb up the steep slopes of the Balinese mountains GUNILD SYMES 33 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED THE FACTS AND VIEWPOINTS IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF X-RAY MAG. EQUIPMENT PRESENTED IN THIS SECTION HAS NOT BEEN TESTED BY X-RAY MAG STAFF, NOR ARE THE ITEMS WARRANTED, INFORMATION PROVIDED IS CONDENSED FROM MANUFACTURERS DESCRIPTIONS. TEXTS ARE USUALLY EDITED FOR LENGTH, CLARITY AND STYLE LINKS ACTIVE AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATIONS Low Mu POINT & CLICK ON BOLD LINKS The EMC-20H Low Mu is a new Helium compatible computer that has an extremely low magnetic Edited by In the zone... signature meeting Andrey Bizuykin the specifications for & Peter Symes explosive ordinance disposal teams and developed for mili- Equipment Shark tary organizations. The Low Mu version is the basically the computer as Jewels the civilian model, except it uses some different Divers who love shark components to reduce the magnetic signature jewel- lery should take which should be of great interest to Search & a seriously look at Reef Jewelry’s Rescue teams and Homeland Security teams, Underwater Whistle collection. It is not often that a com- as well as the military. The EMC-20H Low Mu Capable of being heard over a half pany puts its money where it’s mouth is. But that features Touch Contact Programming and mile away, the windstorm whistles is exactly what Reef Jewelry did when it was founded a Lithium battery for improved reliability and even work underwater. Available in Jet in 2001. From day one, they have had a commitment longer battery life. www.DiveCochran.com Black, Safety Yellow and Safety Orange. to marine conservation donating a percentage of all Size is only 2 3/4 x 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches. Small their sales to help the Shark Trust continue their impor- enough to easily carry. Loud enough to tant work. Today, Reef Jewelry produce on behalf of attract immediate attention. From US$ 4.50 the Shark Trust, their logo in a choice of metals for the dis- www.wind-storm-whistles.com cerning diver. Prices range from GB£18.00 for a polished small Silver Hammerhead pendant to GB£110.00 for a small solid 9ct Gold Hammerhead pendant. www.reefjewelry.com

Rapid Diver is a new lightweight, range of civilian applica- All in one all-inclusive scuba system that tions such as shore div- Dragon mates a tank, regulator and ing due to its user-friendly buoyancy module to a uni- design, universal fit capabil- The new Dragon BCD from Mares form-fit, load-bearing harness. ity and ease of transporting comes with a full range of features. It was created in response and storage. Persons who The MRS plus mechanical release to public safety and military are unable to wear heavy weight release system allows for needs for a conventional scuba gear, or up to 6 kg to be released with one universal fit, who simply feel uncomfort- simple pull, yet the buckle sim- compact, able with the associated bulk ply clicks in place for optimum versatile and weight, appreciate the security. Dragon is made out and easily light overall weight of just 15 of scratch resistant 3D Alutex deployed pounds and wearer comfort. material with woven metal. The scuba sys- The Rapid Diver readies for cummerband comes with the tem. It is use in less than a minute and QAS - Quick Adjust System for equally well provides sufficient air duration fast and safe adjustment of suited to a for the average dive of 20 to 25 the commerband. minutes at moderate depths. www.mares.com www.rapidiver.com

34 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Quattro Golden rays Cleaning In Seawear’s marine sea life jewelry line, we found forever these elaborate golden eagleray earhangers. up your The fin that refuses They come in three sizes. The medium sized 14kt to die. Now with OPB textured spotted or eagle ray is about (Optimized Pivoting 1” from wing tip to wing tip as it is act Blade) a system pat- poised in flight. The large is Until now, boat ented by Mares about 1 1/4”. US$137.50 cleaners that with the purpose of Weight 5.5gms were effective allowing the blade used harsh chemi- to assume an opti- cals, and environ- mal angle through www.seawear.com mentally friendly upward and downward formulas didn’t strokes, reducing div- clean well. McNett er’s effort. Comes with Boat Cleaner elimi- the popular ABS quick- nates stubborn release buckles and stains (even anti-slips notches for mold and no skidding aboard tar!) from dive boats, rafts, dive boats. Dive Travel kayaks, PFD’s and more. Essential preparation for www.mares.com treatment with UV Tech Protectant & Rejuvenator! Essentials UV Tech beautifies, restores and protects your Protection from pickpockets! Ultra- boat and gear from harmful UV damage. McNett soft travel pouches designed to be Boat Cleaner and UV Tech are great for dive charter worn under clothing keep your boats! Boat Cleaner from US$13.99 UV Tech™ Surface passport, travel documents, Protectant from US$14.99 www.mcnett.com cash and valuables secure and accessible. 100% Spun Silk Money Belt and Neck Wallet From US$15.99 www.mcnett.com

Wear Your Diving Passions! If you’ve ever bemoaned the lack of T-shirts ple of this is Barcode Shark, which shows that express your passion for scuba diving, it’s a shark trapped behind a barcode strips, time you check out the cool tees from Dive a statement representing the commer- Junkie! cialisation of these majestic creatures. The The designs found on these casual T- precision with which all Dive Junkie T-shirts shirts reflect scenes and experiences have been made mirror the meticulous close to every diver’s heart. Some care all divers take with their diving designs are depicted with humour, gear. All T-shirts have been made with some with a touch of seriousness, 100% fully combed cotton fabric knitted and some with a degree of nos- from 25-single ring-spun yarn. Weighing talgia—but always with lots of in at 200 gms, they have been pre- heart. What you won’t find are shrunk and possess reinforced stitching meaningless loud t-shirts! at the collars, shoulders and sleeves to While some designs bring the enhance durability. The lycra-ribbed beauty and wonder of the collars ensure that they retain their underwater world to the sur- shape after numerous washes. face, others strive to bring home www.divejunkie.com.sg a serious message. An exam-

35 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Limited Edition Island Image’s Limited Edition Tees bring a bit of ‘vacation’ into everyday life. The Get a grip World’s Best Dives Collectible Series is Max Holding Systems offers the newest shown here in white. This form of scuba tank holders and speargun 100% heavyweight cotton holders by using an effortless, temporary shirt is part of a collectible mounting system. Max avoids the unnec- series that is in demand essary damages caused from permanent everywhere. Featuring the tank mounting systems used today. This best dives in your area, this system comes with an instant attach and item is definitely flying off the shelves. release system. www.scubastorage.com www.islandimagedesign.com

It’s reely small Custom Diver’s new diminutive Pocket Reel is designed to offer the diver both ratchet and free run functions allowing divers to not only hold the reel in one hand, but also lets them select the Free Running Mode, simply by depressing the spring actioned pawl with their finger, whilst still enjoy- ing snag-free line deployment.. When it comes to line, the Easy Loop Lock Pocket comes with a 98kg breaking strain 2mm line in a Worried about leaving your tanks on the choice of white, neon yellow or pink 50 metre line. boat or in your vehicle? Easy Loop cable www.customdivers.com is made from the highest grade of multi- strand steel coated with a hard PVC to protect the tank. Simply wrap the wire around your valves and lock. The tip of the main cable is made of chrome-coated hardened steel. The loop wire is made with the same type of cable but with more flex- ibility allowing the wire to wrap the neck with a much tighter radius; this keeps the securing loops as close to the valve as possible making removal over the top of the valve almost impossible. www.easylooplock.com

36 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED How the world has come to see and know Miranda K. In an Aga mask, Coming transmitting from the seabed soonnear to a youtelly Being

MirandaTV-Presenter, Wreck detective and producer K

Miranda K and the team of the wreck detectives film series

Wreck detective How did you get into diving? Miranda Krestovnikoff I have always been a water baby – born an Aquarius, I was recently completed always jumping into water from another series of dive an early age. I guess I was des- programmes for the tined to be a diver; it was just a BBC. The ambitious matter of time… and after just a couple of weeks I was never really exposed to sitting at the bottom of the uni- new series, Coast, is to scuba diving as a child as we versity pool on Friday evenings be aired this autumn. lived about as far away from the and practicing a good bit of We take a look behind sea as you can get. I started mouth to mouth resuscitation, I to learn to dive in Bristol, after had a diving boyfriend! A good the mask... leaving University. I joined the start and a great incentive to University of Bristol Underwater keep learning! As the club was Club, as it seemed a cheap and a BSAC club, rather than a PADI rather sociable way of learning one, the basic training was quite to dive. long and thorough – something How right I was on both which I really appreciate look- counts! I paid a small joining fee ing back at it. I had an excel- to cover weekly pool training, lent trainer who shouted a lot

37 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile Miranda K and the first shoot was filming which has a nose dam. also reef sharks (See later!). All in Apart from the difficulties lim- all, I had great fun but it was a of the mask and all the ited bit like being thrown in at the cables that tether you to by deep end!! the boat, there the are many other How difficult is it to present things that limit underwater? you. You have to length When presenting underwa- plan shorter dives of the ter, you have to wear an due to the Aga umbilicals Aga mask—either a full face masks using up a lot especially if we’re one, which has no method of air and my talking using up not anchored up directly over of equalising, or a half mask, even more air! My depth is the site hence the attraction

Miranda presemts intriguing sea life under ice

Miranda gets help putting on her Aga mask before a shoot

but certainly couldn’t have prepared a lone spider crab. But I remember that me better for my first few dives. I never dive so well. I remember the excite- felt like so many people do, who dive ment of getting into the cold water in for the first time abroad, that I had my new (and rather purple) semi dry been thrown in the water with only the suit—a bit of a change from a swimsuit briefest of lessons. I spent the best part in the university pool! I remember the of two terms having weekly training joy of being underwater—being able to and only in breathe without surfacing and witness- the summer ing a whole new world of fascinating Going to the Dive 2005 show in break did I sea life which I had only ever seen a Birmingham (United Kingdom)? get my first glance of while rock pooling or snorkel- “open water” ling. Never did I realise that this experi- Miranda Krestovnikoff will be talking about experience. I ence would lead me onto my future the recent ﬁlming of BBC’s ambitious series certainly felt job of presenting underwater. Coast on Dive 2005, which is going to take more antici- place over the weekend of 29-30 October. pation than And what was your first diving and pre- nerves when senting underwater job? Miranda’s presentation is going to be held going for my This was actually my very first present- in Concourse Suite 2 from 12.45 to 1.45 first dive. ing job as well. I was offered a series I have man- of 13 shows for Fox Television in the US, aged to dig called World Gone Wild. This was cov- out my first diving log book which states ering animal=people stories around that my very first dive – over 10 years the work with a number of different ago now, was near Skomer in West presenters. Because I was a diver, 6 Wales, was to a pathetic 6.2 metres of the 13 stories I was to present were and I stayed down only 12 minutes and going to be based underwater. This saw nothing more than some kelp and was my first time using an Aga mask

38 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile Miranda K protected wreck you are filming, try not What’s the best wreck men in black suits—also to kick up silt and frustrate the camera- you’ve dived? known as the techies! man, watch out for vicious moray eels, This has to be the Stirling Nine days of classroom making sure they are filming your good Castle—a stunningly sessions and endless out side… they say that women are good at preserved wreck from of air drills and equip- multi- tasking and I think they might be 1703. It was sunk in the ment checks later, I was right! worst storm to hit Britain in an advanced Nitrox and recorded history. A third- IANTD Normoxic Trimix Do you like using an aga mask? rate man-of-war with over diver. Ah, the beloved Aga masks. These I also 70 cannon, she hit the The training was well loathe because of the problems they Goodwin Sands off the worth it—to dive on a bring. It’s fantastic to be able to speak coast of Ramsgate—swift- practically virgin wreck in underwater and to communicate with ly becoming covered by stunning visibility. Diving topside, but after you talk, you need to the shifting sands and dis- breathe and this makes a noise so you appearing for 3 centuries. can’t hear She emerged in 1979, almost what others pristine and I had the pleasure are saying. of diving her in 2002 with regis- So, there’s tered guardian, Bob Peacock. a timing My dive log states that we saw ABOVE: problem— intact gun ports, cannon, intact Miranda K dis- you have onion bottles, a bronze caul- cusses with a to speak, dron, 18ft anchor deck timbers, colleague the wait, listen, human bone, rudder. objects found breathe, It’s a tough wreck to dive at a wreck site wait, listen, with only a small tidal window speak and and visibility ranging from near RIGHT: On loca- so on. If zero to excellent. If you’re lucky tion with some things aren’t enough to get good vis—it’s an unpredictable going so incredible wreck. screen players well—substi- tute “shout” And the most challenging? for “speak” Ever since the second series of and add a Wreck Detectives was being few exple- researched by RDF (the inde- tives! Aga pendent company making the masks bleed series for Channel Four), I had air unless the being told about this incred- seal is really ible wreck just off Padstow—a tight around German U-Boat. A great wreck your face to dive, as it’s so intact, great of doing shallower dives. Agas do work without and they only come in one size, so having a viz, only recently discovered umbilicals but the sound quality is much less reli- beard makes things very difficult—not a prob- and not yet even identified. able. lem for me, but definitely one for some of our Just one problem—it’s at 60m. Then there’s just the general stuff which goes contributors! So, the question was asked: on—it’s a major “multi-task” to monitor your dive The full face ones are even harder to work Was I up for it? I didn’t mind time, air, depth, etc. whilst trying to interview with as there is no way of equalising apart from doing another training course someone underwater, maintain neutral buoy- swallowing a lot, and then you need to remem- in order to see another wreck.

ancy, hold your breath while you listen to com- ber to flush out all the CO2 every minute or so. I would also end up joining mands from the dive boat, try not to touch the that elite group of divers—the

39 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED A curious seal taps the back of Miranda K profile Miranda’s fin

in the UK really to you, you’d have thought that one memorable one, due to my our show, we dived doesn’t get the sailors were mad! lack of experience and having no in. Our aim was to any better Once in the water, I was sur- Dive Supervisor in control is this: create and film a than this! rounded by the most beautiful We were filming reef sharks for feeding frenzy, but symphony of sound from these World Gone Wild—the series I men- also to indicate that What’s been slow and sluggish creatures. They tioned earlier where I first started the sharks weren’t your best div- wooed me with their songs… and my presenting career. We were really interested in ing experi- then moved in for the touchy feely in the Bahamas and although eating us—just the ence? bit! for anyone who’s dived with reef fish! Diving with Wild animals tend to avoid sharks, it’s not that scary, things Within minutes, we any marine humans, even when kept cap- didn’t go according to plan from were surrounded by mammal is a tive—so to have one come up and the start. The director was seasick these huge fish com- wonderful experience. I’ve dived touch you of it’s own accord, was just minutes from land, so we had ing at me from every with dolphins, sharks, seals, and an incredible direction—maybe whales… but maybe the most experience. it was a time when magical of all for me was diving Manatees like one is grateful for with manatees. to explore—this the lack of periph- Sadly, this wasn’t in the wild, as they do with eral vision in a mask they are pretty rare and the waters their bristly lips, underwater! they inhabit are often too murky which are usu- “One’s on your to film in, but while filming for a ally used for head, Miranda!” wildlife TV series in Brazil, I was lucky collecting veg- shouted Stuart. enough to visit a manatee rescue etation and I never saw it; instead, I felt centre where they are rehabilitat- working it to the another one on my arm—biting it! ed and kept in large tanks. When back of their Thank goodness we were wear- we arrived, it was explained that mouths where ing chain mail (only on our arms, strictly no one was allowed to swim their molars are. though!) I felt a huge pressure, but with them but the vet. No one, that But they don’t no pain, and all I had to show for it was, apart from me. limit their explo- was a small hole in my suit. We have all heard the ration to vege- The filming went well—I was try- stories about sailors being tation—why not ing hard to look cool, calm, and lured into the sea by try human? First, collected and it seemed to work… these sirens – well until a bristly mas- After what seemed like an eter- you’ve heard them sing sage against nity on the dive—we ascended— my arm, then this was when things started to go another one on Miranda K in action wrong. No one had been monitor- my leg, then all ing the dive. I guess, understand- my hoses were ably, we were too caught up with explored and tugged. to turn around and drop her off the sharks and what they were Never before, and perhaps and continue, undirected, to shoot going to eat next! never again have I experienced the sequence. I started my ascent, to the sound such trust from a wild animal—a I was a fairly inexperienced diver of my computer bleeping a warn- truly unforgettable experience in at that stage and this was my first ing for 10 minutes of deco… the water! time in the water wearing an Aga I checked my air—practically mask. I was a bit apprehensive empty. With an Aga mask on, And your worst? about diving with sharks, but after it’s not easy to just rip it off and I have been pretty lucky not to a brief interview with the leader of to swap tanks. Nothing to do have had any really bad diving the project and some “chumming” but surface to the RIB, grab a experiences (touch wood), but of the water to attract the starts of mask, another cylinder, descend, The wreck detectives kit up for another thrilling underwater production

40 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED profile and then carry on my deco (I DO NOT ...a paradise of dreams RECOMMEND THIS!!!). So, that’s what I did. Back down at my deco stop, I checked the air in my new tank. Nearly empty! They must have given me a used tank. B******ds! So, up again for a third tank. More expletives! The South China Sea is the world’s most exciting dive destination With a full tank, I finished my —Becca Saunders deco and surface, unharmed, and with no signed of decom- www.layanglayang.com pression sickness. The dive was certainly not life threatening but for me it was an early warning to an inexperienced Quicktime video clip. Shark diving diver not to rely on others with Stuart Cove´s. Size 4.9Mb but to take charge yourself—especially with sharks around!

What plans have you got for future TV projects? I am just in the process of OUR WORLD-UNDERWATER XXXVI filming a landmark BBC series called COAST, th which airs in the UK from Mark your calendar for Febuary 24, to 26 2006 when the 36 Annual OUR July 22nd. It features a diverse number of WORLD-UNDERWATER Consumer Dive & Travel Exposition will be stories around the British coastline and I held just minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. am following the natural history pieces. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center will host the event featuring: We have only had the chance to dive in �� Over 200 dive industry exhibitors a few locations, but when we have, it’s �� Diving workshops, clinics & seminars been excellent. We filmed the charming �� and very inquisitive gray seals in the Farne Today’s finest underwater films & photography �� Quicktime video clip. Wreck detec- Islands and also dived with mating cut- Children under 8 are FREE with paying adult tives. Size 5.8Mb tlefish off the South Coast at Selsey, near �� FREE, Saturday Children’s Film Festival Bognor Regis. I have never been able to touch a cuttlefish before—they certainly For details & tickets visit www.ourworldunderwater.com had something else on their minds other SAVE $2.00 ON YOUR ADMISSION TO THE SHOW than me! SUBMIT THIS AD WITH YOUR TICKET ORDER (sorry no copies accepted) CODE: XR What do you love so much about diving? It’s something you can’t really explain to someone who doesn’t dive…. utter weightlessness, therapy, relaxation, the sound of your own breathing, the gentle crackling of life underwater and just… utter calm. ■

Quicktime video clip. Presentation. Size 2.4Mb

41 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED science

Text by Michael Symes Photos: Peter Symes

It would seem to be self-evi- importance for the heat transmission, for example, from the seas to the land and Kitchen salt dent to use the adjective ‘salty’ vice versa, and thus affecting global cli- in connection with the World’s mate, but it is of the greatest importance oceans. Everybody knows that on the types of life that have evolved in the oceans are salty. It is per- these waters. Because of this salinity special, strategies have had to be evolved haps the first thing that comes not only by the animals that live there to mind when we think of the but also by the plant life. But how saline oceans. are the oceans?

