From our regular columnists

Cave Diving & CCR -- Bailout Gas

August 13, 2013 - 15:36
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The story is found: 
on page 81

Remember the first rule of scuba diving that you were taught in your basic open-water class? I believe it goes something like: “Keep breathing!” Simple advice and unarguably the best advice possible for any diver, not just those entering the sport for the first time.

For example, the same first rule is true for technical diving. Gas management 101 starts off by stating something like: “Always have a sufficient volume of appropriate gas to breathe throughout the whole dive!”

Technical Diving
Rebreathers

Indonesia's Raja Ampat

August 13, 2013 - 14:36
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The story is found: 
on page 41

Incredibly rich waters

Arus kencang are the words you need to listen out for—you will hear them in the rapid interchange between the dive guides and the boat boys, as they discuss the practicalities of safely immersing a group of “bule” (slang for foreigners) in the waters of Raja Ampat.

The incredible reefs and tremendous biodiversity of the Raja Ampat area have made this remote part of the Indonesian archipelago one of the hottest dive locations in the world, and those currents are the very lifeblood of the area.

Locations

So You Want to Be a Scuba Instructor ...

April 23, 2013 - 17:50
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The story is found: 
on page 12

… just as soon as you get OW certified!?

Do you remember your first reaction to being able to breathe underwater? What was the first thing you wanted to do when you caught sight of a coral head liberally seasoned with tiny, multi-colored bait fish? When your instructor handed you your very first c-card, did you get a strong urge to swap places with them?

Judging by regular postings on any one of the various scuba forums and diving message boards in Cyberland, a fair percentage of newly-minted divers suffer through an overwhelmingly strong urge to replace their current situation with the “romance and glamor” of life as a scuba instructor on a warm

Opinions & comments

One for all or all for one?

April 23, 2013 - 17:26
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The story is found: 
on page 73

What are the differences between the self-sufficiency and team diving approaches to technical diving?

The self-sufficiency mindset is where the diver is fully self-sufficient and approaches the dive with the view that they can perform the dive on their own and would be fully able to complete the dive without a buddy.

Training
Technical Diving

Mirrorless and Macro

April 23, 2013 - 16:29
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The story is found: 
on page 60

In this article, the fourth in the series on mirrorless cameras, we will look at the potential of these cameras for macro underwater photography. In this article, the fifth in the series, we will take a close look at how the Olympus OMD-EM5 mirrorless camera performs underwater, but first a quick refresher on the story so far and why the OMD.

Most underwater photographers start their personal journey with some form of macro set-up because it offers the cheapest and easiest way to achieve consistent results that are both sharp and properly exposed with vibrant eye-catching colors— which is usually when the bug really starts to bite.

Mirrorless cameras
Equipment

British Columbia's Southern Gulf Islands

April 23, 2013 - 15:32
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The story is found: 
on page 29

Located between the lower part of Vancouver Island and Mainland Vancouver in the Strait of Georgia, the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, are made up of over 12 large islands and several smaller ones.

There are several dive charter operators servicing the Southern Gulf Islands, offering two-tank day charters, with assistance in arranging or will provide accommodations. Top this with a commonly mild coastal climate, friendly people and you have the makings of a relaxing BC dive getaway.

Destination reports

Diving with Seals of the Farne Islands

April 23, 2013 - 15:13
The story is found: 
on page 41

The Farne Islands are a small group of some 33 rocks and islets (depending on the state of the tide which has a rise and fall of over 6m or 20ft) located off the north Northumberland coast of England. At full tide, only 23 larger rocks and islands are visible, but all of those are eye catching. The entire group are a National Trust protected area and have numerous wildlife preserves, notably for their seabirds and seals.

There are numerous sightseeing boats and dive boats that run regular trips to the islands, but Paul Walker of Farne Discovery (www.farneislanddivers.co.uk) I personally feel, has the most experience and empathy for the seals and the most knowledge

Locations
Seals & Sea lions

Choosing Mirrorless Cameras for UW Photography

March 30, 2013 - 12:28
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The story is found: 
on page 85

While the number of camera manufacturers with horses in the mirrorless race has now reached critical mass with the recent entrance of Canon and its EOS-M, and the earlier entrance of Nikon with the J1 and V1 cameras, the number of models available has grown even more. However, for underwater photography the choices narrow somewhat and the early entrants in the mirrorless race, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony, are very much in the lead.

This is because of two key factors—the availability of lenses suitable for underwater photography and the availability of housings to put the cameras in.

Still photography
Mirrorless cameras
Equipment

Kosrae & Pohnpei

March 30, 2013 - 12:23
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The story is found: 
on page 38

The idea of diving Micronesia forms dreams of warm, crystal blue waters with big animals, wrecks and mantas. Most divers probably include it on their dream dive destination list, or, those who’ve been there eagerly recommend it to dive buddies and reminisce about sharks, mantas and the beauty of these wonderful islands.

I had returned from my second trip to Palau and, like the first trip, it was amazing. I was anything but disappointed with ten female grey reef sharks on one dive at Ulong Channel, ripping currents at Blue Corner and the curious mysteries of unidentified Japanese World War II wrecks.

Destination reports

Why is scientific diving safer?

January 15, 2013 - 22:23
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on page 65

Scientific diving appears to be one of the safer forms of diving, a recent study of incidences of decompression illness over ten years has found. This safety seems to be facilitated by a combination of relatively high levels of training and oversight, the predominance of shallow, no-decompression diving and, possibly, low peer or institutional pressure to complete dives under less than optimal circumstances.

One of the authors, diving physiologist Dr Neal W Pollock, said that whilst the AAUS (www.aaus.org) was not capturing data from all scientific dives conducted globally, this report was a reasonable snapshot of what is happening in the scientific diving community.

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