DIVE PACIFIC 178 Sept-Nov 2021

ISSUE 178 - Online
September - November 2021
NEW ZEALAND'S DIVE MAGAZINE
NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
P A C I F I C
NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
Whale Shark at the door!
WWII PACIFIC OIL LEAKS:
WHAT’S THE THREAT?
What our kelp forests
have in common with
coral reefs
Overfishing: the issues
P A C I F I C
Pete Mesley on technical diving : NEW COLUMN
Wild life photographer of the Year preview
How much ocean should we protect?
Experiencing Marine Reserves celebrates 20 years
OUR SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTO COMP IS BACK!
www.dive-pacific.com 1

2 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

The Dive Zone group are keen
to see divers enjoy their own
backyard this summer and
looking forward to getting you out
on, and under the water in each of
their fantastic dive locations: Dive
Zone Bay of Islands, Tauranga, and
Whitianga.
Each of their stores offer awesome
service with a full range of dive
gear to hire or purchase, with
good quality, reliable brands such
as Mares and Beuchat leading
their range. Be it a new dive
knife, a float or flag or even the
whole kit; the Dive Zone stores
are locked and loaded ready to
help you, our summer visitors,
enjoy, and get the most out of
their diving.
All stores also offer tank filling
and testing, and BCD and
Regulator testing.
Three top dive
destinations
invite you…
Since our stores are located in
out of the way areas, we are well
used to assisting divers with last
minute problems that can pop up
and prevent you from getting out
on the water.
Got a friend or family member
that wants to learn? Or do you
want to upskill? All of our stores
offer a full range of PADI dive
training courses, and all of them
are available throughout the
summer.
Make the most of our Summer Road
Trip offer. Dive with all three stores
and go into the draw to win $1000
to spend with us.
What are you waiting for?
Come and visit us.
Dive Zone Bay of Islands
Dive Zone Tauranga
Dive Zone Whitianga
www.dive-pacific.com 1

contents
16
46
IN DEPTH
4 Wyland-Dive Pacific Award & Leo Ducker Award winners
5 EDITORIAL: Going Deep on the Big Issues
with EDITOR Gilbert Petersen
SOUNDINGS Local and international news & comment
6 Divers death by drowning: Coroner’s report
10 Chalky Inlet in Fiordland recently gave up yet another secret,
a cannon
11 A glove robot underwater has been ‘talking’ to a machine in Croatia
– AUT Professor Iain Anderson explains
35
12 Two more local divers lost
Introducing Eco-ventures
Waiheke Dive wins top award
25 New shark species named
Italian shark has ‘virgin birth’
Call for new treaty to protect the high seas
Ocean beneath controls what’s above
31 400-year-old coral widest ever found in Great Barrier Reef
36 A sunken city known as the Egyptian Atlantis, is yielding further
mysteries
50
37 Wakatobi, your number one wish list destination, has been using
lock down time to upgrade
Queensland govt is killing dolphins, four in the past two months.
Many other marine animals are being destroyed for nothing too
SPECIAL FEATURES
13 Experiencing Marine Reserves celebrates 20 years!
16 “One day in lock down not one but two Whale Sharks turned up at
our front door, in the canal outside, literally.”
Winston Cowie tells the tale of what happened then…
20 Oil from ships sunk during WWII in the Pacific is threatening to
leak. How imminent is the disaster? What’s being done?
Dr Matt Carter of the Australian based Major Projects Foundation
fills us in with the latest
38
35 New Zealand’s kelp forests and the coral reefs of our Pacific
neighbours are being impacted by the effects of climate change. In
what ways and how severe is it?
Dr Chris Cornwall of Victoria University has some answers
30 Overfishing is among the worst of our marine problems.
Coty Perry covers the issues
32 So how much of our oceans should we protect?
Dee Harris reviews where in the world we’re up to on this hot topic
38 The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards are always highly
anticipated. Dive Pacific offers a preview
2 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
44 Two of NZ’s diving trailblazers have passed on: Alf Dickerson &
Brian Mayer. Dive Pacific recalls their great contributions

NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
P A C I F I C
ISSUE 178 - Online
September - November 2021
NEW NEW ZEALAND’S ZEALAND'S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
P A C I F I C
NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
Whale Shark at the door!
P A C I F I C
WWII PACIFIC OIL LEAKS:
WHAT’S THE THREAT?
What our kelp forests
have in common with
coral reefs
Overfishing: the issues
Pete Mesley on technical diving : NEW COLUMN
Wild life photographer of the Year preview
How much ocean should we protect?
Experiencing Marine Reserves celebrates 20 years
OUR SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTO COMP IS BACK!
www.dive-pacific.com 1
Ex pat Kiwi Winston Cowie
reports in from Abu Dhabi
with the most unlikely of
tales. Big enough to add to
the Arabian Nights -
Head to page 16
13
44
OUR EXPERT COLUMNISTS
7 Growing support to ban scallop dredging
LEGASEA UPDATE
8 DEEP thoughts, and deeper discussions. NEW COLUMN
with diving legend PETE MESLEY
48 Conservation: Is it necessary? The debate in 1971 Part II
Back in the Day
50 Diagnosing decompression illness
INCIDENT INSIGHTS with DAN, the Divers Alert Network
56 Photography underwater: The basics
DIGITAL IMAGING with Hans Weichselbaum
Photo: Aimee van der Reis
20
59 Black Coral (and Snake Star)
SPECIES FOCUS with Paul Caiger
GEAR BAG
54 The latest underwater torches
Why you need a magnetometer, and a metal detector
60 Shades of Colour Photo Comp returns
66 Classifieds
69 Subscribe to DIVE
60
Check out our website www.divenewzealand.co.nz
36
www.dive-pacific.com 3

SOUNDINGS
LOCAL NEWS
Wyland-Dive Pacific Award goes to...
At the NZUA AGM in July Rob
Wilson was presented with this
year’s Wyland-Dive Pacific trophy
by NZUA life member Dave Moran
for establishing Ghost Diving in
2015. Ghost Diving (https://ghostdivingnz.org)
organises events
and campaigns to remove garbage
and other debris from the seafloor
and coastline especially around
Wellington. It brings together
NZUA earns grant
Grants for water safety initiatives
distributed through
Maritime New Zealand every year
saw NZUA’s ‘Survive the Dive’
RDASS Certificate (Recreational
Dive Activity Skipper/Supervisor
Certificate) receive $16,500 towards
its promotion and related water
A
Swiss Lifesaving Society has
earned one of the highest
awards for underwater safety, the
HIRA3 (Hazard Identification and
Risk Assessment) certificate.
The certification NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY issued DIVE MAGAZINE by DAN
(Divers Alert Network) covers
safety work.
The NZUA ‘Survive the Dive’ RDASS
certificate is a free online training/
refresher program teaching,
quizzing and examining participants
on the safe supervision
of divers in the water plus the
Lifesavers earn top safety award
P A C I F I C
established 1990
NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
P A C I F I C
September - November 2021
Online Issue 178
NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DIVE MAGAZINE
Find us on facebook -
follow the links on our website
www.Dive-Pacific.com
P A C I F I C
Diver Emergency Number, New Zealand :
0800 4 DES 11 1800 088 200 (toll free)
Australia : +61-8-8212 9242
scuba divers, free divers, scientists,
photographers, supporters
and families at well publicised
events.
The Wyland Award is given to an
individual or group of individuals
who have contributed enormous
amounts of time for the benefit of
all divers and the marine environment
for no real personal gain.
Leo Ducker Award presented
NZUA Board member Annika
Andresen presented this year’s
Leo Ducker Award to Ebi Hussain
for setting up the not-for-profit
Aotearoa Lakes which measures
and monitors the health of our
lakes. (See Dive Pacific Issue 177
for a comprehensive report.
https://nzlakes.org)
The annual Leo Ducker Award
recognises individuals for
years of work including counselling,
all aspects of managing a
diving centre, risk reduction and
mitigation, first aid training, use of
appropriate emergency equipment,
operational procedures, emergency
action plans and more.
Publisher
NZUA Publishing Ltd
New Zealand Underwater Association
40 Mt Eden Rd. Auckland 1024
+64 9 623 3252
Editor
Gilbert Peterson
divenz@divenewzealand.co.nz
+64 274 949629
Advertising Sales Manager
Colin Gestro +64 272 568 014
colin@affinityads.com
Art Director
Mark Grogan +64 9 262 0303
bytemarx@orcon.net.nz
outstanding service to diving
(notably presented to former
conservation minister Nick Smith
in 1997 for turning the Poor
Knights islands into a marine
reserve.) An enduring wish of
Leo was that in 60 years’ time
New Zealanders would be able to
enjoy the fantastic underwater
world he first experienced 60
years before.
basic skippering skills required to
support recreational dive activities.
The program is specifically tailored
to the needs of the typical New
Zealand recreational boat skipper
engaged in diving activities with
groups of friends or family.
“Organised risk management as in
the aerospace and health sectors
does not currently exist in the
diving industry,” said Guy Thomas,
Director of Safety at DAN Europe.
“Our HIRA program aims to fill at
least part of this gap.”
www.dan.org
All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole
or part is expressly forbidden except
by written permission of the publisher.
Opinions expressed in the publication are
those of the authors and not necessarily
the publishers. All material is accepted in
good faith and the publisher accepts no
responsibility whatsoever.
www.DiveNewZealand.co.nz
www.Dive-Pacific.com
Registered Publication
Dive Pacific ISSN 2624-134X (print)
ISSN 2324-3236 (online)
4 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

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Going deep on the big issues
In this issue we go a bit
overweight on the big issues
confronting our future, starting
with the heavy lifting being
done on ocean policy by EDS
(see below) backed by Legasea’s
front line work on replenishing
our fisheries. Plus, more on
overfishing, bottom trawling,
seabed mining... issues that
impact us divers in some way
every time we go into water.
Another way of thinking
about these big environmental
challenges is they’re all about
consequences. As children we
heard about consequences, and
later learned the third law of
physics - “for every action there is
an equal and opposite reaction”.
What did we think was going to
happen from burning all those
fossil fuels?
The upshot for today is, that it is
not acceptable to scrape tonnes
and tonnes off the Waitemata
Harbour seabed and dump it
off Aotea Great Barrier. It is
not acceptable for our courts to
hand down petty ‘litter’ fines on
fish captains who bottom trawl
MPA’s, then gift back to the ships’
owners their confiscated vessels
for tax deductible pocket money.
And it surely is our responsibility
to remediate or mitigate
the oil threatening to spew from
3800 ships wrecked in the Pacific
during WW II.
These are the sort of big reasons
behind why, at a local level, Rob
Wilson was presented this year’s
Wyland-Dive Pacific Award and
Ebi Hussain was awarded the Leo
Ducker trophy (see p2). It’s the
backdrop too for EMR’s calling
(p13).
Dr Christopher Cornwall (p26)
covers off some of his sea parting
research on how our kelp forests,
and the coral reefs of our near
neighbours, are being harmed by
climate change, by both ocean
warming and ocean acidification.
INDEPTH
EDITORIAL
Gilbert Peterson
Dive Pacific is grateful to him for
the superb contribution.
For us divers all this is great stuff.
Reasons to relish the opportunities
in front of us here. As Jean
Michel Cousteau said, divers
should be the first responders on
what’s happening in the oceans
because we are the first to know,
to see first hand the changes
taking place, and as those most
in the know, we surely have the
duty to advise our communities
so we can all begin the big adjustment
we need to make for what
may well be the very survival of
humanity. And, as the hippies
in the 1960s used to say “when
you’re smashing the state” -
making changes to the order of
things - “keep a song in yer heart,
and a smile on yer face.”
- Gilbert Peterson
Editor
EDS kicks off major Oceans Reform project
The Environmental Defense
Society has just launched a
project aimed at reforming how
we manage our oceans with
the release of a paper titled The
Breaking Wave: A conversation about
reforming the oceans management
system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“The Government’s current reform
agenda is focused on the terrestrial
environment, with oceans
receiving minimal attention,”
said EDS’s Policy Director Raewyn
Peart. “Our ocean realm is one
of the largest in the world with
many unique seabird populations,
marine mammals and significant
fishery.
“We need to be thinking ahead to
when the government will focus
on the marine space. That’s why
we’re progressing this project
now, with an expectation that
oceans reform will follow in the
next few years.”
“The current phase of the project
is to stimulate a blue-skies
conversation about reform,” said
EDS senior researcher Dr Greg
Severinsen.
“We feel society has reached a
point where deep questions need
to be asked and talked about
constructively, whether it’s the
way we fish, how we control
land-based activities impacting on
the seas, who has what rights and
obligations, and what te Tiriti o
Waitangi and tikanga Māori mean
for oceans management.
“In this phase of the project
we’re not making recommendations.
The working paper simply
presents our thinking so far… and
(we) welcome people’s constructive
responses to them.
“We will consider all the feedback
then produce a final report in
early 2022”.
The working paper is on the EDS
website here.
www.dive-pacific.com 5

Diver death by drowning: Coroner
A diver drowned 500 metres south of Channel Island in the Hauraki Gulf on November 6th, 2019;
his death was reported to the Coroner who published his report on June 1st this year, including a
request to make his findings known to the diving community through NZUA and Dive Pacific.
The Coroner’s report says Mr
Yutai Huang was a 51 year
old father and builder handyman
living in Mt Wellington, Auckland.
Wednesday, November 6th 2019
was a fine and calm day. Mr
Huang was with his friend and
fishing companion Jun Wang.
“Mr Huang was going to dive and
go spear fishing alone because Mr
Wang did not know how to dive.
Mr Wang thought Mr Huang was
an experienced diver because he
had seen him go diving alone on
at least four occasions in the past.
“They arrived at the diving spot
just before midday. Mr Huang put
on his wetsuit and tested his dive
cylinder. When he was ready
he asked Mr Wang to drive the
boat to a spot in the gap between
Channel Island and a large rock.
Mr Huang got in the water and
told Mr Wang to drive away and
come back to the same spot in 40
minutes later to pick him up.
“About one minute after Mr Huang
entered the water Mr Wang was
in the driver’s seat getting ready
to drive the boat away when Mr
Huang yelled “my flipper” in
Chinese. Mr Wang said he stood
up from the driver’s seat to see if
he could see Mr Huang’s flippers,
however, he could not see them.
He then saw Mr Huang struggling
in the water and having difficulty
staying afloat. At that time Mr
Huang was about five metres from
the boat so Mr Wang went back to
the driver’s seat and moved the
boat towards Mr Huang. When he
reached the spot where he had
last seen Mr Huang he had already
sunk below the surface.
“Mr Wang immediately called
the Coastguard at 12.24 pm. Mr
Wang said he was on hold for
about three minutes when he saw
Mr Huang resurface. Mr Huang
resurfaced face down in the water,
wearing only his wetsuit and he
no longer had on any of the other
diving equipment.
“At that point Mr Wang said he
began to take his clothes off to get
into the water and as he was doing
that, he saw another boat nearby
and signalled it to come over. Mr
Wang got into the water and with
the help of a person on the other
boat, got Mr Huang …onto his
boat. He said when on board he
was not responsive and there was
blood coming from his mouth.
“Mr Wang and the person from
the other boat performed CPR on
Mr Huang for around 30 minutes
before a rescue helicopter arrived.
A nearby Navy vessel also
responded to Mr Wang’s mayday
call and the Navy Medic assisted
with CPR. The CPR efforts were
not successful. The Navy vessel
transported Mr Huang’s body back
to shore.”
PNDS
Two days later the Police National
Dive Squad (PNDS) recovered Mr
Huang’s dive equipment reporting
all the equipment was in good
condition. But he had left his fins
in his gearbag, and it appears he
was negatively buoyant. Noted
as well was that Mr Huang was
not wearing a dive watch or any
dive computer and “without one,
a diver is not able to accurately
determine how long they have
been underwater.” Compounding
this, Mr Huang’s depth gauge had
no maximum depth indicator. And
he had no dive knife.
Back to front
It was further identified that the
cylinder had been put into the
BCD back to front which meant Mr
Huang had attached his regulators
upside down so that the low
pressure hose could reach the BCD
inflation connection.
Obsolete leaking regulators
A technician engaged by the
PNDS subsequently advised the
regulators used by Mr Huang had
been obsolete since 1999, and they
had a major leak in both second
stages.
Obstruction
A subsequent test dive using Mr
Huang’s first and second stage
regulators set up in the same
way that Mr Huang’s were set
up showed the diver could not
turn his head to the left without
the regulator being pulled from
his mouth, and the second stage
regulator constantly free flowed
making it difficult to control
breathing. The second stage
regulator was also found not
functioning correctly.
Overweighted
Mr Huang was also found to be
carrying too much weight on his
weight belt and not immediately
abandoning it when in difficulty.
Mr Huang’s BCD did not inflate his
BCD when in difficulty.
Though Mr Huang completed
his PADI dive course in 2013
and, according to his son, went
diving about 12 times a year and
was therefore experienced, the
Coroner found Mr Huang entered
the water without a dive buddy,
did not have his fins on, did not
abandon his weight belt or inflate
his BCD when in difficulty on the
water’s surface, some of his diving
equipment was faulty, he did not
have a dive watch or other timing
device, and had no dive plan.
Coroner Woolley noted that 10
years ago Coroner McDowell had
made recommendations after the
death of a diver at Great Barrier
Island, and since then Coroner
Woolley said he was aware of 26
findings of other coroners in New
Zealand addressing the deaths of
recreational divers.
Given there continues to be diving
deaths from unsafe practices
Coroner Wooley said divers
should:
• Ensure their equipment is
appropriate for their body size
and weight and their planned
dive.
• Wear a dive watch/dive
computer or other appropriate
timing device
• Complete pre-dive checks
before entering the water and
to ensure their equipment is
operating correctly
6 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

LegaSea Update
Growing support to ban
dredging
Support for our collective
efforts to get rid of scallop
dredging from New Zealand’s
inshore waters is growing. It’s
strange then that the government
has come out with a plan
to ban all recreational scallop
dredging from the Hauraki Gulf
yet allow commercial fishers
to continue using the Victorian
Box Dredge to gather scallops.
This is illogical.
Fisheries New Zealand’s own
data shows that when using
the Box Dredge only 26% of the
commercial catch by volume is
scallops. Other catch includes
seaweeds, starfish, bivalves and
algae. All important contributors
to a healthy marine
ecosystem.
New Zealand Underwater,
LegaSea, the New Zealand
Sport Fishing Council, Opito
Bay Ratepayers Association and
the Coromandel community all
supported a voluntary ban on
scallop harvesting from Opito
Bay in the Hauraki Gulf. This
voluntary ban was applied in
tandem with a rāhui on scallop
gathering put in place by Ngāti
Hei.
The government’s Revitalising
the Gulf plan sidesteps this
community initiative as if it
doesn’t exist. It justifies the
continuance of commercial
dredging on the basis that only
existing areas will be targeted.
However, it is the very use of
Box Dredges that has created
BEFORE and AFTER images of a
scallop dredged site
Opito Bay on the eastern side
of the Coromandel Peninsula
is an amazing piece of coastline,
a wide expanse of beach
sheltered by nearby Mercury
Island. The commercial exclusion
zone is visible from shore
so it’s difficult to imagine that
the local community will accept
the nonsense that commercial
dredging can continue in their
bay beyond the ‘line’ while
divers there are not permitted
to take scallops.
A practical solution is to permit
commercial diving for scallops.
Currently there is only one
operator permitted to explore
this possibility, and that was
on the back of our submission
last year supporting commercial
hand gathering in the
Northland scallop fishery.
In that submission we urged
the Minister to review the
commercial use of dredges that
target scallops with a view to
encouraging the development
of hand gathering and other low
impact methods of harvesting
scallops. This would protect
the environment from ongoing
damage while enabling the
benthic communities to rebuild,
and this would enhance overall
productivity.
If the government is serious
about improving the state of the
Gulf then a ban on all scallop
dredging is an obvious place to
start.
Another interesting aspect is
that over the summer of 2020/21
the angst in the community.
The community is awakening to
the possibility that our inshore
waters can be revived. That
we can, through our collective
efforts, enhance biodiversity
by increasing abundance and
diversity in inshore waters.
The government needs to get on
board with this movement and
ditch the dredge so productivity
can be restored.
Want to help?
If you want to help this
ongoing effort, please support
us.
https://legasea.co.nz/support-us
• Abandon their dive weight belts
when in difficulty
• Dive with dive buddy for the
duration of the dive
• Have a support person or vessel
remain in the dive area
• Ensure their equipment is
regularly serviced, at least
annually
• Regularly practice emergency
diving drills and refresh
themselves on safe diving
practices.”
Dive Pacific will load the full Coroners
Report to our website as soon as
practicable
www.dive-pacific.com 7

