Underwater Journal issue 18 - Stingray Divers

Pg 1 

California! 

- Catalina Island 

- SoCal Oil Rig Diving 

- Monterey Road Trip Diving 

Sidemount Diving 

- Advanced Diving 

Blue Heron Bridge 

- Florida’s Coolest Shore Dive 

Caribbean Explorer II 

- Route to dive Saba & St. Kitts 

Aquatica AT2i Housing 

- Canon’s mighty Rebel 550 option 

Eco Watch 

- California Gray Whales 

- Hunting Poachers on the Front Line 

A Diving Adventure Magazine 

This publication is 

underwritten in part by: 

Issue 18 - 2010 

www.UnderwaterJournal.com Issue 18 - 2010

CONTENTS 

Pg 2 

Pg 11 

Pg 40 

Pg 48 

Pg 3 Editor’s Page 

Pg 4 Blue Heron Bridge 

What began as a secret among Palm 

Beach Divers has become a well-noted, 

top-notch muck dive. Find out why. 

Pg 11 Catalina Island 

There are lots of places to dive in 

California. Here’s why Catalina Island 

is a good place to start. 

Pg 21 SoCal Oil Rig Diving 

Try a completely different setting for 

Diving Southern California; diving 

around the legs of an offshore oil rig. 

Pg 28 Monterey Road Trip 

One Californian’s adventure up the 

coast for some Monterey Bay diving. 

Pg 35 California Grays 

What does the future hold for the 

magnificent gray whales of California? 

Pg 40 Sidemount Diving 

It started as a means among extreme 

cave divers and is rapidly emerging as 

a new, perhaps better way for diving 

with doubles. Learn why. 

Explore, Discover, Challenge 

Pg 48 Aquatica AT2i Housing 

Aquatica brings features from their top 

housings to Canon’s T2i Redel DSLR. 

Pg 55 Caribbean Explorer II 

The islands of Saba and St. Kitts offer 

an interesting blend of Caribbean 

diving. And Caribbean Explorer II is 

your ticket to getting the most of it. 

Pg 64 Scientific Diving 

Ever consideredworking with marine 

researchers as a research/scientific 

diver? Becoming a certified member 

with the AAUS is one way to get there. 

Pg 67 Hunting Poachers 

Researcher/activist Scott Cassell goes 

on the front lines to hunt poachers in 

the Sea of Cortez. 

Look for UWJ-issue19 

January 10th! 

Editorial Disclaimer 

The articles, positions and statements contained in this 

publication are not necessarily those of SDI, TDI 

or ERDI its BOD, officers or employees. Opinions, 

conclusions, and other information in this publication 

are solely those of the Editor / Writer and are neither 

given nor endorsed by the agencies mentioned. Total 

editorial freedom and expression is solely retained and 

the responsibility of the Editors / Writers. 

Cover photo by Joe Dovala: Nikon D700 in Aquatica AD700 housing, 

Sigma 15mm FE lens, f11, 1/125sec, ISO 800, dual Ikelite DS-125 

strobes @ half power w/ diffusers. Diver/model: Joe Tezak. 

Editor - Walt Stearns 

email: wstearns@uwjournal.com 

Associate Publisher - Karen Stearns 

Associate Editor - Steve Lewis 

Copy Editor - Brian Bienkowski 

Art Direction - Joshua Miller 

Cheri Craft 

Webmasters - Margaret Chatham 

Tony Isse 

Advertising - Ralph Viscusi 

email: rviscusi@uwjournal.com 

Contributors 

Sue Arnold 

Michael Baer 

Scott Cassell 

Joseph Dovala 

Scott Gietler 

Suzan Meldonian 

Andrew Sallmon 

Allison Vitsky 

The Underwater Journal is published by 

Ocean Arts, Inc. A ll content in this publication 

is protected, copyright © 2010. No use may 

be made of material contained herein without 

written consent from Ocean Arts, Inc. 

Inquiries: info@uwjournal.com 


Editor’s Page 

Pg 3 

Wow! When I think about how far we’ve 

come in just a short time, I’m dazzled. I 

must agree with my wife Karen, issue 18 

is truly “the best ever!” We’ve introduced 

several new, very knowledgeable contributors 

who make us proud in this issue. 

Now, what’s in store? 

California has so much to offer and the 

features we’ve presented will give you just 

a taste of the incredible diving and other 

eco experiences that can be had in this region. 

You’ll have a whole new perspective on advanced diving 

after reading Steve Lewis’ Sidemount piece, and you can 

learn about the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 

(AAUS) from a new contributor, Michael Baer. 

For an emotive trip down “poaching lane” delve into our 

Eco Watch section and read about Scott Cassell’s encounters 

on the front lines, an inspiring account. 

Aquatica’s AT2i Housing for the Canon 550 T2i Rebel can 

do just about everything the big boys can do. 

Congratulations to subscriber Laurel Bartels, who has 

won a Zeagle N2ition 3 computer! Laurel’s a Californian 

who has been diving since 1996; she’s a Scuba Instructor, 

Scientific Diver, ReefCheck Trainer, and DAN Instructor. 

Laurel also volunteers with the Santa Monica Baykeepers, 

ReefCheck and Reef. She said, “One of the many reasons I 

enjoy the Underwater Journal magazine is that it takes you 

to a location and shows you an in-depth view of what it is like 

to be there.” Thanks Laurel! 

Enjoy this issue and please stay in touch with us, we love 

hearing from you! 

Walt Stearns 

Editor-in-Chief 


Location: South Florida 

What lies beneath the 

Blue Heron Bridge 

Pg 4 

Several years ago, the Blue Heron 

Bridge was a well kept secret 

dive spot, cherished by many 

dive clubs in the area surrounding Phil 

Foster Park in Lake Worth, Florida. 

Over the years, this area has become 

an amazingly popular shore dive for 

dive instructors and their new students 

for their first “ocean” dive. 

As an ocean dive, it easy and 

shallow, the deepest point is 18 feet 

provided you lie completely flat on 

the sand. The only restriction to time 

and number of dives are the tides. 

In coming tide is when it is best for 

visibility, pulling in the clearer water 

through the lake Worth Inlet, but I 

should add it helps to catch it near the 

height of high tide, as the tidal flow is 

easier to handle, making it a one tank 

dive. The nice thing in timing it right, 

that one dive can be stretched as 

long as an hour and a half before the 

out going tide turns enough to dump 

the more brackish and muddier inter 

coastal waters on you. 

But something else began to 

become quite apparent. On a single 

dive, divers were discovering wondrous 

marine creatures that they don’t see 

normally unless they go to an exotic 

dive location in pristine waters half 

way around the world. 

Story & Photos 

by Suzan Meldonian 


Ready for a Muck Dive? 

To drop a few names as what 

you might see; batfish and sea 

robins, funky little web burrfish, 

both longure and striated frogfish, 

to even the ever magnificent 

and graceful spotted eagle ray. 

Combined with the physical 

parameters of the site, the 

Bridge is great for photographers 

to relax and take time with their 

subjects, allowing them to get 

that special shot. 

And before long . . . the secret 

was out! Now known as a World 

Class Muck Dive, underwater 

photographers flock from all over 

the world to see our golden zone 

Pg 5 

Strange little fish like this roughback batfish (Ogcocephalus 

parvas) top left are generally easy to find. But fish like this striated 

frogfish (Antennarius striatus) top right will take a bit more time. 

While a sharp eye and a bit of patience is key, these little 

guys are marvelously camouflaged and will not move unless you 

“bother” them a bit, there’s a few lucky divers that have found 

them, sometimes in pairs during the first half of their dive! 

in an area about the size of two 

football fields. How fortunate 

are we to have this in our own 

backyard! 

So what exactly is a muck dive? 

What makes this place so special? 

As it turns out, the Lake Worth 

inlet, which leads to the Blue 

Heron Bridge is one of the closest 

points to the Gulfstream current 

along the eastern seaboard. 

Like the EAC (remember – in 

“NEMO”), this current carries all 

sorts of wonderful creatures from 

the Gulf of Mexico up and around 

Florida and heads north along the 

eastern seaboard. Subsequently, 

the Lake Worth Inlet inlet becomes 

an invitational to migrating 

marine animals, vacationing 

fish and most importantly it is 

a marine nursery to our ocean’s 

populations. You won’t see 

beautiful reefs with long flowing 

whip corals, but rather one must 

study their surroundings; the 

shell rubble, the sea grass, empty 

bottles and wrecks to find the 

little treasures that hide in every 

nook and cranny. 


First time to the Bridge 

The most direct route to 

the bridge is exit I-95 at Blue 

Heron Boulevard, north of West 

Palm Beach, Florida. From 

there head east towards Singer 

Island, which will take you 

through Riviera Beach and to 

the first span of the Blue Heron 

Boulevard Bridge. 

As you come over the larger 

span of the Blue Heron Bridge, 

Phil Foster Park is the small 

island at the bottom that looks 

like a parking lot. There is a 

lighted intersection at the park’s 

entrance on the north side of 

the Boulevard. And the parking 

inside is free. 

When planning a dive, the 

most convent place to park is 

near the base of the Blue Heron 

Boulevard Bridge’s larger span. 

Enter the water 1 hour before 

high tide, on the incoming 

tide. Leave, as the outgoing 

tide changes. The visibility can 

deteriorate rapidly and become 

disorienting to the new and 

experienced diver alike. The 

easiest thing to do is surface 

to mark the beach. This is a 

shallow dive, so extra weight is 

necessary, perhaps two – four 

extra pounds depending on 

your weight. 

Pg 6 

Blue Heron Boulevard Bridge 

Dive Area 

Built in 1950, the small bridge has 

recently undergone much needed 

reconstruction; it is scheduled to 

re-open in April 2011. However, this 

hasn’t stopped the local die-hards. 

Not one bit. In fact, although the low 

bridge is under construction, and 

diving within 50 feet of it has been 

restricted, an hour before high tide 

particularly on weekends, the parking 

lot is abuzz with divers. Construction 

is being closely monitored by 

Phil Foster Park 

the Palm Beach County Dive 

Association, Florida Fish and Wildlife 

Conservation Commission (FWC), 

Department of Transportation, 

Palm Beach County Department 

of Environmental Resources 

Management and Commissioner 

Karen Marcus. 

Commissioner Marcus has the 

divers’ best interests at heart and 

has become a wonderful advocate 

in understanding this unusual 

Dive Area 

Small Bridge 

Thousands of tourists visit this small beach and park, and depart on 

their boats for Peanut Island and the ocean . . . thousands drive over the 

bridge . . . but do they know what lies beneath? 

marine habitat. She is committed 

to protecting it as best as possible 

for all concerned and maintaining 

it as a designated dive location. She 

has worked closely with the various 

departments and the construction 

company to see to it that the corals 

growing on the pilings are handled 

with care. Any pilings that have to be 

removed for construction stability 

will be moved to other areas to 

create artificial Photo© reefs. Walt Stearns 


Pg 7 

A few things to be aware of are 

that the sea bottom here is very 

silty. Thus, it is very important 

to control your buoyancy, as it 

doesn’t take much to stir up the 

silt, and make a cloud that quickly 

ruins visibility, not to mention how 

it can mess up your photos with 

particulate matter. Also the little 

creatures can get bounced around 

if you fin too close to the bottom. 

There are rules and regulations that 

divers must observe here. Divers 

are not permitted to submerge in 

the swim zone. We are permitted 

to dive outside the swim zone 

marked by buoys, but no further 

than the channel markers. Always 

carry a dive flag, and be within 

fifty feet of it. The area is patrolled 

closely, and you will certainly be 

ticketed by the water sheriffs if 

found without a flag. If you are new 

to the area, study the boat traffic, 

really well before you enter the 

water. It is against the law to dive 

in the channels, not to mention 

how dangerous that is. We want to 

keep this area safe for all to enjoy, 

sans mishap. 

Night diving is now allowed, 

however, you must be with a 

divemaster that is permitted by the 

City and has the proper insurance. 

Force-E Dive Shop in Riviera 

Beach conducts regular night 

dives, and if interested contact 

them at www.force-e.com. 


Pg 8 

Due to the bridge’s uniqueness as a “World class 

Muck Dive,” there is no telling what you will find. 

One thing to be sure of, some of it will be strange. 

In late 2008, due to the heroic 

efforts of a special petition put 

together by the Palm Beach County 

Dive Association and Wetpixel (a 

highly active community group 

of underwater photographers), 

the area was declared a “No-Take 

Zone,” forbidding the harvesting 

of small tropical fish and 

invertebrates. While line fishing 

is still permitted, the possession 

of nets and slurp-guns are strictly 

forbidden. 

On a more personal level, and 

from a photographer’s standpoint, 

the bridge area is a joy to dive. 

You simply never know what you 

may find. Recently I had the good 

fortune to see a 3-party family of 

orange filefish. I followed them 

for a while, hoping to get close 

enough to get a photograph. 

They remained allusive and 

every now and then, the lead 

fish would turn back to look at 

me. I finally stopped, convinced 

they were going to maintain the 

five-foot safe-distance to humans 

limit. Then without any warning 

whatsoever, they all turned and 

came to me, surrounding my face 

and regarding me with intelligence 

in their eyes! They looked me 

right in the eye as if to say, let’s 

check you out! The encounter 

lasted several minutes. It made 

me giggle. It was such unusual 

behavior! It is such a special 

connection when a marine animal 

regards a diver. 


