A diver from Wakatobi’s cleaning team removes plastics and other rubbish found underwater
Text by Karen Stearns, Images by Walt Stearns
The world is waking up to the realisation that the oceans are not a dumping ground. And while some are calling for plastic bans and government regulations, a growing number of organisations and communities are confronting the issue head-on by organising waste reduction, recycling and cleanup projects at a local level. This is the case at Wakatobi Resort. More than two decades ago, Wakatobi’s founder, Lorenz Mäder, established a community-based conservation programme that provides proactive protection for some 20 kilometres of coral reef.
This initiative has helped restore and maintain these reefs in near-pristine condition by eliminating destructive fishing practices, anchor damage and other human impacts. And these efforts don’t stop at the waterline. Lorenz and others at Wakatobi are committed not only to protecting the reefs, but to keeping waters, beaches and the islands free of trash and waste through sponsoring a variety of local campaigns and engaginghands-on projects.
A diver from Wakatobi’s cleaning team removes plastics and other rubbish found underwater
This all begins at the resort Wakatobi has established its own recycling station, and actively works to reduce the use of disposable plastic items in all phases of resort operations. This includes measures such as providing guests with reusable aluminium water containers to eliminate the use of disposable plastic water bottles. To combat the problem of plastic waste carried by ocean currents, the staff engages in a number of ongoing debris removal efforts. Four times a day, the staff cleans more than a kilometre of surrounding beaches, removing plastics and any other debris that may wash ashore. On a daily basis, the dive teams remove any trash and debris that may collect on the reef, while team members working from the dive centre, operating taxi boats and otherwise assisting snorkellers and divers make similar efforts to keep the shallow reef tops clean.
Dive site Roma, Wakatobi, Indonesia
Wakatobi’s commitments to environmental protection and cleanup go far beyond the resort boundaries. The resort sponsors weekly village cleanups that involve up to 100 local people, and works closely with local communities and governments on the issue of waste management. Wakatobi provides waste bins, organises waste collection vehicles and sponsors additional waste storage and removal mediums for the adjacent island of Tomia. To enhance local awareness of the issues, and promote sustainable practices, the resort pays a team of 20 well-respected community leaders and influential individuals. These spokespersons use their social status within the community to increase public awareness on the issues of reef conservation and waste management on Tomia.
Lorenz also remains personally committed to the issues of waste management and water quality. “In my voluntary function as an ecotourism consultant, I had countless discussions with ministers, governors and other high-ranking politicians and policy makers,” he says. “I always urge them to improve nationwide waste management on land and on boats.”
For the rest of this article (Asian Diver 2019 Issue 1 No 152) and other stories, check out our past issues here or download digital copy here.
Congratulations to the following winners of Asia Dive Expo Voice of the Ocean 2019 Photo + Video + Art Competition:
Category: Compact Camera of the Year Miguel Ramirez
Reflection – Reunion Island
Compact Camera Photo of the Year (Winner) Miguel Ramirez – Reflection – Reunion Island
On April 17, we announced the “Reflection” as the winning submission for the “Compact Camera Photo of the Year” in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
Congratulations, Miguel! You are the NEW WINNER of the Compact Camera Photo of the Year category!
The winning entry wins:
1 x 8 Day 7 Night Live-On-Board for 1 Pax worth USD1800 proudly sponsored by Maldives Cruiser
1 x 4 Day 3 Night Deluxe Executive for 1 Pax worth USD700 proudly sponsored by Summerbay Resort
*Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Category: Environmental Photo of the Year (New Winner!) Massimo Zannini
Our Future – Philippines
Environmental Photo of the Year Winner (New!) – Massimo Zannini Our Future, Philippines
On April 17, we announced “The Noose – Carcharhinus Longimanus” by Nicholas Samaras as the winning entry for the “Environmental Photo of the Year” category in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
However, upon the announcement of the results, it was brought to our attention that the winning entry had infringed one of the conditions of the competition (Clause No. 6: Images/videos/artworks that have won or placed in photo contests announced before 28 February 2019 may not be submitted) as it had previously been awarded first place in the Beneath the Sea Imaging Competition. After thorough investigation and careful deliberation, we have decided to disqualify the entry and vacate its first place position in favour of the First Runner-up entry, “Our Future”, by Massimo Zannini of the Philippines.
We hereby announce Massimo Zannini as the NEW WINNER of the “Environment Photo of the Year” category for his entry “Our Future”. Congratulations, Massimo, for winning the “Environment Photo of the Year” award!