Everyone who has taken in a mouthful of Salinity of the oceans Composition of dissolved salts ocean water while swimming knows that The salinity of the oceans depends on At least 72 chemical elements have Anion Concentration % such factors as melting of ice, inflow of the ocean is really salty. About 70% of the solvent ability of water. It is the most been identified in sea water, most in Cl - 1.91 river water, evaporation, rain, snowfall, -- the Earth is covered with water, and we universal solvent known, being able to extremely small amounts. Probably all the SO4 0.27 wind, wave motion, and ocean currents -- find 97% of that water in the oceans. dissolve both acids and bases. All water Earth’s naturally occurring elements exist HCO3 0.01 that cause horizontal and vertical mix- However, it is not generally known has some dissolved material in it. The dif- in the sea. Elements may combine in vari- ing of the saltwater. Evaporation leaves just how important the salinity of ference between fresh water and ous ways and form insoluble precipitates behind dissolved salts increasing salinity the oceans ocean water is that ocean that sink to the ocean floor. The tabulat- From the top of the ocean all the way and precipitation freshens the top ocean is for life on water contains many ed 7 ionic species make up 99.7% of the to the depths of the ocean, salinity is layers. So, salinity is high in mid-latitudes this planet. more dissolved salts. oceans’ salinity. between 3.3 to 3.7% with the average where evaporation is high and precipita- Not only Ocean water is about salinity being about 3.5%. The salinity for tion is low. Salinity is low near the equa- has it 3.5% salt. And more Cation Concentration % almost the entire ocean at sea surface tor because precipitation is so high. Very than 90 percent of that Na+ 1.08 is around 3.3 – 3.6% with some geo- high latitudes can also see decreases in salt would be sodium Mg++ 0.13 graphic variations of salinity due to pre- salinity where sea ice melts and freshens chloride, or ordinary table Ca++ 0.04 cipitation and evaporation. The salinity the water. salt. K+ 0.04 of ocean water varies. It is affected by The saltiest water, at 4.0%, occurs in

Life and

Tunicates, or Squirts The Salty Oceans 42 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Crab on a red mangrove root off science Semporna, Borneo Plants and animals the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, where on life there. Changes in salinity brought alike. They all have rates of evaporation are very high. Low about by human residential, commercial to cope with the salinities occur in polar seas where the and industrial activity can kill plant life, changing salin- salt water is diluted by melting ice and aquatic life, and animal life in a given ity and, in some continued precipitation. Partly land- area. Humans have the responsibility to places, a constant cycle of flooding locked seas or coastal inlets that receive make sure their actions are not causing and drying out. substantial run-off from precipitation fall- this type of devastation. ing on the land also may have low salinities. The Baltic Sea ranges in salinity from Mangrove trees about 0.5 to 1.5%. The salinity of the Black One important example of plant life that Sea is less than 2.0%. has adapted to salty conditions is the mangrove tree. Mangroves are a unique Life in and around the part of the coastal ecosystem, being oceans found along tropical seacoasts on both The saline environment has quite sides of the equator. They are thought an effect on life in the oceans. to have originated in the Far East. There Most creatures that live in the are several types of mangrove with the ocean could not live in Galapagos being home to four of them. fresh water. However, They are interesting because they have the cells as well as ion transport from about 46 times more chloride than when the highly evolved mechanisms enabling them to the secretory cells to the cuticle. calcium. Also, silica is a significant saline waters of the cope with high salt conditions. Incidently, apart from their ability to constituent of river water but not of ocean meet fresh The Black Mangrove, for survive saline conditions they are also sea water. Furthermore, calcium and water, an estu- example, has the interesting in being unique in having bicarbonate account for nearly 50% ary is formed. This highest salt toler- true plant vivipary. Mangrove species of the dissolved solids in river water yet is a special envi- ant leaves of all reproduce by producing flowers and constitute less than 2 percent of the ronment where the mangroves, rely on pollination by bees and insects. dissolved solids in ocean water. These some crea- with its leaves After pollination, the seed remains on variations seem contrary to what one tures have being equipped the parent tree where it germinates would expect. learned to with special salt- and grows roots before disloging. Do you want to see your adapt to a extracting glands. Life’s affecting salt composi- story in X-Ray Magazine? mixture of Much research Marine animal life tion fresh and has been done in Due to the salt content, life in the Part of the explanation is the role salt water. attempting to eluci- oceans is quite different from that played by marine life, both animals X-RAY MAG is always on the lookout When fresh date how this salt extrac- found in freshwater. However, sea and plants, in ocean water’s composi- for hot new talent to showcase. If water, tion functions but many water and river water differ in more tion. Sea water is not simply a solution you have a great story and/or underground fundemental questions ways than in just their salt content. of salts and dissolved gases unaf- water photographs on a unique dive water and soils are remain. The gland ultrastruc- For example, rivers carry to the sea fected by living organisms in the sea. location, conservation, marine life or altered by human ture has been described more calcium than chloride, Mollusks, for example oysters, clams, ocean topic, send us an inquiry. actions and salin- but questions remain but the oceans never- and mussels, extract calcium from the ity greatly increases, it can regarding proc- theless contain sea to build their shells and skeletons. See our Guidelines at www. have an extreme detrimental effect esses inside xray-mag.com or click here

Background: Mysids, small crustaceans, usually less than 10 millimeter long, that swarm over the seabed and are often mistaken for juvenile fish. These are from the brackish Great Belt, Denmark Center: Young red mangrove, Florida The Salty Oceans

43 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED form their shells and they science draw heavily on the ocean’s silica for this purpose. Some marine organisms concentrate or secrete chemical elements that are present in such minute amounts in sea water as to be almost undetectable: Lobsters concentrate copper Thus, and cobalt; snails secrete lead; sea life has a the sea cucumber extracts vanadium; and sponges and certain strong influence on the seaweeds remove iodine from the composition of sea water. sea. Thus, sea life has a strong influence on the composition of sea the sea surface. These height dif- water. However, some elements ferences are related to the circu- in sea water are not affected to lation of the ocean. The changes any apparent extent by plant in density bring warm water pole- ward on the surface to replace Foraminifers, very or animal life. For example, the sinking water driving the small one-celled no known biological process global thermohaline (heat and sea animals, and crus- removes the element sodium from salt) circulation within the ocean taceans, such as crabs, the sea. called the Global Conveyor Belt. shrimp, lobsters, and barnacles, likewise Global Conveyor Belt The is the principal mechanism by take out large Together, salinity and tempera- which the oceans store and trans- amounts of calcium ture determine seawater density port heat. The ocean stores more salts to build their bod- and buoyancy, driving the extent heat in the uppermost 3 meters ies. Coral reefs, common in warm of ocean stratification, mix- than that of the entire atmos- tropical seas, consist mostly of ing, and water mass formation. phere and acts as a global heat calcium carbonate as limestone, Greater salinity, like lower tem- engine. Salinity is thus a key ingre- formed over millions of years from peratures, results in an increase in dient in the global thermohaline the skeletons of billions of small ocean density with a correspond- circulation. We will be discussing corals and other sea animals. ing depression of the sea surface the importance for the environ- Plankton, tiny floating animal and height. In warmer, fresher waters, ment of the Global Conveyor Belt plant life, also exerts control on the density is lower result- in a coming number. ■ the composition of sea water. ing in an elevation of Diatoms, members of the plankton community, require silica to

Hermit crab in Lobsters concentrate Littlebelt, Denmark. copper and cobalt; Crustaceans absord and snails secrete lead; the leach salts and sea cucumber extracts metals vanadium; and sponges and certain seaweeds remove iodine from the sea.

44 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED tions and standard safety procedures on board ships have all been greatly science improved. He also received many letters from sailors who managed to survive life and death situations using his tips. Is it really possible? Drink saltwater to save your life - perhaps So, can you survive by drinking seawater? It would appear that you can if you use it as a supplement to other In Coleridge’s famous poem, It is certainly ironic that in the mid- sources such as the juice from pressed dle of all that water they had noth- fish. However, it might be advisable in which a becalmed crew is ing to drink, for it is well known that first to read “Alone at Sea” by Hannes dying of thirst in the middle of if you drink seawater you will die. Lindermann. He tried Bombard’s tricks the ocean, the narrator says: But, well known or not, can this on two short voyages drinking saltwa- really be true, or is it just a myth? ter - and almost died. His feet and legs swelled dangerously. In “Alone at Sea”, “Water, water, everywhere, Doctor Alain Bombard, who died 1958, he not only cast doubt on seawa- And all the boards did shrink. in France in July this year, claimed ter’s potability, but also charged that Water, water, everywhere, to have proved that you can drink Bombard had cheated by sneaking seawater and survive. He, in fact, provisions aboard. Find both books at Nor any drop to drink” carried out a trial in 1952 in which Amazon.com. and judge for yourselves. he survived 53 days on the ocean in a life raft without any fresh water or food. His theory was that the human It all depends, it seems. The 33% system can absorb sea water pro- salt concentration in the water of vided it’s drunk in small quantities the Dead Sea would however cer- and taken continuously. Plankton is tainly kill you fast if you drank it rich in vitamin C and, filtered from the sea with a special net, it contains all the nutrients required. Bombard drank rainwater and up to a pint-and-a-half of sea water a Tom Hanks starring in the Hollywood blockbuster “Castaway” in which his character also day on his trip. had to depend on his creativity to survive. Promotional photo from 20th Century Fox He was inspired by Thor Heyerdhal’s 1947 Kon Tiki expedition, who crossed Canary Island to the West Indies. He went 64 days the oceans on a raft, living on a diet of without any water, just a few basic tools After 53 days of travel, he encountered fish. This event influenced his life so much like a net to catch plankton, harpoons a ship. The crew offered him a meal that he decided to prove the possibility to fish, a few books, medical material to and proposed to bring him to some of survival in a blow-up raft with the very study his health, and a sextant. islands but Bombard decided to con- limited amount of resources. Bombard Emergency provisions were loaded tinue alone and he reached Barbados drank only small quantities of salt-water onto the 15-foot-long, 6-foot-wide rub- on December 23, 1952. When reaching and consumed the plankton which it ber boat, but a notary sealed them so it Barbados he was in such poor condi- contained. would be obvious if Bombard used them. tion that he was immediately hospital- His most famous book about his The seal was reported to be still affixed at ized. The total trip was 4400km and Atlantic raft crossing is titled “The journey’s end. Bombard left the Canary took 64 days. Bombard Story. “ Islands on October 19, and reached the West Indies December 23. He encoun- Bombard went to an oceanographic In Theory tered storms, and weeks of dead-calm institute in Monte Carlo to develop After theoretical studies at the hospital seas. When he encountered a tanker, he ways for people lost in small boats to of Boulogne sur mer, to determine what found that he was 600 miles off course. survive on even less. He concluded quantity of fresh water you can get from The mix of raw fish and plankton, which that drinking limited quantities of sea- a fish, from the rain, how much salt water he first thought tasted a bit like lobster water and fluids pressed from raw fish, you can drink, etc, he decided to test his purée, grew tiresome. He told Life maga- and eating fish and plankton would theory on a Zodiac inflatable boat and in zine that it added up to “a starving, thirsty do the job. Thanks to his achievement 1952 to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the hell.” and interest in sailors, working condi- YANN ST. YVES 45 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED conservation

Eco-tourism & education

MangrovesText by Bridget Hedderman Photos courtesy of Eco Field Trips “What would the world be, once bereft Ecofieldtrips Pte Ltd is a Singapore based company Of wet and of wilder- which employs specialist biol- ness? Let them be left, ogists to cover the biology of O let them be left, wil- rainforests, mangroves, sea- derness and wet; shores and coral reefs in the Long live the weeds and unspoilt ecosystems of Tioman the wilderness yet” Island, Sarawak and Langkawi,

in Malaysia. School groups from Singapore, Malaysia, Gerard Manley Hopkins Hong Kong, Bangladesh, UK and Ireland come annually on the fieldtrips. Fieldtrips vary in length and content- from fun filled educational trips with 11/12 year olds to in-depth GCSE, A-Level and IB survey work- depending on school requirements. The “hands on” field experience and the knowledge and experience of EFT biologists ensures a better understanding of our wonderful ecosystems and how they are interrelated. The fieldtrips support what is being taught in the classroom and it is hoped that fieldtrip experience leads to life long conservation aware- ness. Mangrove breathing roots. Sonneratia sp Mangrove quadrat survey 46 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED conservation Mangroves

4 DAY ITINERARY

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS FIELDTRIP PULAU TIOMAN, MALAYSIA

* Day 1 -Coach and ferry to Tioman. Programme briefing, Nature Loop - Short walk into the rainforest behind the resort, follows the stream through a stretch of the forest into the mangrove and out onto the beach at Paya Beach. This overview of river/ rainforest/mangrove/coral reef - gives a perfect introduction and holistic approach to field work. Evening educational presentation.

* Day 2 - Snorkeling on pristine coral reef on nearby island. Explore diversity of the mangrove. Visit the marine Park Visitor’s Centre. Snorkel and feed the fish. Evening educational presentation

* Day 3 - 7km Rainforest trek - examine coastline, river, village deveolpment and the impactto tourism. Survey work: Soil development, Hydrological cycle, Climate, Micro- climates and Forest maturity. Wildlife discovery and interaction.Evening tions. During fieldtrips in Sarawak Introduction to the educational presentation. students see exactly how mangrove Mangrove forest: forests are being cleared to make * Day 4 - Seashore survey using line way for housing development. They Mangroves seem to have little ap- transects and quadrats - Data analy- also visit a wonderful kampong that peal to the general public and are sis & student presentation. Coastal nestles amongst the mangrove trees commonly referred to as “hot, bug walk to Turtle Sanctuary. Depart back and observe how people can live in infested, smelly swamps that are to Singapore. polluted and mess up the coastline” harmony with nature. Mangroves have many other They are frequently cleared to allow www.ecofieldtrips.com.sg for better sea views or reclaimed to important roles, they are the nursery provide more flat land for buildings ground for juvenile fish and crustaceans, they provide food, medicines and aquaculture. The terrible tsuna- CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: and a sustainable source of good mi tragedy of Dec 2004 brought to Mangrove at hightide; light the vital function of mangroves quality timber for the local people. Horseshoe crab; in protecting coastal areas during Mangroves are the home to many Mangrove survey times of adverse weather condi- creatures such as fruit bats, snakes,

47 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED conservation Mangroves

LEFT: Fiddler crab ABOVE: Sarawak reclaimed mangroves TOP CENTER: Sarawak reclaimed mangroves development RIGHT: Sarawak development within mangroves INSET: Fruit bat-flying fox

monkeys, birds and butterflies. Mangrove soil is waterlogged and anaero- The first introduction to mangroves is from Mangroves are a specialised group of bic with sulphur producing bacteria giving the rainforest by following a stream which plants that have adapted to living in the fringe off the distinctive odour of rotting eggs! The then meanders through a wonderful estuarine of land between the sea and the land, along strange roots of mangrove trees often pro- mangrove before it reaches the seashore. It coasts and riverbanks where fresh and salt trude upwards allowing air to diffuse into the is often the case that students find themselves water meets. Here few other plants can survive plant tissue through specialises pores when ex- waist deep in water wading through the man- the harsh environmental conditions. Mangrove posed to air. This ingenious adaptation works grove. It is this journey from the rainforest to the plants have adapted to accommodate daily in much the same way as a snorkel when skin seashore through the mangrove that makes flooding by seawater when the tide is high diving. students realise how ecosystems are intercon- and exposure to the hot rays of the tropical Mangroves are without doubt what students nected. sun when tide flows out. Mangroves frequently know least about when they arrive to take part Students also approach mangroves from have to survive freshwater flooding when in a fieldtrip and EFT biologists introduce man- the sea by snorkelling into mangroves at high streams overflow during the rainy season. groves to students in a variety of ways. tide. This gives a very different perception of

48 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED conservation Mangroves

FAR LEFT: Mangrove roots. Rhizophera sp

TOP: Snorkeling in a coastal mangrove mangroves and students can well the timid animals that emerge knowledge about these amazing imagine how mangrove roots are when they are not disturbed. Man- ecosystems and a greater appre- LEFT: Mudskipper nest a refuge for smaller fish and how grove zonation, using quadrates ciation of their commercial and in- they provide such a good barrier and transect lines are carried out trinsic value. From our student feed- against coastal erosion. as well as water and soil sampling. back over the years, these fieldtrips Students also spend time doing The affect of pollution and par- have influenced their attitudes to more detailed surveys in man- ticularly human impact is brought the environment, conservation and groves. This may involve small home to students during their sur- sustainable development in a very groups working together to learn veys. positive way. ■ as much as possible about a given It is hoped that during the field area of a mangrove forest. A vari- trips the importance of conserva- For more information, visit: ety of survey techniques are used tion becomes clear and young www.ecofieldtrips.com.sg including a silent survey to observe people leave with a thorough

49 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED technical Now, what if a hose bursts? Leigh Cunningham is matters the technical manager and TDI Instructor Trainer for Ocean College, Sharm El Sheikh.

Probably best known for his records - Leigh once Leigh held the record for the Cunningham deepest dive in the Red Sea - and attempts of reaching extreme depths, he also has a wide range of teaching credentials to his cur- When divers run out of gas Training agen- riculum: cies differ in the in open water it can only be degree of self sufficiency TDI instructor trainer, DSAT Tech down to two possible expla- training at recreational levels. Most In reality distance to reach his buddy. If he Trimix instructor, PADI MSDT nations. Either they haven’t of them instruct divers to, when in a In my experience, then, on top of everything else, also IANTD Technical diver instructor been monitoring their pressure situation where they run low or out of however, in the real world of diving has problems locating a not so clearly CMAS 3 star instructor. gas, to swim to their “buddy” and share things may be a lot different. One seen alternate second stage, the situ- gauges and plainly run dry. gas from an alternate second stage, or of the most commonly seen devia- ation will very soon, needless to say, Or they have suffered some octopus as it is widely known. This obvi- tions from recommended practice become very serious if not already. equipment malfunction such ously requires that the buddy is within are divers stowing their alternate air for many years now. It is certainly as a regulator free flow or a swimming distance, which is why we are source octopus in a BCD pocket or CESA a good exercise and eye-open- also taught to keep fairly close together have it dangling freely somewhere Another option may be performing ing experience to practise under split hose which are technical in buddy pairs should anything of this behind them. Sad but true. Secondly, a controlled emergency swimming controlled circumstances. But as breakdowns that can happen sort happen, however unlikely it may buddy pairs, once they are beyond ascent (CESA), this is, however, a skill the training agencies also came even to the most conscien- seem. their basic training course rarely do a we practice only once during basic to realise over time, it is also a drill According to conventions, the proper buddy check before entering training—unless we become instructors so fiendishly difficult and stressful tious, experienced and well alternate second stage, or octopus, the water ensuring that they know the ourselves. As with any other skill upon to perform under a real emer- trained diver. should be clearly stowed in the imagi- whereabouts of the very alternate air which your safety is dependent, it gency situation that only quite nary triangular area between the chin source that they may urgently need should however be practised at regu- experienced divers with But how do we prepare for and the lower corners of the rib cage later. And thirdly, they are rarely look- lar intervals. But is it ever? good stress manage- from where it can easily be seen and ing at each other when one runs out ment can handle it. these eventualities? Do we grabbed in case it is needed. If, how- of gas. The victim of an out of gas situ- Buddy breathing could be another just rely on our buddy to sort ever, the diver low on air is too far away ation will already be under significant option, but it is a drill which training us out? And is that a wise pol- from his buddy, the next option would stress and only agencies have con- icy? be to swim directly to the surface while more so sidered optional in exhaling or perhaps breathing from a if he also training free flowing regulator. In either case a has to difficult task. So much for the theory. swim some

“Check your pressure gauge at least once every minute, during

Solo or Not? or Solo Solo or not? Text: Leigh Cunningham. Photos and graphics: Peter Symes every dive”

50 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED technical Is this your buddy? matters Besides, if a skill is optional, most specific equipment configuration, instructors will not practice it with especially where their alternate students and few divers, whatso- air sources are, which type of Heard it before? ever, will keep on practising the releases are on the BCD/harness Does all this start to sound famil- skill after training. and what type of weight system, iar? Well it should, if you have Usually mentioned in an open integrated or weight belt, they been reading my series. We are water course is the possible use. revisiting the “redundancy ethic”, advantages of a pony bottle or In my humble opinion, for the I wrote about a couple of issues a small spare air cylinder, but a vast majority of divers the buddy back. In the world of technical mention is usually all it gets. system as we know it, is seriously training, this approach to diving is flawed! the standard procedure and has Buddy check been for many years. Put simply, The buddy check gets more What if...? according to the “redundancy than a mention, and is in fact Here is a little reality check: If a ethic”, anything that could possi- mentioned and practiced every diver runs out of gas and swims bly malfunction with a risk to your day during basic training. Buddy some distance to reach and life as the result, should be dupli- checks should be a standard share gas with their buddy and cated with an independent back procedure for novice divers only. the buddy is unaware of the up system. While you may share Experienced divers at all levels problem, what is most likely going together with someone, pretend should not need a buddy check. to happen is that the diver who is that you will be diving alone and Why? Basically because you must out of gas is going to grab the first What would then happen in the ter approach to prevent out of prepare and kit up accordingly, always be the one responsible second stage they see and know aforementioned scenario is that air situations is to have another and dive within your limits. for your own life support systems. is working, which is the one the the diver who is out of gas would air source on board yourself. We don’t call it “Solo” diver It should never be up to another buddy is already breathing from. take the second stage from his Depending on your style of diving, training however. A more accu- diver/buddy to check your life With this in mind, a better meth- buddy’s mouth. The buddy would it need not be a twin tank with rate term would be “following support system (scuba unit) is od of training and diving would then replace this second stage manifold. A pony bottle or spare the laws of common sense”. The functioning how it should be. It’s be for divers to normally breathe with the alternate second stage, air cylinder would still be a great technical diver is taught during your life on the line. All divers div- from the longer of the two hoses which is easily located just inches help for many recreational divers. formal training that the possibility ing together should however be (the one we would usually con- away right under the chin. The A little spare air tank doesn’t hold of being split from the dive group aware of their sider to be the alternate second out of gas diver would then also much but a couple of extra avail- or buddy always has to be taken partner’s stage, or octopus) and stow the be breathing from the longer of able breaths may make for just into consideration. A diver may other second stage (on the short- the two hoses, making gas shar- the essential difference. Also ask even have to complete a lengthy er of the two hoses) under the ing much more comfortable your buddy to carry some extra decompression obligation alone chin with a bungee cord around But you are still dependent on air supply of his own. after being split from the rest of the neck. your buddy. A different and bet- the dive team, so back up sys-

That good trusted old regulator. When was it again you had it serviced?

