Tabla de contenidos para 3/2019 en Scuba Diver/Asian Diver

It goes without saying that gear is essential to a safe scuba experience, but there’s more to it than that. Remember that feeling when you were a kid and you finally received that toy you’d been dreaming of for months, perhaps on a birthday or Christmas morning? At first, you were overcome with joy, and you paused to admire its shiny luster for just a moment, before playing with it till your heart’s content. Now, you’re all grown up, and guess what? You can spoil yourself with a shiny new toy, whenever your paycheque allows! These pages are dedicated to our obsession with scuba gear. An addiction to equipment that can make us safer, like a new dive computer, to one that feeds our creativity, like a new camera. Check…

Citizen’s PROMASTER line celebrates 30 years of adventure through tough terrain, ascending through crisp mountain air, and diving in the deep blue. To celebrate, Citizen has launched “Save The BEYOND” as a global campaign in collaboration with History Channel to raise awareness about the vanishing natural environment and the professionals fighting to save it. The Limited Edition PROMASTER is here for your escapades, too – through Asia’s expansive geography and beyond. With only 6,000 pieces available worldwide, the Marine model (BN2037-11E) diving watch features a sleek, classic design that is water-resistant up to 200 metres. The Marine has a long battery life and is intricately designed with a stainless steel case and crystal glass for maximal performance. Furthermore, the 30th-anniversary logo and serial number are stamped on the back –…

In 1893, the same year the world’s first underwater camera was built, Louis Boutan began to experiment with underwater lighting systems. He had little choice as photographs back then required more light than was naturally available underwater. Like many first-time experiments, he was left disappointed. Until this point, flash photography required oxygen and typically burning magnesium or a mixture thereof. Boutan recruited electrical engineer M. Chaffour to create a bulb that would serve as a housing for a magnesium ribbon. The reservoir was then filled with oxygen and the ribbon was lit using electricity. Unfortunately, the magnesium smoke coated the inside of the bulb and dimmed the lighting, not to mention the danger involved, as the bulbs frequently exploded! We have come along way since those days, with an array…

Wetsuits offer critical thermal insulation to maintain the body’s core temperature as surrounding water temperatures drop. The use of the wetsuit evolved during World War II, serving US Navy Frogmen as protection from injuries and sharp objects underwater. In 1952, the invention of neoprene revolutionised our suits, later evolving further to be sandwiched between thin sheets of tougher materials such as nylon and spandex. Nowadays wetsuits come in all sizes and endless material blends, catering to different conditions. Some brands are now even going above and beyond, creating environmentally friendly wetsuits, the true cutting edge. World Firsts 1910s MARK V SUIT The first underwater suit is the Mark V Suit, which is mainly used by US Navy frogmen during World War II 1951 FIRST MODERN WETSUIT Physicist Hugh Bradner makes…

The year 1505 saw the arrival of the first watch – the Pomander Watch by German inventor Peter Henlein – but it wasn’t until 1932, with the rising popularity of diving, that the world was introduced to the first dive watch, the Omega Marine. Becoming an instant success, the Marine helped to make the dangerous profession of diving a lot safer. With this success and recognition, different watch brands started emerging and producing their own lines. Appropriately, in 2019, Professional went deeper than any other dive watch, accompanying Victor Vescovo on his record-breaking descent to a depth of 10,928 metres – attached to the outside of his deep-diving submarine. World Firsts 19TH CENTURY POCKET WATCHES Hard hat divers in the 19th century place pocket watches inside their helmets to measure…

Sandwiched between the Bismarck Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, Lissenung Island is a hidden gem of Papua New Guinea. Pristine white-sand beaches lined with palm trees are fringed by some of the world’s most spectacular coral reefs. The small, private island is accessed exclusively by boat from the nearest town, Kavieng, which is only a short flight from the capital, Port Moresby. Lissenung Island Resort has everything an ocean lover could ever dream of. Days are spent scuba diving and snorkelling around the surrounding reefs, immersing in cultural island tours, surfing empty waves or simply relaxing and soaking up the island life. The owners of Lissenung Island Resort, Dietmar and Ange, are fully committed to the protection of the local marine environment, so much so that they have privately…

Your first trip to a dive destination can engulf you in new experiences – unexplored sites, unfamiliar creatures and sometimes, unanticipated situations. While you have likely researched the dive operator and read online reviews about them, it’s a good idea to evaluate them in person after you arrive. Here are some guidelines to help you determine if you can trust the business with your safety. BEFORE THE DIVE Look around at the state of the shop. Is it cluttered and disorganised? Is the rental gear old, unclean, in obvious disrepair or showing signs of serious wear? If the staff doesn’t maintain the building or their equipment, then chances are they may overlook or take little care with other aspects of the operation. Ask questions of the staff members and pay…