However, we have been very impressed with the powerful message captured in “The Noose – Carcharhinus Longimanus” and have decided to award it the VOO Honourable Mention award. We would also like to congratulate the photographer for winning first place in the “Beneath the Sea” Imaging Competition, the results of which was announced on February 19, 2019. For more information on the terms & conditions of VOO, please visit https://www.adex.asia/voo-competition-rules/
Winning entry wins:
1 x 6 Day 5 Night Dive Vacation for 1 Pax at Atlantic Puerto Galera or Atlantis Dumaguete worth USD2,000, proudly sponsored by Atlantic Philippines
1 x 8 Day 7 Night Turks & Caicos Explorer II Liveaboard for 1 Pax worth USD 2,600, proudly sponsored by Explorer’s Ventures
*Terms and Conditions are subjected to change without prior notice.
Category: Underwater Fashion Photo of the Year Meaghan Ogilvie
Row – Canada
[NEW] WINNER Underwater Fashion Photo of the Year
On April 17, we announced the “Row” as the winning submission for the “Underwater Fashion Photo of the Year” in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
As the winning entry has infringed one of the conditions of the competition (ie the use of photoshop to merge two images into one), we have decided to vacate its first place position in favour of the first runner-up entry by Meaghan Ogilvie of Canada.
Congratulations, Meaghan! You are the NEW WINNER of the Underwater Fashion Photo of the Year category!
The winning entry wins:
1 x 2 Day 3 Night Deluxe Executive Stay for 1 PAX worth USD700, proudly sponsored by Summerbay Resort
*Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Category: Photo of the Year Wayne Jones
Wunderpus On Marbles – Philippines
Photo of the Year (Winner) Wayne Jones – Wunderpus On Marbles – Philippines
On April 17, we announced the “Wunderpus On Marbles” as the winning submission for the “Photo of the Year” in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
Congratulations, Wayne Jones! You are the NEW WINNER of the Photo of the Year category!
The winning entry wins:
1 x 7 Day 6 Night Full Board for 1 Pax at Raja Ampat worth USD2700 proudly sponsored by Sea Safari Cruises
1 x 8 Day 7 Night, 5 Days of Diving for 1 Pax worth USD2500 proudly sponsored by Sam’s Tour
1 x Return ticket from Singapore to Fiji for 1 Pax proudly sponsored by Fiji Airlines
1 x Lighting G18 Plus worth USD1250 proudly sponsored by Divepro
*Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Category: Artwork of the Year Clément Lesaffre
Airabyssal 2 – France
Artwork of the Year (Winner) Clement Le Saffre -Airabyssal 2 – France
On April 17, we announced the “Airabyssal 2” as the winning submission for the “Artwork of the Year” in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
Congratulations, Clément! You are the NEW WINNER of the Artwork of the Year category!
The winning entry wins:
1 x 5 Day 4 Night Nusa Ceningan Dive & Stay Package for 1 Pax worth USD580 proudly sponsored by Ceningan Divers and Resorts
*Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Category: Video of the Year Marcelo Johan Ogata
Mangroves: Corals and Critters – Indonesia
Mangroves – Video of the Year (Winner) Marcelo Johan Ogata – Mangroves Corals and Critters – Indonesia
Mangroves – Video of the Year (Winner) Marcelo Johan Ogata – Mangroves Corals and Critters – Indonesia
On April 17, we announced the “Corals and Critters” as the winning submission for the “Video of the Year” in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
Congratulations, Marcelo! You are the NEW WINNER of the Video of the Year category!
The winning entry wins:
1 x 11 Day 10 Night Komodo National Park Itinerary for 1 Pax worth USD4250 proudly sponsored by Aggressor Indo & Ombak Rindu
1 x 4 Day 3 Night Deluxe Executive for 1 Pax worth USD700 proudly sponsored by Summerbay Resort
1 x Return ticket from Singapore to Fiji for 1 Pax proudly sponsored by Fiji Airlines
1 x DivePro Lighting Vision Pro+ worth USD1350 proudly sponsored by DIVEPRO
*Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Category: Best of Show (Winner) Lutfu Tanriover
The Mother – Greece
Best of Show (Winner) – Lutfu Tannover- The Mother
Best of Show (Winner) – The Mother by Lutfu Tannover
On April 17, we announced the “The Mother” as the winning submission for the “Best of Show” in our Voice of the Ocean (VOO) Underwater Photography Competition.
Congratulations, Lutfu! You are the NEW WINNER of the Best of Show category!