How far can you venture and still see yourself safely out of

Solo or Not? or Solo trouble in the unlikely event of a equipment malfuntion?

51 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED and appropriate con- mean either that the proximity figuration for the type of of your diving partner can’t add dive along with “plan- to your safety, because help or ning the dive and diving just an extra pair of hands can the plan”. The technical indeed come in handy. It is about diver does not have the a mindset. Are you prepared, option of a direct ascent equipped and capable to inde- to the surface after an pendently take care of your own equipment malfunction safety and not to make someone without getting seriously else responsible? A little mental bent or even end up exercise can come in handy here: dead. Ask yourself whether you would Ok, we are not all be comfortable assuming respon- technical divers but the sibility for your buddy and getting issues at hand applies him/her safely out of the water in to everyone. Even for case he has an accident. Maybe the recreational diver in he is panic-prone, who knows? the 20-40 meter range, This is for qualified and dive pro- running out of gas due fessionals only, who, when you to a regulator malfunc- come to think of it, always have tion or otherwise only to to dive solo when doing classes realise that the buddy is as they can’t rely on anyone else out in the distance swim- to rescue them. ming away from you, Do you bring your family on a can have catastrophic dive vacation and do you dive affects. If you don’t with your kids? They are most carry backup, a direct likely not physically strong, trained swim to the surface may or mentally prepared or mature then be your only option enough to deal with any inci- to prevent drowning, dences. They can’t be expected but at the same time to react as fully capable buddies. more than likely lead to Here too, you are in reality diving a series of recompres- solo even though you may not be sion treatments and an aware of it. abrupt end to your diving career. For all divers, Do the right thing and be safe. ■ whether adhering to the buddy system or not, if The good buddy should always look out for there was more emphasis you. But what if he/ she looks the other way? on redundant systems during training, and their use after, less divers tems, must be taken on the dive would get bent or dead due to in order to resolve equipment an out-of-gas situation. related problems should they occur. Diving solo Maybe it should also be stressed Common sense that “diving solo” in this context No longer does the questionable isn’t the same as diving alone. buddy system apply. What does Diving is a social undertaking, apply is a common sense, logical and we like to share experi- outlook on required equipment ences under water. It doesn’t Where is that buddy when you need him?

52 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED wrecks

The incredible and neverending ballad of the Lost 1841 Enrico Cappelletti & Gianluca Mirto reports

Like every grand tale This incredible tale is not just about a Livorno (Leghorn) in the years 1842 to Rise of nationalism of shipwreck and lost dramatic shipwreck in which one of 1846, right in the middle of a turbu- In 1841, every little kingdom, the two colliding steamboats sinks in lent period of history when European duchy or territory in the treasure, the story about the matter of minutes off the island nationalism flaired up and new politically fragmented area the Polluce has it all. of Elba in the Mediterranean tak- states were born or unified includ- around the Tyrrhenian Sea A paddlewheel steaming along with it tothe bottom of the ing modern Italy. We have spanned seemed to, maybe not sur- one and a half centuries to include a boat shipwrecked in sea a huge treasure—although this prisingly, have some stake or aspect of the wreck alone would be clandestine excavation of the wreck claim on this wreck and it’s 1841, it is the cen- dramatic story in its own right. The and illegal removal of the treasure precious cargo. In that day trepiece of a drama story isn’t complete either by includ- in the 21st century as well as an and age, there were no such spanning more than ing the following inquiries and legal international scandal and a police notions as territorial waters or proceedings, which took place in matter which reached into several international treaties govern- one and a half centuries European countries. and has all the necessary ingredients: drama and tragedy, greed and crime, passion and poli- tics. And it is still ongoing—Polluce is about to be excavated once more as this story goes to press.

53 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Polluce Wreck ing legal matters pertaining chains which can now be found at the They set sail and head right for the des- 40 tons of Lead to the seas. A ship’s owner naval base of Toulon in southern France. ignated area where they set out their On March 1. they returned to Genoa. had little or no protection A report of these recovery attempts, in marker buoys. Using a ROV (Remotely Here they unloaded 40 tons of recovered nor was there a supporting the form of a 48-page booklet dated Operated Vehicle) with a videolink they lead, gave the crew some silver coins legal framework in regards 1841, is then passed down history from a search the bottom and try to steer the and disembarked to return to England to salvaging a lost ship or colonel serving the archduke of Tuscany. excavating bucket onto the wreck. With without a hint about any treasure to its cargo. Indeed, this was this crude tool they break up the wreck anybody. Nobody knew what really hap- also the case of the Polluce 21st century visitors to get to the cargo and the treasure. pened. and it’s owner, one de Luchi It is armed with these historical records, During their 21 days at sea they manage Back in England, however, the English Rubattino from Genoa. obtained from a Parisian investigator to bring up and onto the deck of their divers celebrated their amazing adven- of historical documents named Pascal vessel 1400 tons of mud and scrap iron. ture and gave interviews to the local First attempts Kainic, a group of eight English divers Meanwhile the Italian crew were kept daily paper of Great Yarmouth. Once Following the loss of his ves- from East Anglia (a county in eastern completely in the dark. Their access were in the headlines of the newspaper the sel, de Luchi Rubattino des- England also known as Norfolk) arrive restricted to the foredeck and they were cat was out of the sack as it would soon perately staged several salin Genoa in the spring of 2000 - David forbidden to see or interfere with what enough come back to haunt them. vage attempts. However, the Dixon, Jerry Sullivan, Kerr Sinclair and was going on with the excavation and Another interesting chapter in the Polluce wreck was lying far deeper Nicholas Pearson and some others. None what was loaded onto the aft deck. story was about to begin. than any previous salvage of them had any previ- work. Attempting to salvage ous experience with sal- the wreck of the Polluce was vage work and only two An 18 ct gold mounted closed back an unbelievable enterprise at the time—it had previously worked emerald set. 18th century cross pendant was the first time anyone had tried to go at sea at all. They did, with central square collet., emeralds set so deep. After two failed attempts, de however, seem to know to eight arms and pear-shaped drop. Luchi Rubattino predictably ran out of exactly where the wreck Spanish c. 1759. Estimated value £2000- money a gave up. He spent 500,000 lire of Polluce is located and 3000 at auction to buy a brand new boat and salvaging how to get there. One attempts cost up to of them also seemed to 470,000 lire. be the manager of a sal- Also as an interested vage company, curiously parties we have the enough. king of Sardinia for In Genoa the group whom it was its most charters a supply ves- important trading vessel with a crane and an sel and the king of excavator bucket from France who supplied the Genoese company some of the equip- Technospamec and hire ment for the salvage in an Italian crew. The attempts including charter is for three weeks some heavy lifting against a fee of €190,000.

Gold or silver coins on what left of the ship Video Video Video

Click here to play video Click here to play video Click here to play video 691 k - 0:55 min 895 k - 1:10 min Lifting system of 1000 meter of chains - using 6 sailing ship to 2 Mb - 2:30 min get her up. Polluce was lifted up in September 1841 about 3 meter and moved toward the island for less then 50 meters

54 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Polluce Wreck

Who and when? However, it did never come to anything and then released. According to But how did they know about the con- of the sort. On the day before, on June Scotland Yard they have not paid a tent of the Polluce in the first place? And 20, the Metropolitan Police’s department single fine at this point in time. who supplied the position coordinates? of antiquities arrived on the premises Who made the necessary investiga - and put a halt the auction after being Returning the treasure tions in order to locate the wreck again informed by the Italian police. In the fol- On 10th October 2002, Vernon Rap- after so long time – and when? Polluce lowing statement to the press the police ley, the Scotland Yard detective who was just a single wooden hull 50 meters said they have received information that seized the treasure handed it over long lying at a depth of 103 meters and the artefacts has been illegally recov- to police officers from the Protection there was no mention of this ship in the ered from Italian waters and taken to Patrimony of Florence. But was it all national and international nautical books England. The police seized the collection of the treasure or was it only a small or databases. while the astounded producers insisted part of it? Subsequent attempts to that their permission certificates from locate the four for further question- The auction the Italian authorities were in order. In a ing has been unsuccessful, their The treasure was put up for sale at an sense they were. telephones were not answered and Italy and its neighbours in 1841. The line is auction held on June 21 2001. at the auc- The permissions were indeed issued they no longer lived at their known Pulluce’s route tion house of Noonan Webb in London. to their company but as the policemen addresses. The local press were con- - a: Kindom of France It was a precious collection of 2000 silver soon enough pointed out the permis- vinced that the group had a finan- - b: Switzerland coins, 311 gold coins, diamonds and jew- sion referred to another wreck, the Glen cier as the divers were unskilled. One - c: Empire of Austria-Hungary els and silverware as well as a cup from Logan, and to the recovery of aluminium of them, David Dixon, has previously - 1: Kingdom of Sardinia a cabinet were meant to be put up for ingots. Furthermore as the Glen Logan been associated with offshore jobs - 2: Kingdom of Lombardi and Venetia Old map of Tuscany. The big island in sale . If they had sold all they would have was sunk in 1916 by a German u-boat but the others, from what is known, - 3: Duchy of Parma the lower left corner is Elba and the strait realised more than €400,000. off the island of Stromboli near Sicily no have never carried out work with - 4: Duchy of Modena seperating it from mainland Italy is called less than some 460 miles away this was wrecks. - 5: Vatican State Channel of Piombino. It was here Polluce certainly no small error. Everything was - 6: Kingdom of the Two Sicilies collided with the steamer Mongibello and A selection of the seized treasure sank in 10 minutes on June 17 1841 from Polluce as they were about to subsequently taken into custody and Comex be auctioned off the four adventurers were first charged May 8. 2003. The world renowned French salvage company Comex’ ves- found. It is on the opaque sonar sel Janus arrives at Porto Azzurro on Elba screen the site is first visible. First to search for Polluce. The owner leg- small, then the location spreads endary Henri Delauze is aboard. across the monitor. During searches in a darkened On edge room behind the Delauze stands up nervously. shoulders of the Takes a close look at the screen. helmsman four Walks around agitated. Then sits men are seated down. The previous visitors have along a wall of disintegrated and destroyed the blue screens. wreck and left nothing it seems. Sophisticated The question springs mind: How equipment control could the English possibly know the ship with mil- about the wreck? Backtracing limetres’ precision events the first scan of the wreck and enabe the was dated June 1995, when men to home in on Delauze identified it for the first the exact location time. On this scan the classic where the Polluce is silhouette emerges clearly. The

Auction catalogue. Notice that Roll of coins. These are French silver coins kept inside a small the treasure is referred to as com- metal tube to protect them from corrosion. This is the system ing from “Santa Lucia” they probably used to transfer money

55 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Polluce Wreck hull are easily reconised and it is even A wellplanned action this possible? Nor did they seem to won- wrongly so. The Pollux is a vessel that possible to locate the deep gash in the This is what I have been able to put der, as the local press pointed out after- were lost in the beginning of the 1800’s. flank produced by the bowsprit of the together: David Dixon, Jerry Sullivan, wards, that the chartered supply vessel One reference tells that Ferdinand Neapolitan steamboat Mongibello which Kerr Sinclair and Nicholas Pearson arrives was anchored in a completely different IV, King of the Two Sicilies, fleeing rapidly sent it to bottom. This scan and a from Norfolk, England, to Puerto Azurra position and was equipped for a com- Napoleon’s advancing forces as they report was sent to the Italian authorities, on Elba to have the adventure of their pletely different sort of excavation than were invading Naples, loaded his treas- presumably the Coast Guard in 1995. lifetime. They knew perfectly well what the one they had permission to do. ures aboard an English sailing ship, and they were doing and where they were sent it northwards, towards a friendly Not on the records heading even though they tried to give Possible explanations port. But when the sailing ship passed After studying the case for many months, a different impression. They clearly knew The Polluce was already a famous Elba and was seized by French ships, it I now know nearly everything about that they were in the territorial waters of treasure wreck for many treasure hunt- preferred to sink itself sending the gold this shipwreck and I have a good idea Italy carrying out an illegal excavation ers in Europe. But the authorities had no of the king to the bottom. According to what might have happened. When Henri but they have prepared well. knowledge of it and for them it was a legend this is a shipwreck of great rich- Delauze filed his report on the find with Apparently all seemed to be clear and ship that did not exist. Nigel Pickford lists es, gold and pearls and one carriage An the Coast Guard 1995 it is not duly proc- papers in order. The authorities just never it as the treasure of Pollux in his authori- of gold. The legend also places the 18ct gold essed. Consequently there are never any checked them properly. Usually the tative Treasure Altas, so it is well known. shipwreck between 1804 and 1806, but brooch of cres- information about Polluce on their record Coast Guard takes months to evaluate However there has been much confu- the dates are certainly mistaken as the cent shape with rectan- and it is af it doesn’t exist. How the documents and issue excavation permits. sion about the names Pollux and Polluce. king of the two Sicilies were not allied gular and triangular terminals, wire work clapsed coral hand drop, English group is able to obtain this infor- But in this case an excavation permit was Pollux has to a large extent been the one to Naples in those years. snake manchette holding gold chain- mation is a question open to speculation. issued within a couple of days. How was that got stuck in the minds of people but This legend in combination with errors Italian, c. 1835, 5,7 cm, 14,5 gr.

Letter from the King of Sardinia in Livorno announc- ing the Polluce incident to the Foreign Ministry in Turin

This is a model, not of the Polluce but of a sister ship very much like her

56 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Polluce Wreck in dates and plac- The treasure aboard the Polluce was a gentleman by es is what upsets A newsclip from the French daily paper the name J. Jacques Thevenot. He was the searches that Semaphore of Marseilles dated June 23rd from Marseilles and together with others the Italian police 1841, five days after the shipwreck, which 8 sailors were repatriated with the help carried out at sea happened on the 17th at 11.30 pm, of the French Consul in Livorno. And this after Scotland states quite specifically that onboard head steward knew very well what was Yard had returned were 70,000 coins in silver and 100,000 on board as he had witnessed the turn the precious mate- coins in gold which was the property of of events firsthand and gave a detailed rial. After one four rich passengers. The contessa de la account that was entered into the long such search Rocca even brought a golden carriage. records of the time. the police offic- The French media covered the event ers locate the quite intensely for more than 15 days The preparations remains of the whereas the Genoese daily hardly men- The treasure hunters therefore knew wreck which they tioned it – a 10 line note on the first day that this wreck had an indeed precious investigate with a was about all the mention the Italian cargo. All they had to do was obtaining ROV and hastily media cared for. the right documents from an historical establish that it The head steward investigator. But first the quartet is a Spanish ship made another operation. Thanks with sails. to a backer they first recon- structed Reasdom Beazley a Coins on the rest of the ship Misidentification once world famous salvage But there are some details company which closed that doesn’t ring true to down in 1981. me. Among the artefacts Before they went out AD seen on bottom are for of business they had suc- example a jar of mustard cessfully performed over 80 which raises a red flag. This challenging salvage opera- particular jar of mustard tions retrieving commercially was a very particular and important materials. Their last expensive brand - one job was retrieving aluminium that would very unlikely have from the holds of the been aboard any Spanish sail- Glenartney which were ing vessel at the time. But very sunk by an u-boat in possibly on a vessel fleeing 1916 in the Channel of with a treasure. Going over Sicily. Then the business the other artefacts on the was first sold to a Dutch bottom including the large then a German compa- quantities of iron soon made it ny before it finally was clear that this was no sailing ship. closed. In addition, the list of artefacts given back from the Metropolitan police made it perfectly clear that the wreck had to be young- Picture of the German U-boat U21 which sunk er. Of the 2311 coins on that the Glen Logan om Oct. 10 1916. The U21 was list, a few silver coins were from found by Clive Cussler, the American writer, in 1799, but the others were coined the English channel a few years ago between 1800 and 1830, so the shipwreck must at least be younger than 1830

Different lifting systems that Rubattino though to use for a future salvaging that never happened

57 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Polluce Wreck Short list of tions the position of the wreck – and Excavating the money on the Glen Logan is located down in the Polluce with a board. There central Mediterranean. Nobody notices heavy excavator are 3000 sil- that attached is a seachart of the waters bucket was not ver coin due off Elba with a mark that very clearly exactly a deli- to Rotshild points to a location three miles from the cate operation (Rosschild) coast. The island of Elba is found in the and the wreck coming from Tyrrhenean Sea and not in the central was badly dam- Naples plus aged Mediterranean. And nobody connected others the dots in so far that the supply ship was equipped with berthing chains only 250 meters long whereas the Glen Logan rests at a depth exceeding 1,500 meters. The time tool to Coast Guard to process the papers was remarkably short, only a few days. In this short time it was not possible to check all facts and process the papers properly. We can only surmise that they didn’t even read them but just Buying the rights to a wreck the wreck itself who is owned by another rubberstamped the application. Nicholas Pearson resurrected Reasdon salvaging company, the Blue Water Before founding their Society and Beazley.after which the group buys Recovery, for £ 2,000. Now the group acquiring the Glen Logan, Pearson and the cargo of the Glen Logan from Her owns both the wreck and it’s cargo. his associates purchased from Pascal Majesty’s Treasure. The Glen Logan being Being the formal owners they now Kainic - the historical investigator in Paris another wreck in the Mediterranean. want to claim their right to salvage their - the historical documentation about the The cargo consists of tea, rubber and possessions and they file an application wreck. The operation Columbia, as they aluminium and is bought for £1,500. for a salvaging permit referring to inter- called it, began the first days of February Subsequently the groups also acquires national maritime law. This is forwarded 2000. But things do not go according to through the British consulate in Florence. plan. There are mechanical problems to The application is then forwarded the bucket that end up almost destroy- Destroying the wreck valuables and haul them safely back to through the various bureaucratic chan- ing the wreck smashing everything The excavator bucket is guided by their the surface. How wrong were they. In a nels to the Coast Guard on Elba which around the large motor to dust. There are ROV. The Polluce, a steamboat of wood excavator bucket the jaws can’t close then transfers it back to Florence this time days of bad weather and the ship had to 49 meters long, 7,30 wide and 3,5 tall properly around objects so most of con- to the Archeological Authority. returns to port in Genoa for some repairs. lied delicately laid out in the sandy bot- tents are spilt on the way up as the water Nobody notices that the enclosed In a month they work perhaps seven to tom as a small and tender structure. They run out and the objects just fall back to documents - which is about a salvage eight days. must have assumed that the bucket the bottom. permit for the Glen Logan – never men- would simply be able to grab all the

“The gold from Elba”. The authors has also written a book about Polluce and fatal attraction of her treasures

