UWJ Issue023

A Diving Adventure Magazine
Hollis DG05 Computer

Zeagles Wicked Lite BCD
Advanced Diving - Nitrox
DAN Dive Safety Essential
Marine Life: Diving the Desert
Diving the Antartica Peninsula
Getting Creative Black & White
Getting Bent a Long Way from Home
Pg 1
www.UnderwaterJournal.com
South Floridas Steel Reefs
- Wreck Diving in Pompano Beach -
This publication is
underwritten in part by:
Issue 23 - 2012
Issue 23 - 2012
Explore, Discover, Challenge
PADI 5 Star Dive Center

Open Water to Instructor
TDI Technical Training

Publisher/Editor - Walt Stearns
Associate Publisher - Karen Stearns

Webmaster - Margaret Chatham

Advertising - Ralph Viscusi
email: rviscusi@uwjournal.com
Contributors:
CONTENTS
Pg 5
South Floridas Steel Reefs
Mike Bartick
Divers Alert Network (DAN)
Steve Lewis
Capt. Gary Mace
Michael Salvarezza
Christopher P. Weaver
Advanced Nitrox
Trimix
KISS Semi-Closed Rebreather
KISS Closed-Circuit Rebreather
Palm Beach Countys only Full Service

Dive Center on the water with daily
dive trips to Jupiter, Floridas finest reefs
& wrecks from two 42 Dive Boats
Republic IV & VII
Pg 19 Diving the Antartica Peninsula

Pg 30 First Look: Hollis DG05 Computer
Pg 34 Sea Trial: Zeagles Wicked Lite BCD
Pg 39 Marine Life: Diving the Desert
Pg 46 Advanced Diving: Nitrox
Pg 50 Getting Bent a Long Way from Home
Pg 56 DAN: Dive Safety Essential
Pg 59 Photography: Getting Creative with
Black & White
Pg 62 Parting Shot
Cover: CCR Diver examining the large windless on the deck
of the Jim Atria wreck off Broward County, FL. Photo shot with
Nikon D300, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom lens in a Subal
ND30 housing with twin Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes set on
manual/half power. Exposure 60 sec. at f5.6, 200 iso.
Photo: Walt Stearns 2009
Pg 2
The Underwater Journal is published by

Ocean Arts, Inc. A ll content in this publication
is protected, copyright 2011. No use may
be made of material contained herein without
written consent from Ocean Arts, Inc.
Inquiries: info@uwjournal.com
Editorial Disclaimer
The articles, positions and statements contained in this
publication are not necessarily those of SDI, TDI
or ERDI, its B.O.D., officers or employees. Opinions,
conclusions, and other information in this publication
are solely those of the Editor / Writer and are neither
given nor endorsed by the agencies mentioned. Total
editorial freedom and expression is solely retained and
the responsibility of the Editors / Writers.
Air, Nitrox, Oxygen

& Trimix Available
www.JupiterDiveCenter.com
1001 N. Hwy A1A Alternate. Jupiter, FL 33477

Toll Free: (800) 567-9723 or 561-745-7807
email: info@jupiterdivecenter.com
Issue 23 - 2012
I have simply never seen a place as beautiful as Wakatobi. Each day I

would wake up, look at the palms, the crystal clear sea and the golden-white
beaches and think that this had to be the most beautiful place on the planet.
- Duncan Zillman, Sept. 2011
www.wakatobi.com
Pg 3
Issue 23 - 2012
Grand Cayman
Dive Sites
Walt Stearns 2003
The Kittiwake wreck on Grand Cayman is the new penny in the Cayman Islands massive collection of dives sites.
Not far the wreck, sharing the same corner of the island, Orange Canyon, with its colorful orange sponges still remains
a top crowd pleaser for divers looking for exciting wall dives off Seven Mile Beach.
Pg 4
Issue 23 - 2012
Wreck Diving
Off Floridas
Southeast Coast,
down between the
Palm Beaches and
the Florida Keys,
Wrecks Rule!
- South Floridas Steel Reefs Walt Stearns 2008
Pg 5
Issue 23 - 2012
Story & Photos

by Walt Stearns
Floating Above the Capt. Dan
eering over the gunwale of the dive boat, the

water at the surface looked green, which made
me feel a bit blue. But just seconds later, as I
followed the down line through an upper water
column peppered with particulate, the clarity began to
improve significanlty as we headed deeper. Things were
beginning to look up. Below us, the upper portions of
the wrecks structure came into sharp focus, with details
of the superstructure materializing quickly. Although
visibility ran in the 50-foot range, it was still easy to
make out the impressive outline of the former 175-foot
Coast Guard Buoy Tender, which was now standing
beautifully upright and intact in the 110-foot depths.
Since her sinking in February 1990, the Capt. Dan had
taken on a plentitude of marine growth over most of her
steel skeleton. Inside, the wreck offered three deck levels
of corridors, cabins and holds for penetration.
Dropping in through the pilothouses starboard entry,
I gently settled into place so as to not stir up the silt to
compose a shot of what appeared to be the helm binnacle
encrusted in growth. In the brief illumination produced by
the cameras twin strobes, there was a short explosion of
bright orange and yellow hues. Hitting the cameras review
button, my question was answered by an image dominated
by colonies of orange cup (Tubastraea cocinea) corals, which
covered most of the wheelhouse walls, ceiling and window
frames in a bright spray of color.
Pg 6
Issue 23 - 2012
Although this particular hard

coral is a non-native of the Caribbean, and therefore considered an evasive species, its one
endearing trait is a propensity
for wrecks, and it often grows
in great profusion, seeming to
overtake vessels in a colorful
coating. Some might wonder if
this a bad thing? Having lived
and dived here in South Florida
as long as I have, I will say that
if it werent for these little corals,
many of the wrecks off Broward
Countys coastline would look
a little mundane, with little
more than rusting walls, a few
sponges here and there, and a
few schools of fish.
Most schools on the Capt.
Dan are comprised of baitfish
feeding on what the current
happened to bring as they
danced and swayed above
the wrecks bridge. Taunting
the small silvery-skinned fish,
resident barracudas sit poised
for a sudden assault.
Pick any part of Florida that
offers diving and chances are, it
will have one particular attribute
that makes it stand out above
others. The Florida Keys are
known for the largest living coral
reef in North America. North
Palm Beachs larger critters sea turtles, Goliath grouper
and sharks are now seen as its
signature attraction. In North
Pg 7
Florida, crystalline spring pools

lead to deep underground cave
systems with dark passages
that present some truly interesting mind benders. Going back
south, down to Floridas southeast coast between the Palm
Beaches and the Florida Keys,
wrecks rule!
Setting the bridge of the Capt. Dan afire under brilliant shades of
yellow and orange, large colonies of orange cup (Tubastraea cocinea)
corals dominate the wrecks wheelhouse, covering everything from the
window frames to the bridges walls and ceiling.
Issue 23 - 2012
Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication
Dive Computers &

Rebreather Electronics
for Technical Divers
More than a Passing FAD
Not to be confused with true wrecks ships
that have fallen prey to storms or acts of war,
a large percentage of Floridas were sunk
intentionally to create fish havens.
Using manmade objects as FADs (Fish
Aggregating Devices) is nothing new. The first
recorded account of FADs took place centuries ago in feudal age Japan by fishermen who
deployed fabricated structures to attract fish
to an otherwise barren bottom.
Sometime around the late 1960s a couple
of enterprising sport fishermen in Miami recogPg 8
nized this system of placing man-made objects

- something preferably larger than a bunch
of weighted-down bamboo lashed together could help the declining fisheries in their own
back yard.
The first to go down October 16th, 1969
was a 150-foot LCI fuel barge that was sunk
in 202 feet of water, with a second vessel, a
110-foot freighter named the Lotus, sent to
the bottom in 1971 in a similar depth of 180
feet. In what seemed like no time, the experiment proved successful.
Powerful
Simple
Reliable
www.shearwaterresearch.com
email: info@shearwaterresearch.com call: 604-669-9958
Issue 23 - 2012
Recognizing a good thing, the City of

Fort Lauderdale and Broward Countys
Environmental
Protection
Department (EPD) stepped into the act, with
Broward deploying its first wreck, the
Osborne, a 60-foot barge loaded with
Erojacks and concrete culverts, in 65
feet of water in 1972.
Over the following years, particularly during the 1980s to the mid-1990s
Broward Countys EPD initiated one of
the states most aggressive artificial
reef initiatives, supervising the creation
of more than 112 artificial reefs sites.
Why so many? Unlike the Florida
Keys, Broward Countys own reef tract
consists of a relatively narrow, low
profile system jogging intermittently up
the coast. This underwater topography
limits the amount of suitable habitat
available for marine life to flourish; the
objective was to increase the habitat
available for marine life.
Pg 9
For divers, the sweetest fruit brought

forth by this highly aggressive FAD
initiative is a comprehensive collection
of some 40 freighters, barges, tugboats
and buoy tenders, as well as a former
Gulf of Mexico oil platform, ranging up
and down the coast in depths between
60 and 250 feet of water.
For dive shops and charter boats
along the coast from the city of Ft.
Lauderdale northward past Pompano
Beach, this proliferation of derelict
ships turned prosperous fish havens
is big business. Especially considerate,
the agencies and organizations that
help put so many of the wrecks down
did so less than four miles from shore.
Perhaps they should call these
things DADs, as in Diver Aggregating
Devices, because the range and experience level of divers who visit is across
the board.
Issue 23 - 2012
On any given day, the FAD fleet

hosts everything from neophytes
getting their first taste on diving a
wreck in 60 to 120 feet, to those in
the more advanced camp who like
working a little deeper in the 130 to
300-foot range on open circuit trimix
and CCR.
To describe each and every wreck

sunk in this stretch of coast would be
a massive undertaking, considering
there is more than half as many here
as there are in Truk Lagoon. Following is an excellent sampling, begining
with Pompanos trio - the 160-foot
RSB-1, the 215-foot freighter Rodeo
25 and 175-foot ex-Coast Guard
Buoy Tender, Capt. Dan, offshore of
Pompano Beach, Florida.
Pg 10
The Rodeo 25, formerly the Windward