The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) will host the first Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) to be held at the seaside complex of Conrad Hotel from September 20–22, 2019. PHIDEX will have the participation of dive travel and trade stakeholders, equipment manufacturers, and National Tourism Organisations, and aims to gather distinguished VIPs, leaders, and influencers from across the globe such as renowned scientists, marine conservationists, and underwater photographers and videographers to meet, network, share stories, and exchange ideas. PHIDEX is the go-to hub for brands and people who are passionate about opportunities in Philippines dive tourism. The public and trade visitors will also enjoy an exciting array of stage programmes by over 20 international speakers. Witness featured international speakers for the first time at a dive expo in the Philippines:…

The first-ever underwater goggles trace their history to the 1330s, when Persian pearl divers made primitive lenses from thinly sliced, polished tortoiseshell. This opened a window for human wonder, and since then, masks have gone through numerous revolutions, from diving bells to diving helmets and full-face masks. Today, countless options tempt divers with their soft silicon and ultra-modern designs to suit all specialisations. World Firsts 4TH CENTURY BC DIVING BELLS Greek philosopher Aristotle records the first use of diving bells 1330s FIRST UNDERWATER GOGGLES The first underwater goggles are made by Persian pearl divers 1500s METAL HELMETS Metal withstands greater water pressure, allowing divers to go deeper 1820s COPPER HELMETS Inspired by a fire accident, the first successful diving helmets are built by engineer Augustus Siebe 1866 “PIG-SNOUT” COPPER MASK…

As scuba aficionados, many of us do not realise that rebreather technology actually predates the invention of the “aqualung” by many decades. In 1878, Henry Fleuss created a device that recirculated pure oxygen. The “Fleuss rebreather” would be put to the test a couple of years later when an English diver walked 330 metres of a tunnel that had become flooded beneath the Severn River. The device proved its worth, but for widespread underwater use, it was still an imperfect science, and it was not until the 1990s that closed circuit rebreather (CCR) technology became widely available. World Firsts 1680 FIRST CONCEPT Giovanni Borelli dreams up the concept of rebreathing, circulating air through a copper tube 1726 FIRST SCRUBBER Stephan Hale develops a helmet with a liner containing sea salt…

Liveaboard diving often means that access to prompt medical attention is not possible. Therefore, extra care must be taken when planning a liveaboard trip, as these divers discovered. CASE ONE The diver was on a liveaboard vessel travelling near an archipelago in the northern Indian Ocean. The diver completed 10 dives over four days. All dives were on air and conducted within her computer’s no-decompression limits. The deepest dive of her series was to 29 metres. On day three she chose not to participate in two morning dives due to a headache, nausea and pain in both hips. Later that same day, feeling better, she completed the three afternoon dives. An hour after the last dive, her headache, nausea and hip pain returned along with thigh pain. While returning to…

Q: I am currently taking a master scuba diver course. Our instructor wants us to dive an extended time at depth. Is that safe with regards to nitrogen build-up? I have an upcoming dive with the following profile: 40m (130ft): 20min 30m (98ft): 2min 20m (65ft): 2min 12m (40ft): 4min 9m (30ft): 5min 6m (20ft): 6min 3m (10ft): 16min Every time above 40m (130ft) includes a one-minute ascent. Is this a safe profile, or should it be more conservative? A: The profile you describe is within the limits of currently available dive tables and is slightly more conservative than the U.S. Navy dive tables. The dive profile is decompression (deco) diving, which requires decompression stops, and all these tables were developed for square profiles. Presumably, your instructor chose these times…

DWARKA, GUJARAT Visibility 5 – 7 metres Best Time October–April Unique Features Whale sharks, Dolphins, Turtle Travel Time 4 hours by car/bus from Somnath GRAND ISLAND, GOA Visibility up to 11 metres Best Time October–May Unique Features Lobsters, Whitetip reef sharks, Needlefish, Wrecks Travel Time 1 hour by air from Mumbai, 6 hours by train from Mumbai KADMAT ISLANDS, LAKSHADWEEP Visibility up to 45 metres Best Time May–November Unique Features Coral reef, Turtles, Sharks, Manta Rays Travel Time 1 hour 20 min by air from Kochi to Agatti Island, 3 hours by ferry from Agatti Island to Kadmat Islands NETRANI ISLAND, KARNATAKA Visibility up to 40 metres Best Time October–May Unique Features Coral reef, Butterflyfish, , Parrot fish, Eels, Shrimps and Orcas Travel Time 2 hours by ferry from Murudeshwar…