TECHDIVING
DEEP thoughts
deeper discussions
By Pete Mesley
Technical diving is really
growing in the diving market
today. So what makes Technical
diving so attractive? What are the
diving opportunities for technical
divers?
What are the pathway options for
you to increase your education?
Which agency is the best one?
PADI? TDI? GUE? What are the
differences?
Open Circuit or Closed Circuit?
What is the right path to go? How
far is too far to push your limits?
How do you learn the balance of
Training and Experience?
What is a reasonable progression
in deep diving? Trimix, a must
have or nice to have? Charter
operators: what’s their take on
Technical divers on their boats -
what are their concerns?
These are just some of the
questions I am going to be
answering over the coming
issues of Dive Pacific. So if you are
interested about advancing your
skill levels and wanting more out
of your diving, keep an eye out for
my column where I will be going
over all these areas, and more.
So what draws people into
Technical Diving? I for one can
remember exactly why I got
involved. It was more through
necessity than anything else.
Learning to dive in the UK in the
early 1990’s, all the wrecks we
were diving were in the 30-50m
range, and right from the get
go we were doing these sort of
depths.
I remember finishing my
advanced open water course and
the next weekend we were diving
in the English Channel on 30-
40m wrecks. Bottom times were
limited to gas supply - we didn’t
have twins or stage tanks (yet).
We started off with large capacity
15 litre steel tanks with a 3 litre
“Pony” bottle strapped to the side
of it. Because of the narrow tide
windows we would get in the
water, do a 20 minute bottom
time, then ascend back up the
line and complete the safety or
limited deco stop.
Gear
One of my biggest memories in
this period was that we never
spoke of gear, nor training; we
just focused on researching the
wrecks and what awesome wreck
we were going to be diving on the
weekend.
Over the coming years, when
Technical diving became more
mainstream, we then saw the
real benefits of additional gear.
We added stage tanks with
higher levels of O2 for accelerated
decompression, reducing the
time getting blown about on
the line in the currents (like a
granny in a gale force wind!).
Advancing our training was
needed to handle the increased
amounts of gear and emergency
procedures to avoid problems
while decompression diving.
More equipment! There is nothing
quite like getting more dive gear.
You can never have enough kit
and for those of us who love
more gear, this is a great excuse
DNZ163
8 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

to reduce the amount of space in
your garage with it being taken
up with numerous “essential life
support” pieces of kit (that’s the
information partners get!).
Why do it?
So what draws people into
Technical Diving? Quite a
few reasons. To advance
one’s personal skill levels for
self-actualisation and just
become better at handling
ourselves in the water. To be
able to manoeuvre freely and
unencumbered is a wonderful
feeling which gives you more
time to focus on the environment
around you.
The challenge is a big one too.
Diving sites which are more
difficult to manage because of
depth, currents, location and
access.
Adventure!
Sense of Adventure. This is
probably the main reason why all
people get into Technical diving.
We all have that “Boldly go where
no man, woman, gender neutral
etc etc etc) has gone before,” the
genes in our bodies. Its the sense
of adventure that drives most
of us. It’s what keeps us excited
during the week while we do our
mundane jobs; the only thing
that keeps us moving forward,
knowing what we will be doing
on the weekend - Diving!
Build your group
One of the most important
things to do is to find a group of
likeminded people. Those others
who share the same passion for
adventure, getting out there and
exploring. A group that helps and
supports, building up each other’s
skills and experience levels.
Nurturing new tech divers so that
one day they too will be doing the
sort of experienced diving being
done. This builds a community, a
strong community.
Next issue I will be talking about
how to go about taking that first
step to advance your training.
Asking the questions you need to
ask prospective instructors. Putting
a plan together, and working out
short, mid and long term goals for
the future. It will be fun.
www.dive-pacific.com 9

Photo: Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
SOUNDINGS
LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL
Shipwreck at Chalky Inlet?
Drawing, names, cannon found
scientific expedition
A from Christchurch has
found a cannon near a cave at
Fiordland’s Chalky Inlet where
survivors of a shipwreck may
have sheltered, reported Susan
Sandys of the Otago Daily Times
in late July.
The team from Willowbank
Wildlife Reserve was looking for
the elusive South Island
kōkako when they chanced
upon the cave in Chalky Inlet.
Dale Hedgcock and Mark Willis with
the cannon they discovered in Chalky
Inlet, Fiordland, near a cave with a
drawing of a ship.
The cave had a drawing of a
ship and the names of four
mariners. The cannon was
found nearby.
Expedition members Mark
Willis and Dale Hedgcock
unearthed the cannon after
spotting a small, deep orange
patch among the beach stones.
“It was sheer luck that they
saw it, it was a patch of rust
and they knew that there was
something underneath,” said
Willowbank managing director
Michael Willis.
Mark Willis had explored a cave
he had come upon a month
earlier to find there several
names scrawled underneath the
drawing of a sailing ship.
The cave and the cannon
are about 100 metres apart,
suggesting the cannon is from
the ship drawn on the cave
wall. There are at least four
names with one appearing to
be “Jamie Rasmussen,” Michael
Willis said.
Originally there may have been
more names and there is also a
date, which could signify 1810,
1870 or 1890.
The Willowbank team was
at Chalky Bay to install, then
retrieve birdsong and trail
camera equipment used to try
and find the South Island
kōkako.
He said they were now waiting
for the Ministry of Culture
and Heritage to get back to
them about how to go about
retrieving the cannon. It was
too heavy to lift into their
helicopter when they found
it. He said Willowbank hoped
to obtain custodianship of the
cannon and display it.
Photo: Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
“Fiordland is just full of
mysteries, there is so much
going on there that no-one
knows about.”
Clues about where the cannon may
have come from could be in this
news item printed in The Otago
Witness, October 17th, 1906
10 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

What the glove told the robot underwater
on the other side of the world
New Zealand and Croatian
scientists have demonstrated
how a gesture-capturing
dive glove can communicate
with a robot underwater from a
swimming pool on opposite sides
of the world.
The dive glove developed by
the Biomimetics Laboratory at
the Auckland Bioengineering
Institute (ABI) is made with
integrated wearable sensors
and electronics using soft and
stretchy, smart electroactive
polymer materials. Ultimately
the research is aimed at
improving diver safety.
As the diver performs certain
gestures, a machine learning
algorithm assesses the hand
motion and recognises these in
real-time. They are then interpreted
as commands or messages
and transmitted acoustically
through the water to a buddy
diver or robot.
The project called ADRIATIC
(Advancing Diver Robot
Interaction Capabilities), began in
2018 as a collaboration between
the University of Zagreb, Croatia,
and the Biomimetics Lab at the
ABI and was funded through a
grant from the Office of Naval
Research in the US.
The researchers had initially
planned to test their glove and
how well it could communicate
with a Croatian autonomous
underwater vehicle (AUV) developed
by the Croatian researchers
in 2020. It was going to take place
Biomimetics Lab research diver Chris Walker producing gestures that will
trigger a command to the AUV in Croatia (Inset).
on the Adriatic coast of Croatia
but the plans were stymied by
Covid-19 travel restrictions.
However the New Zealand-
Croatian collaboration developed
an alternative. On April 6 this
year New Zealand diver and ABI
researcher, Chris Walker, donned
his wetsuit at 6 am and went
underwater in the 5m diving
pool at West Wave aquatic centre
in West Auckland. Meanwhile,
at poolside, Derek Orbaugh, a
PhD student with the lab, was in
real-time computer contact with
the Croatian researchers.
Wearing the glove Chris was
able to use hand gestures to
send commands to the AUV
that was similarly submerged at
the Laboratory for Underwater
Systems and Technologies
(LABUST) in Croatia using
SOUNDINGS
LOCAL NEWS
acoustic signals, at 8 pm Zagreb
time.
That is, the glove ‘talked’ to the
robot on the other side of the
world, using sound detected
by a sonar receiver at poolside
then transmitted to a server in
Croatia. The signal was subsequently
converted back to sound
transmitted to the AUV in the
Croatian pool.
“We could watch it on the
computer, and witness in
real time the robot moving in
response to the gestures sent
by Chris on the other side
of the world,” says Professor
Iain Anderson, head of the
Biomimetics Lab. He describes
this as the “the first Kiwi Croat
transglobal experiment of 2021”
adding “And there will be more.”
“We wanted to see if we could
transcend the restrictions
imposed by Covid on our collaboration,
and we did it! Hopefully
we’ll be able to continue our work
together with our colleagues in
Croatia in the same time zone
and the warm Adriatic.”
The glove uses motion capture
…We could watch it on the computer, and witness in real
time the robot moving in response to the gestures sent by
Chris on the other side of the world…
sensors made by New Zealand
company StretchSense, a spin-off
of the Biomimetics Lab. This
experiment was a success, and
more will follow as the glove and
AUV are improved, says Professor
Anderson.
“I’m a diver, and while the
underwater world is stunning,
diving into it comes at some risk,
especially if you’re on your own.
“Our research will improve
communication diver-to-diver,
and diver-to-machine in a
world where you often can’t see
more than a couple of metres,”
Professor Anderson said.
www.dive-pacific.com 11

SOUNDINGS
LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL
Nuhaka diver dies
Police identified the man who
died while diving off the coast
of Mā hia on May 17th as 21-yearold
Jason Rangi Paul from
Nā haka. The death was reported
to the Coroner.
Another diver drowns
A 63 year old freediver died from
suspected drowning after he
failed to return to shore in the
Far North on August 25th. The
man was diving for seafood near
Waipoua, on the west coast of
Dargaville and found face down
Introducing Ecoventures
ZuBlu has launched Ecoventures
so divers and other travellers can
explore while they help restore
the world’s oceans by contributing
to revenues for conservation
organisations.
Last year a ZuBlu survey identified
a disconnect between scuba
divers’ desire to ‘travel green’,
and their ability to actually do so.
The survey showed 92% of people
want to dive more sustainably,
but 75% struggled to find the
information they needed to
decide where they could do that.
With Ecoventures, ZuBlu aims to
help to bridge that eco gap.
ZuBlu’s curated portfolio of
Ecoventures includes some
of the most sought after dive
internships, ocean conservation
A rā hui was placed on Mā hia
Peninsula in Hawke’s Bay after
the body was found. Paul was
reported missing just after
4pm on Sunday and local boats
assisting with the search found
his body about 9am the next day.
later that evening. CPR was
provided but he was pronounced
dead at the scene. The death has
been referred to the Coroner.
programmes, and citizen science
volunteer opportunities around
the globe. The projects listed
allow divers to do more during
their dive holiday to help restore
and sustain the oceans as they
explore them. Each Ecoventure
empowers divers to:
• Support the preservation and
rehabilitation of marine ecosystems
• Protect threatened species
• Contribute to conservation
work or collect vital data
• Immerse themselves in extraordinary
landscapes and local
Search and rescue staff, a rescue
helicopter and the local fishing
boats had begun the search and
the Police National Dive Squad
was called.
communities
• Kick-start a career in marine
conservation
• Surround themselves with
dive professionals and marine
biologists
Importantly Ecoventures
helps create revenue for the
programmes, enabling guests
to continue their support.
Whenever they book a dive trip
through ZuBlu part of the cost
is donated back to their chosen
programme.
www.zubludiving.com
Waiheke Dive wins top tourism industry award
Waiheke Dive has won a
Qualmark 100% Pure New
Zealand Experience Award 2021,
New Zealand’s top tourism
industry recognition.
The 12 award winners from over
100 entries were announced by
Qualmark and Air New Zealand
at the Christchurch Art Centre
on July 28th to celebrate our
outstanding tourism operators.
Qualmark is New Zealand
tourism’s official quality assurance
organisation. “The integrity
and genuine commitment
to manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga
and whanaungatanga that
the winners demonstrated to
visitors and the communities
they operate in, is remarkable
and their recognition is well
deserved,” said Sue Parcell, Chair
of the Judging Panel.
www.waihekedive.com
• Manaakitanga - showing aroha
to your people and community
• Tiaki – their duty of care for
people and place, a commitment
to the enhancement of their
operating environment
• Whā nau – maintaining connections,
commitments and caring
for your own people.
12 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

EMR celebrates 20 years!
“You can’t fly with the birds
but you can swim with the fish
- what better way is there to
connect with nature!” says EMR
founder Samara Nicholas.
The Experiencing Marine
Reserves (EMR) - Te Kura Moana
programme is designed to do just
that by providing schools and
communities with opportunities
for hands-on experience in the
ocean.
Seeing huge tāmure/snapper
swimming up close has inspired
thousands of kids to take action
for the marine environment and
exercise kaitiakitanga - guardianship
for their local beach or
harbour.
even marine artwork on a double
decker bus,” Samara says.
Our thrive is to see the buzz on
people’s faces when they come
out of the water! she said.
EMR’s in-water experiences have
often become lifelong memories
for the young people experiencing
them. EMR also offers
the opportunity for taitamariki/
rangatahi who have an affinity
for the moana to engage in our
kaupapa through mentorship
programmes and volunteer
development, which is also
supporting a career pathway.
local aspirations for environmental
protection is hugely
rewarding.”
Each EMR snorkel day event
involves bringing in a community
partner, and each season sees
thousands of volunteer hours
contributed. Community participants
often go on to become
valued volunteer snorkel guides.
…Since 2001 EMR has snorkeled with 147,905 people and
guided 70,928 people at marine reserves all over Aotearoa-
New Zealand…
“Recent action projects include
the removal of invasive seaweed,
citizen science fish surveys,
shellfish monitoring, wetland
restoration, a mufti day and
ocean disco fundraiser, presentations
to parents, upcycling
waste to furniture, murals and
“I love seeing the spread of our
events, particularly our community
guided snorkel days, which
are beneficial to the wellbeing of
the whole whanau by providing
active outdoor recreation, while
learning about the marine
environment!” Samara said.
“Supporting community and
The organisation’s work has
helped restore marine ecosystems
by supporting iwi/hapu
implement the rahui at Maitai
bay (rahui surveillance and
education) and assisting the
Department of Conservation
with its management of marine
reserves through community
engagement.
For their 20th anniversary
birthday bash EMR decided to
make another visit to the Poor
Volunteer snorkel guides Margaret and Justyna exploring Blue Mao
Mao arch at the Poor Knights - Image credit Sophie Journee (EMR)
www.dive-pacific.com 13

MARINERESERVES
Toihau Kumar de Bruin from Te Aho Tu Roa diving into the kelp
forests of the Poor Knights Islands - image credit Sophie Journee (EMR)
Knights Island Marine Reserve
on May 14th this year. The trip
was organised by EMR and made
possible thanks to Dive! Tutukaka
and the Bobby Stafford-Bush
Foundation.
We had representatives from as
far north as Waiharara and as
far south as Rakiura-
Stewart Island,
Samara said. Students
were selected based
on the action projects
they have undertaken
and their enthusiasm
for studying
and experiencing the
Goat Island Snorkel Day
participants spotting tāmure inside the reserve
- Image credit Sophie Journee (EMR)
Reotahi Snorkel Day participants enjoying their guided snorkel at the Whangarei
Harbour Marine Reserve - Image credit Sophie Journee (EMR)
14 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

MARINERESERVES
Orakei School students searching for
microplastics at Okahu Bay
- Image credit Sophie Journee (EMR)
marine environment.
This year’s trip involved 34
students and 29 guardians from
25 schools from 7 regions of
Aotearoa including Northland,
Auckland, Taranaki, Gisborne,
Wellington, Nelson and Rakiura
(Stewart Island).
Since 2001, EMR has snorkeled
with 147,905 people and guided
70,928 people at marine reserves
all over Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Te Papapa School students exploring Goat Island Marine Reserve
- image credit Sophie Journee (EMR)
EMR actively focuses on the
restoration of marine ecosystems
and, together with the Whitebait
Connection, the restoration of
catchments from the ‘Mountains
to the Sea.’
Mountains to Sea Conservation
Trust-EMR was recently named
Te Tohu Matua-Supreme Award
winner of Northland Regional
Council’s annual ‘Whakamānawa
ā Taiao-Environmental Awards’.
EMR was 1 of 47 entries received
with their win announced at
a ceremony attended by about
200 people at Kerikeri’s Turner
Centre on May 27th, adding to
the programme’s wide ranging
collection of awards, including
the Wyland-Dive Pacific trophy
presented to them by NZUA in
2020.
From left to right
Ray Downing (EMR coordinator), Jean-Louis Ecochard (Mountains to Sea
Conservation Trust - MTSCT trustee), Kim Jones (Poutokomanawa/Co-director),
Samara Nicholas (Poutokomanawa/Co-director - EMR founder), Croatia Rudolph
(EMR Taitamariki coordinator), Vince Kerr (MTSCT co-founder/advisor), Katrina
Goddard (MTSCT trustee), Isabel Krauss (EMR coordinator), Olly Ball (MTSCT
trustee)
www.dive-pacific.com 15

Whispering
Whale Sharks
Here’s an unlikely story!
Ex-pat kiwi Winston Cowie tells how two Whale Sharks
showed up at his front door, literally, in a waterfront canal
in Abu Dhabi, right next to the massive Aldar building.
2020. What a year! The year the corona
pandemic changed the world.
In Abu Dhabi most residents and citizens
stayed home for the summer, unusual in
normal times given it can be up to 50 degrees
C at times. People stayed in-doors and kept to
themselves, their families, their bubbles.
The weather soon changed. People began to
venture outdoors, wearing masks, keeping a
social distance. After such a long period with
limited wider interaction, they seemed a little
uncertain, cautious when interacting with
others.
Then, in the Al Raha community of Abu Dhabi,
something wonderful happened. Our community
was visited by the biggest fish in the sea,
Whale Sharks. Not one, but two.
Right on the inside of the Abu Dhabi archipelago,
in the canal between Al Zeina and the
iconic Aldar building, 200m from where I live,
two whale sharks appeared as if by magic.
This is rare indeed.
Facebook pages lit up. The community flocked
to the side of the canal to get a glimpse of these
magnificent creatures with their characteristic
brownish red and starry white spots.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon
Typus) are the largest of
any fish. They are endangered,
and while no robust population
estimates are known, a best guess
is 7,000 left in the wild. They can
live 150 years, a gentle giant,
filter feeding mostly on plankton,
averaging at maturity around a
whopping 8-9 metres long.
And here in Abu Dhabi we had
two! A juvenile male about 4
metres estimated to be around
10-15 years old, and a larger
mature 6-7m male. Both followed
the same route, swimming in a
wide circle between two bridges –
Al Zeina and Amwaj. They would
swim close to the side of the
canal, up one side, then when
they reached the bridge, turn
and head back down the other
side until they reached the other
bridge, again and again.
Recognition?
Imagine, you spend your whole
life dreaming of an encounter
with this endangered species,
the largest fish in the sea, an
16 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

experience you need to travel to
see 99.9% of the time – perhaps at
Musandam or Damaniyat Islands
in Oman, yet here they were in an
Abu Dhabi canal.
I was fortunate to have the
opportunity to free dive with
the younger creature for the
purpose of monitoring its health.
I would climb down the ladder
into the canal and push myself
back against the canal wall until
it passed. I will never forget the
first time – the whale shark was
massive – it looked at me with
fleeting interest then kept going. I
filmed it all.
After a while, as the days turned
into seven weeks, I don’t think
I was imagining it, the whale
shark started to recognize me. I
wore the same blue Environment
Agency-Abu Dhabi issue polo
every time I dived. In the second
week he turned around after
passing, and came back around.
…He gently circled me five or six times, eyes open, trying to
work out what this blue amphibian was…
…We had successfully
rescued two whale sharks.
Or so we thought!…
I let go of the ladder drifting
out a little. He gently circled
me five or six times, eyes open,
trying to work out what this
blue amphibian was. I stayed
floating, motionless. Looking
with wonder. Filming. Taking in
the beauty of this magnificent
creature.
Fish hooks
One thing I have noticed
when diving over the years –
whether seven-gilled sharks in
Fiordland, New Zealand, Black
tip Reef sharks off Fujairah, or
Green turtles and Humpback
dolphins off Butinah in Abu
Dhabi – if you relax and are nonthreatening,
sea creatures are
just as interested and curious
about you as you are about them.
And sometimes they instigate
interaction.
At times the young whale shark
would disappear for a few days.
On one occasion he inadvertently
picked up fishing gear, a couple of
hooks and a sinker that became
tangled on his fin. Seeing it,
our team jumped in, free-dove
underneath, checked the mouth –
no hook – then we saw it stuck in
his pectoral fin. We pulled it out
untangling the other hooks and
sinker from his fin. Big smiles all
around. Socially distanced high
fives.
You can watch the rescue here:
https://tinyurl.com/bv6r6zt4
Another time, after disappearing
for a week, he came back with
another fish hook and plastic
bag on his tail. It was dusk and
we felt he was on his normal
route so we started walking the
5km journey alongside the canal.
Every once and a while we would
ask someone if they had seen
the whale shark, and they would
reply, “Yes, 10 minutes before”,
“yes, five minutes before”. On
it went. It was nearly dark and
we had covered 4.5 km. We saw
the swish of his tail ahead in the
distance. We ran over and looked
down. Indeed there was a plastic
bag on his tail and a fish hook. We
ran ahead and down the ladder
waiting for him to pass, and as
he did we gently grabbed onto
his tail and pulled loose the hook
and plastic bag. It came away free
easily enough, and off our whale
shark kept swimming.
Losing weight
After seven weeks the whale
shark began spending most
of his time around the Aldar
HQ building. When freediving
with him, and reviewing the
footage, we noticed he had
lost some weight. Through our
Memorandum of Understanding
on environmental cooperation
and wildlife conservation with
the National Aquarium – Abu
Dhabi, and after consulting
www.dive-pacific.com 17