For that split second of time, you 

become one with this marine universe. 

Sometimes a juvenile fish will come 

out of hiding, and use a diver’s body 

as cover just to get out and about. 

Then there are those really special 

occasions, like having , 1,000 pound 

manatee cruise through the area, 

or being flanked by a spotted Eagle 

Ray. Remember they are protected, 

and attempts to has harass them 

could get you a heavy fine. Most of 

the time, usually have no interest in 

interacting with divers, but there have 

been moments. Either way, it’s still 

a thrill to see a something large fly 

by underwater! The oceans are the 

last frontier here, and by diving and 

photographing this amazing world, we 

all learn a little bit more. With each 

new tidbit we gain, we become closer 

with our world in understanding it and 

protecting it. Many marine creatures 

have ancestry dating back over 

hundreds of thousands of years, far 

Pg 9 

longer than mankind’s documented 

existence on this planet. Horseshoe 

crabs are one of the oldest ‘living’ 

fossils with an ancestry dating back 

250,000 years and body that has 

barely changed in all that time. Perhaps 

there is something to be learned from 

this underwater universe. The more 

we learn and share, the more we all 

learn. I call it Evolutionary Education. 

Our seas are precious. The wildlife 

that survives there equally precious, 

fascinating and amazing. 

Remember, it’s just not a good dive 

unless you see something you never 

saw before. Become a citizen scientist! 

Go diving! 

- SM 

Suzan Meldonian is the author of her 

newly published book Under the Bridge, a 

250-page underwater photo documentary 

showcasing many of the unusual forms of marine 

life found under South Florida’s Blue Heron 

Bridge. This site has earned the reputation as a 

“World Class Muck Dive” through the bridge’s 

unique ability to attract and support a wide 

range of rare and unusual marine life. 

For over 

two years, Suzan 

spent weekends 

p h o t o g r a p h i n g 

the bio-diversity 

that abounds 

there, capturing 

some of the most 

bizarre and unusual 

marine creatures 

displaying many 

behaviors that have 

never before been 

witnessed. Under 

the Bridge is clearly 

an extraordinary 

u n d e r w a t e r 

p h o t o g r a p h i c 

journey - with 

creature features 

from fish with feet to fish with electrogenic orgins. It includes 

chapters titled Things that Sting and Prehistoric Beginnings. 

Signed copies of Under the Bridge are available for purchase 

online at: www.niteflightphoto.com and at South Florida 

Force-E dive shops. 


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UTILA 

Pg 10 1 

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of the second largest fringing coral reef in 

the world, and the outer banks are home to 

dolphin and whale sharks. 

Come explore our tropical 

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all packages include: 

3 boat dives daily with 2 

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horseback riding, kayaking & 

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and round trip transfers 

between utila airport and 

laguna Beach Resort. 

For more information go to 

www.utiladiveventures.com 

or e-mail 

shara@utiladiveventures.com 

www.UnderwaterJournal.com 

Issue 18 - 2010

Dive America: California 

There are seven islands and 

three jutting rocks that 

reside within the Southern 

California Bight. The Channel 

Islands have a unique geography 

that allows for much calmer sea 

conditions than one would expect 

in this area. If you take a look at 

a map of California, it looks like 

someone took a big mouthful 

of the North American tectonic 

plate from Point Conception to 

the Mexican border and then 

left behind a few rocky crumbs 

surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. 

One of these morsels, known as 

Catalina Island, provides some 

of California’s best diving as 

well as a weekend getaway at a 

mere twenty miles away from the 

crowded mainland. 

The collision of several geologic 

plates and the corresponding 

volcanic activity created the 

75-plus square mile “mountain 

ranges that are in the sea” as the 

Gabrielino Native Americans called 

Catalina. With Mount Orizaba 

and Black Jack both soaring over 

2000 feet up it is easy to see why 

the early inhabitants named it the 

way they did. The island is very 

rugged with literally thousands of 

Pg 11 

Catalina Island 

Central Peak to 

California’s Mountain 

Ranges in the Sea 

coves and cliffs plunging into the 

sea along its coastline. Igneous 

and metamorphic formations 

dominate the geology with much 

of the rock made up of soapstone, 

which proved to be a valuable 

commodity to the early locals. 

Big, bold and 

gregarious orange , 

California’s garibaldi 

(large speices of damsel 

fish) are a signature 

of diving California’s 

Channel Islands. 


by Joseph C. Dovala 


Pg 12 

Native peoples had inhabited 

Catalina for more than 7000 years 

before the Spanish showed up. With 

bountiful sea life and a mild climate 

their culture was able to flourish. 

What they couldn’t grow or obtain 

by themselves they traded with 

mainland tribes for goods. They 

regularly paddled in small plank 

canoes across the unpredictable 

channel to keep these trade routes 

open. Known as Pimungans (they 

called their island Pimu), these 

people were the first to greet Juan 

Cabrillo, in October 1542, when his 

galleon dropped anchor in the lee 

of the island, which he promptly 

named San Salvador. 

The rugged and steep, 

unpopulated section of Catalina’s 

windward side offers some of 

the most beautiful diving off 

California’s Pacific Coast. 


He then continued north 

on his voyage. Further contact 

with Europeans was virtually 

non-existent until the early 1600’s 

when another Spanish explorer, 

by the name of Sebastian 

Viscaino, came ashore and 

renamed it Catalina after Saint 

Catherine. The usual demise 

of native cultures after contact 

with Europeans didn’t seriously 

affect the Pimungans until the 

late 1760’s, when the first series 

of missions were being built 

along the California coast. Spain 

needed lots of laborers to build 

their outposts and most of it was 

Pg 13 

“supplied” by the Indians whether 

they wanted to or not. By the 

beginning of the 19th century, 

with the arrival of the mostly 

lawless seal and otter hunters, 

the fate of these peaceful people 

had been sealed. 

The rest of the 1800’s 

saw many different squatters 

come and go with smugglers, 

fishermen, miners, and a few 

small ranchers being the primary 

inhabitants. By 1867, James 

Lick had “ownership” of most of 

the island and those that would 

agree to lease their land could 

stay. Catalina became a little- 

known landfall off the rapidly 

growing state of California. In 

1887 George Shatto purchased 

Catalina from the Lick estate for 

$200,000 with the idea to turn it 

into a tourist destination. He soon 

ran into financial problems partly 

due to the lack of infrastructure 

on both the island and the 

mainland. The Banning family 

took control and for nearly 30 

years they promoted and built-up 

the village of Avalon into the main 

town on the island. A devastating 

fire burned much of Avalon down 

in 1915 and the family had to 

eventually sell. In 1919 William 

Wrigley Jr., of the chewing gum 

dynasty, purchased the island and 

built the famous Casino in Avalon. 

He and his wife became very 

fond of the island and pursued a 

number of projects to support a 

small full time population without 

devastating the island’s beauty. 

The Catalina Pottery plant that 

operated in the 1920’s and 30’s is 

one such example. The now rare 

glazed tiles from this endeavor 

pepper many of the island’s 

early construction, and the hand 

made tiles fetch a commanding 

price with collectors. In 1975, the 

Wrigley family continued with the 

preservation emphasis by donating 

nearly 90% of the island to the 

Catalina Island Conservancy. The 

for profit Santa Catalina Island 

Company owns 11% with the final 

1% privately held. 

When on Catalina it’s hard to 

not notice the highly decorative 

tiles on the surroundings. Hand 

made by the Catalina Pottery 

Plant in the 1920’s and 30’s, these 

unique, glazed tiles are prized 

among collectors, some for rather 

commanding prices. 

Over the last two centuries 

many of the naturally occurring 

plants and animals have been 

squeezed out by invasive species, 

but there are a number of 

endemics you can still see. The 

Catalina Ironwood (less than 

a dozen of these are known to 


exist) and Catalina Mahogany 

trees, for example, exist nowhere 

else as well as a variety of herbs 

and flowers. The Beechey ground 

squirrel, burrowing owl, and island 

fox are a few of the native animals 

scurrying about. However, they 

are under enormous pressure 

from years of introduced critters 

including an exploding feral cat 

problem. The Conservancy is 

taking a very active role in their 

mandate to return the island as 

much as possible to a “pristine” 

condition. Not an easy task with 

more than 3,000 permanent 

inhabitants and tens of thousands 

of visitors each year. 

Pg 14 

A Skip Away from Hectic 

Despite Catalina being only 

a short distance away from 

the teeming millions of the Los 

Angeles area it can seem you 

have traveled to a less crowded 

- less harried part of the world. 

While certain dive spots can 

become hectic during popular 

holidays, you’re never far away 

from solitude or another good 

diving local. There are more than 

80 recognized dive sites from 

the relative ease of Casino Point 

Underwater Park to exploring 

the challenging depths of Ship 

Rock or Farnsworth Bank. With a 

multitude of dive operators from 

the mainland, as well as several 

right on the island itself, it’s 

pretty easy to find a charter that 

meets your needs. 

For some of the easiest shore 

diving in California it’s hard to 

beat Casino Point. A large flat 

parking lot connects to a series 

of relatively new concrete steps 

that lead directly into the ocean. 

At low tide there are some rocks 

to slide over but for stress free 

shore entry and exits this is the 

place. The kelp is usually in good 

shape and there are a number 

of interesting items scattered 

about for exploration, including 

For some of the easiest shore 

diving in California, Casino Point is 

a win win. A large flat parking lot 

connects to a series of relatively 

new concrete steps that lead 

directly into the ocean. 

several sunken boats and other 

marine paraphernalia. Visibility 

is often excellent, and because 

it’s a no take preserve, marine 

life is plentiful and of good size. 

Depths range from around 20 to 

over 100 feet. On the down side it 

can get very crowded with divers, 

especially on weekends, but it is 


The Better Way To Dive North Carolina 

• Charters 

• Wreck Diving 

• Shark Diving 

• Rebreather Friendly 

• Scuba Instruction 

Beginner to Instructor 

www.olympusdiving.com 

252-726-9432 

713 Shepard Street, Morehead City, NC 

Pg 15 

well worth submerging here at 

least once during your island 

visit. Try to schedule your 

dives at Casino Point during 

the weekdays. 

A relatively short distance 

from the UW Park across from 

Descanso Bay is the grave 

of the 163-foot long Valiant 

sitting upright between 70 and 

110 feet of depth. She was a 

private yacht last owned by 

Charles Howard, also owner 

of the famous racehorse Sea 

Biscuit. In December 1930, 

the vessel caught fire and 

burned extensively before 

slipping under the waves 

supposedly carrying over 

$60,000 in jewelry with her. 

While no jewels have ever 

been found, from time to time 

brass drink tokens do turn 

up with the yacht’s name on 

them. However, no artifacts 

may be taken, as the ship is 

over 50 years old and you 

must secure permission from 

the harbormaster before 

diving. The forward part of the 

hull still rises above the sand 

with schools of black smith 

and top smelt often cruising 

around the hulk. This wreck is 

quite deteriorated but is still an 

exciting dive providing an oasis 

in the prevailing sand flat. 

One of my most favorite 

places to dive at Catalina 

is Ship Rock. I’ve seen 

everything from anchovies to 

seals and sharks to torpedo 

rays (electric rays) here. As 

the name implies it is a big rock 

that, depending on the angle 

you’re viewing it, can resemble 

either a sail or the hull of a 

sinking ship. Surrounding it 

are various ledges, rock piles, 

and canyons that continue 

on down to many hundreds 

of feet. Kelp is nearly always 

thick and you can spend your 

time in the underwater forest 

or cruise down across the 

boulder strewn deeper regions 

and look up in awe at the 

towering rock formations. On 

the way back up you can play 

in the shallows and take in the 

prolific macro community of 

nudibranchs, cobalt sponges, 

and yellow anemones to name 

a few. I’ve also had the most 

consistent interaction with 

harbor seals and sea lions at 


Pg 16 

A diver swims toward a boulder covered with 

California hydro corals (Stylaster californicus). While 

very few species of hard corals live in California waters, 

the deep purple hue of these cold water Pacific hydro 

corals are real standouts in and around Catalina Island. 


Catalina around the “Rock.” They 

love to play hide-n-seek with you 

amongst the kelps. This is a very 

fishy spot with massive schools of 

blacksmith, yellowtail, and even 

barracuda making an occasional 

pit stop. As is common in the sea, 

any place with lots of activity 

is usually bathed in currents. 

Because Ship Rock sits more 

Pg 17 

than 2 miles off the island it is 

exposed on all sides to prevailing 

conditions, which has contributed 

to more than a few vessels coming 

to grief against it. While you can 

usually find a “lee” side to stay out 

of currents and reduce effects of 

swell, one has to be careful with 

navigation and be mindful of boat 

traffic above. This is primarily an 

advanced site but beginners who 

have good buoyancy and courseplotting 

skills will be rewarded 

with outstanding vistas. 

Other popular spots include 

Long Point, Italian Gardens, 

Rock Quarry, and Sea Fan 

Grotto. Though heavily dived, 

these offer a range of environments 

to suit the experience level of the 

From 60-foot tall kelp forests 

to wrecks like this Tuna Clipper, 

Catalina Island has it all. 

diver. Variety of depths, kelp/rock 

reefs, escarpments, and sandy 

plains give a very good chance to 

see a host of critters that frequent 

these mini ecosystems. Besides 

the gregarious orange garibaldis, 

kelp bass, horn sharks, halibut, 

bat rays, and giant black sea bass 

are just some of the inhabitants 

cruising about. A close look in the 


ocks will present aptly named neon 

gobies, silky chestnut cowries, and 

possibly an illusive pacific octopus 

or moray eel. Recently there have 

even been reliable consistent 

sightings of a large female great 

white seen “loitering” around Blue 

Cavern Point (just northwest of 

Sea Fan Grotto) and Ship Rock. 

