Funky Gifts for Folks with Fins ... GirlDiver: Yoga & Diving Papua Leatherback Report Portfolio GLOBAL EDITION May 2009 Number 29 Ana Bikik Profile Odyssey Marine Tech Talk Technical Diving BIKINI ATOLL & KWAJALEIN ATOLL Photography Illumination Pacific1 X-RAY MAG : 29 : 2009 Wrecks COVER PHOTO BY JOOST-JAN WAANDERS DIRECTORY Join Kurt Amsler’s efforts to save Indonesia’s X-RAY MAG is published by AquaScope Media ApS endangered sea turtles. Sign the petition and Frederiksberg, Denmark donate to the cause at: www.sos-seaturtles.ch www.xray-mag.com PUBLISHER SENIOR EDITOR Team divers share a deco stop above the Saratoga, Bikini Atoll - Photo by Joost-Jan Waanders & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Symes Peter Symes [email protected] [email protected] SECTION EDITORS contents PUBLISHER / EDITOR Andrey Bizyukin, PhD - Features & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Arnold Weisz - News, Features Gunild Symes Catherine Lim - News, Books [email protected] Simon Kong - News, Books Mathias Carvalho - Wrecks ASSOCIATE EDITORS Cindy Ross - GirlDiver & REPRESENTATIVES: Cedric Verdier - Tech Talk Americas: Scott Bennett - Photography Arnold Weisz Scott Bennett - Travel [email protected] Fiona Ayerst - Sharks Michael Arvedlund, PhD Russia Editors & Reps: - Ecology Andrey Bizyukin PhD, Moscow [email protected] CORRESPONDENTS Robert Aston - CA, USA Svetlana Murashkina PhD, Moscow Enrico Cappeletti - Italy [email protected] John Collins - Ireland Marcelo Mammana - Argentina South East Asia Editor & Rep: Nonoy Tan - The Philippines Catherine GS Lim, Singapore [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Kurt Amsler ASSISTANT EDITORS Fred Andersen & REPRESENTATIVES: Scott Bennett Malaysia Editor & Rep: Ana Bikic Simon Kong, Kuala Lumpur Mathias Carvalho [email protected] Alex Dawson Wayne Grant Canada/PNW Editor & Rep: Fredrick Isakson Barb Roy, Vancouver Millis Keegan [email protected] Catherine GS Lim Larry McKenna, PhD GirlDiver Editor & PNW Rep: Thorsten Repp Cindy Ross, Tacoma, USA Rob Rondeau [email protected] Cindy Ross Barb Roy ADVERTISING Gunild Symes International sales rep: Peter Symes Arnold Weisz Joost-Jan Waanders 23 33 37 48 65 plus... [email protected] Arnold Weisz DUTCH EXPEDITION: AFTERMATH AT THE WREC K JUN K IES : KWAJALEIN ATOLL : PROFILE : EDITORIAL 4 BIKINI ATOLL WREC K S NUCLEAR PLAY G ROUN D JOURNEY TO BIKINI ATOLL WREC K S OF THE PACIFIC OD YSSEY MARINE NEWS 5 Asia-Pacific rep: MARKETING MANAGER: BY JOOST -JAN WAAN D ERS BY ARNOL D WEISZ BY BARB ROY BY THORSTEN RE pp BY MILLIS KEE G AN Simon Kong (Malaysia) Yann Saint-Yves NWDTE REPORT 12 [email protected] [email protected] WRECK RAP 16 French speaking territories: Further information: contacts EQUIPMENT 5 8 Mathias Carvalho page at www. xray-mag.com 60 69 88 TURTLE TALES 60 [email protected] LEATHERBAC K RE P ORT FUN K Y GIFTS PORTFOLIO : BOOKS & MEDIA 80 A P UA FOR OL K S WITH INS NA IKIC Canada P F F A B Wendy Jankovic BY LARRY MCKENNA E D ITE D BY GUNIL D SYMES E D ITE D BY GUNIL D SYMES [email protected] & CATHERINE GS LIM Not yet subscribed to SUBSCRIPTION columns... X-RAY MAG? Sign up now! X-RAY MAG International Edition in English is FREE To subscribe, go to: www.xray-mag.com It’s FREE! QUICK! EASY! COVER PHOTO: 57 72 75 81 click here... Diver dwarfed by propeller of the wreck of the USS GIRL DIVER : SHAR K TALES : TECH TAL K : UW PHOTO G RA P HY : Saratogoa, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, by Thorsten Repp YO G A & DIVING BITS & BITES TECHNICAL DIVING–WHY ILLUMINATION (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) BY CIN D Y ROSS E D ITE D BY PETER SYMES BY FRE D RI K ISA K SON BY KURT AMSLER 2 X-RAY MAG : 29 : 2009 Amsterdam Barcelona Cape Town Copenhagen Kuala Lumpur London Moscow Orlando Oslo Paris Ravenna Sao Paulo Singapore Vancouver Warsaw Editorial C’mon! them- is required for you to enter selves to —which then (hopefully) do volun- goes to fund the upkeep and teer work for protection of the park and some of the the species therein. Where many non-prof- such schemes are in place, R E L S it environmen- you are forced to part with a M T A tal organisa- little money to go diving there, UR K tions. They in which case you probably are doing all just accept it as fact of life— the hard just as airport taxes and fuel work, surcharges. Let me see a show often of hands. How many of putting But does the issue have to be you have spent hundreds or aside personal forced through regulation or thousands on whatever your needs and more lucra- legislation? local currency is on purchas- tive careers elsewhere. ing dive equipment and But in doing so, they also need It would be nice if we all perhaps camera gear, getting your support in order to pro- could donate just a little certified and buying manuals tect that big blue realm we all