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California’s Galápagos

By
Antonio Busiello
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One of the best memories of my life is linked, or maybe it’s better to say “anchored”, to this magical place. It was a beautiful and warm summer day, the ocean was unbelievably calm, like it was asleep. No clouds in the sky, the visibility was excellent and a giant, friendly sun was giving me all the natural light I could ask for. A perfect day for underwater photography.

I remember I made three amazing dives, trying to get as much as I could out of this awesome opportunity and perfect conditions, and I actually took some excellent photos that day. I can still clearly recall the vivid feeling of swimming through the giant kelp in the clear water; I felt like I was flying through a forest.

But the best was still to come. At the end of the day we anchored in Landing Cove on the northeast end of Anacapa island, right under the beautiful lighthouse and the famous rock arch. After I cleaned my dive gear and took care of the camera equipment, I had a nice dinner, enjoyed the sunset and went to sleep. Not long after, I was woken by some strange noises…

A midnight feast

My need for sleep no match for my curiosity, I went up on deck to see what was happening. The spectacle that greeted me was incredible – dozens of sea lions hunting sardines under the full moon! They were everywhere –  jumping out of the water, barking like dogs and chasing the shining silver sardines. They looked like they were playing, just like children, and the big full moon was shining directly over the beautiful rock arch, lighting everything up, sparkling on the splashing water, illuminating the jumping sea lions. The moon was so bright I could perfectly make out their shining bodies catching sardines in mid-air and then falling back into the water. The island and the rocks were all painted silver by the light of the moon, and everything was right there, so close I could have caught a sardine myself just by reaching into the water.

I remember I sat in the stern with my feet dangling off the boat, enjoying the beauty of it all until the very end. It was indeed a remarkable day and a memory I will always bring with me.

Isolated wilderness, right on the doorstep

The Channel Islands National Park is literally an explosion of life, above and below water. It is incredible that such a place exists just a few miles from a big city like Los Angeles; it feels remote, pristine, unexplored. These waters are a reminder of what California’s marine life once was.

These Islands were never part of the continental shelf. Thanks to this isolation, they are now home to over 150 endemic species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. For this reason, they are also known as the “Galápagos of California”.

They are rightly considered to be a paradise for divers – you can swim among seals, rays, dolphins and even leopard sharks. The macro life is also abundant and diverse, with amazing, colourful anemones, sea urchins, nudibranchs, sea stars and all kinds of other tiny creatures ready to be admired and photographed.

The other three islands (San Clemente, San Nicolas and Santa Catalina islands) are found more to the south, in front of the bay between Los Angeles and San Diego. Santa Catalina is the only one of the eight islands with a permanent residential community, hotels, restaurants and diving centres. The rest can be reached by boat trips on daily excursions; some of them have camping facilities, and host initiatives run by park rangers.

The Channel Islands is an eight-island archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, located just off the coast of Southern California, in a body of water called the Santa Barbara Channel. Five of these eight islands are part of the Channel Islands National Park, (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara). The waters surrounding these five islands form the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, established in 1980 and considered to be one of the planet’s greatest marine ecosystems.

In the Santa Barbara Channel on the way to the islands, it is very common to see whales and dolphins. Twenty-seven species of cetaceans, exactly one-third of cetacean species found on Earth, can be seen in the Santa Barbara Channel, a testament to this incredible marine environment.

The National Park offers a great live experience with the Channel Islands Live programme as an opportunity for divers from afar to do a “virtual” dive in the kelp forest and around the islands, thanks to live Web cams. Click HERE. This article, written by Antonio Busiello, featured in the #oceanplanet section in Scuba Diver AustraliaAsia + Oceanplanet “Blue Green Edition” Issue 2/2017. The issue itself is dedicated to conservation and honours the winners of the Bluegreen360 Awards 2017, presented to those businesses that are committed to eco-friendly practices and marine conservation.

