AndreaInterview with Donati — Pioneering Technical Diving on Ponza for 30 Years Andrea Donati (left) and his partner, Daniela Spaziani, run Ponza Diving, which is located in the main harbour (above) of Ponza Island in Italy. In my line of work as a dive industry professional, I attend a lot of dive shows and get to meet a lot of people, most of them nice and interesting in various ways. It was also at a dive show in Italy, many years ago, that I first met Andrea Donati and his partner, Daniela Spaziani, of Ponza Diving. I clearly remember my first impression of how sympathetic, unpretentious and genuine the two came across, which scores a lot of points in my book. They appeared competent and organised, and with their operation located in one of the most picturesque locations I have ever seen, it did not take any arm twisting to lure me down there for a visit. Text and photos by Peter Symes future. This profile will be about the virtues driven, and adapting more readily to the accommodate a wider range of requests anchoring it. In hindsight, I now consider of diving Italian-style, as Ponza Diving services we could offer in those times. and needs of customers. mooring essential for a successful dive. The world is dotted with beautiful loca- marks its 30th season. Of course, diving equipment was not We started off with just a 6m dinghy, Year by year, the number of divers tions, and there exist many excellent dive so sophisticated at that time. We dived a compressor and 20 tanks, but already increased, and I kept reinvesting in the operations across the globe that also PS: Please reflect on your three decades only with air, no nitrox, no trimix and no in the first year, I bought another dinghy, operation. In 1998, I bought the Nettuno, rightly deserve praise and accolades for of operations and the evolution you oxygen for decompression and little another compressor and more tanks. a 16m former fishing vessel, and con- the adventures and wildlife encounters have witnessed in the dive industry. knowledge about decompression. There Then in 1993, I came across an opportu- verted it into a dive boat. It was always they offer their patrons and for the way was more risk then. Over the years, we nity to buy a 12m fiberglass boat. That my objective that divers should not be they manage their dive centres—and we AD: In 1991, when we first started, I recall have obviously expanded and improved was the first time I operated a dive boat, required to change their tanks, so hav- will probably get more into that in the divers as being more passionate and our services, and we are now able to and it was not easy to get the hang of ing compressors on board was a require- 14 X-RAY MAG : 97 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO profile Guest speakers give a presentaion at the 2013 international Rebreather Meeting hosted annually by Ponza Diving Center ment. A wooden boat is fantastic but PS: Why did you set up shop on Ponza pumps. In 2003, I switched my atten- in Italy (above); requires expensive maintenance, so I Island of all places? tion to rebreathers, using semi-closed Ponza Diving ended up selling the Nettuno in 2014 and rebreathers at first. But once the first Center’s dive boat, buying an 18m boat with a fiberglass AD: I completed my Open Water Diver Inspiration CCR became available, I filled to the gills with hull instead. We named it Nettuno II and course in 1987, and from that moment, focused my training on closed circuit technical diving gear spent four months over the winter build- I kept diving whenever I got the oppor- and became an CCR instructor for (left); Ponza Diving ing and outfitting this new vessel, which tunity. I first dived off Ponza in 1988, and Inspiration. I also tried other rebreathers Center’s dive boat is bigger, faster, has more safety and is I took to the underwater dive sites here, but ultimately ended up with the JJ-CCR, takes divers out to more comfortable than the older one. the clear water, natural arches, walls and which, in my opinion, is the best perform- a dive site, with the I enjoy a good relationship with Coltri a lot of shoals between Ponza, Palmarola ing rebreather and comes with the best picturesque village of Ponza in the back- Compressors, so we have fitted the boat and Zannone Island. I wanted to make a features for my needs. I was certified in ground (top left) with two MCH 23 compressors to refill living out of diving, so in 1990, I entered 2012, and later, became an instructor, tanks between dives. into an agreement with a gentleman dealer and certified service centre for from Ponza who rented me the shop. JJ-CCR units. diver, or with whom you felt otherwise too first thing I emphasise is that closed-circuit PS: If you were to give your 30-year- uncomfortable about assuming responsi- diving is not for everyone. It requires a cer- younger self some advice, what would it PS: At some point you decided to also PS: What do you consider your greatest bility for their training? How do you assess tain attitude, attention and awareness. be? Would you have done anything dif- become a technical diving facility. How achievements or successes? and handle these situations? ferently or not at all? and why did you arrive at that deci- PS: You have now conducted a series sion? When did you begin offering tech- AD: It gives me great satisfaction that we AD: It is never easy to explain to a hopeful of international Rebreather Meetings. AD: In retrospect, I feel pleased with our nical dive training? have established ourselves and become diver who wants to sign up for a technical (Editor’s note: See report in issue 92 at accomplishments, our growth and that known as a dive operation specialising in course that perhaps he or she is not ade- https://xray-mag.com/content/ponza- we have managed to offer cutting-edge AD: I always intended to explore deep- closed circuit divers and that the number quately fit or capable of what is required rebreather-meeting-2019-dive-learn- service while specialising in rebreathers. It diving techniques as a means of discov- of requests for courses keeps increasing in deep diving and decompression types eat). Why did you decide to arrange was hard during the first few years, in par- ering new dive sites. So in 1998, I started year after year. of diving. It is not so much a question of these? Do you think or feel they have ticular, but I was 30 years younger, physi- studying and signed up for technical physical capability but mental issues such helped in building an international cally stronger and more carefree—but diving courses using open circuit. I soon PS: Have you had any students whom as anxiety or limited capacity for manag- awareness about your operation? certainly also less experienced. adapted our refilling station with a con- you felt were not fit—mentally, physically ing problems underwater. trol unit for mixed gasses and booster or otherwise—to become a technical When I conduct courses on JJ-CCR, the AD: As I mentioned before, I have dedi- 15 X-RAY MAG : 97 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO profile Andrea Donati Sunset over Ponza Island (above); Ponza Diving’s new dive boat, the Nettuno II (top left), is more spatious (left); Andrea’s partner, Daniela Spaziani, at work at Ponza Diving Center (center inset); One of Andrea’s favourite dives in PHOTO COURTESY OF PONAZA DIVING Ponza was on a newly discovered wreck of a Douglas A20, a WWII the leading hyperbaric doc- warplane (bottom left). tors Pasquale Longobardi, Corrado Costanzo, Simon PS: Which personal learning Mitchell, Neal Pollock and experiences, classes or edu- Alessandro Marroni. We sible. We are also advertising in foreign cation has meant the most have had experts and magazines and have constant advertis- to you? rebreather designers such ing on social media. as David Thompson and ing, good food and enjoying a nice day AD: Since I started diving in 1987, I have Jan Petersen; technical div- PS: What are your hopes and ambitions out on a boat like the Nettuno II. found it is an activity where one never ing instructors and writers for yourself and your dive operation for stops learning. such as Mark Powell; and the near and far future? What unfulfilled PS: If you are to dive just for your own equipment manufacturers potential do you still see and how do you pleasure, what kind of dive do you prefer? PS: Do you have any role models or men- US AIRFORCE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN such as Tomasz Stachura of plan to go about realising your plans? tors, or people you admire, who have Santi and Lynn and Bruce AD: I just like being in the water, but wall inspired you in business… or in life? cated a lot of attention to technical div- Partridge of Shearwater Research. During AD: I am hoping that the coronavirus diving is my favourite. I also prefer CCR ing, and so I decided—with my partner, these meetings, there were daily dives outbreak will end soon. In 2021, we will diving, as I find it safer and it offers better AD: I have had many instructors who Daniela, and my collaborators, without after which divers were monitored with a celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ponza performance than open circuit.