Trader, was sunk on May 12, 1990, in
recognition of Pompano Fishing Rodeos
25th anniversary.
Like most vessels to be used for artificial
reef duty, it was left predominantly intact
to maximize effectiveness as viable habitat
for a myriad of marine life. Broward
Countys EPD mandates that all doors,
hatches and portholes be removed before
scuttling a ship.
Issue 23 - 2012
While it may not be an indigenous coral species to the Atlantic,

the question remains, is this one
we should worry about? Currently this species of coral still favors
taking up residence in a surprisingly fast rate of growth on metal
structures like wrecks, support
columns on light houses and oil
platforms; places most other varieties have a lot of trouble colonizing, which turns them into colorfull gardens. Yet, their presence
on natural coral reefs, displacing native corals and sponges still
remains extremely low to almost
non-existent.
So the question remains, is
this immigrant a bad thing?
Color Me Orange
Although there this certainly more
attention on foreign and evasive
species of marine life like lionfish, and
now tiger prawns spreading in the Gulf
of Mexico, Orange Cup Corals (Tubastraea cocinea) have been in the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic far longer.
First recorded in Puerto Rico and
Curacao in 1943, naturalists speculate this tropical Pacific native found
Pg 11
its way into the western Atlantic as a

hitchhiker in the belly of large freighters using stores of raw seawater
for ballast control. Since then, this
variety of stony coral has slowly
spread its way across the Caribbean from Bonaire to BVI and Jamaica
and more recently as far north as the
southeast coast of Florida and Texas
Flower Gardens.
Issue 23 - 2012
A group of CCR divers

descend past the Rodeo
25s huge King Posts to
start their exploration of
the ships bridge.
As part of her special sendoff, the Rodeo 25s hold was

loaded with several drums of confiscated ether - courtesy
of local law enforcements prior raids on illegal drug labs,
and the countys bomb squad for the placement of the
explosives to sink it. When the charges were lit, the
highly flammable ether engulfed the freighter in a huge
flaming ball, giving some 100,000 spectators gathered for
Pg 12
the event a real show. As planned, after the smoke had

cleared, the Rodeo 25 came to rest in an upright position
in 126 feet of water. Today, the vessel remains intact,
save for her middle cargo holds having collapsed, with
her 50-foot foremast lying over her starboard rail and her
huge King Post (looking like end zone uprights) forward of
the bridge cantered a few degrees to one side.
Issue 23 - 2012
Although the Rodeo 25 lies

within the limits of recreational diving, she also makes a
good practice dive for technical divers. The main deck is
at 100 feet with her King Post
rising to within 60 feet of the
surface. On days when the visibility really opens up, looking
up those towering 50-foot-high
double masts with the ships
bridge looming up behind it is
quite impressive!
Joining the Rodeo 25 several
months later was the 175-foot
long former Coast Guard Buoy
Tender, Capt. Dan.
Photo Walt Stearns 2011

Displacing 825 fl tons, the
CGC Hollyhock (the Coast
Guard vessels orginal name)
was a heavy seagoing Buoy
Tender built in 1937 by Defoe
Boat & Motor Works of Bay City,
Michigan. This vessel replaced
the aging U.S. Lighthouse
Service Tender Sumac, and
worked the Great Lakes out of
Pg 13
Detroit until 1962, when she was

moved to Miami, Florida, until
she was decommissioned from
the U.S. Coast Guard on March
31, 1982.
Thereafter the Hollyhock
was purchased by a missionary
and renamed to the Good News
Missionship. Due to mechanical problems, the Good News
Missionship became stranded in

the Miami River and was eventually abandoned. Some years
later she was re-purchased by
the Pompano Beach Fishing
Rodeo for use as an artificial
reef. She was renamed the Capt.
Dan, after Captain Dan Garnsey,
a well-known Pompano Beach
fishing boat owner.
Today, the ship is still very

much intact, upright on the
bottom in 110 feet with her bow
pointing south and top aft deck
90 feet below the surface. The
most vibrant coral growth on
the wreck is found on the wheelhouse, both inside and out, at a
depth of 70 feet.
Issue 23 - 2012

Sunk in 1992, the 160-foot hulk of the
RSB-1 stands upright in the same 110-foot
depth as the Capt. Dan, but with her bow
facing north.
Pg 14
Above the wheelhouse a large cross bar

arrangement sticks high up in the water
column. Like its neighboring wrecks, the
RSB-1 has taken on an extensive amount of
growth, to the point of resembling a Chia

pet. Although the wreck is seldom frequented by large schools fish, the wreck does
attract a wide variety of divers.
Issue 23 - 2012
The Jim Atria was lifted up

during Hurricane Andrew
and re-deposited completely
upright, still largely intact to
this day.
In the same league, but slightly

deeper than the Pompano trio, is
the Jim Atria.
Located four miles north of
Port Everglades in 135 feet of
water, the Atria (originally named
the Poinciana), was a 227-foot
Dutch freighter built in 1961. In
September 1987, after she had
capsized and was left abandoned
in the Miami River, she was
purchased by the Broward County
Artificial Reef Program and Mr.
Pg 15
Jim Atria (a local real estate

developer) and redeployed to the
bottom of the sea in 110-feet of
water. During the event, she came
to rest on her side, until Hurricane
Andrew decided to run through
South Miami in 1992.
The storm produced intensive
ground swells and the Atria was
lifted and re-deposited completely
upright and still largely intact, with
one of her big cargo masts rising
to within 70 feet of the surface.
Issue 23 - 2012
Also
among
Pompanos
collection of wrecks is the Guy
Harvey, named after the famous
marine artist in recognition of
his financial contributions to
the Pompano Fishing Rodeo.
This is for the technical crowd.
Located approximately 4 miles
south of the Hillsboro Inlet, this
large 185-foot Dutch freighter rests upright on the seabed
in 145 feet. Under her last
known name, Lady Kimberly,
the freighter traveled primarily between her homeport in
Holland and the Lesser Antilles
and Haiti. But as many ships do
before being inducted into one

of South Floridas artificial reef
programs, she was eventually
abandoned on the Miami River.
Prior to her sinking on May
10, 1997, Guy Harvey painted
sharks on the ships side. Now,
fully developed as an artificial
reef, theres not a spot on her
hull that isnt covered in growth.
Lying within the periphery
of the Gulf Stream, visibility off
Pompano Beach can sometimes
be spectacular; this often makes
the mammoth steel skeletons
of these wrecks appear to leap
off the bottom. However, for
the most part, with the current

customarily here one day gone
the next, really good visibility is
often a game of catch me when
you can, as it typically averages
between 30 and 60 feet.
The best part about wreck
diving off Pompano Beach,
Florida is their close proximity
to the coast. Most of the wrecks
are within running distances of
less than 30 minutes beyond the
mouth of the Hillsboro Inlet.
Pg 16
So hop right in, the wrecks are

great, and the water is certainly warmer - even in the winter than the Jersey Coast.
- WS
Issue 23 - 2012
Pompano Beach Area Dive Charters
(Names are activitly linked)
AVID DIVER CHARTERS - aviddivercharters.com

DEEP RELIEF DIVE CHARTERS - deepreliefdivecharters.com
954-798-6929
LADY GO DIVER - dixiediver.com
800-630-3441 or 954-421-2601
MISS CONDUCT CHARTERS - missconductcharters.com
954-698-6139
OCEAN DIVING, INC. - oceandiving.com
954-943-3337
PARROT ISLAND SCUBA ADVENTURES - parrotislandscuba.com
800-851-9106 or 954-942-7333
POMPANO DIVE CENTER - pompanodivecenter.com
954-788-0208
SCUBATYME DIVE CHARTERS - scubatyme.com
954-786-9990
SOUTH FLORIDA DIVING HEADQUARTERS - southfloridadiving.com
800-771-3483 or 954-783-2299
The total number of wreck sites within reach of Broward Countys

Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach, FL near equals half the number of
wrecks lying at the bottom of Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon.
Pg 17
Learn more about

Greater Fort Lauderdale
at www.sunny.org or
visit Floridas FLAUSA
vacation guide website
at www.flausa.com
Issue 23 - 2012
Pg 18
Issue 23 - 2012
Travel/Adventure
e stood like sentinels on
Crossing the Circle

Diving the Antarctic Peninsula
Story & Photos by
Michael Salvarezza &
Pg 19
the bow as we had been doing

throughout the voyage, gazing
at the magnificent beauty that
draped over this cold and isolated
land. Today was like many other
days with light snow falling from a
low gray overcast sky and a stiff
breeze blowing over the brash
ice that surrounded the ship. We
turned to see Roger, the ships
naturalist and expedition team
member, approach us wearing an
outlandish dragons hat.
Suddenly, he grabbed our
heads and imprinted a circle of ink
on our foreheads.
Youve been Circle-sized!, he
exclaimed and with that we joined
the exclusive club of travelers who
have journeyed to Antarctica and
actually crossed over and south of
the Antarctic Circle.
It was a moment of both achievement and hilarity as we all celebrated by drinking a champagne toast,
listening to speeches, laughing at
the crazy initiation celebration and,
after a few moments, rushing back
inside to get warm.
Issue 23 - 2012
Crossing the Circle was but one

of our many remarkable experiences
as we explored the western flanks of
the Antarctic Peninsula aboard Polar
Pioneer, a Russian ice-strengthened
expedition vessel chartered by Aurora
Expeditions based in Australia. Indeed,
we had come here to experience the
most remote of the Earths continents,
witness its amazing array of unique
wildlife and to dive in its icy polar waters
- and we were not disappointed.
Shortly after reaching this latitude
point, we encountered dense pack ice
on our way south to Crystal Sound. The
ice-strengthened hull of the ship was
clearly up to the task as we bashed,
crashed and crunched our way through
the icy mix.
Soon we reached our southernmost
point at 66.42.065 South, 66.55.026
West and turned back North to head
for our next dive site.
The Polar Pioneer pushes through the pack ice to reach a dive site.
Much of the diving in Antarctic is truly exploratory often, dive

sites are locations that have never been dived before. Each dive is
a new adventure!
Pg 20
Issue 23 - 2012
itive Antarctic Fur Seal. As we were

scrambling back into the Zodiac,
our fingers frozen from our 30
minute immersion in 28-degree
(-2C) water, we spotted a young,
male Fur Seal who was darting
back and forth in the clear waters
and coming closer and closer to
the rubber craft.
Despite our best attempts
against anthropomorphism, we
couldnt help thinking he was
inviting us to come in and play!
Quickly, we grabbed our masks,
fins and cameras and quietly
slipped back into the biting cold
water and began a playful game

of Simon Says with our new
friend. He would approach, give
us an inviting look, dart away
and return seconds later.
Since we couldnt match his
speed and follow him, Chris
had a different idea. He began
spinning in the water and we
watched in awe as the seal
began imitating him! This unexpected, but amazing, encounter
lasted for 20 minutes until it was
time for us to reluctantly return
to the boat, having made a new
friend in Antarctica.
Barcroft Islands
After suiting up in a wet
snowfall, we loaded our gear into
one of the ships sturdy Zodiacs
and headed for the Barcroft
Islands, a set of small, isolated
islands that looked promising
as potential dive sites. Much of
the diving in Antarctic is truly
exploratory often, dive sites
are locations that have never
been dived before. Each dive is
a new adventure!
With temperatures below
freezing we slipped into the clear
water and quickly made our way
down the sloping, rocky bottom
and descended to 60 feet. The
underwater terrain consisted of
Pg 21
large rocks and small boulders

tumbling down into untold
depths. Unlike some areas of the
Antarctic Peninsula where marine
life grows in great profusion,
this was clearly a site frequently
scoured by passing icebergs. In
these areas, marine life has difficulty getting a foothold and we
spent our time photographing
small invertebrates, such as the
colorful Red Antarctic Seastars
and the delicate limpets that
could be found crawling over
many of the rocks.
The highlight of the dive,
however, was an unexpected play
session with an extremely inquisIssue 23 - 2012
ice and our eyes marveling at the

ethereal beauty of the enormous
floating block of frozen water, we
couldnt help but notice that at
times the water column seemed
wavy and distorted as if we were
diving through a thermo-cline.
We were told this phenomenon
was caused by the fresh water
melting from the submerged
walls of the iceberg while mixing
with the surrounding saltwater.
As we looked up from the
depths, we could see the muted
glow of the sun as it flickered between floating pack
ice. Below us was dark, black
water of undetermined depth.
Before us was a completely alien
world. We carefully explored the
iceberg first by circumnavigat-
ing it and then by penetrating

into some of its small, craggy
ice caves. This particular berg
most likely broke off from some
distant glacier and consisted of
decades-old or even centuriesold ice, which had every shade
of color between bright white to
deep indigo blue. This was truly
a captivating experience.
After surfacing through the
slurpie-like slush of the brash
and pack ice, we spotted a
pair of Crabeater Seals resting
comfortably on a nearby ice
flow. With a disinterested eye,
they seemed to be saying to
themselves Why would these
crazy people go diving in that
cold water? Its so nice and
warm up here in the sun!
Prospect Point, Fish Islands

