Tabla de contenidos para 3/2017 en Scuba Diver/Asian Diver

NEW MOLA SPECIES For the first time in 130 years, a new species of Mola has been described. Lead author Marianne Nyegaard of the Murdoch University in Australia and her colleagues have named the new species the “hoodwinker” sunfish or Mola tecta, derived from the Latin word tectus meaning disguised or hidden. SIGNPOST As part of her PhD research, Nyegaard analysed DNA from more than 150 skin samples of sunfish and found that the samples pointed towards four distinct species. But only three species had been previously described, the scientists report in a new study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. The fourth one had not been recorded yet. A Japanese research team had found similar genetic evidence of an unknown sunfish species in Australian waters some…

My ocean story begins in Komodo National Park, at a dive site called Batu Balong. For three years, I had been in and out of the hospital for multiple surgeries on my right leg following a ski accident. I was crippled, in pain and utterly depressed. As life would have it, I found myself in Indonesia on a liveaboard dive trip. At 25 metres down in ripping current, sharing a reef hook with the dive guide, bug-eyed (both of us), I was convinced the last few terrifying moments of my life were playing out. They weren’t. In fact, that ripping Komodo current straightened my crippled leg and the ocean graciously swallowed years of pain. I went home and put my land-locked life in storage. I have travelled the world extensively…

Much of the oceans’ magnetic mystery comes from the fact that the waters of our planet can, and do, swallow parts of our human world. And when they do, they leave little or no trace of their quarry above the waves. There is still so much we don’t know about what lies on the seabed, and the possibilities are endless. But, as we explore ever more of the depths, we find ever more fragments of these “lost worlds”. These preserved pieces of history not only help us understand the past a little better, but more importantly they connect us with the awesome size and power of the ocean, and remind us of our fleeting experience of existence in the vastness of time and space. Some artists, possibly compelled by this…

It is estimated there are more than two hundred shipwrecks around the Island of Sri Lanka. A fraction of those have been explored and documented. Most of the wrecks near Trincomalee are victims of World War II, but two of the ships, the SS Worcestershire and SS Perseus, are found near Colombo and hold a significant place in World War I history. During WWI, the SMS Wolf was singlehandedly responsible for destroying 37 vessels. Two of these were warships and the others were trading vessels. The SMS Wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing by disguising her guns behind false sides, and concealing a single-engine biplane which was used to spot potential victims. In February 1917, she laid a minefield near Colombo harbour. Two ships fell victim to the mines, the Bibby…

I was on a dive trip to Tulamben to dive the Liberty Wreck for three days from Singapore. The first day was made up of recreational dives, followed by two days of tek diving. I’d suffered a cold and sinusitis in the lead-up to the trip but this had cleared up four days prior. TOUGH CONDITIONS FROM DAY 1 On day 1 the conditions were terrible. We’d planned to do three dives up to a maximum of 30 metres using air. Unfortunately, a storm set in and we had to abandon the third dive. The ride home was very choppy and took almost 90 minutes (it’s normally 45 minutes!) On the morning of day 2 we headed to the Liberty wreck. Beforehand, I decided to do a leisurely one kilometre…

However, these hypotheses are far from certain and the investigation continues… Would you believe that scientists are still not 100 percent in agreement on the possible location for the origins of life on our planet! However, they know that water is a key component in the development and propagation of life on Earth, and have narrowed it down to a few possibilities: Hypothesis 1 It was thought for a long time that life on Earth began in a shallow tide pool or a hot spring Hypothesis 2 Some scientists even speculate that life first evolved elsewhere and arrived here on a meteor. After all, astronomers have found amino acids on comets! Hypothesis 3 Recently, some scientists have postulated that life began on or near a deep sea hydrothermal vent. Dynamic,…

THE PHLEGRAEAN FIELDS In the south of Italy to the west of the Bay of Naples, in a harmonious landscape of rolling hills, lie the Phlegraean Fields, which, rightly, were called the “beloved homeland” of the Hellenic-Latin civilisation and which inspired Goethe to say: “It is in this land one remains astounded by the events of Nature and history!” In antiquity, the Phlegraean Fields extended over a larger area incorporating much of the region around Mount Vesuvius. Due to its volcanic origin and the consequent upheaval of the area, as the land rose and many of the volcanoes became extinct, much of the territory settled in a homogeneous mass which is linked to the mainland, while Ischia, Procida, Vivara and Nisida remain islands. Thus, a landscape which has attracted and…