 

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On The Brink

By
UW360
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Mangrove Basics 

  1. Mangroves are some of the most important ecosystems on Earth
  2. Mangrove forests grow in intertidal zones and estuary mouths between land and sea. They anchor and protect coastal ecosystems, and make up a transitional zone between land and ocean, connecting and supporting both
  3. Most mangroves live on muddy soils, but they also can grow on sand, peat, and coral rock
  4. Mangroves vary in height from small shrubs to 40-metre-tall trees
  5. Mangrove forests are comprised of salt-tolerant plant species that are highly adapted to their environment of highly saline water and soil. Mangroves have specially adapted aerial and salt-filtering roots and salt-excreting leaves which enable them to occupy saline wetlands where other plant life cannot survive
  6. Some mangroves have unique “breathing roots”, called “pneumataphores”. They contain pores called “lenticles” through which the plants absorb oxygen. They are not active during high tide, when they are submerged. These delicate lenticels are highly susceptible to clogging by pollutants (such as oil), damage from parasites, and prolonged flooding. Over time, environmental stress can kill large swathes of mangrove forest
  7. The largest remaining tract of mangrove forest in the world is found in the Sundarbans on the edge of the Bay of Bengal
  8. There are 54 to 75 species of mangroves worldwide, with the greatest mangrove diversity found in Southeast Asia
  9. Mangrove forests are essential nursery grounds for all kinds of marine life including fish, rays, and invertebrates
  10. They also provide critical habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species including manatees, tigers, and hundreds of species of birds

 

Threats

More than one in six mangrove species worldwide are in danger of extinction as a result of a number of factors, including coastal development, climate change, logging and agriculture.

We have already lost over half of the world’s original mangrove forest area, estimated at 32 million hectares (approx. 80 million acres).

About half of mangrove loss has occurred in the last 50 years, mostly in the last two decades, due to:

  • Shrimp farming
  • Tourism
  • Urbanisation
  • Expansion of agriculture
  • Roadways
  • Marinas and ports
  • Other coastal development

The current rate of mangrove loss is approximately 1% per annum (according to the Food and Agriculture Organization – FAO), or roughly 150,000 hectares (approx. 370,000 acres) of mangrove wetlands lost each year

 

Reproduction 

  • Mangroves reproduce through a process known as “viviparity”
  • During this process, the “embryos” will germinate on the trees themselves. These are called “propagules”. During this phase, these propagules gain essential nutrients from the parent tree that prepare them for the next phase of their growth
  • The propagules will then drop into the water beneath the tree, and may take root there, or they may float for a period of time, dispersing to another area

 

Essential Services 

  • Recent research shows that mangroves are incredible carbon sinks, sequestering more carbon than any of their terrestrial counterparts. Mangrove forests sequester approximately 1.5 metric tons/hectare/year of carbon
  • Mangroves protect coasts from erosion and from violent storms, and provide a host of economic benefits and ecosystem services to human communities

 

Distribution 

  • Mangrove forests are found between the latitudes of 32°N and 38°S, along the tropical and subtropical coasts of Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Americas
  • The distribution of mangrove forests is mostly determined by sea level and its fluctuations. Other factors are air temperature, salinity, currents, weather patterns, shore slope, and soil substrate

For more on mangroves, check out the article “Mighty Mangroves” in Scuba Diver AustraliaAsia + Oceanplanet “Blue Green Edition” Issue 2/2017. The article follows the story of how an “accidental forest” (mangroves!) saved a village in the Philippines from a super-typhoon, and has helped revitalise the local fishery. The issue itself is dedicated to conservation and honours the winners of the Bluegreen360 Awards 2017, presented to those businesses that are committed to eco-friendly practices and marine conservation.

 

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Surf legend passes away

By
Hastings Forman
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Jack O’Neill has passed away at the age of 94. In a statement, his family said he died of natural causes at his home in Santa Cruz, California.

This former Navy pilot was looking to keep warm while surfing in cold waters, and his experiments led to the invention of the wetsuit. In 1952, he founded the popular Californian surf brand, O’Neill. Known for his cool attitude and distinctive eye-patch (he lost his eye in a surfing accident), this legend’s hard work revolutionised surfing and watersports.

As well as being an avid surfer and successful businessman, he was passionate about the marine environment and to that end, sought to teach people about the ocean. He notably set up the O’Neill Sea Odyssey in 1996, an environmental educational programme for children.