From the drawings of the ship, the view from above

58 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Polluce Wreck Seal of the of gold. By law the Technospamech Incredulous Rubattino was obligated to report to the authori- But there is someone else out shipping ties what they have recovered. Some there who knows that this company, plates, a couple of silver coins and cannot be the full truth and to which some bottles were mentioned and the informs the Receiver of Wreck Polluce Technospamech also reported that they in Southampton that this treas- belonged. didn’t find any gold on the Glen Logan. ure must have been removed Nobody ever seemed to question illegally. The Receiver of Wreck why they apparently recovered so little doesn’t quite know what to after seeing them working intensely for a make of the matter and passes The booty was carefully logged in a month just 2,9 miles off the coast with an on the information to the Italian booklet which reveals that the quantity excavator bucket going constantly up embassy in London, which in of coins collected was less than 2500. This and down. turn informs the Italian foreign is in contrast to the 170,000 coins that the ministry in Rome. French newspaper claimed was brought Back in Great Yarmouth, the two Ultimately in ends up on aboard Polluce in Naples. However, Pearsons, father and son, boast about the desk of the police a French diplomatic document from their fortunate adventure to the local commander of the 1841 mentions the number 70,000 which daily paper. They explain that while Protection Patrimony in indeed casts doubt where there was they were searching for the Glen Logan Florence who takes inter- another 100,000. (which is in fact located hundreds of est in the case and initi- miles further south of Polluce) when they ates an investigation into Paid in coins of gold came across another ship that turned the case. Appropriating When the group returned to England out to be holding quite a treasure when archaeological artefacts in March 2000 they didn’t settle the they looked it over with a ROV. in Italy and exporting account with the off-shore company Consequently they stopped, recovered them illegally is a very seri- Tecnospamech of Genoa from which the treasure and returned home rich ous matter and one that they chartered the supply vessel. They - end of story, at least according to the usually comes with a jail sen- did not have any money and instead divers. And at first their stories were to be tence. offered settling the balance with coins believed at face value. The police in Florence contacts the London police. The auction house Noonan Webb are then Screenshots from the video that the ROV took of asked to produce documents authen- the wreck. Gold coins are everywhere it seems ticated by the Receiver of Wreck. Ni- cholas Pearson and associates do not have them. In the UK the law states that During the follow- when something is found at sea it must ing interviews the be reported to the Receiver of Wreck. divers claim that This is the authority dealing with all reports the vessel they had of wreck from around the UK. It is based found was a ship within the Maritime and Coastguard they first called Sea Agency headquarters in Southampton, Lion, then changes with assistance from Coastguard person- their explanation nel around the coast. calling it the Nos- Pearson protests – and with some tralino - a wreck reason - that the recovery hadn’t taken that possibly is ficti- place in UK waters and within the Receiv- tious. er of Wreck’s jurisdiction but in interna- Curiously Nostral- tional waters. However, that doesn’t stop ino was the also the the Metropolitan police from arresting the name of the brand group. of wine aboard. Mistaken identities? The Glen Logan was a big steelhulled wreck that in every aspect was different from Polluce, a woodenhulled paddlewheel streamer from the early 1800s Blueprint of Polluce’s engine 59 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Sidescan sonar picture of the Polluce made from May 2004. Polluce Wreck Clearly visible on the wreck is the hole done by the crane. An accord of what passed on that Conceding defeat beautiful night of June 17, 1841 But rather than facing years of legal wrangle and even possible imprisonment, October 2005 they decide to return the booty to Italy As this magazine goes to press and to pay a fine of £2,500 for not having around October 1 another ing from the bio-phosphorescence properly declared the finds to the Receiv- excavation of the Polluce that was typical of the spring sea- er of Wreck. is going to take place. This son. The light afternoon breeze And that could have been the end of time a legal one conducted was pleasant as they passed the it. If only if we haven’t uncovered that by the Italian off-shore com- island of Montecristo. The shipping not all of the treasure were given back. pany Marine Consulting Diving company Rubattino of Genoa had been informed that Polluce loaded Who backed it? Contractor n Ravenna on behalf of The Historical Diving its cargo in early afternoon in the However the British authorities refused to Society of Italy from ito salvage port of Civitavecchia. At half past reopen the case and when we asked the what is left from those modern four, it had cast off and headed auction house, Noonan Webb of Lon- pirates. The excavation will north towards Livorno from where it don, for a copy of their catalogue they take place in Archaeological On June 17, 1841, the night was calm. would have continued for Genoa refused too stating that this was now a Authority to which has offered The sea, which was smooth and beauti- and Marseilles following its usual route. police matter. In this auction catalogue their consultancy for free. The operation ful, was surpassed only by a black sky Everything was fine. was the full, but untrue, story as the divers The Breakthrough will cost € 500,000. that was punctuated by a swarm of At 11 pm, the island of Elba was had told the police along with pictures of Then, in December 2004, the ship’s bell stars. The Polluce steamed ahead at a sighted. The captain noted in the ship’s the treasure. Also there were pictures and from Polluce is found in Paris. In a joint During the operation there will be vide- cruising speed of over 10 knots, pow- log that everything was normal and the names of all those who had participated operation between the Italian and oclips from the excavation of Polluce ered by the 160 horsepower engines weather calm and clear. The coasts of in shipping the treasure out of Italy. We French police parts of the treasure that on www.xray-mag.com. ■ that drove the two great paddlewheels. the island were wrapped in fog, and then went to visit EDP24, the local news- are still missing are traced to a house It left behind a luminescent wake, glow- its black silhouette stood out without a paper in Norwich where we managed owned by the very same Pascal Kainic to find pictures of the group along with who sold the English divers the histori- some others. cal documents about Polluce in the Also we corresponded with the daily first place. Searching the premises the paper of Great Yarmouth who related police also find other documents and to us that it was probably a local who inventory lists implicating both English had financed the operation a person of and Italian citizens who will later have such influence that the reporters could to stand trial. Their offences carries not speak openly about it. Collecting significant punishments but had they information in England was not easy. Not at least cooperated and returned the only did we meet with a lot of reluctance artefacts willingly they would most likely but we were also being deliberately put have gotten away with just a fine. But on false leads to wrong addresses and they refused and now have to face the telephone numbers that didn’t exits. But consequences. The trials are set to take that is all part of the game. place next year.

Logo for the new Polluce excavation project

The supply vessel Surama used by the English to recoverer the gold on February 2000

60 X-RAY MAG : / : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Old chart of Elba showing where the collision happened (X)

The Polluce was cruis- Everything on board was lost—per- ing at a speed of 12 knots sonal letters, mail, effects and the and the Mongibello, the documents. The maritime enquiry steamboat coming in the into the incident was held at the opposite direction, was court of Livorno. It was ruled an travelling at 10 knots. The accident and noted that nothing distance between them could possibly have been done to quickly closed and the save the Polluce following the colli- seamen on duty ran to sion. the foredeck yelling “Stop, In other documents, Captain stop!” in English, Italian and Lazzola of the Polluce explains that French to the other vessel. when he jumped onto the deck of Meanwhile, the captain the Mongibello, he only found a tried to turn east but it was single sailor, completely paralysed too late and the two ships with shock, at the helm. Everyone collided violently. else onboard was asleep. One of the first people to rush up the stair- Picturesque Porto Azurro on Elba. It ‘s old name was Porto Longone which can be found on the Panic case, was a finely dressed officer, old map on the left. The prow of the Mongibello which Captain Lazzola assumed ploughed straight into the was the captain of the Mognibello port side of Polluce, right and started discussing the situa- behind the paddlewheel tion with him. Little did he realise Found after two years of research: An thorough documentation on the inci- wounding her mortally. that the gentlemen before him was dent with all the trial papers. However Scenes of confusion and not the captain, but the count of the cargo list is still unknown panic ensued. The helms- Canino, Napoleon’s grandson. light in sight. Polluce had to stay a man of the Polluce was the On Polluce, the water now stood couple of miles clear of the coast first one to jump on the Mongibello, up to the bridge, and there was to head straight down the danger- but panic broke out among the no time to even save the mail. The ous strait, Channel of Piombino, that passengers. Other sailors and pas- ship would soon succumb to the separates Elba from Tuscany on the sagers were then guided by the waves and become forever lost Italian mainland. There are danger- captain and three other seamen in the deep sea. All of the 52 sur- ous waters here with lots of rocks to climb on board the Mongibello. vivors had by now been taken to and currents. Believing that they had saved all, the Mongibello by her sloops when they followed suit and abandoned Captain Lazzola found himself The Collission Polluce, which was sinking fast. standing in water on the bridge. What then transpired can be read But then cries for help were heard, It was only a matter of moments out of the following account from and the captain sailed back in a then; there was nothing he could the daily paper, the Gazette of sloop to Polluce, which now had its do to save his vessel, and in the France, in the issue of 28 June 1841. stern and port side under water, to last moment, he jumped aboard At around eleven at night, the rescue seven passagers that had the Mongibello and watched the outlook observed two lights on become trapped. Unfortunately, darkness and boiling phosphores- starboard, and the course was on the bridge, a person, an old cent foam close over his steam- changed to avoid a vessel under captain, had been killed. The seven boat. sail. In the same moment, another French sailors on board the Polluce On June 17, 1841, shortly before outlook shouted, “There is a light did their duty. Jean Jacques midnight, the beautiful Polluce to port ahead!” The captain and Theveneau, the head steward, came to rest on the seabed at a the first officer rushed up from their acted with great courage to save depth of 63 fathoms (103m) await- quarters to the bridge where they all lives onbard. ing her rediscovery on another day immediately saw the lanterns from in another era. ■ a steamer bearing right down on Taken by the sea them. The captain ordered the first Polluce sank in less than 10 minutes. officer to port the helm.

61 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Photography

Text and photos by Peter Symes

morning dive unless you really Is it cheating? Once the pretations plays a big role too. did have a close encounter conversation touches on Just think of the caricaturist with with a hitherto unknown spe- his canny ability to make a cou- cies of the Dolphinus genus restoring or manipulat- ple of casual pen strokes who and are ready to substanti- ing images it seem to everyone then instantly recog- ate your claim. You don’t on something profound, nise as George Bush or Dalai always have to state that namely our perception Lama. So it is also quite obvi- your image is manipulated, ously that by employing some however – sometimes it goes of reality. Can we trust very simple artistic effects can without saying. what we see? Is a given result in recognition and effect image a truthful recording just by taking advantage of the I am a big proponent of im- of what happened? And way our brains and eyes deal age manipulation as it gives with information. And what a wonderful toy it is. me so many possibilities to create what is reality anyway if it So let’s go back to that opening impressions and to make use of depends on the eye of the Artistic license question. Is this cheating? No it is the whole pallet of options. This beholder? We accept artistic expression not. It is options and possibilities. doesn’t mean that all pictures and interpretations and the Cheating in this context would should treated. Sometimes the pictorial arts from photography, be withholding from the audi- natural picture is best, given or just What is real and what has been graphics and painting covers the photography is now gradually photo editing program of which ence essential information about appropriate. It depends on what artificially created is a very impor- whole spectrum from absolute taking over the whole arena, giv- some come free with the printer how this picture came to be and we want to achieve and what we tant discussion as photos and vid- realism and documentarism to the ing everyone a chance to ..erh.. or scanner. Nowadays everyone claiming something else. We want to use the images for. eos are also used as documenta- completely abstract. take a shot at shooting pictures can cut and paste images, move know that a drawing, a painting tion f.inst. in science and in legal So what does all this theoretical underwater it has also given eve- picture elements around like furni- or a collage is an artistic expres- I discern between three ”classes” matters not to mention something babbling got to do with our holi- ryone with a computer access ture in a room and paint mother- sion and interpretation but we or levels of treating images digit- as mundane as the passport day snapshots and underwater to toy around with manipulat- in-law green in her face. This is would also like to trust that the ally. photo. On the other hand, inter- footage? A great deal. As digital ing images at home using some already yesterday’s news. documentation is not fake and 1. Repairs and retouche. that the press photo hasn’t been 2. Enhancements manipulated. 3. Art

Is it Likewise with your holiday snap- 1.Repairs and Retouche shots and underwater photos. This is a very old discipline, prob- A pink dolphin with green eyes ably as old photography itself. It might be a fun picture – if not just just got easier, having comput- lack of taste. But don’t claim that ers at our disposal. Repairs and Manipulation? you saw such a creature on your retouche is something that you the art of making pictures better

62 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED photography

Fig 2 and 3. Using the Figure 4 - The original is dull and grey Figure 5 - mask Figure 6 - Gently touched up image Rubberstamp tool to blot out blemishes Figure 7 Channels (Red, Green and Blue) and a mask in Photoshop. Think of these the scratches issue with this technique is finding we bring a light source of as a stack of slides that can be com- and blemishes so the right area (colour) to clone our own, such as a flash. bined and coupled in various ways they blended into from, so the end result doesn’t We often also experience the background. stand out as a dark or light spot. a haze stemming from particles Doing portrait ”Remove dust & scratches” in the water. In these instances photography filters does come with many of a little toning up may be called one would often the image-editing software pack- for. Figures 4 and 6 shows the future also enhance ages, which offer a temptingly basic idea. On fig 4 we have the the looks, remov- quick click-a-button solution to original scanning - and yeah, it ing skin blemishes the problem. But there are no is rather dull – and on fig 6 have meets once you were such thing as free lunch here touched the wee goatfish up at it anyway. And either – these filters are not intel- to match my memory of the classic what do you know ligent enough and will also soften encounter. should always do to pictures you – it seems that we are already and blur every other fine line and want to show others. Every picture enhancing reality and pretend- structure in the image. As always, What did I do here? has some small flaws, which may ing it is something else. it is the good old fashioned First, as always, dust etc has been be more or less obvious. For those manual methods which give opti- removed to clean up the image still using film it can be scratches Cloning mal control and hence the best as describe above. Then I subdi- tones. This created a clear gaze. on the negative or slide, dust on Removing dust and scratches is results. It does, however, takes vided the image into three parts I Activating the mask shown in fig scanning or other physical blem- not bettering reality, however. longer time but if the picture is treated differently. The three parts 5 I then started working on the ishes. Get rid of them. In old days It is repairing the reproduction. going to be used in some kind of in question is the body of the fish, body. The yellows and reds were such corrections were done with On the computer we can either presentation the extra effort is just the eye and the background. strengthened and the mid tones squinting eyes and a neurosur- use a number of software filters, something that goes with it. To treat these areas seperately enhanced to produce better sat- geon’s steady hand working with or by ”cloning”, which is the we have to mask them off – like uration of the most important col- a scalpel working directly in the preferred method, although a How to... when we spray paint something, ours. Inverting the mask to work- emulsion, and bit more laborious. By cloning, Use the inbuilt magnifier function see figure 5. In your image-editing ing on the background, by con- filling in colour we copy from area of the pic- so you can see all the details and software there is various functions trast, the blues and greens were directly ture without blemishes. The scroll through the image in a grid to create such masks. Their func- enhanced to create depth and into big picture in the previous patters, and remove dust and tion is to delimit whatever controls pull out the difference between pages is the original scan- scratches. The bane of all under- and filters to a selected area of the fish and the background. It is ning of our sample picture. water photographers, backscat- the image. Tracing the contour of important to apply these adjust- There is a lot of dust on it. On ter and sand particles, can also the area with the mouse I outline ments very conservatively. A little fig 2 and 3 are shown how be removed or reduced this way. the mask and save it as separate too much and the whole sce- the Rubberstamp is image layer nario will look artificial – like old used – this is a tool in 2. Enhancements I first made a little mask for the Technicolour movies many software pack- Moving into the transition zone. eye (not shown). It is important ages – by which col- From our basic scuba training that the eye stands out clearly Finally, the whole image was Up to new shores! our is transferred from we know that we lose colour and sharply. Cloudy areas in the artificially sharpened by apply- one area to another. with depth and consequently iris was blotted out, the contrast ing the strangely named function www.seacam.com Sweden • Norway • Denmark • Finland In this case to overlap the resulting pictures often look enhanced and the lens made ”unsharp mask”. Obviously we Bäckebolslyckan 18, SE-422 54 Hisings Backa the dust particles. The main flat and monotonous – unless darker by reducing the mid can’t really make picture sharper Tel + 46/31/769 09 70, Mob + 46/708/29 33 41 e-mail: [email protected]

63 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Figure 12 - A final crop- photography ping and Hey presto! Figure 9 - then we colour the details, by Figure 10 - tinting the background bluish Figure 11 - adding effect filters (lens flare dodging or burning in the colour channels by gently applying the filter Variations etc) and touching up details.

Figure 8. First, we crop

but we can create an effectful cropped a bit to improve the perform your own experiments one but once we start mak- ening areas in a colour channel, illusion by enhancing contrast composition, by getting rid of and take inspiration from other ing them differ the composite for example an object in the along lines and edges, which a lot of empty water. But let us sources. image also changes. See figure image, it changes colour in the makes the image stand out also take the fun a step further First, the image is converted 7 for how the three channels composite image. That is how more crsiply. Needless to say this by applying some colours. One from greyscale to RGB colour. look - the resulting composite the colours on image 9 appear. is also something that can be of my favourite techniques is to This doesn’t make the picture picture on the top makes up the The tools we use for this are overdone, and the filter needs recreate the ambience from a colour image to look at, but image. dodge, burn and sponge. See to be applied gently. the early hand coloured paper out of the one original greyscale figure 13 and 14) prints. Taste is, needless to say, channel, it creates three identi- The trick 3. Art a subjective matter, so just cal colour channels (“colour The trick is not to work in the Select an appropriate diameter The category where everything take this as but one example of layers”)—one for the Red, Green composite image – as we usu- for the tool and start carefully goes. Let’s continue with our what is possible. As with many and Blue composite of a (RGB) ally do with our image-editors dabbing the area or object you black and white photograph. other techniques it has taken a colour picture. So far, each one – but in the individual colour wish to colour. Applying dodge, Figure 13. The On fig 8, the picture has been while to hone, so the key is toe is identical to the original grey channels. By darkening or light- burn and sponge will respective- Photoshop tool bar with the three tools in not the entirely smooth gradual the left arethe shadows and those Auto levels or Auto contrast func- question Why not use Auto transition it looks like but 256 tones The histogram on the right are the highlights. If tion do is just to stretch the histo- Contrast Auto Colour of grey. A greyscale image is A histogram (see ﬁgure 15b) shows the values are missing at the end gram. Thereby all the values shift represented by 256 tones and it means that either the motif lacks in a somewhat degrading process which values are represented in Figure 14. The and Auto Levels? a (RGB) colour image is likewise shadows and/or highlights - or, that does not ad any new info to the greyscale image or, in the case burn toll with composed of 256*256*256 - once of colour images, which values are more commonly, the reproduction the image. The result is the charac- Why bother correcting images which we for each colour giving ~1,7 million reprented in the Red, Green and does and it looks dull. What the teristic jagged histogram below. ► manually when there are a dab areas in possible colour combinations. In Blue channels respectively. number of automated functions the individual a way, in Photoshopm a picture is Now, on a picture that is cor- that seems to do the trick? channels nothing but a huge table in which rectly exposed or scanned, most Because they often degrade to produce the each pixel is represented by these values should be represented the image in the proces. Below is above effects 256*256*256 values. along the scale, the values to greyscale. It is actually Figure 15a. Greyscale Figure 15b +c. Histograms 64 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Figure 16. RGB colours revealed. (By the way, the blue bar, under This is a close-up photo of a com- ﬁgure 15c shows that this histogram puter monitor. See how every represents the Blue channel in a colour is blend of Red, Green and colour image) Blue pixels lighting up at various intensities (256 for each colour)

ly lighten, darken or weaken the colour. Experiment! If you activate the little eye symbol at the composite channel you can follow the overall result while working in Figure 15e. A “healthy” histogram just one channel. Find another The motif, by the way, is the showing values across almost of wreck on Brothers Island (Red the greyscale, typical of a correctly object, choose another channel Sea) taken on Agfa Scala 200, exposed picture of most “real-life” and another tool and see what subjects. happens then. By applying this the black and white slide film. dabbing technique I turned the black and white picture on fig 8 And the conclusion is... What to use instead into fig 9. So far, so good. But isn’t Image manipulation is deﬁnitively There are a number of options the background a little dull too? ok—as long as we honestly de- available, which all have that in clared that we have done so and common that they enhance what Doing the background are not deceptive. It can often is already there or ad something. make an image much more excit- To get to figure 10, I darkened the ing, though chasing effects for One good tool is Curves which an be used to enhanced the spectrum lower left corner by enhancing effects own sake is meaningless. in selected areas, yet in a smooth the midtones here but only in the Do it with a purpose. Use effects way. This method in non-destructive blue channel whereby the overall and style to convey a certain and, in principle, reversible. ambience turned more blue and interpretation of reality. In essence sealike. On figure 11, I applied say “try and look at this sitation, the “lens flare” filter to enhance subject or scenario this way”. Think the diver’s torch. And finally, to of what Vincent van Gogh did. His get to the end result in figure 12, I images are not realistic in a pho- cropped some more of the top to tographic-naturalistic sense. But get rid of some light water. Voila! what a punch they pack!

Figure 15d. The Curves menu. Drag the curve in the middle and see how certain parts of your image gets stronger or attenuated

Another good, and easy, tool to experiment with is Variations which tint the whole image gently—see the transition from ﬁgure 9 to 10.

65 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED “Viribius Unitis” An Austro- Hungarian battleship sunk by frogmen during WW1. Old Postcard, unknown source.

During the first years of in their harbours, sur- World War II Italian rounded by mine-fields and anti-submarine frogmen demon- nets. This passivity was, strated to the world in the main, due to the how effective a ongoing submarine war. weapon a frogman In 1915, after Italy had severed its connec- could be. Hidden tions with its German and by the water, these Austrian allies, and joined frogmen mined the the English-French Alliance, Allies’ ships as they Italian naval officers had thought long and hard about were moored ‘safely’ how the Austro-Hungarian fleet in their own waters. could be attacked in the harbour.

TBy Sven Erikh Jørgensene - The DanishF Society ofi Divingr Historys t Frogmen Even with quite small numbers, and using The first attempt, carried out from Viribus Unitis siinking after relatively small resources, the frogmen were Venice, was made by the Italian naval being mined by divers a very powerful force. The English, especially, captain Pellegrine, who, with three other were quick to copy the equipment and train crew members in a motor-boat, tried to their own frogmen, and after the war many attack the Austro-Hungarian fleet in Pola. nations supplemented their armed forces with Pellegine’s boat Grillo was equipped frogmen units. with caterpillar tracks which enabled it The idea of such a weapon arose in World to crawl up over the various barriers in War I, when experiments were carried out us- Pola. Two torpedoes, which hung on the ing different vessels to carry mines into the Aus- side of the boat, were to be sent against tro-Hungarian naval base in Pola. The weapon the ships in the harbour. Pellegrine’s was developed during the inter-war years attempt failed because the boat was discovered as it was forc- 1915 ing a barrier. While the war was raging on the battlefields Pellegrine and his of Europe, and submarines were terrorising the crew spent the ships on the high seas, the Austro-Hungarian rest of the war in fleet and Italian fleet lay mostly well protected captivity.