The winning entry wins:
1 x Underwater Camera Housing worth USD10,000 proudly sponsored by Seacam
1 x Canon EOS 5D Mark IV worth USD4800 proudly sponsored by Canon
1 x 11 Day 10 Night Komodo National Park Itinerary for 1 Pax worth USD4250 proudly sponsored by Aggressor Indo & Ombak Rindu
1 x 8 Day 7 Night Dive Vacation for 1 Pax at Atlantis Puerto Galera or Atlantis Dumaguete worth USD2000 proudly sponsored by Atlantis Philippines
1 x Return ticket from Singapore to Fiji for 1 Pax proudly sponsored by Fiji Airlines
1 x DivePro Lighting Vision Pro+ worth USD1350 proudly sponsored by DIVEPRO
1 x Suunto D5 Dive Computer worth USD899 proudly sponsored by Suunto/Adventure & Leisure Sdn Bhd
1 x Charter Boat Unit worth USD575 proudly sponsored by DAN
*Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Leatherback Beach, Papua, Indonesia. To sit on a sand hill under a starred canopy at the equator along a deserted beach is to hope for an experience that less than 300 have shared. Most who visit have travelled over 20,000 miles by air, land and boat to one of the most remote places on our planet where Aboriginal villagers scratch out a bare sustenance without external world motivations. These are the sacred lands of the Papuans and the largest leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting beach at about 18 kilometres long and up to 100 metres wide.
Should you go there to see a leatherback-nesting event, the wait on the beach can be one of patience in the dark of the night. The only illumination will be a reflection of the moonlight on the white foam of a breaking wave on the beach. All is quiet, except the gentle lapping of the surf while waiting for an appearance of a living dinosaur to exit the sea and labouriously climb the slope of the beach. It will locate where she was hatched 12 or more years ago. She is repeating the 150-million-year drive to reproduce so the species may survive. Left alone, this ancient hatching process would continue unimpeded, but we humans have introduced the specter of extinction of this most valuable creature of the seas.
Efforts by a few dedicated environmentalists to stop the senseless killings, egg poaching, trophy collecting and stripping of the skin for purse and leather fashion items while the turtle still lives, fight an uphill battle. The leatherback hatchling faces a host of threats at the nesting beaches, including jungle predators (such as wild pigs and dogs, salt water crocodiles, crabs and pythons.)
Another plateau of destruction that is destroying the nest and eggs is the ever-rising tides of global warming. At the equator, the high tides drown or cook the eggs in its shell, pre-hatched, deep in the nests as the seawater drains over them. The nesting female is in danger of having its throat slit by those who want her skin for handbags and fashion items as she is in her egg-laying trance.
This glorious creature is considered the world’s largest turtle
The leatherback is the largest of the seven sea turtles. A male adult can measure over three metres long and up to five metres wide at its front flippers and can weigh up to about 1,360 kilogrammes. Females are a bit smaller at 908 kilogrammes and about two metres long. The most unique difference of this turtle from the other six species is its skin – NOT a hard shell. Evolution has equipped this turtle with a soft, mottled, black skin attached to an expanding rib cage as in humans, to allow it to dive to or below 914 metres in search of the giant jellyfish, its major food source. To survive, a leatherback must eat its weight every day in jellyfish. Here is the critical environmental issue. The leatherback controls the jellyfish population off the wild fish spawning rivers. The killings of the leatherbacks reduce their efficiency in controlling the jellyfish populations; therefore reducing the availability of wild caught fish to our tables. The balance of the seas is collapsing because of the greatly diminishing leatherback populations.
The males are not observed as they rarely exit the sea after hatching. The females at a nesting beach provide the data for research and survival efforts. Being able to examine only half of a population skews the results
Dropping her eggs: This is the moment she is most vulnerable
To have an occasion to actually sit beside a nesting leatherback, watch her deposit a clutch of about 100 eggs and cover the nest using her large body and flippers is truly a “goose bump” creator. This creature will then struggle back to the sea to return six or seven times in the season. Another “goose bump” experience is observing a nest of about 100 hatchlings climb out of its four-foot-deep nest in the dark of night, especially in its native and remote environment. I admit to this, even though I have observed hundreds.
Once safely on the beach, all locate a sand spot and await the instructions of the trained Papuan and crew as they search for a leatherback turtle to emerge from the ocean. During that time, no lights, talking or smoking is permitted, as any unnatural actions can scare the leatherback from nesting or not emerging from the sea. Should that occur, 100 possible hatchlings will not be born. In the present conditions of the rampant at sea killings, to lose one nest becomes a critical loss.
When the leatherback selects her nesting spot and begins to dig a four-foot-deep nest, she goes into a trance and does not recognise any activity. It is then we can approach and marvel at the amazing beauty nature provides and touch her skin to feel the velvety texture. We can take all the photos and videos needed and more. One caution: Do not point a flash or a video light at her eyes closer than one metre. Use your camera zoom function. The leatherback’s eyes are perhaps the most light-sensitive of any creature in the oceans. Their ability to see at over 900 metres deep in search for jellyfish in an otherwise black ocean requires that. A close flash can injure her ability to see and to feed, resulting in another great loss, should that happen.