Diving alongside and under
icebergs is both beautiful and
dangerous. Because of their
inherent instability and constant
motion, icebergs can selfdestruct and break apart at
a moments notice. They can
also roll over without warning,
crushing and trapping an unsuspecting diver between tons of
ice and the ocean floor. Still,
diving around, under and in
these structures is a breathtaking experience.
So, under a brilliant blaze
of sunshine, we suited up for
Pg 22
our next dive alongside a large

iceberg. Soon everyone was set
and ready to once again take
the icy plunge. One by one, we
carefully slipped into a narrow
opening of clear water between
ice flows. With all divers finally
beneath the waves, the zodiac
driver began to slowly move
about on the surface trying to
keep the dense pack ice from
closing in around our entry and
exit area.
As we descended along
the glassy smooth walls of the
iceberg, our hands caressing the
Issue 23 - 2012
Vernadsky Station
& Port Lockroy
The waters alongside Vernadsky, the Ukrainian research
station is teeming with colorful
invertebrate sea life. Originally
a British station named Faraday,
the base was renamed Vernadsky and was transferred to
Ukraine on February 6, 1996.
It was intriguing
to learn that the
detection of the Ozone
Hole in the atmosphere
was first discovered
at this very spot.
Galindez Island where the
station is located is a small
island in the Argentine Islands
Archipelago and is considered
the oldest operational station in
the Antarctic Peninsula region.
Scientific studies here include
collecting meteorological and
geomagnetic data as well as
performing
ionospheric
and
magneto-spheric research.
Here, as we swam along a
wall of kelp-covered rock at 50
feet (15m), we photographed
large, colorful Anemones, Giant
Antarctic Isopods and we even
found the creepy looking Antarctic Sea Spiders.
Pg 23
Crocodile Dragon Fish

After our dive, we were
invited to tour the facility by
base personnel. It was intriguing
to learn that the detection of the
Ozone Hole in the atmosphere
was first discovered at this very
spot. Suddenly, the brilliant
sunshine didnt feel so comfortable and we quickly reached for
our sunscreen!
Port Lockroy is a British
station established on February
16, 1944 as part of Operation
Tabarin, the UK military operation to establish meteorological
and reconnaissance stations in

Antarctica. The station was the
first permanent British Antarctic station in Antarctica at the
time. It was here that we made
another fabulous dive along
a jumbled rocky wall covered
with kelp and marine invertebrates. Here, we encountered
the bizarre looking multi-legged
Antarctic Sea Star.
These
starfish
resemble
nothing like weve ever seen,
are as big as a manhole cover
and have somewhere around
48 legs in total. Similarly weird

animals at Port Lockroy were
marching bands of brittle stars,
the tips of their legs pointed
upwards as they moved quickly
along the bottom, the Crocodile
Dragon Fish and a giant jellyfish
with tentacles that extended
at least 15 feet into the murky
waters. We also observed vividly
colored Red Sea Urchins and
large sea anemones clinging
to the surrounding rocks in the
mild current.
Issue 23 - 2012
After entering the water from the shore, we quickly

descended to 50 feet (15m) and observed a variety of
colorful marine organisms, including several purplecolored sea stars and the frightening Giant Antarctic
Isopod.
Before long, our fingers told us it was time to end the
dive and we surfaced to a blinding snowstorm, driven by
a blast of 50 MPH winds screaming over the snow covered
island. In seconds, we were immersed in a total whiteout
and could barely keep sight of the Zodiac just yards away
in the water. Thankfully, this squall ended as quickly as it
started and in short order we are on our way back to the
warmth and safety of the Polar Pioneer.
Cuverville & Deception Island

At Cuverville Island, the bottom slopes downward from
the shore in rocky kelp covered jumble. It is also home to
one of the largest Gentoo Penguin colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula. Breeding Kelp Gulls, Antarctic Terns, Snowy
Sheathbills, and Skuas can also be observed.
After donning our dive gear in a snowstorm aboard the
Polar Pioneer, we motored out and searched among the
ice-choked shoreline for a suitable dive site and a place to
anchor the Zodiac.
Along the way, we encountered a pair of sleeping
Humpback Whales, their hulks just bobbing in the gentle
swell and the sound of their exhalations resounding across
the pack ice.
Pg 24
Issue 23 - 2012
The dormant volcano known

as Deception Island is located in
the Bransfield Strait, about 15
miles (25km) south of Livingston Island in the South Shetland
Islands. From the air, the island
looks roughly circular and its
horseshoe shape encloses a
large flooded bay called Port
Foster. Access into the bay is
gained via a narrow passage
called Neptunes Bellows.
Ruins from old whaling
stations as well as deserted
observation
and
scientific
outposts for various countries
can be seen on shore. This place
was ravaged by several fierce
eruptions in the late 1960s which
ultimately led to the evacuation
of these active stations. The
most recent eruptions took place
in 1991-92. The present volcanic
activity thermally heats the
waters of Pendulum Cove where
brave travelers can attempt to
bathe in this natural heated spa.
Deception Island is home to a
plethora of remarkable wildlife,
not the least of which is the
largest rookery of Chinstrap
Penguins in the world. Here, in
the volcanic rocks and hills, over
100,000 of these endearing birds
make their home. Of course,
with this many birds yields lots
of noiseand lots of smell!
In addition to Chinstraps,
we photographed more Fur
Pg 25
Seals,
witnessed
Antarctic
Skuas preying on sick or weak
penguin chicks, and encountered several large but sleepy
Elephant Seals reposing on the
black sand beach. We even dove
in the caldera of the volcano and
photographed tiny Amphipods

and Nematode Worms, the only
prevalent species in this otherwise barren underwater landscape. It was a unique experience, however, and as one diver
commented just before entering
the water, We have to agree on

a new underwater hand signal
for a exploding volcano!
As if handling one particularly rough landing on Deception
Island wasnt enough?
Issue 23 - 2012
Side Trip: Ushuaia

Most travelers to Antarctica depart
from the port city of Ushuaia. We
decided to arrive a day or two early in
Ushuaia and arrange to Scuba Dive in
the Beagle Channel.
Our expectations were lowwe had
never heard of diving opportunities in
this part of the world and we figured
there was a reason for that. We were
pleasantly surprised.
On our dives here we found dense
forests of Kelp, large and colorful King
Crabs wandering the rocky ocean
floor, and many varied invertebrates
which created lots of photographic
opportunities, With water temperatures
in the low 40s and visibility around 20
feet, this was not unlike diving in the
Pacific Northwest.
Divers on their way to Antarctica
may want to consider this option as a
way to extend their experience in this
entire region.
The Drake Tax

Despite its remoteness and sense of
isolation, the Antarctic Peninsula is the most
accessible part of this vast, frozen wilderness.
For Scuba Divers, the opportunity to explore
these remote reaches and open new dive sites
with virtually every dive is unparalleled in
todays world. For those interested in wildlife,
photography, geology, and exploration, the
possibilities in Antarctica are limitless.
Pg 26
But there is a small price to pay. All

travel to this region for tourists is done via
ship from South America. Departing from
Ushuaia, sometimes referred to as the City
at the End of the World, are a small cadre of
boats, ranging from cruise ships to smaller
Russian ice strengthened expedition vessels.
While cruise ships may afford a bit more
comfort, they are ill-equipped to navigate
Contact:
Ushuaia Divers
Carlos Giuggia
Web: www.tierradelfuego.org.ar/divers
Email: divers@tierradelfuego.org.ar
Phone: 54 02901 444701
Address:
L.N. Alem 4509
Ushuaia (c.p. 9410)
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Issue 23 - 2012
dense pack ice, are less maneuverable and most generally do not
provide the opportunities to explore
the continent by getting off the ship.
The smaller ice strengthened expedition vessels are key for this type
of adventure. But all ships traveling to these regions must traverse
the Drake Passage and pay what is
referred to as The Drake Tax.
Known as the roughest water in
the world, this lonely stretch of water,
home to giant Wandering Albatrosses and other magnificent sea birds, is
raked frequently by storms.
As these storms circle around the

continent through these unprotected waters produce massive swells.
Together with the high winds, which
can test the mettle of any vessel
crossing through.
On our way home we encountered such a storm with 90-knot
winds accompanied by 30-foot seas
(Beaufort Force 12). Anyone for
Tandoori Chicken for dinner?
Bearings
Getting There: All travel to the Antarctic Peninsula is via boat.
Cruise ships and expedition vessels depart from Ushuaia,
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Air service to Ushuaia is provided
by Aerolineas Argentinas, with international flights arriving in
Buenos Aires.
Entry Requirements: All visitors to Argentina must have
a passport with 90-day validity. U.S., Canadian and British
citizens do not need a visa for visits up to 90 days. Passports
are collected on the boat by ship personnel and are used when
visiting research stations in Antarctica.
Climate: In the Antarctic summer, the temperatures can range
between 32-40F (0-4C). The daylight hours extend from
around 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., with even longer days in the peak
summer months of December and early January. Sudden snow
squalls, windy conditions and temperature drops are common.
The air is very dry in Antarctic so be prepared to drink lots of
water and use skin and lip moisturizer. The sun is very strong.
Sun block is essential and make sure to bring sunglasses!
Best Time to Dive: The only time to visit Antarctica is the
Austral summer. The season runs from November through
March. Winter travel is not possible. Diving conditions vary,
but the best visibility occurs early in the season before the
plankton blooms occur in late summer.
Health & Safety: The most significant danger in Antarctica is
the remoteness and isolation. Medical emergencies, including
diving accidents, often require an air evacuation back to
South America, either to Chile or Argentina. The stormy ocean
conditions of the Drake Passage can test the best seasickness
medicines. Shipboard doctors can provide assistance.
Language: English is widely spoken on the ships exploring
Antarctica.
Pg 27
Issue 23 - 2012
In the wake of Shackleton