experts around the world - all
agreed he was indeed skinny. Our
teams decided to feed him with
krill to strengthen him up before
we attempted a move back to the
sea.
Our whale shark was hungry.
Seeing is believing. He gobbled
down the balls of krill we
fed him in front of Aldar HQ.
What a marvelous community
experience! A 4m whale shark
being fed and eating krill right
in front of you. It was indeed
beautiful, and by this time he
had a team of juvenile golden
trevallies keeping him company.
A whale shark, krill, golden
trevallies, right there. Staring
down his three foot wide mouth.
Time to move on
We fed the whale shark
for a week before moving
him. This was with a team
of divers from the National
Aquarium-Abu Dhabi and
the Environment Agency
Abu Dhabi and a support
vessel provided by Abu
Dhabi Marine. We took
him a kilometre towards
Samaliyah Island before
he dove off into the deep.
We felt good. We hadn’t
touched him, and he had
swum off on his own
steam.
In the week that followed
there were sightings of
a whale shark near the
Corniche, in the Yas Island
Channel, and then at Al
Bahia Channel. Our EAD
whale shark team went
to investigate and found
him in Al Bahia Canal mid
morning, 15 km away.
The same afternoon as
we headed to Al Bahia to
investigate we received
a call from a member
of the public saying our
whale shark was back at Al Raha.
We were amazed. That was
the fastest 15 km ever swum,
let alone by a whale shark. We
checked on the shark at Al Raha.
It was indeed our young male.
…The whale shark could have been anywhere in the world
by then yet there he was, back where we began in the exact
place we first saw him. Maybe he was saying good bye…
Back after a week away.
There were some niggling doubts
though. The next morning we
headed to Al Bahia, just to be
sure. We saw a whale shark right
at the end of the canal and in the
pre-dawn, slipped into the water.
We got a big starry surprise. This
was a different whale shark,
a huge one, 6-7 metres long!
Compared to our other one, he
was big and thick and had a
massive block of a head on him.
And a distinctive scar on his
head. He looked strong and in
good condition.
Trapped
The Al Bahia Canal is a natural
trap with a very narrow entrance
that the water streams into at
high tide; at low tide the entrance
is very shallow. The whale shark
was stuck in the canal. Once
again, with our colleagues from
the National Aquarium and Abu
Dhabi Marine, at high tide we
maneuvered him out of the canal
and felt elated to see him swim
off out of the canal into a larger
canal that led out to sea. Round 2
rescue. Halais. Finish.
Back to the Aldar building.
We recommenced feeding our
younger whale shark, then made
plans to take him on a stretcher
the 20 km journey to the Arabian
Gulf facing coast of Abu Dhabi.
We fed him daily at 10:00am for
four days with the move planned
for the fifth day. The team turned
up ready. He wasn’t anywhere to
be seen.
Then at 1130am, we were told he
had shown up at the Aldar
Building. The triumvirate
of organizations
assembled, were by now all
well acquainted with each
other: the Environment
Agency-Abu Dhabi; the
National Aquarium-Abu
Dhabi Team; and Abu
Dhabi Marine. We placed
a stretcher in the water
and persuaded him in with
krill, closed the stretcher
and towed him out to sea.
The whale shark had a
ready supply of oxygen on
the stretcher, and every
few minutes divers would
check he was ok.
Amazing rescue…
What an amazing
experience and really good
team building! By dusk we
had moved him all the way
out, past Sheikh Khalifa
Bridge which connects
Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat
Islands, and out past the
Louvre. The 20 km journey
took six hours. In the
18 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

growing dark, with no one watching we released
the whale shark, hooting as he swam into the deep.
Success! We had successfully rescued two whale
sharks. Or so we thought!
Or was it?
The next morning we were notified from Al Bahia
that our big male was back in the canal. Again! We
headed there for a look. He seemed happy enough.
For the next few mornings our team met at Al Bahia
and checked on the big fellow. Though he seemed in
really good condition it was clear he couldn’t swim
out of the canal because of the strong current and
shallow depth at low tide.
Using the same technique as for the younger whale
shark, we got the larger shark to swim onto our
stretcher. A perfect fit. Then we towed him the 20
km journey out into the Arabian Gulf. With plenty of
sunlight this time we took him as far as we could go.
And when we released him he began swimming so
fast we couldn’t keep up.
Yes, we had put a satellite tag on him. So where
would he go?
It was a funny feeling for the community and our
team though. The most incredible seven week whale
shark adventure was over. Or was it?
We received a phone call a whale shark was back at
Al Raha. We went to investigate. The whale shark
could have been anywhere in the world by then,
yet there he was, back where we began in the exact
place we first saw him. Maybe he was saying good
bye.
tells us he is back out where he should be. In the
middle of the Arabian Gulf where whale sharks are
known to aggregate annually, well out of human
sight.
You can watch the Al Bahia Rescue here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_aa2ZcCzgk
In a way I feel we have learned from these whale
sharks. They taught us to value nature, to value
community, and about the threats to the ocean from
abandoned fishing gear and plastic.
What an adventure! Whispering with whale sharks!
In Abu Dhab!
Will they come back next year? I did hear a whisper
it would be nice if they did.
……………………………………
Winston Cowie is an award winning environmental
policy manager, New Zealand author and film maker
based in Abu Dhabi where he works as the Marine
Policy Manager for the Environment Agency – Abu
Dhabi. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society,
Winston has travelled to the seven continents
and over 40 countries where he seeks to have a
positive impact on nature and society through
environmental policy, writing and film. He also
has an interest in history having written the New
Zealand Land Wars historical fiction series, and
recently ‘Conquistador Puzzle Trail’ that proposes the
Portuguese and Spanish voyaged to Australia and
New Zealand pre-Tasman. (see Dive Pacific 172 &
173)
www.winstoncowie.com
Satellite tags
As for our Al Bahia Whale Shark, our satellite tag
www.dive-pacific.com 19

Trouble in Paradise
The ghost wrecks of the Pacific
A worker cleans up oil spilled from the MV Wakashio
By Dr Matt Carter, Research Director at the Major Projects Foundation
Dr Carter is a marine archaeologist, and
commercial and technical diver. He is Vice
President of the Australasian Institute for
Maritime Archaeology (AIMA), and New
Zealand representative on the International
Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage
(ICUCH) and a Fellow of the Explorers Club.
To assess the risks from Potentially Polluting
Wrecks (PPW) and implement strategies
to deal with the issue is what the MPF
based in Newcastle, Australia seeks to do.
Its Research Director is Dr Matt Carter.
He outlined the scale of the project to a
spellbound audience at the NZUA AGM in
July. Dive Pacific put some questions to him.
How did the MPF come about?
Why was it established, and how
is it funded?
MPF was established in 2018
after Paul Adams, an Australian
demolition and environmental
expert, visited Chuuk Lagoon
and saw oil slicks in the water
around him after diving on the
wrecks. Along with his wife
Wilma Adams they set up MPF
to act on the issue of polluting
WWII wrecks which has largely
been ignored in the Pacific.
While MPF works in partnership
with the Secretariat for the
Pacific Regional Program (SPREP)
and closely with national
authorities, all funding to date
is from donations and in-kind
support.
How many wrecks are there in the
Pacific left from WWII?
There are around 3,800 WWII
wrecks in the Pacific including
around 300 oil tankers
Where are they located?
These wrecks are concentrated
in areas that suffered the
heaviest fighting during the
war. Our key areas of concern
are Chuuk Lagoon, in the
Federated States of Micronesia,
the Marshall Islands including
the Nuclear Fleet at Bikini Atoll
World Heritage Site, Iron Bottom
Sound in the Solomon Islands
and the waters around Papua
New Guinea.
What are the threats they pose?
Despite being underwater
for at least 75 years marine
pollution experts estimate that
these wrecks still hold between
20 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

500 million and 4.5 billion
litres of toxic fuel oil, not to
mention millions of tonnes of
unexploded ordnance. As they
rust this oil is being released
into the marine ecosystems,
causing impacts to marine life
and those who rely on it.
in the region are becoming
more powerful, increasing the
likelihood that the wrecks will
collapse and suddenly release
the oil they still hold.
Pacific was first recognised
in the early 2000s with the
Secretariat for the Pacific
Regional Program (SPREP)
developing a regional strategy
to manage this threat.
How long have we got before they
start doing real damage?
Dozens of these wrecks are
already leaking, causing chronic
poisoning in some of these
ecosystems. Corrosion scientists
have estimated the many WWII
wrecks in the Pacific will begin
collapsing between 2021 and
2026! What makes matters
worse is that due to climate
change, tropical cyclones
…many of the wrecks….will begin to undergo significant
collapse in the next 10 to 15 years…
When was the risk of these
wrecks first recognised?
The threat that potentially
polluting wrecks pose to the
Unfortunately, the strategy
failed to gain the political or
financial resources necessary to
be enacted, and very little was
MPF diver scanning a wreck
to create a 3D model
Photo Steve Trewavas
www.dive-pacific.com 21

different Pacific countries with
the highest concentration
(19) in Chuuk lagoon in the
Federated States of Micronesia.
Photo Steve Trewavas Photo SPREP
Current potentially polluting wrecks in the Pacific Ocean
able to be done until MPF took
up the mantle in 2018.
Which countries are most
affected?
Federated States of Micronesia,
the Marshall Islands, the
Solomon Islands, Papua New
Guinea, Palau and Australia.
(also New Zealand with the
Niagara)
How are they involved with MPF’s
work?
We are working closely with
the various authorities in
these countries to co-develop
projects that will not only be
Potentially polluting wreck
of the Palau
effective in protecting marine
ecosystems from PPW, but also
build capacity within local
communities to respond to the
impending oil spills.
How many of the wrecks are in
imminent danger of structural
collapse, and where are they
located?
From the 3,800 PPW our
research has narrowed the list
down to 53 ‘Category 1’ high
risk wrecks which urgently
require survey to gather
information about their current
condition. These wrecks are
located in the waters of eight
Any stand out examples of wrecks
at high risk? And can these risks
be quantified?
One of the fortunate things with
our mission is that we don’t
have to reinvent the wheel
and can use international best
practice to quantify the risk that
the wrecks pose. For this work
we have followed the model
developed by the UK Centre
for Environment, Fisheries and
Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)
for the British Ministry of
Defence. Using this system, we
have multiple wrecks that are
deemed high-risk in terms of
the likelihood of them spilling
oil, most notably the wrecks
of Nagato and USS Saratoga in
Bikini Atoll, and Fujisan Maru
and Heian Maru (amongst
others) in Chuuk Lagoon.
What measures are taken
in the process of drawing up
management plans to address
these risks?
To effectively manage the oil
pollution threat the wrecks
pose, a combination of deskbased
research and fieldwork is
required to create management
plans to mitigate and remediate
them. We have made great
progress with archival and
various other research but with
COVID have only managed one
expedition to Chuuk to begin
a survey of the wrecks. Once
international borders reopen we
will be in the water as soon as
possible gathering the data we
need.
How are the risks surveyed,
assessed and ranked?
We can get a fair amount of
information regarding the
risk potential of these wrecks
through historical sources to
22 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

answer questions such
as how and when it
sank, what volume
of oil was it holding
when it sank etc.
However, this needs to
be supplemented by
up-to-date information
regarding the current
condition of the wreck,
which can only be
gained through getting
eyes on it either with
divers, or remotely
operated vehicles.
We take all this
information and put it into the
model developed by CEFAS to
get our risk ranking.
What research is being done to
ensure there is comprehensive
coverage of all the wrecks and
…The very real threat
was realised in 2001
when the wreck of
the US Navy oiler USS
Mississinewa (1943–44)
leaked 24,000 gallons of
oil into Ulithi Lagoon in
the Marshall Islands…
their locations?
Our database of the 3,800 WWII
wrecks in the Pacific is based on
decades of research compiled
by historians, including by one
of our Directors who taught
himself to read Japanese so
he could translate shipping
records. With the wrecks
continuing to corrode the
biggest challenge is getting upto-date
information regarding
their current condition.
Number of ‘Category 1’ potentially polluting wrecks identified to country (Major Projects Foundation, 2019).
www.dive-pacific.com 23

Geared up with essential safety
equipment
What techniques are employed,
how are divers deployed, and
what technologies are used to
assess the wrecks?
The key aspect of assessing how
much oil remains on board is
through a hull integrity survey.
For this work we use divers
equipped with underwater
cameras to scan all aspects of
the wreck by taking thousands
of photos and video. These
photos are processed through
3D modelling software called
Agisoft Photoscan to create an
accurate model of the exact
condition of the wreck at that
moment of time. By comparing
these models with plans of the
ship we can identify which fuel
tanks are likely to be intact
and make estimates about how
much fuel may still remain on
board.
Is there a case study perhaps
of a particular wreck where the
approach and methods have been
trialled?
over four dives in which
we took 7500 overlapping
photographs to create a 3D
model. This hull integrity
survey revealed damage
caused during the sinking
of the vessel and also from
more recent collapse. This
information has proved
critical in our assessment
of risk of the Rio de Janeiro
Maru and will shape the
management of the wreck
into the future.
What are the next steps the
MPF proposes to take?
Our key goal is it to remove the
threat these wrecks pose before
they collapse. While removing
the oil is the obvious solution,
it is a complex operation
requiring not only political
support at the international,
national and local level, but
Matt Carter scanning a wreck
also significant funding! While
we work towards this goal we
are also developing short-term
strategies such as working
with local authorities to create
oil spill response plans to
enable them to clean up the
predicted oil spills as effectively
as possible. There are a lot
of steps involved in a project
like this but with the support
of likeminded people we are
already making a difference and
remain committed to the cause.
To put it simply the cost of doing
nothing is simply too much.
If you’re interested in finding
out more and how to support
our mission please visit
https://majorprojects.org.au/
and drop us a line.
One of our best examples
comes from our 2019 survey of
the Rio de Janeiro Maru in Chuuk
Lagoon. This ship was launched
in 1929 and 140 metres in
length, and capable of carrying
2052 tons of oil. During WWII
the Rio de Janeiro Maru served
as a submarine tender for the
Imperial Japanese Navy before
being sunk in Chuuk Lagoon in
1944 by US aircraft. Our 2019
survey of it was undertaken
Photo Steve Trewavas
24 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

New shark species named
Researchers from the Pacific
Shark Research Centre in the
US have named a new deep-sea
catshark species found near
Madagascar Apristurus manocheriani
or Manocherian’s Catshark
in honour of Greg Manocherian, a
supporter of shark conservation
and research. Lead author of a
paper published in the Journal of
the Ocean Science Foundation,
David A. Ebert, said, “Sharks are a
very diverse group and people do
not realize that there are nearly
536 species. The
discovery of this
new deep-sea
species
highlights how
little we still know
of the deep sea.”
Catsharks belonging to the
genus Apristurus have been
found in almost all oceans,
including the Arctic, but not the
Antarctic, mostly at depths from
about 200–2200 metres along
Italian shark has ‘virgin birth’
The female baby smoothhound
shark (Mustelus mustelus) —
known as Ispera, or “hope” in
Maltese — was recently born at
the Cala Gonone Aquarium in
Sardinia to a mother that has
spent the past decade sharing a
tank with one other female and
no males, Newsweek has reported.
This rare phenomenon, known
as parthenogenesis, is the result
of females’ ability to self-fertilize
SOUNDINGS
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
slopes, seamounts,
deep-sea ridges, and
trenches.
Call for new treaty to protect the high seas
Negotiations for a United
Nations treaty to protect
marine biodiversity in areas
beyond national jurisdiction,
or BBNJ, areas also known as
the high seas, are scheduled
to conclude this year after a
pause caused by the COVID-19
pandemic, and Chile’s director for
environment and ocean affairs
says “it’s time to act.”
Ambassador Waldemar Coutts
responsibility is to ensure Chile
keeps its environmental and
their own eggs in
extreme scenarios.
Parthenogenesis
has been observed
in more than 80
vertebrate species
including sharks,
fish and reptiles but
this may be the first
documented occurrence
in a smoothhound
shark.
Ocean beneath controls what’s above
Research published in
Communications Earth and
Environment suggests that
processes below the ocean
surface may be controlling what
is happening above. Researchers
found that the ratio of nitrogen
and phosphorus introduced from
the ocean subsurface controls the
balance of those nutrients in the
conservation commitments on
its 4000 mile long coastline.
He says the ocean is integral
to humanity’s survival. “That’s
what’s at stake if we don’t understand
we no longer have time
to continue talking,” he said.
The treaty must hold countries
responsible for its implementation,
with technical compliance
and scientific committees and a
functional Secretariat. “We need
a treaty that allows a real balance
between conservation and
sustainable use of the ocean.
marine microorganisms--in this
study, phytoplankton--that form
the foundation of ocean health.
“This is the first time that we’ve
looked across a broad range
of ocean regions and directly
measured the balance of nutrients
in ocean microorganisms,” said
Mike Lomas, lead author on the
A shark’s rare “virgin birth” in an Italian
aquarium maybe the first of its kind,
scientists say.
That approach guarantees a
healthy ocean for the future.”
New MPA for Mexico
The Mexican government has
committed to creating a new fully
protected marine area by banning
all extractive activities within
the perimeter of the Islas Marías
Biosphere Reserve which covers
6,413 square km. The Islas Marías
archipelago contains some of the
few remaining healthy reefs in
any of Mexico’s MPAs in the Gulf
of California.
paper. “Now we can apply more
realistic parameters based on
what is actually driving marine
dynamics to the computer models
used to forecast ocean change.”
Lomas hopes that this improved
understanding of nutrients will
better predict how oceans will
respond to climate change.
www.dive-pacific.com 25