A rare sight: A leatherback swims towards shore
After your first encounter, it is quite normal to want to see more. A high excitement ripples through all on the beach, as sets of people roam up and down, looking for more photo opportunities. Our village boys are quite talented in locating them in the dark with no lights. It is normal to marvel at an equatorial sunrise over a placid sea and wonder where all the time went. All who stay that long have a decision to make: go back to the dive boat or stay on the beach and begin the search for hatchlings emerging from the eight-week-old nests. Many stay and are later happy they made that decision.
While the nests are supposed to hatch at night so the hatchlings can go to the sea unobserved by many daytime predators, some nests hatch and the hatchlings come from the sand at early morning. These “little guys” are about four inches long at hatching. They cannot crawl over a twig.
The final day of ADEX Singapore 2019 brought even more excitement as celebrity speakers such as Patty Lee, freediving world record holder Alexey Muchanov, inspirational heroes and thought provoking talks on plastic pollution and tek diving helped pushed excitement at ADEX to a new level.
Starting out at 10am in the morning at the Tek Dive Conference, cinematographer and technical diver Nathalie Lasselin talked to the audience about her trip to the Arctic. Showing the audience photos of her trip, Nathalie mentioned that climate change has drastically shortened the ice in the arctic.
Nathalie Lasselin talking about her trip to the Arctic
Next up was Michael Menduno who introduced the audience to “technical freediving” where freedivers undergo pre-breathing of nitrox mix before their freedive to load their body with oxygen. This flushes out carbon dioxide in the body, changing blood chemistry to enable freedivers to dive longer. Pre-breathing oxygen doubles your freediving times when holding your breath in freediving as compared to pre-breathing air before your freedive (24 minutes versus 11 minutes)
Michael Menduno explaining about Technical Freediving
At 11.40am ADEX attendees were treated to a talk by famous Taiwanese TV dive show host Patty Lee, whose television dive show, Salty Mask is on its third season already.
Patty’s popular talk at lunch time was followed by an Inspirational Talk by ADEX Heroes featuring Her Royal Highness Princess Zatashah Idris, whose sustainability campaign is transforming Malaysia. Famous Indonesian actress, Chelsea Islan, who is also the President and Founder of Youth Of Indonesia and appointed the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Indonesia Sustainable Development Goals Mover and National Ambassador for Goal 14 & 15 (Life on Water & Life on Land) was also on hand to share her wisdom on sustainability.
The panel also included Ahmed Gabr, the world record holder for the deepest scuba dive at a depth of 325 metres, Ms Brittany, a mermaid who overcame her personal disabilities to become an internationally renowned mermaid and Mark Rausch, who has dedicated his life to helping the disabled and is course director and Handicap Scuba Association.
VR movies for diving were available for a test drive at ADEX 2019
The ADEX Inspiration Talk was swiftly followed by the Future Forward panel discussion on single use plastics in Asia. Moderated by Dr. Toh Tai Chong from the National University of Singapore, the panel featured scientists like Dr Andrew Chin from James Cook University, Dr. Merrin Pearse, Sustainability consultant and ecopreneur, Dr Suchana Apple Chavanch, Dr Voranop Viyakarn and Thirach RungruangKnokkul Executive Director at Agriculture and Food Marketing Association for Asia and Pacific.
Alexey Molchanov giving tips about traiining for freediving
Freediving fans also got to see their hero up close and personal at the Freediving conference at ADEX Singapore as Alexey Molchanov, ADEX Ambassador for Freediving, gave a talk on training for freediving through yoga, flexibility exercises and explained how the development of your breathing muscles can help you to breathe better and thus relief tension and stress from daily life.
The VOO judges, from left: Aaron Wong, Henley Spiers, Christian Vizl, Indra Swari W, Amanda Cotton and Ellen Cuylaerts
Of course, no ADEX Singapore would be complete without the Voice of the Ocean Competition. With an esteemed panel of judges that included Christian Vizl, Amanda Cotton, Ellen Cuylaerts, Indra Swari W, Henley Spiers and Aaron Wong, audiences were treated to expert analyses of beautiful underwater photographs as the winners walked away with holiday stays at Raja Ampat, Komodo National Park , Atlantis Puerta Galera, Atlantic Dumaguete, Summerbay Resort, Ceningan Divers, Fiji, Aggressor Indo & Ombak Rindu. See you at ADEX China in July!