Our expedition to Antarctica was a resounding success.
Magnificent vistas of snow
and ice, dramatic mountains
tumbling into crystalline waters
and prolific and varied wildlife
ensured never-ending photographic opportunities above
the water. Whether we were
watching Minke Whales alongside the boat, breaching Humpbacks in the distance, or
Leopard and Crabeater Seals
resting comfortably on passing
ice flows, we were in constant

amazement of the variety of
beauty of the denizens of this
land. Chinstrap, Gentoo and
Adelie Penguins dominate this
land and seem to be very much
at home in the frozen wilderness
and we can only marvel at their
ability to survive in this harsh
and unforgiving environment.
Underwater, Antarctica is an
alien place. Fish with anti-freeze
in their blood, starfish with 48
legs and strange looking inver-
tebrates like the Giant Antarctic Isopods and the Sea Spiders
all serve to capture our imagination and interest.
Divers are fortunate to be
able to explore both dimensions of this wonderful place.
When Shackleton and his
team of explorers and scientists ventured south to these
lands, they could only wonder
what was below the surface of
the freezing waters. Today, we
can explore in relative comfort
and the images of these beautiful underwater encounters are
forever burned into our minds
imploring us to return and to
continue our discoveries.
- MS & CW
Michael Salvarezza &

Michael and Christopher head
the New York based organization,
Eco-Photo Explorers. Its mission
includes promoting interest in
protecting our ocean environment
by creating awareness through the
use of underwater photography.
Antartica Expedition Organizers
Aurora Expeditions
Gentoo Penguins
Pg 28
182A Cumberland St.

The Rocks
Sydney, NSW 2000
Australia
+61-2-9252-1033
www.auroraexpeditions.com
Oceanwide Expeditions
15710 JFK Blvd, Suite 285

Houston, TX 77032
1-800-453-7245
www.oceanwide-expeditions.com
Issue 23 - 2012
LAGUNA BEACH RESORT

UTILA
all packages include:
3 boat dives daily with 2
night boat dives a week,
unlimited shore diving
& snorkeling, unlimited
horseback riding, kayaking &
biking, 3 meals a day, taxes,
and round trip transfers
between utila airport and
laguna Beach Resort.
Come explore our tropical

paradise
laguna Beach Resort, an exclusive
diving, fishing, and beach getaway located
on utila, combines elegance, privacy and
natural beauty. a divers paradise, utila sits
on top of the second largest fringing coral
reef in the world, and the outer banks are
home to dolphin and whale sharks.
For more information go to
www.utiladiveventures.com
or e-mail
shara@utiladiveventures.com
Pg
1 29www.UnderwaterJournal.com
Pg
Issue 23 - 2012
GEAR: First Look
Hollis Gears New DG05
The bar has been raised on

Technical Dive Computers.
by Walt Stearns
Pg 30
f Hollis Gears new DG05 looks

identical to VR Technologys
VRX dive computer, theres
a reason. Not long ago, as
part of their new partnership,
the engineers from both VR
Technology and Pelagic Pressure
Systems (Oceanic, Aeris and
Hollis
Gears
manufacturing
division for their complete line of
dive computers) combined the
attributes from both lines including
the wireless technology for which
Oceanic is most famous, with a
vibrant OLED display pioneered by
VR Technology.
The DG05 represents a new
generation
of
technical
dive
computers, being among the
first to offer Optocon IR wireless
technology that is integrated
in VRs Sentinel model ClosedCircuit Rebreather, and their
newer Explorer Semi-closed
Recreational Rebreather which
is distributed by Hollis Gear.
This should be of special interest
to rebreather divers. When the
DG05 is in rebreather mode, the
Optocon IR system delivers data to
a wrist-worn computer, providing
PO2 information to the diver in
real time.
Thats right, no hard-wired
electrical cables between the
rebreather and the computer.
Explorer Semi-closed
Recreational Rebreather
and
Prism II Closed Curuit
Rebreather
Issue 23 - 2012
The Optocon IR system

used on the DG05 uses the
same infrared communications technology found in
fiber optic cables and TV
remotes. Infrared (IR) light
is electromagnetic radiation
with a wavelength longer
than that of visible light. A
radiated Infrared modulated transmission allows one
device (the remote) to talk
to another IR compatible
device (for example, a TV)
that is within a line of sight
of the transmitter.
A similar principle allows
IR radiation to be passed
through water for relatively
short distances. Data from a
oxygen sensor module is fed
to an IR Transmitter housed
within the rebreather, which
forwards it to the DGO5.
The computer is configured
to monitor either a single
oxygen cell (in the case of
the Exlporer SCR) or 3 individual oxygen cells (in a CCR
system). According to Hollis
Gears Vice President of
Sales, David Burroughs, this
feature will be added to their
Prism II CCR in the very
near future.
The ability to provide
wireless O2 data exchange
represents a huge leap for
both CCR and SCR systems.
Pg 31
As most rebreather divers

are all to aware, electrical
cables and connectors do
not fare well in the underwater environment, and water
intrusion into any part of the
cable or connectors can lead
to complete system failure.
This wireless technology
incorporated into the DGO5
is not exclusive to CCR and
SCR divers. Open circuit
divers also have the ability to
monitor their as many as 4
individual HP sensors at the
same time, tracking up to
four gas mixtures in primary
and stage tanks.
A key attribute of any
dive computer is the ability
to read display information in all light conditions,
which is why the DG05 uses
a large OLED (Organic LightEmitting
Diode)
display.
Compared to convention LCD
displays, OLED screen illumi-
nation is significantly more

energy efficient Thinner,
lighter and more attractive, OLEDs offer markedly
better performance features
like faster response times,
wider viewing angles, higher
contrast ratios and brighter,
more saturated colors. All
of which make for a more
enjoyable viewing experience,
especially
when
ambient light conditions are
very low.
Together with a intuitive menu system (unlike
VRs former VR3 computer)
the DG05s OLED display is
easy to interpret, thanks to
a series of icons and numerical information which can be
set to Imperial or Metric.
Individual
graphic
elements can be switched
to enlarged modes for easy
viewing, and after a few
seconds these various menu
bars disappear and the
primary dive information
fills the screen.
The DG05 is a handsome
package, offering a large
OLED face housed in a rugged
mil-spec aluminum case. It
is a full-function decompression dive computer incorporating a Variable Gradient
Model (VGM) algorithm that
can handle 10 different Air/
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Scuba Instruction
Beginner to Instructor
www.olympusdiving.com
252-726-9432
713 Shepard Street, Morehead City, NC

Issue 23 - 2012
Nitrox/Trimix gas presets, which

can be switched by the user at
any time.
Rather than penalize the
diver for using large fractions of helium, the VGM algorithm takes into account the
use of gases with a high helium
content a growing trend in
advanced technical diving that
allows the diver to extensively
customize the deep to shallow
stop ratio and the overall stop
time at each level. The DG05
also provides users the choice
of selecting a well-established
derivative of the Bhlmann
ZH-L16 algorithm, with modifications to support deep stops,
adjustable shallow stop depth,
and dynamic decompression
ceilings. Furthermore, the diver
can perform selectable switching between both algorithms.
According to the DG05s
specs, during a decompression
dive, not only does the computer
provide complete information of
all required stop times in the
displays complete with time-tosurface based on look ahead at
planned gas switches, it will not
lockout from a missed stop or
ascent rate violation. Additional
functions include an On-Board
Dive
Planner/Simulator
as
well
as
PO2
monitoring,
complete with CNS % and OTU
tracking of oxygen exposure
Pg 32
Sample Screen in Dive Mode
that incorporates air break

messaging when performing
long decompressions.
The DG05 certainly has plenty
of wow factor, but it also has the
right credentials to be taken seriously. It is well suited for technical diving scenarios ranging
from advanced Nitrox to Trimix
in either open or closed circuit
diving applications, and will also
be of interest to avid recreational divers with their sights set on
advancement. Without a doubt,
this new model raises the bar
in the technical dive computers
arena. It will be interesting to
see what comes next.
- WS
Features:
Single/triple cell PO2 monitoring for CCR and SCR use

Hose-less tank HP monitoring from up to 4 different transmitters
Full function air, nitrox and trimix computer in OC, and SCR/CCR modes
Air/Nitrox/Trimix capable with up to 10 gas switch presets
CNS % and OTU tracking of oxygen exposure
Simple to use menu system with easy to read Icons
Optocon (IR transmission of PO2/PC link) - no more wet connectors
VGM algorithm allows customization to your diving parameters or mimic
other commercial algorithms on your own
Automatically switch to large graphics mode menu bar disappears after
a few seconds and the primary dive information fills the screen.
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
Dive Profile and Look Ahead graphics on Dive Screen
User customizable dive information screen
Programmable safety factors to increase conservancy
Water activated and fully programmable underwater
Warnings for PO2, deco violation, air break and ascent rate
On-Board Dive Planner/Simulator
Imperial or Metric display
MSRP: $1,600.00 for constant PO2 model
Issue 23 - 2012
Pg 33
Issue 23 - 2012
GEAR: Sea Trial
Zeagle Wicked Lite BCD

A good looking,
light-weight BCD
that is well suited
for travel.
Like
many veteran travelers, Ive had to

modify and downsize my gear choices due
to the ever-tighter baggage allowances and weight
restrictions set by the airline industry. A growing
number of equipment makers have responded to
the changing landscape of airline travel with a new
crop of slimmed-down BCDs that are stow small
and light.
My wife Karen has been diving one of the original
lightweights - the Zeagle Zena - since the day it
was first introduced nearly a decade ago, and has
always found it as close to perfect for travel as it is
for comfort. Over the course of hundreds of dives,
we have changed out her original only once, (and
that was purely for cosmetic purposes in pictures)
proving theres no reason to sacrifice durability for
weight savings and size reduction when designing a
lightweight travel BCD.
Recently, I had a look at Zeagle Systems newest
back inflation, weight-integrated BCD designed
specifically for travel and warm water use. Named
the Wicked Lite after the trademark stone-washed
Denim style Cordura Nylon fabric featured in their
current Wicked model Ranger BCD, the exterior
of the Wicked Lite is constructed from the same
1000 denier material found in Zeagles heavyduty recreational BCDs, along with a reinforcing
fabric that is tap-stitched to reinforce seams and
edging. For more than 11 years I have been diving
the Ranger, and Im quite familiar with the extreme
durability this type of fabrication.
by Walt Stearns
Pg 34
Issue 23 - 2012
Zeagle Wicked Lite
Designed specifically as a travel BCD, the