Unlike the other Channel Islands, 

the end of the diving day doesn’t 

mean you have to board back on 

the boat for the voyage home. 

Avalon and, to a lesser extent, 

Two Harbors provide a number of 

overnight accommodation options. 

Everything from plush hotel suites 

to a patch of ground for camping 

is available. There are also many 

vacation house rentals which are 

Pg 18 

a good choice for larger groups. 

Usually lodging isn’t a problem, 

but the island can get very busy on 

holidays and the summer season, 

so making reservations well ahead 

of time is always a good idea. 

Avalon is nestled among the 

hills in a natural harbor on the 

east end of the island. Motorized 

transport for visitors is primarily 

in the form of taxis and golf carts 

as automobiles are strictly limited 

in number. However, being a small 

settlement it is fairly easy to get 

around simply by walking, even 

with dive gear. Two of the three 

dive facilities are located here as 

well. When it’s time to refuel and 

relax a number of eateries and 

drinking establishments, many 

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with live entertainment, are a 

few minutes walking distance 

into “down town.” Two Harbors 

- named for the two facing 

anchorages of Isthmus and Cat 

harbors at the opposite end of 

the island – is privately owned 

with a population of about 150. 

Many of the choicest west end 

dive spots are located very 

near to this port. Two Harbors 

sports an inn, a few cabins, 

and a smattering of campsites 

for overnight stays. A single 

mountainous road connects 

the two population centers. 

The rugged interior has several 

jeep and hiking trails that give 

you access (with permits) to 

some truly beautiful scenery. 

After a suitably wet winter, 

spring explodes in color as the 

Pg 19 

wildflowers awake from their 

dormancy. Through the Nature 

Conservancy, guided tours are 

available to explore and learn 

some of the fascinating history 

of the island and the people 

who called it home. 

Just about anything you can 

find at a tropical resort you can 

find at Catalina, including glass 

bottom boats, submarine rides, 

and even parasailing. But unlike 

many vacation destinations, 

you can visit and stay quite 

economically if your needs are 

simple. Cross channel ferries 

debark from San Pedro, Long 

Beach, and Newport Beach 

with a multitude of schedules 

to fit your plans. The boats are 

fast (less than an hour in most 

cases) and very comfortable. 

Hues of red, and a 

tinge of purple, revealed 

in this close-up of a 

sculpin’s eye shows 

some of the colorful 

finery of this bottom 

dwelling fish. 

You can bring all your dive 

gear including tanks as well as 

bicycles, camping equipment, 

and even your dog if he/she 

is properly muzzled while on 

board the vessels. 

Originally William Wrigley 

purchased Catalina sight 

unseen with a few other 

investors but after the first 

visit by he and his wife Ada, 

they were smitten by its charm 

and beauty. So much so, that 

he immediately bought out 

his business associates and 

became sole owner. Once you 

truly explore this island above 

and below, it’s pretty easy to 

see why Mr. Wrigley wanted to 

keep it for himself. 

- JD 

Joseph C. Dovala started blowing 

bubbles in 1967, at the age of ten, when 

his father rented a two-hose regulator 

and a tank from a gas station/diveshop 

in the small town of Yucaipa, CA. The 

influence of Sea Hunt’s Mike Nelson and 

The Silent World of Jacques Cousteau were 

just too much to ignore. Over the years 

Joe’s been involved with many types of 

diving, including instruction, research, 

and technical sport diving. Somewhere 

along the line the idea of taking 

expensive cameras and immersing them 

in saltwater seemed like a good idea. 

Joe’s been photographying professionally 

and writing since 1999. 

You can see more of Joseph Dovala’s 

work at: www.jcdovala.com 


Pg 20 

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Dive Log: Southern California 

Pg 21 

Oil Rigs of California 


by Scott Gietler 

After motoring for 40 

minutes, the first oil rigs we 

approach are Elly and Ellen, 

two separate rigs connected by 

crossbeams at the surface. 

Underwater, each rig consists 

of several vertical columns 

extending down to the ocean 

floor, connected by a multitude 

of horizontal and diagonal beams 

at different depths. 

Every inch of the structure of 

the rigs underwater is covered 

with life. Anemones, scallops, 

worms, mussels, and brittle 

stars all compete for space. 

Most of these invertebrates are 

brightly colored, making stunning 

backdrops for photography. 

But seeing much of anything 

is difficult when you have three 

large schools of polarized sardines 

“Every inch of the 

structure of the rigs 

underwater is covered 

with life. Anemones, 

scallops, worms, mussels, 

and brittle stars all 

compete for space. 

Most of these 

invertebrates are 

brightly colored, making 

stunning backdrops for 

photography. ” 

- Scott Gietler 

and jack mackerel surrounding 

you. One diver exclaimed, "This 

is more fish than I've ever seen 

in my life, anywhere.” Another 

diver told me he dreamed about 

these fish every night for a week. 

The entire structure of the rigs 

feels like a large living organism 

filled with fish. 


The metallic structure of the 

rigs towers above us as the boat 

pulls close. "One, two, three, go!" 

yells the captain. This is a live 

boat dive, so we must quickly 

jump off the boat during a short 

time window. 

My dive buddy and I swim 

10 yards until we are under the 

structure of the rigs, and then we 

deflate our BCDs. As we descend 

through beautiful blue water to 5, 

Walt 10 and Stearns then 15 © 2009 meters, we expect 

Pg 22 

Lying just 15 miles off 

the coast of Southern 

California, there exists a 

wonderful dive site covered 

with invertebrate life, filled 

with schools of fish and 

playful sea lions. 

to see the structure of the oil rigs 

around us. But instead, we can 

barely see anything. Walls of fish 

in all directions surround us, so 

thick we can barely see through 

them. We are about to have one 

of the best dives of our life. 

Suddenly the school separates, 

four sea lions dash through the 

school. Below me, a cormorant 

swims by, a small fish in its mouth. 

I'm actually surprised not to see 

more predators within the rigs. 


Covered with Life 

As we submerge deeper and 

exit the schools of fish, we see 

diagonal columns of the rigs 

brilliantly covered in yellow, 

orange, and red anemones. Large 

scorpionfish, called “cabezons,” 

lay on these columns, guarding 

their eggs or waiting for mates. 

One cabezon had a large mass 

of eggs with 4 different colors, 

resembling neapolitan ice cream. 

Many of the females fertilized 

different sections of the eggs, 

resulting in a variety of colors, but 

the same toxicity. No fish will eat 

cabezon eggs. 

Approaching 30 meters depth, 

we start to see giant white 

metridium anemones, with large 

schools of rockfish surrounding 

them. Nudibranchs crawl over 

the brittle stars, feeding on a 

multitude of hydroid species. Blue 

lingcod - 1.5 meters long - swim 

off into the distance. The sight is 

quite surreal. 

Each section of the rigs harbors 

different life. One area features 

multiple garibaldi nests, the 

brightly orange colored state fish 

of California. We see 25 garibaldi 

together, the most I've ever seen in 

one spot. To our left, a thick school 

of baby blacksmith emerges, their 

yellow tails glistening in the sun. 

Pelagics such as dolphins, mola 

mola, yellowtail and bonito are 

occasionally seen passing by the 

Pg 23 

A diver moves in to catch a portrait of a large 

cabezon scorpionfish as it sits perched atop one of 

the oil rig’s columns, among colonies of brilliantly 

colored, small pink and purple anemones. 


Pg 24 

Most divers on the west 

coast have visited Catalina’s kelp 

forests, but less known are the 

fabulous oil rigs that dot the 

California coast. 


Pg 25 

rigs on the way back to the boat. 

Pulsating comb jellies and pelagic 

tunicates pass by at the whims of 

the currents. 

In addition to incredible 

wide-angle views, the oil rigs are 

also hosts to dozens of nudibranch 

species, and spectacular 

invertebrates like red and orange 

featherduster worms, purple 

sabellid worms, orange colonial 

tunicates, and brittle stars of 

every color of the rainbow. You 

could dive the same rig dozens 

of times and never find even a 

fraction of the species of life living 

on the rigs. 

Sadly, our hour is up, and 

my wife and I surface within the 

structure of the rigs. The boat 

motions for us to kick away from 

the rigs so we can get picked up. 

Two juvenile sea lions follow us to 

the boat, perhaps hoping they will 

get a handout from the crew. 

Today the current is gentle, but 

sometimes it is a tough swim. Back 

on the boat, people are overjoyed 

that they got to experience some 

of the finest diving the eastern 

pacific coast offers. 


- SG 

Scott Gietler is the owner of the 

Underwater PhotographyGuide. 

com, the number one online site 

for people learning underwater 

photography, receiving more than 

25,000 visitors each month. Scott 

is also an avid wildlife and nature 

photographer, having traveled to 

Australia, Brazil, Asia and Africa with 

his wife to photograph flora and fauna 

both above and below the surface. 

Scott is the author of the 

Underwater Field Guide of Southern 

California, and is a vice-president of the 

Los Angeles Underwater Photographic 

Society (LAUPS). His photographs 

have appeared in aquariums, marine 

life and coffee table books, as well 

as dive magazine articles and covers. 

Most recently Scott was named 2010 

LAUPS photographer of the year.

Los Angeles: 

Redondo Beach 

Island Diver - www.rockypointfun.com 

San Pedro 

Great Escape - www.diveboat.com 

Magician - www.magicianscuba.com 

Pacific Star - www.pacificstardiving.com 

Psalty - www.psaltyadventures.com 

Sand Dollar - www.diving.net 

Second Stage - www.secondstage.net 

Sea Bass - www.diveseabass.com 

Long Beach, LA 

Bottom Scratcher - www.bottomscratcher.com 

Cee Ray & Island Clipper - www.caywind.com 

Sundiver I, II & III - www.sundiver.net 


King Neptune - www.scubaluv.biz 

Scuba Cat - www.catalinadiverssupply.com 

Dana Point 

SunSea Adventurer - www.weteachscuba.net 

Riviera - www.rivierayachtcharters.com 

San Diego 

Lois Ann - www.loisann.com 

Horizon - www.horizoncharters.com 

Hydro Diver - www.hydrodiver.com 

Humboldt - www.waterhorsecharters.com 

Marissa - www.marissadivetickets.com 

M/V Islander - www.islander-charters.com 

Pg 26 


Los Angeles 

Dive Charters for 

Southern California 

& Channel Islands 

Dana Point 

San Diego 


Pg 27 


Dive Log: Northern California 

Monterey Road Trip 

Pg 28 

Urticina anemones - © Andrew Sallmon 

A SoCal Diver samples California’s 

Central Coast for the first time and comes 

home “dripping wet” with memories. 

I 

sit in my boss’ office silently 

calculating my baggage 

overage fees as he tries to 

convince me to fly to an upcoming 

conference in Monterey with the 

rest of my department. I smile 

sweetly while my calculations 

conclude…it’s a big number, big 

enough that I mumble something 

about not liking airplanes and 

escape before my boss can 

get in much of a reply. This 

man has seen me stumble into 

countless morning meetings with 

damp hair and mask squeeze 

marks on my face, so he knows 

what I am up to – and that 

further discussion is futile. 

Truth is, I have been 

impatiently awaiting this 

conference in Monterey for a 

year, and I long ago formulated 

my plan - pack my car full of dive 

gear and drive up, then sneak 

away from the convention center 

at every available opportunity. 

Story by Allison Vitsky 

Photos Allison Vitsky 

& Andrew Sallmon 


First Stop, Cannery Row 

California diving veteran Andy 

Sallmon has agreed to make 

the drive up with me in my tiny 

hybrid, and the car is stuffed to 

capacity with dive and camera 

gear. It is a tight fit, but one 

that turns out to be well worth 

the convoluted arranging. 

On the way up, Andy tells me 

about his years of diving Monterey, 

his favorite Monterey dive sites, 

like Soberanes Reef, and the 

value of shooting wide angle in 

cold water (a persuasive and 

oft-repeated conversation that 

results in neglect of my beloved 

macro lens for most of the trip). 

Most of my California diving has 

been in my local San Diego waters, 

so this will be pretty different for 

me – and I can’t wait. 

Upon arrival, we bypass the 

hotel and immediately hit Cannery 

Row to dive the Breakwater, a 

rocky slope crammed with sculpin 

and nudibranchs and dotted 

with bull and palm kelp holding 

blue ringtop snails. It’s a great 

introduction, giving me a chance 

to adjust to the cooler NorCal 

water temps, which average in 

the low 50’s while we’re there. I 

emerge enthused about Monterey, 

and we head off to get air fills and 

some rest for the next two days 

of boat dives. 

Pg 29 

The Breakwater, a rocky slope dotted with groves of bull 

and palm kelp is accessible from the shoreline next to Cannery 

Row. For many first time divers, it is a great introduction to 

Monterey’s diving as it is often crammed with sculpin, starfish, 

blue ringtop snails, and of course, nudibranchs. 