We’ve all seen those iconic images of plastic trash draped over reefs, or photos of dead or injured marine animals entangled or struggling in carelessly discarded debris. And who can forget the viral video of mantas swimming through a sea of floating plastic trash? You don’t need to be a genius to see that plastic is having a massive effect on our reefs and marine life.
However, the invasion of microplastics in our ocean, tiny plastic particles smaller than five millimetres, is much harder to see. It’s also hard to trace where these microplastics come from and where they end up, and the impacts these are having on our reefs and oceans.
Nevertheless, microplastics are the focus of a group of dedicated researchers at James Cook University (JCU) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), and microplastic research is more difficult than it sounds.
The Challenge
Microplastics can be really hard to accurately isolate and count. If you’re looking for them in the environment, you need to strain seawater, sift through sediment, or look inside animals to find these tiny particles and fibres. Imagine a bucket of beach sand, or the slimy, partially digested contents of a fish or turtle’s stomach. How do you properly separate out all the tiny plastic fragments from these contents?
Well, JCU and AIMS researchers have developed new techniques of chemically digesting, separating, and identifying microplastics from difficult materials such as turtle stomachs. The process includes using infrared spectroscopy, a tricky technique where samples are blasted with infrared light. The researchers then interpret the resulting absorption, emission and reflection spectra to work out what type of plastic it is.
Sensing the Scale
Testing the protocol on turtles, the research team found paint chips and synthetic fabric particles in turtle stomachs1. It’s a big problem. Another research team that included JCU scientists found plastics in the stomachs of every single one of 102 turtles examined, the most common being fibres from clothing, tyres, cigarette filters, and maritime equipment such as ropes and fishing nets2. While small amounts of microplastics may not be enough to block the digestive system, they could be leaching toxic chemicals into the animals that ingest them, an issue that needs to be studied.
And it’s not just turtles: Even fish such as the iconic coral trout (Plectropomus spp) have been found to have plastic in their guts3. It’s not just divers and conservationists who are worried about this; fishing industry representatives have called for more research on the effects ingested plastics could have on fish health and reproduction.
For the rest of this article (Asian Diver 2019 Issue 1 No 152) and other stories, check out our past issues here or download digital copy here. The 25th anniversary of the largest and longest running dive show, Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) is set to occur on the 11-14th April 2019. Centred on the theme – Plastic free Future, ADEX is more than just a dive show with its commitment to the environment.
So join us at the event, get inspired and for all you know, you might just liberate the inner diver in you! More details of the event here.
The Sustainable Diving Dialogue at ADEX Singapore 2019 provided audiences with a wide-ranging look at sustainability all across Asia
After a blistering April 12 that saw plenty of diving heavyweights grace the main stage of ADEX Singapore, April 13 of ADEX Singapore 2019 offered no let up as Ms Natalie Harms from UN Environment graced the ADEX Singapore 2019 main stage to moderate a Sustainable Diving Dialogue and panel discussion at 10am in the morning. Co- moderated by Ms Chloe Harvey from the Reef World Foundation (Green Fins), the panel consisted of Ms Rosie Cotton (Owner and General Manager of Tioman Dive Centre), Mik Jennings (Commercial Manager of Blue O Two / Worldwide Dive and Sail), Cassian Bellino, (Sustainability Management Trainee from Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas), Adam Broadbent (CEO of Zublu), John Standing (Director of Fourth Element), Paul Tanner (Territory Director, PADI Asia Pacific) and John Thet (Publisher of Asian Geographic Magazines).
The Sustainable Diving Dialogue at ADEX Singapore 2019 provided audiences with a wide-ranging look at sustainability all across Asia
Natalie started the panel by talking about how the UN was working with governments to improve ocean governance by starting regional marine programmes to reduce plastic pollution. With Tioman Dive Centre receiving the Green Fins awards, Rosie Cotton was congratulated by Chloe as Rosie told the audience how Greenfins had helped Tioman Dive Centre with a series of small changes that put them on their way towards sustainability. She was also grateful for the considered actions recommended by GreenFins which promoted change without disrupting businesses. She added that by transmitting the correct sustainability mindsets and behaviour to her staff, the staff were in turn able to pass on this wisdom to customers. Rosie also added that being consistent was key to effective change.
With a footprint of 15 resorts all over the world, Mik Jennings shared his experience of obtaining sustainable products for all of Blue O Two’s resorts, which proved to be a headache as distributing products from a central source could often lead to a bigger carbon footprint as opposed to sourcing items were locally.