Inkl quotes O’Neill as stating this programme was his proudest achievement: “The ocean is alive and we’ve got to take care of it… There is no doubt in my mind that the O’Neil Sea Odyssey is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Cover © Wikimedia Commons

 

Flying after diving

By
Hastings Forman
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DAN Advice has typically stated that flying or otherwise ascending (e.g. driving over mountains) to a higher altitude after having dived can predispose a diver to decompression illness, unless there has been sufficient surface interval to allow excess gas to diffuse from the body. If insufficient time has been allowed and the ambient pressure is reduced, gas bubbles may form, or existing asymptomatic bubbles may increase in size and cause symptoms of decompression illness.

As a general rule, DAN recommended that a diver should wait at least 24 hours before flying after an air dive. Sometimes, this may be overly conservative, while on other occasions, it may not prove to be conservative enough.

Is this still the case?

The study of data collected in the first research campaign of DAN Europe’s Diving Safety Laboratory (DSL) “Flying bubbles” project has been finalised. The results are somewhat surprising, to such extent as to merit publication in Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, a revered scientific magazine.

 

READ MORE https://alertdiver.eu/en_US/articles/flying-after-diving-finally-the-facts-not-just-theory

You can also go to the Dive Training & Safety section for more advice from DAN AP, or check out some of their articles below:

Knowing When To Call A Dive

The Fun Police

Mistakes Divers Make And How To Avoid Them: Running Out Of Air

 

For as little as S$90 you will receive:

1 YEAR DAN Asia-Pacific Membership + 1 YEAR Subscription to Scuba Diver AUSTRALASIA + OCEAN PLANET

Want to get your hands on this package? CLICK HERE

Drama In The Details: Erin Quigley

By
UW360
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A born creative, Erin Quigley was always meant to be in the spotlight. Long before becoming an underwater photographer, Erin began her career as a Tony-nominated costume designer working on Broadway and in Hollywood.

Her attention to detail designing costumes transitioned seamlessly into her career as a photographer and image-editing guru: Where other photographers might skim over a small flaw in an image, Erin makes sure every picture is presented perfectly. It’s that dedication that has helped create her success while competing for Tony and underwater photography awards alike.

Let her immaculate images draw you into the drama of the wilderness below the waves…

Mobbed

“In the eddy of a strong current, I was suddenly surrounded by a big school of freaked out baitfish. The next moment they scattered for just long enough to reveal their predators, a gang of fast-moving mobula rays, and in that moment I was able to fire off a few quick shots before the fish swirled back and surrounded me again” © Erin Quigley

Where: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
When: March 2016
Equipment: Canon EOS-1D X, Nauticam housing, 8-15mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes
Settings: f/13, 1/160s, ISO 400

Glittering Goodbye 

“I staked out a spot at the edge of this cleaning station and put my camera on motor drive, taking sequence after sequence of mantas as they swam towards me through a glittering school of small fish. In post, after looking through hundreds of face-on shots, it was the lone capture of a manta swimming away that caught my eye.” © Erin Quigley

Where: Hanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll
When: October 2010
Equipment: Nikon D300, Subal housing, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes
Settings: f/10, 1/250s, ISO 200

Kiss of Light

“This technique, made popular by the inspiring Dr Alex Mustard, requires long strobe arms extended all the way out on each side, with strobes pointed back at your face instead of at the subject. A slow shutter speed creates a radial blur as you simultaneously press the shutter and turn the camera, and the resulting edge lighting freezes just the part of the subject kissed by the light.” © Erin Quigley

Where: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
When: January 2016
Equipment: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, Nauticam housing, 8-15mm fisheye lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes
Settings: f/22, 1/8s, ISO 100

Tiny Predators

“An emperor shrimp clings fearlessly to a Roboastra luteolineata nudibranch, no doubt hoping to share the leftovers from one of its cannabalistic feasts. In order to get the camera down at face level, I had to scout for a low point in the sand directly in the nudi’s path, set up, and wait.” © Erin Quigley

Where: Alor, Indonesia
When: August 2015
Equipment: Canon EOS-1D X, Nauticam housing, 100mm macro lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes
Settings: f/16, 1/250s, ISO 160

Animated Attitudes 

“Blue sharks used to remind me of sweet little Disney cartoon characters until I swam with them in the cold waters of New England. These sharks were big, persistent animals with an attitude that didn’t hesitate to get right up in my face, time after time.” © Erin Quigley