How climate change is
impacting our oceans now
By Dr Christopher Cornwall
Important marine ecosystems in New Zealand and the wider Pacific
are at risk from the effects of human induced climate change with
ocean warming and associated marine heatwaves causing periods
of extreme temperature which are bringing about mass coral reef
bleaching in tropical waters, and the death of kelp forests in seas such
as around New Zealand.
In addition to this, ocean acidification is changing seawater chemistry,
making it harder for calcium carbonate forming organisms like corals,
molluscs and calcifying algae to grow their skeletal material.
Together, these two stressors – ocean warming and acidification - are
altering both coral reef ecosystems and kelp forests globally, and they
are predicted to cause further changes in the near future.
Dr Cornwall testing coral and coralline algal
responses to climate change stressors
Heatwave impacts…
Marine heatwaves have
arguably the greatest impacts
on nearshore marine ecosystems
with both corals and kelps
susceptible to them due to their
unique physiologies. Both coral
reefs and kelp forests form
ecologically vital habitats in
tropical and temperate latitudes
respectively.
…on coral reefs
Reef forming corals are an
animal host that contain a
dinoflagellate symbiont in a
delectate mutualism. Corals
are acclimatised to their local
temperature conditions, and
when temperature anomalies
are too extreme for too long,
the symbiont is expelled. What
remains is the “bleached”
appearing coral skeleton, since
the beautiful colours of most
corals are the pigments of the
symbionts. The proportion
of corals that bleach during a
marine heatwave are a function
of marine heatwave duration and
intensity. Without their symbionts,
they can no longer gain
their photosynthetic products (eg
sugars).
Forereef coral community, Ningaloo, Western Australia
26 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Coral reef community, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef,
Queensland, Australia
But some of these corals will
survive, with the proportion of
their survival again mostly a
function of marine heatwave
intensity and duration.
…and on kelp
Kelp are also sensitive to
temperature anomalies, particularly
at the warm-edge of their
range (ie in the north of the
Southern Hemisphere). Unlike
corals, they contain their own
photosynthetic pigments, and
during intense and longer marine
heatwaves kelps undergo physiological
stress and die.
Events like this have been
recorded in Western Australia
with the common kelp that also
lives in New Zealand (Ecklonia
radiata), disappearing, and largely
yet to return to large swathes of
coastline where it existed in 2011.
Here in New Zealand both “true”
giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera)
and “bull kelp” (an unrelated
large brown alga, Durvillaea spp.)
were severely impacted during
a 2017/2018 summer marine
heatwave.
Acidification impacts
On top of marine heatwaves,
ocean acidification has become
problematic in some places in
the world, reducing the ability
to grow of species that form
calcium carbonate skeletons.
Ocean ‘acidification’ is actually
the process of the Earth’s
surface seawaters becoming
less alkaline, not acidic, thereby
reducing seawater pH. PH is the
inverse log scale of the concentration
of hydrogen ions, so a
decrease in pH predicted by 2100,
of ~0.3 units in New Zealand
is equal to a ~150% increase in
hydrogen ion concentrations.
These excess hydrogen ions in
seawater flow to where most
marine organisms precipitate
calcium carbonate (a process
termed “calcification”), making
calcification ore difficult. Surface
ocean pH has already declined by
0.1 units since the beginning of
the industrial revolution.
Ocean acidification is the absorption
at the surface seawater of
CO 2 produced by our burning of
fossil fuels, and this has subtle
but important impacts on both
coral reefs and kelp forests.
Coralline algae critical
In coral reefs the obvious ramifications
mean that the growth
rates of reef-forming corals will
slow. However, calcifying red
seaweeds called coralline algae
which live in both coral reefs
and kelp forest ecosystems are
crucial to both and are especially
vulnerable to ocean acidification.
They emit chemical cues
in seawater that allow specific
invertebrate larvae to sense the
presence of reefs (both rocky and
coral), enabling them to settle in
the correct location for them.
Both coral larvae, and the larvae
of pāua and kina in New Zealand
Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington School of Biological Sciences and IRD staff
working at high CO2 mangrove reef at Bourake, New Caledonia
www.dive-pacific.com 27

ely on these coralline algae. At
places with naturally elevated
CO 2 , such as near volcanic
venting regions, research has
shown that reduced coralline
algal cover, due to low pH, acts
to severely limit the number of
coral species that can recruit
there.
Not only that, coralline algae
act as ‘glue’ holding coral reefs
together, filling in the gaps
between corals. They also form
their own reefs, such as with
Australia’s largest inshore reef,
the 380 square km Montgomery
reef.
In temperate zones the algae
form ‘veneers’ over rocky reefs
reducing erosion and holding
substrate together, and they can
also form thick reefs of their
own up to 10 m high such as in
the Mediterranean and other
locations. Therefore, if we lose
coralline algae to ocean acidification
we would also severely
impact both coral reefs and kelp
forests.
Coral reef modelling
at 183 locations
Our recent research modelled
the response of coral reef growth
to the effects of combined
ocean warming, acidification
and marine heatwaves at 183
different locations across the
Pacific, Indian and Atlantic
Red coral, near Bourake, New Caledonia
Oceans.
Each ‘coral’ reef is comprised of
various taxa that have different
sensitivities to the three climate
change stressors, and these
stressors will manifest at varying
magnitudes depending on their
geographic location.
Worryingly, we predict that
under worst case carbon dioxide
emission scenarios, that climate
change will halt the ability of all
but a handful (6%) of coral reefs
to grow over our lifetime.
Under intermediate emissions
scenarios, we expect coral reefs
will still fare very poorly, and
similar effects are predicted
before the end of the century.
Only under conservative
emissions scenarios, where we
rapidly halt our emissions and
employ technology to draw down
atmospheric CO 2 concentrations,
will coral reefs continue to
possibly resemble the same state
as they do at present. For this
scenario we predict ~60% of coral
reefs will still be able to grow.
But even under this scenario we
predict an overall 77% drop in
the growth rates of coral reefs.
Keeping within this emissions
scenario remains the greatest
hope for our children and grandchildren
to experience coral reefs
in the ways I have been fortunate
to do.
Kelp forests are changing
Kelp forests in New Zealand are
also predicted to fare poorly. The
same marine heatwaves and
ocean acidification that threaten
coral reefs have already altered
our kelp forests.
Coralline algal reef, Tallon | Jalan Island, Kimberley, Western Australia
The strengthening of the East
Australian current over the last
70 years due to ocean warming
has increased water temperatures
here. It has also carried
the larvae of the invasive black
spine sea urchin from New South
Wales to Tasmania, changing
kelp forest ecosystems to sea
urchin barrens on their east
coast.
This same sea urchin is now
invading northern New Zealand;
divers have noticed increases
in these barrens in our offshore
islands. But fortunately, in
Australia research has shown
28 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

…to acidification in the
short term…
We found that species of corals
and coralline algae that can
resist ocean acidification did
so via changes to their internal
chemistry either to keep pH
internally high, or to compensate
for this by increasing their
concentrations of calcium internally.
However, the majority of
species exposed to ocean acidification
cannot do this; their
internal pH drops, resulting in
decreased growth rates.
Coralline algae and yellowfoot pā ua (Haliotis australis) covered in
coralline algae at Houghton Bay, Wellington
that marine reserves with
larger urchin predators, snapper
and lobster, can prevent these
barrens and this offers cause for
some hope in New Zealand.
Research into
resistance?
Ongoing research into the
effects of ocean acidification
by my group at Te Herenga
Waka, Victoria University of
Wellington’s School of Biological
Sciences also provides some
insights into how climate change
will manifest, why it impacts
these important species, and
possibly ways they could resist it
to some extent.
In collaboration with researchers
from the University of Western
Australia, the Australian
Research Council’s Centre of
Excellence for Coral Reef research
has revealed much of the needed
information though many
questions still remain.
The next step was to identify
whether species could gain these
traits when exposed to ocean
acidification for long durations.
Unfortunately, over a 12 month
experiment conducted in Moorea,
French Polynesia, we found that
corals and calcifying algae could
not acclimate. What traits they
were born with, they were stuck
with.
…over the longer term?
But the effects of climate change
will not simply manifest over one
lifetime. Shorter lived species
will potentially have multiple
generations over which they
could acclimatise, or even adapt
Extensive coral bleaching of thermally resistant corals measured by ARC Centre of Excellence staff at Shell
Island, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia during the April 2016 mass bleaching event that devastated
Australia’s coral reefs on both coasts
www.dive-pacific.com 29

to its effects.
To test whether exposure over
multiple generations of species
would garner greater resistance
to the effects of climate change
is impossible over the lifetime of
one research project for corals.
However, tropical coralline algae
can have short generation times,
allowing us for the first time,
to assess whether a calcifying
benthic species could gain tolerance
to ocean acidification over
multiple (2+) generations.
Tolerance may increase
slowly
We found that over six generations
of exposure to ocean
acidification that coralline algae
did slowly gain the ability to
resist ocean acidification, an
effect that persisted till the end
of the experiment (8 generations),
offering hope that select species
might gain tolerance to different
forms of climate change.
However, for many longer-lived
corals this still might not be
possible.
But the rapid impacts of marine
heatwaves causing coral and kelp
mortality would be difficult to
acclimatise to.
Ongoing work at Victoria University
of Wellington continues to assess
these impacts. We are monitoring
change on Wellington’s south coast
to detect if marine heatwaves or
acidification causes range retractions
or extinctions of seaweed
species.
Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) canopy, Huriawa peninsula, Otago
Dr Christopher Cornwall is
Rutherford Discovery Fellow at
Victoria University of Wellington’s
School of Biological Sciences.
Previously he has been Research
Fellow/Lecturer at the University
of Western Australia, Australia,
and Research Fellow at the
Institute for Marine and Antarctic
Studies, University of Tasmania.
He is also Associate Editor, NZ
Journal of Botany, Academic Editor,
PLOS ONE, and Associate Editor,
Frontiers in Marine Science.
Dr Cornwall
was awarded
this year the
Prime Minister’s
MacDiarmid
Emerging
Scientist Award
($200K), and has
shared awards
for the Centre
of Research Excellence, University
Research Fund, the Rutherford
Discovery Fellowship, the ARC
DECRA and ARC Discovery.
Christopher.cornwall@vuw.ac.nz
At our coastal ecology laboratory,
we are further assessing how coralline
algae and Caulerpa seaweed,
culturally important across the
Pacific, responds to the combined
impacts of heatwaves, warming,
acidification and sediment inputs.
We are also working with colleagues
in New Caledonia, Hong Kong,
Canada, France and the USA to
identify traits that could allow
future coral reef and kelp forest
persistence, while also better
understanding how climate change
will manifest globally and in New
Zealand.
Coralline algal and common kelp (Ecklonia radiata) at Rottnest Island,
Western Australia
30 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

dnz164
Processes involved in net carbonate
production and accretion on reefs
Fig. 1. Processes involved in net carbonate production and accretion on reefs as well as
the associated methods typically employed to measure this. +ve = positive contribution
to accretion with solid lines; −ve = negative contribution with dashed lines. Processes in
gray are not included in most carbonate budgets or here. Here, we project the effects of
ocean acidification and warming on CCA and coral calcification, chemical components of
bioerosion, and sediment dissolution. Only chemical components of bioerosion are included
in hydrochemical measurements, while direct sediment production by bioeroders is also
included here.
400-year-old coral widest ever found
in Great Barrier Reef
Researchers have measured
a piece of coral that’s
the widest yet discovered in
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The
Indigenous Manbarra
people, traditional
custodians of the
area, named it Muga
dhambi (big coral),
the widest and sixth
tallest coral measured
in the Great Barrier
Reef. Researchers said
it was between 21
to 438 years old and
measures nearly 6m
tall and 10 m wide.
The Great Barrier Reef
covers about 133,000
square miles. Muga dhambi is in
very good health with 70% of it
live coral.
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www.dive-pacific.com 31

Overfishing: The issues
By Coty Perry
Overfishing and other fishing-related environmental issues are a real problem worldwide,
writes US fisherman Coty Perry in a discussion on its social, economic and environmental
threats. (the full article is here: https://yourbassguy.com/news/overfishing/
The issue is important for anyone who uses fish as food. As the ocean goes, so goes
the planet. All of us need to educate ourselves on what is driving overfishing, what the
consequences are, and what meaningful steps we can take.
Over three billion
people around the
world rely on fish as
their primary source
of protein with about
12% of the world relying on fisheries in some form
or another for their income. 90% of these are smallscale,
using small nets or even rods, reels and lures
not too different from the kind you probably use.
As a recreational fisherman you are almost certainly
not guilty of “overfishing.” This is an issue for the
fishing industry trawling the ocean with massive
nets.
…30% of commercially fished waters
are now classified as ‘overfished’…
Still, overfishing is a rational reaction to increasing
market demand for fish. Most people consume
twice as much fish as they did 50 years ago, and
caught in a net.
While this is bad enough overfishing also includes:
• Increased algae in the water causing increased
ocean acidity.
• Destruction of fishing communities: This is
particularly true for island communities where
fishing is often the primary source of protein as well
as the main driver of its economy.
• Tougher fishing for small vessels: Overfishing is
mostly done by large vessels which makes it harder
for the smaller ones.
• Ghost fishing: Ghost fishing refers to abandoned
man-made fishing gear left behind. An estimated
25,000 nets float throughout the Northeast Atlantic,
a death trap for all marine life.
• Species near extinction: Many species of fish are
being pushed close to extinction by overfishing, such
as several species of cod, tuna, halibut and even
lobster.
• Bycatch not being sought by commercial
fishermen is often caught in their nets as a
byproduct. This possibility increases dramatically
with overfishing.
• Waste: Overfishing creates waste. 20% of all fish in
the US is lost in the supply chain due to overfishing.
In the Third World this rises to 30% due to a lack of
freezing devices. Though more fish are being caught
than ever, the waste is massive.
• Mystery fish: Because of overfishing, a significant
amount of fish for sale isn’t what it is labelled as. Eg
Only 13% of the “red snapper” on the (US) market is
actually red snapper.
there are well over twice as many people on earth
now than there were in 1960. A result is that 30%
of commercially fished waters are now classified as
“overfished”, meaning that available fishing waters
are being depleted faster than they can be replaced.
At best this means there are fewer fish next year
than this year. At worst, it means a species of fish is
no longer found in a specific area anymore. It runs
hand-in-hand with wasteful forms of fishing that
harvest not just the fish the trawler is looking for,
but just about every other organism big enough to be
Four causes for overfishing
• Regulation that is difficult to enforce. Worst
offenders have little regulation and no regulations
apply in international waters.
• Unreported fishing: Regulations can force many
fisherman to fish “off the books”, especially true in
developing nations.
• Mobile processing when fish are processed before
returning to port, canned or frozen while still out at
sea. Canned fish is increasingly replacing fresh fish.
• Subsidies: Subsidies for fishing don’t generally go
to small fishers but to massive fuel intensive vessels.
32 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Subsidies encourage overfishing
because with them the more fish
you catch, the more money you
get.
it takes at least 10kg of feed to
produce, for example, 500 gm
of tuna, making farmed fishing
incredibly inefficient. Indeed, 37%
Quotas, specifically the
“individual transferable quota”
scheme used by New Zealand
and many other countries does
According to the World Wildlife
Fund, subsidies drive illegal
fishing, which is closely tied
with piracy, slavery and human
trafficking. The University of
British Columbia conducted a
study that found that $22 billion
(63% of all fishing subsidies)
encouraged overfishing.
…37% of all seafood globally is now fed to farmed
fish, up dramatically from 7.7% in 1948…
not seem to work as intended
for a number of reasons. First,
the quotas are transferable
meaning small fishermen over
time sell out their quota to large
commercial operations rather
than work it themselves, and
we’re back to square one.
More on subsidies
The governments of the world
give over $35 billion every year
to fishermen, about 20% of the
value of all the commercially
caught fish in the world every
year. These subsidies reduce costs
for mega fishing companies, like
paying fuel budgets, their gear
and even the vessels themselves.
They squeeze out their smaller
competitors.
The ‘advantages’ drive the
mega fishing companies into
unsustainable fishing practices,
leading to depleted stocks, lower
yields, and lower costs of fish at
market which, while good for
the consumer, makes it harder
for smaller operations to turn a
profit.
…The governments of the
world give out in subsidies
over $35 billion every year to
fishermen, about 20% of the
value of all the commercially
caught fish in the world
every year…
Fish farming?
Crowding thousands of fish
together in small areas away from
their natural habitat turns out
to have a number of detrimental
effects. Waste products, can
contaminate areas around fish
farms. The farms often require
lots of pesticides and drugs
thanks to the high concentrations
of fish and the parasites and
diseases spread in them, and
of all seafood globally is now fed
to farmed fish, up dramatically
from 7.7% in 1948.
Which countries do it?
The US is the only Western nation
on a “shame list” referring to
bluefin tuna and put out by Pew
Charitable Trusts; the others are
Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea
and Indonesia. In 2011 these six
countries took 80% of the world’s
bluefin tuna, collectively 111,482
tonnes.
When it comes to harmful
subsidies the clear leader is
China. A University of British
Columbia study found China
provided more in the way of
harmful subsidies than any other
: $US7.2 billion in 2018 or 21% of
all global support.
What doesn’t work…
In many cases current regulations
simply do not work. An extreme
example: governments restricted
fishing for certain forms of tuna
for three days a year so the
big fishing companies simply
harvested as many fish in three
days as they were previously
getting in an entire year, leading
to greater bycatch and waste.
In general, quotas can be a
source of waste. For example, a
fishing operation is permitted
a specific tonnage of fish of a
specific species. But some of the
catch is of higher quality, which
incentivises the discard of lowerquality
fish to be replenished
in favour of higher-quality fish,
thereby creating large amounts
of waste. The discard can
sometimes amount to 40% of the
catch.
…and what does work
One alternative is called
territorial use rights in fisheries
management where individual
fishers or collectives are granted
long-term lease rights to fish
specific areas. They won’t want
to overfish the area because to
do so would harm their future
prospects, so they catch only
as many fish as is sustainable.
The fishers with rights are
incentivised to preserve the
fishing not just for the next year,
but for ongoing generations. This
model has been used successfully
by Chile, and also Belize,
Denmark and even the United
States.
www.dive-pacific.com 33

How much of our oceans are
protected, and is it enough?
By Dee Harris
In the first of this series (Dive
Pacific 176, Feb/March/ April
2021) we discussed the value
of marine reserves concluding
they offer a great degree
of protection and are the
preferred route for restoring
our oceans’ health. The
definition applied for marine
reserves is simple: “total
protection from fishing and
extraction.”
Furthermore the experts
believe that somewhere
between 10% and 30% of our
planet’s waters need this level
of protection if we are to avert
destructive climate change and
wide spread extinction events.
New Zealand has 44 marine
reserves which amount to
about 12% protection of our
territorial waters. However, of
this 11.51% is located in mega
reserves in remote offshore
areas such as the Kermadec
Islands; only 0.0035% of marine
reserves are situated on New
Zealand’s coastline and these
are made of up of a series of
very small areas.
In June this year the New
Zealand government
announced plans for a raft
of changes for added marine
protection including the
creation of 18 new Marine
Protected Areas in the Hauraki
Gulf. The need for urgency was
acknowledged.
In this second article we
examine broadly how other
world nations are progressing
their efforts to protect their
oceanic responsibilities and
facing up to some of the
inherent challenges in doing so.
First a reality check: most areas
of the world’s marine reserves
- those with total protection
from fishing and extraction
-are far from common. Most
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
allow ‘multiple’ uses which
can include activities such as
fishing by local communities,
seasonal only protection, for
example during spawning,
and even deep-sea mineral
extraction.
Marine protection worldwide: a whirlwind assessment
The Americas
Let’s head first to The Americas.
It seems Marine Reserves (MRs)
in the United States make up
only 7% of all their marine
protected areas; the other 93%
are Marine Protected Areas
(MPAs). Of the total area designated
with some form of
marine protection, 94% consist
of the 937,000 km2 Papahā
naumokuākea Marine National
Monument in Hawaii.
Long-established and grandly
funded organisations such as
National Geographic, that reputedly
lead scientific expeditions
to identify ocean challenges, may
give the perception that the US
is a leader in marine protection.
That appears not the case. For
example the Trump administration
opened 128 million acres of
the Arctic and Atlantic oceans for
oil and gas drilling, although this
was countered more recently by
President Biden who, seeking to
undo the Alaskan expansion and
other sensitive areas, has called
for a halt to new oil and gas
leases. He has also committed to
what is referred to as the 30x30
plan to conserve and restore 30%
of the nation’s lands and waters
by 2030.
…The Pacific Ocean is a source of life for us.
This is our contribution not only to our own
wellbeing but also to humanity’s wellbeing…
In comparison Canada’s commitment
is made to look good
though protected areas around
its vast coastline may look to
be just spotty patches. Canada’s
Oceans Act claimed in 2019
to have achieved the international
target of 10% protection of
marine and coastal areas with
793,906 km2 or 13.81% of the
country’s marine and coastal
areas under protection, despite
markedly differing levels of
protection for each area.
In Latin America Chile has
made significant progress
in recent years to protect its
waters. Chile’s local communities
have provided support as
they have witnessed fish stocks
decline, and replaced their
reliance on them with marine
based tourism. Chile’s
model resembles New
Zealand’s where two
offshore areas: Rapa Nui
(Easter Island), and the
Juan Fernandez Islands
(Robinson Crusoe) are large
reserves with considerable
protection, but there’s only 1%
of marine reserves near the
mainland coastline.
Other South American countries
have instituted varying degrees
of protection but many are
fraught with problems including
illegal fishing, overfishing,
pollution, and an inability to
adequately enforce existing laws.
34 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