With audiences encouraged to join in the dialogue, Bruce Dudley, Senior Vice President of Globe Series, ADEX Singapore’s partner in the Ocean Partnership Summit in Singapore next year, posed a question to the panelists about whether any of the panelists had seen tangible rewards from being sustainable. Adam Broadbent from ZuBlue acknowledged that while their efforts might initially only be just a marketing benefit, Mik felt that while some were choosing their vacation according to the green credentials of the resort, many others continue to use price as a major yardstick for their vacation choice.
Asian Geographic Magazines Publisher, John Thet explaining the need for balanced reporting and green companies
One of the most valuable insights proffered by the panelists was provided by John Standing, who stated that Fourth Element’s willingness to sell gear made from sustainable products was something that everyone should pursue as customers would eventually be forced to buy only sustainable products once most manufacturers moved in concert to produce them. He then offered to reveal his sustainable product sources to help other manufacturers with production of their green products.
Women Diving Future Forward
Adjourning for lunch, dive fans were treated to yet another compelling Fast Forward Panel discussion at 1pm at the main stage as a who’s who of women divers assembled onstage for the Women Diving Future Forward Panel discussion. Moderated by Jamie Piyada from Manta Trust, the panelists included Ms Hidy Yu, ADEX Marine Conservation Ambassador, Ms Beatrice Rivoira, Marine Biologist and technical diver, Ms Ellen Cuylaerts, ADEX Ambassador for Photography, Ms Jill Heinerth, Member of the Woman Diver Hall of Fame, Patty Lee, host of popular Taiwan dive travel show, Salty Mask, Ms Jade Hoksbergenn, Professional Underwater Photographer, Ms Nathalie Lasselin, Film Director and Professional Technical Diver and Ms Amanda Cotton, ADEX Singapore 2019 VOO Judge completed the list off women luminaries in the discussion.
Amanda Cotton addressing the audience
As strong women in diving, it was uplifting to see that they had all challenged the status quo and emerged as leaders in their field despite their common experience of encountering sexism in their early years. A common refrain from the panelist was how they noticed that sexism was not overt today as compared to the past when DEMA shows would feature bikini women hired to appear in the show even though they were not divers. Most of them acknowledged that unintentional sexism due to old mental habits might still be a common occurrence but as leaders in diving, they were seeking to not be defined by their gender anymore but to be recognised as just great divers, biologists, artists and photographers.
Photo-Video Zone: What’s it Like to be An Underwater Photographer
One of the most beautiful and dangerous activities in diving is ice diving. Underwater photography fans were given a rare treat at 2pm at the Photo-Video Zone in ADEX Singapore as Gerald Nowak shared with audiences his incredible photographs taken during his ice diving trip to Antartica in 2008. A long-held cherished dream, Gerald managed to capture never before seen photographs of a sea leopard underwater underneath the ice. A whopping four metres long, Gerald described the playfulness of the sea leopard and only realised the enormous size of his subject when he surfaced after hearing shouts from his friends to come out of the ice.
Gerald Nowak showing audiences his beautiful photos of marine creatures underneath the ice.
But the eye-opening talk has to be Tobias Friedrich’s “Dream Job Underwater Photographer” talk. Peeling away the veil behind the perceived glamour of the underwater photographer’s life, Tobias revealed the average fee you can expect to get from magazines for an article (700 – 800 Euros), and how the bulk of his time is spent, touching up pictures, writing stories, setting up shoots, planning trips and suffering through frozen arms when your wetsuit inadvertently gets torn
Tobias Friedrich telling audiences about the real side of underwater photography
Fireside Chat: The Tham Luang Cave Rescue and Beyond
The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the Tham Luang Cave Rescue Panel discussion headed by Asian Geographic CEO, John Thet and DAN (Divers Alert Network) President and CEO, William Ziefle. The discussion saw a reassembly of some of the heroes of the Tham Luang Cave Rescue team such as Ben Reymenants from Blue Label Diving, Mikko Paarsi of Koh Tao Tec Divers, Claus Ramsmussen of Blue Label Diving, Douglas Yeo of Sunfish Dive, Professional Tech Diver, Tan Xiaolong, famous Thai singer and actor Ms Narinthorn Na Bangchang of Eightyy Eight Eight and her assistant, TV Producer, Ms Chang Pichamon Changkwangyuen of Eighty Eight Eight.
The Thai Cave Rescue talk captured the imagination of everyone at ADEX Singapore 2019
Ben, Claus, Mikko, Xiaolong all shared their experiences and feelings about the rescue and it was evident that all of them now enjoyed a shared bond from experiencing such a harrowing but life affirming experience. Their bravery and selflessness was evident from their demeanour onstage as it was with Ms Narinthorn and Ms Chang Pichamon, both of whom provided invaluable help to the trapped school boys as well.