Two attack divers astride a SLC - Siluro a Lenta Corsa (slowlly moving torpedo)

67 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Naval-lieutenant Raffaele Paolucci

Pola, or Pula, lies at the tip of the peninsula of Istria, now in Croatia, at the top of the Adriatic sea

1918 whereby he was to be transported by motorboat to about a sea-mile out of Pola. From here he would swim into the harbour towing a mine. Under one of the battleships he would tie a four meter-long Pellegine’s boat Grillo was equipped with caterpillar tracks which ena- rope to the mine and thereaf- bled it to crawl up over the various barriers in Pola ter sink it by letting the air out of its two floatation tanks. The Mignatta, a other end of the rope was to compressed Captain Constanzo Mignatta close in to Pola. At 22.13 the S2 be fixed to the hull of the ship. air minisub Ciano had been was released from the motorboat and The mine, which contained for carrying watching the efforts sailed in to Pola, which was reached at about 100 kg of TNT, had an divers of the two men, and 02.00 on 1 November, 1918. In the har- automatic timer, and would asked them to cooper- bour the two men passed three anti-sub- explode in about 4 meters of ate with him in com- marine nets by pulling the S2 over them. water close to the side of the pleting the project with Once inside the harbour they steered ship. As soon as the mine was Mignatta. This coop- in between two illuminated battleships activated Paolucci would eration soon proved to and directly towards the 21000 ton bat- swim out of the harbour towards the be effective, and after tleship Viribus Unitis. They fixed one of Targetting Pola outer breakwater and wait for the explo- several tests and modi- the mines and then rapidly sailed away The desire to hit the Austro-Hungarian sion. He would then swim out to sea and, fications Mignatta was – leaving a trail of silvery bubbles. fleet in Pola was, however, undimin- with his back to the enemy, signal to the pressed-air torpedo, named Mignatta, ready for action. Two models of Mignatta On their course away from the battle- ished, and much thought was put into motorboat to pick him up. which, half-submerged, would carry him were built, S1 and S2. ship they were discovered, but before possible solutions. Naval-lieutenant and another crew member into Pola. The being taken prisoner they had managed Raffaele Paolucci worked out a plan in Mignatta men, in diving suits, would sit astride the Now or never to arm the second mine, and then left After months of nocturnal swimming near torpedo and steer it into the harbour and However, in October 1918, an armistice the Mignatta to its own devices. It wan- Venice, towing a mock-up of the mine, thereafter over to one of the battleships. was in the offing, and it was obvious dered around in the harbour, and when Limpret mine being fixed to he abandoned the project. Two mines, each of 170 kg TNT, were that it was now or never if the Mignatta the compressed-air was exhausted it the bottom of a vessel Simultaneously with fixed to the head of the torpedo. The was to see action. In the evening of 31 finally came to rest against one of the the efforts of Paolucci, mines were to be hung in a 4 meter-long October, 1918, a motortorpedo boat ships. Italian engineer and rope under one of the battleships. Rosetti from Venice set sail for Pola. On board naval officer Raffaele had constructed a powerful magnet were Paolucci and Rossetti and, on the War’s over - well almost Rossetti was working which should keep the rope fixed to the deck, the S2 and a motorboat which That they were not discovered before on a modified com- side of the ship. would carry the two men and the was due to the fact that it was a day

Sideview of the Mignatta

68 X-RAY MAG : 7: 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Italian naval officer Teseo Tesei was one of the developers of feature Dive History a new branch of underwater weapon

thought to be no reason to keep the The First Frogmen Further developments watertight doors closed. Immediately It was two Italian divers and naval offic- Teschi and Tesei served as after this first explosion a second explo- ers, Teseo Tesei and Elios Toschi, inspired engineers for the subma- sion was heard. It was the second mine, by Rossetti’s Mignatta, who would rines at the naval base at La still attached to the Mignatta, that begin the development of the weapon Specia. The development and exploded directly against the side of the that the world would come to know as construction of an improved 7000 ton freighter Wien, and sent her to “Frogmen”. However, before this weap- Mignetta started in 1935, and in the bottom. Ten days after Viribus Unitis on could be brought into service, diving January two prototypes were had been sunk Germany accepted the suits, breathing apparata and ‘torpe- tested. Later in the year the Armistice conditions, and World War I does’ had to be developed. new weapon was demonstrat- was brought to a close. ed, under the strictest secrecy, for the Admiralty in a dock at New weaponry Divers preparing a limpet the La Spezia basin. The attack at Pola was a suc- mine before a mission cess – the Italian fleet had The Maiale obtained insight into a new The weapon mostly resembled weapon. The weaknesses of a torpedo but was in fact a mini- the weapon were that the ature submarine designated SLC (Siluro a which permitted the crew to increase crew were visible above the Lenta Corsa) with the nickname Maiale or decrease the buoyancy. A separate surface of the water, and (the pig). The torpedo was 7.3 m long, compartment contained compressed-air that the compressed-air tor- including the explosive head, the diam- tools to cut through a submarine net. A pedo sent out a stream of air- eter was 0.53 m, and two frogmen could screen in front of the leading frogman bubbles. These deficiencies sit astride it. The compressed-air motor protected the crew against the water would have to be corrected had been replaced by a 1.1 HP electric flow. Behing the screen were the steer- so that an attack could be motor. The power of the motor was later ing controls and the luminous navigation carried out with the torpedo increased to 1.6 HP. In 1935 the explosive equipment. The maximum diving depth and crew completely sub- weighed 220 kg, but was later increased was 40 meters. merged, and without air-bub- to 250 kg and thereafter to two amounts The crew wore waterproof Belloni suits bles giving evidence of the of explosive, each of 150 kg. The capac- (Vestito Belloni) constructed by Captain attack. ity of the batteries allowed a voyage of Belloni. The Belloni suit actually consisted 5 seamiles at 2.3 knots or 4 seamiles at of two suits, an inner suit of thin elastic The interwar years 4.5 knots. The torpedo had diving tanks rubber, and an outer suit of heavy can- The only known picture of In the inter-war years another the Viribus Unitis sinking alliance was formed, an alli- The Maiale ance in which Italy was not of festivity in the harbour, where they allied with England. Italy felt were celebrating the capitulation of the itself squeezed between the Austro-Hungarian fleet, which had been English fleet in Alexandria and handed over to the South Slavic National the French fleet in Toulon. Council. However, Paolucci and Rossetti That England could rapidly had no knowledge of this, and, at 06.20, reinforce their Mediterranean the mine that was placed four meters fleet with units from their under the waterline of the Viribus Unitis Atlantic fleet didn’t make exploded. A quarter of an hour later the the Italian frustrations any the battleship rolled over and sank. less. Italy needed a weapon That it could go so completely wrong that could reduce the scope was due to the fact that there was of a possible blockade.

69 X-RAY MAG : 7: 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED a watertight closure and hidden behind �� the flap in the outer suit. This suit was used by the Italian frogmen throughout the whole war. The English made similar suits, and the principle was employed in �� the first suits that were produced after �� the war. �� Rebreathers � �� The breathing equipment that was �� required in order to sail completely sub- �� merged, was initially a modified Davis �� jacket – an ascent jacket designed for submarine crews. The equipment had �� a closed-circuit system with manual control of the oxygen, and a potassium �� cartridge to absorb the carbon-dioxide. Captain Belloni mounted a helmet with two windows onto the equipment and be steered towards enemy ships. a high speed towards the tatget. opinions regarding the weapons were modified it with bigger chalk containers The boat carried a 300 kg explosive The training of the crew started with so strongly diverse that it was necesary and a bigger oxygen supply, thereby charge which detonated on contact great enthusiasm, but not everyone to terminate the project, and the torpe- obtaining a greater operational time. with the objective. At an appropriate dis- was convinced of the effectivity of the does, equipment and boats at the naval- Later, a Pirelli daughter-company pro- tance from the target the rudder was to new weapon – what could two men base in La Spezia were hidden well away duced an oxygen apparatus ‘model 49’ be fixed and the crewman to abandon accomplish against a battleship? Political from curious eyes. for the unit. Dosing of the oxygen was the boat, which would then continue at now continuous, so that the frogmen did not have to keep filling oxygen into the breathing-bags. Model 49 was replaced in1936 by Model 49/bis. This apparatus was employed The Belloni suit. Picture electronically towards the end of the enhanced from bad original Second World War after which it was vas. The suits collectively comprised a replaced by ‘model single unit. When worn, the inner suit 50’ from Pirelli. This could only be seen at the wrists of the apparatus had one frogman where the cuffs ensured a close large window. Its watertight fit, and at the throat where operational there was also a close watertight fit. In time was the middle of the stomache there was a more than buttoned flap in the outer suit. This flap four hours. The two mines (1) are fixed to the indicating the engines load and con- (18) is opened whereby the SLC dives. covered the opening to the inner suit. At the same front. They are held onto the SLC by sumption. For surfacing the buoyancy can be The opening was a round tube of thin time, fast metalbuckles (4). The mines are hung 10. Lever by which the pump 13 is restored with air from from the tank of rubber which emerged perpendicularly motor-boats under enemy ships by wires trough operated controlling the buoyancy pressurised air (19). from the inner suit around the stomache (called the screw eyes (2) and the detona- and trim by moving water between The frogmen who are subject to a of the frogman. This tube was nicknamed MTM) were tor mechanism (3) activtived. 5. Tiller ballasttanks (11) and (12). The revolu- considerable force from the water ‘the kangaroo’. When the frogman was developed (steering rod), which are connected tions of the engine (14) can controlled while sailing are protected by a dressed the tube was twisted together to which could through wires (6) to rudder (7) and by a wheel over the regulator (15) “windshield” and their legs are held and stabilisor (8) controlling the SLC. which controls the supply from the into position by stirrups (20). At the Console (9) with compass, depht batteries (16). Between the frogmen rear there is another bouyancy tank The later version, Salvus, of the gauge and libelle (measuring there is an container of air for bouy- (21) compensating for the weight of early adapted ascent jacked angle) Also in same consol there ancy while sailing at the surface (17). I the engine and a toolbox (22) with turned CCR rebreather. This ver- is a voltmeter and amperemeter case a rapid descent is desire a valve wirecutters, clamps etc. sion has only one window in the mask

70 X-RAY MAG : 7: 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED The early breathing apparatus model 49/bis - this one with the two windows in the mask

Free-swimming frogmen were also trained, these being designed Gamma-men. Their equipment was modified in several ways in order to make it easier for them move under their own power. The suits were tight- fitting, and they had fins on their feet. The oxygen equipment had a smaller oxygen-cylinder with consequently a shorter operation time. The underwater operation time for the Gamma -men was about 40 minutes. The Gamma-men were trained to cover a distance of 6 – 7 km at a speed of more than 1.5 km per hour. The oxygen equipment was only to be used when they were close to the objective. As camouflage the 1938 Gamma-men had a net In 1938 commander Paolo Aloisi was with seaweed over their promoted to head of the First Light heads. It was intended that Flotilla, which consisted of very fast the Gamma-men should be boats. The Ministry also asked Aloisi to brought close to the objective by sub- take over the torpedos as well as the marine or fast motorboat, or that they MTM-boats. Aloisi quickly saw the pos- should operate from a neutral coast. sibilites in these weapons, and under his leadership both Maiale and the Minelaying MTM-boats underwent several improve- Two types of mine were developed, ments. which the Gamma-men could carry In July 1939 the political situation in around their necks or in a belt. Europe was such that it was obvious ‘Leech’ was a mine with 2 kg of that a war was imminent. As a conse- explosive. The mine was held under quence of this, the Naval authorities the ship by means of an inflated rub- asked Aloisi to accelerate the develop- ber bladder which held the mine ment of the weapons and begin the against the bottom of the ship. When training of the crews. The earlier pilots the mine had been placed the Professor Luigi Ferraro, founder of were transferred to the First Light Flotilla Gamma-man activated a detona- Technisub, was one of the select together with the new trainees. The tor which detonated the mine after a Gamma-men and Italian hero. carefully selected crew undertook a given interval. hard physical training as well as a thor- The other type of mine, the propeller on the mine. The pro- ough mental training. ‘Limpet’, contained 4.5 kg of explo- peller first began to turn when sive, and was fixed to the keel by the speed of theship was above The elite means of a clamp. The detonation 4 knots. After a given number of Only the absolutely most suitable were of this mine was arranged so that it revolutions, which corresponded accepted. Those that were found not would sink the vessel out in the open to a given sailed distance, the to be suitable were returned to their sea. The point at which the mine mine exploded. The ship was previous unit with a diving certificate. would explode was controlled by a thus sunk where salvaging of the

71 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED ship and its cargo was impossible or more complicated than in harbour, and the suspicion of a frogman attack probably did not arise. It was originally intended that the torpedoes should be launched from amphibious aircraft, but it was the submarines that were given the job. Several submarines had airtight containers fixed to their decks, each of which could hold a torpedo. The containers were intended to protect the torpedoes from damage from depth-bombs and from damage if the submarines were forced down into deeper water.

In containers on a sub The submarine crew could either open the containers while the Illustration of laying a mine under an enemy ship. From the submarine lay awash at the sur- Italian Ministry of Defence. See maintext for explanation face, or they could exit from the submarine while it lay on the ning of 1940. The objective was oped when Italy declared war bottom and thereafter open the the cruiser Quarto which was on England on 10 June 1940. The containers, pull the torpedoes anchored in the bay outside La first attack with Maiale should out and start the operation. Both Spezia. Three Maiales took part in have taken place on the night forms of launch were trained. the exercise, two of them broke between the 25 and 26 August Attempts were made with short- down and couldn’t complete the 1940 against the Engliah war- wave radios with which the crew exercise, but the third managed ships in og Alexandria – but things could find their way back to the to place a dummy mine under turned out quite differently from submarine after the operation Quarto. what the Italians had hoped. had been carried out. The trials A two-year break in the work were not successful and were on the weapons and in the train- To be continued in our next issue thereafter dropped. It was real- ing of the crew meant that the ised that it would not be possible weapons were not fully devel- to bring the torpedoes and crew back with the submarine. The crew had to find a neutral coast and drop the torpedoes there. That the crew didn’t have to worry about getting back to the submarine would give them greater motivation for the operation. The first practice attacks were carried out at the begin-

Italian Submarine Scire in the port of La Spezia with containers for two SLCs mounted on her deck

72 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS�� SCIENCE & ECOLOGY� EDUCATION PROFILES�� PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Tsunami, the day after Movies DVD Documentary: 20 minutes new Images by Manfred Bortoli media dvd Editing and direction: Daniele Iop Books Film DVDs CDs Text and story: Massimo Boyer Price: EUR €18.00 Edited by Peter Symes From the creators of the award-winning series, On the Edge & Gunild Pak Symes of Reefs, winner of the Rolex Award of Excellence and Best Film at the Celebrate the Seas Festival 2005, comes a new POINT & CLICK documentary covering the recent tsunami in the Indian ON BOLD LINKS Ocean that created large-scale devastation from Asia to Africa. The film focuses on the effects of the tsunami as well as human impact upon the underwater world. www.edge-of-reef.com

Diving and Subaquatic Medicine by Christopher Lowry, John Pennefather, Robyn Walker, Carl Edmonds (Editor) Hardcover: 719 pages Publisher: Arnold Publishers; 4th edition Date: March 2002 ISBN: 0340806303 The Cave Price: GB£40.00 Director: Bruce Hunt A clinically authoritative guide to all aspects of diving medicine, Diving Writers: Michael Steinberg, Tegan West and Subaquatic Medicine encompasses the full range of diving disor- Company: Columbia Pictures ders suffered by both amateur and professional deep sea divers. The Cast: Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian, authors present each medical disorder from historical, etiological, clini- Kieran Darcy-Smith, Cole Hauser, Lena cal, pathological, therapeutic and preventive perspectives. Case his- Headey, Marcel Iures, Daniel Dae Kim, tories are provided with accompanying illustrations, boxed summaries Piper Perabo, Rick Ravanello and key points for quick reference. Beginning divers and students of Length: 1 hour 37 minutes dive medicine will find the book invaluable reading with its introductory Hired by a team of scientists who stum- chapters on physiology, physics and equipment. The latest research ble upon the ruins of a 13th century and diving data as well as newly described dive diseases, current diving trends and equipment, free and indigenous diving, and comprehensive abbey built over the entrance to a giant appendices with vital diving data are included in the new edition. underground cave, a group of thrill-seek- www.aquapress.co.uk ing professional cave divers travel to An Ocean Odyssey: Romania with the latest equipment to A Book by Stephen Wong & Takako Uno The Devil’s Teeth investigate the depths of the cave sys- Hardcover: 240 pages A True Story of Obsession and Survival tem. Stranded in the cave when it sud- Date: April 2005 Among America’s Great White Sharks denly collapses, the explorers find them- ISBN: 0340806303 by Susan Casey selves not just in a new eco-system, but Price: US$60.00 Hardcover: 304 pages victims of a phenomenon that mysteri- A collection of the couple’s finest wide blue images of the Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. ously mutates them into primeval beings. sea are captured in the pages of this new coffee table port- Date: June 2005 www.sonypictures.com folio book by Stephen Wong and Takako Uno. Images portray ISBN: 0-8050-7581-X magical moments with pelagic inhabitants of the sea and Price: US$25.00 their relationships with the oceans that affect all life on this planet. With a forward by award wining National Geographic Combining adventure, reflection, humour about these 20-foot creatures. Hitching Photographer in Residence, David Doubilet, and guest writers and natural history, author and former a ride with a research vessel, the only such as Yohsino Yusuke, Yoshi Hirata, Lee Peterson and Hiroya Time editor Susan Casey brings to life means of transport to the area, Casey Minakuchi, the book delivers a profound perspective of the a story that takes the reader on a wild joins two surfing biologists who bunker underwater world. For more information on the authors, visit: ride around dangerous islands near San down in a haunted 135-year-old house www.stephenwong.com or www.takakouno.com Francisco that have resisted civilization from which they conduct their surveys of To order, contact: [email protected] for over two hundred years. At the centre the sharks. The thrilling account should of her story are the sharks of the Farallon prove to dig right down to our primal Islands and her obsession to learn more instincts. www.amazon.com

73 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED manufacturer Text and photos by Andrey Bizyukin, PhD

Italian Luigi Ferraro had one of the first frogmen he At the height of the Second World War, blows-up in already used his top secret had an intimate knowlegde on a dark moonless night on a deserted an enormous beach in the Islanderun Bay in Turkey, explosion that military closed circuit about cutting edge dive a secret agent from the Italian special sends her rebreather for years when equipment. Applying his forces is preparing for a dive that has to an early Jacques-Yves Cousteau per- requirements and ideas to to take place under absolute illegal cir- grave in formed his first dive with his recreational diving, he then cumstances. The scenario could be a the open model for a future James Bond movie. sea. The new aqualung in 1943. Being went on to create Technisub. All the necessary ingredients are there. destroyer escorts The secret weapons, fins, mask and a and mine- sweep- black suit, a fancy underwater watch ers scan the sea The Story and compass. The diver is also wearing in search of enemy sub- a face mask and diving a closed circuit marines or mines but find rebreather carrying with him two mysteri- nothing. Nobody can ous metal containers each weighing 12 figure out what just hap- kg. In the background, the ghostly silhou- pened, and the sea is good at hiding nium—raw Technisub ettes of enemy ships are barely visible. secrets. materials of stra- They are awaiting permission to enter the The mysterious attack on the military tegic influence on the port. transport will be published in newspapers outcome of the war. Ships from in many countries. But the story does not several countries visited Turkey’s ports Mysterious explosions end with this one incident—detonations to load ore and metals for their military The frogman slips into the water and sub- do not stop, and the ships continue to industry. merges. The only sounds to be heard are sink. The port starts to get a bad reputa- Luigi Ferraro, who later went on to the wind and waves breaking against tion for being dangerous to approach found Technisub, was at that time offi- the rocky shoreline. The moon comes out and for being unpredictable to navigate. cially an employee of the Italian embas- for a short moment from the clouds that Surveillance and patrols around the har- sy in Turkey. In his daily life, he used only shrouds it only to disappear in an instant. bour are increased but do not help. civilian clothes and carried a diplomatic Some hours pass. The lonely diver comes passport. But in reality, he was a highly back and emerges from the sea that is A child of the war trained diver with very special qualifica- already turning gray from an approach- It was on the battlefields of WWII where tions and a member of a top secret frog- ing storm. On guard, he looks carefully the story of the Technisub company men’s group. around, exits the water, takes off his began with a special group of frog- As such, he lead a very dangerous life. equipment, packs it and disappears into men, consisting of Italian, German and If the police forces or a military patrol the night. The surf soon erases any telltale Japanese military underwater experts had caught him with his diving equip- footprints left in the sand. The following who carried out secret operations in ment, he would certainly have been day goes by and nothing happens. The neutral countries that didn’t take part shot on sight or faced execution as a spy ships come into port, one by one, to load in the war. Turkey was one such country according to the war laws of the time. their cargo of war supplies and go back that didn’t officially take part in the war But he continued to gather military intelli- out. One ship, which is loaded to the action, but nonetheless was regularly gence, and he paid frequent visits to the brim with enemy transports, is confidently delivering resources to all the warring port. There were so many ships that he Underwater Technologies in Action departing the port when she suddenly parties such as iron, chromium and tita- frequently spent days on a raid outside