A feature of Ecuador, for
example, which administers the
Galapagos Islands is its weak
governance, a major obstacle
to achieving protection goals.
In 2017 the Ecuadorian Navy
seized a Chinese cargo vessel
named Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 in
the Galapagos National Reserve
Park to find 300 tonnes of fish
including a protected species of
shark. Ecuador allows sharks as
incidental bycatch while insisting
there is no shark fishing. But
the price of shark fin is $US650
/kilo, which can realise US$10
million in one boat haul. The Fu
Yuan incident created outrage
on a world scale, yet it is likely
to be only one vessel of many
that happened to get caught. Low
wages and other social inequities
help prop up corrupt government
that goes back centuries where
key officials are bribed to turn a
blind eye.
Further issues in Central and
South America revolve around
the separation of powers
between local, regional, and
national authorities which is
where things frequently get
messy. Resources and funding
needed to enforce laws are often
inadequate, along with the 13
million tonnes of plastic dumped
in South American oceans each
year, and untreated waste water
piped straight into the seas off
countries like Columbia and
Peru.
by the EU to achieve Good
Environmental Status (GES) in EU
waters by 2020. Most MPAs are
in the Mediterranean where they
are very small, and inadequately
protected. The UK has its Marine
Conservation Zones which are
not as protected as those of the
EU, instead aiming to protect
rare and vulnerable species. All
of Europe’s efforts though seem
spread far too thinly for a region
with an extremely high GDP and
aspirations to be a first world
leader.
Asia
One Asian initiative, the
Northeast Asian Marine
Protected Areas Network
(NEAMPAN), is an organisation
with very clear objectives
around establishing a network of
marine protected areas in China,
Japan, the Republic of Korea,
and the Russian Federation.
And in addition, hundreds of
diverse organisations appear
to be working locally within
individual countries as well as
at the broader national level to
achieve marine protection aims.
Nevertheless it is difficult to see
the shape of any overall plan
that might demonstrate the vast
region is anywhere along the
way to achieving timely marine
protection.
Antarctica
Antarctica is governed by an
international body made up of
24 member countries which also
oversee the waters around it, in
all a 962,0000 km2 protected area
created in 2016, said to be twice
…How much of your heart do you want to protect? … if we can
make it happen, it can truly change the world, and help ensure the
survival of … my favourite species; that would be us.…
the size of Texas. It includes a
large part of the Ross Sea where
everything from penguins to
whales are protected. A 2011
study in the journal Biological
Conservation said the Ross Sea
was “the least altered marine
ecosystem on Earth,” citing intact
communities of Emperor and
Adelie penguins, crabeater seals,
orcas, and minke whales. Quite
an achievement.
Australia
Closer to home, Australia, has
the largest network of marine
Africa
Africa’s problems mirror those
of South America where severe
funding and resource constraints
prevail. Coastal erosion, the
impacts of climate change,
ocean acidification, offshore
developments, overfishing, and
land-based pollution are some
of the challenges. Offering hope
is the type of excellent expertise
developed by several African
countries in land-based wildlife
protection, skills and techniques
that could well be transferred to
marine park protection.
Europe
In Europe, the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive was started
Provided by The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-
WCMC) and IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources.
www.dive-pacific.com 35

parks with 60 areas covering 3.1
million km2. Roughly a third of
Australia’s waters combine the
Great Barrier Reef with a contiguous
part of the Coral Sea to
form one of the largest marine
protected areas in the world.
Australia’s marine policy looks in
pretty good shape even though
the vast majority of the areas
protected are in MPAs not MRs.
The Pacific
Our Pacific Island neighbours
deserve credit for allocating huge
areas relative to their size to
marine protection over the last
15 years.
In 2012 the Cook Islands, a nation
of 20,000 people on 15 islands,
created in 2012 one of the world’s
largest marine parks covering
nearly 1.1 million km2, bigger
than France and Germany. Said
the Cooks’ Prime Minister Henry
Puna when launching the MPA:
“The Pacific Ocean is a source
of life for us. This is our contribution
not only to our own
wellbeing but also to humanity’s
wellbeing.”
New Caledonia also announced
in 2012 the creation of a new
marine protected area roughly
half the size of India, covering 1.4
million km2, and in 2008 the tiny
Pacific Island nation of Kiribati
launched the Pacific Oceanscape
concept creating a 400,000 km2
MPA.
Perhaps it’s understandable that
small island nations more fully
understand the threats posed
to them from climate change,
including submersion of their
islands as sea levels rise.
The challenges
What is proven is that true
Marine Reserves sustain higher
densities and variety of species
than Marine Protected Areas, and
that if designed and managed
well, and enforced, bigger fish
will have more offspring in
Marine Reserves and demonstrate
amazing recovery rates of
species, which will in turn help
fish catch.
Second, it’s clear that it is far
easier politically to establish
huge MR’s or MPA’s in remote
offshore areas far from population
centres, and where fishing
may be of less interest.
In establishing protected areas
such as these, and in the words
of outspoken marine critic
Russell Moffitt, we are “going
after the low-lying fruit.” The
hard work has yet to be done
since, while the vast majority
of marine protected areas are
located near countries’ territorial
waters, their area is individually
and in aggregate is extremely
small, and the issue about
making them bigger requires
co-operation, conflict resolution,
and a lot of effort to get more of
them created or added onto.
…For the children of today,
for tomorrow’s child: as never
again, now is the time.…
In addition to the MRs and
MPAs established by individual
nations, there are also international
waters governed by the
UN convention on the Law of
the High Seas. Many of these
so called ‘Donut Holes’ could
become MR’s and enable far
larger expanses of ocean catchment,
but doing this also requires
massive international agreement.
The political ocean
Indeed the preservation of
species in our oceans is political.
While the changes instituted
by various nations and organisations
is helpful and totally
essential, the large-scale changes
needed in the time-period available
to save us requires political
leadership and commitment.
Unfortunately, this leadership
is in extremely short supply,
along with budget limitations,
psycho-social attitudes, and
public ignorance of the facts.
Whereas new individual
country policies certainly need
to advance, there is also the
need for co-operation between
countries where the high seas
present challenges of a different
order than those for countrybased
conservation.
A complicating factor is that the
time needed for each species to
recover will differ. For instance
the Blue Whale needs 8 years,
Atlantic Cod 20 years, and the
Loggerhead Sea Turtle 16-28
years.
Most of us, who don’t claim to be
experts, may assume someone
else is working on these issues,
but many voices are needed to
move things forward with the
urgency needed since time is
running out.
The goal
A decade ago the UN issued a
goal to see 10% of our oceans
protected by 2020. And by 2019,
7% of our oceans had some
form of formal protection. But
most scientists and conservation
groups such as Greenpeace
believe 30% is the minimum
needed.
Further, in 2016 the renowned
biologist E.O. Wilson introduced
his idea of “half Earth,” arguing
that protecting half the planet
would save as many as 90% of
imperilled species. He believes
the problem is too large to be
solved piecemeal. He proposed
the solution should match the
scale of the problem: that is,
dedicate fully half the surface of
the Earth to nature. Since man
is only one of the 1.3 million
identified species in the world it
seems reasonable that 50% of our
planet should be preserved for all
the other creatures we share the
planet with.
It’s certain the more we aspire
to, the more likely that we are to
achieve a reasonable, sustainable
area of protection. If we stick to
a mere 10% goal, which we have
had for the last 10 years, we will
only ever achieve 1% of what is
needed.
In the first part of this series New
Zealander Bill Ballantine was
quoted that a basic human right
of all children was to experience
the rich range of natural life, and
that we should make real efforts
to arrange this.
36 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Provided by The Marine Protection Atlas: mpatlas.org
In a recent interview
renowned American
oceanographer and
explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle,
a kind of Jane Goodall for
the oceans, said: “Some
say 10%, some say 30%.
You decide: how much of
your heart do you want to
protect? Whatever it is, a
fraction of one percent is
not enough.
“My wish is a big wish,
but if we can make it
happen, it can truly
change the world, and
help ensure the survival
of what actually - as it
turns out - is my favourite
species; that would
be us. For the children
of today, for tomorrow’s
child: as never again, now
is the time.”
2.7% of global ocean area is in implemented and
fully/highly protected zones
3.7% is in implemented but less protected zones
< 1% is in designated but unimplemented zones
1.4% is in proposed/committed zones
www.dive-pacific.com 37

Deep feelers by Laurent Ballesta, France,
Highly commended
PREVIEW
UK’s Natural History Museum presents
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A special selection of Highly Commended
photographs has been released ahead of the
opening of the UK’s Wildlife Photographer
of the Year Awards at the Natural History
Museum in London. Here’s five of them.
Dive Pacific will present winners in our next
edition.
Now in its 57th year, the Wildlife
Photographer of the Year Awards is the
Museum’s showcase for the world’s best
nature photography. This year’s competition
attracted over 50,000 entries from professionals
and amateurs across 95 countries.
Overall winners will be announced via a
virtual awards ceremony, streamed from
the Natural History Museum on Tuesday
12th October. Go to Instagram, Twitter or
Facebook for live updates on the night. The
exhibition of the images will open on October
15th.
The 2022 competition opens for entries
on Monday 18 October and closes at on 9
December 2021. The competition is open to
photographers of all ages, nationalities and
levels. Find out more here.
38 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Deep feelers by Laurent
Ballesta, France, Highly
commended
In deep water off the French
Mediterranean coast, among
cold-water black coral, Laurent
came across a vibrant community
of thousands of narwhal
shrimps. Their legs weren’t
touching, but their exceptionally
long, highly mobile
outer antennae were. Research
suggests that such contact is
central to the shrimps’ social
behaviour, in pairing and
competition.
In such deep water (78 m
down), Laurent’s air supply
included helium (to cut back
on nitrogen absorbed), which
enabled him to stay at depth
longer and stalk the shrimps.
Narwhal shrimps often burrow
in mud or sand or hide among
rocks or in caves in the day.
They are also fished commercially
and when shrimp-fishing
involves bottom trawling over
such deep-water locations, it
destroys the slow growing coral
forests as well as their communities.
Nikon D5 + 15–30mm f2.8 lens at
30mm; 1/40 sec at f20; ISO 1600;
Seacam housing; Seacam strobes.
Net loss by Audun
Rikardsen, Norway, Highly
commended
In the wake of a fishing boat,
a slick of dead and dying
herrings covers the surface of
the sea off the coast of Norway.
The boat had caught too many
fish, and when the encircling
wall of the purse-seine net was
closed and winched up, it broke,
releasing tons of crushed and
suffocated animals.
Audun was on board a
Norwegian coastguard vessel
nearby, on a project to satellite
tag killer whales. The whales
follow the migrating herrings
and are frequently found
alongside fishing boats where
they feed on fish that leak out
of the nets. For the Norwegian
coastguard the spectacle of
carnage and waste was effectively
a crime scene. Audun’s
photographs became the visual
evidence in a court case that
resulted in a conviction and
www.dive-pacific.com 39

The great swim by Buddhilini de Soyza, Sri Lanka/Australia Highly commended
fine for the owner of the boat.
Overfishing (See p 30) is one
of the biggest threats to ocean
ecosystems, and according to
the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization, more than 60%
of fisheries today are either
‘fully fished’ or collapsed>
Almost 30% are at their limit
(‘overfished’). Norwegian
spring-spawning herring – part
of the Atlantic herring population
complex – was in the 19th
century the most commercially
fished fish population in
the North Atlantic, but by the
end of the 1960s, it had been
fished almost to extinction. The
Atlantic herring came close to
extinction. It took 20 years and
a near ban on fishing to recover,
though still vulnerable. The
recovery has been followed by
an increase in the number of
their predators such as killer
whales.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II + 14mm
f2.8 lens; 1/320 sec at f13 (-0.33
e/v); ISO 1600.
The great swim by
Buddhilini de Soyza, Sri
Lanka/Australia
Highly commended
When the Tano Bora coalition
of male cheetahs
leapt into the raging Talek River
in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, Dilini
feared they would not make it.
Unseasonable, relentless rain
had caused the worst flooding
local elders had ever known.
Cheetahs are strong swimmers,
and with the prospect of more
prey on the other side of the
river, they were determined.
Dilini followed them for hours
from the opposite bank as they
searched for a crossing point.
The Tano Bora (Maasai for
‘magnificent five’) is an unusually
large coalition, thought to
comprise two pairs of brothers,
joined later by a single male.
Calmer stretches, perhaps with
a greater risk of lurking crocodiles,
were spurned. ‘Suddenly,
the leader jumped in,’ she said.
Against her expectations all five
emerged onto the bank some
100 m downstream and headed
straight off to hunt.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV + 100–
400mm f4.5–5.6 lens at 400mm;
1/2000 sec at f5.6; ISO 640.
40 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

The gripping end by Wei Fu, Thailand,
Highly commended
Clutched in the coils of a golden tree snake,
a red-spotted tokay gecko clamps onto its
attacker’s head in a last attempt at defence.
Named for their call, tokay geckos are up to 40
cm long, feisty and have powerful jaws. But
they are also a favourite prey of the golden
tree snake which also hunts lizards, amphibians,
birds and even bats; its one of five snakes
that can ‘fly’, expanding its ribs and flattening
its body to glide from branch to branch.
Wei was photographing birds at a park near
his home in Bangkok, Thailand, when he heard
the loud croaking and hissing of the gecko
being approached by the golden tree snake.
Within minutes the snake had dislodged the
gecko and squeezing it to death then began
the laborious process of swallowing the gecko
whole.
Canon EOS 7 Mark II + Tamron SP 150–600mm
f5–6.3 G2 lens; 1/800 sec at f7.1; ISO 1000.
Toxic design by Gheorghe Popa, Romania
Highly commended
This eye-catching detail of a small river in the
Geamana Valley, within Romania’s Apuseni
Mountains, took Gheorghe by surprise though
he had been visiting the region for several years
using his drone to capture images of the valley’s
ever changing patterns. But these designs,
perhaps made sharp by recent heavy rain, are
the result of an ugly truth.
In the late 1970s, more
than 400 families living
in Geamana were forced
to leave to make way for
waste flowing from the
nearby Rosia Poieni mine,
a mine exploiting one of
the largest deposits of
copper ore and gold in
Europe. The picturesque
valley became a ‘tailings
pond’ filled with an acidic
cocktail, containing pyrite
(fool’s gold), iron and other
heavy metals, laced with
cyanide which infiltrated
the groundwater and
threatened waterways more
widely.
The settlement was gradually engulfed with
millions of tons of toxic waste, leaving just the
old church tower protruding and the sludge still
piling up.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro + Hasselblad L1D-20c + 28mm f2.8
lens; 1/60 sec at f11; ISO 100
www.dive-pacific.com 41

SOUNDINGS
LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL
Treasures found in 2200-year-old Egyptian
‘Atlantis’ shipwreck
Archaeologists have come across a
2200-year-old shipwreck buried in the
bottom of the Mediterranean sea, a military
vessel found underneath the ancient city
of Heracleion (also known as Thonis) which
was destroyed by earthquakes in the second
century BC.
The 25m-long shipwreck was a common boat
for navigating the Nile River.
“[The ship sunk] as a result of the collapse
of the temple and huge blocks falling on it
during a devastating earthquake,” a statement
from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism
and Antiquities said.
“This discovery beautifully illustrates the presence
of the Greek merchants who lived in that city,” the
Ministry told Reuters.
The city of Heracleion was said to be one
of the most important trade centres in the
Mediterranean before it disappeared into
Decorative clay pots
and oil lamps have
also been found
Treasures still being
found at Egypt’s sunken city.
Photo: The Hilti Foundation via Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiques
what is now the Bay of Aboukir. Situated off
Egypt’s north coast the city was lost for four
thousand years until divers stumbled upon its
remains in 2000. In 2019, a temple discovered
among its ruins led to it being known as the
“Egyptian Atlantis”.
Egyptian Atlantis in modern
day Abu Qir Bay
Photos: The Hilti Foundation via Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiques
42 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Wakatobi fixes ‘eyes on horizon’
SOUNDINGS
LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL
While awaiting the return of
guests to the resort, Wakatobi is
keeping ‘our eyes on the horizon,’
and staying busy, maintaining
reef patrols, and ensuring all
staff get the jab against Covid-19.
And recording the entire process
on video to share with local
media and post online.
By mid-August, 95% of Wakatobi
staff had received at least one
dose of the vaccine.
Reefs teeming with life
Dive sites made unavailable
for many years to allow for
growth and regeneration have
now returned to near-pristine
status with fish life abundant,
and Wakatobi’s dive boat fleet is
ready to set sail as soon as guests
arrive.
Guests getting ready
Many guests are making plans to
visit though no date has yet been
set for the resort’s re-opening.
Photo by Didi Lotze
Many guests have stayed in
touch over throughout the
Covid months, which makes the
Wakatobi team very happy: “We
love hearing from you, and can’t
wait to tell you “we’re open,”
Wakatobi will reopen as soon
as possible, and their team is
looking forward to seeing beloved
guests and friends once again.
Queensland Govt kills four dolphins
The first major update to the Shark Culling
Impact Tracker has revealed the State’s lethal
shark nets and drumlines captured 139 marine
animals along the Queensland coast in two months
since May this year. 85 of them died.
The Tracker was developed by Humane Society
International Australia (HSIA) and the Australian
Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) to spotlight
the appalling government implemented shark
killing practices.
In the Tracker’s first two months of operation five
dolphins were caught, four of which were killed.
A further 11 sea turtles, nine rays, and 114 sharks
were caught in the nets and drumlines. Three
turtles and three rays died, while 75 sharks were
killed. About half the sharks caught since 2001 by
this barbarous practice pose little risk to humans
since they are not aggressive species.
Though installed ostensibly to keep swimmers
safe, the nets and drumlines provide a false sense
of security. In 2019 the State’s Administrative
Appeals Tribunal found them ineffective for
protecting swimmers from sharks. It reported
shark culling had no impact on the risk of shark
bite.
Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and
Fisheries has now begun to trial non-lethal alternatives
with the expansion of drone trials to Far
North Queensland after successes in Southern
Queensland.
Lawrence Chlebeck, a marine biologist for Humane
Society International Australia, said, “We want to
show everyone exactly what it costs to keep using these
ineffective shark control measures. Even if an animal
doesn’t die when it’s caught in a net or on a lethal
drumline, they suffer immensely. Just because they are
released, doesn’t mean they survive.”
Dr Leonardo Guida, a shark scientist for the
Australian Marine Conservation Society, said: “The
sooner the Queensland Government transitions to fully
non-lethal strategy the better it’ll be for beach-goers
and the ocean alike.”
For more visit:
www.sharkchampions.org.au
www.dive-pacific.com 43

Many older divers will fondly
recall their early days of
diving in a Moray wetsuit and
spearfishing with a Moray
speargun.
The suits branded as Shark
Skin, with its hard-wearing
diamond patten nylon
exterior skin became the
go-to wetsuit for commercial
divers and sport divers
that appreciated wearing a
suit that stood up to their
groveling in holes searching
for crayfish without falling
apart!
On 21st July family, past
business acquaintances
and a sprinkling of divers
gathered in west Auckland
to pay their respects. The
divers present just wanted
to show their gratitude to
a man who had keep them
snug and warm while diving
and had built a brand that
became internationally
known. Moray products were also
very dominant in the Australian
market and made inroads into the
huge US market.
I had met Alf a few times over
the years when publishing Dive
Log/Dive New Zealand magazine,
he was always the consummate
gentleman with a cheeky twinkle
in his eye.
In Memory
A diving industry’s
trailblazer bids us farewell
By Dave Moran
Alf Dickenson
24th September 1922 – 15th July 2021
When we published the Centennial
Issue Dec/Jan 2000 Issue # 55 he
was one of the 19 faces of noted
people who had contributed
significantly to the sport of diving
in New Zealand.
L to R: John Hempstalk, Bill Wilderidge and Alf discussing production
Rob LaHood the publisher and
editor of New Zealand DIVE
magazine* published an article in
1982 about Alf’s contribution to
New Zealand diving.
The opening paragraph: Aucklander
Alf Dickenson is the man behind Moray
Industries, one of New Zealand’s
biggest and most successful wetsuit
manufactures and dive equipment
companies.
When Alf turned 60 in September
(1982) he looked back at almost 30
years in the business and agreed it was
time he took greater time off to do some
ocean cursing and play a little more
golf.
Around 50 people
were involved in the
manufacturing of
Moray water sports
wetsuits: Water skiing,
surfing, windsurfing
and diving.
In his early teens Alf
started building crude
sailing rafts made
from firewood his
father [ John Dickenson
of Sydney, Australia
who friends and family
called “Dicko”] brought
home from work and
sails from sacking.
Many an adventure
was had with his
mates in these very
simple sailing rafts!
He obtained some plans from the
Auckland 8 O’clock Saturday Star
newspaper to build a 3.5metre
canoe. He covered it in Calico.
Later, his father bought home some
pieces of heavy canvas which Alf
rigged up onto a mast and boom.
He discovered the joy, satisfaction
and pride of building things!
Alf developed a love for the
Moray Industries complex based in Devonport, Auckland in the 1980’s
Alf’s original Auckland Underwater
Spearfishing Club card
44 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Spearfishing back in the day
L to R: R. McCombe, Alf Dickenson , W. Denny & D. McKay
Moray’s promotion in NZ DIVE magazine Vol.5, # 1, November 1982
ocean. He joined the Auckland
Underwater Spearfishing Club
is 1955 just before the release of
Jacques Cousteau’s Silent World - 15
August 1956. This film created an
explosion of people’s interest in
the adventures to be had below
the waves! The fledgling sport dive
industry expanded at an amazing
rate to meet the demand for gear.
At this time Alf was in partnership
with Keith Coubray running
Auckland Automotive Engineering
Company. Keith was a very skilled
engineer and designer.
They developed the Moray
speargun so named because
Alf though the nose of the gun
reminded him of a Moray eel’s
head! They also manufactured a
diving regulator, marketed as Atlas
Freeflow.
With the increasing volumes of
diving equipment being imported
into New Zealand in the late 1960
early 70s, Alf obtained the distributorship
for international brands
such as, Dacor, Oceanic, Cressi and
other major brands. (in the 1980s
Mares bought the Dacor’s business
interests)
One of Alf’s prodigies is Bill
Wilderidge
owner of
Auckland
based, Seaquel
Wetsuits.
Bill learnt
the craft of
manufacturing
excellent
wetsuits on the
cutting floor of
Moray Industries.
The above is just a very small
picture of Alf’s life. I saw a side of
Alf that I was totally unaware of at
his farewell.
The following says it all:
To have you as our Dad,
Granddad and Great Grandad
was cause enough for pride.
No one could ever be your equal,
however hard they tried.
We’ve lost a MAN in a million
and loved him to the end.
We’ve lost four very precious
things this day.
Our Dad, Grandad, Great
Grandad and our Friend.
L to R: Alf Diskenson, John Hempstalk, Tony Gardiner, Bill Wilderidge,
Ron Czerniak and Graeme Carrie - executive staff at Moray
I guess you can confidently say, Alf
was a VERY successful man.
It was an honor to have known
him.
Note:
• Special thanks to Alf’s granddaughter
Teresa Scott and Rob
LaHood the publisher and editor
the New Zealand DIVE magazine for
allowing me to gather information
regarding Alf’s life.
• New Zealand DIVE magazine
Vol.5, #1 November 1982: Dive
Personality: Alf Dickenson.
• Spearfishing and freediving
specialist shop, Ocean Hunter,
based in Albany Auckland
continues carrying the Moray
wetsuit Brand.
www.dive-pacific.com 45