here and there to one of the and spending on dive trips? claim to love and care about. many good organisations It is close to everybody in this The only thing you have to do on our own accord. Protect forum, it seems. is donate some small amounts the sharks, mantas, whales here and there. or turtles, it doesn’t matter— If you need a spare part, a pick your favourite animal. new mask, batteries or an This magazine has, over the There are plenty of options for extra memory card for your years, worked with a number ‘adopting’ an oceanic crea- camera, it is usually not a big of environmental organisa- ture. It needn’t cost you more deal either. tions and assisted them in cre- than you spend on going to SeaCure™ Custom Mouthpiece ating more public awareness the movies or buying pack of is moldable and remoldable. So, why is it you apparent and help to raise funds for cigarettes. And how cool is can’t, or won’t, spare a few their valuable work. This has it being the protector of an bucks to support protect- given us some direct insight awesome turtle or a graceful Created by an orthodontist, ing the environment and a into the outcomes of various manta, which you then get to SeaCure is designed to fit number of those very oceanic campaigns, and the result name? So, what are you wait- your mouth, teeth, and species you venture out to on the bottom line has often ing for? It’s not going to kill gums . PERFECTLY. experience first hand such as been pitiful—to put it mildly. you, but it just might kill off the sharks, turtles, whales, mantas planet if you don’t. Available at your local dive center. and what else? There are a In some places, marine na- number of good people out tional parks have been set ­‑— Peter Symes there who have taken it upon up and an entry fee, or a tax, Editor-in-Chief www.seacure1.com You can do better 3 X-RAY MAG : 29 : 2009 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Announcing the Biggest Event of the Ocean in the Asia Pacific… The 8th Celebrate the Sea Festival 2009 12-14 June 2009 Manila Ocean Park, Philippines — www.CelebratetheSea.com Last Call For Entries — Deadline extended to 15 May 2009 Registration by 10 May 2009 ����������������� ��� Photographers and filmmakers, of these prestigious titles: ambassador. This year’s visiting send in your entries now to com- ● The WOW Award for the most luminaries include David Doubilet pete in Asia Pacific’s most pres- outstanding image of National Geographic, Peter tigious international underwater ● The Hi Five Award for the high- Sconnes of BBC Blue Planet, imagery competition where the est scoring or the most well bal- Planet Earth, deep sea explorer premier prize is the conferred title anced portfolio Dr Phil Nyutten and many, many of ‘President, Grand Award of ● The Quick Draw Award for the more. Highest Achievement 2009’ with best action shot The Celebrate the Sea US$2000 prize money. There will be medals, cash, equip- Festival is a non-profit event Compete for Outstanding ment and holiday package prizes funded and produced by Achievement, Merit of Excellence for all categories including the OceanNEnvironment Australia. and Honor of Distinction for each WOW imagery competitors. The The partner and principal spon- of the nine categories. Besides cash and holiday prizes for the sors for 2009 are the Department the prestigious title, winners will WOW Imagery competition are of Tourism, Philippines, and also be awarded cash prizes, sponsored by the Manila Ocean PCSSD, with Rolex continuing ������������������������������������� holiday prizes, camera and video Park and supporting sponsors. its unstinting support as a major housings. It gets even better; if All winners qualify as contend- sponsor since the festival’s incep- you’ve shot something in the ers for the ‘President Grand tion. Philippines between 1 Feb 2008 Award of Highest Achievement to 10 May 2009 — enter the WOW 2009 with a cash prize of US$2000. For more info, visit: Philippines Imagery competition. ROLEX is the main sponsor, sup- www.celebratethesea.com You will be competing for one porting the hosting of Rolex’s or email: [email protected] ■ X-RAY MAG X-RAY MAG is distributed Unsolicited manuscripts, is a founding seven times per year on photographs and illustra- member of the the Internet. © 2004-2009 tions should be emailed ������������� Underwater X-RAY MAG. All rights to: Network reserved. [email protected] Underwater Material in this pub- X-RAY MAG accepts no Network.com lication may not be responsibility for unsolic- Editorial statement regarding reproduced, modified or ited materials sent to its News from NAUI in X-RAY transferred electronically office, nor is it liable for MAG: This issue of X-RAY MAG in any form without writ- loss or damage to such and others include news and X-RAY MAG ten permission from the materials.