74 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Technisub masks On the right, the bestseller Look, manufacturer with have exchangable lenses

First dive center Luigi Ferraro realized already in 1948 that manufacturing and sales of equipment were closely tied with the general development and popularization of recreational diving and leisure. Therefore, he created one of the very first dive centers in Italy on Elba Island. His idea was to unite manufacturing, training, sales and marketing under one roof. He organized the first underwater ballet and the Luigi Ferraro the port. Luigi Ferraro waited until the Since he was perfectly trained and Cofounding Cressi-sub first underwater beauty competition. The weather was right and for an opportunity skilled for working underwater, he decid- Nani Cressi had a completely different numbers of scuba diving enthusiasts were to swim from a deserted beach to an ed to go into the salvaging business background. He came from the banking growing day by day, and Luigi became enemy transport ship with two twelve kil- clearing the harbour of Genoa, one of business, and as a such, he knew some- very famous. ogram bombs. He had to swim one and the largest in Italy, of wreckage and sal- thing about financing and economy. a half kilometers at night to get to the vaging ships. Not surprsingly, the two came together Founding Technisub enemy transport he had selected. He soon found himself working round and decided to make a joint company In 1962, at the age of 48, Luigi Ferraro cre- Using his rebreather, he dove in under the clock as the supervisor of the salin which Mr. Cressi provided the financial ated his own company. The famous logo the vessel to clamp two mines onto the vaging operations in the harbour while means, and Luigi Ferraro was the man with the dividers over a fish is also from ship’s roll stabilizers. It was always an spending his weekends spear fishing. with the experience, knowledge and 1962. Today, many people are employed exciting procedure when he pulled out During one such weekend, he met and ideas. Their cooperation became so suc- at Technisub working with new fin de- the strap that activated the detonator. became acquainted with another per- cessful that it went on for sixteen years. signs, but back then, every inventor was But the mines did not go off any time son who also loved the sea and was a During his years working for the Cressi afraid that somebody else would copy soon. Vessels that were mined might then keen underwater hunter. It was no other company, Luigi Ferraro invented the first their ideas and start producing similar enter the port to take on cargo before than Nanni Cressi, the future founder of mask ever to be created with a nose, fins. Luigi Ferraro never let any such petty heading out. The mines had a double Cressi-sub Empire. then named “Pinocio”, and first fins ever concern stand in his way, and in 1963, he activation system. The first level of activa- At this time, Nanni used homemade to made with a fullfoot pocket. came out with a revolutionary new de- tion was trigged by a high speed flow of fins crafted by hand from a simple water, which meant that the ship had piece of rubber, a mask which he cut to be moving at speed at sea. This then from an inner tube of a car wheel, and started a timer, which detonated the a homemade underwater gun. Luigi, mines after a set time, and two powerful on the other hand, was already the explosions would go off. At this time, the happy owner of the real fins and the vessel would certainly be well out to sea. mask made for the navy. Both being avid underwater hunters, they ended Italian hero up discussing the advantages and Luigi Ferraro was one of the most suc- shortcomings of their equipment. cessful frogmen of the war and went It seems unbelievable today, but fins on to become a legend and a hero were a top military secret in the Italian awarded Italy’s highest military medal for Special Forces between 1940 and 1944. his valour. He had single-handedly mined When the group of frog-men gathered four enemy transports of which three for their training, they were given their blew up and sank. After the war, he left fins by the military police just before the shadowy world of the secret services they went on a mission, and they had and returned to a homeland ravaged by to hand them back immediately after war only to find himself unemployed and returning from the mission. homeless. Technisub boots

75 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED dema ad_215x280mm 5/9/05 4:54 PM Page 1

The groundbreaking fin Caravelle BUSINESS PLEASURE EDUCATION DIVING had a detachable blade manufacturer Cressi-sub sign, the Caravelle, with a detachable polypropylene blade and foot pocket of rubber that essentially worked as galoshes. These rubber galoshes made it possible to walk to the shoreline, and then mount the blade onto the galoshes to continue diving. Jacques- Yves Cousteau was so impressed by these fins that he named Luigi the best fin designer in the world. La Spirotechnique Company supported Tech- nisub financially, and Luigi Ferraro created the Naso mask for them as well as new fins and a underwater hapoon gun named Jaguar. The James Bond gun Jaguar was very reliable and never mis- THE WINNING fired. In those times that was quite unsu- al. It’s reliability was due to phenomenal simplicity—12 parts were all it was made of. It was safe, unproblematic and shot COMBINATION very, very well. That Sean Connery used the Jaguar to kill off the bad guys in the DEMA SHOW 2005 Is the World’s Only movie “Thunderball” didn’t do any harm either. It soon became known as James International Event for Diving, Adventure Travel Bond’s harpoon gun. La Spirotechnique and Action Water Sports Professionals. could not let this opportunity pass and bought a 20 percent stake in Technisub. Thus, since it’s early days Technisub has BACK IN LAS VEGAS for the first time Connect with more than 10,000 industry essentially been an Italian-French com- since 2002, DEMA Show provides you professionals on the show floor, on the pany. with more business resources and more strip or at the industry’s biggest social At the same time, Luigi Ferraro be- value than ever before! event, the DEMA Awards Party. came the exclusive distributor of SPIRO (Aqua Lung) products in Italy. The French See more than 600 exhibits of the hottest Participate in hundreds of hours of equipment, destinations, services and educational programming sponsored by partners later increased their share in the accessories on the planet. View the current DEMA, exhibitors and certifying agencies – business, and in 1982, Paolo Ferraro, Luigi exhibitor list at www.demashow.com. including enhanced Ships to Reefs Ferraro’s son, became president of the sessions, the Adventure Travel Symposium, DEMA Show 2005 company. Now the most famous Italian and FREE Power Up Your Morning October 4-7, 2005 diver of all times, Professor Luigi Ferraro seminars. is 89 and still leads a very active life. He Las Vegas Convention writes books, meets with friends and it is Center rarely possible to find him at home. Until 150,000 square Feet • 10,000+ attendees • 600+ exhibits • 4 days • 1 event LAS VEGAS, NEVADA only a few years ago, he was still diving. IT ALL ADDS UP TO A WINNING OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU! www.demashow.com On his 80th birthday, the Italian Navy honoured him with a grand parade and Make plans to attend or exhibit at www.demashow.com From the James Bond movie Thunderball 76 X-RAY MAG : 7 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED manufacturer Idea3 chess championship at same time. prototype of the Stratos fin ready. At Technisub, so one of the most impor- provides its variable geom- For many years, he worked as a fed- the time, these fins were completely tant decisions is choosing which etry; and the eration instructor alongside another novel. It was a new concept pro- one to go with. The idea of creat- Italian sports diving legend, Duilio duced by a groundbreaking manu- ing the Idea came directly from Marcante. His almost encyclopedic facturing process. Paolo Ferraro. Who hasn’t been knowledge backed by an immense dreaming about moving practical experience achieved Field testing underwater as freely as the arrival of a destroyer in Genoa. There though many years of hard training Paolo condinues, “We made three a dolphin, a shark was a huge underwater cake, and Spiro- and diving, equips him well to come types of experimental prototypes or a seal, effort- technique made a regulator in pure gold up with new creative ideas for future of the Stratos fin. One was very soft, lessly and with- to his honour. But most importantly was products. one was average and one was very out too much the special pride the common Italien citi- rigid. Each of them were very good physical effort? zen took in their famous countryman. The Stratos fins fins. But how could we find out what The Idea3 is the stronger main creation of his life, Luigi’s innovative Paolo Ferraro explains: “The new the opinion was on these different physical mani- and rigid Technisub company, is still among the laying technology combining two models among various people from festation of such material for the world’s leading manufacturers of under- materials (rubbers and plastic) was diving beginners, men and women, an idea and the peripheral parts pro- water equipment. first applied to the manufacture and different nationalities of ath- result of more than vides the rigidity and struc- of these unique fins. The blade is letes? To find out, we dispatched three years of scientific tural framework. Technisub Legends made up of a very elastic plastic test samples to America, Germany, research and a rather large invest- The philosophy behind Idea3 is The current president of the company covered with a thin 1½ mm thick Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, ment for such a product. to provide the maximal effect from is Paolo Ferarro. Just as his father, he is rubber layer giving the fin its unique France and all over Italy. At Technisub, each prototype a downwards leg stroke with the in love with the sea. At 22 years old, he elastic properties. Orignally, it was All the fins came in black and fin has to pass weeks of testing in least possible resistance during the became the youngest FIPSAS instruc- the idea of our lead designer Gianni only differed by the presence of a special apparatus, and only if a upstroke. In other words, optimizing tor awarded the highest rating of three Beltrani. We made the first sample, one, two or three small holes in the whole range of parameters are with- the ratio “effort demanded / thrust stars. Some say, it compares to winning and the result was simply awful. But fin blade. The number of holes was in an acceptable limits, will it pass received”. The fine performance is the Olympic gold medal and the Italian we kept working at it and began code for the rigidity of the fin. Many for further testing under real condi- said to be down to three factors: to combine various people asked us what the meaning tions. Today, the Idea3 fin is exhib- types of plastics and of these holes were, but we refused ited at the honorary exhibit of the 1. The polyelliptic overall geometry rubbers. Eventually, to explain. We just asked people Leonardo De Vinci museum of sci- which increases the surface of the our special tech- to try the fins and tell us about their entific and technological achieve- fin during the kicking phase and pre- nique of rubber high opinion and identify which of them ments in Milan. What is so special vents turbulent flow over the blade pressure (200 Bar) they liked the best. about this elegant fin? that would produce water resist- mould injection was Most of them liked the fins with ance. created. Maturing two holes—fins with medium stiffness. Injection moulding the technology took We then understood that this model Again the answer lies in an more than six months, would become a commercial suc- unique injection moulding and it was only after cess. But the most exciting result technology which allows conducting thou- was a test published by a renowned simultaneously injection of sands of experiments American dive magazine which dis- three materials with different Stratos that we found what covered Technisub Stratos, branded plastic properties. After po- we were looking for. in America under the name Blade, lymerization, each material The most important and recognizing it as one the best obtains the characteristics factor appeared to fins in the world. The Stratos and pertaining to their function. be an exact ratio their mass production firmly put The thermoplastic soft rub- between the thick- Technisub on a pedestal as one of ber is responsible for creat- ness of plastic and the leading manufacturers of fins.” ing the comfort of the foot the rubber covering. pocket; the elastic tech- It took three years Next generation: The Idea3 nopolymer in the central from conception until All sorts of creative ideas emerge section of the blade and the we had the first real in the minds of the designers at “heart” of the Idea2 product

Luigi and Paolo Ferraro (FIPSAS: Federazione Italiana Pesca Sportiva e Attivita’ Subacquee – the Italian Underwater Federation) 77 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Join the cause and save the sharks SAY NO TO SHARK FINS Technisub masks manufacturer The flagship of the company is the Sponsored by Celebrate the Sea 2005 Singapore Look mask, which is already a classic. Millions of these masks have been sold since they came onto the market in 1985. They have proven to be a popular choice all Sometimes over the world due to their magnifi- they are small cent seals and suitability for all types ideas, sometimes 2. Lateral rigid edges are filled with rub- of faces. The lenses are also very easily they are essential new ber. Reduces weight in comparison with replaced by correcting lenses with diopt- concepts, but they are con- any other fin the same size, reduces ries for the diver who needs glasses. stantly introducing new materials and loading on the legs during navigation coming up with original technologies and aids performance by working like a Torches Vega and Lumen ensuring that in the future, we will find spring. VEGA has been a product name since Technisub a leader at the forefront of the 1965. Vega is the name of one of the dive equipment manufacturing industry. 3. Variable geometry of Idea3 works simi- brightest stars in the sky, and so Luigi ■ larly to a duck’s webbed feet. On the Ferraro’s wife thought it would be a suit- downwards stroke, the central part of able name for a dive lamp. The modern THE AUTHOR AND EDITOR WISHES TO EXPRESS HIS THE DEEP GRATITUDE TOWARDS MR. PAOLO AND LUIGI the fins is curved and scoops a greater Vega is a bright powerful light with relia- FERRARO FOR THEIR KIND ASSISTANCE IN A PREPARING volume of water creating a powerful jet ble nickel–cadmium battery and a tough THIS ARTICLE. effect. At the upstroke, ergonomic body. Lumen, the best known the blade compact torch from Technisub, joins the becomes Idea fin in exhibition at Milan’s museum more stream- of scientific and technological achieve- lined. ments. The compact bright torch fits easily into a BCD pocket.

Annually, Teсhnisub makes hundred thousand fins, masks and snorkels for the AquaLung group. These products seem to be the preferred choice by divers of various nationalities from all corners of blue planet. Technisub certainly does not compromise with their quality requirements. At Technisub, there is no production of the first, second or third class quality products. Only the top quality equipment leaves the premises, and Technisub remains committed to be on the cutting edge of development. Every year, their engineers come up with new ideas. Shark fin soup is considered a culinary delicacy in Asia. So, every year, millions of sharks are caught by fisherman who cut off their fins and drop the sharks’ maimed Professor Luigi Ferraro with WWII bodies back into the water, often still alive, to sink to the bottom of the sea and drown memorabilia. The pins are those he a horrible death. Several shark species are approaching extinction. Stop the slaughter. pulled out of the detonators to acti- Say no to Shark Fins: www.celebratethesea.com vate the mines he planted

78 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED WWW.WILDWIND.COM White Shark sizes shark tales Length at birth from 100– 120cm Maximum size around 700cm th Size at sexual maturity: Happy 30 Female: 400 – 470cm. Male 350 – 600cm By Edwin Marcow Birthday Jaws!

30 years ago audiences across the shark, the Great White, was the most Giving birth to live young world, even those far removed from the awesome animal I had ever seen. A Females taking between 12 and 14 years ocean, screamed and jumped from combination of power, stealth, and sheer to reach sexual maturity, males only their seats when the movie Jaws came natural beauty. This love affair for this need 9 to 10 years. Great White sharks to town. I have many fond memories of species has been with me since those are aplacental viviparous, meaning that External growing up in Cape Town, jumping into formative days. they bare live young without connection Markings waves from cliff tops, spearfishing in large This films legacy, is a mixed one of cre- to the mother [aplacental] during preg- Great white sharks deep rock pools, and “playing” with ating fear beyond rational thinking, “will nancy. To obtain enough nutrition whilst have a black or baby sand sharks. As now, I then loved I get bitten by a Great White Shark if I go inside the womb, embryos feed on other dark grey col- the sea, and all its inhabitants. in the water”. To the mass slaughter of all eggs [oophagism]. The number of embry- our on their top When Jaws was screened I loved this sharks across the globe. os carried during an average pregnancy surfaces and a film, not for the gore, the blood, and on- I am pleased to say that today we live is between 2 and 14. It is thought that the white underside. screen loss of life, I just thought that this in more enlightened times! average pregnancy gestates between The pectoral fins 12 to 14 months with the pregnant have black tips, on female leaving other sharks just before the underside and a black Great White giving birth. axillary spot where they join the body. Sharktales facts In cool water Great whites are found in most Great White’s belong to the Lamnidae oceans between latitudes of 50° family [Mackerel Sharks] and 60° in both hemispheres, Five species belong to this family preferring cooler waters Shortfin mako, Longfin mako, Salmon where they stay close to shark, Porbeagle shark, and the Great shore and shallow but they White. All sharks in this family have a con- have also been found at ical snout, lateral keels [one or two] on depths exceeding 100m. the peduncle and homocercal tails – the tails upper and lower lower lobe are of Hot bodies equal length. Semi-warm-blooded with their body tem- Social creatures peratures, staying Often portrayed as the “lonely hunter” about 10-15° C above Great Whites are social animals, swim- the ambient water ming in groups of 10 or more animals. temperature – gives the Great White Shark a Peter Benchley’s novel JAWS was the tremendous advantage beginning of the modern stigmatisation when hunting. With muscles of sharks as evil predators that are bet- warmed and full of blood ter killed. Very much to his later regrets .

79 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED despite their large size they can acceler- just like people do – have you ever Behaviour Patterns “will hit it” any second know. ate quickly and reach and maintain for noticed how a loving couple will have If you are lucky enough, that a great medium distances terrific speed and agil- mms between them but two guys drink- white gets up close and personal to you, Gaping – Partially opening its mouth with- ity. ing in a bar will have several inches you may observe certain behaviour pat- out averting its upper jaw, whilst remain- This incredible advantage of heat between their bodies. Great whites also terns that will enable you to read the ing in position. This can last between a retention due to a special arrangements have intimacy zones and will investigate shark’s intentions. fraction of a second and to several sec- RAJA AMPAT of blood vessels known as wonder nets an object or prey gradually. onds. LIVEABOARD TOUR or rete mirabile. These are found along Eye Roll – With head and body remain- This is a threat behaviour and should their flanks, eyes, brain, and intestines. Approaching ing still, the eye moves and follows the be interpreted as a direct threat to one- WITH THE SMY ONDINA This heat retention and higher body tem- First they will swims past an object in a subject. self. I have on at least two occasions perature allows muscles to contract fast- straight line keeping eye contact. Then been open water (no cage) and have PRICES er which results in increased speed and they will do a “frontal checkout” where Eye Back Roll – When a shark wants to been on the receiving end of several Sorong-Sorong Trips: SMY Ondina stand- agility in colder waters. they will swim directly towards the sub- protect its eye, usually just prior to an gapes. Something that is guaranteed to ard trip, 10 night trip, 2200 euro; City ject turning and returning to original start- attack, or when the eyes passes the make your life flash before your eyes! Seahorse special 11 night charter (limited participation, extra dives, special meals & ing point. Purpose is to create a reaction. water/air barrier, it will roll its eye back- Hunting guides): $3245 / 2660 euro. Great Whites have developed hunting Next step is the “lateral checkout” where wards so that the sclera - the protective strategies that are perfectly adapted the shark approaches the subject diago- outer layer - will be exposed protecting TRAVEL to suit their high agility, speed, but nally and then turns. It appears that the the eye itself. Reach Sorong to meet liveboards via poor endurance. Preference for prey shark knows what side it is on in relation Adopt A Shark! To conmemo- Makassar (Ujung Pandang) or Manado is dependent on the individuals, sharks to the subject Jaw Protrusion – The shark protrudes its rate Jaws, what better way to give in Sulawesi. There are several flights size and season. Smaller great whites When the shark does a “Go Around” upper jaw. This is part of the biting act, something back by adopting a shark daily. Visitors can also connect from their mainly feed on fishes, while larger sharks it approaches from any direction, swims often noted when a shark wrangler whether it is a Great White or any other International flights from Bali or Jakarta. will feed on seals, small whales [infants], toward subject at a slight angle, circles touches the snout of a great white Shark. species, checkout www.sharktrust.org Flights into Sorong require booking other sharks e.g. hammerheads, makos, and returns to original point of appear- or support conservation charities such through an agent in Indonesia, or through grey sharks and will sometimes feed on ance. It may also do what is called Repetitive Aerial Gaping [RAG] – The as www.bite-back.com. your local dive travel agency who works with an agent in Indonesia. SMY Ondina’s carrion. “patrolling” - wwimming in different pat- shark will conduct at least two succes- Next time you jump, dive, swim or office in Bali or City Seahorse’s agent can terns [except straight up] mostly at or sive mouth openings and partially clos- scuba in the ocean don’t forget that book your flight into Sorong. Curious creatures beyond outer circle. ing of the mouth in quick succession. The more people are killed every year by Great white sharks are very curious, and Then there is “Straight Up – Breaching” second opening and closure can occur falling coconuts than by shark attacks. REFERENCES will often approach and investigate where the shark virtually rams the object submerged. This is anticipation behav- We are only visitors to another World Interesting reading about the culture, anything it comes across even boats. A at high speed from beneath - sometimes iour, where the shark expects that there is governed by different rules enjoy the fauna and flora of Papua and the Raja great white shark has a personal space clearing the water altogether something within reach of its mouth and ocean for all it has to offer. Empat Islands:

The Malay Archipelago (1869) by Alfred Russel Wallace

Illustrated excerpts on the Papua chapters can be found at:

http://www.papuaweb.org/dlib/bk/ wallace/papuan.html

CHAPTER XXXV: VOYAGE FROM CERAM TO WAIGIOU

CHAPTER XXXVI: WAIGIOU

CHAPTER XXXVII: VOYAGE FROM WAIGIOU TO TERNATE

ABOUT THE LIVEABOARD www.smyondina.com

www.cityseahorse.com/raja-ampat- liveaboards.html

80 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED BLACK WATER DIVING Royal