Wicked Lite gets off to a great start, as it
is certainly both compact and lightweight.
The size medium I received, equipped with
a standard power inflator weighed 3.9 lbs
(1.8 kg) dry; nearly half a pound less than
Aqualungs equal-sized, travel-friendly Zuma
BCD (pictured above right).
Although I am still partial to Zeagles
component-style BCDs, which allow you to
change out the shoulder sections or bladder
from the vest, the unitized approach of
having the shoulder sections, wing and vest
sewn together as one integral system works
fine in the Wicked Lites case.
Pg 35
Aqualung Zuma
The BCDs harness is basic in design with

a slightly sculpted pattern to the shoulders, a single strap across the chest, and
a quick-release, adjustable 1-1/2 inch wide
waist coming off the panels - which also
serves as a foundation for the BCDs integrated weight system.
The upper portions of the shoulder straps
are 2-3/4 inches wide, providing good loadbearing ability in the regions most tasked
when negotiating a boat ladder or performing a surf entry. My one minor disappointment was the shoulder straps adjustment
point hardware, which should have been at
least a 1-1/2 inch wide webbing and buckle
Issue 23 - 2012
system to connect it to the waist

portion of the harness. Instead,
what you have is a section of
1-inch webbing that looks like
something more appropriate
on a kids backpack, with small
quick-release buckles of the
same size used on the adjustable chest strap.
In test dives using a standard
aluminum 80 with 4 lbs. of lead
in the BCDs weight pockets, the
downsized buckles held fine, but
when I switched over to heavier
load a single 100 cu ft. highpressure steel tank and 8 lbs. of
lead in the weight pockets - the
1-inch webbing buckles slipped
significantly on several occasions. Thicker straps would be a
fine addition, and wouldnt add
significant weight.
I would have also preferred
seeing 2-inch webbing on the
waist strap instead of the
supplied 1-1/2 inch webbing,
as it would have been easier to
purely attach accessories like
line cutters and D-rings that are
typically designed for placement
on 2-inch webbing. In addition,
a wider belt would provide more
surface area to dissipate the
pressure of the harness around
the waist. Again, such changes
would result in increased weight
by grams, not pounds.
The BCDs integration weight
system (rated for 20 lbs.) is
Pg 36
The lower twin tank band

aligns with the waist bandwith
the upper positioned 8 inches
higher roughly at chest level.
This upper cam band utilizes a
large piece of Velcro to lock the
strap tight around the tank and
mainly serves as stabilizing strap
to keep the cylinder positioned
straight along the spinal axis to

improve swimming alignment.
The Wicked Lite features 32
lbs. of lift in a back mounted
wing. The wings outer shell is
constructed primarily of 1000
denier nylon fabric, with the
exception of panels down the
front flanking the divers back.
comprised of a basic pocket

system with large Velcro tabs
sewn into the pockets upper and
lower flaps to seal and hold the
weights in place. To release the
weights, you simply pull down of
the red plastic handle to open
the bottom of the pocket.
Looking at the placement of
the weight pockets, which are
aligned with the waist above
the hips, I wonder how this
BCD might perform with a pair
of baby Rip-cord pockets like
those used on the Zena. Just a
thought, considering this BCD is
intended for diving in the tropics,
with most divers wearing a 3mm
suit and seldom need more than
10 lbs. of weight.
Issue 23 - 2012
Here, the more elastic mesh

material helps streamline the
profile when deflated, while
allowing for maximum expansion of the bladder when the
cell is inflated.
Rapid air release is facilitated by both a right shoulder
dump valve in the top of the
corrugated inflation hose,
which is activated by pulling
down on the corrugated
hose, and a standard pull
dump valve in the usual place
behind the right hip.
I found the bladder to
provide more than enough
for diving in warm waters like
I have in South Florida, even
with something as heavy
100 cu. ft. steel and 8 lbs. of
weight. Additional features
include 4 D-rings to attach
accessories, and grommets
for attaching a knife.
Saving the best feature

for last, we come to this
BCDs remarking packing
ability. Following the same
design principal classic to
Zeagle BCDs, the Wicked Lite
does not include any type of
solid back plate or rigid reinforcement as found on most
recreational BCDs. Instead,
it features a small amount
Zeagle Wicked Lite BCD

Dry weight: 3.9 lbs
Lift capacity: 32 lbs.
Weight capacity: 20 lbs. releasable integrated system
Material: Heavy duty 1000 denier nylon
Inner bladder made with 15 mil. urethane plastic
Sizes: XS, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large
Compact, sleek design packs up extremely small
Made in USA
MSRP w/standard power inflater $399.99
Pg 37
of padded lumbar support

in the spine. The advantage
of having this instead of a
rigid pack is that it allows the
entire BCD to be tightly rolled
into a small package around
the size of a Sunday newspaper - an ideal quality for a
travel BC.
- WS
Build Quality:
Design:
Performance:
Price:
Excellent - as good as it can possibly get
Very Good - little room for improvement
Good - room for improvement
Sub-average - needs work
Poor - could have been done far better
Issue 23 - 2012
Pg 38
Issue 23 - 2012
Marine Life Encounters
Ever Eventful
World of Muck
W
Story & Photos

by Mike Bartick
ho doesnt love big animal encounters?

Swimming with graceful Mantas or snorkeling with Whale
Sharks can be a profound experience for anyone. Blue water
encounters with Dolphins and pelagic animals are certainly
a draw for almost any diver at every skill level. Looking at
whimsical photos of turtles and divers in magazines are a
self-explanatory peek into the ocean realm as well.
My obsession, however, doesnt come in giant-sized
forms and they dont roam the water column in schools.
Dont get me wrong, I love all sea creatures big and small,
but my intensity seems to concentrate on those singular
little animals that dont play well with others.
My obsession with small animals has deep roots into my
childhood where I spent much of my time in the swampy
ditch near my parents home. Finding clawed frogs, toads,
tadpoles, dragonflys, mosquito fish, snakes and more were
the highlight of many outings there. Coming home with that
swampy smell my mother would just shake her head. I finally
graduated myself from that little ditch to other areas in the
world, places like Indonesia, West Papua and the Philippines.
Yet that obsession is still there, and its a guiding force in
my life that has pushed me further and further out onto the
fringe in seek of those awesome little critters.
A wunderpuss moves across the
bottom on long ribbon-like arms.
Pg 39
Issue 23 - 2012
Muck diving is a term used a

lot these days that can be applied
in various ways describing a
style or a type of diving. Unlike
colorful reef dives, muck diving
is spent primarily hovering over
black or chocolate colored sand
flats, often silty and deceptively lifeless. The animals found in
this aquatic desert can be hostile,
territorial and often lethal ornate
creatures that all have one thing
in common, survival.
Like the big animal Holy Grail,
there also exists the small animal
Holy Grail. I know that my list is
always evolving to include new
things but this is the general list of
the most requested critters. The
Bobbit Worm, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Hairy Frogfish, Rhinopia and
Pygmy Seahorse; these guys
seem to continually draw the
primary focus for two reasons,
behavior and appearance.
Overall, the animals can be
grouped into general categories.
Lie-and-wait predators or Ambush
predators; these benthic creatures
live and survive on the substrate,
be it reef or sand. This group of
odd shaped fish includes Frogfish,
Crocodile fish, Stargazers, Stonefish, Gurnards, Pegasus Moth
fish, True Batfish, all of the ornate
walkers and too many more to
list. Many dives have been spent
on any one of these critters just
observing and or shooting them.
Pg 40
Small as a pea, but strikingly colorful, a Flamboyant Cuttlefish calls the often silty and
deceptively lifeless sand flats far from the reefs its home. Between its coloration and
moves, to a would be predator the tiny little cephalopod could be easily mistaken for a
less than tasty nudibranch.
Issue 23 - 2012
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Pg 41
1-800-330-6611
So whats the difference between the two? Its

simple. Lie-and-wait predators basically rely on
their
camouflaged
body
and their ability to blend
in with their surroundings.
Glands just under the skin
for some of these creatures
secrete sticky mucus that
will allow sand or algae to
adhere to them while others
can change in appearance
and color. They conceal
themselves in plain sight,
snuggled between the reef
and coral, perched on a
rock, tucked under pulsating
xenia corals or just out in
the open sitting in the sand.
Ambush predators on
the other hand, will bury
themselves under the sand,
covering their body entirely
and leaving only the eyes to
watch their prey.
Without any movement
these two types of predators
will stalk their prey, calculated, cunning and patient,
then suddenly spring forth
with jaws agape to consume
its next meal. The lightningfast strike speeds of frogfish
and the eating habits of
a Bobbit worm can leave
lasting impressions for those
who are patient enough to
wait for it.
Nudibranchs
are
also
on the list of highly desired
critters. They are colorful,
slow moving and very photogenic. The Indo-Pacific region
has the highest concentration
of Nudis of anywhere else
on the planet and nowhere
else are they more prolific
than Anilao Philippines. They
range in size from smaller

than a rice kernel to the
giant sized Spanish Dancer.
Nudibranch enthusiasts or
Nudiphiles are a separate
group of naturalists altogether, rightfully earning
their name. In fact, the more
I learn about Nudis, the
more intrigued I become.
Issue 23 - 2012
Diving the Desert

The secret to an eventful
muck dive experience can often
boil down to observation and
time spent underwater. Quietly
cruising over the sand looking
ahead for anything odd and you
just might spot a sand-dwelling
mimic octopus or a Wunderpuss
appearing like twigs sticking
out of the sand. The actual
twigs can host Nudibranchs
and flatworms. Crynoids conceal
shrimp and squat lobsters while
ornate Ghost Pipefish use them
for cover and predation.
It is more common than not to
start a dive cold where nothing
is found and then suddenly
everything will turn around. Like
hunting an animal in the Sahara,
find the food source and wait,
and it is there you will find the
action. Beds of sea grass, where
the reef meets the sand, can be a
critter sanctuary, discarded rope
is a frogfish haven, and even
old tires and coconut shells will
harbor little creatures. A slow
dive can become fever pitch in
less than a second.
Dive skill and technique
is perhaps the number one
most challenging thing about
muck diving (no article would
be complete without at least
touching on this subject). I have
seen the best of friends almost
Pg 42
Resembling a cross between a small clump of seaweed and a sponge, like this
Hairy Frogfish, or looking more like yellow blade of sea grass as this Pipefish,
dwellers of the desert are dependent on their camouflage to go unseen.
Issue 23 - 2012
Considered among many avid underwater macro photographers who like to dive the muck, the Rhinopia Scorpionfish is
the Holy Grail of finds, as well as testament to your ablility to see things where others may not.
Pg 43
Issue 23 - 2012
Electric Snail
duke it out topside because one
guy silted out the others photo op.
Not to mention total destruction of
the habitat. Frog kicking or sculling
are indispensable when it comes to
working over a silty environment. I
encourage divers to dispense with the
scissor kick, streamline their gear by
making sure not to drag computers
or octos and be careful where you
kneel in the sand.
Pg 44
So before you strap on that tank