Nudibranch - © Allison Vitsky 


Sunflower star - © Andrew Sallmon 

The sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) (right) is a giant among sea 

stars, and a voracious predator. Even its own kin such as orange bat stars are 

not safe when a sunflower is hungry. 

Another giant in the world of nudibranchs, the Dendronotus iris nudibranch 

(left) loves to dine on tube anemones. This one has caused the anemone to 

retract its tentacles. 

Pg 30 

Dendronotus nudibranch - ©Andrew Sallmon 


Rockfish - © Andrew Sallmon 

Pg 31 

Getting into the 

Swing of Things 

The next day, we are lucky 

enough to make it down the 

coast to Big Sur, where we dive 

Soberanes Reef, a series of 

rocks covered with corynactis 

anemones, starfish, sponges, 

and palm kelp. The surge makes 

photography a bit tough, but I am 

placated by the sight of my dive 

buddy obviously cursing while 

he tries to stay stationary long 

enough to capture a black and 

yellow rockfish. We then head 

back towards Monterey, stopping 

for a second dive at the Outer 

Pinnacles, which offer more of 

the same eye candy, as well as a 

few gorgeous rose anemones and 

a wealth of purple hydrocoral. 

On our second day of boat 

dives, the swell keeps us closer 

to the harbor, and we anchor at 

a few more Cannery Row dive 

sites. It is hard to be terribly 

disappointed about not getting 

farther south when I hit the 

water for the first dive at Outer 

Hopkins Reef - it is swarming 

with hundreds of sea nettles. 

Even after I make it to the bottom 

to discover it covered with large 

metridium, I cannot help being 

drawn back up to the mid-water, 

mesmerized by the sight of the 

pulsing, golden jellyfish against 

the green Monterey water. 

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Pg 32 

The second dive, at 

Macabees Reef, finds me in the 

same predicament. I appreciate 

the rocky structures, fish-eating 

anemones, and sunstars for 

half the dive, but then I ascend 

back to mid-water to continue 

my quest to get a fantastic sea 

nettle shot. 

The day following, we headed 

south in the car to Point 

Lobos, one of the “holy grails” 

of Monterey diving. The two 

dives we do, both to the outer 

point of Whaler’s Cove, are 

magical, complete with a sea 

lion fly-by, a harbor seal peeking 

at us shyly from a distance, 

sunrays filtering through the 

kelp, and rockfish resting on 

rocky outcroppings strewn with 

clusters of two or more open 

fish-eating anemones. 

Sea nettle - © Allison Vitsky 


My last planned day of 

Monterey diving is done, and 

I am already sad to be at the 

end of my trip. Andy sees 

my dejection and, grinning, 

suggests one last dive…one 

that will allow me to get my 

macro skills back into gear. 

What else can I say? 

The Municipal Pier, 

Wharf 2 is a perfect shore 

dive that enables me to spend 

a long bottom time shooting 

Pg 33 

nudibranchs, tiny yellowfin 

fringeheads, and hermit 

crabs against a background 

of red-orange bryozoan. I 

explore happily until I realize 

my hands are getting a bit 

numb, and when we emerge, 

I am finally ready to do some 

work and head home. 

Days later, with the car (re) 

packed for the drive south, I 

mentally recount my dives 

and the awesome marine life 

Yellowfin fringehead - © Allison Vitsky 

that was seen…certainly, the 

baggage overage would have 

been worth it. I immediately 

start planning another trip 

to Monterey – another road 

trip, but next time, without 

a conference to use as an 

excuse for the visit. 

Allison Vitsky was first certified in 1993 

and shortly thereafter became an active 

recreational and technical diver. She became 

interested in underwater photography in 

2006, and started a serious hobby. When 

not diving and shooting, she works as a 

veterinary pathologist. Several of Allison’s 

recent images can be viewed on her website 

at www.avitsky.com. 

Andy Sallmon has been diving since 

1979 and became a scuba instructor in 1980. 

He picked up his first underwater camera, a 

Nikonos II, also in 1980. Andy works full time 

creating images for sale to publishers and 

magazines, teaching UW photography classes 

and leading underwater photo expeditions. 

He also works as the Southern California 

sales representative for underwater imaging 

companies Sea & Sea and Light & Motion. 

More about Andy’s images, classes, and trips 

can be found through Andrew Sallmon 

Marine Photography at www.seait.com. 


- AV

Monterey Dive Charters 

Beach Hopper II - www.beachhopper2.com 

Escapade - www.divecentral.com 

Monterey Express - www.MontereyExpress.com 

Sanctuary - www.SanctuaryCharters.com 

Silver Prince - www.silverprincecharters.com 

Bay Area Dive Shops 

Aquarius Divers - www.aquariusdivers.com 

Bamboo Reef - www.bambooreef.com 

Glenn’s Aquarius II Dive Shop - www.aquarius2.com 

Monterey Bay Aquarium 

www.montereybayaquarium.org 

Pg 34 

Monterey 

Walt Stearns © 2007 

Enter your photo’s in 

UWPG’s Ocean Art 

Photo Competition 2010 

Deadline November 14th, 2010 


Eco Watch 

Pg 35 

What does the 

future hold for 

California 

Grays? 

Story by Sue Arnold 

Anyone who dives or boats off the 

west coast of the U.S. is probably 

familiar with the majestic gray 

whale. Usually found in shallower coastal 

waters, the gray is a familiar neighbor 

to most residents who live along the 

vast stretch of coastline from Alaska 

to Mexico along which these animals 

travel each year. Millions flock to whale 

watching townships to revel in the 

sight of migratory gray whales and 

their calves. Whale watching tourism 

in California alone brings in $82 million 

annually, without taking into account the 

flow on impacts to the local economy. 

The California gray whale is the most 

ancient baleen whale alive today, with a 

lineage that goes back 30 million years. 

But whether these whales are able to 

survive for another 30 years, much 

less 30 million, is highly questionable. 

Photo © James Dorsey 


Pg 36 

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Many scientists believe the 

gray Whale may become the 

first baleen whale casualty of 

climate change, because of the 

impacts of warming seawater 

temperatures on their primary 

prey. As specialist feeders, the 

whales are reliant on amphipods 

- tiny crustaceans that make up 

the major component of their diet. 

These amphipods are found in the 

Bering and Chukchi Seas where 

gray whales spend six months 

feasting, preparing themselves 

for the longest whale migration on 

Planet Earth. Each year they make 

a return journey of some 12,000 

miles from the cold waters of the 

Russian Federation’s Chukchi Sea 

to the balmy waters of Mexico’s 

Baja Lagunas, San Ignacio, Ojo de 

Liebre and Magdalena Bay. 

In the Baja Lagunas, people 

come from all over the world 

to delight in the experience of 

touching a gray whale, which 

more often than not is a playful 

calf. The whales will stay by small 

boats for hours, happily enjoying 

having their giant stomachs 

scratched. Some brave souls will 

even scratch the whale’s huge 

tongue, ever mindful of the baleen 

plates that closes down with little 

warning when the whale closes 

its mouth! 

A favorite with whale 

watchers, San Ignacio Laguna a 

magnificent desert wilderness set 

in the Vizcaino Reserve. It’s a long 

journey by any standards, on one of 

the worst roads in North America. 

Nearing the Laguna, vast saltpans 

reveal themselves and shadows 

of the mountains surrounding 

become solid. For some of us, this 

A member of the baleen family of whales, the 

gray (or grey) whale (Eschrichtius robustus) can 

grow to 52 feet (16 meters) in length and weigh 

some 36 tons. The lifespan of an adult gray whale 

can go as long as 50–60 years. 

is Mother Nature’s magnificent 

cathedral, and the gray whales her 

most perfect attendants. 

The fact that gray whales allow 

touching and place extraordinary 

trust in humans in the breeding 

lagoons is heartwarming. Far less 

pleasant is the fate of at least 140 

whales, which are killed each year 

by the people of Chukotka. The 

whales are hunted relentlessly by 

small boats, and peppered with 

hundreds of bullets. The slaughter 

of gray whales in the Russian 


Federation is a disgrace, and 

remains a source of international 

concern for the International 

Whaling Commission (IWC). 

One has to wonder if these 

whales are able to distinguish 

between “good” and “bad” 

humans. It surely must require 

extraordinary intelligence and 

trust for these animals to allow 

close contact at one end of the 

migration route after enduring a 

fight for survival at the other. 

At the last IWC meeting in 

Morocco in June of 2010, the US 

delegation supported a 10-year 

quota of 1,400 gray Whales for 

the Russian Federation in spite 

of mounting evidence that the 

whale population is in major 

decline. In the 2009/2010 season, 

whale watching captains and 

scientists witnessed the fourth 

consecutive year of very low cow 

calf numbers. In the Ojo de Liebre 

Laguna and San Ignacio, scientists 

documented the lowest cow calf 

count in 15 years. 

At the San Ignacio Laguna, 

Mexican authorities registered 

a 73 percent decline in numbers 

from 2006, and in Ojo de Liebre, 

a 68 percent decline in the same 

period. In 1994, Gray whales were 

de-listed from the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA) when their 

numbers had reached 24,638. 

Then, in l999/2000, the whales 

suffered a massive population 

collapse, with one third dying of 

Pg 37 

starvation. Since the collapse, 

whale population numbers have 

remained well below the numbers 

at which they were protected 

under the ESA. National Marine 

& Fisheries Service (NMFS), 

the Agency in charge of marine 

mammals, has been steadfastly 

ignored major problems facing the 

future survival of these whales. 

Photo © Norman Sanders 

In the early days when they were hunted along the California 

Coast, gray whales held the dubis name “devil fish” because of 

their tendency to fight their pursuers rather than run. Today 

gray whales charm tourists in San Ignacio Laguna. 

One has to wonder if these whales are able to distinguish 

between “good” and “bad” humans. Here in San Ignacio Laguna 

they certianly show an extraordinary level of trust to allow 

close, non treating contact. 


Migration Obstacles 

In recent years, major 

threats to the gray whales have 

dramatically increased. Oil and 

gas leases cover their feeding 

grounds. Wave energy projects 

along the west coast have the 

potential to stop the entire 

migration, according to a panel 

of scientists in California. 

The most significant cause 

of natural mortality has been 

ignored by NMFS. Transient orcas, 

according to orca specialists, 

are taking out an average of 35 

percent of calves and juveniles 

Pg 38 

a year. Some orca scientists 

believe the figure could be as 

high as 50 percent. An increase 

in transient orca numbers 

along the west coast is well 

documented. Scientists believe 

warming seawater temperatures 

are facilitating the orcas’ ability 

to follow gray whales deeper into 

the Arctic, allowing higher levels 

of predation. 

Some of the man-made hazards 

gray whales face during migration 

are appalling. Twice each year, 

the whales must navigate through 

massive amounts of fishing gear, 

nets, and lines. One of the worst 

A small selection of thousands of 

crab pots lining the west coast. 

Photo Doug Thompson 

examples of obstacles comes 

with the crabbing industry, as the 

lines attaching the pots averages 

over one hundred feet long and 

the associated apparatus is very 

heavy. There are thousands and 

thousands of these crab pots 

along the migration route, and 

many other types of fishing nets 

and gear crisscross the route 

as well. Most of the new fishing 

nets are of made of a plastic 

monofilament which almost never 

breaks down. 

And as if these statistics 

are bad enough, then there’s 

the human waste. Sewage is 

discharged within 7,000 feet of 

west coast shores. In California 

alone, more than 1.5 billion 

gallons of sewage per day (dry 

weather flow) is discharged 

directly into the Pacific Ocean. 

Add to tat another 44 billion tons 

of mass solids (sewage sludge), 

which is deposited directly into 

the Pacific Ocean each year. 

Domestic wastewater 

discharge is one of the most 

significant threats to our 

coastal oceans. Domestic 

sewage contains pathogenic 

microorganisms that can 

cause serious human diseases 

and who knows what havoc it 

causes to marine mammals. 

These toxins include everyday 

pharmaceuticals (PPCPs). Most 

of these chemicals pass through 

sewages treatment plants and 

include natural and synthetic 

human estrogens (birth control 

pills) that are carried in human 

urine and may interfere with 

the reproduction and physiology 

of marine mammals and other 

marine organisms. 

Discharges include other 

destructive compounds such as 

heavy metals and nonylphenols, 

which are extremely pervasive 

compounds found in pesticides, 

industrial and domestic 

detergents, plastics and more. 

All these chemicals are known 

to be endocrine disrupters of 

aquatic mammals. 


Cruise Ships 

There are hundreds of cruise 

ships on our oceans at any given 

time. The cruise ship industry is 

building bigger ships capable of 

carrying five thousand or more 

passengers, so the EPA estimates 

for pollution will increase 

considerably with increased 

passenger load. Cruise ships can 

legally dump their raw sewage 

and toxic waste as close as three 

miles from shore. Most afternoon 

winds are onshore, which drives 

the sewage toward shallow water. 

Treated sewage from cruise ships, 

which many consider to be no 

better than raw sewage, can be 

Pg 39 

dumped anywhere in the ocean— 

even within the three-mile limit— 

except in marine sanctuaries and 

in the waters off Alaska. 

In just one week, 

Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) estimates that a three 

thousand- passenger cruise ship 

generates about: 210,000 gallons 

of raw sewage; 1,000,000 gallons 

of gray water from shower, sink, 

and dishwashing water; 37,000 

gallons of oily bilge water; more 

than 8 tons of solid waste; 

toxic wastes from dry cleaning 

millions of gallons of ballast water 

containing potentially invasive 

species. (Some 7,000 marine 

species are transported around 

www.NationalGeographicSnorkeler.com 

the world in ships’ ballast water.) 