Deva Harris and Orange Production performing their famous water drums at the opening ceremony of ADEX 2019
ADEX Singapore 2019 at Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Hall kicked off with a bang to mainstream visitors on 12 April 2019 morning as some of the biggest names in technical diving such as former AquaCorps founder and editor, Michael Menduno, David Strike, the recipient of the ADEX “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his contributions to technical diving, and Richie Kohler, technical wreck diver, shipwreck historian and host of the documentary television series Deep Sea Detectives, took to the stage at the ADEX Tek Dive Conference to share their knowledge with ADEX attendees.
Michael Menduno and David Strike opened the Tek Dive Conference witth a short history of technical diving
TEK Conference Kicks Off ADEX 2019
With a background in military, commercial, recreational and technical diving, David Strike served in the United Kingdom Royal Navy, during which he participated in a ground-breaking oceanographic research project. Joined onstage by Michael Menduno, who founded AquaCorps magazine and was the first person to coin the term “technical diving”, Meduno and Strike proceeded to talk about the humble beginnings of technical diving and how it has evolved from a little known fringe sport to being the vanguard of diving exploration.
Next up was Beatrice Rivoira from Italy. An active technical instructor on both open circuit and close circuit rebreather, Beatrice has a Master’s Degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography and does biological studies on deep wrecks. In her talk, Beatrice shared with the audience how the public’s perception of what is a deep shipwreck has changed over the years along with the improvement in tech diving technology from 30 metres to 40, 70 and more than a 100 metres, even though technical diving is dangerous at all depths. She shared that for marine biologists, going into a deeper environment , biological coverage at different depths is different.
Marine Biologist and Tek Diver Beatrice Rivoira shared her experience tech diving in Italy
An experienced tech wreck diver and a shipwreck historian, Richie Kohler stepped up to the stage next to introduce himself to the audience but was beaten to the punch by Michael Menduno’s teasing introduction of him as an “old shipwreck diver”. Laughing at his buddy’s good-natured ribbing, Richie continued with his introduction, revealing that he had been sharing stories on ship wrecks for the last 20 years on television, adding that “it’s the ability to share that passion for diving” that drives him. As one of the co-hosts of History Channell’s Deep Sea Detectives, Kohler regaled the crowd with insider stories of his shipwreck dive exploits, including his exploration of the sunken Britannic, the sister ship to the Titanic.
Richie Kohler showing the audience the interior photos of the diving bell he was in during the trip down to the Britannic
First featured in The Jacques Costeau Odyssey: Calypso’s Search for Britannic, Kohler showed the conference interior underwater pics of the Triton submersible he rode to explore the Britannic before introducing Dimitri, the pilot of the Triton as well as pics of the Diving Bell that was also used for shooting the Britannic.
Kohler ended the talk by showing the audience a sneak preview of his new documentary series, Dark Waters, which has already been sold in the United States and will be coming to Asia soon.
The concept of bringing a hundred years of maritime history to life by recreating the past with character actors and sets is an exciting concept that brought thunderous cheers from the audience. By bringing heroes, villains and victims off maritime history to life, audiences get to live in the exciting moment of history.
Richie Kohler showed audiences snippets of his new television documentary series, “Dark Waters”.
BllueGreen360 Zone: Sustainable Think Tank
Chaired by Chloe Harvey of Reef-World Foundation (Green Fins international coordinators), co-organised by UW360 and supported by Blue Ocean Network, this Sustainable Think Tank conference featured a gathering of pro-active dive industry leaders to share intel on how to pursue a sustainable business model. Chloe elicited knowledge sharing from the industry leaders in attendance as they shared their experiences and lessons in how they improved access to environmentally friendly products like reef safe sunscreen, and environmentally friendly cleaning products and shampoos.
Lembeh Resort, a luxury dive resort in the Lembeh Straits in Indonesia shared with conference participants about their alliance with mainland partners in pooling their resources to lower prices for green products through bulk purchases. SuSan Stephanie, from the Diver Operator Community Komodo (DOCK) also shared with the think tank their eco travel kit for tourists. Sold to tourists in reusable bags, these eco travel kits help fund the waste management and environmental awareness programmes run by DOCK.
Beside this knowledge sharing, the think tank also broke into small groups to discuss examples of sustainability projects launched by group member companies, the challenges encountered and the support given or needed.
