Tabla de contenidos para Asian Diver - Vol. 172 en Scuba Diver/Asian Diver

Brought to you by Marelux The vast waters of Asia and Oceania conceal some of the world’s most extraordinary technical diving sites, where history, geology, and marine ecology converge in the deep blue. From wartime wrecks resting at extreme depths to cathedral-like cave systems and walls that plunge into the abyss, this region offers technical divers training experiences that push both skills and equipment to their limits. These are not sites for the recreational diver; they demand advanced training, meticulous planning, and a clear respect for the risks inherent in venturing beyond conventional depth limits. For the prepared and well-trained diver, however, the payoff is true exploration. Technical diving – otherwise known as tek, tec or tech diving – encompasses diving that exceeds recreational limits of 40 metres (130 feet),…

Deep beneath the calm waters off the coast of Ube City in Yamaguchi prefecture lies a place long forgotten by the world above. It is not a coral reef or a tropical cavern, but an abandoned coal mine. The Chousei Coal Mine was the site of a tragic accident in 1942 that claimed the lives of 183 workers, and left their remains trapped underwater for over eight decades. Today, this submerged site is the focus of one of the most ambitious underwater exploration efforts in Japan, led by a team driven by obligation, respect, and a determination to bring forgotten voices back into the light. Part of the wider Ube Coal Field, the Chousei Mine was among several coastal mines that extended beneath the seabed to reach valuable coal seams.…

As I walked towards the once-familiar sight of the Silfra Rift in Iceland’s Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, I did not know exactly what to expect. Much had changed in the 30 years since my first exploration dives here in 1995, and again in 1996 and 1997. Back then, the landscape felt stark and untouched, and few divers from outside Iceland came here. A small but enthusiastic group had formed the Dive Club of Reykjavík, and divers were scattered among the coastal cities, but Iceland had not yet become a destination for underwater tourism. In September 1997, I organised and led a small international team on an Explorers Club Flag Expedition. Our group of Canadian, Icelandic and US divers became the first to survey and map any of Iceland’s underwater caves.…

PLANNING YOUR TECHNICAL DIVING ADVENTURE Divers planning technical trips to Asia or Oceania should ensure their certification and recent experience match the intended dives. Many operators require proof of trimix or cave qualifications and recent deep diving activity. While most established operators can supply cylinders and mixed gases, bringing personal regulators, computers, and exposure protection ensures familiarity and reliability. Liveaboards often provide the best access to remote technical sites, allowing appropriate surface intervals and logistical flexibility. Technical diving in Asia and Oceania goes far beyond what we can present in these pages, offering experiences few recreational divers will ever encounter. This is by no means a comprehensive catalogue of Asia–Pacific technical diving; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Zealand and several emerging regions, among many others, all offer equally compelling advanced…

For most of my diving life, technical diving sat squarely on the periphery of my interests. I noticed it growing in popularity – difficult not to, given the sheer volume of equipment involved. But from a photographer’s perspective, it appeared complicated, expensive, and largely unnecessary. Little did I realise the changes that were to come… I already travelled with far more gear than any sane person should: camera bodies, lenses, housings, ports, strobes, arms, chargers, batteries, and spares for the spares. Adding twin tank manifolds and wings felt like a step backward rather than forward. More importantly, I couldn’t see how all that additional “stuff” would actually make me a better underwater photographer. And then there was age. After more than 40 years of diving, I assumed – wrongly, as…

TEKASIA (OZTek + ADEX) CONFERENCE + WORKSHOP HALF-DAY PASS SGD52+SGD3.59 Fee Ticket Includes: • 1 day multiple entries to ADEX Big Blue Legacy (Singapore Ocean Week) 2026 worth SGD10 either on April 10, 11 or 12, 2026 • Half day multiple entries to TekAsia (OZTek + ADEX) Conference + Workshop • worth SGD70 either on April 10, 11 or 12, 2026 • 1 copy of Asian Diver Big Blue Book SGD28 (while stocks last) • 1 copy of Asian Diver TekAsia Edition worth SGD28. (Redeem at the UW360 booth) • Daily Lucky Draw participation. (Conducted at the UW360 booth) No refund once ticket purchased TEKASIA (OZTek + ADEX) CONFERENCE + WORKSHOP 1-DAY PASS SGD75+SGD4.69 Fee Ticket Includes: • 1 day multiple entries to ADEX Big Blue Legacy (Singapore Ocean Week)…

SS Nemesis was built by Turnbull & Sons at Whitby, United Kingdom, and launched on December 30, 1880. A brigantine-rigged, iron-hulled single screw steamer powered by a compound engine, it could reach speeds of 12 knots. At 1,393 tonnes (1,536 tons), Nemesis measured 73.4 metres in length, 10 metres in beam, and had a draft of 5.5 metres. After arriving in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, in May 1881, the Nemesis was registered to Huddart Parker & Co Pty Ltd for operations in the intercolonial coal trade between Newcastle and Melbourne. It was soon fitted with accommodation and began carrying passengers and cargo between Sydney and Melbourne, operating as a passenger carrier until the late 1890s before converting back to collier status. At the time of its loss, Nemesis had been…

As early as the 1950s, a small number of people around the world started scuba diving in cave systems, exploring shipwrecks, plummeting down reef walls, searching for the end of the line, collecting artefacts or chasing depth records. By the 1980s, the more innovative among them started using oxygen for decompression and helium-based gases as bottom mixes. Generally, they kept quiet about what they were doing, and mainstream scuba diving magazines and dive shows deliberately ignored them. Meanwhile, the sport of cave diving had evolved into a world apart from mainstream scuba, with its own newsletters, associations, and conferences. As far as mixed gas was concerned, although it was introduced to sport divers from the scientific diving community in 1985, four years later, there were still only two dive centres…