Where: Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
When: July 2016
Equipment: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, Nauticam housing, 100mm macro lens, dual Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes
Settings: f/9, 1/160, ISO 640ErinQuigley

 

Erin Quigley is an Adobe ACE certified digital imaging consultant specialising in customised workflows and editing strategies using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. She is an award-winning underwater photographer and video editor, and creator of GoAskErin.com, which provides one-on-one instruction, custom video tutorials, and Photoshop and Lightroom resources specifically developed for the underwater photographic community. Along with her private consulting business, Erin runs the Go Ask Erin digital help desk online and at The Digital Shootout. Check out more stunning underwater photography with our “Underwater Photographer Of The Week” articles. Stay on the look out for when they appear.

 

Becky Kagan Schott 

 

Tyra & Dustin Adamson

 

Jonathan Lin 

 

Aaron ‘Bertie Gekoski 

This portfolio was originally published in Scuba Diver Australasia + Oceanplanet, Issue 1/2017, “Celebrating Women in Diving”. Check it out for informative and inspirational content about pioneering women, making waves! You can also get the e-magazine HERE.

 

The PowerRay Underwater Robot

By
Hastings Forman
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0

We got pretty excited when we heard the news about the latest from the robotics company, PowerVision: an underwater robot – kitted out with a 4K camera – that can be controlled via your head movements while wearing VR goggles! Not bad. The product comes with different pieces of equipment, notably, the robot itself, the goggles, and an attachment called the FishFinder, which can be connected to your iPhone or iPad, giving you the location of fish in your area. It’s a pretty useful attachment too, since you can take it off the robot and put it under your boat.

PowerVision have reported very positive feedback. We’ve discussed this product with divers. Some underwater photographers were initially hesitant, wondering if a drone could be a useful tool in image making. But they warmed to the idea in light of its various uses: for example, sending the drone in first to locate some fantastic marine life, or just utilising it as another means of taking photos while decompressing! We interviewed Chris Song, the manager of PowerVision’s Asia-Pacific Marketing Department, for more details about the PowerRay underwater robot. Tells us about the PowerRay.

 This robot has been designed for those wanting to explore the underwater world. It is equipped with multiple features – it can help locate fish and it can take underwater photos and videos. It can go to a depth of 30 metres.

It comes with some other gadgets. What about them?

Well, you’ve got the [PowerSeeker] FishFinder, which is attached just underneath the PowerRay. With this device, you can detect fish for up to 40 metres below the robot. That gives you a range of 70 metres. It can be connected to your mobile device and transmit data directly to you about the location of fish. The FishFinder is actually a detachable piece of equipment that you can put underneath your boat, too.

Next, we have the VR goggles [VR ONE glasses PowerVision Edition]. ZEISS – our strategic partners – developed the goggles. Put simply, it is connected to the underwater robot, providing you vision and allowing you to control the robot with your head movements. There’s also a drive stick, allowing easy control over the robot.

Is it all pretty simple to use?

Very easy. One of PowerVision’s objectives was to design a product that is easy for beginners to get the hang of. It’s almost like playing a video game.

The drone itself is connected via a cable, right?

Yes. The technology permitting a strong enough signal to penetrate deep in the water and control a robot has not been invented – or isn’t feasibly going to be available. We use a cable to transmit the data and connect to a base station, which allows a Wi-Fi signal to connect to any mobile devices, providing maximum support. The robot allows real-time 4K image transmission. It is the first robot in the world that can do a real-time transmission in 4K.

What are the challenges with an underwater robot and what has PowerVision done to overcome them?

The product itself contains a lot of new technologies: Making the weight, balance and appropriate battery (that can last four hours) was a challenge and required a lot of experimentation out in the water. If those variables are not in place, the drone would be hard to use and people would encounter a lot of problems. But we’ve honed it so that it met those requirements for the public.

How is the PowerRay going to help change the way we see the underwater world?

For a diver, the best part of this is taking underwater photographs. You’ve got a 4K camera on a robot that goes to a 30-metre depth, where there’s more marine life. Also, if there’s dangerous marine life around, you can use it to explore the area and make sure it’s safe to dive.