Text by Gary Myors Tasmania Photos by Karen Gowlette-Holmes Tasmania’s Southwest National Park and World Heritage Area is the land that time forgot, and most of the civilized world has never heard of Bathurst Harbour. It is the home of the world’s oldest living plant, Kings Holly (Lomatatia tasmanica) discovered in 1934 by the late Deny King, an environ- mentalist and local legend who lived in the area most of his adult life earn- ing his living mining tin. On the banks of the Old River, bushwalkers able to penetrate the closely guarded secret Yellow Polyps, Parazoanthus Arial view of Bathurst location can admire a 10,500-year-old Huon Pine Tree. From the bird hide near the Melaleuca airstrip, you can watch the mating dance of a pair of orange bellied parrots, a species which breeds only in this region and has been saved from extinction by volunteers and the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. Apart from the rare flora and fauna, the landscape is as rugged and spectacular as any wilderness on earth. Bathurst, Tazmania

81 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED features Biscuit star, Tosia australis Tasmania deepwater (100m +) are found in much place where the unique southern part in delaying our departure from shallower water due to the low light lev- Australian shelf-break species can be Hobart for the best part of two days. els. seen and studied in safe diving depths. Flying conditions can change within In the Bathurst Channel, this phenom- minutes of locating the isolated airstrip enon is enhanced due to Breaksea The first expedition adding unnecessary cost by returning to Island in the mouth of the Channel shel- On our first expedition in 2002 for a Hobart. tering the Channel from wave action, so smaller Japanese television company, This expedition was different from that the seafloor in the Channel is not we spent ten days diving and filming in many points of view: bigger budget, only dark, it is also relatively calm—mim- almost perfect conditions. All equipment smaller crew, and most importantly, icking conditions on the “shelf-break”, and personal were flown into the departing Hobart aboard the vessel we the edge of the continental shelf and remote Melaleuca airstrip. Seven were to use for the duration of the stay upper slope in depths of 80-200m, and Cessna flights transported the team of in Bathurst Harbour. The abalone mother the marine life we find living in the eight Japanese, two Eaglehawk Dive ship ODALISQUE was our chosen live Bathurst Channel is typical “shelf-break” Centre staff and the two Southern aboard. She is a modern 18-metre alu- species. The Bathurst Channel/Harbour Explorer crew. It was a logistical drudge minum vessel able to accommodate 12 area is unique in a world context, a with the weather playing a significant passengers and crew in comfort, a large

But having set the scene in this remote Area. The TWHA covers 20 percent of the corner of Tasmania’s world heritage Island State and encompasses a greater area, we were not here for any of the breadth of natural and cultural values above. We were on a mission for Japan- than any other World Heritage Area on ese television, filming a documentary Earth, according to the Tasmanian about the impact of the tannin-stained Department Primary Industries Water and freshwater layer on the marine life the Environment (DPIWE). The waterways that exists below it in Bathurst Harbour. were formed as the sea level rose after Eaglehawk Dive Centre has conducted the last ice age flooding the river valleys two successful underwater filming expe- with seawater, and the huge volume of ditions into this unique location. Both of black, tannin-stained freshwater flowing these expeditions were adventures that from the numerous rivers forming a dark most mere mortals only dream about. freshwater layer over the top of the sea- This story is of our most recent expedition water. The freshwater layer, usually 2-6m with the Japanese national public broad- thick, is so dark from the tannin that little caster NHK / Science and Environment light penetrates it. Below the tannin layer, Division. the seawater is very clear but dark even on the sunniest of days, the light levels The Territory are so low that you cannot see without Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour makes dive torches. This gives rise to a rare phe- up a large and ecologically significant nomenon called “deep water emer- part of the Tasmanian World Heritage gence”, where species usually found in Basket star, Conocladus australis 82 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED features Tasmania

back deck with cradles for 15ft and 17ft alu- stow everything and to sail from Hobart at the first day when Tomita, the cameraman, nearly minum dinghies, and two holds that kept our appointed time. We had advised the film drowned his digital beta-cam camera while equipment and extra provisions below deck crew that we might have to wait in traveling at dangerous speed in the dinghy in out of the weather. Recherché Bay if the weather on the south pursuit of a shot. Despite the conditions, Tom The expected duration of twenty days in coast was as bad as forecasted by the still managed to shoot some useable footage the wilderness required extensive and careful Bureau of Meteorology. It was a little lumpy before the journey westward continued. planning. To cater for five Japanese, two rounding Whale Head, but the vessel handled After a journey of about eight-hours from marine biologists, myself as dive guide and it well, and only a couple of the film crew Hobart that included the stop at Maatsuyker the ODALISQUE’s crew of three (skipper, took to their bunks. Island, we entered beautiful Spain Bay near deckhand and cook) in a remote region that We made a brief stop at Maatsuyker Island the entrance to the Bathurst Channel an hour can only be reached by sea or light aircraft to film the huge colony of between 1000-1500 before sunset and anchored for the night. and is subject to extremes in weather, we had Australian fur seals at The Needles on the Our chef, Johnno, knocked up a first class to be very well organized. We even took a south side of the majestic rock that is home to meal, and we were in bed reasonably early ABOVE: Detail view of a sea pen, Sarcoptilus grandis washing machine. While the Japanese were a couple of volunteers who look after the her- expectating an early start and a busy first day TOP LEFT: Garden of sea pens with seastar over-equipped not knowing the isolation of itage-listed light house and buildings. in Bathurst Harbour. the location, we managed to find a place to The whole expedition nearly finished on that Karen Gowlett-Holmes, one of Eaglehawk

83 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED features Tasmania LEFT TO RIGHT: Botrylloides leachii;

Bryozoa Adeonellopsis;

Nudibranchs Dermatobranchus

BELOW: Bramble coral community

Dive Centre’s marine biologists, and I the next three or four days but this failed conditions were generally appalling, but searched for subjects to study or photo- were acting as guides for this expedi- to impress the film crew as the tannin we were here to dive, and dive we did! graph. tion. Karen had done a number of sci- wasn’t dark enough, wasn’t thick I moved away from them to seek out entific research field trips to the area enough and the animals were too few Diving in tannin my own creatures, and as I headed with CSIRO prior to our last filming expe- or too uncooperative. Having seen the Dropping over the side of the dinghy down the slope into the dark, I was dition the previous year. I had worked in finish documentary from the previous into the dark tannin layer can be rather amazed to see the scene behind me the area on several occasions during expedition they were under pressure to daunting for those who have never only grew smaller rather than disap- my ten years as an abalone diver. So, produce a superior product. It was diffi- experienced it before. Karen was first peared. Visibility horizontally was at we were well acquainted with the difficult for them to cope with lack of tan- away while I geared up the two least 30 metres, but the red surface culties of extended diving in such a nin, and at times, the mood among the Japanese divers and over the side they glow faded away to black above me remote location. film crew became quite explosive. went with me following minutes later. as I reached a depth of 12 metres. The But then the rain came, and came As I descended through the tannin, all slope leveled out and sea pens The Bathurst Channel and kept coming for the next ten days. sound had ceased except for that of (Sarcoptilus grandis) started appearing The Bathurst Channel has several heavi- This created another set of problems, my exhalation bubbles. Visibility seemed on the silty bottom. ly wooded islands that offer shallow but it also gave the film crew a great absolutely zero then at about three water diving in beds of sea whips as example of how this bizarre ecosystem metres. I saw red lights below and shallow as 4m depth—these are usually originates. off to my left. Then, I was into the at least 35m deep. We had a surprise The falling rain soaks into the damp clear salt water below the tannin when we entered the water—we found button grass plains that act as a big liv- layer. I flicked on my video light that the tannin layer was almost non- ing sponge. The water has to flow and circled the divers, watching existent. through these marshy plains to reach them but avoiding the bottom silt, There had been a prolonged drought the rivers and the sea. The decaying which I knew would lift like dust in in the area, which usually has rain virtu- sponge-like peat below the living grass wind if any part of my body or ally every day, and the flow of tannin- is in a constant state of decomposition. equipment touched it. stained water from the surrounding riv- The rain saturates the damp plains and As I moved past the scene of sil- ers had dropped to a trickle. Usually, this water starts to flow from every crack houetted divers motionless behind site has a four to five metre deep dense and crevice into every creek, river and the video lights, I imagined I was on tannin layer (like very strong black cof- eventually the harbour itself. the set of an X-Files movie. Dull red fee) that blocks out all daylight and On its’ journey through this giant tea glow from the surface above con- makes each dive as dark as night, but bag, the water colour darkens. Within trasted with the bright scene in front this time the tannin layer had become 24 hours, the surface of the harbour was of the stationary video lights on very diluted (looked like weak tea) and as black as the night sky. The film crew’s Tomita’s camera. Hand held by the at depth, it had the appearance of div- black mood lifted as if it was being divers, roving torch lights flashed ing on a dull day. transferred to the surrounding environ- this way and that around the dark- We had a run of superb weather for ment. The wind blew a gale and the as-night perimeter as they each ABOVE: Tunicates, Clavelina australis LEFT: Biscuit star, Tosia australis 84 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Tasmania features LEFT TO RIGHT: Primnoella grandisqua- mis; Ascidian, Sycozoa pulchra; Kenya Tree Coral, Capnella

rock lobster wan- dered about as though it was night I saw a light moving away from secure from the the main group, so I headed par- threat of predators allel with it towards the seaward that would normally side of the island. Here, the cur- be evident in clear rent increased, and it was difficult sunlit conditions. to stay stationary while videoing. The wall and boulders above me Seapen beds The Maugean, or Port Davey, were covered with bramble One of my favorite sites on my skate is listed as endangered on coral, large lace bryzoans and previous visit was the seapens both Tasmanian and Common- numerous ascidians some of beds near Beebey Point. Here, wealth legislation. It is the world’s which I hadn’t seen before. Below the 6-13 metre bottom was not in only entirely estuarine skate and on the silty bottom, the occasion- total darkness and the ambient the only Australian skate listed as al sea pen appeared like some- light allowed divers to see several endangered. It has only been thing from the “Day of the metres beyond the range of their found in two areas, Port Davey- Triffids”. lights. Bathurst Harbour and Macquarie The day after, we moved from The sea pens, some nearly half Harbour. This unique skate is easily site to site looking for any subject a metre tall, stand like sentinels to recognised by its elongated that was worthy, mostly keeping the ancient world that had exist- snout. So, filming it in this habitat an eye out for the most elusive of ed here in the Precambrian was one of the main aims of the marine animals found in the Period more than 700 million years film crew. Michelle and crewman region—the Port Davey Skate— ago. I shot some of my best foot- Dave Denison were spending not seen in this area since 1990. age at this location. The Japan- hours each day searching the One of the team who had ese cameraman looked at one inner harbour for this elusive accompanied us on this expedi- sequence of nearly ten minutes beast. tion was CSIRO marine following a skate through the for- Diving in a seawhip garden at biologist Michelle est of seapens with envy, as his only 6-8 metres deep, we find Treloar who was gath- subjects that day had not been scores of basket stars living ering vital information as co-operative. amongst them and clinging to on this poorly known The mood at day’s end when their whips. They were in various species. Her research things went well was nothing short stages of feeding with their arms aims to discover their of buoyant. The bar opened, and outstretched. Basket stars usually abundance and distri- goodwill and friendly banter react to any light by rapidly fold- bution, whether there is made the evening meal a very ing their arms and retreating, but a decline in the area festive occasion. After several here, having never seen light of usable habitat, how bottles of excellent red wine, we TOP TO BOTTOM: under the tannin layer, they just Sourthern basketstar, Conocladus-australis vulnerable the species saw some of the results of the continued to feed unless we dis- Star polyps, Clavularia is to fishing pressure day’s shooting. turbed them, even when brightly Southern bobtail squid, Euprymna tasmanica and whether popula- lit with video lights. tions are stable or Forrester Point Draughtboard sharks, large BOTTOM LEFT: Australian swellshark, declining. The dive teams’ first dive at decorator crabs and southern Cephaloscyllium laticeps

85 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED features Tasmania

Forrester Point was in very strong current bunks total exhausted. trying to track the three as the wall drops down to about 25+ The first dive of the new day was a bit divers in the shallow black metres. This site has a small quantity of of a failure as we went searching for the water. I recovered the two LEFT TO RIGHT: Colored Tube Anemone, Cerianthus; Nudibranch, Marionia; Australian sea whips —including one species nor- Port Davey Skate. We searched in an Japanese divers and their swellshark egg; Sabellastarte australiensis; The mally found in 200m+ in the open sea— area north of the Celery Top Islands. The camera gear, but they Pot Bellied Seahorse, Hippocampus bleeke feathery seafans, soft corals and other water here is only about 4-5 metres deep hadn’t seen Karen since INSET: Nudibranch, Janolus creatures that thrive in high current with a flat, silty bottom. We had planned very early in the dive. areas. As evidence that others had lived to do a line search from north to south. I Karen is famous for eco- and worked in this region, I picked up a found it impossible to navigate, video nomical air consumption, couple of old bottles that appeared to and keep station with the divers to the and I started searching for additional training. Even experienced be discarded rubbish from the 1950’s. left and right. The end result was no her around the area she divers should refresh their night diving The diving progressed with the channel skates. had entered the water and buoyancy skills. Some of the loca- giving us good results and interesting sub- down to where I had picked Johno were also flying out with me, and tions have been listed, as off limits to jects. Some areas were off limits for future up the other two. Each time I did a pass I well-known Tasmanian marine biologist, divers as any disturbance to the delicate trips due to their extreme fragility. Beds of extended the run, and after what Graham Edgar, and a new chef were marine ecosystem could have long-term soft corals and delicate, fragile lace seemed like hours, I saw a strobe flashing replacing them. The strip was very busy, consequences. bryzoans that one lazy fin kick would weakly through the squally black night. as there hadn’t been any flights for near- Seven days later, I met the ODALISQUE obliterate exist in the inky black water Karen was only metres from being ly a week due to the evil weather. Many as she returned to Hobart, again having down the Channel. swept around the end of the island and of the bushwalkers, waiting for their flights extraordinary luck with the weather on Captain Pete decided to tie up at down into the main channel when I back to civilization, had been living on a the return trip. The tonnes of equipment Clayton’s Corner inside Kings Point. The reached her. The marine area of Port handful of boiled rice and water. were unloaded and returned to the dive Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service Davey and Bathurst Harbour comprises When my flight landed, Mick had all center, and we all adjourned to the local have upgraded the jetty that had origi- some 17,000ha. It was lucky we found her the little luxuries such as newspapers, sushi bar for a debriefing, dinner and nally been built by a local legend, Clyde when we did as it would have been very fresh bread, fruit and vegetables, and drinks. We have seen the finished docu- Clayton, brother-in-law to Denny King. unhealthy to have spent the night bob- beer to keep the Japanese happy. mentary (unfortunately only Clydie’s house is still in use and fresh bing about in the extreme conditions, This was Mick’s first trip to the region released in Japanese), which water is available from new tanks and trying to get ashore over the jagged and a chance for him to gain the skills brings the scorecard up to 100% installed by volunteers to collect rain knife edged rocks would have been and dive site knowledge for future expe- success for our two trips into the water from the roof of the house. This We had several night dives during the dangerous if not foolhardy. ditions. This area is so envi- land that time forgot. My next gave the whole crew a chance to go wild weather. As a result of the condi- ronmentally sensitive that trip is already in the planning ashore and take in the wildlife and fan- tions, we nearly lost Karen when she was Wrapping it up eventually only approved stages and with luck, will tastic view from Henry’s Folly, the hill carried by the current the length of one After 13 days, my diving was finished, guides will be allowed to be even better than behind Clayton’s house. of the islands in the Bathurst Channel. and I traveled up to the bush airstrip at lead dive trips into this region. the previous two. ■ After reviewing the day and another The night was black as pitch and visibil- Melaleuca to meet the aircraft bringing Inexperienced divers should not hearty meal, we planned our dives for ity reduced to less than 50 metres due to in my replacement, Mick Baron, another be encouraged to dive in the next day, then crawled into our horizontal rain. I was driving the boat and of the Eaglehawk team. Michelle and Bathurst Harbour without Ocellate Seastar, Nectria ocellata

86 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED  fact file Special Port Davis, Tasmania     History Aboriginal settlers resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore,  arrived on the continent from copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, Southeast Asia about 40,000 years nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, before the first Europeans began lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,  exploration in the 17th century. petroleum; Agriculture: wheat, No formal claims were made until barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle,  1770, when Capt. James COOK sheep, poultry; Industry: min- took possession in the name of ing, industrial and transportation  Great Britain. Six colonies were equipment, food processing, created in the late 18th and 19th chemicals, steel; Exports coal, centuries; they federated and gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron  ore, wheat, machinery and trans- became the Commonwealth of            Australia in 1901. The new country port equipment was able to take advantage of its natural resources in order to Climate Of all the Austral- rapidly develop its agricultural ian capital cities, Hobart has the and manufacturing industries nation’s second-lowest rainfall and to make a major contribu- (626 mm or 24 inches). The aver- tion to the British effort in World age summer temperature is 21°C Wars I and II. Long-term concerns (70°F). Winter’s average is 12°C include pollution, particularly (52° F). Natural hazards: cyclones depletion of the ozone layer, and along the coast; severe droughts; management and conservation forest fires of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum The population of to change Australia’s status, from Population Tasmania is 472,000. Main cent- a commonwealth headed by the  ers are Hobart (the capital city British monarch to a republic, was  with 195,500 people) Launceston defeated in 1999. Government: (98,500) Burnie (18,000) and Dev-  democratic, federal-state system onport (25,000). Ethnicity: Cau- recognizing the British monarch as  casian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal sovereign and other 1%; Religions: Anglican   26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Geography Tasmania Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, covers a land area of 68,332 sq other 12.6% anemones, lots of seaweed includ- Web sites km (26,383 sq. miles). Its terrain ing giant kelp forests. Dive comfort- Tasmania Tourism ranges from mountains, lakes, Australian Dollar ably all year in a 7mm wet suit. www.discovertasmania.com.au rivers and waterfalls to dense rain Currency (AUD$) Port Arthur Region forest. Tasmania has over 2000 km 220-240V AC, 50 Hz. www.portarthur-region.com.au of walking tracks and 18 national Electricity Plugs have three flat pins. A socket parks. The Tasmanian Wilder- Language English www.nauticteam.com [email protected] converter can be bought for ap- ness World Heritage Area cov- Dive Operators proximately $8-10 AUD. Eaglehawk Dive Centre ers 1.38 million hectares. Natural Colorful sponges, Diving www.eaglehawkdive.com.au ■

87 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED An anemone city off Japan. We see the Ecology characteristic mix of many red clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus) and blue damselfish. The many sea anemones belong to the species Entacmaea Edited by quadricolor Michael Arvedlund, PhD and Peter Symes

ILLUSTRATIONS BY GUNILD AND PETER SYMES

Clownfish sea anemones usu- Anemone cities are not unusual in some ally live solitary lives. On many places. However, these large assemblages are rare compared to the high coral reefs there will normally abundance of solitary giant sea anemo- be only one individual for each nes you may find snorkeling or diving on 50 to 100 meters, perhaps 10 to most tropical shallow coral reefs. There 20 meters of reef. But occasion- are only two known such assemblages in the bay of Aqaba in the Red Sea. ally groups of up to several hun- One is at Ras Muhammad close to dreds of clownfish sea anemo- the popular dive resort Sharm el Sheikh nes are found together within a where it is but one of the many popular small area in an assemblage we dive sites in the area and well visited by many divers being completely oblivious call anemone cities. to the fact that they are diving on a rather unique and fragile structure. They are also found in some parts of Southern Japan, in the eastern area of the Pacific and certain parts of the Indian Ocean. Perhaps the largest tropical sea anemone assemblage in the 2 world covering about 2 km of sea NAOKO MORIMOTO - RYUKYU UNIVERSITY, SESOKO STATION, OKINAWA, JAPAN bottom lives in central Indonesia. This anemone city was recently described by structure and distribution of these dense simply because the necessary resources, Microhabitat the renowned German underwater pho- sea anemone assemblages and what manpower and funding are still not read- The point is that whatever regulates or tographer Helmut Debelius in his Asian kind of impact the unusually high con- ily available in coral reef research. limits the abundance of a species and underwater guide. centration of host anemones have on This is rather unfortunate as unusually their reproductive success is highly relat- the local ecology—especially the settle- large “super-structures” in nature, such ed to the extent of its microhabitat. In this Super structures ment, reproduction and behavior of the as the anemone city at Ras Mohammed case, the microhabitat for a clownfish is Anemone cities are not well understood, symbiotic fishes and crustaceans. Most at the tip of Sinai peninsula, may provide its host anemone and the few meters of but clearly something very different research studies have, so far, only studied us with a much better understanding coral reef surrounding the sea anemone. goes on here. Little is known about the the biology of solitary host sea anemones of both fish and sea anemone biology. Usually a single anemone. So, when