The California Gray Whale 

Coalition was set up in February, 

2008 with the sole focus of seeking 

re-listing of the whales under 

the Endangered Species Act. As 

an economic and environmental 

Coalition, members come from 

the business community and 

the environmentally concerned 

in the US, Canada, Mexico and 

Alaska. It is now the largest 

whale conservation Coalition on 

the west coast. 

Members of the California 

Assembly & Senate have been 

sympathetic to the plight of the 

whales and have passed Joint 

Resolutions calling on Congress 

to fund urgent research into the 

threats facing the population. 

City Councils along the west 

coast have passed Resolutions 

supporting the California Joint 

Resolution. Coalition lobbyists 

have gone to Washington DC and 

lobbied on the Hill for funding for 

research and re-listing. 

But the situation has become far 

more urgent with the revelations 

of the catastrophically low cow 

calf numbers; the increasing 

number of emaciated animals and 

whales that have starved to death 

along the migration route; and 

evidence pointing to a collapse of 

primary prey in the Arctic. 

The Coalition has the support of 

well-respected marine biologists 

including Dr Sylvia Earle, Dr 

Roger Payne and Jean-Michel 

Cousteau. There’s plenty of 

possibilities for gray whale action 

which individuals, 

organizations and communities 

can get involved in by supporting 

the Coalition. 

To learn more about the 

California Gray Whale 

Coalition visit their website at: 

californiagraywhalecoalition.org 

You can also visit the 

FaceBook Cause for California 

gray whales by Clicking Here 

Sue Arnold is an Australian 

journalist/activist who founded 

the California Gray Whale 

Coalition in 2008 after a long 

history of initiating lawsuits in 

the U.S. to protect the species. 

A dedicated grass roots activist 

organization, the Coalition 

represents both economic and 

environmental concerns. Sue 

travels to the Baja Lagunas every 

year to check the status of the 

whales and lobbies Federal 

and State politicians for better 

protection for the species. 


Advanced Diving 

Pg 40 

… it’s not just 

for cave divers anymore 

For a generation, sidemount diving 

has been a staple for serious cave divers. 

But these days, more and more cavers, 

and even non-cavers, are wearing their 

bottles at their sides. 

By Steve Lewis 

Photo © Jill Heinerth 

IntoThePlanet.com 


Pg 41 

Lets Find out why. 

There are probably a handful of 

things happening in the dive 

industry that we could peg 

as the latest and greatest idea or 

innovation. I’d add developments 

in lighting technology, dive 

computers, and thermal protection 

to my list, but surely the hottest 

trend right now has to be 

sidemount diving (wearing a totally 

independent cylinder and regulator 

system slung on each side of the 

diver’s body). 

Any technical diver old enough to 

remember Friends as a new television 

series may also remember when 

sidemount was a very specialized 

technique with a small and almost 

cliquish fellowship restricted to 

England’s Mendip Hills and North 

Florida’s Karst Country. Finding 

sidemount training and uncovering 

a mentor to help you progress in 

the technique was a lot like joining 

a mediaeval secret guild; you had 

to know someone, or have a solid 

recommendation from an existing 

initiate; and those outside the circle 

suspected witchcraft. 

by Steve Lewis Photos © Jill Heinerth 



Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication 

Dive Computers & 

Rebreather Electronics 

for Technical Divers 

• Powerful 

• Simple 

• Reliable 

www.shearwaterresearch.com 

email: info@shearwaterresearch.com call: 604-669-9958 

Pg 42 

In the early days, gear 

was centered on mostly 

hand-sewn adaptations of the 

classic open water stab-jacket 

style BCD, a few welded 

bolt-snaps, and lots of bungee 

cord. And the application was 

ALL about exploring small 

silt passages; what a good 

friend of mine describes as “a 

mighty tight squeeze.” 

But that was then and this 

is now. Times and attitudes 

have changed. After all, back 

when NBC first aired Friends, 

the largest sport diving agency 

had branded TDI’s popular 

nitrox courses as too complex 

for the average diver and 

decompression diving was 

totally verboten. Now of course, 

Sidemount systems 

allow the diver to carry 

tanks independently of 

each other and can be 

attached to the diver in 

or near to the water, thus 

making pre and post dive 

preparation easier. 

Photos courtesy 

of Dive Rite 

nitrox is the usual choice for 

most divers regardless of which 

flavor C-Card they earned as 

an open-water diver, and most 

weekend charter rosters include 

at very least a couple of divers 

planning staged deco; and 

often a full boatload of weekend 

warriors all planning for a deep, 

long dive. 

These days, it seems that 

sidemount really has come out 

of the closet. To begin with, 

gone are the hand-wrought 

BCs. Mainstream manufacturers 

such as Armadillo, Dive Rite, 

Hollis, OMS and Oxycheq are 

producing beautifully crafted 

harness, butt-plate, wing 

combinations specifically for 

sidemount diving. Cam bands 

– used to convert regular tanks 

to sidemount tanks in an instant 

– are in several manufacturer’s 

catalogs. And plenty of stores 

sell “regulator conversion kits” 

– essential an assortment 

of custom-sized hoses and 

90 degree fittings designed 

to help make the transition 

from traditional backmounted 

doubles to sidemount a one-step 

process. Perhaps best of all, 

sidemount instruction is readily 

available and several agencies, 

SDI and TDI among them, offer 

specialty ratings and sidemount 

options for their existing 

curriculum from Intro-to-Tech 

to Advanced Trimix, in addition 

to the more traditional cavern 

and cave. 


The real kicker perhaps is that 

sidemount divers are beginning 

to pop up on dive boats and at 

open-water sites. On a brilliant 

Saturday morning at a popular quarry 

in Ohio this past summer, there were 

a handful of “tech divers” wearing 

sidemount kit. On local charter boats 

too, sidemount divers are starting to 

make a showing, especially among 

divers who are trained to execute 

wreck penetration. It’s not just for 

cave divers anymore. 

Lamar Hires, head of Dive Rite 

and one of the early promoters of 

sidemount diving, files the reasons 

for using sidemount into two 

main categories – Lifestyle and 

Mission Specific. 

Let’s use Lamar’s definitions as a 

starting point to explore the overall 

features and benefits of SM diving. 

Pg 43 

Photo courtesy of Dive Rite 

Lifestyle 

The ubiquitous North Florida Cave 

Diver’s Rig consisting of a backplate, 

simple harness, wing and manifolded 

doubles, began to establish itself 

as the gold standard for technical 

divers sometime in the early 1990s. 

By the time TDI opened its doors 

in 1994, this kit configuration, with 

long hose on the right post, backup 

regulator and SPG on the left, and 

a generally minimalist approach to 

gear selection was what technical 

divers wore almost universally. But 

its one-size-fits-all approach and 

promotion as the universal solution 

to all dive applications, has lost 

some of its lustre over the years 

and technical divers have looked at 

other options with an open mind. 

With a sidemount configuration, 

the tanks are carried independently 

of each other and can be attached 

to the diver in the water or near to 

the water. This makes pre- and post 

dive prep easier on the diver’s back 

and knees, since the strain of one 

tank is about half of the strain of 

two. A good buddy of mine swears 

that diving sidemount has helped 

her enjoy dive trips more and use 

aspirin less! 

“There’s no way to describe how 

good it feels to take all my tanks 

off in the water, attach them to an 

equipment line and then walk up 

that boat ladder wearing nothing 

heavier than my harness and 

drysuit,” she says. 


Also, the sidemount diver’s 

gas supply is fully redundant and 

carried in completely separate 

systems each with a first and 

second stage plus an spg (and 

usually a LP hose). This offers 

similar gas management options 

as a set of doubles (some argue 

more options than doubles) but 

the valves and first stages are 

within full sight at the diver’s side 

rather than behind her back. This 

obviously makes options during 

either simulated or real situation 

shutdowns very simple! There is 

never any guessing which first 

stage is giving the diver grief… 

real or otherwise. This alone has 

many SM divers arguing that 

theirs is the safer option in the 

case of a free-flowing second 

stage, runaway wing inflator, 

runaway drysuit inflator or other 

gas leak. Which is a stance I 

agree with. 

The final “lifestyle” benefit 

revolves around the easy of 

travel and sidemount diving. 

Number one: A SM harness has 

no heavy backplate and therefore 

helps keep luggage within airline 

baggage allowance. Number 

two: renting “bottles” at one’s 

destination is easy since standard 

scuba cylinders can be got ready 

for service as sidemount primary 

tanks quickly and with a minimum 

of fuss and very little extra gear. 

The addition of a couple of cam 

straps to the traveler’s luggage, 

Pg 44 

makes conversion of almost any 

sized scuba cylinder the work of 

a few minutes; in fact standard 

stage bottle kits can be made to 

work in a pinch. 



In water, the burden of the tanks become far less apparent as the 

tank’s weight changes, through displacement, add the sensation of 

additional support. Hence, the diver feels less encumbered, while at the 

same time more flexible and streamlined. 


Mission Specific 

Going back to the genesis of 

sidemount diving, we arrive at 

the original reason to move one’s 

primary cylinders from one’s 

back to one’s side; low ceilings 

Pg 45 



and flat bedding planes. While 

this reality has informed the 

decision making of cave divers 

for more than a generation, more 

and more wreck divers feel that 

sidemount offers real advantages 

inside a wreck. 

The interior of most wrecks, 

even those intentionally sunk and 

cleaned out ahead of time, present 

special challenges because of the 

likelihood of entanglement with 

overhead cables and other debris. 

The possibilities of “unfriendly 

interaction” with all this mess 

are pretty high, and a staple of 

the traditional Advanced Wreck 

class is a session learning the 

best techniques to free oneself or 

a buddy from the clutches of a 

couple of metres of electrical wire 

and rotting wood caught in the 

traditional manifolded doubles. 

Not to say that entanglement in 

this sort of situation is a non-issue 

in sidemount, but if we look at it 

logically, there simply is not the 

number of potential line-traps 

behind the diver’s head when he 

is wearing sidemount kit. 

I also find the inherent lateral 

stability against the effect of roll 

wearing a sidemount setup is a 

huge benefit when scootering; 

but perhaps that’s a story for 

another day. 

With years of side mount 

diving experience, two of the 

sport’s most acclaimed explorers, 

Brian Kakuk and Jill Heinerth, 

have teamed up to share their 

expertise with you in their NEW 

book Side Mount Profiles. 

Generously illustrated 

and filled with practical and 

contemporary knowledge, 

featuring advice from side mount 

pioneers Wes Skiles, Lamar 

Hires, Jakub Rehacek and Steve 

Bogaerts, Side Mount Profiles is 

an essential tool with the right 

information to help you enjoy the 

underwater world as a competent 

and safe sidemount diver. 

Copies are available at: www.JillsDiveShop.com 


Application 

All this said, it is important 

to remember that no single kit 

configuration is right for ALL 

applications. Sidemount is not 

the silver bullet and is certainly 

not the best option always and 

everywhere. However, a growing 

number of tech and sport divers 

are finding SM an interesting and 

enjoyable way to dive in many 

different environments. 

Pg 46 

A good workshop is a great way 

to learn the technique and to find 

out the best ways to route hoses, 

hang lights, and configure deco 

bottles, but having a very flexible 

alternative to the traditional tech 

diver’s kit for many divers is 

worth the extra effort. 

- SL 

About the Author: 

Steve Lewis is an active instructortrainer 

for TDI and a strong advocate for 

the application of sidemount configuration 

for ALL open circuit divers who venture 

into an overhead environment. In addition to 

running SM courses and clinics on a regular 

basis, Steve is currently working on a new 

book about technical diving called Twelve 

Dialogues with Doppler. 

Steve can be reached via his website: 

www.techdivertraining.org. 

You can also follow Steve on facebook, 

and/or follow his writings by subscribing 

to his blog: decodoppler.wordpress.com 


Pg 47 


GEAR: Sea Trial 

Aquatica’s AT2i Housing for 

Canon’s 550/T2i Rebel DSLR 

Pg 48 

Aquatica takes great pride in the quality of their product. We 

have seen it first hand in their housings for Nikon’s D90 and newer 

D300s to Canon’s 40D/50D and 5D MK II. 

When we first learned that Aquatica was working on a housing 

for what was at the time Canon’s newly released EOS 550D (aka T2i 

Rebel), it evoked little more than a yawn. That is until we had a look 

at both the camera and a working model of the housing. 

The lesson here: don’t judge a book by its cover when it’s still 

sitting on the shelf! 

Bahama Sharks & 

Dolphins Adventure! 

M/V Dolphin Dream 

April 9 - 15, 2011 

Join UWJ’s Editor, Walt Stearns on 

board the M/V Dolphin Dream to dive 

with tiger and lemon sharks at Tiger 

Beach, plus a couple days to swim and 

play with the wild spotted dolphins on 

the Little Bahama Banks. 

For information and/ 

or to book email: 

info@uwjournal.com 


The Run Down 

Before we get 

into the housing, 

lets first get the run 

down on Canon’s EOS 

550D/T2i Rebel. 

If anything, Canon’s little 

EOS 550D Rebel comes packed 

with an18.0 MP CMOS (APS-C) 

sensor with a sensitivity range 

of 100-6400 ISO, expandable 

to 12800 ISO. This is also 

capable of recording full HD 

1080p video; this is not your 

typical sub-priced (under $800 

retail) camera body. 