and roll overboard remember that
keen observation, patience and slow
movement are indispensable for an
eventful and productive muck dive.
Now get out there and have an
adventure!
Mike Bartick
Raised in sunny Southern California with the Pacific
Ocean at his doorstep, Mikes avid interest in both diving
and marine wildlife turned his enthusiasm to photography.
This obsession, as he calls it, for photographing critters
has taken him all over the world, and while he admits to
loving the warm waters of the tropics his first love will
always be the frigid California waters. Over the years, Mikes
photographic work has been featured in an assortment of
magazines, textbooks, and calendars worldwide. In addition
to his passion for underwater photography, Mike is a small
animal expert and group leader for photographers into Asia
who are interested in seeking out that special critter.
To see more of Mikes imagery, along with travel and
contact information, visit www.saltwaterphoto.com.
- MB
Issue 23 - 2012
www.saubay.com
info@saubay.com
Pg 45
Issue 23 - 2012
Advanced Diving
by Steve Lewis
Diving Nitrox
hese days, with Nitrox certs available online

through the major sport agencies such as
SDI, we might be tempted to forget that
when Dick Rutkowski started teaching Nitrox use
to recreational divers in 1985, he opened a huge
can of worms. The waypoints in what is today, a
general acceptance of Nitrox, include the DEMA
controversy. This is when that industry organization
banned nitrox training providers from its 1991
trade show. In addition at that time, a couple of
major certifying agencies BSAC among them
banned its members from using the gas, and Skin
Diver Magazine which probably had the marketleading circulation in 1993 published a three-part
series that year arguing that Nitrox was unsafe for
ALL sport divers.
Lets face it, times have changed; the industry
has moved on, and the nitrox debate is way
behind us. There are plenty of divers today who
use nitrox as their default scuba gas without any
knowledge or understanding that once upon a time,
it was considered verboten and carrying a scuba
cylinder labeled NITROX would get you kicked off
several charter dive boats and banned from several
Caribbean resorts.
Voodoo Gas no more, but still misunderstood

Pg 46
Issue 23 - 2012
Of course, all this history - and

the fact that by the end of the
1990s, every major sport agency
was pumping our Nitrox certs for
divers as fast as they could be
printed, would suggest that by now,
the average diver would know all
there is to know about the gas and
how to stay safe using it.
However, this is NOT the case.
In my experience wandering around
dive sites and dive shops, and
browsing the popular online diver
forums, there remain some very
fundamentals about nitrox that
many divers have either forgotten
or have never been taught.
Certainly, there seems to be
some confusion concerning oxygen
toxicity and the major differences
between Central Nervous System
(CNS) and pulmonary oxygen or
whole body toxicity. The former
being of real concern while the later
is simply not an issue for the vast
majority of recreational divers.
Notwithstanding that, it seems an
even greater mystery is the 24-hour
limits for CNS loading. While the
rank and file of sport and technical
divers may have at least a passing
understanding of NOAAs single
dive limits (see figure 1), few if any
sport-trained divers and alarmingly,
few technical divers, have any real
awareness of 24-hour or daily CNS
limits set by the late visionary, Bill
Hamilton, when he was also working
at NOAA.
Pg 47
Daily Oxygen Limits & Tracking CNS on Multiple Dives

Oddly enough, daily limit tracking is essential
when multiple dives are planned and is particularly important for divers doing live-aboard trips
(a sport divers setting if ever there was one)
where the first dive of day two can easily be less
than 12 hours after the last dive of day one!
I have heard it said that NOAAs Daily Oxygen

Pressure Limits are a proxy for pulmonary toxicity
management. They are not. This is complete
nonsense. Pulmonary toxicity has nothing to do
with these calculations or the need to be vigilant
keeping tabs on CNS toxicity!
You may have heard several divers complaining of Pulmonary Toxicity symptoms after only
moderate exposures (ones that cannot possibly have contributed more than one-sixth of the
acceptable limits for this type of complaint). At issue with this is most likely their bodys reaction
a form of mild asthma -- brought on by breathing cold air with a very, very low dew point.
Issue 23 - 2012
PADI 5 Star Dive Center

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TDI Technical Training

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Trimix
KISS Semi-Closed Rebreather
KISS Closed-Circuit Rebreather
Enter the world of silence and

extended range diving.
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now offers KISS Rebreather
Training and Certification.
Air, Nitrox, Oxygen

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www.JupiterDiveCenter.com
1001 N. Hwy A1A Alternate. Jupiter, FL 33477

Toll Free: (800) 567-9723 or 561-745-7807
email: info@jupiterdivecenter.com
Pg 48
I will give some examples to illustrate the efficacy and the value of
Daily Oxygen Pressure Time limits
This topic is a required part of the
curriculum for both TDI Advanced
Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses. I also believe that
these limits should be shown to ALL
nitrox divers regardless of the color
of the nitrox card they are working
towards earning.
For example, lets take a photographer on open circuit scuba making
several shallow nitrox dives using a
mix that delivers a partial pressure
of 1.4 bar at depth. Since the reef is
shallow, he can pull bottom times of
an hour.
To the right are three dives that
seem plausible. By the way, these
profiles where derived using V-Planner version 3.81 software by Ross
Hemingway, and the algorithm being
used is VPM B.
As we can see from the custom
tables, each dive is safe from the
point of view of CNS because none
approaches the 80 percent margin
suggested by SDI and TDI , and none
brings the diver close to required
decompression (26-foot Equivalent
Air Depth!). However, at the end of
these three dives, the diver has about
180 minutes at a PO2 of 1.4 bar, which
maxes out his allowable daily dose.
Nitrox divers are recommended to keep
to within 80 percent of the allowable limits
outlined by NOAA.
DIVE PLAN #1
Surface interval = 1 day 0 hr 0 min.
Elevation = 0 ft
Conservatism = + 3
Dec to 60ft (1) Nitrox 50 50ft/min descent
Level 60ft 58:48 (60) Nitrox 50 1.41 ppO2, 26ft ead
Asc to 40ft (62) Nitrox 50 -10ft/min ascent.
Surface (66) Nitrox 50 -10ft/min ascent.
OTUs this dive: 103
CNS Total: 40.7%
107.5 cu ft Nitrox 50
107.5 cu ft TOTAL
DIVE PLAN #2
Elevation = 0ft
Conservatism = + 3
Dec to 60ft (1) Nitrox 50 50ft/min descent
Surface (66) Nitrox 50 -10ft/min ascent
OTUs this dive: 103
CNS Total: 56.8%
107.5 cu ft TOTAL
DIVE PLAN #3
Elevation = 0ft
Conservatism = + 3
Dec to 60ft (1) Nitrox 50 50ft/min descent.
Surface (66) Nitrox 50 -10ft/min ascent.
OTUs this dive: 103
CNS Total: 63.2%
107.5 cu ft TOTAL
Issue 23 - 2012
Tolerance: The Oxygen Clock

According to NOAAs table,
this diver has to stay out
of the water for 24 hours.
By the way, and for what
it is worth, several tech
instructors teach that there
is no allowance made on the
daily limit for the supposed
90-minute half-time decay
of CNS loading; with the
jury still out on what
exactly happens to trigger a
CNS episode - and several
fatalities where divers were
well within single-dive limits
- this seems the most logical
and conservative practice
to adopt.
This
becomes
more
compelling given the aging
of the average diver and
the widespread use of antinausea meds and various
other pharmaceuticals and
dietary supplements, none
of which have been studied
sufficiently to allow use
to disregard their possible
interactions during nitrox
diving. (Note: at the finish of
the examples cited above,
the divers OTUs are at
about 300, which is far less
than the daily limit (850)
NOAA SINGLE DIVE and 24 HOUR LIMIT TABLE

Oxygen Partial
NOAA Single Dive Limit in
NOAA 24-Hour Limit
Pressure
Minutes
in Minutes
0.6 BAR
720
720
0.7 BAR
570
570
0.8 BAR
450
450
0.9 BAR
360
360
1.0 BAR
300
300
1.1 BAR
240
270
1.2 BAR
210
240
1.3 BAR
180
210
1.4 BAR
150
180
1.5 BAR
120
180
1.6 BAR
45
150
and consistent with levels

to aim for on multi-day
exposures. In other words,
CNS toxicity is the issue,
NOT Pulmonary).
The advice of Dr. Bill
Hamilton is always the guide
to follow. And it is worth
noting that although the limits
set out in these tables are
almost universally adopted
by the diving community,
and have been interpolated
via devices such as the CNS
Bill Hamilton, DAN Technical Diving Conference in January of 2008,

titled CNS Oxygen.
Pg 49
Clock, there is no real data

to tell us that this works or
is a valid strategy.
With this is mind, a sensible
tactic is to plan dives around
VERY CONSERVATIVE oxygen
levels, especially on dives
where carbon dioxide levels
may be elevated due to high
workloads, greater depth or
shortened dwell times (CCR).
In the meanwhile, play
safe, stay well within ALL
limits on all your dives, and
have fun!

-SL
Steve Lewis
Steve Lewis is an experienced

technical instructor, industry consultant
and author. He has been teaching divers
to use nitrox responsibly and effectively
since the mid 1990s, and was principal
editor of the basic nitrox student manual
for TDI. Following the success of his last
diving book, The Six Skills and Other
Discussions, he is currently wrapping
up work on a new book on expedition and
support diving due for publication in the
spring of 2012. Steve can be reached at
doppler@techdivertraining.org
Issue 23 - 2012
Lessons From The Deep
Getting bent is that one unthinkable experience

no diver should ever have to endure. But the reality
is, its something that can happen to any of us.
Now that Ive recovered and am back at home,
Id like to share my story as to what happened
to me, what may have brought it on and about
those who personally helped me through it all.
Getting Bent
a Long Way
from Home
y story begins in Chuuk, Micronesia, one of the

words great venues for wreck diving, with more
than 80 World War II Japanese ships and planes
sunk in the lagoon surrounding the island. Most of these
wrecks sit upright right in around 100 of water and are
very accessible to recreational divers.
Getting there, needless to say, is a long and tiring journey,
not to mention a 14-hour time difference, encompassing a
long series of flights starting with Miami to Houston, Hawaii
for a one-night layover, another flight the next afternoon to
Guam, and one more to Chuuk.
The reward for all this seat time was a seven-day
adventure aboard the live-aboard dive boat MV Odyssey.
Most of the participants on this particular trip planned to
use rebreathers. My own system is an Evolution rebreather
with Vision Electronics, plus a Shearwater Predator serving
as my backup computer during the dives. The difference
in diving rebreathers over normal open-circuit is that our
diving profiles would run longer. Our groups intent was the
ability to enjoy more time exploring the wrecks.
by Capt. Gary Mace

Pg 50
Issue 23 - 2012
Off to a good Start

As there was no helium available on
trip, we were only diving air diluents.
This wasnt an issue since none of
our dives planned were intended
to go deeper than 150 ft. anyway.
As a matter of course, I like to run
the Shearwater in CC mode at a set
point of .7 and 1.3 PP0; I manually
perform the switch during descents
and accents as it is not connected to
the breather. Running in that fashion
with the gradient factors in both my
computers set to 15/85 usually gives
me a little more hang time on the
Shearwater, but still very close to
profiles provided by the Visions own
onboard computer.
Pg 51

We arrived Sunday night at
9:30pm and were ferried out to the
boat. I was very impressed with the
accommodations; the cabins were
spacious and the beds were extremely
comfortable. Each room has its own
bathroom and air-conditioner control,
a great feature in the tropics.
The first morning we hit the
water at 8am. I didnt want to do
anything aggressive, as I was still
tired from the long trip and trying
to get adjusted to the 14-hour time
difference, so we only hit a depth of
90 ft for 45 minutes. The afternoon
dive was much of the same, 95 ft for
55 minutes.