VAQUITA BASICS 1 The vaquita, Phocoena sinus, is the world’s smallest cetacean, weighing around 55 kilos. 2 Females to be around grow 1.5 metres long. They are longer than the males, whose length tops out at about 1.4 metres. 3 They eat small fish and squid. 4 They have unique facial markings with a black ring around each eye and curved, black lips that make them look as if they are smiling. 5 Their dorsal surface is dark grey, their sides pale grey, and their underside is white with light grey markings. Newborn calves are darker. 6 Vaquita have proportionally large dorsal fins, possibly as an adaptation to warmer water to allow heat to dissipate. 7 Like other porpoises, vaquitas use sonar to communicate and navigate. 8 Vaquitas are very…

As we finished one of the best wreck dives I have ever done, our boat released its mooring and sailed for about 10 minutes while we chatted enthusiastically about what we had just seen. Before we could even get it all out, we arrived at the next wreck. Which was just as good. This was the norm, apparently, but took a little of getting used to. Welcome to Truk Lagoon, undoubtedly the WWII wreck diving capital of the world. Staring out at the tranquil lagoon during our surface interval, it is hard to imagine the carnage that took place here over 70 years ago. Besides the rusted heavy defence guns that Nature promptly reclaimed, it appears as if little remains of the island’s military past. But of course, nothing could…

The amphorae site consitutes 150 individual antitique amphorae in the bay of La Tour Fondue. It is part of a network of archaeological trails, on land and underwater, in France in the Hyères region of the Mediterranean Sea. Sometime between 70 and 65 BC, a ship transporting 6,000 amphorae filled with wine, travelling from Italy to Spain, sank near the small village of La Madrague on the Giens peninsula. The wreck, with its amphorae, was discovered in the early 1970s, and is in very good condition. After a lot of preparation work, the more than 2,000-year-old amphores were installed in the bay by AREVPAM (Assocation de Recherches, Etudes et Valorisation du Patrimoine Méditerranéen – Association of Research, Studies and Valorisation of Mediterranean Heritage). They were placed carefully to mimic the…

The snorkel has been considered a standard piece of diving equipment for decades. It provides the simple but useful ability to swim face down on the surface without having to lift your head to breathe. Snorkels can also conserve compressed gas for the dive and help minimise accidental water intake in rough waters when breathing through the regulator is not an option. The impact of snorkels is not all positive though. They are a source of drag in the water, which is not a good thing when they tug on the mask, a decidedly critical piece of equipment. They can also be a source of entanglement, for example, with kelp or hair. And they can be incompatible with some equipment configurations. So, what to do? Pro position: A snorkel provides…

ARGUABLY THE WORLD’S most iconic shipwreck, the Titanic has, for over 100 years, captivated the public consciousness, its story having been told countless times. Hailed as the “unsinkable ship”, not only was it the largest passenger liner of its time, it was the largest man-made object on Earth. COLLIDING WITH AN ICEBERG in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Titanicwas sunk in the early hours of April 15, 1912 on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. In just three hours, the ship went down, and more than 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers and crew perished, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in recent history. THE WRECK OF THE TITANIC was finally discovered on September 1, 1985, by a team led by Dr Robert Ballard, using…

Lanzarote, Spain THE RAFT SUNK By Cat Vinton Using the ocean as an exhibition space, British artist Jason deCaires Taylor has created an underwater museum off the coast of Lanzarote, comprising life-size concrete figures depicting everything from the horrors of the refugee crisis to selfie-taking tourists, sculpture that will transform over time into a thriving marine ecosystem. Life-sized casts are situated 14 metres below the surface of the water. This is a permanent installation, accessible to divers and snorkellers and tourists in glass-bottomed boats. The Raft of Lampedusa depicts 13 refugees on a raft, drifting towards an uncertain future. It draws its inspiration from Théodore Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa, which represents the vain hope of shipwrecked sailors. Despite being able to see the rescue vessel on the horizon, they are abandoned…