Is there an environmental concern – for example, the cable being hazardous to marine life?

No, I don’t think there are any serious concerns. It does no harm to the environment. Take a case in Japan as an example. Fisherman used a weight to make a fishing pole go deeper. The weight would sometimes drop off, adding to the waste in the ocean. There’s nothing like that with our design – you won’t have attachments dropping off, let alone the wire detaching. Given the design, that won’t happen.

There are security concerns about drones in the sky. Do you envisage a similar problem with underwater robots when they become more widespread?

I understand there are policies that have been released by various countries regarding drones, such as limitations on weight, height, etc. There are no limitations on underwater drones so far. I can say that this drone is easy and safe, and I don’t see any security concerns.

What’s the feedback been like?

We’ve had great feedback. We’ve started selling in Japan, Europe and the United States. Divers or sailors have a particular interest in it. Plus, it’s something new in the world!

 

 

 

Press Release

 

PowerVision and ZEISS Join Forces: Released PowerRay underwater robot at BCA 2017

Singapore, May 25, 2017 – PowerVision, a worldwide leader in UAV, robotics and big data technologies, jointly exhibit their new product PowerRay with ZEISS at Broadcast Asia 2017. In April, PowerVision and ZEISS have announced their strategic cooperation in Germany. PowerRay is an innovative underwater robot with ground-breaking features designed to offer new robotic way to explore the underwater world. The revolutionary product, a show highlight at CES earlier this year, will become available in three packages; PowerRay Explorer, PowerRay Angler and PowerRay Wizard.

 

 

PowerRay is the ultimate robot for everyone who wants to explore the underwater world, whether it be for professional or recreational purposes. The device can be used for photographing and filming underwater or to visualise the progress of a water sports athlete, as well as being the perfect companion on any successful fishing or diving trip. PowerRay was introduced to the European market during an event in Munich yesterday evening. It was met with great enthusiasm amongst the attending audience who could experience the capabilities of the robot during a hands-on demo.

 

 

Deep dive: The PowerRay robot can dive as deep as 30 meters underwater. The sonar system can detect fish up to 40 meters below the robot, making the total diving depth up to 70 meters with precision up to 10 centimeters. The internal Wi-Fi system allows transmission of images and data over distance up to 80 meters.

 

 

Mobile App: Using the PowerRay Mobile App, users can view Real-time transmitted photo or video captured by PowerRay’s integrated 4K UHD camera on any iOS or Android mobile devices, in addition to receiving fish-identifying images, underwater data and alerts. It also provides the real-time position of the PowerRay robot, select travel mode, speed, and light setting, and can operate the integrated 4K UHD camera functions for underwater photography and videography.

 

 

Virtual reality technology: PowerRay comes with an optional, remotely operated precision remote bait drop. Users can secure baits and operate the PowerRay robot to deliver the bait precisely to the desired location. For users who want an immersive First Person View experience, an option to control the robot through a wearable device, PowerRay also supports an optional PowerVision VR Goggle – allowing a thrilling underwater view through virtual reality technology.

 

 

The VR ONE glasses PowerVision Edition have been created in collaboration with leading optics company ZEISS and will become available in a bundle with the PowerRay robot. The strategic partnership between PowerVision and ZEISS aims to develop innovative solutions that combine exciting PowerVision Robot innovations with ZEISS expertise.

 

 

“The underwater world is a fascinating place that now can be explored by everyone, whether it is for fishing purposes or because the user enjoys seeing the flora and fauna in detail below water level. PowerRay incorporates significant innovation that provides recreational fishing enthusiasts with valuable benefits, including a best-in-class camera, up to 4 hours operating time and the opportunity to personalise their PowerRay with several add-ons including the PowerSeeker and VR glasses. The collaboration with ZEISS is hugely valuable for the development of PowerVision’s add-on portfolio, it will broaden our offering for customers worldwide,” said Wally Zheng, CEO of PowerVision Technology Group.

 

 

For more information and product specifications, please visit http://powervision.me/en/html/pv/powerray.html.

About PowerVision
PowerVision is a global leader in robotics technologies, products and services, focusing on aerial and underwater drones. With a corporate mission to innovate the future, PowerVision’s portfolio ranges from smart drones and robots, to data visualisation and forecasting, virtual and augmented reality. Founded in 2009, PowerVision Technology Group comprises nearly 500 employees in China, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan and Finland.