Even dpreview (dpreview. 

com), which conducts 

some of the most thorough 

assessments of digital 

cameras, had difficulty 

categorizing the Canon 

EOS 550D. Their full review 

summarized it as “Ostensibly 

designed to appeal to firsttime 

DSLR buyers and 

enthusiasts, it offers a lot 

more technology, and at a 

higher price, than we might 

expect for a camera aimed 

squarely at this sector.” 

Looking at Canon's lineup, 

the 550D, pinched between 

its entry-level (represented 

Pg 49 

by the still-current EOS 

1000D and the 500D) and 

nominally enthused (the EOS 

50D) peers, has yet more in 

common with their prosumer 

EOS 7D. Some have coined 

the Rebel T2i/550D the 

7D’s “smaller sibling.” The 

550D also inherits the EOS 

7D's sophisticated 63-Zone 

metering system with 

9-point AF. This trait brings 

it a lot closer to the similarly 

positioned Nikon SLRs. 

Among its stable of features: 

the ability to capture stills up 

to 3.7 fps in RAW, JPEG, or 

RAW+JPEG (storing them on 

SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards), 

and Eye-Fi Menu Status 

Indicator Support, matched 

with 3.0" 1.04 Million Dot 

Clear View LCD packed into 

a smaller 5.1-inches/129mm 

W x 3.9-inches/98mm H x 

2.9-inches/75mm D body. 

When paired with Canon's 

better lenses, image quality 

is equal or better than its 

predecessor the EOS 500D in a 

range of conditions, including 

exceptionally low light, thanks 

to its usable ISO 12800 

setting, and not noticeably 

inferior to the considerably 

more expensive EOS 7D. 

The 550D's video capability 

is pretty damn good as well, 

offering full HD capture at 

up to 30 fps, manual control 

over exposure, and the option 

to use an external stereo 

microphone. 

The bottom line: Canon’s 

550 T2i Rebel offers excellent 

image quality. You don’t have 

to take my word on it. 

If you want the full skinny 

on how it performs visit 

www.dpreview.com/reviews/ 

canoneos550d/ 

Now a SDI/TDI Five 

Star Facility 


Pg 50 

by 

True 2 the name; 

R U ready… 

03.30.10 

Premiere Dealers 

Only 

Zeagle.com/wicked 

The AT2i Housing 

The still and video abilities packed 

into such a small package opened a 

rather competitive field among four 

of the industries leading underwater 

housing manufacturers. 

Nauticam’s base price for their 

NA-T2i housing is $2500; Sea & Sea’s 

RDX-550D with no ports or handles 

is $1500, with Ikelite’s SLR-DC 550D 

housing with handles at $1350. 

Priced at $1999.00 USD, Aquatica’s 

AT2i housing falls right in the middle 

for those targeted at cameras in 

this class. And yes, like all Aquatica 

housings, each AT2i is carved from 

a single block of marine grade 

aluminum via a state-of-the-art five 

axis computerized milling machine. 

The Computer Numerical Controlled 

(CNC) milling machine not only 

allows for faster development of new 

products, it also results in a stronger, 

lighter and more accurately formed 

housing which is less susceptible 

to any warping or twisting that can 

result in sticking controls, or worse 

yet cause flooding. 

Following the CNC milling, every 

housing shell is hand polished, 

inspected and treated to a stringent 

anodizing process before being 

receiving a powder coating that 

is baked in for a robust, highly 

wear-resistant external finish. The end 

result is a strong, light and extremely 

precise piece of equipment. 

Holding one in our hands for the 

first time, the size of the housing 

felt sweet. Without the handles, 

the housing is about the size of a 

cantaloupe measuring 9-inches / 

22.9cm wide by 5.25” / 13.3cm deep 

by 6.125-inches /15.6cm deep. Fitted 

with Aquatica’s newly available 100mm 

Mini Dome, you feel like you could 

cradle it in one hand – like a football. 

With both grips, the overall width is 

13-inches / 33cm, dropping easily into 

ThinkTank’s Airport TakeOff wheeled 

bag model along with an Aquatica 

macro flat port, 4’’ Mini Dome, pair of 

Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes, EOS 550D/ 

T2i body with Tokina 10-17mm fisheye 

zoom and Canon 60mm macro lens, 

with some room left for a few more 

small adds and ends. 

The real fun is how a manufacturer 

like Aquatica gave equal attention to 

making a housing for what most would 

view as a less than high-end digital 

SLR camera work the same smooth 

way as done for a flagship model like 

Canon’s 1Ds mk III. 

To serious Canon users, the main 

criticism with the 550D is that there 

is no rear control dial, as found on 

higher-end Canon bodies. But in the 

hands of an underwater photographer, 

the housing acts as an extension to 

the camera’s control system, thereby 

actually improving the operation of 

the camera ergonomically. 


For example, the 550D/T2i 

does not have the large wheel on 

the rear of the body as the 7D, 

so adjustments such as aperture 

(in AP or Manual modes) require 

you to hold down a star button 

lever while toggling the smaller 

single wheel on top of the camera 

next to the shutter release. The 

housing turns the hold-down 

function into a toggling switch 

that can be left in either up or 

down (button depressed) mode. 

Instead of having to hold your 

thumb on the button while 

trying to ratchet the wheel with 

Pg 51 

your finger, you simply touch 

the button, let go, and make 

your adjustments with your 

right thumb without lifting your 

forefinger away from the shutter 

release - sweet. 

The majority of the knobs and 

buttons linked to the camera’s 

numerous push button controls 

are positioned in as uncluttered 

fashion as possible for a camera 

housing of this size. When 

shooting stills or video, critical 

functions like aperture and 

exposure correction, live view/ 

record, and the now so important 

ISO function are all set within the 

reach of the photographer’s right 

thumb. Even divers wearing thick 

gloves should only encounter 

mild issues when activating these 

same primary functions. 

The housing is supplied with 

choice of Nikonos, Ikelite, S6 to 

fiber optic strobe connectors. 

With the fiber optic connectors, 

there is no need to worry about 

the connections flooding. This 

system does, however, need to 

work off the camera’s pop-up 

flash to fire externally mounted 

Sea & Sea or Inon strobes. To 

allow the photographer to shift 

between flash and ambient light 

photography, below the focus/ 

zoom knob is a small push button 

to activate the camera’s pop up 

flash, with a second knob behind 

it to re-lower the internal flash. 

Both can be engaged without 

unwrapping your fingers from the 

housing’s left hand grip. 


On the left side, the housing 

uses a new (for Aquatica) 

retractable lever built into the 

its large focus/zoom knob, which 

allows the gear rack to be pulled 

out and away from the lens’ focus/ 

zoom gear. 

Pg 52 

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Pulling the knob outward 

with a slight twist, the lens 

focus/zoom gear is locked 

open and free, to allow a more 

straightforward system of installing 

and removing the body and lens 

together, through the back of 

the housing, for battery, card or 

lens replacement. Swapping the 

lens with the focus/zoom gear 

retracted through the housing’s 

front port is just as simple. 

STEARNS 

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Sea Trial 

While in the Bahamas, I had 

the opportunity to dive a brand 

new AT2i housing for a couple of 

days. Using it mostly for shooting 

wide angle with a Tokina 10-17mm 

fisheye zoom, the hosing was 

set up with Aquatica’s recently 

introduced BK-7 glass 100mm 

mini dome port matched with a 

16.5 mm extension ring; the ring 

best prescribed for the 10-17. 

In the water, the housing with 

the mini dome felt really nice 

and easy to work with. Albeit, it 

looked a bit undersized next to 

my Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes. 

Pg 53 

Photo © Walt Stearns 


As I mentioned, the T2i does 

not have the large control wheel 

on the rear of the body as does 

Canon’s larger DSLR’s. Being that 

I prefer to shoot mostly manual, 

that wasn’t a big deal for me. After 

first selecting the shutter speed 

I want to work with, changing 

my aperture values (in Manual 

mode) required the simple task 

of depressing the star button 

lever to toggle my f-stops up 

or down with my thumb on the 

small command wheel above the 

shutter release. 

The housing’s star lever 

features a hold-down function 

so that when the star button is 

depressed (lever down), I don’t 

need to keep my thumb on it. 

When done, simply touch the 

button again, let go, and make 

your next adjustment with your 

right thumb without lifting your 

forefinger away from the shutter 

release. Putting a number of 

frames away of Atlantic reef 

sharks and inquisitive groupers, 

I started to find it difficult to put 

it down. 

Switching to video mode was 

definitely a treat, as my own 

Nikon D300’s don’t feature 1080p 

video capacity. By the end of the 

day, reviewing the images I had 

taken and seeing a sampling of 

what it can do, I was in a serious 

dilemma about getting one. 

The housing’s standard 

operating depth is 300ft/90m, 

although Aquatica can on request, 

upgrade to handle a deeper 

operational depth of 425ft/130m. 

As with all post 2005 Aquatica 

housings, the AT2i readily accepts 

Aquatica’s Aqua View finder, 

which can be easily swapped out 

and replaced with its standard 

viewfinder in a matter of seconds 

should you need to have the 

housing remain as compact and 

light-weight as possible. 


Something else Aquatica has begun doing 

is to add the option to use a remote Control 

Grip accessory. For example, poll-cam, which 

can be easily mounted via a ¼ inch treaded 

mounting hole in the top of the housing with 

a remote trigger run through the accessories 

bulkhead, also in the top. 

Compact, lightweight, capable of shooting 

18MP still images and 1080p HD video, 

Canon’s T2i / 550D camera is a marvel of 

today’s image capturing technologies. As 

for Aquatica’s new T2i housing for the T2i / 

550D camera, it doesn’t take any imagination 

to see beyond this “first look” to know this 

package can do just about everything the big 

boys can do. It not only felt like an extension 

of the camera, it can accept Aquatica’s wide 

list of port options from their giant 10-inch 

Megadome down to the highly acclaimed 

100mm mini dome. Combine that with today’s 

trend in airline baggage allowances, small is 

surely in, and it’s the way to go. 

Pg 54 

- WS 

Housing Dimensions: 

Width, w/o grips: 9” / 22.9cm 

Width, with both grips: 13” / 33cm 

Depth: 5.25” / 13.3cm 

Height: 6.125” / 15.6cm 

Weight: 5.3 Lbs / 2.4kg 

Base Price: $1999.00 USD 

New Manual Focus Extension Ring for Canon’s 

16-35mm f/2.8L II & 17-40mm f/4 Zoom lenses 

Aquatica will be releasing a new 

specialized extension ring specially 

designed for Canon’s EF 16-35mm f/2.8L 

II and their EOS EF model 17-40mm f/4 

zoom lenses. What makes this extension 

ring extremely noteworthy, is that it 

sports a focus knob on its side that 

connects to the lens focus ring via a gear 

that is independent of the lenses zoom 

gear arrangement. 

For the photographer switching to 

video, the ability to manually continue 

focusing while shooting, as autofocus in 

video mode is either unavailable (with the 

5D mk II) or unacceptably is critical for 

capturing high quality footage. 

This same knob has a retractable 

mechanism that makes installing 

and removing the lenses a quick and 

simple operation. 

Using all anodized aluminum 

construction, the new extension ring 

system includes matching focus gears for 

both 16-35mm f/2.8L II and 17-40mm 

lenses. The extension ring also carries a 

300ft/90m depth rating, as well as having 

been optimized for pairing with Aquatica’s 

acclaimed 9.25” Megadome BK-7 coated 

mineral glass dome port. 

Expect the retail price tag for both 

extension port and its accompanying 

gears to run $349.00 USD. 


Live-Aboard Diving 

Pg 55 

Caribbean 

Explorer II 

Two Incredible Islands … 

One Easy Route for Diving 


Like a line of fence posts 

separating the open Tropical 

Atlantic and Eastern 

Caribbean running north to south, 

the Lesser Antilles offers an 

intriguing blend of colonial Dutch, 

British and French-based cultures 

spread across a scenic chain of 

islands. My journeys have brought 

me through this northeastern 

region of the Caribbean more than 

a few times. Among them, the small, 

5-mile square island of Saba still 

remains among my favorite locales. 

The attraction is simple: 

Stunning underwater 

topography offering a 

myriad of corals, sponges, 

invertebrates and fish life. 

Pg 56 


by Walt Stearns 

Saba’s geography is among the 

most dramatic in the Caribbean. A 

remnant of an ancient volcano, which 

erupted some 500,000 years ago (a 

mere tick in the earth's geological 

clock), it rises approximately 2,885 

feet above sea level. Within the 

mist-shrouded apex of the mountain’s 

highest elevation, Mt. Scenery, 

Saba’s Elfin Forest presents any 

daring hiker a primordial cloud forest 

setting unique to the Caribbean. 

Circumnavigate the island once, 

seeing no form of beachhead and 

lots of steep cliffs and rocky slopes 

running into the sea, you begin to 

wonder why anyone would want 

to colonize it. Yet the island has a 

relatively large local population. The 

interior terrain of Saba is so terse 

Like a mini rendition of Saba island itself, Diamond 

Rocks’ huge pinnacle descends with equal intensity to 

a max depth of 80 feet. Covering this small summit, 

from surface to bottom, runs a gamut of bright 

encrusting corals and sponges hosting a wealth of 

small tropicals and crustaceans. 