 I NEVER DREAMED I WOULD SEE A VAQUITA, let alone film the animal in the wild. After spending almost eight weeks searching for this elusive animal on three different boats, for hours at a time in a desert sea, the stage was set. It was perfect weather to see one of Nature’s most reclusive marine mammals. “They cannot see these near-invisible nets. They swim into them, become entangled and drown.” That day was October 19, 2008 and that day changed my life: Little did I know I would be one of a handful of people on the planet to bear witness to a species on the verge of extinction. Vanishing Only discovered in the 1950s, the vaquita is the smallest cetacean on Earth and are only found in a small…

During a spearfishing competition near the Croatian island of Zirje in September of 2014, one of the world’s last intact Sturzkampf-Bombers, or “Stuka” bomber, was found, completely by chance. The wreck is remarkably well preserved: The plane is standing almost completely intact on its wheels, as if it had made a gentle landing on the seabed at 28 metres. The engine, probably torn away on impact, was originally found in a neighbouring bay. The discovery was significant and caused a great stir; only five others are known to exist and this is one of the most complete. According to the Croatian Ministry of Defence, on April 12, 1941, three bombers flew attacks on two Yugoslavian warships stationed in the bays of Jadrovac near Sibenik. Two of the Stukas were shot…

You may have noticed a common theme amongst DAN articles and that is the need for good, and prompt, oxygen first aid in the event of a diving accident/illness. DAN AP has always advocated that all dive operators should not only have the correct oxygen equipment and training in how to use it, but they must also have enough oxygen to enable a diver to breathe good high-concentration oxygen (via demand valve or non-rebreather mask at 15 litres per minute) until ongoing care is available. Given that a lot of diving takes place in remote destinations, this can often mean an overnight supply. Whilst it is a good start to have a portable oxygen kit with a small cylinder, the reality is that in the Asia-Pacific region it may take…

Diving injuries involving the nervous system, including decompression sickness (DCS), arterial gas embolism (AGE) and ear barotrauma (EBT), are blessedly rare, but when they do happen, these conditions require prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent serious and lasting injury. While care of an injured diver should be passed to trained diving and medical professionals as soon as possible, recreational divers can prepare themselves to handle emergencies and assist the professionals with DAN’s training programmes. In this special report, former Director of DAN Training Eric Douglas provides an overview of the On-Site Neurological Assessment for Divers, the first step in the process of seeking treatment for all forms of decompression illness (DCI), and DAN Member Dr. Herbert Newton explains the finer points of the nervous system and how physicians make a…

 Over the course of millions of years, sharks have earned their reputations as effective and impressive predators. The first humans to encounter these animals must have been astonished, afraid and fascinated – attitudes that continue to this day. Historically, we have hunted sharks, displayed them as trophies and eaten them; only recently have we learned how vulnerable they are to our presence. Through the growing awareness that sharks actually require our protection, a global conservation movement was born. “Many shark species are vulnerable to even low levels of fishing pressure. For example, one species of thresher shark gives birth to only two pups every year, and it takes them nearly 13 years to reach maturity” Still, perspectives toward sharks remain mixed. While many popular media outlets such as Discovery Channel’s…

Diving can be strenuous. There are tanks to lift, currents to fin against, boats to clamber back onto, waves to walk through. So, we know it’s important to be in reasonable shape for excursions beneath the waves, but does this mean that there is an upper age limit to your diving career? In short, no, but there are things you need to consider if you want to happily dive on into your golden years. Contraindications & Health Screening A contraindication is a condition, or circumstance, that would preclude you from diving at any age; however, you need to be particularly aware of those that can develop with advancing years, e.g., heart disease and type II diabetes are considered to be contraindications by DAN. Annual “Fit to Dive” or health screening…

BALICASAG ISLAND For: Five to six dive sites. Just 30 minutes by boat from Panglao Island, Balicasag Island is a turtle paradise. Impressive schools of jacks and barracuda, snapper, grouper. Spectacular walls with sea fan corals Conditions: Great drift dives, best between 5–35 metres. Visibility can be over 30 metres. Daily snorkelling trips can make the shallow waters a bit crowded When: All year around. Best weather usually between December and June CABILAO ISLAND For: 10 to 12 dive sites. Very healthy soft corals on the northern west side. Turtles, pygmy seahorses, electric clams, frogfish, flounder, pegasus, nudibranchs, shrimps, moray eels, lionfish Conditions: Mostly easy dives, although some sites, such as Lighthouse, can have medium current. Best between 5–30 metres When: All year around. Best weather usually between December and…