An Interview With A Technical Diver: Edd Stockdale

By
Hastings Forman
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0

Sadly, there is a very top heavy age (and size) bias in technical diving, with it being seen as a big macho pastime for middle age blokes. This stigma needs to be broken…

Underwater360 interviews Edd Stockdale about his career and the current issues surrounding technical diving 

To reach the depths of the ocean, one needs a wealth of experience, technical expertise, the guts to take on a potentially hazardous mission, and of course, that spark of adventure needed to explore the deep and find places no human being has yet discovered. It was that sense of reaching the unknown – the curiosity, as it were, to discover new places in the deep yet untouched – that drove Edd Stockdale to pursue a passion for technical diving. But it’s not simply a personal thrill for Edd. As a technical diving instructor, he educates others in a field he loves, and alongside his background in marine zoology and biology, he dives on behalf of institutions and organisations (such as the University of Oxford and Malta) – carrying out field research and discovering new wrecks. Edd has been all over the world: from diving in Scotland at the age of 12, to exploring Asia as a full-time professional diver in 2008. He has participated in various expeditions and projects, including the Thinking Deep research project for the University of Oxford, Project Shadow (as a core team member), and Heart of the L72 expedition (as a dive safety and logistics officer). His hard work has earned him recognition: he is a member of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, and he was a nominee for the Eurotek Discovery Award in 2016. In recent times, he has turned his attention towards Thailand and the cave systems in the Karst Plains. When not teaching, you can expect to find Edd exploring new wrecks or caves – or planning his next big adventure.

What got you into technical diving?

Funnily enough, I originally had no interest in technical diving, as I was concentrating on macro diving and photography. That changed when I started looking below at deeper sites and wondering what was down there. This developed into a greater need to explore – to go deeper into underwater wrecks and caves. It now consumes my life, in a good way.

Any notable moments while technical diving?

It’s hard to say. Any occasion when you dive to a site and are the first human to ever see it or be there – whether it’s a wreck, cave or a new deep reef – is notable. Finding these places is the main drive behind diving and using technical skills or equipment. But the times that stand out to me include finding new wrecks around Malta or exploring new caves in Indonesia. Testing new deep sampling techniques with the University of Oxford would be up there as well.

What are your favourite dive destinations? 

Overall, the Southern Ocean off Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. Diving there is epic at all levels, whether it’s shallow or deep, wreck or reef. As for a wreck diving destination, it would have to be Malta. I have dived most of the known diveable wrecks, as well as many of the unknown ones, including some I have helped discover with Project Shadow. The fact that there are more unexplored wrecks than explored ones just makes it an easy competitor for the wreck diving capital of the world.

The site you’d most like to dive but never have?

I have a bucket list that is a mile long. There is just not enough time to dive all the places one would want to. Funnily enough, the more you dive, the longer the list seems to get, especially when you start researching places that people haven’t been to yet. Top of the list though would be the Malin Head region of Ireland for wrecks, as well as the Baltic – another good one to look for wrecks. There’s also the Ojamo Mine in Finland, and funnily enough, after ADEX TekDive 2017, the Great Lakes in Northern America. But the list is endless.

What projects are you currently working on?

At the moment, the main one is with the Project Shadow team in Malta. We are an international team of explorers whose aim is the discovery, identification and protection of wrecks in Europe. The team works with the University of Malta and Malta Heritage to facilitate deep range archaeological research. Other work includes a cave exploration project based in Sulawesi that has been going on for a few years, and the Thinking Deep project, which investigates mesophotic reef ecology, with the University of Oxford.

What has been the highlight of your career?

That’s a hard one. There’s a lot to go – my first dive and my first wreck stand out to me. In recent times at least, it has been my acceptance into the Explorers Club, carrying out the field research with Oxford, developing new rebreather-based survey techniques for deep reefs, and the growth of Project Shadow. When you have spent your adult life diving, teaching and exploring, there are too many great memories. Almost every day has been a positive experience.

Technical diving has a “danger” stigma. Is it safe and how do we overcome that image?