In Memory
A man who was instrumental in the
development of diver training in New
Zealand and the South Pacific
Brian Sayer
19th July 1940 – 28th May 2021
By Dave Moran
Where do you begin to try
and convey to our readers
what Brian and his wife Margaret
achieved as a team.
When I first had the crazy idea,
with the support of my wife
Petal of establishing a national
dive magazine in early 1990s, we
needed the support of the dive
industry to place advertisements
within the tabloid Newspaper
style magazine. One of the first
people I phoned was Brian Sayer.
I can still recall that conversation.
It went something like this.
- Hi Brian I’m thinking of starting
a FREE dive magazine based on
the format of my good friend Barry
Andrewartha’s Dive Log Australia
which he publishes in Melbourne
Australia. It will be delivered into
every dive shop in New Zealand and
divers can pick it up for free. Would
you support the publication with
advertising? He quickly replied,
“Sure thing Dave”.
That was the beginning of a very
enjoyable relationship with Brian
and Margaret.
As we all know, we meet all
kinds of people on our journey
through life. Brian and Margret
were a solid couple that had high
standards in everything they did
and they were well respected for
that.
I was flicking through some past
magazines to help gather my
thoughts and a Training News
item jumped out at me from Issue
#20. Feb/March 1994.
Maybe Brian’s guiding hand was
directing me.
Top Service Award
I thought this item says it all!
Emergency Medical Planning Ltd
proprietors Brian and Margaret
Sayer of Mackaytown have won
the Service category of the Thames
Valley Coromandel Business
Development Board’s Enterprise
Award.
Mr and Mrs Sayer established ‘The
Academy’ in 1991 and since then
have closely followed their Mission
statement to provide high quality
education and services in a totally
professional environment.
Their long term goal to be recognized
as the best place nationally
to gain all levels of training from
beginner to instructor and post
graduate levels both in recreational
diver training and all levels of Medic
first aid.
Brian proudly showing off his beloved
Suzuki GSXR1000. He and Margret had
many touring adventures on this bike.
Brian has had an amazing life.
Through the 1960s, 70s and 80s
he was into boating and sailingcrewed
in several Bluewater
races to Noumea. and Fiji,
owned runabouts and in 1982
took delivery of a 11 m sloop,
Extravagance.
He sailed to Niue in 1983 and set
up Niue Adventures.
He then went on to set up a
diving operation in Vava’u Tonga
– Dolphin Pacific Diving.
Obtained numerous qualifications
both for boating and diving.
He visited the USA numerous
times to achieve extensive PADI
and Medic First aid qualifications.
Brian and his 100% supporter
Margaret’s influence on diver
training in New Zealand was
massive, especially during
1980-1990 era. The quality of
courses and systems they developed
are still the benchmark
today.
He introduced the PADI diver
training
system to
NZ instructors
and
was the
Happy times, Margaret and Bryan
enjoying the warmth of a sunny day
Two ads from Issue #1 December 1990/January 1991
of Dive Log New Zealand magazine
46 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Top sections of double page promotional ads in Issue #50 February/March 1999
examiner of all instructors both
in NZ and throughout the Pacific
Islands.
When New Zealand Underwater
Association (NZUA) obtained the
franchise to run the PADI training
system in NZ, Brian became
their first PADI Course Director.
He was the only PADI Instructor
Examiner for four years.
He established the first Private
Training Establishment (PTE) The
Academy in 1991. (In 2002 this
became Academy of Diving Trust)
He established the first tertiary
Dive Diploma’s in NZ.
He brought in Medic First Aid
courses and standards from
the USA establishing Emergency
Medical Planning New Zealand
Ltd. (EMP) His daughter, Rose
and son-in-law Ross Drysdale
still operate this very successful
business.
He was on the project team
that created the Dive Industry
Training Organization (ITO) in the
mid 1990’s. He also assisted with
the original NZQA unit standards
in diving – with contemporaries
such as Steve Mercer, Ken
Greenfield and
Colin Melrose.
The above is just
scratching the
surface of what
this amazing
couple have
achieved. To be
frank it’s just
mind boggling reading through
Brian’s CV !
The last time I saw Brian and
Margaret was when they visited
the Dive New Zealand magazine
stand at the Auckland Boat Show.
They both looked terrific and
were enjoying life.
Brian proudly showed me a
picture of the motor bike he
and Margaret were cruising on,
visiting numerous locations
throughout New Zealand. They
both still had their adventurous
spirit, good on them I thought-
Wonderful people.
Brian will be greatly missed.
Note: Thanks to Margaret Sayer
and her daughters, Rose, Robyn
and son Kevin, son in-law Ross
Drysdale (EMP) and Dan & Wendy
Forsman (Academy of Diving
Trust).
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www.dive-pacific.com 47

BACK IN THE DAY
49 years ago Wade Doak’s magazine Dive
South Pacific Underwater Magazine ran a
feature asking Is Conservation Necessary?
We published the first part of that again in our
last edition. In it Eddie Davidson questioned
why spearfishers were being singled out while
destructive commercial fishing practices
escaped criticism.
With Dave Moran
Then came a response by Tony Ayling, MSc
(Hons), a marine biologist and member of the
Auckland Underwater Club at the time.
He argued then that conservation was indeed
very necessary, as follows:
Conservation is necessary
By Tony Ayling
(First published in DIVE South
Pacific Underwater Magazine
1972 Vol 10 Number 4)
Conservation sensibly
applied need not be a
frightening spectre. However
much is done in the name of
conservation that is not good
conservation.
Why is conservation necessary?
Most divers realise that
spearfishing, especially of reef
fish population is a terrifically
efficient way of killing fish
and can be very damaging
to fish stocks. The effect of
these efficient killers – spearfishermen
– is very noticeable
in places like the Med,
NSW and New Caledonia. In
these areas reef fish or rock
fish as they are often called
are virtually decimated. It is
obvious that something must
be done to prevent a similar
thing happening here in New
Zealand.
It is also important to establish
how, why and where divers
spear fish in NZ before you
can establish a conservation
oriented system. Most spearfishing
and most diving of
any sort is carried out from
North Cape to East Cape and
around the Wellington area.
These then are the two areas
that should be examined with
conservation in mind.
Fish are speared mainly for
three different reasons. Firstly
there is the diver who spears
…It is no use thinking that NZ is immune and that what
happened in the Med and NSW cannot happen here. It can
and is happening here and something must be done to
halt it…
for the pot. He is generally the
only one likely to spear fish
using a lung. Fish speared are
usually red moki in the north
and Moki and Butterfish in
the south. Next is the diver
who spears for enjoyment.
He almost invariably spears
only using snorkel and limits
himself to challenging fish
such as kingfish and snapper.
The next is the competition
diver who spears entirely on
snorkel and is after species
likely to grow over three
pounds. This diver is either
practising for, or engaged in
local or national competitions.
Of three types of spearo (any
diver may belong to different
classes at different times) the
pot diver probably accounts
for the greatest weight of fish
over the year. However, the
fish are taken from over a wide
area and put to good use. The
weight of fish taken during
all types of competitions is
probably a very close second
to the pot and is increasing
rapidly every year as competitions
become more competitive
and more popular.
Competitions usually affect
only a few relatively small
areas. It would seem, then, that
conservation should be aimed
mainly at competition spearing
as it is in this field that the
greatest wastage takes place.
…Weed feeders and rock bottom feeders are limited to
rocky coastal areas usually in water less than 100 feet and
generally do not move large distances to recolonise new
areas as snapper and possibly blue moki can…
It is no use thinking that NZ
is immune and that what
happened in the Med and NSW
cannot happen here. It can
and is happening here and
something must be done to
halt it. Of the fish speared in
competition any wandering
fish such as snapper and
perhaps blue moki and pelagic
fish such as kingfish, trevalli,
kahawai are immune to fishing
48 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Thus, it is obvious that weed feeders and rock
bottom feeders are limited to rocky coastal areas
usually in water less than 100 feet and generally
do not move large distances to recolonise new
areas as snapper and possibly blue moki can.
It seems that it is necessary to limit in some way
the competition spearing of these weed and rocky
bottom feeding fish – fish that at the present
make up the bulk of fish speared in competitions.
Lowering the weight limit so that it is easy to
spear a fish that is over the limit and eliminating
weight points for these reef fish would seem to
me sensible ways of reducing the number of reef
fish speared in competitions.
Reef fish are not commercially exploitable as the
total population numbers are too small and also
they do not regenerate quickly enough.
pressure. All the others such as red moki, marble
fish, parore, drummer, John Dory etc are home
ranging and once removed from an area only
very slowly recolonise it. These are the reef fish
or rock fish that have been removed from other
regions in the world by spearfishing pressure.
Looking at crays and paua as regards divers and
conservation it is obvious that something must be
done and, if possible, done without introducing
new restrictions. It is also obvious that the diver
who keeps within the rules and who takes a few
crays, even a limit bag, for the pot for his and
his friends’ use is not helping diminish our cray
populations. Hence any reduction of these limits
by the government is merely using divers as a
scapegoat.
The distribution of fish is usually governed by
their feeding habits. Some fish are weed eaters,
eg drummer, parore and butterfish and these
three species usually prefer to feed on the
narrow band of Carpophyllum-type seaweed that
stretches from the surface down to a maximum
of 20 to 30 feet. Hence these three species are
generally found in and around this area.
…The real reason for the reduction of cray numbers
around our coasts is commercial fishing pressure whether
legally by cray pots or illegally by cray pirates. And this is
the crux of the matter…
Most reef fish are bottom feeders and eat small
shrimps, crabs and starfish from the rock
bottom. These species are limited to rocky areas
although they can stray a short distance over
sand. Snapper and blue moki, besides living on
small animals from rock bottoms, can also feed
on animals that they scrape from sand and hence
have a much larger area available for feeding
from.
Pelagic fish and plankton eating fish such as
demoiselles, blue mao-mao and butterfly perch
have a virtually unlimited supply of food as it is
brought to them by ocean and coastal currents.
The real reason for the reduction of cray numbers
around our coasts is commercial fishing pressure
whether legally by cray pots or illegally by cray
pirates. And this is the crux of the matter. Any
move by the government to cut out the taking of
crays by divers altogether will have been brought
upon us by the activities of a few pirates. We
must bring pressure to bear amongst ourselves
to stop these people who are
out to make a fast buck at the
expense of other divers.
Anyway, enough of this, what
about pauas? Pauas are limited
to the upper 30 or so feet and
it is very easy to clean them out completely. The
number of divers licensed to take paua should
be kept so low that the numbers of paua can be
maintained at a reasonable level. Such a move is
underway in NSW.
It should be obvious to any thinking person that
some measures of conservation are necessary
if we are to maintain our underwater world in a
state that gives the greatest pleasure to all divers
whether they be ardent competition spearos, pot
spearos, photographers, scientists or just like
diving for the sake of diving.
www.dive-pacific.com 49

INCIDENTINSIGHTS WITH THE DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DANAP]
By DAN World
Diagnosing
Decompression Illness
Sinus barotrauma can be very unpleasant
By Divers Alert Network’s Camilo Saraiva, M.D., M.B.A
THE DIVER
A A 49-year-old female certified
recreational scuba diver called
the DAN Emergency Hotline
from George Town, Grand
Cayman, around noon on a
February day. She was experiencing
a sudden, intense and
sharp abdominal and back pain
that had started 12 hours after
her last dive the previous day.
That dive had been the third
on a single-day series of mild,
recreational, repetitive scuba
dives on air with no mandatory
decompression stops. She
had had proper safety stops
with the first two dives and
maintained adequate surface
intervals between all three
dives.
Her dives had been uneventful
until the last one when she
ran out of air after being at
10 metres for approximately
30 minutes. She had not been
paying close attention to her
air gauge and had to perform
an emergency controlled ascent
to the surface. Her buddy was
too far away, so she ascended
without assistance. The diver
had likely started the dive
with a half-empty cylinder by
mistake.
NO SYMPTOMS
She denied having any other
symptoms, including skin
discolouration, limb or joint
pain, or any perceivable neurological
deficit. She had no
relevant past medical history,
hypertension or other cardiological
or vascular diseases.
Regarding the sudden onset of a
severe pain 12 hours post dive,
and a relatively long stay at a
shallow depth before the last
ascent, the diagnosis of decompression
illness (DCI) was not
the first choice, although it
couldn’t be excluded. With
limited information available,
the acute abdomen and
possible acute cardiac condition
(heart attack) had to be
excluded. The acute pain in the
abdomen could be caused by
the following:
• An abdominal aortic
aneurysm, which is an
abnormal and dangerous
dilatation of the main artery
that takes blood to the entire
lower half of the body and
puts the person at risk of fatal
internal bleeding if this artery
ruptures
• A gynaecological or urinary
event such as a miscarriage or
a severe urinary infection
The DAN medic who took the
call explained the possibility of
DCI as well as the other conditions.
The general recommendations
for this diver were to
seek further care at the closest
hospital emergency room, and
to hydrate and get oxygen in
the meantime.
DIAGNOSIS?
At the local hospital she
received an initial assessment,
laboratory tests and a
physical examination, with
particular attention to neurological
function. We do not
know the extent of her abdominal
examination. She had no
positive findings except for the
nonspecific abdominal pain.
While not producing any new
conclusive information, the
examination and test results
led the medical team to a
clinical diagnosis of possible
DCI. The hospital staff quickly
moved her to the hospital’s
hyperbaric chamber to start
immediate treatment with a US
Navy Treatment Table 6 recompression
protocol.
Her pain lessened during
the chamber treatment but
worsened immediately afterward.
The hospital team
reassessed the diver and found
an abdominal rigidity upon
palpation; imaging showed an
intestinal obstruction.
SURGERY
The diver had surgery to
remove the small damaged part
of her intestine. She recovered
well and returned home a few
days later. She had no significant
repercussions that interfered
with her general health or
her return to scuba diving after
an extended recovery period.
In most cases, DCI has no
specific and exclusive symptom
and can be a diagnosis of exclusion.
We first must rule out all
50 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

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AROUND THE WORLD
SAFETY MATTERS
JOIN DAN
+ 24/7 Emergency Medical Services
+ Emergency Medical Evacuation Assistance
+ Membership & Assistance Coverage
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www.dive-pacific.com 51
AsianDiver_Mag_210x275mm_Ad-1.indd 1
2/4/19 2:27 PM

other possible causes, especially
serious conditions that need other
immediate intervention, before
deciding to treat the diver with
recompression in a hyperbaric
chamber. The findings of a serious
medical condition will change
from its initial presentation, and
symptoms and clinical conditions
can change in a matter of hours,
demanding a reassessment of the
possible diagnoses and recommended
treatments.
HEAD TO A HOSPITAL FIRST
That’s why, in the event of a
suspected dive accident, divers
should always go to the nearest medical facility
and not directly to a hyperbaric chamber.
Divers and hospital staff should keep in mind
that divers can have other health problems not
directly related to diving, as this case illustrates.
The examination should be directed with
usual clinical leads like symptoms, signs, and
previous medical history. In the case of abdominal
pain, an acute abdomen should always be
excluded. This diver could have experienced this
same obstruction and pain while hiking in the
woods or working in an office. Fixating only on
a dive-related diagnosis can, and has resulted
in delays in obtaining a correct diagnosis and
There are many possible causes for symptoms that are also
attributable to decompression illness; a physician should rule
those out before prescribing hyperbaric treatment.
proper treatment.
DAN COMMENTS
It is difficult to diagnose a patient over the
phone, especially in cases of something that
requires an evaluation to exclude a life-threatening
possibility.
If you call the DAN Emergency Hotline +1
919 684-9111 (or 1800 088 200 in Australia),
our medics can help you understand what is
happening and assist you get the
help that you need, wherever
you are.
YOUR LEADER IN
GLOBAL DIVE SAFETY.
+ 39 Years
Divers Helping Divers
+ 24/7
Emergency Medical Services
+ 150,000
Emergency Calls Managed
+ 2,000,000
Members Served Worldwide
Experience Matters.
Join DAN
DANAP.org
DANAP.org
For more diving health and
safety articles DANinsider.org
for weekly posts discussing
recent incidents, and diving
health and safety content.
Visit: daninsider.org and follow
us on Facebook by searching
DAN World.
Need more information?
Send DAN World an email
info@danap.org
or call +61-3-9886 9166
52 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

Photography by Darryl Torckler
Photography by Darryl Torckler
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656 or +64 3 249 9005
888 0508 Phone
• Two dive-equipped vessels
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Your Charter multi-day a multi-day live-aboard
charters live-aboard can comprise: dive vessel
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Photography Photography by Darryl by Darryl Torckler Torckler
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Email charters@fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz
Phone 0508 888 656 or +64 3 249 9005
Email charters@fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz
fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz
fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz
www.dive-pacific.com 53
www.dive-pacific.com 11

GEARBAG
Magnetometer helps search for wrecks off South Africa
Memories have huge staying power, but like dreams, they
thrive in the dark, surviving for decades in the deep waters of
our minds like shipwrecks on the sea bed – J.G. Ballard
Amongst the right tools in the search for shipwrecks,
magnetometers are a ‘must have’ for the serious explorer.
Magnetometers detect variations in the Earth’s magnetic
field caused by iron or other magnetized material such as
brick or rock. While a side scan sonar detects only what is
on the seabed surface, a magnetometer detects objects
buried under the ground.
A small dive club in Capetown, South Africa, The
Wreckless Divers, currently uses JW Fishers’ Proton 5
magnetometer for their important searches (facebook.
com/wrecklessdivers). The group operates at depths up
to 120m with some on rebreathers, and others relying on
open circuit scuba.
According to group founder,
Bruce Henderson:
“There is an enormous number
of shipwrecks off our coast
dating from the 1700’s. We
are very keen to find the more
interesting of these wrecks and
dive on them. In particular, a
German ‘merchant raider’ called
“The Wolf” laid mines off Cape
Town during World War I and
sank at least 4 major merchant
vessels. To date we have found
an old fishing trawler and a
whole bunch of magnetic rocky
outcrops. But it’s been fun and we will persevere.”
Bruce says when they ran into a bit of trouble when they
first received the magnetometer they called the JW
Fisher’s office and their top technical guy patiently
took us through the set-up procedure. ”We were very
soon up and running. This was amazing to be able to
call up the JW Fisher’s team
from Africa and have them
so helpfully take us through
the system.”
Treasure detectors in the movies!
There comes a time in every rightly constructed boys’ life when
he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden
treasure – Mark Twain
JW Fishers’ say their search equipment has been a part of
numerous high-profile, treasure hunting films. Paul Walker
and Jessica Alba used their Pulse 8X in Into the Blue and
Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson went looking for
gold on a sunken Spanish galleon in Fool’s Gold. JW Fishers
has also featured on Rob Riggle Global Investigators and
on The Curse of Oak Islands series.
In 2012 James Delgado, then with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated there are a
million shipwrecks underwater. “I would say the majority
of them remain undiscovered,” he said. “We know more
about the surface of the moon than what’s at the bottom
of the sea.”
Nelson Jacas is an avid user of the Pulse 8X underwater
metal detector, and has journeyed across the globe
locating antiquities. He has found a Viking ring, many 1700
era coins, and a one-of-a-kind gold cross in England!
University of Rhode Island’s Dr Bridget Buxton hit the
payload in 2015 when her team found over 1,000 gold
coins off the coast of Israel with their P8X system. Her
adventures have yielded large cannons, anchors from lost
ships, and a swivel gun from a 16th century shipwreck.
On a famous 2,050-year-old Roman shipwreck at the Greek
island of Antikythera, first discovered in 1900 by sponge
divers, Greek diver Alexandros Sotiriou has discovered
numerous artefacts including an intact table jug and a
bronze rigging ring with the help of a JW Fishers Pulse 8X
underwater Metal Detector.
Perhaps the
next big find
could be a
rookie diver
searching the
right place at
the right time
with the right
equipment!
54 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