Issue 23 - 2012
Onset of the Hit

On day two, I started with a
bit deeper dive to 151 ft, with
a total in-water time of 110
minutes. We were out of the
water at 11am, had lunch and
rested for a second dive around
2pm. Again, I planned a less
aggressive second dive, maxing
out at 127 ft for a total run time
of 76 minutes.
Back aboard the boat I
cleaned my gear, readied it for
the next day, and went down to
my cabin for a little rest before
dinner. About an hour later I
started to get stomach cramps

and became very nauseous. It
felt almost like food poisoning.
The stomach cramps got worse
and I started feeling very light
headed, and thought I needed
to go to the bathroom. I became
very dizzy when I stood up, and
threw up once.
Back to the bed it seemed
my condition was getting worse.
My entire body was aching, with
cramps, nausea and dizziness.
I wanted to tell someone, but
just didnt have the motor skills
to get out of the bunk and climb
the stairs. About two hours
after I went to my cabin, my

roommate, entered and I told
him to go get help.
It came in the form of Richie
Kohler. For those of you who
dont know Richie, let me tell
you that he is one of the best
friends in the world. Together
we evaluated my condition and
both agreed to start O2.
By then I had developed very
bad marbling color all over my
body, which indicated that I had
skin bends or Type I DCS. As I
lay there on O2, a dull throbbing
pain started in my back. Feeling
like I had to go to the bathroom
again, I tried to get up but my
Pg 52
left leg was numb and limp, so

I fell back in the bed. The pain
in my back was getting worse
and the numbness and loss of
motor skills in my left leg indicated I was showing signs of
Type II DCS. I needed to get to
a chamber.
The nearest decompression
chamber was on Chuuk, and
we were anchored in the lagoon
some 30 minutes from the
dock. The captain headed for
shore and radioed to arrange
for an ambulance to meet us.
Once we arrived at the mooring
off the Blue Lagoon Motel, the
boat crew had to get me to the
Issue 23 - 2012
skiff for the short ride to shore

and the awaiting ambulance.
They were originally planning to
transport me on a backboard,
but it would not fit through my
cabin door. I was also a little
concerned about staying on the
backboard for the short trip up
the stairs and to the diving deck,
so I decided that I would try and
walk to the awaiting skiff.
Mustering all my strength
and will power, I started out
on what seemed a marathon
journey to the skiff. With Odysseys captain Nelson steadying me on one side and a crew
member on the other, we slowly
made our way off the boat,
though even this short journey
required several rest stops.
Once on the skiff, I was placed
on the backboard for the short
ride to the dock, where I again
walked with the help of the
captain and crew to the awaiting
backboard and ambulance.
The word ambulance probably
conjures images of a gurney,
medical equipment in cabinets,
and trained medical personnel. Well, this was Chuuk, some
7,000 miles from the States.
This ambulance was a van with
no gurney, medical supplies or
attendants, but it did say ambulance on the side and had a siren
and lights. Apparently, it was the
first time the driver ever had a
Pg 53
chance to operate the lights and

siren, which Im guessing was a
big thing for him.
The 45-minute ride to the
hospital was very rough and
extremely uncomfortable. The
roads were washed out by recent
rains, leaving King Kong-size
potholes everywhere. If not for
Richie holding on to me, I would
have fallen off the hard backboard onto the hard van floor.
He had quite a task holding both
me and the 80-cubic-foot scuba
bottle filled with oxygen.
At the hospital, I was evaluated by the attending physician
and given more O2 and an IV with
some Demerol for pain. My blood
pressure was 60/40, so getting
fluids in my system was critical.
That was basically the extent of
the services offered there.
Let me tell you a little bit
about hospitals in this remote
area. There was no running
water, no pillows for patients,
no blankets, and no food. If you
want anything to eat, drink, or
any basic comforts, those items
must be brought with you. I
asked to go to the bathroom,
and was ushered to a stall with
a toilet with a missing seat; the
floor was so dirty that I didnt
know if I was stepping in human
waste or mud, and the toilet was
flushed with rainwater held in a
big barrel right outside the stall.
Issue 23 - 2012
Except for the room where I was placed,

the entire facility was not air-conditioned.
Few people understood English, and valuables such a passports and wallets are
simply placed on a chair next to you. I
have no idea if anything was stolen, as I
was too tired and drugged to really care.
Having someone to look out for you
is vital in a situation such as this. Richie
stayed with me the entire time and
watched after me like family. Im not sure
how many others would have done that,
thinking oh hes OK now that hes in a
medical facility. And that was furthest
from the truth. When Id ask Richie for
something that was unobtainable, hed
tell me, You have no idea where you
are. Despite these disappointments, it
was immensely reassuring to know I had
someone looking out for me.
We arrived at Chuuk hospital on
Tuesday evening around 7pm, and subsequently learned that the Chuuk chamber
didnt have the personnel needed to run
the equipment and provide treatment.
It now became imperative to get off the
island and to a chamber in either Guam
or Hawaii.
It wasnt until Wednesday afternoon
around 2pm that I heard that DAN had
approved a CareFlight transport to take
me to the US Naval Base in Guam. Captain
Nelson had made this happen through a
series of conversations with DAN, the Naval
Base, and CareJet. Without his persistence to all these agencies I would have
been in dire straits. You have no idea how
helpless you are until you are in a country
thousands of miles from home, dont speak
Pg 54
the language, and are dependent on

substandard medical care.
At around 5PM, the CareJet arrived
with a gurney to transport me via air
ambulance to Guam Naval Base. As
Paramedic Ed and RN Louise walked
through the door, they looked like two
angels in their professional attire. Once
in the jet it was a short flight to Guam
Airport, where a Naval ambulance was
standing by to transport me to The
Dive Locker, a RCF6500 chamber on
the US Naval Base.
This is a state-of-the-art facility
operated by the Navy, and the
personnel there are top notch. I was
starving, having not eaten since lunch
the previous day, and a Master Diver
rummaged up a snack, then went out
and bought burgers for everyone.
I was put through a Level 6 chamber
ride. This consisted of 5 hours in the
chamber with 20 minutes on O2 with
intermittent 5-minute air breaks. This
helped with some of the skin marbling,
and the pain in my back went away. I
also regained some feeling in my left
leg. A big thanks goes to the US Navy
and all those guys who attended to
me that night. They are the best, and
are going to receive something very
special from me in the near future.
After getting out of the chamber
at 4am, I was released to another
ambulance that took me to Guam
Hospital. There I was admitted to
the emergency room where they
administered liquids and evaluated
my condition. The tests revealed my
Conclusions/Thoughts
Here are some conclusions/thoughts that Id like to share

with you.
1. Ensure you are well hydrated prior to diving. If
you are not passing clear urine then you should
not dive. Think about adding a few days at
the beginning of your trip to get adjusted to the
time change.
2. Whether you are going overseas to dive or staying
closer to home, ensure you have DAN insurance.
Without DAN the $60,000 flight and $10,000
doctor/hospital bill would have come out of my
pocket. I cant stress enough how important this is.
3. When out of the country, check the local medical
facilities for their medial care capabilities. Dont
assume just because they have the word hospital
in their name that they can provide a level of care
you would expect.
4. If anyone ever goes through this type of situation,
make sure that someone is with the injured person
at all times. I cant tell you how much it meant to
me to have Richie by my side during my ordeal;
thank you so much Richie for your friendship and
being there for me. When you are in a hospital, you
are at risk of anyone stealing your personal items
such as your passport, computer equipment or
money. Also having someone that is clear headed
to communicate on your behalf is very important.
5. Know the procedures for contacting DAN and
making arrangements to get to the closest working
chamber. Remember that the closest chamber
may not be available to take you.
Issue 23 - 2012
muscles were breaking down, a condition known as Rhabdomyolysis. This

is caused by traumatic events that
occur to the body. I can tell you this
is a very painful condition. It releases
protein enzymes into the bloodstream
due to the breakdown, which are then
filtered into the kidneys. If this condition continues for any length of time,
your kidneys could shut down. To counteract this condition, massive amounts
of fluids were injected in hopes that I
could flush out those enzymes and also
stop the muscle breakdown.
After four days in the Guam
Hospital, the doctors were happy to
report the enzymes were very low,
indicating the Rhabdomyolysis has
ceased. With this improvement I was
released from the hospital.
It was determined that the likely
reason I got bent was due to the lack of
fluids in my system - dehydration and
fatigue. All my dive profiles were picture
perfect. With all deco obligations met
and no ceilings broken.
After I got back to the states I visited
my personal physician, who ordered a
few more tests just to be sure I was
healing. To be safe, I was also grounded
for 6 to 8 weeks at home and ordered
to keep anything that would stress me
physically as well as emotionally to
a minimum. Over all, as I had begun
writing this all down, my prognosis for
recovery would be just fine. But, I must
tell you, for a while I constantly felt weak
and tired, making the effort to build my
stamina back a long one.
Pg 55
Special Thanks
If there was something else to be
learned from this ordeal, its that friends
and people who care are what really
matter most. I feel extremely fortunate to be reminded of that. So I would
like to give special thanks to each and
every one who was there for me. Im
also very blessed to have all the professionals that came to my rescue.
To name just a few: Richie Kohler,
Cliff Diamond, Captain Nelson, Sam of
the Odyssey crew, Paramedic Ed, RN
Louise, Dr. Homan and Master Diver
Moser of The Dive Locker US Navy, Dr.
Livnan at Guam Hospital, and Diane
Strong who chauffeured Richie around
while in Guam.
You are all in my prayers and the
prayers of my family.
And to those of you who were
concerned enough to call me and wish
me well, thanks again.
Your thoughts, prayers and well
wishes are very much appreciated.
Capt. Gary
Conch Republic Divers
Capt. Gary Mace (right) with Richie Kohler.
Captain Gary Mace, along with his wife, Brenda,

owns and operates Conch Republic Divers on
Tavernier in the Florida Keys. A Florida native with over
40 years of diving experience, Gary is a USCG Master
Captain, SDI IT Staff Instructor, PADI, and SSI Master
Dive Instructor, Full Cave Diver, Evolution CCR diver,
and is an SSI Platinum Pro 5000 recipient.
When not at the dive shop, Gary is often at work on
his TV series Treasure Divers or on Ship Sinkers aired
on the National Geographic Channel.
He also runs two dive forums, TheCyberDiver.com
and TheTechDiver.com.
Issue 23 - 2012
DAN Corner
The
Zeus
- Dive Safety Essential