The Danish scientist Ms lar dive spot in South Thea Marie Brolund Sinai, called “anemone The Mysterious Life and Territories in assisted by Anders city”, a dive site often Tychsen and Michael described and recom- Arvedlund recently con- mended as an excel- ducted the first compre- lent dive experience in hensive scientific exami- most popular Red Sea nation of the popu- dive guides. PETER SYMES Anemone City 85 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED BONAIRE Image of the Red Sea Closeup of an unusal anemonefish Amphiprion pink variety (H. crispa bicinctus in a solitary is normally grey in host sea anemone color) of the clown- Entacmaea quadricolor. fish sea anemone This type of sea anemo- Heteractis crispa, Hospitality Without Limits nes and the fish is what from a shallow coral most snorkelers and divers reef in the southern are likely to encounter Japan during a visit to the Red Sea. Raz Bob, 10 m. depth, Sharm El Sheikh

and behavioral pat- city assemblage of the �� terns. These char- magnificent sea anem- �� acteristic can be ones (Heteractis mag- �� quite obvious to the nifica) is, for example, �� observant visiting found at the southern- �� diver. most point of the Sinai �� Exactly which Peninsula, northern Red �� patterns, how, Sea. It is situated on a $ when and why this reef approximately 150 599 pp/sext

MICHAEL ARVEDLUND complexity and meters east of the pop- MICHAEL ARVEDLUND �� infrastructure is put ular Shark and Yolanda �� nature comes up with an unusual together is some- Reef. At present, about �� super-structure such as an anem- thing we know practically nothing 20-30 large diveboats �� one city, all the usual dynamics about. This gives cause for great with up to 300 divers and the three spot damsel fish your camera. A total of 190 large �� and relationships between the �� concern as these rare structures and 1500 snorkellers visit this (Dascyllus trimaculatus). The clownfish sea anemones were �� organisms in the microhabitat are at great risk of disappearing magnificent superstructure every former are obligate symbionts in counted here. Some were solitary, are bound to change drastically. in front of our very eyes due to day. Most of these visitors have host sea anemones and the latter and some were clusters of pre- New and more complex interac- �� heavy loads of ignorant visiting absolutely no education in proper are facultative symbionts as juve- sumably clonal morphs (offspring �� tions arise between the surround- scuba divers. behavior on coral reefs. nile in host sea anemones. (See produced from “buds”). �� ings, the fish, the crustaceans and �� And the carrying capacity of explanation in sidebar.) �� the anemone hosts, and we see �� At risk daily visitors to any one anemone Record �� marked changes in physiological The popular Aqaba anemone city may only be only 1/10 of Location The anemones were distributed �� PETER SYMES the present load. Consequently, More precisely, anemone city is from a depth of 3 meters down to �� the risk of this anemone city dis- situated on an underwater pla- about 40 meters, which is a new appearing forever within the teau of approximately 100 x 75 record for the species magnifi- SILVER-SPECIAL! �� next decade or two is very real. meters stretching down to an cent sea anemone. �� Despite these facts, the first scien- approximate 20-meter depth. tific study ever of Sinai’s “anem- It begins at a depth of about one city” did not take place 2 meters beneath a short verti- Symbiosis until the summer of 2002 when a cal coral wall from there it drops Danish research team visited the down to 7-9 meters at an angle of Means “life-together”. It exists in sev- site. This article is the summary of 30-45º. From this depth to approxi- eral forms. In mutualism, both species that study.* mately 20 meters, the plateau are benefitting from their association. In commensalism, one species gains Anemone city at Ras is relatively horizontal, sloping an advantage while the other is nei- Muhammad consists of massive only 5-15º. At approximately 20 ther benefitted nor harmed. In parasit- �� amounts of the clownfish sea meters, it ends in a rather sharply ism, one species gains at the expense �� anemones and consequently defined drop-off which plunges to of the other. �� also the local two-banded anem- a depth of about 800 meters. This �� An obligant symbiont is one who can’t �� onefish (Amphiprion bicinctus) is clearly not the place to drop �� live without its associated species, �� The popular dive sites around whereas a facultative symbiont may �� * THE OPINIONS ABOUT THE BEHAVIOR OF DIVERS IN THE Sinai get visited by dozens of RED SEA AND THE POSSIBLE FUTURE FATE OF ANEMONE benefit from the association but also �� CITY AS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE, HOWEVER, THE live without. �� dive boats every day SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE EDITOR MICHAEL ARVEDLUND ��

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FREE back issues Did you get the previous ecology issues of X-RAY MAG? Why here? that the growth rate is significantly ham- Perhaps this is because of the very clear pered, if the anemonefish are removed water almost devoid of terrestrial and from the host anemone. freshwater input. Simultaneously, the This result may lead to the specula- location of this anemone assemblage tion that the large shoals of three spot renders it subject to unusual and some- damselfish increase the assemblage in a times strong currents. The major currents mutualistic positive feedback between pass in the surface waters anemone and fish. This could up the Gulf of Suez and Magnificient sea perhaps be based on increased the Gulf of Aqaba (the anemones are amounts of ammonium, nitrate latter primarily via the and phosphate, which are likely CAYMAN ISLANDS, Bloody Strait of Tiran) resulting in found in only two to be found here. This is merely Bay Wall, Freediving World Records, Coral Spawning, Innerspace, Wrecks of Narvik upwelling of nutrition-rich relatively large speculation, however. Norway, Siberian Cave Diving, Tagging waters especially from the Whalesharks, Cabilao. Link: X-RAY #5 deep waters of the Gulf of assemblages in the Feedback Aqaba. southern part What are the ecological feedback mechanisms between Currents matter these fish and anemones? Do These nutrition-rich currents pass right more fish lead to more anemones, which by the anemone assemblage at Ras in turn, lead to more fish? If the above Mohammed. At 22-24 meters of depth, thoughts seem to be true, how are they MICHAEL ARVEDLUND approximately at the edge of the pla- related to the question of clonality in H. A closeup of the Red Sea anemonefish Amphiprion bicinctus in an teau where it dropped to vertical the magnifica and its distribution pattern? anemone city anemone Heteractis magnifica reef was devoid of anemones. Perhaps Do the abundance of anemones and in the vicinity of the host anemone, how- PACIFIC NORTH WEST AMERICA. their absence was caused by the anemonefish result in unusual odour Usually magnificient sea anemones are Vancouver Island, Puget Sound, Neah stronger currents here. In the same man- plumes to the surrounding waters? Since only found above 20 meters of depth. H. ever they do not associate with them, Bay, Alaska, Honduras Sharks, Amous ner, there were few anemones above 9 anemonefish depend on olfactory cues magnifica is distributed from the eastern and are not protected from the anemo- Nachoom, Jon Gross, Apeks, Fish Sense meters depth, where there was heavy to finding their host anemones at settle- Pacific to the western Indian Ocean and ne nematocysts. Link: X-RAY #4 wave-induced surges. However, the soli- ment, might one expect altered settle- the Red Sea. However, it reproduces tary anemone exposed to the surges at 3 ment patterns of anemonefish on reefs asexually only in the rim areas of its distri- “Gangs and territories” meters depth seemed to cope well with with anemone assemblages? bution i.e. the Red Sea and the eastern The total number of recorded two-band- it; it was one of the largest anemones of Pacific Ocean. Incidentally, this distribu- ed anemonefish was 243, of which 91 the entire assembly. What do we know? tion seems also to apply to magnificient were dominant. A fish territory could con- The distribution and abundance of the sea anemones assemblages. Thus, the sist of any combination of solitary and Are the fish the cause or result? species magnificient sea anemone, origin of the large aggregations of mag- clustering host sea anemones. Usually, it Factors contributing to the existence of which is the “anemone city” species in nificient sea anemones is probably the consisted of a cluster and some nearby solitary sea anemones. these superstructures of sea anemones the Gulf of Aqaba, was quite dif- asexual reproduction rather than settling MALAYSIA. Coralreeefs after the Tsunami, may be the relatively large schools ferent from most other giant sea of young sexually reproduced anemone Usually, territories of dominant and Whale beachings, Tragedy in South of the three spot damselfish. anemone species in Aqaba. polyps. sub-dominant two-banded anemonefish Africa, Nemo’s Nose: The Science of Fish covered the same area. The territories of Fashion, Ice Diving in Russia. Todd Recently, Israeli experi- Magnificient sea anemones Essick Link: X-RAY #3 ments have shown that (H. magnifica) are found Lots of fish to see two-banded anemonefish and three spot the giant sea in only two relatively At this particular anemone city, the damselfish were often overlapping as anemone E. large assemblages in researchers counted nearly 2000 individ- the group of three spot damselfish would quadricolor the southern part, ual three spot damselfish hovering above are benefiting Anemone City, and a the sea anemones. That is a lot of fish. Dominance from their mutu- few solitary individuals The largest specimens of three spot alistic symbiosis at Raz Ghazlani a few damselfish were never seen among the Dominant: number one, or a high with the fishes, kilometers north of Ras anemone tentacles, but adult three spot number, in the ever-existing pecking to such a degree Mohamed. damselfish will sometimes stay in groups order among anemonefishes Diving in the Himalayas, Swimming with Orcas in Norway, El Dorado in the Three-spotted damselfish Philippines, Gaansbai in South Africa WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM Link: X-RAY#2 87 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Two banded anemone fish peeks out of a magnificient sea anemone in Sinai’s Anemone city Remaining question: the biggest fish swimming the furthest. Small sub-dominant two- Why do only banded anemonefish were rarely some species form observed more than ½ meters from the host anemones. anemone cities? In Anemone City, these adults intermingled with the groups of juvenile three spot damselfish. The territory borders seemed well- defined though no aggressive displays were observed between From an anemone city in Southern Japan, territories. The fish just did not cross Ryukyus Arhipelago Hizushi Beach. Sea certain borders. aneamones of the species Stichodatyla The territorial behaviour of mertensii and two clownfish of the spe- anemonefish seem to be highly cies Amphiprion sandaracinos. Depth 5.7 plastic; the intra- and interspecific meters. This species of anemones do not territorial behaviour may depend form anemone cities MICHAEL ARVEDLUND more on the local distribution pattern, number and size of the host anemones, than perhaps on the anemonefish species.

The significance MICHAEL ARVEDLUND The unusual large structure and many inhabitants of Sinai’s swim from one two-banded behaved almost alike in hovering Anemone City may be the source anemonefish territory to another. in larger or smaller groups ½-2 for new generations of clownfish The three spot damselfish ter- meters above the anemones, and sea anemones in most of the ritories had less defined borders forming some very large groups Gulf of Aqaba due to its size and than those of two-banded anem- below 10 meters. When disturbed placement in string currents from onefish. In areas with many host the three spot damselfish groups southern Red Sea leading into the anemones close to one another, would perform a synchronized straits of Tiran. the groups of three spot damsel- rapid descent towards the host Therefore, further protection fish could become very large with anemones. of Anemone City is most likely one large shared territory. an urgent matter. Unfortunately, The anemonefish the environment of the Ras Hovering groups The two-banded anemonefish Mohammed National Park is Apart from the smallest speci- usually swam closer to the host under increasing stress from pol- mens, the three spot dam- anemones than the three spot lution largely generated by the selfish all damselfish. local tourist industry. Although Usually, the large sub-domi- impressive, the anemones of the nant two-banded anemonefish assemblage were fewer and the were farthest away; they usually surrounding corals more stressed covered the whole territory with than just a few years back. ■

Two-banded anemonefish

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Loch Ness Muenster? 800kg of underwater cheese gets away

Search for sunken Cheddar treasure Regardless facilities in order to be con- water pressure would accelerate the continues of whether sidered for commercial ageing process of the cheddar while Boivin finds his sale. That pretty much keeping the cheese in perfectly cool Wet & Weird A man who dumped 800 kg of cheese cheddar or not, the rules out cheese aged temperatures. into the depths of a Canadian lake in Canadian Food Inspection at the bottom of a Last year, Boivin tossed 10 barrels of his hopes of making a better Cheddar has Agency said he could not lake. family business’ cheese overboard into lost his cache. Divers who searched up sell it to consumers since The entire cheddar the Baie des Ha! Ha! on the Saguenay to 40m depths in the suspected area his experiment in aging the affair started a few years ago when River about 200 km north of Quebec. It several times came up empty-handed. cheese was not conducted under a fisherman approached Boivin and appears the bay has had the last laugh. Luc Boivin, a fourth-generation owner of controllable and verifiable conditions. convinced him that stowing his cheese Boivin said he expected to lose some a dairy in northeastern Canada, said he According to local reporters, the agency at 40m in a lake would help make a of the cheese during the course of the News edited by was sure the cheese would turn up even- said the cheese production had to be good cheese great. Boivin looked into experiment, but not the whole ton of Gunild Symes tually. carried out in licensed, fully hygienic the matter and concluded that the cheddar. ■

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News edited by Navy acquires mine-sniﬃng sea robots Gunild Symes Deco chamber for Horses? Texting nets 7 Ten battery-powered Remote depths will take over very danger- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is now seen improvement with the treat- Environmental Monitoring Units, ous work that used to be done by illegal ﬁshermen available for horses. Long known ment. Now horses are receiving or Remus, have been bought by divers. spurred them to forward a for its healing benefits to human the benefits of HBOT in cases the Royal Navy in the UK. They Sea mines are a great menace warning to the provincial capi- beings, veterinarian researchers involving traumatic injuries, bone will be employed to hunt down to naval forces because they are tal. Sarangani Bay Governor are now applying decompres- and joint infections common in sea mines. It is the first time the easy to plant and cheap to build, Miguel Dominguez and police sion treatments to injured horses. foals, and muscle infections from Navy will use unmanned but very difficult to find. The mine- authorities received the mes- According to medical experts, Clostridial infections, which are vehicles sniffing robots sage and directed Glan police HBOT helps salvage and heal secondary to injection reactions. capable will also to take action. The illegal fish- injured tissues, shortening recov- Further research in the use of of detect- be used ermen were using a banned ery time and saving functional HBOT technology is expected to ing mines in in search Thousands of juvenile fish fishnet known locally as Likos or tissues around an injury. It has transform how veterinary medi- shallow water. REMUS. COURTESY OF HYDROID INC and salvage were saved by five text mes- Tapsay. Seven persons aboard been shown to help boost the cine approaches the treatment Manufactured by Hydroid Inc operations as well as protecting sages when a team of Maritime the M/B Beverly 8 were caught immune system to counter bac- of injuries in horses as part of a £2.75m programme, harbours and ports against terror- Police apprehended a boat operating within restricted terial infection and enhance through the robots are expected to stay in ist attacks according to Defence fishing illegally in the city waters waters. According to a police the effects of certain antibiotics. the opti- service until 2011. The 1.6m long Procurement Minister Lord of Glan in the Philippines. spokesperson, the maritime While wounds are the most com- mization of torpedo-shaped vehicles using Drayson. However, the task of Local fishermen in the area police are enforcing local regu- mon ailment treated with HBOT the healing advanced detectors to pin-point clearing mines still falls upon the overheard a conversation lations in order to protect small in humans, bone infections, brain process. ■ locations of mines at up to 100m shoulders of human divers. ■ between the poachers that fishermen. ■ and spinal cord injuries have also

90 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED portfolio Text and Photos by Michael Portelly I have been an underwater photographer and filmmaker for more than 25 years. I share the grave concerns of many who fear that our generation will bequeath future generations the legacy of a planet, poisoned and stripped of its assets and its beauty. Michael Portelly

Journey Beneath a Coral Sea

Twentyfive years ago I made a film called tions were forced to live under inhospitable the Ocean’s Daughter, that tried, in my own planetary conditions and never witness the small way, to add a voice to the growing wonders of nature we have experienced, calls to protect out planetary future. It was except by watching the films from our era. a film that tried to express the sacredness of They would be like the visual fossil record of life and the magical beauty of nature and what once was but is forever gone. the fact that we, as humans, were in danger If we look at the big picture, all across of destroying ourselves, before we had the the world, development and environmen- chance to evolve into mature adulthood as tal organizations are underfunded. In a a species. world where on the same day we celebrate It would be tragic indeed, if future genera- record highs in the stock market, 40,000 chil- Deep Ocean

91 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED portfolio Michael Portelly

Womb of the World dren die from hunger, at a time business to help fund solutions to when governments do not have global problems, in a way that will the resources to meet the urgent reward their investors, increase their needs in their own country much profit and liberate new resources less the rest of the world. Species for the task of global regeneration. extinction is reaching epidemic As one who has made a living from proportions as ecosystems are rap- the ocean, I feel a deep sense of idly disappearing from insensitive responsibility to do everything I can development and pollution. We to make a difference. Though the are caught in the clutches of an hour is late, there is still time for us economic system that operates to turn things around. beyond the control of even the In Antibes, three years ago, I president of the United States, and voiced an idea to marine archi- is at the present time crushing life tect Jacques Rougerie and Andre from us and from this planet. Laban, the famous diving legend, I once looked out at the world about an idea that could really with despair, until one day, quite make a difference. by chance I woke up to an idea It is called the Blu Revolution and that makes it financially viable for is designed to breath life back into Dreamscape

92 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED portfolio Michael Portelly the ocean, create new habitats, and revitalize materials that could provide work for idle fish- fishing communities around the globe, in an ing fleets, and create a new global industry attempt to preserve our ocean heritage and designed to reverse the destruction and pro- restore it as a source of food to feed the hun- vide a haven for wildlife to flourish. gry. Imagine business leaders got involved as As things stand, many fish species are they realized that to do so would be reward- becoming toxic with pollutants, fish stocks are ed with public recognition, respect and an declining from overfishing and destructive increase in profit. industrial fishing techniques, and across the Imagine too, that plastic manufacturers were planet spawning grounds and habitats are to recognize that they could take responsibil- being destroyed by trawl nets. This is turning ity for their plastic, at present is either buried in the ecosystems on the continental shelf into a rapidly filling landfill sites or being burned, and desert. instead recycle it in an exciting and life-creat- Imagine the public response if the United ing way. Nations, or other such body, guided by a sci- Plastic manufacturers could work alongside entific council, were to initiate a global pro- marine architects to develop the technology gram to restore life to the ocean; Imagine that to convert waste plastic into nontoxic re-mold- we were to construct artificial reefs in suitable able forms. These could be created as large structures of great intrinsic beauty that would soon become covered in marine life, and the nonbiode- gradable quality of the plastic would become an asset. It could support the habitat indefinitely, instead of rusting away as ships do when they are sunk for the same purpose. It would mobilize fishing fleets and breathe new life into fishing communities around the world, as they set to the task of restoring the ecosystems of the continental shelf, where each year an area the size of the United States is destroyed by trawl nets dragging the bottom, crushing the Ocean’s Daughter marine habitat. It the creation of floating architecture might even augur a new epoch of oceanic exploration where Place of the Great Secret

93 X-RAY MAG : 7 : 2005 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED portfolio Michael Portelly IN OUR NEXT ISSUE Diving in South Africa

Samantha Sacred Pool the concerns raised by Jacques benefit of everybody. can at least slow that process down common good, and the concept of Yves Cousteau are finally addressed I ask you to go to www. and give us all a chance to breathe the family of Man can then become and the visions of great men, like BluRevolution.com and hear about again. It can create the space for a practical working reality. Commander Phillippe Taillez’s The Genesis Project in a talk I gave a coordinated global effort that will If you agree with what is said Archipelago, become a reality. at the open university in the United bring us all closer together as we please share The Genesis Project For this to occur, a new level of Kingdom. I ask you to listen to the heal this world before we destroy it and the Blu Revolution with every- international cooperation will have idea with an open mind. and ourselves along with it. one you know, so that a focussed to be forged, where people set This strategy makes it viable for Research shows that people will dialogue can finally be opened that aside their differences and work companies to save lives, protect support companies willing to help will result in the implementation of together for the common good. I nature, initiate necessary technology the world when they witness the the necessary remedial measures know that across all nations of the to end pollution and cancel their good that is being achieved. The before we go past the point of no world, divers are united by their love carbon dioxide debt to the world. involvement of business leaders will return. Once that point is reached it of life and the ocean. They work in The Genesis Project involves fund- help focus political will where it is is over! corporations and government and ing global reforestation or preserving needed. Perhaps we might even dis- Portelly will be honoured at this COMING IN DECEMBER come from every walk of life. It is huge tracts of rainforest to prevent it cover that we need a new concept year’s Festival of Underwater Images Subscribe now FREE! to them that I now speak because being cut down. I am informed that for what constitutes global security in Antibes, France, to mark 25 years they have within them the power to 90% of the coral reefs are dying from in the 21st century, in the form of a since his ground-breaking film hit the www.xray-mag.com make a positive difference for the rising sea temperatures. This strategy world that works together for the silver screen. ■

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