GEARBAG
Introducing X-Adventurer
Sea Tech is excited to bring you X-Adventurer Innovation
Underwater. They manufacture affordable, high-quality
dive lights. Beautifully machined anti-corrosive
aluminium alloy, and depth rated to 100m. You can
charge most via a USB cable, so if you’re on a boat,
or elsewhere where you don’t have access to a wall
socket, you can charge using a powerbank or car
charger.
Looking for a small handheld torch? We recommend the
M1200 Spot Beam LED, shown below. You can charge
Smart Focus is here
X-Adventurer lights with Smart Focus support strobe
flash modes when you add a fibre optic cable so these
versatile lights can be used as a video LED or a strobe!
This is a great option if you’re looking for a versatile
set-up, and there’s range of lumen strength and light
colour options. Ball Mount and YS mount included.
Packed with features, these lights really are smart.
• M1000 WRA Smart Focus Video Light $155.00
• M2500 WSRBA Smart Focus Light $382.50
• M3000-WRUA II Smart Focus Video Light $637.50
• M6000-WRBT II Smart Focus 6000 $890.00
it via a USB cable, so if you’re on a boat, or elsewhere
where you don’t have access to a wall socket, you can
charge via a powerbank or car charger. This is our
lowest price 1200 lumen handheld light.
M1200 Spot Beam LED $135.00
Trade enquiries welcome.
Ph:09 521 0684 Email: info@seatech.co.nz
www.seatech.co.nz
www.dive-pacific.com 55

DIGITALIMAGING
Hans Weichselbaum www.digital-image.co.nz
Underwater photography: The basics
We are all fascinated by the underwater world. So
what does it take to capture the best sights there
in photographs or even with video? In this article I
summarise some basics to help get you started in
what could become a great new hobby.
First we’ll look at the necessary hardware,
then we’ll examine the challenges of lighting
imposed by underwater conditions, and
finally some general tips before you dive into
underwater photography (pun intended).
Necessary hardware
Your everyday camera might
be weather-sealed and
splash-proof but it won’t survive
a dip in the ocean. The latest
mobile phones are “waterproof/
resistant” and can survive a dunk
or two in the pool but if you are
thinking of taking one for a dive
you will need to protect it with a
waterproof, floating phone case.
There are various protective
covers available for your existing
camera. The cheapest ones look
more like a strong plastic bag and
cost around $90. Then there are
tailor-made transparent housings
for your point-and-shoot camera.
They allow you to use virtually
all the camera controls while
diving (Image 1).
But for DSLRs and high-quality
full-frame mirrorless cameras
you need a more sophisticated
housing which can cost up to
$2000 (Image 2). Most of these
housings can be used down to a
depths of 40 m.
In addition to the camera
housing you’ll probably want
external strobes or lights, and
if planning to shoot video, then
a waterproof monitor will come
in handy. Note that there are
flat surface ports (Image 1)
which give a zoomed in image
(usually not ideal). In contrast,
domed ports (Image 2) compensate
for the refraction that being
submerged in water gives.
Image 2 Underwater
housing for high-quality full-frame
cameras (Canon EOS R5)
Image 3 A dedicated underwater
camera
camera is one of the best-known
(Image 3). With its special
housing you can take it down to
60 m. Image 3 shows the camera
with one flash attachment, and
a double flash adapter is also
available.
Light in underwater
photography
Photography is all about light
and this applies just as much
to underwater photography, but
underwater we have the added
problem of light colour.
Water is about 800 times denser
than air, and that makes for a
…There are a couple of compact point-and-shoot cameras on
the market you can take a few metres underwater, without
special housings and especially ideal for snorkeling…
Image 1 Underwater housing for
Canon Powershot S110
Another option is to get a camera
specially designed for underwater
photography. There are
a couple of compact point-andshoot
cameras on the market
you can take a few metres
underwater, without special
housings and especially ideal for
snorkeling.
The SeaLife DC2000 underwater
lot more interaction between
photons and water molecules
than in the air. In practical terms
this means we lose a lot of light
when we go underwater.
But visible light is a small part of
the electromagnetic spectrum
(Image 4).
The energy of electromagnetic
56 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

DIGITALIMAGING
Hans Weichselbaum www.digital-image.co.nz
Image 4 The electromagnetic spectrum
waves increases at shorter
wavelengths (from right to left) -
think of high energy gamma and
x-rays and the low energy radio
waves. In the visible spectrum
we also have the lower energy
light waves on the right (red) and
the higher energy waves on the
left (blue) of the spectrum. The
weaker part of the spectrum (red)
is absorbed first by the water.
but we need to add to the
distance between camera
and our object as well.
As a general rule your
object should be less than
a metre away from your
lens. When on land, we
reach for the telephoto
lens when we think of
shooting animals; under
water we mainly use
…Water is about 800 times denser than air and that
makes for a lot more interaction between photons and
water molecules than in the air…
Image 5 shows you how this
works out in practice when we go
underwater: red colours are lost
at around 5 m, then we start to
lose the orange and yellow part
of the spectrum and at around
60 m we are only left with blue
colours (and it gets pretty dark!).
You might have heard the rule:
“avoid taking photos around
midday.” Early morning or late
afternoon light allows us the
more attractive shots. But in
the underwater world quite the
reverse applies. The best time for
underwater photography is when
the sun is directly overhead,
allowing us to capture the
maximum amount of light.
Not only do we lose warmer
colours the deeper we go down,
wide-angle and macro
lenses.
Because of the lack of
warmer light colours when
shooting with natural light,
a flash is one of the most
important accessories for underwater
photography, or a permanent
light source for filming.
If you shoot with a compact
camera, set the flash to ‘forced
flash’, not automatic. You will
also get the best results, and
pleasing colours, when you set
your camera to macro and get
really close up to your subject.
Of course you don’t keep to the 1
m rule when shooting sharks or
…The best time for underwater photography is when the
sun is directly overhead…
whales, or fellow divers. In fact,
you can create beautiful natural
Image 5 Light absorption under water
light photography when your
subjects show up as silhouettes
(Image 6).
Usually, the photographer will
try to create an aesthetic balance
between available sunlight and
artificial light. If the object is
more than about 30 cm away,
the on-camera flash is likely to
give you ‘backscatter’ caused by
fine particles in the water. This
will ruin your shots with lots of
fine white dots against a dark
background. The only remedy is
to use an external strobe (or two),
away from the axis of the camera
lens.
Important tips for
starting out
Underwater photography can get
expensive so it pays to make the
www.dive-pacific.com 57

Image 6 Silhouettes are very
effective when natural light
is restricted
right decisions and take the right
steps before you take the plunge.
• When choosing a housing for
your camera, pay special attention
to the smallest parts: the
O-rings and the special lubricant
they require. Try out the
housing, first without camera,
in your bathtub and watch out
for any bubbles (a bad sign!).
• Your camera in the housing
will feel very different so it is
important to do some practicing
on dry land to familiarise
yourself with all the camera
functions.
Image 7 Try to get a head shot of your subject
• You need to be fairly confident
in your diving skills. Keep in
mind you need at least one
hand to hold the camera and
often two hands to operate it
properly. And your anxiety
level when you step into the
water can go up proportionally
with the cost of the camera!
• Try to get as close as possible
to your objects. Fish are usually
curious and not shy if you move
slowly (Image 7 and 8).
• Shoot in Raw format! There is
only so much you can do with
JPEG images. Most of your shots
will need a boost in contrast
and some colour correction.
Tweaking the white balance is
especially so much easier with
Raw files.
There are plenty of resources
available on the internet to
answer all your questions, but I
hope that this brief introduction
will encourage you to take your
photography hobby to the next
level.
Image 8 The closer you get the better
58 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

SPECIESFOCUS
Black coral
~Antipathella fiordensis
The spectacular black coral, Antipathella
fiordensis, is a species of tree-like colonial
coral endemic to the fiords of New Zealand.
Black coral is actually white in appearance, the
moniker black coming from the hard skeleton
consisting of protein and chitin that lies underneath
the living tissues. The living polyps that
cover the skeleton are tiny, less than 1 cm in
diameter, and these filter out the plankton
from the water column, the same as sea pens,
anemones and other coral relatives.
By Paul Caiger
Black corals are slow-growing and long-lived.
Colonies live up to 300 years old! Being so old
and delicate means they are very susceptible
to disturbance; they stand little chance of
surviving from anchors, pots and trawling. In
recognition of this all black corals are fully
protected by law under the 1953 Wildlife Act.
Fortunately, the sheer-sided underwater walls of
the fiords provide some natural protection – not really
a suitable place to anchor or place fish pots.
Another unique environmental condition of the
fiords is their freshwater layer. Due to the steep
mountainous terrain topside, and the gargantuan
8m of annual rainfall, the tannin-stained freshwater
running into the fiords creates a dark, brackish layer
that simulates deep water. Consequently, a diver will
encounter black coral living as shallow as four or five
metres. Compare this to other regions of New Zealand,
where other black corals are not found at recreational
diving depths.
These flexible “trees” can be up to 3m tall, and as such
are quite a feature of the underwater environment,
providing habitat and shelter for many other species.
One of their common allies is the snake star
Astrobranchion constrictum, which lives mutualistically
on the coral. The black coral is more adept at
catching plankton prey from the surrounding water
than the snake star which benefits from it. In return,
it is thought that the snake star cleans off mucous and
prevents other organisms from settling and growing
on the black coral.
~Antipathella fiordensis
1 The skeleton underneath the living tissue is black 6
2 Covered in small 6-tentacled polyps less than 1
cm in diameter
7
3 Does not contain zooanthellae like tropical corals
8
4 Protected by law since 1953
5 . Lives in extremely shallow depths in Fiordland
Becomes more common and shallower the
further into the fiords you go
The mutualistic snake star Astrobranchion
constrictum lives in its branches
Can live up to 300 years
www.dive-pacific.com 59

SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
Welcome Back to this Fun Underwater
Photography Competition!
By Dave Moran
It is just fantastic to have this fun photographic
competition up and running again after a long
break due to Covid-19. It is also very encouraging
to receive quite a few submissions. Sophie Fraser
at Sea Tech has done a great job in advising you
all that the Competition is BACK! A big thanks to
you all for entering, appreciated.
Most of the entries could be improved by all the
elements that the judges have mentioned in the
past.
Framing the shot (image) with the Rule of Thirds*
in mind.
Sharp Focus.
Lighting. Light is the added ingredient that lifts
an image off the page! Many im-ages we have
received over the years have suffered from
poor lighting. All the winners in this issue’s
Competition have lit their subject very well using
strobes (flash) or a constant LED light source.
Cropping the image to remove any distracting
black spots or a very bright col-ours eg. A brightly-coloured
sponge that drags the viewer’s eye
away from the main subject within the image.
Editing. Using editing programs such as
Photoshop is totally OK to improve an image! For
example, removing backscatter, cropping and
adjusting colours etc.
Two other elements that can present themselves
on the day of your dive that can give you that
magical winning edge:
The Wow factor!
It’s an image that when people view it, one
of their immediate reactions is, “Wow that is
amazing”. This could be an images of a large
manta ray which divers have been seeing in
northern waters of New Zealand (Poor Knights
Island etc). Or a super sharp micro image of a
cleaner shrimp doing some housework inside a
fish’s gills! This is down to luck – but you increase
your luck by diving more and practicing more.
Originality
This is a tricky element! Many of you will be
thinking, there is hardly anything these days that
has not been photographed – true!
Before taking a shot, seriously consider different
angles and adjusting your light-ing to create a
different visual experience of a subject that has
been photo-graphed many times before.
To practice this skill, it’s best to start with
subjects that are moving slowly or not at all. For
example, crayfish, nudibranchs or scorpionfish.
A good example is our Novice winner, Warrick
Powrie’s nudibranch which we think is from the
Eubranchidae family.
*The Rule of Thirds is a common compositional
technique that divides your frame into an equal,
three-by-three grid with two horizontal lines and two
vertical lines that intersect at four points. The Rule of
Thirds places your subject on the left-third or rightthird
of the frame, creating a pleasing composition.
The team at Dive New Zealand/Dive Pacific
magazines look forward to receiving your
personal masterpieces.
See: www.divenewzealand.com click on Photo
Competition. It’s free to enter.
You can view galleries of all the entries over
www.seatech.co.nz/blogs/shades-of-colour-photo-competition
Thanks for taking the time to enter!
(N) Michelle Brunton
(N) Warrick Powrie
60 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
60 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
(A) Sarah Ford

‘Sun Burst Cuttle’; South Channel Fort, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Nimar Housing,
Canon 16–35mm lens, 2 x Ikelite DS161 strobes – f/7, 1/200, ISO-125
ADVANCED
N N N
WINNER
Advanced Category Winner:
Congratulations David Haintz, Australia.
David was exploring the waters surround South
Chanell Port in Port Phillip Bay Victoria, Australia
when he came across this stunning Cuttlefish.
Judges’ comments:
This image has action, showing a cuttlefish with
all its food-grabbing arms stretched forward ready
to pounce! Its body colours have been adjusted to
blend in with the surrounding Eckionia kelp thus
helping to camouflage its presence. The sunburst
rays penetrating the water adds extra
background lighting to this wide-angle
image.
The twin Ikelite strobes have delivered the vibrant
colours of the kelp and Cuttle-fish – well done! A little
backscatter can be seen in the rays of sunlight – but
this minimal.
Having the subject swimming left to right is always a
bonus as western viewers eyes tend to subconsciously
scan from left to right.
David receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$100.
(A) Alex Stammers
(A) Mark Blomfield
www.dive-pacific.com 61
www.divenewzealand.com 61

SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
Advanced Category Highly Commended:
Congratulations Alex Stammers, New Zealand.
Alex is a regular visitor to Goat Island Marine Reserve,
just North of Auckland. It was established in 1975. The
abundance of marine life there is a true window into
what a healthy marine ecosystem can be.
Alex knows before he gets in the water that he will
be spoiled by the number of photographic subjects
to choose from! His challenge is to photograph a
subject differently than before. This time it was a large
Snapper.
Judges’ comments:
To obtain this type of image takes a lot of technical
skill and the specific type of camera/lens being used.
• Alex’s very wide Tokina 10–17mm lens has allowed
him to be very close to the snapper and still have the
90% of the fish in the image.
• Selecting a slow shutter speed in combination with
rear synchronization* of the flash to deliver the
blurring effect of movement!
• By spinning the camera as he took the image Alex
brought the snappers’ head into focus.
We wondered how many times Alex has tried to obtain
this result? Well done Alex!
Rear-curtain sync is the opposite of front-curtain
*
flash, with the flash burst firing at the end of the
exposure. It only starts to make a difference when
used in conjunction with a slow shutter speed. This
combination allows you to capture the subject in
tack-sharp detail but also get some motion blur in the
shot. This gives your image a sense of speed and is can
be much more pleasing than the ‘frozen’ effect you get
with normal flash.
Dave receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.
ADVANCED
Highly
Commended
‘Snapper Spin’; Goat Island, Auckland. Nikon D800, Nauticam Housing,
Tokina 10–17mm lens with Kenko 1.4x Teleconverter Fisheye, 2 x Inon Z-240 strobes.
(N) Werner Truter
(N) Konrad Richter
62 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

NOVICE
N N N
WINNER
‘Nudibranch’; Bali, Indonesia. Canon Powershot G15, Ikelite housing, 2 x Bigblue Black Molly 2600 lumen video lights
– f/8, 1/500, ISO-320.
Novice Category Winner & Highly Commended:
Congratulations, Warrick Powrie, New Zealand.
This must be a pre-Covid-19 picture as it was taken in
Bali, Indonesia.
A wonderful nudibranch find amongst the masses of
subjects that present themselves to be photographed
in Bali’s abundant tropical marine environment.
Well done, Warrick.
Judges comments:
This image definitely has that magical effect of making
you take a second look – then a third and a fourth!
This particular nudibranch which we think is from
the Eubranchidae family is usually found clinging to a
hydroid. We like how the arrow-like shapes created
hydroid branches lead your eyes to the nudibranch.
Interestingly, the internal ‘branches’ of its tentacles
match the markings of the hydroid.
The camera angle and lighting are excellent. The
lighting was via a constant LED light, rather than a
flash. Using a constant light source to light up your
subject is a great way to photograph motionless or
slow-moving subjects.
Warwick receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.
(N) Werner Truter
(N) Michelle Brunton
www.dive-pacific.com 63

SHADES OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
NOVICE
Highly
Commended
‘Here Piggy Piggy!’; Cuvier Island, Coromandel. Olympus E-M5 MkII, Ikelite housing, 1 x Ikelite DS51 strobe – f/4, 1/250, ISO-100.
Novice Category Highly Commended:
Congratulations Jack Abbott, New Zealand.
Hanging, suspended in isolation 40kms off the East of
Cape Colville at the Northern tip of the Coromandel
Peninsula lies magical Cuvier Island. Renowned for its
population of large Kingfish and Snapper as well as
Boarfish. It’s a Bucket List destination for keen spearfishermen!
Great that Jack was keen to take some pictures of the
abundant reef fish that live in harmony with Cuvier
Island’s resident fish population. Magical picture Jack!
Judges comments:
The joy of freedom when free diving is captured in this
simple image. We really enjoyed the co-incidence of all
the silver fish pointing right whilst the red one heads
left.
No expanding air bubbles to disturb this male red
pigfish, allowing Jack to get fairly close with his
12-50mm wide-angle lens.
Our judges and
the team at Dive
New Zealand/Dive Pacific
magazine look forward to
receiving your masterpieces by
October 20 for the December/
February 2022 printed issue
of the magazine.
See: www.seatech.co.nz click
on Photo Competition.
Lighting is perhaps a little lacking – though with
only one strobe, it’s well done. A good example of the
camera/strobe’s TTL in action.
Some minor cropping below the fish would help to
lessen the urge for your eyes to be pulled to the bottom
right corner of the image, but otherwise, Jack is spot on.
Jack receives a Gift Voucher for NZ$75.
Sea Tech is the official New Zealand distributor of Ikelite, Fantasea,
Recsea, Inon, Bigblue, Nauticam and other leading brands of underwater
photographic equipment.
Visit: www.seatech.co.nz or for personal service email: info@seatech.co.nz
64 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific
64

A selection of notable photos entered for this edition's competition
(A) Matt Ruglys
(N) Michelle Brunton
(A) David Haintz
(N) Warrick Powrie
(N) Werner Truter
(A) Alex Stammers
(N) David Forsyth
(A) David Haintz
www.dive-pacific.com 65
www.divenewzealand.com 65