Books Galore and Talks Aplenty at Main Stage
The Book festival at ADEX also saw plenty of renowned underwater photographers talking about their latest exciting work, such as the Legend Beneath the Waves Philippines by Andrew Marriott, Silent Kiingdom by Christian Vizl, Face to Face: Up Close with Mother Nature by Al Hornsby , Elysium: Heart of the Coral Triangle by Michael Aw, Dinner with Divers by David Strike and Simon Pridmore and Black is the New Blue (Second Edition) by Scott Tuason, Ace Wu, Jade Hoksbergen, Henley Spiers and Ram Yoro.
Robert Scales from Ceningan Divers poviding tips on how to make yourself a conservation kid for travel
There was also the inaugural Future Forward Panel on Innovation moderated by Diving Industry Pro Consulting CEO, Ronny Roskosch with a panel consisting of product inventors/company founders and diving agencies including: Jean-Cluade Monachon (SSI), John Seddon (Scubapro), Sandro Lonardi (PADI Travel), Harold Hordosch (Seacam), Pete Ceglinski (Seabin), Louise Hardman (Plastic Collective), Brad Chen (Crest Diving), Cyril Castello (Jellyfishbot). The panel raised many salient points on how innovation and training advancement can work hand-in-hand in advancing the advancement of the industry and the increased protection of the ocean and its inhabitants.
The Future Forward Panel on Innovation moderated by Ronny Roskosch
Pete Ceglinski, the founder and creator of Seabin was also on hand to give a talk on how Seabin is revolutionalising the cleaning up of the oceans by sucking up rubbish in the ocean.
ADEX Opening Ceremony: A Look Back
After lunch, the exciting festivities at the main stage of ADEX reached its climax as the water drums trio of Orange Productions led by mermaid Deva Harris hyped out the crowd in a cacophony of latin rhythms outdone only by the coloured splashes of water spritzing into the air with every beat of their drum sticks. After the performance, the crowd was treated to a touching look back at the early beginnings of ADEX as the founders of ADEX, Rainer Sigel and Chris Sweeting spoke about the early days of ADEX while David Strike and Mike Menduno also touched on ADEX being the first in Asia to promote widely the advent of tech diving 25 years ago. The other essential men responsible for the past success of ADEX such as former ADEX CEO, Herman Ho and Clement Lee, formerly from the Sabah Tourism Board both gave touching testimonies to the progress of ADEX over the years.
Deva Harris and Orange Production performing their famous water drums at the opening ceremony of ADEX 2019
Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd and ADEX Singapore CEO John Thet also gave a speech thanking his predecessors, his team and the commitment of ADEX towards the ocean with the setting up of Ocean Citizen to unite all comers towards the protection of our oceans.
His speech was followed by an address by the High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Lady McDonald, who spoke on the three issues Canada has recently committed to. The first is the oceans plastic charter against single-use plastics at the G7 meeting lasty ear. The second was the contribution of an art piece by Canadian artists to Singapore’s year of zero waste at the Sustainable Singapore Gallery. The third was the introduction of Canadian technology companies who have taken up the fight against plastic pollution through innovation.
Ocean Partnership Summit
Bruce Dudley, Senior Vice President of Globe Series, then took to the stage to announce the Ocean Partnership Summit, which will be co-organised by ADEX next year in conjunction with ADEX 2020. A government-to-government summit dedicated to combating plastic pollution in the ocean, the Ocean Partnership Summit marks a new chapter in the development of ADEX to a dive show that now engages on a policy level with governments worldwide.
With more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the Official Country Partner of ADEX 2019. To commemorate the official opening of ADEX, ADEX is proud to have ADEX Singapore 2019 Guest-of-Honour Ms Rizki Handayani, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia, speak at the official opening of ADEX 2019 as all attendees listened intently to Indonesia’s commitment to a plastic-free ocean.
ADEX Youth Ambassador, Ms Chelsea Islan, then took to the stage to talk about her initiative against waste and plastic pollution in Indonesia. Ms Islan highlighted the fact that two thirds of Indonesia is the ocean and encouraged everyone to “be the change you want to see in this world.”
Thirach Rungruangkanokkul, Executive Director of AFMA (Agricultural and Food Marketing Association for Asia and the Pacific) – the inter-government non-profit organization in association with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, also specially flew in to appoint ADEX as the Sustainable Ocean Ambassador.
An environmentalist in Malaysia, HRH Princess Zatashah Idris W also took to the stage at ADEX to speak about combating plastic pollution in Malaysia.
Lastly, the first day of ADEX was capped off by a luminous eco-fashion show by mermaid and fashion maven Anne K Adijuwono from Indonesia, who created 25 handpainted dresses depicting the 25 threatened marine animals featured in Asian Geographic’s January 2019 issue of Scuba Diver OCEAN PLANET magazine