In all honesty, no diving is “safe”. You are immersing yourself in a hostile environment where you cannot survive without the equipment you are using. It is, though, very well risk managed to make it as safe as it can be, though proper training and correct procedures help. Technical diving is no different. But yes, there is a high risk element associated with the more advanced aspects of diving. However, good training and rigorous application of it do in fact make it safer than what many people would think. Sadly, the deaths we see in this area of diving are often caused by people applying bad training or adopting methods that deviate from the training they had in the first place, whether it’s being not using CCR checklists or skipping steps in a skill. Overcoming this image of a highly dangerous pastime is always going to be tricky, but in my opinion, the more people actually take courses – good ones, that is – and see the factors involved in proper technical diving protocols, the more this image will be shifted towards discipline and skill.

What are the challenges that you think technical diving faces?

I think the biggest issue facing the technical community is the low numbers, relatively, of younger divers coming into the game. Sadly, there is a very top heavy age (and size) bias in technical diving, with it being seen as a big macho pastime for middle age blokes. This stigma needs to be broken and younger – and female – divers need to be brought into the sport. If not, we are facing a state where there won’t be a next generation of technical divers or educators/instructors. Part of this is caused by many of the older instructors being stuck in their ways from the old days and not developing. Their attitude can be “I’ve been doing it for 20 years” and “How is that young upstart going to teach you more than me?” Suffice to say, that approach isn’t helping the community and making it grow. Remember, selection of a technical instructor should not be based on how long they have been teaching the same thing, but rather how they update as new techniques are applied and research is carried out in the field. Instructors need to be continuously updating, especially in the last few years when our understanding of deep diving physiology has rapidly grown. The other factor is the macho attitude many technical divers seem to have regarding their pastime. People seem to forget that we are just diving – yes, with more equipment and training – but it’s still just diving. Funnily enough, the high-end technical explorers and educators are often found to be very relaxed, and in many cases, dive with single tanks and support new divers. Yet at the mid-range – those who have a reasonable amount of technical training as part-time weekend divers – many divers pile on the kit even for a recreational dive. This “showing off” strokes their egos and obviously alienates potential newcomers. With so many other pastimes on offer these days, it’s very easy to lose the next generation to areas that have less of this negative attitude. As a technical diver you should remember it’s just diving – enjoy it and try share your passion and excitement. That way, we will have a new generation.

Any advice for aspiring technical divers?

The first thing to do is find a good instructor who teaches up-to-date training techniques and in-depth courses. After that, practise as often as you can to make the skills you learn on the training courses second nature. Too often, people do a course then don’t actually dive for ages after and forget the skills or lose the fluidity needed to be a proficient technical diver. Go slow and enjoy it – don’t set a goal at 100 metres or a massive cave push and then miss the intermittent amazing opportunities and dives that are in the shallower ranges. They are not only fun, but they develop your skills so when you do go further, they are ingrained. One last aspect in technical diving, often overlooked, is fitness. You need to be physically fit, not as a world-class athlete, but you need to maintain a level of personal fitness to make all the technical diving both more enjoyable and less risky. Maintain a training schedule both for mental and physical fitness. This point kind of applies to sport diving as well, where it is also overlooked.

What are your plans? Any upcoming adventures or projects?

Life these days seems to be one big adventure, which is great. After an injury put me out for six months in 2016, I aimed to seriously make this a year of diving – teaching and diving myself. This month, I head off to Scandinavia to do some wreck diving and maybe a bit of exploration before heading to Malta to continue with Project Shadow work for a while. Notably, I’m heading to Budapest for cave diving, which is something that has been on my list for many years. I may also be heading to Thailand for some cave exploration, too. Aside from that, I’ll be teaching courses and promoting the new XCCR rebreather in SE Asia. There are also other things on the cards but they are “hush-hush” for now.

Is there anything else that you would like to add? 

All I have to add is my thanks to my parents for not seeing it as a problem when I chose to follow this path, a thank you to my team mates, Steve Wilkinson and Kalle Selin, who are the core of Project Shadow, and one to all my instructors, mentors and friends who have helped me develop into the diver I am today. Also, an insanely huge gratitude to Fourth Element who support my endeavours, thereby allowing me to do what I do.

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