DIVE STORES / TRAVEL
By region. To list your dive/sports stores contact Dive New Zealand for information.
More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com
NEW ZEALAND
NORTHLAND
Paihia Dive Dive training, charter and retail
in Paihia. Dive the Rainbow Warrior, frigate
Canterbury and the Bay of Islands. PADI
courses: Open water to Instructor. Quality
scuba brands: Aqualung, Tusa, Faber, Luxfer
and Wettie spearfishing. Open 7 days. Williams
Rd, Paihia, P: Craig or Lisa 09-402 7551
E: info@divenz.com www.divenz.com
Dive Zone Bay of Islands Far North’s
only PADI 5 Star IDC facility. Open Water to
Instructor courses. Freedive and spearfishing
training & trips. Dive trips,On-site equipment
servicing & cylinder testing. Aqualung,
Mares, Scubapro, Beuchat.
Open 7 days! 5 Klinac Lane, State
Highway 10 Waipapa. 09 407 9986.
www.divezoneboi.co.nz,
info@divezoneboi.co.nz
Northland Dive World Class Diving package
– Great diving mixed with even better
accommodation, meals and hospitality. Dive
with the team that instigated the sinking of the
Canterbury Frigate. Full Gear available incl
NITROX – PADI /TDI/ SDI training “Unbelievable
value for money”. 3851 Russell Road,
Whangaruru,
Bay of Islands, P: 09 433 6633,
E: info@northlanddive.com
www.info@northlanddive.com
DIVE NOW For all your SCUBA Freediving
and Spearfishing needs. Onsite servicing,
cylinder testing, Air and Nitrox fills, wetsuit
repairs, gear hire and full retail store stocking
most major brands. 5 Star PADI Tec Rec dive
training facility and breath holding courses with
onsite training pool. Located at the gateway to
the beautiful Poor Knights Islands and Bay of
Islands.
41 Clyde Street Whangarei
Freephone: 0800 102 102 or
P: 09 438 1075 E: info@divenow.co.nz
www.divenow.co.nz
AUCKLAND / DISTRICTS
Performance Diver NZ’s diving superstore!
Massive stocks of all lines at unbelievable
prices. PADI 5 star Instructor Development
Centre offering training from beginner to
Instructor. Local & national dive charters,
overseas trips, servicing, air fills and rental.
Open 7 days!
74 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna
(behind Avanti bikes). 09 489 7782
www.performancediver.co.nz
Auckland Scuba on Auckland’s north
shore. PADI 5 STAR IDC diver training
specialists. PADI dive courses beginner to
instructor and tec rec. Part time/full time
tertiary (student loan approved), NZQA
credits. Dive trips, air/nitrox fills, cylinder
testing, equipment servicing. Top quality
equipment!
Unit I, 121 Rosedale Rd, Albany.
P: 09 478 2814 E: info@aucklandscuba.co.nz
www.aucklandscuba.co.nz
Global Dive NZ’s favourite technical and
recreational dive store. All top brands stocked
and serviced. Our active dive club meets
monthly with guest speakers and BBQ. Experts
in photography and tech diving. Quality rental
gear, including technical and drysuits. Nitrox fills.
132 Beaumont St, Westhaven, P: 09 9205200
www.globaldive.net E: info@globaldive.net
Book an ad space today!
For Editorial or Classified ads call
Colin Gestro
Affinity Ads
M: 027 256 8014
colin@affinityads.com
Dive HQ Westhaven in Auckland's
CBD. PADI 5 Star Instructor Development
Centre. Become a PADI Dive Instructor
with us. NZQA approved Part Time
and Full Course available. Still Your
Local Dive Shop for all your SCUBA
dive, freediving, spear-fishing and gearservicing
needs. Mares, Atomic, Oceanic,
Pinnacle, Beuchat, and Zeagle. Fully
equipped dive equipmentservice centre
and dive cylinder testing facility onsite.
Corner (101) Beaumont & Gaunt Sts,
Westhaven, Auckland. P: (09) 307 3590,
E: info@divehqwesthaven.co.nz
www.divehqwesthaven.co.nz
Dive Doctor Mt Wellington New Zealand’s
specialist dive servicing company, regulator
servicing, drysuit & wetsuit repairs, compressor
servicing, cylinder testing, NITROX, O2, Helium,
300 BAR air fills. A full selection of quality
products as well as hard to find items for the
technical, recreational and commercial diver.
20R Sylvia Park Rd, Mt Wellington
www.divedoctor.co.nz P: 09 5308117
E: info@divedoctor.co.nz
For the latest in maritime news and v
from tinny to tanker we have it cover
KIWI DIVERS SSI, TDI/SDI, RAID dive
centre. Recreational and Technical dive
courses (rebreather friendly). Regular trips
from our own boat. Equipment sales,
servicing and hire. Cylinder testing, air/
nitrox trimix/oxygen fills. Open 7 days.
8 Keith Hay Court, Silverdale (just 20
mins north of Akld) P: 09 426 9834
E: info@kiwiscubadivers.co.nz
www.kiwiscubadivers.co.nz
SUBSCRIBE NOW
www.skipper.co.nz • phone 09 533 4336
MINI ADS - GREAT RATE
colin@affinityads.com
For the latest in maritime
news and views, from tinny to
tanker we have it covered
Dive! Tutukaka The Poor Knights Islands
experts – professional, fun and safe – “It’s what
we do” – With 5 boats, catering for all abilities;
Adventure Audited, Qualmark endorsed, PADI
5 star IDC; air fills, nitrox, gear hire. Shed 7 with
salt-water pool and training facilities – Behind
Schnappa Rock. Marina Rd. Tutukaka,
Whangarei. Open 7 days, 7am-7pm. Always
someone at the end of the phone 0800 288
882. Phone: 09 4343 867
E: info@diving.co.nz www.diving.co.nz
DNZ164
Manufacturing Quality
Wetsuits in New
Zealand
for New Zealand
conditions.
www.seaquel.co.nz
15G Porana Rd, Glenfield, Auckland
wetsuits@seaquel.co.nz Tel: 09 443 2771
DNZ163
SUBSCRIBE NOW
www.skipper.co.nz
phone 09 533 4336
66 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

dnz164
More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com
COROMANDEL / BAY OF PLENTY
FREE
PHONE
TUTUKĀKĀ
NEW ZEALAND
SIMPLY
AWESOME!
0800 288 882
www.diving.co.nz
3-5 Rona Place, Tutukaka, Whangarei, SOUTH PACIFIC
• New BAUER compressors
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• Service, spare parts, oil
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AVAILABLE NOW FROM
General Marine Services
65 & 90 Gaunt St, Westhaven,
Auckland. Phone 09 309 6317
www.generalmarine.co.nz
sales@generalmarine.co.nz
service@generalmarine.co.nz
APPROVED
BAUER
AGENTS
Dive Zone Whitianga The Coromandel’s
only PADI 5 Star IDC facility. PADI courses
from Open Water to Instructor. Dive trips
from boat, shore and kayak, to many
amazing dive sites. Full gear service and
extensive retail store. Open 7 days.
10 Campbell Street, Whitianga 3510,
P: 07-867 1580,
E: info@divethecoromandel.co.nz
www.divezonewhitianga.co.nz
Cathedral Cove Dive & Snorkel, Hahei
Beach PADI Dive Centre, situated at
the base of Cathedral Cove, Coromandel
Peninsula. Dive & Snorkeling Boat Trips,
Quality PADI Diver Training – Hahei is
perfect for the PADI eLearning – complete
the theory classroom sessions before
arriving in Hahei. Discover Scuba Diving,
full sales, air fills, tank testing, rental gear.
Pinnacles/Islands, Marine reserve or
non-reserve diving option all within a short
boat ride from Hahei Beach. Individuals and
groups welcome.
48 Hahei Beach Road P: 07 8663955 or
NZ Free 0800 223483 M: 027 2713187
E: ccdive@hahei.co.nz
www.cathedralcovedive.co.nz
Dive Zone Tauranga is Tauranga’s only
PADI 5 Star Instructor Development
Centre offering everything from Open
Water courses to Specialty Instructor
training. Gear sales for all scuba,
spearfishing & snorkelling needs. Hire
equipment, gear servicing, air fills, dive
charters, cylinder testing and more! See
us at 213 Cameron Road, Tauranga,
P: (07) 578 4050
E: info@divezonetauranga.co.nz
www.divezonetauranga.co.nz
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND
Dive & Gas Gisborne's Mares and Atlantis dive
gear stockist. A great product range, as well
as other Scuba, spearfishing and snorkel gear.
Plus we test and fill all Scuba Tanks.
Kevin & Tracey Halverson,
cnr Carnarvon St, and Childers Rd, Gisborne.
P: 06 867 9662 E: diveandgas@gmail.com
WELLINGTON / DISTRICTS
Dive Wellington Become a Padi Dive
Instructor with our fulltime Diploma course.
NZQA approved and eligible for student
loans and allowances. Contact us for a
course prospectus. Dive Wellington is an
audited and approved sub contractor of
Academy of Diving Trust
E: dive@divewellington.co.nz
P: 04 939 3483 www.divewellington.
co.nz
NZ Sea Adventures PADI 5 Star Instructor
Development Centre – also TDI Technical diver
training including CCR. Open 7 days. Dive
courses – beginner to Instructor. Club dives and
trips in NZ and overseas. Dive retail, fills, gear
hire & servicing & cylinder testing.
9 Marina View, Mana, Porirua.
P: 04 233-8238 E: nzsa@scubadiving.co.nz
www.scubadiving.co.nz
Sales and Service of
Breathing Air Compressors for
Diving and Fire Fighting
Supplier of
-Genuine Bauer Spare Parts and
Consumables
-High Pressure Regulators
-High Pressure Pumps
-Customised Filling Panels
-Nitrox Systems
-Servicing and repair of all
compressor brands – Bauer,
Poseidon, Coltri, Brownie
Bauer Kompressoren Agents for
over 34 years
High Pressure Equipment
32 Parkway Drive, Mairangi Bay,
Auckland, New Zealand
PH 64 09 4440804
info@highpressure.co.nz
Dive & Ski HQ Wellington PADI dive
courses – beginner to professional
qualifications. Dive club with regular local,
national & overseas trips. Wide range
of diving/ spearfishing equipment and
accessories. Equipment servicing/tank
testing. Open 7 days.
14 Waione St, Petone. New Zealand
P: (04)568 5028 mob 0210369996
www.diveski.co.nz E: diveskihq@xtra.co.nz
snow ski and board rental available
www.facebook.com/DiveSkiHQ
Book an ad space today!
For all advertising enquiries
contact Colin Gestro -
Affinity Ads
colin@affinityads.com
M: 027 256 8014
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DIVE STORES / TRAVEL / PRODUCTS / SERVICES
SOUTH ISLAND
Go Dive Marlborough Specialist TDI
technical diver training facility. Mixed gas,
decompression and advanced wreck courses.
Operate Lermontov Lodge (Port Gore) our base
to diving one of the world’s biggest wrecks the
Mikhail Lermontov. Weekly tours ex Picton from
1–6 days. Direct flights from Wellington to Port
Gore. We offer Inner Sounds Tours from Picton.
South Island’s only SSI Dive Centre.
www.godive.co.nz
Freephone 0800 GODIVE
Email info@godive.co.nz
Dive HQ Christchurch 30 years industry
experience, Christchurch’s only PADI 5
Star Instructor Development Centre and
Adventure Activities Certified for SCUBA
diving and snorkelling. Busy retail store
selling the world’s leading brands and
offering PADI recreational and tertiary
SCUBA qualifications. Full range of
spearfishing equipment including breath
hold courses. Quality gear hire, service
centre, Enriched Air training and filling
station, local and international dive and
spearfishing trips.103 Durham St Sth.
Sydenham, Christchurch.
Freephone 0800-DIVEHQ.
P: (03)379- 5804 www.divehqscuba.co.nz
E: sales@divehqscuba.co.nz
INTERNATIONAL DIVE
OPERATORS AND RESORTS
AUSTRALIA
Pro Dive Cairns Offers the highest quality, best
value PADI dive courses and 3-day liveaboard
Outer Great Barrier Reef dive trips in Cairns. We
have 16 exclusive dive sites across 4 different
reefs to choose from and departures 6 days/
week.
Check out www.prodivecairns.com
or call us on +617 4031 5255
or E: info@prodivecairns.com
Spirit of Freedom visits the remote dive
destinations of Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs, and
Coral Sea. The 37m vessel offers spacious
en-suite cabins, every comfort on board, and
exceptional service. Marine encounters include
the potato cod feed, Minke whales in season,
and the shark dive at Osprey Reef.
E: info@spiritoffreedom.com.au
www.spiritoffreedom.com.au
Tusa Dive Cairns local day dive operators
with over 30 years experience diving the Great
Barrier Reef. Tusa’s fast modern catamaran the
Tusa 6 will visit two unique sites where you can
enjoy up to three dives in the day. Tusa Dive
also offer a great day out for snorkellers.
P: 00617 4047 9100
E: info@tusadive.com www.tusadive.com
DNZ161
MINI ADS - GREAT RATES
Colin Gestro - Affinity Ads
M: 027 256 8014
HDS Australia-Pacific
PO Box: 347 Dingley Village Victoria 3172,
Australia. www.classicdiver.org
COOK ISLANDS
Dive Aitutaki with Bubbles Below Explore
Aitutaki’s underwater world with Bubbles Below.
Only 40 minutes from mainland Rarotonga to
the picturesque island of Aitutaki.PADI dive
courses Beginner to Dive Master. Manned boats
during dives! Safety and enjoyment paramount!
‘Take only Memories & Leave only Bubbles Dive
Safe, Dive Rite, Dive Bubbles Below!’
www.diveaitutaki.com
E: bubblesbelow@aitutaki.net.ck
The Dive Centre – The Big Fish PADI 5-star
dive operator. Services: intro/lagoon dives, dive
trips twice a day, courses, retail and rental gear.
2 boats, boats are manned with an instructor, 7
days, night dives. Aroa Beach by the Rarotongan
Resort.
P: 682 20238 or 682 55238
E: info@thedivecentre-rarotonga.com
www.thedivecentre-rarotonga.com
dnz164
68 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific

More information on Dive Stores, Clubs & Travel at www.DiveNewZealand.com
FIJI
Subsurface Fiji Visit Fiji for fun, relaxing
tropical diving. Subsurface Fiji PADI 5-Star
Dive shops are located in the beautiful
Mamanuca Islands, offering daily trips and
courses to some of the best dive spots
in Fiji. Subsurface provides full diving
services from Musket Cove, Plantation,
Malolo, Likuliku, Tropica, Lomani, Funky
Fish, Namotu, Tavarua, Wadigi & Navini
Island Resorts.
E: info@subsurfacefiji.com
www.subsurfacefiji.com
Captain Cook Cruises Reef Endeavour and
Tivua Island are 5 star PADI operations –
Discover Scuba – Scuba Dive – Open water dive
– Advance Wreck Dive, MV Raiyawa at Tivua
Island. Fiji P: +679 6701 823
E: fiji@captaincookcruisesfiji.com
www.captaincookcruisesfiji.com
Mantaray Island Resort Yasawa Islands –
Fiji – Over 40 dive sites ; vibrant reefs, stunning
coral gardens, caves, swim throughs, wall
dives, drop offs, shark dives, turtles, and a
stunning house reef. Fiji’s only accredited
free-diving school, Mantaray swimming May–
Oct. Small group diving in a safe and enjoyable
environment visit us at
www.mantarayisland.com
Volivoli Beach Resort offers you relaxed,
unspoilt white sandy beaches in a spectacular
part of Fiji. Ra Divers operates from the resort
giving you a water wonderland on the worlds
best soft coral dive sites. The Fiji Siren is a
livaboard boat offering you 7 and 10 night dive
packages. www.volivoli.com
E: info@volivoli.com P: +679 9920942
SOLOMONS
Raiders Hotel and Dive Wreck and Reef
diving, Accommodation, Bar and dining,
Snorkelling Hiking and more. Located 1 hour
from Honiara on the waterfront of the historic
Tulagi harbour. Dive - Discover – Relax. www.
raidershotel.com
E: raidershotel@solomon.com.sb
P: +677 7594185 / 7938017
SIDE Dive Munda – Dive the unexplored
Experience Magical Munda at Agnes Gateway
Hotel. Award winning service and pristine
diving. SSI Instructor Training Centre. WWII
wrecks, caves and reefs – untouched and
unspoilt.
www.divemunda.com
divemunda@dive-solomon.com
Find us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram
SIDE TAKA Dive See more of the Solomon
Islands by liveaboard! Save $700 on a 7
night booking on board MV Taka: 7 Nights
Accommodation; 3 gourmet meals daily; 24
Dives – sharks, WWII wrecks, manta rays, night
dives; Round trip airport transfers. Conditions
apply. For more information or to make a
reservations:
E: book@dive-solomon.com
Tulagi Dive Solomon Islands An underwater
paradise for marine life and explore the many
ships and aircraft wrecks at the famous Iron
Bottom Sound. We offer the PADI and TDI
courses. P: (+677) 25700
www.tulagidive.com dive@tulagidive.com
ADVERTISERS’
INDEX
DAN 51& 52
Dive Pacific subs ad OBC
Dive Tutukā kā 31
Dive Zone 1
Fiordland Expeditions 53
Travelandco
At travel&co (previously Dive Fish Snow
Holidays) we’ve been crafting tailor-made
active travel trips and experiences for over 30
years. On the Our seafront team of downtown active travel Port experts Vila. share
your passion for adventure and can help
• Certified dives • Snorkel Tours • Training to
book an exceptional active travel experience
Instructor Level • Full gear hire available •
that goes beyond the ordinary. From wreck
Very or reef friendly, diving, professional learning to dive, & experienced to liveaboard
adventures local Instructors - for insider & Dive tips Masters. on the best dive
20 locations dive sites and (10 to tailormade 20 minutes) diving including experiences
5 wrecks
(including let your active 4 engine travel QANTAS journey Sandringham start with flying us.
boat P: 09 and 479 1502210 year old Toll sailing free ship NZ: Star 0800 of Russia) 555 035
E: enquire@travelandco.nz
Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to
www.travelandco.nz/dive
40m. Free pickup from
Resorts in town.
TRIPS/CHARTERS
P: +678 27518 or email:
CRUISE dive@bigbluevanuatu.com
FIORDLAND
fish • hunt www.bigbluevanuatu.com
• dive • cruise
Fish, Hunt, Dive For Cruise your safety aboard Vanuatu the fully has
refurbished MV recompression Cindy Hardy. Fiordland facilities. or
Stewart Island, our scenic cruises will provide
you with a once in a lifetime experience.
Everything is provided regardless of how
short or long your time on board with us is.
Cruise options available on our website.
www.cruisefiordland.com
info@cruisefiordland.com
+6421 088 14530
(DNZ156)
VANUATU
Nautilus Watersports Vanuatu’s longest
running dive operation in Port Vila with 30+
years’ experience. Nautilus offers 4 dives a day
(double dive both morning and afternoon). We
also offer PADI course from Discover Scuba
right through to Dive Master. For dive groups we
can also offer diving/accommodation packages.
P: Peter or Leanne +678 22 398
www.nautilus.com.vu
E: nautilus@vanuatu.com.vu
DIVE HOLIDAY
Outer Gulf Charters
One hour north of Auckland CBD
Providing divers with the ultimate diving day
out with diver lift, fast/comfortable travel, hot
water shower, and all the tea and coffee you
want.
Recommended On the seafront Dive downtown Sites: Goat Port Island Vila. Marine
Reserve, Mokohinau Islands, Great/Little
• Certified dives • Snorkel Tours • Training to
Barrier, Sail Rock/Hen & Chickens in style. Trip
Instructor Level • Full gear hire available •
schedule and info
Very www.outergulfcharters.co.nz
friendly, professional & experienced
or phone local Instructors Julie 021 & 827 Dive 855 Masters.
20 dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) including 5 wrecks
(including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying
boat and 150 year old sailing ship Star of Russia)
Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to
40m. Free pickup from
Resorts in town.
P: +678 27518 or email:
dive@bigbluevanuatu.com
www.bigbluevanuatu.com
Lust4Rust & For Shock&Awe your safety Vanuatu 9 has
recompression facilities.
Rescuefish
IFC
Saltaway 47
SeaTech 49
Northland Dive 8
ALPHABETICAL ORDER
On the seafront downtown Port Vila.
• Certified dives • Snorkel Tours • Training to
Instructor Level • Full gear hire available •
Very friendly, professional & experienced
local Instructors & Dive Masters.
20 dive sites (10 to 20 minutes) including 5 wrecks
(including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying
boat and 150 year old sailing ship Star of Russia)
Temp 24-28°c. Viz 10m to
40m. Free pickup from
Resorts in town.
P: +678 27518 or email:
dive@bigbluevanuatu.com
www.bigbluevanuatu.com
For your safety Vanuatu has
recompression facilities.
SPEAKERS/LECTURERS
Available for talks to dive clubs etc. You
can find full details on these speakers/
lectures at
www.DiveNewZealand.co.nz/dive-in-nz/
dive-shops/
Terry Brailsford Wreck diving for gold &
treasure. Incl the Rothschild jewellery, search for
General Grant.
P: 0274 958816 E: theadmiral@xtra.co.nz
Tony Howell History and entertainment with lots
of rare historical photos and illustrations – 12
powerpoints in total. 45 mins –1 hr each.
Contact me for topics. 04 233-8238,
www.scubadiving.co.nz
tony@scubadiving.co.nz
Darren Shields Spearfishing titles, uw cameraman,
author. Motivating/compelling/innovative/
inspiring/entertaining P: 09-4794231, 021839118,
E: darren@wettie.co.nz
On the seafront downtown Port Vila.
• Certified dives • Snorkel Tours • Training to
Jamie Instructor Obern Level Technical • Full gear instructor/cave hire available diver, •
20+ years exp. globally. Photos/video: uw caves
Very friendly, professional & experienced
in Mexico, USA, UK, NZ, Australia. Techdive NZ/
local Instructors & Dive Masters.
GUE NZ instructor. P: 021 614 023,
20 sites (10 to 20 minutes) including 5 wrecks
www.techdivenz.com jamie@techdivenz.com
(including 4 engine QANTAS Sandringham flying
Dave boat Moran and 150 Ching year old Dynasty sailing porcelain ship Star of from Russia) the
Tek Sing. Dive New Temp Zealand 24-28°c. P: 09-521 Viz 10m 0684, to
E: divenz@DiveNewZealand.co.nz
40m. Free pickup from
Resorts in town.
Samara Nicholas M.O.N.Z Programme
P: +678 27518 or email:
Director: Experiencing Marine Reserves – Te
Kura Moana: samara@emr.org.nz
dive@bigbluevanuatu.com
www.emr.org.nz www.facebook.com/emr.mtsct
www.bigbluevanuatu.com
P: 09 4338205 or 0210362019 For your safety (field Vanuatu only) has
recompression facilities.
Lydia Green, Founder & Project Manager
Manta Watch Aotearoa. With the latest on NZ’s
manta ray populations.
E: mantawatchzealand@gmail.com
P: 022 467 1093
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PLEASE TICK YOUR REQUIRED SUBSCRIPTION (NZ$)
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New Zealand 1 Year (4 issues: 2 online 2 printed) $45.00
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