You know DAN is there to provide
24/7 emergency assistance, and you
may already be a DAN Member.
But DAN is not just about assisting
in an emergency; the organization
strives to educate divers to help prevent
problems in the first place, and be ready
to assist when the unavoidable occurs.
DANs mission is to help divers in
need, and promote diving safety
through research, education, products
and services. Its at the heart of
everything DAN does.
Do you really know all DAN has to
offer as a nonprofit safety resource?
Pg 56
A Lifeline
At the center of it all is the DAN Emergency Hotline (+1-919-684-9111). Created
to be a resource for injured divers, the
hotline remains available 24 hours a day,
365 days a year. The hotline has become
a lifeline with the medics who answer it
offering comfort, assistance, information
and assurance that help is on the way.
Prevention and Preparation
DAN also strives to prepare divers to
respond in the event of a dive emergency.
2011 is the 20th anniversary of the DAN
oxygen training program. This dive safety
essential was initially developed when
DAN Research discovered that scientific evidence was emerging on the benefits
of emergency oxygen in first aid treatments; yet, less than one-third of injured
divers received it. So DAN developed the
first portable oxygen system accessible
to divers, as well as the education on how
to use it. Today, emergency oxygen has
become a safety standard throughout the
diving industry, and DAN Education continues to add training programs to its lineup,
creating the most comprehensive diving
emergency training available to divers.
Issue 23 - 2012
When training isnt enough, DAN

offers information through the nonemergency DAN Medical Information
Line. Available during business hours
by phone or email, the Medical Information Line can answer your questions
on dive-related medical topics or help
you find a physician knowledgeable
about diving. DAN also offers answers
to frequently asked medical questions
on www.DAN.org.
Resources and Research
In 2010, DAN expanded the resources
available to divers even more, adopting
a multicenter approach via new partnerships with the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Hyperbaric Medicine
and the University of California at San
Diego (UCSD). The new collaborations not only significantly increase the
network of researchers, physicians and
educators working together to enhance
diver safety, they offer a multitude of
additional opportunities in the areas of
medical education and training doctors
in case management, triage and the
evacuation of injured divers.
Of course, DAN continues to work to
improve dive safety through research
studies in areas of interest to divers,
such as flying after diving, the effects
of aging on diving safety and the effects
of different medications and diving.
DAN also encourages collaboration by
hosting and sponsoring workshops and
special events. The findings, proceedings and knowledge gleaned are made
available for download.
Pg 57
The Perks of Diving with DAN

All of DANs nonprofit efforts are supported by
membership dues, donations and the sale of dive
accident insurance plans. More than 200,000 divers
are active members of DAN, showing their support
for dive safety and enjoying all of the excellent
benefits at a DAN Members disposal including:
1. Access to the DAN Dive Accident Insurance
Program with options to cover you and your
loved ones in the event of a diving accident.
2. Annual subscription to Alert Diver Magazine,
DANs quarterly publication.
3. DAN TravelAssist, which provides up to
$100,000 of emergency medical evacuation
assistance coverage when youre more than
50 miles from and a whole range of services
including prescription assistance, interpreter
assistance, emergency message relays and a
host of other travel benefits, all of which can
be accessed by calling the DAN Emergency
Hotline (+1-919-684-9111) can be used for
diving and nondiving emergencies.
Reaching Out
Finally, DAN gives back to the diving
community by initiating and maintaining several outreach and grant assistance programs to promote diver safety,
such as the Recompression Chamber
Assistance Program (RCAP), the Diver
Identification Systems (DIDS), the DAN
Internship Program, the Oxygen Grant
Program and the AED Matching Grant
Program.
DAN is an organization built by
divers for divers and remains dedicated to improving dive safety through
education,
information,
research
and outreach. Our commitment only
grows stronger each year, ensuring we
remain the emergency lifeline divers
can depend on.
Divers Alert Network (DAN) is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to the
safety and health of scuba divers. DAN
operates a 24-hour emergency hotline
(+1-919-684-9111) to help divers in
need of medical emergency assistance
for diving or non-diving incidents.
4. Worldcue Planner Real-Time Travel

Intelligence Resource, which is continually
updated with pertinent travel information on
destinations around the globe ($199 value).
5. Free online seminars and video lectures.
6. The DAN Dive and Travel Medical Guide.
7. The ability to track your certifications and
equipment online.
Issue 23 - 2012
The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.
www.wakatobi.com
Pg 58
Issue 23 - 2012
Photography
Seeing things
from Color to
Black & White
n spite of our best effort, there are some

shots that just cant seem to render
themselves the way we thought they
should. Take for example the Parting Shot
on the last page of this issue.
During a Bahamas dive trip down in the
lower Exumas, we stopped in on a dive site
off Long Island. The water was fantastically
clear, like it usually is in the Bahamas, but
the bottom was predominantly flat and
uninteresting save for one thing, a fully intact
tug boat wreck sunk for attracting fish in
the 70-foot depths. Reminded of the kids
storybook character Little Toot (you know, the
little tug that could), what would have been a
mundane dive turned into a good photo opp.
Story & Photos

by Walt Stearns
Pg 59
Afterward, reviewing the raw files in

Photoshop, and tweaking the exposure and
color balance a little bit more, the images
looked fined, but none really jumped out
at me except one set of candidates. In
this group, I had the tug centered in the
frame with the bow angled 45-degrees
toward me. I was fortuitous to have the
position of the sun off to my left do most
of the lighting; lighting with my strobes,
between the subject being too big and
too far away would have been totally ineffective. I even had a diver approaching it
from the opposite side to create a sense
of action, as well as give the wreck scale.
Yet, something about it was still lacking.

Ive never forgotten what one of my
college art professors told me, Dont try
to command the canvas to do what you
think it should do, let the subject speak to
you, revealing what really lies within. She
was right.
While I may have had most things in the
picture technically correct, I wasnt paying
attention to the wrecks contours, missing
the textures and mood presented in the
shadow areas. Bottom line, I was trying
too hard to see the world in color rather
than looking at it in black and white.
Issue 23 - 2012
Jupiter Diving
at its Best
Specializing in tripS for:
www.emeraldcharters.com
Hole in the Wall

Goliath Grouper Aggregation
Lemon Shark Aggregation
Tech & Rebreather Only Trips
Spearfishing & Lobstering
Underwater Photography
Randy Jordan, Owner Call: 561-248-8332

or e-mail: randy@emeraldcharters.com
Reopening
one
of the raw files,
I began to make
a few changes to
the
files
Saved
Settings, exploring
the possibilities.
The first, and

most
important
set of changes
required dumping
both the Vibrance
and
Saturation
settings from +10
and +8 down to
-100 (for both); this
moved everything
into the grey scale.
www.NationalGeographicSnorkeler.com
Undersea Voyager Project

Become a part of preserving the
human experience in exploration,
discovery and education.
Pg 60
Continuing in that direction, I went

back to the Temperature and Tint settings,
tweaking them a bit, cooling the color
temp a bit from 15250 Kelvin down to
13000 Kelvin; at the same time I increased
the tint from -96 to -116, rendering a little
more of a black and white quality.
Although I had changed the very nature

of the image from color to black and white,
the shadows and highlights needed to be
accentuated a bit to give the image that
needed amount of contrast one would
expect to see in a first rate black and white
landscape photo.
Issue 23 - 2012
To compensate for the waters

filtering action, which takes out the
shorter wave lengths in the light
spectrum (namely red), I bumped
up both the mid-level grey and
blacks, as well as contrast level.
To accomplish that, still working
in Photoshops raw file processor,
I then shifted Recovery from 0 to
5 to add a touch of grey tonality.
At the same time I increased the
Black setting from 2 to 9 to give
the shadow areas more depth.
Lastly, before saving the image
in a tiff, PSD or jpeg format, I made
few more minor adjustment sto
the images Brightness/Contrast
Pg 61
settings by moving the sliders up

enough to get a more dramatic
shift between the tugs highlights
and shadows.
In the end, with a desirable
amount of sharping, the little tug
that could had become something
a bit more dramatic. Theres a lot
that can be done in photography
with a little change in mindset.

- WS
Issue 23 - 2012
Parting Shot
Little Toot
Like something fitting to the kids story book,

Little Toot, the Little Tug that Could, this small 50-foot
steel tug sunk off Long Island in the Bahamas
lower Exumas chain made for some interesting
imagery in the clear depths.
Pg 62
Camera: taken with a Canon 1DmkII and 17-40mm lens at 17mm inside a Seacam housing
Settings set to ambient light no strobes set on RAW ISO 200, 125/sec. at f5.6
Issue 23 - 2012

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A Diving Adventure Magazine

Hollis DG05 Computer

South Floridas Steel Reefs

- Wreck Diving in Pompano Beach -

Explore, Discover, Challenge

PADI 5 Star Dive Center

TDI Technical Training

Webmaster - Margaret Chatham

South Floridas Steel Reefs

Palm Beach Countys only Full Service

Pg 19 Diving the Antartica Peninsula

The Underwater Journal is published by

Air, Nitrox, Oxygen

1001 N. Hwy A1A Alternate. Jupiter, FL 33477

I have simply never seen a place as beautiful as Wakatobi. Each day I

Walt Stearns 2003

- South Floridas Steel Reefs Walt Stearns 2008

Story & Photos

Floating Above the Capt. Dan

eering over the gunwale of the dive boat, the

Although this particular hard

Florida, crystalline spring pools

Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication

Dive Computers &

nized this system of placing man-made objects

Recognizing a good thing, the City of

For divers, the sweetest fruit brought

On any given day, the FAD fleet

To describe each and every wreck

The Rodeo 25, formerly the Windward

While it may not be an indigenous coral species to the Atlantic,

its way into the western Atlantic as a

A group of CCR divers

As part of her special sendoff, the Rodeo 25s hold was

the event a real show. As planned, after the smoke had

Although the Rodeo 25 lies

Photo Walt Stearns 2011

Detroit until 1962, when she was

Missionship became stranded in

Today, the ship is still very

Photo Walt Stearns 2010

Above the wheelhouse a large cross bar

growth, to the point of resembling a Chia

The Jim Atria was lifted up

In the same league, but slightly

Jim Atria (a local real estate

before being inducted into one

the most part, with the current

So hop right in, the wrecks are

Pompano Beach Area Dive Charters

(Names are activitly linked)

AVID DIVER CHARTERS - aviddivercharters.com

The total number of wreck sites within reach of Broward Countys

Learn more about

e stood like sentinels on

Crossing the Circle

the bow as we had been doing

Crossing the Circle was but one

Much of the diving in Antarctic is truly exploratory often, dive

itive Antarctic Fur Seal. As we were

water and began a playful game

large rocks and small boulders

ice and our eyes marveling at the