Sharks and rays are generally solitary creatures, but reef manta rays form social relationships and interact with each other like few could’ve imagined. In a first-of-its-kind study, marine biologists used photography to study a population of mantas in Indonesia’s pristine Raja Ampat Marine Park. The results show that rays form social bonds in multiple relationships and actively choose their social partners. Research by scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Macquarie University, the University of Papua, and the University of York is the first to describe the structure of social relationships in manta rays. The study by Rob Perryman et al, titled “Social preferences and network structure in a population of reef manta rays” is published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. The researchers studied the structure of more than…

A drysuit is usually relied on for dives into water temperatures below 15°C (60°F). The trapped air in the suit serves as thermal protection and its seals are designed to prevent water from entering through the neck and wrists openings. Drysuits are typically made from either neoprene or laminated material. Neoprene drysuits provide a feeling closer to wetsuits and offer a higher level of insulation compared to the latter. Generally, neoprene suits fit tighter to the body with less space for undergarments, and are less adaptable to varying temperatures. A laminated-material drysuit may seem bulky, but it is more adaptable to differing water temperatures as undergarments can be layered. World Firsts 1710s FIRST DIVING SUIT The first pressure-proof diving suit is invented by two English investors 1715 FIRST UNDERWATER DIVING…

The origin of the buoyancy control device (BCD) is difficult to pinpoint, as there are a handful of ancient depictions that seem to suggest our forefathers understood the need for an inflatable device. Paradoxically, the (BCD) is one of the simplest additions to the underwater explorer’s kit, made ingenious by modern design. They are known by many names and acronyms, but nowadays, just about all are simple inflatable jackets or vests that prevent divers from potentially fatal sinking or, equally dangerous, uncontrolled ascent back up to the surface. Instead, the dream of the experienced diver is realised when we hover motionless in the blue void, a skill that depends heavily on our practised ability to manage our beloved BCDs. World Firsts 900 BC FIRST RECORD A swimmer with an inflated…

Way back in 1670, Irish scientist Robert Boyle showed through experimentation the inextricable links between pressure, volume and temperature. He went so far as to demonstrate that changes in ambient pressure could lead to the formation of bubbles in living tissue. These remarkable early achievements would not truly be appreciated for 200 years as the phenomenon behind major threats such as decompression sickness, embolisms, and pneumothoraces (collapsed lung) in diving. Boyle’s Law would be universally accepted in all of science, and today, still forms the foundation of the world’s most sophisticated dive computers, keeping us all much safer than the divers of old. World Firsts 1662 BOYLE’S LAW is published 1908 FIRST DIVE TABLE John Scott Haldane, a Scottish physiologist, prepares the first decompression table for the British Admiralty 1935…

Countless conversations with the local fishermen and several hundred dives were needed to find out the exact place and time when the snappers mate– Paul Collins, Unique Dive Expeditions It is half past four in the morning on Koror, the main island of Palau. The night is still pitch black and almost nobody is out and about on the streets. A few lonely figures shuffle over the sandy byways with their flip-flops in the still very sultry night. From afar, a faint “kling-klong” rings familiar in their ears, and the seemingly lost people are shown the way. The origin of the bizarre sounds is the dive centre of Sam’s Tours, where dive tanks are being loaded into a boat, calling the characters like a beacon from a distance. “Couldn’t the…

After a day of diving, many divers like to unwind back on shore or on the liveaboard with a glass of wine or a cold beer. There are many ways to enjoy a trip, but diving while under the influence of alcohol is not one of them. If you plan to drink, it’s important to do it responsibly and in a way that won’t affect your diving. A practical study showed that experienced divers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 percent – the equivalent of two 340ml beers over one hour on an empty stomach for an 80kg man – had significantly compromised ability to perform the skills necessary for diving safely. At lower BACs, situational awareness and inhibition may be lowered, leading a diver to take unsafe…

Remote Travel Can Complicate Medical Management Limited facilities, long travel times and language barriers can all affect a situation, increasing the importance for the liveaboard to be well prepared. Oxygen First Aid Is Vital It must be available in sufficient quantities on-board and should be provided promptly by staff trained to provide oxygen first aid. Ideally, oxygen provision should continue until the diver gets to an appropriate medical facility. Don’t Ignore Symptoms Many symptoms can often be subtle and easily misattributed to non-diving related causes. To complicate matters, people on dive boats want to dive and will often deny or underplay symptoms in an effort to return to the water. Warning: Continued diving may worsen the condition and make treatment more difficult. A Word of Caution About Advice from Well-Meaning…