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Looking at Sabs’s coastline of steep cliffs and rocky slopes running 

into the sea, you have to wonder: why would anyone want to live here? 

that engineers once said it would 

be impossible to build a road on 

it; the road was built anyway, as 

well as an airport. 

Underwater, Saba’s topography 

follows a similar course with its 

most famous descent point at 

the tip of a deepwater seamount 

called Third Encounter. From 

the top of Third Encounter at 90 

feet, the volcanic precipice drops 

away on two sides to depths 

approaching 2000 feet, with one 

surprising feature. To one side of 

the drop off, approximately 60-70 

feet away, sits a slender 90-foot 

tall pinnacle known as Eye of 

the Needle. Scarcely more than 

20 feet in diameter, the “Needle” 

sits atop a small step at 200 feet 

in the side of Third Encounter’s 

seamount. During the approach 

from the side of Third Encounter, 

the pinnacle presents the illusion 

that it is “alone in the blue.” 

Now, not every site in Saba 

lies in the deep, twilight realm like 

Third Encounter and Eye of the 

Needle. Saba features many sites 

between the 90 and 30-foot mark. 

A personal favorite in Saba’s 

shallower, sun-dappled depths is 

Diamond Rock, distinguishable 

by its sharp 35-foot high protrusion 


Pg 58 

Left: A diver takes in the rich 

formations of sponges around the 

base of Man of War Shoals. 

of white and dark gray stone 

sticking out of the ocean. Like a 

mini rendition of Saba island itself, 

Diamond Rocks' huge pinnacle 

descends with equal intensity to 

a max depth of 80 feet. Covering 

this small summit, from surface 

to bottom, runs a gamut of bright 

encrusting corals and sponges 

hosting a wealth of small tropicals 

and crustaceans. 

Virtually a stone throw from 

Diamond Rock is Man of War 

Shoals. Sharing almost identical 

Above: Tent Reef’s ledge and massive 

10 to 20-foot coral encrusted rock 

formations. 

depth profiles with the base at 

80 feet, the top of Man of War 

Shoals does not broach the 

surface, remaining about 10 feet 

below. For a photographer, the 

diversity and breadth of colorful 

encrusting corals, fish and 

invertebrates is beautiful on this 

site, to the point where during 

my last visit I just did not want 

to get out of the water when my 

dive time on this site was near 

ending; the crew dragged me off 

“kicking and screaming.” 


Above: A school of horse-eye jacks 

patrol the edge of Tent Reef’s 

overhanging 30-foot high ledge. 

Lining the base of the island’s 

terse shoreline are several 

other noted spots like Ladder 

Labyrinth, and Porites Point. 

These sites feature terrain which 

is governed by dramatic, tall, 

rocky coral-covered formations 

marching downward in varying 

degrees from depths as little as 

15 feet to zones well beyond 120. 

Just west of Fort Bay Harbor, 

the edge of the island’s steep 

submerged shelf, the topography 

takes on two forms starting 

with a mini-wall known as Tent 

Pg 59 

Wall. The top of Tent wall drops 

straight down off the reef’s 

southern 30-foot deep shelf to 

130 feet. Following the wall’s 

point of origin to the south, 

the reef makes a complete 

transformation to a 30-foot high 

ledge with the upper reef shelf 

at 20 feet becoming Tent Reef. 

Seaward of Tent Reef’s ledge, 

is a series of massive 10 to 

20-foot tall, coral encrusted rock 

formations in tight groupings that 

create the appearance of a deep 

crevasse. Outside of this first line 

of rocks, the formations become 

smaller and more spread out 

across a sandy plane as it slants 

off into the depths. 

Island Hopping with the Caribbean Explorer II 

My first introduction to this 

marvelous corner of the Lesser 

Antilles was a trip back in 1996, 

then again in 1998 aboard the 

first Caribbean Explorer (CEX-I). 

And I just keep going back, for 

the great diving aboard this 

Explorer Ventures, Ltd. vessel. 

Explorer Ventures, Ltd. has 

been conducting dive trips here 

since 1994 and has continued to 

improve its liveaboard experience 

in this part of the world. 

The Caribbean Explorer II 

(CEX-II) spans 115 feet in length 

with a passenger list of no more 

than 18, split between 9 double- 

occupancy, air-conditioned 

staterooms with private vanity, 

toilet and shower facilities. The 

boat’s crew complement of 8 (two 

up from CEX-I) are there to take 

care of your diving and overall 

well being for a comfortable, 

relaxed week on board. 

CEX-II departs alternate 

Saturdays from St. Maarten or 

St. Kitts depending on the week 

you choose; start from one island 

and end in the other. Itineraries 

include 5 1/2 days of diving, 3 

days at the Saba Marine Park and 

the rest in the waters of St. Kitts. 

5 daily dives are normally offered, 


which includes night dives. 

The schedule also provides 

for up to 3 island tours during 

the week; there is ample 

time for guests to explore 

interesting forts, beautiful 

rainforests, duty-free shops 

and cool museums. 

To be expected, all dives 

are conducted from the vessel 

- no transfers or shuttling via 

a skiff to/from sites. Instead, 

just one giant step off the 

side and you’re there. Each 

dive site is directly below the 

boat’s position, which is a key 

convenience here. 

A unique feature on 

the Caribbean Explorer 

II over most live-aboard 

configurations is that there 

Pg 60 

is no indoor dining salon. 

Instead, meals are served up 

top on the sun deck beneath 

an awning roof with side 

curtains to keep the weather 

out if it is less than pleasant. 

At every breakfast, lunch, 

and dinner you’re treated 

to a spectacular ocean side 

view of the island. The view 

is different each day, a nice 

facet of your week. 

That said, climbing back 

on board after a dive and 

catching the aroma of fresh 

baked cookies or the next 

meal floating down from 

the sun deck is also quite 

pleasant. Having spent a 

number of weeks aboard 

Explorer Ventures boats I 

All 9 staterooms 

on the CEX II are 

double-occupancy, and 

air-conditioned, with 

private vanity, toilet and 

shower facilities. 

can attest to the high quality 

and preparation of the meals. 

Let’s say it’s never lacking. 

For entertainment, the 

sun/dining deck includes a TV 

with DVD/VHS, and CD player. 

It’s unlikely to encounter a 

live-aboard without a reverse 

osmosis water maker. The 

CEX II has two, turning out 

1,200 gallons of fresh, totally 

clean drinking water a day, so 

there is plenty go around for 

hot showers. 

Diving needs are just as 

complete. The dive deck is 

well appointed with individual 

gear placement areas and 

space for 25 divers to suit 

up. On every dive there is at 

least one Divemaster (two 

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on deeper dives) in the water. 

Aluminum 80’s is the primary 

tank on board, although the boat 

also has a few 63 cu.ft. cylinders 

for divers requiring less bulk on 

their backs. 

The boat’s two compressors 

feature nitrox membrane 

systems providing guests the 

option of diving air or EAN 32 

(32 % nitrox). This is something 

I would have enjoyed during my 

first endeavors in Saba in the 

90’s, considering the regiment 

of dives each day - most are 

deeper than 50 feet, some to 

100 - 120 feet, as well as three 

to four nights. Yes, it’s an option 

I strongly recommend. If you 

don’t have a nitrox certification, 

the course (which is short and 

easy) is also available during 

the trip. 

Along with the tank rack/ 

bench seats lining both port 

and starboard sides, fresh 

water rinse barrels, hangers for 

wetsuits, the central attraction 

to every photographer is CEX 

II’s 10-foot by 5-foot, carpeted 

camera table with a dedicated 

recharging station for strobe 

and camera batteries nearby. 

If in need of equipment, 

the boat’s rental department 

includes dive computers 

regulators, BC's, dive lights and 

cyalume sticks. 

Pg 61 

Along with diving, the 

CEX II offers opportunities 

for guests to venture 

ashore - on both Saba and 

St. Kitts - to tour some 

of the islands’ interesting 

sights. For example, 

Brimstone Hill Fortress 

(above) and Romney 

Manor’s botanical garden 

and Batik crafts, both on 

St. Kitts. 


Pg 62 

Diving St. Kitts 

While Saba is a focal point to 

the voyage, St. Kitts should not be 

taken lightly. 

St. Kitts offers a wide variety 

of sites from shallow finger reefs, 

dropoffs to even a wreck to capture 

your imagination. 

Among the pinnacle points of 

interest in St. Kitts is Monkey 

Shoals situated just off the 

island’s western tip. The reef on 

Monkey Shoals varies in depth 

from a shallow 40 feet on top down 

to a depth of 100 feet. Visibility is 

usually good, but 90 to 100 feet 

would be pushing it. As dives go, 

its a great place for finding small 

stuff for macro photography as it is 

home to an assortment of critters 

from banded coral shrimp, arrow 

crabs and red legged hermits to 

lizard fish and black sea horses. 

Up towards the island’s 

northwestern coast Paradise 

Reef features a reef bottom 

with 10 to 15-foot tall coral 

heads that follow the bottom’s 

sloping profile down to 100 feet. 

Wedged between two of the reef’s 

immense coral heads at 50 feet 

is a large, 16th century anchor 

so heavily overgrown with coral 

and sponges that it is almost 

completely obscured. 


A flying gurnard spreads its broad, 

bright blue-trimmed pectoral fins. 

Pg 63 

Again the main focal to this 

reef is the array of unusual reef 

fish, from spotted drums and 

jackknife fish to giant snake 

eels and flying gurnards. 

If you haven’t found at least 

one by the end of your second 

dive in St. Kitts, well.... you’re 

just not looking. 

If that is not enough, there is 

also broken remains of the MV 

River Taw. The Taw is a 144 

foot-long island freighter sunk 

by a hurricane in the mid 1980's 

in 50 feet of water, which serves 

up another great spot for finding 

small, bold and bright critters, 

boasting everything from octopus 

and reef squid to jawfish. 

For those less thrilled by small 

fish, the Taw’s hull broken in half 

with the forward portion sitting 

up right and the stern turned 

180-degrees over provides easy 

swim-throughs and views directly 

into the hull. Along with the two 

broken halves of freighter, the 

site will yield a few surprises such 

as an actual bulldozer, which was 

on board the Taw when she went 

down. This sits upright on the 

bottom along with a bus, which 

is a bit “chewed up” due to the 

forces of nature. 


- WS 

TRAVEL INFO 

Boarding and disembarking the Caribbean 

Explorer II takes place (depending on 

your itinerary) between St. Maarten 

and St. Kitts, both accessed by several 

international carriers. 

There are direct flights to St. Maarten 

and St. Kitts via several U.S. carriers – 

American, US Airways, Continental and 

Delta. Air France, Alitalia and Air Caraibes 

go to St. Maarten from Paris and KLM 

(Royal Dutch Airlines) from Amersterdam. 

From St. Maarten, it’s a 15 to 20-minute 

hop to St. Kitts via Liat, a local carrier. 

Traveling from North America, American 

Airlines provides the most non-stop flights 

to both St. Maarten (SXM) and St. Kitts 

(SKB) from gateway cities like Miami 

(MIA), New York (both LGA and JFK), and 

Newark, NJ. In addition, San Juan Puerto 

Rico, (SJU) is also an exchange point. 

Tour, park and immigration fees between 

the three islands visited, (Saba, St. Maarten 

and St. Kitts) include $25 departure tax 

and Marine Park fees. To help preserve the 

marine life in the diving areas in Saba, the 

Dutch conservation management group, 

Stenapa, established the Saba National 

Marine Park in 1987. 

Your fees should total around $115 per 

person. There is and additional $15 to $20 

fee for each added island tour. 

Explorer Ventures, Ltd. 

Phone: 800-322-3577 or 903-887-8521 

web: www.caribexplorer.com 

e-mail: info@explorerventures.com

Underwater Research 

Pg 64 

Scientific 

Diving 

by Michael Bear 


Scientific diving is a specialized sub-set of 

diving. It is basically any diving done with 

the furtherance of scientific objectives in 

mind. It can involve a wide range of fields, from 

marine biology to underwater archaeology. 

While most scientific diving involves scientists 

who are also divers, not every scientific diver has 

to be a scientist by profession. Many scientific 

projects are managed by a Principal Investigator 

(PI), who in turn, will use graduate students and/ 

or those trained in scientific diving to gather data 

and make observations. This is where a particular 

organization, known as the AAUS, comes in. 


What is the AAUS? 

The American Academy of 

Underwater Sciences (AAUS) 

started in 1977, in California to 

oversee scientific diving. Today, 

they are the leading organization 

that sets the guidelines and 

standards for all scientific diving 

programs. Their mission is to 

“facilitate the development of 

safe and productive scientific 

divers through education, 

research, advocacy, and the 

advancement of standards 

for scientific diving practices, 

certifications, and operations.” 

The AAUS also works with 

the Organizational Safety and 

Health Administration (OSHA) as 

the governing official of scientific 

diving. They set all the guidelines 

and standards that are necessary 

to ensure that scientific diving is 

safe and healthy. 

It is for these two reasons 

most major institutions, 

individuals, organizations, and 

universities that do any form 

of scientific diving become 

members of the AAUS. 

It is important to note that 

joining the AAUS as an Associate 

or “Full, Voting Member” does 

not automatically make you an 

AAUS Scientific diver - it only 

makes you an AAUS member. In 

other words, by joining the AAUS 

you are not automatically an 

AAUS diver, however, becoming 

Pg 65 

Photo© Walt Stearns 

an AAUS diver does confer your 

membership in AAUS. 

One of the primary 

contributions of the AAUS to the 

Scientific Diving Community is 

the promulgation of The AAUS 

Standards for Scientific Diving 

Certification and Operation 

of Scientific Diving Programs. 

A consensual guideline for 

scientific diving programs, 

this document is currently the 

"Standard" of the scientific diving 

community. Followed by all 

AAUS Organizational members, 

these standards allow for 

reciprocity between institutions, 

and are widely used throughout 

the United States and in many 

foreign countries. 

So, basically, AAUS certifies 

organizations, rather than 

individuals, to ensure that they 

are doing scientific diving in 

accordance with the uniform 

'standards and practices' of AAUS. 

This also allows for something 

called 'reciprocity' between 

AAUS organizations, which 

allows science divers from one 

organization to dive with another 

institution and that institution will 

know they have been trained to 

minimum AAUS standards. 

Outfits like PBS&J use AAUS 

trained divers for projects like the 

Texas Flower Gardens coral reef 

survays for the MMS. 


Becoming a AAUS Diver 

The path to becoming an 

AAUS diver varies, depending 

on the organization you are 

affiliated with. Many universities 

have science diving programs 

associated with marine sciences 

majors, so if, say, you are a 

marine biology major at UC 

Santa Cruz, for example, once 

physical standards are met, 

enrollment in an AAUS program 

is usually arranged through 

the student's sponsoring 

department, according to Dida 

Kutz, a Scientific Diver with 

the Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Pg 66 

and publisher of Blue Planet 

Divers (blueplanetdivers.org), 

a website which brings AAUS 

science divers and prospective 

employers together, the only 

website of its kind. 

The other route to AAUS is 

through the various aquariums, 

often affiliated with marine 

research institutions, such as 

Birch Aquarium and University 

of California, San Diego, for 

example, who often have a 

step-by-step process by which 

volunteers can attain certification 

by meeting the requirements of 

member aquariums. Divers who 

wish to become AAUS Scientific 

Divers will have to meet the 

requirements of both AAUS and 

the aquarium through which 

they volunteer. 

This usually involves a 

minimum number of hours of 

volunteer work diving in the 

aquarium, which are normally 

counted towards the AAUS annual 

minimum of 12 science dives per 

year. Individual requirements 

may vary by institution. 

Science diving at most 

institutions is controlled by the 

Diving Safety Officer, who is the 

final authority on what standards 

must be met for AAUS. He or she, 

in turn, usually serve on a Diving 

Control Board, which oversees 

the science diving standards of 

that institution to makes sure 

they comply with AAUS. 

Once the minimum 

requirements are met, then the 

DSO, with the approval of the 

DCB, will issue an AAUS Scientific 

Diver card to the volunteer, 

showing that he or she as met 

the minimum requirements for 

AAUS science diving standards. 

Since AAUS certification is a 

coveted one, many aquariums' 

programs are 'impacted,' ie: full 

up with waiting lists, sometimes 

for several years, but with some 

patience and a little persistence, 

it is an extremely rewarding 

experience and looks good on 

your diving resume. - MB 

Michael Bear is an AAUS 

Science Diver with the California 

Science Center in Los Angeles who 

lives and works in San Diego. He is 

also the Science Diver columnist 

for California Diver magazine 

and writes a SCUBA column for 

the San Diego Examiner. Michael 

documents his experiences on a 

personal blog Rapture of the Deep. 

He is an active Science Diver with 

REEF.org, and often assists marine 

biologists to identify and track local 

species of marine life. Contact him 

at: scubapro.bear@gmail.com 

You can learn 

more about the 

AAUS by visiting 

www.aaus.org 


Eco Watch: Front Line 

Pg 67 

Hunting Poachers 

in the Sea of Cortez 

I 

Love sharks! I Love them in the same 

way many folks love dogs and cats. 

For years I have admired, played with 

and hand-fed sharks. I have tagged them, 

saved them from net entanglement, and 

reached out and touched one-ton white sharks 

and tigers as they swam past. My life has 

been greatly enriched because of sharks. 

So, to discover the disembodied heads 

of more than a thousand baby sharks in a 

garbage-pile, covered in horse manure, was 

almost too much to endure. It was hard to 

imagine so much suffering and death - and all 

just for the sake of sushi and shark-fin soup. 

The scene of this carnage was the city 

dump in San Felipe, Mexico, where my 

partner in crime and guide, Dale Pearson 

and I were participating in our latest rECOn 

mission. Staged to bring attention to the 

ongoing poaching that continues to plague 

our oceans, our mission also focuses on 

enforcing the law by identifying individual 

poachers and putting them in jail. 

by Scott Cassell 


Accompanying us was 

cameraman Ed Wardle, who 

was filming our operation for 

a possible series on Animal 

Planet. Several weeks before the 

beginning of our mission, Dale 

had received a tip on the location 

of the shark heads. This became 

the first focus of our mission, and 

it didn’t take us long to find what 

we were looking for – though we 

were not prepared for the reality. 

The shark heads we found 

were tiny remains of silky 

sharks, with heads barely 2.5 

inches across, indicating the 

animals had been only 10 inches 

to one foot long. These were 

Pg 68 

just babies! We initially found 

27, then subsequently found 

hundreds more concealed in a 

pile of horse manure. 

The anger welling up inside 

of me had to be focused as I 

inhaled the dust composed of 

murdered babies, horse crap 

and human filth. This was a vivid 

illustration of man’s complete 

lack of respect for the sea and 

indeed for life itself. 

Dale called out to us with 

another sickening discovery, 

some 25 to 30 poached Totuaba! 

The telltale rounded caudal fin 

and skull shape offered the 

positive ID we needed to present 

as evidence and we carefully 

video recorded it. This was 

particular damning evidence of 

poaching activity, because the 

Totuaba were fished to near 

extinction and are now protected 

by Mexican law. Having a Totuaba 

in your possession is a mandatory 

8-year prison sentence. 

As Ed, Dale and I gathered at 

the tailgate of the truck to reflect 

on what we found, I glanced 

across the dump at a strange 

shape propped on a rock. What 

at first looked like a broken trash 

can lid took on a familiar shape; it 

was a green turtle shell. Although 

I didn’t realize it at the time, I had 

just found a way to catch some of 

these bastards. 

The Hunt is On 

The next morning we set 

out on Dale’s panga to explore 

for poaching activity on Lobos 

Island. Upon arrival, we noticed 

the sea lions seemed afraid of 

human approach, and scrambled 

off rocks at the sight of us. 

This behavior is learned, not 

instinctual. Here, it seems that 

humans kill Sea Lions. 

As most of the animals 

scrambled into the water I 

noticed one female that was 

hesitant to leave her rock perch. 

We slowly worked our way closer 

and noticed she had a dark 

ring around her neck. I trained 

binoculars at her as Ed focused 


March 26 - April 2, 2011 

Belize Aggressor III 

with Walt Stearns 

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board the Belize Aggressor III. Enjoy unlimited diving 

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and gain a better understanding of the creatures and 

critters in this part of the globe. 

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Pg 69 

his camera’s long lens and we 

saw she was gravely injured 

from a net fragment cutting 

through her skin, blubber 

and muscle, deep into her 

throat. I took out my knife 

and asked Dale to close in so 

I might try to tackle her and 

cut the net free. But she dove 

in at the last second, closing 

the window of opportunity on 

her survival. 

Under permit, we landed 

and began our search for 

evidence of poaching activity. 

It didn’t take long to discover 

several, dead, sea lions that 

were either entangled in 

nets or had stab wounds on 

their head and necks. Dale 

discovered a baby sea lion 

corpse that appeared to be 

killed by a rock strike at the 

base of the skull. 

We left the island with 

heavy hearts. As we arrived in 

port, Dale quietly disappeared 

with an acquaintance. When 

he returned he looked upset. 

“You won’t believe this!” he 

told us. “Some guys want to 

sell me sea turtle meat.” 

We unloaded our gear 

made ready. Ed attached a 

long lens with a night vision 

intensifier to his video camera 

and I set up a small camcorder 

for Dale. The mission was 

simple yet potentially very 

dangerous. Dale was to go 

to the poacher’s camp and 

gather video evidence of the 

turtle, while pretending to 

want to buy it. 

With Ed set up on an 

observation point to film Dale 

at long range, and the tiny 

HDV camcorder ready, Dale 

jumped into the truck and 

drove to the Poacher’s camp. 

Ed captured outstanding 

images of him walking to 

the Sea Turtle’s remains (on 

a table). Dale then used the 

tiny concealed camera to 

captured images of the turtle 

and the poacher’s faces, and 

recorded them admitting that 

they kill up to two sea turtles 

per day. They even revealed 

where they set nets to catch 

them. Dale politely declined 

purchasing the meat and made 

small talk, then eventually left 

safely. The meat was offered 

to Dale for $100. We decided 

it would have sold for much 

less to a Mexican. 

With this damning footage 

in hand, we now wanted, and 

needed to film them in the 

act of fishing for turtles. And 

thanks to Dale’s recording we 

knew exactly where and when 

to set up the surveillance. 

Soon after we were in place, 

and almost on cue, a poacher 

approached the shoreline 

carrying a huge net. He 

was working in complete 


darkness, but the night vision 

optics enabled us to capture 

every detail. 

Once the Poacher dropped 

the net, Dale and I went closer 

to confirm that it was the type 

used to kill Sea Turtles. Dale 

set up an over-watch position 

with an Electrophysics Thermal 

Camera and radio to keep 

me informed of the poacher’s 

movements. I worked my 

way out on the beach to the 

net in a low a profile to avoid 

detection while Dale kept 

watch. A quick glance at the 

net was all I needed to confirm 

it was intended to kill turtles. A 

surge of anger rushed through 

me and I wanted to destroy 

the net and wrap it around 

the poacher’s neck like the 

condemned female sea lion we 

saw earlier. As I returned to 

Dale’s position, I learned that 

I had missed the poacher’s 

return by less than a minute. I 

felt it lucky for him that we did 

not meet alone in the dark. 

The next morning we loaded 

Dale’s panga and found the 

area where the poacher’s net 

was set. Dale passed by the 

cove a few times in allows me 

to set a compass course for use 

with my TAC board. I finished 

putting the Ghuille cover on my 

O2 rebreather and donned my 

new Riffe Cryptic Camo Wetsuit 

and combat dive gear and 

Pg 70 

slipped into the water. On my 

TAC board was one camcorder 

facing me to record my actions 

during the dive, and another 

was mounted on my helmet 

facing forward to record what 

I saw. 

I descended to a depth 

of 20 feet and t followed 

my pre-determined course, 

counting kick strokes right up 

to the net, which was in full view 

of the Poacher’s campo. The net 

was already indiscriminately 

killing fish while waiting for 

turtles to wander too close. I 

filmed the full length of the net 

returned to the boat. We then 

moved to another shore-side 

surveillance site to wait for the 

poachers to recover the net. 

They never came. Were they 

tipped off to our operation? 

We may never know, but we 

did end up collecting several 

nets and placed them into our 

little bonfire ring. It felt good 

to destroy the gear and hope 

it financially cripples these 

bastards so they find it harder 

to poach. 

8 Years – Is it Enough? 

But that wasn’t the end 

of it. On our way back to the 

states, we met up with a local 

contact in Baja, and showed 

him our evidence. He was quiet 

at first, then told us he would 

be able to take our evidence 

to an audience of powerful 

people who had the influence 

needed to institute new levels 

of protection and enforcement. 

He also took our evidence to 

the Mexican District Attorney. 

As a result, 4 poachers now 

face 8 years each in prison. 

All in all this is a good result. 

Yet, I remain haunted by the 

vacant eyes of a thousand 

baby sharks, the dead baby sea 

lions and the complete lack of 

respect for life and the ocean 

these poachers demonstrated. 

My personal war against 

poachers and other soul-less 

bastards that injure the Oceans 

has just begun. 

- SC 

Scott Cassell 

is the President 

and founder of 

the Undersea 

Voyager Project. 

A man of the sea, 

Scott has worked as 

a commercial diver 

with over 12,000 

hours of dive time 

as is a USCG Qualified Submersible 

Pilot/Captain with over 800 dives on 

the SeaMagine SeaMobile submersibles 

and another 400 dives in various 

models. Scott has also been directly 

involved with several documentary films 

broadcast on Disney, MTV Wildboyz, 

the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, 

BBC and The History Channel. As an 

explorer and underwater cameraman, 

Scott is credited with the production 

of nearly 20 documentaries. Among 

his accomplishments, Scott developed 

a method to attach a camera to a 

Humboldt squid. 

To learn more about the 

Undersea Voyager Project 

visit: 

UnderseaVoyagerProject.org 


Parting Shot 

DEEP PURPLE 

Of all the nudibranchs 

common in Southern California 

waters, few are as striking 

and flamboyant in color as 

the spanish shawl (Flabellina 

iodinea) with its long oral 

tentacles and striking shades of 

purple and orange. A member of 

the aeolid family, this nudibranch 

feeds exclusively on small 

hydroids giving it a bad taste to 

any fish that tries to devour it. 

Pg 71 

Camera: Nikon D300, Nikon 105mm 

lens, F20, ISO 200, 1/250th Photo 

© Scott Gietler

Underwater Journal issue 18 - Stingray Divers

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